Posts filed under 'recipes'
Calzones (easy!)
I got this recipe from a friend last week and it was soooo fun I had to share!
Calzones
1 Cup part skim ricotta
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
4 ounces finely chopped (or ground) cooked ham
2 tsp oregano leaves
4 Pillsbury country biscuits
Preheat oven to 400F
In bowl combine first four ingredients; set aside. Roll each biscuit between 2 sheets of wax paper, forming four 6 inch circles; spoon 1/4 of cheese mixture onto centre of each. Moisten edges of dough slightly, then fold each circle over, turnover style, forming four calzones; using tines of fork, press edges to seal. Spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and place turnovers on sheets; bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve immediately.
Serve these with a small dish of spaghetti sauce on the side.
So of course I changed things up a bit. I was out of ham so ours were just cheese, I just rolled the biscuits on the counter and they turned out fine. I didn’t even moisten the edges with water, but probably should have. I also used only 1 tsp of oregano as that seemed like plenty. They turned out terrific and were so quick to make!
Add comment September 15, 2009
Summery Fettuccine Alfredo
I saw this recipe the other day on the Food and Wine website, and it looked so easy I had to try it out! Normally I find alfredo sauces way too heavy, but this one is so light and cheesy and yummy. And it literally took as much time to make as it took the pasta to cook. So easy! Here you go:
Recipe by Emily Kaiser
- Fast
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound fettuccine
- 1 cup thick whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup finely grated pecorino cheese (1 1/2 ounces), plus more for serving
- 1/4 cup chopped basil leaves
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the fettuccine until al dente. Reserve 3/4 cup of the pasta cooking water and drain the fettuccine well.
- Add the ricotta and the 1/2 cup of pecorino to the pot along with the reserved pasta cooking water; stir until smooth. Add the fettuccine and the basil, season with salt and pepper and toss. Serve in bowls, passing additional grated pecorino at the table.
Add comment September 3, 2009
Pork Medallions with Sweet Potatoes
I found this recipe in Chatelaine magazine a couple of years ago, but never made it until last week. First of all it was so easy to make. I made it on a weeknight, and it took 20 minutes total. It doesn’t require a lot of fancy ingredients, essentially sweet potatoes, pork and orange juice. I served it with a vegetable or salad and that is really all you need for the whole meal. The kids love it and so do my husband and I. I have already made it twice, it was such a big hit!
Pork Medallions with Sweet Potatoes
Lean pork tenderloin and super-nutritious sweet potato produce a substantial dinner.
Preparation time 10 min
Cooking time 18 min
Makes 2 servings
1 pork tenderloin
1/4 tsp (1 mL) each salt, ground pepper, chili flakes and dried thyme leaves
1 tbsp (15 mL) butter
1 large sweet potato, peeled
1/2 cup (125 mL) each orange or pineapple juice and water
1/4 cup (50 mL) whole or shredded mint leaves (optional)
1. Slice pork into thick rounds. Place in a bowl. Sprinkle with seasonings, then rub in. Melt butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add pork, then reduce heat to medium. Cook until deep golden, 3 min per side, then remove to a bowl.
2. Meanwhile, cut potato into large cubes. After pork is removed from pan, pour in juice and water. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up and stir in any brown bits from pan bottom. Add potato. Boil, then cover and reduce heat. Simmer, stirring often until tender, 10 to 12 min. Return pork and any juices back to pan. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pork is warm, about 2 min. Stir in mint.
First published in Chatelaine’s 10/2007 issue. © Rogers Media Publishing Inc.
Add comment February 25, 2009
Zesty Shrimp Pasta
With the kids’ food allergies I am always looking for healthy options that are different, yet quick to prepare. A while ago I got this recipe from Kraft.com (really!) and it is quite good. We had it again last night and the whole family enjoyed it.
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Zesty Shrimp and Pasta
What You Need
Make It
COOK pasta as directed on package.
MEANWHILE, heat 1/4 cup of the dressing in large skillet on medium heat. Stir in mushrooms, onions and artichokes; cook 3 min. or until onions are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Add shrimp and parsley; stir. Cook 2 min. or until shrimp are pink and vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.
DRAIN pasta; return to pot. Add shrimp mixture and remaining dressing; toss lightly. Sprinkle with cheese.
Zesty Shrimp Pasta
Enjoy!
Add comment January 27, 2009
Homemade Granola Recipe??
I had yogurt with granola on top of it yesterday and it just really hit the spot and I was wondering why I have never tried to make it myself. I just did a quick recipe search, and the recipes I found all seem to have nuts in them. So I am asking you readers out there – if anyone has a recipe for homemade granola that is nut-free, egg-free and preferably with no coconut either, please send it along – I will be most grateful!
Add comment November 26, 2008
Caramelized Brussels Sprouts
Okay when I was a kid the only food I vividly remember hating was Brussels Sprouts. I remember that every time my Mom would cook them my brother and I would fight about eating them and measure our sprouts to ensure we both had to eat the exact same amount. I am sure we drove her crazy. I have never cooked a brussels sprout in my home. Never. Turns out my husband hates them too. We really are the perfect match.
