Homemade Ravioli

This was a Martha Stewart "Quick Ravioli" recipe that is not so quick. It is faster than making the pasta sheets yourself but not a 30 minute meal either. This recipe is still somewhat time-consuming, but worth the effort. It makes dozens so it is perfect for a nice dinner for hosting a small group or a special occasion for a significant other. It also works great for leftover won tons or egg roll wrappers that you struggle to use before they go dry.

My mother and I have since revamped Martha's recipe to include more goody fillings and some variations on sauces. A friend reminded me of these raviolis when I realized I don't have a big variety of vegetables in my recipes, especially broccoli. When it occurred to me that my ravioli recipe is vegetarian, I was so excited to post it.

Homemade Ravioli

1/2 pint of ricotta cheese

Italian herbs (basil, oregano, rosemary, parsley, etc)

1 pint mushrooms, preferably baby bellos

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 head broccoli, steamed

garlic salt/pepper

Parmesan cheese (optional)

1 pack of egg roll sheets (available in the vegetarian section)

2 chicken or vegetable bullion cubes

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted

fresh basil

1/4 cup olive oil

Steam broccoli by snipping broccoli florets from the stem and laying them in a single layer in a steam basket over a shallow pot of boiling water. Cover and check on after 5 minutes. When broccoli is bright green and tender it is done. If you do not have a steam basket you can put broccoli in a Ziplock bag with some water (1 inch) and microwave for one minute. This is not preferred since cooking plastic can put toxins in your food, but there are great alternatives that are now on the market.

Preheat oven 400 degrees and toast walnuts until fragrant, no more than 10 minutes. Sauté mushrooms in a little bit of olive oil and minced garlic over medium heat. Season with garlic salt and pepper. I love garlic but if you think fresh, minced and garlic seasoning are too much, just use coarse salt and pepper to season. Chop broccoli florets and mushrooms and add to 1/2 cup ricotta cheese. Mix well, adding Italian seasoning or fresh Italian herbs, if available. If you want to use some grated parm to add a little more taste, do a few tablespoons in the ricotta mix.

Martha uses won ton wrappers for her ravioli, which I did for the longest time, but find that they are much more time-consuming. I take one egg roll wrapper and cut in half with a pizza cutter, or any straight cutter, and fill one side of the half-wrapper with one tablespoon mix. I wet a square around the mix and fold over. The won ton wrappers are not square and are more likely to break when boiling. Do not use more than 1 tbsp of the mix or the ravioli will bust from the moisture of the ricotta. Since this is the most time-consuming part of the meal you will allow plenty of time for the wrappers to stick together before you boil them.

Start a pot of boiling water and add a bullion cube. The chicken adds the most flavor but if you are a strict vegetarian the vegetable bullion also adds flavor. Boil no more than three raviolis at at time or they will get too crowded or you might lose them. Time the raviolis for 2-3 minutes. It will not take long for them to boil and over boiling will cause them to break. These are very delicate raviolis so be careful and don't get frustrated. Pile the raviolis on top of one another on a rimmed plate to keep them moist while you boil the rest. Do not put down a paper towel because they will stick.

Serve raviolis with 1/2 tbsp olive oil, toasted walnuts and julienne-cut basil or some more parm if you prefer. For a lighter sauce use 1/4 cup pasta water with 1-2 tbsp of pesto.

Stuffed Pablano Peppers (Cheap Meal)

Yeah! We get to collect our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) starting today. To celebrate, I am giving you a great recipe that is made cheap with cabinet staples and local produce.

Chiles Rellenos Recipe - Every Day with Rachael Ray

The only stuffed pepper recipe I made was my mother's, which is stuffed with habaneros, meat and goat cheese. It is very rich and set-your-mouth-on-fire. So this "lighter" version was a pleasant surprise.

