Little Girl, Big Knife

Shrimp, ham, white beans and veggies w/ cheesy grits

2008-06-21T22:23:00.000-07:00

I have been craving some good old shrimp and grits...but wanted to do something a little different. So here is what I came up with. I sauteed in some olive oil - 1/2 onion chopped, 4 celery stalks chopped, 4 cloves of garlic, salt, pepper, and a bay leaf. Once everything began to soften I added some chopped ham I had frozen and a bag of frozen chopped okra. While this was cooking I got my pot for grits ready - just plain old boiling water and some salt. Once the okra quit looking slimy, I added a can of creole style white beans (if you cant find these, just use regular can of white beans and mash them a bit before you add them). Then add some chicken broth. Stir in the shrimp and some fresh parsley, thyme, and hot sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Once the grits were cooked, I added just a touch of skim milk and about 1 cup of reduced fat cheese. Done - quick and relatively healthy dinner. I made some corn bread muffins as well. I just followed a mix and added about 2 tablespoons of maple syrup to it for some sweetness. Leftovers were even good a couple of days later.

Ribs without the BBQ

2008-05-22T15:31:00.000-07:00

Ribs were on sale the other week for only $2.99/lb...which is cheap - so I couldn't resist buying them. Unfortunately, we are still in apartment hell so no grill - instead I did the ribs in the oven and they turned out fantastic - meat falling off the bone tender. I put on my Dinosaur BBQ rub and added some brown sugar to it, placed the ribs on a cookie sheet w/ a bit of water on the bottom and placed into an oven set at 425 for about 30 minutes. Then I took them out, spread on this pepper and raspberry preserve I picked up somewhere, added a bit more liquid, covered them with foil and in they went for 3 hours at 275 degrees.

For side dishes - Roasted Squash and Feta "Salad" and Hot and Sweet Cornbread Muffins

I cut the squash, an onion, and some garlic up and drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and through it into the oven with the ribs. Once the veggies were tender I took them out and allowed them to cool. Once cool - I added some fresh chopped tomato, parsley, and chives - mixed it altogether and topped with feta right before serving. Also salt and pepper to taste as always...got raves reviews from the BF.

Muffins I cheated a bit b/c I don't bake from scratch - I bought a whole grain muffin mix, added on serrano chile chopped very fine, and distributed the mix into the muffin tins. Once in the tins, I added a couple of swirls of honey to each one. These came out a great. Although next time I may add some sugar to the mix. Tonite is pasta w/ sausage, zucchini, and sun-dried tomatoes and who knows what else.

Productive Food Evening

2008-05-14T21:37:00.000-07:00

Last nite was a productive food evening. I made dinner and soup, all while getting home at 8ish. Dinner was easy...dijon mustard crusted pork tenderloin w/ cranberry sauce, garlic mashed potatoes, and artichokes. For the pork, I basically slathered in the mustard then coated it in breadcrumbs and rub of garlic, salt, peppercorns and other spices. Seared in in a skillet on both sides to both the crust on, then added about 1 cup of chicken broth and some extra water, onions and garlic and covered and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Then I heated the oven to 400 degrees and threw the dried cranberries into the pan and put it in the oven for 20 minutes. Done...easy enough.

Mashed potatoes were easy - just boiled them with salt and pepper, drained them, added fresh chopped garlic, skim milk, salt, and smart balance butter. I used just a regular old potato mashing device and they came out great. The artichokes were $1 a piece at the grocery!!! Completely unheard of in these parts. A quick way to cook the whole artichoke is to trim the top of the artichoke off (gets rid of spikes), then cut if in half, sprinkle with seasoning of your choice (I used salt, roasted garlic/pepper seasoning - my mom uses adobo) and drizzle olive oil into a pan to coat the bottom and place artichokes cut side down. Once oil starts to absorb, add some water and cover. Water acts to steam the artichokes and the leaves come out nice and tender. All in all - this was a pretty good meal that was made in under hour.

While everything was cooking - I made my own version of Indian Inspired Red Lentil Soup. I only tasted it last nite, but will let you know for sure tomorrow how it is. This is what I threw in the pot:

1 whole onion diced
2 carrots diced
6 stalks of celery diced
1 can of whole tomatoes
3 tomatoes roughly chopped
tumeric, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, red chili powder, garam masala, 2 bay leaves, and ginger (i ran out of the fresh stuff)
red lentils
1 can of chick peas
1 bag of collard greens
handful of fresh cilantro

Directions:
Drizzle a but of olive oil in a stock pot and add onion, celery, and carrot - saute for about 5 minutes - then add the spices listed above and collard greens - i just sprinkled around the pot a little of each, but you may want ease up on the chili powder. Allow spices to become fragrant, then add about 12 cups of water and the lentils and bring to boil. I allowed this to simmer for about an hour. Then I tasted the soup and added more salt and spices and then added the can of whole tomatoes and used the hand blender to puree the soup. Next I added the chopped cilantro and tomato - allow to simmer for another 1/2 hour. I added the chickpeas at this point because I did not want them to lose their texture, but you could add them earlier.

I think this is going to come out well, hopefully not too spicy.

Spicy Shrimp, Arugula, Tomato, and hint of clams pasta dish

2008-05-13T15:38:00.000-07:00

So this dish came together quite well - unfortunately it has been confirmed that I do have some issue apparently with peeling raw shrimp and having an allergic reaction. So, I guess its time to invest in some latex gloves. Anywho...here is what I came up with...

Half can of anchovies
1 whole onion sliced
5 cloves of garlic
Couple good shakes of red pepper flakes
8 oz. of crushed tomatoes
1 bunch of arugula
1 can of chopped clams
fresh parsley
1 lb. of fresh Louisiana Shrimp
Long Pasta
Pecorino Romano Cheese

Directions:

In a deep saute pan, add anchovies and break up with a spoon. I promise you that you cannot taste them, even if they smell kinda fishy at first. They just lend a saltiness to the dish and a flavor. Once the anchovies have disintegrated, add onions and garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Once onions are translucent, add crushed tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Then add the clams and simmer for another 10 minutes. Bring water for pasta to a boil, while pasta cooks - add the shrimp and arugula to the tomato and clam mixture. By the time the pasta should be cooked, your shrimp should be pink and plump and the arugula wilting. Make sure to taste the sauce and add salt and more pepper to taste. Drain pasta and add fresh snipped parsley to the mixture. Toss the pasta w/ the seafood and veggies - serve in bowls and top with grated pecorino cheese. Serve w/ a nice crusty garlic ciabatta bread to soak up the leftover juices.

