Fish in a Bag

I saw this recipe on foodgawker and thought it would be good because Blake said he would eat fish cooked in a bag. I thought this was pretty fresh and healthy, and I liked that it was easy to cook and clean up, but Blake didn't like it much. He'd prefer a more oily fish that is baked to have some sort of crust. Oh well.

Ingredients (per packet):
1 cod fillet
½ small fennel, finely sliced
Handful of couscous
5 cherry tomatoes, halved
Handful of basil and parsley leaves
Juice of half a small lemon, and couple of slices for cooking with
¾ cup of stock
Salt & pepper
Olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°C. Tear off a big piece of foil, line it with parchment paper, lay your fennel and couscous first, then the fish on top. Place the herbs, tomatoes, and lemon slices all over the fish and couscous. Season with salt and pepper, freshly squeezed lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil over the lot.

Use another piece of foil, cover the pack, and squish three of the edges real tight (don’t want the yummy juices leaking out – Jamie used egg to seal the edges but I don’t find it necessary). Leave one of the edges open, so you can pour in the stock. Seal the last edge tight and bake it in the oven for 20 minutes.

BBQ chicken baked potato

I got this idea looking at foodgawker but made it up myself. We really liked it and Blake used the leftover chicken in a delicious quesadilla the next day.

Ingredients:
Boneless, skinless chicken breast
bbq sauce
large baking potatoes
cheddar cheese
salt, pepper, olive oil

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400. Prick the potatoes with a fork and roll them in olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake them directly on the rack in the oven for a little over an hour. Meanwhile, coat the chicken breasts in bbq sauce and bake for about 20 minutes or until cooked through. Let cool and shred. Add additional bbq sauce if needed for moistness. When potatoes are done, cut a slit down the center and spread open. Stuff with the shredded bbq chicken. Top with shredded cheddar cheese and return to the oven until heated through and until the cheese is melted. Top with some cilantro and serve.

Turkey Chili

I can't remember at all where I got this recipe. I may have made it up. I think it's turkey chili with onion, corn, kidney beans, red pepper, diced tomatoes and cilantro. I like to eat it over rice with cheddar cheese. Next time I'll try to remember to write down the recipe I used. :(

Greek Style Meatballs

I made this for Shabbat Dinner as well. The recipe comes from Real Simple, but called for ground lamb, which I wasn't able to find. I used beef instead and it turned out pretty good anyway. I think Blake liked the meatballs and was happy that I put feta all over the vegetables, but he doesn't like to eat that much raw tomato.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 small red onion, half finely chopped and half thinly sliced
kosher salt and black pepper
1 box couscous
fresh lemon juice
2 plum tomatoes, sliced
1/2 English cucumber, halved and thinly sliced
4 ounces Feta, crumbled
Brianna's Poppy seed dressing.

Directions:
Heat broiler. In a medium bowl, combine the meat, coriander, chopped onion, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
Form the meat into 1 ½-inch balls (about 20) and place them on a broilerproof baking sheet. Broil until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the couscous according to package instructions.
Toss vegetables with dressing and serve with the couscous and meatballs with sliced onion, feta, and lemon juice on top.

Sweet Potato and Apple Soup

I made this soup for Shabbat and thought it was amazing. I really loved it and ate half the bowl before I remembered to take a picture. My mom was in town and had gone to the grocery for me. She bought some pre-cooked, sliced sweet potatoes. I think it was about 2 small potatoes in all. It really saved a lot of time.

Ingredients:
Pre-cooked sweet potatoes (about 2)
1 onion, chopped
1 green apple, chopped
ground coriander, ground ginger
vegetable broth
olive oil
salt, pepper

Directions:
Cook the onion in olive oil over medium heat until softened. Add apple, and sautee until softened. Add cooked sweet potato pieces and toss to coat. Add vegetable broth (or water) and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and puree with an immersion blender. Season with ground coriander and ground ginger. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Marinated Flank Steak with Tomato Cous cous

I made this for Shabbat dinner with my mom was in town for the weekend. I marinated the steak, but I can't remember exactly what i marinated it in. It was in the fridge for a while and then marinating at room temperature until Blake grilled it. We served it with the warm cous cous and a green salad with challah, all after the potato soup. I found the cous cous recipe on foodgawker a while back and had been waiting for a chance to make it.

