Pistachio Gratin Of Asparagus

1 1/2 lbs slender asparagus, tough ends trimmed
1 1/2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper

Crumb topping:
3 Tbs fine dried bread crumbs
3 Tbs ground pistachios
1 Tbs vegetable oil
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt

1) Coat shallow 2-qt gratin dish or baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
2) In large skillet, bring half inch of water to a boil over high heat. Add asparagus, cover, reduce heat to medium and simmer until just barely tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and place in prepared dish. Add lemon juice, 2 tsp oil, salt and pepper and toss well. Arrange evenly.
3) Preheat broiler. Make crumb topping: In small bowl, mix together bread crumbs, pistachios, 1 Tbs oil, ginger and salt. Sprinkle evenly over asparagus.
4) Broil until crumbs are lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Be careful not to burn topping. Serve at once.

Review: I doubled this recipe, since it didn't sound like much food (more like a side dish). I also made the crumb topping in a frying pan, since I felt too lazy for the broiler. It bubbled up really oddly, but came out just fine. I loved the flavor combination in this dish, but it's not a stand-alone dish. I definitely recommend serving it with something more substantial. For us, popcorn helped fluff out the content. :)

Ravioli With Sweet Potato Sauce

1 large sweet potato (about 8 oz)
16oz pkg frozen vegetable-filled ravioli or tortellini
1 Tbs butter
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup milk (or as needed)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup frozen green petite peas, thawed
chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

1) Pierce several holes in skin of sweet potato with a fork. Microwave sweet potato on high power about 8 minutes or until tender. Plunge potato into a bowl of cold water.
2) Meanwhile, cook frozen pasta in a large pot of rapidly boiling water according to package directions. Drain well and return to the pot.
3) In small skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring often, for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
4) Peel sweet potato and mash it well in a medium bowl. Stir in garlic and enough milk to achieve the consistency of a thick sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
5) Add sauce to cooked pasta in the pot. Stir in green peas and heat through. Garnish with parsley and serve right away.

Review: Once again, I chose a recipe using frozen ravioli (which doesn't exist in SE Idaho). And, I hate how expensive refrigerated ravioli is, but then remembered seeing it at Costco. $8 for 38oz of the world's largest ravioli. We love Costco and have been learning to shop there more often for bargains like this! We used spinach and cheese ravioli and it was a good balance to the rest of the flavors. The sauce is sweet, with the potato and peas combined. It was easy, however, and made plenty of food. Of course, I now have to find another recipe to try using ravioli, since I have another 19oz left in the fridge. Oh, the possibilities!

Roasted Winter Vegetables

1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbs cider vinegar
1 1/2 Tbs dried sage
2 tsp dried thyme
3 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups coarsely chopped onions
2 cups peeled and sliced carrots
2 cups peeled and cubed parsnips
2 cups peeled and cubed turnips
2 cups cubed potatoes (recommend Yukon gold, Butter, or red-skinned)
grated feta, Parmesan, or Cheddar cheese (optional)

1) Preheat oven to 450F.
2) Whisk together the oil, vinegar, sage, thyme, salt and pepper. Place the onions, carrots, parsnips, turnips and potatoes in a large bowl. Toss well with the seasoned oil mixture to coat the vegetables evenly. Spread in a single layer on an unoiled shallow 11 x 17 inch baking sheet or use two baking sheets.
3) Bake for about 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes, until crispy, browned and tender. Serve topped with a little grated cheese, if you wish.

Review: I baked this for 45 minutes and managed to burn a third of it while some still wasn't cooked!! I'd probably try this again at 400F. This was a side dish to our Lightlife Stuffers (soy chicken breast stuffed with cheese and broccoli). We salvaged what we could and loved it. I'm really loving parsnips and turnips, but don't often find them in recipes.

