Mad Hungry- Arrabiata Sauce

I was looking for some yummy vegetarian recipes for this week's menu when I decided to check over my half-forgotten "To-Cook" list. Most of the recipes left to try are meaty, which I'm not opposed to, but haven't really been in search of lately. However, the entry "Arrabiata Sauce" remained unchecked and I decided that it was finally time to cross it off. I snatched this recipe from Poco-Cocoa long ago. And then proceeded to not make it until now. But now that I have I will definitely be making it again. I still have a little left in the fridge, which I can't wait to reheat because when I made this earlier in the week I was dealing with some sinus stuff and I don't think I was capable of taking in the full flavor. But, even with sinuses, I could tell that it was good stuff, spicy stuff. I followed Crystal's tips for making it and it came out great.

Arrabiata Sauce
Recipe from Poco-Cocoa; Makes 3 cups

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry red wine or 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• Heat oil in a saucepan or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute 5 minutes. Stir in wine and next 8 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, uncovered, about 15 minutes. Stir in parsley.

My notes: Crystal used the balsamic vinegar, and used 1/2 teaspoon of oregano in place of the Italian seasoning, both of which I did because that's what I had on hand. She mentioned wishing the sauce was thicker, so I tossed one of my cans of tomatoes into the blender before adding it in. Sort of resulted in the really seedy appearance of my sauce, but it coated the pasta a little better. Think next time I'll try crushed tomatoes. I only used about a tablespoon of fresh parsley, and it was a bit overpowering to me. But again, my taste buds weren't 100%, so that might be part of it. I used just under a tablespoon of fresh basil, and tossed in about 1/4 teaspoon of dry, just for good measure. I really like basil. :)

Harvest Month- Cumin Polenta Stuffed Poblanos

Here it is, the last day of November and my final Harvest Month recipe to share. This has been a fun experiment! The idea for this meal was sparked by a recipe I spotted while perusing a Better Homes & Gardens issue I inherited on a visit to Josh's grandmother. I've obviously used corn meal before, and used pre-made polenta, but never made my own. The recipe for Cumin Polenta called out to me and I almost immediately thought about filling some poblanos with it. A quick click using the Food Blog Search in my sidebar brought me Cara's Pumpkin Polenta & Manchego Stuffed Poblanos which helped fill in the rest of the picture the Cumin Polenta had started to form in my mind. I stuffed my peppers with the BHG polenta recipe, topped with Pepper Jack cheese, and followed Cara's lead by serving them over a black bean/tomato/chile ragout. Making this polenta wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it might be, and I'll definitely be trying some different recipes for it in the future.

Cumin Polenta Stuffed Poblanos
Serves 4














4 large poblano peppers
1 14 oz. cans reduced sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup diced yellow onion
1 clove minced garlic
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 10 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1/2 cup grated Pepper Jack cheese

• Roast whole poblanos by your preferred method- stove, oven, grill, etc. I used the oven, and roast just long enough to soften, but not long enough to have to peel them.
  
• Meanwhile, in a large heavy saucepan combine broth and cumin; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; gradually whisk in cornmeal. Cook and stir until thick, about 6 to 8 minutes. Whisk in milk and butter. Season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray an oven-proof skillet with lid with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium-low heat. Cook the onions until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the diced peppers with green chilies and the black beans, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer.
• Carefully cut a slit into each pepper and scoop out all the seeds. Fill each pepper with polenta and place on top of the black bean mixture. Top each pepper with shredded cheese and cover the skillet. Bake for about 15-20 minutes.

My notes: This polenta doesn't really firm up enough to not escape from the poblanos, so next time I might not roast the peppers beforehand and instead just cut them in half and fill. And I realize my pepper-roasting instructions are a little vague- for the life of me I can't actually remember what I did. I mean, I know I roasted them in the oven, but I can't remember what temp or for how long. I really shouldn't wait so long to share recipes- this is what happens!

