Sweet Potatoes With Warm Black Bean Salad

4 medium sweet potatoes
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1) Prick sweet potatoes with a fork in several places. Microwave on High until tender all the way to the center, 12 to 15 minutes. (Alternatively, place in a baking dish and bake at 425 degrees F until tender all the way to the center, about 1 hour.)

2) Meanwhile, in a medium microwaveable bowl, combine beans, tomatoes, oil, cumin, coriander and salt; microwave on High until just heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. (Alternatively, heat in a small saucepan over medium heat.)

3) When just cool enough to handle, slash each sweet potato lengthwise, press open to make a well in the center and spoon the bean mixture into the well. Top each with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of cilantro.

Review:  Yum.  Sweet potato and black bean is an amazing combination.  I baked the potatoes in the oven and cooked the "salad" on the stovetop.  For Mike's serving, I served it as a topped baked potato.  However, I don't like the skin, so I scraped the inside out for me and topped that.  Yum.

 

 

Penne With Hazelnut Pesto, Green Beans & Parmesan

2 cups (packed) fresh Italian parsley
2/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs finely grated lemon peel
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 14.5oz box penne
1 8 oz bag trimmed French green beans (haricots verts)
2 bunches green onions, sliced
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1) Blend first 5 ingredients and 1/3 cup oil in processor until nuts are finely chopped. Season pesto with salt and pepper.
2) Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until almost tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Add beans; cook until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.
3) Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
4) Drain pasta and beans; reserve 1 cup cooking liquid. Return pasta and beans to pot. Toss with pesto, onions, 3/4 cup cooking liquid, and cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Review:  This was pretty good.  I was somewhat surprised, as I've tried parsley pestos before and they weren't good.  I really liked the toasted hazelnut and haricots verts combo.  However, I cooked my beans a little too long, so they were a bit mushy.  Still yummy, though.

Fettuccine In Mushroom Broth With Truffle Oil

1 oz dried porcini mushrooms (1 cup)
2 Tbs olive oil
12 oz shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
½ cup finely chopped shallots
3 cloves garlic, minced 
1 cup dry white wine
½ cup frozen peas
1 Tbs chopped fresh Italian parsley
3 tsp truffle oil, divided
8 oz fettuccine

1) Bring 3 cups water to a boil in small saucepan. Remove from heat, add porcini mushrooms, and soak 30 minutes. Remove mushrooms; squeeze out and reserve excess soaking liquid.
2) Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shiitake and porcini mushrooms, shallots, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, and sauté 5 minutes, or until mushrooms are soft. Add wine and porcini soaking liquid, and simmer 10 minutes, or until mushrooms are very tender. Add peas, and simmer 2 minutes more. Stir in parsley and 1 tsp. truffle oil. Season with salt and pepper.
3) Meanwhile, cook fettuccine in large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions until al dente. Drain pasta, and toss with mushroom sauce. Drizzle 1/2 tsp. truffle oil over each serving.

Review:  I used the freeze dried mushroom mix from Costco, which helped shave some time off the cooking process.  I also added about 2 Tbs of dried porcini powder.  This was tasty, but wasn't good for leftovers.  I'm not sure how that works.  Mike piled Parmesan cheese on his bowl and said it made it even better.

Artichoke Ragout With Saffron & Olives

1 1/2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 tsp crushed saffron threads
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 large red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup crushed tomatoes
2 1/2 cups white mushrooms, quartered
1 8-oz pkg. frozen artichoke hearts
1/4 cup kalamata olives

1) Heat skillet over medium heat.  Add oil, then onion and garlic.  Saute 1 to 2 minutes, or until garlic turns gold.  Stir in saffron and black pepper.
2) Add bell pepper and wine.  Increase heat to medium-high, and cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until wine is reduced by half.  Add tomatoes, and cook 3 minutes more.
3) Stir in mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and 1 cup water, and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.  Remove lid, and cook off any excess moisture, if necessary.  Stir in olives, and season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Review:  This was pretty yummy.  I served it over bulgur to have a filling base.  It had a bit of tang from the artichoke hearts and olives, but a nice savory flavor from the saffron.  Yum. 

Cajun Mushroom Loaf

1 stick butter
1 cup diced yellow onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 1/2 lbs sliced mushrooms
4 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 Tbs Cajun seasoning blend

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2) Put the butter into a 4-quart pot and place over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the onion, garlic and thyme sprigs. Saute until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the pot, stir, and raise the heat a bit. Cook the mixture until the liquid has cooked off, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

3) Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a large bowl and whisk well. Add the cream, parsley and Cajun seasoning and whisk to combine. Add the mushroom mixture 1 serving spoonful at a time to temper the egg mixture, stirring well after each addition. Add the breadcrumbs and stir well.

4) Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray, line with parchment paper, and pour the mixture into the pan. Set in a large roasting pan and fill the pan with water halfway up the loaf pan. Place into the top half of the oven and bake until the center is set, about 60 to 70 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 15 minutes before turning out onto a plate to slice.

Review:  This was tasty, though I believe I could have doubled the amount of breadcrumbs and it would have been more stable.  I didn't think the loaf alone would be filling enough, so I sauteed another pound of mushrooms in butter, with onion and cajun seasoning.  I topped the loaf with that and it was a great addition.  Yum.

Curried Yellow Split Peas & Cauliflower

1 cup dried yellow split peas, well rinsed
3 cups water
3 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 Tbs. ground turmeric
1 tsp. curry powder or to taste
1 onion, diced
1/2 head cauliflower, trimmed to florets
1 to 11/2 cups vegetable stock, or as needed
1 cup green peas, fresh or frozen
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 Tbs. shredded coconut
1/2 cup raisins
Salt to taste

1) In large saucepan, combine split peas and water, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover pan with lid slightly ajar, reduce heat to low and cook about 15 minutes.
2) Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium heat. Stir in turmeric, curry powder and onion, and sauté, 2 to 3 minutes. Add cauliflower florets and 1 cup vegetable stock, and continue cooking and stirring for 7 to 10 minutes more.
3) Add split peas, remaining oil and any remaining cooking water to skillet, stirring to combine well. Reduce heat to medium- low and add green peas, red pepper and more stock, if needed. Continue to cook until split peas are soft, about 5 minutes more. Stir in coconut, raisins and salt to taste. Serve hot.

Review:  I left out the coconut and raisins, because that sounded gross to me.  It ended up being ok, but nothing I would rave about.  I either don't like curry or I need a better curry powder. 

Penne With Greens, Olives & Feta

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
1 large bunch greens (such as spinach, mustard greens, kale, or broccoli rabe; about 1 pound), thick stems removed, spinach left whole, other greens cut into 1-inch strips (about 10 cups packed)
12 oz penne
5 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pitted Kalamata olives
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 oz)

1) Mix parsley, lemon peel and garlic in small bowl; set aside.
2) Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add greens and cook just until tender, 1 to 6 minutes, depending on type of greens. Using skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer greens to colander to drain.
3) Return water to boil. Add pasta and cook just until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally.
4) Drain, reserving 3/4 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot; add greens and 3 tablespoons oil and toss. Stir in olives, feta, and enough reserved pasta cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls to moisten.
5) Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle with parsley mixture and serve.

Review:  This recipe was titled Penne With Green Olives & Feta.  A typo, but I had already had my heart set on green olives.  Therefore, I added green olives with my kalamata olives!  It was a great mix.  I used kale for my greens, mostly because it tends to be so bright green when cooked.  This was tasty and a hearty meal.  Yum.