Noodles with Chicken, Peppers and Shiitake

Ingredients: noodles, 1 chicken breast, 1 onion, salt, pepper, 1 red pepper, 100 grams shiitake, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 125 ml sweet chilli sauce,

Number of persons: 2

Prepare the noodles according pack instructions. Bake in hot oil 1 diced chicken breast with 1 chopped onion until the chicken breast is brown. Add 1 chopped red pepper and 100 grams shiitake and stir fry 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of fish sauce and 125 ml sweet chilli sauce and stir fry another minute or two. Serve with noodles. Enjoy!

Spaghetti with Tomato, Mushrooms and Grilled Peppers

Ingredients: spaghetti, 1 onion, 250 grams mushrooms, 125 grams cherry tomatoes, 2 grilled peppers, 50 ml white wine, 1 tin diced tomatoes (400 ml), 1 cube stock, salt, pepper, grated cheese,

Number of persons: 2

Cook the spaghetti in boiling water with a little salt. Bake in hot oil 1 chopped onion to soft. Add 250 grams sliced mushrooms, 125 cherry tomatoes cut in quarters and 2 sliced grilled peppers again. Stir fry until the mushrooms are tender. Pour 50 ml white wine and let the alcohol evaporate. If the alcohol has evaporated add 1 tin diced tomato and 1 crumbled cube stock. Bring to taste with salt and pepper and let it all gently simmer for about 10 minutes. Serve with spaghetti and sprinkle grated cheese overit. Enjoy!

Wraps with Chicken Breast, Peppers and Oyster Mushrooms

Ingredients: 3 tortilla wraps, 1 onion, 1 chicken breast, chicken spices, salt, pepper, 1 green pepper, 150 grams oyster mushrooms, sour cream, lettuce,

Number of persons: 3

Bake in hot oil 1 chopped onion until the onion is soft. Add 1 diced chicken breast and bring to taste with chicken spices, salt and pepper. Bake the diced chicken breast golden brown. Add 1 chopped green pepper and 150 grams oyster mushrooms and stir fry for about a minute or 5. In the meantime heat 3 tortilla wraps in the microwace according pack instructions. Spread the wraps with sour cream and some lettuce. Put on each tortilla wrap the chicken mixture and fold the tortilla wraps as an envelope. Serve the wraps with a sauce to taste. Enjoy!

Noodles with Peppers and Cucumber

Ingredients: noodles, 1 onion, 1 orange pepper, 50 grams cashew nuts, 1/2 cucumber, 3 tablespoons sweet soy sauce, dash of lime juice,

Number of persons: 2

Boil the noodles following pack instructions. Bake 1 chopped onion and 1 sliced orange pepper to the soft. Add 50 grams cashew nuts and fry them briefly. Pour the noodles and put it together with 1/2 sliced cucumber to the onion and pepper. Bring to taste with 3 tablespoons sweet soy sauce and a dash of lime juice. Enjoy!

FONDLE MY SAUSAGE & PINCH MY PEPPERS

Fondle by candle light

Some prudes blanch at the idea of being touched, let alone being fondled. That is their beast of repressive burden to carry. Personally, I enjoy being fondled with regularity. What can I say? I’m a giver. I am always ready to offer up something phallic to the ladies on my CTB wish list. While this dish doesn’t look quite so fresh and so clean as a , it does tastes like it came out of an Italian mother’s kitchen. Every bite makes me want to sing an operatic falsetto because the taste is just too much of a good thing. Take advantage of this dish’s power and make me proud, old sport.

Total time: approximately 30 minutes
Projected cost: $12
Drinking Buddy: Red wine

Ingredients (serves 2):
1. ½ teaspoon of black pepper
2. ½ cup of white wine
3. ½ teaspoon of salt
4. 1 tablespoon of olive oil
5. 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
6. 2 diced tomatoes
7. 1 green pepper cut into long strips
8. 1 onion cut into long strips
9. 5 sausage links (chicken or veggie sausage OK)
10. 2 garlic cloves chopped finely.

