Mar
Whole Wheat Peanut Noodles
Spring Fever! The sun is shinning, the birds are singing, the grass is greening and I’m feeling the urge to get out and enjoy it. So I did. Yesterday I gleefully went outside and raked my lawn wearing shorts and a tank top! Now I have a beautiful leaf-free lawn and a blister on each hand. Oh the things we put ourselves through for a pretty patch of green in the backyard.
I also made my way down to The Farm Store and picked up a gorgeous bag of fresh organic produce. Thanks Jen for bringing this wonderful resource to our community. Can’t wait to see what goodies you have next week.
Feeling inspired by my purchases and the warm weather I decided a cold pasta salad was just what the day called for. A pasta salad that only takes 15 minutes to make and is packed with a little sweet, a little spice and a little salt. What more could you want in life. Peanut noodles can be made using practically any combo of vegetables. Because lets be honest…anything smothered in peanut butter is good…right? The only rule I follow is to use at least one crunchy vegetable to offset the chewy noodles and creamy peanut sauce. Snap peas, sweet red pepper or even broccoli will do the tick. This time I went with thinly sliced carrots and combined them with a European cucumber and some lovely scallions. Perfect.
Veggies get sliced…matchstick style for the carrots and cukes, little round slices for the scallions. Don’t worry if your matchsticks aren’t perfectly shaped. No one cares.
Peanut sauce with lots of lime and sweet chili paste!
Peanut sauce + veggies + noodles = Peanut veggie noodles! Simple, simple, simple. Now I can go back outside and give myself some more blisters. Enjoy.
Whole Wheat Peanut Noodles
adapted from Nigella Lawson
serves 6
10 ounces whole wheat spaghetti noodles
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 medium European cucumber, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
3 scallions, sliced into small rounds
1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1. In a large pot of boiling water cook the spaghetti according to the package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water and put into a large bowl. Add the carrots, cucumber and all but about 1 tablespoon of the scallions. Toss to combine.
2. In a small bowl whisk together the soy sauce though peanut butter. Pour the peanut sauce over the noodles and mix.
3. Serve with the remaining scallions and sesame seeds sprinkled on top.
Dec
Roasted Veggie Lasagna (Gluten-free)
I don’t know about you but after all the sugary treats I’ve been stuffing my face with the last few weeks, I really need a hearty dose of veggies in my life. Besides, I am about to indulge in the next snack-filled, champagne drenched holiday so I figured there was just enough time to squeeze a healthy meal in there. And let me tell you, this gluten-free, mega veggie filled lasagna fits the bill perfectly. Gluten-free lasagna? That’s right, I wasn’t messing around with this one. This is a full out health fest on your plate…oh, except for the cheese…lots of ohhy gooey cheese. What, how healthy did you expect me to go? Technically it is still the “holidays”. We’ll eat salad next week, I promise. For now though I am satisfied that I got in my veggies, even if they were covered in melted cheese. 
Back to the gluten-free part though. If you’re like me the idea of a gluten-free noodle conjures up images of a gummy, mushy mess that tastes more like soggy socks than an actual noodle. Well, I am here to tell you that you (and I) are wrong. I found these wonderful brown rice noodles and used them in my lasagna exactly how I would have used the regular wheat based noodles. Guess what? They tasted exactly the same! Not only that, but the texture was the same and I swear If someone made this for me and didn’t tell me it was gluten free I would never know the difference.
Does this mean I am ready to go gluten-free? Ha! That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard. Let’s not get carried away now. I am far too much in love with bread to ever even consider this silly idea. But it was fun to experiment and I will definitely be using these noodles again.
Let’s get back to the veggies. Here they are ready for roasting.
And here they are after roasting- yumm!
The cheesy mixture
All layered up
More cheese on top!
Out of the oven…
and with a glass of wine!
Roasted Veggie Lasagna – Gluten Free
Serves: 8
4 cups of vegetables for roasting- the following is what I used:
1 onion, cut in large pieces
1 winter squash (I used a Delicata), peeled and cubed
1 sweet red pepper, seeded and sliced
2 large portabella mushrooms, cubed into large pieces
2 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2- inch pieces
3 whole garlic cloves, leave the outer peel on for roasting
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 10 ounce package brown rice noodles
1 8 ounce container low-fat ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups 2% mozzarella , shredded and divided
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
1 garlic clove, minced
1 egg, lightly beaten
Dash of nutmeg
Salt and pepper
3 cup of pasta sauce (I use Muir Glen Tomato Basil pasta sauce and thinned it with a little red wine)
1. Preheat the oven to 400º F. Cut up your vegetables and toss in a large bowl with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and Italian seasoning. Spread them in an even layer on a shallow baking tray. Roast for 45-55 minutes, tossing occasionally. The veggies should be soft and starting to caramelize. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a bit before layering the lasagna. Reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF.
