Pasta with Slow Roasted Tomatoes (2 ways)

I keep buying large amounts of cherry tomatoes and then forgetting about them until it's almost too late. To use up a bunch at once before they go bad, I've been slow roasting them by lining a baking tray with tin foil, halving the tomatoes, giving them a quick mix with olive oil and baking them at 250 for about 3 hours. I've been trying not to use the oven since it's been so hot, but I LOVE tomatoes after they've been slow roasted and it's way better than letting any tomatoes go to waste. Remember to keep the oil - it's good.

I can definitely go for some plain slow roasted tomatoes, but I wanted to share a couple pasta recipe ideas that make good use of them.

Gnocchi au Gorgonzola 

(aka one of my all-time favorite things to make since high school... not healthy)

1 package gnocchi, cooked

1/2 cup Gorgonzola (or blue cheese), cut up or crumbled

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup heavy cream or half & half

a lot of slow roasted tomatoes (in their olive oil if possible)

1 tbsp chives, chopped

In a small saucepan over medium low heat, combine the cheese and butter and heat until the butter melts, stirring to help melt the cheese. Add the cream and stir to combine. Don't let it bubble too much. Mix with the gnocchi, tomatoes and top with chives.

Nice & Simple Pasta - Garlic, Basil & Tomatoes

2 servings angel hair pasta, cooked 

(pictured is fresh angel hair pasta from Ohio City Pasta, bought at the Squirrel Hill Farmer's Market)

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

6-7+ leaves fresh garlic, chopped

1 tsp red pepper flakes

lots of slow roasted tomatoes

In a large pan, heat up the oil over medium low heat. Add the garlic, basil and hot pepper flakes and cook until the garlic is toasted a little. Add in the pasta and mix. Serve with slow roasted tomatoes. 

Moroccan Stew

Lately we've been hosting Sunday night family dinners. Family dinner is basically when my cousins and I get together and eat all the food. We go out to eat or we stay in and have a homecooked meal. It's becoming a tradition in the same way that soup group or girl dinner was in Pittsburgh. Some highlights lately have been fish tacos, peanut noodles, and this stew! Restaurant-wise, Vedge was literally the best dining experience of my life (so far). All vegan. All vegetables. I mean the rutabaga fondue was enough to make me fall of my chair.

Also, with Sunday dinner comes Game of Thrones. Sadly it's over now but this stew from The First Mess makes it better. I doubled the recipe easily to serve all of us.

Moroccan Stew

2 tbsp coconut oil
1 red onion, small dice
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
3 cloves of garlic, minced
5 dates, pitted + chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled + chopped
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
3 cups vegetable stock or water
1 yellow pepper, chopped
2 cups cooked chickpeas
salt + pepper

1 bunch lacinato kale

Heat the coconut oil in a soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook  until soft and translucent. I just let this cook for 15 minutes or so stirring occasionally. Then add spices plus garlic and cook for 5 minutes more, stirring constantly. Watch out for the spices burning. 

Add the dates, carrots and sweet potatoes. Add the tomatoes and stir. Add the vegetable stock. Boil the soup then turn down heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes. 

Add the chopped yellow peppers and chickpeas and stir the soup. Season the whole thing again with salt and pepper. Simmer until everything is cooked to your liking. Chop the kale and add to the pot for a couple minutes. Serve with brown rice, additional dates, or bread + cheese to make it a meal.

Bitchin' Sauce + Bowl

This sauce is amazing. Like really. I have been putting it on everything lately. Sweet potatoes, Bitchin bowls, empanadas. Additional ideas for dipping include raw or steamed veggies or chips. This sauce tastes like an awesome queso. The ingredient list looks ridiculous but these are probably all things you have in your kitchen already.

This recipe originates from the Fauxmartha and the San Diego farmer's market. Hopefully the next time I'm in California, I can check it out!

