Green Bean & Pasta Salad

1 box penne
2 cups green beans, halved crosswise
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan, shredded
4 Tbs olive oil
3 Tbs white wine vinegar
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

1) Cook pasta according to the package directions, but add the green beans for the last three minutes of cooking.  Drain and run under cold water to cool.
2) In a large bowl, toss the cooled pasta and green beans with the kidney beans, parsley and Parmesan.
3) In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.  Mix this dressing with the salad.
4) Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Review:  I had planned to make this Sunday night, for dinner on Monday night.   But, I forgot until about bedtime and it was too late then.  So, it got scheduled to be made last night.  Except that both Mike and I forgot!!  So, Mike remembered this morning, before work.  Crap.  So, it was a joint effort to make it this morning, though Mike pulled it all together and cooked the pasta.  This wasn't fun to make at 6am!!!!  But, we got it made and had dinner waiting for us when we got home.

I doubled the recipe from the original instructions, as it made only two servings.  I prefer to have four, so that we have dinner and leftovers for lunch the next day.  Except I somehow ended up with about six servings.  I may have used too many green beans!  This was ok, but it seemed to lack some flavor.  I'd like to dress up the dressing, but am not sure how.  I almost considered chipotle, but that's my default added flavor.  Any ideas?

Penne With Tomatoes, Zucchini & Mozzarella

1 lb penne
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/4 lbs zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 lb cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
Kosher salt and black pepper
1/2 lb fresh mozzarella pearls
1/4 cup torn fresh mint leaves

1) Cook the pasta according to the package directions.  Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water, drain the pasta, and return it to the pot.
2) Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the zucchini and cook, tossing occasionally, until golden brown and tender, 5 to 6 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, garlic, red pepper, 3/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper, and cook, tossing, until the tomatoes soften, 2 to 3 minutes more.
3) Add the tomato mixture to the pasta, along with the mozzarella and reserved cooking water, and toss to combine.  Sprinkle with the mint.

Review:  Whoo-hoo, I have a week full of new recipes.  That's what happens when I get both my Real Simple and Vegetarian Times magazines in one week.

This recipe originally called for eggplant, but I've learned zucchini is a great substitute (since I don't like eggplant).  This used zucchini from my garden, and I fear it may be the last for the season.  I removed most of the plants yesterday, but left the few growing zucchinis to get bigger for tonight's dinner.  Two of the baby zucchinis began to shrivel and I tossed them.  I have two more babies, but they may also shrivel.  But, this dish was amazing.  We really liked the fresh mozzarella.  We weren't sure about the mint and used it sparingly, but it turned out to be a great addition. 

Honey & Toasted Sesame Seed Gelato

2 cups whole milk
1/3 cup strong-flavored honey (darker in color)
4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

1) Place the milk and honey in a medium-size, heavy-bottomed saucepan and stir to combine.  Place over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture registers 170F (77C) on an instant read thermometer.
2) In a nonreactive, medium-size bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until foamy and slightly thickened.
3) Carefully temper the egg yolks with the hot milk mixture by slowly adding about half of the hot liquid to the eggs, whisking continuously with a wooden spoon or heatproof rubber spatula, cook the mixture over medium heat until it registers 185F (85C) on an instant read thermometer, or is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon or spatula, taking care to make sure the mixture does not boil.  Remove from the heat.  Emulsify the mix, if not completely smooth, before incorporating into the cold cream.
4) Pour the heavy cream into a clean, large stainless steel mixing bowl or glass set over an ice bath.
5) Pour the heated custard through a fine-mesh sieve or strainer into the cold cream, add the sesame oil and seeds, and stir until fully incorporated.  Stir occasionally (about every 5 minutes or so) until the mixture has fully cooled.  This should take about 1/2 hour.  Remove the mixing bowl from the ice bath, dry off the bottom of the bowl if necessary, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
6) When ready, pour the chilled mixture into the ice-cream maker and process according to manufacturer's specifications.
7) Remove the finished gelato from the ice-cream maker and place in a plastic container.  Cover with plastic wrap by pressing the wrap gently against the top of the gelato, affix lid to container, and place in the freezer to fully harden before serving.

Review:  Mike got me an ice cream maker for my birthday (albeit an early present).  I then received several accessories for my birthday.  I was lucky enough to get a Ben & Jerry's recipe book, a gelato recipe book and a digital thermometer.  I also received three sets of ice cream bowls that were super cute, but each shipment (two were replacements) arrived broken.  The ones that were salvaged are chipped, but still usable.  I was granted a credit, which I applied to the purchase of a cd I really wanted, and a digital thermometer.  The bad amazon.com luck continued, as the well-rated thermometer would not turn on.  It's on it's way back, but I managed to get one at Wal-Mart for the same price.  It all evens out, but I feel bad that such a sweet gesture had such a bad run of luck.

So, this venture feels like a belated celebration, but I wanted to make sure I did this right, with all the necessary equipment.  I slaved over it most of Saturday and let it chill all day.  I placed this into the ice cream maker late at night, and then let it freeze overnight.  Ah, my first gelato venture.  This was pretty tasty, and fancy.  It was heavy on the toasted sesame flavor, but yet sweet at the same time.  Yum.  Mike wants to recreate it, using toasted almonds and omitting the sesame oil.

