12 Days of Christmas: Day 2

Day 2 i thought i would do another gift idea seeing as Christmas is getting closer and closer. I think this is one of the most universal gifts, as in, you can give it to about anyone. What are they? Reusable bags! You can pick them up at nearly every grocery store, each with their store logo on it. If that is a little to, i don't know, tacky for you....here are some others that i like.

Overstock.com

Retro Planet

Amazon

Green Concept: Earth Collection

12 Days of Christmas: Day 1

12 Days of Christmas. 12 Days of my favorite Christmas things of 2010!

And the first one is.......

Pier 1 Imports Holiday Forest Candles

I LOVE these candles! They smell so wonderful and Christmas(y?)! One of my favorite Christmas household items, but also makes a GREAT gift! A gift set of 6 votives is only $6.00. And it comes in a cute little box with a bow, plus a gift tag. My idea of a great gift idea. And one of my favorite Christmas items of 2010.

Menu Plan: December 10-16

Friday
Green pepper, olive, pepperoni pizza
Saturday
Sushi (i get the day off of cooking)
Sunday
Sunshine Hummus Pasta
Monday
Tortilla soup
Blue corn tortilla chips
Tuesday
Leftovers
Wednesday
Asian meatballs w/ sesame lime dipping sauce
Steamed rice
Thursday (make ahead meal)
Butternut Squash Lasagna (bumped from last week, may get bumped again if i can't find ricotta cheese on sale)
green salad

Turkey Sausage Ragu

 Turkey Sausage Ragu
3 T evoo
1 large onion, chopped
1 T thyme
8 oz turkey sausage
1/4 t chili flakes
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup red wine
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 T oregano
1 large bunch spinach OR kale, trimmed, and washed
1 T balsalmic vineagar
8 oz whole wheat linguine, fettucini, or pappardelle, cooked in salted water
parsley fresh parm., and evoo cheese for garnish

 In medium saucepan, heat 1 T evoo with chopped onion and thyme. 

Stir to coat, cover and cook until onion is soft and just beginning to color. 

 Add sausage, chili flakes, and garlic, cook for another 5 minutes covered. 

 Remove from heat. deglaze with wine.

 Return to heat, add tomatoes, veggies, and oregano.

 Cook uncovered for 10-15 minutes, until reduced and slightly thickened

 Combine sauce in large pot with cooked pasta

 Gently toss with 2 T evoo, serve with fresh parm. cheese and parsley

Hollie's 12 Days of Christmas

 

Next Monday will officially kick off Hollie's 12 Days of Christmas! Each day until Christmas look for a new post where i will share with you one of my top 12 favorite things of Christmas, whether it be gift ideas, holiday decor, recipes, and more! Next Monday, be here!

Recipe Book

Yesterday i got a new, or should i say my first, legit recipe book. Until now i have used binders with college ruled paper, or pages in any random notebook i happen to have lying around at the moment. I still plan on using the binder, but sorting and tossing some of the recipes in there. My favorite and most often used recipes can go in my new recipe book :-)

Lemon halves recipe book

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies
(adapted from Tasty Kitchen)

1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1 1/2 cup oreo cookie crumbs
1/2 cup white chocolate chips, for melting

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and prepare baking sheets with parchment paper.

In large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese. Add sugar and vanilla, mix until combined. On low, add flour. Stir in chocolate chips.

With 1 in scoop, form rounded balls of cookie dough. Roll each ball in oreo cookie crumbs. Place on baking sheet and bake 12-15 minutes, or until edges are golden. Cool 2 minutes before moving cookies to cooling rack. Once cookies are cool, drizzle with white chocolate.

Everyday Marinara Sauce

Everyday Marinara

Freezes up to 2 months

2 cans tomatoes, diced, no salt added
1 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp basil
1 tbsp honey
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

In medium saucepan over med-hi heat, add oil and garlic.

 Add onion and carrots, saute until onions are translucent.

Add tomatoes, paste, and spices, cook, stirring frequently until sauce comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer 45 mins to 1 hour, stirring occasionally

 Remove saucepan from heat and puree in blender until smooth.

