Roasted Acorn (or Kabocha) Squash with Mushroom and Sage

1 medium Acorn Squash (or kabocha, which I used)
3/4 tsp. plus 1/4 tsp. Sea Salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground Black Pepper
6 Tbsp. Olive Oil, plus extra for brushing
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1 large Portobello Mushroom, chopped
1 small Onion, chopped
2 tsp. Fresh Sage, finely chopped
Pinch Red Pepper Flakes, optional

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Trim off each end of the squash. Stand the squash upright and halve lengthwise. Scoop out the pulp and the seeds and discard. Brush each squash half with olive oil, and then sprinkle with 3/4 tsp. salt and the black pepper. Arrange cut sides down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast the squash until the flesh is tender and the edges are golden brown, approximately 25-35 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip the squash halves over and set aside.

While the squash roasts, heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute 2 minutes, or until the onions begin to turn translucent. Add the mushrooms, sage, 1/4 tsp. salt and the red pepper flakes if using, and saute until the mushrooms begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Fill the roasted squash halves with the mushroom mixture and bake again for another 10 minutes.

Seaweed salad--OMG YUM!

1 cup Soaked Arame Seaweed
2 Tbsp Flax Oil
1 Avocado
1 Tomato
1/4 Red Onion, finely chopped
1 Carrot, chopped or shredded
Parsley, finely chopped
Fresh Lemon Juice
Sea Salt
Dash of Cayenne (if you feel like you need some kick)

Add all ingredients together in bowl, mix and enjoy.

Vegetarian Hoppin' Johns

Alright for those who are not from the South(I'm not, but I read enough articles to know some Southern recipes) Hoppin' Johns is a dish typically served on New Years. The black eyed peas in Hoppin' Johns represent good luck and Hoppin' Johns are typically served on rice with collard greens and ham. Well, since I don't eat ham and I don't have collard greens currently in the kitchen I decided to make a vegetarian version of the dish. That and I had all the ingredients. So there.

Here is how you make vegetarian Hoppin' Johns....

You'll need:

*1.25 cups of black eyed peas, dried. (if you're in a jam, just use 1.25 cups of canned organic black eyed peas--you'll be fine)

*4 cups of water
*1.5 cups of chopped onion
*1 clove garlic (fuck that I put in 3)
*1 bay leaf
*1/2 tsp of fresh ground black pepper
*1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper
*8 oz. tempeh
*1 tbsp of soy sauce

Soak the peas overnight. Or boil them for 2 minutes, cover and let them stand for 1 hour.

Drain the beans, set this off to the side.

Start up the brown rice.

In a heated medium sized sauce pan put in a little bit of olive oil. Put in your onion and garlic and let that heat up until the onions are translucent. Put in the beans (if you're doing canned beans just toss them in there with the juice) and toss in the water. Add bay leaf, cayenne and black pepper. Get this to a boil, cover and reduce the heat and cook for 1 hour. Stir when you feel like it.

Get your tempeh and brush on the soy sauce on both sides. I actually thought this wasn't enough so I winded up using about 3 tablespoons of soy sauce. Chop the tempeh up in bite sized pieces and toss that into the bean pot. Cook for another hour, covered. Stir more frequently as you're going to loss some of that water and burning the beans is more likely. Remove bay leaf and add salt, if that's your thing.

Serve with rice and lots of vegetables and you're good to go!


Overall I would definitely make this again. Easy to make but the only draw-back is the time....if you're super hungry you'll be eating your hand by the time this is done! It could have used more spices--I think next time I may add some oregano and/or thyme...

Japanese Curry Rice

There is a lot of wiggle room with this recipe so you don't have to follow it by
the book--customize it to your taste but here is a good foundation to go by....

