Yogurt Dill "Chicken"

I love dill.  I think it's such fresh summer flavor.  Recently I was trying to think of a main dish to serve with these potatoes.  I hadn't really used dill very much this summer and decided it was past time.  I thought I would be able to find a recipe for yogurt dill sauce online that would be appropriate to pair with veggie chicken but I couldn't find what I had imagined so I decided to just make something up and see how it went.  I'm pleased to report that it came out very well!

1 cup plain greek yogurt
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
1 box Quorn Naked Cutlets
1 tomato, chopped.

Combine yogurt, dill, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper.  Spread a quarter cup on bottom of small roasting pan.  Place Quorn cutlets on top.  Spread with remaining yogurt mixture over top of the Quorn.  Cover and marinate in the fridge for an hour or two.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Top Quorn with chopped tomato and bake for 30-35 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Curry Roasted Red Potatoes

Last weekend we stopped at Josephs Wayside Market in Naples, NY.  They were selling baskets of lovely little red potatoes, which I couldn't resist buying even though I didn't have plans for how to prepare them.

Then I remembered Shea's Sunday brunch.  For a couple years a couple years we were fortunate to have this restaurant located within walking distance from our house.  Sadly for us it moved out to the suburbs earlier this year.  One of the highlights at Shea's was the home fries.  They were basically chopped up french fries flavored with salt and curry powder.  Delicious!  I tried to use similar flavors to prepare my potatoes. They turned out great!  I highly recommend them as a side dish.

2 lbs small red potatoes
1 onion, diced
1/3 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground cumin
2 cloved garlic, chopped
salt to taste
3 Tbsp fresh chives, chopped

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Slice potatoes in half.  Place in large bowl, along with the onions.

Mix together olive oil, curry powder, coriander, cumin, garlic and salt.  Drizzle over potatoes and onions.  Toss to combine.

Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Bake for 45 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking time.

Sprinkle with chives and serve.

Stuffed Veggie Dogs

One of my co-workers, who is absolutely not a vegetarian, was telling me about the stuffed hotdogs he was going to make the other day.  They sounded really good, so I decided to try a vegetarian version  Veggie dogs are much thinner than a regular hotdog (at least the ones I was using were), which makes them very difficult to stuff, so with this recipe each person gets two dogs per bun.  They're only 50 calories a piece, so why not?

8 veggie dogs
4 cheddar cheese sticks (like string cheese, only cheddar and not as stringy)
1 jalapeno, diced
2 slices tempeh bacon, crumbled (bacos or another veggie bacon would be fine too)
4 hotdog buns
1/2 stick butter
1 1/2 tbsp. honey

Make a lengthwise slit in the veggie dogs, trying not to cut them completely in half (don't worry if you do).  Place cheese sticks in the middle of 4 veggie dogs.  Sprinkle with jalapeno and tempeh bacon.  Top each with remaining veggie dogs.  Wrap separately in foil, so you'll have 4 little packets to put on the grill.  Cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, turning occasionally. 

Meanwhile, melt the butter and whisk in the honey.  Spread over the inside of the hotdog buns.

When you think the veggie dogs are almost done, carefully open one of the foil packets to make sure the cheese is melty.  Place the buns on the grill, butter-side down for a minute or two, until lightly browned.  Remove veggie dogs from foil and gently place on toasted buns.

One of the nice things about this recipe is that you can get the veggie dogs ready and wrapped in foil ahead of time.  Also, since they do get wrapped in foil this is a great thing to bring to a BBQ where meat will be cooked on the same grill.  You get to protect your food from the meat juices without looking like a vegetarian prima donna!

Pasta Sauce

One of my favorite childhood memories is coming home from school in the winter to the smell of homemade pasta sauce cooking on the stove.  The house would be cozy and warm, with delicious scents emanating from the kitchen.  Homemade sauce is still one of my favorite meals.  This is my go-to recipe.  It's the meal that I'm most likely to make for people when I have them over for dinner the first time.

The sauce is comprised mainly of canned tomatoes, so it is important to buy fairly high quality.  I like Wegman's Italian Classics, Muir Glen or Trader Joe's the best.  Unless you use Wegman's Kitchen Cut tomatoes, you should get whole tomatoes.  Diced or crushed will be too watery.  I plan for one can of tomatoes per person that I'm serving, and adjust the seasonings accordingly.  This is the first time I've actually written this recipe out, so hopefully the measurements are correct!

