Food goodness

This was another "Clean Eating" recipe that I tried a few weeks ago and really liked.  It wasn't as good after a day or two when all the dressing was absorbed and it kind of lost some of the lemony zing.  It would be better eaten the day it's made, I think.  So, this would be a good dish to take to a pot luck where everything is going to be eaten that day.   Or, just make more dressing and drizzle some more on the next day to revive it.  It was a good lunch, though, and I will make it again.   Oh, and I used the pre-cooked French Lentils (the black ones) from TJ's instead of cooking green lentils, because I always overcook my lentils and end up with mush. Ingredients 2 cups dry green lentils, 1 can of chickpeas , rinsed, drained 1 bunch of radishes, chopped or sliced ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped (optional, thyme leaves loosely packed, discard stems) 1 bay leaf Garlic  2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt...

A variation of Smitten Kitchen's mushroom marsala pasta bake (varied largely because I had some open red wine and not marsala)... Prep time: 30 minutes, tops Cook time: 30 minutes, tops Servings: 4 really generous or 6 slightly more moderate ones [[I doubled and it fit into two medium-sized glass dishes. I froze one.]] 1/2 pound (8 ounces or 225 grams) pasta of you choice, such as a ziti or twisty shape 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil 3/4 pounds (340 grams) fresh mushroom, sliced [[when I doubled this, I used two boxes of the sliced mushrooms from TJ's -- one white button and one portobello]] 1 small-to-medium yellow onion, halved and sliced thin Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 1/4 cup (60 ml) dry marsala wine [[I used pinot noir]] 3 tablespoons (45 grams) unsalted butter 3 tablespoons (25 grams) all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups (355 ml) stock or broth (chicken, vegetable or mushroom) 1/2 cup (50 grams) finely grated parmesan cheese 4 ounce...

adapted from:  Skinnytaste Ok, so I looked at this recipe and then made a lazy version with different veg that I needed to use up from the CSA box.  So, basically I just baked one med-size spaghetti squash, scooped out the strand, put that in a bowl.  Then I chopped up some portobello caps and roasted those in the oven, and then added that to the squash.  Then I made a cheese sauce - didn't measure, just roux, milk, shredded cheese, pinch of aleppo pepper, a couple of twists of TJ's spice blend with sea salt, black pepper, onion and garlic.  Then I chopped up some baby swiss chard, threw it into the cheese sauce to wilt for a few minutes, and then I added the cheese sauce to the squash and mushrooms, and stirred the whole thing together.  That's where I stopped, but the original calls for baking the whole thing with some parmesan on top.  I'm sure that's even more delicious, but I didn't have the time or energy for that.  Anyway, here's the ori...

I just scrolled back through my Facebook status updates because I foolishly posted this adaptation there instead of here, where it belongs. I'm hoping to decrease the rise time. I'll let you know how it goes. If you have four minutes, I recommend (again) watching Bittman make his potato pizza . I find him hilarious. "No need to measure...glug, glug, glug, glug...That's it. You're in pizzaland. There's no better place to be." I used Mark Bittman's basic pizza dough recipe from How to Cook Everything, but subbed 1C of rye flour. I only used the 1 t of yeast called for in the recipe, and the rye flour made it pretty dense so I coaxed and cajoled it through a daylong rise. It turned out to be a really nice texture though and I made the one ball into 3 smallish pizzas and baked each at 500 for about 8-10 min each. Fed the four of us. 3 cups all-purpose flour (I subbed 1 C rye flour) 1 teaspoon rapid-rise yeast (I'm going to guess that another 1/...

I don't really have a recipe for this.  I just kind of threw stuff together based on instructions from my coworker, Karen (source of many tasty things that come out of my kitchen) with the veggies I had on hand from the CSA. This is a great use-up recipe for all the veggies that are plentiful right now - zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, onions, peppers, etc.   Karen served this at a dinner party fundraiser we recently attended at her house, and I asked for her recipe.  She just kind of made it up, so I did the same.  Here's what I did: Take a couple of zucchini, summer squash, eggplant and onions; chop into roughly same-size chunks.  Drizzle with olive oil and then season with salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet (or two or three, depending on how much veg you chopped).  Roast in a hot oven (I roasted at 400 degrees) until veg gets a nice caramelized color and is softened (about 20 min?  Maybe?)   I also roasted a bunch of cherry tomatoes...

So, my kiddo might complain that she can't eat meat one day a week, but she only complains a little when this is for dinner. Also, she very much likes cooking, and this is exactly the sort of recipe where I can put all the ingredients on the counter and say "go to it." Winning for everyone. Adapted from here 2 jars alfredo sauce (I used the kind with mushrooms in them) 1 large (20 oz, I think) package tortellini, the cheese/spinach kind a bunch of broccoli (I had some leftover broccoli and cauliflower, plus some raw broccoli. I didn't bother to measure) 1 1/2 c. water 1/2 c. bread crumbs (homemade, in my case) 2 tsp. olive oil Mix the alfredo and water in a large bowl. In a baking dish, combine broccoli and tortellini. Pour alfredo on top, stir to coat. Bake in 375 oven for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, combine bread crumbs and oil and stir to combine. Sprinkle on top of casserole (at the end of 45 minutes). Pop back under broiler for 2-3 minutes (watch close...

We eat meatless on Monday, which is a great source of grumbling in my house from the carnivore older child who just likes to complain. (they do that when they're 9) This was last week's Meatless Monday recipe, along with a tossed salad. Gaby ate hers with ketchup. Katie picked all the broccoli out and just ate that and the cheesy top. Baby steps. Adapted from Epicurious 10 ounces (1-inch-wide) broccoli florets (with 1 to 2 inches of stem attached) 2 large garlic cloves 6 large eggs 1 1/2 cups half-and-half 2 cups Gruyere and Swiss cheese, coarsely grated 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano  pie crust of your choosing (I had a pre-made one, so that's what I used) Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Bake pie crust until it's lightly golden. While shell bakes, cook broccoli in a 3-quart pot of boiling salted water 4 minutes. Drain broccoli and rinse under cold water to stop cooking, then pat dry. Mince and mash garlic to a paste with a generous pinch o...