Carol's Finnish Pea Soup with Apples

Carol's Finnish Pea Soup with Apples  Rating: 8

Another recipe from Anna Thomas' Love Soup.  This was simple tasting but not bland.  It had just the right amount of acidity to counter the natural sweetness of the peas and apple.  Feel free to use the full amount of cayenne, maybe more. Neal, historically is not a fan of peas but did fine with this recipe and it has two varieties!  It was a good soup and made for good leftovers during the week. 

Whole Wheat English Muffins

Whole Wheat English Muffins  Rating: 8

These were pretty good and filling. Neal made them and we'd do it again. Still, we continue to search for a recipe that will provide that sine qua non characteristic of nooks and crannies.


 

 

Fried Egg, Roasted Red Pepper, and Spinach Breakfast Sandwich  Rating: 8

 



This sandwich was a nice start for the day and and easy way to get veggies in before you even leave the house.  Initially, Keri sauteed the spinach with some minced garlic and that was really nice too. 

Alton Brown's Oatiest Oatmeal Cookies Ever

Alton Brown's Oatiest Oatmeal Cookies Ever  Rating: 7

There is something magical about the butter in this cookie.  This cookie has a perfectly light, crisp texture.  The taste is solid!  I used to be disappointed when I bit into a cookie and found raisins rather than chocolately goodness but I'm not like that anymore.  These were great.  Neal made them and he liked them the best but I ate them the most! 

Do not over bake these or the flavor is off and the raisins are too hard.  These are gluten-free if you are sure to buy oats that are not processed in a gluten contaminated facility.

Coconut Corn Salad

Coconut Corn Salad  Rating: 9

This was a slightly warmed, sweet concoction that made our taste buds sing!  Go ahead and give that lime a good squeeze as it adds a bright, wonderful, and welcomed contrast to the sweet ingredients.

Please do NOT substitute canned or frozen corn.  You deserve better. We used shredded coconut instead of flaked or shaved because that is what we had.  And though it is not mentioned, the coconut is UNsweetened and sometimes difficult to find in regular grocery stores.  They only seem to carry the sweetened version in the baking aisle.  We buy ours at an Indian market in large bags (use it in our Go-To Granola all the time).

It came together rather quickly and was best when served immediately.  Certainly enjoyed it as leftovers too but it was not the same.

Mama T's Puttanesca Sauce

Mama T's Puttanesca Sauce  Rating: 8

A lovely friend of ours, Cindy, follows our blogs and is such a gem, that she provided us with one of her favorite recipes.  Although puttanesca has a dirty meaning in Italian, the sauce really is delicious.  She even gave us one of her coveted cans of tomatoes as they are a special variety of canned tomatoes from a particular place in Italy.  She got them at World Market and noted they must have the D.O.P. on the label.  Well, we were intrigued and soon developed the courage to try her recipe which contained an ingredient we have hitherto shied away from--anchovies. 

We found anchovies for a decent price at Walmart Neighborhood Market of all places.  And Neal made the dish.  We used regular canned olives in place of the oil cured ones and also whole wheat pasta.

First of all, let me put your nerves at rest.  The anchovies disintegrated into the sauce quite quickly and did NOT taste fishy but lent a nice salty note to the sauce.  If you still think anchovies are nasty, then just know you've already eaten them if you've ever had the common Caesar's salad.  The tomatoes really were very good.  They are a step up from your average tomatoes in my book and I'm not just saying that because Cindy reads my blog (Hi Cindy!).

Mama T's Puttanesca Sauce

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 28-oz can San Marzano Tomatoes (Cento D.O.P. brand)
1/4 cup oil-cured black olives (chopped, but not too fine)
2 tablespoons brined capers
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 2-oz can (flat) anchovies (packed in oil and blotted with paper towels)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley (chopped)
1 lb. spaghetti (cooked according to package directions)

Method:
In a bowl, squish the tomatoes with your hands, breaking them up as much as possible.

In a large saute pan over medium heat, add the olive oil, butter, and 2 oz can of anchovies; break them up as they cook.  Add the garlic, and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds, but do not allow to brown.

Add the tomatoes, olives, capers, crushed red pepper flakes, oregano, and freshly ground black pepper.

