Homemade Spaghetti Os

There are some childhood favorites that I will never outgrow. The Care Bears, wearing my hair in braids, and an intense love of reading (and authors like Roald Dahl and Shel Silverstein) are just a few of the things that have taken me from single digits to the present day. (I still have my Care Bears lunch box - no, I don't actually carry my lunch in it, but it does sit on my desk and still sees some use as a rather large pencil case.)

There are childhood food favorites as well, but most of them have grown up a bit. I still love macaroni and cheese (who doesn't?!) but it no longer comes in a blue box; it's homemade and uses real cheese rather than some strange fluorescent orange powder. Any time that I have a craving for those blue box inspired memories, I make the adult version and am not only transported back to childhood, but I have a meal made of whole ingredients that kids of all ages enjoy.

The same goes for that can of "o" shaped pasta swimming in cheesy tomato sauce... you know the one! There are some healthier organic versions available now that weren't around when I was a kid, but they are still loaded with sodium - and a little bit pricey for what you get. Pasta, tomato sauce and freshly grated cheese are a wholesome start to this meal that takes just a few minutes longer to cook from scratch than it does to heat up the contents of a can.

Homemade Spaghetti Os
30 oz tomato sauce
3 c water
2 t sugar
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t salt
1 c pasta (I use 3/4 c ditalini and 1/4 c stelline which are tiny tubes and stars; any small pasta will do)
1 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 T butter

-Stir together tomato sauce, water, sugar, garlic powder and salt and bring to a boil.
-Add pasta and turn heat to medium.
-Cover partially and simmer, stirring frequently, for 15 - 20 minutes or until the pasta is cooked. Be sure to stir constantly for the first 5 - 10 minutes so that the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
-Turn the heat to low and stir in the shredded cheese until melted.
-Add butter and stir until incorporated.
-Add salt to taste.

Tofu Scramble

I'm not really a morning person. I wake up early, sure, but I'm usually not too happy about it! I reach for a big mug of dark coffee in hopes that it warms not only my head but my hands as well. As I slowly thaw, my stomach starts rumbling and I'm ready for eggs! I could eat eggs for breakfast every day, plus an egg salad sandwich for lunch and maybe an egg with dinner when I have it over fried rice. That's a lot of eggs for one person! So, I try to eat eggs only at breakfast, but every day is still just too much. Oatmeal? Fresh fruit? Granola and yogurt? Nothing really gets me going in the morning quite like eggs for breakfast. Except tofu scramble. Say what?! Tofu for breakfast? Tofu that really starts your day off just like eggs would? I kid you not. This tofu scramble is so good, I sometimes prefer it rather than eggs! Plus, it is so packed with veggies that I automatically feel better starting my day off in such a healthy way. I make a batch at the beginning of the week and just reheat it as needed - it microwaves great! Healthier than eggs, easier to prepare, and yet just as tasty (maybe even tastier)... now that's something worth waking up for!

Tofu scramble comes together fairly quickly, so it's best to prep all of your ingredients before you get started cooking.

Grate the carrots and zucchini and chop your onions and garlic.

Squeeze the excess water from the tofu...

...and crumble it.

Now that you've got all of your ingredients ready, heat a large skillet with olive oil. Sauté the onion for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, zucchini and carrots and sauté for another 3 minutes. Add the tofu and soy sauce and sauté for about 6 minutes.

Stir in the nutritional yeast...

...and then the spinach. Cook until wilted.

Dig in!

 

Tofu Scramble

2 T olive oil

1 white or yellow onion, chopped

2 carrots, grated

2 zucchini, grated

3 cloves garlic, chopped

16 oz extra firm tofu, crumbled

2 T soy sauce

1/2 c nutritional yeast

6 oz spinach

 

-Heat olive oil in a pan over medium high heat.

-Sauté onions until transparent, about 3 minutes.

-Add the carrots, zucchini, and garlic to the pan and sauté for another 3 minutes.