Steak Marinade:
Balsamic Vinegar
Honey
Garlic
Dried Herbs
Salt, Pepper

Cous Cous Ingredients:
1 cup Israeli couscous
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onions, halved and sliced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a large, wide skillet over medium-high heat, then add the onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Saute, tossing occasionally with tongs, for about 15 minutes. Sprinkle in the brown sugar, balsamic, turmeric, and 1/4 teaspoon more salt, and continue cooking, and giving a stir or two, over this assertive heat for 5 more minutes. Then reduce the heat to low and cook, tossing frequently, for 10 minutes longer, or until very soft, glisteny, and sweet. Meanwhile, boil water and drop the couscous in to cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain and rinse briefly under cool water. Stir in the cooked couscous, top with the tomatoes, and serve warm, or at room temperature.

Potato Leek Soup

I am trying to make soup on Friday night's for Shabbat for Blake. This is one I wanted to try so I looked up some recipes on foodgawker to try to copy. The recipe I used called for fennel, but I don't think I used it. The soup came out well, but it was not super flavorful or exciting. It would have been good topped with some cheddar cheese also.

Ingredients:
1 Tbs. butter
2 medium leeks, white & light green parts, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 C. white wine
3 largish, white-fleshed potatoes, peeled & diced
1 tsp. dried thyme
dash of cayenne
salt to taste
fresh chives, chopped (for garnish)
freshly ground black pepper (for garnish)

Directions:
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks, and garlic, and cover. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Increase the heat to medium-high, add wine and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the potatoes, thyme, 5 cups of water, dash of cayenne, and season with salt. Stir, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are very soft.
Puree the soup using an immersion blender. Soup should be smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped fresh chives and freshly ground black pepper.

King Arthur Challah

Blake wanted me to try the challah recipe on the King Arthur site because we heard it was the best. It was pretty easy and didn't take a ton of ingredients. I thought it tasted a lot like the one I made previously. I tried a new 4 strand braid with this one as well.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup lukewarm water
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 egg and 1 tbsp water for egg wash

Directions:
To make the dough: Combine all of the dough ingredients and mix and knead them, by hand, mixer, or bread machine, until you have a soft, smooth dough. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for about 2 hours, or until it's puffy and nearly doubled in bulk. Do this overnight in the refrigerator if you are making ahead.

Gently deflate the dough, and transfer it to a lightly greased work surface to braid. Gently pick up the loaf, and place it on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover the loaf with lightly greased plastic wrap or a proof cover, and let it rise till it's very puffy, 60 to 90 minutes. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 375°F.

Whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon water, and brush this glaze over the risen loaf.

Put the challah in the lower third of the oven, and bake it for 20 minutes. Tent the challah loosely with aluminum foil, and bake for an additional 25 minutes, until the loaf is golden brown. Remove the bread from the oven, and place it on a rack to cool.

To do a 4 strand braid:
Divide the dough into four pieces, and shape each piece into a rough 6" log. Cover the logs with lightly greased plastic wrap or a proof cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each log into a 15" rope. Cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. Continue rolling the ropes til they're about 20" long; they'll shrink back to about 18" as they sit.

Lay the strands parallel to one another, and pinch the ends on your left together. Take the rope nearest you, and move it up over the two adjoining ropes. Next, move the rope back under the rope next to it. Fan the ends of the ropes out again.

Repeat the process, but start with the rope farthest away from you. Bring it down and across the two adjoining ropes, and then back under the rope nearest it. Continue in this fashion, alternating which side you begin with, until you've braided the whole loaf. Pinch the loose ends together, and tuck them underneath the loaf.

Chicken Cashew Lettuce Cups

I found this recipe on the Real Simple website. It was easy to make and we liked it, and I just served it with rice

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
black pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and sliced
1 8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/4 cup roasted unsalted cashews
1 small head Boston or Bibb lettuce, leaves separated

Directions:
Combine the soy sauce and honey in a small bowl. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown, about 3 minutes.
Lower heat to medium and stir in the garlic and ginger. Add the scallions and cook for 1 minute.
Stir in the water chestnuts and half the soy sauce mixture. Continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle with the cashews.
Divide the lettuce leaves among plates and spoon the chicken over the top. Serve with the remaining soy sauce mixture for drizzling.

Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Shells

I got this recipe on foodgawker but it's really a Giada recipe. It made a ton of food and we were eating it all week. I might have used just 1 egg, but I can't remember. I also used a jar of arrabbiata sauce instead of making my own. Served it with some green salad and probably some bread.