Simmer the ingredients, and break up the tomatoes more as it cooks.

As the sauce comes together, about 20-25 minutes of simmering, finish with a handful of flat leaf parsley. 

Add in the cooked spaghetti and combine.  Serve.

Carmelized Squash Salad with Pistachios

Caramelized Squash Salad with Pistachios and Goat Cheese  Rating: 7

We had several baby butternut squash from our garden and after enjoying their cuteness for some time, it was time to massacre them and ingest them.  Look how cute and little!

I chose this recipe from Better Homes and Gardens October 2012 issue.  They have several squash recipes but this one looked easy and fresh.  I omitted the optional goat cheese only because I am trying to cut down on dairy and animal based foods in general. 

It was still a good salad.  Very mellow but not bland. I bought radicchio for the first time and was wary when I tasted this bitter lettuce on its own.  But when mixed in the salad, it was just right--a good contrast to the sweetness of the squash and the citrus of the dressing.  Still, we did not feel this salad was anything special.  Served it with cornbread because, well, I am admittedly on a cornbread kick.

I LOVE squash so you will probably see more recipes as the season progresses and even beyond since it stores so well.

Velvety Broccoli and Feta Pasta

Velvety Broccoli and Feta Pasta  Rating: 6

So this was okay but nothing special.  My kids are okay with broccoli but the whole wheat noodles were a great vehicle to get more broccoli than usual in them.  It wasn't overly "velvety" but I could have used a bit more olive oil to help achieve that, I think.  We love feta but this was "ho-hum" so thus the 6.  Won't make it again but it was fun to try.

Sausage and Peppers

Sausage and Peppers  Rating: 7

This was a decent slow cooker recipe for a hectic day.  I threw this together and froze two dinners worth for such a time. 

We served it over whole wheat pasta since I hadn't made rolls.. It would have gotten a higher score, but as with most slow cooker recipes, the meat was cooked to oblivion and a senior citizen withOUT their dentures could have easily masticated this.  Flavor was good.

Green Soup with Mushrooms

Green Soup with Mushrooms  Rating: 6

I got this recipe from Anna Thomas' Love Soup, when I checked it out of our local library.  I am always looking for different ways to get those leafy greens into my family and I.  Provided is an online version I hunted down. 

We substituted kale for chard, a medium potato for the rice, and omitted the cayenne.  We drizzled it with olive oil as suggested and served it along with corn bread and honey. 

I thought it was a hideous color and my husband concurred when he compared it to a baby's diaper.  That said, it was okay to good.  Neal had texture issues with it but I did not.  My kids called it "Alien Soup" and took it in for dinner and lunch at school the next day.  I felt happy to get all those nutrients in and I do mean WOW with the amount of greens it packed in.  I'm always giddy when I get to use my immersion blender but was not in love with this "Love Soup."

Make Your Own Baking Powder

So, we ran out of baking powder and I promised myself I would not buy more until I made the trip to a particular Walmart that carries Rumford Aluminum-Free Baking Powder.  Some people prefer not to use baking powder with aluminum because they believe it gives food a vaguely metallic taste, and because of speculations on the connection between aluminum intake and diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.  I just don't want it in there because, as far as I know, I don't need aluminum to function (i.e., copper). 

I needed more baking powder before I was going to make that trip out to that store so I looked it up and guess what?!  Yep, you can easily make an aluminum-free baking powder at home with items I have in my pantry.  There are suggested ratios on the Internet but they all contain cream of tartar (which I have on hand for making play dough) and baking soda.  That's all you need if you plan to use it right away.  If you want some in the pantry, and I do, then most add corn starch or arrowroot powder.

Homemade Baking Powder

Happy baking!

Curried Tofu Salad

Curried Tofu Salad  Rating: 7

This could so be an 8 but I didn't add any mango chutney or walnuts this go around.  Did add a light drizzle of honey to the sauce in place of the chutney, black instead of red grapes, and full fat mayo in place of low fat mayo.  Quick and easy.  Served it on whole grain toast with a side of kale chips.  Fairly well received by my kids. I actually liked this better than some chicken versions of the same salad.