My new favorite lunch is:  organic whole wheat tortilla, tons of fresh organic spinach, some cheese, tomatoes….microwave it for approximately 40 seconds..then add a vinaigrette of fat free organic plain yogurt, olive oil and balsamic vinegar!  Wrap it up like a giant burrito…and yum!!!

********And don’t forget to enter my latest giveaway*********

I’m giving away a $25.00 gift certificate to my Etsy shop!!!

Lately, I’ve been cooking a meal every now and then for a friend in need.  It is hard to come up with something that you think someone will like…and that can easily be reheated or cooked without any fuss.  Also, you never know what the person may like or dislike.  And since we are vegetarian, it always throws an extra bit of difficulty into the mix.  So far, I have cooked lots of soup, upside down pizza, macaroni and cheese, vegetable pie…and a few others that I can’t recall.

Today I decided to cook one of my favorite recipes.  It is from Rachel Ray….”You won’t be single for long” vodka cream pasta.  It is reasonably easy to make and incredibly delicious and filling.  It is definitely a “comfort” food.

Along with the pasta dish, I love to make bread..but I don’t love all the time it takes.  So, I love my bread machine.  I usually make rolls in my bread machine…..but I have been trying to experiment with different types of bread.  One of my first experiments is making crusty french bread.  I got the recipe from the BreadExperience.com site. The recipe worked out great and it was sooo delicious!!  Though, it did take a long time….so much for the bread machine saving time…..lots of waiting and rising and more waiting and rising.  But it was worth it..though it tasted like french bread, it had more of a sourdough texture…I am going to try it again!!!  This time I think I may purchase one of those LaCroche things!

There will be a salad, but then there will also be dessert….just good old chocolate chip cookies.   I mean, what is better than a good ol’ chocolate chip cookie made from scratch!  To me, that is heaven!  When I make chocolate chip cookies, I just use the Nestle Tollhouse recipe.  It has been my favorite.

Here is the recipe for the pasta:

“You Won’t Be Single for Long” Vodka Cream Pasta

Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, once around the pan in a slow stream
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 cup vodka
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 can crushed tomatoes (32 ounces)
• Coarse salt and pepper
• 16 ounces pasta, such as penne rigate
• 1/2 cup heavy cream ( I actually use 1/2 1/2)
• 20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn

Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Add oil, butter, garlic and shallots. Gently sauté shallots for 3 to 5 minutes to develop their sweetness. Add vodka to the pan (3 turns around the pan in a steady stream will equal about 1 cup). Reduce vodka by half, this will take 2 or 3 minutes. Add veggie stock, tomatoes. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

While sauce simmers, cook pasta in salted boiling water until cooked to al dente (with a bite to it). While pasta cooks, prepare your salad or other side dishes.

Stir cream into sauce. When sauce returns to a bubble, remove it from heat. Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with sauce and basil leaves. Pass pasta with crusty bread.

And here is the recipe for the bread machine crusty french bread!

Bread Machine Crusty French Bread

This French Bread recipe is from Linda Rehberg’s and Lois Conway’s The Bread Machine Magic Book of Helpful Hints. According to the authors, this method produces a wonderful loaf of bread that is comparable to the ones baked in France.  The dough for this bread is made in the bread machine and then can be baked in a LaCloche for a crust that is thin and crispy.  The recipe has both sets of directions, using the La Cloche and not using it.

Ingredients: (medium-size loaf)

1 1/8 to 1 1/4 cups Water
3 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast

Directions:

1. Place dough ingredients in bread pan, select Dough setting, and press Start.

2. When the dough cycle ends, the machine will beep. Set a time and allow the dough to rise 1 more hour. Open the machine, punch down the dough, set the time again, and let dough rise another hour in the machine.

Turn off bread machine, remove bread pan, and turn out dough onto a lightly floured countertop or cutting board. Form into a smooth, round ball then flatten it with your hands.

Note: If you want to bake your bread in a La Cloche, follow the steps listed under Variation. If you prefer not to bake your bread in a La Cloche, follow steps 3 – 5.

3. Place a clean kitchen towel (not terry cloth) in a round wicker basket that’s at least twice the size of the dough. Dust the towel liberally with flour. Place the round dough in the center of the basket. Place basket in a warm place and let dough rise, uncovered, about 45 minutes until doubled in size.

