Leftover Produce 4 ways, by Diane

This past weekend I bought WAY too much produce. Lots of unexpected dinner plans came up, and by the end of the week I found myself with a fridge full of unused produce that was on the verge of going bad. Here is a list of what was in the fridge:

-Blueberries
-Bananas
-Kale
-Celery
-Carrots
-Ginger
-Lemons
-Green grapes
-Green pears
-Parsley
-Portobello mushrooms
-Broccoli
-Shallot
-Garlic
-Eggplant
-Roma tomatoes


That's a lot, right? So, I got creative and made a challege to use it all in new ways without a recipe. Here are 4 of the awesome recipes I created! It also gave me a chance to clean out the pantry as well, bonus!


Marinated Portobello's over Pasta

I marianted the cleaned mushrooms in 1/2 cup EVOO, 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (thanks to my buddy Cher!), lemon juice, 1 clove garlic, parsley, and parmesan cheese for 30 minutes on each side, then chopped them up. Then, I steamed some chopped broccoli and chopped a shallot. I added everything to a saucepan (no oil needed because it was in the marinade) for about 5-7 minutes then threw it over pasta topped with truffle oil (also thanks to Cher!). It was DELICIOUS and made great leftovers too.


Roasted Eggplant Tomato Sauce over Pasta

I sliced an eggplant and sprinkled each slice with sea salt, fresh pepper, basil, oregano, and garlic powder before placing it on a greased cooking tray and baking it for about 10 minutes on each side. While that was cooking, I chopped the tomatoes and combined them with basil, oregano, garlic, and a can of tomato sauce and heated that in a covered saucepan. When the eggplant was done, I chopped it up and threw it into the pot for 5 minutes, then added some fresh mozzarella! Throw it over pasta and there you go! Or, it was really good on it's own.


"Bright" Green Juice

(I don't have a photo for this but imagine a glass with bright green liquid- you get the idea!)
Juice a large handful of kale, 1/4 inch slice ginger, a handful green grapes, whole green pear, 1 stalk celery, 1/2 lemon, and a small bunch of parsley. It makes a great energizing bright drink to start your day or pick you up in the afternoon and it's surprisingly filling! Make sure to drink it fresh, so you get the most health benefits from the enzymes.


Healthy Breakfast "Cobbler"

I sprinkled the bottom of a pie pan with oats. Then I combined blueberries, mashed bananas, cinnamon, and almond butter in a bowl and poured it over the oats so they would bake under the juice of the mixture. I tossed it around to make sure all the oats were covered, then baked it at 400 covered for about 25 minutes! I loved this one because it had antioxidants from the berries, potassium from the bananas, cinnamon is an anti-inflammatory and immune system booster, almond butter had protein and natural oils so I didn't have to add any butter/oil, and oats are full of fiber which makes you full! It came out tasting EXACTLY like cobbler except without the fat and sugar, it was like eating dessert for breakfast! And the bottom turned into kind of a cookie consistency which made it even better! The fresh blueberries were the best part, because they were full of flavor. I'll definitely be making this again soon!

Pesto Alla Genovese, by Cheryl

I think this is the best pasta dish I have made so far! It is by far the easiest thing to make and it's so delicious. Our neighbor brought down a small jar of pesto that she made and after we added it to pasta we said, "We have to get this recipe!" The recipe calls for a ton of basil so we ended up picking our basil plant dry, but it was worth it. You can also make the paste, save it, and use it another time. The measurements are in grams... here's a great website that will help with the equivalents since 150 grams of basil yields more cups than 150 grams of butter. You must make this!!! Yum! 

Ingredients (makes 4 servings):

150 grams basil (about 8 cups, slightly packed)
50 grams Parmesan cheese
30 grams pecorino cheese
30 grams pine nuts
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for when cooking
salt to taste

Directions:

1) Cook pasta according to directions as you make the pesto.
2) In a food processor chop the pine nuts and garlic for about 45 seconds until they are very fine.
3) Add the basil, then chop for another minute.
4) Add the cheese, oil, and salt and chop until it forms a cream.
5) Put pesto into a pan and heat. Add a little olive oil at a time until it becomes more of a sauce.
6) Add the pasta and mix until it is fully coated.

