Devon's Cooking...Award-Winning Butternut Squash Chili

Award-winning? What award, Devon? The International Chili Society's Annual Cookoff? The Chili Appreciation Society International Cookoff?

Well, hmmm... no, nothing so elementary as those cookoffs. Today, I placed second (out of two entries, but, hey, I got me a medal!) in the 2nd Annual Grossmont College Chili Cook-off! Kudos to our President for whipping up a mean soy-rizo chili to beat my chili down, but I heard some good thoughts about my Butternut Squash Chili, as well. I also made this for 3 hungry men (and Ronna and Jen and I) on Sunday and made football-watchin' guys pretty happy and satiated... so this chili satisfies!

BUTTERNUT SQUASH CHILI with QUESO FRESCO

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 cups chopped red bell pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
4 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 pound) (you can buy this pre-cut at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods...much easier!)
2 16 oz. cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn
1 teaspoon salt
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, undrained
3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled queso fresco

Directions: Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic; cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender. Add chili powder and cumin; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Place onion mixture in a 5-quart electric slow cooker. Add butternut squash and next 6 ingredients (through chiles). Cover and cook on low 8 hours or until vegetables are tender and chili is thick. Sprinkle with cheese.

Devon's Cooking...A Soup-Stravaganza!

We San Diegans are pretty unfamiliar with the wet stuff that comes out of the sky elsewhere around the globe... but every now and again, San Diego gets a deluge of rain that rocks our world a little bit. Last week was our rainy season (one week of rain... I know, I know-- we've lived in Denver, we've lived in Boston, we should be grateful for one week of rain. But we're spoiled now!) and I'm a firm believer that there's nothin' better on a cold and rainy day than a nice hot bowl of soup. So last week was Soup-Stravaganza at the Atchison house. We had Pumpkin Soup (yum!) and grilled veggie panins and then, later in the week, we had Portuguese Caldo Verde soup (potatoes, kale and turkey sausage). These soups hit the spot!

PUMPKIN-WHITE BEAN SOUP
INGREDIENTS:
1 spray(s) olive oil cooking spray, or enough to coat pot
1 medium onion(s), coarsely chopped
15 oz canned pumpkin
3 1/2 cup(s) fat-free chicken broth
15 1/2 oz canned white beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 tsp ground oregano
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
6 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS: Coat a large soup pot with cooking spray and set over medium-low heat. Add onion, cover and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Stir in pumpkin, broth, beans and oregano; simmer 8 minutes. Using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth and then season with salt and pepper. To serve, ladle soup into bowls and top each with 1 tablespoon of grated cheese. Yields about 1cup per serving.

PORTUGUESE CALDO VERDE
INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound turkey sausage, casings removed
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound russet (baking) potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
6 cups water
1 pound kale, stems and center ribs discarded and leaves very thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS: Heat cooking spray in a 5-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat and brown sausage, stirring often, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Re-spray the pot with cooking spray and cook onion and garlic with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper over medium heat, stirring often, until browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Add potatoes, water, and 1 teaspoon salt and simmer, covered, until potatoes are very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Mash some potatoes into soup to thicken, then add kale and simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in sausage and cook until just heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Devon's Cooking...Homemade Ravioli with Ricotta, Sage and Pepper Butter

As you may have read a few blog posts back, my pasta machine was having some issues back in August... such bad issues, in fact, that I had hung my machine up, so to speak (not strung it up, which is what I would've liked to do the night it started acting up!) But I have been feeling that little glimmering under the surface of a desire to bring it back down from its shelf of exile and give it another shot.

The perfect opportunity arose when we had the Davies and the Heavys over for dinner last Friday night. Ronna is a vegetarian (or maybe she's a pescatarian, but I didn't want to screw up and try to feed her something she wouldn't eat?), so I wanted to come up with something delicious and veg.... and thus realized that ravioli would be the perfect way to go. Having failed at homemade pasta before, however, I was reticent to get back on the horse (sorry, this is the blog post of mixed metaphors. I was up at 4:00 this morning making chili-- see the chili blog post above). So I turned to the most trusted Austrian for some advice. Wolfgang, oh slinger of gourmet woodfired pizzas and funny sounding restaurants in Los Angeles, you have never failed me and this was no exception! The ravioli turned out amazing. The secret, as dear Mr. Puck advised, was to run the dough through the machine 3 different times, each time folding it in thirds, crosswise. I shall never fear the pasta machine again!!