-Add the tofu and soy sauce and cook, stirring frequently, for about 6 minutes.

-Stir in the nutritional yeast.

-Add the spinach and cook until wilted.

-Season with salt and pepper.

Pesto Rice Stuffed Tomatoes

Have you had stuffed tomatoes? Aren't they so good?! It's such a great way to keep enjoying tomatoes as summer becomes less about burgers and barbecues and starts looking towards crisp fall air and warm soups and casseroles. Not yet though! I'm not really ever ready to say goodbye to summer, but definitely not this early. Summer runs late here in Seattle, and sometimes our warmest, sunniest days are in September. That means still plenty of barbecues and camping for me! Yay!
Speaking of camping, I actually took these stuffed tomatoes on my last trip. I wanted a starch/grain to go with dinner that wasn't potatoes (I usually eat those with my eggs for breakfast, and twice in one day is a bit much). Brown rice is a wholesome option that goes great with the salmon I was going to grill, but cooking rice while camping just isn't how I like to spend my evening - especially brown rice, with its long simmer time.
That's when I started to think about stuffed tomatoes - what a great way to bring brown rice camping! I mean, it's totally prepared in its own edible packaging; all I would need to do was heat and serve. Genius! I wrapped them in foil and put them to the side of the grill while the salmon was cooking. I had a delicious campfire meal, without having to get up too often from that campfire!

I started by cutting the tops off of 2 large "on the vine" tomatoes.

I scooped out the pulpy insides...

...and then sprinkled a little salt into them before turning upside down on a rack. I let them sit for an hour or so to let any extra moisture drip out.

Stuff the tomatoes with a mixture of rice, pesto and mozzarella cheese and top with some parmesan. Bake for about 20 minutes.

Enjoy immediately (I drizzled a balsamic reduction over mine) or allow to cool and pack them up for a great side dish on the go!

Pesto Rice Stuffed Tomatoes
2 large on the vine tomatoes
1 c cooked rice
1/4 c shredded mozzarella
3 T pesto
2 T parmesan
salt

-Preheat oven to 375.
-Cut the tops off of the tomatoes and scoop out the insides.
-Sprinkle salt into the tomatoes and invert onto a wire rack; let sit for about an hour to allow any remaining liquid to drain out.
-Combine rice, mozzarella and pesto; fill tomatoes with mixture.
-Top with parmesan and bake for 20 minutes.

 

Blackberry Cornmeal Pancakes

It's blackberry season here in the Pacific Northwest, and my hands have been stained dark purple for a couple of weeks now. I just can't help myself when it comes to the abundant wild berries that seem to grow on just about every trail, field, or even street corner. I love the idea of going for a hike and coming home with dessert... or breakfast in this case! These pancakes were such a hit that I didn't even get to take any pictures. Oh well, just make them and you'll see for yourself!

Blackberry Cornmeal Pancakes
1 egg
1/2 t salt
2 T canola oil
1 c flour
1/2 c cornmeal
3 t baking powder
1 T sugar
1 1/2 c milk
2 c fresh blackberries
butter for the pan

-In a large bowl, beat together egg, salt and oil.
-In a separate bowl, mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder and sugar. Add it to the egg mixture along with milk and stir just until combined.
-Fold in berries.
-Heat pan to medium and melt a pat of butter.
-Use 1/4 c of batter per pancake; flip once it starts to bubble and turn golden brown.
-Serve immediately with a little more butter and some maple syrup.

Roasted Cherry Tomato & Goat Cheese Tart

I just couldn't resist picking up some more cherry tomatoes at the farmers market yesterday. Sweet and juicy, they're hard to pass up at this time of year.

I should have probably held off though, as when I got home I realized I had a LOT of tomatoes that needed to be eaten - pronto! Normally, I would set the oven on low and roast these little guys for a few hours, but it was a warm afternoon and I couldn't even THINK of leaving the oven on for that long. I was having trouble thinking of another way to use so many tomatoes... Hmmm...

