Two Happy Bellies

Tuscan Tuna and White Bean Salad

Neither one of us felt like going to the grocery store the other day so by rooting around in the pantry and looking at the Dinner Doctor (9780761126805) we made a variation on her Tuscan Tuna and White Bean Salad.

 
We had noodles from the CSA, tuna, diced tomatoes, and white beans in the pantry, plus some fresh basil in the fridge. So this is our version of her recipe.

• 8 oz. pasta
• 1/4 C. olive oil
• 2 T. lemon juice
• 1/4 t. black pepper
• 15 oz. can white beans
• 2 15 oz. cans diced tomato
• 1/2 C. chopped fresh basil
• (roughly) 12 oz. canned tuna, drained and broken into chunks

While cooking the pasta, I mixed the olive oil, lemon juice, and black pepper into a vinaigrette. After draining, I added it to the bowl with the vinaigrette and stirred until all the pasta was coated. Then I added the beans, tomato, and tuna. After stirring all of that I threw in the basil. Next it was plated.

We ate this at room temperature, heated, and chilled. I liked it both heated and chilled, but not at room temperature. Aaron preferred his heated. Not the best meal in the world, but tasty enough for being a "pantry" meal.

Black and Tan Brownies

Aaron asked nicely for me to make these and even though I don't love Guinness . . . I do love him! It sounds a bit complicated and I wouldn't make these again "on a school night" especially if we're also cooking our entire meal from scratch, but they are actually easier than I thought from reading the recipe so I can see making them again.

 
Tan Brownies:

• 6 T. butter, softened
• 1 1/2 C. packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 4.5 oz. (about 1 C.) all-purpose flour
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/2 C. chopped pecans (I omitted, I hate nuts in my brownies!)
• Cooking spray

Black Brownies:

• 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
• 4 T. butter
• 1 C. granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1 C. Guinness Stout
• 4.5 oz. (about 1 C.) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 t. salt

1. Place one rack in lower third of oven; place another rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. To prepare Tan Brownies, place 6 T. butter and brown sugar in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in 2 eggs and 1 t. vanilla. Combine 4.5 oz. flour, baking powder, and 1/4 t. salt, stirring well. Add flour mixture (and pecans if using) to sugar mixture, beating just until combined. Spoon into a 9 by 13 inch baking pan coated with cooking spray, spreading evenly with a rubber spatula. Bake in lower third of oven for 15 minutes.
3. To prepare Black Brownies, melt chocolate and 4 T. butter in a large microwave-safe bowl on HIGH for 1 minute or until melted, stirring after every 20 seconds until smooth. Add granulated sugar, stirring until well combined. Add 2 eggs, 1 t. vanilla, and Guinness, stirring with a whisk until well combined. Combine 4. 5oz. flour and 1/4 t. salt, then add to chocolate mixture, stirring to combine. Pour mixture evenly over Tan Brownies*.
4. Bake on center rack for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out almost clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares.

Yield: 32 servings (I cut ours into 64 and that was better as these are extremely rich!)

*When I poured the Black Brownies over the Tan Brownies, the black layer sunk in the middle and I thought I hadn't cooked the tan layer long enough. So I tried to marble them. After they came out of the oven and cooled enough to cut, I realized that the black layer was supposed to be on the bottom and the tan layer was meant to be on top. I wish my instructions had warned me of this fact.

 
Because this comes from a Cooking Light magazine (March 2010), I'm able to provide some nutritional facts - and surprisingly the facts are pretty good for a brownie. These are for the yield of 32 servings: Calories = 162, Fat = 7 g, Proten = 2.2 g, Carb = 23.7 g, Fiber = 0.8 g.

Chicken and Black Bean-Stuffed Burritos

 
Okay, so ours aren't exactly what the recipe says . . . however these were fabulous! We omited the chicken (making them meatless for a Monday) and didn't have the right size tortillas for burritos so ours are more fajita/taco sized, which meant we could have two for just about the same amount of calories, etc.