Add honey and season with salt and pepper.

 If making ahead of time, measure out and freeze portions.

Ratatouille Sloppy Joes

Ratatouille Sloppy Joes
(serves 8, adapted from CE mag Nov/Dec 2010)

1 lb turkey sausage
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp spicy brown mustard
pinch cayenne pepper
1 green pepper, chopped
2 small zucchini
1 1/2 cups CE Everyday Marinara Sauce

Sea salt and ground pepper to taste
8 thin whole grain sandwich buns

In large skillet on med-hi, brown turkey sausage and garlic.

 

Chop zucchini,onion, and pepper. Set aside.

 

When turkey sausage is brown, remove from skillet and set aside.

 Add chopped veggies to skillet, saute about 4 minutes.

 Add sausage back into skillet, saute on med for about 14 minutes.

 Add in CE Everyday Marinara sauce.

 

                                                             Heat until sauce bubbles

 Serve 1/2 -3/4 cup sausage mixture on thin whole grain buns :-)

Spiced Cauliflower Soup (Vegan)

Spiced Cauliflower Soup 

2 T Olive oil
1 cup sweet onion
1 1/2 tsp tumeric
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 head cauliflower, cored and roughly chopped
1 tbsp dijon mustard
3 cups vegetable broth
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat and add onion. Cook until softened. Add tumeric and red pepper flakes and stir for 1 minute. Transfer to slow cooker; add garlic, cauliflower, dijon, stock, and 2 cups water. Stir well, cover, cook on low for 3 hours.

Puree soup in small batches in blender until smooth. Transfer to pot, add lemon and season with salt and pepper. Soup can be tightly sealed and frozen up to one month. 

Cabbage Rolls

I made these for dinner this week, and they were so good! First time eating and making cabbage rolls, and i was pleased with both. I got this recipe from Clean Eating magazine, and altered it slightly. Its also a great make ahead dish. Now that i am working some weeknights, its great to have dished you can make earlier in the day and bake when you get home.


Cabbage Rolls

Cabbage rolls:
1 cup brown rice
1 large green cabbage head
1 lb lean turkey sausage
1 medium yellow onion, chopped, divided
3 roma tomatoes, seeded, cored, chopped
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper'
1/2 cup ww plain bread crumbs
2 large egg whites

Sauce:
1 tsp Olive oil
1 6 oz can unsalted tomato paste
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 T thyme

Cook rice according to package directions.

Fill a large pot or tea kettle with water, bring to boil. Place head of cabbage in colander and pour boiling water over cabbage to make leaves pliable( you may need to do this more than once).

In large skillet over medium hi heat, saute turkey for about 5 minutes, or until no more pink. Reserve 2 T onion for sauce, add remaining onion to skillet. Saute additional 3 minutes or until onion is no longer transluent. Add tomatoes, oregano, cinnamon, and cayenne, and saute another 2 minutes.

Remove pan from heat. In a large bowl mix together cooked rice, bread crumbs, and egg whites; then combine with turkey mixture.

Place about 1/2 cup turkey mixture in the middle of a cabbage leaf. Fold outer edges in the the middle and bottom edge up. Then roll stuffed cabbage leaf away from you i full turn until sealed. Secure with toothpicks.

To make sauce:

Heat a medium pan over med-hi heat for 1 minute. Add olive oil. Add reserved 2 T onion and saute for about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup vinegar, oregano, cinnamon, cayenne and thyme.  Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 2 more minutes. Spread 3-4 tablespoons sauce in bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Place all stuffed cabbage in baking dish and top with remaining sauce.

Cover with foil, and bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees.

Herb Garlic Monkey bread

Herb and Garlic Monkey Bread

Dough:
1 1/3 cup milk
2 T canola oil
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup ww flour
1 tsp salt
1 clove crushed garlic
1 tsp sugar
3 tsp yeast

Butter mixture:
2 T butter
2 cloves crushed garlic
1/4 tsp sage
1/4 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp basil

Make dough, let rise until doubled.

Melt butter with garlic and herbs in a saucepan, saute, and set aside.

