Asparagus, Leek and Swiss Quiche 5/5 Spoons

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death."

- Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Okay, sometimes I love to be dramatic when it comes to food and after eating this quiche, you would understand why.

(Photo courtesy of Martha Stewart)

Finding and making this recipe was kind of a "throw the ingredients on the list and we'll see if it happens" sort of thing. I always have one meal that is iffy like that. Ideally I just love to eat asparagus roasted but I wanted to make something a bit fancier. Instead of this being the last thing I would make (and probably waiting until the leeks were too soft to eat), I made it first! And it was so worth the little bit of effort that was put forth. Oh, and can I say? I LOVE MARTHA STEWART. I like any woman who is a bitch, gets shit done and makes amazing recipes like this.

Here are my notes:

-- First, the quiche crust. I used this pie crust recipe from Martha Stewart that was suggested on the website. This is my new go to pie crust. It was flaky, light and buttery. All the things that are needed in a quiche and any and all sweet and savory options.
-- Instead of 1 T. of butter, I just used olive oil. There is plenty of butter in the crust as it is.
-- I used skim milk instead of half-and-half. I think it made for a slightly more watery texture at the end but I don't particularly like the richness of half-and-half, so I always skim milk instead.
-- Instead of Gruyere (which is delicious), I used Swiss instead which is a. cheaper, b. more widely available in supermarkets and c. is similar to Gruyere. I think you could honestly use any kind of cheese here.

Even after downing a super sweet Pina Colada and a pile of homemade guacamole, I still had room for two slices of this quiche. It was like sunshine shaking hands with a rainbow inside of my mouth. In other words, the crust was buttery and flaky, the inside was cheesy and rich (but not too much), so it was a wonderful balance of flavors. I know I say this about almost all of the recipes I show you, but this is one I would recommend making ASAP. And since asparagus is in season now, I would suggest making it even sooner than ASAP. Whatever that is. : )

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce 4/5 Spoons

The queen of pasta and all Italian food is Lidia Bastianich. Go ahead and find me another woman who tops her skills. I'm waiting..... Nope? I didn't think so. Okay, well I mean there are probably women living in middle of nowhere Genoa making the ultimate pasta dish in the world but I can only work with what I have and know. Anytime I watch her show on PBS, I have to make pasta either that day or as soon as I can. She encouraged me to work on this dish again. Although Lidia might not approve of my changes or my use of boxed pasta, I think she would be proud of my brand new pasta outlook.

(Photos courtesy of Pioneer Woman)

This is my second time making Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce. The first time I made it, I did not like it all. It was too soupy and rich for my taste and I almost gave up on the recipe. I am so glad I didn't! With my own tweaks and changes, I think I made this recipe damn near perfect. Here are my notes:

-- The first time I made this I used gnocchi. I thought maybe I could somehow copy my favorite dish at Angelina in Green Bay but that did not work out so well. I think gnocchi (in my kitchen) works better with simple butter based sauces, not complex tomato based sauces. I tried fettuccine instead and thought it was spot on. The noodles pick up the thick sauce and are hearty enough to not fall apart like spaghetti.
-- I used only one can of Contadina sauce instead of two because only two people were enjoying this dish. But I still used a whole onion, 4 cloves garlic and all the rest of the ingredients the same because I wanted a really thick but not fatty sauce.
-- Speaking of fatty sauce, I hated using the heavy cream in the first try of this dish. I don't like to use thick dairy products because I hate the way they make me feel while eating them. They are too heavy and make me feel gross after eating. Instead of the cream this time, I used 4 ounces of low-fat cream cheese. It worked SO WELL. You have the richness of the cheese but a lot less fat than heavy cream.
-- I prefer this dish without the fresh basil. I make the sauce and add dried basil and oregano and also omit the sugar. The fresh basil is too overpowering and it is all you can taste when you eat it.
-- When the pasta is done, I do not save the water either. Like I said already, I wanted a really thick sauce but if you want it thinner, save the starchy cooking water.

Once the sauce is thick and rich, drop the delicious al dente pasta into the pan and mix it around until it is totally coated. Turn it quite a few times and top with a nice sprinkling of parmesan on top. When I picked this up with a tongs, I swirled it into a beautiful little pile on my plate and served it with some warmed Tuscan bread. It is rich, tart and salty without being too heavy or overpowering in any particular flavor.

I give this recipe:

4/5 Spoons!

Less than a day to enter the first No Meat Mama giveaway! I will announce it tomorrow afternoon and good luck!

Enchilada Bake 5/5 Spoons

Hey everyone! So it's been almost two weeks since I've written here and I have missed it so. We are moved into our new place and unpacked and everything is pretty wonderful where we are. I love being near restaurants, the train and like a block away from a post office. So to make my transition back into the blog, I will review a regular recipe that comes up my menu repertoire. A wonderful recipe that my whole apartment loves. I am talking Enchilada Bake......

