This is a 5 minute side!
Recipe
1 bag fresh baby spinach, washed
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp soy sauce
Heat olive oil and soy sauce in a frying pan over medium heat. Add spinach a handful or two at a time, stirring constantly. Once spinach has wilted, serve immediately.
Comments
- Spinach has a slightly gritty texture if it's not washed well enough
Rating
3/5
Monday, September 24, 2012
Squash & Tomato Sauté
This is great if you are able to use fresh summer vegetables!
Recipe
1 medium-sized summer squash, cut into 1/2" thick slices
1 large tomato, quartered and cut into 1" thick wedges
1/4 C onion, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper
Sauté onion in olive oil until slightly translucent. Add squash and cover. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, stir, then cover and cook another 3 minutes. Squash should begin to turn translucent. Add tomatoes and cook uncovered over medium low heat until tomatoes are soft and cooked through.
Comments
- Serve topped with parmesan cheese
- I like to discard tomato skins before serving since they usually fall off in the pan
- Turns out exactly the same using zucchini or summer squash
Rating
4/5
Recipe
1 medium-sized summer squash, cut into 1/2" thick slices
1 large tomato, quartered and cut into 1" thick wedges
1/4 C onion, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper
Sauté onion in olive oil until slightly translucent. Add squash and cover. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, stir, then cover and cook another 3 minutes. Squash should begin to turn translucent. Add tomatoes and cook uncovered over medium low heat until tomatoes are soft and cooked through.
Comments
- Serve topped with parmesan cheese
- I like to discard tomato skins before serving since they usually fall off in the pan
- Turns out exactly the same using zucchini or summer squash
Rating
4/5
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Stewed Tomatoes
This ends up having the consistency of a chunky broth-based soup. It's great as a side or by itself.
Recipe
1 pint canned tomatoes
3/4 C celery, chopped
1/4 C onion, diced
2 Tbsp Worchestire sauce
2 tsp olive oil
Tabasco sauce (to taste)
Salt & pepper
Sauté celery and onion in olive oil until slightly tender. Add tomatoes, Worchestire, Tabasco, salt and pepper. Simmer on medium low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Comments
- I've never made this using store bought tomatoes, only my home canned variety
Rating
4/5
Recipe
1 pint canned tomatoes
3/4 C celery, chopped
1/4 C onion, diced
2 Tbsp Worchestire sauce
2 tsp olive oil
Tabasco sauce (to taste)
Salt & pepper
Sauté celery and onion in olive oil until slightly tender. Add tomatoes, Worchestire, Tabasco, salt and pepper. Simmer on medium low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Comments
- I've never made this using store bought tomatoes, only my home canned variety
Rating
4/5
Truffle Roasted Cauliflower
Last winter my mom brought me a bottle of truffle oil and I decided to test it out with some cauliflower - delish!
Recipe
1 head of cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces (2-3")
4 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp truffle oil
Salt & pepper
Toss cauliflower with olive oil and truffle oil. Spread in non-greased baking pan. Roast in oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Stir, then roast for another 15 minutes. Stir again, then roast for another 5-10 minutes. The tips of the cauliflower will start to brown and the stalks should start to turn slightly translucent.
Comments
- Not good reheated as leftovers
- Truffle oil is potent - a little goes a long way. I'm not using really expensive oil either, it's about $10 for a 8 oz bottle.
- Sprinkle with parmesan cheese
Rating
4/5
Recipe
1 head of cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces (2-3")
4 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp truffle oil
Salt & pepper
Toss cauliflower with olive oil and truffle oil. Spread in non-greased baking pan. Roast in oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Stir, then roast for another 15 minutes. Stir again, then roast for another 5-10 minutes. The tips of the cauliflower will start to brown and the stalks should start to turn slightly translucent.
Comments
- Not good reheated as leftovers
- Truffle oil is potent - a little goes a long way. I'm not using really expensive oil either, it's about $10 for a 8 oz bottle.
- Sprinkle with parmesan cheese
Rating
4/5
Roasted Broccoli
Yet another great recipe from my mom! She fixed this for us during the new baby visit.
Recipe
1 head of broccoli, cut into bite size pieces (about 2-3")
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper
Toss broccoli in olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread on non-greased baking pan or cookie sheet. Do not let the pieces overlap. Roast in oven at 425 degrees for 10 minutes.
Comments
- My favorite way to fix broccoli by far. Much better than steamed or frozen!
- Not good reheated as leftovers
- This is good with a bit of parmesan on top
- For easy cleanup, line baking pan with foil. When broccoli is done just throw it away.
