Corn, Corn, Corn!

Corn season is upon us and I am oh, so happy about this.  I love corn in any of its many forms.  Grits, popcorn, corn bread, corn tortillas, or just good ol' corn on the cob, give me any of it.  Any way someone serves corn is quite alright by me.

So with corn season in mind, I decided to make a soup recipe from 101cookbooks.com that I have been eyeing for a little while.  I had been waiting for this time of the year to come so I could make this recipe with the best corn possible.  Maybe it is because I am from Ohio and corn country (seriously, in my hometown we have a festival each September called "The Corn Festival"-we celebrate corn!), but corn out of the can is ridiculously horrible most of the time.  I never ever buy the cheap corn when shopping at Publix.  It just doesn't work for me.  I will buy the most expensive corn just because I think it doesn't taste bland like the cheap stuff.  So with that corn snobbery confessed, when this time of the year comes around, I love to utilize delicious corn in as many ways as possible.  How could a corn soup not be a delicious way to celebrate this vegetable?

Here's that link to the recipe I mentioned from 101cookbooks:  Corn Soup from 101cookbooks.com

This was such a fun and fresh soup to make.  Matt actually got sick over the weekend so getting to make him corn soup was a perfect way to put some fluids in him.  As you can see in the top picture, I added goat cheese to my bowl to add a little creaminess to the broth.  Matt stuck to the clear broth.  I also topped the soup with dill like the author of the original recipe recommends.  At first, I was like "Dill, really?  I don't know about that."  After adding a little and re-tasting the soup, I was like, "Dill! Really!  This is amazing!"  I actually sounded like that.  My excitement level over adding a little dill to the dish was slightly ridiculous.  Either way, dill or no dill, I hope you enjoy this soup if you have some extra corn lying around.  This recipe is definitely worth a try.

Butternut Squash Filled Pasta Shells

This recipe is one I threw together way back before starting this blog.  It was inspired by a Weight Watchers recipe that suggested using butternut squash as a replacement for some of the cheese when making filled pasta shells.  I thought 1) I love butternut squash and 2) it decreases the point value of the meal so why not try it.

Because roasting and cutting butternut squash takes so dang long (I will stop ranting here), I decided to just use the frozen version that you can find in your local freezer vegetable section.  Originally I accidentally ran across these frozen boxes of butternut squash one day while looking for the frozen spinach but since then have been using them on the regular.  They are just wonderful!  It take some of the cost and a ton of the work out of using pureed squash.  Who wouldn't love that?!

When looking at the pictures below, I swear they are not filled with nacho cheese.  While I was making this dish, I kept thinking to myself how much the pureed butternut squash resembled that substance.  Some may be drawn to this recipe because of the resemblance to nacho cheese and some may be turned off.  I would just ask that if you enjoy the ingredients in the recipe, give it a chance.  It isn't too hard to make and ends up being mighty tasty.  This is definitely a dish I am proud of.  I hope you enjoy!

          ................

Butternut squash filled pasta shells

(makes about 4 servings with 6 shells in each serving)

24 pasta shells

2 12oz frozen cooked butternut squash packages found in the freezer aisle

1 8oz neufchatel cheese (or 1/3 less fat cream cheese)

1/2 cup of shredded or grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup parsley

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 25oz jar of spaghetti or marinara sauce

Begin by bringing a big pot of water to a boil.  This will be for the pasta shells. Cook the pasta shells according to the package instructions.  Once cooked, set to the side and let cool.

Meanwhile, begin defrosting the butternut squash in a microwave safe dish for about five minutes. Once mostly heated through, add the cream cheese the the dish.  Heat again in the microwave for another three minutes or so.  (You do not want the butternut squash and cream cheese mixture to get hot.  You just want it to be mixable.)  Once the butternut squash and cream cheese are mixed together, add the parmesan, parsley, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.  Stir until combined. 

Pour about 1/2 cup of the spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a baking dish and spread it out evenly.  

Take cooled pasta shells and fill them with about 1/3-1/2 cup of the butternut squash mixture.  Place open side up into the baking dish.  Repeat this process with all remaining shells.  Top shells with the rest of the spaghetti sauce.  Spread evenly.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until bubbling or until you can smell the deliciousness of the dish drifting from your kitchen.  Enjoy!

          ...............

A Fast and Easy Four Ingredient Dinner

We have been eating more "Italian" type dishes lately because Italian often includes delicious ingredients such as cheese, tomatoes, cheese, pasta, cheese, and so on.  (I love cheese.  Have a mentioned that?) Like I have said before, I am really not that into Italian food normally but for some reason pasta is hitting the spot these days.