2. In a medium bowl combine the ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella, parmesan cheese, garlic, egg, nutmeg, a dash of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. You could also add a bit more Italian seasoning to the cheese mixture if you like.
3. Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Place a layer of uncooked noodles on top. Spread half the veggies on the noodles. Dollop on half of the ricotta cheese mixture and spread evenly. Pour on more sauce and top with another layer of noodles. Spread with the remaining vegetables and ricotta cheese. Top with another layer of noodles. Cover the noodles with sauce and sprinkle on the last 1/2 cup of mozzarella.
4. Bake at 350ºF uncovered for 40 minutes. Cover with a piece of tinfoil coated with cooking spray (so the cheese doesn’t stick) and cook for another 15 minutes. Let stand at least 10 minutes before serving.
Sep
Linguine with Swiss Chard & Sausage
It’s that time of year again. The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting colder, and the TV weather man is using his serious voice to warn us that the first frost of the year is just around the corner. Here in the northeast it’s a familiar scenario. One day you’re lounging around with bare feet, bare arms, and bare legs thinking this might just be the year that summer lasts forever, and BAMM… the cold sneaks in and before you know it the windows are closed tight and the slippers come out of the closet. Then one day it happens. You wake up in the morning and your green lawn is covered with a shimmering layer of ice particles…the frost has arrived and summer is over. Of course, the first frost doesn’t actually mean the end to warm temperatures or afternoons spent lazing around on the deck. However, for those of us who enjoy growing our own food, not to mention enjoying the food that others have grown, a hard frost signals the end to the few precious months of the year that we call the growing season here in Vermont. Around here, this first frost warning tends to set us gardeners into a flurry of motion. We begin frantically harvesting and covering our crops. Sometimes we even resort to a bit of pleading with mother nature- just one more week, pleeease. If you drive around on the eve of the first frosty morn your likely to see bed sheets draped over towers of rambling tomato vines, hastily built teepees covering half ripe pumpkins, and baskets of produce ready to come inside.
This is where the story of my recipe begins. When the first frost warning was shouted from the mountain tops last week, like a good gardener I took note and got busy. The last of the cucumbers were plucked out of their yellowing vines, the tomatoes in all stages of readiness were harvested and set on the windowsill to ripen, the basil was cut and turned into pesto, and every last leaf of the red, green, and yellow Swiss chard was harvested. There was a lot of it, because I LOVE Swiss chard. For the past few years I have been substituting Swiss chard in any recipe that calls for spinach. I like how the chard holds up better to sautéing and steaming than spinach. It also seems to have a bit more of a bold flavor than spinach and its colorful stems add a visual zing to any dish. Swiss chard is delicious in many, many dishes, but one of my favorite ways to use it is with pasta. The sturdy leaves hold their own with a thick noodle like linguine, and when you throw in a bit of crumbled sausage and some sautéed peppers and garlic it becomes one incredible dish.
Linguine with Swiss chard and Sausage
serves 4
| Ingredients: | Directions: |
| 10 ounces whole wheat linguine 12 ounces turkey sausage, casings removed 2 sweet red or yellow peppers, thinly sliced 1 1/4 cup reserved pasta water cloves garlic, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 ounce parmesan cheese, finely grated 5 cups Swiss chard, loosely chopped Salt and pepper |
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 3/4 cup pasta water. Return pasta to pot. 2. In a large covered skillet cook sausage with 2 tablespoons water over medium heat for about 5 minutes. The steam from the water helps the inside of the sausage to pre-cook a bit before you brown the outside. Uncover and raise the heat to medium-high. Brown sausage, breaking up with a spatula, about 7 minutes. 3. Add garlic, peppers, and 3/4 cup pasta water; cook until peppers soften, 6 minutes. Add the remaining ½ cup pasta water and butter; swirl to combine. Add Swiss chard and toss until just wilted. Add pasta and parmesan cheese; stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. |
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