Tag: Vegetarian

Pasta Rustica with Smoked Mozzarella

If you follow my Facebook page, you may have seen that my recipe for Wild Mushroom Truffled Pizza Topped with a Runny Egg won a recipe contest hosted by Cooking Planit and sponsored by Formaggio Cheese! Not only is my recipe now available through Cooking Planit, but I also won some snazzy prizes, including an amazing assortment of Formaggio products. My fridge is now happily filled with cheese, so I will be posting a few cheesy recipes over the coming weeks.

One of the first products I noticed in the basket was Smoked Mozzarella. I’ve had smoked mozzarella in the past and found the flavor to be a bit… overwhelming… so I was interested to see if I could get it to work well in a recipe instead of becoming the only flavor you can taste. But Formaggio’s smoked mozzarella was a pleasant surprise! The smoky flavor is present without being overpowering and works to enhance other flavors instead of covering them up.

I found this recipe for Pasta Rustica with Smoked Mozzarella on Bon Appetit and altered the amounts of the ingredients to fit my taste.

 

Ingredients:

  • 16 oz package frozen cheese tortellini
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 12 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup dry vermouth
  • 1 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • 1 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 8 oz smoked mozzarella, cut into small cubes

Continue reading Pasta Rustica with Smoked Mozzarella

Hazelnut-Mocha Banana Smoothie

I am trying to get into the habit of making (and wanting) smoothies for breakfast. They are so simple to make and work great for meals on the go. My boyfriend is a huge fan of green smoothies, where he adds various fruits to the blender along with some kale. I don’t mind them, but I thought I’d baby step my way into the smoothie world with something a little more my speed: an oatmeal banana smoothie with espresso and chocolate hazelnut. Mmmmm.

This recipe is adapted from Foxes Loves Lemons, a fellow food blogger as well as a recipe developer. Her recipes are mouthwatering and her pictures are just amazing! She also manages to post daily which just blows my mind. How she manages to deliver such amazing posts daily is beyond me!

My recipe below is a touch different than Foxes Loves Lemons because I wanted to incorporate Nocciolata, a dark chocolate and hazelnut spread, into my smoothie. To see the original version, check out her blog post here.

Nocciolata is made with no chemicals, artificial flavors, GMOs, or palm oil. What it is made with is certified organic ingredients including dark chocolate from the Antillean Islands, Italian hazelnuts (16%), brown sugar, skim milk and Bourbon vanilla extract. Yum! Nocciolata can be found in many stores including Wegmans, King’s, and Whole Foods to name some in the Philly area. For a list of stores that carry Nocciolata, check out their webpage.  

source: https://www.nocciolatausa.com/

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 1/2 cups almond milk
  • 1 banana, cut into chunks
  • 1/4 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon Nocciolata spread
  • 1 tablespoon espresso powder
  • 1 cup ice

Disclaimer: I was sent a free sample jar of Nocciolata to try. My opinions are my own. 

Continue reading Hazelnut-Mocha Banana Smoothie

Roasted Beet Hummus

I am just drawn to the color of beets. They make any dish look absolutely beautiful! I’ve done a couple of other beet dishes on here (Beet Risotto, Gemelli with Brown Butter Beet Sauce, and Roasted Beets with Tahini, to name a few) so when I saw this recipe for Roasted Beet Hummus in the latest Cooking Light I knew I had to make it.

Hummus is really easy to prepare and the addition of the beets makes this one a show stopper. Whip up a batch of this to serve with a crudite platter at your next gathering!

Ingredients:

  • 2 red beets
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
  • 8 garlic cloves, halved
  • grated lemon rind of two lemons
  • fresh lemon juice from two lemons
  • 1/4 walnut oil (or good olive oil)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

Continue reading Roasted Beet Hummus

Farro Berry and Walnut Salad

This recipe from Cooking Light is actually supposed to be a side dish. But I thought this Farro Berry and Walnut Salad would make a great summer lunch! I have been looking for something that can be made the night beforehand and transports easily so this salad seemed perfect. I added in some blueberries because my boyfriend is allergic to cherries and I wanted him to still be able to enjoy a fruit within the salad (he’s fine with cherries being in something, he just has to pick them out).

