Vegetarian Company Meal

This is one of the best dinners I have enjoyed in a long time. If you are trying to limit dairy, you could substitute almond milk for regular milk and margarine for the butter. Don't leave out any ingredients and be sure to use portobello mushrooms, because they have incredible flavor. I made this dish early in the morning and added a little baking time since I was putting it in the oven cold. The only downside to this dish is the number of pots and pans that are used, but trust me, it is worth it! We ate this for two nights with a spinach salad. Enjoy!

Portobello Mushroom Lasagna
Adapted from Ina Garten


Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• Good olive oil
• 3/4 pound dried lasagna noodles (9 noodles, could also try whole wheat)
• 4 cups whole milk (can substitute almond)
• 12 tablespoons (11/2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 pounds portobello mushrooms
• 1 cup freshly ground Parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon salt and a splash of oil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and set aside.

For the white sauce, bring the milk to a simmer in a saucepan. Set aside. Melt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of the butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture all at once. Add 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper, and nutmeg, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring first with the wooden spoon and then with a whisk, for 3 to 5 minutes, until thick. Set aside off the heat.

Separate the mushroom stems from the caps and discard the stems. Slice the caps 1/4-inch thick. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large (12-inch) saute pan. When the butter melts, add half the mushrooms, sprinkle with salt, and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and they release some of their juices. If they become too dry, add a little more oil. Toss occasionally to make sure the mushrooms cook evenly. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms and set all the mushrooms aside.

To assemble the lasagna, spread some of the sauce in the bottom of an 8 by 12 by 2-inch baking dish. Arrange a layer of noodles on top, then more sauce, then 1/3 of the mushrooms, and 1/4 cup gratedParmesan. Repeat 2 more times, layering noodles, sauce, mushrooms, and Parmesan. Top with a final layer of noodles and sauce, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.

Bake the lasagna for 45 minutes, or until the top is browned the sauce is bubbly and hot. Allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes and serve hot.

Good For Casual Company or Anytime

I was recently at a friend's house for dinner and had a great meal that I knew I must try to replicate at home. Of course, I didn't think to make it myself until the day I realized we were having company over that night. Although I couldn't get in touch with my friend to get her recipe, I was able to find a similar recipe from Emeril, who always seems to get cajun cooking right in my book. I have adapted the recipe slightly to mimic what I was looking for, but you can certainly add your own spin on the dish, making it more or less spicy or even adding a different protein like chicken. I find that it is a great meal for company, and I love to serve it with spinach salad. 


Jambalaya Pasta with Penne, Shrimp, & Andouille 
Adapted from Emeril Lagasse
Serves 4-6


Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup plus 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 pound dry penne rigate
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 pound peeled, deveined large shrimp
• 2 tablespoons or more of Cajun seasonings, like Tony's 
• 3/4 pound andouille sausage, diced into small half-moons
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, small diced
• 1/2 cup red or green bell pepper, small diced
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes (optional, I left this out)
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped thyme leaves (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (I added a little more for extra creaminess)
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil leaves
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan (or more, for added flavor)

Directions:

Fill a large, 1-gallon stock pot with a pasta insert, 3/4 full with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and add 1/4 cup of the salt as it boils. Place the penne in the salted water and return to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cook the pasta until nearly al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and set aside, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

While the pasta cooks, set a 14-inch saute pan over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, swirl the pan to evenly coat with the oil. Season the shrimp with 2 teaspoons of the Cajun seasoning and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Place the shrimp in the pan and sear for 1 minute per side. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside. Add another tablespoon of the olive oil to the saute pan and season the chicken breast with 2 teaspoons of the Cajun seasoning and 1/8 teaspoon of the salt. 

Place the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in the saute pan and add the sausage, onions and bell peppers. Saute, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is lightly caramelized and the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and saute for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock to the pan and scrape with a spoon to remove any browned bits that have formed in the bottom of the pan, about 30 seconds. Add the diced tomatoes, fresh thyme, the remaining tablespoon of Essence and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook for 2 minutes. Add the heavy cream to the pan and cook an additional 2 minutes. Return the shrimp and chicken to the pan, as well as the nearly al dente pasta and the reserved 1 cup of pasta cooking water. Continue to cook the sauce and pasta, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp is cooked through, the pasta is al dente and most of the pasta cooking water has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the basil and Parmesan. Toss to combine and serve while hot.

Spinach Salad:

Ingredients: one bag of baby spinach, washed, one pint of sliced strawberries, 1/2 cup sliced, toasted almonds or chopped pecans, and creamy poppyseed dressing (I use Brianna's). You could also add blue cheese or parmesan if desired. 

Directions: Toss and serve immediately. Serves 4+

Easy, Light Dinner

Here's an easy, weeknight dinner I threw together below. This meal is nothing fancy, but the flavors worked really well together. You could easily substitute some of your own favorite ingredients for the ones below. Also, if you are making the recipe for children, you can always separate the parts on their plates to give them what they like. Enjoy!