You will need....
2 cups of brown rice (or white...I guess)

Olive oil
3 cloves of finely chopped garlic
1 tbsp of minced ginger (if you have to use powdered ginger use 1 tsp)
1 yellow onion (if you like the taste of onion, get a big one....if not get a
small one), finely died
2 very large and in charge carrots, peeled and diced into bite-sized pieces
3 yellow Yukon potatoes (the ones that are about the size of your fist or
smaller), NOT PEELED and diced into bite sized pieces

whatever other veges, like peas or corn, you'd like to have in your curry....if
you're going to add more then scale down the other veges too

2 1/2 c. of vegetable stock
2 curry blocks (you can find them at the international section usually and they
vary by degree of spicy-ness, I usually get S&B Golden Curry mild)
Honey
Salt
Pepper
1 block of tofu, medium-firm


Alright, let's get cooking:
1.) Heat up a large sauce pan on low heat, at about 2 tbsp of olive oil. Throw
in the garlic and ginger. Stir it around for about 3 minutes or until you can
smell garlic

2.) Add onion, stir that around in the oil/garlic/ginger goodness. Crank up the
heat to medium, cover the pot and let those onions caramelize for 10-15 minutes.
The onions should be a golden brown color when they are caramelized. Occasionally
stir.

3.) Toss in the potatoes and carrots, crank up the high to medium-high, cover
the pot and let them saute for about 10 minutes. Occasionally stir them.

4.) Add the vegetable stock, crank up the heat to high, cover the pot and let
that simmer/boil for 20 minutes.

5.) Take your curry blocks and chop them up. Add to the mixture and stir to
melt. It will be hot but taste it and make sure that's enough curry for you. If
it's not, add more!

6.) Add honey to taste. I'd start with just a drizzle, a little goes a long way
and the curry will be a little sweet because of the caramelized onions. Add salt
and pepper to taste.

7.) You can even add a little soy sauce or Worcester sauce, play around with it
if you're not happy with the taste.

8.) Once when you're satisfied with the taste add chopped up tofu and gently
stir that into the curry.

Serve with cooked rice and enjoy!
(oh yes and get the Tupperware out because there will be left overs)

A new snack that I really like.

This snack actually fills me up and it's not that bad for you.

All you need:

1 slice of Ezekiel bread
A few tablespoons of diced tomatoes
Some bits of basil if you like basil
Light cheese

Take bread, toast it. Put tomatoes on it. Now sprinkle some fresh basil. Add light cheese. Eat it.

Okay I'll admit I ate two of these but it's better than chips.

Peeps Puffs

LOL this is kinda nasty and good at the same time. I mean, PEEPS. They have a half live of like 8 billion years....and yet--this recipe is not half bad. Happy Easter!

Peeps Puffs

Marshmallow Peeps....the chicks fit the best
Vanilla pudding (if you are in a jam--snack pak vanilla pudding)
1/2 cup butter
1 cup water
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
One cup semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 teaspoons light corn syrup
3 teaspoons milk

Directions:
Turn oven on to 400 degrees
In medium saucepan, melt butter. When melted, add water and bring to a boil.
Add flour and salt at once and stir vigorously.
Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball that doesn't separate.
Remove from heat and cool for about five minutes.
Add eggs one at a time, beating with a wooden spoon after each addition, until smooth.
Drop batter by heaping tablespoons 3" apart onto a greased baking sheet. Shape into ovals with greased fingers.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or until golden brown and puffy.
Remove from oven, split and remove soft dough inside. Cool on wire
rack.
Put teaspoon of pudding and a Peeps into the center of the base and cover.
Prepare chocolate glaze by heating the semisweet chocolate chips,
butter or margarine, light corn syrup a milk over low heat in a saucepan.
Stir frequently until melted and smooth.

Spoon glaze over cream puffs and refrigerate until set.

Cool as a cucumber

Here is a recipe for Sunomono...a tasty cucumber salad!

Ingredients:

-2 medium sized english cucumbers--they should be nice and crisp
(or you can get 1 small daikon radish and 1 english cucumber)

-2 1/2 TBSP of rice vinegar
-2 1/2 TBSP of marin
-2 TBSP of sugar
-1 tsp of salt

Prep:
Peel the cucumber or radish and slice into thin slices. This is where a mandolin is helpful! Salt the cucumber/radish and wait for 5-10 minutes. Wash off the cucumber/radish slics and drain the water through a strainer. Mix the vinegar and marin in a cup. Pour the liquid mixture over the cucumber and daikon slices. Set aside at least 15 minutes before serving.

Domo arigatou gozaimasu! (thank you very much!)

More from the archives and IT HAS MEAT!!!!

