Category: Recipes

Weekend Breakfast: Eggplant and Scrambled Eggs

I love weekends! What’s better than waking up and realizing that the first of two day’s you’ve been looking forward to all week are finally here!

One of the best parts of the weekend, in our house, is weekend breakfast! During the week, breakfast is a chore and provides quite a bit of entertainment while I bang around opening cabinets and drawers in the attempt to find a suitable meal that can be made quickly or eaten on the go.

But Weekends…walking into the kitchen, opening the fridge and creating some delicious weekend masterpiece is nearly a religious experience for me! Today, however, there was little inspiration flowing so I gave creative powers the day off and opted for my simple “go-to” stand by’s of eggplant and and scrambled eggs.

Not only is this meal gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, low fat but it’s also incredibly simple and quite delicious!

Eggplant & Scrambled Eggs

  • Pre-heat oven to 450
  • Slice eggplant and lay on baking sheet covered with a sheet of Reynolds Wrap Non-stick aluminum foil 
  • Misto Spray olive oil  on the top of the eggplant and season with fresh cracked pepper
  • Cook for 15-17 minutes, or until eggplant is as cooked/crispy as you like
  • When there is about 5 minutes left on the oven timer, scramble one egg with garlic, cayenne pepper, fresh cracked pepper, dried parsley and cook.
  • Enjoy!!

Today I also tried something that we picked up last week and I haven’t yet tried, Reynolds Wrap Non-stick aluminum foil (also available through My Amazon.com Store). We make broiled veggies 3-5 times a week and no matter how much olive oil I lather on the veggies or Misto spray on foil the eggplant ALWAYS sticks! It drives me nuts and has caused a few choice words to escape on various occasions! So, last week we picked up a roll of the alleged “non-stick” foil and today was the day! I was skeptical as I pulled it out of the drawer mentally recounting the countless fights with the baking sheet and foil as it they tried to hold onto my precious eggplant with their sticky powers.

I am quite happy to report that I’m a believer! Foil CAN be non-stick! Ring the bells, sound the horns! That foil worked wonders and I actually liked that it wasn’t quite flawless, as you can see in the photo the end cut of the eggplant stuck to the sheet a bit. Full dramatically narrated product review posted here. This is now a STAPLE of my modest little kitchen! With the tiny space that we have, every utensil, pot, pan and gadget must earn it’s spot!

 

And on a completely non-related side note… have you ever tried to spell  “utensil” and gotten it right the first time!? I’ll shamelessly admit that it took me a few tries… what a strange word!

 

Broiled Eggplant

Punch of Misunderstandings- Refreshing Cockatil Punch

One of the fun parts of living downtown is that you never know what will happen! While walking home from our Thursday night date night a few weeks ago, we were walking the rainy streets of Seattle after a drink and some happy hour appetizers at RN74 (review to come, stay tuned!) we walked past Goorin Hat Brother’s location on 1st avenue. Music was playing, the place was packed, and the scene resembled a scene from A Christmas Carol with the dreary outside and such a rosy and cozy party happening indoors. Leaning out of the open door, the 20’s era clad worker beckoned us in, “There’s live music folks”… pause from us…”there’s an open bar and GREAT drinks, come on in and have one”. Now THAT was the sales man’s trick, know who you’re selling to!

Besides the fact that we stayed for over an hour and the two hats that I walked out with we did enjoy a few glasses of the truly delicious libations. Luckily, they were distributing the recipe!! Not only is the alcohol itself smooth and delicious, but their packaging is just classic!!

Despite the silly name, the punch is actually quite forward and smooth! Enjoy!!

Punch of Misunderstandings
(Recipe from Deaths Door Spirits)
Serves 8-12 people

ingredients

  • 1 bottle Death’s Door White Whiskey
  • 12 oz Death’s Door Vodka
  • 12 oz Sombra Mezcal
  • 12 oz Agave Nectar
  • 12 oz Lime Juice (Fresh, approx 12 limes)
  • 64oz COLD water
  • 4 c ice

 

 

 

  1. Combine agave and lime juice into large punch bowl and stir to combine
  2. Add whiskey, vodka, Sombra Mezcal and cold water to nectar-juice mixture and stir thoroughly to combine
  3. Add approx 4 cups ice to chill
    Serve with a slice of red apple as a garnish if you desire

 

Simple Tapas Dinner

Everyone has had those days where you’d rather gnaw your own arm off than cook. No matter how much you usually adore it, there is just no inspirational energy left in your body. Those types of days pose a special problem for me because, surprise surprise, I’m picky. I like my food how I like it and when I want it and I want to use fresh ingredients. If you opened my freezer you wouldn’t find any Hungry Man dinners or Lean Cuisine Steamers.

