Adventures in Bedlam

Mashed Cauliflower Recipe

I've made mashed cauliflower before and it was delicious. However, the recipe called for so much cream and butter it could hardly be called healthy. This week's CSA box had cauliflower in it and as soon as I saw it I knew I was going to create my own version of mashed cauliflower.

It's so easy, and frankly, tastes a lot better than the higher calorie version I made. This recipe can easily be made vegetarian or even vegan by substituting the chicken broth with vegetable and the dairy products with non-animal products.

Ingredients
1 large head cauliflower, stem removed, roughly chopped
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1 large shallot, chopped
32 oz chicken broth
1 tbs half & half
1 tbs butter
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
Cooking spray

Bring chicken broth to a boil and add cauliflower. Cook for 5 minutes and drain. Set aside.

Spray a pan with cooking spray and over medium heat, cook garlic and shallot until soft.

Add all of the ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth.

Serves 4

That's all there is to it!

Even I was impressed with the way this turned out. Try it in place of mashed potatoes. It's lighter, lower in calories, and it's delicious!

Turkey Chili Recipe

Okay, so I'm not turning this into a cooking blog, despite the recent postings of recipes. I've been cooking a lot lately though, especially since we started getting a CSA box from Farm Fresh to You. It challenges me to try to use up everything in the box by using my imagination.

Chili, even the turkey variety, isn't necessarily all that ground-breaking imagination-wise, but I created my own version that Mick and I love and I thought I'd share it.

Ingredients
1 tsp olive oil
1 lb ground turkey
2 15 oz cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 small jalapeno, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tsp garlic salt
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
1/4 tsp cayenne (or to taste)

Directions
Heat a large pot on medium and add olive oil. Saute jalapeno, onion, and garlic until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add ground turkey, garlic salt, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and cayenne and mix thoroughly. Heat until turkey is cooked through.

Add tomatoes and beans and stir well. Bring liquid to a boil then turn heat to low. Partially cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until much of the liquid is evaporated. We prefer a dryer chili but you might like it more soupy--check the consistency after 30 minutes and let cook more if needed.

Serve with condiments: fresh cilantro, sour cream, chopped onions, cheddar cheese, etc.

Enjoy!

Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe (Crock Pot)

I add peppers to pretty much everything, and chicken soup is no exception. This delicious soup is easily made in a crock pot and will knock your socks off.

Ingredients
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
6-8 cups chicken broth
1 cup mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 cup fresh green beans, roughly chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, cut into 4
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro or flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp seasoned salt
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1 bay leaf
6 oz noodles

Directions
Remove skin from chicken and place in crock pot with all ingredients except the noodles. Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.

Remove chicken and bay leaf from pot. Remove chicken from bones and dice. Return to crock pot. Cook on high for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions. Add to broth before serving.

Note: You might want to remove the jalapeno from the broth before serving. It is not too hot to eat, but if any of your guests are especially sensitive to spicy foods, they might not like getting a spoonful of it.

Variations
Matzo balls: Cook soup as for noodles. Make matzo balls according to package instructions and add to broth before serving.

Rice: Cook soup as for noodles. Make rice according to package instructions and add to broth before serving.

It is possible to add the noodles, rice, or matzo balls to the broth in the final hour of cooking, however, I find that this gives them an unappealing texture. 

Serve with crusty bread and a smile!

Recipe: Chicken Diane (ala Holly)

Back in "The Day," I used to go to a restaurant called Palermo on Vermont in Los Angeles.  I'd still go there, except it is far away from Santa Monica and Mick and I rarely go to any restaurant we can't walk to (I know, it's a problem).  In those days, I could barely afford dinner, let alone wine to go with it, and they served free wine in plastic glasses out of boxes while you waited to be seated.  That made me happy, especially since it always took awhile to get seated.

My favorite item on the menu was a dish called "Chicken Diane." As described on the menu, it is "a tender boneless breast of chicken lightly coated with seasonal bread crumbs, served with fresh mushrooms and white cream sauce."  As described by me, it is yummy, decadent, and addictive.

I was recently reading a novel in which the characters go to Palermo for dinner and I was immediately transported back to my wine-from-a-box-chicken-diane days.  I decided to try to come up with a lower calorie version of the dish, and this is what I came up with.

Oh, and by the way, I will still drink wine from a box if it's free, just so you know.

 

 

Chicken Diane (ala Holly)

Cook Time: 25 mins.
Level:  Easy
Yield:  4

Ingredients:

1 package chicken breast tenders, cut into chunks
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup light or regular alfredo sauce
1 cup pasta of your choice
1 cup chopped brocolli
2 tsp fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 tbs freshly grated parmesan

To make the pasta:

This is a trick I use often to maximize nutrition and minimize calories, and it works particularly well with this recipe.

Set water for pasta to boil with a handful of salt.  When it boils, add your pasta and set your timer to cook it 3 minutes less than the directions say for al dente.  When the time is up, add your brocolli and set the timer for the remaining 3 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

Mix bread crumbs with salt and pepper.  Dip chicken chunks into egg and dredge lightly in the bread crumbs.

 Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium.  Add garlic and sautee for a 1-2 minutes.  Add mushrooms and sautee for an additional 1-2 minutes.  Add the breaded chicken to the mix and sautee until browned and cooked through.

Add the alfredo sauce to the chicken and mushrooms and stir to coat them, keeping it on the heat for 1 more minute to heat the sauce.  Remove from heat and add the pasta and brocolli.  Mix well.

Serve on plates or in bowls.  Garnish with the parsley and parmesan.