That's when I thought of the puff pastry that I had in the freezer! This stuff is so easy to use, and it's sooo versatile - you can literally use it to make every course from appetizers to entrees to desserts. It makes everything seem just a little bit fancy, don't you think? Well, I think that these tarts are a bit fancy, especially considering the simplicity of the ingredients. Seriously, the puff pastry is the one to thank - it does all my dirty work while I just have to slice tomatoes.

Slice the cherry tomatoes (about 10 or so, depending on the size of your ramekin) in half and arrange cut side up. I like to use these crème brulee ramekins, but any oven safe dish will work - you can even make a large tart using a glass pie dish. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on the tomatoes and drizzle with olive oil.

I added some fresh summer savory that I also picked up at the farmers market; thyme or oregano will work great as well.
After you're tomatoes are all prepped and ready to go in the oven, roll out your (thawed) puff pastry sheet. Cut a piece of dough to be just a little bit larger than your ramekin/pie dish/whatever - don't worry about it being perfect! Lay the puff pastry over the tomatoes, just like putting the top layer onto a pie before baking. Put your tart(s) on a baking sheet and into a 400 degree oven for 20 - 25 minutes.

When it's done, the tart should look a little something like this. Wait a few minutes for it to cool, then carefully turn your dish upside down...

...so that the pastry is on the bottom and the tomatoes are on top. Dot with goat cheese immediately so that the warmth of the tart lightly melts the cheese.

Sprinkle a little more summer savory on top and enjoy immediately - these tarts are best when eaten warm. From the flaky pastry crust to the sweet and juicy tomatoes to the tangy goat cheese, you're going to make your mouth very, very happy... not to mention how relieved you'll feel that you're not still in the kitchen roasting tomatoes.

Roasted Cherry Tomato & Goat Cheese Tart
8 oz cherry tomatoes
5 oz goat cheese, crumbled
1 sheet puff pastry dough, thawed
1 bunch summer savory
olive oil
salt
pepper

-Preheat oven to 400.
-Slice tomatoes and arrange cut side up in either (roughly) 4 ramekins, 1 pie dish, or any shallow rimmed oven safe dish or pan.
-Season tomatoes with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
-Cut pieces of puff pastry to be just a little larger than your ramekins.
-Place dough on top of tomatoes and put all ramekins on a baking sheet.
-Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 3 - 5 minutes.
-Invert tarts onto serving dish and immediately top with goat cheese (about 1 oz per tart) and additional summer savory.
-Enjoy while warm.

 





Nacho Cheeseless Dip

I love cheese! Love, love, love!! I love it in every style, shape, color, and flavor that you can think of. I eat cheese with almost every meal - in my eggs at breakfast, on my sandwich at lunch, with my pasta at dinner... and as a snack with crackers and a glass of wine. Wow - that's a lot of cheese for one person! As you can see, I need to reign in this cheese addiction habit before it's too late - I don't want to have to give up my brie! So, I'm turning another cheesy favorite of mine into something a little less, well... cheesy.

But I promise that it will still satisfy all of your cheesy snack cravings! Seriously!

Grab yourself a beer and toast to living the good life... and save the cheese for another night.

 

Nacho Cheeseless Dip

3/4 c cashews

1/4 c water

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1/4 c nutritional yeast

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 T fresh lemon juice

1/2 t salt

1/2 t chili powder

1/8 t cayenne (optional)

 

-Combine all ingredients in a food processor, blend until incorporated.

-Enjoy immediately or chill for a thicker dip.



 







Rosemary Lemonade



It's time to sit back, relax...

 ...and enjoy these last weeks of summer.

All you need are some lemons...

...and some rosemary...

...a blanket, or a hammock, or a nice, grassy spot... where you can kick off your shoes...

...and say cheers! To summer!