 

 

Ingredients:

  • 5 cups water
  • 1 1/2 cups uncooked farro
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 3/4 pound sweet cherries, pitted and halved (about 2 cups)
  • 1/3 cup blueberries
  • 2/3 cup diced celery
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
  • 1/4 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • the juice of one lemon (about 2-3 tablespoons)
  • 1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon honey (or agave nectar)
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Continue reading Farro Berry and Walnut Salad

Pappardelle Pasta with Snap Peas

 

Last Sunday, my boyfriend ran in the ODDyssey Half Marathon. So the Friday before, I wanted to make a pasta dish for him to “carb load,” but I didn’t want to give him our normal protein-heavy meat sauce.

 

 

This recipe from Food Network was a perfect choice! It uses fresh veggies and herbs to deliver the flavor instead of meat and tomatoes.

 

 

Ingredients:

  • Kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 bunch scallions, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 cup of chopped scallions)
  • 1/2 pound sugar snap peas, roughly chopped
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
  • 1 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 bunch fresh chives, thinly sliced (about 3 tablespoons)
  • 1/2 pound dry pappardelle pasta
  • 3/4 cup crumbled ricotta salata
  • ground pepper, to taste

Continue reading Pappardelle Pasta with Snap Peas

Grilled Hazelnut Strawberry Shortcake Bites #SLSweetTreats

I love pound cake.  I mean, honestly, who doesn’t? It’s so stinking delicious! So I’m excited to be doing another post with Sara Lee Desserts! (You can check out my last post with Sara Lee here — Mini Berry Trifles with Lemon Whipped Cream)

This time around, I wanted to try out grilling the pound cake. I’ve seen a few recipes using grilled pound cake and I was intrigued. (Like this recipe for Mini Grilled Strawberry Shortcake Skewers or this one for Grilled Pound Cake with Berries and Whipped Cream).

Strawberries are in season so a Strawberry Shortcake recipe was in order… but I upped the flavor by adding Nutella Whipped Cream.  Oh yes.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 family sized Sara Lee Pound Cake
  • 1 16 oz pack of strawberries
  • 1/2 cup nutella
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • cooking spray

 

 #spon: I’m required to disclose a relationship between our site and Sara Lee. This could include the Sara Lee providing us w/content, product, access or other forms of payment.

Continue reading Grilled Hazelnut Strawberry Shortcake Bites #SLSweetTreats

Blueberry Coffee Cake with Almond Streusel

My boyfriend and I were visiting friends this weekend and I wanted to bring a little something for everyone to enjoy. This month’s Cooking Light gave me the perfect recipe: Blueberry Coffee Cake with Almond Streusel.

Coffee cake can refer to two different dishes: a cake made with coffee, or a cake that is served with coffee. This coffeecake is the latter and can be served for breakfast or as a dessert.

Ingredients:

  • 9 ounces unbleached all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups fresh blueberries
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
  • 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup nonfat buttermilk
  • 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • Cooking spray

Continue reading Blueberry Coffee Cake with Almond Streusel

Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes

Every Mother’s Day, I make my mom a citrus-themed dessert. She loves lemon desserts, so I’ve made Earl Grey Lemon Squares and a Lemon Tart with Raspberry Shortbread Crust in the past. This year, I decided to make cupcakes, specifically Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes!

I adapted a recipe from Martha Stewart into a cupcake recipe to make these Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes.

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

  • 1 cup sifted cake flour
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 12 large egg whites
  • 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Lemon Whipped Cream Frosting:

  • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cake flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

Continue reading Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes

Gemelli with Brown Butter Beet Sauce and Herbed Citrus Ricotta

Why am I sharing this pink Gemelli with Brown Butter Beet Sauce recipe with you today? Well, I had a craving for beets … of all weird things to get a craving! Anyway, as I was searching for a yummy beet salad recipe, I came across a recipe for Cavatelli With Brown Butter Beets, Ricotta and Pistachios.

I was intrigued; I’ve never thought to use beets as a sauce for pasta!

What’s great about this recipe for Gemelli with Brown Butter Beet Sauce and Herbed Citrus Ricotta is that it doesn’t take that much time to make! Beets are typically roasted for 45ish minutes in the oven, but this recipe grates the beets before sauteing to cut down on their cooking time.

