Rigatoni with Eggplant Puree

We're back!  Our vacation was amazing.  We explored all over the Pacific Northwest then hung out at the beach in California for a few days.  We were out in the mountains and forests without cell service and it was the perfect excuse to check out from every day life for a little while.  There are lots of pictures up on my tumblr, strangeplaceforyoga, so go check them out!



Cooking on our trip was well... minimal.  We picked up food from a few farmer's markets and cooked it over an open fire in the woods.  Usually this resulted in charred burgers and more baked potatoes than we'd ever eat at home, but we found a few treats as well.  Corn over the open fire was charred and absolutely delicious! I didn't even miss the butter.  Still, I was happy to get back home and start cooking again.



The Monkey Scientist stayed out in California for a fellowship for a week after I left.  I have to admit - before he got back I was lazy.  But when he flew in the other night I put this meal together while his brother picked up him up at the airport.  It had just the amount of cutting necessary to relax me and remind me why I love cooking so much.  Plus, pasta = comfort food.  And pine nuts are my favorite.  I made a few pan-seared chicken breasts to throw on top because I knew he'd want some meat and they were an easy addition.  The dish is warm, cozy and comforting.  Despite the reliance on summer veggies, I'll definitely be bringing it back out this winter!



Rigatoni with Eggplant Puree
from smitten kitchen

Ingredients
1 small eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved (I used the golden variety)
3 cloves garlic, whole
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1 pound rigatoni pasta
1/4 cup torn fresh mint leaves
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 oz balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp freshly-squeezed lemon juice

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Line a large baking sheet with foil.
2. Combine the cubed eggplant, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes in a large bowl and toss to coat. Spread the mixture evenly on the foil-lined baking sheet.  Bake for 35 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the eggplant is golden and beginning to brown on the edges.
3. Meanwhile, in a very small frying pan (I use one designed for 1 egg) add just the pine nuts.  Toast over medium heat, stirring nearly constantly, until they begin to brown.  Remove to a small plate or jar and set aside.
4. At the same time, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook according to package instructions then drain, reserving at least 2 cups of the pasta water.
5. Combine 3 tbsp olive oil and the mint leaves in the bowl of your food processor.  Add the roasted vegetables, then puree.
6. Pour the pureed vegetables, Parmesan, balsamic vinegar, and lemon juice over the pasta.  The sauce will be thick, so add the reserved pasta water 1/2 cup at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.

Harissa Chickpea Burgers with Cucumber Mint Yogurt Sauce

Last night was the first time in a while that the Monkey Scientist and I were in town at the same time as his roommate.  We decided to celebrate by making a little family dinner.  His roommate loves chickpeas so I knew when I sent him this recipe that he would interested.

The hardest part of this whole recipe was finding harissa.  We finally were able to find it at the mediterranean market/restaurant in Cleveland Park.  They just received a shipment so if you live in DC this is the place to go!

We really enjoyed this recipe. It was perfectly spicy - perfect for me and the MS's roommate, although of course the Monkey Scientist added sriracha on top.  I'm convinced he isn't satified with a meal unless his lips are burning!  I particularly like the pistachios.  That's something I've never included in chickpea burgers I've made before. I loved the yogurt sauce as well.  It's similar to a tzatziki, but with lots of fresh mint.  It was a great and fairly quick weeknight meal (with yummy roasted asparagus)!



Harissa Chickpea Burgers with Cucumber Mint Yogurt Sauce
from A Cozy Kitchen

Ingredients
burgers
1/2 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/4 tablespoons harissa
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup pistachios, unsalted
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg
3/4 cup bread crumbs
yogurt sauce
1 cup plain greek yogurt
1 cup cucumber, diced
3 tablespoons mint, minced
1 teaspoon lemon zest
salt and pepper

