Secret Recipe Club: Risotto Stuffed Mushrooms

It seems like just yesterday was the October post date for Secret Recipe Club, and here it is already November.  For this blog swap, I received Kate's blog: Kitchen Trial and Error.  The question leading into the name on her blog was: Isn't everything in the kitchen trial and error?  I feel like that is still very true for me!  I still cross my fingers hoping everything turns out edible almost every time I turn on the oven.








I told myself that I was going to look for a soup recipe for this month.  Kate has some great sounding soups (32 soups in total on her blog), like: Vegetarian Wild Rice Soup, the amazing looking Toasted Orzo Chicken Soup, and Tomato and Meatball soup.  All sound perfect for fall.

However, in looking at a soup on her blog, one of the "You might also like" pictures was for Risotto Stuffed Mushrooms.  I couldn't go back to soup once I read about this recipe.  My husband has been deployed for a month and I haven't made one stuffed mushroom dish (he isn't a fan).  I knew that I had to make this dish.

Risotto Stuffed Mushrooms
barely adapted from Kitchen Trial and Error
Ingredients
Risotto
1 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 leek, white and light green parts, thinly sliced
5 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1 1/4 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup marsala wine
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
juice from half a lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
salt & pepper
Mushrooms
2 portobello mushrooms, cleaned and gills removed
about 1 cup leftover risotto
2 tablespoons of mozzarella cheese


Directions
1) Melt the butter over medium heat in a dutch oven. Add the leeks and saute until slightly soft, about 3 minutes.
2) In a separate pan, warm the broth over medium high heat.
3) Add the rice to the leeks and stir and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes.
4) Add the marsala wine and stir to deglaze the pan. cook until mostly evaporated 1-2 minutes.
5) Preheat your oven to 400F and clean the mushrooms. put the mushrooms on a sheet tray upside down (gill side up) and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt & pepper and Italian seasonings and bake about 15 minutes until softened.
6) Add about 1cup of broth to the rice. stir to incorporate. cook until the liquid is absorbed. continue adding broth, stirring to incorporate, and cooking until the liquid is absorbed until creamy, about 30 minutes.
7) Add the frozen peas and mix in. Mix in the parmesan cheese. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand a couple minutes. Once it is done standing, add in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
8) When the mushrooms are done, spoon the risotto into the caps and top with cheese. bake an additional 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.   

 

Like Kate says, people either love mushrooms or hate them, however if you love mushrooms, this is a great stuffed mushroom recipe to try.  The mushroom and the risotto pair nicely to make a great meal.  I may have added more marsala wine than recommended above, and could taste the extra that I had put in.  This is a great dish and I think would make a great special occasion dish for anyone who is vegetarian.

 



Chilaquiles with Salsa Verde

Sometimes my work day seems really long and by the time I get home I don't want to make dinner and even ordering out seems like too much work.  This is where this meal comes in handy.  If you use store bought chips, this meal takes about 10 minutes, and is delicious.  Plus, it isn't too expensive to make. 

Chilaquiles with Salsa Verde
from Everyday with Rachael Ray
Ingredients
3 cups salsa verde

3 4 1/2 ounce cans  diced mild green chiles

6 cups tortilla chips

1 cup sour cream

5 ounces queso fresco (or Mexican blend), crumbled

1/4 cup sliced radishes

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

1) In food processor, mix salsa and chiles for 20 seconds.
2)) Pour sauce into large nonstick skillet; bring to simmer over medium. Lower heat to medium-low, add chips and toss to soften slightly.
3) Divide among plates. Top with sour cream, cheese, radishes and cilantro.

 I have never had radishes before this dish, so it was a new experience for me...I didn't realize they were had a kick towards the end of eating them. I liked this dish a lot, but I found it kind of spicy.  I really need to start reading the labels on the jars of salsa that I buy, I think I'd save myself some pain, although the radishes probably didn't help either.

I made chips from scratch using corn tortillas and Jacob said that the homemade chips made it even better.   Jacob didn't even miss the meat in this dish and went back for seconds.  Whether you make your chips from scratch or just buy a bag of your favorite chips at the store, this is a great, simple dinner.

