Beef and Sun-dried Tomato Pita Pizza

Dinner tonight was originally planned as a grill-out meal, but the rain kept us inside. This is the rainy-day-no-grill version.

This recipe has been adapted from Bobby Flay's recipe featured in The Athlete's Palate Cookbook.

Prep time: 20 minutes + 4 hours marinating time
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients.

• 8 whole wheat pitas
• 1 beef tenderloin (8 ounces)
• 1 head garlic + 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup cooked white beans (I used a mixture of navy beans and pinto beans)
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (I used about a teaspoon of dried, ground thyme)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and julienned
• 4 roasted shallots, thinly sliced*
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon honey

*I didn't realize that the shallots were supposed to be roasted until I got to the point where I was supposed to mix them with the tomatoes (that'll teach you to read the recipe all the way through first...). I preheated the oven to 425 degrees F, coated the peeled shallots in a little olive oil, and laid them on a roasting pan. Then I popped them into the oven for about 20 minutes (while the steak was in the pan) and sliced them when they were out and slightly cooled. It was kind of tricky-let's just say they didn't want to slice nicely. Also, this was a lot of shallots, and I'd definitely use less next time.


Directions.

• Marinate the beef with the head of garlic in 1/2 cup of the olive oil for 4 hours or overnight. Place the tenderloin in a large frying pan and cook on medium-high heat on both sides for about 6 minutes (each side), or less if you'd like the beef more rare. Let the tenderloin rest for a few minutes, then thinly slice.
• Puree the beans, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, 2 remaining garlic cloves, lemon juice, and thyme in a food processor until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste if necessary. Mix together the tomatoes, shallots, remaining tablespoon of olive oil, vinegar, and honey.
• Place the pitas in the oven on a low temperature for a few minutes before serving. This will allow them to warm up and toast slightly without burning.
• Spread each pita with a thin layer of bean puree, sliced beef, and tomato chutney. Serve immediately.

The pizza was very flavorful, even though we didn't grill the beef. The lemon and sun dried tomatoes provided almost a tangy taste, while the honey helped make things sweet. A word to the wise, don't eat this one on a first date. We ate a while ago but I still feel like I have garlic breath.

Our portions were filling, but this meal would be good paired with a spinach salad if you were craving something green.

Per Serving: 460 Calories          16 G Protein          48 G Carbohydrates          24 G Fat

Rigatoni with Chunky Vegetable Sauce

Hey there, little coaster.

I'm not really a fan of the word "chunky", but that's what the recipe says.

I've made a pasta sauce similar to this before, but this one is super-easy and really tasty. I found the recipe in a March 2011 issue of Food Everyday by Martha Stewart. Another magazine that was recycled to the art room! Thanks fellow JJH teachers-not only are you providing valuable art materials for my classes, but you're also providing me with dinner ideas.

The recipe serves 6, and takes about 30 minutes to make. Not bad for a week night.

Ingredients.

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 medium zucchini, diced
• 1/2 pound mushrooms (cremini or button mushrooms, or whatever you can find at the grocery store), quartered
• 2 garlic cloves, minced*
• 1 can (28 ounces) tomato puree**
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1 pound rigatoni

*We have recently started buying frozen garlic from Trader Joe's-it comes in frozen cubes (1 cube=1 clove) and it's so easy just to pop out of the tray and into the pot or frying pan!

**I could only find small cans, so I had to buy more than one. Guess it just depends on where you shop


Directions.

1. In a medium pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini and mushrooms and cook until vegetables soften slightly, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add tomato puree, sesason with salt and pepper, and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a rapid simmer and cook until zucchini is crisp-tender (oxymoron?), about 8 minutes. Stir in oregano
2. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta and add to sauce, tossing to combine. Add enough pasta water to create a sauce that coats pasta. Serve immediately

Per serving: 390 cal; 6 g fat (1 g sat fat); 14 g protein; 71 g carb; 5 g fiber

If the pasta itself isn't enough for you, add a salad and some really good Italian bread, and enjoy! Oh, and don't forget to top your pasta with some grated parmesan cheese like we did. If only fresh parmesan wasn't so expensive...

A Healthy(er) Quiche

Spinach-Mushroom Quiche

Tonight's recipe is another one from Rachel Ray's Everyday Magazine (the same September 2009 issue). Tracey Seaman is credited for the recipe. 

The magazine claims that "Change is good". This quiche is better for you for a few reasons...
"Replace a butter-based pastry crust with one made of shredded potatoes to slash calories and saturated fat"
"Go heavy on vegetable filling, instead of bacon and cheese, to load up on nutrients, including fiber"
"Add extra egg whites and use fewer yolks than a traditional quiche for more lean protein"



Hey look. It's Isaac making a crazy face.

