Pasta Tomato Sauce

This pasta sauce can be made meatless if you wish. I made it with extra-lean ground beef (you could use ground turkey or chicken as well). I served it over whole wheat rotini pasta, with a generous sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan cheese. Add a side salad and you've got a healthy, balanced meal. This recipe makes about 5 litres of sauce.


Ingredients:

2 tbsps olive oil
1 lb extra lean ground beef, chicken or turkey (if using)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
2 cans (28 oz each) Italian-style plum tomatoes in puree, diced (if using whole canned tomatoes, just pour the contents of the can into a dish and use a pair of scissors to chop them into about 1 inch pieces)
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
3 heaping tbsps tomato paste
2 tbsps red wine or red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 tsp dried chili peppers
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

1. In large dutch oven or saucepot, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add ground meat and break up with a fork. Stir and cook until about almost done and meat is just slightly pink. Add onion and cook until tender and golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, about 1 minute.

2. Add tomatoes with puree, chicken broth, salt, and pepper to meat mixture; heat to boiling over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium. Add tomato paste and red wine & stir to incorporate; cover and cook five minutes. Add chili peppers & basil; reduce temperature to low and cook, partially covered for one hour, stirring occasionally.

Tiramisu

I made Tiramisu tonight, because I need it for a birthday lunch on the weekend and it is better if it sits in the fridge for a day! It is a very rich, sweet & delicious desert that is a favourite in Italy. Tiramisu means "pick me up." A little goes a long way with this desert, which is loaded with calories!!

Ingredients:

1 cup freshly brewed, very strong espresso coffee
3 tbsps brandy or rum
2 tbsps plus 1/2 cup sugar
24 crisp Italian ladyfingers (soviardi)
1/2 cup milk
1 container (500 grams or 16 to 17 oz) mascarpone cheese
3/4 cup heavy or whipping cream
unsweetened cocoa
rasberries, strawberries or blackberries for garnish

1. In bowl stir espresso, brandy and 2 tbsps of the sugar until sugar has dissolved; cool to room temperature. Dip both sides of 12 of the lady fingers into coffee mixture, one at a time, to soak completely (you only need a few seconds on each side as they soak up the coffee very quickly); arrange in a single layer in a 8 inch square corningware pot or baking dish. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa, evenly, over the ladyfingers.
2. In large bowl, stir milk and remaining 1/2 cup sugar until sugar has dissolved. Beat in mascarpone until blended.
3. In small bowl, with mixer at high speed, beat cream until soft peaks form (chilling the bowl and the beaters first helps this process along). With rubber spatula, gently fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture until blended. Spread half of the mixture over the ladyfingers in the baking dish. Sprinkle another tsp of cocoa evenly over the cheese mixture.
4. Dip remaining 12 ladyfingers into coffee mixture and arrange on top of mascarpone mixture in baking dish. Sprinkle another tsp of cocoa over the ladyfingers. Spread with remaining mascarpone mixture & sprinkle top liberally with cocoa. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. To serve, cut into squares and spoon into goblets or desert dishes. Garnish with your choice of berries.

Cranberry Chicken Curry with Roasted Vegetables

This is a variation of a recipe found in a great cookbook that I bought recently, called "The Eat Clean Diet Cookbook". You can find more information on this book & the author, Tosca Reno, at www.eatcleandiet.com or www.toscareno.com -- No, I am not on a diet, but this book is more about a lifestyle, rather than depriving yourself of healthy, wholesome food. The original recipe called for skinless, boneless chicken breasts, but I used chicken thighs with the bone in and skin on---I just browned the chicken first, removed the skin and then put it in the marinade. I found the chicken thighs were juicier ( I tried the skinless breast version but did not like it). The original recipe called for dried apricots, but I used dried cranberries--only because that was what I had on hand and I knew they would make a great alternative. Also, instead of "garam masala", which is a blend of dry roasted spices often used in Pakistani/Indian cuisine, I used a combination of cumin and hot dried chili peppers. This recipe is for 3 servings but can easily be doubled.

