Sweet Love and Ginger

Vegetarian

D4One: Some Days & Single Pan Pasta

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Some days I feel like I just need to cook.

It helps me distress, and let go for a few moments, where
the only thing that matters is throwing my heart into my cooking and putting it
on a plate.

I cook what feels good, what tastes delicious, and it all
comes from my very own finger tips.

Half the time I feel like the only place I know what in the
hell is going on in my life is when I ‘m in the kitchen, because well I know what
I have in my cupboards, and what I can make with them, outside of the kitchen I
have no idea what exactly I have to offer, or what to do with it, or what I want
for that matter.

I always had a plan, I knew where I wanted to be, and I thought
it was all doable, and of course things don’t always turn out the way you plan,
unless of course you are one of THOSE
people. Instead I am in a totally different place, and my goals, well I don’t
know if I have any because I can’t make up my mind, and a solid half of the
things that I think I may want are kind of out of my control, so what in the
hell am I to do?

For now tomatoes, green beans, corn, and about a million
other delicious vegetables are in season so I’m going to continue to cook. That
I can handle.

At least now my garden is going good. After a slow start I seem
to have more green beans and tomatoes than I can eat; it even looks like we
will be getting some kohlrabi soon.

I made this particular recipe on a whim one night last year,
and have repeated it several times since. I have found that it’s always better
with fresh garden tomatoes, as opposed to the mid winter store bought ones.

One Pan Tomato Pasta

1 tbsp oil

1 tbsp

1 small onion, chopped

3-5 cloves of garlic (I LOVE GARLIC)

1-2 sprigs of fresh thyme

1-2 cups fresh cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

½ cup of dry white wine

1 cup pasta

1 cup water

Salt & Pepper to paste

Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese for garnish

In a thick bottom pan heat oil, butter, and onion for 2-3
minutes, or until the onion begins to turn translucent. Add garlic, thyme, and
tomatoes, and continue to cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The
mixture should begin to become very aromatic. Deglaze with white wine, and
allow it to simmer until it has reduced by half. Stir in pasta so that it is
well coated, and immediately add 1 cup of water. Continue to cook until the
pasta is aldente, and liquid has again reduced, stirring occasionally. You may
also want to use the back of your spoon to crush a few of the tomatoes to
release their juices. Finally add salt and pepper to taste and serve warm,
topped with parmesan cheese.

Spinach Pesto tossed Pasta with Lemon Shrimp

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This dish is one that I actually made quite a while ago, for
a friend and just never got the chance to share. What I like best about it is
that it is simple and super quick but it gives an air of refinement and purpose
that hides my true intentions; for it to be quick and easy.

I don’t know about you but at the end of nearly every week I
am trying to use up the last bit of spinach in our house before it goes bad. I haven’t
been successful in growing it yet (darn rabbits!) but I still buy it every
week. For the main reason that leafy greens are important in your diet and this
way we are sure to eat them. This recipe is one of the best for using up
spinach, plus it makes whatever you are cooking so green and pretty. I have
used it as a puree under a steak, or chicken before but in this particular case
I just tossed some pasta in it and added some Lemon Thyme Shrimp from mygrilled Tapas recipe, and viola! A full beautiful and seeming complicated meal
that actually takes less than 20 minutes, or the amount of time it takes to
make pasta.

Spinach Pesto

1 package baby spinach

1 clove of garlic

1 tbsp pecorino romano cheese, grated

1 tbsp Extra Virgin olive oil

1 tbsp sliced almonds

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend for 20
or 30 seconds until smooth and creamy. You may need to add more oil, but be
sure to do it in teaspoon increments. Add some additional cheese for garnish, and serve. (Serves 4)

Image Inspiration: Red Pepper Sriracha Kabobs & Radish, Snap Pea Salad

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I love our new outdoor table that we got from Grammy Chuck.
Not only can we eat outside, but now we can actually fit more than 2 plates on
the table! Plus it has an umbrella for super sunny days.

Today’s meal was inspired by images, and the garden. I had
so many radishes that needed to be eaten this day.  

Sometimes I see images of food and get really excited thinking
OMG I NEED TO MAKE THAT RIGHT NOW! Then I look at the recipe and all my
ambition falls flat because it looks gross, or I have nowhere near those
ingredients in my cupboards. That’s when I begin to improvise.

Luckily this is one thing I have always had a knack for.

This meal was sparked by the images above, but I totally
didn’t follow the recipes and made it up as I went.

Red Pepper Sriracha Chicken Kabobs

1 roasted red pepper

1 tbs sriracha sauce

1 tbs rice wine vinegar

1 tbs olive oil

2 cloves of garlic

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-2 inch
pieces

Place all ingredients, except chicken pieces in a blender
and blend until smooth. Place the chicken in a small bowl, pour the red pepper
mixture over the top and toss to coat. Pierce the chicken with skewers and
place on a preheated grill for 3-5 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked
through. Serve warm.