This recipe claims that per serving, there are 352 Calories, 6 grams of saturated fat, 5 grams of fiber, and 18 grams of protein.

Serves:4        Prep: 45 minutes            Bake: 25 minutes

Ingredients.

• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 yellow-fleshed potatoes, such as Yukon gold (about 12 ounces)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• salt and pepper
• Two 5-ounce containers baby spinach
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 3 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded
• 2 large eggs plus 2 large egg whites
• 2/3 cup milk

Directions.

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9-inch glass pie dish* with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Using a food processor fitted with a shredding attachment**, shred the potatoes; transfer to a large bowl and stir in the onion, cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
2. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the potato mixture, flattening it into a 10-inch layer, and cook until the bottom is golden, about 10 minutes. Loosen, then invert onto the pie dish and mold into a crust. Bake about 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, preheat the skillet over high heat. Add the spinach and 1/4 cup water and cook, stirring until wilted; drain. Squeeze out any excess water. Chop the spinach.
4. In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 6 minutes. Add the spinach; season with salt. Spoon half of the spinach mixture into the cooked crust, add the cheese, then top with the remaining spinach mixture.
5. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg whites, milk, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pour into the pie dish and bake until set, 20 to 25 minutes.

*We don't own a glass pie dish (who knows why), so we used a small rectangular Pyrex dish. It didn't look as nice but it cooked just the same.
**We also don't own a food processor, so Isaac grated the potatoes with our stand-up hand grater-it wasn't that time consuming.

This meal was light and savory. You could really taste the egg and potatoes, and it wasn't overwhelmed by cheese or other spices.
Hopefully I'll own a pie dish before we make it again.
The only thing tonight's breakfast-for-dinner meal was missing was a tall glass of O.J.!

If you don't have orange juice, drink the next-best thing-chocolate milk! Pay no attention to the glass.

Creamed Spinach and Ham Sandwich

Tonight's recipe is brought to you from the supply closet in my art room.

I have stacks of old magazines that have been donated to me or were already in my room when I got there. Most of the time they're used for collages or projects, but everyone once in a while I find something good and bring it home. Occasionally the kids will be cutting out pictures or text from a magazine and I'll see a recipe and cut it out. They think I'm a little strange. This time I grabbed an issue of EVERYDAY with Rachel Ray (November 2009). There's a giant sandwich on the front that intrigued me into delving further into the rest of the 'zine.

Isaac picked out this recipe-Creamed Spinach and Ham Broilers on White. This is a messy, open-faced sandwich that was quite heavy, both physically heavy and very filling! We cut the recipe in half since it originally makes 4 servings. I'm giving you the halved version. If you want more you'll have to practice those multiplication skills. Or just addition. It'll be easy.

Makes: 2            Prep: 20 minutes           Cook: 35 minutes

Ingredients.

• 5 ounces spinach
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2, 3/4-inch-thick slices white bread from a "large country loaf" *
• 1/8 cup finely chopped onion
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/8 cups milk
• 1/8 pound thinly sliced smoked ham, preferably Black Forest
• 1 tomato, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese

*Isaac made his own "crusty white bread" in our bread machine earlier today. It's very hearty and good for slicing thick. I'll post the recipe if you request it


Directions.

1. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. In a large pan, cook the spinach and 2 tablespoons water over medium heat until wilted, about 5 minutes; drain and transfer to a small bowl, reserving the saucepan. Let the spinach cool, then squeeze out the excess water; finely chop.
2. In the reserved pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Brush the bread slices on both sides with half of the melted butter and arrange on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet (I just sprayed the baking sheet with cooking spray). Toast in the oven until golden, about 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, add the onion tot he butter in the saucepan and season with salt and pepper; cook stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook over low heat for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick and creamy, about 10 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup of the sauce. Add the spinach to the remaining sauce in the pot and season with salt and pepper.
4. Preheat the broiler (I set ours on the low setting). Divide the creamed spinach among the toasts and top with the ham and tomato slices. Top with the reserved white sauce and the cheese.** Broil until the cheese is bubbly, about 10 minutes.

**For me, the creaminess of the spinach was plenty and I really didn't need to top the sandwich with the remaining sauce. It's basically a gravy, and was a little too heavy for my liking. Next time I'll add more spinach and a little less "cream"

Check out that broiling action

Just a little bit messy

I couldn't just let that buttermilk go to waste.