Ingredients for cranberry chicken curry:

6 chicken thighs, bone in and skin on
1tsp cumin
1 tsp dried chili peppers
1, one inch piece fresh ginger root, grated
2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon or lime juice
1/2 cup dried cranberries (or apricots--if using apricots, chop them into thirds)
1/3 cup low fat, low sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp olive oil
1 sweet onion, finely sliced
6 tbsps medium salsa
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Ingredients for roasted vegetables:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed and chopped
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped into one inch pieces
1 sweet potato (yam), sliced into one inch rings and then quartered
1 large red sweet pepper, thinly sliced
1 bunch of broccoli, flowerets cut off & stalks peeled and sliced
1/2 red onion, cut into large chunks

Preparation for chicken:

1. In a large skillet, brown chicken well over medium heat, turning once. Remove skin & discard. Dispose of pan drippings.
2. Prepare marinade of chili peppers, cumin, ginger root, garlic, orange juice and lemon or lime juice. Place chicken in marinade, cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours.
3. In a separate bowl, cover dried cranberries (or apricots) with water & soak for 2 hours. Drain.
4. Preheat oven to 350F. Coat a shallow casserole dish with olive oil. Layer onions and cranberries (0r apricots) on the bottom. Remove chicken from marinade and place, bone side down, over onions and cranberries. Pour marinade and chicken stock over top of the chicken. Spoon one tbsp of salsa over each piece of chicken. Season with sea salt and pepper. Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Remove cover and bake for a further 15 minutes.

Preparation for roasted vegetables:

1. In a medium sized shallow roasting pan, drizzle olive oil across the bottom. Add garlic and vegetables, including onions. Do NOT cover. Place in the same 350F oven with the chicken and roast for one hour, tossing gently once after 30 minutes.

Ciambotta

I have been very busy and neglecting my blog! Today it is cold and rainy outside and I decided that this recipe would warm us & it sure did the trick---my husband loved it! The ingredients for Ciambotta can be varied according to what you have on hand and the flavours you prefer. It is a vegetable stew and I added beans to mine to increase the fibre and protein content.I added baby spinach to increase the iron content. I also added chili peppers to "heat" it up a bit. You can serve it with some crusty italian bread or any bread of your choice.This recipe makes 6 accompaniment servings or 3 main meal servings. It is also vegan!

Ingredients:

3 tbsps olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 red peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 1/2 pounds zucchini (3 medium), cut lengthwise in half, then into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes (3 medium), peeled, seeded and chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp dried chili peppers (or more to taste)
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 can (16 oz) mixed beans: kidney; white and chickpea
2 cups baby spinach

1. In non-reactive 12 inch skillet, heat 2 tbsp oil over medium heat. Add onion & garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add red peppers and cook, stirring frequently, until red peppers are tender-crisp, about 5 minutes longer.
2. Add remaining 1 tbsp oil and zucchini; cook, stirring, until zucchini are tender-crisp, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, chili peppers; spinach and canned beans; heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in basil.

Strawberries in Anice

This is a quick and easy recipe and is a nice sweet finish to a heavy meal! You can do the same with any fruit salad to zing it up a bit! This recipe makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

1 pint strawberries, hulled and cut in half
2 tbsps Anice liqueur
1 tsp sugar
juice of half a lemon

In small bowl stir Anice liqueur, sugar and lemon juice together until sugar has dissolved. Divide strawberries among four glass serving bowls & pour liqueur mixture over fruit, tossing very gently.

Roman Artichokes

Artichokes require a bit of preparation and a lot of cooking time! I varied the recipe by using chicken broth instead of water and lemon juice instead of white wine. They were quite tasty & my husband, who grew up eating artichokes, absolutely loved them! This is a classic dish called "carciofi alla romana". This recipe is for 8 first course servings. I reduced it in half and it worked well. I served these with roasted salmon fillets and roasted red peppers with onions.

Ingredients:

8 medium artichokes
1 large lemon, cut in half
1/4 cup extravirgin olive oil
6 large mint sprigs, plus 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, chopped (I am not a big mint person, so I didn't use mint, but I did add about a tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley)
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups water or 2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1/2 cup dry white wine or the juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt (or less)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper (or more)

1. Trim artichokes: Bend back outer green leaves from around the base of artichoke and snap off. With kitchen shears, trim thorny tops from remaining outer leaves, rubbing all cut surfaces with lemon half to prevent browning. Lay artichoke on its side and cut off stem level with bottom of artichoke. Peel stem; place in bowl of cold water and juice of remaining lemon half. Cut 1 inch off top of artichoke; add artichoke to lemon water. Repeat with remaining artichokes.

2. In non-reactive 8 quart saucepot, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add mint (or parsely--depending on what you are using) and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, 3 minutes. Add water (or chicken/veggie broth if using), wine (or lemon juice if using), salt & pepper; heat to boiling over high heat.

3. Reduce heat to medium. Place artichokes, stem sides down, and stems in boiling liquid in saucepot. Cover and cook until knife inserted in bottom of artichokes goes in easily, 30 to 40 minutes.

