Butternut Squash Risotto with Asparagus

Last nights dinner was a home run. I'm not even going to mess around telling you all the little things about this dish, trying to persuade you of how awesome it is. It needs no real introduction. A couple hours after dinner as Al and I were chillin' on the couch, he started to talk about the risotto. He said something to the effect of: if I were offered a bowl of ice cream, even my favorite flavor, or another bowl of that risotto....I'd choose the risotto. That says it all folks.

Learning more fun facts about me: I don't drink. This is a choice that has evolved from, in my teenage years...it's wrong, to my early twenties...I can't stand the smell, to today...I don't really see the point and don't really have any desire to. Al has an affection towards scotch. He's not all that into drinking but once in a blue moon he'll break out one of the double old fashion glasses and sip a bit.

Why am I talking about drinking? Well you see, in cooking, there are often times when a recipe calls for wine. Found often in things like cream sauces or in instances when you need to deglaze the pan. Couple the fact that we don't drink wine with me not really having the desire to have some in the house simply for cooking not knowing when and if I'll use it and you'll find we never have it. Last night when preparing to make the risotto-which called for dry white wine-I found the alternative! This person suggested that you water down a bit of juice and use a splash of vinegar. Fun fact, I have all those things!! So instead of the 1/2 cup of dry white wine that this recipe called for...I used 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup apple juice, and a splash of apple cider vinegar. Worked great for this dish! And now I have a go to for those instances. Rather than finding a whole new recipe like I have been.

INGREDIENTS:
1 small/medium butternut squash, chopped 1/4" pieces
7 cups broth(veg or chicken) divided
4 tbls butter divided
2 teas dried sage
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine(or sub 1/4 juice, 1/4 water, splash vinegar)
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 strips bacon
1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed
olive oil
salt and pepper

*In a medium stock pot, simmer the squash pieces in 1 to 2 cups of broth until tender, about 7-8 minutes. Strain liquid from squash and place the squash in a bowl and set aside. Add the rest of the broth to the pot with remaining liquid and keep at a low simmer.
*In a large stock pot, over medium heat, melt 3 tbls of the butter. Sprinkle in sage and let it wake up for a couple minutes. Add in the onion and cook until the onion is translucent, 5 minutes. Stir in the wine, and let it be absorbed before adding any broth. Might need to turn down the temp a bit, medium to medium-low.
*Add hot broth in batches, 1/2 - 2/3 cups at a time. Making sure the liquid is still being absorbed. Repeat this until all the broth is added. This process should talk about half an hour.
*While broth is being added, fry up the bacon until crisp. Remove from heat and chop into small pieces, mix in with squash you previously set aside.
*About 10 minutes before risotto is ready, drizzle olive oil over asparagus. Salt and pepper to taste. Grill on a george foreman, takes about 7 minutes.
*Once all liquid is used and absorbed into rice, add in the squash, bacon, and parmesan cheese. Stir in until well combined. After about 5 minutes add in the last tbls of butter. Once everything is melted and heated through plate up with asparagus on top. Top with parmesan cheese if desired.
*Enjoy!

Breakfast Sandwich

So yes, I have already posted twice today. However, there was a reason for posting salsa and bread on the same day. Why you ask?? Two words...breakfast...sandwich. And I know you're like....Kati, we know how to make sandwiches!! But seriously, you should go over and make the bread and the salsa and then make one of these guys. I mean come on!! Fry up a couple eggs, melt some nice sharp cheddar cheese over them. Cut up some nice fresh avocado and then cover it all with some of the salsa and put it between two slices of toasty fresh bread....I mean!! Hello! That was one good lunch. Did I say that right? Yeah I had it for lunch. But really...I'd eat this whenever possible. So good.

Grate Pepper Pasta

Today I am thankful for water! So so thankful for water. Not even just water, but the best water in the world. (Seriously, it's liquid awesome.) And I can actually say that because I've been to a bunch of different countries. Most of which you can't drink the water. When I lived in China I had to have one of those water coolers, and make the call every time I needed a new one in ridiculously broken chinese. True story. On monday there was a water main break a block away and we didn't have water for half the day. So for running water I am also thankful!