HOMEMADE PASTA DOUGH
Ingredients
1.5 cups flour
1.5 cups semolina flour
8 large egg yolks
1 tsp salt
1 tsp. olive oil
4-6 TBSP water

Directions: In a food processor, mix teh flours, yolks, salt, oil and 2 TBSP of the water. Process until the dough begins to stick together, gradually add 1 TBSP of water at a time, until the dough forms into a moist ball. Move the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rise at room temp for about 1 hour. When dough has rested, cut it into sections (keep unused sections wrapped in plastic wrap) and run through the rollers (about 3 times, folding the dough crosswise into thirds each time). For the ravioli, you'll roll out long strips of pasta that are about 4 feet or so long.

RAVIOLI FILLING:

Ingredients:
1 cup Ricotta cheese
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
2 egg yokls
1/2 tsp kosher salt
pinch of pepper
1 cup goat cheese
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp chopped fresh sage (about 8 leaves)
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

Directions: Mix all ingredients in food processor until well-combined. Cover and refrigerate. To make the tortellini, take your pasta strips, brush with egg wash (2 eggs and 2 TBSP water beaten together), then place a spoonful of the ricotta mixture in the center of the dough. Fold the dough in half to cover the ricotta and push down around each ricotta mound to push out all air bubbles. Cut around the mounds using either a 2-inch cookie cutter or a ravioli stamp. To cook, drop into boiling water for 5 minutes (you'll need to cook this in 3 batches).

For the Sage and Pepper Butter sauce:
Ingredients:
1.5 sticks unsalted butter
pinch of salt
freshly ground pepper
2 fresh sage leaves

Directions: In a small saucepan, melt the butter over meidum heat, add salt, pepper and sage and cook until the butter is golden brown. Keep it warm while you finish cooking the tortellini. To serve, drizzle the brown butter over the tortellini, grate fresh parmesan on top and top with a decorative sage leaf. Enjoy!

Devon's Cooking...Turkey with Cranberries and Brussel Sprouts

As I said in an earlier post, it's family-stravaganza for the Hansen clan this week. I saw Heather on Friday and Sunday and this Friday we're making pasta with Tim, Sarah and Josh (recipe to follow) and heading to my mom and dad's house for pre-Thanksgiving dinner, since none of us will be together on the actual holiday. We are going to spend the real Thanksgiving with Dave's grandparents and aunt and uncle... in short, our families might get really sick of us after the holiday season is over! And, as my mom warned me tonight, we might get sick of turkey. Turkey on pre-Thanksgiving, turkey on Thanksgiving, leftover Thanksgiving turkey, turkey sandwiches every day for lunch (that doesn't really have anything to do with Thanksgiving; I just always eat turkey sandwiches for lunch)...and we had turkey tonight! We're crazy for turkey (that's the triptophane talking)!

This was part of the trifecta of deliciousness from Bon Appetit and Dave (strange husband that he is) has been CRAVING brussel sprouts (weirdo)... so it seemed to be a perfect recipe. And, I have to say, it turned out pretty great-- not too brussel-sprouty (actually they tasted really, really good) and otherwise a wonderful homage to Thanksgiving dinner.

Ingredients:
1 to 1 1/4 pounds turkey breast cutlets
All purpose flour
3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 large shallot, sliced
8 ounces brussels sprouts, trimmed, quartered through root end
3/4 cup low-salt chicken broth
1/4 cup dried sweetened cranberries
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
11/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon butter

Directions: Place cutlets in a large Ziploc bag and pour in 2 tsp of the olive oil; shake to coat turkey in olive oil. Sprinkle cutlets with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Lightly dredge cutlets with flour, shaking off any excess. Spray a heavy large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add cutlets to skillet and sauté until cooked through and golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to platter; tent with foil to keep warm.

Add remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil to same skillet. Add shallot; stir until beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Add brussels sprouts, broth, cranberries, and sage; cover and cook until brussels sprouts are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in vinegar. Add butter; stir until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon brussels sprout mixture over turkey cutlets and serve.

Devon's Cooking...Barley, Mushrooms and Kale Stew

As you know, we went to the Chargers game on Sunday... while it was REALLY warm during the tailgate, it definitely got a little chilly up in our seats (maybe because we're still pretty high up? Closer to the clouds, closer to the cold? Or perhaps it was the chilly attitudes of the Philly fans, bitter that the Chargers were scoring from the red zone for once?). At any rate, by the time we got home, I was sweatshirt-ed and ready for something warm and toasty to enjoy while we watched the Patriots make a terrible 4th quarter, 4th down decision.

