Kitchen Successes and NieNie Love October 31, 2008

Some things I made in my kitchen this last week that turned out lovely:

 

Homemade Pizza.  I made my own dough for the first time.  Who knew it was so easy?  and tasty? topped with my own sauce (roughly: 1/2 can tomato sauce, 1/2 can tomato paste, fresh garlic, basil, fresh cracked pepper, salt), chopped zucchini, heirloom tomatoes, arugula, broccoli and a little bit of mozzarella on top.  oooh so good.  you really must try it.

 

Lemon Fusilli with Arugula:  I made some changes to this recipe.

• I cut all of the amounts in half, since I’m cooking for two and a half people.
• brown rice fusilli pasta instead of the less healthy semolina version
• rice milk/soy creamer instead of the heavy cream
• scale back the lemon or leave it out entirely.  delicious!

 

Eggplant Parmesan:  After going to Olive Garden a long time ago, I made up this recipe trying to imitate their eggplant parm.  it’s delicious if I do say so myself

• Cut one medium sized eggplant into 1/2″ rounds, 
• grill on george foreman or grill pan until softened and nice grill marks appear (about 4 mins. per side) let cool slightly, 
• dip in soy yogurt and breadcrumbs (I usually make my own from sprouted bread and italian seasonings). 
• top with a little cheeze if you desire or vegan parm (i like to use the “Almesan” recipe from Veganomicon.)
• bake for 15 mins or so, until crispy (I used the toaster oven since I was making such a small portion – it uses less energy and is easier to keep an eye on).  
• Serve alongside sauteed greens or the traditional, spaghetti (homemade marinara, whole wheat/brown rice/quinoa spaghetti) .  mmm…

 

These muffins and these cupcakes. I used less sugar than called for both of these and they were still delicious.

 
Banana Chocolate Chip Bread.  oh. my. goodness. I made some alterations to this recipe:

• applesauce instead of the (whole stick!) of butter, no joke.
• organic turbinado sugar and cut the amount in half (the applesauce adds a lot of sweetness)
• organic plain yogurt instead of sour cream.
• dark chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips and cut the amount in half.

This was sooo good.  My husband asked me not to spoil the experience by telling him all of the healthy alterations I made

 

These past food-related posts have really pointed out my love for NieNie and her food blog: CuisineNie.  I’ve read her blog, Nie Nie Dialogues, for well over a year.  It has been a favorite ever since Carla sent me the link.  I liked it so much, I even went back and read all of her archives!  She is an amazing woman, with impeccable taste and a wonderful ability to capture and convey the beauty of every day life.  If you haven’t read her blog or heard the story of what has happened to her and her family these last couple of months, you really must read this article.  Please join me in praying for Christian and Stephanie and their family.  
Oh, and you are going to want to check out her sister’s blog, C Jane Enjoy It, as it is also fabulous.