Tomato Tortellini Soup

In Wyoming, the wind was crazy.  I don't think that there was really ever a wind-free day.  My husband told me when we moved to New Jersey that it was never windy...but I think he just forgot what it was like since he lived in Wyoming for awhile.  For a couple days, not too long ago, the wind here rivaled the Wyoming wind.  During these few days, I went through a soup phase.  Soup warms every part of your body and during really cold temperatures with really high winds, it is even more delicious.

Tomato Tortellini Soup
adapted from Mrs. Scwartz's Kitchen using PreventionRD's tomato soup
Ingredients
Tomato Soup
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
pinch of Kosher salt
4 cloves minced garlic
28 oz can crushed tomatoes (no added salt)
1 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, chopped

Directions
1) Heat the olive oil in a 4-quart pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion and salt and sweat for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to sweat for 2 more minutes.
2) Add the tomato, broth, and oregano and bring to a simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
3) Blend soup in a blender or by using an immersion blender (you can also omit this step for a slightly chunky soup).

Additions to the soup
1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated cheese tortellini
2 cups vegetable/chicken broth
2 cups fat free half and half
1/2 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions
1) To the tomato soup, add the half and half, chicken broth, sundried tomatoes, and spices.  Bring to a simmer. 
2) Once simmering, drop tortellini into the soup.  Cook according to package directions (about 8 to 10 minutes).
3) Scoop into bowls and serve topped with parmesan cheese.

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This is a mixture of two recipes. I cannot eat canned tomato soup like the original recipe calls for, so I made the tomato soup from scratch using another recipe that my husband and I love and then followed the original recipe from there.  The soup from scratch doesn't take too long, but if you're in a hurry, the canned soup will work fine.

I loved the tortellini in the soup since it made it a little heartier and filling.  The tomato soup was delicious, the flavor developed really well on the stove and was even better the next day for lunch.  The leftovers didn't make it very long in our house.  This was great with garlic bread. 

Mongolian Tofu

I meal plan every week and while I try to stay on budget, most weeks, I end up going about fifteen dollars over.  It isn't a great deal that we go over by that much, but I am a little disappinted every time it happens. 

 

One week I asked my husband if he'd be willing to try tofu, since meat is $5 or $6 a pound and a block of tofu is .89 cents at the commissary.  He agreed, so I set off to find a good recipe. 

 

I found out that one of the things that I've been doing wrong with tofu is that I haven't been pressing it.  I think that pressing tofu completely changes the texture, and I'm happy to say that this is one of the first tofu recipes that I've ever enjoyed.  Plus, that week I stayed on budget...two awesome things in one.

 

Mongolian Tofu

barely adapted from Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations

Ingredients

2 teaspoon olive oil
1 block firm or extra firm tofu, pressed and cubed
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger 
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 green onion, chopped

Directions
1)  Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.
2)  Add the tofu and cook until browned on all sides, about 6-8 minutes.
3) In the meantime, mix the soy sauce, water and brown sugar in a bowl .
4) Once the tofu has browned, add the garlic and ginger; saute 1 minute.
5) Add the soy sauce mixture and stir; bring to a steady simmer and then reduce to low. Let simmer for several minutes to thicken the sauce.
6) Serve over rice and garnish with green onions.

I didn't have cornstarch, so I just pan-fried the tofu in it's natural form.  I thought it worked well, but I wish I would've cut it into smaller cubes.  Still had a few problems with texture towards the end of the dish, and I think if I had smaller pieces, it would've been better.  The sauce was fantastic and made it taste like a classic Chinese dish.  I can't wait to try other tofu dishes from Mary Ellen's blog.

Black Bean Patties with Corn Relish and Avocado Cream Sauce- Guest Post for a 6th Blogiversary!

Today I'm guest posting over at A Taste of Home Cooking. Sarah's blog recently reached the six year milestone, and she's celebrating by doing a series of guest posts this week. I could choose any recipe from her blog to make, and I chose these delicious Black Bean Patties with Corn Relish and Avocado Cream Sauce. Go check out my post on her blog, and be sure to congratulate Sarah on her 6 year milestone!

