Steamed Shrimp & Vegetable Dumplings

Merry (belated) Christmas everyone! Hope you all had a fabulous holiday break even if it was just a day or two. My sister-in-law, Kathy, was my secret santa this year & part of my present that she got me was a bamboo steamer! Like the food nerd that I am I couldn’t wait to try it & I did. I love it. I don’t know why I never felt the need to get one before but now I’m so glad I have one - Thanks Kathy! It makes me feel healthier just thinking about it (- hello 2015 resolutions)!

I usually buy the veggie gyoza at Trader Joe’s & sometimes the shrimp ones. I love them & probably will continue to buy them & stash them in my freezer but I wanted to try my hand at making my own. After perusing the inter webs for a dumpling recipe I collected my findings & an inventory of what I had on hand to come up with this light but tasty recipe. 

Do you have a bamboo steamer? If so, what do you make in yours?

Roasted Fennel, Mushrooms & Leeks with Grits

I really try my best to not repeat things for dinner. Granted sometimes, most times, I do. But let’s be honest that wouldn’t make for a very interesting blog so I mixed things up with some grits, mainly because I didn’t have the quick cooking polenta that this recipe called for so I combined it with the grits recipe that I made this summer. I think it turned out pretty tasty.

I thought the roasted fennel would be the star of this dish - don’t get me wrong I loved it - but what really did it for me were the roasted mushrooms. Y U M. They seemed to get a deeper flavor by roasting them in the oven than what I get when I make them on the stove top, which only means one thing - we’ll be eating a lot more roasted mushrooms in our house. Plus, you can really just love ’em & leave ’em in the oven while you do other stuff - & that is one thing I can get used to.

Happy Friday! Have the best weekend :)

Better Home Cooking Basics: #48 Make your Lettuce Last Longer in a Container with a Paper Towel.

Every week I buy a large container of organic baby lettuces. On a good week I’ll finish the whole package spread out between meals. On a bad week I’ll scrunch up my nose & throw away my greens (& hard earned cash with it) because the tender baby lettuce leaves have wilted & worse have become mushy & have started to ooze some weird liquid that forms a nice sludge at the bottom of the container.

Thirsty Thursday: Vegetarian Wine Pairing

I love veggies, as you’ve probably picked up from reading any of the posts here.  When Tamara from Bottle Rush offered a wine pairing for one of my favorite veggie comfort foods I took notes.  This week we’re sticking with another light red to embrace the warm weather: Barbera d’Alba. Tamara says it’s a great match for one of her (& my!!) favorite comfort foods - eggplant rollatini. Why is it so great? Because “the acidity cuts through the richness of the cheese but at the same time beautifully complements the tomato sauce.”

Cheers to another Thirsty Thursday!

Remember, if you are interested in seeing a specific dish you’ve seen here (or elsewhere) paired with the perfect wine, let us know by leaving a comment below.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Honey, Sriracha & Lime

According to the ground hog we’re in for 6 more weeks of winter, sigh. So crank your ovens & continue winter veggie roasting.  This time try these brussel sprouts with a kick (sriracha, lime juice & honey). The original recipe calls for frying the individual leaves - which Itried & failed miserably in the patience department & wanting to clean up after - so I roasted them instead.

Roasted Cauliflower with Gremolata Bread Crumbs

Instead of making mashed potatoes, try roasting your cauliflower instead. It’s surprisingly simple & the white color with roasted tips makes it look like a tasty carb but in fact it’s a veggie - win!  If you want to add a little crunch add the bread crumb topping - if you’re cutting out carbs skip it, it’s great just roasted with olive oil, salt, pepper & lemon juice (like I made here).

I used this recipe I found on food52.com & I’ll definitely be making this cauliflower (or as Chris calls it “white broccoli”) again.

How do you make your cauliflower?

PS: If you love this cauliflower you may also love these green beans &/or this roasted squash!

Creamy Double Pumpkin Pasta

I made fresh pumpkin pasta that I posted about last week.  My lovely sister-in-laws were quick to ask what I served it with so I'm sharing that today. I served my pumpkin pasta with a pumpkin sauce. More is more, right?

In my mind, pumpkin sauce was the perfect match for pumpkin pasta.  Don't worry the pumpkin flavor is actually pretty mild but still tasty (read: it doesn't overdo it). If you don't have pumpkin pasta I would still recommend making this sauce (then you can call your dish creamy pumpkin pasta). It's creamy & when you add the fresh veggies like I did it's a pretty healthful dish (yes there is some cream & cheese in there but the bulk of it is veggies - so eat up!).

P.S. Happy Halloween!

Grilled Zucchini with Chickpeas, Raisins & Garlic-Yogurt Sauce

I'm definitely a creature of habit. I like what I like. I usually like to eat at the same handful of places for lunch, if I haven't (responsibly) packed one.  When I go grocery shopping I usually buy the same ingredients with a little variation here and there depending on sales and seasonal things.  Last night I was in the mood for something familiar but different. I've been eating zucchini all week. I love it and I rarely get tired of it. According to the Today Show it's in season - so there you go - now is the time to zucchini it up.  I usually just sauté it with some other veggies like I did here but after finding Caroline Wright's recipe on food52.com's under $20, in under 20 minute meals I was on my way to buy some more zucchini.