I got a "this is really good" from the BF and he dislikes canned clams...hehe but I didn't even want to tell him about the anchovies...

I even ate the leftovers - cold of course because i despise re-heating pasta and seafood - and it was still fantastic.

Menu This Week

2008-05-12T15:30:00.000-07:00

In an effort to update this blog more often - I am going to try to give you an idea of what I plan to make this week.

Monday - Shrimp, Arugula and Tomato Pasta Dish
Tuesday - Pecan crusted pork/chicken w/ dried cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and summer squash salad
Wednesday - Possibly traveling to Lake Charles - so perhaps a restaurant review
Thursday - (if I'm back at a decent hour) - Vietnamese Noodle Salad or Fish w/ coconut rice and broccoli
Friday - ???
Saturday or Sunday - Ribs w/ whatever I pick up at the Farmer's Market

Also, in hopes of testing out some soups, indian inspired red lentil soup and possibly a cold cucumber asian soup.

Greens and Beans

2008-05-12T15:18:00.000-07:00

The farmer's market has yielded some great finds lately - one happens to be broccoli rappi. Rappi is in the greens family and is very bitter. I grew up on the stuff and always loved when my grandmother made it, but I will warn you that bitter taste does not sit well with everyone. For me, greens and beans is comfort food and its so simple.

2 links of italian sausage (I used poultry version, but any will do)
1 bunch of rappi - roughly chopped (or you could use anything other green - i.e. spinach)
1 whole onion sliced
6 cloves of garlic sliced or chopped
salt & pepper
red pepper flakes
1 can of chicken broth
olive oil
1 can of white beans (drain them)

Directions:
Swirl the olive oil around the pan a couple of times and add onions, once them become fragrant add the garlic. Saute both and add salt and pepper. Next add the sausage. You can either cook the sausage in the pan with the onions and garlic or do it in a separate pan to reduce fat content. I squeezed the sausage out of the casings and crumbled it up. Once the sausage is almost done, begin to add the greens. If you add in layers, make sure to salt in between each green layer. Once, all greens have been added, add chicken broth and cover. Allow the greens to cook down and stir occasionally for about 30 minutes. Then add the beans to mixture and allow to cook for another 10-15 minutes or until the beans are heated through. At this point I added a bit of crushed red pepper flakes for some spice, but depending on your sausage you may not have to. I eat this just as is, but you could serve it over pasta, rice, or with some nice bread.

Sausage, Greens, and Roasted Red Peppers Calzones

2008-04-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

I had the brilliant idea the other day to make calzones for dinner one nite this week. Thank god I decided to buy refrigerated pizza dough or else it would have been even more time consuming than it already was. The worst part was trying to form the dough into pieces I wanted, and a lot of prep. However I am stubborn and won't use bottled sauce as a condiment to my calzones, so I made my own - so you could save some time by using pre-made sauce. Anywho...here is what I did:

Ingredients:
2 links of sausage - out of casing (I used a lemon, garlic turkey sausage from Whole Foods)
1/2 onion chopped
4 cloves of garlic
1 small bunch of mustard greens (could use any type of greens)
1/2 cup of chopped roasted red peppers
1 cup of part skim ricotta cheese
3/4 cup of shredded cheese of your choice (I used a blend of mozzarella, provolone, and Parmesan)
salt and pepper, dried parsley and oregano
refrigerated pizza dough

Directions:
In a tall pot on medium heat, place the sausage in first. Once it starts to cook, use a spoon or fork to make it into crumbles. Once it begins to look cooked, add garlic and onions and saute until fragrant. Next begin to add the greens, and salt between each layer of greens added (if using fresh greens only). Once all greens have cooked down add roasted red peppers and shut off heat. Then remove from the pot with a slotted spoon and place into a large bowl and all it to cool. While the sausage mixture cooled I made my spicy tomato sauce and pre-heated the oven to 425.

Spicy Sauce
- saute your preferred amounts of chopped onion and garlic in the pot you just took the sausage mix out of. Add a bit of olive oil if necessary. Once onions become translucent, add 1 small can of whole tomatoes, 1 small can of crushed tomatoes, some red wine, and sliced cherry peppers (mine came from a jar - you should be able to find these at the grocery). I used a hand blender to puree the sauce, but you could easily use a regular blender. Once pureed, add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste and allow it to simmer. Right before serving I added about 5 stems of chopped fresh parsley.

Calzones:

Once mixture has cooled, add the ricotta and shredded cheese and mix well. Spread out your dough and divide into 4 square pieces or just do the best you can. Add about 1/2 cup of the mixture in the middle of the squares and fold over dough. Crimp the edges with your fingers or a fork. I spread some cornmeal on the bottom of my cookie sheet and placed the calzones on top of the cornmeal and made 2 slits on the top of each calzone. Place calzones into the oven and cook from about 14 minutes or until edges are brown.

Serve with a side of spicy tomato sauce.

Soup and Mortons Review

2008-04-21T16:14:00.001-07:00

So the soup came out pretty good...I think it needs a bit more tweaking, but its tasty. I think allowing the flavors to meld overnight did wonders, plus I added some fresh cilantro to the cup, which added another great flavor element to it. The boyfriend enjoys it, however I think he agrees with me it needs some doctoring.

I had a great meal at Morton's Restaurant in Madisonville, LA yesterday. Morton's a casual seafood restaurant right on the riverfront, so it was packed on Sunday afternoon with boaters and those who drive to sit on their deck. John and I started by splitting a dozen raw oysters, and these little guys were GOOD. Plump and salty, good size - although there was one so big, we questioned whether to cut it in half or not, but that would be seafood blasphemy, so John put that one down. My only complaint was that the restaurant or our server was stingy with the cocktail sauce and horseradish. If your going to give us a ramekin, fill the damn thing up.