So I was browsing through Mercy for Animal's Vegetarian Starter Kit (and that is the link to order one) at The Chicago Diner one day and found this recipe and it popped me right in the face. I love Mexican food and all the components seem to work so well together (diced green chiles, pinto beans, etc.), so I made sure to try it. YUM. So good. The wonderful combination of melty cheese, beans, green chilies and enchilada sauce just blows me away every time I have it. It is ridiculously easy to make and gives you plenty of food for leftovers. And who doesn't love food with Fritos crumbled on top? Seriously.

(This is a weird sad bastard picture of someone's enchilada casserole... sorry. I'll take my own picture next time!

Here are my notes:

-- I use flour tortillas instead of corn. I love corn tortillas but I know a lot of people don't like the texture of them (my roommates included).
-- Sometimes I make my own enchilada sauce (recipe here) but mostly I just buy the canned stuff, I ain't picky.
-- This is a vegan recipe but I use regular cheddar cheese but I imagine the Daiya Cheddar would work some serious magic here.
-- I always forget, but I mean to buy two cans of diced green chilies every time I make this. It can definitely use two cans, especially if you love the flavor and not necessarily the spiciness of chilies.
-- And when this is about done, I usually broil the top on high for about 2 minutes because I really like a crunchy crust on top.

I give this recipe:

5/5 Spoons!

I'm going to be making more new food this week and it will be amazing. See you again soon!

Asparagus-Goat Cheese Pasta 4/5 Spoons

Howdy loves! I have a little down time today after moving boxes this morning and having a phone interview this afternoon so I'm here to review a wonderful recipe for you all. I made this Asparagus-Goat Cheese Pasta one night for my friend Kristin and I. I am always broke, so she often comes over for dinner instead of going out and blowing tons of cash.

(Photo courtesy of Real Simple)

I love any excuse to eat goat cheese. It is an acquired taste for sure but I think if you like stinky, weird cheeses you would love goat cheese. I mean really, it is pretty mild compared to say French aged cheeses. It has a lovely smoothness to it with a mild twang that lets you know what you are eating. So combine the twang of goat cheese with the salty earthiness of roasted asparagus, I'm so in.

Here are my notes:

-- I never boil or steam asparagus. I love the flavor of roasted veggies and anytime I can, I love to make them that way.
-- Like any happy home cook, I like any excuse to make a roux. I think it worked well with this dish but that there may have been way too much broth (vegetable in this case) and it made the sauce too watery for my taste. I would probably use half of what the recipe calls for next time. I like a richer sauce when it comes to dishes like this.

I served with this some sliced French bread and it worked wonderfully to sop up all the extra sauce in our bowls. This took about 30 minutes to make so if you want something easy and slightly fancy, I would totally choose this again.

I give this recipe:

4/5 Spoons!

Packer Cupcakes or Vegan Red Velvet Cake next? Hmmmm.......

Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip 2/5 Spoons

So... did you guys know that the Green Bay Packers won the Superbowl? You didn't? Well where have you been? I grew up with my family watching football and me totally hating it. As I've aged, I've felt much more pride and excitement for my hometown football team. This encouraged me to actually watch several football games (all the way through!) and then the Superbowl. And to quell my excitement for the day I made this dip and Packer cupcakes (which I'll review later).

(Photo courtesy of Food Network.... this a terrible picture but I love Alton Brown)

So I really didn't like this dip that much. I hated the stringy spinach and wish I would have used fresh spinach instead. And as much as I love dairy products, this was too much even for me. I added the pepper flakes and some bites would be SUPER hot and others were totally bland, so I didn't really get the addition. I would probably use hot sauce instead so it would incorporate better.

I really don't plan on making this again. I'm sad that I made a crummy Alton Brown recipe but I will never lose faith in him! If anyone has better spinach artichoke dip recipes they would like to share with me, I'd love to see them!

(Photo courtesy of Link Music)

I give this recipe:

2/5 Spoons!

Asparagus Risotto 5/5 Spoons

So, I make Asparagus Risotto about once a week now. I cannot get enough of it. It takes awhile and yeah, you do have to stand by the stove and stare and stir but it is so worth it and it's super easy. I was scared to make risotto for the first time. All I've heard are horror stories on cooking shows and from chefs and other fellow at home cooks. Either I totally rule or have lots of luck or just have the patience it takes to stir and stir and stir for about 30 minutes. I'll take all three.



(Photo courtesy of No Meat Athlete)

I have a few tweaks, but nothing major:

-- I don't follow their asparagus method. I'd much rather have roasted veggies in my risotto than steamed or flash boiled. So I roast a bunch of asparagus at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes with salt, pepper and olive oil and then add it towards the end.
-- I probably end up using more than 2 T. of onions because I like them. And I add garlic too, about 2 cloves.
-- In addition to the 7 c. of vegetable broth, I like to add 1/2 c. of white wine somewhere in the cooking and stirring process. It really does add a great flavor and I think it is essential for an authentic risotto experience.
-- And I totally add more than 1/4 c. of parmesan because I love it. Obviously if you are vegan, you can easily omit it and use vegan butter and it will still have a deep, salty, buttery flavor.