Bon Appetit was ON FIRE this month with 3 healthy and delicious-sounding recipes on one page! I decided to make the Barley, Mushroom and Kale stew to warm us up on Sunday night... it was delish!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups chopped leeks (about 2 small stalks; white and pale green parts only)
1 8-ounce container sliced crimini (baby bella) mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1 cup pearl barley
4 cups (or more) vegetable broth
1 bunch kale (about 8 ounces), trimmed, center stalks removed, leaves coarsely chopped (about 8 cups packed)

Spray cooking spray into a heavy large pot and heat over medium heat. Add leeks; sprinkle with salt and pepper and sauté until leeks begin to soften, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, garlic, and rosemary; increase heat to medium-high and sauté until mushrooms soften and begin to brown, stirring often, about 7 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice; stir 1 minute. Add barley and 4 cups broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until barley is almost tender, about 20 minutes. Add kale; stir until wilted, about 1 minute. Cover and simmer until kale and barley are tender, adding more broth by 1/4 cupfuls as needed for desired stew consistency, about 10 minutes.

Devon's Cooking...Carne Asada

Given that the holidays are now just around the corner, it's no surprise that the last week and the coming weeks are going to be family-filled! This past week, Heather and Bubba came down for the day to hang out in San Diego. While Heather got her hair done, I got to hang out with Derek-- we made a pretty amazing obstacle course with bed-jumping, somersaults and adventure rolled into one!

And then, on Sunday, Heather and Jeremy came down with Stacy Coleman (I know it's King now, but she'll always be Stacy Coleman to me!) and her husband James for the Chargers game. While they brought the most important part of any tailgate (beer), and some of Jeremy's DELICIOUS guac (you'll have to ask him for the recipe), Dave and I brought chicken marinated in Uncle Dougie's (the best wing sauce ever) and made carne asada, which turned out pretty amazing (nicely done, Dave!).

CARNE ASADA
Ingredients
3 punds flank steak
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 limes, juiced (you can also use the squeezy lime juice that comes in the squeezy lime-looking bottles full of "fresh" lime juice)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika

Directions: Mix all ingredients together in a large tupperware container. Add in an equal amount of water (this will dilute the marinade, but that's what you want to do!). Score the flank steak (make shallow knife cuts all over the meat) and add into the marinade; marinate overnight. Grill to desired doneness and enjoy!

Devon's Cooking... Healthy Fish & Chips

I think that Dave and I are both fat kids at heart. We love pretty much all food and we often enjoy those delicious, but guilty pleasures like desserts, burgers, pasta, and fried goodness. In particular, we're partial to fish & chips... if I had my way (and a magical metabolism, a heart that could fend off heart disease and arteries that could resist the blocking qualities of fryin' oil) we would eat at Tin Fish (in downtown San Diego) weekly.

But in the absence of a magical metabolism, I always like to look for ways to enjoy our guilty pleasures without suffering from the guilt part (or the fat adult-ness that comes along with the guilt). Accordingly, tonight I made a much healthier version of fish and chips and though it didn't have quite the same crunch of a perfectly-fried piece of fish, it hit the spot!

HEALTHY FISH AND CHIPS
Ingredients
4 spray(s) olive oil cooking spray
1/4 tsp table salt, or more to taste (enough for potatoes and fish)
1/4 tsp black pepper, or to more taste (enough for potatoes and fish)
1/4 cup(s) fat-free skim milk
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1 cup(s) fresh bread crumbs
20 oz raw tilapia
16 oz potato(es), peeled and cut into 8 wedges each

Directions: Preheat oven to 400ºF. Coat 2 large baking sheets with cooking spray.
Place potato wedges on one baking sheet and lightly coat with cooking spray; season to taste with salt and pepper. Bake until golden brown and tender, about 45 minutes.
Whisk milk and mustard together in a shallow dish. Place bread crumbs in another shallow dish and put flour in a third shallow dish. Season both sides of fish with salt and pepper. Place fish in flour and turn to coat. Place fish in milk mixture and turn to coat. Place fish in bread crumbs and turn to coat. Transfer fish to second prepared baking sheet and lightly coat with cooking spray. Bake fish until fork-tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve fish and potato wedges with vinegar on the side. Yields 1 fillet, 4 potato wedges and 1 tablespoon of vinegar per serving.

