Stuffed Zucchini

2 Medium Zucchini

Artichoke hearts (about 5 of the quartered pieces)

1 Tbsp olive oil, divided

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1/8 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 cup marinara sauce

1 cup whole wheat couscous, cooked

shredded mozarella

Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise.  Scoop out the seeds and flesh (reserving), leaving about 1/4 inch skin shell.  Brush shells with about 1/4 Tbsp of the olive oil and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.  Chop the zucchini flesh and artichokes and cook in a nonstick skillet with the remaining olive oil for about 5 minutes, until it is soft.  Add the garlic and continue to cook another 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and add bread crumbs, marinara, parmesan and couscous to the mixture.  Scoop into the zucchini shells and top with mozarella cheese.  Bake about 10-15 more minutes, until cheese is melted and mixture is warm all the way through.

I found this recipe in Women's Health and we really liked it.  Michael suggested that it needed a bit more sauce, so next time, I will double the marinara sauce and may not mix it in with the other ingredients, but pout it over them once they are stuffed in the zucchini.  Overall, a good, filling, healthy dish. 

Whole Wheat French Toast

This morning, I had a little extra time, so I decided to make a bigger breakfast.  I make french toast a lot on the weekends because Michael loves it so much.  But, I made myself a little healthier version. 

1 egg
2 Tbsp skim milk
2 pieces whole wheat bread
3-4 strawberries, sliced
confectioners sugar

Whisk egg and milk together.  Dip bread in and cook on each side.  I like mine kind of crispy, so I cook ti for awhile.  Sprinkle with sugar and cover with strawberries.  Easy, good, and not that bad for you.  (When I eat fruit on my french toast, I forgo syrup, making it much healthier).

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter Sauce

I bought these butternut squash ravioli frozen at Earth Fare and found this recipe for a brown butter sauce to go over it.  I thought this was delicious!  The sauce was not overpowering and it fit the ravioli perfectly!  We'll definitely be making this quick dinner again.  The ravioli I bought was two servings, so it was perfect for us.  And this was just the right amount of sauce.


3/4 stick butter
1 Tbsp torn fresh sage leaves
1/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
grated Parmesan cheese


To make the sauce and serve, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add the sage, peans and cranberries and let cook until the butter starts to brown, about 3 minutes. Turn the heat off and season with salt, and pepper.  Stir to combine. Cook the ravioli according to package directions.  Using a slotted spoon, gently spoon the ravioli onto a serving platter, top with the brown butter sauce, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

Naan

I've bought naan at the grocery store before and made pizzas with it.  This recipe for Naan, or Indian flatbread, was in Cooks Illustrated this month and Michael saw it and said he loves it.  He has a co-worker/friend that is from India and has taken Michael to eat Indian before.  This is a cuisine I know nothing about, other than to assume if something has curry in it, it's Indian.  So, I decided I'd make this and an Indian recipe to go with it.  We LOVED the naan, but it was not the same leftover.  It made 4 pieces, so it would be best if you had that many people.

I followed the directions and made the dough and then refrigerated it overnight, and I really think this makes a difference.  At first the dough was sticky as can be, but after a day of rest, it was very easy to work with.

1/2 cup water
1/3 cup plain whole milk yogurt (important to not use low fat)
3 Tbsp plus 1 tsp vegetable oil
1 large egg yolk
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt

In a small bowl, combine water, yogurt, 3 Tbsp oil, and egg yolk.  Process flour, sugar, and yeast in food processor until combined.  With processor running, slowly add water mixture; process until dough is just combined and no dry flour remains, about 10 seconds.  Let dough stand 10 minutes.
Add salt to dough and process until dough forms satiny, sticky ball that clears sides of work bowl, 30-60 seconds.  Transfer sought o lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 1 minute.  Shape into tight bowl and place in large, lightly oiled bowl.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 16-24 hours.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees.  Place heatproof plate on rack.  Transfer dough to lightly floured surface and divide into four equal parts.  Shape each piece into smooth, tight ball.  Place dough balls on lightly oiled baking sheet, at least 2 inches apart.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap coated with vegetable oil spray.  Let stand 20 minutes.
Transfer 1 ball to lightly floured surface and sprinkle with flour.  Using hands and rolling pin, press and roll pieces of dough into 9 inch round of even thickness, sprinkling dough with flour as needed to prevent sticking.  Using fork, poke entire surface of round 20-25 times.  Heat remaining 1 tsp oil in 12 inch cast iron skillet over medium heat until shimmering.  Wipe oil out of skillet completely with paper towels.  Mist top of dough lightly with water.  Place dough in pan, moistened side down.  Mist top surface of dough with water and cover.  Cook until bottom is browned in spots across the surface, 2-4 minutes.  Flip naan, cover, and continue to cook on second side until lightly browned, 2-3 minutes.  Flip naan, brush top with 1 tsp melted butter (I totally forgot to do this) and transfer to plate in oven.  Repeat rolling and cooking with remaining 3 dough balls.  Once naan is finished, serve immediately.

Indian Dahl

This is the recipe I made to go with the naan.  It made me decide that I need a Vegetarian category, so I will work on going back and tagging other things that are vegetarian dishes that way.  This was the first time I'd ever cooked lentils and I think I slightly overcooked them and they were mushy, but that's ok.  I'll know better for next time.


1 cup red lentils
2 tablespoons ginger root, minced
1 teaspoon mustard seed
4 tomatoes, chopped
3 onions, chopped
1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander seed
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup water
salt to taste

Cook the lentils by boiling or pressure cooking until lentils are soft. (Pressure cooking is faster.)
In a skillet heat the oil and add mustard seeds. When mustard seeds begin to flutter, add onions, ginger, jalapeno peppers, and garlic. Saute until the onions and garlic are golden brown. Add coriander and cumin. Add chopped tomatoes. Saute the mixture well until tomatoes are well cooked.
Add water. Boil 6 minutes. Add cooked lentils, stirring well. Add salt to taste, stirring well.  Serve immediately.

M&M cookies

I made these classic, yummy cookies for a student of mine that was in the hospital over Spring Break.  It was right there at Easter, so I couldn't resist the urge for Easter M&Ms.  They are so pretty and pastel.  Obviously this is easy to make appropriate for any holiday because of the ease of buying the M&Ms for that time.


1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup M&Ms, divided (3/4 cup for batter and 1/4 cup for tops of cookies)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, add sugar, egg, butter, and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add flour, salt, and baking soda to creamed mixture. Blend well. Add 3/4 cup of M&M candies.  Drop dough by teaspoonful onto cookie sheet. Slightly push a few candies on top of each dough ball with remaining candies. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes.  

How to use the second pizza crust

I blogged a few weeks ago about finally finding a pizza crust recipe that I love.  Well, the thing is that it makes 2 crusts, as many recipes do...there's only 2 of us, so...

I decided to take the second one and make cheesy bread on one and put pesto on the other.  I ate these with the pizza and then along side a salad later in the week.  I thought it was a good use of the other crust.  Roll it out the same way and then for the cheesy one, I used garlic, butter, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese.  Yum.