Instructions
1. In a skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add the shallot and cook for 2-3 minutes, until translucent.
2. When soft, add the minced garlic, cumin, paprika, cinnamon and harissa, along with two tablespoons of water. Mix until combined and until it resembles a thick wet paste.
3. In a food processor, add the shallot/spice mixture, chickpeas, pistachios and salt; pulse until roughly chopped. Using a spatula, scrape down sides and pulse one or two times. Taste for salt (1 teaspoon was perfect for me); add more, if you like. Remove half of the mixture and transfer to a bowl. Add the egg to the food processor and pulse until the mixture is nearly smooth. Add the mixture from the food processor to the bowl and combine both mixtures.
4. Fold in the bread crumbs. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
5. In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, cucumber, mint and lemon zest. Salt and pepper to taste.
6. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the chickpea mixture onto your palm and form the patties. Heat a grill pan over medium heat and brush it generously with olive oil. Cook on both sides for 3-4 minutes. Serve the burgers on burger buns or fresh soft pita (we toasted our pita in the oven).

Yields 6 burgers

Roasted Shrimp and Orzo

I'm back!  I had a beautiful holiday full of twirling princesses, a white Christmas, a little skiing, and lots of love in both New Hampshire and Chicago.  I hope you had a great holiday season as well!



Now that I'm back, it's back to the kitchen!  This week I decided to try out a recipe that you might have seen before.  Apparently, it's made commonly enough that when I brought in leftovers for lunch my coworker knew within minutes which recipe I'd made.  But I made a couple of changes to make it my own, so hopefully it will still be a bit fresh for you!



One of my favorite gifts this holiday season (though there were many) was from my baby bro, who had just returned from a trip to Israel.  He visited Capernaum Vista Olive Farms on his trip, where he watched olive be pressed fresh, right in front of him! He brought me back a 3 pack of different high end extra virgin olive oils, all of which are delicious, and which were perfect for using in this recipe. (Just don't tell the Kosher Israelis that I put their olive oil on shrimp...)



I still had lots of fish stock in my freezer from October, so I decided I'd add a little flavor to my pasta by boiling it in fish stock instead of just water.  I'm not sure it made a whole lot of difference, but gave a nice undertone to the dish.  One of my New Years resolutions will be to experiment with making new types of stock this year - I think that making my own chicken/beef/vegetable/lamb broths will be a lot more versatile than the fish broth, since I can't get the best seafood in DC.  Does anyone have any ideas for what to do with my last 2 quarts?



We really enjoyed this dish overall!  I can't say it was my favorite dish of all time - it doesn't quite have our usual high impact flavor profile - but it was easy to throw together, tasty, and healthy.  It was lemony, fresh, with some light protein from the shrimp (which were cooked to perfection after ~5 minutes), and I adore eating orzo.  It'd be a great dish to bring to a potluck or on a picnic. It's also a pretty ideal dish to throw together when you need to eat a quick dinner so you can snuggle into bed to watch your team win the Sugar Bowl.  And on that note, GO BLUE!



Roasted Shrimp and Orzo
adapted from the Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients
1 quart fish stock (optional)
1/2 box orzo pasta (I like Barilla)
Kosher salt
Good olive oil (like this)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 1/2 lemons)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup freshly chopped mint
1/2 cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
1/4 cup small-diced red onion
1 cup feta cheese, large diced

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Fill a large pot with fish stock or water (fish stock just adds extra flavor! If using water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and a splash of oil), and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and cook until al dente (follow your package instructions). Drain and pour into a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.
3. Meanwhile, place the shrimp on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 5 to 6 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Don't overcook!
4. Add the shrimp to the orzo and then add the mint, cucumber, onion, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss well. Add the feta and stir carefully. Unless you're totally impatient like me, set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving.

In the meantime...

I realize I have been leaving you in the lurch lately... I do have a recipe that I need to edit photos for and there will be many to come after Thanksgiving.  In the meantime, I wanted to remind you of a recipe I posted earlier this year that we're bringing back out for Thanksgiving.

