Breakfast Panini

Since we were so good last night with our lowfat dinner, I decided to "splurge" a little with a breakfast indulgence!

Raspberry and Mozzarella Breakfast Panini

Recipe (for two paninis):
1/4 loaf of Ciabatta Bread
4 tbs Raspberry Preserves
2 slices Fresh Mozzarella
3 Eggs
3 tbs Skim milk
2 tsp honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Pam or enough butter to coat pan

Whisk eggs, milk, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg in a shallow pan. Slice Ciabatta in half and then slice each "sandwich" open and spread raspberry preserves on each side and top with 1 slice of mozzarella per sandwich. Dip sandwich into egg mixture on each side and place on preheated, butter-coated pan. Place a pan of similar size on top of paninis and press down. Cook until golden brown and then flip and repeat.

"Roasted" Vegetable Linguine with Fresh Torn Basil

This month's issue of Vegetarian Times (February '10) featured a recipe for Roasted Vegetable Linguine with Fresh Torn Basil. It sounded and looked (cover page recipe!) delicious and I couldn't wait to make it. I've got all my ingredients ready and I look over the recipe and realize that duh! it's almost exactly like my recipe for Pasta Pomodorini - no wonder I thought it sounded so good! The only difference is it includes sliced shitake mushrooms (I used cremini because that is what was available at the farm stand)and it required roasting all of the vegetables (garlic, onion, 2 cups of cherry tomatoes, asparagus and mushrooms). I, however, did not roast the veggies because I didn't feel like wasting the time to preheat the oven.
It was a wonderful meal, especially paired with our fresh "pesto" linguini purchased at the Sarasota Farmer's Market!
*If interested in making this, follow my recipe for the Pasta Pomodorini, but add mushrooms, one small onion chopped, asparagus cut into 1" pieces (which is included in the Pomodorini recipe at the end)and torn basil at the end - either roast or follow my directions per your liking!

(Approximately since recipe calls for Whole Wheat pasta and I used fresh semolina) Per 1 1/2 cup serving: 208cal; 7G port; 5G total fat (1G sat fat); 37G carb; 0mg chol; 15mg sod; 7g fiber; 6G sugars

Mushroom Soup

Last night we enjoyed Vegetarian Times' Creamy Mushroom Soup (Feb. '10 issue) which is both low in fat and cholesterol! It was very flavorful and even for non-lovers of mushrooms, like JD, it is still very yummy!

* The soup was not as thick as I would've liked it to be (even after adding more cornstarch), so next time I would add more flour in step 3.

Recipe:

1 oz. mixed dried mushrooms, such as oysters, porcini and chanterelles, plus more for garnish, optional (I chose dried porcini)

1 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (I make my own with vegetable bouillon cubes)

1 tbs olive oil, divided

1/2 tsp. salt, divided

8 oz. fresh mushrooms, such as cremini and white button, chopped (2 cups) (I used both)

1/2 cup finely chopped shallot

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)

1/2 cup sherry

1 tbs all-purpose flour

1/2 cup soy creamer (I used half and half, but if you want to keep the recipe vegan, use soy)

1. Placec dried mushrooms in medium bowl. Cover with 2 cups of hot water and let stand 30 minutes. Drain mushrooms, reserving soaking liquid. Bring soaking liquid and broth to a simmer in saucepan over medium heat. Cover, and keep warm.
2. Heat 1 1/2 tsp. oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add rehydrated mushrooms and 1/4 tsp. salt; saute 2 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Transfer mushrooms to plate; set aside (I then chopped them because the pieces were a little large).

3. Heat remaining 1 1/2 tsp. oil in same saucepan over medium heat. Add fresh mushrooms, shallot, pepper and reamining 1/4 tsp. salt; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic, and cook 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Increase heat to medium-high and stir in sherry. Simmer 3 minutes or until liquid has reduced by half. Whisk flour into broth mixture. Stir broth mixture into mushroom mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 30 minutes. Transfer soup to blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Return soup to pot; stir in creamer and reserved rehydrated mushrooms, reserving a few for garnish, if using.