1/4 C. water

2 T. fresh lime juice

1/2 t. chili powder

1/4 t. ground cumin

1/4 t. black pepper

1/8 t. ground red pepper

2 C. shredded rotisserie chicken breast (optional)

1/4 C. thinly sliced green onions

3/4 C. canned black beans, rinsed and drained (use whole can if omitting chicken)

1/2 C. refrigerated fresh salsa

4 (8 inch) flour tortillas

1/2 C. shredded Mo Jack cheese

Bring first 6 ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in chicken and green onions. Combine beans with salsa. Spoon 1/4 C. bean mixture and 1/2 C. chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. Sprinkle with 2 T. cheese and roll up.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, coat with cooking spray. Add 2 burritos. Place a heavy skillet on top of burrito and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and repeat with remaining 2 burritos. Makes 4 servings.

We, of course, had this for dinner on two separate nights and couldn't exactly cook them as directed due to our issues with tortilla size. However, because we enjoyed the flavors so much, we thoroughly enjoyed our version and look forward to trying them again soon - cooked as directed.

Cooking Light (who provided the recipe in their December 2010 magazine) suggest serving this with a citrus and radish salad. I'm sure that would be very tasty as well, although we ate them with just a regular salad based on what we had in the house. Next time we will try the recommended salad as well.

Lunch out on the Hiking Trail

Spring is not in full swing yet but it is definately headed in the right direction. We are still in that stage of listening to the opening bands before the headliner starts playing.  I still think that March and April will give us some cold days but these last few days have been terrific.  The temperature has gotten up into the 50s, the days are getting longer and we want to get outside and play.  Saturday was one such day.

Tracy, Lindy and I were not about to spend a slightly overcast day at home doing stupid chores like doing the laundry or sweeping the floors when we could be outside on a hike.  We planned it all out that we would drive down to Greeter Falls, hike some of the trails down there, and pack in a picnic lunch.  This got me very excited to take and test out the MSR WindPro campstove and the MSR Blacklite cookset that I got a great deal on through Craig's List back last fall.  I also had a Cabela's gift card that I had redeemed with one purchase being a Mountain House Freeze Dried Package meal of Beef Stroganoff with Noodles.  This meal pack had been sitting in the cabinet for the last few months just waiting on a trip like this.  We also packed a lunch for Lindy - a can of Chef Michael's Sirloin Steak Flavor dog food that I picked up at Krogers.  She had never had this brand of dog food before so she was getting a treat.

We arrived at the trail head around 10am.  Like I said the day was still a little overcast, temperature was in the high 50s and it was not long before we both needed to shed our long sleeve t-shirt layer.  On the trail we passed by both casual hikers and some people with tents, sleeping bags and the whole camping ensemble.  After about two hours of hiking it was time to make camp and start cooking.  I did not take a really good picture of the WindPro in action but here is the stove and pot boiling the two cups of water needed for the meal packge. While I waited for the water to boil and got the rest of the lunch ready Tracy fed Lindy her lunch.  I think between the two hour hike and the tastiness of this new brand/can of dog food Lindy hoovered the meal as fast as she could.  She ate her meal and then looked at us with an expression of "What are you gonna eat and can I have some too?"

This Beef Stroganoff with Noodles was pretty simple to prepare- boil two cups water, add to pouch, let rest for 9-10 minutes and then serve.  But how did it taste?  Not bad at all.  The mushrooms rehydrated well and regained a more natural taste and texture.  The ground beef bits were fine but I do like my stroganoff to have cubes or strips of beef.  Being what this was I was fine with the way the beef turned out.  The noodles were much better than a pack of Ramen noodles.  Tracy summed it up the best in that it was a "hot meal".   I know that trail cuisine has much to be desired by most peoples standards but after a two hour hike this hot meal was pretty darn good.  I have had a few MREs and none of them were as good as this.  I probably would not eat many of these on similar hikes but for this go around it was a fun adventure. As far as camping meals go I would give this a thumbs up and would try other Mountain House brands.  I was impressed with how fast the WindPro boiled the two cups of water.  Given that this was a trial run on some of our hiking and camping gear Tracy and I are planning to be more adventurous and want to do an overnight camping trip soon.  Of course that means more Two Happy Bellies posts in the future.  Wait, there were Three Happy Bellies on this adventure.  Yeah Lindy!