Stuffed Pablano Peppers

4 pablano peppers

1 tbsp minced garlic

1/2 white onion, chopped

1 pint button mushrooms, sliced

1 can roasted tomatoes, drained

1 box prepared rice e.g. wild rice, Mexican rice or dirty rice

3 oz. pepper jack cheese, shredded

salt/pepper

1 can refried beans or homemade beans

Prepare rice according to package instructions. Set oven to broil. Spray each side of the peppers with oil. Broil peppers 10 minutes and turning after 5 minutes. Be careful not to leave the kitchen while peppers are broiling. The skin should be slightly charred and blistered. Let peppers cool completely. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees.

Heat a non-stick, large frying pan on medium. Add garlic and chopped onion. You may not have to add any oil depending on the quality of your pan. If needed, add no more than one tsp oil. Once onion has browned, add mushrooms. Once mushrooms have sautéed, add canned tomatoes. I used Hunt's roasted tomatoes and you can really tell they're roasted. Using canned items also helps to keep this dish cheap and convenient. Once the rice is done, stir in adequate amount of rice to pan.

The original recipe does not include rice, but I felt rice was a good way to make the meal more filling and stuff the peppers full. A healthy option was Uncle Ben's wild rice. However, the last time I made these I used a dirty rice mix, sans meat, and it was delicious! Zatarain's actually has a fat free dirt rice, but the salt content is outrageous. Be sure to check your rice nutrition list to alter your salt or fat additions. You also don't need to use the entire box of rice; I used about 3/4 of a prepared box. Have a good mixture of vegetables and rice, and likely you will have leftover stuffing for breakfast burritos or some other dish.

Stir in shredded cheese until mixture is warm and cheese melts. This is a great recipe if you are needing to use that little bit of cheese sitting in your fridge. You don't necessarily need to use the pepper jack since the peppers are hot as they are. So any type of Mexican cheese mix will do. The last time I made these I definitely went overboard with the cheese and it is truly not as appetizing, so be sparing.

The one pain in the boot about this recipe is the stuffing. You want to lightly cut the pepper so that you don't cut all the way through like I did with two of them. Make sure the peppers are cool so that you don't tear them as easily and you don't scold yourself. Getting the seeds out was definitely the most difficult part. I don't have much of a suggestion: cut the "bulb" of the seeds and get as many out as you can. I did a poor job of removing the seeds. I didn't think it would make much of a difference with so much stuffing and rice. But they lit me up! And I am pretty good with hot stuff. When stuffing, hold the pepper in your palm and spoon stuffing into one side and try to open the other side and fold over. The more you get in the pepper, the easier it gets.

And you definitely want to make the beans as a side dish. It made a huge difference to the combination of peppers, vegetables, and rice. And it's a good source of protein for this dish. You can buy canned refried beans (makes a cheaper meal if you do), but of course it is always better to make them yourself. If using canned, I add the beans to a small sauce pan and stir in vegetable broth over low heat. You want the beans creamy when you top your hot peppers.

Refried Beans

1 can pinto beans

1-2 garlic cloves, crushed

1.5 tbsp olive oil, separated

1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped

1 shallot, chopped (or 1/4 red onion)

cumin

chili powder

salt/pepper

Rinse beans and add to small pot of boiling water. Boil for about 10-15 minutes or until beans are soft. You can add a cube of chicken broth or beef broth if you are okay with that, just to add some more flavor. Meanwhile, sauté onion and pepper in garlic and 1/2 tbsp olive oil. Season with cumin and chili powder. Drain beans, reserving some liquid. Process beans in food processor. Slowly pour in remaining tbsp oil. Add pepper/onion and process; add some reserved liquid if mixture becomes too thick. Season with coarse salt and pepper.

We got all our vegetables from the farmer's market and had the canned goods already at home. This can be a very cheap meal if you stock up on canned goods when they go on sale at your grocer. This was a big hit in my house, so I hope you enjoy.

Homemade Granola Breakfast

I got this recipe from Martha Stewart's Everyday magazine for Maple-Nut Granola. This is one of her easier granola recipes because it uses cabinet staples and you don't have to dig around some healthfood store for barley flakes and wheat bran.