3 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cans whole tomatoes
2 Tbsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp dried parsley
3 Tbsp dried basil
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste
10 fresh basil leaves, torn

Heat olive oil in large pot.  Add garlic and cook for a minute or two.  Add tomatoes and their juices.  Cut them up with a wooden spoon (or this from Pampered Chef).  Add dried herbs, crushed red pepper, sugar, salt and pepper.  Simmer uncovered until liquid is mostly evaporated, about two hours, stirring occasionally.  Taste, and adjust seasonings as necessary.  Stir in torn basil about 5 minutes before serving.

Here's the sauce, served with homemade pasta from "The Pasta Bible" cookbook and homemade cheese, using this kit...

Buon Appetito!

Indian Rice Pudding

In Rochester we are fortunate to have a plethora of delicious Indian restaurants to choose from.  The best way to finish an Indian feast is with a bowl of rice pudding.  We had leftovers from one of these wonderful restaurants for dinner this evening, but sadly no dessert!  I decided to try to recreate a slightly healthier version of the rice pudding at home.

1/2 cup uncooked basmati rice
1 15 oz can light coconut milk
4 cups 2% milk (If you're feeling decadent, I'm sure whole milk would taste better).
1 tsp cardamom
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
chopped almonds or pistachios

Combine rice, coconut milk, 2% milk, cardamom and cinnamon stick in a pan.  Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until boiling.  Remove cinnamon stick and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook for an additional 50 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and stir in sugar and vanilla.  Chill for at least 4 hours, or overnight.  Serve, topped with chopped nuts.

Kaesespaetzle mit Bratwurst, Sauerkraut and Mushrooms

I've been craving sauerkraut lately, but haven't really felt like having it in a sandwich.  I was wandering around the grocery store looking for inspiration and found the spaetzle.  This German version of mac and cheese is delicious and easy.  The hardest part will be washing the dishes.

2 onions, thinly sliced
2 lb bag sauerkraut, drained
1 package Tofurky Beer Brats, sliced
8 oz sliced mushrooms
10.5 oz box spaetzle, cooked according to package directions
1 1/2 cups shredded swiss cheese
olive oil

Preheat oven to 375.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan.  Add onions and cook until very soft.  Mix in sauerkraut and cook, stirring frequently, over low heat until sauerkraut is slightly browned.

In a separate pan heat another tablespoon of olive oil.  Add the beer brats and cook on both sides, until browned.

Heat one more dry pan over high heat.  Cook mushrooms until they release their juices.

In a greased pan mix spaetzle, sauerkraut, beer brats and mushrooms.  Stir in swiss cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Grilled Cheese with Brie, Mushrooms and Caramelized Shallots

The key to any good grilled cheese sandwich is to come to terms with the fact that you are not cooking a health food and butter both sides of the bread.  It doesn't matter if you're using a plastic-wrapped cheese slice or making something more upscale like this; butter makes the difference.  As far as sandwiches go, this one is pretty laborious.  It was well worth it though.  I highly recommend trying this.

This makes two sandwiches.

4 shallots, thinly sliced and caramelized in butter (here's a helpful resource)
6 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced
4 sliced high quality white bread, thickly sliced and buttered on both sides
3-4 oz. brie, sliced as best you can

As you are finishing caramelizing your shallots get started on the mushrooms.  Spray a skillet with cooking spray and place on high heat.  Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently.  Allow all of the juices to be released and do not remove from heat until the mushrooms are slightly browned and your pan is dry.  If you do not do this you will end up making a soggy mess of your sandwiches.

Spread brie on two slices of bread.  Cover with cooked mushrooms and caramelized shallots.  Top with remaining slices of bread.  Head griddle over medium heat.  Carefully add sandwiches and cook for a couple of minutes on each side, being careful not to burn the bread.  Getting the right temperature is a delicate balance.  You want it to be hot enough to melt the cheese, but not so hot that it burns the bread.  If necessary flip the sandwiches more than once to achieve appropriate cheese melting and avoid inappropriate bread scorching.  Serve immediately.

I'm sorry this photo is so blurry.  I was having trouble with my camera and getting impatient because it smelled so good and I really wanted to eat!