guacamole with basil and shallots

I've been on a quest to find the best guacamole recipe since our trip to Mexico a month ago. For some reason, nothing I attempted had quite enough flavor. Little did I know, the answer was right under my nose (and in my pantry) all along - shallots! I love cooking with shallots. They have a taste somewhere in between onions and garlic and I find them to have a slight peppery note. The basil is also lends nice freshness to the guac. I also added some chopped tomatoes.

Though not a traditional guacamole, it definitely provides a welcome twist. My search is finally over!

Source: Bon Appétit via Epicurious.com

Guacamole with Basil and Shallots
Serves eight

Ingredients
6 medium avocados, halved, pitted, peeled, diced
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil plus leaves for garnish
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
Ciabatta bread slices, toasted
Assorted crudités (such as mini bell peppers, celery, fennel, sugar snap peas, and carrots)

Instructions
Place avocados in large bowl; add lemon juice. Using fork or potato masher, crush avocados coarsely. Mix in 1/2 cup chopped basil and shallots. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 hour ahead. Cover and chill.
Transfer guacamole to serving bowl. Garnish with basil leaves. Place on platter. Arrange toasts and crudités around bowl.

spicy chickpeas

I think Zooey Deschanel is pretty freaking cool to begin with. So I was pretty excited when I found this recipe on Epicurious and realized it was actually hers.

Not only did I love these (how can I not having been raised on hummus?), but Freddy liked them too! They make a fantastic good-for-you snack. I also attempted a deconstructed hummus version - with sesame oil, garlic powder, paprika, and a squeeze of lemon juice, but the spicy version is way more addicting. Enjoy!

Source: Self via Epicurious.com

Spicy Chickpeas
Yield: 1 cup

Ingredients
1 can (15.5 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin

Instructions
Heat oven to 350°F. Toss together all ingredients in a bowl. Pour onto a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake until crunchy, about 45 minutes; check on them frequently. Eat as a snack or sprinkled on a salad.

orzo salad

I once made a fantastic orzo salad. I wrote down the recipe as I was adding ingredients. And I lost it. This was my quest to figure it out. It's not exactly the same, but it's close to fantastic (and super easy).

Source: Me

Orzo Salad
Serves two

Ingredients
2/3 cup dry orzo
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon minced shallot
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
2 oz feta, crumbled or cubed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
Cook orzo according to package directions. Meanwhile, mix oregano, shallot, tomatoes, olive oil and lemon juice in a bowl and allow to marinate until orzo is cooked. Drain orzo and rinse under cold water to cool. Mix all ingredients in with the orzo, salt and pepper to taste, and chill in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

winter squash soup

Spring forward. Except, as usual, it looks nowhere near spring outside. It's cloudy and rainy and dreary... and the perfect weather for soup.

I received this recipe from my friend Sara after many food discussions during our recent vacation. She and her husband, John, highly recommended it so I thought I would give it a shot. I love squash soup, but it's sometimes difficult to find a recipe without copious amounts of heavy cream. I was happy to see this healthier version - and just as happy with the taste! Freddy and I both give it a thumbs-up and we will be making this again.

I didn't have everything on hand: I used acorn squash, omitted the tomato (but added a bit of tomato paste), used great northern beans in place of the black beans, and a lemon wedge instead of lime. I also went a bit blender happy and blended the whole batch - which I think lent itself to a nice consistency.

Source: Eating Well

Winter Squash Soup
Serves eight

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 pounds buttercup squash, peeled and diced (about 6 cups)
1 plum tomato, chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 15-ounce cans pinto or other brown beans, rinsed
10 ounces spinach, stemmed and coarsely chopped
1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions
Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add garlic, carrots and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add broth and scrape up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Add squash, tomato, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the squash is very soft and almost breaking apart, about 20 minutes.

Transfer 3 cups of the soup to a blender and puree until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Return the pureed soup to the pot. Stir in beans and spinach and cook over medium heat until the beans are heated through and the spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes. Serve with lime wedges.

To make squash bowls:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Slice about an inch off the top of each buttercup squash. Scoop out seeds and loose flesh. Pour 1/2 inch water into a glass baking dish (or two) large enough to hold the squash. Place squash cut-side down in the water. Bake until the flesh is tender when gently poked with a knife and the squash still holds its shape, about 30 minutes.

fake-out tortilla soup

I'm off work today, so you get a blog post! Plus, I've realized just how much we reference this blog when cooking - and that this recipe should really be transferred from this soup-stained piece of note paper that I scribbled it on.

This recipe came about in my attempts to convince Freddy that buying a 6-pack of Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup from Costco was a good idea (come on, it's $11 for 6 boxes at Costco - and $4 for ONE box at the grocery store).

It worked. Now, it's become one of our favorite go-to soups. We sometimes eat it on taco night or with tortilla crusted tilapia - also from Costco. This could also be a great vegetarian dish. Just leave out the chicken.

Source: Me.



Fake-Out Tortilla Soup
Serves Two

Ingredients:
2.5-3 cups Pacific Foods Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
1/2 cup+ frozen corn (I like a combo of white and yellow)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Pinch cayenne pepper (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 cooked, shredded chicken breast

Garnish Ingredients
1 soft flour tortilla, cut into strips
Vegetable oil
Sour cream
Shredded cheese

Instructions
Combine all ingredients, heat until warmed through.

Meanwhile, fry tortilla strips in 1" of vegetable oil until golden. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel. Lightly season with salt or season salt while still hot.

Garnish soup and serve.

baked ravioli

I finally transferred all the photos off of my camera after, oh, months of not doing so! Hey, at least you get the occasional blog post. I don't remember when I made this, but I remember it being amazing. How can anything in a ramekin (with lots of cheese) be bad?

You can also make this with regular pasta if you're not feeling ravioli. The sauce is fantastic enough on it's own! Thanks Martha.

Source: Martha Stewart

Baked Ravioli
Serves four to six

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme, or oregano
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
2 pounds store-bought ravioli
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and season with salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add thyme and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, breaking up tomatoes with spoon, until sauce is thickened and reduced to about 5 1/2 cups, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook ravioli in a large pot of boiling salted water just until they float to the top (pasta will continue to cook in oven). Drain pasta; return to pot.

Toss sauce with pasta. Pour pasta into a large gratin dish or 9-by-13-inch baking dish, and sprinkle with cheeses. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

broccoli with orecchiette

I've made this several times, but never posted! It's become one of our weeknight go to dinners when I don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Most of these ingredients you probably already have on hand.

I found the original recipe, from Gourmet magazine, to be a bit fussy and time consuming. So I simplified - using the same broccoli-pasta cooking method that I would normally use for my Velveeta macaroni and cheese.

Adapted from: Gourmet via Epicurious.com

Broccoli with Orecchiette

Ingredients
5 garlic cloves, smashed
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 (10-ounces) packages frozen chopped broccoli (do not thaw)
1/4 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and/or Romano plus additional for serving
1 pound dried orecchiette pasta

Instructions
Cook orecchiette in a large pot of boiling, salted water. With 8 minutes of cooking time to spare, add broccoli to the pot and boil until pasta is al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking water.

Meanwhile, saute garlic in olive oil in saucepan until golden. Add red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and saute about 30 seconds more. Be careful not to burn the garlic or red pepper. Add broccoli, pasta, and reserved cooking water and stir to combine. When water has just about evaporated, add the cheese and stir until cheese has melted.

Serve and top with more cheese.