Roll With It

Well, this week is just chock full of cooking for me. I'm sure you're saying to yourself that it's about time. Hush. :) This week I'm making meals that are either recipes that make double batches or have good freezable leftovers. My bro-in-law and his wife had their first baby yesterday, a little boy, and I told her last week that I would get together some meals for their freezer. Kim is a planner, like me, but she didn't have as much energy to stock her deep freeze up for the lean newborn months as she hoped she would. Luckily I fluttered in, like a dinner guardian angel, and told her I was gonna be bringing some grub their way. We still have to go see the new addition to the family, but that will be later this week once Josh doesn't have evening lessons. Anyhow, I am making a lot of repeat recipes this week, since I wouldn't want to stick them with an icebox full of untested and untried foods. Last night however I did try one new recipe that I was eager to make as soon as I saw it in the December issue of Everyday Food. These Vegetable Enchiladas looked delicious, but the recipe also looked hard to halve. Since it makes two 8" pans worth this was the perfect opportunity to give it a shot. One for us, and one for the new threesome!

Vegetable Enchiladas
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 8












2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for baking dishes
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium vegetable broth
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 cups grated pepper Jack cheese (12 ounces)
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 box (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 box (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels, thawed
6 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
16 corn tortillas (6-inch)

• Make sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add 1 teaspoon cumin, flour, and tomato paste; cook, whisking, 1 minute. Whisk in broth and 3/4 cup water; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
• Make filling: In a large bowl, combine 2 cups cheese, beans, spinach, corn, scallion whites, and remaining 1 teaspoon cumin; season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil two 8-inch square baking dishes; set aside. Stack tortillas, and wrap in damp paper towels; microwave on high for 1 minute. Or stack and wrap in aluminum foil, and heat in oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Top each tortilla with a heaping 1/3 cup of filling; roll up tightly and arrange, seam side down, in prepared baking dishes.
• Dividing evenly, sprinkle enchiladas with remaining 1 cup cheese, and top with sauce. Bake, uncovered, until hot and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes; serve garnished with scallion greens.
• To freeze: Prepare enchiladas through step 3; top with cheese, and cover baking dishes with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Place sauce in an airtight container. Freeze enchiladas and sauce for up to 2 months.
• To bake from frozen: Thaw sauce in refrigerator overnight (or microwave on high 2 minutes, stirring once halfway through). Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove foil and plastic wrap from baking dishes, and pour sauce over enchiladas; cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes; remove foil, and bake until bubbly, about 15 minutes more. Cool 5 minutes before serving.

My notes: These enchiladas were actually really awesome. Not that I didn't have faith in the recipe, but I didn't have a lot of faith in my execution of it. I have had trouble with making sauces with flour in the past. This time everything went exactly as it should, and I just almost couldn't believe it. I'm sure it sounds silly, but I really never thought I would make enchilada sauce. But I did, and it tasted fabulous, just like what comes to mind when I think of it. In typical fashion with anything Martha rolls I had extra filling leftover. No complaints though because I'll be eating two veggie quesadillas for lunch. I was going to make some Spanish rice as a side dish, but I was so engrossed in the process of making the enchiladas and preparing their batch for the freezer that I completely forgot about it until I sat down to eat. So I ate 3 enchiladas instead of two, ha. That left three for the hubster at dinner and two for his lunch today. I don't often freeze meals for ourselves, but this recipe was so delicious I think that next time it'll be great to know that I've got one of these tucked away for later.

Fast & Filling

Now that Dancing With The Stars has started I'm going to be looking for fast and easy Monday & Tuesday night meals. So last night I pulled out an old standby that we hadn't had in quite a while. This stew is hearty and filling without being heavy and without meat. It's also incredibly easy as the only thing I have to chop is an onion. I guess you could mince the garlic too, but I either use the jarred variety or my lovely garlic press. I think I've addressed my laziness already, so no need for excuses. Anyway, I'll be pulling this recipe out time and again as the cold winter months approach. I typically serve this with cornbread, but tortillas or tortilla chips would also be delicious.