A few things to note: I used more nuts than was recommended, about 1/2 cup each. I prefer more protein in the morning to keep me awake and full before lunchtime. I do use pecans and almonds, but you can also use walnuts. Be sure to use the raw, unsalted, unroasted kind. Otherwise they will taste overdone when baked with the granola. I also add a few sprinkles of cinnamon pieces or grated cinnamon stick. If you have it in stock, pour 1/4 cup of ground flax seeds in the mix. The good fat is great for your heart and helps you stay full in the morning.

And DO NOT cook granola for 30 minutes as recommended. I bake for about 15 minutes, stirring once when the granola smells very fragrant. Seriously, stay close to the oven when you bake this because it will burn easily. As your granola cools, it will get crisp.

I use about 1/3 - 1/2 cup of fat free Greek yogurt - Fage is my favorite but kind of expensive; Oikos is also good. Honestly, I would never recommend fat free anything, but this yogurt is so rich and the granola so flavorful, you really don't need the extra calories. If you try the fat free and don't like it, go with the 2% instead. Beware there are Greek yogurt brands that are VERY fatty; always check the label.

Stir in one packet of splenda or 1 tsp of honey (nature's sugar) in the yogurt. Top with a handful of granola and 1/2 - 1 whole banana, sliced. I am not one to eat the same things often, but this has been my daily breakfast for weeks at a time. It has the protein from the yogurt and nuts; whole grains from the oats and a whole serving of fruit. And it is very easy to transfer this breakfast to work or assemble at work if needed.

If you do tire of the same yogurt and granola breakfast, use the same ingredients to make Crunch Berry Pancakes. I know it sounds like a kid's cereal, but they are fantastic and not bad for you. Instead of blueberries and raspberries, I used fresh strawberries. I think this recipe will go with any kind of berry you have in stock. Just make sure you do chop the fruit to avoid lumpy pancakes. I did not use the butter or powdered sugar and they were sweet enough to eat without syrup. A perfect Sunday morning breakfast.

What's in Season? Asparagus

Okay, I have a cholesterol/blood pressure check this week, so I need to be ultra-conscious of saturated fats this week. To celebrate my new William Sonoma "it costs what?" gourmet pizza cutter, we are making pizza his week.

Let me preface by saying I do not like asparagus. It was one of those vegetables on the ultimate vegetable list that I was hoping would be at the bottom. However, it is packed full of folate and other vitamins I don't regularly get in my every day diet. So when I learned that asparagus was in season right now, I figured I needed to find a recipe I like with the little pegs. I was inspired by this photo.

Yes, another pizza, but I did go out on a limb and use the whole wheat dough that is sold at Trader Joes. I tried this kind several months ago and hated it, but I figured if we are going all vegetarian, then there is no sense in adding white flour to the recipe. Since I hardly leave a crust on my pizza and I have wall to wall toppings, it was not so bad as I remember. This pizza is so packed with flavor, you really can go with the whole wheat without effort.

When I buy basil, I get it in huge bunches that I can hardly use in one setting before it goes bad. You have one of two options here: make your own pesto or freeze for a later use. At first I thought there is no way frozen and revived herbs are going to taste good, but Martha has a tip for freezing herbs with oil in ice cub trays. This works great for the same tiny trays you use for freezing tomato paste. I used two cubes and sautéed with garlic until melted before adding vegetables. Groceries have also started to sell tubes of herbs for easy storage. Can be expensive though.

Colorful Asparagus Pizza

1 serving whole wheat pizza dough (homemade or Trader Joe variety)
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 ice cubes of frozen basil or fresh or tube basil
1 bunch asparagus, cut in 1.5 inch stems starting from the top (don't use think end of stalk)
1/2 - 1 pint grape tomatoes (yes grape, not cherry), cut in half
1/2 - 1 pint mushrooms (I used baby bellos but whatever you prefer will work)
2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette
handful baby spinach, chopped
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
Italian seasoning
Asiago/Parm cheese blend (Trader Joes has the best but Sargento has great-tasting low-fat Italian cheese blend too) Nutrition Action has some good cheese recommendations.