Chilling in the ice bath:

Frozen:

In a cute bowl:

First Pepper

This bad boy has been growing all summer.  I've learned that bell peppers take months to mature, apparently.  It finally ripened and turned red over the course of the last week.  I picked it Saturday and  am hopeful for more peppers.  However, none of the others are nearly this big.  I am optimistic though, because this one had an AMAZING flavor.  It was way better than anything I've had from the grocery store!  I eagerly sought an old recipe to use this in.  I've been revisiting past recipes, and updating the old ones with pictures as I remake them.  Yum. 

Farmhouse Fricassee (crockpot recipe)

2 Tbs olive oil
4 shallots, quartered
1/2 cup dry white wine
12oz seitan or tempeh, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
8oz baby carrots, halved lengthwise
8oz small red potatoes, halved
8oz green beans, ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbs minced fresh tarragon or parsley leaves

1) Heat 1 Tbs of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the shallots, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the wine and cook for 1 minute to reduce slightly.  Transfer the shallot mixture to a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker.
2) Heat the remaining 1 Tbs oil in the same skillet over medium heat.  Add the seitan or tempeh and cook until browned on both sides, about 10 minutes, then add to the slow cooker along with the carrots, potatoes, green beans, tomatoes and stock; season with salt and pepper.  Stir to combine, cover, and cook on Low for 8 hours.
3) Just before serving, stir in the tarragon or parsley.

Review:  I doubled the amount of tempeh, potatoes and stock.  I also diced the tempeh and sliced the potatoes into thick slices.  I used 2 Tbs dried shallot flakes, as I had them on hand.  I ended up forgetting to add the tarragon.  And, it was done in 6 1/2 hours.

So, the recipe was pretty yummy (the way I made it).  It had a good savory flavor and I used a slotted spoon to prevent it from being a stew.  The veggies were just the right amount of soft and had soaked in the flavor of the wine/shallot/stock.  Yum.  Unfortunately, I had counted on our Fall temps continuing, but it was about 80 today.  Crockpot recipes aren't as enticing when it's warm out. 

Linguine With Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

1 cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (about 6 oz)
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese or Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 Tbs dried
2 Tbs pine nuts, toasted
3 garlic cloves
3/4 cup olive oil
3/4 lb linguine pasta

1) Combine sun-dried tomatoes, Romano cheese, basil, pine nuts and garlic in food processor. With machine running, gradually add olive oil and process until smooth paste forms.

2) Cook linguine in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Combine 3/4 cup tomato pesto with reserved cooking liquid in same pot. Add linguine and toss over medium-high heat to coat, adding more pesto, if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Review: This was quick and easy.  I like that.  :)  However, it really doesn't make much food.  I really like when a recipe gives me two dinners and enough leftovers for two lunches.  If this had veggies added to it, it would have stretched it out.  However, this has it's own dominating flavor with the sun-dried tomatoes, so I have no clue what veggies would go well with it.  I'm totally open to suggestions!

Vegetable Bean Spirals

Bean Mixture
1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 to 4 Tbs salsa
1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves and tender stems
salt to taste

Vegetable Spirals
4 10-inch spinach tortillas
1 1/3 cups packed finely shredded red cabbage
4 thin carrot sticks, about 8 inches long and 1/2 inch wide
4 strips red bell pepper, about 1/4 inch wide
8 slices ripe, firm Hass avocado, sprinkled with just of 1/2 lime

1) To make Bean Mixture:  In food processor, blend beans, 3 Tbs salsa and cilantro into a thick paste.  Add more salsa, if needed for spreadable mixture.  Add salt.
2) To make Vegetable Spirals:  Using spatula, spread 3 Tbs bean mixture on a tortilla, leaving about 1/2 inch around edges.  Sprinkle on 1/4 of cabbage, and gently press in.  Place a carrot stick horizontally about 1 inch from bottom of tortilla, and place 1 strip red bell pepper above it.  Arrange 2 slices avocado, end to end, on top of carrot.
3) Wrap bottom edge of tortilla over vegetables, and roll tightly.  Moisten top edge lightly with bean paste or water to seal.  Gently press roll to shape it into log.  Fill and roll remaining tortillas.
4) To serve, set each roll seam side down on cutting board.  Use sharp knife to trim off edges.  Hold roll firmly, and use gentle sawing motion to cut into 5 or 6 pieces, making every other slice on the diagonal.  Divide among 8 salad plates, or arrange on a party platter, diagonal sides up.

Review:  I've held onto this recipe for several years now.  I always had the intention to make this and take it to a party.  However, each time an event came around, I'd look at this and think it was too much work.  So, I finally gave up on ever making it for a party.  Mike and I decided it looked yummy and would make great wraps.  So, I didn't make everything as thin as required.  And, there were no pretty spirals at the end.  However, this made for four really yummy wraps.  The flavor combination was really tasty and had just the right amount of crunch.  We used low-carb wraps, but I bet the spinach tortillas the recipe recommended would have been even yummier.