The sauce:

3/4 c. + 2 tbsp water

1/2 c. + 2 tbsp grapeseed oil

1/2 c. raw almonds, soaked overnight 

1/4 c. + 2 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

2 cloves garlic

2 tsp tamari 

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp coriander

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp raw honey

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 chipotles in adobo sauce

1 tsp adobo sauce 

1/4 cup diced red onion 

Rinse almonds after soaking. Place all ingredients in blender. Blend until super smooth. 

Keeps in fridge for a week or so. 

Back in college a couple of my good friends always had beans and rice for a quick dinner. With fried egg on top. The first time I ever had rice and beans was on a mission trip to Louisiana. Yum! This is like a step up.

Bitchin bowl:

Brown rice

Black beans or chickpeas

Sautéed onion plus cumin

Steamed greens (kale or spinach)
Sautéed mushrooms

Pickled red cabbage (I made my own but this one is similar)

Goat cheese Brie

Salsa 

I should have probably added a fried egg

And obviously cover the entire bowl with sauce.

Miso Ramen

I have an obsession with Ramen. My two favorite places in Pittsburgh to go to are Ramen Bar in Squirrel Hill and Fukuda in Bloomfield (my old stomping grounds!) Just Yelping it now, Fukuda is now closed. RIP best ramen ever with pork belly. 

It's crazy how much the restaurant scene in Pittsburgh has changed since I've left!! So many new places to try. To be honest, I'll probably just continue to go to my favorites like OTB. I do want to try the new Smoke location though.

I haven't had ramen yet in Philly but I heard there's some good hipster Jewish ramen in south philly!! My cousin told me about it!! Can't wait to try.

I have had ramen at Momofuku in NYC and it is fantastic. Also when we had ramen in Japan, there were lots of hungover dudes at the same place as us. Ramen = the best hangover food ever I guess?? Either way I'm all about ramen for breakfast.

I found large packets of ramen noodles (instead of the instant ones) at whole foods. You can also find fresh ramen noodles at certain whole foods or Asian grocery stores.

Sorry in advance for sucky pictures. I was in a hurry to eat. Will replace later.

Cauliflower Rice + Roasted Mango

This is all I want to eat right now. Can I just say that cauliflower is the coolest? You can make steak, couscous, or even purée out of one vegetable. I also like to eat the leaves. I used purple cauliflower because SPRING! Also the mango "chutney" goes really well with the curried cauliflower. I decided to just roast the fruit since the oven was on anyways. This recipe is from Comfy Belly. Next time I make it, I'll probably make the dal too. I just didn't have red lentils on hand.

We spent Easter at the beach. It's off season which means all the dogs are allowed on the boardwalk and beach. Though the water was freezing, Rex still went for a swim. This was probably the happiest I've seen him since summer. Lots of boardwalk fries were definitely consumed. We also found this amazing donut place called the Fractured Prune that makes each batch fresh and allow you to choose your own toppings. Our favorites were blueberry, lemonade, and Rolo! Everyone come visit and we can have all the donuts!!

Cauliflower Rice:
1 head cauliflower
spices- turmeric, cumin, cayenne, cardamom
sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Roughly chop cauliflower into large pieces. Drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle any amount of the spices you want. I did equal parts turmeric, cumin, and cardamom. Then just a bit of cayenne and sea salt.

Roast for 15 minutes, let cool a bit. Then put cauliflower a bit at a time into a food processor or vitamix on setting 3. The cauliflower will turn into rice like granules! Since I included the leaves, some parts were stringy but I didn't mind. Place the rice into a large bowl to serve. I warmed mine in the oven right before serving.
Another good addition would be some sautéed onion which I forgot.

Roasted Mango:
2 mangoes, peeled and cubed
1 red pepper, diced

Line another baking pan with parchment paper and add the prepared fruits. Drizzle with olive oil, some salt, and a drizzle of honey. Roast for 25 minutes until pepper is cooked through. Let cool and place in a separate bowl from rice.

Roasted Kale and Brussels Sprouts:

I just used TJ's shredded kale and greens mix, drizzled olive oil, and roasted for 15 minutes at 350 degrees until crispy.