But alas, last night I just did NOT want to cook and was so thankful that I’ve learned to plan ahead and stock the kitchen! It’s NOT hard to eat delicious enriching and nutritious meals, even on those days that come hell or high water you are NOT picking up a pan! Below is an illustration of a simple, healthy meal that I literally “threw” together from what was in the fridge.

Those are the days I’m thankful that it is so easy to eat wholesome food if you just plan ahead a bit and stock GOOD quality ingredients. Above is a little plate of broiled zucchini and yams, sliced heirloom tomatoes with cracked sea salt and pepper dusted with dried parsley, a few grapes, fresh basil and arugula and some balsamic drizzled grilled chicken breast and a few rosemary crackers. We recently tried a  salad at Bisato in Seattle (my review posted here) with 20 year aged balsamic dressing and it was INCREDIBLE! We wound up ordering another of the salads and that weekend went on a hunt to Pike Place to find a bottle! Stocking your pantry with fresh ingredients and using quality oils/vinegar and spices really does wonders for sprucing up a meal! Even a simple meal like chicken and veggies becomes a work of art with the right flavors!

Shown in this picture at left clockwise from the wine 🙂 is….
Rook Wine
La Panzonella Rosemary Croccantini (Whole Foods stocks them)
Oven Grilled Zucchini
Baked pepper chicken with 20 year balsamic drizzled over the top
Fresh Basil
Oven Grilled Yam Fries
Heirloom tomatoes with fresh cracked salt and pepper
Red Grapes

How do you spruce up a simple meal?

Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies

Disclaimer: This is a recipe for GLUTEN-FREE gingerbread. If you’re looking for regular gluten-FILLED gingerbread, you can find the recipe HERE.

Starting before Thanksgiving, there is a certain craving that I start to notice. It’s not just for the warmth of a cup of tea, or the delicious flavors of roasted turkey and holiday meals. No, it’s much MUCH more than that… I get the urge to bake EVERYTHING in my recipe books!  Channeling the reverse of Santa who consumes the baked goods, I try to make enough cookies, cakes and treats to feed everyone who might get within 10 feet of my door! Unless you adore baked goods being forced upon you at every turn, it’s best to avoid me for the holiday season!

While I do a lot of baking for others, which includes cooking with those luxuries I can’t enjoy like whole milk and butter, there are a few treats that I make in abundance purely to keep around the house. Gingerbread  cookies are my ALL TIME favorite! How can one go wrong with the delicious rich spices, the crunch of the crispy edges and the soft wonderful center… the complimentary royal icing that adorns the top of that lovely treat and even more, the sprinkles or toppings that are hand-picked to decorate the surface of such a treat. Okay okay, I’m getting a little too into the description of the cookie but does that explain how much I adore them!

I love gingerbread and use ANY excuse to throw a party (yes, it’s actually true!) so it goes without saying that I host a gingerbread decorating party each year. This year, there were actually quite a few gluten-free guests in attendance and I decided that it would be a good exercise to be a bit more mindful with minimizing gluten in my own diet. So, off on the adventure I was to make a gluten-free gingerbread cookie! COOKIES FOR ALL!!! For the cookie part, I complied the recipe from a few different ones that I found and  kinda pulled a “wing-it” with this one. They turned out GREAT! I love Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour, even the non-glutards (don’t get offended… I’m a lactard) couldn’t tell the difference and enjoyed them!!


Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients

5 Cups Bob’s Redmill Gluten-Free flour
2 T. baking powder
2 t. baking soda
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. ground ginger
1 t. salt
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/2 t. ground cloves
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup molasses T. vanilla

In a small bowl, stir together gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg, and cloves, and set aside.
In a medium bowl, place the remaining ingredients, and stir to combine.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir well to combine.
Cover the bowl, place it in the refrigerator, and chill the dough for 1 hour or more.
Using a little safflower oil, lightly oil (or mist with oil) two non-stick cookie sheets and set aside.
Sprinkle a little gluten-free flour over a work surface.
Divide the chilled dough into quarters, work with only one-quarter of the dough at a time, and keep the remaining dough covered and chilled until needed.
Working in batches, roll out the quarter of dough to 1/4-inch thickness, and cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters.
Carefully transfer the cut cookies to the prepared cookie sheet.
Bake them at 350 degrees for 6 minutes (the cookies will feel slightly soft to the touch).
Allow them to cool on the cookie sheets for 3 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.
Repeat the rolling and cutting-out procedure for the remaining cookie dough.
Store the cookies in an airtight container.

Good House Keeping Royal Frosting
2 cup(s) confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoon(s) meringue powder
3 tablespoon(s) water, plus additional as needed
Assorted food colorings (optional)
Directions
In bowl, with mixer at low-speed, beat confectioners’ sugar, meringue powder, and water until blended. Scrape side of bowl with rubber spatula. Increase speed to medium; beat until soft peaks form, about 10 minutes. Icing should be stiff enough to hold its shape when piped. Thin with more water, if needed.
Tint icing with food colorings as desired; keep surface covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying out.

 

Vegan Coffee Cake

 

 

The crumble topping was good, not too sweet and had a balanced cinnamon spice-ness. The cake was pretty simple. I like a more fluffy cake, but in it’s defense, this one did have a ‘melt in your mouth’ quality to it. Overall, it’d say its a solid cake, but it’s not necessarily the most amazing one ever. I’ll be experimenting with different recipes to find the ultimate and will keep you all posted!!

 

 

Vegan Coffee Cake
(Adapted from Usually Vegan)

Ingredients
Topping
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 c.+ tbps canola oil

 

Cake
3/4 cup soy-dairy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup (half sugar, half honey)
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

 

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 375°F
  • Grease an 8 in. pan,
  • In a mug, mix  milk for the cake and the vinegar; set aside to curdle (trust me… you’ll know when it’s curdled)
  • Mix dry ingredients for topping well in a bowl. Slowly drizzle in canola oil by the tablespoon, using your fingers to swish around the mixture until crumbs form. Alternate drizzling and mixing until all the oil is used and large crumbs have formed.
  • Mix cake ingredients together. For this recipe, I just threw it all in a bowl and I”m wondering if maybe that lent a hand to the non-fluffy nature of the cake. next time I’ll try mixing the wet ingredients together, including the curdled milk, and separately mix the dry ingredients then combine.
  • Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle crumbles on top.
  • Bake for 35 to 40 min. or until a knife inserted through the center comes out clean
  • We were supposed to let it cook for an hour before eating it, but let’s be real, who can wait an hour when the house smells like coffee cake!

Roasted Fennel Pasta with Tomato Dressing

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, because if I did then my number one AND two would have been broken for the past few YEARS: cook through my recipes and cook with more diverse foods! Thanks to Presidents Day, a little holiday afforded me the time and the inspiration to try TWO new recipes! Something possessed me to pick up fennel at the market this week and while I can’t remember actually consciously eating fennel up to now something in me decided that we needed to cook it!

Keeping with the homemade and new recipes theme, I found a delicious tomato dressing/compote recipe  Martha Stewart.com (link below) and what was it drizzled over? That’s right…fennel. It was a sign from the cooking gods! Below I’ve worked in both recipes into the overall preparation of the meal but will have links to the specific recipes below.  The recipe below served 3 people healthy portions but there was only leftover pasta. If you want leftovers to enjoy I suggest doubling the fennel and sauce portion of the meal.

This meal is Meat-free, dairy-free (if you omit the Parmesan like I do) AND Vegan; if you use gluten-free bread & pasta it’s also a gluten-free option as well! Look at the endless possibilities!

