Dal Tadka from fatfreevegan.com

Posted on September 18, 2015 by admin

1/2 cup yellow moong dal (split mung beans) OR yellow split peas OR additional red lentils
1/2 cup split red lentils (masoor dal)
3 cups water
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 large onion, chopped (set aside other half)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ginger root, minced
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt (if desired)
1/2 teaspoon garam masala plus more to taste (see my recipe)
1/2 large onion, sliced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)

Instructions

Put the lentils, water, and next 7 ingredients (through salt) into a pressure cooker(see Notes below for regular stovetop cooking). Cook at high pressure for 10 minutes and allow pressure to drop naturally for 10 minutes. Open lid carefully and check to make sure lentils are tender. If not, continue to cook without pressure until lentils are fully cooked. Add garam masala and stir vigorously to make the lentils creamy. It should be a medium consistency, so add a little water if it’s too thick. Keep warm.
While the lentils are cooking, heat a small non-stick skillet. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until they begin to brown. Add the red pepper flakes and cook until onions are softened and touched with brown.
Check the seasoning of the lentils and add additional salt and garam masala to taste. Serve over rice and top each serving with the browned onions.

Notes

If cooking without a pressure cooker, bring ingredients to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan, reduce heat to low, and cover. Cook until lentils are soft, stirring often and adding water if they start to get too dry. Different types of dal take different amounts of time, so allow at least 30 minutes.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s) | Cooking time: 25 minute(s)

Shrimp With Thai Basil from Chinatown Kitchen: From Noodles to Nuoc Cham.

Posted on September 2, 2015 by admin

2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch ground white pepper
4 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or peanut oil
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 large green or red chili pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut crosswise into thick rings
1 small white onion, cut into thin half-moons
1/2 cup packed sugar snap peas or snow peas, cut in half
10 peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp
2 small ripe tomatoes, cut into quarters
Small handful Thai basil leaves (see headnote; may substitute a hefty handful of Genovese basil)
Juice from 1/2 lime, for serving

Whisk together the fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, white pepper and 1 tablespoon of the water in a liquid measuring cup.

Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, swirl to coat, then add the garlic. Stir-fry gently for 3 to 4 minutes, then add the chili pepper and stir to combine. Stir in the onion; increase the heat to high and stir-fry for 1 minute, until the peppers have softened a bit, making sure the garlic doesn’t burn.

Add the sugar snap peas or snow peas and the remaining 3 tablespoons of water; stir-fry until the water has evaporated. Add the shrimp; stir-fry for 1 minute, then add the fish sauce mixture, the tomatoes and basil; stir-fry, shaking the wok once or twice, just until the shrimp have become opaque and the tomatoes have barely wilted.

Remove from the heat; add the lime juice. Serve right away. 2 servings

Penne Alla Betsy from Ree Drumond

Posted on August 3, 2015 by admin

Salt
1 pound penne pasta
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup white wine, optional
Two 14.5-ounce cans tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
6 leaves fresh basil, cut in chiffonade
Milk, for thinning
Freshly ground black pepper
Crusty French bread, for serving

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the penne until al dente (firm yet tender). Drain and set aside.

Begin by peeling and deveining the shrimp and rinsing them under cold water.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the butter and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. When the pan is hot, add the shrimp. Stir and cook on both sides until just starting to turn opaque, about 2 minutes. Remove to a plate and allow to cool slightly.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the garlic and onion. Stir to combine and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.

Pour the wine into the pan if using. Stir and allow it to evaporate, about 45 seconds. Pour in the tomato sauce and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low. Pour in the cream. Mmmm. Stir well to combine; reduce the heat to simmer.

And now for the fun part: remove the tails from the shrimp, chop the shrimp into medium-size pieces and add them to the sauce. Stir gently to combine.

Next, dump in the parsley and basil and stir. Add the cooked, drained pasta. Stir gently to coat. If the sauce is too thick, splash in a little milk to get it to the right consistency. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper. Be sure to taste the seasonings at the end, adjusting if necessary.

Serve directly out of the skillet, or pour the contents of the skillet into a pretty serving bowl. Serve with crusty French bread – and more wine.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/penne-alla-betsy-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Cheesy Scalloped Potato Casserole from the food network

Posted on July 22, 2015 by admin

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2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion minced
2 gloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 1/4 teaspoons table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 1/2lbs russet potatoes peeled and sliced into about 1/8″ thick rounds
1 cup veggie broth
1 cup heavy cream
2 bay leaves
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425F
Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until the foaming subsides.
Add onion and cook while stirring occasionally until lightly browned and soft (about 4 minutes).
Add garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook for about another 30 seconds.
Add potatoes, chicken broth, cream, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer.
Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for about 10 minutes. discard bay leaves.
Transfer the mixture to an 8″x8″ baking dish and press into an even layer.
Sprinkle the top evenly with cheese.
Bake in oven about 16 minutes until the cream is bubbling around the edges and the top is golden brown.
Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!

Sesame Panko Crab Cakes with Cilantro Lime Tartar Sauce

Posted on May 25, 2015 by admin

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For the crab cakes:

¼ cup mayonnaise
2 scallions, chopped
2 eggs
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs, plus ½ cup
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
salt and pepper
oil, for cooking

For the tartar sauce:

½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped pickles
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice

Whisk together mayonnaise, scallions, eggs, mustard, Old Bay (you can find it at any major grocery store), and lime juice. Fold in the crab, followed by 1 1/2 cups panko, sesame seeds, and salt and pepper to taste.