Okay, so I did not miss type the title of this post. I know how to spell great and I know how to spell grate. I'm calling this one Grate Pepper Pasta cause of how its made. Half the stuff you put in the sauce, ya grate it. Badabing badaboom. This turned out so good. It was creamy. It was spicy. It was flavorfull. Umm, yeah, I'll take seconds. Which I didn't, actually, because I wanted to spread out this goodness over a couple days. I'm about to reheat the last of it as soon as I post this. ::sigh:: I guess I'll have to make more soon!

 INGREDIENTS:
whole wheat penne pasta
2 red peppers, roasted, peeled and seeded
3 cloves garlic, grated
2 teas crushed red pepper flakes
1 carrot, grated
1/2 a small onion, grated
2 tbls olive oil
1 tbls basil
2 cups almond milk
1/3 cup grated parmesan
1 handful spinach, chopped

*Prepare the pasta as direct while making the sauce.
*In a food processor or blender, put the peppers, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, carrot, onion, olive oil, and basil. Blend until smooth.
*Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the milk to a simmer adding in the pepper mix and the parmesan cheese. Once its heated through and mixed well throw in the spinach and the cooked pasta.
*Enjoy!

Quinoa Tostadas

Today I am thankful for organization. Now, this thankful moment I'm having is two fold. I'm thankful for having an organized room, things put in their place, everything neat and tidy. When and if that happens-I love it! Its effort but such a weight off when all is said and done. Secondly, I'm thankful for event type things that are organized. When you have a group of people that are doing something, going somewhere, all pitching in on something...when things run smooth that my friends is a blessing. Because so often there are bumps along the way. So here's to being organized, getting organized or aspiring towards organization.

Okay, so for those who have come here a time or two, remember the Quinoa Stuffed Peppers? Well this is using the base of that! We fell head over heals for the filling to those peppers and this is the second go-'round that couldn't come any sooner. This time I went the route of a tostada. I bought some small corn tortillas which I baked in the oven till crispy, saving some calories from going the frying in oil route. The assembly line went as follows: crispy tostada, slathered with refried beans(from a can, I wasn't that ambitious tonight), sprinkled with lettuce, covered in the quinoa mix, and topped with a few slices of avocado. YUM! The crispy tortilla really did the trick. All in all, a great use for this. Four thumbs up from the Reich's.

Sausage & Pepper Frittata

Today, I am thankful for Bueller! My beagle puppy! Okay, so he's not a puppy anymore, he's 5. He's my spunky, wild, playful, adorable, talented, & sweet little best friend. The dog can show off with tricks, hoover his dinner in 30 seconds flat, and he follows me around the house from room to room like my shadow. I mean, come on. Love him. And being that most of my days are spent at home with this little guy...I think he's come to put up with me as much as I put up with him!

Over the weekend my husband and I got to enjoy a lazy Saturday. A full day (well almost) of just the two of us. What better way to start that day, than a brunch to please the masses. Frittata! This one had some diced up breakfast sausage and bell peppers. Its decently healthy, affordable, and more than edible. Check, check, check, aaand eaten. It makes about 5 servings and is great the next day or two when you want a hot breakfast without the effort.

 INGREDIENTS:
6 breakfast sausages
olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teas crushed red pepper flakes
2 bell peppers, diced
1 small tomato, diced
1 teas dried basil
6 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup shredded mozzarella

*Cook the breakfast sausage until well browned, remove from pan.
*Preheat oven to 425.
*Heat the olive oil in the same pan, adding the garlic and red pepper flakes, cook for about a minute. Toss in bell peppers and tomato. While this cooks for a couple minutes, dice up your cooked sausage and then throw that in with everything else. Top with the basil and get everything working together for a few minutes.
*Meanwhile, in a bowl, beat the 6 eggs with the milk. Once the veggies are ready, pour into the pan. Add cheese, reserving just a bit. Make sure everything is well distributed in the pan. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
*Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until browned on top. Wait for 5-10 minutes to serve.