Yogurt Dressing (original recipe did a cucumber mint raita)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp dried dill

Mix and let sit for as long as you can before serving.

Combine rice and mango into individual serving bowls to serve and top with the yogurt drizzle.

Baked Chicken Tenders

Even though it's definitely not a big, dramatic story, one of my family's most-mentioned vacation memories is from our first trip to Prince Edward Island, when my sister and I were both in elementary school.

My dad found out about a lobster supper going on at a nearby church, so we all went for dinner one night. He was all excited about it because he liked to hang out with locals and generally stick to "off the beaten path" experiences on our trips. When we got there and saw the menu, the only options were a big lobster supper, with lobsters fresh from the local fishermen, and dino-shaped chicken nuggets.. and my sister and I both opted for the nuggets.

Fortunately we went to the eastern coast of Canada almost every summer, and I had many more opportunities for great lobster suppers! Pretty much ever since that trip, I would always go for the lobster given the choice, especially when they're caught right by where I'm staying, no matter how dinosaur-shaped the other option might be.

(Another related vacation story from around the same age: the time when we were at a diner and I ordered a BLT without the bacon or lettuce...)

That said, I also love chicken tenders (although not nuggets so much anymore) and get cravings for them every once a while! This recipe is a good quick one when a craving comes around.

Baked Chicken Tenders
Adapted from Natasha's Kitchen

6-7 chicken tenderloins or about 3 breasts cut into 1" strips
salt & pepper
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups panko (+ 1/2 cup if necessary)

Honey mustard sauce:
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup mustard
1/4 cup mayonnaise

Fig & Balsamic Pork Tenderloin

I've had my eye on this recipe for a few months - I usually have Trader Joe's fig butter and balsamic vinegar on hand but I hadn't bought the pork. Finally I had all of the ingredients on this nice, short ingredient list on hand so it was time to try it out. I really appreciate recipes like this that have a lot of flavor but include just a few interesting ingredients and are short on prep time. 

Fig & Balsamic Pork Tenderloin

From Skinnytaste

1 pork tenderloin

salt & seasoning to taste (a little garlic powder or a spice mix, nothing too strong)
1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp fig butter
(optional) chopped parsley for garnish

Chicken & Dumplings

I've been meaning to make something like this for a long time, and then I was looking through How Sweet It Is and saw this and added it to my list for the week. Tonight I actually make two recipes from that blog - the "Creamy Chicken & Dumpling" and the very very pretty "Winter Chopped Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato and Blood Orange Vinaigrette". They both really hit the spot - it was a very nice winter dinner that didn't take very long to put together.

The moral of the story is that every time I look at How Sweet It Is I want to make EVERYTHING - way more than any other blog. And she's from Pittsburgh, so I think she should be our spirit animal. From now on our blog can just rehash her recipes with a 6 month lag, where we re-make her recipes and post them with way worse pictures. Plus dogs.

CREAMY CHICKEN & BISCUITS

Slightly adapted from How Sweet It Is

1 1/4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 5 medium thighs)
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp butter
1 sweet onion, diced
1/2 cup sliced or diced carrots
1/3 cup sliced or diced celery
(for the three above ingredients, you could get a pre-diced mirepoix) 
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp dried thyme
1/4 cup flour
5 cups chicken stock
1/3 cup heavy cream

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk

Frittata with Pasta and Cherry Tomatoes

I haven't made this dish since undergrad but it's a quick and easy one. Mainly, it's perfect for summer. I wanted to make a quiche but didn't have butter to make a crust. Anyways, it was a hit with my family (mostly Kelly and Nick) because of the large amounts of cheese I used to make it.

We just spent the past weekend with my cousin Kara and her family (twins + two year old + doggie!). We celebrated my uncle's birthday and helped watch the babies. Mostly we had snuggles with babies and watched Thomas the train engine. It was a blast! Rex was mostly terrified of their dog, Gaia. Probably because she's so refined and he is completely nuts.