This was from back in the day when I justified eating PORK (faints) for one day. I really wanted to try using prosciutto in a dish for a party I was hosting. I'll admit--it was awesome.

The sinful recipe:

8 Black mission figs
1/2 blue cheese, cut into cubes
8 prosciutto slices (get 1/4 lbs of this stuff, have it thinly sliced, cut 4 of them in half lengthwise)
2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

Prep:
Preheat grill. You will need medium to high heat. The key is to crisp the prosciutto quickly and leave the blue cheese just melted with the inner part of the fig cool in temperature.

Cut the figs in half and place a piece of blue cheese on each fig half. Wrap the prosciutto around each fig half, covering the cheese. The ends of the prosciutto should overlap.

Grill each piece until the prosciutto begins to color and crisp, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from grill, lightly dizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper. Serve warm.

From the archives....

Melon Salad--12 servings

Yes....I know MELONS....they are grossly out of season right now but I managed to dig up this recipe from long ago. Enjoy!

1/3 c honey
1 tablespoon of sugar
1/2 c orange juice
3 TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP chopped fresh mint leaves
4 c. cantaloupe balls
2 c. honeydew melon balls
2 c. watermelon balls

Prep:

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine honey with sugar. Microwave on high power for 30 seconds; remove and stir. Microwave 30 seconds long until sugar dissolves.

Stir and let it stand for 10 minutes (why I don't know)

To sugar mixture add OJ, lemon juice, and mint leaves and mix well.

Place melon balls in large serving bowl and pour honey mixture over. Toss gently to coat and serve immediately or cover and refrig. until serving time.

MMM so refreshing on a hot day! :)

Recipe after hiatus

Holy cow it's been nearly a year since I contributed to this blog--what have I been doing?!

Anyhow the other night I decided to cook something inspired by a recent Portland trip. So without further ado here is the recipe.

Cornmeal Crusted Tempeh Meal: cornmeal crusted tempeh, served with pinto beans, corn, black lentils on a bed of sauteed greens and dressed with Tofu-Cilantro "sour cream". Phew what a mouthful but it will be worth it! The dish in Portland also had quinoa but I didn't feel like making that this time. Additionally the dish had a "pumpkin seed relish"--I didn't think that would be a hit with James (I was already pushing my luck) so I omitted that--point being, do whatever you like!






The "sour cream" can be made any time because it's delicious and can be put on everything. I recommend making this a day in advance--one less thing to worry about, right?

Vegan Sour Cream Recipe with Cilantro

Makes about three cups

* 1 pound silken tofu (Isa says – not the vacuum packed kind!)
* 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from one lime)
* 1 tablespoon of agave nectar or 1 teaspoon sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 2 cups loosely packed FRESH cilantro, with leaves and stems (you can half the amount if you’re not a cilantro fiend like I am)

1. Remove tofu from packaging and squeeze gently to remove any excess water. Place in a blender or food processor along with the lime juice, agave, and salt. Blend until smooth.
2. Heat a small pan over medium-low heat, and add garlic and olive oil. Cook gently for three minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not burn the garlic… you want a nice, blonde-brown color. Add to tofu mixture and blend again. Add cilantro and blend until “smooth and light green with some flecks of dark green.” Don’t forget to scrape down the sides.
3. Add more salt and lime to taste, then transfer to a bowl, cover, and chill for at least thirty minutes.




Now the Cornmeal Crusted Tempeh. This will take 1 hour and 10 minutes of your time. Plan accordingly.

Serves 4

2 8-ounce packages tempeh, each cut into four triangles
1/3 cup wheat-free tamari
3 tablespoons agave nectar
1 clove garlic, minced
3 slices of fresh ginger
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried cumin
pinch of sea salt
coconut oil (or olive oil)

Preheat oven to 350 F

Place tempeh triangles in baking dish. In small bowl, whisk together the tamari, 1/2 cup water, agave nectar, garlic, and ginger and pour over the tempeh (you can also do this the day before). Cover and bake for 1 hour, turning tempeh halfway through. While this is going on, you can make the sour cream recipe or you can get prepped for the kale, beans, rice, quinoa, whatever. After an hour remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

In a large shallow bowl, mix together the cornmeal, red pepper flakes, thyme, oregano, cumin, and sea salt. Dip the tempeh pieces into the cornmeal mixture to coat. At this point I would put on the beans, rice and lentils onto the stove because you're almost done.

