Lets get it goin again~!

When schools started, I totally spaced on the blog!~

Yet, upon mentioning a recipe today at the dermatologist's office I was inspired to get it goin again~!

So I've been searchin all recipes quite a bit today and my recipe box is stockin up~!

Will keep you posted on the new menu, either tonight or tomm.....

...also I realized how pictures make the difference, so I will try to get the digi into the kitchen~!

One last thing, I should mention on the risotto, is that I have tried both quick cooking where I used a bit higher heat and submerged the rice in the broth so it absorbs quicker, and we get a bit more firm risotto with some definition. However, it comes out a bit bland. 

Its the slow cooking risotto at around med heat and one ladle of both at the time waiting for it to be absorbed. This way it gives you a creamier and much sticker risotto with more of the salt from the broth being absorbed into the dish.... 

Also, I highly recommend using wine in the risotto dishes, like in the Butternut Squash recipe, it amplifies the flavor!

Vegetarian Minestrone

Followed this recipe using soup starter..... wasn't what I expected..... hearty way to get all your veggies and stay healthy and warm on a cold winter day.... however it was a bit bland..... has potential.... feel free to check it out!


Here is the Recipe From "Better Recipes" :


Vegetarian Minestrone

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
5 stalks celery, sliced
5 carrots, sliced
6 cups vegetable broth
1 pkg. chopped tomatoes
1/2 lb fresh green beans, trimmed & cut
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 bag fresh spinach, ready to eat
3 zucchini, halved and sliced
1 can cannelloni beans, drained
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 of a 1 lb box ditalini pasta, cooked
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese for topping (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)


Method
In a large stock pot, over medium-low heat, heat olive oil and saute garlic for 1-2 minutes. Add onion and saute for 4 to 5 minutes. Add vegetable broth, celery, carrots, green beans and tomatoes. Bring to boil, turn down and simmer until vegetables are tender, stirring frequently. Add kidney beans, cannelloni beans, zucchini, spinach, oregano, basil, parsley, salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, the longer the better. Add more water if needed for soup consistency. Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add ditalini pasta and cook the recommended time for pasta that is going into soup. (It is usually a few minutes less than completely cooked pasta.) Drain water and add pasta to soup when vegetables are tender. Optional serving suggestions: Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Spray with olive oil and serve.

Notes: Serve with crusty bread and a salad for a hearty meal. Leftovers store very well in the refrigerator. Vegetarian broth tip: Use prepared, canned vegetarian broth OR water mixed with Vegetarian Soup Starter, according to the soup starter directions. When soup starter is used do NOT add the salt listed in the ingredients above.

Number of Servings: 12

Butternut Squash Risotto

This one was a gem

I stumbled upon this site by a woman named Elise, which has all her recipes..... and the Risotto was excellent..... fed quite a few!

The primary difference I noticed between this risotto and the other Mushroom Risotto I made about a week ago is the added wine..... a splendid addition to this wonderful dish!~

Everyone loved it!

The one thing I would mention is to thoroughly cook the butternut squash before adding the abrio rice...... or you will get crunchy squash!~


Highly Recommended..... keep the rice firm and ENJOY!


Here is the Recipe from "Simply Recipes" :

Butternut Squash Risotto

Ingredients
6-8 cups chicken broth (use vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided into 4 Tbsp and 1 Tbsp
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cups butternut squash, peeled, and finely diced
2 cups arborio rice (can substitute medium grained white rice, but arborio is preferred)
1 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp chopped chives or garlic chives
Salt

Method
1 Heat broth in medium sized saucepan and keep warm over low heat. Melt 4 Tbsp of butter in a large saucepan; add onion and butternut squash. Cook over medium heat until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
2 Add rice to onion and squash. Cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine. Cook, stirring constantly until wine has been absorbed by the rice or evaporated. Add a few ladles of broth, just enough to barely cover rice. Cook over medium heat until broth has been absorbed. Continue cooking and stirring rice, adding a little bit of broth at a time, cooking and stirring until it is absorbed, until the rice is tender, but still firm to the bite, about 15 to 20 minutes.
3 During the last minutes of cooking, add remaining tablespoon of butter, 1/3 cup Parmesan, and chives. At this point the rice should have a creamy consistency. Add salt to taste. Serve with remaining grated Parmesan.
Serves 4 to 6.

Colorful Vegetable and Avocado Fajitas

Hola~!

So I merged the recipes!

Both Great Recipes ~!

I combined this recipe with the avocado taco recipe and it was EXCELLENT~!

Avo Tacos

The only diff was I used a bit of lime juice, tomatoes, and a clove of fresh garlic and reg salt instead of garlic salt in the avocado mix and I didn't use the pepper sauce...... will make again..... excellent fajita!

