Just Say NO to Canned Spinach

Note to self: NEVER cook with canned leaf spinach again. Heinous! Fresh, always fresh spinach is the best! In fact, avoid the canned vegetables altogether.

My intention was to make a sausage and pasta dish tonight. I didn’t have any preset recipe in mind. I just knew that I wanted to use Farfalle pasta and sweet Italian sausage.  I began by pan frying the sausage with some diced green peppers and seasoned it with kosher salt, ground black pepper, onion powder, and Italian seasoning. I rummaged through the pantry and found a can of diced tomatoes and threw that in. I should have stopped there. But I saw the can of whole leaf spinach because I immediately thought it needed more green.

As soon as I opened it and put it in the pan, I knew it was a bad idea. But for better or worse, it was in there. I let it all cook together, throwing in a pat of butter to finish the “sauce”. Then when the pasta was done, I poured the sausage, tomato, and spinach mixture on the cooked pasta. And, per my usual, sprinkled some red pepper flake to give it a kick. How did it taste? It wasn’t completely inedible, but fresh spinach would have brightened the dish and provide a better texture and flavor.

Try this recipe, but whatever you do: use FRESH SPINACH!

Quick Note: Trader’s Joe Pasta

Trader Joe's

On my last trip to Trader Joe’s, I noticed they had Sprouted Wheat Pappardelle Pasta.  I love me some pappardelle pasta, but never tried sprouted wheat pasta before.  I figured what the heck.  I made it tonight along with a delicious chicken marsala.  The verdict: overall, not bad. Definitely edible, had a hint of sweetness even.  But I think I’ll stick to the regular pappardelle pasta or I’d like to try their lemon pepper pappardelle!

When I did a search for Trader Joe’s pappardelle, I found this recipe and this recipe, too – both sound pretty awesome. I will have to attempt them some time.  Though I will have to use goat cheese instead of the asiago on the latter recipe.

Rieker’s Prime Meats!

I work five blocks from one of Philadelphia’s hidden treasures, Rieker’s Prime Meats, a German butcher and deli. Rieker’s is located in Fox Chase, a section of Philadelphia nestled between Elkins Park and Northeast Philly. I feel incredibly lucky to work so close to this unique place. Not only do they make the wursts, sauerkraut, and rouladen in house, Rieker’s also imports European chocolates (mostly German and Swiss), pierogies, and German condiments. During the holidays the store is practically bursting with exotic sweets and pastries, or so I’ve been informed by my coworkers. I hope they are right about this one.

Tonight while walking to the train station right behind Rieker’s, I decided a German-style meal was in order but that I didn’t feel like cooking too much since I was only cooking for myself. I walked back to the butcher, bought one single rouladen, 1/4 pound of the succulent sauerkraut (yeah, I love the stuff), and a bag of dried spaetzle. Under most circumstances I would make my own spaetzle, having been coached by my Berks County relatives I am fairly good at it, but tonight was not the night for making noodles. I opted for the rouladen because I figured it wouldn’t take long to cook as it is a pre-portioned amount of food.

German rouladen is delicious, if you like meat that is– this particular one was comprised of a beef shank pounded and flattened, meatloaf, bacon and mustard rolled into a little pouch of… well, meat. Some folks will add cheese to the roll, but really it isn’t needed. To prepare dinner, I seared the unholy alliance of meats on my beloved cast iron skillet, deglazed the pan with some Williamette Pinot Noir, added shallots and garlic to the mix, then returned the roll into the pan and braised it in the oven at 350 degress for 30 minutes. I served it over hot, buttered spaetzle and the pan gravy.

Rieker’s did not disappoint, the meat roll was delicious! I’ve also had their Oktoberfest Bratwurst which was clearly homemade, but amazingly tasty and herbal. It’s definitely worth the jaunt up to Fox Chase to grab reasonably-priced gourmet meat and German chocolates!

Rieker’s Prime Meats
7979 Oxford Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19111

Rigatoni with Hot Italian Turkey Sausage, Swiss Chard, and Goat Cheese

Inspired by purchases from Clark Park Farmer’s Market, Kate made us another phenomenal meal tonight. It was so delicious, I ate until it felt my stomach was going to explode!   Between last night’s grilled lamb dinner and tonight’s dinner – I am feeling rather spoiled and happily sated.

