Baked Falafel with Tzatziki

I'm a huge fan of falafel, but I'm not such a huge fan of greasy falafel, so I prefer to bake these little balls (or, if you're me, patties) of goodness. Luck would have it that baking falafel also makes it healthier...two birds, one stone.

Baked Falafel
(Recipe adapted from this site)

1 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 onion, minced
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. baking powder
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and coat a baking sheet or dish with cooking spray. Mash chickpeas with a mortar and pestle. Add onions and garlic and combine. Add remaining ingredients and combine.

2. Shape mixture into balls (or, if you're like me, flat discs for easier consumption) and place in baking dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve on whole wheat pita with chopped tomatoes and tzatziki sauce (recipe follows).


Tzatziki Sauce

1 c. nonfat Greek yogurt
1 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cucumber, seeded and diced
1 tsp. fresh chopped dill
1/2 tsp. sugar
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Chill for at least one hour for flavors to marry, and serve.

Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce

Winter is the time to eat loads of butternut squash, and I know I certainly do. One of my favorite things about squash is its versatility, and while I love it roasted, I also love it pureed in soups and sauces. Since I also happen to be a major pasta fanatic, a pasta sauce with butternut squash was a logical choice for a cold and snowy winter treat.





Butternut Squash Sauce for Pasta
(Recipe from Simply Recipes)

1 butternut squash weighing about 2 1/2 pounds
8 ounces of bow-tie pasta
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/3 cup of chopped shallots
1/2 cup of packed, freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon of grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon of chopped parsley
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Water as needed to thin the sauce

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Cut the butternut squash lengthwise in half* and scoop out the guts and seeds and discard them. Pour 1/4 cup of water into a pyrex or ceramic baking dish and place the butternut squash halves cut side down. Bake for 40 minutes or until a fork easily pierces the squash. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Scoop out the squash flesh from the skins and purée with a blender (work in batches or place in a bowl and use a hand blender). Discard the skins.

2. Fill a pot with water and salt (1 tablespoon of salt for every 2 quarts of water). Set over high heat to bring to a hard boil. Add the pasta and cook at a hard boil, uncovered until al dente.

3. While the pasta is cooking, pour the olive oil into a wide skillet on medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the butternut squash purée and cook for about a minute, mixing it in with the shallots. Add the cream, a tablespoon at a time, slowly stirring it in to incorporate and to avoid lumps. Stir in the Parmesan. Add the nutmeg, salt and pepper. Add water (or chicken stock) to thin to the consistency you want. Take off heat and add the parsley and lemon juice. Cover the pan to keep warm.

4. Check pasta. When ready (al dente) drain and plate. Pour the sauce over the pasta. Garnish with a little extra parsley and Parmesan. Serve immediately.

Steaks with Simple Mushroom Pan Sauce

While I am a steak enthusiast, I rarely eat a big slab of beef, opting instead for a smaller size that actually corresponds to the recommended "pack of cards" visual usually touted by the FDA. Since I only buy smaller cuts, the natural beef brand carried at the Co-Op is actually affordable. I'm specifying eye of round for this recipe, but really, you could use just about any cut of beef.






I served this with some simply roasted carrots and baby potatoes tossed with olive oil, sea salt, pepper, and chopped Italian parsley.


Steaks with Simple Mushroom Pan Sauce

2 eye of round steaks (about 4 oz. each)
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. butter
4 tbsp. minced onion
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup white wine (you can also use red)
1 cup beef broth
2 1/2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat; swirl to coat. Add steaks and cook four minutes per side, or until meat is cooked to desired. Remove steaks from pan and keep warm.
2. Add butter to pan. Add minced onion and saute for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until mushrooms have darkened and start to give off moisture. Pour white wine into pan and let simmer for 3 minutes.
3. Combine beef broth and flour in a bowl until combined, and then add to pan. Let mixture simmer until reduced and thickened. Pour over steaks.

Shrimp and Broccoli Fettuccine Alfredo

All my life, I've had obsessions with certain foods: potatoes, cream cheese, blue cheese, and alfredo sauce. Notice how none of the foods I just listed is a fruit or vegetable? Sigh. One day I discovered that, in fact, I could combine two of my loves together when I dumped cream cheese into an impromptu Alfredo sauce, and it's been a match made in heaven ever since. It isn't exactly an authentic taste of Italy, but when I have a craving for something, I don't really care. I mean, after all, once I really did want to drizzle warm chocolate all over a plate of asparagus, so.....

Shrimp and Broccoli Fettuccine Alfredo
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 16 oz. package fettuccine
2 tbsp. butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup skim milk
1 package Neufchatel cheese (1/3 less fat cream cheese)
4 tbsp. Parmesan cheese

Directions
1. Heat butter in a pan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for one minute, then add shrimp to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until pink. Remove shrimp to a plate and keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, steam broccoli and cook pasta according to package directions.
3. Add skim milk and Neufchatel cheese, stirring until Neufchatel melts and combines with skim milk. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese into the pan and stir to combine. Turn off heat. Add shrimp and broccoli to pan and toss to coat. Combine with pasta in the pan and serve with more grated Parmesan, if desired.

When life dumps snow on you, make applesauce and latkes

It just won't stop snowing and melting, snowing and melting. Now, I love snow for a number of reasons, one of the most important being that I don't have to wipe the dogs' paws when they come inside, but since the town I live in barely plows the roads, I'm somewhat chained to my house. So what to do when you are a temporary shut in? Why, make applesauce and fry up some latkes, of course!

If you've never made your own applesauce, you're missing out. It's so easy to make that I sometimes wonder why applesauce is even sold in grocery stores. Your slow cooker comes in handy for this recipe, but you can simmer it slowly on the stove if you prefer. Notice that no sugar is added--this is not the case with store bought, which usually has a load of sugar. Apples are sweet enough as is.

Applesauce

1 lb. apples
2 tsp. lemon juice
1-2 tbsp. water
Cinnamon (optional)

Directions
1. Peel and core the apples, then dice into small pieces. Add to slow cooker and toss with lemon juice. If the apples are particularly dry, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water. Add a dash of cinnamon if you like. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 5-6 hours.




Classic, Basic Latkes

2 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and grated
1/4 cup grated onion
1 tsp. baking soda
1 egg
Few sprigs of fresh thyme
Kosher salt and pepper
5 tbsp. all-p flour
4 tbsp. olive oil

Directions
1. Squeeze as much moisture of the potatoes as possible, and be sure to blot the onions as well. Mix together potato, onion, baking soda, egg, thyme, a dash of salt and pepper, and flour.
2. Heat oil over medium high heat in a large, heavy skillet. Do not add patties until the oil is very hot. Drop some of the potato mixture into the pan and smash down with spatula. Cook on each side for 4 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with applesauce and/or sour cream.