Baked Ziti

I ran across this recipe a while back and decided to try it out tonight. We really enjoyed this dish and it wasn't hard at all to make. The original recipe calls for turkey italian sausage but, since I'm not usually a big fan of sausage unless it's in breakfast food, I decided to go meatless. The taste was great, it was filling, and we didn't miss the meat at all (and it also made for a cheaper meal, which is always a plus!). I made this but, since we couldn't possibly eat the entire dish and I'm in the process of stocking my freezer, I froze half of it, and we still had enough left over from dinner to have for leftovers later this week. If you are looking for a recipe for baked ziti, this is a great one to try. 

Baked Ziti

Recipe here from Annie's Eats

My changes/comments are noted below in italics

I N G R E D I E N T S :

1 lb. whole milk or 1% cottage cheese (I used cottage cheese but ricotta would be great as well.)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 oz. grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 1/2 cups), divided
Table salt
1 lb. ziti
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
20 oz. turkey Italian sausage (I did not use any meat and it was great. Just depends on if you want meat or not.)
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
5 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 (28 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil leaves, divided (I only had dried basil, so I used 1/3 of the amount it calls for)
1 tsp. sugar
Ground black pepper
3/4 tsp. cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream (or whole milk) (I used whole milk)
8 oz. low-moisture mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

D I R E C T I O N S :

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F.  Whisk cottage cheese, eggs, and 1 cup Parmesan together in a medium bowl; set aside.  Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta; cook until pasta begins to soften but is not yet cooked through, 5-7 minutes.  Drain the pasta and leave in colander.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Crumble in the turkey sausage and cook until nearly browned.  Add in the onion and garlic and continue to cook until the onion is softened and the sausage is completely browned.  Stir in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and oregano; simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.  Off the heat, stir in 1/2 cup basil and the sugar, and season with salt and pepper.  

In a small bowl stir together the cornstarch and heavy cream.  Transfer the mixture to the now-empty stockpot over medium heat.  Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, 3-4 minutes.  Remove the pot from the heat and add the cottage cheese mixture, 1 1/2 cups of the tomato sauce and 3/4 cup mozzarella.  Stir to combine.  Add the pasta and toss to coat thoroughly with the sauce.

Transfer the pasta to a 9×13″ baking dish and spread the remaining tomato sauce evenly over the top.  Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan over the top.  Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the foil from the pan and continue to cook until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes longer.  Cool for 20 minutes.  Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons basil and serve. 

Classic Spaghetti Sauce

Every cook has their own version of spaghetti sauce, and after trying some different kinds over the years, I made this one the other day. I looked at some different recipes, including this one from my friend Amber's blog, and then threw my adapted version together. Like Amber, instead of using a packaged spaghetti seasoning packet, I looked up recipe substitutes and then adjusted it in my recipe according to my preference. The great thing about a sauce like this is that you can adjust it according to your taste as you go. We loved the flavor and had enough left over to freeze for a future meal. 

Classic Spaghetti Sauce

I N G R E D I E N T S :

2 Tbsp. oil

1.5 lbs ground beef (I use mostly lean beef-I think it was 94% lean)

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

15 ounces tomato sauce

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, liquid drained

1/2 cup water

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. dried basil

1 1/4 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. dried parsley

1 tsp. garlic powder

3/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 tsp. dried rosemary

1/8 tsp. dried red pepper flakes

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. sugar

D I R E C T I O N S :

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, cook onion and garlic until tender and transparent. Remove, and set aside (or, you could just leave them in while the beef cooks. I don't think it really matters).

Turn heat to medium-high/high and brown beef until cooked through, stirring constantly to crumble. 

Drain any grease.

Combine beef, onion, garlic, tomato sauce, drained tomatoes, water, and remaining ingredients to the sauce pan. Cook on medium heat, reducing heat to low once it reaches a gentle boil. Simmer, covered,  on low for a while (20-30 minutes if you need it quickly, or you can let it sit on low for longer to let the flavors combine even more). Adjust seasonings to taste.

Beet Ravioli with Tofu Spinach Filling

Making pasta from scratch was one of the first large cooking endeavors I took on as a kid. Hours later the kitchen and myself would be covered in flour as dinner was finally served. The efforts were well worth it as the egg-y smooth texture of homemade pasta is often an ethereal experience.

