Macaroni Pasta with Vegetables

8-10 oz. macaroni pasta
1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
8-9 baby bell peppers, de-ribbed and diced
1 zucchini, sliced and diced
1 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
1 small can mushroom pieces, drained
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 c. cream
Parmesan, shredded

Cook the pasta, then drain. Set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, saute the vegetables and mushrooms in a skillet with the olive oil. Season with the salt, pepper, garlic, and thyme. Whisk in the cream. Add the cooked pasta. Stir together, making sure to coat the pasta with the cream. Add in a few pinches of Parmesan. Stir in. Make sure everything is heated through. Serve hot with a few more dashes of Parmesan on each serving.

Definitely a 30 minute meal. And very delicious.

Here's a link to the recipe I adapted: http://barefeetinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/05/penne-with-sauteed-vegetables.html

Cauliflower Gratin

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
8 baby bell peppers, diced

Cauliflower, bell peppers, and cilantro

1 Tbsp. cilantro
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder (however much you want)
1/2 c. bread crumbs


Sauce:
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour 
1 1/2 c. milk
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste
1 c. cheese (I used some Dubliner cheddar, a little Asiago, and Parmesan)

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Cauliflower Gratin ready to bake

Toss the cauliflower, bell peppers, and cilantro with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Arrange in a baking dish. Roast the vegetables for 20-30 minutes until a golden brown.

When the cauliflower and peppers come out of the oven, reduce the heat to 350 F. Set aside the dish with the vegetables.

Ready to eat

To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add the flour, and stir. Add the milk, and turn up the heat. When it is starting to come to a boil, stir for 30 seconds, then reduce the heat to low. Add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted.  Remove from heat.

Pour the sauce over the roasted vegetables. Toss to coat. Layer the bread crumbs over the top.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until bubbling in the corners and brown on the top. Serve warm.

Here's a link to the original recipe I adapted: http://www.closetcooking.com/2012/10/roasted-cauliflower-and-aged-white.html

Bang Bang Cauliflower

Florets frying

1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets
3-4 Tbsp. cornstarch
4 egg whites
1 1/2 tsp. coconut extract
2 c. bread crumbs
1 tsp. salt
pepper (lots!)
3 Tbsp. garlic powder
coconut oil (if you don't have this on hand, vegetable or canola work just fine)

Breaded cauliflower

Sauce:
1/4 c. mayo
2 Tbsp. sriracha
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. sugar

Add the florets to a large bowl, then coat them in the cornstarch. Toss to coat. Add more cornstarch if you need to.

Add egg whites and coconut extract to a different small bowl. Mix the bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and garlic powder together in a shallow bowl or plate.

Take one floret at a time, and dip in the egg wash, then coat with the bread crumb mixture.

Amazing sweet and spicy sauce

Heat up the coconut oil in a large skillet to about medium/medium-high heat. Make sure you use enough to coat the bottom of the skillet. Leave the oil handy as you will need to keep adding more while you're frying the florets.

Add about 10 florets to the skillet. Turn with tongs until all sides are browned. Remove to a plate with a paper towel. Continue this process until all the florets are cooked.*

Dinner is ready!

To make the sauce: In a small bowl, mix all the sauce ingredients. Coat the breaded florets with the sauce. Serve immediately. This dish is amazing!

*If you have a deep fryer, you can also use that to cook your cauliflower. 

This recipe is based on a shrimp dish from a restaurant in Florida called Bone Fish Grill. I'll be trying the recipe with shrimp soon enough! Here's a link to the recipe I adapted: http://www.thatssomichelle.com/2012/02/bang-bang-cauliflower.html

Cauliflower, Tomatoes, and Gruyere Oh My!

1 head of cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 c. dry bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste
1 c. Gruyere cheese, shredded
3 Tbsp. butter (or olive oil, if you insist), melted

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Steam the cauliflower pieces, about 4 minutes. Distribute evenly in a baking dish or pie plate. Pour the tomatoes around the circumference of the dish.

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cheese. Mix it up a little. Top the cauliflower and tomatoes with the bread crumb mixture. Pour the melted butter over the top. Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of Laura Turner

Roasted Vegetables

Vegetables (a mixture of several kinds; I used cauliflower, asparagus, and red potatoes)
Olive oil
Spices: Garlic powder, salt, pepper, thyme, curry powder
Bacon, cooked, chopped (optional)
Feta, crumbled (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 F. Drizzle some olive oil in the bottom of a baking dish.

Chop up the assortment of vegetables into bite sized pieces. Layer in the prepared baking dish. Drizzle with more olive oil. Sprinkle with spices; I was more liberal with all of them but the curry powder. Cover with aluminum foil, and put in the oven for about 30 minutes.

While the vegetables are roasting, you can chop up and cook the bacon if you want it.

After 30 minutes, pull out the vegetables, stir around and check to see if they are soft. If they are ready, sprinkle with bacon and feta (or any cheese if you want it). If you use different spices, perhaps a different cheese would work better, i.e. Italian seasoning and garlic powder with Parmesan cheese. It's up to you!

Eggplant Casserole

Sorry for no actual measurements; I just kind of threw things together.

1 eggplant, diced
Olive oil
1/2 zucchini, sliced
Cilantro, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
Spices: pepper, garlic powder, tiny bit of cumin, dill, Italian seasoning, coriander, sage, red pepper flakes
Feta cheese

Fry the eggplant in olive oil over medium high heat in two batches. Fry for about 5 minutes, turning every once in a while. Add olive oil as needed.

