Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

For this soup, I mostly followed a Michael Chiarello recipe from food network and it came out great.  I didn't have some of the ingredients, so I left them out.  We also added an additional can of chicken broth plus some water so that it wouldn't be so thick.  I would definitely make this again, even though it took a while to prepare and messed up the skin on my fingers -- I cut the squash the night before and found out that sometimes underripe squash has a defense mechanism in the skin that causes your skin to dry and peel :(

• About 3 pounds butternut squash (preferably 1 large squash, I used 2 small)

• salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• spice mixture of about 1 tsp each coriander, peppercorns, red pepper flakes, chili powder, salt, cinnamon

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/2 cup (1/4-inch) diced onion (1 small)

• 1/4 cup (1/4-inch) diced celery (2 pieces)

• 1 cinnamon stick

• salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 box vegetable stock, 1 can low-salt chicken broth, plus water

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Peel the squash with a vegetable peeler. Halve lengthwise, discard the seeds, then cut into 1-inch dice. Place in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter ceases to foam and has turned a light brown, pull the pan off the heat and immediately add the sugar, vinegar (stand back so as not to get splattered), syrup and spices. Mix well and let simmer over medium-low heat for 1 to 2 minutes to meld the flavors.

Pour the vinegar mixture over the squash and toss well, then transfer to a heavy rimmed baking sheet or baking dish large enough to hold the squash in a single layer. Place in the oven and roast, tossing at least once, until very tender and caramelized, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Set aside until cool enough to handle but still warm, so the liquids are runny.  (Use immediately in soup, refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.)

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add the onion, celery, and cinnamon stick and saute until soft but not brown, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the chicken stock and and bring to a boil. Simmer for several minutes.  Discard the cinnamon stick.  Working in batches, if necessary, transfer the warm squash and all the cooking liquids to the soup mixture. Stir in the squash and puree until smooth, then simmer gently to let the flavors meld, about 10 minutes.

(The soup can be made ahead, cooled, covered, and refrigerated for several days or frozen for about 1 month. It will thicken as it cools and may need thinning with stock or water when reheating.)

Rib Eye Roast

Last week we had Blake's family over for Shabbat.  I made a roast from a recipe I found so long ago I have no idea where.  I made it a couple times when I was first starting to cook, once for my dad's birthday.  They had never had a roast like this, but everyone said they really liked it.  I remembered that the crust was excellent, and it was just as good as I remembered.  

I doubled the amount of garlic, thyme, etc. for the crust so that I could cover the entire thing pretty well.  I used a 3.5 pound roast and it was not to temperature after the first 80 minutes, so I ended up raising the temperature to 375 and cooking it a lot longer.  It took over another hour to get it to the right temperature for medium.  

Ingredients:

1 4 lbs. rib eye roast

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp dried thyme leaves

½ tsp dried tarragon leaves

¼ cup finely chopped shallots

1 cup beef broth

1 tbs tomato paste

½ tsp sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Combine garlic, salt, pepper, thyme and tarragon, stirring until a paste is formed. Spread evenly over surface of beef roast.  Place roast, fat-side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan. Insert meat thermometer so bulb is centered in thickest part, not resting in fat. Do not add water. Do not cover.  Roast to desired doneness: 18 to 20 minutes per pound for rare, 20 to 22 minutes per pound for medium.  Remove roast from oven when meat thermometer registers 135°F for rare or 155°F for medium. Allow roast to stand 15 to 20 minutes before carving.  Meanwhile, remove rack from roasting pan; drain fat. Add shallot to pan; cook and stir over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes. Add broth, tomato paste and sugar; stir until meat juices attached to pan are dissolved. Increase heat to medium-high and continue cooking until liquid is reduced to 3/4 cup.  Carve roast across the grain into 1/4-inch thick slices.

To go with it, Blake made some mashed and baked potatoes, topped with butter and paprika, and I made some green beans with garlic, red pepper, and lemon zest.  We also had a challah and a soup that I will post separately.  

Zucchini stuffed chicken and roasted root veg

Earlier today I was on the pinterest app on my phone looking for dinner recipes.  I saw this chicken recipe on a friend's board.  I've used recipes from the Skinny Taste blog before and since I'm trying to eat healthier before our Hawaii trip next month, it seemed like a good idea for tonight.  This recipe called for shredded zucchini which meant I needed to use my new food processor, so that was a bonus.  I also saw this root vegetable recipe and thought it looked like some healthy comfort food.  

Chicken Ingredients: 

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 zucchini, shredded
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp parmesan
• 3 oz part skim shredded mozzarella
• salt and pepper to taste
• 8 thin chicken cutlets, 3 oz each
• 1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1 lemon, juice of
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt and fresh pepper
• olive oil non-stick spray 

Directions:

Wash and dry cutlets, season with salt and pepper.  Preheat oven to 450°. Lightlyspray a baking dish with non-stick spray.

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat. Add oil when hot then saute garlic a minute, or until golden. Add zucchini, 1/4 cup Romano cheese, salt and pepper and saute about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool. When cool, addmozzarella cheese and mix to combine.