Black Bean and Corn Dip

Confession: I love dips.  Like I said before, I think they're amazing.  But, I have to say that when you find yourself living alone, and you see dip in your recipe swap email, it is almost like reading "Leftovers FOREVER" instead.  


I knew the second that I got this recipe that I was either going to have to cut it down by a lot...or repurpose it into a meal, so it didn't seem so daunting.  I decided to eat mostly vegetarian while my husband was in New Jersey and I was in Wyoming, so I set out to find something vegetarian that would be complimentary to the dip.  I found exactly the recipe I needed in Sweet Beginning's Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos...the pairing couldn't be more perfect if you ask me.


Black bean and Corn Dip
barely adopted from Kickin it in the Kitch
Ingredients
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 can of corn 
1/2 can petite diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Juice from 1 lime
1/3 cup Italian dressing
1 teaspoon cumin1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
1) Mix all ingredients until well blended. Chill for at least 1 hour. Serve with tortilla chips or in tacos.  

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos

slightly adapted from Sweet Beginnings

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 sweet potato, cut into a medium dice
2 teaspoons cumin
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt 

flour tortillas 

1 avocado, diced 

lime and cilantro to garnish

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2) In a bowl, toss the diced sweet potato with the oil, 1 teaspoon cumin, and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Roast for 30 minutes on a foil-lined baking sheet.
3) Warm tortillas and spoon on some sweet potatoes, followed by corn dip, and any desired toppings.


This meal was beautiful.  I loved all the different colors that went together.  I almost felt bad eating it, but my stomach was complaining of hunger too much for me to ignore it.  I thought this dish tasted really great together.  I have to say that I tasted the dip by itself and the Italian dressing was a little overpowering to me.  However, in the tacos, everything balanced really well and you couldn't really taste the dressing.  This was a great combination, and I'm glad that I ventured to find other purposes for the Black bean and corn dip besides just on chips.  

Hummus and Avocado Toasts with Roasted Tomatoes

While my husband was deployed, the cafeteria apparently tricked him into eating eggplant that he thought was something else.  He hated it, and to this day won't try eggplant.  This makes me very sad because I love eggplant.  He also doesn't like hummus, so that also stays away from our plates while he is at home.

While I was making this meal, I started snacking on leftover tomato slices with the avocado.  I have to say that I think I almost spoiled my dinner.  I guess there are definitely worse things to be snacking on though!

Hummus and Avocado Toasts with Roasted Tomatoes
adapted from Everything Fabulous  
Ingredients 
2 tomatoes, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
1 eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
salt + pepper to taste
6-8 slices of bread 
Goat cheese
1/2 cup hummus (I used Roasted Garlic)
1 avocado-pitted and smashed
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2) Arrange the tomatoes and eggplant on a baking sheet, cut sides up, in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
3) Roast for 15-20 minutes, until the tomatoes are beginning to caramelize
4) Season avocado mash with garlic salt.

5) Toast bread either under broiler or in the toaster.

6) Layer the goat cheese, hummus, avocado mash, eggplant, and tomatoes

The only complaint that I had with this meal is that I couldn't taste the balsamic vinegar on the tomatoes.  I love the flavor of balsamic vinegar though, so maybe I just needed stronger flavors.  I loved the roasted flavor on the eggplant and the tomatoes.  I thought everything went together really well.  If you want to make this a non-vegetarian meal, I think it would be great with some grilled chicken.  I also think alfalfa sprouts would make a great addition to the vegetarian version.

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms With Roasted Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

On Pinterest, I have quite a few vegetarian meals hiding away for the days that my husband and I are not together.  Most of them involve portobello mushrooms and eggplant because he doesn't like them and I think he cringes if I even mention making them.

Well, our move has begun and he is now in New Jersey while I finish up working and cleaning up the house in Wyoming.  Cooking supplies are limited, and every time that I go to look for something in my kitchen, I'm reminded that the packers put most everything in a box that is now probably somewhere in Indiana. 

