Ja cię kocham…

It’s a party up in here!  This time last year, I posted for the very first time and had no idea what was going to come of this blog.  Little did I know that I would have so many foodie friends (HUNDREDS of you!) and so much support!  Thank you!

And in celebration of Ja cie kocham’s birthday, I’m making chocolate covered pretzels – a boatload of them.   They are festive, easy to make, and I’m probably going to eat them all within a few days.

I’m also going to use this time to recap on some of my favorite recipes of the year:

Breakfast:

Peanut Butter and Banana French Toast – Heaven on a plate.  ‘Nuff said.

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Appetizer:

Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms – What a crowd pleaser!  Make sure to double the recipe because these will be gone in minutes!

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Pizza:

Pear and Blue Cheese Pizza – Wish I would have thought of this one sooner!  Seriously melted in my mouth.  I could have eaten the whole pizza by myself.

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Sandwich:

Grilled Vegetable, Herb, and Goat Cheese Sandwich – Perfect for a picnic and requires no refrigeration!

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Chicken Dish:

North African Grilled Chicken Paillards – Add ethnic flare to your chicken with a few pantry staples!

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Lime Chile Steaks with Pico de Gallo and Homemade Guacamole – Home run dish.  Bursting with flavor and super healthy to boot!

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Vegetarian:

Lemon Chickpea Stir-fry – AMAZING.  Nothing is more gratifying than making a very healthy meal that is so full of flavor.  I had several people ask for the recipe because they loved it so much.

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Pasta:

Linguine with Bacon, Baby Spinach, and Sage – I found this recipe on the back of the pasta box.  Always check the back of boxes for recipes.  They tend to be real winners!

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Side Dish:

Grilled Pineapple with Agave Nectar (or Honey) and Coconut – Elegant, healthy, delicious!

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Cookie:

The best Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER.  They were huge, fat, chewy, and absolutely sinful!

Thank you for spending time with me in my little corner of cyberworld this year.  Here’s to many more years together!

Merry Christmas Ja cie kocham readers!

As you may know from reading my previous posts, I am the cooker and baker of this year’s Christmas Dinner!  And oh boy, this will be my FIRST sit down holiday meal for more than 6 people.  I’m not concerned about the food turning out, I’m more concerned about the timing.  I know some of you are with me on this.  Being that I’m not fortunate enough to own two ovens, I have to carefully plan how to bake several things for one dinner using one oven while keeping everything from getting cold or drying out.  I will let you know how THAT goes.

To make things a little easier for me, I’ve been prepping for the past week with a detailed schedule of things to be made so that I’m not frantic an hour before dinner.  On today’s to-do list, I made the macaroni and cheese.   This is such a tease!!!  The aroma of white cheddar and nutmeg is swirling through my home making my mouth begin to water and my tummy is now growling fiercely.  *Roar*

I have to say that this recipe was so simple, tastes so good (I HAD to test it!!), and left me with minimal dishes.  Solid deal.  Can’t ask for anything better than that!!  Plus the most of the ingredients should already be in your cupboard, and if they’re not, you can find them with no problem and spend next to nothing on them.  Merry Christmas to me!  Simple, cheap, and goooood.

I will be sure to post the rest of my holiday menu within the next few days.  Let’s just hope I remember to take pictures!

I wish you all safe travels and good eats!!

Simply Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Source: Smitten Kitchen
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup cottage cheese
2 cups milk (not skim)
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Pinch cayenne
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 pound elbow pasta, uncooked.

Directions:

Heat oven to 375°F and position an oven rack in upper third of oven. Use one tablespoon butter to grease a 9-inch round or square baking pan.

In a blender, purée cottage cheese, milk, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg and salt and pepper together.  Reserve 1/4 cup grated cheese for topping. In a large bowl, combine remaining grated cheese, milk mixture and uncooked pasta. Pour into prepared pan, cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes.

Uncover pan, stir gently, sprinkle with reserved cheese and dot with remaining tablespoon butter. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes more, until browned. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Today was a very special day for me because I started dinner before 5pm.  My new summer work schedule allows me to get home before 4 every day.  Don’t you just love that?!  I know that I do.   I finished cooking and it was barely 5 o’clock!!!  I’m normally still at work for another hour or so.  Well, not anymore.

As always, this meal took only 15 minutes or so.  And although it’s extraordinarily healthy, it is very delicious.  It was so good, in fact, that I didn’t even add cheese.  I always add cheese to my pasta.   But don’t worry, you can add cheese if you like )

Linguine with Sundried Tomatoes

Source: Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook, p. 277

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh green beans or edamame (or a mix of both)
1 lb. whole wheat linguine
6 Tbs. olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced
1 cup sundried tomatoes, not in oil, chopped
1/2 low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped

Directions:

Flash cook peas and/or edamame until just tender but still firm.  Drain and set aside.