I changed the method a bit but the general idea is still there. The result of this Gemelli with Brown Butter Beet Sauce is a beautiful brightly colored pasta with great flavor. It reheats wonderfully as well!

Ingredients:

  • 3 beets, peeled and finely grated in a food processor
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk ricotta
  • 1/4 teaspoon finely grated orange zest, more to taste, plus more for garnish
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage, plus more for garnish
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, more as needed
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, more as needed
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 16 oz box gemelli (or other pasta of your choice)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • 1/4 cup chopped pistachios

Continue reading Gemelli with Brown Butter Beet Sauce and Herbed Citrus Ricotta

Whole Grain Mustard Potato Salad

I’ve never fully understood traditional potato salad. Mayo on potatoes just doesn’t appeal to me, especially on hot summer days where you always seem to find it as a side at barbecues and picnics, which is why this recipe for Whole Grain Mustard Potato Salad appeals to me!

I came across a whole grain mustard based potato salad from 1st & Fresh Catering a while back that had no mayo and was absolutely delicious. I’ve been meaning to try to make my own version ever since. So when our friends said they were having people over this weekend to barbecue, I knew exactly what I was going to make! (These poor friends of mine are always my taste testers for new recipes, from Cornbread to Brownies with Grilled Fruit. Hopefully they don’t mind!)

 

This recipe does include some Greek yogurt to keep the dish creamy but is fairly minimal. To kick the flavor up a notch, I included some of Healthy Solutions Spice Blends’ Salmon with Dill Spice Blend. The spice blend includes dill (of course), onion powder, and garlic powder along with some other spices that I thought would really complement the whole grain mustard. The result is a spicy potato salad that is sure to be a hit!

Note: Healthy Solutions Spice Blends sent me samples of some of their blends including the Salmon with Dill.

 

Ingredients:

Continue reading Whole Grain Mustard Potato Salad

Asparagus with Tomato and Feta

It can be tough to prepare a side dish to go with your dinner on busy weeknights. It’s just one more step you probably don’t want to deal with when you get home and you just want to eat. But this recipe for Asparagus with Tomato and Feta is so simple, you can easily make this delicious side to go with sauteed chicken breasts or seared salmon in no time!

This side can be made in about 15 minutes and cooks in the oven, leaving the stovetop free for you to cook the rest of your meal.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups halved grape tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound trimmed asparagus
  • 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 ounce crumbled feta cheese

Continue reading Asparagus with Tomato and Feta

Wild Mushroom Truffled Pizza Topped with Runny Eggs

.Pizzas are a great weeknight meal option; it’s easy to make it out of products in your pantry and can be customized for whatever you’re in the mood to eat that night (or what you need to clean out of the fridge!) There is a pizza place near me in Philly called Nomad Pizza that has one of my favorite pizzas: their Truffle Pecorino pizza. The pizza is topped with cheese, garlic, shiitake mushrooms, truffle oil, and a runny egg.

I wanted to try out a version of this pizza for myself. I used a mixture of baby bella, maitake, and shiitake mushroom caps and made a quick garlic truffle oil to drizzle on for extra flavor to make this recipe for Wild Mushroom Truffled Pizza Topped with Runny Eggs.

Ingredients:

  • 1 store bought pizza dough
  • 1/4 cup olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon, divided
  • 2 garlic cloves crushed
  • a drizzle of white truffle oil
  • 1 package of sliced shiitake mushroom caps
  • 1 package of sliced baby bella mushrooms
  • 1/4 cup maitake mushrooms (or any wild mushroom you prefer)
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 4 oz ricotta
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • 4 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 4-6 oz brie (I used Champignon German Brie with mushrooms)
  • 2-4 oz Boschetto al Tartufo (Boschetto with Truffles) – you can also just use any mild cow cheese you’d like
  • 2 eggs

Continue reading Wild Mushroom Truffled Pizza Topped with Runny Eggs

Blueberry Mushroom Risotto

Blueberry Mushroom Risotto. Hear me out. I know you read the title of this post and probably thought I’ve officially lost it. But I promise you this is amazing. I first heard about this bizarre combo in a book called The Flavor Thesaurus: A Compendium of Pairings, Recipes and Ideas for the Creative Cook. This book is fantastic. It lists pairings, common and strange, to help make your cooking a bit more adventurous. I page through it all the time, and have learned some yummy pairings. But the one that has stuck out to me the most is the mushroom and blueberry combination.