Next we each moved onto boiled crawfish, which had a great seasoning (nice and spicy) and I didn't get a bad one in the bunch. These guys weren't as big as the ones I had at the crawfish boil on Saturday, but were still of a the same quality. We then split a combination poboy (one half oyster and the catfish). You may be thinking to yourself, wow that is a lot of food, but really its not. Crawfish may look big, but the meat you actually get out of them is tiny and honestly even this little girl on a good day could put down 8 pounds of crawfish easy. I was disappointed in the poboy. The oyster half was fantastic - tasty batter, not greasy, plump oysters. The catfish half on the other hand was bland, and the piece of catfish the put on it was not a good cut.

At this point I was stuffed, but my sweet tooth of a boyfriend decided on Bread Pudding for desert. I am new at this whole bread pudding thing, and honestly I never thought I would like it from the name, but there are so GREAT bread puddings out there. The bread pudding at Morton's is up there on my list. It was layers of some fruit speckled bread, covered in a whiskey sauce. From the few bites I had, I had wished I had saved some room for dessert.

My only real complaint about our experience here was the service. The waiter wasn't particularly attentive and granted we were a table for 9 and he may have been overloaded, but that situation should be remedied by the front of the house. Drinks constantly had to be asked to be refilled, never asked how things were or if anyone needed anything. I always feel a little bad bashing a server, because he may have been having a bad day. However, even the kitchen seemed to be a bit off with the timing of when meals came out. All in all though, its a great place to bring friends and family - especially on the gorgeous days we are having down here right now.

New Idea...

2008-04-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

Today, I kinda had an epiphany...one thing I love to do and do well is make soup...so I think over the next few weeks I am going to develop and perfect some more soup recipes and start selling them a the local market or to friends and family by word of mouth. It is going to take awhile, but if anyone else out there has done this or has any insights please let me know. So in my new soup venture this evening was inspired by the 5 stalks of lemongrass I had in my fridge and my craving for some thai.

Chicken and Lemongrass Soup

4 stalks of lemon grass (chopped into 3 inches pieces and bruise it with the edge of the knife)
2 serrano chiles
1 inch of ginger - roughly sliced
1 32 oz. container of chicken broth
1 lb. of chicken thighs
1 cup of spinach
1 bag of broccoli slaw
5 cloves of garlic
1 can of diced tomatoes with chiles
Few dashes of fish sauce and soy sauce
3 scallions roughly chopped
1 tsp. of crushed coriander

In stock pot fill with 32 oz. of water and the chicken broth add the lemon grass, chiles, ginger, and chicken to the pot and bring to a boil. Cook for 40 minutes. With a slotted spoon, pull out the chicken, chiles, and ginger. I left the lemongrass in longer this time, to see what kind of flavor I get, but you could pull it out now. Then, shred the chicken, add the garlic, spinach, broccoli slaw, and tomatoes, bring to boil, then reduce. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes, then add the fish sauce, soy sauce, coriander and scallions. Then allow it to simmer for another 20 minutes.

At this point you could serve this with some lime wedges, rice, fresh cilantro. I am going to chill the soup and have it tomorrow for dinner. So I will write yall later with the results and my boyfriend's critique.

Split Pea Soup w/ of all things...BACON!

2008-03-19T17:38:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite soups is Split Pea, and I have been messing around w/ my recipe for quite some time now. Well, folks I may have just made one of the most perfect pots last nite. I had about 6 strips or so of bacon and sauteed it with your basic onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. I waited until the bacon and the veggies were slightly cooked (think bacon turns pink and veggies are becoming a bit soft), then I added plain old water and about 4 smoked ham hocks to and brought it all to a boil. I then allowed this to simmer for about 20 minutes and I added to it salt, pepper, dried thyme and parsley, as well as a couple of bay leafs. Next I added the split peas and allowed it to simmer for about an hour or so. I then took out the ham hocks and placed in them in a freezer for a quick cool down. While this happened I busted out my new hand blender (which I love and highly recommend everyone to have), and pureed the soup to my desired thickness, which is still have some chunks of veggies floating, but for the most part its pretty velvety. I lowered the heat on the soup, and got started on the ham hocks. Sometimes you get a lot of meat on these things, and sometimes you don't. I pulled off what meat I could and chopped it, and through it into the soup. The soup simmered for about another 30-45 minutes, added some chopped fresh parsley and that was it...incredibly simple to throw together. The bacon added a great flavor and the ham hocks boosted the smokiness level. I got rave reviews from all who got some. For those of you who dont know me very well, I use to be kinda...ummm...anti-bacon, but as my foodie obsession has grown, I have learned to live with a little pork fat in my life.

Juniper

2008-03-06T19:36:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to write this review for oh say 3 weeks now...John took me to this restaurant called Juniper in Mandeville the weekend after Valentine's Day and it was quite impressive. First off the restaurant is in the shotgun New Orleans style house - so it has a nice comfy feel to the inside, but intimate. When we sat down we were greeted with a bread basket that had 2 super soft and hot pieces of what reminded of an infused italian bread. It had herbs and seasonings in the inside, and it was served with a great compound butter made with fresh herbs. (Another thing I have been meaning to put together in my spare time, but I digress.)

We decided to each order an appetizer and when they came out, we both were amazed at the shear size of each one. I had ordered a shrimp and blackened brie. There was 4 perfectly seasoned U-10 shrimp and a wedge of brie that could feed a table of four easily. The brie was covered in a wild berry sauce and this was all accompanied with about 2 dozen ciabatta toast rounds. Beneath the shrimp was a spicy sauce reminiscent of remoulade, but it went well with the brie and berries. Each component blended really well together and each could be enjoyed by itself. For the meager price of $12.50 this easily could one's entree if they so desired. John decided on the flash fried asparagus topped w/ crab meat in a mandarin hollandaise sauce. The asparagus pieces were perfectly fried - incredibly light. It paired perfectly with the citrus flavored crab meat. I personally do not like hollandaise sauce, but I would definitely make an exception for this dish. The sauce was not heavy and melded with the sweet crab meat.

It was soooo hard to choose a main dish here...for me it was a toss up between their duck or the special they were offering. I went with the special because it intrigued me. It was a veal flank steak that had been marinating for hours, then cooked to order - sliced thinly served w/ a caper and mushroom gravy/sauce with house mashed potatoes and veggies. Even though I always feel just a tiny bit bad when ordering veal, when it came and it just melted in my mouth - all those feelings washed right away. The veal was super tender and the sauce to me was very earthy, which I think paired well with the meat. The mashed potatoes were of course amazing - creamy but with some texture. John decided to go all out and he got the filet with shrimp and crawfish cake. His filet came out perfectly cooked and had a great seasoning to it. Again, the meat just melted on your tongue. The shrimp and crawfish cake was spicy and had chunks of seafood in it. We both agreed it almost outshined the meat.