Quick, Easy and Tasty Meal - Will easily feed quite a few mouths - 3 very hungry ones at the least - I would get extra fajitas if you plan on merging them, as there is twice the filler!~

I would say with the avo sauce - you could make enough fajitas for 4-6 people to eat well, easily~!


Again Thanks to "All Recipes" for the Recipes! :


Colorful Vegetable Fajitas

by Jessie of All Recipes

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

• 8 (8 inch) flour tortillas
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 yellow squash, halved and sliced into strips
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS

1. Wrap tortillas in aluminum foil, and place in oven. Turn heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake for 15 minutes, or until thoroughly heated.
2. In a 10 inch skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onions, red and green peppers, and garlic; stir to coat with oil. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 5 minutes. Stir squash into vegetables. Stir in salsa, cumin, and salt. Cover, and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Spoon vegetable mixture evenly down the centers of warm tortillas, and sprinkle with cheese and cilantro. Roll up tortillas, and serve.

Avocado Tacos

by Valkaryn of All Recipes

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

• 3 avocados - peeled, pitted, and mashed
• 1/4 cup onions, diced
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• jalapeno pepper sauce, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, mix avocados, onions, and garlic salt.
3. Arrange corn tortillas in a single layer on a large baking sheet, and place in the preheated oven 2 to 5 minutes, until heated through.
4. Spread tortillas with the avocado mixture. Garnish with cilantro and sprinkle with jalapeno pepper sauce.

Weekly Menu and Ingredients List~!

Here is a copy of What I plan on making this week and the ingredients and Links for each:
(its not very neat)

I plan to merge the colorful veg fajitas and avocado tacos into one recipe.... and still debating on the Arugula Pesto

Menu (Jan 4-10)

Colorful Vegetable Fajitas (allrecipes.com) ( Blend with Avocado tacos )

Ingredients
8 (8in) flour tortillas
Veg Oil
Red Onions
1 Green Bell Pepper
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Yellow Squash
Salsa
Monteray Jack Cheese
Fresh Cilantro


Arugula Pesto

Ingredients

2 Cups Packed Arugula Leaves
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup fresh parm
6 Garlic Cloves

Cilantro Pesto

Ingredients
2 cups, packed, of cilantro, large stems removed
1/2 cup blanched almonds
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 teaspoon chopped and seeded serrano chile
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 cup olive oil

Method
In a food processor, pulse the cilantro, almonds, onion, chile, and salt until well blended. With the food processor running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream.
Add more oil as needed for your use.
Makes about 1 cup.
Whatever you don't use, you can freeze. Line a ice cube tray with plastic wrap and fill in the individual cube spaces with the pesto. Freeze and remove from the ice tray, put in a sealed freezer bag for future use.


Butternut Squash Risotto
6-8 cups vegetable broth (6 cans)
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided into 4 Tbsp and 1 Tbsp
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cups butternut squash, peeled, and finely diced
2 cups arborio rice (can substitute medium grained white rice, but arborio is preferred)
1 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp chopped chives or garlic chives
Salt


Avocado Taco’s

3 avocados - peeled, pitted, and mashed
1/4 cup onions, diced
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
jalapeno pepper sauce, to taste
2 Organic Tomatoes
1-2 cups blackbeans


Bow-Tie Pasta with Tomatos and Pine Nuts

* 2 Cups Bow Ties
* 1 Chopped Onion
* 2 Stalks Celery, chopped
* 1/4 Cup Sliced Black Olives
* 1 T. Pine Nuts
* 1-2 Cloves Garlic
* 1 Quart Canned Tomatoes
* 1/2 Sliced Red Pepper
* 1/2 Cup Feta Cheese
* 1 Sliced Zucchinni/Cucumber
* 1/4 Cup White or Red Wine
* 1 Tblsp. Pesto ( Optional)
* Olive Oil


Vegetarian Minestrone

* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 3 cloves garlic, chopped
* 1 sweet onion, chopped
* 5 stalks celery, sliced
* 5 carrots, sliced
* 6 cups vegetable broth
* 1 pkg. chopped tomatoes
* 1/2 lb fresh green beans, trimmed & cut
* 1 can kidney beans, drained
* 1 bag fresh spinach, ready to eat
* 3 zucchini, halved and sliced
* 1 can cannelloni beans, drained
* 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
* 1 tablespoon dried basil
* 1 tablespoon dried parsley
* Salt and pepper to taste
* 1/2 of a 1 lb box ditalini pasta, cooked
* 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese for topping (optional)
* 1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)



Salad Pizza


Authentic Mushroom Taco’s

1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup vegetable oil
20 ounces brown mushrooms, roughly chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 small onion, diced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, finely minced
1 lime, juiced
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
8 small corn tortillas
Cilantro sprigs

Penne with Gorganzola and Pistachios

At first, after the green beans a la gorganzola, I though this recipe had supreme potential.
Something like it without the green beans.