  
  

Irish Potatoes

One of the recipes we tried from More Make it Fast, Cook it Slow was for Irish Potatoes. I have never tried potatoes in a slow cooker before. It definitely works and we will definitely make these again.

• 2 1/2 lbs. potatoes, cut into wedges
• 1/2 C. water
• 1/2 C. butter, melted
• 1 T. lemon juice
• 1 T. dired parsley
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 3 t. dried dill
• 1/4 t. kosher salt, or to taste
• 1/4 t. black pepper

In a 6 quart slow cooker, put the cut potatoes and water. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or until the potatoes are fork tender.

Drain the potatoes and put them back into the crock. Toss potatoes with the rest of the ingredients. Keep slow cooker on warm setting and serve straight from the crock.

 

Tasty, simple, and just different enough to make a meal special.

Valentine's Day 2011 - Sugar Snap Peas

We knew we also wanted a green vegetable on our plate and sugar snap peas were on sale so that became our choice.

 
This one was so easy, I'm not sure we can even post a recipe, but here goes.

Dice up some garlic and saute that in some EVOO. When it is nice and sizzly, throw in your peas. After they have sauted nicely . . . sprinkle with crushed red pepper and add some toasted and chopped pecans (to make them feel special like the wild rice dish). Put in a dish and serve.

Yes, that is pretty much what we did and they were wonderful. I would suggest only adding the crushed red pepper if you like it. We do and enjoyed the bit of heat. But that wasn't necessary to make the meal. I hope you enjoyed this look at our Valentine's Day 2011 dinner.

Valentine's Day 2011 - Wild Rice with Dried Fruit and Nuts

Such a wonderful side dish to go with our Cornish hens. This was a nice change from our standard Thanksgiving birdies. We pulled this out of an Everyday Food, but I don't know what issue . . .

 
. . . and it really isn't that difficult to make.

• 3-5 scallions, thinly sliced and separated green from white
• 1 T. EVOO
• coarse salt & ground pepper
• 1 1/4 C. wild rice or wild rice blend
• 2 T. red-wine vinegar
• 1/2 C. dried cherries or cranberries
• 2 T. water
• 1/2 C. pecans, toasted and chopped

1. In a medium saucepan, heat EVOO over medium-high heat. Add scallion whites and cooke, stirring often until soft, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add wild rice and water (as directed on package) and cook.
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine red-wine vinegar, dried fruit (we used the cherries to marry with the cherry port glaze on the hens), and water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer an dcook until vinegar is almost absorbed, about 3 minutes.
3. Transfer fruit and rice to a bowl, then add scallion greens and pecans. Stir well to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

We found this to be a perfect match to our hens and happily enjoyed leftovers the next day. While this won't replace our standard wild rice salad at Thanksgiving, I do believe we'll make sure to serve it every time we serve the cherry port hens as they seem to just belong together. And we'll probably find excuses to serve it at other times as well.

Valentine's Day 2011 - Roasted Cornish Hens with Cherry-Port Glaze

Oh wow . . . I'm speechless. This was lick your plate clean good . . .

 
This recipe from the December 2009 Cooking Light is definitely staying in our KEEP file, and I'm recommending it to all y'all.

• 1/2 C. cherry preserves
• 1/2 C. port
• 1 T. grated fresh ginger
• 1 T. balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper
• 2 (1 1/2 lb.) Cornish hens

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet; coat rack with cooking spray.
2. Combine preserves, port, ginger, vinegar, and 1/4 t. salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 9 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.
3. Remove and discard giblets and necks from hens. Rinse hens with cold water; pat dry. Remove skin; trim excess fat. Working with 1 hen at a time, tie ends of legs together with twine. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under hen. Sprinkle evenly with 1/4 t. salt and 1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper. Set on wire rack on baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.
4. Brush hen with cherry mixture; bake 40 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the meaty part of thigh registers 165 degrees, brushing with cherry mixture every 10 minutes.
5. Remove from oven. Let stand 5 minutes. Remove twine; split hens in half lengthwise.

