Za Recipes

Gluten-free turkey meatloaf with sun-dried tomatoes and pecan crust.

A Turn Toward the New

The morning was cool and bright. It was going to be one of those quintessential Cape Cod autumn days. A day tourists swoon over. Worthy of a post card with The weather is sublime- wish you were here scrawled in black gel cursive between sips of a Hot Chocolate Sparrow latte. The sky was a cake bowl of cobalt blue with that particular pink edge to it that only painters notice, the blush that softened the tree line at the north end of the West Barnstable marsh gentling the heavy greens of the pines and oaks into a bluish, almost violet gray.

She brushed her teeth with fennel toothpaste and spit into the low slung sink, pausing to breathe. A long inhale to slow her heart. The cottage was pin drop quiet. The boys had climbed the rubber lined steps into the school bus hours ago, peanut butter and honey sandwiches bagged, milk money in their pockets. She had waved from the street and watched them navigate the bus aisle in shadow, avoiding her maternal gaze, not turning to wave back. Too risky, she understood.

The walk back up the curve of road to the rental she had found last spring felt different this morning. Not because of the air and its September clarity that sharpened the asters and the Queen Anne's Lace with impossible precision- though she felt a kinship with the acute focus the turning of the seasons always brings. That sense of realignment, a perennial return to purpose. Ironically, she always felt as if fall was the season of new beginnings. Not spring.

Fall was the season she woke up, as if from a dream.

Today was the first day of a plein air painting workshop. A post-divorce return to premarital roots, when she painted for the love of it- not the pragmatic bill-paying need of it. Painting for an income (however necessary it may be) is dangerous business. Courting the marketplace changes your work. A self consciousness slithers in and infiltrates your choices. The observer becomes observed. Judged. Rewarded for meeting expectations.

She had always been more than willing to please. To notice the cues and needs of others. It was more than habit. It was ingrained in her bones. She had an uncanny knack for it. And she hated it about herself. She hated her automatic willingness to anticipate and acquiesce. Sometimes she would hear her own words hang in the air and for a quantum, split second wonder who had just spoken. There were entire days lost to living outside herself, hovering above her left shoulder, just beyond reach.

Stepping into the tiny sunlit kitchen she stood still for a moment, tempted by the cluttered breakfast table. The sticky bowls and spoons. The allure of distraction. The comfort of routine. But it didn't take. She snatched her car keys off a hook and grabbed a canvas bag of painting gear by the door, turned the knob with her free hand and opened it wide. Three minutes later she made a right at the empty bus stop, and accelerated east down Old King's Highway.

To be continued...


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This salad contains artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers and grilled eggplant in a vinaigrette topped with a hazelnut goat cheese medallion



Carrabbas Goat Cheese Medallions
Copycat Recipe

Makes 4

1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
1 5.5-ounce log soft fresh goat cheese (such as Montrachet), cut into 4 equal rounds, chilled
1 large egg, beaten to blend
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped hazelnuts

Place flour and breadcrumbs on separate plates. Coat cheese rounds with flour. Dip cheese into egg, then into breadcrumbs, coating completely. Place on small baking sheet. Spoon hazelnuts atop cheese. Gently press hazelnuts into cheese to adhere. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake cheese until heated through and coating browns, about 6 minutes.




Carrabbas Grilled Eggplant
Copycat Recipe

3 tablespoons olive oil
12 eggplant slices cut  1-inch wide
Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Drizzle the olive oil over the slices of eggplant and toss to coat. Grill the eggplants until tender and grill marks appear, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.


NOTES
To finish the dish arrange 4 plates with romaine lettuce, add artichoke hearts and sliced roasted red peppers. Top with the slices of grilled eggplant and a cheese medallion to each plate.  Serve with your favorite vinaigrette.

Yes, it really was that good. I burned my mouth and tongue in several places while eating this chili. I just couldnt wait for it to cool off! So consider this a warning!!!

This was the very first chili recipe I ever made and I am sticking with it. There has been no need for me to try any others. Dont be put off by the amount of beans, it really is very tasty. However, you can substitute the beans for whatever you like or leave out the ones you dont like. This time I used what I had in the pantry, dark kidney beans and pinto beans. This dish is very hearty but can also be very lean. Substitute the ground beef for ground turkey or chicken and you have a very high protein low fat chili. Of course, watch out for those toppings! Choose low fat sour cream and reduced fat cheese to keep this healthy.

This recipe was created by Food Network Chef, Ellie Krieger and can be found on their website www.foodtv.com. I followed the recipe exactly but added extra cumin because I can never get enough of that smoky flavor. I didnt plan on making chili so I didnt have any sour cream in the house so instead I topped the chili with shredded cheddar and crushed tortilla chips. I think I like the added crunch better than the sour cream. If you are doing this the low fat way you should skip the chips.

Three Bean and Beef Chili

Copyright 2005, Ellie Krieger, All rights reserved.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced (1 cup)
1 red bell pepper, diced (1 cup)
2 carrots, diced (1/2 cup)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 pound extra-lean ground beef (90 percent lean)
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups water
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, seeded and minced
2 teaspoons adobo sauce from the can of chipotles
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15.5-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15.5-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Heat the oil in large pot or Dutch oven over moderate heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and carrots, cover and cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the cumin and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the ground beef; raise the heat to high and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until the meat is no longer pink. Stir in the tomatoes, water, chipotle and adobo sauce, oregano and salt and pepper. Cook, partially covered, stirring from time to time, for 30 minutes. Stir in the beans and continue cooking, partially covered, 20 minutes longer. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

I know some food snobs will turn their nose up at a recipe using Velveeta cheese and thats OK, I dont use it very often either. However, Velveeta DOES make the creamiest macaroni and cheese, you have to admit it!!