These mint chocolate chip cookies are the BOMB.  One of the weirdest cookie doughs I've ever made, but they come out like mint chocolate brownie cookies.  I think they were the first cookie I ever made for the Monkey Scientist and I believe they were the key to winning his heart. Mom and I are baking a batch up tonight and then heating them up again on Thursday.  If you need a chocolate dessert I promise they'll be a winner.

Read the full original post and see the recipe by clicking here!

Spicy Chicken, Barley, and Sweet Potato Soup

I think that cold snap has officially happened.  My toes are chilly.  More importantly, my soup cravings are in full swing.  Soup has been on my mind even more often than usual because my bestest friend is cooking through a soup cookbook.  If only I was living in Chicago and could eat along with her!



Speaking of Jewish women making great soup from scratch...DC-ers, have you ever tried SouperGirl? Sara Polon, the SouperGirl, and her mom are living my dream.  They make homemade soup every week and deliver it to locations all over the District, as well as selling it out of her newly-opened store in Tacoma Park. Each week, she emails out adorable and cute descriptions for 2 soups - one pureed and one chunky - which you can place an order for and pick up the following week.  Her soups are certified Kosher, frequently if not always vegan, and use fresh, local, and organic ingredients.  While I always encourage you to cook at home, if you want to buy something pre-made, her stuff is the good stuff.



OK, I have to admit, I've never actually ordered her soup.  I get her emails every Monday, but I'm way too spontaneous in my eating to know what I'm going to want to eat the next week.  Plus, I just love making soup. Every week I very seriously think about ordering from SouperGirl, but I haven't quite made the leap yet.  Instead, I let her be my inspiration in the kitchen.



On Halloween morning, SouperGirl sent me an email about Soul Warming Barley Sweet Potato Soup.  I have always been a believer that the only reason we eat soup is to warm the soul, so I was very intrigued.  I did a little google searching and found a recipe that included all the ingredients that Sara used in her soup (plus chicken, which I assume she left out to keep it vegan).  The recipe I found called it Spicy Chicken Barley Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Spinach, and I knew it was meant to be.  Spicy is basically a synonym for "something the Monkey Scientist would love."



Not only did the Monkey Scientist love this soup, but I did too! I got a little nervous when I was making it because high heat + lots of spices = spice in the air.  My roommate and I were coughing up a storm from inhaling too much cayenne.  It was actually quite spicy when I tasted it after step 4 (I may have added some extra cayenne beyond what you see below), but when it finished cooking it had mellowed out a bit.  This soup is very hearty, especially the next day when the bulgar has soaked up a lot of the liquid.  With the perfect amount of spice, sweetness from the sweet potatoes (I may or may not have used yams instead, oops), protein from the chicken, and lots of nutrition from the spinach, this soup is definitely a winner! It makes a great meal on a chilly night, like slippers for the soul!



Soul Warming Spicy Chicken, Bulgar, and Sweet Potato Soup
adapted from Stylish Cuisine

Ingredients:
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 Spanish onion, chopped
1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
½ tsp. sweet paprika
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. chili powder
¼ tsp. ground coriander
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp of cayenne
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
3 garlic cloves, chopped
6 cups low-sodium or homemade chicken broth
2 cups water (+ additional for adding later)
1 cup bulgar, rinsed well
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
12 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
5 oz. (1 bag) baby spinach
½ cup chopped fresh mint (I actually left this out)
freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
Lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions:
1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot over high heat. Add the onion and salt and sauté until limp, about 3 minutes.
2. Add all the spices and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
3.Add the tomato paste and sauté for another minute, until darkened but not burned. (If the tomato paste looks too dark too quickly, lower the heat.) Add the garlic and continue to sauté for 1 minute longer.
4. Return the heat to high if you lowered it, then add the broth, 2 cups of water, and the bulgar to the pot. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Add the sweet potato and continue to cook until the bulgar and sweet potatoes are soft, about 30 minutes or more, adding more water if needed. (I added about another cup here)
6.Add the chicken, partially cover the pot, lower the heat, and simmer about 10 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Add the spinach and mint and simmer until wilted. Add the lemon juice and season to taste with salt (I used smoked salt from Trader Joe's).
Serve with the lemon wedges on the side.