Cook pasta al dente.  Drain.

In a large skillet, saute garlic and shallots in olive oil.  Add sundried tomatoes, peas, and broth.  Bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and immediately add drained pasta to the skillet.  Toss lightly until sauce and vegetables cover the linguine.

Add freshly ground black pepper and sea salt and garnish with parsley.

The only credit that I can take for this recipe is the basil on top and the steamy photo.  (I forgot to wipe off my camera lens, which has caused the steamy/smoky effect in the picture!)

I came home from work last week to find dinner piping hot on the table.   I plopped right in the chair, gave thanks, and DUG IN!   I am one lucky girl!!  Thank you, Sweetheart!!

What makes me even more lucky is how considerate this meal is because it’s from one of my Weight Watchers magazines.  My amazing talented, smart, and gorgeous sister is getting married next year, and we have to be fitted for our bridesmaids dresses in August.  Yep, I have a deadline.  The flabbie must go!   Needless to say, I have some weight to lose to get back into my running 5-6-7 miles a day, every day college bod (was I nuts???), so starting NOW I have to be careful about what I eat.  I have 3 months.  I can do it.  I hope… ;o)

This meal took as long to prepare as it does to boil your pasta.  Not to bad, huh?  Plus, it involves basic ingredients that most of us have in our cabinets.

Thank you, Jay for this wonderful meal! <3

Jay’s Tuna Pasta

Source: Weight Watchers Magazine, May/June 2009, p. 100

Serves 2

5 points/1.5 cup serving

Ingredients:

3 cups whole wheat pasta
28-oz. can diced tomatoes
4 tsp. olive oil
1 Tbs. minced garlic
2 5-oz cans solid white tuna in water, drained
Salt to taste
Basil, to garnish (optional)
Red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, placed diced tomatoes, oil, and garlic in a large skillet and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in cooked pasta and tuna.

Season with salt, top with basil and red pepper flakes.

It’s that simple!

To all of my quirky friends out there, this dish was made with Soba Noodles.  My beautiful puppy, Noodles, was not boiled, tossed in oil, and served in a bowl.  She is alive and well, still loving her fluffy pillows and eating carrots and peanut butter.

Noodles loves her pillows…

Moving on to the soba noodles…  I’ve been really trying to find easy recipes using only the ingredients in my cabinets.  Often, these meals are what I would post on here because they are simple, no brainers, but this recipe is totally post-worthy.  From the time that I put the water in the pasta pot to the time I mixed the sauce in finished noodles, this meal took all of 10 minutes.  Fan-flipping-tastic!

And, I discovered that soba noodles are now my all-time favorite pasta.  I could eat them when they are crunchy and raw – yeah, I know, I’m weird.  The closest thing that I can compare it to is an angel hair pasta as far as consistency goes.  Regardless (or should I say, irregardless?  JUST kidding.  That word drives me nuts!), this meal is a winner.  It’s fast, it’s light, and it’s inexpensive to make.  Oh, and Jay gave me the HUGEST hive-five after his first bite!

Hot and Sour Noodle Salad (without my puppy)

Source: The Vegetarian Cookbook, p. 155

Serves 4

Ingredients:

12 oz. thin pasta (I recommend rice vermicelli or SOBA NOODLES!)
4 Tbs. sesame oil (canola or vegetable works well if you don’t have the sesame)
3 Tbs. soy sauce
juice of 2 limes
1 tsp. sugar
4 scallions, finely sliced (use any onion if you don’t have these on hand)
1-2 tsp. hot chili sauce (any hot sauce is perfect)
2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

Prepare the noodles according to the package instructions.  Drain, put in a bowl and toss with half the oil.

Mix the remaining oil, soy sauce, lime juice, sugar, scallions, and chili/hot sauce together in a bowl.  Stir into the noodles.

Toss in the cilantro and serve.

I just love when I look at the back of a box and find a recipe with ingredients that I already have in my kitchen!  This pasta dish is seriously one of my favorites of all time.  And yes, it has bacon in it.  I’m TRYING to gradually incorporate meat into my dishes.  It’s not really working, but every once in a while I succeed, and it’s usually with bacon.   I think because it’s chopped so small within a mound of other things that I am capable of eating it.

Okay so this pasta dish is indescribably amazing.  I got it off the back of a Ronzoni Whole Wheat Linguine box (which I mildly altered).  It’s super simple, super cheap, and super awesome.  I cannot tell you how many times I find winning recipes on the back of food boxes.  Don’t be so quick to throw boxes away!  There are some incredible recipes just waiting to be tested.