I’d like to share the recipe and a picture with you all.  Honestly, you must try this for yourself.  You’ll thank me!

Note: as always measurements are approximate  Please use your best culinary judgment and adjust to your taste when preparing this recipe.

Rigatoni with Hot Italian Turkey Sausage, Swiss Chard, and Goat Cheese

Heavenly turkey sausage and pasta dish! This photo does not do it justice!

Ingredients:

Hot Italian Turkey Sausage
Extra virgin olive oil
Medium white onion
1 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms
Several leaves of fresh sage (chiffonade)
Bunch of swiss chard (cleaned and stalks removed of course)
Grated nutmeg
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
Cabernet Sauvignon (red wine)
Balsamic vinegar
1/2 can tomato paste
1/2 cup pasta water
Fresh chives
1 box Rigatoni
Crumbled plain goat cheese (chevre)

Directions:

1. Brown sausage in small amount of olive oil in skillet.
2. Remove browned sausage from skillet.
3. Saute diced onion and mushrooms in skillet.  Add sage chiffonade.  Add swiss chard.  Cook until ingredients are softened.
4. Season with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg.
5. Add Cabernet Sauvignon, balsamic vinegar, and tomato paste.  Stir to combine.  Simmer until slightly thickened.  Add pasta water to thin out sauce.
6. Cook rigatoni according to package.
7. Add browned sausage to veggie/sauce mixture.  Cook on medium while pasta is cooking.
8. When pasta is cooked, add to sausage mixture, and warm through.
9. SERVE & ENJOY!

We recommend adding crumbled goat cheese after you have plated the dish.  It will melt and add creaminess to the decadent sauce.

This dish gets 5 NOMS easily.

Easy balsamic reduction – borderline food porn?

It’s been a while! I’ve been running ragged during the my “job adjustment period”. Things are finally starting to fall into place!

So, on to the foods. Fall brings all sorts of splendid items flowing into the Clark Park Farmer’s Market. The huge cornucopia of in-season ingredients, along with the beautiful weather, have inspired me to engage in sinful culinary pursuits. Thankfully Marilyn has been kind enough to do most of the cooking for the past couple weeks, so I thought I would return the favor.

Last night I prepared a farmer’s market feast: grilled lamb chops, roasted Brussels sprouts and steamed Beauregard yams for Marilyn and Eric. The meal was delicious, though fairly straightforward and simple. I usually make a yogurt/mustard sauce for lamb-dipping, but have become fairly bored with that, so this time I tried a different sauce as well. Lamb seems to go well with fruit and red wine, so I concocted a reduction of sorts. It was very simple:

1 cup of red wine
3/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup of Chambord liquor
4-6 sprigs of fresh sage
1 tablespoon of butter
cracked black pepper

I combined the first three ingredients in a saucier and simmered on low until it reduced to half. After removing the pan off the heat, I added the butter and pepper, then spooned the reduction over the grilled meat. The consistency was that of chocolate syrup and almost just a sweet. After deciding the reduction was too decadent a sauce to be limited to savory delectables, it was poured over vanilla ice cream for dessert. The Chambord’s velvet raspberry flavor and the sharp bite of the pepper was an amazing compliment to the frozen cream. I would have added some strawberries to the sauce if they had been in season. Perhaps I’ll do that in the spring.

The reduction was borderline food porn, honestly. The thick sauce was slightly spicy from the pepper and naturally dark and sweet. It coated the back of my spoon seductively, marking the perfect ratio of butter to liquid. I imagine that this sauce could be employed for other recreational uses, but that is a post for another blog, methinks.

Marilyn’s Moroccan Stew

I have left this blog stagnant for too long!  It’s about time I post my fab Moroccan Stew recipe – since I made it again this evening!  Kate agrees it is NOMMY.