Kibbee-style Bulgar Salad

I have been literally itching to make kibbee for weeks.  Mom and I went out for lunch back home in NH, where the fattoush salad is out of this world.  I live for it.  We went to a restaurant where I'd never been before, and I was about to top my salad with lamb kabob when saw a strange new meat option - Kibbee. I'd never heard of it before, but I'm always one to try new things.  Especially when the waitress described it as "kind of like meatloaf, but with pine nuts, and better..."



I died.  It was like a pine nutty, lamby, flat, baked slice of heaven.  It was so savory I nearly forgot about the citrusy, sumac-covered, crunchy salad below.  As soon as it was gone from my plate, I was on my phone, googling recipes.  I picked up some bulgar at the Christmas Tree Shop (yes, I do just love a bargain) to drag back to DC with me.



And then, I forgot about it.  Until one morning, while digging in the back of my cabinet, I saw the bulgar and remembered.  The urge was back - I had to have kibbee.  Tonight.



Again, I scoured the web for recipes.  There were all sorts of variations - some with tons of spices like allspice, fresh mint, cumin, cinnamon or even hot sauce, others had feta, some mixed the bulgar with the meat and some layered them.  I decided I would combine them all and see what worked best for me.



Unfortunately, it really didn't work out for me.  It became a big mess instead of a nice slice.  Regardless, the taste was really fantastic and it made a great salad.  I like using bulgar in "pasta" salad because it is so healthy, so this seemed like the obvious route to me.  Regardless, this is not my last try making kibee!!



Kibbee-style Bulgar Salad


Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large Vidalia onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb ground lamb
1/4 c fresh chopped mint
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp all spice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 c bulgar
1/2 c pine nuts
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Saute garlic and onion until soft, about 8 minutes.
2. Add ground lamb, mint, cinnamon, all spice, and nutmeg and cook until brown (doesn't need to be cooked through).
3. Meanwhile, soak bulgar in warm water 15-20 minutes.  Drain and squeeze out excess water.
4. Combine bulgar, lamb, and pine nuts in a bowl.  Grease a baking pan well with oil.  Press mixture into pan.
5.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until cooked through. Serve on its own with roasted squash or over baby spinach.

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato-Stuff Eggplant Rollups

Finally, I am back in the kitchen.  It felt so good to cook my own meal after a couple weeks of letting Mom and the Monkey Scientist cook for me.  They both make slam dunk dinners, but I just love the act of cooking - there's something about slicing veggies at the end of the day that I truly enjoy.



The Monkey Scientist had a great idea this week.  Instead of waiting until January to start resolutions, we're going to have some Fall resolutions.  Mainly, this involves eating healthier and exercising more.  I think this is great - I was so good in the first quarter of the year of following my resolutions (blog more, eat better, run a 5K) but I've let a lot of it slip.  This will be a great pick-me-up going into the often unhealthy holiday season.



For me, eating healthier is going to be a lot about eating with the Monkey Scientist without eating as much as him. I've mentioned before that a home-cooked meal lasted me a week before I met him, as I'd eat a little and have leftovers all week.  Now, it lasts that night.  My rule is to try to let him eat 2/3 of what I make - we'll see how it goes.  Also, just making some healthier foods!



This recipe came from the Weight Watchers' New Complete Cookbook, which a friend recently borrowed from the library and let me make a couple photocopies out of it.  It's a super easy cookbook, and it's all available on Google Books, so I recommend checking it out.  I plan to make a few more recipes from it in the coming weeks.  It has loads of options for Meatless Mondays - like this one!