Apparently northern Italy cooking commonly pairs fruit with mushrooms according to the book. Who knew? My fellow Philadelphian (and internationally known chef) Marc Vetri also has a porcini and blueberry lasagna in one of his cookbooks: Il Viaggio Di Vetri: A Culinary Journey.

So when I found myself the proud recipient of a bunch of mushrooms from To-Jo Mushrooms, I knew it was finally time to try it out. It has been a really crummy, rainy day so I was craving comfort food. Risotto is a perfect rainy day food: hearty, creamy, and absolutely delicious! I’m a huge fan of mushroom risotto so I was excited to try this spin on it. In the past, I’ve made a traditional Mushroom Risotto, as well as a Wild Mushroom Farro Risotto.

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1/2 cup shallots, sliced
  •  3 slider mushrooms, sliced (or 2 large portobello mushrooms)
  • 1/4 cup assorted dry mushrooms, optional (I used a mixture of morel, chanterelle, and trumpet mushrooms)
  • 1 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
  • 1 cup arborio rice
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 4 cups beef stock
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1/3 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Continue reading Blueberry Mushroom Risotto

Mediterranean Chickpea Burger with Ranch Tzatziki

I am so happy that it is finally grilling weather again! There is nothing better than hanging out with friends and family in the back yard, grilling up some burgers, and playing games. Last night I was able to go to my first barbecue of the season and I couldn’t be happier about it. I look forward to many more this summer!

I am an unapologetic lover of cheeseburgers. I never get sick of them. But eating a cheeseburger, oh, once a week all summer is not a good habit at all.  I’ve stayed away from veggie burgers for the most part because I was never a fan of the texture. But when MorningStar Farms contacted me about their new Veggie Mediterranean Chickpea Burger I was intrigued. There is a vegan pizza place in Philadelphia called Blackbird Pizzeria that has Chickpea Parm that I’m kind of obsessed with, so I was really looking forward to trying a chickpea burger too!

The chickpea burgers also have spinach, Roma tomatoes, and Greek herbs and spices mixed in which deliver a ton of flavor without the fat and calories. These burgers are just 110 calories per burger and have 70% less fat than ground beef.

Morningstar Farms is also giving away a prize pack valued at over $80 to one reader! I’ll have more details below!

 

To highlight the Mediterranean flavors in the burger, I decided to make a Tzatziki style topping and finish it off with some feta cheese. Tzatziki is normally made with a strained yogurt, cucumber, lemon, and mint. I decided to make a topping that is in the style of tzatziki but uses tomatoes and dill with a touch of a ranch dressing dry packet to really amp up the flavor.

 

Ingredients:

  • 4 Morningstar Farms Mediterranean Chickpea burgers
  • 4 hamburger buns
  • 2/3 cup 0% fat Greek yogurt
  • 1 plum tomato, seeded and chopped
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon of Ranch dressing dry packet
  • 1/2 teaspoon dill, plus more for garnish
  • feta cheese, to taste

Continue reading Mediterranean Chickpea Burger with Ranch Tzatziki

Vegetable Couscous Salad

The weather in Philadelphia decided to take a break from the cold and give us two days of summer! We hit temperatures above 80 degrees so I wanted to prepare a light meal that didn’t involve much time over a stove. This Vegetable Couscous Salad from Cooking Light is perfect for summer dinners. It also travels well, so it would be a great addition to a barbecue, just make it ahead of time and bring it with you!

Ingredients:

Dressing:

  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 (.6 ounce envelope Italian dressing mix) or Italian spice blend

Salad:

  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 cup uncooked couscous
  • 2 cups chopped red bell pepper (I used two peppers)
  • 2 cups chopped tomato (I used two beefsteak tomatoes)
  • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
  • 1/4 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Continue reading Vegetable Couscous Salad

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