Recipe Review from 6/6/2016

Internet was down for a bit so post is somewhat late today.    Enjoy!


The Meal Plan:
Sun (L)  pasty or soup   (S)  Baked Spaghetti
Mon (Yoga)  leftovers
Tues: leftovers
Wed: Korean Rice Bowl
Thurs (yoga) leftover spaghetti
Fri: Korean Rice Bowl
Sat:  TBD

Lunches/Snacks - Quinoa Salad, carrots, fruit, yogurt, luna bars


Baked Spaghetti  (Dinner, Then Dessert blog via Pinterest)  gluten free option**
This is very similar to a baked spaghetti dish my Mom used to make years ago - except that recipe used a Kraft boxed spaghetti package and one sauted the cream cheese with butter and chopped green pepper.  OMGosh!  That combination was divine!   Kraft has long since removed that product from the shelves (to my knowledge) and I've been looking for a comparable recipe ever since.  That and I don't do boxed stuff anymore.

This came close to that long ago recipe, with the addition of some sauteed Italian sausage on top.  I did saute the cream cheese in 2 tbsp butter with some red pepper, spread as directed, then sprinkled mozzarella on top of that.   This step is NOT noted in the recipe below.

Overall, just a great comfort-food dish that would be easy enough and tasty for a group.   This makes a hearty 9x13 pan. 

Photo from Dinner, then Dessert blog

1 pound spaghetti, cooked two minutes shy of directions and drained
1 pound ground beef   (I used Italian sausage)

1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red pepper, chopped
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
6 cups [homemade or jarred] Marinara Sauce (I used Barilla) 
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
parsley, chopped (optional as a garnish)

1) Preheat the oven to 350*
 
2) Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.   Combine beef or sausage, onions, garlic, salt (if using) and pepper.  Cook until meat is no longer pink.  Drain.

3) Add one cup of marinara sauce and stir to combine.

4) Add cooked spaghetti to remaining 5 cups of marinara and set aside.

5) Combine cream cheese and 2 cups of mozzarella in a bowl.

6) Place 1/2 pasta mixture in bottom of a 9x13 pan (pyrex, stoneware, ceramic preferred).  Spread cheese mixture.  Cover with remaining pasta.  Top with meat mixture.  Top with remaining cheese.

7) Bake, covered at 350* for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is browned.  

n a large skillet add the beef, onions, garlic, salt and pepper into the pan and cook on high.

Read more at: Baked Million Dollar Spaghetti http://dinnerthendessert.com/baked-million-dollar-spaghetti/

8)  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.


Buttermilk Pancakes  (I Bake What I Like Blog via Pinterest) 
It sounds like these pancakes are based off Alton Brown's recipe and technique, so if you want those particular details, head toward his webpage.

I suspect, but have not looked, the egg white are supposed to be whipped before adding.  The recipe does work without whipping the whites, but might be a bit lighter/fluffy 'cake if you do so.

Otherwise, I did make as written and added blueberries to the batter just before cooking.  I also like to add a tsp of vanilla extract or almond extract for more flavor.   While not a OMG recipe, these were pretty tasty and worked very nicely for Pancake Sunday.

Photo from I Bake What I Like

Dry ingredients
1/2tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
3 tsp sugar
2 cup All-Purposed flour

Wet Ingredients: Mix together
a) 4 Tbls melted butter + 2 yolks ; mix together
b) 2 cups buttermilk or yoghurt at "room temperature" mix with the white. Before adding the whites, you can warm up the buttermilk in the microwave to body temperature. Body temperature is easy to tell , as you dip your finger in the buttermilk, you can barely tell whether it's hot or cold, it's just the same as your body temp, that's all.

Mix a+b together to team up the wet-team.

Combine the dry with wet ingredients, stir until "just" mixed and still lumpy.  Set aside for at least 15 minutes to let the batter do it's "thing".   Cook like any other pancake.


[Chickpea] and Quinoa Salad (Damn Delicious blog via Pinterest)  vegetarian, gluten free
The original recipe calls for black beans, but the Husband is not real keen on those little delectable nuggets of yummy, so I subbed chickpeas.  This comes together fairly quickly - everything can be chopped and prepped while the quinoa cooks.  I did toss the frozen corn in with the quinoa while it cooked.  Do let the quinoa cool completely before mixing all ingredients, you'll have a better salad for it. 