The recipe included below is one that I made last week and again tonight for dinner.  When I made it last week Matt was very skeptical of how it looked and how it would taste.  He actually avoided eating dinner until 9 or so at night because he was that weary.  However, as soon as he took a bite, he said with great surprise, "This is really good."  Of course, those are the words every cook would love to hear.  When he requested it again this week for one of our meals, I was ecstatic.  It is such an easy meal to throw together and also very filling.  And who doesn't love cheese in a dish?  Certainly not me.

          ...............

Cheese Tortellini with Broccoli and Browned Butter

3 large broccoli florets (about 1 3/4 pounds)

4 tablespoons butter

1 pound of fresh or frozen cheese tortellini

3/4 cup of grated pecorino romano cheese

Steam the broccoli until very soft and it can be mashed easily with a fork.  After steamed, set to the side in a pot.

While broccoli is steaming, bring a large pot of water to a boil for the tortellini.  Cook tortellini according to the directions on the package.  

Meanwhile, begin heating the butter in a separate skillet.  Let butter melt and cook over the heat until slightly browned and has a nutty smell.  Set to the side.  

While the broccoli is still in a separate pot, mash the broccoli with a large spoon for about 20 seconds.  This will allow some of the broccoli pieces to act like a pesto and cover the tortellini noodles.  

Add pieces of broccoli to the tortellini and mix. Pour browned butter over the broccoli and tortellini and mix.  Add grated cheese and salt to taste.  Enjoy!

          ...............

Palak Paneer: A Vegetarian Indian Dream Dish

Clearly we love paneer in this household.  When looking over past dishes, this cheese is definitely makes regular appearances on this blog. This awesome, filling cheese is a staple in any Indian recipe I attempt to make.  My first question when browsing for Indian recipes, does it have paneer in it?  Yes. Well then yes, please.  Let's try that one.

The other day I was feeling only slightly adventurous when looking for an Indian recipe I could make for dinner.  I wanted it to include paneer (of course) but also didn't want to go with the staple Saag Paneer we have at least once a month.  When browsing on allrecipes.com, I came across Rosy's Palak Paneer.  This recipe was enticing because it included all the Indian flavors I love but added a tomato twist.  In the original recipe, it calls for adding the paneer to the tomato and spinach base and letting the cheese warm that way.  I decided to fry ours up adding a little turmeric and salt.  The extra hit of flavor on the cheese was a very nice addition.

As I am continuing to find, the Indian recipes I try only get better and more flavorful with time.  The night we ate this dinner, the palak paneer was great.  However, the next day, it was truly wonderful.  It always makes me so happy to have leftovers I actually enjoy eating.  This recipe was definitely enjoyable.  If you try it out, I hope you like it too!

Parmesan-Roasted Cauliflower

I love cauliflower.  I would almost go as far to say that it is my favorite vegetable.  Any time I see a cauliflower dish on a menu, I am immediately drawn to it.  Cauliflower soup. Sign me up.  Steamed cauliflower. Yes, please! Parmesan roasted cauliflower. Give me a large portion of that dish.

In the February 2013 edition of BonAppetit, they have a recipe called Parmesan-Roasted Cauliflower.  As I was looking over the magazine, this recipe immediately stood out to me as a "must-make."  Here's the link to the recipe:  Parmesan-Roasted Cauliflower  Of course, as we have discussed, the recipe was based around cauliflower so I am immediately biased.  However, the addition of the parmesan cheese just solidified the possibility of deliciousness.  Normally I don't love cheese added to my vegetables but parmesan is a different story.  The sharp taste of just-shredded parmesan cheese causes any dish to sing. In my mind, adding it to cauliflower would only enhance the flavor.

As the cauliflower was roasting, my stomach began to rumble at the wonderful smells.  The recipe calls for an onion but I didn't have an extra onion lying around. I just used a shallot in the onion's place.  I also left out the garlic and thyme because I didn't have either of those ingredients.  I was not disappointed by this recipe.  The parmesan and cauliflower combination was spectacular.  The roasted vegetables with the sharpness of the cheese created this amazingly rich and flavorful dish. This could easily be added as a very classy, simple side dish to many types of meals.  I hope you enjoy!