Enter this stuffed mushroom recipe.  All you really need is a baking sheet and foil.  I definitely had those in my kitchen.  The ingredients are so light and easy that it almost made me forget about all those greasy hamburgers I'll eat on the road to get to New Jersey.

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Roasted Tomatoes and Goat Cheese
slightly adapted from A Food Centric Life
Ingredients
Roasted Tomatoes
12-16 ounces grape tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoons (14 ml) olive oil
2-3 large garlic cloves, finely minced or squished through a garlic press
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1) Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Cover a quarter sheet or half sheet rimmed baking sheet with parchment or foil.
2) Toss halved tomatoes with oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Spread tomatoes on the baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes until shriveled and edges are just starting to turn a bit brown. 

Portobello Caps
4 large Portobello mushrooms, any size (my store only had the medium sized caps)
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 ounces of plain goat cheese
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
2 teaspoons fresh thyme 

Directions
1)  While the tomatoes are roasting, clean the mushrooms by wiping the outside of the caps with a damp paper towel. Pop out the stems by pushing them from side to side until the snap out. Then with a teaspoon, scrape the gills out until the underside is mostly clean. Place them on a foil lined rimmed baking sheet.
2) Brush mushroom caps inside and out with olive oil.  Sprinkle each cap with salt and pepper.
3)  After tomatoes are done roasting, preheat broiler.  Broil mushrooms 3 to 5 minutes, or until they are hot and the edges start to brown.
4) Remove caps from the oven, and preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Fill caps with the roasted tomatoes, and dot with goat cheese.  Sprinkle with fresh herbs.
5) Bake for 12 minutes or until hot and the cheese has softened.


These mushrooms are fantastic.  I loved the acid from the tomatoes against the strong taste of the goat cheese.  I think these made a great dinner, but I think they'd also make a great party appetizer in the button portobellos as well.  These will definitely go on the list of things to make again when my husband is out of town.

Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Portobellos

I have spent my last 8 years in Wyoming, and have probably only met a handful of people who eat vegetarian, and maybe a few extra that are willing to eat a vegetarian meal even though they aren't vegetarian.  I have recently been trying to convince my husband that we can eat vegetarian more than once every six months.  However, it takes something pretty amazing sounding to convince him to have a go at it.

I found these on Annie's Eats and figured it was a perfect trial meal for a vegetarian meal.  We both love Spinach and Artichoke dip, so what is there stopping us from loving it stuffed in portobellos...absolutely nothing.

Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Portobellos
slightly adapted from Annie's Eats
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced, divided
4-5 medium-large portabello mushrooms, wiped clean and stems removed
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1½ teaspoons dried Italian Seasoning
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 small jar of marinated artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
½ cup coarse Panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup finely grated Asiago cheese

Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 450˚ F.
2) In a small bowl combine 2 tablespoons of the olive oil with two thirds of the minced garlic.
3) Scrape the gills from the inside of the mushroom caps.  Set the mushroom caps on a baking pan, gill side up, and brush lightly with the garlic-oil mixture.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bake for 10 minutes.
4) Meanwhile, mix the filling.  Combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, remaining garlic, ½ teaspoon of the Italian Seasoning, and the spinach in a medium bowl.  Stir together until evenly blended.  Gently stir in the artichokes.  Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.  Spoon the filling mixture over the roasted mushroom caps.
5) In another small bowl, combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil with the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, Asiago and remaining 1 teaspoon of Italian Seasoning.  Stir with a fork to blend.  Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the top of the filling mixture on each mushroom.  Bake for 10 more minutes or until golden and warmed through.  Serve immediately.

The caps cooking in the oven let off this amazing smell.  It was so hard not to eat just the caps without the filling.  I thought the taste was great, and honestly was exactly what I was expecting it to taste like.  I loved the textures together and the portobello was a great vehicle to maneuver the filling into your mouth.  I will definitely make this dish again for another vegetarian night.

My husband liked the meal, but wasn't really sold on the mushroom texture after it was roasted in the oven.  I think it is just because it was one of the first times that we've eaten them as the main dish, so I'm going to try again and see if his feelings change.