Lay chicken cutlets down on a working surface and spread 3 tbsp of zucchini-cheese mixture on each cutlet. Loosely roll each one and keep seam side down.

Combine breadcrumbs and grated cheese in one bowl; in a second bowl combine olive oil, lemon juice, and pepper in another bowl.

Dip chicken in lemon-oil mixture, then in breadcrumbs and place seam side down in a baking dish (no toothpicks needed). Repeat with the remaining chicken. When finished, lightly spraywith oil spray. 

Bake 25 - 30 minutes. Serve immediately. Serving size is listed as one, but if you are having this as a low carb meal with a salad, I suggest you have two.

Root Veg Roast

5 carrots
6 parsnips
about tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons sumac
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
1 tablespoon honey
2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup)

Preheat oven to 400°F.

close up

Peel carrots and parsnips, or just scrub well, and halve lengthwise. (If carrots are small and slender, leave them whole. If parsnips are large, quarter them lengthwise, cut out the woody center, and, if necessary, continue to cut into thinner strips to match carrot size.)

Toss carrots and parsnips with 2 tablespoons olive oil, sumac, and salt. Spread in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet and place in oven to roast. 

After 15 minutes, turn carrots and parsnips, and roast for another 10 minutes. Then toss with chickpeas and honey and roast for another 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender and golden.

Remove from oven, toss with feta and parsley or chives, and serve.

Indian Cauliflower

Today we got a ton of rain.  So much that it flooded and I couldn't get to the grocery on my way home from work.  I bought the cauliflower and chicken I made tonight intending to use it for other things, but since I couldn't buy any supplemental ingredients today, I made what I could with what I had.  I found this recipe for the cauliflower, and used this recipe for ideas for the chicken.  I should have let the chicken marinate for longer in the yogurt and spices.  The leftovers might be more flavorful tomorrow.  


1 medium head cauliflower, broken into medium florets
2 big cloves of garlic, grated
salt
1/2 cup thick drained yogurt or Greek yogurt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon turmeric, ground coriander, ground ginger, chili powder, garam masala
1/2 tablespoon mirin
1.5 tablespoon lite soy sauce/or tamari sauce
a sprinkle of red crushed pepper 
scant 1/4 cup oil

Preparation:

Wash and drain the cauliflower florets. In a big bowl combine yogurt and seasonings. Stir well with a spatula so it is well combined.

Add the cauliflower florets in the the bowl and toss really well for the marinade to coat the cauliflower florets. Let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a wok/skillet till it shimmers. Add the marinated cauliflowers and everything else in the bowl in the hot oil. Cook at high heat covered for about 10 minutes. Uncover and cook  at medium heat till the oil starts to separate from the spice mix. If the spice mix sticks to bottom, add a splash of warm water and scrape out the pan. The cauliflower florets should be cooked through, but still hold the crunch. Some of the onions might crisp. There should be no sauce left. Whatever spice mix is there in the pan, should kind of coat the florets.

Serve warm as a side.

Chicken with Coconut Lime Peanut sauce

This is a recipe from foodgawker that I adapted tonight for dinner.  It turned out great.  I love anything with coconut milk in it.  I left out a few ingredients by accident, even though I had them, but I don't think it needed anything else anyway.  We have tons of leftovers and I'm assuming it will taste even better tomorrow.  

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup light Coconut Milk
• 1/2 cup natural Peanut Butter (I like crunchy)
• Juice from 1 Lime (about 1 tbs lime juice)
• 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce 
• 2 tablespoons Fish Sauce
• Cracked Black Pepper
• Cinnamon
• Cayenne
• 1.5 pounds Chicken Breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 shallot, chopped
• a few Garlic Cloves, chopped
• vegetable oil
• 1 cup steamed Asparagus Spears, cut into 1 inch pieces
• Optional garnish - Chopped Cilantro

Directions:

Sauce: In a medium bowl whisk together the peanut butter, coconut milk, lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, & seasonings to form a sauce. Taste and change anything if you want to. Set aside.  Chicken: Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add onion & garlic cook until softened. Add chicken, cook until golden brown and cooked through about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally for even cooking. Stir sauce into chicken. Partially cover and simmer for about 5 minutes to let the flavors combine. Meanwhile, steam asparagus.  Let cool slightly and chop.  Add asparagus during the last few minutes of cook time. Serve with another spritz of lime juice and cilantro.  Add Sriracha for a little spice.  

Spring Pasta

I threw this dinner together last night.  It was inspired by the look of this recipe, but they're not very similar.  Hopefully this meal was healthier.  I used no butter, very little cheese, and that Barilla plus pasta.   The best part of this was the oven roasted and marinated tomatoes that I bought for sandwiches, but thought to add to this at the last minute.

Boil pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, heat a few tablespoons of oil in a small pan.  Add a thinly sliced garlic clove and some red pepper flakes and cook until softened.  Turn off heat before garlic browns.  About 2 minutes before pasta is al dente, add frozen peas and artichoke hearts.  Drain well and return to pot.  Toss with garlic and pepper infused olive oil.  Add tomatoes with their oil if additional moisture is called for.  Top with parmesan and serve.  