10 Minute Asparagus and Chickpea Dish

This Ten Minute Asaparagus recipe is one that I have been eyeing for quite a while.  It has brown rice, almonds, chickpeas, asparagus.  Clearly all very delicious ingredients.  My only issue was that it called for tahini.  I have never bought tahini and can't seem to find it in the stores for less than $8.00.  While I was home for Christmas, my sweet mother gave me a jar of tahini she had for while but wasn't using.  When she just casually offered me this jar of awesomeness, my world of recipes opened up!

Here's the link to an asparagus, brown rice, chickpea, and tahini recipe I recently tried from 101cookbooks.com:  http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/ten-minute-tasty-asparagus-and-brown-rice-recipe.html

On Monday nights we often need quick dinners.  Once we get home, get to sit and relax for a minute, do the dishes, and chat, we often only have about an hour before we get to head out again for the evening.  So this quick meal was perfect for a Monday (or really any day of the week).

I had done some of the prep work the night before by cooking the brown rice.  Brown rice is just so great because it tastes just as wonderful reheated as if it was cooked right then.  Sometimes I find with white rice it gets kind of hard and tasteless the next day.  Brown rice does exactly the opposite.  It only gets better with time.  This asparagus and chickpea recipe is also one that only gets better.  It was delicious the night we had it and even better the next two days for lunch.  The tahini dressing just takes it over the top.  If you try this recipe, I hope you enjoy it!

Gnocchi with Squash and Kale

Squash.  What a wonderfully diverse food!  There are so many varieties of squash with each having such unique and different flavors.  My one main gripe about squash (particularly butternut squash) is it takes so long to prep.  If you are wanting to use a butternut squash you first have to peel it's hard skin, then seed it, and then chop it.  And the actual chopping can be really hard to do.  Those butternut squashes are tough!

But once all the work is done, having fresh cut squash is one of the best things around.  You can roast it, boil it, mash it, or cook it with just about anything.  Yesterday I made Gnocchi with Squash and Kale from the Food Network website.  Here is the link to a recipe:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/gnocchi-with-squash-and-kale-recipe/index.html

I found this recipe while looking for a pasta-type dish to go along with a bottle of Merlot.  Matt and I have decided to expand our wine repertoire throughout 2013.  We know nothing about wine so we are seriously starting from the beginning.  We know we like red wines and that is about it.  This week we chose the Merlot because it was red and because it was on sale at Publix.  (Any wine suggestions you might have are clearly welcome.)

Back to the recipe.  This dish was quite tasty.  The gnocchi was a nice change from a normal pasta or rice type dish.  When I made it, I doubled the butternut squash and kale amounts that the original recipe called for.  I found that doubling those two ingredients was ideal in the end.  I didn't double the cheese or butter and it still turned out creamy and delicious.  Matt gave this recipe a four out of five chicken wings overall.  He said the butternut squash was a little soft for his liking.  I gave it a five out of five because it was so rich, warm, and filling but only about 10 Weight Watcher points per serving according to my calculations. I had it again today for lunch and relished every bite.   Enjoy!

Bibimbap: A Signature Korean Masterpiece

A new food love has just been planted in my heart and is quickly taking root. One word: Bibimbap.  

What in the world is a "bibimbap" you might ask?  Well, let me attempt to tackle that question. If I were giving a very rough definition, I would say it is Korean dish consisting of rice, vegetables, and a fried egg which will make your heart soar and your taste buds sing.  (Here is the slightly more official Wikipedia definition http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibimbap just in case you are interested.)

I recently started receiving the magazine 'Bon Appetit.'  If you have never explored this magazine or the website, I would highly encourage you to give it a gander.  Not only does it discuss food, recipes, and the best ingredients around, it also gives information on restaurants you should visit while traveling in cities throughout the world.  It is kind of like a food magazine with a side of travel.  It is just wonderful altogether!

Anyway, the idea of making bibimbap for dinner was inspired by this most recent Bon Appetit issue.  They did a fabulous job photographing the bibimbap recipe which always increases my desire to actual cook it. Here is the link to Bon Appetit's Bibimbap Party. This link contains the magazine's original recipe which is the one I used while making our meal. However, I didn't make all of the vegetable recipes they mention in the article.  I made the zucchini, carrot, mushroom, spinach, and beef dishes.  They were amazing! I cannot say this enough.  I had no idea that rice, vegetables, and a fried egg could change my life but I think this meal just did.  It was cheap, pretty fast, and delicious. Please try this recipe. (Is it okay to plead with people on a blog?)  I know you will enjoy it.