Last week I had to buy buttermilk to use in our chilaquiles recipe. The smallest container I could find was a quart-sized carton, and my recipe only called for a little bit. I hate wasting food, but even more than that, I hate the idea of drinking plain buttermilk. If only I still lived with Courtney...
Anyways, I decided to look for another recipe that required buttermilk so that I could use up a little more.

Buttermilk biscuits sounded like an excellent idea, so I went looking for good ones. Fortunately for me, I found a cheddar buttermilk biscuit recipe. Mmm cheese. Also, this one is property of the Barefoot Contessa herself, Mrs. Ina Garten (I hope I spelled that right so my sisters don't get mad at me), so it's gotta be good. The only problem was that biscuits don't really qualify as a whole dinner. At least, not a well-rounded one.

Isaac suggested we have some fish, like we're at Red Lobster. Funny, because we don't actually like Red Lobster. This dinner is probably better anyway. Hopefully better for you too (maybe). He found recipes for tilapia and veggies, and we were set.


Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits

Prep time: 40 minutes              Cook time: 20-25 minutes                     Serves: 8ish biscuits

Ingredients.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
• 1/2 cup cold buttermilk, shaken
• 1 cold large egg
• 1 cup grated extra-sharp Cheddar
• 1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon milk

Directions.

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
• Place 2 cups of flour, the baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, add the butter and mix until the butter is the size of peas (random, i know).
• Combine the buttermilk and egg in a small measuring cup and beat lightly with a fork. With the mixer still on low, quickly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and mix only until moistened. In a small bowl, mix the Cheddar with a small handful of flour and, with the mixer still on low, add the cheese to the dough. Mix only until roughly combined.
• Dump out onto a well-floured board and knead lightly about 6 times. Roll the dough out to a rectangle 10 by 5 inches. With a sharp, floured knife, cut the dough lengthwise in half and then across in quarters, making 8 rough rectangles. ** Transfer to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops with the egg wash (egg and milk) and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are browned and the biscuits are cooked through. Serve hot!

**A few disclaimers-1, I don't have a rolling pin, so I floured my (empty) Nalgene water bottle. 2, rectangles are boring, so I used an awesome cookie cutter shaped like a recycling truck to cut out biscuits. Isaac's mom gave it to me a while ago and I haven't had the chance to use it yet. It's hilarious. If you do want to use a cookie cutter or biscuit cutter, just make sure you flour it between uses. Since I was left with excess dough after cutting out little trucks, I just balled it up again and rolled it out once more to make additional shapes. 3, I didn't have parchment paper, so I just greased the pan well. It worked fine.


Tangy Pan Fried Tilapia

Prep time: 14 minutes                 Cook time: about 10 minutes                Serves: 4

Ingredients.

• 1/2 lb tilapia (fillet)
• 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions.

• Coat tilapia fillets in Dijon mustard
• Dip in panko to coat
• Heat oil in skillet on medium/high heat
• Pan fry fillets until golden brown on both sides (flip in between, but try to turn fillets only once since this fish is delicate and can fall apart)
• Season with salt and pepper while still hot

Sauteed Green Beans & Cherry Tomatoes

Prep time: 5 minutes                  Total time: 20 minutes                     Serves: 4

Ingredients.

• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 pound green beans, trimmed
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions.

• Heat 1 teaspoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat
• Add the green beans and cook, stirring often, until seared in spots, 2-3 minutes
• Add water, cover, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes for tender-crisp or 6 minutes for tender
• Push beans to the side and add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds
• Add tomatoes, stir everything together and cook until the tomatoes begin to break down, 2-3 minutes
• Remove from heat, stir in vinegar, salt and pepper

Per serving (vegetables only): 71 Calories, 3 g fat, 11 g Carbohydrates, 3 g Protein, 5 g Fiber, 157 mg Sodium, 379 mg Potassium

Thanks to www.foodnetwork.com, www.yummly.com, and www.eatingwell.com for these delicious recipes.

,

Frat Brats

Another Trader Joe's recipe!
We made this one a while ago, but it was so good I had to share.

This meal was quick and easy, although we had some trouble deciding on what to eat along with it. Fries or onion rings would have probably been really good, but we opted for something a little more healthy-broccoli. It wasn't a bad combination!

I'm not a beer drinker (we all know that's not true of Isaac), but I love things cooked with beer. Chicken, bratwurst, whatever. Isaac wouldn't allow me to use a bottle of "Homebrew" for this recipe because he said it would be a waste, so next time I'll secretly have to steal a bottle without him knowing.