Step 1

Warm the olive oil up in a large pan or wok. Toss in the garlic and allow to cook (approx 2 minutes). In the mean time, slice the sausages in half and set them skin side down in the oil. Flip once so the other has of sausage cooks (approx 2 minutes per side).
Step 2
Next toss in the onions, peppers and tomato, then stir in some pepper, salt and crushed red pepper. Pour the wine in and cook everything on low until the wine evaporates (approx 20 minutes).

Step 3
Toast some bread if you like. Split the toast and scatter them neatly on the plate. Serve up some Sausage and Pepper and sing Ave Maria!

STUFFING POLENTY OF PEPPERS

Get hungry, then get stuffed!

Sometimes you just need to do some stuffing. You have those sexy bits laying around waiting for some action satisfaction. Who are you not to play those kinky reindeer games? Get with the program and get stuffed. The fun part is taking the random goodies and seeing what will fit. It’s a lot like object porn where they stuff foreign objects into small openings. Shocking? Yes. Intriguing? Sure. Delicious? Most definitely! The stuffing I created for this dish was from goodies lying around my fridge eager for their day in sun…found in my oven. This is your chance to blow a few minds and other parts of the body with your stunning creativity. So polenta some panties off and start stuffing!

Total time: approximately 35 minutes
Projected cost: $7
Drinking Buddy: san-grab

Ingredients:
1. 1 dash of paprika
2. 1 dash of salt
3. 1 dash of black pepper
4. 2 tablespoons of olive oil
5. 1 handful of shredded mozzarella cheese
6. ½ a polenta log
7. 2 bell peppers (yellow & green)
8. 2 green onions chopped coarsely
9. 1 apple cored and sliced thinly
10. 2 garlic cloves sliced thinly
11. 1 handful or crushed walnuts

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Sauté the garlic, green onion and apples with olive oil on medium heat (approx 4 min). Spice them with paprika, salt and black pepper. Chop up the polenta into small pieces and sauté them as well (approx 3 min)

Step 2
Oil up a small baking pan. Split the bell peppers down the middle and remove the seeds and veins. Stuff them with the polenta/apple mixture all the way to the brim. Sprinkle crushed walnuts and mozzarella over the peppers and bake until they cheese melts (approx 20 min).

Serve up on a plate solo or with your favorite entre

Spicy Thai Tofu with Red Bell Peppers and Peanuts

Sometimes I’m at a loss for words. Maybe that’s why all my other attempts at blogging quickly fall into a pattern (or lack thereof) of a post a month. This blog, however, is immune from writers block – as we have to eat every night, and even if it wasn’t very good or I don’t have any quip or anecdote to say about that particular meal, as long as I’ve got a picture and a recipe, I’ve got a post.

So hear you go. A picture and a recipe. And actually something worth trying, it was pretty good and a quick meal. Surprisingly (since we rarely repeat things), we’ll probably make this one again.

We don’t have a wok, and actually baked this tofu rather than frying it, which we’ve recently discovered gives it a very nice color without the need for oil. Simply drain your tofu, marinate it in some soy sauce, sesame oil, lime juice, and hot sauce (the longer the better), then pop it in the oven for about 20-30 minutes, or until it’s nice and golden.

Hey look, my lack of words has suddenly turned into 3 surprisingly thoughtful paragraphs!

Spicy Thai Tofu with Red Bell Peppers and Peanuts

Recipe from Bon Appetit. Makes 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup olive oil
2 large red bell peppers, seeded, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 14-to 16-ounce package extra-firm tofu, drained well, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 green onions, thinly sliced on diagonal
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 6-ounce bag baby spinach leaves
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup lightly salted roasted peanuts

DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in wok over high heat. Add bell peppers, ginger, and garlic; sauté until peppers just begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add tofu and green onions; toss 2 minutes. Add next 3 ingredients. Toss to blend, about 1 minute. Add spinach in 3 additions, tossing until beginning to wilt, about 1 minute for each addition. Mix in basil. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle peanuts over.