Today I am a touch faster, but I give myself plenty of time to enjoy the process.
Pasta Makers really, really make life a lot easier, especially for homemade raviolis. I say this entirely from experience. For fettuccine and other egg pasta used in dishes such as Chicken Noodle Soup, I am fine using a rolling pin, but in the case of ravioli I draw the line. It once took three of us my roommate, her boyfriend and myself hours of determination to roll out dough as thinly as possible only to end up with what was thick, difficult to eat ravioli not exactly what we were looking for, especially since our upper-bodies were sore from rolling.

This time, I had a Pasta Maker and a few tablespoons of Beet Powder for fun color. If you don’t have beet powder, it is entirely optional, but I love the dark pink color of this pasta.

The filling is Vegan, because my visiting niece is dairy-free and her friend is a Vegetarian so we settled on this Vegan filling since rarely do they enjoy the Ricotta-Herb filled versions. The dough however is not Vegan- so sorry.

I am sure a few of you are thinking this pasta making stuff is crazy, but the filling is perfect... well, I have an alternative solution if you are looking for a faster and not-requiring-a-pasta-maker version try: Wonton wrappers! They are usually cut into the appropriate square shape and with a few dabs of water the wontons easily come together as ravioli. They won’t be bright pink, but at least they have the tasty dairy-free center!

What are your favorite ravioli fillings?












Beet Ravioli with Greens, Pine Nut, and Tofu Filling
3 cups flour
2 tablespoons Beet Powder
4 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-3 tablespoons water

In a food processor, blend together the flour and beet powder. Slowly add one egg at a time, blending to incorporate, drizzle in the olive oil to form a ball. If it doesn’t start coming together slowly add the water a few splashes at a time until the dough is a big roll-able ball.
Let the dough rest to relax for about 30 minutes. Wrap up in plastic and set in the fridge until ready to use.

Meanwhile, make the filling:

Greens & Tofu Filling
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch of spinach or other dark leafy greens, finely chopped
10 ounces tofu, crumbled
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, optional
5-8 leaves of basil
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic into the olive oil, toss in the chopped greens and wilt slightly. Add in the crumbled tofu, sprinkle in the nutritional yeast, basil, salt and pepper. Toss and then cool slightly.

Tomato Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped/minced
24 ounce can crushed roasted tomatoes
½ cup chopped basil
1 pinch red chili pepper flakes, optional

Place a large saucepan over medium heat. Add in a drizzle of olive oil and the garlic. As soon as you can smell the garlic starting to heat and sizzle add in the tomatoes. Bring up to a simmer, stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes until the sauce is to your desired consistency or flavor. Toss in the basil. If you like a smoother sauce, puree in a blender after you add the basil and then return to the pan to simmer slightly.

Put it all together:

Cut the pasta dough into at least 4 balls. Roll out the pasta dough thinly, using a pasta maker is ideal, but with some serious work a rolling pin can do the job.

Roll out two thin sheets and lay them next to each other. Dollop on 1 tablespoons of filling every 2 inches a part. When the sheet is full of dollops dab a little water around each pile of filling. Lay the second sheet of pasta dough on top. Lightly press the sheets together, pressing around the filling to ensure it is secure without air bubbles. With a pizza or pastry cutter, slice through creating even square raviolis. Set aside on a drying rack and continue making raviolis until you run out of pasta or filling.

Once all of the pastas are made and arranged on drying racks, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in a few generous pinches of salt once it is up to a rapid boil. Toss in a few of the raviolis being sure to not over crowd the pan. They will float to the top when they are ready. Scoop off a few, sauce up with the warm tomato sauce and serve.

Make sure the ravioli have plenty of room to dance and cook in the boiling water. When they float to the top, scoop them off:














Have extra rolled out thin dough? We ran out of filling before we ran out of dough, so we just sliced them into noodle-sized pieces and boiled them after we boiled the ravioli. A little extra fresh pasta treat!

Sun Dried Tomato Caesar Salad

I feel I can reasonably mess around with Caesar to create my own version (you know such as removing the raw egg that makes so many nervous) but for me the quintessential flavor of Caesar Salad comes from Anchovies. I hear a few of you gagging at the thought, but bear with me and try it. I serve this regularly to anchovy haters (albeit fish eaters) and they have become believers. If you cannot get past the *idea* of eating flavor-packed fish paste in your salad dressing, try a splash of Worcestershire Sauce instead-- but be warned this also often contains anchovies. While you are reading the back of the label on the Worcestershire watch out for the now often included High-Fructose Corn Syrup. I find generic brands are sometimes 'safer'. If you have to avoid the anchovies altogether (Hi there Vegetarians!) Annie's makes a lovely Worcestershire without anchovies or HFCS.