A few days ago, Julie, over at Better than Burgers, posted a recipe she called KFC Mock Mac & Cheese. While Ive never tried KFC mac & cheese, the recipe looked great. I made a couple of very minor changes to her recipe (and renamed it, lol). 

 


My recipe "tweaks" are in BLUE

Boil 2 cups of elbow macaroni for about 7-10 minutes (see note)
8 ounces of Velveeta cheese (see note)
1 cup shredded cheddar (I used sharp)
1/2 cup milk (I used 3/4 cup milk)
1/2 teaspoon salt  (I left this out)
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder  (my tweak)

Julies recipe called for making the sauce in a pan, but I did it this way:

When the macaroni is almost done, put the Velveeta (cubed)+ the shredded cheddar + the milk and mustard powder in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave it on high for 1 minute, remove and stir.  Microwave it for one more minute and stir till smooth.

All microwaves are different, so watch yours for the final 30 seconds as to not over cook. The sauce will be very smooth.

Drain the cooked macaroni and stir into the sauce...thats all there is to it!! If you like "Velveeta Shells and Cheese" out of the box (the one with the foil pouch of cheese sauce) you will love this recipe.
NOTE: This recipe calls for 8 ounces of Velveeta cheese, fortunately, the Velveeta foil wrapper is marked in one ounce sections.
NOTE: Most elbow macaroni is boiled for about 7-8 minutes, but when I make macaroni and cheese, I like to boil the noodles an extra minute or so. Its just a personal preference.

Ive provided options to either stuff the turkey,  and/or  bake the dressing separate,  as many people have varying opinions regarding this...

Servings: (8 to 10)
Prep: 30 Mins. |
Bake: 3-1/2 Hrs. |
Stand: 15 Mins.

Posted by Sandra

INGREDIENTS

***Stuffing
1/2 cup butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped

Dressing as its called, or stuffing if you choose to do so inside the turkey

8 crimini mushrooms, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon savory
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
8 cups stale whole-wheat bread, broken into one-inch pieces
3 to 4 cups poultry stock (depending on how moist you like your dressing)

***Turkey
1 (10 to 12-lb.) turkey, giblets removed
light olive oil, to rub on skin
kosher salt and ground pepper, to taste

METHOD

Melt butter in large skillet and add all ingredients except the bread and stock. Cook over medium heat until onions are soft. Pour into a large mixing bowl. Add the bread and stock and mix well using clean hands, or if you prefer a large spoon. Let stuffing cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, place the turkey into a large bowl (for easier handling) neck side up, and remove giblets (I save these for the gravy). Rub the bird with oil. When stuffing is cool, fill both the main turkey cavity and neck cavity with stuffing. (*and/or bake remaining or all of dressing in a dish as outlined below). Place the turkey into a roasting pan, on a rack, and season with salt and pepper. Place the roasting pan on the middle rack of the oven. Roast for 3 hours while basting on the hour, and then increase the heat to 450 degrees and cook for another 30 minutes, or until the thigh reaches 180 degrees and/or meat in the breast reaches 170 degrees (please do not let thermometer hit the bone to ensure correct readings). Remove from oven, and lightly tent with foil and let rest for 15 minutes for juices to redistribute. Remove the stuffing to a large bowl, carve the roasted turkey, and serve immediately. – Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*To bake dressing in pan: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13”x9” baking dish. Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil and bake until heated through, about 45 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes.

**If you choose not to stuff the turkey, the roasting time will be less ~ be sure to keep an eye on your thermometer!!

Essentially, the manicure is a simple one. Start by applying two coats of the nail lacquer of your choice. In this case, I (and Emily) used Essies Mint Candy Apple. Then, pour a small amount of glitter, also of your choice (Emily and I used Martha Stewarts Aquamarine loose glitter. You can find it at Michaels.), into a small vessel. I used the cap. Im resourceful.



Once your nail color has dried, apply a layer of top coat to the top half of your nail. Like Emily, I chose the ring finger.


Then, dip a small brush--I used a make up brush I never used--into your glitter and lightly tap it onto the wet top coat.


I wouldnt blame you at all for copying me.

1 kg good fleshy fish cut into slices
2 medium sized onions chopped
2 teaspoons chilly powder
2 teaspoons cumin powder
2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste
2 tablespoons vinegar
Salt to taste
2 tomatoes pureed
2 tablespoons oil
Wash the fish well and lightly fry in a little oil till the pieces become firm. Heat oil in a pan and add the onions and fry till light brown. Add the ginger garlic paste and sauté for a while. Add the chilly powder, cumin powder, pepper powder, tomato puree and salt and fry for some time. Add the fish and the vinegar and mix well. Add a little more water and cook till the gravy is slightly thick.(Slices of Shark fish can also be used in this recipe to make Shark Fish Vindaloo. However the pieces need not be fried before hand since shark meat is already firm)