We both were so full from our appetizers that we each took about half of our entrees home. Now from some reason my special came with a glass of wine, however our very wonderful server said I could have any kind of drink I wanted. The service here was fantastic, didn't crowd you and was very informative - he told me there was one last duck if I wanted it b/c prior to that we were told it was gone. So we finished off our amazing meal and shared a glass of port.

I have to say this meal is running very close to being my favorite thus far on the northshore. Everything was fantastic and it was a great atmosphere, honestly I enjoy the atmosphere at Juniper more than at Dakota. I also thought the food at Juniper was lighter than what you find at Dakota. I guess at some point in time I will have to explain my meals at Dakota to y'all...but until then try Juniper.

Drunken and Fast Shrimp and Pasta Dish

2008-03-06T19:26:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, I came home from work and met my friend, Alison at my house for some wine and girl talk. Once dinner time (which for us is like 8ish) came around I was slightly tipsy and knew I needed to make something quick. So I defrosted some shrimp and took out the left basic red pasta sauce I made last week. Here's what happened:

Cook 1 lb. of shrimp w/ garlic, drizzle of olive oil, salt, red pepper flakes - once the shrimp become slightly pink throw in a dash of vodka - swirl for a few times around the pan and place the mixture into a bowl. In that same pan you just took the shrimp out of add your pasta sauce and heat it up.

Now I highly recommend you make your pasta sauce, but I know that some people don't know how to or just don't have the time - so I suppose - you could use bottled sauce.

So once the sauce is heated up, boil some water and cook a spaghetti or another thin pasta - I used angel hair. While the pasta is in the water, make sure your sauce is heated and add a couple of swirls around the pan of either heavy cream or half and half - I used fat free half and half. I then threw in the shrimp and let it simmer until the pasta was done. Once the pasta was drained, I added probably 1/2 cup of grated pecorino romano cheese to the shrimp mixture and stirred it in.

Place the pasta in the bowls and spoon shrimp/sauce mixture over. Add another nice helping of cheese to the top and tada - drunken shrimp pasta.

Oh yeah and I think in the midst of the sauce simmering I may have thrown in the what was left of the red wine in my wine glass...I say try it or throw in a touch more vodka. This would be excellent w/ a nice salad and some crunchy garlic bread - which of course I had neither of...

Gym insprired meal...

2008-02-20T08:04:00.000-08:00

While I was working out at the gym, I was flipping through the channels and stopped on the Food Network. Rachel Ray was of course on making one of her 30 minute meals. Normally what she makes on this show doesn't do anything for me, but this one she was making the recipe below and it intrigued me. My changes are in parentheses.

Middle Eastern Chicken with Cous Cous (Moroccan Chicken w/ Cous Cous)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it (maybe a 1 tbsp. of oil)
1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, grated or chopped (4-5 cloves of garlic chopped)
1 cup shredded carrots (I also added chopped celery b/c it was in my fridge)
1 fresh bay leaf
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (at least 2 tsps. of hot Hungarian paprika)
1 teaspoon ground cumin (at least 2 tsps. of cumin)
1 teaspoon coriander (at least 2 tsps. of coriander seeds - crushed in moral and pestle)
Pinch ground cinnamon (couple dashes of cinnamon)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup chopped dried fruits - pick 1 or combine: figs, pitted dates, apricots, sultanas (I used 2 boxes of golden raisins, 10 sliced dried apricots and prunes)
1 lemon, zested and juiced
3/4 cup pitted mixed olives, chopped (no olives per John...boooo)
4 cups chicken stock, divided
2 tablespoons butter (½ tbsp. of butter)
3 tablespoons pine nuts (didn't measure the amount)
1/4 cup slivered or sliced almonds (added chopped walnuts instead of almonds)
1 ½ cups couscous

Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil ripples add the chicken and brown 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Add the onions, garlic, carrots, bay leaf and season with spices, salt and pepper, cook 5 to 6 minutes. Stir the fruits into the chicken and vegetables, add the zest of the lemon, olives and 2 ½ cups of stock. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes more. Sprinkle with lemon juice and turn off heat. Remove bay leaf.

While chicken simmers, melt butter in a sauce pot over medium heat. Add nuts and lightly toast for a couple of minutes. Add 1 ½ cups stock and bring up to a boil then stir in couscous. Cover and let stand 5 minutes.

Serve chicken over couscous, or vice versa.

This dish came out excellent, it had good flavor combinations and John even though he was scared of it at first, he enjoyed it. I would definitely add the olives for a nice salty contrast against the dried fruit, which the next time I make this I would add the olives to my own dish. Also I wouldn't use the prunes again, I would use figs. The prunes were good, but kinda had a bitter taste.

Other than my changes...this actually was a pretty quick dish to make, so my kudos to Rachael Ray on one of her recipes.

Another bad buffet experience, fried seafood heaven, and indian for u?

2008-02-12T13:22:00.000-08:00

So on Saturday night (technically Sunday morning), I ended up at the breakfast buffet at Harrah's Casino in downtown New Orleans. I would like to first say the next day no one could remember exactly how or why we ended up there, but we did...Also I would like to preface that it was Amy's birthday and drunkness had ensued and it was about 4 in the morning. Anyways...this was the worse buffet I ever have seen at a casino. It had limited offerings and nothing was looking that good, considering how big the buffet is normally, it really could have been expanded. Now granted it was 4 in the morning, but still people are sitting in there gambling, maybe they want some good food or they are passing through and don't want to eat a Lucky Dog in the French Quarter. Anyways...apparently I decided to eat something because someone (Thank you Richard) paid my way. Let me tell you I was regretting in the morning when my nausea and stomach problems began. Be warned though, if your ever in Harrah's DO NOT pay the $12.00 for the breakfast buffet...and if its late nite, your better off wandering into the Quarter to find something.