Heat your pizza stone, if using, in the oven at 450 degrees. Normally I will just turn on the oven and shove the stone in while the oven preheats so you don't lose any cooking time. Roll out your dough into a thin crust. Dust cooking sheet with corn meal to keep dough from sticking. Put dough on hot pizza stone or baking sheet. Stab with a fork several times to let air bubbles out and bake for 8 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Saute basil oil cubes with garlic until melted and brown. First add asparagus and saute until bright green. Add grape tomatoes and cook until soft. I chose grape tomatoes for this recipe for two reasons (1) tomatoes are not in season and the grapes were the only ones available at TJs and (2) the grapes are less juicy and keep their shape better when soft or baked. Add mushrooms when vegetables are about done. Stir in vinaigrette. The dressing should have enough salt for the vegetables, but you might want to add some black pepper.

When the crust is slightly cooled, spread the ricotta edge to edge. I like using ricotta for pizza because vegetables need some "stick" to the pizza and it makes for a lighter taste. You can use tomato sauce if you like. You can add the Italian seasoning to the ricotta or top the pizza with it. Top ricotta with fresh spinach and vegetables. I used a slotted spoon for the vegetables to avoid too much of the dressing from getting on the pizza. Top with asiago cheese blend.


Bake for 15-20 minutes or until you get the desired browning. I tried to take photos while I made my dish to give some direction. I look like a messier cook than I really am. But this pizza was a perfect color and texture. I thought it would feed us for days but it goes fast. Enjoy!

Vegetable Panini

As some of you know, I do not have cable. I have not had cable or satellite since the invention of TiVo, so The Cooking Channel and other wonderful food stations are not part of my routine. However, since we got our converter boxes, we have found that network television is attempting to complete with their cable rivals with their own versions of The Weather Channel, American Movie Classics and The Food Network. Live Well hosts "Let's Dish" which features a lot of low-calorie, everday foods. The Grilled Vegetable Panini is one of their better dishes. I made a few adjustments, but there is a video online if you want visual instructions.

Vegetable Panini

1 zucchini, sliced 1/2 inch
1 pint baby bellos, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
1/4 c plus 2 tbsp reduced fat Italian dressing
pumpernickel or whole grain bread (the sturdy kind)
low-fat slices of provolone cheese
sliced tomato
lettuce

I did not grill my vegetables; however, if you have an in-home grill or leftover grilled vegeies, those are great for this sandwich.

Mix 1/4 cup of Italian dressing with zucchini, mushrooms and red onion. It is better to use a reduced fat or low fat dressing with this meal as opposed to fat as opposed to fat free so that you don't have to add any oil to saute the vegetables. Saute vegeies in hot pan until soft.

Brush one slice of bread with remaining Italian dressing. Top other slice with vegetables and cheese. Toast in toaster oven (or conventional oven at 375 degrees) until cheese is melted and toast is brown. The cheese melting with the vegetables helps to keep the vegetables in tact. Nothing is more frustrating than food falling apart as you eat it. Layer vegetables with sliced tomoato and lettuce.

Grilled Portobellos with Summer Couscous

Hopefully you all had as wonderful a week as we did. The spring warmth and sunny skies can only mean one thing: it's grillin' time! Grilling is a wonderful and tasty way to cut down on oils used for cooking. However, new studies have shown that overcooking food has damaging health effects, so be cautious (look in Nutrition Action archives under September 2009).

Nutrition Action (look for July/August 2009) features some recipes in their journal. There are very few recipes I have tried from this journal because, frankly, they are too healthy. I wish I was one of those people who only ate the fruits and vegetables needed to get through the day, but I LOVE food; I love to cook food, read about food, try different foods, etc. For this reason, I need food that tastes and sometimes no oil, steamed vegies with a side of quinoa does not do it for me.

Quinoa has been all the craze lately because of its grain consistency and overwhelming nutritional value in iron. Unfortunately, due to a bad experience in my home, we have not caught onto the hype. Yes, quinoa is good for you, but the texture is too close to contemporary couscous and cooking it was a disaster. Not to say you won't have a wonderful experience with quinoa, but for this recipe I have substituted Israeli couscous. The consistency is closer to rice or orzo.