Linguine with Bacon, Baby Spinach, and Sage

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 packages of linguine
1/4 lb. bacon, diced
1 sweet onion, finely diced
1 egg
1 1/3 cup chicken or veggie stock
3 Tbs. fresh sage, chopped
1/2 lb. baby spinach leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cook pasta according to directions.

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon for 4-5 minutes or until ALMOST at desired crispiness.

Add egg.  Stir constantly until cooked.

Stir in stock and sage; simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Add spinach and cook until barely wilting.  Season with salt and pepper.

Toss linguine with sauce and serve with sprinkled Parmesan cheese.

I was beyond ready for dinner today.  I mean, I was trying not to eat my own hand as I drove home.  My stomach was gurgling and turning to the point that I seriously considered picking up a snack at a gas station in order to make it home.  This whole hunger extravaganza started because I woke up this morning at 4am for no apparent reason other than the fact that I was in the mood to exhaust myself today.  Grrr*  Eating breakfast at 5am, leads to an earlier lunch than usual, leading to wanting an early dinner.  The problem is that I work until 6 and have a 30-35 minute commute home.  Yeah, I was in no mood for a late dinner.  Crabby, perhaps?

Yes!  Crabby!!  Very, very crabby.  That’s just the sort of word that inspired tonight’s dinner.  Pasta is fast, fish is fast, and the two together are very tasty.  This was a night that called for throwing anything in your kitchen cabinets and fridge into a dish and calling it dinner.

I bought this canned crab from Trader Joe’s a little while ago and it was just sitting in my kitchen waiting to be appreciated.  I’ve been eating so many fresh fruits and vegetables lately that I have neglected my cabinet of goodies.  It was finally time for Mr. Crabby.  I was a little hesitant about the canned crab because I didn’t want it to be ridiculously salty or fishy.  Surprisingly, it was neither!  For $2.50 a can, it’s worth the investment for a nice pasta dish.  Of course fresh is better, but since it’s $30+ a pound, I stuck with the can.

I loosely adapted this recipe from Gourmet magazine (May 2008) that I found on Epicurious.  I needed some inspiration.  I didn’t just want butter.  Butter and Lemon would have been good, but I wanted something with a zing.  Something unique.  Add a little chipotle chili pepper and hot sauce to your crabby noodles and you’ve got pizazz in less than 30 minutes!  Just what I wanted…

Crabby Pasta with Lemon and Spice

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/2 pound spaghettini (thin spaghetti)
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 can of crab meat (or if you want fresh crab – 1/2 pound shelled cooked crab meat, cut into 1-inch pieces (from about 1 1/4 pound thawed frozen king crab legs)
1 Tbs. chipotle chili pepper
1 tsp. hot sauce – your favorite brand (ours is D.L. Jardines)
1 to 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
zest of 1/2 a lemon
2 tsp. dill weed
2 tablespoons salted butter
Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cook spaghettini in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (3 tablespoons salt for 6 quarts water) until al dente.

Meanwhile, cook onion in oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring, until softened, then add crab meat. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, just until crab meat is heated through.

Drain pasta, then add to skillet along with remaining ingredients and toss to coat well.

So unbelievably yummy!  Enjoy!

If you want to be festive but not slave for hours in the kitchen for St. Patty’s Day, a fresh basil pesto is in order.  It’s green, it’s lean, and it’s… awesome.  Sorry, I ruined the rhyme.  ;o)

Any meal based around basil can’t help but be incredible.  Pesto is simple.  Take a few fresh ingredients, zap them in the food processor, toss it in cooked pasta, and you’re DONE!   I threw in some chopped sun-dried tomatoes for extra flavor and some red pepper flakes for some heat.  So good.

I hope you enjoy your St. Patrick’s Day as much as we do!!

Angel Hair Basil Pesto with Sun-dried Tomatoes

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1 lb. organic angel hair pasta
1 Tbs. pasta water
6 oz. organic baby spinach, washed
2 cups fresh basil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese, extra for garnish
Sea salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Save 1 Tbs. pasta water.

In your food processor add the spinach, basil, garlic, pine nuts, tomatoes, and a dash of oil.  Zap it in the processor for a few seconds.  Keep adding olive oil and pulsing the pesto until its a liquid consistency.

Add the cheese and pulse for a few more seconds.

Mix pasta, pasta water, pesto, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.  Top with parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Clean?  What is clean food?

Eating clean simply means eating fresh, whole foods in their natural state.   The food is minimally processed and does not contain any additives or preservatives.   Fresh fruits and veggies, lean protein, whole grains and legumes are all a part of eating clean.

I purchased an incredible cookbook: The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook by Dr. Lisa Hark, PhD, RD.  It is FILLED with wonderful clean versions of our favorite dishes.  If you’re looking for a way to eat without feeling deprived or famished, I suggest you look at this cookbook.  All of the meals are beautifully presented, flavorful, natural and filling.  Nothing frustrates me more than feeling starved after a meal.  This isn’t the case here!