This grilled squash with chickpeas, raisins and garlic-yogurt sauce hits all different bells and whistles that I think would be served somewhere exotic, like Morracco.  The chickpeas have a bit of pop to them in texture and even more so with the hot and sweetly warm spices.  The grilled zucchini is toothsome and even better with grill marks.  To top it off there's creamy garlic-yogurt sauce.  For those of you who think eating vegetarian food is for the birds, try this hearty dish and you'll be singing a different tune.

I am definitely adding this dish to my regularly scheduled programming.

Mushroom Ravioli with Sautéed Veggies

After a long weekend of being spoiled by deliciously decadent wedding festivities and meals we came home to a nearly bare fridge.  So this dish is actually whatever was left in my fridge/freezer plus some fresh ingredients I picked up at the market up the street on my way home from work.  It's kind of a nod to these melting tomatoes  plus some other veggies. The mushroom ravioli as well as the s‪autéed‬ mushrooms make this dish a meaty meatless dish.

Grilled Green Beans with Feta Cheese

Everything tastes so much better on the grill, even if it's burnt well charred.  These green beans are quick side to make & eat hot or at room temp.

Ingredients

• 1 lb washed & stemmed green beans
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Make it!

1. Pre-heat your grill or a grill pan to medium-high heat.
2. Grill beans about 6-7 minutes or until tender.
3. In a bowl mix olive oil, vinegar, salt & pepper.
4. Toss grilled green beans, dressing & crumbled feta together.
5. Serve hot or at room temp (it's probably good cold too!).

Braised Brussel Sprouts

I've been reading My Berlin Kitchen (as you now if you read Monday's blog).  I was transfixed by Luisa's description of braised endive & was eager to try it.  Alas, no endive at our house but I did have an awkward little pint of brussel sprouts. 

I've always had a weird relationship with these little cabbage patch heads, that's what I used to think they were when I was a little girl.  I liked them then because they were novel in my ten year old eyes.  I was eating toys after all & that was werid cool.  I didn't particularly like the taste but I was able to day dream past that.

Then I rediscovered brussel sprouts when Chris & I hosted his family at our apartment for the first time as a couple.  My father-in-law, John, loves them, so I figured I'd make them for his birthday that we were celebrating. Roasted brussel sprouts are a rookie mistake when cooking for a big family who is also very hungry.  After what seemed like forever they were finally cooked enough to serve. They were tasty but the center was still pretty al dente & the outside was very well done. Not an epic fail but not a complete win either.

I recently read a recipe somewhere (maybe Whole Living) that instructs to remove the core of the brussel sprout before cooking them - GENIUS!!!  It goes under my growing mental why-didn't-I-think-of-that list. Then I got to thinking Luisa instructs to remove the core of endives when she braises them. And then the wheels in my brain started to turn.

Next thing I knew I had conjured up the best tasting brussel sprouts I've ever had. Maybe I was just hungry (so anything would taste good) but I'm definitely going to make these again.

Click though to view the complete recipe.
PS: there's still time to win a bottle of Sheswai Lacquer.  Enter to win now!

Veggie Fettuiccine Alfredo

I watched Mario Batali make this version of fettucini alfredo on TV a while ago & used it as inspiration for our Sunday supper with my own little flare of course.  Click through for my version of his recipe.

Have a great week & happy October (OMG!!! time flies).

Grilled Baby Spring Veggies

Sometimes I buy things solely on the packaging - I'll always be a graphic designer and shopaholic at heart -  it's just natural (for me). I've come to the conclusion that mother nature is the best packaging designer I know.  Take these baby zucchinis for instance.  They pack a vibrant green punch in the cutest compact mini packaging! I had to have them as soon as I saw them.  In the same supermarket sweep I found these mini heirloom tomatoes.  Color. Cuteness. Sweetness. Done. Done. And. Done.  They all came home with me.

The best thing about these fresh spring veggies is they are in season and super tastey on their own.  I skewered them and grilled them naked (as in no salt, no pepper, no oil).  These are great served on their own or tossed with some greens.  They're so tender you don't even need a knife.

tip: When grilling veggies on skewers put like veggies on the same skewers as they have the same cooking time that way you're not over or under cooking any of them.

Roasted Chicken Dinner Sandwiches

I really love to make dinner for my hubby.  He is my biggest fan and makes me feel like I'm a five star chef when I'm really just a wanna-be.  One of his favorite things that I make are sandwiches.  I owe my sandwich skills to my days working as a barista at Immaculate Consumption in college. I leaned to make some mean sandwiches and will forever be inspired.

Monday nights are great for sandwich dinners - they're quick, easy and tastey!  This Monday I made roasted chicken with a marinated cucumber salad on ciabatta bread. They're really pretty easy to make and you only need some chicken, veggies and bread!

Read on to learn how I made them: