Garden Pasta Salad

or a base to build on, a pasta salad for daily use.

I apologize for the short post today, but it turns out that these last 5-6 weeks of pregnancy do a number on me both physically and mentally.  I thought I would at least take a moment to share one of my favorite vegetarian lunches of recent weeks - a base for pasta salad.  This one is kind of nice because it doesn't make an over abundance of food like you would need for a party, it makes enough for dinner and maybe a lunch or two depending on how many you are serving and if it is a side or main dish.

The ingredients here are what I have used most recently, but the great thing about this is that it can work with just about any veggies you have in the fridge (though you may need to steam or blanch them first).  That is why I call this a "garden" pasta salad, that and because I really like the flavors of the multicolored garden rotini with it since it brings its own base flavor to the party.  I personally like the salt factor of the green olives but if that turns you off just switch to black olives or omit it entirely.  Check it out, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do:

4 servings

Pasta - 1 cup (garden rotini)
Mayonnaise, reduced fat or olive oil - 1/2 cup
Sour Cream, reduced fat - 3 tbsp
Sugar - 2 tbsp
Cider Vinegar - 2 tbsp
Green Olives - 1/4 cup
Paprika - ½ tsp
mustard - stone ground - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Pepper - to taste
cherry tomatoes - halved - 1 cup
cucumbers - diced - 1 cup

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.

2. Whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Add the tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, cheese and pasta, folding in carefully until the salad is evenly covered with the dressing.

3. Store in refrigerator or cooler until served.

Simply Pressured Corned Beef Brisket

or Americanized Irish Food is a breeze

I don't get all rowdy in celebration of St Patrick's Day, but I do enjoy making a good Irish-American meal as my mom did when we were growing up.  In the past I have sought out Irish bacon to make a form of this dish that is truer to its origins but unfortunately this year I seem to lack both the time and the energy to complete the task.  So I am returning to the tried and true corned beef and cabbage that I grew up enjoying, the benefits of the nostalgia factor are incredible even if the authenticity of the dish is not.

I believe that part of the reason some people are turned off by corned beef is that it takes an endless amount of time to cook and the results are something that is more foreign than familiar in flavor and texture.  Part of this can be resolved by changing the cooking method.  I am not a huge fan of the boiled or slow cooker methods, while it does soften it up some it doesn't quite infuse the flavor enough and I just don't like waiting that long, so I take the pressure cooker approach.  It is fast, easy, and delicious!  There's no need to save this for once a year when it can easily become a standard weekend meal.  I can devour an entire 2 lb brisket myself so I usually opt for the slightly larger size even though it takes a little longer.  Check it out:

Corned Beef Brisket (2-5 lbs)
Seasoning packet (comes with the brisket)*
Water

Hardware: Pressure cooker

1.  Remove the brisket from the package and set aside the spice pack.  Rinse the brisket under running water to reduce the salt factor.

2. Place the brisket in the pot of the pressure cooker and sprinkle the spices over top.  Add enough water to cover the brisket.

3. Secure the lid and bring to pressure according to manufacturer guidelines.  Cook for 40-50 min for 2-3 lbs brisket, 60-70 min for 4-5 lb brisket.

4. Turn the heat off and allow to release pressure naturally per manufacturer guidelines, the kitchen will smell delicious at this point, hang in there the wait is worth it.

5. Remove the brisket from the pot and trim off the top layer of fat.  I like to reserve the liquid from the pot (after skimming the fat off and filtering out the spices) to make reuben soup with the corned beef stock that results.  Slice across the grain and serve alongside boiled potatoes and steamed cabbage.

* if there is no spice packet, alternative suggestions for seasoning include: pickling spice blends or a combination of mustard seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, bay leaf, and peppercorns.  You can also supplement the packet with some of these spices if desired.

Baked Oatmeal Cups

or how I contaminated a previously healthy breakfast

A good, easy breakfast or mid morning snack can be hard to find.  It is easy to get lost in sea of pre-made options from the frozen foods section or burn yourself out on peanut butter toast.  And if you are in a state of pregnancy, such as myself, or just in the apparently rather healthy habit of eating 6 small meals a day in place of 3 large ones having something homemade that you can reach for at a whim is essential.  Now I am sucker for freezer meal options and cooking once to satisfy a multitude of meals so anything that results in a moderate bulk of food is right up my alley, so I went in search of breakfast options that reheat well and can last 3-4 days in the fridge before turning on you and attacking when you open the door.  There is a multitude of homemade breakfast sandwich options out there in freezer cooking world, but I haven't come to terms with the concept of freezing and reheating cooked eggs at home yet so those were out.  And there are a lot of bulk slow cooker breakfast casseroles out there, but they aren't all that great reheated in my opinion (sadly, I have tried).  So I went more towards a carb focused approach.