Black Bean and Corn Stew
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 4
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 4.5 oz. can chopped green chiles
2 15 oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes
Salt
1 10 oz. package frozen corn

• In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion; cook until softened, 5 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and cumin; cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 2 minutes more.
• To the pan, add chiles, beans, tomatoes and their juice, 2 cups water, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, partially covered, until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.
• In a blender or food processor, puree 2 cups of the stew. Return the puree to the pan, and add frozen corn; simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. Serve hot.

My notes: I typically get more than 4 servings out of this. Last night I ladled 2 cups worth into my bowl for dinner. I had 1 1/2 cups for lunch today and I have about 1 1/2 cups left for tomorrow. My husband helped himself last night, so not sure how much he had then, but he divvied up the leftovers so he probably has about the same 3 cups worth left. Depending on how hungry you are you could definitely exceed the 4 servings. In fact, if you served this alongside some quesadillas or flautas you could probably stretch it quite a ways.

Sammiches

So, I know I posted over at This Week For Dinner that I was going to make Spinach Pie last night and Southwestern Turkey Clubs tonight, but I had to switch things up when I realized yesterday that I'd forgotten to thaw my phyllo dough. And thusly Wednesday and Thursday will be switching because I was going for an alternating menu of veggie and meaty. Anyway, back to the recipe at hand. I served these sandwiches with Spicy Black Beans, which is practically the only way I prepare black beans. We love them and it's so quick and easy. The recipe for the sandwiches can be found here, but I really changed it up to suit what I had & felt like doing, so below is my adjusted recipe.

Southwestern Turkey Clubs
Recipe based on Everyday Food recipe; Serves 2
2 small ripe avocados, pitted and peeled
8 slices of bacon, cooked crisply
Sliced peppered turkey breast
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons pickled jalapeno, chopped
1 tomato, thinly sliced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
6 slices whole wheat bread, toasted

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place bacon slices on foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping slices halfway through. Remove from baking sheet and place on paper towels to drain.
• In a small bowl mash together avocado, lime juice, and jalapenos. Season with salt and pepper.
• Spread avocado mixture on one side of each slice of toast. Layer bacon, tomato, turkey, and toast to form triple decker sandwiches. To serve, skewer with toothpicks and slice diagonally with a serrated knife.

My notes: I used peppered turkey breast purchased from the deli, because it's one of our usual lunch meat purchases, so it saved me time and money. I bake my bacon to a crisp, which protects me from the usual grease burns I get frying it. This worked fine since I was using prepared turkey. The recipe calls for 1 avocado and 2 tablespoons lime juice. I felt the mixture was much too limey going by this original recipe, so I added an additional avocado to the mix. It helped, but still didn't even out the taste completely, so next time I'll also use less lime juice. So, keeping these adjustments in mind, we both really enjoyed our sandwiches, and I will definitely be making this again sometime.

Spicy Black Beans
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 4

1 teaspoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
2 14.5 oz. canned black beans, drained and rinsed
Coarse salt
Cilantro leaves (optional)

• In a medium sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and red-pepper flakes; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add black beans and 1 cup of water.
• Bring to a simmer; cook, covered, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. (Add more water for a thinner consistency if necessary.) Season with coarse salt and cilantro leaves, if desired. Serve immediately.

My notes: Since this recipe serves 4 I usually divide in half for our dinners. I use 1/4 teaspoon of the red-pepper when I half, but I tend to still use all 3 cloves of garlic. Spicyness is in the tastebuds of the preparer though, so adjust as you like. Also, despite my love of cilantro, I once again didn't have any. I rarely buy it unless it is truly integral to a recipe, because it usually goes to waste. I'll have to plan this recipe in conjunction with some other ones that require it next time.