Healthy Shrimp and Rice Noodle Stir-Fry, by Diane

This recipe came from Cooking Light. I have been pouring through stir fry recipes that don't contain a lot of sauce (which = a lot of calories and sugar) and that are filling. This recipe fit the bill perfectly. The shrimp were seasoned perfectly from the marinade, and the cooking times for each of the ingredients was spot on making each one the perfect level of crunch/softness. Despite the lack of "sauce" there was a ton of flavor and everyone loved this dish- definitely will be using it again soon! I loved this dish as cold leftovers for lunch- perfect on these hot summer days!! My one note is that I think I would cook the noodles for about 30 seconds or so in the marinade to give them a bit more flavor (because they were added in last and are already somewhat bland they missed the flavor shot that the other ingredients got).


Ingredients:


1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 1/2 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon sambal oelek (ground fresh chile paste, such as Huy Fong)
1 tablespoon lower-sodium soy sauce
12 ounces peeled and deveined medium shrimp
4 ounces uncooked flat rice noodles (pad thai noodles)
1 tablespoon peanut oil
2 tablespoons chopped unsalted cashews
1 tablespoon thinly sliced garlic
2 teaspoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 green Thai chile, halved
12 sweet mini peppers, halved
3/4 cup matchstick-cut carrot
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup snow peas, trimmed
3/4 cup fresh bean sprouts


Directions:

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add shrimp to vinegar mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

2. Cook noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain.

3. Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add cashews, garlic, ginger, and chile to pan; stir-fry 1 minute or until garlic begins to brown. Remove cashew mixture from pan with a slotted spoon, and set aside.

4. Increase heat to high. Add sweet peppers, carrot, and salt to pan; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add shrimp mixture (do not drain); stir-fry 2 minutes. Stir in noodles and peas; cook 1 minute, tossing to coat. Return cashew mixture to pan. Add bean sprouts; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated, tossing frequently.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala, by Diane

I have always been hesitant to cook Indian food because I thought it had too many exotic spices that would be costly to put together, or that it would take a long time to make, or that it would need special cookware like clay pots. But, the other day when I was searching for a healthy, protein-filled lunch that I could make for my week, I came across this recipe. Chicken Tikka Masala is my most favorite Indian dish, I always order it when I go out for Indian food. The list of ingredients was long as I expected, but when I looked through them I found that there was only one foreign spice I did not recognize and the rest were common ingredients at the local grocery store (most I had in the pantry/fridge). And when I saw that it was in a slow cooker (read: throw everything in a pot and leave it alone!) I knew I had to try this dish!

I changed the yogurt and the cream to light or nonfat to make it healthier, skipped the jalapeno (I knew the cayenne would be spicy enough!), and added brown long grain rice for more fiber (= more filling!). I also ran out of cornstarch so I substituted all-purpose flour.

The recipe was found at: http://cookingclassy.blogspot.com/2012/02/slow-cooker-chicken-tikka-masala.html

Overall I was not crazy about this recipe being the CTM lover that I am. It tasted more tomato-y than creamy and buttery (I even doubled the cream after tasting it). I think the tomato paste was the culprit because that's what the overall flavor of the dish was. It was also VERY spicy despite the omission of the jalepeno and only using 2 tsp instead of 3 for the cayenne. It did make a LOT of food though. I love the idea of slow cooker easy Indian food though, so I'll be looking for more recipes out there!


Ingredients:

5 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch pieces (about 3 lbs)
1/2 large yellow onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp freshly, finely grated ginger
1 jalapeno, stemmed, sliced in half and seeds removed
1 (29 oz) can tomato puree (the author recommends Contadina Brand)
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt 
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp Garam Masala
1 Tbsp cumin
1/2 Tbsp paprika
2 tsp salt, or to taste
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1-3 tsp cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you like it!)
2 bay leaves
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tbsp cornstarch
Prepared Long Grain White Rice or Basmati Rice
Chopped cilantro, for serving


Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl combine chopped onions, minced garlic, grated ginger, sliced jalapeno, tomato puree, plain yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, Garam Masala, cumin, paprika, salt, cinnamon, pepper and cayenne pepper. Stir until combine.  

2. Pour half of sauce mixture into a large slow cooker then add in diced chicken followed then cover chicken with remaining sauce. Add in 2 bay leaves. Cover slow cooker with lid and cook on low heat for 8 hours (or high for 4 hours).  


3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together heavy cream and cornstarch, pour mixture into slow cooker and gently stir. Allow mixture to cook 20 minutes while you prepare the rice. Remove bay leaves and sliced jalapeno and serve warm over rice and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.