Last week, in the GOOP newsletter, Gwyneth posted a recipe for caramelized brussels sprouts. In the recipe she said she has converted many a brussels sprout hater. So I thought, why not? I would try it. I made it last night, and after my husband complained about having to try brussels sprouts, a funny thing happened. We LOVED them. Seriously. I had a whole bunch and so did my husband and son. My daughter was still not convinced, but three out of four is pretty good right?
Here is the recipe – thank you Gwyneth!
Caramelized Brussels Sprouts
These get deliciously sweet and crispy as they cook. I have
converted many a sprout cynic with this great
winter side dish.
TIME: 20 minutes
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Steam the sprouts for 7 minutes or until just tender. Let them
cool a bit and then cut each in half,
lengthwise. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over
medium-high heat. Place the Brussels
sprouts in a single layer, cut-side down (in batches
if necessary). Leave them for 4-5 minutes, allowing
them to brown thoroughly and evenly – don’t give
into the temptation to stir and toss them! Keep an
eye on them though – the key is to have the flame
high enough to brown them but low enough not to
burn them. When they’ve browned, flip each one
and let the other side get color, an additional
three minutes or so. Remove to a serving platter,
sprinkle with the salt, drizzle with your fine extra
virgin olive oil and squeeze the lemon over,
trying to get a bit of juice on each one. Delish.
1 comment November 25, 2008
Pancakes again…
A few days ago I posted a recipe for buckwheat pancakes. I hadn’t made them yet but was thinking about them all week. So I went out and bought some buckwheat flour, made sure I had bananas and threw them together yesterday. I used regular 2% milk as I don’t have a dairy allergy to deal with, but it didn’t seem to affect anything. When mixing the dry ingredients I realized there was no sugar added, just the maple syrup. This made me very happy as I figured if they tasted good and had no extra sugar I could make them a lot and not feel guilty! When I mixed the wet and dry ingredients together I thought it looked really runny and figured I must have done something wrong. I rechecked the ingredients and it was okay. The other thing I changed was I sliced only one banana and it was plenty for the amount of pancakes. I cooked them up on my griddle and served them to the kids…they loved them! My husband loved them too. I liked them a lot – they were light, tasty, not too sweet and very easy to make. Definitely a keeper recipe.
Add comment November 3, 2008
Buckwheat and Banana pancakes (egg+dairy+nut+gluten-free)
TIME: 15 minutes
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Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-high heat (I love Jamie Oliver’s nonstick cookware – it’s so slippery that I don’t need to use any oil or butter). Ladle as many pancakes as possible onto your griddle. Place a few slices of banana on top of each pancake. Cook for about a minute and a half on the first side or until the surface is covered with small bubbles and the underside is nicely browned. Flip and cook for about a minute on the second side. Repeat the process until you run out of batter. Serve stacked high with plenty of maple syrup.
Add comment October 29, 2008
Pumpkin Spice Muffins
I am in love with these muffins…I have already made them twice in one week…my friend sent me the recipe…
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped walnut halves
2 eggs
3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or grease; set aside.
In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, ginger, cloves and nutmeg; mix in 1/4 cup of the walnuts.
In separate bowl, whisk together eggs, pumpkin puree, oil and vanilla; pour over dry ingredients. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.
Spoon into prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle with remaining walnuts. Bake in centre of 375 C (190 C) oven until golden and tops are firm to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cook in pan on rack for 5 minutes. Transfer to rack; let cool.
Maple cream cheese spread:
Half a (250 g) package of cream cheese or light cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp icing sugar
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp vanilla
In bowl, beat cream cheese until light; beat in icing sugar, maple syrup and vanilla until blended.
Editor’s notes:
I have yet to add the icing – they are just fine without. I also don’t use walnuts as my daughter is allergic to nuts. Since my son is allergic to eggs I use 2 tbsp flax seed in 6 tbsp water instead of the eggs.
Add comment October 15, 2008
Yummy Dinner
I just made a really lovely pasta…it was a penne with basil, mustard and sausage. I got the recipe from Food and Wine magazine, which is one of my best sources for good food. The kids loved it but found it very spicy so maybe next time I make it I will use a medium sausage instead of the spicy. My husband and I loved it! It was also very very easy to make. Here is the recipe:
Pasta with Sausage, Basil and Mustard
TOTAL TIME: 20 MIN
SERVES: 4
ingredients
- 1 pound penne or medium shells
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 hot Italian sausages, meat removed from casings and crumbled (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 3/4 cup dry white wine
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons grainy mustard
- Pinch of crushed red pepper
- 1 cup thinly sliced basil
directions
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente; drain. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the sausage meat and brown over moderately high heat, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and simmer, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the cream, mustard and crushed red pepper and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat, add the pasta and basil and toss to coat. Serve at once.
Add comment October 4, 2008