 

 

Ingredients

Pasta

  • 1/2 package pasta of your choice ( I used Angel Hair)

Garlic Bread

  • Whatever rustic loaf you like
  • Optional- Parmesan or Dairy Free Cheese for the garlic bread.We love the grated blend  Parmesan from DeLaurenti that we pick up fresh from Pike Place

Roasted Fennel

  • 3 fennel bulbs (choose with thick base), stalks cut off, bulbs sliced
  • EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

Tomato Dressing:

  • EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
  • 10 ounces (1-pint container) grape or cherry tomatoes
  • minced garlic (to taste in all recipes, I don’t measure much!)
  • 2/3 cup dry red wine
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon red-wine vinegar

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400°F.
  2. Chop top of fennel stock off, wash bulb and cut as shown below. (Note, the lovely photography is from the Simply Recipes site, I didn’t remember to take a photo of this step). You can wash your tomatoes at this time also if you’d like.
  3. Lay out baking sheet with aluminum foil over it. Toss the fennel in olive oil. This time I used a bowl to coat, which resulted in a bit too much olive oil on the fennel, next time I suggest laying out on a baking sheet and brushing with an OXO Basting Brush.
  4. Crack fresh pepper over fennel and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
  5. Roast for 30-40 minutes, until fennel is caramelized.
  6. Prep the garlic bread on aluminum foil so it’s ready to put in the oven! I use my handy dandy Misto Sprayer and spray some EVOO over the bread, drizzle with minced garlic, fresh cracked pepper, and dried parsley. If you’re doing cheese (Being lactose intolerant I don’t use the cheese but it’s still quite delicious!)  add the cheese on the top.
  7. When fennel has about 25 minutes left start the water to  boil the water for the spaghetti. Add the spaghetti when the water boils and cook to your desired tenderness.
  8. In a medium pan, drizzle olive oil for the tomato dressing over medium heat. Add the tomatoes when the pan is hot. Make sure you keep swirling the pan around so that all the skins have a chance to cook.
  9. Add the garlic, red wine, and balsamic vinegar to the dressing pan, mixing well. Simmer until the liquid reduces and tomatoes start to get soft (about 5 minutes). At this step I cut the tomatoes in half with my spatula to allow the juices to mix.
  10. Stir in sugar, salt, and red-wine vinegar, and cook for 1 minute.
  11. When there is 10 minutes left on the fennel timer, stick the bread in the oven to toast and the cheese has melted.
  12. Serve and enjoy a culinary masterpiece!!

My overall review:  I think this is one of the best meals I’ve ever made!! The savory grilled and caramelized flavor complimented the liquorice taste of the fennel blended, which perfectly with the tomato balsamic sauce and the texture of the pasta. Add some grilled potato garlic bread and it was simple divine!!!

Recipes this meal was inspired from:
Roasted Fennel Recipe
Warm Tomato Dressing

Live Lobster: The Holiday Cooking Adventure

What do you give the person who has everything? That person who can go out and buy anything they could possibly want or need? Lobster. That’s right…LIVE lobster. Since we both love to cook, this was actually the perfect gift (thanks Mom and Dad)! I knew these little guys would be arriving…LIVE…so I was mentally preparing myself for a few days beforehand. All I could imagine was the scene from Julie and Julia where the lobster tries to jump OUT of the pot!

The LobsterGram arrived, and our two jumbo lobbies were all packed up for the overnight trip from Maine. Per the directions, which I CAREFULLY read twice, I left them be…that is…after I lifted up the packing to get a glance at those beauties! I will admit that some of the packing peanuts, which are lobster PINK for some awful reason, moved and I did shriek a bit thinking it was the lobster! We chose names for our little lobbies and I even gave one of them a little back rub to calm it down. Now mind you, this wasn’t necessarily my idea since I was already the one tasked with dropping them headfirst into a pot of boiling water! But, my sous chef decided that one of them was moving a bit too much for his liking and that I needed to calm it down a little. Those pictures are not included :)!

 

 

 

We followed the directions included in our care package. They can also be found online here: How to Boil a Lobster. The boiling process was actually pretty painless albeit a bit eventful (we kept having to push them back underwater!). We wound up using one pot since the water in the second pot didn’t boil in time and they turned out just fine. One note on the pot; soak it VERY well when you are done or else you will permanently have a smelly lobster pot. We wound up boiling it on the stove with dawn dish soap for a few minutes and it vanquished the smell. Also, make sure you remember ahead of time to get the seafood utensils you’ll need. (Thanks again Mom & Dad!!) I swear by Oxo products, so we were equipped with the Oxo Good Grips 5-Piece Seafood Cracker Set and OXO Good Grips Slim Nut/Seafood Cracker.