In large skillet, heat a couple tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat until hot. Cook the cooked tempeh until golden brown, about a minute on each side. Add additionally oil if necessary.

Remove from heat.

Now the beans, corn and black lentils
-All supplied from Trader Joe's (blushes) so just reheat per directions on can or bag. Who said I had time to make everything from scratch?

The kale (or chard or spinach...go nuts!):

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup diced, onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
4 cups kale, washed
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
juice of 1 lemon

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a 10" skillet over medium-low heat.

2. Add the onions and cook until tender but not brown, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.

3. Add the kale, salt and pepper and toss with the olive oil and garlic until the kale begins to wilt, about 2 minutes. Squeeze the lemon juice over the mixture. Remove from the skillet.

Kale is your bottom layer, beans, rice and black lentils and whatever you decide to throw in is your middle layer, and finally the tempeh is popped on the top (I put 4 triangles) and dressed with the sour cream. MMMM....yummy!

And yes, this is vegan! Now go cook you hippy!

Black Bean and Cheese Tortilla Pie

Black Bean and Cheese Tortilla Pie
Recipe handed down from James' wonderful Mom, Judy who originally got the recipe from Donna Blancero

What you need:

1 (15 oz) pkg Pillsbury All-Ready pie crust

FILLING:

3 T. oil

1 C. chopped onions

½ C. chopped green or red bell pepper

1 (15-oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

½ C. salsa

2 T. minced fresh jalapeno peppers (optional)

½ t. chili powder (optional)

½ t. cayenne pepper (optional)

8 oz (2 cups) shredded cheddar cheese

3 (8-inch) flower tortillas

TOPPING:

½ C. dairy sour cream (optional)

Prepare pie crust according to package directions for a two-crust, 9 inch pie. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add onions and bell pepper, cook and stir until tender; about 5 minutes. Add beans, salsa, jalapeno peppers, chili powder and cayenne pepper; simmer 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Spoon about ½ C. of bean mixture into crust-lined pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 C. of the cheese then top with a tortilla. Repeat laying twice; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Top with the second crust, seal edges and flute. Cut slits in top crust.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve with sour cream. 6 to 8 servings.

The UGLY details:

Serving size: 1/8 of recipe

Calories 540

Protein 14 g

Carbs 45 g

Fat 34 g

Cholesterol 52 mg

Sodium 560 mg

Potassium 300 mg

Ways to lighten up the recipe is use light cheese and not use as many tortilla or if you do, use multi-grain. Also, if such a product exists, get a lighter calorie pie crust. That's the only way I can think of reducing the calories here. However, I have tried the real pie without any omissions and let me tell you--it's FREAKIN' DELICIOUS! So maybe this will be good for a pot-luck where people usually don't care how much they gorge themselves.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

This is a really old recipe from my Grandma, Baca. Not dieter friendly but what GOOD cookie is? At the end you may have to add more egg and milk but it's a judgment call.

Makes about 36

Materials:
*8 oz. package of milk chocolate kisses (I have found that dark chocolate just overpowers the taste of the peanut butter so for once I'll advocate the usage of milk chocolate which is rare folks)

*1/2 c. vegetable shortening
*3/4 c. smooth peanut butter
*1/3 c. granulated sugar
*1/3 c. light brown sugar (MAKE SURE IT'S MOIST!!! IF YOU HAVE DRY BROWN SUGAR IT'S TOTALLY USELESS FOR PRACTICALLY ANY RECIPE--JUST THROW IT OUT)

*1-2 egg(s)
*2 TBSP milk
*1 tsp. vanilla extract
*1 1/4 c. flour
*1 tsp. baking soda
*1/4 tsp. salt

more granulated sugar in a small bowl (a cup or so)


Directions:
1.) Combine the peanut butter and shortening in a large bowl. Beat until well blended.
2.) Add 1/3 c granulated sugar and brown sugar, beat until "light and fluffy"
3.) Add 1 egg, milk, vanilla; beat well.
4.) In a separate bowl/cup, add flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

5.) Cover and chill for 1 hour in the refrig.