Rosemary Lemonade
1 c freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 5 - 6 lemons)
6 1/2 c water, divided
1 c sugar
2 sprigs rosemary
lemon slices and rosemary sprigs (optional garnish)

-Bring 1 1/2 c water, sugar and rosemary to a boil.
-Stir until sugar is dissolved (3 - 4 minutes).
-Cover and remove from heat, allowing rosemary to steep.
-After rosemary simple syrup has cooled slightly, combine with freshly squeezed lemon juice and remaining 5 c water.

-Serve over ice; garnish with lemon slice and rosemary sprig.

Feta Garlic Dill Cream Cheese

I love bagels!! I know, I know... bagels with cream cheese are NOT a smart way to start the day. No whole grains, barely any protein, no fruit or veggies - but SO good!! I just can't resist! There's just something about the crispy, crusty outside combined with the soft, doughy inside of a freshly baked bagel.

A toasted bagel smeared with cream cheese along with a big mug of coffee is my favorite way to start the day.

I don't really have much of a sweet tooth, it's more like a savory tooth! Everything bagels are always my first bagel choice, and I love it when the garlic, onion, sesame and poppy topping also has salt in it. That's right - kosher salt just like a soft pretzel. The salt is used sparingly to make the other flavors that much more savory, that much more delicious. This is where the feta comes in. I started out by sprinkling a little feta on my cream cheese bagel, and the salt in the feta was just enough to bring out the salt on the bagel; just enough to make all of those savory flavors sing. I used some dill to keep things light and fresh, and garlic... well, because it's garlic and you can't ever have too much garlic! This feta garlic dill cheese is also delicious on crackers - especially everything crackers! I also like to put a couple of spoonfuls into scrambled eggs. All of this talk about breakfast is making me hungry!

I have extra bagels and a French press pot of coffee... care to join me?

 

Feta Garlic Dill Cream Cheese

2 8 oz packages cream cheese, at room temperature

8 oz feta (in block form, not the crumbles)

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3/4 oz fresh dill (one small clamshell)

-Mix all ingredients. Chill overnight for all of the flavors to come together. 

 



Spring Onion Sesame Soba Noodles

I don't know about you, but as much as I love summer side dishes, I'm ready for a change. There's only so much mayonnaise that one person can take! (And I LOVE mayo, especially when it's homemade!) I'm ready for something light and cool to fill that place on my plate where macaroni salad and potato salad usually reside.

I had a huge grocery bag overflowing with spring onions from a friend's garden. Spring onions are great because they're so mild - kind of like a scallion but less delicate.

I had so many spring onions that I decided to make a sauce using a whole bunch of 'em... kind of like an Asian-style pesto, with spring onions instead of basil and sesame oil as opposed to olive.

I basically sliced up the entire spring onion - white, light green, and dark green parts.

I threw the onions into the food processor and gave it a quick pulse before drizzling in the oil and spices.

Just like a traditional pesto, the sauce was paired with noodles - in this case, I used soba noodles. Soba is the Japanese name for buckwheat, so these noodles are whole grain... something my body  would certainly prefer after all of those mountains servings of potato salad.

 

Spring Onion Sesame Soba Noodles

4 spring onions

2 cloves garlic

2 T freshly grated ginger

4 T sesame oil

2 T rice vinegar

4 T soy sauce

2 t honey

1/2 c toasted sesame seeds

4 c shredded carrots

8 oz soba noodles (whole wheat spaghetti works too)

spring onions (optional garnish)

 

-Cook soba noodles according to package directions. Rinse and set aside.

-Roughly chop onions. Put all parts in a food processor and pulse lightly.

-Add garlic and ginger. Pulse all.

-In a small jar or cup, mix sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce and honey. Turn food processor on and slowly drizzle the liquid into the onions, making a paste (just like pesto).

-Add onion "pesto" to soba noodles along with carrots and sesame seeds; chill before serving. -Garnish with sliced scallions if desired.