Salami-Mozzarella Calzone

My husband likes to flip through Food Network Magazine when it arrives.  He will sometimes mark things that he requests for dinner, or he'll mark things he'd like to make himself.  This month's issue was no exception, and he chose this calzone as his birthday dinner, though due to the meat, it couldn't actually be the dinner ON his birthday.

So, making a calzone, I knew it wouldn't be the world's most healthful meal.  But, as I was eating it, I just couldn't get past how very much SALT was in it (pickled vegetables, plus salami, plus all that cheese!) and, as a huge fast food fan, I can usually get past that, but this wasn't even good to make it worth it.

It's a really good, basic calzone recipe.  It turned out very pretty, but this combination of flavors "was a no for me," in the words of Florian Bellanger.

Salami-Mozzarella Calzone from Food Network Magazine May 2011
Also found here

• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/4 pound shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
• 1 13.8-ounce tube refrigerated pizza dough
• 1/4 pound deli-sliced salami, cut into thin strips
• 1 1/2 cups giardiniera (pickled mixed vegetables), drained
• 1/4 pound sliced provolone cheese

Directions

Place a baking sheet upside down in the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Beat the eggs, parsley and lemon zest in a small bowl. Pour half of the egg mixture into a medium bowl and stir in the mozzarella. Reserve the remaining egg mixture for brushing on the crust.
Turn another baking sheet upside down; line with parchment paper and brush with olive oil. Unroll the dough on the parchment paper and pat into a 9-by-12-inch rectangle. Spread the mozzarella mixture over one half of the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along the edge. Top with the salami, followed by the pickled vegetables and provolone. Fold the other half of the dough over to cover the filling. Crimp and roll the edges to seal, then pierce the top of the dough in a few places with a knife.
Slide the calzone with the parchment paper onto the hot baking sheet; bake 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining egg mixture, then continue to bake until the crust is golden, 5 to 10 more minutes. Let rest 5 minutes, then cut into wedges.

Thai Pork and Noodles

I've purchased cookbooks and magazine subscriptions from Food Network stars in the past, only to be disappointed that I could find all the recipes on the website.  Why was I wasting my money, I thought.  It turns out, though, that it's a valuable resource for me.  It highlights recipes that are seasonal, and things I might never have found on the website otherwise.  (Seriously, you can find what you're looking for pretty easily, but browsing can be daunting).

This was not a recipe I would have tried on my own.  I have to say, fish sauce is daunting to me.  I never saw the point in buying a bottle of it, but went ahead and went for it this time around.

EW.  Fish sauce is disgusting.  Gag worthy for sure.  As I was making this, I got a really bad feeling that it wasn't going to be good.  Getting ready to serve it, I said to M, "I hope this doesn't suck."

After taking a few bites, I said, "Well, it doesn't suck....  it's not good, but it doesn't suck."  M agreed, saying that it was weird that it was neither good nor bad.  There are two rave reviews on the recipe on Food Network's website, though  they both made some serious modifications.  Maybe I didn't modify it.  Maybe I messed up.  I don't know, but we won't be making this one again.

Oh yeah, and 1200+ mg of sodium in a serving?  Sooooo not worth it!!

Ingredients

• 1 pound thin boneless pork chops, fat trimmed
• 8 ounces wide Thai rice noodles
• 1 cup fresh cilantro (leaves and stems)
• Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
• 2 slices peeled ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 3 red jalapeno peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
• 2 shallots, roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1/4 pound green beans, split lengthwise and cut into pieces

Directions

Place the pork in the freezer about 10 minutes to make it easier to slice. Soak the noodles in very hot water until just tender, about 10 minutes; drain. Snip the noodles with scissors into shorter lengths. Cut the frozen pork crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide strips.

Puree the cilantro, lime zest and juice, ginger, garlic, jalapenos, shallots, fish sauce, brown sugar and 1 tablespoon water in a food processor until smooth, scraping down the processor as needed.

Heat 3 tablespoons peanut oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add half the cilantro mixture and stir-fry 1 minute. Add the pork and stir-fry until no longer pink, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the pork with a slotted spoon to a plate. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon peanut oil to the skillet; add the green beans and stir-fry until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the noodles, pork and 2 tablespoons of the remaining cilantro mixture. Cook, tossing with tongs, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining cilantro mixture to taste.