Weeknight Salad with Rotisserie Chicken 
Serves 3-4

Ingredients:
3/4 bag of lettuce or greens of your choice
1/3 bag shredded carrots
1/2 c dried cranberries
1/2 c toasted sliced almonds or chopped pecans
1-2 ripe, diced avocados
balsalmic dressing
1 rotisserie chicken (the flavor I used was lemon pepper, you could always just use leftover chicken)

Directions:
Toss first six ingredients in a bowl. Top with sliced, warm rotisserie chicken. Serve with wild rice and/or hearty grain bread.

Easy, Baked Coconut Shrimp

Years ago, my good friend Rachel had me over to her apartment for dinner. My husband and I had just gotten married, and I was anxious to begin cooking and creating as many fabulous meals as I could.  Unfortunately, I wasn't exactly sure where to start and was feeling fairly timid about what I could accomplish. My friend, however, was hardly timid about most challenges in life, and cooking was no exception. And so, she had us over on a weeknight and made coconut shrimp for the first time! I was so impressed and the shrimp were incredible. What I loved most about these shrimp was that they were baked. None of the mess of frying on the stove. I am pretty sure we ate only shrimp for dinner but it was all we wanted.

Years later, I still had never tried to make them myself and finally decided I would research a recipe and give it a try myself. I found that they were as easy and delicious as the ones I shared with her as a newlywed. I believe they would be better with an orange marmalade sauce, and I have included one but have not yet made it myself. If you decide to try it, please comment and let me know how it is.

Baked Coconut Shrimp
Adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients
I pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 cups flaked, sweetened coconut
3 egg whites, beaten until foamy

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Rinse and dry shrimp with paper towels. Mix cornstarch, salt, and cayenne pepper in a shallow bow; pour coconut flakes in a separate shallow bowl. Working with one shrimp at a time, dredge it in the cornstarch mixture, then dip it in the egg white, and roll it in the coconut, making sure to coat the shrimp well. Place on the prepared baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining shrimp.
3. Bake the shrimp until they are bright pink on the outside and the meat is no longer transparent in the center and the coconut is browned, 15 to 20 minutes, flipping the shrimp halfway through.

Serve with dipping sauce if desired: Mix together 1/2 cup orange marmalade, 2 teaspoons stone ground mustard with seeds, 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish, and a dash of salt. 

Stuffed Squash

One of my goals this year is to eat less meat. I am already on a dairy-free diet, so I figured I might as well give up the entire animal. I am mostly trying because of the many health benefits. I still eat meat a few times a week but am trying to center our dinners at home around delicious, filling alternatives. I call this recipe simply "Stuffed Squash" because you can use whatever type of fall or winter squash.
Acorn and butternut are my two favorites. I did not use ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, or cloves but I believe they would all be great additions. We enjoyed it with green beans and rosemary sourdough bread.

Stuffed Squash
Serves 8, but I adapted it using one squash to serve 2.

Ingredients:

• 4 acorn or butternut squash, halved lengthwise; seeds and membrane removed
• 1 cup brown rice
• 1/2 cup wild rice
• 4 cups vegetable broth or water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3/4 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped (you may use any nut of your preference)
• 1/2 cup cranberries(can substitute or add dried, chopped apricots)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2-1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon each ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375º F.
2. Cook both varieties of rice together in broth or water with ¼ teaspoon of salt (omit salt if broth is already salted).
3. Meanwhile, brush squash halves with olive oil and place, cut side down, into a large shallow baking dish or cookie sheet (you may need two). Bake for 30 minutes.
4. In a skillet, sauté onion in olive oil until it becomes transparent. Add the celery and sauté a couple of minutes. Remove from heat. Using a large mixing bowl, blend this mixture together with the cooked rice, cranberries, nuts, apricots, and remaining seasonings.
5. When done, remove the partially baked squash from the oven. Spoon out some of the cooked squash and mix it with the rest of the ingredients. Be sure to scrape only a little; you want to leave squash in the shells, too.
6. Press the rice mixture into each squash cavity, mounding rice as much as possible. (Depending on how large the squash are, you may end up with some leftover rice mixture, which makes a great side dish by itself.)
7. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes or until squash flesh is thoroughly tender. Check squash by poking all halves with a fork.

Easy, Make-Ahead Company Meal

This recipe comes from my good friend Lindsay who is an excellent cook so I knew this recipe would be a hit. It combines some of my favorite flavors and can even go in your freezer! You may want to increase the time on the covered baking depending how large your chicken breasts are. I forgot the pine nuts and it did not seem to make a difference. I served this with a salad and rosemary sourdough. Hope you enjoy!

Chicken, Artichoke, & Sun dried Tomato Bake

Ingredients: 

1/4 c olive oil

6-8 boneless chicken breast halves

1 1/2 t salt

1/2 t freshly ground pepper

Two 8-oz jars marinated & quartered artichoke hearts, drained, marinade reserved

2 c marscarpone cheese

1/2 c sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and thinly sliced

2/3 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 c pine nuts

Directions:

Make it Now:

Coat the inside of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Sprinkle the chicken with the salt and pepper, add the chicken to the pan, and saute until the chicken is browned on both sides.  Remove from the pan and arrange in the baking dish.  Scatter the artichokes around the chicken.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the mascarpone cheese, 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the reserved artichoke marinade, the sun-dried tomatoes, and 1/3 cup of the Parmesan.  Spread the mixture over the chicken.  Sprinkle with the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese and the pine nuts.  Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 2 weeks.