Weight Watchers designed this recipe to make 4 servings, and 1 serving has only 95 calories and 5 g fat (my adjustments only related to spices, so this should still be about right), so even if I ate almost 2 servings that's a pretty light dinner.  (Complete nutrition facts are available in the cookbook, see link in the recipe). The eggplant is meaty and filling so I wasn't left hungry or missing meat.  I served it up with some seasoned brown rice (made in the rice cooker - getting way better at using it!) which is healthier than pasta or white rice.



Of course, I kicked up the spice.  Feel free to leave out the cayenne and red pepper flakes if that scares you. I had a little bit of a portion issue on the stuffing - my tomato was too small and my onion was a little too big, so I'd adjust that next time.  I'd also probably roast the tomato and onion along with the red pepper.  I'm just not a huge fan of raw onion.  I found rolling the eggplant to be pretty difficult and it didn't come out quite as pretty as I would have liked.



Still we liked this recipe.  I liked the small amount of goat cheese instead of loading it with ricotta.  All the veggies made it pretty hearty and I enjoyed the kick from the cayenne and red pepper flakes.  The Monkey Scientist said he didn't know what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised (he might not have used exactly those words).  Overall, a nice, easy, healthy dinner.



Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato-Stuffed Eggplant Rollups
adjusted from Weight Watchers' New Complete Cookbook

Ingredients
1/4 c crumbled soft goat cheese
1 large plum tomato, chopped (optional - roasted)
1 chopped roasted red pepper
1 small onion, chopped (optional - roasted)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 (1-lb) eggplant, cut lengthwise into 8 slices
Olive Oil non-stick spray (I used Pam)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint

Instructions
1. Stir together goat cheese, tomato, roasted red pepper, onion, oregano, 1/4 tsp salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper, & cayenne in a medium bowl.
2. Spray Forman grill with olive oil nonstick spray and preheat.  Lightly spray eggplant slices with nonstick spray and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 tsp salt.  Place eggplant on Forman grill and grill until well marked and tender, about 3 minutes. (note: only the bottom got marks on my Forman, but it should be ok!).  Transfer to plate; let cool.
3. To assemble rollups, spoon about 2 tbsp of tomato/onion/red peper mixture on wider end of each slice of eggplant.  Rollup tightly and place, seam side down, on platter (use a toothpick if needed).  (At this point, if you want you can roast in a 450 degree oven for 20 min or so). Drizzle oil over rollups and sprinkle with mint.

Mint Chocolate Polka Dot Cookies

After our meal of chicken paprikash with spätzle and german red cabbage, of course there had to be dessert.  I figured that cookies would be easy because I could make them ahead of time, refrigerate the dough, and then bake them when we were done eating.

I'll start by saying this is possibly the strangest "cookie dough" I've ever made.  I finished all of the steps prior to refrigeration and re-read all of the ingredients and instructions about 5 times to make sure I didn't mess anything up.  It does not come together like a dough at all - it looks much more like a brownie batter.  

After refrigeration (I refrigerated about 3 hours until we were done with dinner), it was still more like a batter but it was hard enough to make cookie drops.  I baked on a silpat and I'm VERY glad I did because these cookies are really sticky.  I definitely recommend using a silpat or parchment paper.

They did however (magically) become cookies.  I think I undercooked them a little bit, but that might have made them taste even better.  They are a brownie-style cookie, and I loved these mint chips.  I am a huge mint junkie and these tasted like the inside of an Andes mint - cool and refreshing!  Surrounded by the warm chocolatey cookie, they were a perfect contrast.  Although the recipe was a bit unusual, the end product was totally worth it!

Mint Chocolate Polka Dot Cookies
from the back of the Guittard Mint Chip package

Ingredients:

2 cups (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Nestle)

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

3 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups (12 oz) Guittard Green Mint Chips

Instructions:

In top of double boiler over low heat, melt semi-sweet chips and butter, stirring constantly until smooth. Set aside to cool. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla until light. Blend in melted chocolate, then dry ingredients. Stir in green mint chips and chill for 10-15 minutes or until stiff. 

Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. Drop chilled dough by well-round teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 8-10 minutes, cookies will be soft in centers but will harden as they cool.