Tortellini Primavera

In an attempt to bring our grocery bill down, I'm trying to find recipes that are either meatless, or use most of the ingredients in our house.  We have a lot of pasta in our cupboards, and when I saw this recipe on Annie's Eats, I decided it would be perfect to put on the menu.

Tortellini Primavera

barely modified from Annie's Eats
Ingredients
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
8 oz. cream cheese
3/4 cup grape tomatoes, halfed
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
salt and pepper, to taste
family size cheese-filled tortellini, cooked and drained

Directions
1) Heat oil in a skillet. Add mushrooms, onion and garlic and sautee.
2) Add all remaining ingredients except tortellini. Heat until all have melted together and are well blended. Cook until the mixture just begins to boil, stirring occasionally.
3) Stir in tortellini.

The sauce in this recipe is amazing.  It develops so much flavor in such a little amount of time.  I think that the flavored tortellinis that I used overwhelmed the flavors in the sauce a little bit, but it was still an amazing dish.  My husband went for seconds and didn't even complain that the dish was meatless or that it had spinach in it.  I think this dish will definitely go on the meal plan again for a meatless day.

Parmesean Quinoa

Our town opened up a Natural Grocers awhile back but it is on the other side of town from where we grocery shop.  One day I asked Jacob if we could stop in there just to see what we could find.

I love visiting new grocery stores.  I think it is fun to see what they have to offer that the other grocery stores have.  Throughout the entire store, I'd yell, "Jacob, look at what they have!" and I'd get a semi-enthusiastic "That's awesome." or "That's nice." in return. 

Even though I found so many exciting things that I wanted to try, the only thing we walked out with that day was quinoa.  Which I was more than fine with, because I didn't think any place in our town carried quinoa, so I was excited to try something new.

I decided to pair it with the Pineapple Teriyaki Salmon that I made just because it felt like a proper fit.

Parmesean Quinoa
followed recipe from the back of the bag it came in
Ingredients
2 cups of vegetable stock
1 cup quinoa
2 pinches of shaved parmesean

Directions
1) Bring vegetable stock to a boil.  Reduce to low heat, and add quinoa.  Let simmer about 20 minutes.
2) Add parmesean and stir to mix thoroughly.

I have to admit, I thought it looked amazing when it was done.  I thought the beads looked really awesome, but Jacob said they looked like brains. 

I didn't really taste the parmesean shavings in there, but I still loved the taste, especially with the salmon.  If you want it really cheesy, just add and taste until the cheese level meets your expectations.
I will definitely eat this as a side again, and am now happy that I know where I can purchase it.

Caprese Pizza

I have to admit there is always a moment of shear nervousness when the Recipe Swap recipe comes into my mailbox.  When I read the What's For Dinner Posts, I feel sometimes that the cooking skills of the women on the board are light years beyond the skills that I have.  But, it is something fun to do and how do you grow as a cook if you don't try new things, right?  Plus, everything I've made has turned out really good so far, so maybe I should start approaching the swaps with confidence and not be so nervous every time a recipe comes in.  The theme to this swap was Italian, and I received Lindsay's Caprese Pizza from Life and Kitchen which turned out great just like I thought it would.

Jacob LOVES making dough.  He gets super excited every time I ask him to make it for me.  He had never made whole wheat pizza dough though and so to challenge him, I asked him to make it.  He readily took on the challenge and all I had to do was pick up the ingredients.  :)


Wheat Pizza Dough
adapted from allrecipes.com
Ingredients

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons white sugar

Directions

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups bread flour, olive oil, salt, white sugar and the yeast mixture; stir well to combine. Beat well until a stiff dough has formed. Cover and rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.

Now it was time for the pizza.  I read the instructions from Lindsay's blog and got a little cocky.  I figured I could read the recipe in my computer room and make it in the kitchen with no problem since my printer is out of ink.  So I messed some things up.  But it still turned out great, so I guess no complaining.