Mushroom Stuffed Giant Shell Pasta from food52.com

Posted on May 20, 2015 by admin

12 jumbo shell pasta
1 cup cultivated white mushrooms
1 cup chanterelles
1 cup oyster mushrooms
2 onions, separated
2 cloves garlic
A few springs of parsley, as desired
1 chile, seeded
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided, plus more as needed
Juice of 1/2 lemon, divided
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup cream (or a mixture of milk and cream)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more as desired

Cook the pasta according to the package, but reduce the cooking time by 1 minute so that they are al dente. Preheat the oven to 360º F (160º C).

Meanwhile, clean the mushrooms and peel the garlic and onion. Roughly chop the mushrooms and onions. Finely dice the garlic, parsley, and chile.

Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, 1/2 of the onion, and the garlic. Fry for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, chile, and salt and pepper to taste. Fry for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, and add 1/2 of the lemon juice and the parsley. Add more lemon juice if preferred, or discard it (or save the rest for another recipe). Remove the mushroom mixture from the pan and set aside on a plate.

Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil to the pan and add the other 1/2 of the onion. Fry for 1 minute. Pour in the cream, add salt and pepper to taste, and stir occasionally. Cook for 3 minutes. (If you used milk to dilute the cream, you might want to add a bit of flour or corn starch to make the sauce a bit thicker.)

Meanwhile, fill the al dente shells with the mushroom mix and place in an ovenproof dish. Pour the cream over the shells and sprinkle the Parmesan on top. Place the dish in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, until the cheese turns golden brown. Serve with a few sprinkles of chopped parsley.

Serves 2 to 4

asparagus-parmesan bake from margaret roach

Posted on May 1, 2015 by admin

Asparagus, enough spears to line an oven-proof baking dish thickly, stem ends snapped off
Olive oil to coat pan, plus a drizzle for the top
Chopped parsley (optional)
2 -3 eggs, beaten as if to scramble (more will be needed in a larger pan, fewer if a single-serving portion)
Grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Lightly coat an ovenproof dish or baking pan with olive oil
Wash and snap the woody ends off the asparagus
Line the pan with the dried-off spears
Layer chopped parsley to taste on top of spears-I did not use and do not think its needed
Pour thoroughly beaten eggs over the spears, just enough to cover about two-thirds of their depth; don’t swamp them
Top with grated Parmesan to taste; drizzle with olive oil and add pepper if desired
Bake until egg is almost firm
Finish briefly under the broiler till golden
To serve, cut between the spears, not across; I like a side of roast potatoes with mine
note: added sliced roasted fingerling potatoes on top of potatoes, very good

Roasted Broccoli Stuffed Shells from thevintagemixer.com

Posted on April 13, 2015 by admin

2 broccoli crowns
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
24 jumbo pasta shells
16 ounces (one container) ricotta cheese
1 cup Mozzarella, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan, shredded
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
26 ounces (3 cups) Marinara sauce

To roast the broccoli

preheat the oven to 375 and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Chops the broccoli into bite sized pieces and toss with olive oil and minced garlic. Season with salt and lay flat on the baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until slightly brown and crispy.

For the pasta

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add in the pasta shells (a few more than 24 incase a few break while cooking). Boil for 8-10 minutes or until slightly soft but with a slight bite. (They will cook more when they are baking).
While the pasta is cooking, mix together the three cheeses and the salt and cayenne. Once broccoli is done, roughly chop and add this to the cheese.
Pour 1 cup of the marinara into a rectangular baking dish.
Once pasta is done, drain the water, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Fill each shell with cheese and place in the baking dish. Mix together 1 more cup of the marinara with the 1/2 cup of pasta water and pour this over the top of the filled shells.
Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes at 350 covered, then, uncover and bake for 5-10 more minutes or until bubbly.
Serve with remaining 1 cup of marinara sauce.

Vegetable Noodles With Shrimp from thewoksoflife.com

Posted on April 11, 2015 by admin

1 tablespoon oil

1 small onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup dried shrimp, soaked (optional)

1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine

2 cups veggie stock

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon sugar

8 oz. dried broad bean noodles, soaked 30 minutes

1 medium zucchini, sliced into noodles

1 large carrot, sliced into noodles

2 teaspoons soy sauce

½ teaspoon sesame oil

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

12 oz. large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 scallion julienned

Cilantro, to garnish (optional)

Prep all of your ingredients and have them ready before you start cooking. Heat a wok over medium high heat and add the oil, onion, garlic, and dried shrimp. Stir-fry until the onion is translucent. Add the shaoxing wine and stir-fry for another 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, salt, sugar and broad bean noodles. Turn down heat to low and let everything simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add the zucchini and carrot “noodles,” along with the soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper. Turn the heat up to medium and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, reducing almost all of the liquid. If you like your noodles a bit more soupy, you can add more chicken stock.

Stir in the shrimp and scallions and cook for another 2 minutes, or until the shrimp is just cooked through. Garnish with cilantro and serve! Yield: 2-4 servings

Chunky Portabella Veggie Burgers