This particular version of Caesar salad is inspired by a large jar of Costco sun-dried tomatoes marinating in olive oil and a Gluten-Free friend coming over. Toasted pine nuts replace the crunch provided by the usual croutons. Sun-dried tomatoes add just enough flavor to make this salad memorable.

Sun-Dried Tomato Caesar Salad
For the dressing:
1 clove garlic, crushed/minced
1 lemon juiced (about ¼ cup)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbls anchovy paste (or 1 tbls Worcestershire sauce)
¼ cup plain yogurt
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

For the salad:
4 cups romaine lettuce, torn into pieces
1/2 cup sun-dried tomato pieces (marinated in olive oil)
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts*

Meanwhile, whisk together the garlic and lemon for the salad dressing. Allow to sit for about 2 minutes as the acid from the lemon mellows out the garlic. Add in the Dijon mustard, anchovy paste and yogurt. Whisk until combined. Taste to see if you need more of any flavors. Slowly emulsify in the olive oil: while whisking rapidly, pour the olive oil in to the dressing in a thin, steady stream. Continue whisking until all of the olive oil has been added. Taste again. Fold in the parmesan cheese.

Drizzle some of the dressing on to the romaine lettuce. Toss lightly to coat. Add more dressing as needed. Toss in about half of the sun-dried tomatoes and pine-nuts. Garnish with the remaining sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts.

*To toast pine nuts, gently shake raw pine nuts in a skillet over medium heat. Allow to sit for 1-2 minutes. Shake. Repeat until evenly golden. Keep your nose involved. If you smell burning remove the pine nuts from the skillet as soon as possible.

Chicken Pasta Primavera

There is this lovely time of the year, when summer vegetables start to make casual appearances, winter vegetables are still hanging out and spring vegetables boastfully grace us with their presence. I love this in between everything time as the produce options change almost daily. It is true spring, committed to several vegetables as a merging transition of the seasons.

I created this Primavera by abandoning the heavy cream sauces that occasionally are chosen for a light broth based sauce instead that merges the flavors together while allowing each to stand on their own. The vegetables could be easily changed depending on your garden or veggie drawer.

The chicken has a light crispiness from a brown rice flour coating and the finishing touch are toasted pine nuts. Enjoy and please share any variations you may try. This is a Gluten-Free option, but wheat flour and pasta can be subbed in if they are more readily available in your pantry.

Chicken Primavera over Brown Rice Pasta
1 tabelspoon olive oil
1 yellow onion
½ orange (or your favorite color) bell pepper
1 small zucchini, cut into thick pieces
8 spears asparagus, trim the ends &
1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence
½ bunch Purple Kale
¾ lb chicken thighs (about 3 thighs) or 2 small breasts cut into cubes
½ cup brown rice flour
2 cups chicken broth, room temperature to warm
1 cup brown rice pasta or whole wheat pasta
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

Place a large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. Drizzle in a splash of the oil. Once it is hot, toss in the yellow onions. Sauté for 3-4 minutes until slightly golden and add in the orange peppers. Sauté for 3-4 more minutes, add in the zucchini and asparagus and continue to sauté for 3-4 more minutes. Once the veggies are mostly done, lower the heat.

Meanwhile, set aside 2 tablespoons of brown rice flour and place the rest on a plate with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Toss and lightly coat each chicken piece in the flour, shaking off the excess. Heat a separate sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once just hot, drizzle in another splash of the olive oil. Toss in the chicken pieces. Sear the pieces on one side for 3-5 minutes until golden on the outside, flip over and cook 3-5 more minutes until cooked through in the center. Add the chicken into the veggie pan and drizzle the remaining oil into the chicken saucepan. Once the oil is hot, sprinkle in the remaining brown rice flour to create a roux. Whisk/stir the flour and oil for about 2-3 minutes to cook out the flour flavor. Next, slowly pour in the chicken broth, whisking to incorporate until the sauce is thick and smooth. Add the kale to the veggies, toss lightly and then toss the chicken, veggies and sauce together.

Serve on top of the hot pasta, sprinkle with the pine nuts.



Below is a Creamy Variation from the blog Foodista worth checking out...