Ingredients:
1 box jumbo pasta shells
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/4 teaspoon
1 package frozen artichokes, thawed and coarsely chopped
1 (15-oz) container ricotta cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
5 cups Arrabbiata Sauce
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and partially cook until tender but still very firm to the bite, stirring occasionally. Drain the shells and set aside. I had to do this in batches.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and the garlic and cook until the onions are soft and starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the ground turkey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is browned and cooked through. Add the artichoke hearts and stir to combine. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl combine the cooled turkey mixture with the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, parsley, and the remaining salt and pepper.

Cover the bottom of a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish with 1 cup of the Arrabbiata sauce. Take a shell in your hand and stuff it with the turkey/artichoke mixture, about 2 tablespoons per shell. Place the shell in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining shells until the baking dish is full. Drizzle the remaining 4 cups of Arrabbiata sauce over the shells and then top with the mozzarella. At this point, you can freeze the shells for up to a month by covering the baking pan with plastic wrap then aluminum foil and placing it in the freezer.

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Bake until the shells are warmed through and the cheese is beginning to brown, about 60 minutes for frozen shells or 20 minutes if you bake them immediately after prepping.

Mushroom Onion Quiche

I bought some frozen pastry shells and wanted to make some breakfast for dinner. I found a recipe to use as an example. I partially baked the defrosted pie crust before filling it, but I think I should have put some weights in it because that caused it to crack. Then when I baked the filling, part of it seeped through the cracks and made those parts of the crust soggy. Although the filling tasted pretty good, it was better the second day, so it would have probably helped to let it cool to room temperature before eating. I also can't remember what cheese I used. I want to say it was gruyere. I just served it with some green salad.

Ingredients:
1 thawed frozen pie crust
1 bag chopped mushrooms
1 red onion, sliced
3 eggs
milk
salt, pepper
butter
brown sugar
shredded cheese

Directions:

Thaw the pie crust, poke holes in it with a fork and blind bake for about 10 minutes at 350. Meanwhile, sautee the onions in butter over medium heat. Add brown sugar, and cook until softened before adding mushrooms until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. Add mushroom onion mixture to the pie crust and top with shredded cheese. Beat the eggs with milk, season with salt and pepper and pour into the pie crust over mushroom mixture. Bake for about 20 minutes at 375. Add some cheese and broil before taking it out of the oven. Let it cool at least 10 minutes before cutting. Top with some chopped parsley.

Challah, Pot Roast, Cauliflower Soup

This challah is from a recipe I found online and cut in half. It came out pretty tasty, but there were a few problems with it, so I might try something different next time. First, the dough was so full of air that it made the top braid fall halfway over in the oven so the finished product wasn't very pretty. Also, when we let it rise the second time, it rose so much that it lost it's shape completely so I had to rebraid it, and it also stuck to the dish towel we covered it with so we had to throw that out.

Directions:
Challah ingredients:

1 cup warm water
1 pkg dry active yeast
3-4 cups bread flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 t. salt
2 tbsp oil
1 egg

1. In large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water (75-120 degrees.) Stir in sugar and salt. Add half the flour and mix well. Add oil and egg and mix well. Then add remaining flour. (The dough will be a little sticky but don't add more flour.)
2. Wet a clean dish towel and ring it out. Cover the bowl of dough with the towel. Put the bowl in the refrigerator and let stand overnight.
3. When dough is doubled in size, braid. (Make egg wash with additional egg and water, and brush over dough)
4. Arrange loaf on oiled or greased cookie sheet; cover and let rise in warm place until doubles in size. (Depending on your house temperature. Find a warm place.)
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook bread for about 35 minutes or until golden brown.


Slow Cooker Pot Roast

This was from a Martha Stewart recipe. It came out well, but was not the best pot roast I've ever had, so I also might make a different recipe if I tried to make this dish again. We added a bay leaf and a can of beef broth to the recipe because it seemed to dry without it.

Ingredients:

1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
2 medium carrots, cut into thirds
1 medium onions, each cut into 8 wedges
3 red potatoes, cut into 8 chunks.
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 beef chuck roast (1.5 pounds), trimmed of excess fat
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 can beef broth
1 bay leaf

Directions:

1. In slow cooker, stir together cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water until smooth. Add carrots and onions; season with salt and pepper, and toss.
2. Sprinkle roast with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; place on top of vegetables, and drizzle with Worcestershire. Cover; cook on high, 6 hours (or on low, 10 hours).
3. Transfer roast to a cutting board; thinly slice against the grain. Place vegetables in a serving dish; pour pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve, if desired. Serve roast with vegetables and pan juices.