This was lunches for the week.  This serves four, so I only prepped one batch to maintain freshness.

Photo from Damn Delicious blog

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 large navel oranges, cut into segments
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
• 1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed (I used 1 can chickpeas)
• 1/2 cup canned corn kernels, drained
• 1/3 cup chopped red onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
For the orange vinaigrette
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Instructions

• In a large saucepan of 2 cups water, cook quinoa according to package instructions; set aside.
• To make the vinaigrette, whisk together olive oil, apple cider vinegar, orange juice, orange zest and sugar in a small bowl; set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine quinoa, oranges, bell pepper, jalapeno, black beans, corn, onion and cilantro. Pour the vinaigrette on top of the salad and gently toss to combine.
• Serve immediately.

Korean Shrimp Bowl  (Ckng Lght, May 2016)  gluten free
This was so tasty that I made it twice!  Well, that and I had extra shrimp.  I did a flavor boost on the spinach and shrimp by sauteing each in extra garlic.  Not a lot, maybe a half clove split between the two.   I also doubled the recipe - but not the sauce - to feed two of us.  I will note, this didn't come together as quickly as I thought it would, which surprised me.  It was probably closer to 40-45 minutes from start to table. 

Was it worth it?  Totally!   Like I noted, I made this twice.  YUM! 

Photo from CookingLight.com

2 cups fresh spinach

1 ounce shiitake mushrooms

1/2 teaspoon canola oil

2/3 cup cooked brown rice (I used 1 bag of Uncle Ben's instant)

1/3 cup matchstick-cut carrot

1/3 cup shredded cabbage

2 tablespoons chopped green onions

3 ounces pan-seared large shrimp

1 fried egg (I did poached)

 

Spicy Aioli:

2 teaspoons gochujang (Korean chile sauce) 

I used 1 tsp siracha

1 1/2 teaspoons canola mayonnaise

1/4 teaspoon dark sesame oil

1 small garlic clove, minced

1. Sauté spinach and mushrooms in canola oil. Top cooked brown rice with wilted spinach mixture, carrot, cabbage, green onions, shrimp, and egg.

2. In a small bowl, combine gochujang, mayonnaise, sesame oil, and minced garlic. Drizzle over bowl.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet add the beef, onions, garlic, salt and pepper into the pan and cook on high. Once browned, turn off the heat, drain the liquid left in the pan and mix in one cup of the marinara sauce. Add the cooked spaghetti to the remaining 5 cups of the marinara sauce and toss to combine. Mix the cream cheese and 2 cups of mozzarella cheese in a bowl. Add half the pasta/sauce to the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Add the cream cheese mixture and top with the remaining pasta/sauce mixture. Add the meat sauce mixture on top of the pasta and top with remaining cup of mozzarella cheese. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly

Read more at: Baked Million Dollar Spaghetti http://dinnerthendessert.com/baked-million-dollar-spaghetti/

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet add the beef, onions, garlic, salt and pepper into the pan and cook on high. Once browned, turn off the heat, drain the liquid left in the pan and mix in one cup of the marinara sauce. Add the cooked spaghetti to the remaining 5 cups of the marinara sauce and toss to combine. Mix the cream cheese and 2 cups of mozzarella cheese in a bowl. Add half the pasta/sauce to the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Add the cream cheese mixture and top with the remaining pasta/sauce mixture. Add the meat sauce mixture on top of the pasta and top with remaining cup of mozzarella cheese. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly

Read more at: Baked Million Dollar Spaghetti http://dinnerthendessert.com/baked-million-dollar-spaghetti/

Read more at: Baked Million Dollar Spaghetti http://dinnerthendessert.com/baked-million-dollar-spaghetti/

1 pound spaghetti, cooked two minutes shy of directions and drained 1 pound ground beef 1 medium onion, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, minced Kosher salt and pepper to taste (I used ½ teaspoon Kosher salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper) 6 cups Quick and Easy Marinara Sauce 8 ounces cream cheese, softened 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese parsley, chopped (optional as a garnish)

Read more at: Baked Million Dollar Spaghetti http://dinnerthendessert.com/baked-million-dollar-spaghetti