However, I made this two nights ago, and well..... I was disappointed.

Part of it was in myself and the other was in the recipe.

I roasted the pistachios too long and that took a lot away, it was almost like burnt pistachios...... and I used fresh gorg from a brand new block of it.... and it was quite sharp, so I definitely believe I used too much!

Other than that, it was pretty good..... I could tell that if done correctly, it had more potential, but it was still lacking..... needed something, some type of herb..... maybe pesto.....

But we shall see.... I haven't completely given up on it yet.... and as I type I am considering a green bean gorganzola with pistachio..... hmmm.....

Last night, I went the Butternut squash pizza route again, since I had two small pizza crusts left...... was outstanding.....

Two different variations.... one with whole milk polly-0 and one with the recommended fresh parm....... both were excellent..... Parm is much lighter and you get more of the butternut squash taste ..... and yet the mozz really brings out the medley of rosemary and butternut squash......


Here is the Recipe for the Penne with Gorganzola and Pistachios..... Thanks Lauren Rabinovitz of "Better Recipes":

Ingredients
8 oz penne pasta
6 oz Gorgonzola or other sharp blue cheese (such as Maytag blue)
1/2 cup shelled pistachio nuts
2 Tbsp olive oil

Method
Cook penne according to instructions; drain. Meanwhile, toast pistachios lightly; chop roasted pistachios. Heat oil in small frying pan. Make sure surface of pan is covered with oil. Break up blue cheese into small pieces and add to pan. Stir constantly so that the cheese does not stick to the bottom of the pan; heat just enough to melt the cheese and mix it with the oil. When cheese is liquified, remove from heat immediately. Pour melted cheese on the penne and toss so that the pasta is coated. Add chopped pistachios to top. Serve immediately.

Notes: This is a vegetarian dish for two. It can be a starter, a side dish accompaniment, or a main course. I had this dish at Vini Da Gigio, a wonderful Venetian trattoria. I never asked the chef about how it was prepared (although I'm sure the restaurant also served fresh homemade penne). This is my attempt to reproduce it.

Number of Servings: 2

Portabello Mushroom Burgers ~ An All Time Fav~!

It is my belief that these burgers trump actual meat burgers!

Of all the recipes I have explored - this is one I keep coming back too~!

I like to make mine with either mozz or gorganzola - I really hunted for a recipe that was up to par after one of my frequented Restaurants (Ruby's Oyster Bar and Bistro) took this wonder off the menu~!

I used the balsamic / oil mixture with chopped garlic clove and maybe a bit of cilantro leaves - removed the stems and marinaded the caps in the mix for about 15-30 min before grilling - I like to pour the mix into the caps as if they were a bowl - seems to work best!

Then grilled to my liking!
When I made this the other night for my girlfriend and a guest - the grill ran out of propane as the second set was going on - so I've experienced them both ways - I prefer a longer grilling to get them well reduced.

I started them bowl facing up to retain the mix as long as possible - then I flipped and brushed the top of each caps with the mix so were well coated. I grilled them anywhere from 10-15 min on each side on medium-low heat - and a few min before I take them off, I put the cheese on.

I flipped them back so they were cap face down again to put the cheese on, the bowl also retains the cheese efficiently and let that melt nice and gooey for the next few mins~!

For Cheese I used two relatively thin slices of polly-o mozz and one slice of buffalo mozz per cap! It was EXCELLENT~!

I also tend to use onions in one fashion or another - the restaurant caramelized shallots, occasionally I will do that or grill onions, adds an awesome flavor!

For me I love to throw the caps in the broiler for the next few mins to brown the cheese and make sure to toast the buns either on the grill or in the broiler as well!

Guests were ecstatic!


Here is the "All Recipes" Version:

Portabello Mushroom Burger

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

• 4 portobello mushroom caps
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 (1 ounce) slices provolone cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Place the mushroom caps, smooth side up, in a shallow dish. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, basil, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pour over the mushrooms. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes or so, turning twice.
2. Preheat grill for medium-high heat.
3. Brush grate with oil. Place mushrooms on the grill, reserving marinade for basting. Grill for 5 to 8 minutes on each side, or until tender. Brush with marinade frequently. Top with cheese during the last 2 minutes of grilling.