Recipe Review from 11/5/2018

My new stove arrived!  My new stove arrived!   It's soooo nice!!  I baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies using the convection feature and they turned out awesome.  I baked a tray of bacon on the convection feature and...while tasty (it's bacon), using the regular oven setting might be better.  Over the weekend I'll be roasting some chickens for stock and making pecan tassies for a meeting and Thanksgiving.


The Meal Plan from the week of 11/5:
Sat (L)  out     (S)  Smokey Mushroom/Barley Salad
Sun (L) leftover salad     (S)   Jambalaya
Mon (yoga)   leftover jambalaya
Tues  (STOVE!)   leftovers
Wed - Sausage and butnut pasta
Thurs (yoga)  leftovers
Fri -  Dinner at Folks


Smoky Mushroom and Barley Salad (Ckng Lght) vegetarian
There was really nothing "smokey" about this recipe; you're not roasting the pobalno ahead of time, there's no smoke flavor added, not even any smokey paprika.

One notable substitution:  I subbed farro for the barley because I had more farro on hand than I did barely. 

That being said, this was good (mind - farro, not barley).  A tich bland, but good.  I did make it with the flavored sour cream, and I made it with a poached egg on top.  Both are quite tasty, but I think I liked the creamy egg a bit more.

Serves 4-6 (I got six servings out of this)

1 1/4 cups pearl barley

photo from cookinglight.com

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups chopped fresh cremini mushrooms
3 cups sliced fresh shiitake mushroom caps
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 small poblano chile, seeded and thinly sliced
1/2 cup unsalted vegetable stock
1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/4 teaspoon paprika (optional)

Prepare barley according to package directions; drain.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring often, until browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Add cumin; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add salt, garlic, shallot, and poblano, and cook, stirring often, until poblano is softened slightly, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in barley and stock. Bring to a simmer; cook until absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir together sour cream and lime juice. Spoon mushroom mixture into 4 bowls, and top servings with sour cream mixture and scallions. Sprinkle with paprika, if desired.


Slow Cooked Jambalaya Soup (Ckng Lght, Nov 2018); gluten free
Mixed thoughts on this and those thoughts are due to one substitution:  I used Uncle Ben's instant rice instead of regular brown rice and it gave the soup a bit of an odd texture.  I used the instant rice because I have yet to have regular brown rice work in the slow cooker.  It just doesn't soften.

That being noted, we did enjoy this.  It was nicely spicy and definitely a soup more so than a traditional jambalya.   If I were to make this again, I would serve it OVER rice, rather than cook the rice in it. 

About 6 servings

6 ounces smoked andouille sausage, chopped

photo from cookinglight.com

4 cups unsalted chicken stock
2 (10-oz.) cans unsalted diced tomatoes and green chiles
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon salt-free Creole seasoning
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup uncooked brown rice
12 ounces raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add sausage; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add stock, tomatoes and chiles, onion, bell pepper, celery, tomato paste, Creole seasoning, garlic, and salt. Cover and cook on low 4 hours.
Stir in rice. Cover and cook on low until rice is tender, about 2 hours.

Stir in shrimp. Cover and cook on low 8 minutes. Divide soup evenly among 6 bowls. Sprinkle with parsley.


Sausage and Mushroom Pasta with Butternut Squash (Ckng Lght, Nov 2018)
Point - I do not have access to "fresh lasagna sheets".   So I attempted to make my own noodles and had mixed results.  My timing was off with prepping noodles and the remainder of the dish (dish was ready, noodles were not) because I was concerned the noodles would be ready before the rest of the dish was.  So my noodles were much thicker than they probably should have been, but, they actually tasted pretty good.

If you have access to some kind of fresh noodle, go for it.  If not, use some kind of dry, slightly flat noodle and cook according to the directions on the package.

Overall, this was pretty tasty.  I have enough leftover sausage and squash (frozen) that I could make this again. 

Serves 3-4

6 ounces reduced-fat ground pork sausage (such as Jimmy Dean)
1 (8-oz.) pkg. sliced fresh cremini mushrooms

photo from cookinglight.com

1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup 1/4-inch-cubed butternut squash
3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/3 cup dry white wine
8 ounces refrigerated fresh lasagna sheets, cut into 3/4-inch-wide strips
1 cup unsalted chicken stock
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons unsalted roasted pumpkin seed kernels (pepitas), chopped
2 tablespoons pecorino Romano cheese, grated
1 teaspoon lemon zest


Cook sausage, mushrooms, onion, squash, sage, and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high, stirring often, until sausage is cooked through and crumbled, 8 to 9 minutes. Add wine; cook until almost absorbed, 1 to 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water 4 minutes, or to desired degree of doneness. Drain.

Stir stock into sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook 1 minute. Stir in pasta, cream, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes.

Stir together parsley, pepitas, cheese, zest, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Divide pasta among 4 bowls; top with parsley mixture.