In a separate pan sautee the zucchini in a tiny bit of olive oil for a few minutes, then added the cilantro (I used like 2 Tbsp-ish). Add the spices, and let that cook for a few minutes. Then add the diced tomatoes, and add more of the same spices if it needs it. Let the tomato juices boil down, about 5-8 minutes.

Put the fried eggplant in a greased casserole dish, then layer the zucchini tomato sauce on top. Sprinkle (liberally) with feta cheese. Bake at 350 F for about 25-40 minutes, or until the feta starts to brown on top. Serve immediately.

Zucchini Pasta

Shredded zucchini

Pasta
2-4 c.zucchini, coarsely shredded
4 tsp. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c. cheddar, shredded
2-3 Tbsp. sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta. After shredding zucchini, pat dry with paper towels. Saute zucchini in oil 2-3 minutes over medium heat. Add garlic to zucchini, and saute for 2 more minutes. Turn heat to low. Add cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper. Stir until cheese has melted. Remove from heat.

Ready to eat!

Drain pasta. You can either add pasta to the zucchini mixture and toss to coat or add pasta to a bowl, and add the zucchini mixture to the top. Whatever you prefer.

Eggplant Parmigiana

Cooking the eggplant

2 small unpeeled eggplants
1 large egg
2 Tbsp. water
1 1/3 c. dry bread crumbs
2/3 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
olive oil
2 c. tomato sauce
cilantro, chopped
Basil, thyme, garlic powder, coriander, oregano
2-3 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded


Heat oven to 350 F.

Cut eggplants into 1/4 inch slices. Mix egg and water. Mix bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Dip eggplant into egg mixture, then coat with the bread crumb mixture.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook half of the eggplant at a time in oil about 5 minutes, turning once, until light brown. Repeat with remaining eggplant, adding more oil if necessary.

Ready to eat!

Place half of the eggplant in ungreased rectangular baking dish, overlapping slices slightly. Mix tomato sauce, cilantro, and spices together in a bowl. Spoon half of the sauce over eggplant. Sprinkle with 1-1 1/2 c. of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat with remaining eggplant, sauce, and cheese.

Bake uncovered about 25 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is light brown.

Adapted from Betty Crocker's Cookbook

Tillamook Cheesy Zucchini Gratin

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
6 medium zucchinis, cut into 1/2-inch rounds (I only had 2, but it worked)

Zucchini and onion

3/4 c. onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper (or more)
1/4 c. water
1 1/4 c. Tillamook Colby Jack cheese, shredded, divided
1 c. fresh bread crumbs (I used 1/2 c. since I used less zucchini)
1 Tbsp. butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the zucchini, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes, just until the zucchini is tender. Remove from the heat and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Combine 3/4 c. of the cheese with the vegetable mixture, and pour into 9-inch pie pan or small casserole dish.

Gratin with the breadcrumbs

Moisten the breadcrumbs with the butter in a small bowl. Mix in the remaining cheese. Sprinkle the mixture evenly oven the top of the pie.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden-brown and bubbling.

From The Tillamook Cheese Cookbook

Sweet and Spicy Broccoli

No measurements, I just threw these things together as a side dish, and it was really good!

Olive oil
Broccoli, cut into florets
Red pepper flakes
Garlic powder
Brown sugar
Bacon, cooked and crumbled

Saute the broccoli in olive oil over medium heat. Sprinkle with the red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and brown sugar. Cook until the broccoli is tender (but not too tender!). Remove from heat. Sprinkle with bacon. Serve.

I was more liberal with the red pepper flakes than with the garlic and brown sugar. Just a light dusting was good, but you can adjust it to whatever tastes good to you!

Eggplant Pasta Sauce

Really good recipe! Here's a link to the original recipe. I just made a few alterations: http://www.food.com/recipe/eggplant-pasta-sauce-or-side-dish-137512

Olive oil
4 c. eggplant, cubed
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
28 oz. canned diced tomatoes (do not drain)
1/2 c. Marsala wine
1 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
1-2 Tbsp. capers
1 tsp. sugar
dried thyme and basil, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste (I highly recommend lots of pepper!)
Hot cooked pasta
Parmesan cheese, grated

Saute the onion for 2-3 minutes, then add the garlic and eggplant. Saute about 5 minutes more. Add all the other ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, uncovered. Stir occasionally. Cook until the eggplant is soft and the sauce is the consistency you want. Serve over pasta. Top with Parmesan.

Chow Mein

I used this recipe, but left out the chicken and dry won ton noodles. I did put dry chow mein noodles on the top, though. You can either have a meat dish or just a vegetable dish. The sauce was great! I also added minced garlic and ginger when I was cooking the onion. Next time I may also add cilantro.


http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/1162/Chicken-Chow-Mein140488.shtml

Chow mein cooking

Ready to eat!

Ratatouille

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, cut into rings
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 green peppers, cut into strips
1 medium eggplant, cut into bite sized pieces
1 zucchini, cut into bite sized pieces
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 bay leaf (I use dried basil if I don't have any bay leaves on hand)
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. salt
black pepper

 In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Saute onions and garlic until golden. Add green pepper strips, and cook for 2 minutes. Add eggplant, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add zucchini, and continue stirring and cooking another 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and seasonings. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf. Serve immediately.