Per serving: Calories 553; Fat 24 g (Saturated 6 g); Cholesterol 60 mg; Sodium 1,210 mg; Carbohydrate 61 g; Fiber 3 g; Protein 22 g

Winter Vegetable Hash

Meatless Wednesday!

I found this recipe on allrecipes, and figured it was a great choice.  It used up several things in my fridge from the co-op, seemed easy enough, and would mean a meatless meal for the week.  Yes, it had squash in it, but I figured it would be easy enough for BAJ to pick them out and wouldn't affect the flavor.

I started preparing it, and discovered the acorn squash (merely a week old and kept in the fridge) had gone moldy inside.  So, having read some of the reviews, I made modifications and threw in whatever I had around the house.

So, I started with the oil and the butter, then added my onion and potatoes.  I was chopping as I went, so I let those go for awhile, added some carrots and celery, then some red pepper and shallot.  Finally, I added in the mushrooms.  I seasoned with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  I also added some balsamic.  Then, when the potatoes were soft, and the carrots were slightly crunchy, I added the kale and the sage (which I diced) until the kale was good and wilty.

I enjoyed it enough to eat two platefuls, but certainly not enough to make again.  BAJ, however, started by picking out the kale, then finally just stopped eating because he really didn't like it.  The Boy went through his, "I don't like that, even though I haven't even tasted it" routine, then finally had a taste.  He said he liked it, but then wouldn't eat any more.

Ah well.  You can't always win, but at least I didn't waste the vegetables without even trying something, like sometimes happens with stuff from the co-op!

Here's the original recipe, in case someone stumbles onto my blog looking for the vegan website christinacooks.com and wants to try.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
• 1/2 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 small acorn squash, diced
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1 cup chopped kale
• 4 sprigs fresh sage

Directions

1. Place oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Melt butter and mix in potatoes, mushrooms, pepper, squash, and shallot. Season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cook 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender.
2. Mix kale and sage into skillet. Continue cooking 5 minutes, until kale is wilted. Serve and enjoy!

Asian Turkey Meatballs with Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce

When I saw this in Lauren's blog, I knew it would be just the thing--fast, delicious, and filling my Asian food craving.  It was definitely fast, but it just wasn't the recipe for me.  I was really sad, though, because I had such high hopes for this one.

But maybe it will work for someone else; Lauren liked it, and so did the person she got it from.  Just not for us, I guess.

Asian Turkey Meatballs With Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce
from Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 4 • Size: 3 meatballs • Calories: 229 • Points: 4.75 pts

• 1/4 cup panko crumbs
• 1-1/4 lbs 93% lean ground turkey
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil

Dipping Sauce

• 4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 chopped fresh scallion

Preheat oven to 500°F.Mix ground turkey, panko, egg, salt, scallions, cilantro, 1 tbsp soy sauce, and 2 tsp oil and mix with your hands until combined well. Shape 1/4 cup meat mixture into a ball and transfer to a baking dish. Repeat with remaining mixture. Bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.
For the dipping sauce mix together lime juice, water, soy sauce, and remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in a bowl. Add scallions.
Transfer meatballs to a serving dish. Stir sauce, then drizzle meatballs with 1 tablespoon sauce.
Serve meatballs with remaining sauce. Chances are you won't use all the dipping sauce.

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

This week, my produce co-op gave us an enormous zucchini.


With no idea what to do with it, I took the recipe they provided, which also used up a lot of the other ingredients in the box.  Mind you, my husband doesn't like zucchini AT ALL, so I made it for lunch one day for Little Man and me.



It sounds like it would be good, but I couldn't muster more than a few bites.