Grilled Portobellos with Summer Couscous

4 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crush or 4 tsp minced garlic
1/4 c balsamic vinaigrette
2 tbsp soy sauce (low sodium if you have it)
4 portobello caps
2 red bell peppers, ribs removed and sliced (green bells are cheaper but I think red are better for this recipe)
1/2 red onion, sliced
1/2 box prepared Israeli couscous (about 2 cups)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 bunch basil, julienne cut
2 oz feta cheese crumbles (seasoned for plain)

Make marinade: whisk 3 tbsp oil, garlic, vinaigrette, and soy sauce. Season with fresh pepper (the soy sauce makes up for the salt, don't add in addition). Using a pastry brush, saturate mushrooms, peppers and onions with marinade. If you don't have a pastry brush, add marinade and vegetables in a plastic bag and soak for a few minutes. Marinades help keep grilled foods from overcooking.

Set grill to medium (or whatever you call 'medium' on your charcoal grill). The vegetables will grill much better in a grill basket. Continue to baste vegetables with marinade until soft and slightly charred, about 5-10 minutes.

Toss prepared Isreali couscous with 1 tbsp oil, tomatoes, basil and feta. Season with fresh ground salt and pepper. You can add other vegetables to this side dish as well. I added some leftover zucchini that I slightly sauted. Also try cucumber, mushrooms or minced shallot. Serve couscous side with vegetables.

This is one of those recipes that you make when it's a warm night and you don't want a heavy meal OR you want to gorge into some dessert but not take on too much guilt for it. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Burritos ala Ross

Yea, an original recipe for once! This is my mother's vegetarian burritos recipe. This meal will convert any meatatarian, even for one night.

Vegetarian Burritos

1 box Uncle Ben’s wild rice, original recipe (not the quick cooking kind)
1 can black beans, preferably organic
1 small white onion, chopped
2 jalapeños, chopped and seeded to liking
Cumin
Chili powder
Garlic, freshly crushed or minced
Velveta cheese slices (I know! but it’s not the same without this wonderful cheese food)
6’ or 8’ tortillas, preferably whole wheat or low carb
Burrito toppings: low fat sour cream/2% Greek yogurt, favorite salsa, cilantro, guacamole (preferably homemade)

Cook rice according to box instructions. Drain and rinse black beans. Sauté chopped onion and pepper in oil and garlic until soft. Season with salt/pepper and cumin and chili powder. I like it hot, so keep the seeds if you prefer. The rice in the burritos will mild the spiciness.

Once the rice is done, stir in the black beans and vegetables. Steam tortillas according to Amy’s instructions (see Tupelos). Layer tortilla with one (1) slice of velveta. The velveta slices come in normal and super thickness. It actually tastes better with the thinner slices. Top the cheese with the bean and rice mixture. Let sit until cheese melts. Fold and lay seam-side down.

Top burritos with your favs. I prefer sour cream, salsa and cilantro (see why cilantro is kickbutt in blog post). My husband prefers salsa and guac. I have learned to interchange Greek yogurt and sour cream, especially the 2% kind. You get a much better bang of protein with Greek yogurt and less fat. The creaminess is about the same with low fat sour cream and 2% yogurt. Beware, this is not a universal exchange – some recipes require sour cream.

Trader Joes offers a can’t-beat double roasted salsa, which might be a number one staple in our home. It is not a chunky salsa, like I prefer, but the taste is unbeatable. TJs also has a homemade guacamole kit for when avocados are in season. It’s easy and floors all other prepackaged guac.

I know that velveta is a no-no in the healthy world, but I’ve tried other low-fat Mexican cheese blends, and they are just not the same. If you have leftover cheese, use it, but I like this recipe if I have leftover cheese dip or queso from a party and “have” to get rid of it. Better than fried chips right? The velveta slices are only 60 calories per slice, so you can just skip the cookies for dessert.

This recipe is a great staple because it uses so many cabinet items. If you don’t have fresh jalapenos, you can use jarred just to keep from going to the store.