Recipe: Pasta with Shrimp, Tomato, Garlic & Basil

A long time ago, I used to go to a restaurant in Los Angeles that served a dish called Pasta Portofino (or something like that).  It was a favorite of mine, and eventually I came up with my own version of it.  The restaurant
is long since closed, but I still enjoy this recipe all the time.

This is a light pasta dish that really lets the flavors of shrimp, tomato, basil, and garlic shine.  I originally created the recipe without the zucchini, but one day I had one left over and I decided to add it.  When it's chopped so finely, it adds nutrition and texture without a heavy zucchini flavor.

Cook Time: 25 mins.
Level:  Easy
Yield:  2

Ingredients:

1/2 tbs exra virgin olive oil
1/2 lb raw jumbo shrimp, peeled, tails off, and deveined
4 garlic cloves, minced finely
1/2 small zucchini, chopped in food processor or mini prep for a very fine consistency
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt (plus salt for boiling pasta)
2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
4-6 leaves of fresh basil, chopped
1 cup penne pasta
Freshly grated parmesan to taste

In a large pot, put water to boil for pasta with a handful of salt.  When water boils, cook pasta until al dente, about 11 minutes.  Remove from heat and drain.

Mince and chop your garlic and zucchini and set aside.  Cut the tomatoes in half and gently squeeze out some of the juice and seeds into the sink, then chop.

In a large skillet, heat the oil on medium.  Do not let it get too hot before putting in your garlic and zucchini because the garlic could burn.  Sautee for 1-2 minutes.  Add the shrimp, red pepper flakes, and salt and sautee until the shrimps are pink and almost cooked through, 2-3 minutes.  Add the chopped tomatoes and finish cooking the shrimp 1-2 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the fresh basil.

Add the pasta to the skillet and mix thoroughly.  Serve in bowls or plates and top with fresh parmesan.

copyright Holly West 2009

Garden Update

Remember when I blogged about how happy I was about the vegetable "garden" I planted about two months ago?

Well, chickadees, it has thus far yielded me the following:

1 zucchini
1 Japanese eggplant
0 tomatoes
Enough lettuce to make about six salads
Loads of basil
Loads of Italian parsley
Loads (though still not fully grown) of serano chilis

 

The Japanese eggplant plant died and has been removed.  The zucchini plant is almost dead and almost certainly will not give me any more vegetables.  The tomato plant is also almost dead and waiting for removal.  The salad greens are happily growing and show no signs of faltering any time soon.

My housekeeper told me I waited too long to plant and that it's too cold and wet here in the mornings right now, which is probably why all my plants died.  I also let the bugs kind of eat them up a little, so that was my bad.

I did make some very tasty turkey burgers using my zucchini:

1 lb ground turkey breast
1 cup chopped mushrooms
4 large garlic cloves, coursely chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 egg
Garlic salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and form into patties, then grill and serve on buns with all the fixin's.

As soon as the serano chilis are ready I'll probably add half a chopped serano--although that might upset the flavor balance a little.  We'll see.

Italian Stuffed Courgette

What do you do when some kind soul brings you a home grown zucchini the size of a small child?

 

If you’re anything like me, you thank them profusely and start thinking of things you can make with it.

Yesterday, John Maloni, the guy who was installing our heat pump, brought me a bag filled with a couple of huge zucchinis and cucumbers.  He told me his wife Debbie often prepared these by cutting them in half and mixing all sorts of ingredients with the zucchini meat and then stuffing the shell and baking it.  That sounded good to me.  I called her and got the basic 411 and then set out to create my own version of stuffed zucchini.

Italian Stuffed Courgette

 

This is a wonderful low-carb alternative to lasagna. The recipe is great as written, but feel free to experiment with ingredients you like to come up with a unique dish.

NOTE: This recipe was prepared using a very large homegrown zucchini (see photos). Cooking times may vary if you use smaller ones. I will re-post this recipe with updated times when I try this recipe with smaller zucchinis, such as the ones you can buy at the supermarket.

Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 45-60 minutes

1 large or two small zucchinis
1 lb ground turkey breast
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup mushrooms
1 cup marinara sauce
½ cup Italian-style bread crumbs, plus extra for topping
½ cup 2% shredded mozzarella cheese, plus extra for topping
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese, plus extra for topping
¼ cup olive oil, for drizzling
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
Garlic salt, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large skillet on medium heat, add ground turkey, garlic salt, parsley, cayenne pepper, oregano, and basil and brown until well cooked. Drain excess water and grease.

Meanwhile, prepare your zucchini by cutting it in half length-wise. Using a melon baller or a spoon, scoop the seeds from the middle of both halves and dispose. Continue scooping the meat of the zucchini and put it in a small bowl. You will use the largest of the zucchini halves as your “boat” for stuffing, but scoop the meat from both halves (if you are using smaller zucchinis, use two halves for stuffing and scoop the meat from all four halves). Add the minced garlic and mushrooms to the zucchini and mix well.

Put the half that will be stuffed onto a non-stick baking pan. Drizzle olive oil on the sides and add salt and pepper. Put the the side.

When the turkey is cooked, add the zucchini mixture to the skillet and sauté until zucchini, mushrooms, and garlic are softened. Add the marinara sauce and mix well. Reduce heat to low and simmer until most of the liquid is gone.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix bread crumbs, mozzarella, and Parmesan together. When turkey and zucchini mixture is ready, add to the bowl and mix well. Carefully spoon the mixture into your zucchini “boat” until well-filled—this should take all or most of the mixture. Top with additional breadcrumbs and drizzle with olive oil. Add a small sprinkling of mozzarella and Parmesan to the top.

Cover the zucchini with aluminum foil and bake, covered, for 30-45 minutes (check the zucchini shell at 30 for tenderness). Remove cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until cheese and breadcrumbs are golden brown.