Rating
5/5
Recipe
1 head of broccoli, cut into bite size pieces (about 2-3")
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper
Toss broccoli in olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread on non-greased baking pan or cookie sheet. Do not let the pieces overlap. Roast in oven at 425 degrees for 10 minutes.
Comments
- My favorite way to fix broccoli by far. Much better than steamed or frozen!
- Not good reheated as leftovers
- This is good with a bit of parmesan on top
- For easy cleanup, line baking pan with foil. When broccoli is done just throw it away.
Rating
5/5
Homemade Granola
This is another thing my mom made for me when she was here after Anna was born. I eat it almost every morning with a cup of Chobani yogurt. It's filling, low fat and easy to make! My mom got this recipe from one of her college friends.
Recipe
3 C oatmeal
1 C sweetened flake coconut
1 C chopped pecans
1 C fat free sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 C dried fruit (cherries, blueberries, cranberries, etc.)
Combine oatmeal, coconut, pecans and salt. Add sweetened condensed milk and mix well. Place in greased 9x13 pan and bake for 20 minutes at 325 degrees. After 20 minutes are up, stir and bake for another 10 minutes. Stir again. Continue the bake/stir pattern in 5 minute increments until mixture is equally browned. Let it cool, then add dried fruit. Store in airtight container or ziplock bag.
Comments
- Do not use quick oats
- Usually I do two rounds of the 5 minute bake/stir pattern. If you go too long the granola will be too crumbly. Oatmeal pieces should stick together in little clumps.
- I prefer 1/2 C cherries and 1/2 C blueberries for my fruit. I've also tried plain Craisins as well as blueberry juice infused Craisins - not worth repeating.
Rating
5/5
Recipe
3 C oatmeal
1 C sweetened flake coconut
1 C chopped pecans
1 C fat free sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 C dried fruit (cherries, blueberries, cranberries, etc.)
Combine oatmeal, coconut, pecans and salt. Add sweetened condensed milk and mix well. Place in greased 9x13 pan and bake for 20 minutes at 325 degrees. After 20 minutes are up, stir and bake for another 10 minutes. Stir again. Continue the bake/stir pattern in 5 minute increments until mixture is equally browned. Let it cool, then add dried fruit. Store in airtight container or ziplock bag.
Comments
- Do not use quick oats
- Usually I do two rounds of the 5 minute bake/stir pattern. If you go too long the granola will be too crumbly. Oatmeal pieces should stick together in little clumps.
- I prefer 1/2 C cherries and 1/2 C blueberries for my fruit. I've also tried plain Craisins as well as blueberry juice infused Craisins - not worth repeating.
Rating
5/5
Italian Wedding Soup
My mom stayed in town for two weeks after Anna was born and during that time she made me a batch of Italian wedding soup for my deep freezer. I ended up making a batch of it last week and ate it for lunch every day. Mike liked it too so I'm adding it to my soup/stew/chili rotation for fall and winter. I made these meatballs separately and used them in spaghetti too. I'm not sure where my mom got this recipe...I'll have to ask her!
Recipe
Meatballs
- 1 lb 96% lean ground beef
- 1/2 C grated Parmesan topping
- 1/2 C panko breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
- salt & pepper
Combine ingredients and form into bite size meatballs. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes.
Broth, etc.
- 1 C carrots, chopped
- 1 C celery, chopped
- 1 C onion, diced
- 3 quarts chicken broth (I use Pacific brand)
- 4 C raw baby spinach
- 3/4 C orzo pasta
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- salt & pepper
Sauté carrots, celery and onion in olive oil until carmelized. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add orzo and cook according to directions, boiling for about 9 minutes. At the end, add spinach and cooked meatballs and stir over low heat until spinach is wilted. Season with salt and pepper.
Comments
- Working with ground beef/turkey kind of grosses me out because it can get under your nails. I use disposable non-powdered latex gloves for meatballs, meatloaf, burgers, etc. (Thanks to my mom for this tip!)
Rating
5/5
Recipe
Meatballs
- 1 lb 96% lean ground beef
- 1/2 C grated Parmesan topping
- 1/2 C panko breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
- salt & pepper
Combine ingredients and form into bite size meatballs. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes.
Broth, etc.