Spinach Eggplant Lasagna

Today is the first day of November. You know that time of year that men stop shaving? I mean, that time where we are more than ever reminded to be thankful for the blessings in our life. And I'm all for this! We go through life to fast and really need to stop and be thankful. I'm joining in on this because of an old friend and the blog she has with her sister. So, I'll be starting off every post this month with something I am thankful for!

Today...today I am oh so thankful for being able to run! Its a new love of mine and I really am thankful that I can do it. For a good handful of years I wasn't able to and had to stick to biking or using an elliptical to get a good cardio going. But this spring, after trying out a new technique I was able to start running with my knee brace. Working up to my first race! Which was actually a 12 person relay where we ran 196 miles(my portion was 13.5 miles)...Ragnar Relay its pretty epic. Long story short, we are doing another race and I'm now running without my brace!! I am thankful that I can run because its a blast!


This my friends is a wonderfully easy lasagna!! Yes this is straying far away from being vegan, with four kinds of cheese and a couple eggs...I mean come on. But alas a vegetarian delight! As winter is upon us, sometime soon at least, I am constantly looking for affordable meals that will go the distance. Heating bills are going up and my grocery bill needs to go down. This week, combining some of my coupons with a sale or two, and I made this hearty dinner for about $12. All things considered and the fact that it was dinner for myself and a friend last night(2), a late night snack for all last night(2+1=3)left over lunch for Al today(3+1=4), I will dine on it for lunch or dinner today(4+1=5), and that well over half of it is left....that makes this lady pretty happy. Whenever I make lasagna, I never precook the noodles. I have never had issues with doing it this way. Love saving an extra step too, don't we all.

INGREDIENTS:
olive oil
1 eggplant, peeled and cubed
1 16 oz bag frozen spinach
1 24 oz jar of marinara sauce
whole wheat lasagna noodles
2 cups ricotta cheese
3 cups cottage cheese
1 cup & 1/2 cup(for topping) mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup & 1/4 cup(for topping) parmesan cheese
1 teas nutmeg
1 teas black pepper
2 eggs

*Heat oil in large sauce pan. Add eggplant, and cook for about 8 mins, cooking all sides. Add in the spinach and cook until heated and no longer frozen.
*Combine, in a large bowl, ricotta, cottage, mozzarella, parmesan, nutmeg, pepper, and eggs. Reserve some of the mozza and parm for topping the lasagna.
*Pour half the sauce in the bottom of the pan. Place first layer of noodles and then top with half of the spinach mix. Spread half of the cheese mix over it all. Layer noodles and repeat with second half of the spinach and then cheese. Layer your final noodles and then top with the second half of the sauce.
*Cook in a preheated oven, at 375 for 25 mins. Pull out, sprinkle with the remaining mozza and parm. Place back in the oven for 30-35 mins. Remove, let set for at least 10 mins until serving.

Note: the reason I did the cooking the way I did...I didn't have any tin foil. If you wanted, you could fully assemble the lasagna, top with foil and after the 25 remove and cook for the remaining time without removing from oven. I did it the way I did and it worked just fine.

Marinated Chicken with Pesto Spaghetti Squash

Remember that pesto I made the other day? Well I had some extra after our dinner Saturday. Combine that with it being the season of all things gourd. I give you Pesto Spaghetti Squash. Pretty simple, especially since I already had the pesto made, and its delicious!! Spaghetti Squash is something I've had before but never prepped myself. But I really like the idea of using the squash instead of say a different starchy side dish. The squash itself is somewhat bland. Usually served with butter and s&p if a side dish or it could be subbed for pasta and topped with some marinara sauce for a main. I paired it with some marinated chicken and then some frozen(yes, I use frozen-pre-made items from time to time)veggies to round out the meal. It was good.

