Pumpkin Pasta with Sausage and Wild Mushrooms

Being that it is currently fall (my favorite time of year) and October (my favorite month), I decided to try out another Rachel Ray recipe. Pumpkin may sound like a strange pairing with pasta, but this dish is fall incarnate. For the wine in the recipe, I used Yellowtail Riesling, mostly because we had it on hand, but also because it's one of our favorites. I will warn, this recipe makes an ungodly amount of food, so you may want to halve it. I kind of wish I had, because I'm sure that 4 days from now, we will never want to smell pumpkin again...

Pumpkin Pasta with Sausage and Wild Mushrooms
serves 4

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 lbs ground sweet Italian sausage (I just took the casings off of links... it's the same thing)
1/4 lbs shiitake mushroom caps
2 portobello mushroom caps, halved and thinly sliced
(I also added a 1/4 cup oyster mushrooms because I had them and I didn't want them to go bad)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
salt and pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock or broth
1 14 oz. can of pumpkin puree (Or fresh! Carve a Jack O'Lantern and be slimy!)
1/2 cup cream
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh sage leaves
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
a pinch of cinnamon
1 lbs penne or cellantani pasta
grated Parmigiano-Reggiano to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil.
2. Meanwhile, heat a deep skillet (I used a wok) over medium-high heat.
3. Add the olive oil and sausage. Brown the sausage and crumble it with a wooden spoon.
4. Move the sausage to one side of the pan and add the mushrooms, onion, and garlic to the other side of the pan. Cook until the mushrooms are brown, then season with salt and pepper.
5. Combine the sausage and vegetables and deglaze the pan with the wine.
6. Add the chicken stock and heat for 1 minute.
7. Stir in the pumpkin and incorporate; it will be thick.
8. Stir in the cream, sage, nutmeg, and cinnamon and adjust the salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low.
9. Add salt and the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta and add it to the pumpkin mixture.
10. Top with cheese and chives.

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Indonesian Satay Chicken Strips with Peanut Sauce

So last night I made some amazing chicken satay. The only problem was that it wasn't spicy enough for Nick and I, so you might want to kick up the heat a bit, depending on your tastes. These recipes come from "The Everything Tapas and Small Plates Cookbook". I also made some quick and easy coconut rice to go along with it, which was so easy it was almost ridiculous. Basically, get some Minute Rice and replace a cup of water with a cup of coconut milk.

Indonesian Satay Chicken Strips

2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup coconut milk (If you get it from a can... don't forget to shake it up.)
1/4 teaspoon Thai red curry paste (I used a marinade, because I couldn't find paste. I believe that this is why it didn't get spicy enough.)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
12 chicken tenders
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 cup ground peanuts
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup butter, melted (or more...)
12 bamboo skewers (I left these out... it didn't seem necessary when it was just Nick and me)

1. Mix peanut butter, coconut milk, oil, and curry paste in a bowl. Marinate the chicken tenders in this mixture for several hours in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.
3. Combine breadcrumbs, peanuts, sesame seeds, onion powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
4. Coat the chicken tenders with the breadcrumb mixture. Arrange the coated chicken strips on the foil.
5. Pour the melted butter over the chicken and bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Push the skewers into one end of each strip going 2/3 of the way up into the chicken strip. Serve hot.

Indonesian Peanut Sauce

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon minced red chili pepper (jalapeno or serrano)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts

1. Heat the peanut butter and water in a sauce pan over low heat, whisking to smooth out the peanut butter.
2. Add the chili pepper, garlic, brown sugar, ginger, and lemon juice and continue to cook over low heat for a few minutes, stirring to prevent scorching.
3. Stir in the soy sauce and remove from heat.
4. Stir in the chopped peanuts.
5. Serve with a variety of things such as skewered shrimp, chicken, beef, or pork.

Lime-and-Honey Glazed Salmon

Ok, so... I love Rachel Ray. Not watching her necessarily, but her recipes are usually really delicious. So here is one that I tried out tonight from her "365: No Repeats" cookbook. It was awesome, especially with the deal we got on salmon fillets at Ralph's. $2.33 for 2 wild caught fresh fillets! Insanity. I served it with a variation of her Warm Black Bean and Corn Salad... minus the corn, because I didn't realize that we had none. Surprisingly, Nick ended up finishing my salad after he cleaned off his plate. He loved it!

Lime-and-Honey Glazed Salmon
serves 4

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon chili powder
salt and pepper
4 6-oz salmon fillets

1. Preheat a medium non-stick skillet over medium-high heat with the olive oil.
2. In a shallow dish, combine the lime juice, honey, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Add the salmon fillets and toss to coat thoroughly.
3. Add the seasoned salmon to the hot skillet and cook until just cooked through, about 3-4 minutes on each side.