Jay and I have a thing for ethnic food – African, Thai, Middle Eastern, you name it!  The only problem is that going out all the time gets expensive, and I would much rather make my own meals so I know what is in them.

Dr. Hark included a Pad Thai recipe that looked very light and figure-friendly.  We LOVE pad thai so I wanted to give this a try.  After making the sauce, I was initially put-off because it didn’t taste super delicious.  I felt the sauce had too much concentrated tomato flavor that overpowered it.   But I was determined to make it work since I had done all the legwork for it already.  And you know what?  It turned out pretty good!  I used about a 1/3 of the sauce that the recipe calls for, which I think was a smart move.  Personally, I have never tasted pad thai like this before, but I know what I have eaten in the past was very bad for me.

I enjoyed this meal.  I wouldn’t give myself a high-five or anything… I would give it a 3 out of 5, but next time I will use less tomato paste and I think that will do the trick!

Clean Pad Thai

Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook, p. 266

Serves 8

Ingredients:

8 oz. rice noodles, flat
1 Tbs. canola oil
2 cloves garlic, passed through garlic press
2 cups shredded savoy cabbage
2 thick carrots, peeled and cut into thin slices
5 egg whites, lightly beaten
3 cups bean sprouts
1 cup thinly sliced zucchini
1 cup green onions, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish

Sauce:

3 Tbs. rice wine vinegar or rice vinegar
2-3 Tbs. tomato paste (original recipe calls for 1/4 cup)
2 Tbs. reserved noodle water
2 Tbs. unsulfured molasses
2 Tbs. low sodium soy sauce

Directions:

Cover rice noodles with boiling water in a ceramic bowl.  Read directions on container to determine length of time.

Drain, reserving 2 Tbs. of noodle water

In a small bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients.  Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Stir in garlic, cabbage, and carrot.  Stir-fry for 5 minutes.

Make a well in the middle of the pan and scramble the egg whites.

Add noodles and sauce and cook for 5 minutes.

Add bean sprouts, zucchini and green onions and cook to heat through.

Remove from heat, garnish with cilantro, and serve.

I have officially found my absolute favorite spice.

For years I have favored the all-purpose spice due to its versatility and taste.  But that’s boring.  Of course it’s versatile – it’s ALL-PURPOSE.

My husband loves any food that is  “chipotle-esque” so I when I came across Chipotle Chile Pepper in the grocery store I figured it was a worth-while purchase.  Little did I know that it would become MY number one.  It’s not too spicy – in fact, I would go as far to say it’s not spicy at all.  If you have a very senstive palette then you may feel a little heat, but you can still consume it and taste your meal afterward ;o)   It has a nice smoky kick to it, which is why I enjoy it so much.  McCormick, one of the spice powerhouses in the baking aisle, makes it so it’s easy to find.

I tend to throw whatever I have in the fridge into my meals, and this dish was no different.  I am often inspired by recipes and then tweak them so I don’t have to travel alllll the way to the store to retrieve the ingredients.  (I live out in the country so the nearest grocery store is 20 minutes.)

I was quite pleased with the results.  One can never be too sure how dinner will taste when it’s an improvisation.  This one is a keeper!

Chipotle Chile and Bubbly Swiss Casserole
Source: 101 Cookbooks

(Serves

Ingredients:

Extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 pound short, whole wheat pasta
sea salt
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1/2 – 1 c. bell pepper (any color), chopped  (Yep, I’m still trying to use up my big bag of peppers!)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cups well-chopped fresh spinach
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds, lightly toasted
zest of 2 lemons
1-1/2 tsp. chipotle chile pepper
8 ounces swiss, shredded (more wouldn’t hurt if you are a cheese fanatic like me)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter/oil a large casserole dish or baking pan – something roughly equivalent to 13×9-inch pan.

Boil the pasta in salted water per package instructions. Drain pasta, toss with a glug of olive oil. Set aside.

In the meantime, heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high. Saute the onions and peppers with a couple pinches of salt for a few minutes (or if you want a bit more depth of flavor until caramelized).  Stir in garlic. Stir in spinach. Cook for just about 20 seconds, until the spinach collapses a bit.

Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the almonds and 1/2 of the zest. Add to pasta, add the chile pepper and stir and stir – mixing extremely well, a minute or so.

Now sprinkle the bottom of baking dish with the rest of the zest. Add a layer of the pasta to the bottom of the baking pan, now sprinkle with some of the cheese, add more pasta, then more cheese. Finish with a layer of cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until cheese on top is bubbly and melty. Serve sprinkled with the remaining almonds.