Bake it Later:

Defrost the casserole in the refrigerator overnight, if necessary.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Allow the casserole to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Bake the chicken, covered, for 20 minutes.  Uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes, until the casserole is bubbling and the cheese is golden brown.  Serve hot.

Serves: 6 

Adapted from Diane Phillips, You've Got it Made

"Husband-Approved" Blue Cheese Dressing & Spinach Triangles

So, a few nights ago, my husband asked what we were having for dinner and I replied, "Spanakopitas." After responding with a quizzical look and "Bless you," I wondered if this would be a dinner he would enjoy. Not only was this dish better known as Spinach Triangles foreign to him, but our meal would also include homemade blue cheese dressing, something I wasn't sure he was a huge fan of. To top it all off, this meal was entirely vegetarian.

The blue cheese dressing was a cinch. Simply throw all the ingredients into the food processor and get the consistency to your liking. However, the Spinach Triangles took a little more effort. I actually cut the recipe in half for just the two of us and we still had leftovers. Don't be discouraged, though, it is worth the work, and next time, I plan on making them in advance and baking right before dinner. I also included orzo topped with tomato sauce and parmagian as a side, which went nicely with the meal. At the end of the meal, all plates were clean and my husband fevervently requested that I make it all again very soon!

Green Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing
Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound Roquefort (or any good blue) cheese, divided
• 1 cup good mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons tarragon wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 heads green lettuce, washed and spun dry (I prefer Bibb)
• 3 pounds heirloom tomatoes, mixed colors and sizes, sliced (could also use grape tomatoes)

Directions:

For the dressing, crumble half the Roquefort cheese, the mayonnaise, heavy cream, vinegar, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until combined but still chunky.

Arrange the lettuce leaves on a platter and place the tomatoes on top. Pour the dressing over the tomatoes. Crumble the remaining Roquefort and sprinkle it over lettuce and tomatoes.

Yields: 6-8 servings. I cut this recipe in half and still had leftover dressing. It should keep in the fridge for about a week or so.

Dinner Spanakopitas

Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 3 scallions, white and green parts, chopped (I omitted)
• 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
• 4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Plain dry bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups small-diced feta cheese (12 ounces)
• 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts (I omitted)
• 24 sheets frozen phyllo dough, defrosted
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• Flaked sea salt, such as Maldon, for sprinkling (I used regular salt)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan, add the onion, and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat. Add the scallions, and cook for another 2 minutes until the scallions are wilted but still green. Meanwhile, gently squeeze most of the water out of the spinach and place it in a large bowl.

When the onion and scallions are done, add them to the spinach. Mix in the eggs, Parmesan cheese, 3 tablespoons bread crumbs, the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Gently fold in the feta and pine nuts.

Place 1 sheet of phyllo dough flat on a work surface with the long end in front of you. Brush the dough lightly with butter and sprinkle it with a teaspoon of bread crumbs. Working quickly, slide another sheet of phyllo dough on top of the first, brush it with butter, and sprinkle lightly with bread crumbs. (Use just enough bread crumbs so the layers of phyllo don't stick together.) Pile 4 layers total on top of each other this way, brushing each with butter and sprinkling with bread crumbs. Cut the sheets of phyllo in half lengthwise. Place 1/3 cup spinach filling on the shorter end and roll the phyllo up diagonally as if folding a flag. Then fold the triangle of phyllo over straight and then diagonally again. Continue folding first diagonally and then straight until you reach the end of the sheet. The filling should be totally enclosed. Continue assembling phyllo layers and folding the filling until all of the filling is used. Place on a sheet pan, seam sides down. Brush with melted butter, sprinkle with flaked salt, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the phyllo is browned and crisp. Serve hot. 

Yields: 12 triangles (two per person). I cut this recipe in half. 

Rosemary Baked Chicken Thighs with Potatoes

This reminds me of an earthy French meal. Although it is simple enough, the flavor is great and is easy to through together with haricots verts (those are green beans) or a salad. I hope you enjoy!

Rosemary Baked Chicken with Potatoes

Ingredients
2 T. olive oil
1 T. paprika
1 1/2 t. fresh rosemary
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
6 chicken thighs
red potatoes, washed and cut into 1-inch pieces

Preheat oven to 425. Mix the first five ingredients in a large bowl. Arrange mixture on a greased, foil-lined baking sheet. Bake potatoes for 15 mins. Remove from the oven, move potatoes to one side, and add chicken thighs to baking sheet. Return to oven and bake everything for 30-35 mins or until potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked through (potatoes may be a little crispy, but I like them that way!).

Serve with a vegetable or salad.