For the beverage selection, we opted for a wonderful Viognier from Windsor Cellars which we handpicked from our last trip down to that wonderful winery. If you are wine tasting in that area you MUST visit them! In all my wine tasting experience, this was the FIRST place I have ever wanted to purchase a CASE! Their Windsor Rare California Port, Private Reserve and 2009 Windsor Sonoma Winery Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley were just amazing! Even their “table red” Sexy Bombshell was delicious!

The Viognier was almost buttery on the tongue with citrus notes and finished with a balanced flavor and a light spice, great accompaniment to a dish like lobster! For the side dishes, we went the traditional route and opted for roasted corn, oven broiled asparagus and a fresh loaf of pain de champagne from the delicious and local Dahlia Bakery. Being dairy free I passed on the traditional “drawn butter” but made some for Brian and he wound up skipping it all together! The taste of the lobster was just delicious by itself with a little bit of the fresh lemon squeezed over the top.

I was actually surprised at how easy the whole process was! Simply get the other parts of the meal basically set up and then boil the water then enjoy! It was a wonderful treat and a fun adventure in cooking! If you like seafood stew, save the shells to make lobster stock for general use or if you retain the Lobster tail’s to make bisque.

Have you cooked a lobster? Any tips or tricks… or experiences you like to share? Comment below!

Blueberry Coconut Banana Muffins

You hear it all the time, “Breakfast is a very (or sometimes MOST) important meal” but so is hitting the snooze button! I love simple recipes that fit into my fast paced lifestyle. I found this recipe in the wonderful Martha Stewart’s recipe vaults, and I made a few tweaks for my food allergies.

Made the first batch and I’m proud to say that the taste testers not only survived (phew) but they got raving review’s and a multiple request to be made again! Now that makes a bakers heart happy!

Quick and easy breakfast idea: Make these on a weekend and individually wrap a few and freeze the rest. You can quickly warm one or two up in the microwave and put a almond butter on it for some protein and out the door you go!

Healthy Banana Blueberry Muffins
From: Everyday Food
(Adapted for my allergies)

Ingredients:

  • 1 c. whole wheat flour
  • 3/4 c. all purpose flour
  • 1/4 c. wheat germ
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 c.  substituted butter for apple sauce
  • 1/3 c. sugar (I usually cut out the granulated sugar)
  • 1/3 c. brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 rape bananas, one mashed and one in chunks
  • 1/3 c. substituted milk for soy milk
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 c. blueberries
  • 1/3 cup coconut (my own addition)

Directions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Whisk flours, wheat germ, baking soda, salt together and set aside.
  3. Mix apple sauce and sugars in a medium sized bowl. I usually omit the granulated sugar if a recipe calls for both white and brown.
  4. Add in eggs at one at a time, careful to not over beat with each addition.
  5. In a separate bowl, mash mashed banana and fold in the cut banana pieces, soy milk and vanilla.
  6. Combine the flour mixture and the banana mixture until both are just blended. Be careful to not overwork the batter.
  7. Fold in coconut and blueberries. If you are using frozen blueberries make sure you allow them to thaw and drain the berries out of the juice.
  8. Pour batter into prepared muffin and bake in pre-heated oven. Turn the pan half way through cooking time to ensure even baking. Cook for 25-28 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
  9. Cool on wire rack, then enjoy!

See the original recipe here

Soup Season: Cauliflower Garlic Soup

It’s confirmed…Summer is on it’s last leg. The weather has turned, Pumpkin Spice lattes are back at Starbuck’s and I wore a sweater to work.  Here in Seattle we didn’t get very many sunny days but as life is rarely fair so here fall is in all it’s glory and so is my yearning for warm cozy comfort meals. That meal that will just warm the chill in the air right out of you and leave you cozied up to your favorite book enjoying the rain falling. Okay okay, so it’s not THAT cold yet in Seattle but I feel winter coming and tonight I wanted a comfort soup! I didn’t have the energy to cook up a feast so I went with my go-to Cauliflower Garlic soup.  Cauliflower is notoriously low in fat, but high high in dietary fiber and vitamin C and when mixed with garlic provides a host of anti-inflammatory agents as well as a tasty simple meal.