Cut dough into 10 large, or 20 small rolls.

Roll each roll in butter mixture and pile in baking dish, place in warm place to rise until doubled. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Garlic Mustard Sauce

Garlic Mustard Sauce

1/2 cup white wine vinegar
3 garlic cloves, minsed
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard

In small saucepan, heat vinegar and brown sugar. Add garlic and mustard, stir well to combine. Over med-hi heat, bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and simmer about 4 minutes.

Spice Rubbed Turkey (or chicken)

I thought this turned out pretty well! Only complaint being, the wonderful spiced crust tended to fall off the bird. Not sure what i could have done differently to avoid that, but all in all, it was pretty good. Especially with my Garlic Mustard Sauce.

Spice Rubbed Turkey
(I got this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis and have altered it slightly)


1 (4 1/2-5 lb) turkey breast, rinsed, patted dry with paper towel*
1/4 cup whole grain mustard (Maille worked well, and is recommended in the original recipe)
2 garlic cloves
2 tsp cumin
1 T oregano
1 tsp allspice
2 tsp chili powder
1 T brown sugar
1 tsp evoo
3 medium yellow onions
3 medium carrots
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
salt and freshly ground pepper

Mix together mustard, garlic, cumin,oregano, allspice, chili powder, brown sugar, and oil in small bowl. Place turkey breast in 9x13 roasting pan. Spread the mustard mixture over the top and sides of the turkey to form a crust.

Add the onions, carrots and chicken stock to the pan. Roast for 45 minutes. Cover loosely with foil and continue to bake another 45 minutes. Allow to rest 20 minutes.

Remove vegetables from roasting pan and place on serving platter. Optional: top with 1/3 cup Garlic Mustard Sauce

*note: this is for a smaller bird, if doing a large bird it will need to be multiplied, and cooking time adjusted.

Menu Plan December 3-9

Friday
Pizza (i am going to try making single portion pizza dough, instead of one large pizza)

Saturday
Italian Ragu
Herbed broccoli

Sunday
Black Bean Burritos

Monday
Clean Sloppy Joes



Tuesday
Leftovers

Wednesday
Sweet and sour cabbage soup
Rolls

Thursday
Butternut squash lasagna
Green Salad

Spinach & Ricotta ravioli filling

Here is what you need:

About 8 oz well trimmed, rinsed spinach

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/3 cup parmesan cheese,fresh is best

3/4 tsp thyme

1 egg yolk

pinch of nutmeg

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spinach for about 4 minutes, drain well, squeeze out as much excess liquid as you can. Chop well, set aside to cool. You should have about 3/4 cup spinach.

 In bowl, mix together cheeses, thyme, and spinach. Stir in egg yolk, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

 Cover and chill for about 30 minutes.

Fresh Pasta (Ravioli)

I love fresh pasta. I love ravioli.

Here is what you need:

Course Salt, pinch
2 cups all purpose flour
3 eggs, room temperature
Baking sheet sprinkled generously with semolina

 Lightly beat the eggs and salt until well combined. Form the flour, into a well shape on a flat workspace.

 Pour the eggs directly into flour well, and using your fingers, slowly combine.

 Once it forms into a ball, keep working it until smooth and elastic.

 Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let sit for 1 1/2 hour at room temperature.

 At this point you can make any pasta you want, follow these next steps to make ravioli.
Unwrap your pasta dough, and cut into 4 chunks.

 Cover 3 of the chunks with plastic wrap and set aside. Take one chunk and roll out as thin, on a lightly floured surface, as you can. You want it to be relatively transparent.

 Cut in half and cover one half with plastic wrap.

 On uncovered half, spoon teaspoons of whatever ravioli filling you would like, i am using a Spinach & Ricotta filling. Using a wet pastry brush, brush edges and around filling. THis is how the pasta will seal and stick together.

 Take covered half, and lay over half with filling. Carefully seal around all filling, being sure to squeeze out as many air bubbles as possible.

 Using a pastry roller, cut into squares, and trim uneven edges and excess. PLace on floured baking sheet, cover and repeat with next 3 chunks. Either cook immediately, or cover and freeze.