Recipes

Zucchini Ravioli

/ featherheadlady / 1 Comment

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I am hooked on Instagram reels, particularly food reels. I was intrigued by these little ravioli pockets made with zucchini, and since I had a plan to can tomato sauce yesterday, I decided it was a perfect day to try my hand at these “healthier” ravioli. And to test my sauce. This is the time of year that zucchini is very plentiful, but you don’t want to use the giant ones. Save those for making breads and cakes and savory dishes like ratatouille. The pockets were fun and easy to make. I must admit that ravioli made with homemade pasta trumps zucchini ravioli by a smidge, but I thought these were delicious. And if you’re counting calories, all the better! Love experimenting with new things…and even happier when they are a success.

Filling Ingredients:

15 oz of ricotta

1 egg

1 1/2 cups of mozzarella

3/4 cup fresh grated parmigiana

1 1/2 cups of chopped spinach (fresh or frozen)

2 tsp Italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

tomato sauce of your choosing

And 3 medium size zucchini

Add all of the filling ingredients to a mixing bowl and stir well to combine.

I used a mandolin to slice my zucchini but you could also use a peeler. You want the slices to be nice and thin to get a good fold.

Preheat your oven to 375. Start forming your ravioli. Take two zucchini ribbons and crisscross them. Put a generous tablespoon of filling in the center and fold the ends over to form a pocket.

The filling and zucchini made approximately 2 dozen ravioli.

I lined a jelly roll pan with heavy foil (for easy clean-up) and spread about a cup of sauce in the pan. Arrange the ravioli on top of the sauce.

Add a dollop of sauce on top of each pocket.

Sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiana cheese.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden.

Serve with a nice salad and some garlic bread, and enjoy a delicious, healthy, almost diet worthy dinner!

NOTE: You can modify the filling based on personal preference. My filling recipe is basically the filling I use for stuffed shells and lasagna. Fresh parsley or basil could be substituted for the spinach.

Prefer an Alfredo over a red sauce…that would be delicious as well.

Beef Barley Soup

/ featherheadlady / Leave a comment

Fall is here and that means it’s soup weather in Michigan and, I’m sure, all over the Midwest. Last week I made beef barley, one of my husband’s favorites. I used my pressure cooker because I think the cooking process intensifies the flavors and definitely makes the meat melt in your mouth tender. An insta-pot also functions as a pressure cooker and a Dutch oven on top of the stove would work also. This is the kind of soup that most of us have all the ingredients for in our kitchens. I used a package of cubed chuck and, after searing, I cut it into even smaller pieces. The thing about soup is there are guidelines but no hard and fast rules. Make it your own. Don’t like some of the veggies, substitute. We have a good friend who won’t eat anything with bay leaves, so leave the bay leaves out. Whatever adjustments you make, when it’s done you’ll be enjoying a nice, hot bowl of soup with a hunk of crusty bread or some croutons, and you’ll be happy you made it!

Ingredients:

2 pounds (give or take) of cubed beef

olive oil for searing

1 large onion diced

1 or 2 russet potatoes peeled and diced

3 medium carrots diced

1 cup of diced baby portabellos

3 ribs of celery diced

6 garlic cloves minced

2 bay leaves

Bundle of fresh thyme

2 T tomato paste

2 pints of diced tomatoes

4 cups of beef or mushroom stock (or a combination of both)

1 T soy sauce

3/4 cup of barley

Wash and dice all of your vegetables.

Set your pressure cooker to browning. Season your beef with salt and pepper. Add some olive oil to the pan and sear the meat in batches. Once all of the meat has been seared cut it into smaller pieces and set aside along with all the meat juices.

Add all of the veggies to the pot and sauté for 4-5 minutes stirring occasionally.

Turn the pressure cooker off. Return the beef and the juices to the pan. Add the bay leaves, tomato paste, tomatoes, broth, and the soy sauce. Use kitchen twine to secure the thyme and add to the pot. Secure the cover and process on high pressure for 15 minutes. Allow the pot to naturally release for 15 minutes, and then carefully release the remainder of the steam.

Because I had quick barley I added it after releasing the pressure. Set the pot to simmer and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the barley is tender.

Ladle into bowls and enjoy.

The soup will taste even better on day two!

NOTES: Frequently recipes will call for 1 T of tomato paste and you’re left with the majority of a can. I put the remainder of the tomato paste in an ice tray and when it’s frozen I transfer the cubes to a freezer bag. Each cube is approximately 1 T of tomato paste. No waste and handy for your next recipe.

Cowboy Caviar

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It’s been way too long since I’ve attended to my blog, and not because I haven’t been cooking. I’ve come to the realization that part of the reason I blog, in addition to wanting to share food with friends, is because I often have to search through my archives to find recipes that I’ve made, and want to make again. Like this recipe for Cowboy Caviar. This works great as a dip with corn chips or just on it’s own as a side salad. The fresh squeezed citrus gives it a bright, fresh taste. And it is SO colorful. I brought this to our Saturday Nighters group as my passing dish last weekend. As snack foods go I think it’s pretty healthy, and except for the chips, pretty low calorie! Lots of chopping is involved, but it comes together pretty quickly.

Cowboy (or Texas) Caviar was actually invented in the 1950s by Helen Corbitt. She was the food director for Neiman Marcus, and she first served this on New Years Eve at the Houston Country Club. Apparently the very humble ingredients are what inspired the name “Cowboy Caviar.” Regardless of what you call it, it is delicious.

Ingredients:

1 cup tomatoes diced

1/3 cup red onion diced

1 can black beans

1 can black eyed peas

1 1/2 cups frozen sweet corn

2 bell peppers diced

1 jalapeño diced

1/2 cup cilantro

1/3 cup olive oil

3 T fresh squeezed lime juice

2 T red wine vinegar

1 T sugar

1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

Dice the tomatoes, red onion, bell peppers, and jalapeño into pieces about the size of the beans and corn kernels.

Drain and rinse the black eyed peas and black beans.

Remove most of the stems (a personal preference) and chop the cilantro.

Add all of the beans and diced ingredients into a large bowl. Make your dressing.

Whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, vinegar, sugar, and garlic powder. Pour over the beans and vegetables and toss. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy! With or without chips.

NOTE: I chose to use a red and a yellow bell pepper but any color will do. If you want a little more kick do not remove the jalapeño seeds or use the jarred pickled jalapeños. You can also add diced avocado.

Cowboy caviar tastes best if prepared a few hours before eating.