I don't add any extra salt... the broth, cheese and roasted asparagus lend quite enough salty flavor. I do add a butt load (yes, that is a real measurement) of cracked black pepper though because I love it on everything. There are so many flavors going on in this meal. It is creamy, buttery, salty and earthy. This easily feeds 4 people with healthy appetites (we always have leftovers with 3 large eaters) and I serve it with a green salad and vinaigrette. So treat yourself and make this soon, you will not be disappointed!

I give this recipe:

5/5 Spoons!

I might work on another entree tonight or tomorrow. Expect more from me if I don't fall asleep soon!

Baked Mac & Cheese 3/5 Spoons

As a quick aside, is anyone else having an awesome 2011 so far? I don't know if it is just my attitude or what, but I feel great. I blame it on there being no snow on the ground, which I find to be the best thing ever. Anyway, on to the food....

So I made this Baked Mac & Cheese the other night and it was like the most average meal ever. I've had worse and I've had a lot better. The thing is that I've made this before and I know I'll make it again because a. it is easy b. there is a load of spinach in it and c. it is a fine meal for a night when you don't really care what you eat. I know I'm not really "selling" this meal but it's a good way to pack in lots of whole wheat pasta and spinach along with a boatload of delicious cheese. Sounds like a good combo to me.



(Photo courtesy of Eating Well)

Here are my notes:

-- I used fresh spinach because I had it handy, but I've used frozen before and it works just as well.
-- For the cheeses, I used a combo of Parmesan, cheddar and some Mexican blend (without spices) and I thought it was a good mixture.
-- I used about an entire box (14.5 ounces) of whole wheat pasta instead of just 8 ounces. Really, i think you could do even more, the cheese sauce is pretty plentiful.
-- Normally I taste test all my food before I let anyone eat it, but this was an off night and I didn't really particularly care. This definitely needs some salt added, it tasted a little bland when made according to the recipe.

I give this recipe:

3/5 Spoons!

Not sure what I have next but no doubt I'll be back with something!

Vegetarian Midwest Taco Tater Tot Casserole 5/5 Spoons

This recipe title is a mouthful!

So this is pretty straightforward, I wanted to make something super super Midwestern and came up with this ridiculously easy recipe. This is not something I would make every night (or heck, even once a month) because I like to incorporate, ya know, vegetables into all my meals. But, it is something to make when you don't even feel like thinking while cooking and want something simple and delicious.



(Photo courtesy of Cooking for Kids Blog)

My recipe includes:

1 medium white/yellow onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, diced
2 packages of Morningstar Farms Veggie Crumbles
2 packages low-sodium taco seasoning
1 package Ore-Ida Tater Tots (or whatever you like)
Cheddar cheese, or whatever you like

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a 11x7 casserole pan.

Dice and cook the garlic and onion over medium heat until just brown around the edges (or that's the way I like it, do as you please.) Add the crumbles with just a glug of water to get them going. Once they have absorbed the water and are fully incorporated, add the seasoning. Just mix and let cook over med-low heat until everything is well cooked and looks yummy. Pour the taco mixture into the pan and top with as many or as few tater tots as you like. I just do one solid layer because piling them on might mean that some tater tots overcook while others don't cook at all. Now just pile on as much cheese as you would like, this is all catered to your own taste if you haven't figured it out already. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the tater tots look nice and crisp on top. I served it with sour cream just because I like any excuse to put it on my food.

That's it! So flippin' easy it's almost silly to put on here.

I give this recipe:

5/5 Spoons!

Next up, Baked Mac & Cheese!

Pineapple Enchiladas 1/5 Spoons

(Thanks to Chicago Lynn of allrecipes.com for the picture)

OK, I know this sounds totally disgusting but I'm all about "gross" mixtures of food. (Everything bagels with chocolate chip cream cheese comes to mind.) I love pineapple, I love cheese and I love Mexican food in general. These were just not good. I liked the sweetness of the pineapple but with the enchilada sauce it kinda tasted barf-y in my mouth. I ate like 4 bites because I hate to waste food but I just couldn't finish it.

I love to make complicated, detailed meals but I thought I'd give myself "a night off" and make something easy and I was disappointed. I'll just go back to making asparagus risotto (which admittedly is not that hard to make) and black pepper tofu (I'll talk about these recipes in other posts, they are PHENOMENAL.) I don't think I could really change anything in this to make it better, it is just not that thrilling.

I give this recipe:

1/5 spoons!

I know the exclamation point is unwarranted but hey, it's my blog bitches.

PS - If you have suggestions of recipes to try and for me to rate, I'd love to hear from you. You can leave me a comment here or e-mail me at jaclynkaters@gmail.com. Obviously it has to be vegetarian or vegan and I'll make anything within reason (I want to eat it or my roommates will, it doesn't have raisins and doesn't have like gelatin in it, etc.) Keep me cooking guys!

New post tomorrow loveys! Thanks for reading!