Caprese Pizza

(messed up...haha) using the recipe from Life and Kitchen

Ingredients 

• 1 pizza dough (you can make your own, buy fresh from a pizza shop/grocery, or just do a premade crust like Boboli)
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3 tomatoes, thinly sliced
• ~ 1/3 – 1/2 pound of fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced (or you could do about 1 cup of shredded, but it’s not as good)
• 1/4 cup fresh basil

Directions

• If using a homemade crust, pre-cook the crust for about 5 minutes at 425 degrees.
• Reduce the vinegar on the stove so that it has a syrup consistency.
• Once the crust is preheated and the vinegar is at the right consistency, assemble the pizza.  Use the vinegar as the sauce, then place your mozzarella, the tomatoes, and the basil.

The pizza tasted great.  I do think that it would have been better if I used the oil as the sauce and then drizzled the vinegar on the top as a "finisher" instead of drowning the crust in it.  But Jacob liked it a lot.  So I think it'll make it's way back into the rotation with half of it having some type of meat on it next time though.  Lesson learned: Don't assume you know the recipe after you've read it once.  Haha.

Summer Squash and White Bean Saute

I love Farmer's Markets.  Going around and viewing the produce, breads, oils, and pastas.  Sampling homemade salsas, peanut butter spreads, and honey.  It just screams summer, and since the majority of these main ingredients are found at the Farmer's Market, it is a great summer dish.  With only two main preparation steps, it doesn't eat up too much time too, so you can get back out to having fun in the sun again.


Summer Squash and White Bean Saute- adapted from EatingWell.com

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, halved and sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 1 medium yellow summer squash, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 1/2 eggplant 
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 15- or 19-ounce can cannellini or great northern beans, rinsed (see Tip)
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 2 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
• A couple of pinches finely shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add zucchini, summer squash, eggplant, oregano, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring once, until the vegetables are tender-crisp, 3 to 5 minutes.

• Stir in beans, tomatoes and vinegar; increase heat to medium and cook, stirring, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in Parmesan.

I love the bite that the red-wine vinegar gives to this dish.  The vegetables are all taste amazing, and you cannot stop shoveling this in your mouth.  The vibrancy is amazing with all the red, yellow, green and purple that you get from the produce.  You leave the table feeling not weighed down by a heavy meal.  I upped the vinegar in the dish just because I love vinegar, but you could easily reduce it or just use olive oil if you don't like red wine vinegar.

Pretty Produce

Finished Product

Corn and Black Bean Pizza

When my husband is out of the house on a work trip or mountain biking with his friends, I tend to plan dinners just for me.  Living in Wyoming has made him think that meat must be on every prepared entree or it is just a side, so when he's gone I like to indulge in meatless entrees.

I found this amazing Corn and Black Bean Pizza recipe on EatingWell.com.  I decided it looked super simple so I immediately put the ingredients on my shopping list. 

Corn and Black Bean Pizza-adapted from EatingWell.com
Ingredients

• 1 can rotel with chiles
• 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels, (about 2 ears)
• 1 pound prepared whole-wheat pizza dough
• 1/3 cup barbeque sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella, preferably smoked mozzarella

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Combine tomato, beans and corn in a medium bowl. Sprinkle cornmeal onto a large baking sheet. Stretch the dough into shape of pizza pan.
• Place crust in oven and bake for approximately 5 minutes.
• Take crust out of the oven. Spread barbecue sauce on it and quickly sprinkle with the tomato mixture and cheese. Place back into oven and cook until cheese is thoroughly melted (about 10 minutes).

Fresh from the oven

This pizza was irresistible.  The barbeque sauce was a perfect tangy complement to all of the toppings.  The Rotel tomatoes gave it a little bit of a kick with the chiles that was balanced by the cheese.  The only thing I would recommend is make sure your crust thickness is consistent.  I had problems with some parts having too much dough and not enough toppings.

It heated up great for lunch the next day, and is totally in my mind to make when J goes out of town again.

Grilled Veggie Sandwich

I absolutely love sandwiches, there are so many combinations and they are fantastic either hot or cold.  I was excited about this recipe that I got from elliemonster2012 from The Nest for the Summer Vegetable Swap.  The only thing that I did differently from the original recipe was marinate the mushroom caps in red wine vinegar and sprinkle rosemary on all of the vegetables before we grilled them.   We also didn't grill the bread, which the elliemonster2012 suggested.