Cauliflower Soup

I had leftover cauliflower from a previous dish, so I decided to make soup out of it for Shabbat. I ended up buying an extra head though because we had an extra person at dinner. The texture was not as smooth as I wanted, but it was an ok soup. I found the recipe on foodgawker and wanted to serve it with the parmesan crisps, but we used soup croutons instead. I also put thyme in it instead of nutmeg, because we didn't have any, and we added a lot more pepper.

1.5 heads cauliflower
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 box low-sodium chicken stock
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
ground thyme
1 tbsp butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Remove the leaves and thick core from the cauliflower. Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Cook until softened, but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the cauliflower and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until the cauliflower is very soft and falling apart, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and using a hand held immersion blender, puree the soup (or puree in small batches in a blender* and return it to the pot). Add the Parmesan and stir until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper and pinch of thyme. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Tortellini Pesto Primavera

I bought some tortellini that I needed to use, so I found this recipe on foodgawker. I liked it because it was full of vegetables and not very heavy.

Ingredients:
1 package of refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
12-15 spears of asparagus, washed and cut into 1″ pieces
2 big handfuls of fresh spinach, roughly chopped
1/3 cup sundried tomatoes, sliced and reconstituted in water (soak for 10 min.)
1 cup fresh basil pesto (buy pre-made or click here for recipe to make your own)

Directions:
In a large pot of boiling water, cook tortellini according to package instructions. When they have about 3 minutes left to boil, throw the asparagus, spinach, and tomatoes into the water with the tortellini. Drain and return to pot. Add the pesto, tossing to coat.

Southwestern Chicken Soup with Rice and Pineapple Salsa

I found this recipe on the Real Simple website. I bought pinto beans instead of cannelini beans, and baked some chicken breasts in the oven to shred for it. Blake topped his with some cheese and chips. He liked the soup and pineapple salsa, but not the rice so much, which was just the 90 second Uncle Ben's Spanish rice.


Ingredients:
* 1 12-ounce jar salsa verde
* 3 cups cooked chicken pieces
* 1 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained
* 3 cups chicken broth
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 2 green onions, chopped
* 1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
* tortilla chips

Directions:
1. Empty the salsa into a large saucepan. Cook for 2 minutes over medium-high heat, then add the chicken, beans, broth, and cumin. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Top each bowl with a sprinkling of onions, a dollop of sour cream, and some tortilla chips.

Roasted Cauliflower and Eggplant Over Rice

This was a recipe I found on real simple's website. I made it as directed, but without the basil because the grocery was out. I just made the 90 second Uncle Ben's basmati rice, which made the perfect amount for 2 people, but there was leftover vegetables. We liked this for a vegetarian healthy dish and it was pretty quick and easy for me to make.

Ingredients

* 1 1/2 cups basmati rice
* kosher salt
* 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
* 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
* 1/3 cup olive oil
* 2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste (such as Thai Kitchen)
* 2 small or baby eggplants (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut lengthwise into wedges
* 1/2 head cauliflower (about 1 pound), broken into florets
* 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
* 2 cups bean sprouts
* 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn if large

Directions

1. Heat oven to 450º F.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together the garlic, ginger, oil, curry paste, 1 ¼ teaspoons salt, and ½ cup water. Toss with the eggplants and cauliflower.
3. Transfer to a roasting pan in a single layer. Roast until tender, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding the chickpeas during the last 5 minutes.
4. Remove the vegetables from oven and toss with the bean sprouts and basil. Place 1 cup of rice on each plate and top with some of the vegetables.

Baked Cod with Broccoli and Rice

This was from a recipe on the Real Simple website that I made to be eating healthy. I thought it was ok, but Blake did not like it. He thought it was boring and a little dry, which I agreed with. He would prefer me to make fish in a parchment bag or crusted, or just choose fattier fish that are tastier than cod. I had some leftover broccoli and a half an onion, so I cooked the onion down and then steamed the broccoli with it in some wine, and made some brown rice in the slow cooker to serve on the side.


Ingredients:
* 2 pieces Pacific cod or some other white fish fillets (such as halibut)
* 3/4 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
* 1/2 cup mixed olives
* zest from 1 lemon, cut into strips
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* kosher salt and pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
* 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F.
2. Place the fish in a small roasting pan. Add enough wine (about 3/4 cup) to reach halfway up the sides of the fish. Scatter the olives and lemon zest around the fish. Drizzle with the oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and the red pepper.
3. Roast until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with the parsley. Divide the fish among individual plates and spoon the olives and wine sauce over the top.