INGREDIENTS:
(marinated chicken)
4 chicken breasts, skinless
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbls lime juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teas ground coriander

*Place chicken in a large ziplock bag. Add in all the other ingredients, work around all the corners of the chicken. Marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Cook as desired(bake or fry-I fried in a couple tbls of olive oil in a skillet)

(pesto spaghetti squash)
1 spaghetti squash
olive oil
salt and pepper
3/4 cup prepared pesto
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup parmesan, shredded or grated

*Take the squash and cut in half length wise. Take out all the gunky innards and place rind side up on a cooking sheet. Cook in a 400 degree oven for 30-35 min, depending on the size.
*In a large skillet, heat a splash of olive oil over medium heat. Shred and scoop out the cooked squash into the pan. Sprinkle on some s&p, mix. Then add in the pesto and work it through all of the squash, evenly. Finally mix in your cheeses and let everything get all ooey-gooey and melty.

Asparagus & Egg Lefse Sandwich

Al and I got to enjoy a relaxing weekend, spent mostly at home. We lounged around and did loads and loads of laundry. Sunday morning we decided we were going to splurge and go out for breakfast, a treat and a rarity these days. So we headed off to one of our favs, Takk For Maten. Picked out a few items and enjoyed them family style. There were forks and knives everywhere for the 8 minutes it took us to scarf down every last morsel. My personal favorite was the lefse sandwich I had. Ooooh! It was sooo good. This morning, I decided to recreate it for us. And I'd say it turned out stellar.

INGREDIENTS:
lefse
asparagus, chopped into pieces
eggs, scrambled or hard boiled&crushed
Jarlsberg cheese

*All depends on the lefse you have and how you want to fold it together. But its basically lefse with egg in the middle topped with asparagus pieces and then covered in some Jarlsberg. Fold the lefse over the top and fry. I cooked the asparagus a bit before putting it in the sandwich and it worked well. I would have used a panini press...had I had one.

Turkey Tamale Pie

Yesterday I mentioned how I enjoy spending time searching for edible inspiration...err, inspiration for edibles. Either way, its fun! There is so much out there! Another one of my sources is, dun dun dun...the Rachel Ray Show. Most of my days are currently spent home bound, and a giant portion in front of the computer. Doing photo edits, developing my website, searching for recipes, watching last nights episode of the biggest loser that I missed...you get the idea. In being home, during what some would call "daytime" I have also tuned into to daytime programming from time to time. And I love watching the Rachel Ray Show for the recipes! Most of which I alter, but that's another story. Cause this recipe I followed (almost) to a T. Any excuse to use my cast-iron skillet is also something I jump at. Plus, one word: polenta! We loved it, Al of course went back for seconds. Leftovers...tons! One of the changes I made was I didn't have any beer, so deglazing the pan didn't exactly happen. And I didn't have tomato sauce I only had diced. So...anyways, we enjoyed it. Here is the way I did it, you can check out the link for what was on the show.

INGREDIENTS:
2 tbls olive oil
2 lbs ground turkey
2 hot chili peppers, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper
1 tbls ground cumin
1 tbls ground coriander
2 ancho chili peppers in adobo sauce, chopped fine
2 tbls cider vinegar
2 tbls brown sugar
2 tbls worcestershire sauce
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 14 oz can chicken stock
1 cup almond breeze
1 cup polenta
1 tbls honey
1 cup shredded mozzarella

*Heat oil in a cast-iron or large skillet. Brown the turkey and then add in peppers, more peppers, onion, garlic, s&p, cumin, coriander, and chilies. Stir occasionally and cook for 10 min, until the peppers and onions are soft.
*Stir in vinegar, sugar, worcestershire sauce, and tomatoes. Simmer to thicken, 5 to 10 min.
*Preheat broiler and then in a sauce pot, bring the chicken stock and "milk" to a boil. Add in the polenta and stir in constantly for 2 or 3 mins, until it has thickened up. Add honey and mix well.
*Spread polenta over the turkey to about an inch from the edge. Top with cheese and throw under a pre-heated broiler until golden brown.