Marilyn’s Moroccan Stew

Extra virgin olive oil
Sweet Italian Pork Sausage (or whichever type of sausage you prefer)
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1 medium red onion (you may use yellow, spanish, or whatever onion you desire)
1 large sweet potato
1 can Garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
1 cup chicken broth (use whatever broth you prefer)
Five-spice powder
Ginger powder
Curry powder
Ground cumin
Ground cinnamon
Salt & pepper (to taste)
1 cup whole wheat couscous (use regular or flavored if you prefer)
Buttah
Honey
Golden raisins (sultanas)

Note: You may wish to add garlic and fresh tomatoes to this recipe.  I do not add garlic due to my mild garlic allergy.  I have tried it with fresh diced tomatoes before and it was good, but it’s already a hearty dish, and I’d rather not have to pop 5 antacids before eating this meal.

Basic Directions:

1. Cut up sausage into bite-sized chunks. Brown in large frying pan or skillet in extra virgin olive oil.  Remove from pan.
2. Add diced onion, bell peppers, and sweet potatoes to pan. Saute on medium heat until tender.
3. Add Garbanzo beans.
4. Add chicken broth.
5. Add spices.
6. Cook for 5 minutes or so.
6. Add sausage to the mix.
7. Simmer for 10 minutes or so.
8. In separate pot, prepare couscous.
Bring 1 cup of chicken broth, salted, to a boil.  Add 1 cup of couscous.  Turn off heat.  Let sit for 5 minutes or until couscous is cooked.  Fluff with fork.  Add 1 pat of butter, tad of honey, and golden raisins. Mix.
9. Stir couscous into sausage/veggie mixture.  Turn off heat.
10. Let sit for 5 minutes or so to allow for couscous to absorb the goodness from sausage/veggie mixture.
11. SERVE & ENJOY!

If you try this recipe, let me know how you fare and if you made any edits to it.

Happy grubbin’!

Crock Pot Pulled Chicken

If you’re looking for an essential, easy kitchen appliance that can help turn ordinary meals into extraordinary meals, you simply must invest in a crock pot or slow cooker if you will.  Crock pots make delicious, easy, and complete meals without any of the hard labor!

Kate and I went shopping at Trader Joe’s the other day.  It was the most packed either of us have ever seen!  I suppose it being the day after Labor Day, people needed to re-stock after their end of summer picnics, etc.  At any rate, we decided to brave the crowds.

Kate decided to grab some simple chicken breasts.  She and I are very similar in the fact that we just grab the essentials without any thought of what we’re going to make.  We buy stuff then figure out what we’ll make with it later.

Obviously chicken breast (and chicken in general) is a very versatile meat.  There are so many options and ways to prepare it.  Kate asked me yesterday “What do you think about pulled chicken?”  To which I responded “I think I like that idea!”  I’m a huge fan of pulled pork!  In fact, I usually make that at least twice a year.  As for pulled chicken, I believe I made that once in the past, though it was done on the stove and served with a sweet cola barbeque sauce.  Kate noted she was going to throw the chicken breasts in the crock pot and let it cook all day.  I was certainly down with that idea!

So, in the crock pot went the following items:

2 chicken breasts
vegetable stock (it was what we had on hand)
brown sugar
Frank’s Red Hot sauce
salt and pepper

That’s it!  It cooked on low for about 6 hours.  So when it was dinner time, the chicken was perfectly cooked and marinated in the sweet heat sauce.  She simply took the breasts out of the pot, pulled them with 2 forks, and then dropped the pulled chicken back into the sauce.

I served mine on whole wheat bread with some soy cheddar cheese slices.  Delicious, filling, and so very satisfying.  Next time you don’t know what to do with your chicken, drop it in the slow cooker, with a few choice items and you’re good to go!

Note: No pictures were taken because we were too hungry and wanted to eat right away!

Quick breakfast post

Bagel by Kate

This morning I created what is officially my favorite bagel sandwich:

A pumpernickel bagel with onions from Metropolitan Bakery, Philly cream cheese, sliced avocado with lime juice, Frank’s hot sauce, and cracked black pepper. Delicious. Those orange-tomato beauties are from the Clark Park Farmers Market. Mega-mart tomatoes simply cannot compare.

Last night I made another incredibly amazing vegetarian feast that resulted in an abundance of leftovers since it’s just me living in the house at the moment. North African-style spicy collards, fried tofu, and coconut/cardamom-scented brown rice. Technically a vegan meal, although it wasn’t intentional. It just happened to turn out that way. Veganism isn’t the lifestyle for me!

Banana bread is love.

