Mushroom Rosemary Rissoto

Here is a creamy, delicious risotto that will make your taste buds do a warm happy dance! Risotto offers a lesson in patience because the water is added 1/4 cup at a time while it is stirred....constantly. There is no walking away during the preparation of risotto, so devote your full attention to this dish. You can not rush risotto either, it takes it's time, slowly softening to the added broth. I enjoy the calm stirring and focused attention while preparing this dish as it makes me slow down and savor the moment.

Mushroom Rosemary Risotto
1 cup "no" chicken broth (found at Whole Foods)
2 3/4 cup veggie broth
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crumbled (or 1 TBS fresh chopped)
1/4 tsp dried thyme
2 TBS olive oil
2 cups sliced white mushrooms
2 TBS chopped shallots
1 cup Arborio rice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (I skipped this and it was still yummy)
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a 2 quart saucepan, heat both the broths, rosemary, and thyme until simmering. Keep on low heat so the liquid stays warm throughout the cooking process.

2. While broth is heating, heat the oil in a 3 quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and shallots, cook, stirring until mushrooms are softened. Add the rice, cook, stirring until rice is coated with oil.

3. Add the broth to the rice 1/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly, until the rice absorbs the liquid. (make the next addition of liquid when you can draw a clear path on the bottom of the pot as you scrape through the rice with a wooden spoon.) This will happen rather quickly at first and then take longer as you near the end of the cooking time.

4. Add parsley when you add the last portion of broth.

Homemade Granola

Years ago when we lived in Florida my sister in law passed along a fabulous recipe for granola. Just like us, she often found the store bought varieties to be too sweet. I had a bowl of her granola and fell in love with it's toasted flavor. This is a hearty granola, full of nuts and seeds as well as good for you oats. A BIG batch can be made in less than 30 minutes and saved in an air tight container for a couple of weeks. I usually half the recipe because it makes so much, but if you are big granola eater go ahead and make the full amount. This granola is good with yogurt or as a dry snack too. You can use which ever nuts and seeds you like, so do not feel as if you must stick to the ones that I chose. Have fun and happy granola making!

5 - 6 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup vegetable oil (or a little less if you want, but don't skimp too much)
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Heat honey and oil for 15 - 30 seconds in the microwave to warm.
Add vanilla to the honey mix and stir.
Pour over oats in a large bowl and stir until combined.
Add nuts and seeds.
Spread mixture onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15 - 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.

Let cool then store in an air tight container.

Pumpkin Ice Cream Torte

This was my first attempt at making a fancy dessert for the holidays. I usually make some sort of cheese cake, which are always my favorite, but this year I decided to go a different route and everyone appreciated the deviation. This dessert is not difficult to make but demands patients and time. It can and needs to be made ahead, which is nice for the busy holiday season.

I made some minor adjustments to the original recipe found in Cook.ing Li.ght because the pumpkin ice cream was too pumpkiny for my taste. I am posting the directions as I made it.

Pumpkin Ice Cream Torte

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup ginger snap cookie crumbs
2 TBS brown sugar
2 TBS finely chopped pecans
4 TBS butter, melted
3/4 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
9 cups vanilla ice cream
1 1/2 cup reduced fat Coolwhip
jarred caramel topping

1. Preheat oven 350
2. Combine first 5 ingredients (mixture will be crumbly). Firmly press crumb mixture into bottom of a 9 - inch springform pan lightly coated with oil or cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
3. Combine pumpkin and the next 4 ingredients (through cloves) in a bowl. Soften 7 cups ice cream, add to pumpkin mixture, stirring to blend. Spoon half mixture into prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap, freeze 1 hour until firm (this took alot longer because I softened the ice cream too much). Refreeze remaining pumpkin icecream.
4. Soften remaining 3 cups vanilla ice cream. Spread over pumpkin ice cream layer in pan. Cover then freeze 1 hour until firm.
5. Soften remaining pumpkin ice cream ADDING 1 1/2 cups Coolwhip. Spread over vanilla ice cream, cover and freeze 8 hours until firm.

Let sit out 10 minutes or so before serving. Heat jarred caramel topping and drizzle over the top of each slice before serving. YUMMY!!!!!

Pesto Penne

This is super easy AND super yummy. I had most of the ingredients in my pantry already, so it may also be fairly cheap to make or a dish to throw together in a pinch. The flavors are awesome and if you don't have the exact ingredients, easy to modify. We had this for dinner served warm and as lunch leftovers the next day served cold. Delicious either way.