4. Transfer the artichokes and some of the cooking liquid into 8 shallow soup bowls; serve warm or cool to room temperature. Sprinkle with remaining chopped mint, if using.

Classic Lasagna with Meat Sauce

This recipe is a variation of one from Good Housekeeping's 100 Best Italian Recipes. You can make the sauce meatless if you prefer. I used fresh lasagna noodles from a local Italian grocery store and I would recommend you do the same. They are made from 100% durum semolina flour. This flour is an excellent source of protein. Two sheets of this pasta have 14 grams of protein. To calculate your own protein needs, you should multiply your body weight in kilos by .8 to get the number of grams of protein you should be eating per day. For instance, a person who weighs 50 kilos should get about 40 grams of protein per day. You do not have to boil this lasagna and it melts in your mouth! The noodles expand in the pan while cooking, so leave some space at the side of the pan when placing the noodles. The sheets of lasagna I used were about 6 inches wide, uncooked. Once cooked they expanded to about 9 inches wide. I also used jalapeno & red chili peppers to spice it up and that is optional, depending on your taste for heat. Also, I am not a big fan of mozarella cheese (unless it is fresh buffalo mozarella, but you wouldn't hide that in a lasagna), so I doubled the amount of parmesan and didn't use mozarella. You can make this dish a day ahead & refrigerate before cooking it. In this case you should add about 15 minutes to the cooking time.

Ingredients:

Meat Sauce:
2 tbsps olive oil
1 lb lean ground beef (or veal or chicken or turkey)
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cans (28 oz each) diced tomatoes & their juice
4 tbsps tomatoe paste
1/2 tsp salt (or less)
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
2 tbsps chopped fresh basil leaves (or 1 tbsp dried)
2 tsps dried red chili peppers
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped

Cheese filling:
1 large egg
1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 container (16 oz) light ricotta cheese (5% milk fat)
4 oz part-skim mozarella cheese, shredded (1 cup)--if using
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (double this if not using the mozarella)
1 package fresh, no boil, lasagna noodles (6 noodles about 6 inches in width)

1. Prepare sauce: Heat large heavy bottomed saucepan over medium high heat. Add olive oil and ground meat (if using) and cooking, stirring & breaking up with a fork, about 2 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally & continuing to break up meat, until meat is browned and onion is tender. Add garlic & jalapeno and cook about 1 minute.
2. Stir in tomatoes with their juice, tomato paste, red chili peppers and salt & ground pepper; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Stir in basil.
3. Meanwhile, prepare filling. In medium bowl, mix egg, pepper, ricotta, 1/2 cup of the mozarella, and 1/2 cup of the parmesan until blended.
4. Preheat oven to 375F. In 13 x 9 inch glass baking dish, evenly spread 2 cups of sauce. Arrange one noodle over sauce ( noodles will expand while cooking). Top with 1 cup cheese filling, spreading across noodle. Place another lasagna noodle over the cheese and top that with 2 more cups of sauce. Continue to layer in this way until you have used 6 of the lasagna noodles. Top with 2 cups of sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozarella and 1/4 cup parmesan. (If making a day ahead, cover and refrigerate at this point).
5. Cover lasagna with foil and bake until heated through and bubbling, about 1 hour (15 minutes longer if it was refrigerated). Remove foil and cook another 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting, for easier serving.

Rosemary Scented Butternut Squash Risotto with Roasted Red Peppers and Black Olives

This is a variation of a recipe that my daughter sent to me. She got her recipe from a great vegan site: http://www.theveganfoodie.wordpress.com/. I have kept it vegan, but added a few things to my own taste. It's really delicious!I served this with Olive Ciabatta artisan bread.

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into one inch cubes
5.5 cups vegetable broth
3/4 cup chopped shallots
1 cup ripe black olives, oil curred
1/2 jar (150 ml) fire roasted red peppers
1 sprig of fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried rosemary
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 plus 3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp olive oil margarine
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp freshly grated black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Place cut squash on baking sheet and toss with 2 tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast for 35 minutes or until tender.
2. In the meantime, heat veggie broth (you can microwave this in a medium sized bowl).
3. In a heavy-bottomed pot heat 3 tbsp olive oil. Add shallots and garlic and saute 8 minutes (until translucent not brown).
4. Add rice & saute 2 minutes.
5. Add wine & cook 2 minutes. Add rosemary. Add a ladle or 2 of vegetable broth & stir. Cook until rice becomes almost dry. Keep adding 2 ladles of broth & stir every 2 minutes (at least).
6. When rice is 3/4 of the way done add margarine; squash; peppers & olives. Stir to blend.
7. Cook & stir until rice is al dente (should take about 30 minutes).