Devon's Cooking...Bridal Shower Apps

It's hard to believe that Ronna and Heav's wedding is almost here! Only 2 more weeks before we all head to Tahoe to celebrate (this will be Dave and my 8th wedding this year, so we'll also be celebrating the end to Wedding Madness 2009!). While the guys were in Newport for Heavy's bachelor party, the gals were a little classier. The FBT crew, Trish (though she's part of the FBT crew now, if you ask me!), Janine, Stephanie, Heavy's mom Nancy and Ronna's mom Lynn all came to Anna's house for a lovely little bridal shower.

I thought this would be a fun time to try my hand at some appetizers and I might have gone overboard a little (we had WAY too much food, between my apps and the amazing stuff that everyone else brought!), but it was fun to put together a few different things! After much thought, and a slight time-crunch (I was in San Jose at a conference until late Friday night), I decided to make Marinated Feta-stuffed Cherry Tomatoes, Black Bean and Corn Salad (1 can of Black Beans, 1 can of corn, 1 red onion chopped, salt and pepper to taste, 1 jar chunky salsa), Avocado, Bacon and Bleu Cheese bites (these didn't taste that good, though, so no recipe will follow on that one), Gorgonzola Bites, Chipotle Cream Cheese-stuffed Endive, and Mini Provolone Popovers. These were all fun and pretty easy to make, though be sure to buy the biggest cherry tomatoes you can find if you decide to make the Feta-Stuffed Tomatoes. My cherry tomatoes were more like grape tomatoes so scooping out the pulp of each one took FOREVER!


MARINATED FETA-STUFFED CHERRY TOMATOES
Cherry Tomatoes stuffed with marinated feta (double)
INGREDIENTS
1 7- to 8-ounce package feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for drizzling
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 pound large cherry tomatoes
12 pitted Kalamata olives, halved lengthwise

Directions: Toss cubed feta, oil, shallot, and oregano in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Cut 12 tomatoes crosswise in half. Scoop out tomato pulp with melon baller or small spoon. Place tomatoes, cut side up, on serving plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stuff hollowed cherry tomatoes with marinated feta. Slide in olive half alongside cheese. Drizzle with additional olive oil.


GORGONZOLA BITES
Ingredients
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
4 oz. gorgonzola, crumbled
Fresh ground pepper

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Let puff pastry stand at room temp (about 30 mins). Scatter cheese over pastry, grind pepper. Drape plastic wrap over pastry and gently roll over wrap with rolling pin to press cheese into pastry. Peel off wrap and cut into 1-inch squares (40 portions). Transfer to ungreased baking sheets, bake about 25 minutes, let cool before serving.


CHIPOTLE CREAM CHEESE-STUFFED ENDIVE
Ingredients
4 oz fat-free cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup(s) roasted red peppers, water-packed, blotted dry, finely diced
3 Tbsp scallion(s), thinly sliced
3 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped (plus extra leaves for garnish)
2 tsp canned chipotle sauce
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
3 small head(s) endive, Belgian (about 24 leaves)

Directions: In a small bowl, stir together cream cheese, roasted peppers, scallions, cilantro, chipotle sauce, salt and cumin until blended. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve (up to 1 day). When ready to serve, spoon about 1 teaspoon of chipotle cheese mixture into bottom of each endive leaf; garnish with remaining fresh cilantro leaves. Arrange on a serving platter and serve. Yields 3 leaves per serving.

MINI PROVOLONE POPOVERS
Ingredients
1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup finely chopped provolone + 1 Tbsp
2 tablespoons grated parmesan
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped chives

Directions: Whisk together milk, eggs, flour, 1 tablespoon butter, salt, and pepper until smooth, then stir in cheeses and chives. Chill 1 hour to allow batter to rest. Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in upper third. Butter muffin pan with remaining tablespoon butter, then heat in oven until butter sizzles, about 2 minutes. Gently stir batter, then divide among muffin cups (they will be about two-thirds full). Bake until puffed and golden-brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Devon's Cooking...Spicy Chicken and Sweet Potatoes

I've been really good about using all of the vegetables I have and trying to use everything in the refrigerator before it goes bad... so I had to find some way to use up the sweet potatoes I had leftover from the gnocchi. This recipe sounded very strange at first-- cold and spicy chicken salad over a warm sweet potato?!?! But trust me, this tasted amazing! Be sure to have a glass of water and no need to kiss anyone for about 4 hours after eating this, though!