Pizza with Eggs, Roasted Red Peppers, Olives and Arugula

I miss pizza. Poor Taylor (who can still eat pizza) misses pizza more than I do. So when I come across a pizza recipe that isn’t slathered in mozzarella, I jump on it. Like this recipe, found in the January issue of Bon Appetit. Only cheese on this baby is Parmesan, which is aged enough that it doesn’t harm my delicate stomach. Perfect.

Granted, it looks a bit out there. Eggs? On a pizza? Odd. But surprisingly good. And creative too – I mean, whoever though of strategically placing thick rings of red onion on the pizza to contain the eggs? Genius. Just be sure you have something underneath your pizza (like a rimmed baking sheet) to catch any egg that decides to escape.

The crust was a bit tough. Not sure if that was my fault or the recipe’s, but I have a pizza crust recipe that I think is much better. Next time we make this, and there WILL BE a next time, we’ll use that crust recipe instead.

Pizza with Eggs, Roasted Red Peppers, Olives and Arugula

Makes 2-4 servings. Recipe from Bon Appetit.

INGREDIENTS
Dough:
2 tablespoons warm water (115°F)
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cool water (65°F to 70°F)
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
Olive oil
Cornmeal (for sprinkling)

Topping:
Olive oil
3/4 cup drained roasted red peppers from jar, cut into 1/3-inch strips
1/3 cup Kalamata olives, pitted, quartered
1 cup Parmesan cheese shavings
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
4 large red onion rings (each 3 1/2 to 4 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick)
4 large eggs
2 cups (lightly packed) arugula

DIRECTIONS
For dough: Pour 2 tablespoons warm water into large bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook; sprinkle yeast over. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 15 minutes (mixture will not be foamy). Add both flours, 1/2 cup cool water, and 1 teaspoon coarse salt; mix on medium-low speed 4 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes, then mix on medium speed until dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly sticky, about 3 minutes.

Lightly oil medium bowl. Gather dough into ball and transfer to prepared bowl; turn to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature 30 minutes. Chill dough overnight. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.

Transfer bowl to warm draft-free area and let dough rise, covered, until very slightly puffy, at least 2 hours.

For topping: Place pizza stone or rimless baking sheet in oven; preheat to 500°F. Sprinkle pizza paddle or another baking sheet generously with cornmeal. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round; transfer to paddle. Brush dough with oil; scatter peppers, then olives over. Sprinkle with Parmesan and rosemary. Arrange onion rings atop pizza, spacing apart. Slide pizza onto stone or baking sheet in oven; bake until lightly browned but not crisp, about 7 minutes. Remove pizza from oven and gently crack 1 egg into each onion ring. Return pizza to oven and continue to bake until eggs are softly set and crust is golden, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle pizza with salt and pepper. Scatter arugula over.

Fusilli With Peppers, Zucchini, and Feta

I love quick, refreshing meals. Ones that you feel took virtually no time to prepare, yet are still just as satisfying as the 4-hour-long fancy schmancy dinner. It almost feels like cheating.

This dish is just that. A cheaters’ dinner. A summertime tease. It’s got all the fresh and exciting flavors of summer, but something you can eat while the air is still brisk. We’ve had a few 70+ degree days here in Nashville the past couple of weeks. It’s funny how one warm day can change your entire mindset. I’m in summer mode now, and no 30-degree nights with our heat running can change that.

Fusilli With Peppers, Zucchini, and Feta

Makes 4-6 servings. Recipe from Delish.

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb baby bell peppers, seeded and quartered lengthwise (or regular bell peppers, sliced into 1/2″ thick slices)
1 large red onion, halved and cut into thin strips
16 oz. long fusilli pasta
2 zucchini, cut into 2-inch sticks, 1/4-inch thick
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat in a 5-quart Dutch oven; add peppers and onion and stir to combine. Cover pot; cook 10 minutes, stirring often.