6.) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees farenheit

7a.) Examine your dough....run your fingers through it. Does dough stick to your hands? Or does it crumble apart? Now take a small bit of dough and make a ball--if it sticks together you should be okay, proceed to step 7b.

If the ball falls apart at any bit of pressure--you have dry dough. It's okay--happens to me too. :) If your dough is too dry/doesn't stick, add 1 more egg and a splash of milk, mix well--no need to refrig. for another hour unless you really want to. Now proceed to step 7b

7b) Shape dough into 1" balls, roll in granulated sugar, place onto UNGREASED cookie sheet.

8.) Cook 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. While you are waiting, unwrap the kisses.

9.) Stop eating the kisses!

10.) As soon as the cookies are out press one kiss into the center of the cookie--cookie will crack a little and that's okay.

11.) Remove from sheet and allow to cool.

Repeat steps as necessary and enjoy. :)

Now for something a little on the lighter side.....

This is a delicious sorbet--yes...lots of sugar (god no wonder I'm fat) but it's quite refreshing.

1 cup sugar
2 cups water
1 tablespoon culinary lavender flowers (food grade)
2 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons vodka

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and water until the sugar dissolves. Add the lavender flowers; stir until mixture comes to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand approximately 10 minutes.

Place a fine strainer over a large bowl and pour syrup mixture through (straining out the lavender flowers). Add lemon juice and vodka to the strained syrup mixture; stir until thoroughly blended.

Ice Cream Maker - Transfer mixture to ice cream maker, process according to manufacturer's instructions.

Freezer Method - Pour into container, cover, and place mixture in the freezer. When it is semi-solid, mash it up with a fork and refreeze again. When frozen, place in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Cover and refreeze until serving time.

NOTE: Can be prepared 3 days in advance. Cover and keep frozen.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Why VODKA?

The vodka (or any other type of alcohol) is the secret to a soft sorbet. Alcohol itself does not freeze and adding a little bit keeps the sorbet from doing the same. Vodka is excellent to use because it doesn't affect the taste.

Really F*cking Good French Toast

Yes my friends I said f*cking good....

F*cking Fantastic French Toast

(8 servings)

• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 8 teaspoon salt
• 8 slices bread
• 8 teaspoons unsalted butter
• Confectioners' sugar
• Maple syrup or cane sugar (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

2. Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl and whisk well.

3. Add the milk, orange juice, orange zest, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and salt, and whisk until well combined.

4. Working quickly, dip each bread slice into the egg mixture in the bowl, turning it to coat both sides with the mixture. Transfer the coated bread slices to a plate while you finish coating the remaining slices.

5. Heat a small skillet over medium heat until hot, about 3 to 5 minutes.

6. Melt 1 teaspoon of the butter in the skillet, then add a slice of coated bread, and cook until the bread is golden brown and crusted on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Turn with a plastic turner and cook until the second side is golden, about 1 to 2 minutes.

7. Transfer the French toast from the skillet to a baking sheet. Cover lightly with aluminum foil and place in the oven to keep warm while you cook the other slices.

8. Repeat with the remaining slices, being sure to add 1 teaspoon of the butter to the pan before every slice.

9. Sprinkle the French toast with confectioners' sugar and serve with maple syrup or cane sugar if desired.

NOTE: Depending on the size of the bread, you may find that there's a bit of batter left over. If that's the case, just go ahead, add a bit more butter to the pan, and cook up another slice or two. If you don't want to eat these today, refrigerate them, tightly covered, for up to one or two days, and reheat in the oven or microwave for a really quick breakfast.

10. After digesting, run about 5 miles at a brisk pace. :)

Another crazy delicious (with shellfish)

Crazy Delicious Stuff Mushrooms

Makes 20...good for a party of 10-ish...assuming all can eat shellfish

• 20 fresh mushrooms, stems removed.
  A word about the mushrooms, get the largest ones possible but DON'T get portobello. I find that going to the produce section and picking out the fresh crimini or baby bella mushrooms is best. Pre-packaged ones are often too small for all the stuffing you make.