Per 2/3 cup serving: 88 cal; 3 G protein; 4G Total fat (<1g>

Haiti

I know my blog is supposed to be about food and while that is one of the primary focuses of my life (hence the title: Food Obsessed), I am going to stray away on this particular post.
As everyone who isn't living under a rock knows, Haiti suffered from a massive earthquake and has been experiencing daily after shocks ever since. They've lost over 150,000 people and there are more still missing. These people never had much to begin with, but now have lost even more... the basic necessities.
Please donate monetarily or material goods! Contact your local Red Cross for drop off locations. I contacted ours and the Bethesda Haitian Evangelical Church located at 3505 5th St. E. in Bradenton is collecting material goods. They have a plane leaving either today (Jan. 16th) or tomorrow, so time is of the essence! I dropped my package off yesterday.
Also, UPS is shipping anything under 50lbs for free as well!
Proverbs 14:31He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.
Proverbs 21:13If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.
Isaiah 1:17Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.
Thank you and God Bless You!!

Pasta Pomodorini

Several years ago I saw Michael Chiarello (love him! Can we all please live on a vineyard in Napa?!) make "Pasta Pomodorini". It's incredibly simple and easy and since then, I've created my own version!

Recipe:
1 carton of grape tomatoes
2-3 garlic cloves (depending on your liking)
extra virgin olive oil
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 tbs capers
2 tsp Italian herb seasoning
Salt & Pepper
Splash of white wine
2 tbs shredded parmesan cheese
Whole wheat noodles (penne, spaghetti - your choice)

Set water to boil for noodles and add noodles when water is ready
Mince garlic and add to medium saute pan with drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on medium heat.
Place washed grape tomatoes in a ziplock baggie and "whack" them until they've all opened (great stress reliever too, but don't get too carried away!)
Once garlic is very lightly browned, add red pepper flakes and tomatoes
Simmer over medium - medium low heat until tomatoes are softened
Add white wine and seasonings
Add al dente noodles to pan with tomatoes, toss, adding a drizzle of evoo if necessary and top with parmesan cheese

This is such a healthy "go-to" recipe for me - I almost always have all of these ingredients on hand and will add veggies to it if available.

I made this last night and added asparagus (cut into 1" pieces - I added it to pan after the garlic) and served over a bed of mesclun greens. That's a great tip - serve pasta either with or over greens (sometimes I will also add them to the pan to wilt them more) to bump up nutrients and it helps to "fill" you up more, without consuming so many carbohydrates!

Bruschetta

For my dear sister-in-law:

I think everyone has their own special way of making bruschetta and it's always fun to see how other's make it and pick up new ingredient ideas!

Personally, I don't think I've ever made bruschetta the same way twice. I think it's a lot of tasting and testing.

The most important tip I can give is to use Fresh Ingredients! Since there are so few ingredients, you really want to highlight them.

My version of Bruschetta:

5 Roma Tomatoes - 1 chopped and 4 seeded and chopped

2 cloves of garlic chopped

1/2 small onion grated

squeeze of lemon juice

pinch of red pepper flakes

salt & pepper (and your favorite seasonings - I love the Mediterranean Sea Salt blend)

drizzle of balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup fresh parmesan

Combine all ingredients in food processor/chopper and chop until your desired consistency.

I like to serve this with baguette slices (sliced on the bias - diagonal) that have been lightly sprayed with extra virgin olive oil and baked in the oven at 375 degrees until golden brown.

I also will slice fresh mozzarella and either melt it in top of the baguette slices or just serve it on the side and let guests eat it how they will!

(not the best picture, but the only one I have right now, haha...)

My most favorite salad... ever

Over the summer we went to Mrs. Byrnes' house for one of the best meals and evenings I enjoyed all summer-long! She served the most delicious salad, that I have then made about a zillion times since! So I can't take credit for this recipe, but I can tell you, it's super easy, super delicious and one of my ultimate "stand-by" appetizers! Paired with a nice, cold glass of white wine and I am a very happy camper!

Eggplant, Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

Roast slices of eggplant (and I mix it up sometimes and also add slices of zucchini) on a pizza pan or cookie sheet at 400 degrees until desired "crispness"

Slice tomatoes and fresh mozzarella

Basil Chiffonade

Layer slices of eggplant, tomatoes and mozzarella; drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette; sprinkle your favorite seasonings (or just s&p) and top with basil.

* I also will sometimes roast a few cloves of garlic while roasting the eggplant and then chop and sprinkle on top as well.

YUM-O!!