Baked Portobello Fries and Warm Chickpea Salad

Both the recipes for the mushrooms and chickpeas were seen on foodgawker.  This was a quick meal to put together and very good.  I would definitely make it again.  I bought 3 portobellos, 2 of which were extremely large, so the egg didn't quite go far enough for all of it.  Next time I'll buy normal sized mushrooms so I don't waste any.  Also, next time I would add something crunchy to the chickpeas for texture.  I made the chickpeas first so that I could prep the mushrooms while they were in the oven.  

Mushroom Fries Ingredients:

• 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt and pepper
• 2 Portobello Mushrooms, cut into 1/2″ slices
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Pesto for serving, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Mix Panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, oregano, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl or pie plate.
4. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs.
5. Dip the portobello slices in the beaten eggs, letting the excess drip off. 
6. Transfer to the bowl with the bread crumb mixture, coating boat sides of the mushrooms thoroughly.
7. Place the breaded mushrooms on the baking sheet and bake 10-15 minutes, turning over about half way through.
8. Serve with Pesto, if desired.

Chickpea Ingredients:

1 large can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

crumbled feta

mint, chopped

salt, pepper, garlic powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.  Toss the chickpeas with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Roast for about 15 minutes.  Let chickpeas cool slightly.  Mix with feta and mint.  Add additional seasoning and olive oil if necessary.  

Peanut Crusted Tilapia

I came across this recipe on foodgawker and thought it would be a good crispy fish dish for me to make for Blake.  He did like it, but I thought the peanut crust overpowered everything else.  Next time I would not put so much.  The sauce toned it down a little though.  Also, I did not use enough oil to sautee the fish in and it started to burn too quickly.  We pulled it out of the pan and finished it in the oven which saved it.  I made rice and steamed snow peas to go with it and topped it with some cilantro.

4 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp ground ginger
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tilapia fillets
vegetable oil
soy sauce
mirin
sugar
dried chili flakes
fish sauce
honey

Directions:
Mix together the peanut butter, soy and ginger until smooth.  Season the fish with salt and pepper and spread peanut paste on top.  Then press breadcrumbs in to coat.  Heat the pol and then add the fish fillets, crumb side down.  Cook until crumbs are golden and then turn over and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes.  Stir together soy, mirin, fish sauce, sugar, chili and honey to taste.  Serve fish over rice with sauce drizzled on top.  Garnish with cilantro.

Slow Cooker Short Rib Stew

Yet another pre made and frozen slow cooker meal.  This one was pretty good.  I meant to serve it with rice, but burned it and ended up ruining the cooking vessel.  So we had couscous instead!  Oh well.

·      Ingredients

         2 medium onions, cut into wedges

·       4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

·       6 small carrots, peeled and cut in half crosswise

·       2 small parsnips, peeled and cut in quarters crosswise

·       1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed

·       1 8.5-ounce jar sun-dried tomatoes, drained and cut in half  lengthwise

·       1 small bunch sage

·       5 pounds short ribs

·       kosher salt and pepper

·       1 bottle red wine

Directions

1. In the bowl of a slow cooker, combine the onions, garlic, carrots, parsnips, mushrooms, tomatoes, and sage. 
2. Add the wine.  Set the slow cooker to high and cook until the meat is tender and falls from the bones, 8-9 hours. 
3. Using a large spoon, skim off the excess fat and discard. 

Yogurt Marinated Chicken with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Mushrooms

This recipe came from Real Simple and was very delicious.  We loved the sweet potatoes and mushrooms.  It was very rustic and tasty.  I used just a bag of presliced baby portobello mushrooms and served it with my favorite rice.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 4 4-ounce chicken cutlets
• 1 tablespoon plus 3 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 large sweet potato (about 12 ounces), peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 pound mushrooms
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
2. Divide the potato, mushrooms, and thyme between 2 rimmed baking sheets; toss with 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Roast, rotating the sheets once, until tender, 13 to 15 minutes. Drizzle with the vinegar and toss gently.
3. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil in a large cast-iron or other nonstick skillet over medium heat. Wipe the excess marinade off the chicken and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. 

Slow Cooker Asian Chicken

Here's another slow cooker meal I made.  It was just ok.  I served it with rice and a quick salad I made with edamame beans, water chestnuts, mandarin orange slices and chili from Ron's garden.  It was dressed with some honey, soy and sugar.

Asian Chicken

-- 6 boneless, skinless breast halves
--1 cup brown sugar
--1/4 cup lemon-lime soda
--2/3 cup white wine vinegar
--3 cloves smashed and chopped garlic
--2 T soy sauce
--1 tsp ground black pepper

The Directions.

Plop the chicken into your crockpot. Cover with the brown sugar, pepper, chopped garlic, and soy sauce. Add the vinegar, and pour in the soda. It will bubble!

Cover and cook on low for 6-9 hours, or on high for 4-5.
Serve over a bowl of white rice