I found a fair amount of recipes out there for baked oatmeal and that seemed like something that was just crying out to be reheated since oatmeal is a pretty hearty substance to begin with so I thought that would be a great place to start.  Most of the recipes called for a single large baking dish method, not the best for my grab and go concept, so I continued to look around.  I found some single serving options on healthy eating blogs and settled on the one by Sugar Free Mom, diabetic friendly and focused on creating a healthier you.  That's all well and good, but since me and oatmeal are not long time friends I needed to sweeten up the deal.  I started by halving the recipe, then I added a bit more applesauce (I used homemade because I had it on hand), added a touch more milk, and infused it with refined sugar.  Frozen cherries were my filling of choice for a bit more sweetness, albeit natural this time.  The baking time is a bit longer, but that is probably from the extra liquids I used.  I was really happy with the texture at the end, though this is definitely  a spoon or fork dish and not one I would recommend picking up with your hands.

Here is my, much less healthy, take on the personal sized baked oatmeal recipe from Sugar Free Mom:

1 egg
1 cup applesauce
2 ½ cups rolled oats
1 ⅓ cups low fat milk (1-2%)
1 small banana smashed, or ½ of a large banana smashed
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ cup sugar (or 2 tbsp depending on preference, I like it sweet)
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp vanilla extract
24-36 frozen cherries
salt
cinnamon sugar blend or dark chocolate chips for topping

Hardware: cupcake/muffin pan, cupcake liners
Makes 10-12 cupcake sized servings

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. In a medium bowl mix the egg, vanilla, applesauce, mashed banana and sugar until well blended.

2. Next add in the salt, baking powder, and cinnamon and mix well with wet ingredients.

3. Stir in the oats until well blended and then pour in milk and combine.

4. Place 10-12 cupcake liners in the muffin pan.

5. Pour some of the mixture into the liners, filling each a little less then half way. Add 2-3 frozen cherries per cup, pressing down so they are partly submerged, and then add more of the mixture to cover.

6. Sprinkle the tops with a cinnamon sugar blend or dark chocolate chips (because it was just a little too close to looking healthy, and it is a nice touch of flavor).

7. Bake 35-40 minutes or until they look set. Cool and enjoy, refrigerate, or freeze individuality and then combine them in gallon freezer bags.

I like them reheated as is, just remove the cupcake liners first. But if you mash up the muffins and add a couple tablespoons of cream or milk you can have a thick oatmeal texture for some variety.

Ready for reheating at work:

(not the best photo, but it gives you the idea)

Pressure Makes it Better Applesauce

or steaming your way to homemade applesauce is a breeze...


I have three great loves in my kitchen that may not make the list in yours - my slow cooker, my pressure cooker, and my home canners (both hot water and pressure versions).  I have found on many occasions that to my surprise even the first two of these are not common tools in many of my friends' kitchens. I can understand the canners not making the cut, not everyone is as into home canning and preserving as me, and most did not grow up with the process as I did.  But the first two tools have long been essential to food prep in my life, even before I considered the process to be actual "cooking."  Now, I find that lately the slow cooker, or crockpot, is getting some new found love as a rising trend and I certainly do my best to encourage it here on my blog when I can, but the pressure cooker is still being largely neglected in the every day culinary world of home kitchens.  I, for one, would like to stand on my soap box for a minute or two shouting its praises.. (this would be far more impressive in person so I'll just let you imagine me up there passionately rambling on for another few minutes about its glories)   


Ok, now where were we?  Right, applesauce.  (don't look at me like that, I was going to get around to it eventually...)  Applesauce is surprisingly easy to make, though doing it with the stove top method it can take somewhat of a  time commitment.  The results are delicious, trust me on this, but we don't always have that much time to dedicate to it when we have apples ripening on the counter top.  So I suggest pulling out that trustworthy old pressure cooker and whipping it up in 30 min or less round trip.  A big time saver here, aside from the obvious cook time, is that you do not need to peel the apples - the pressure cooking process breaks them down enough to blend them into the mix.  This gives the resulting applesauce a lovely rosy hue.  If you do not like that particular color for your sauce you are welcome to peel the apples in advance, but I find it to be a nice change.

12 lg to med apples 
¾ cup water
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
dash of nutmeg
¼ tsp cinnamon

Hardware: pressure cooker


1. Core the apples and cut into large slices

2. Add the apples to pressure cooker with the water.  Cover securely and bring to pressure according to manufacturer guidelines.  


3. Leave the apples to cook for 5 min then turn off heat and allow to cool down naturally

4. Use a stick (i.e. immersion) blender to puree the apples, they will mash easily with a potato masher but the blender dissolves the peels better.

5. Stir in sugar, vanilla, and spices until dissolved.  Adjust to taste.




If you are interested in delving into the world of pressure cookers even further, I highly recommend checking out Hip Pressure Cooking's website.  They have a good amount of resources and recipes to help you out along the way.

