Lentil and Black Bean Chili

Posted on August 24, 2010 | Leave a comment

This is a super easy and tasty vegetarian chili. Healthy food shouldn’t taste bland and you shouldn’t cringe when thinking of eating it. Trust me this a great tasting meal.

Recipe:

  • 1 cup of small green lentils
  • 6 cups of water
  • 5 cloves of garlic
  • 1 big onion
  • 29 oz can of black beans
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • olive oil
  • dried herbs
  • all purpose seasoning
  • 1 can of tomatoes
  • hot sauce

Boil the lentils with 5 cups of water. Turn the heat down and cook until all the water has been absorbed. I like my lentils a little firmer but Mark likes them mushy, so I throw the lentils in with the chili to keep cooking. If you like them firm add them at then end to the chili.

In the meantime take another pot add some olive oil and chopped garlic. Cook the garlic for about 1-2 min. Add the onions and cook for another 2-3 min. Add the can of tomatoes and dried herbs. Cook for a few minutes until everything is soft. Add the black beans , all purpose seasoning,  salt, black pepper, cooked lentils and the remaining cup of water and your favorite hot sauce. Cover and let stew for about 20 min.  Pour it over some brown rice or just eat as is.

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Posted in Main Dishes, Soups & Stews

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Pasta with Olive Oil and Feta

Posted on August 23, 2010 | 2 Comments

This dish is my favorite indulgence.  Not only does it taste delicious but it’s also super quick. I like to call it my little piece of heaven. The best dishes are sometimes the simplest ones. I just love how the sheep’s cheese melts on the pasta and when you mix it with the olive oil it becomes its own sauce. Try to use feta that is sold in it’s own brine. Not only does it taste better but it’s also creamier and softer so it melts much better. Feta is a pretty salty cheese on its own so there is no reason to use salt on your pasta.

Recipe:

  • Olive Oil
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • crushed red pepper
  • black pepper
  • fresh basil
  • feta

Cook your favorite pasta and top it with some olive oil, feta, finely chopped garlic, crushed red pepper, black pepper, and fresh basil.

Enjoy with some red wine!

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Posted in Grains, Main Dishes

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Grilled Pizza

Posted on August 23, 2010 | 1 Comment

I’ve found that grilling a pizza gives you the best light and crispy crust that’s not too thin. You get a great smoky taste from the grill that you can’t get with the oven.

Heat the grill on high with the pizza stone in it already and then lower the heat to medium low.

Sprinkle some flour on the counter and roll out the pizza dough.

Place the dough on the grill and spread the pizza sauce on top of it. I like to use Italian Salami and Italian Pepperoni on my pizza with mushrooms topped with fresh mozzarella. You can use what ever you like on your pizza.  The pizza should be done in 10 – 15 min. The crust should be nice and crisp and the middle of the pizza should not be soggy.

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Posted in Main Dishes

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Sauted Mushrooms

Posted on August 23, 2010 | 1 Comment

This is a great way to saute mushrooms for pizza or a steak.  These mushrooms are so tasty that sometimes I just eat them with a piece of bread.

Recipe:

  • 1 tbsp of butter
  • mushrooms
  • black pepper

Heat up the butter in a pan and add the mushrooms and black pepper. Put a lid on the pan and saute until the mushrooms are juicy.

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Posted in Side Dishes

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Pizza Sauce

Posted on August 23, 2010 | 2 Comments

A great pizza always has a great pizza sauce. There is no reason to buy pizza sauce when you can make a much better one at home. It’s very quick and simple.

Recipe:

  • 5 cloves of garlic
  • fresh basil
  • olive oil
  • dried oregano
  • 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes (my favorite is Tuttorosso they have a great flavor without being too acidic)
  • a pinch of all purpose seasoning
  • a pinch of salt if needed

In a pan add some olive oil and finely chopped garlic. Set your stove to low to medium heat.  Cook for a little bit and add the fresh chopped basil. Cook a little longer. Make sure the garlic does not turn brown. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for about 5 – 10 min.

Voila! You have a delicious sauce for your pizza. :)

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Posted in Sauces & Marinades

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Pizza Dough

Posted on August 22, 2010 | 3 Comments

The secret to great pizza dough is the flour. I’ve experienced with many different flours to get the perfect pizza dough, but I only found two that I ever liked. Caputo pizza flour is the pricier option, which is imported from Italy. You can find it in specialty Italian stores or order it online. The other one is Five Roses flour which comes from Canada. I buy a 10 lb bag from a Greek store in the area, but I have also seen it in some grocery stores. If you can’ find it you can order it online as well. For some reason this flour just makes the dough fluffy and great to work with. I used to have the hardest time with the dough and with multiple attempts that were not satisfactory, I figured out that the secret lies in the flour.

Recipe:

  • 8 cups of flour
  • 1  tbsp + 1 tsp of instant yeast (make sure your yeast is fresh, if you have old yeast the dough will not rise properly)
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 3 1/2 cups of lukewarm water
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • Pizza Seasoning (1 tbsp dried oregano, 1 tbsp dried marjoram, 1 tsp garlic salt) ; the pizza seasoning gives the dough nice flavor and aroma

Combine all the ingredients together in a mixer and mix on low until the dough is nice and smooth. If you don’t have a mixer, but have a bread maker you can use that to mix the dough as well. Put the dough in a container where it has room to rice and cover it with saran wrap.

Let the dough rise until you can see through it when pulled apart. About an hour. Split the dough into smaller balls. This recipe should make about five. Place the balls on a big cutting board and oil the tops of them and then cover with saran wrap again. Let the dough rise again. If you don’t plan to use all the dough you can put them into zip lock bags individually and keep it in the fridge. The dough should stay fresh for about a week. To reuse the dough later, just take it out the fridge and let it warm up to room temperature.  A quick way to warm up the dough is to place it into the microwave for a few seconds and then work it with your hands. Let stand for about 5-10 min before using it.

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Posted in Main Dishes

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Apple Cheddar Doggie Cookies

Posted on August 22, 2010 | Leave a comment

Our doggies go nuts for homemade treats. They love cheese so I tried to make up some cookies for them that are not full of preservatives. They seem to know when I’m making them cookies and I swear that they try to trip me in the kitchen. The cookies smell really good that a few people have tried them, thinking that I made healthy cookies. They usually spit them out once I tell them that they are eating dog treats.  I tried them myself once and they don’t taste bad, but they also don’t taste fantastic.

Recipe:

  • 3 apples, peeled and shredded
  • 2 cups of shredded cheddar (any cheese will do)
  • 1 banana
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cups of oatmeal flour ( I just use regular oatmeal and grind it in the food processor)
  • 2 cups of old fashioned oatmeal
  • dried mint (I put this in to freshen their breath)

Preheat the oven on 375F. Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl. Take out a cookie sheet and spray it with some oil. Roll the dough into balls. Place the balls on the cookie sheet and press down with your fingers to flatten them out.  Bake for about 20 min. Let cool and give some to your pup! :)

This recipe makes about 32 cookies. I just put the treats in a zip block bag and keep them in fridge. They usually last a pretty long time.

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Posted in Dog Treats

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