Eventually we motivated and decided to get lunch somewhere, Richard suggested Deanie's in Bucktown, in effort not to think too much that is where we decided to go. What a treat when I opened up the menu and it was full of seafood delights. The meal started out with the complimentary boiled red potatoes, which were excellent because they had just been boiled in the seafood boil, which is a spicy mix of seasonings and sometimes liquid crab boil.

The hardest part was trying to decide what to order...do you want fried goodness (thanks to Amy for that quote), boiled seafood, or another seafood creation. I decided on their seafood and okra gumbo and a shrimp po-boy (which in the end all but one bite and few shrimp ended up going home to the boyfriend). Amy ordered a seafood platter, which was at least a foot tall tower of french fries, fried oysters, shrimp, and catfish. The batter here is very good - light and crispy and not oily at all which is a bug plus. I couldn't do a lot of it, but I had a catfish strip and it was tasty. We also had a side of crawfish dressing balls...these little nuggets of heaven, is a spicy dressing with crawfish tails mixed in shaped into balls and deep fried....it might not sound appetizing, but they are soooo good. Other than it being freezing cold in there b/c of the a/c, this was a great experience. The food was excellent, service could have been better, but they were slammed with large parties. All and all, I really sampled a few things, which was the best way to do it, and I recommend if you have a large party, just order one of the big platters and split it.

Sunday evening rolled around eventually, my hung-over self and John's flu-infected self decided we should probably have dinner. Neither of in the mood to cook and with no leftovers in the fridge...we looked at our take-out options and decided on the new Indian joint around the corner called, Indian 4 U. He got the Butter Chicken and I got Chole Masala (chick peas, potatoes, tomatoes, and spices) and again they did not disappoint. This was the third time we have ordered from them and the food has been consistently good. Not as good as it was when it was home-cooked in law school days, but pretty good for restaurant food. They don't skimp on the spices, which is evident by the large amounts of cardamon, bay leaf, cinnamon sticks, etc. I have found in my meals. We ordered the roti, which is very fresh and hot. John finally got to experience what real roti is like, versus the frozen kind I by from the Indian market. I wasn't too impressed with their raita, which for me was too runny. I like the yogurt thicker and with more spice. Another aspect of this restaurant that I enjoy is that they will adjust the heat level on your dish accordingly. I asked for mine medium and it certainly was more spicy than John's mild. Hopefully, Indian 4 U survives on the northshore...we do not have much diversity when it comes to ethnic restaurants here, so it is nice to have a good one right around the corner.

Chain Restaurants and Buffets

2008-02-06T12:29:00.000-08:00

I just got back from a race weekend in College Station, Texas (which is about hour and half outside of Houston), and the food scene there was depressing. I did my normal research before I went and I was on a mission to find good mexican food. However, I relinquished my control to a friend's family member to find us a good place to eat...bad idea on my part...we ended up at a glorified On the Border(i.e. some of the tastiest chain mexican around), and honestly I think the food is better at On the Border. But this whole experience has made start to think...in a place at like College Station, where almost every restaurant seemed to be a chain, where are these college kids getting any food culture? Granted they are in college, but when I was in college all I ate at was quality restaurants and experienced different cuisines...in college I got my first tastes of indian, vietnamese, and thai. All of which I now love and crave on a regular basis.
Not to look down upon those with limited cuisine experience or those think that going to a chain is "authentic" cuisine, but I think its each persons own personal duty to get out there and try those hole-in-the-wall establishments and to expand your palate a bit. I have found more and more people who are afraid of trying new things...whether its trying a random restaurant or eating a new ethnic cuisine. What makes some of us adventurous and others want to eat the same thing every day?
I get so excited now when I see a small child eating sushi with chopsticks. It gives me hope that maybe if parents are raising their children at an early age to eat something other than an hamburger, they will continue to experiment with food for the rest of the their lives.

I went to have lunch at what is suppose to be an excellent Indian Restaurant (properly called India's in Baton Rouge). To my dismay though, for lunch all they served was a buffet. I didn't know this when I was seated until the hostess asked me what I wanted to drink and to enjoy the buffet. I am probably one of the most anti-buffet people you may ever meet. First off the whole concept of a buffet is gross...food is cooked in large quantities and is placed in little heated bins in which looks like a feeding trough. People are constantly circling like birds of prey waiting to dig in. I digress, I was on a time table to get back to a deposition, so I decided to go for it. The buffet itself had vegetarian and non-veggie options, along with an array of indian accompaniments - such as naan, raita, pickled veggies, and chutneys. To be honest, the food itself was pretty good, but I would have enjoyed my dining experience there ten times more if I could have ordered a normal meal. Just going up to the buffet and looking at the food under the fluorescent lights makes it look unappetizing. Another problem I have is that at buffets it seems like butter and oil is used far more heavily than in normal meals. Also I was disappointed in the non-veggies options - they only offered chicken curry, chicken tikka, and some meatball dish. First off, being a staunch italian I don't eat anything other type of meatball in sauce other than mine and my mom's. I know the other chicken dishes are new-to-indian friendly...however I think they should put out one more or replace one with something a bit more exotic. The veggie options were varied, except the lentil dish looked like lentils swimming in 8 gallons of oil; didn't eat that one. I was amazed to find the cilantro chutney was actually spicy and some of the other dishes were as well. The staff and owner were incredibly and if friendly and I think I ever was around for dinner I would go back. However, as far as lunch goes...unless I am given a non-buffet option I wouldn't go back. Maybe its just me and I am freak, but I left feeling sick to my stomach watching those other birds of prey circling around the buffet table waiting to go in for their fill.

An Attempt At Pho

2008-01-31T20:23:00.000-08:00

I fell in love with this Vietnamese noodle soup back in my Buffalo days and it became a steady part of my diet as well as my roommates in law school. However, now pho is hard to come by and driving to the Westbank isn't an option when the craving hits. So here is what I did the other nite:

Broth (I made this the nite before I ate the actual meal)

1 can of beef broth (2 cans full of water)
Pieces of steak (I used what I cleaned off the steak - essentially the fatty parts)
4 star anise
cinnamon
clove
salt
onion - roughly copped into large sections
1/2 inch piece of ginger thickly sliced

Directions:
In a stock pot, add onions and ginger - when both begin to brown, add meat pieces. Saute for a minute or two. Add broth, water, and spices - bring to a boil and then lower and let simmer for at least an hour.