Banana Bread by Kate

My kitchen never seems to be lacking in incredibly ripe bananas. This is probably due to the fact that I buy and forget about them until it’s almost too late. In the past, I would save and freeze them for smoothies. These days, I don’t have a blender. Oh, the sadness! In order to cure my dilemma, I recently decided to take the bananas that were too far gone for eating and bake my own version of banana bread. Banana bread is my preferred of the quick breads because of its texture and ability to highlight the pure taste of the banana. Zucchini bread doesn’t seem to taste like zucchini at all, and so I don’t bother making it. Nutmegged pumpkin bread is the delicious runner up to banana. Mmm, I wonder how pumpkin banana bread would taste?

Banana Bread by Kate

1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup of sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cup of flour
1 cup of oat bran
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
3/4 teaspoon of salt
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup of buttermilk or yogurt
(1 cup of nuts)

When I was reading over some banana bread recipes, I noticed the incredible amount of sugar in the ingredients list: sometimes 1.5 to 2 cups of sugar! Although I have a sweet tooth, this is an excessive amount of sweetener. Ripe bananas have plenty of natural sugars that help enrich the bread with sweetness. I enjoy banana bread for breakfast in the morning and it just seems wrong to create a bread that would be ridiculously sweet. Therefore, I added only .5 cup of sugar in my recipe. I will not add an artificial sweetener in any of my recipes, unless I’m baking for a severe diabetic. Using synthesized chemicals, that have not undergone extensive long-term testing, just isn’t my thing. Nope, not even Splenda!

To begin, preheat the oven for 350 degrees. After setting the oven, line a large loaf pan with parchment paper. Parchment paper is my favorite way to line quick bread pans; it makes for incredibly easy bread removal and no clean up is involved. In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar until completely incorporated. Add the beaten eggs to the butter/sugar mixture one by one, followed by the vanilla, mashed bananas, and buttermilk. Sift the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix well. At this point nuts could be added to the mixture, although I usually don’t include them. Aside from hazelnuts and almonds, most nuts aren’t really my thing. Finally, take the beautiful bowl of banana bread batter and scrape it into the lined loaf pan. Bake for an hour or until a toothpick comes out clean when stuck in the center of the loaf.

There you have it: delicious, healthy, breakfast-worthy banana bread!

Southwest-Style 3 Bean Chili

Since I am moving in just a little over a month, I realized that I had a good bit of canned goods to use up. I will only be purchasing canned items as I need them, no need to stock up! The less I have to move the better.

Southwest Style 3 Bean Chili (stock photo)

Anyways, I decided to use up some of the canned beans today by making a Southwest-Style 3 Bean Chili. I absolutely love chili – any time of year! I tend to make it fairly regularly. Not only is it delicious and filling, it’s so easy to make and there’s so many ways to make it!

I don’t have exact measurements to my recipe, so ala Rachael Ray (*puke*) I eye ball everything I put in. Note: I didn’t put any garlic or garlic powder in, because I am actually slightly allergic to garlic. It’s a tragedy, I know! But you should if you like it and can eat it!

1 big Red onion, chopped
1 big Green pepper, chopped
90% lean ground beef (1 lb.)
Chili Powder
Cumin
Italian seasoning (basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme)
Paprika
Onion Powder
Crushed red pepper
Diced tomatoes – regular (1 can)
Diced tomatoes w/ green chiles (1 small can)
Tomato paste
Chicken broth
Black beans (1 can, drained)
Dark red kidney beans (1 can, drained)
Pinto beans (1 can, drained)
Whole kernel corn (1 can)
Sugar (optional)

Saute pepper and onion until softened, then add ground beef, cook until browned. Add seasonings. Stir. Add diced tomatoes & paste. Stir. Let sit to simmer for a little bit (5 minutes or so). Add beans & corn. Stir. Add sugar if you want it. Stir. Let sit to simmer 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve & enjoy! Add your favorite shredded cheese or sour cream on top.

If you wish your chili to be hotter, add some Tabasco sauce, chipotle peppers, jalapeno, or cayenne for a kick. Whatever floats your boat. I wanted a milder chili today so none of that for me.

I added Veggie Slices cheese and it melted just fine. (FYI: I’m lactose-intolerant)