Pesto Penne
1 medium red bell pepper
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced or chopped
1/3 cup jared pesto (Melissa brand is great)
1/3 cup oil-packed sun dried tomatoes, chopped (Melissa brand is great!)
1 (6oz) jar marinated quartered artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
12 oz penne pasta
1/2 cup cubed smoked mozzarella or smoked provolone
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1. Pre-heat broiler.
2. Cut bell pepper in half lengthwise, discard seeds and membranes. Place pepper haves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Flatten with hand. Broil 5 - 8 minutes until blackened. Place in brown paper bag or zip-lock, seal. Let stand 5 minutes, then peel the skin off. Chop pepper, place in a medium bowl.
3. Add olives, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes and artichokes to the pepper in bowl. Stir to combine.
4. Cook pasta and drain.
5. Add the pesto mix to drained pasta and add cheese and nuts.

YUMMY!!!!!

Roasted Beet, Avocado and Arugula Salad

Looking for a colorful salad that is delicious and good for you? Here it is! I am not a fan of beets, but I find them to be so beautiful that I do include them in some dishes - plus Jason loves those colorful roots, and I don't want to deprive him of one of his favorite veggies. This salad would be great for a holiday party due to all the vibrant colors, or just to eat at home with friends. The golden beets absorb the pink color of the red beets, creating a sunset appearance that is just lovely.

Roasted Beet, Avocado and Arugula Salad

4 - 6 red and golden beets
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup orange juice
3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
2 1/4 TBS white wine vinegar
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1 large avocado
5 - 6 cups arugula
2 - 3 navel oranges, peeled and sectioned
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Remove stems from beets. Scrub beets with brush, then cut in half. Place beets in baking dish, then add water. Cover with foil and back 1 hour until tender. Cool, remove skins. Cut beets into 1/2 inch slices.
3. Combine orange juice, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss half of juice mixture with beets.
4. Peel and cut avocado into slices.
5. Add oranges, avocado and beets to arugula in a large bowl.
6. Drizzle remaining dressing onto salad and serve immediately.

Thai Coconut-Curry CHicken Noodle Soup

I love Thai food but our area seems to lack a good place to eat out, so I was thrilled when I found this recipe! Easy and delicious! I altered a few things from the original and would actually prefer the soup with tofu rather than chicken, but overall this is a warm, flavorful soup. This entire soup from start to finish takes less than an hour, so don't be overwhelmed by the long list of ingredients. The recipe is not as difficult as it may first appear - it is actually pretty simple.

Thai Coconut-Curry Chicken Noodle Soup

5 cups water
7 -8 oz pad thai noodles, broken in half or quarters (makes eating them easier once in the bowl!)
1 TBS olive oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots (use onion if shallots are not available)
1/2 small orange habanero chili, seeded and chopped
1 small hot red chili, seeded and chopped
1 - 2 TBS Green Curry paste
1 1/2 tsp curry powder (I used closer to 1 tsp to lessen the curry flavor for hubby)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 garlic cloves, minced (ooops, left this out and didn't miss it at all)
4 cups "no chicken" broth (found at natural food stores like Whole Foods or Weaver Street Market)
2 cups veggie broth
1 (13. 5oz) can Coconut milk
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, cooked and chopped OR tofu
1/2 cup choped green onions
1 TBS sugar
2 TBS fish sauce
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
16 oz bag of fresh spinach leaves

1. Bring 5 cups water to a boil in a large pot. Add noodles and cook according to package directions, usually about 5 - 7 minutes until tender but not over done. Drain and set aside.

2. Using the same pot (cutting down on dishes!) add oil to pot over med-high heat. Add chili peppers, shallots and next 5 ingredients though garlic. Saute about 1 minute, stirring constantly.

3. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add coconut milk, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.

4. Add chicken, onions, sugar, fish sauce, and spinach to pan, cook 2 minutes. Stir in cilantro and noodles to pot and serve!

If you have a favorite veggie like snow peas or carrots they may be a nice addition to this soup. Be creative and try adding something else if you like!

***if using tofu you may want to add it earlier on so it has time to gain flavor from the soup. Experiment and let me know how it works out and when you added it to the soup)

Southwestern Confetti Salad

This is an easy salad that is great alone as a lunch or a wonderful side dish for dinner. It takes minimal amount of time to prepare which is great for a busy work night. Great served at room temp or chilled.

Southwestern Confetti Salad (adapted from Cooking Light)

1 cup cooked rice (cooked in veggie broth from added flavor)
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed and drained
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 cup grated carrot
1 tomato diced
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
2 TBS fresh chopped cilantro
1 TBS lime juice
2 TBS olive oil
1 TBS minced seeded jalapeno pepper (optional)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin powder
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 can black beans, rinsed drained

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well to combine.