Ingredients:
1 very large zucchini or yellow squash, washed and cut in half lengthwise
1-2 hot peppers, washed, seeded, and chopped (opt)
2c bread crumbs
1-2 tomatoes, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, pressed
1lb ground turkey or mased tofu, (opt)
1-2 onions, chopped
1 bunch Swiss chard, washed, boiled for 2 minutes, drained and chopped
cheese or soy cheese

Saute onions in a large skillet with garlic and chopped hot peppers.  Add ground turkey or tofu and cook till browned.  Ad Swiss chard greens and mix well.  Season with salt and pepper.   Remove from heat and add bread crumbs and chopped tomatoes.  Scoop seeds out of zucchini halves.  Stuff zucchinis wtih veggie mixture; top with cheese and place on an oiled baking sheet, covered with foil.  Bake in a 425 degree oven for about 1/2 an hour, or until squash is tender.  Uncover in last 5 minutes of cooking so cheese can brown.  Serve with tomato ketchup or tomato sauce.

Chicken with Artichoke Rosemary Sauce

Not sure of the exact recipe, but it came off the label of my tomato sauce can.
It was pretty easy to make, but was really lacking some oomph in the flavor department.

The basic recipe was to brown chicken breasts (I used thin sliced) in olive oil, add in the tomato sauce, artichokes, and rosemary, simmer a little while (I think I added in some garlic too), remove the chicken and artichokes to thicken the sauce, and then serve with rice.




Do artichokes (from a can especially) count as a veggie?

Pear Gorgonzola Butter

Making this for tonight's New Year's Eve festivities. I threw it all together last night, and have it "marinating" in the fridge.

Original recipe came from Cooking Light; find it here.

I had some last night, and thought it was tasty, but perhaps the Gorgonzola (Gorgon makes me think of that movie Little Soldiers... you know, the Gorgons:)


Pardon the digression.

Anyway, the Gorgonzola might be too much in this dish, or maybe I just used too much. It's probably not my favorite cheese in the whole world, and the pear does a nice job of balancing. I might add some pear juice in if BAJ agrees.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped canned pear halves, drained
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese I accidentally got creamy Gorgonzola
  
• 1 tablespoon (1 ounce) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1 (8-ounce) loaf French bread baguette, cut into 12 slices and toasted

Preparation

Combine all ingredients except bread in a small bowl; mash with a fork until well blended. Serve with bread.

So, after asking BAJ and another friend, it was suggested that I NOT add more pears or pear juice. It really didn't move. I didn't really like it any better after letting it sit in the fridge. It was easy, and a really nice idea, but it just isn't something I'll make again.

Chicken Broccoli Couscous

Recipe from Everyday with Rachael Ray December 2009.



* 4 Servings
*
* Prep 15 min
*
* Cook 20 min

Ingredients:

* 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
* Salt and pepper
* 3 cups chicken broth
* One 10-ounce box couscous
* 1 onion, finely chopped
* 1 head broccoli, broken into small florets
* 1/2 cup raisins
* 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
* 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted Omitted

Toast nuts in a 350° oven until fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes.
Directions:

1. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add to the pan and cook, turning once, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a work surface, let cool, then shred; reserve the skillet.

2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring 2 cups chicken broth and 1 tablespoon olive oil to a boil; season with salt and pepper. Add the couscous, cover and remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

3. In the reserved skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and the remaining 1 cup chicken broth and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken, raisins, parsley and couscous; season with salt and pepper. Toss with the almonds before serving.




Pictures coming soon, whenever I get around to uploading them.

This...sucked. Blandness all around, with the exception of those bites with raisin in them. I think, perhaps, we haven't found a decent couscous recipe yet, but the ones we've tried have been pretty terrible. The whole family's servings got tossed, and we had a package of ravioli for dinner.

Hey, at least it was reasonably cheap...

Stromboli

I found this in a cookbook from allrecipes. You can also see the recipe here.

This was very easy to make, but not a big hit in our house. BAJ complained the whole time about the beef, but he did eat his entire serving. I just didn't like it, but I'm not such a great test case these days.

I made a few substitutions... I used a cubanelle pepper instead of a bell. I omitted the pepperoni, and used spaghetti sauce instead of pizza sauce.

There's a picture on allrecipes, and their creation looks very different from mine... perhaps a slice of ham might have changed the texture/flavor instead of the diced ham I used. I also folded my dough in half, instead of creating a log like a typical stromboli... this made it VERY difficult to cut.

I also found that this got overcooked, and came very close to burning after 20 minutes at the recommended temperature.

Soo, maybe I'll make a stromboli this way again, but not with this particular filling.