My New Kitchen

Better late than never! Here are a couple of pictures of my new kitchen, which inspires my latest culinary creations.

Bucca di Bepsy's Gnocchi a la Caprese

I had a dish like this at Bucca di Beppo (remember, Booger?). I thought it quite tasty, and it appeared that it would be easy to replicate so I gave it a whirl, with great success if I do say so myself! As I recreated it from scratch (relatively speaking of course), I do not have exact proportions.

Ingredients

Gnocchi

"Pink" Tomato Sauce (a vodka sauce works well)

Perlini (small fresh mozarella balls)

Chopped Basil

Capers

Parmesan Cheese (if desired)

Instructions

Cook and drain gnocchi as directed. Meanwhile, heat--or prepare (for those ambitious types) the sauce. When gnocchi and sauce are done, stir together gently. Add perlini, basil and capers to your liking and stir gently into the gnocchi/sauce mixture. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired.

White Bean Salad

The last one was the wrong name for that recipe. Here's the other one I wanted to share. Think I'll try it tonight.

White Bean Salad

1 tsp fresh black pepper to taste
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 red pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded, chopped
1 (19-ounce) can beans, rinsed and drained
Prep & Cooking Time: 15 min.
Yield: 8 servings Serving Size: 0.500 cup
Directions:In a medium bowl combine beans, celery, red pepper, vinegar and oil. Mix well until all ingredients combined. Add hand-torn basil and fresh ground pepper and serve.
Each serving provides:
Total Calories:
97
Carbohydrates:
15.61 g
Total Fat:
1.96 g
Protein:
4.99 g
Sat Fat:
0.29 g
Fiber:
3.61 g
Cholesterol:
0 mg
Sodium:
135 mg
Diabetic exchange:
Starch: 1.000
Meat: 1.000

Oatmeal Cookies

Hi girlies & wombat--
Thought these sounded good and almost healthy.

Oatmeal Cookies

4 large egg whites
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon (ground)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup seedless raisins
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups wheat flour, unbleached all-purpose
Prep & Cooking Time: 35 min.
Yield: 48 servings Serving Size: 1.000 cookie
Directions:Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl mix egg whites and brown sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add applesauce and vanilla and mix until well blended. Add flour, oats, baking soda and cinnamon and continue to mix until all ingredients are well mixed. Add dates if desired and stir into batter until evenly distributed. Using a small spoon scoop out batter and drop spoonful onto baking sheet about 2-inches apart and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until cookies are light brown. Cool the cookies on a wire rack and enjoy.
Each serving provides:
Total Calories:
72
Carbohydrates:
15.33 g
Total Fat:
0.52 g
Protein:
1.88 g
Sat Fat:
0.09 g
Fiber:
1.06 g
Cholesterol:
0 mg
Sodium:
31 mg
Diabetic exchange:
Starch: 1.000

Salmon with Matzo Crust

Well gals, I haven't really tried this, but it looks delish! Hopefully I'll get to it soon, but if someone else tries it soon, feel free to blog it!

http://lifestyle.msn.com/foodandentertaining/recipes/articlebhg.aspx?cp-documentid=6812687

Elise's Betz's Sesame Noodles

Ingredients

1. 1 pound whole-wheat spaghetti (I used soba, a Japanese buckwheat noodle)
   
2. 1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
3. 2 tablespoons sesame oil
4. 2 tablespoons canola oil
5. 2 tablespoons rice-wine vinegar or lime juice
6. 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
7. 1 bunch scallions, sliced, divided
8. 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided (optional --are you kidding me?)
9. 4 cups snow peas, trimmed and sliced on the bias (I had to do some research, and I believe this means to cut diagonally...please correct me if I'm wrong).
   
10. 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
11. 1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds

Cooking Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook spaghetti until just tender, 9 to 11 minutes or according to package directions. Drain; rinse under cold water.
2. Meanwhile, whisk soy sauce, sesame oil, canola oil, vinegar (or lime juice), crushed red pepper, 1/4 cup scallions and 2 tablespoons cilantro (if using). Add noodles, snow peas and bell pepper; toss to coat.
3. To serve, mix in sesame seeds and garnish with the remaining scallions and cilantro.

Yield: 8 servings (Wow! Big recipe! I quartered it).

These noodles were soooo yummy! The red pepper flakes added just the right amount of kick. I made them as above, but for a protein boost, I suppose you could throw in some scrimps, chicken or tofu.

Butt-kicking Salad How-tos (requested by Spanklin)

As with any typical salad, you must have greenery. This is something that I like to switch up often--green leaf, red leaf, romaine, spinach, or a blend or sorts. (I do not recommend Iceberg due to it's lame taste and lack of nutrients however.)

Next...vegetables. Your salad will be most stylish when you cut your veggies in repetitive shapes. I.e. half circles for carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, pepper rings, etc. Or, you can choose to mix in strips of peppers, radishes, black olives (I like to quarter them, rather than doing them in the traditional Mexican circle; however if cutting vegetables in the round, then half Mexican circles will suffice). Your veggies are not limited to these that I mentioned on the above list. You might also want to consider shrooms (not the magical kind), sprouts, or even parsnips. Finally, consider avocado or edamame for your veggie source of flavor and good fats. Any salad, when paired with one of these soft green veggies will explode with flavor. (Mind you, salads may cause minor bowel explosions as well.)

Next up...nuts. Just like the avocado or edamame bean, nuts are crucial to your salad's flavor. If you want to go from bland to bam, simply toast some pine nuts or toss in some sunflower seeds. Remember that nuts have a high content of flavor, so you can go easy on the amount that you put into the salad.

Follow up your leafy greens, veggies, and nuts up with the all important salad dressing. I like pre-made ones as well as homemade dressings. I like to get crazy with my oils and vinegars and jazz things up on a nightly basis. I recommend red wine or white wine vinegar paired with a hint of toasted sesame oil and olive oil. (Note, spicy olive oil can be substituted for toasted sesame oil. If this is done, then balsamic vinegar--white or black--can be substituted in the vinegar department. Avoid matching balsamic vinegar and toasted sesame oil though.) Also, add salt and pepper to your liking! This is crucial for flavor, and when you're feeling real crazy, spice things up with a few red pepper flakes (please keep in mind the possibility of a salad shooter, though, and what red pepper flakes would add to that).

Most importantly, remember that the veggie to leafy vegetable ratio is about 2:1 or at least 1:1.

Next week will discuss the ins and outs of a delightful fruit salad. Thanks for joining this week's blog of Delicious Dish.