Yield: 4 servings

Notes: We set off the smoke alarm pretty much every time we opened the oven to baste. This terrified the fur babies and they were underfoot the entire rest of the evening. One way around that would be to do as my friends (who also made this for Valentine's Day) did -they grilled the birds to great success. We also did not enjoy cleaning our wire rack and baking sheet. I foresee a foil lined baking sheet next time we do this. And the next time we do this, even with only two of us, we'll make the full recipe and enjoy leftovers as opposed to all the effort we put into just one hen. Yum . . . leftovers!

 

Dinner and a Movie - Baked Ziti

Occasionally we have a theme night and this past weekend Aaron decided to rectify an error. This would be my cultural unawareness of that which is The Godfather. My knowledge of the movie could be summed up in one line: "Leave the gun, grab the cannoli." That is not good enough apparently. So he added the movie to the Netflix queue and we decided on a menu. A co-worker had brought in leftover baked ziti for lunch earlier last week and it smelled so good, we decided that would be our main dish. Along with that we'd have green beans and rolls. Then for dessert, some mini canollis (courtesty of Julia's, a great local bakery!). That would help with portion control!

 
The copy of the recipe I have for the Baked Ziti apparently goes on to a page 2 which I do not have so some of it became guesswork. It was tasty enough though that we happily enjoyed leftovers the next night! Written below is what we did.

• 1 lb. uncooked pasta, rigatoni or penne
• 1 lb. extra lean ground beef
• 15 oz. container part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
• 1/4 C. grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 jars pasta sauce, divided
• 1/2 lb. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 C. basil, cut into ribbons for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown the ground beef. While it is browning, cook pasta according to directions. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, red pepper flakes, 3 T. Parmesan cheese and 1/3 C. pasta sauce. In a separate bowl, combine browned ground beef with rest of pasta sauce.

Now - because this recipe makes TWELVE servings of baked ziti as written - we opted to assemble two 8 by 8 casseroles in order to freeze one and bake one. My fingers are crossed the one in the freezer is as tasty as the one we baked immediately.

To assemble ziti, spray bottom of pan with cooking spray. Then spoon a thin layer of sauce and spread it around. Next add half of your pasta; spread across that the ricotta mixture; cover with half of the remaining sauce. Top with remaining pasta, then remaining sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella and rest of Parmesan cheese over all. Bake until cheese melts and is browned, about 20 - 30 minutes. Allow ziti to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

If you choose to make one large pan, the recipe calls for using a "lasagna" pan. I'm not quite sure what size that it is, but my guess would be an 11 by 17? Anyway, our 8 by 8 pan with six servings was perfect for us. That size filled us up completely when enjoyed with the green beans and a roll (plus the cannoli). As for The Godfather, I enjoyed it and look forward to seeing the sequels.

Quick Vegetable Scramble on Toast

We tried something new for breakfast this weekend - from an Everyday Living magazine - the Quick Vegetable Scramble on Toast.

 
The recipe as written is for one, we doubled it to make breakfast for two (quanities below are for the original recipe of one).

• 1/2 t. EVOO
• 1/4 small red onion, diced medium
• 1/4 small red bell pepper, diced medium
• coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 large egg plus 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten (we actually stuck with 2 eggs each)
• 2 T. grated cheddar
• 1 slice whole-wheat bread, toasted
• 1 t. chopped fresh parsley leaves (we had cilantro in the house and used that)

In a small nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium. Add vegetables and cook until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add eggs and cheese and cook, stirring constantly, until eggs are set and cheese melts, 1-2 minutes. Spoon over toast and sprinkle with parsley.

This was good, but a bit on the bland side to begin with. We added some crushed red pepper flakes and that livened it up nicely. If we didn't want to keep this veggie - some diced ham or crumbled bacon would be a nice addition as well. We are definitely keeping this one in the recipe file though as it was filled with enough protein as is to keep us going strong until lunchtime, even after a 3 mile walk with the dog.