Cauliflower Garlic Soup

1 head cauliflower
minced garlic to taste, (I use about a spoonful)
cracked pepper, dried parsley and fresh ground salt to taste
water

  • cut up the cauliflower and microwave with about 1/3 cup water for 8-10 minutes
  • set out your blender (I swear by my vitamix) and add the garlic and herbs to taste
  • once the cauliflower is done steaming pour the veggies and the water into the blender and cover, mixing on medium/high until all ingredients are blended
  • add more water if needed to texture/consistency mixing
  • garnish with cracked pepper and enjoy
From time to time I add other ingredients like pulled chicken, or grilled onions, substitute the water for soy milk or butternut squash soup, or I add other spices I happen to be in the mood for. Please post with YOUR ideas!

Homemade Turkey Meatballs and Spaghetti

 

Date night Thursday was my turn this week and since we’ve been going out so much lately I decided it was a night to cook at home. I’ve been feeling stagnant on cooking the same old things and wanted to try a new recipe. I’d recently found a recipe for Turkey Meatballs on Pintrest, which I’m obsessed with  and spend much too much time on (Follow me here), so I decided to give it a go. The recipe here is adapted from recipe in Fitness Magazine. This meal what a challenge for me since I had no idea how long each of the different parts of the meal might take and I can’t tell you the last time that I boiled pasta! I used general timing in the post below so I can only ballpark the meal at under 40 minutes to make.

 

 

 

 

One of the biggest things that I want to illustrate with the recipes I post here, is that cooking doesn’t have to be a chore and it’s really not THAT hard! All you need to do is figure out what relaxes you and make it fun! A few of my “rules” for joyful cooking:
–Prep: I love using “prep” bowls (like these) when cooking so I can pre-measure all the ingredients and put the jars or containers back.
-Clean: I’m a chef that LOVES to cook as she cleans, even though we have a firm “Chef’s don’t clean” rule in our house, it just makes for a more pleasant cooking experience for the Type A clean freak that I am.
-Enjoy: I love having a glass of wine in the evening to unwind so I usually have one while I’m cooking. It is fun to work in a sip here and there in the midst of cooking where I usually resemble an octopus with my arms going every which way to wield all my pots, pans and ingredients!
-Atmosphere: Lastly, set the mood! My go-to cooking music is the soundtrack to Vicky Christina Barcelona. It just puts me in the perfect mood and makes me feel like I’m cooking in Italy! Cooking does not have to be hard or stressful, just find out what helps you to relax and enjoy the process.

 

 

Now on to the recipe! The meatballs and garlic bread parts of this recipe serve 4, but we cook the entire package of noodles which means that I always grab an extra jar of sauce to have on hand for the next few days of leftovers. I’ll try to get a few posts up about ides for using spaghetti leftovers but don’t hate me if I can’t get around to it, or, post a few that YOU know of and help a sister out!

Ingredients… Since we live so close to Pike Place market, we LOVE to walk down and get as much of our fruits and veggies as we can that are local. Every weekend we make a trip down to the market and have to stop by our favorite Italian market, DeLaurenti. They have a vast selection of amazing cheeses, meats, oils and vinegars as well as an impressive wine and spirits section. Their shelves are filled with international treats, spreads, pickled this and foie gras that with a side of your choice of Pâté. This is the long winded way of saying that this place is AMAZING and if you get a chance when you’re in Seattle you MUST visit!! Our faithful cheese counter friends have never let us down and they kept the trend with this suggestion. I explained my dish, that I’m lactose intolerant so I had to rely on their expertise without tasting (which they encourage you to do at the counter) and they came through with flying colors! The taste test report was that is was absolutely amazing and it was simply their “house grated blend” which was around $10/lb. As for the sauce, I prefer to do homemade if I have time but I didn’t this week and we opted for the Whole Foods 365 variety and it was delicious! I usually grab two since we’re sauce people and always have leftover spaghetti but no sauce so we chose the Eggplant and the Tomato Basil flavors.

Now that I’ve written a novel for you and you’re likely already starving I’ll get on to the good stuff…

Ingredients

  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 3 tablespoons soy milk
  • 1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs (Used the 365 Italian variety and it was perfect!)
  • 1 pound lean ground turkey
  • Sea Salt & Fresh ground pepper
  • 1 jar marinara sauce (Used the 365 Eggplant and grabbed a Tomato Basil to have in the cupboard for leftovers.
  • 1 package spaghetti (We used the 365 Spinach Spaghetti this time and it was delicious!)
  • Parmesan cheese (Opted for the DeLaurenti grated blend Parmesan cheese for this meal)
  • Dried parsley (this is a go-to spice for us, I always have it on hand and throw a pinch in each meal)
  • Fresh basil, chopped, for garnish
  • Minced garlic (you can use fresh, but I had a huge jar of the already minced and it worked just fine)
  • 1 loaf rustic bread
  • 1 bottle Red Wine of your choice (my go-to is the Folie à Deux Ménage à Trois California Red Wine- SO tasty and affordable!)