Warm Black Bean and Corn Salad
serves 4

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper
juice of 1 lime
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
1 10 oz. box or bag of frozen corn kernels, defrosted (RR also suggests fresh corn if you have it... we had none, so I left it out. It was still awesome!)
1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
1 15 oz. can of black beans, rinsed and drained
2 to 3 tablespoon of fresh cilantro, chopped (Uncle Steve, I know you will omit this)
6 cups baby spinach

1. Preheat a medium skillet over medium heat with the olive oil. Add the onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, cumin, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.
2. Add the bell peppers and corn and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the chicken stock and cook for 2 more minutes.
4. Add the black beans and cook until the beans are heated through.
5. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the lime juice, cilantro, and spinach. Toss to wilt the spinach and adjust seasoning if needed.

Arabian Spinach... and then Kraft Mac and Cheese...

Ok, so this blog is not only about my triumphs in the kitchen, but also about my failures. Nick and I have been trying to keep to a schedule of one vegetarian meal a week, because of the price of meat in California (it's not atrocious, it's just higher than Pennsylvania). We've had a few wins, but tonight can't be classified as such. I tried out a recipe from "Vegetarian Cooking and Vegetable Classics" called Arabian Spinach, which I figured we would both like. I will post the recipe for those of you that are interested, but I will say that it was a bit bland. If you have any ideas for additional spices or things to try, please share! I suggest bacon, or even just bacon fat for flavor.

After we each ate our bowls of spinach, we were still hungry. So I went to an old staple of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese... don't judge me. Actually, it wasn't even Kraft. It was Target's brand, but we all know it's the exact same thing. After I began boiling the pasta, I realized that our milk had gone sour. Damn. So I decided to use 2 tbs. of heavy whipping cream left over from the Asian Honey Ginger Peanuts I made the other day. The creativity doesn't stop there, because I then went crazy and added a dolup of bacon fat to go with the 2 tbs of butter in the recipe. As unhealthy as it sounds, it was ridiculously AMAZING. While I do not recommend doing this every time you find yourself returning to your college days, it is definitely worth trying once.

Arabian Spinach
Serves 4

1 onion, sliced thin
2 tablespoons olive or sunflower oil (I tried the sunflower oil since I had it on hand)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
14 oz. spinach, washed and shredded
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
15 oz. can of chick-peas (garbanzo), drained
knob of butter (I used 2 tablespoons)
salt and pepper to taste
(I also added paprika)

1. In a large frying pan or wok, fry the onion in the oil for about 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cumin, then fry for another minute.
2. Add the spinach, a bit at a time, stirring it until it begins to wilt. (It will all fit if you do it in stages, I promise.)
3. Stir in the chick-peas, butter, and seasoning. Reheat until just bubbling and serve hot.

Japanese-Inspired Guacamole

I made a delicious Japanese avocado dip that I tried out on my fiance last week. You know what he said? I should mix it with my guacamole. So here it is, my very own Japanese fusion.

Japanese-Inspired Guacamole

3 ripe and very soft avocados
1 tomato, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
juice of 2 limes
2 teaspoons wasabi paste (adjust to spiciness)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar

1. Mash the avocados in a bowl with the lime juice, wasabi paste, soy sauce, and rice vinegar.
2. Stir in the tomato and the red onion.
3. Serve immediately with tortilla chips, raw veggies, or whatever else you enjoy with guacamole.

Asian Honey Ginger Peanuts

I ran across this recipe in a cookbook I picked up for a ridiculously low price at a bookstore I used to work at in Lancaster. So far, everything I have tried has been a win. It's from "The Everything Tapas and Small Plates Cookbook" and is perfect if you, like myself, buy lots of bland unseasoned peanuts for a small amount of stir-fry.

Asian Honey Ginger Peanuts

serves 4

2 Tablespoon heavy cream
1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 Teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
2 cups shelled peanuts, roasted but unsalted
pinch of kosher salt (I used sea-salt because I had in on hand... I also used considerably more than a pinch because I like my nuts salty... hehe)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Combine the cream, ginger, soy sauce, and honey in a bowl with a fork. Add the peanuts and stir to coat.
3. Pour the coated peanuts onto a baking sheet lined with nonstick foil and separate them into individual nuts with a fork. (Seriously... don't forget the nonstick part)
4. Bake for 10 minutes, stir the nuts around, and bake for another 5 minutes. Sprinkle nuts with salt, break them into individual nuts, and let cool on the foil. Store in a tin with a tight-fitting lid.