This sandwich was amazing.  The red wine gave the mushrooms that little bit of extra flavor.  Even through the mayonnaise you could taste the vegetables and the freshness.  It was very filling and light.   Jacob grumbled over the fact that it was meatless, but he did say it was good.

Grilled Veggie Sandwich- adapted from elliemonster2012 (allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1 cup sliced red bell peppers
• 1 small zucchini, sliced
• 2 portobello caps
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 1 small yellow squash, sliced
• 1 ciabatta loaf
• Rosemary sprigs
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions

1. Marinate the portobello caps in the red wine vinegar for about 25 minutes.
2. In a bowl, mix the mayonnaise, minced garlic, and lemon juice. Set aside in the refrigerator.
3. Preheat the grill for high heat.
4. Brush vegetables with olive oil on each side. Brush grate with oil. Place bell peppers and zucchini closest to the middle of the grill, and set onion and squash pieces around them. Cook for about 3 minutes, turn, and cook for another 3 minutes. The peppers may take a bit longer. Remove from grill, and set aside.
5. Spread some of the mayonnaise mixture on the cut sides of the bread, and sprinkle each one with feta cheese. 

Tofu Parmesean

My parents were vegan from the time I was in third grade to the time that I was in sixth grade, so I ate a lot of tofu when I was a kid.  I remember having an issue with the texture, so I was a little afraid when I got the Vegetarian recipe (Tofu Parmesean) from the Recipe Swap.

Another problem I have is that I'm allergic to red sauces.  So, a recipe with red sauce and tofu seemed to be a double whammy.

So, I went through all of my cookbooks to try to find a recipe for a sauce that I thought would not make me sick.  I finally found this one and adapted it from Fix-It and Forget It Recipes for Entertaining: Slow Cooker Favorites for All the Year Round.

Stewed Tomatoes

2 qts of tomatoes cut into chunks

1/3 cup of sugar
1.5 tsp salt
dash of pepper
3 Tbsp butter 
2 cups bread crumbs
3 dashes of white cooking whine
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup water

Place tomatoes in the slow cooker, sprinkle with sugar, salt and pepper.  Lightly toast the bread and spread with butter.  Cube the bread pieces and then put in with tomatoes.  Cover with the wet ingredients.  Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours. 

I then put the ingredients in the blender with Italian spices and garlic and pureed it until it was the right consistency.

The Tofu Parmesean recipe was from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks. 
1 package extra-firm tofu
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
4 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons of oregano
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons of olive oil
16 oz tomato sauce used from the recipe above
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c. dry red wine
1/4 c. green pepper, chopped
1/4 c. red pepper, chopped
1/4 c. onion, chopped
6 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
Salt and Pepper

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.

2.  In a shallow bowl combine bread crumbs, half the Parmesan cheese, oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper.  Slice the tofu into 1/4 inch thick slices.  Press into the bread crumb mixture and set on a plate.

3.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Place tofu in the pan and cook 7-8 minutes or until crisp and brown.  Drizzle with additional olive oil then flip and cook 5 minutes on the opposite side.  Remove from heat and place tofu on a plate.

4. Meanwhile, in a saucepan heat the tomato sauce, garlic, wine, peppers, and onion.  Simmer for 10 minutes then remove from heat. 

5.  Pour 3/4 c.  sauce in the bottom of the baking dish.  Put pan fried tofu on top of the sauce.  Top each slice of tofu with sauce then sprinkle it all with mozzarella cheese.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Serve over pasta.
I had one problem with this recipe.  One was that the breading didn't stick to the tofu.  I think that is just due to the consistancy of the tofu, so I'm not sure how to fix that. 

The finished product was good.  I really liked the onion and the green pepper in the sauce.  I still have a tofu texture problem, but the dish tasted good. 

Other recipes from this swap can be found at Vegetarian Recipe Swap Roundup


Finished Product



Fresh out of the oven