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups cooked pasta (rotini or macaroni)
5 eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
1 bunch swiss chard, stems removed
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup parmesan, shredded
herbed goat cheese, for topping
1 tsp dried italian herbs
salt and pepper

Grease a 9 inch round pie pan. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Slice the swiss chard finely and cook in a saucepan over medium heat until wilted. Drain excess water.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together. Add the italian herbs. Then add in the pasta and cooked swiss chard. Stir to incorporate. Then mix in the mozzarella and season with salt and pepper. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
Top with cherry tomatoes, cut side up. Then sprinkle parmesan and goat cheeses all over the surface. The frittata is done when it is almost firm in the center and the top is golden brown, about 30-40 minutes. If the cheese is browning too quickly, just cover with aluminum foil.
We ate this with fresh gazpacho on the side! Yay summer!

Beet Veggie Burger

I haven't found a veggie burger that competes with OTB's yet in Philly; therefore, I decided to make my own!!! I made these for my family, added too many beets and had them fall apart everywhere. On the plus side, they tasted great. My advice to you all is not to add too many beets (I just love them, I can't help it). The spices in this burger patty really make it awesome.
Anyways, I have not had time to blog since we just got a puppy! His name is Rex and we are so, so in love. He is super sweet. He is also a trouble maker. He broke out of his crate three times. He even met Twilly already! They are friends as long as Laura doesn't pick up Rex or pet him...

I found this recipe by Googling the best veggie burger in the world. I chose a post by that exact title on A Cozy Kitchen.

8 ounces beets, roasted and peeled
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, washed and drained
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, washed and drained
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/4 cup rolled oat flour (make your own in a food processor)
1/2 medium red onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon sumac (substitute lemon zest if you don't have sumac)
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
Salt
Pepper

Throw everything except the chickpeas and black beans in a food processor and pulse just until all the ingredients are chopped a little more and incorporated. Then pour into a large mixing bowl and mash the beans into the mixture with a fork. It takes some work. I tried to do this all in the food processor but it makes the texture too mushy.
Shape the mixture into 6-7 patties and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour to set. You can even make this a day in advance.
To cook: Fry on both sides until lightly brown (about 1-2 minutes on each side) in some coconut oil.
Serve with strong cheese, ketchup, mustard, salad greens, tomato, and sliced onion. Lots of garnishes aren't necessary since the veggie patty is so flavorful. Or you can upgrade with a fried egg on top!

Chicken Mango Fajitas

In the past month or so, a lot has happened.  I quit my job of 4+ years, moved away from Pittsburgh (my home of 8 years), and moved with my boyfriend to Takoma Park, MD.  Being in a new area, looking for a job, and living with a significant other for the first time have offered a lot of challenges along with lots of excitement.  Overwhelmingly cliche, I know.  I pretty much agreed to move to Takoma Park, a cute tree-filled community bordering DC, before ever visiting it.  So much of enjoying an area is knowing how to do it right and being a part of the community there.  Luckily, a former coworker of mine was able to give me the info of his sister-in-law and Vince (the boyfriend) has coworkers here that have been giving us some insights.  We've been trying to budget well (emphasis on the trying..) so that of course means smart grocery shopping, packing lunches, and making dinners.  As we meal planned for the week, Vince suggested quesadillas, which turned into this meal.  I had a moment of "should I buy the packaged fajita seasonings?" which was immediately followed with "of course not, I have a recipe!" With advice from one of our TP mentors, we checked out a grocery store called Shoppers, which was priced very well.  I'm not sure if we went on a bad day or what, but our cheap bell peppers needed to be used quickly.  What better way to use them but one of my fav recipes - Chicken Mango Fajitas.

During the few weeks we've been living together I've already made this recipe twice, with the second time being our first time having a friend over for dinner at our new place!  It was also a go to for dinner's in Pittsburgh.  Finally, I'm sharing the recipe.

Chicken Mango Fajitas

From Healthy Chic Eats

Marinade:
1 Tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (about 2 oranges)
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 jalapeno, chopped (use the other half as garnish)
1 teaspoon lime juice