SPICY CHICKEN AND SWEET POTATOES
Ingredients
4 medium sweet potato(es)
12 oz cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, shredded
1 medium red onion(s), sliced into thin half moons
1/4 cup(s) cilantro, fresh, chopped
1 Tbsp canned chipotle peppers
1 small garlic clove(s)
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp McNeil Nutritionals SPLENDA No Calorie Sweetener

Directions: Preheat oven to 375°F. Place potatoes on rack in middle of oven and bake until tender, about 45 to 50 minutes. Put chicken, onion and cilantro in a medium bowl; set aside. Put remaining ingredients in blender container or bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour dressing over chicken mixture and toss to coat. Cut a slit in each potato and top each with a heaping 3/4 cup of chicken mixture. Yields 1 filled potato per serving.

Devon's Cooking...A Mushroom Extravaganza!

It feels like the first time in a VERY long time, but Dave and I were actually home this weekend! We even had time to go to the Farmer's Market on Sunday morning, something we haven't been able to do in months. Truly, the food tastes so much better when it comes from Farmer's Market-- we bought avocados, apples, lettuce, grape tomatoes (they tasted like candy!), giant squash and beautiful, fresh mushrooms.

I was planning on just reheating left-over sloppy joes for dinner, but the siren call of the mushrooms was too much for me to ignore. Dave was watching football, which usually means he doesn't talk for about 6 hours, so I got to work experimenting in the kitchen. The night before we had a wonderful dinner at Avenue 5 with the Schneiders and I had fish with a light broth around it... and this became my inspiration.

The first thing I did was slice up a bunch of those fresh mushrooms and throw them in a sauce pot with about 4 cups of chicken broth. I added chopped green onions, salt, pepper and herbes de provence...but it still needed something. Luckily I had some dried porcini mushrooms in the fridge, so I reconstituted those and then poured half of the water from the reconstitution into the sauce pot.

In the meantime, I took about 1/2 pound of tilapia, seasoned both sides with salt and pepper, and threw it in the toaster oven to cook for 10 minutes.

While that was cooking, I utilized the 2 leftover russet potatoes I had from making gnocchi the previous week, cooked them in the microwave and then riced the potatoes. I chopped up the reconstituted porcinis and then added them to the potatoes with a little fat-free milk, salt and pepper.

To serve, I put each serving of fish in a small bowl and poured the mushroom broth over the fish. Then I served it with sauteed squash and the mashed potatoes. It was almost like going out to dinner!!

Devon's Cooking...Stuffed Acorn Squash

While it might still be in the 70s and 80s in San Diego, Dave and I were just in Buffalo, New York where it was undoubtedly NOT in the 70s and 80s... more like the 50s plus lots of rain. Dave and I-- thin-skinned San Diegans that we are-- shivered and whined our way through Buffalo (perhaps I should say "wined" our way through Buffalo, since we definitely drank our fair share of great vino there). So despite coming home to a promise of rain but a reality of 80 degrees (I LOVE San Diego), we still felt like making something warm, toasty, autumn-like and tasty. This recipe is excellent and it makes a beautiful presentation!

Stuffed Acorn Squash
INGREDIENTS
2 medium acorn squash
Nonstick cooking spray
8 ounces cremini or white button mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
3 medium scallions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp rubbed sage
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp dry vermouth or dry white wine

Instructions: Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 375°F. Split the squash in half, stem to bottom, and scoop out the seeds. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and place the squash on it cut side down. Bake until tender, about 50 minutes. Meanwhile, spray a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray and set over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, scallions and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms give off their liquid, about 4 minutes. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, sage, thyme and pepper. Cook 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and stir in the rice, cheese and vermouth or wine. Once the squash are fork-tender, turn them cut side up and fill each with a quarter of the rice mixture. Bake until warmed through, about 10 minutes.

Devon's Cooking...Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Dave and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary last Wednesday and I wanted to make something very special to celebrate. But just as we celebrated our continued union, we heard the sad news that Conde Nast was ending its relationship with Gourmet magazine and ceasing publication after the November issue (a travesty!). So in honor of our healthy marriage, in memory of Gourmet and in the spirit of trying new things by making gnocchi for the first time, I settled on Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Fried Chestnuts and Sage from the penultimate issue of Gourmet. It was amazing, delectable, totally satisfying, perfect... in short, the food version of our marriage (ah, how sweet!). It's a lot of work, but worth the effort (that's sometimes like marriage, too, isn't it?).