 Radish, Feta and Snap Pea Salad

1 bunch radishes, trimmed

1 lb snap peas

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

1-2 tbs white wine vinegar

1 tbs olive oil

1 tsp Pepper

Combine radishes, peas and feta in a bowl. Drizzle vinegar
and olive oil over the top, add pepper and toss to coat. Serves 4.

The Sriracha skewers were actually reminiscent of barbeque
sauce but slightly sweeter, for those who aren’t a huge fan of spicy food, like
me they are great dipped in ranch dressing. The heat from the skewers was also
a great match for the Radish, Feta and Snap Pea Salad; it was so light and
fresh, with a delicious crunch that I just couldn’t stop eating it all.

Asian Glazed Chicken Legs & Carrot Ginger Dressing

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Right now I am basking in the wonder that is the great
Adirondacks in upstate NY, completely void of technology. This post I have had
ready and waiting in the wings for a while, and so it is posting on auto pilot
while I am away enjoying the awesomely long 4th of July weekend. I
hope you  like it!
These quick and easy Asian Glazed Chicken Legs are an
awesome new twist for tossing chicken on the grill, and this zingy Asian style
dressing over a salad is the perfect pairing for a quick and simple summer
meal.
Asian Glazed Chicken Legs

¼ cup honey

1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce

1 tbsp fresh grated ginger root

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 chicken legs

In a large bowl stir together honey, soy sauce, ginger, and
garlic. Place chicken in the bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour (can be
left over night). Once marinated place chicken on a preheated grill over medium
high heat for 20-30 minutes, rotating every 5-10 minutes, until well done.
While the chicken is cooking pour the remaining marinade into a sauce pan and
simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes until it thickens. Use this liquid to
baste the chicken once it’s done. Serve warm.
The dressing may look complicated because you have to cook
down the carrot, but leftover grilled, or roasted carrots work as well, and you
can always make the dressing a few days ahead, and use it as a dip, or on
additional salads throughout the week.
Carrot Ginger Dressing

¼ cup carrots, cooked

1 tbsp minced ginger

1 small garlic clove

1 tbsp minced onion

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tsp low sodium soy sauce

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp oil

Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.
Serve chilled.

On a Chickpea Kick: 3 Recipes

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I don’t know what’s gotten into me and Chuck lately, but we
love the Chickpeas. He saw a recipe for toasted Chickpeas in a magazine in the
bathroom at his mothers; apparently he had no other reading options (boys!) and
wanted me to make them, so from his memory and my experimenting I came up with
this recipe.

Garlic Parmesan Toasted Chickpeas

2 15 oz cans of chickpeas (Garbonzo Beans), drained & Rinsed

1 tbs extra virgin
Olive Oil

1 tbsp garlic
powder

1 tsp sea salt

¼ cup parmesan Cheese

Spread chick peas out over paper towels and allow them to dry. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Transfer chickpeas to a baking sheet and drizzle with oil, Sprinkle garlic powder and salt over the top, and give them a good toss to coat. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, or until they become golden and crispy. Once semi-cooled toss with parmesan cheese and serve.

 

Then last week I came across a pretty fancy recipe in Bon Apetite, which I was dying to make when I first saw it months ago, but so not feeling like putting the effort into. As you know I love to improvise, and made it up my own way. This resulted in the recipe below, which is an awesome, single skillet, budget friendly and vegetarian meal. Now I did serve this with a side of meat for Chuck, though I ate just this dish and it was completely satisfying for me.

Rosemary Chickpeas with Ditalini

1 cup ditalini
1 cup pasta water
1 onion, diced
1 carrot diced (optional)
1 can chick peas drained2 tbs tomato paste
2 tsp rosemary
½ tsp cracked red pepper
Large bunch of fresh spinach
Salt & pepper to taste

Cook ditalini according to package instructions, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Meanwhile in a large skillet saute onion in oil, until it begins to turn translucent. If you are adding carrot add it at this time. Stir in chickpeas, tomato paste, pasta water, rosemary, and cracked red pepper. Cook for 5-6 mintues, stirring often. Remove from heat, add spinach and toss. Adjust seasonings and serve warm. (serves 4-6)

Since I’m talking about Chickpeas I thought it only appropriate to also add my Super Garlicky Hummus Recipe. I make this all the time, because it’s so easy. I have also been known to swap the garlic for roasted red peppers, jalapeños, herbs, sun dried tomatoes and about a million other things. It’s pretty versatile, so you can add nearly anything, oh and did I mention it’s cheap? You can get a whole 16oz can of chickpeas for less than a dollar, and most of the other vegetables and oils that can be used to mix in are things that you probably have in your pantry or can be leftover from another recipe, so at the most you would spend 2-3 dollars total for double or even triple the quantity of the premade stuff that typically costs 4-5 dollars. I simply cannot understand why anyone would buy hummus to eat at home when it is this freaking easy. Really check out the recipe below if you don’t believe me.

Super Garlicky Hummus

1 Can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp salt & pepper, each
3 tbs oil
2 tbs water

Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
Add more water if the mixture begins to clump. Serve immediately, or store in the fridge for up to 1 week.