Other Ingredients:
Rice Noodles
Steak or other choice of meat

Accompaniments:
Cilantro
Hoisin Sauce
Siracha Sauce
Bean Sprouts
Sliced chili
Wedges of Lime
scallions

If you can find it: thai basil

I chilled my broth and when I went to use it the next day, I removed the large fat bubbles and then began to heat up the broth. While the broth heats, cook your rice noodles. Next thinly slice your choice of meat - to achieve this easily, place the meat in the freezer for 10-20 minutes.

Now, as my broth heated up, I added some bok choy to it. This isn't what you get with traditional pho, but I wanted to add some veggies to the mix. Once the broth is brought to high simmer and your noodles are cooked. Place noodles in a boil, then the meat, then ladle the broth over the mixture and watch the meat cook!!

Then add the above accompaniments in whatever quantity you like. Wasn't the best pho I ever had in the world, but it satisfied the craving.

I know its been awhile...so i give warming chicken soup

2008-01-27T15:46:00.000-08:00

Sorry its been so long since my last post...this whole having a legal gig is taking up a lot of my time. Anywho...my goal is to make more of an effort to get stuff up here. Today I made, what hopefully will be a tasty and warming chicken soup. I used a rotesserie chicken from grocery as my base, way easier and less time consuming than dealing with the raw chicken.

Sunday Six Chicken Soup (I was feeling even numbers today)

1 whole rotesserie chicken
6 stalks of celery chopped
1 whole onion chopped
6 carrots chopped
6 cloves of garlic chopped
Chicken broth, water, or I made a quick stock from the chicken carcass (enough to cover the ingredients well)
Spinach (as much as you like)
1 can of white beans
Salt, pepper, thyme, and a pinch of rosemary

Directions:
Take all the meat off the chicken and set aside. Chop all the veggies except the spinach and put into a stock pot. Saute them if you like in butter or olive oil, I used cooking spray. Once they become fragrant, add the spinach (I used fresh baby spinach), then the stock and chopped up chicken meat (about 1/2 of the meat on the rotesserie chicken, save the rest for another use). Add spices, then allow it to come to a boil. Then lower and allow it to simmer for a couple of hours. You probably don't have to simmer it this long, but I like to if I have the time.

Now, the question is do you add some small noodles or perhaps dumplings or maybe nothing...I'll let you know what the decision is later.

Late nite pasta rescue

2007-11-26T16:23:00.001-08:00

Last nite John and I attempted to go out and have a nice dinner...well apparently that is really hard to do around here at 9:00pm on a Sunday night. So after trying to go to 4 restaurants, we decided that I would whip up a quick sauce for some Italian sausage stuffed tortellini (I brought them back from Wegmans...god I miss shopping there). So, considering we were in a pinch for time...this is what I did:

Spinach and Tomato Blush Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 onion sliced
6 cloves of garlic chopped
1 can or in my case box of chopped tomatoes (mine had herbs in it, but u don't need that particular kind)
1 bag of fresh or frozen spinach
1 cup (give or take) of half and half (I used a light version)
1/2 chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste (I put in a dash of red pepper flakes too)
Fresh parsley and oregano (if you don't have fresh use dried versions and crush them in your hands, add to sauce just before serving)
4 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Spray pan w/ olive oil to saute onions in, saute till fragrant, add tomatoes, then spinach and garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste. Allow spinach to wilt or cook, then add the chicken broth and simmer for a few minutes. Next add the cream and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Next add the cheese and herbs, stir into sauce, and pull off heat. Enjoy over your favorite pasta. We served this with garlic bread, which tasted awesome when you slopped up the sauce with it.

Improving with Pork Tenderloin

2007-11-18T19:10:00.001-08:00

I asked John the other night what he wanted for dinner and the response I got was garlic mashed potatoes...so as I roamed around the grocery store trying to decide between chicken or pork...but then realizing I didn't have a lot of time on my hands to make stuffed chicken breasts, I decided on pork tenderloin. After bringing it home, I brainstormed on what to do with it and this is what I came up with:

Crusted Pork Tenderloin

- Honey mustard
- chopped garlic
- thyme
- salt and pepper
- bread crumbs
- pecorino romano cheese
- chicken broth
- sherry
- 2 onions quartered

Directions:
My oven was already pre-heated to 450, because I was roasting garlic for the mashed potatoes, so I just used this temperature, but you could roast the pork on a lower temperature. I coated the pork first with the honey mustard, then garlic, thyme, and salt and pepper. Next I pressed the breadcrumbs onto the top and sides of the pork and then cheese. I placed in a roasting pan, surrounded it with the onions, then added about a 1/2 cup of sherry and about 1 can of chicken broth. To be honest I probably roasted the pork for about a half-hour, but it was 3 lbs. So cooking times can vary.

I served the pork with roasted garlic mashed potatoes. I made the potatoes low-cal, by using chicken broth instead of milk for the liquid, and barely added butter. Believe it or not, they still came out great, and my fat-loving boyfriend even loves them. I also added a side of peas, cooked the way my family does them...which is saute onions and garlic in olive oil, add salt and pepper, then add the peas (bag of frozen ones), add more salt and pepper to taste. This is my absolute favorite and only way to have peas. Hence, the funny little picture that went with this post:)

Healthy Pizza and Chicken Tenders

2007-11-14T09:35:00.000-08:00

Being a girl from western new york originally, I LOVE good pizza and chicken wings. However, living in Louisiana doesn't really allow one to enjoy such things, so we improvise. Yes there are a few good pizza places, but none of them have chicken wings...which I don't understand, but that is a rant for another day. So my craving for pizza and wings hit, and I decided to modify it a bit to make it healthy and a lot less caloric than what you get from a place in Rochester. Due to lack of time, I used a pre-made whole wheat pizza crust from Whole Foods, but at some point I am going to make my own dough.

Roasted Red Pepper and Sausage Pizza

Ingredients:
1 Pizza Crust
1/4 of onion chopped and divided
4 cloves of garlic chopped and divided
2 large handfuls of roasted red peppers
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive oil
1 tablespoon of pine nuts
Fresh oregano and parsley
Handful of sun-dried tomatoes chopped
2 links of Italian sausage
Mozzarella cheese or cheese of your choice (enough to cover pizza)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to desired temperature on crust package. Cook sausage in frying pan either whole (which then later dice up) or remove sausage from casings and crumble.
In either in a food processor or blender, add the half of the onions, garlic, roasted red peppers, couple of swirls of olive oil and vinegar, fresh herbs, pine nuts, and blender until a sauce is made. Check for flavor, add salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar if needed.
Spoon out the sauce onto the pizza shell, covering completely. Spread cooked sausage and tomatoes evenly around the shell, and the cover with the cheese. Bake for recommended time.