Add pasta to boiling water; cook according to package directions. While pasta cooks, add zucchini and olives to onion mixture and cook uncovered, 10 minutes, tossing frequently, until vegetables are tender.

Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Add pasta to vegetables and add feta cheese, black pepper, and reserved cooking water; toss. Transfer to a pasta serving bowl

Seeing Double: Portobello Burgers with Roasted Red Peppers

I didn’t quite realize this until browsing through the pictures that I haven’t posted yet (yes, I realize I’m behind – I’ve got a half dozen new meals to post and just haven’t had the time to do it, I’ll be better, I promise!), but in a matter of 4 days, we unknowingly cooked two almost identical meals.

Meal 1 (above): Portobello “Steak” Sandwiches with Gorgonzola Butter and Red Pepper Vinaigrette.
Meal 2 (below): Portobello Burgers with Red Pepper Mayonnaise

I figured you’d all think I was crazy if I made two posts out of these, and it would make my backlog of posts a more manageable if I combined them into one. So here we are.

Honestly, they were both good. The roasted red pepper and earthy portobello is an excellent combination however you make it. But, the addition of the Gorgonzola cheese probably puts the first recipe over the top. That, and I think the mayonnaise we used for the other might have been a bit past it’s prime… nothing happened, of course, but seeing the date on the jar afterwords may have skewed our perception of it just a bit.

(If you are interested though, the Portobello Burgers with Red Pepper Mayonnaise recipe can be found here).

Portobello Burgers with Red Pepper Mayonnaise

Makes 4 servings. Recipe from Epicurious.

INGREDIENTS
For marinade
5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
6 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves or 2 teaspoons dried thyme, crumbled
1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 pounds fresh Portobello mushrooms, stems trimmed

For Gorgonzola butter
2 ounces Gorgonzola cheese (about 1/4 cup) at room temperature
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

For red pepper vinaigrette
1 red bell pepper, roasted (procedure follows), or 1/3 cup chopped drained bottled roasted red peppers
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

four 1/2-inch-thick slices crusty bread, cut diagonally
Garnish: fresh thyme leaves

DIRECTIONS
Make marinade:
In a small bowl whisk together marinade ingredients. Put half of mushroom caps and half of marinade in each of 2 large sealable plastic bags, arranging mushroom caps in one layer, and seal bags, pressing out excess air. Marinate mushrooms at room temperature, turning bags over several times, at least 1 and up to 2 hours.

Make Gorgonzola butter while mushrooms are marinating:
On a plate with a fork mash Gorgonzola and butter together until blended well.

Make red pepper vinaigrette:
In a blender blend vinaigrette ingredients with salt and pepper to taste until smooth and emulsified.

Prepare grill.

Grill one side of bread on a rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals until golden, about 1 minute. (Alternatively, bread may be grilled in a hot well-seasoned ridged grill pan over moderately high heat.) Divide bread, toasted sides down, among 4 plates. Spread soft side of bread with Gorgonzola butter.

Remove mushrooms from marinade and grill 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until tender. (Alternatively, mushrooms may be grilled in a hot well-seasoned ridged grill pan over moderately high heat.) Transfer mushrooms with tongs to a cutting board and slice thin.

Arrange warm mushrooms on toasts and spoon vinaigrette over each open-faced sandwich. Garnish sandwiches with thyme.

To roast peppers:
Using a long-handled fork char peppers over an open flame, turning, until skins are blackened, 2 to 3 minutes. (Or broil peppers on rack of a broiler pan under a preheated broiler about 2 inches from heat, turning every 5 minutes, until skins are blistered and charred, 15 to 25 minutes.) Transfer peppers to a bowl and let stand, covered, until cool enough to handle. Keeping peppers whole, peel them, starting at blossom end. Cut off tops and discard seeds and ribs. (Wear rubber gloves when handling chilies.)