4. Gently turn dough out of basket upside down onto a greased baking sheet. With a very sharp knife held almost parallel to the loaf, carefully slash the top of the dough at sharp angles in a # pattern.

5. Preheat oven to 450°F. Carefully place a small pan on the floor or bottom shelf of the oven. Add at least 1 cup boiling water to the pan. Place dough in oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and place on cake rack to cool 1 hour before slicing. To preserve the crisp crust, do not store in plastic wrap or bag. Bread can be loosely covered or left out for up to 2 days before it dries out completely.

VARIATION: To make French bread with a crust so thin and crispy that it crackles when you remove it from the oven, try baking this bread in a La Cloche clay cooker.

1. Omit steps 3 through 5. Liberally cover the base of the La Cloche with cornmeal and place the rounded dough onto the base.

 

2. Slash the dough as indicated in step 4 and place in La cloche (without lid) to rise.  Cover it with a clean towel (again, not terry cloth), or use plastic wrap, then place it in a warm oven to rise until doubled in size, about 30 to 45 minutes.

 

3. While the dough is rising, soak the lid of La Cloche upside down in a sink of water. (Cushion the handle with a dishcloth or sponge.)*

* The manufacturers of La Cloche do not recommend soaking the lid before baking because the absorption factor of stoneware is less than 1 percent. However, the authors preferred the way the bread turned out when they soaked the lid so we decided to try it this way as well.

4. For a dark crust, preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the wet lid over the dough; bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until dark brown.

5. For a lighter crust, preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the wet lid over the dough; bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 400°F and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden brown.

One of my favorite recipes is curried tofu with vegetables and rice.  I learned how to make this recipe when I was in college.  I worked for an elderly couple in Princeton, NJ.  Part of the job required cooking.  I had never cooked in my life..I still lived in the dorms at the time and so the whole cooking thing was new to me!   One day, the woman told me she wanted curried chicken for dinner.  Well, I had no idea how to make it, so I quickly asked the woman who worked before me if she could show me how to make the recipe….It turned out deliciously….

I have found other recipes like it…but never one exactly like it..and I don’t even know if I ever made it correctly..but I love it!

When I became a vegetarian, I started making it with tofu and I think it is even better without the chicken.  But…. I haven’t had chicken in about 21 years..so what do I know….so if you eat chicken…and don’t like tofu..use chicken.

Then, when I was living in a small studio apartment in Lawrenceville, NJ….I had a great downstairs neighbor named GiGi…she taught me how to make a delicious rice dish..which I always thought went great with the curried tofu.

So, I wanted to include the recipe with this post..but I never have written down the recipe before….it has always been in my head…so don’t be afraid to tweak anything a bit if you think you need more or less….

Curried Tofu with Vegetables and Rice

2 Tablespoons Olive oil

1 Onion finely chopped

3 Fresh tomatoes or canned (15 oz.)

Yogurt low or non fat plain (I buy 32 oz, but only use about 20 oz)

1 green pepper finely chopped

5 greenish bananas sliced

2 teaspoons curry

2 blocks of extra firm tofu

Put olive oil in pan and add onion. Cook til slightly softened. Add pepper. Continue to cook. Add tomatoes. Then add yogurt and blend well. Add curry (if you like more curry, add more.)

Drain tofu and cube. Make sure you don’t make the cubes too small because then they will crumble while cooking. Add tofu to mixture. Carefully stir, making sure not to crush tofu.

Let simmer for about 20 minutes. Add sliced bananas. The bananas should be a little green, otherwise they will fall apart and be too sweet!. Simmer for 10 more minutes.

Brown Long Grain Rice with pine nuts

In a saucepan, put 2 teaspoons butter. Add a shot glass full of pine nuts. (Don’t ask me why, but I’ve always measured pine nuts with a shot glass!). Add ½ cup orzo. Cook until browned.

When browned, add 1 cup brown long grain rice and 3 cups vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. Cook for about 30-45 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed.  I was always told never to disturb the rice while it is cooking!  It needs no stirring until it is all done and ready to serve!

Serve curried tofu over rice! Yum!