Oven Roasted Cauliflower

or toss and roast your way to vegetable delight


Cauliflower and I do not get along so well.  We aren't exactly friends.  More like acquaintances.  I started to build the bridge to acceptance with my Cauliflower and Potato Soup a year ago today, and now on the anniversary of that initial gesture I am taking another step forward and facing it head on.  This recipe really lets the cauliflower shine in its own right.  It is cheap and easy, so there isn't a large financial or time commitment to fear in giving it a try.  Personally the rosemary and Parmesan cheese really sold it for me, but you can't discount the impact of the lemon juice on the process.  Whether you are a long time fan of this pale vegetable or just coming to terms with its potential, like myself, I suggest giving this recipe a try.  You never know, you may add a new veggie to the welcome list at your table...

½ bunch cauliflower
4 tbsp vegetable oil (or olive oil)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp minced or crushed garlic
1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
Salt & Pepper
4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Hardware: baking dish (large enough to form a single layer with the cauliflower)
Preheat oven to 400 F


1. Chop cauliflower into small florets and toss with vegetable oil in the baking dish.


2. Add lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper.  Toss again to incorporate the flavors throughout. Shake the dish gently to create a natural, single layer (you don't want any over crowding or unwanted touching going on to ruin the mood).


3. Bake for 20 min, the edges of the cauliflower should start to turn golden.  Stir and then top with parmesan cheese, because cheese makes everything better, and return the dish to the oven for 5 min.

Cannoli Cream Dip (A Tasty Kitchen Treat)

or a big bowl of cream cheese heaven

This is a slightly adapted recipe, the original recipe can be found here: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/appetizers-and-snacks/cannoli-dip/

The recipe is delicious, easily gluten free, and not one I can call mine.  As long as you give credit where credit is due over at Tasty Kitchen I encourage you to try it for yourself.  I made it a bit sweeter, a touch creamer, but essentially the same.  This is an incredibly easy dip to make for desserts or snacks at parties, or just because you happen to have a box of graham crackers laying around begging for a dip (though I really just use them as a spoon...).  This is easy enough to make just for yourself, but you may want to portion it out in that case or you'll find yourself wondering who snuck in and ate it all when you weren't looking.

I almost always have cream cheese in the fridge, and most of the other ingredients in the pantry, so this tends to be a very cheap thing for me to make as well.  I think the addition of heavy cream helps make this more scoop-able and reducing the chocolate chips helps to balance the increase I made in confectioner's sugar.  You could always make this in a stand mixer and that would be even faster, you may even get a more "whipped" effect which would be nice, but I have not tried it yet.

Here is how it goes:

8 oz cream cheese (I prefer reduced fat, it can't hurt and it softens faster)
1 stick of butter
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1-2 tbsp heavy cream (or milk)

1. Very important - soften the cream cheese and butter.  This can be done by leaving them out over night or softening in the microwave.  If you skip this essential step, it will use a lot more arm power to mix and take a bit longer to make.  My arms prefer if I soften the ingredients first but if you want to be hard core knock yourself out....

2. In a medium sized bowl combine the cram cheese and butter until you have an even consistency throughout.  Add the vanilla extract and 1 tbsp heavy cream and stir well.

3. Add in the confectioner's sugar and blend.  If you want it to be a little smoother, add another tablespoon of heavy cream and blend well.

4. Stir in the mini chocolate chips.  Serve with graham crackers or vanilla wafers.  Refrigerate leftovers, if you happen to have any.

Simply Spinach Au Gratin

or out of season, but on our plates, a veggie for the winter months

Vegetables are always important regardless of the season, unfortunately they just don't taste the same year round.  So there have to be creative ways to perk up those options and make them appealing when out of season or they just won't make it to the dinner table.  One of my favorite ways to entice less than optimal veggies to join the party to is to bake them them with some of my favorite flavors - mostly a dash or two of cheese and carbs (in the way of seasoned bread crumbs).  This dresses up everything from broccoli to asparagus to brussel sprouts, it really can't go wrong.  But when it came to spinach, those oh so healthy dark green leaves seemed to beckon for a bit more and a richness it so rightly deserves.  It may seem like a lot of food when you toss all this together, but it cooks down to a reasonable amount for a family of two to four.  This is a great side dish for heavier meats such as steak or thick cut grilled or broiled fish, and spinach isn't nearly as scary as it may seem when all dressed up like this.  Check it out:

1 large bunch fresh spinach
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup low fat milk
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
nutmeg
1 tsp crushed garlic
salt to taste

6+ tbsp Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1. Wash out the spinach and shake dry.  Cut of the stems and roughly chop if desired.

2. In a large bowl combine all of the remaining ingredients except for half of the breadcrumbs and stir well to combine.  Add in the spinach leaves and toss to coat.

3. Pour the mixture into a large baking dish and top with the remaining seasoned bread crumbs.  Bake at 350 F for 20 min or until the spinach is wilted and the "sauce" a bit thickened.  Allow to rest for a couple minutes to set before serving.

Side note: depending on how creamy you like this dish, you may choose to reduce the amount of milk and cream a bit after you make it the first time.  Just keep in mind if you are doing it while cooking that the end result is quite different than how it looks going into the oven.  It is part of the magic of the shrinking spinach syndrome.