- 1 C carrots, chopped
- 1 C celery, chopped
- 1 C onion, diced
- 3 quarts chicken broth (I use Pacific brand)
- 4 C raw baby spinach
- 3/4 C orzo pasta
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- salt & pepper
Sauté carrots, celery and onion in olive oil until carmelized. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add orzo and cook according to directions, boiling for about 9 minutes. At the end, add spinach and cooked meatballs and stir over low heat until spinach is wilted. Season with salt and pepper.
Comments
- Working with ground beef/turkey kind of grosses me out because it can get under your nails. I use disposable non-powdered latex gloves for meatballs, meatloaf, burgers, etc. (Thanks to my mom for this tip!)
Rating
5/5
Pumpkin Scones
Starbucks just brought back the pumpkin spiced latte, the weather is getting cooler and the leaves are starting to change colors. Fall is here! I have to say, I am pretty excited for fall weather after sweating through a really hot summer at six through nine months pregnant! I subscribe to emails from the Skinnytaste blog and she sent one the other day with a pumpkin oatmeal recipe. Then my friend Jen sent me a recipe for pumpkin alfredo a day or so later. Other than the latte, I've never really tried anything pumpkin-y (?) other than pumpkin pie, which I've never really liked. Honestly, at Thanksgiving I'd rather spend pie calories on extra mashed potatoes and gravy! I thought I'd try to learn to like pumpkin since I'm in love with the latte...I had one at the Galleria today and it was sooooo good!
I bought some pumpkin pie spice and a few cans of pumpkin at the store the other day and made my first pumpkin recipe today: glazed pumpkin scones. I love scones - on our honeymoon in Ireland I swear I ate them every day, freshly baked at each B&B. These are not healthy but they really are tasty. I'll try some healthier pumpkin recipes as fall continues!
Recipe
Pumpkin Scones with Spiced Glaze
Comments
- I didn't have half and half so I used low fat buttermilk
- Instead of granulated sugar I used granulated Splenda
- I substituted pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon/ginger/cloves/nutmeg
- These weren't as dense as I would have expected. They were really moist and flavorful though.
Rating
3.5/5
I bought some pumpkin pie spice and a few cans of pumpkin at the store the other day and made my first pumpkin recipe today: glazed pumpkin scones. I love scones - on our honeymoon in Ireland I swear I ate them every day, freshly baked at each B&B. These are not healthy but they really are tasty. I'll try some healthier pumpkin recipes as fall continues!
Recipe
Pumpkin Scones with Spiced Glaze
Comments
- I didn't have half and half so I used low fat buttermilk
- Instead of granulated sugar I used granulated Splenda
- I substituted pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon/ginger/cloves/nutmeg
- These weren't as dense as I would have expected. They were really moist and flavorful though.
Rating
3.5/5
The (very brief) lowdown
I've been collecting recipes for awhile and wanted a place where I could post notes about the ones I've tried, photos of things I've made, etc. I have about 8 weeks left of my maternity leave so I thought this was the perfect time to start this little project!
I really like to cook and prefer meals that are well-balanced, healthy, varied in terms of ingredients and, quite frankly, are fairly easy. I know that "easy" is subjective here...if you struggle to make scrambled eggs then I don't think you'll agree with me that these recipes are easy. On the other hand, if you're making gourmet meals every night you might laugh at the things that I'm making!
I am not a great meal planner in that I don't dream up a week's worth of meals and shop for them on Sundays. Now that I have a little baby and will be going back to work in a couple of months that could change...we'll see. I have a pretty small kitchen with a limited pantry so I look for recipes that use items that I usually have on hand. I'm also a big fan of googling substitutes for things and for just winging it at times. Luckily I have enough cooking knowledge to be able to wing it and have things not turn into a complete disaster. My grandmas, mom and dad have taught me a lot about cooking over the past (almost) 30 years.
So, that's my story. Enjoy!
I really like to cook and prefer meals that are well-balanced, healthy, varied in terms of ingredients and, quite frankly, are fairly easy. I know that "easy" is subjective here...if you struggle to make scrambled eggs then I don't think you'll agree with me that these recipes are easy. On the other hand, if you're making gourmet meals every night you might laugh at the things that I'm making!
I am not a great meal planner in that I don't dream up a week's worth of meals and shop for them on Sundays. Now that I have a little baby and will be going back to work in a couple of months that could change...we'll see. I have a pretty small kitchen with a limited pantry so I look for recipes that use items that I usually have on hand. I'm also a big fan of googling substitutes for things and for just winging it at times. Luckily I have enough cooking knowledge to be able to wing it and have things not turn into a complete disaster. My grandmas, mom and dad have taught me a lot about cooking over the past (almost) 30 years.
So, that's my story. Enjoy!
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