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. I usually use my misto sprayer instead of PAM to grease the pan.
  • Prepare your garlic bread on a piece of aluminum foil so you will have it ready to pop in the oven later in the meal. It takes about 6-7 minutes to reach perfection so you can time it accordingly with how the rest of the meal cooks.
  • Start boiling the water for the pasta. Depending on your pot this can take up to 10 minutes to achieve a good roaring boil.
  • Next, you’ll make the meatballs. I tried frying mine in a pan before placing on the baking sheet since I like mine a bit crispy but it didn’t seem to make a HUGE difference in the overall crispiness so I might skip that step next time (one less pan to clean!) and see how they turn out.  If you DO use a pan, you’ll really want to use the prep-bowls method and have it all ready to dump in the bowl since the pan can heat quickly at the high heat you’ll need to sear the meatballs.
  • In a medium bowl, mix the eggs, soy milk breadcrumbs, salt/pepper and garlic until combined. Add the turkey and gently mix, avoid overworking the meat. Shape into balls and if you’re frying them, pop them in the pan and keep turning until most sides are seared. The meatballs are delicate, so if you’re using the pan be prepared for them to fall apart or stick to the pan just a little. Once seared, or if you’re not using the pan, place meatballs on the lined baking sheet.
  • Bake meatballs in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes.
  • Pour your sauce in a small pot so you’re ready to simmer it when the times right. Since I didn’t have time to make my own we opted for the Whole Foods 365 brand Eggplant flavor. I had some extra Renegade Red Wine and poured it in to the sauce and it turned out great! Also, this is a good time to set the table with any dishes or napkins you’ll be using, chop the basil, place the strainer in the sink for the pasta, and refill the chef’s wine glass! Unless you have a sous chef, then it’s his job to assure that the chef’s glass doesn’t run dry!
  • Flip meatballs when the 15 minute timer goes off and cook for an additional 4 minutes then pull out of oven.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Your water should be boiling at some point during this process which is when you add the pasta and cover. Keeping with our 365 theme of the meal, we used the 365 Spinach Spaghetti and I cooked up the whole package so we could have leftovers. Keep the water boiling but tilt the lid of the pan off to one side and keep an eye for the water to boil up. You’ll need to stir up the noodles every minute or so to keep them from sticking.
  • When you think you have about 6-7 minutes left on the noodles, place the garlic bread in the oven and start the sauce simmering, remembering to keep stirring the sauce. When you have 3 minutes left on the oven timer, place the meatballs back in the oven.
  • At this point everything should be almost done and it’s just monitoring until perfection!
  • I lay out a toppings bar with the Parmesan, salt and pepper grinders, garlic, olive oil and fresh chopped basil and leave it to the consumer to dish up
  • Serve all this delicious food with a glass of red wine and enjoy all your hard work and marvelous cooking!!

 

The leftovers for lunch the next day (pictured at left) were delicious! I would have included a bit more sauce but as I said before, we’re sauce people! I got three complements before making it back to the desk on how GOOD it smelled! Considering dinner and lunch leftovers got raving reviews, that’s a WIN in my book!

And, as promised, I found a few ideas to use up the leftover spaghetti noodles. I haven’t tried any of them but I’d love comments if you guys do!

Perciatelli with Roasted Tomatoes and Eggplant (http://www.wholeliving.com/131493/perciatelli-roasted-tomatoes-and-eggplant?center=0&gallery=136702&slide=131495

Spaghetti Pizza: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/pizza-di-spaghetti-recipe/index.html

Lo Mein (w/ Spaghetti Noodles) http://allrecipes.com/recipe/lo-mein-noodles/

Poached Egg Nests in Leftover Spaghetti- simply heat the noodles, take a fork and swirl them into a pile that has a nice little center and poach and egg in the center

Spaghetti Pancake: http://www.teaandcookiesblog.com/2007/08/what-to-do-with-leftover-spaghetti.html