Exploring recipes, local restaurants, businesses, farms and fun places in and around Atlanta, GA that promote good wholesome food AND that make a gluten intolerant / plant based eater, a meat-eater and two young girls with ever evolving taste HAPPY.
Showing posts with label Appetite for Reduction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Appetite for Reduction. Show all posts

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Pasta Sauce

Pasta de los Angeles
For the girls



















As many jars and as many recipes I have tried, I can NOT find a pasta sauce my whole family likes.  What is an easier dinner than pasta and sauce?  And, my family hates it.  Grrrrr.  So, I tried another one Monday night.  I knew the girls would not like it, as it has jalapenos in it, but I was hoping I could find one for Chad.  For the girls, I sauteed (with a little water) spinach and plum tomatoes, which I put on a plate beside the pasta.  I now know to let them mix their own pasta dishes!

On to the sauce I made for the "adults".  Pasta de los Angeles page 177 in Appetite for Reduction.  How could I resist a pasta from Los Angeles!!  I did not use the oil, I sauteed the veggies in a little of the tomato sauce.  I did not have enough tomatoes, so I used 3 cups (one box) of Pomi chopped tomatoes.  I only used one clove of garlic. 

Chad and I both thought the sauce was very good.  Definitely too spicy for the girls.  It had a Mexican flavor instead of an Italian flavor, so you had to be ready for that.  But overall, we thought it was good.  I had leftovers and ate it cold on top of lettuce for lunch one day, and with polenta the next day. 

Pasta - I had almost given up on pasta as well.  Gluten free pasta is not my favorite.  But, I decided to try it one more time.  We saw Tinkyada elbow pasta in our recent trip to Jackson, WY.  Right on the package it professes "not mushy", so I was glad to find it in Atlanta at Whole Foods.  It is one of the best GF pastas I have tried.  Chad could eat it, which says a LOT.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Trying to "try" a new recipe once a week -

Chickpea Piccata - Appetite for Reduction

Last night I got my nerve up to try a new recipe.  A friend had shared with me that her family liked it and the recipe said it was "super fast".   My kind of meal - but oh not so fast...

The recipe is Chickpea Piccata from Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

Surprise, surprise, I did not follow the directions exactly.
The ingredients I used:
1tsp olive oil
1 c thinly sliced shallots
2 TBS of bread crumbs (I toasted 2 pieces of GF bread for 10 min at 350 degrees, then crumbled them up!)
2 cups veggie broth (I use Whole Foods brand)
4 cloves of thinly sliced garlic
a pinch of black pepper
a pinch of thyme
1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup of capers with brine
Juice of 1 lemon
Well, before reading the entire recipe, I dumped all the ingredients(except for garlic, shallots, and chickpeas) together in one pot - not what you are suppose to do.   So, I had to take strain the capers out and put them aside.  What you are suppose to do is - Saute the shallots and garlic for 5 minutes, add the bread crumbs and toast by stirring for about 2 more minutes.  Then add veggie broth, salt, pepper and thyme.  Turn up heat bring to boil and let sauce reduce by half - around 7 minutes.  Then you add the chickpeas and capers, let them heat through, ~ 3 minutes, turn heat off.  Then add lemon juice.  (My lemon juice was in from the beginning)  Also, recipe called for 1/3 of dry white wine - I didnt have any so I left it out. (I don't think I would add it next time, I loved it as prepared)
Chopping, sauteing, and timing all of this was difficult for ME, but hopefully not for you.  Because it was delicious.  Seriously tasty.  Isa suggested serving it over arugula, again, I didn't have that so instead used regular lettuce.  My side was Caulipots - another one of her recipes.

Caulipots - I tried to get creative with this one - she called for 2 russet potatoes - I found purple potatoes (unfortunately I didnt read that they were purple sweet potatoes).
1/2 head of cauliflower cut into florets
1 TBS olive oil
4 TBS veggie broth
salt and pepper to taste

Place the potatoes in a big pot with enough water to cover them and the cauliflower (when you put those in later)
Bring potatoes to boil, once boiling add cauliflower and lower heat to simmer.  Simmer for ~ 15 minutes until they are tender.  Drain potatoes and cauliflower, then return them to the pot, add the rest of the ingredients and mash together, until they are the desired consistency.  What I have learned -my family doesn't like the sweet potato taste - so no one ate these last night.  BUT if I had used regular potatoes, or regular purple potatoes and a lot more seasoning, they would have been great.  They did have a great texture, and you could tell they had potential.  Next time I might add lime juice and a little vegan sour cream.  Lots more salt and pepper!

If you have not picked up Isa's cookbook - Appetite for Reduction - do so, it is amazing - it is listed on my Amazon page on the homepage of my blog!

Family verdict - Chad LOVED the chickpeas, Ry ate all of hers and a second serving.  S did not like them at all.  No one like the potatoes.   Also, Ry asked for me to post her new healthy dessert - frozen mangoes and strawberries.