Frat Brats
Serves:4          Prep time: 5 minutes          Cooking time: less than 20 minutes

Ingredients
1 package Trader Joe's Hofbrau Brats (you could substitute for a different bratwurst)
2 red onions, thinly sliced
1** (12 oz) beer (We chose a Honey Brown lager)
4 focaccia or panini rolls
About 1/2 cup Trader Joe's Corn and Chile Tomato-Less Salsa
Optional garnishes: sliced avocado, sliced Muenster or Havarti cheese, and sliced tomatoes

**Better get more than one beer if you plan on having a drink with this meal!


Make it!
Place the bratwurst and sliced onions in a medium saute pan and pour the beer over them. Bring the beer to a boil and simmer the bratwurst 5 minutes. Turn sausages over and continue to cook until beer is nearly evaporated and onions begin to soften and deepen in color, about 10 minutes. Remove onions and set aside. Cook bratwurst until lightly browned on one side, then turn to brown lightly on the other side. Remove from pan and cool slightly. Cut sausages in half lengthwise. If they are not cooked enough for your liking, return them to the pan, cut side down, for a few minutes to cook them more thoroughly. Split the focaccia rolls (like hamburger buns) and arrange a bratwurst on the bottom of each roll. Place some of the onions on top of each, and add a dollop of corn salsa. Garnish as desired with avocado, cheese, and tomatoes.


We went with the avocado and onion, but left out the tomatoes and cheese. The bratwurst itself was so flavorful when combined with the salsa that I don't think you even need anything else on top!

Get the cookbook HERE!

Grit-Style Chilaquile Casserole

40 minutes in the oven? Ugh-that's such a long time for someone as impatient as I am, especially when it's after 8 and you're waiting on dinner. So what do we do when we have over an hour and a half to kill? Put on some Buena Vista Social Club and make margaritas! Oh, and write a blog post.

Tonight's dinner comes from The Grit cookbook. Even though we aren't vegetarians, The Grit in Athens, GA is one of our favorite places to eat! They have a great selection of typical and not-so typical home-cooked meals and desserts. When I visit the Grit, it always takes me forever to decide what delicious thing I want off the chalkboard (I usually order from the board, not the menu). Fortunately, I now have The Grit Cookbook which allows me to make their down-home recipes all the time. I've been working my way through it, and I have yet to make something Isaac and I didn't like! A few weeks ago I was looking for an interesting chilaquile recipe, and I stumbled across this one .Finally, we're trying it out...

But first, a little bit about chilaquiles. Chilaquiles is a dish that comes from Mexico and is generally comprised of fried corn tortillas, scrambled eggs, beans or meat, cheese, and salsa . Different versions are found in certain parts of Mexico and areas of Central and South America.

Looks messy but tastes delicious

The following meal serves 8, and took about 15-20 minutes to prepare (Isaac cut and sauteed the veggies while I put the casserole together). Cook time is about 35-40 minutes. They say to cool for 10 minutes before serving, but we'll see if I can wait that long.


Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 small or 1/2 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped (approximately 2 cups)
1 medium yellow squash (approximately 2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
5 taco-size (8 inch) flour tortillas (we used whole wheat), divided
4 cups shredded white cheddar cheese, divided
1 medium jalapeno pepper, minced
2 cups Grit Pintos or canned seasoned pinto beans
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon dry or prepared mustard

**White cheddar cheese can be expensive, so we went with a bag of mixed "Mexican blend" cheese. Seemed to work fine.
Also, I left out the jalapeno pepper. I like a little spice, but those bad boys are difficult for me to enjoy.

Make it!
Preheat oven 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13" pan or glass casserole dish with 1 tablespoon butter and set aside.

In a large skillet or frying pan, melt 1 tablespoon butter over high heat. Add onion and garlic, and saute until onions are softened. Add zucchini, squash, dry spices, and salt. Tossing frequently for even cooking, saute until vegetables are fully tender and onions are caramelized. Set aside.


Tear 3 tortillas by hand into random strips 2 to 3 inches wide. Distribute tortilla strips into bottoms of casserole dish, layering evenly (retain remaining 2 tortillas for top crust). Spread 2 cups of shredded cheese over torn tortillas. Sprinkle minced jalapeno evenly over cheese, followed by a layer of the pinto beans. Spread sauteed vegetables over this, and top evenly with remaining cheese.


Tear remaining 2 tortillas as before and distribute on top to form upper crust.
Beat eggs together with buttermilk and mustard.
Pour mixture over casserole and place in oven.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until bubbling at the edges and well browned on top.
Cool for 10 minutes before serving. Top with Grit Salsa.

Right out of the oven

**If you ask really nicely, I may post the recipe for Grit Pinto beans and Salsa. Or you could just go buy the book and support this amazing local restaurant!





Check out The Grit and get the cookbook HERE!