Baked Chicken Fingers

Ingredients:

Package of chicken tenders (raw)
Panko breadcrumbs
seasoning of your choice - I used salt, pepper, creole, and some hot paprika

Directions:

I used the oven temperature my pizza needed to cook at which was 450.
Add seasonings to panko breadcrumbs and roll each chicken tender in the breadcrumbs and place on a cookie sheet. Place in oven and cook until tenders are done.
I served these with blue cheese dressing, hot sauce, and BBQ sauce.

What to do when you mess up acorn squash

2007-11-09T12:09:00.000-08:00

So the other day I went to make stuffed acorn squash...well I decided to try another method of cooking the squash than my usual one of splitting them in half and roasting them cut-side up. Instead I placed them cut-side down on in a roasting pan with 1/4 inch of water in it and well when they came out of the oven, they were just too mushy for my taste to try to stuff. So I came up with the idea to make an Acorn Squash Casserole of Sorts...so here it goes

Christina's I Messed Up Cooking the Acorn Squash Casserole

2 acorn squash (split and de-seeded)

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Place each half cut side down in roasting pan with about 1/4 inch of water and put in the oven for 1 hour.

While the squash is cooking you'll need:

1 pound of turkey breakfast sausage (or pork sausage or ground turkey meat)
1 granny smith apple - chopped
5 celery stalks - chopped
1/2 onion diced
5 cloves of garlic chopped
Can of chicken broth
Dried thyme, sage, cinnamon, and a dash of ground cloves
Maple syrup (4 drizzles around the pan)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 box of stove top stuffing

In a large pan add the turkey sausage and begin to crumble it up as it cooks. While it is cooking add the celery, onion, and garlic and a bit of chicken broth. Once the turkey is cooked and the veggies are soft, add the dried spices (probably about a teaspoon or so of each), but check for your own taste preferences. Then add the apple and the maple syrup and simmer until almost all of the liquid has evaporated from the pan. Place the stuffing mixture into a bowl or leave in the pan.

Cook the stove top stuffing using chicken broth instead of water, and not adding the butter to it.

Once the squash has cooled, scoop out the flesh or peel off the skin, and put it into a 8x8 casserole dish. Add 1/2 tablespoon of butter and salt, pepper, and garlic powder to the squash, then add the stuffing mixture, and next top it all off with the stove top stuffing mix. Place it in an oven set to 400 degrees and cook until the stuffing is looking crunchy.

This actually came out incredibly well. Its a great fall dish, and really you can put anything into the stuffing. Next time I was thinking maybe alternating layers of the squash and stuffing or adding craisins to the stuffing, or nuts to either the squash or stuffing...any who this was a cooking mistake that turned out to become a pretty damn good dish. Give it a try!

Black Bean Soup and Montecristos

2007-11-09T11:10:00.000-08:00

I was at the gym a few weeks ago, and while doing my cardio workout, I flipped to the Food Network to see what was on. Low and behold it was 30 minute meals, and Ms. Ray was actually making something worthwhile to me...a black bean "stoup" (she has such stupid sayings for things) and southwestern monte cristo sandwich. So this episode of 30 minute meals became the basis for Monday night's dinner...

Black Bean SOUP (Feeds 2)

Dash of olive oil
1/2 onion chopped
3 ribs of celery chopped
4 cloves of garlic chopped
1/2 red bell pepper chopped
1 chipotle pepper (i used this to give the soup some heat, and a bit of a smoky flavor)
1 can of black beans
1 cup of salsa
3 cups of chicken broth
Cumin, chili powder to taste
salt and pepper to taste
sour cream
3 green onions chopped
fresh cilantro chopped

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a medium sauce pan, add onion, celery, and garlic saute till fragrant. Add spices. Then add the bell and chipotle peppers and saute for 1 minute. Next add the beans and salsa. Smash the beans with a kitchen weapon of your choice, I used a tool for mashing potatoes. Smash until about 1/2 the beans are broken down. Then add the chicken broth and additional spices if necessary and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so it simmers. While the soup is simmering...

Monte Cristos for 2

4 slices of wheat bread (or white doesn't matter)
Pepper jelly
Deli turkey
Pepper jack cheese
1 egg beaten with a splash of milk and a dash of salt and pepper in a shallow dish

Directions:
Cover all 4 slices of bread with a layer of the pepper jelly, then add as much or as little turkey as you would like, then the cheese on two of the slices, then cover with the remaining two. Place sandwich in the egg, then flip it to coat the other side with egg, put the sandwich onto a hot griddle or pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Once it has browned, turn it over and cook the other side. I covered these while they cooked to ensure that the cheese melted.

Once done I placed each sandwich on a plate, along with the Black Bean Soup which was finished by adding...fresh scallions, cilantro, and sour cream to each individual bowl.

This was a great hearty and healthy meal. And it was my first ever montecristo like sandwich, which before now I was very skeptical of a sandwich dipped and egg, but now I'm hooked.

Pictures soon to come:)

Thai-inspired Fish

2007-11-06T09:54:00.000-08:00

I apologize that it has been a week since I wrote an entry...it has been one hell of a busy week. My parents flew in on Wednesday night, Thursday I was sworn in and partied all day, the weekend just flew by. Friday nite I made another version of shrimp and grits for my parents. However, this time I used red swiss chard, a can of crushed tomatoes, light half and half, and put jalapeno cheese into the grits. Again, it came out superb and was loved by all. My only complaint was that the grits needed some more cheese or salt.