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Oh. My. Good food! So I'm not a mom yet, but I know I'm going to be one of those moms who quietly hides veggies in food unannounced to the little mouths that will eat it. That is unless they come out like their mama, aka veggie loving! This is seriously a dish that is jam packed with awesomeness. In my pursuit of all things nummy, I scour the web and the growing stack of cookbooks I have for ideas. This one caught my eye and my taste buds wanted at it! I've made stuffed peppers before, but this one takes the cake. The combination of everything in it seriously wanders close to the line of perfection. I used poblano peppers this time, I might try good old bell peppers next time...its just hard when they're so expensive. Not to mention I got some mighty good sized poblanos this week. On a spicy scale from 1-10 this ranks at a "I noticed there was something there". But we love ourselves some spice here at the Reich household. (So we topped it with a little chopped jalapeno!) We ended up with extra filling, I only had 3 peppers, so I'm freezing it to use for a burrito filling the next time we are in need of an insta-meal. And like I said before, check out all the great super foods packed into these delicious peppers...

INGREDIENTS:

4 or 5 peppers(poblano or bell)
2 tbls olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tbls chili powder
1 tbls cumin
1 teas oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
a generous handful of spinach
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup frozen corn
1 large carrot, grated
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup shredded cheese
salt & pepper

*Heat oil in a large pot, over medium-high. Add in the onion and cook for 5 mins. Then add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, and garlic and saute for about a minute.
*Toss in the spinach and tomatoes, cook off some of the extra liquids for 5 mins. Then add in the black beans, quinoa, corn, carrots, and water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a medium to medium-low heat. Simmer for about 20 mins or until the quinoa is cooked.
*Stir in the cheese and s&p.
*Take your peppers and cut them in half from top to bottom. Strip out the seeds and ribs. Stuff with the hot quinoa mix. Place in a baking dish with tinfoil tented over the top. Put in a 375 degree oven for 30-35 mins.
*Remove tinfoil and top with a little bit of extra cheese, place back in the oven for another 5 mins. Serve and enjoy to your little hearts content!

day one, in so many ways...

To anyone out there who is reading this blog, I want to give a little bit of background on what's gonna go down on this blog and why I started it now...

Over the last year or so I have been posting iPhone photos of the meals I make to facebook. As time went by, more and more people kept saying "hey you, I like the food you post and stuff" and "your food looks so good! and stuff". After much talk of starting a blog about my kitchen antics, there came a recent choice in our house that has officially sparked this new blog into actual motion. Goal: see how eating a vegan diet (or for Al's sake since he's not a fan of the word vegan, he prefers plant-based diet) for a certain period of time would be. After watching several documentaries, reading exerts from books, countless articles online....my view on food has changed so much over the last few years. The combination of this and recently starting to really get into running has caused me to realize the impact my diet really has on a person. Immediate and long term affects.

Now, I don't want to stir up any craziness up here in the blog world...rather, this is something we are trying to see how we feel, what its like to fully commit, and to really experience the foods that are out there. If you check out the about me section of this here blog, I'll be writing up a little more background on myself, my husband, and our love of all things food. But this post is to say, hey, we're gonna eat some mighty fine vegan food over the next couple weeks (I only told Al we would do it for one week, so shhhh) and I would like to invite you on our journey. Or if you'd rather, check back in a month and 1. see if I'm still blogging and 2. perhaps we will have gone back to our more normal diet. Which mind you already is about 90% vegetarian, at least for me. Its that blast dairy that has held me back from trying out vegan all this time. I love cheese! And ice cream! And cheese! With some wicked passion, especially considering my body tends to wave the white flag of surrender when it comes to lactose...if ya know what I'm sayin'! ;) Because of this addiction, I mean passion, Al and I finished off the remainder of a block of colby last night, at about 11:30. It was so good....yet I was feeling the affects of a cheese hangover this morning...

So here we go. Day one. Of blogging. Of eating a new diet. Of having a little fun in my kitchen. Of telling Al, no, you can't have the nutri-grain bar and him saying, but I read the ingredients and then me pointing out the fact that there is milk in it. And the bottom line is, I'm probably going to slip-up, unknowingly(or cause I really want some nice sharp cheddar cheese). I am no expert on the subject yet. I'm just doing my best to put some good food on the table for my husband and I. Speaking of that....I should post my first meal, it was a doozy!