Oven-Baked Wild Rice Pilaf With Mushrooms

2 Tbs olive oil
1 leek, white and light green parts thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
10 oz sliced mushrooms (about 3 1/2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp thyme
2 cups long grain and wild rice mix
1/4 cup sherry
1 Tbs soy sauce
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup pine nuts

1) Preheat oven to 375F. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add leeks, and cook 5 minutes, or until soft, stirring often. Raise heat to medium, add mushrooms, and cook 7 minutes, or until liquid has evaporated and mushrooms begin to brown. Stir in garlic and thyme, and cook 1 minute, or until fragrant. Stir in rice. Add sherry and soy sauce, and simmer 2 minutes, or until almost all liquid has evaporated. Add broth and 1 cup water, and return to a simmer.
2) Place lid on Dutch oven, and bake 45 minutes. Remove lid, and bake 30 minutes more, or until most of liquid has been absorbed. Remove from oven, cover, and let stand 5 minutes.
3) Fold in peas and pine nuts. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Review: I need to own a Dutch oven! I used a pot, then transferred to a casserole dish with an aluminum foil cover! This was a really yummy dish that made about 5 servings. I had plenty of leftovers.

Baked Leek & Sweet Potato Gratin

1 1/2 Tbs olive oil, divided
3 medium leeks, white and light green parts chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tbs chopped rosemary
2 medium sweet potatoes (2 lb), peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
1/2 cup vegetable broth
3 Tbs Italian seasoned dry breadcrumbs
2 Tbs finely grated Romano cheese

1) Preheat oven to 450F. Coat 10-inch round pan with cooking spray.
2) Heat 1 Tbs oil in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks, garlic, and 1 Tbs rosemary; saute 8 minutes, or until softened. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
3) Arrange one-third sweet potato slices over bottom of prepared pan, overlapping slightly. Spread half of leek mixture on top. Arrange another one-third sweet potato slices over leeks; top with remaining leeks, followed by remaining sweet potatoes. Drizzle broth over dish. Cover pan with foil, and bake 35 minutes.
4) Stir together breadcrumbs, remaining 1 1/2 tsp oil, remaining 1/2 Tbs rosemary, and Romano cheese, in small bowl. Remove foil from gratin, and sprinkle with breadcrumb mixture. Bake, uncovered, 15 minutes, or until breadcrumbs are browned and crisp. Let gratin cool slightly before cutting into 8 wedges and serving.

Review: This was super yummy. I really love sweet potato dishes and the edition of leeks balanced the sweetness into a savory dish.

Pasta La Vista

8 oz wagonwheel pasta, elbow macaroni, or other pasta
1 Tbs vegetable oil
2 Tbs dried minced onion
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
15oz can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
1 Tbs bottled hot sauce
15oz can red or pink beans, drained
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
shredded cheddar cheese for topping

1) Cook pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large saucepan, add onion, green pepper, and celery, and saute for about 5 minutes or until ingredients start to soften.
2) Add all spices to vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and hot sauce. Stir to combine and simmer uncovered over medium heat for about 20 minutes.
3) While the sauce is simmering, drain the pasta and set aside. Add beans and corn to the sauce and cook 5 to 10 minutes more. Add the cooked pasta, stir and simmer to heat through.

Review: This was found in a teen's vegetarian cookbook. Needless to say, it was easy to make. I used a whole box of elbow macaroni to make the dish and shaved 10 minutes off the simmering. I had plenty of food to make lunch leftovers, which was fine because I thought this dish was pretty yummy.

Edamame Rice Bowls

1 cup brown rice
1 16oz bag frozen shelled edamame
1/4 cup dried cranberries
4 oz crumbled feta
20 pitted kalamata olives, halved
3 Tbs chopped cilantro
2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs lime juice
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1) Bring 2 1/2 cups water to a boil, stir in rice, and season with salt. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 45 minutes, or until rice is tender.
2) Bring 2 cups salted water to a boil, add edamame, and cook 2 minutes, or until tender; drain and set aside.
3) Toss together rice, edamame, cranberries, feta, olives, cilantro, olive oil, lime juice, and red pepper flakes in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Review: I used instant brown rice and followed the directions on the box. That greatly reduced my cooking time. I love all the ingredients, but wasn't sure how they would go together. It was such a perfect balance of sweet, salty and spicy. Mmmmmm yummy. Also, this made about 2 servings, and this recipe is double the original ingredients!! 

Made again on 11/10/2010, but I lacked cilantro and forgot to get dried cranberries.  I substituted pomegranate arils (YUM).