Last night I used this recipe from Cooking Light for a quick and tasty dinner (my changes on inside the parentheses):

Broiled Tilapia with Thai Coconut-Curry Sauce

Ingredients
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil, divided
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger (teaspoon of ginger paste)
2 garlic cloves, minced (3 cloves instead of 2)
1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper ( 1/2 of large pepper)
1 cup chopped green onions (3 green onions)
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoons red curry paste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (1 teaspoon)
4 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
Cooking spray
3 cups hot cooked basmati rice (Jasmine rice - goes better with the sauce I think)
4 lime wedges

Preparation:
Preheat broiler.
Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add pepper and onions; cook 1 minute. Stir in curry powder, curry paste, and cumin; cook 1 minute. Add soy sauce, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and coconut milk; bring to a simmer (do not boil). Remove from heat; stir in cilantro.
Brush fish with 1/2 teaspoon oil; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Broil 7 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve fish with sauce, rice, and lime wedges.

I served this dish with broiled asparagus, which I put on the bottom shelf while the fish was on the top shelf of the oven. I seasoned the asparagus with ginger and curry powder, salt, pepper, a dash of teriyaki sauce, and a dash of sesame oil. The sesame oil complimented the asparagus, and the flavors went well with the rest of the dish. I have also made this dish before, but served it with broccoli...I think I prefer the asparagus as a side better.

Stuffed Eggplant

2007-10-29T13:20:00.000-07:00

I bought these beautiful green eggplants from the market earlier in the week, and I wanted to do something different with them. I remembered that last summer, I stuffed eggplant with crab and shrimp and they were a hit. So this time I decided to do a different kind of stuffed eggplant - using what I had on hand already in the freezer and pantry. This recipe fed John and I perfectly, however increasing it to feed more shouldn't be a problem.

Sausage and Veggie Stuffed Eggplant
2 small, plump eggplants
2 links of Italian sausage - squeezed out of the casings (I used hot sausage, but whatever you prefer)
1 small onion chopped
6 cloves of garlic chopped
1/2 chopped roasted red peppers
1/4 chopped sun dried tomatoes
1 cup chopped arugula
As much fresh oregano, parsley, and basil as you wish
Enough breadcrumbs to make a sufficient stuffing (I used panko breadcrumbs, because they are a bit denser and they lend to a crispier topping)
Cheese of your choice ( I used shredded mozzarella in the stuffing and put Parmesan on the top)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 425, while oven is pre-heating, cut the eggplants in half length-wise and score the cut side with a knife. Spray or rub with olive oil. Place on cookie sheet or directly on the rack cut-side up for 10 minutes. Then turn eggplant halves over and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.

While eggplants are cooking and cooling, I crumbled the sausage in a small pan, once it started to cook, I added the onions and garlic to it. Cook the sausage until it is fully done. Pour sausage mixture into a bowl. Add the rest of ingredients through fresh herbs to the sausage mixture. Once the eggplant has cooled, scoop the flesh out, leaving just a little bit to hold the shape of the eggplant shell. Chop the eggplant pulp and add to mixture. Then add breadcrumbs and cheese until you have a stuffing-like mix. Then place stuffing into the eggplant shells, top with breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Place in the oven at 350 and cook until the tops are brown.

This came out looking so pretty...I think next time I might use feta inside of mozzarella, because the mozzarella seemed to get a little lost within everything else. Other than this idea turned recipe is a keeper.

Run Down of This Weekend

2007-10-21T18:53:00.000-07:00

This weekend didn't go exactly the way I had thought it was going to go food wise...but hey that's okay. Saturday ended up being a good day at the local Farmer's Market - I ended up with peppers, 2 green eggplants, lemon grass, and some odd type of butternut squash. Saturday nite we ended up being at home for dinner and the day before I had a craving for some shrimp and grits...so I started to look to see what I could throw together from the veggies I had to make a more "nutritious" meal. I had turnip greens that were beginning to wilt and some leftover arugula from earlier in the week (other Farmer's Market purchases from Tuesday). So anyways here is what I came up with

My Twist on Shrimp and Grits

1 lb. of shrimp (uncooked, peeled and cleaned)
1/2 onion chopped
3 small bell peppers chopped
5 cloves of garlic chopped
turnip greens
arugula
1 tbs. butter
thyme, salt, pepper, cajun seasoning to taste
fresh parsley
1/2 heavy cream
grits (I use quick cooking)

**Sidenote** When I made this I had planned on adding either sherry or white wine to the sauce as well...but we started to drink some bubbly and I forgot, but personally I think either would go really well in the sauce.

Directions:
Melt butter in pan with onions, garlic - saute till fragrant. Add peppers and saute until they begin to soften. Next add the greens (anything other type of green will do I just added what I had on hand). Season with salt, pepper, cajun seasonings, and thyme. Once greens have cooked down add the heavy cream and the shrimp. While shrimp cooks, cook the grits. I usually add salt and a bit of milk to the water. Once grits are cooked, add fresh parsley to the shrimp and simmer for a minute or two. Serve shrimp over the grits.

My sole reviewer on this dish, saw and said, "I have never seen shrimp and grits that looked like this before." He was a bit hesitant on the greens, but...in the end the boy was licking his plate...need I say more?

Sunday was a lazy day, but one thing I knew that I wanted to get done was something to eat for lunch this week. I decided to make a roasted butternut squash soup. This ended up being way more easier in preparation due to shortcut, however, this short but may not be available to everyone so this soup could be a bit more labor-intensive. My shortcut is this great mix of onions, celery, green and red bell peppers already pre-chopped and ready to go for any meal. You can find this mix in either the produce section or frozen in the grocery stores in Louisiana, however I had never seen this mix like this anywhere before being here. Regardless...this is a good for you soup and has a great flavor.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

3 small butternut squashes
cooking spray
1 onion chopped
3 cloves of garlic chopped
3 stalks of celery chopped
1 bell pepper green and red chopped
2 cans of chicken broth
1 can of white beans
Curry powder, cinnamon, ground cloves, sugar, salt and pepper to taste
Swirl of maple syrup

Directions:
First thing first, pre-heat oven to 425 and cut your squash in half and de-seed. Spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook until fork tender. Once cooked, pull out the squash and set them aside until they are cool, then scoop out the squash into a bowl and put aside.

In a soup pot, add all the veggies and a bit of chicken broth to saute. Once veggies begin to soften, add the squash, remaining chicken broth, and beans. Allow this to simmer for a few minutes. Then in batches puree the soup in a blender or food processor. Once the soup is pureed, add the maple syrup, and the above spices to taste.

I thought the beans added a great texture to the soup, while also adding protein and fiber. This is a healthy, very fall-like tasting soup.