Second word: washing mushrooms. DON'T drain them in water, those mushrooms will soak up the water and you'll have mushy mushrooms. Take a paper towel and dampen with water. Take your mushrooms and just rub them with the cloth. Pat dry.

• 2 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams, drained
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 2 tablespoons Italian-style seasoning
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cups butter, melted
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Arrange mushroom caps hollow side up in the baking dish.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together minced clams, garlic, Parmesan cheese, onion, bread crumbs, green bell pepper, parsley, Italian-style seasoning and black pepper. Slowly stir in approximately 1/2 the butter, enough to make the mixture slightly moist.
4. Generously fill the mushroom caps with the clam mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Drizzle with remaining butter.
5. Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until lightly browned.

This one should go into the crazy-delicious file

Artichoke and Spinach Dip

• 4-6 cloves roasted garlic
• 1 (10-14 ounce package) fresh spinach, rinsed and drained, chopped
  
• 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 (10 ounce) container Alfredo-style pasta sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

First roast the garlic: here are the steps to roasting garlic:

1 Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2 Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. Using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic.

3 Place the garlic heads in a baking pan; muffin pans work well for this purpose. Drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over each head, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed.

4 Allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. Use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. Use a cocktail fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.

While your garlic is cooling, take your oven down to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

1. Garlic not burning your fingers to the touch? Perfect. Use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. Use a cocktail fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins. Put garlic into 8x8 baking dish along with spinach, artichoke hearts, Alfredo-style pasta sauce, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and cream cheese. Eat remaining garlic at your leisure.
   
2. Cover top with foil and bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until cheeses are melted and bubbly. Mix the cheesy deliciousness. Serve warm.

Goat Cheese and Roasted Corn Quesadillas

Another recipe that James likes--yes! Another super easy recipe that you can make for lunches/dinner.

Yield

4 servings (serving size: 4 wedges and 2 tablespoons salsa)

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 1 large ear)....frozen is fine--just defrost it before hand.
  
• 2/3 cup (5 ounces) goat cheese, softened
• 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions (about 1 green onion)
• 10 tablespoon bottled salsa verde, divided
• Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add corn; sauté 2 minutes or until browned. Place corn in a small bowl. Add goat cheese to corn; stir until well blended. Divide corn mixture evenly among 4 tortillas; spread to within 1/4 inch of sides. Sprinkle each tortilla with 1 tablespoon green onions. Drizzle each with 1 1/2 teaspoons salsa; top with remaining 4 tortillas.

2. Heat pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Place 2 quesadillas in pan; cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove from pan; keep warm. Wipe pan clean with paper towels; recoat with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining quesadillas. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges. Serve with remaining 8 tablespoons salsa.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

223

Fat:

8.9g (sat 5.2g,mono 1.8g,poly 0.9g)

Protein:

9.9g

Carbohydrate:

28.6g

Fiber:

3.2g

Cholesterol:

16mg

Iron:

1mg

Sodium:

266mg

Calcium:

75mg

Creamy Carrot Soup

From Cooking Light March 2009

This is an awesome recipe, it's fast and simple. Plus, JAMES LIKES IT. It's actually rare to find something that both me and James like. Original recipe calls chicken broth but why add chicken broth to a vegetable soup? Keep it rule yo! Drawback--this recipe has quite a bit of sodium even if you do use vegetable broth.

Yield

4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 3/4 cups chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion
• 2 pounds carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (add more to taste)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (add more to taste)
  
• Dash of ground ginger
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups fat-free, less-sodium vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream, divided

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and carrots to pan; cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in salt, pepper, and ginger.

2. Add 2 cups water and broth to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until carrots are tender. Remove from heat; cool.

3. Place half of carrot mixture and 1 tablespoon cream in a food processor or blender; process 20 seconds or until smooth. Pour pureed mixture into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining carrot mixture and 1 tablespoon cream. Return mixture to pan; cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated.

Nutritional Information per serving

Calories:

180

Fat:

6.9g (sat 2.3g,mono 3.3g,poly 0.9g)

Protein:

3.6g

Carbohydrate:

28.7g

Fiber:

7.6g

Cholesterol:

10mg

Iron:

0.9mg

Sodium:

963mg (ouch)

Calcium:

97mg