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Fried Chestnuts and Sage

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/4 lb russet (baking potatoes)
1 (3/4-lb) sweet potato
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano plus more for serving
1 1/2 to 2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup sage leaves (from 1 bunch)
1/3 cup bottled roasted chestnuts, very thinly sliced with an adjustable-blade slicer or a sharp vegetable peeler
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

DIRECTIONS: To make gnocchi, preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle. Pierce russet and sweet potatoes in several places with a fork, then bake in a 4-sided sheet pan until just tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool potatoes slightly, then peel and force through ricer into sheet pan, spreading in an even layer. Cool potatoes completely. Lightly flour 2 or 3 large baking sheets or line with parchment paper.

Beat together egg, nutmeg, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper in a small bowl. Gather potatoes into a mound in sheet pan, using a pastry scraper if you have one, and form a well in center. Pour egg mixture into well, then knead into potatoes. Knead in cheese and 11/2 cups flour, then knead, adding more flour as necessary, until mixture forms a smooth but slightly sticky dough. Dust top lightly with some of flour. Cut dough into 6 pieces. Form 1 piece of dough into a 1/2-inch-thick rope on a lightly floured surface. Cut rope into 1/2-inch pieces. Gently roll each piece into a ball and lightly dust with flour. Repeat with remaining 5 pieces of dough. Turn a fork over and hold at a 45-degree angle, with tips of tines touching work surface. Working with 1 at a time, roll gnocchi down fork tines, pressing with your thumb, to make ridges on 1 side. Transfer gnocchi as formed to baking sheets.

Fry sage leaves and chestnuts: Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Fry sage leaves in 3 batches, stirring, until they turn just a shade lighter and crisp (they will continue to crisp as they cool), about 30 seconds per batch. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Season lightly with salt. Fry chestnuts in 3 batches, stirring, until golden and crisp, about 30 seconds per batch. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Season lightly with salt. Reserve oil in skillet.

Make sauce: Add butter to oil in skillet with 1/2 tsp salt and cook until golden-brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Cook gnocchi: Add half of gnocchi to a pasta pot of well-salted boiling water and stir. Cook until they float to surface, about 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to skillet with butter sauce. Cook remaining gnocchi in same manner, transferring to skillet as cooked. Heat gnocchi in skillet over medium heat, stirring to coat. Serve sprinkled with fried sage and chestnuts and grated cheese.

Devon's Cooking...Baked Penne with Sausage

I have been a bad blogger. And a bad home cook. As Dave and I approach our eighth wedding of the year and 20th weekend away from home (!), I am realizing how hard it is to work full time and try to be super wife. So I'm all about easy recipes these days-- particularly those that last a long time (and are healthy, thus reversing the awful eating we undoubtedly have done the weekend prior). This recipe serves 8 (I ate it 4 days in a row!), was super easy, quelled our craving for pasta, and is healthy (although the delicious bottle of Unti Shiraz we polished off Friday night with our pasta probably wasn't the healthiest decision)! Enjoy! p.s. I really did use fat free mozzarella on this-- it didn't melt, though, hence the bizarre white clumps on top. I recommend making this with part-skim mozz instead.

BAKED ZITI WITH TURKEY SAUSAGE
Ingredients
3/4 pound(s) raw turkey sausage, casings removed
1 medium onion(s), chopped
1 medium green pepper(s), chopped
28 oz canned diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp canned tomato paste
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
12 oz uncooked whole-wheat pasta, ziti, cooked according to package directions
6 oz shredded fat-free mozzarella cheese

Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Crumble the sausage meat into a large saucepan and brown over medium heat, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Drain off any fat, then add the onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, peas, tomato paste, oregano, basil, thyme, fennel seeds, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and cook uncovered 5 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the pasta and half the grated cheese. Spread evenly into a 9- X 13-inch baking pan. Top evenly with the remaining cheese. Bake until the cheese has melted and the casserole is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes at room temperature before slicing into 8 pieces and then serve.

Devon's Cooking...Fall Veggies, Chicken and Barley

Tuesday was a momentous day. Yes, of course it was my 31st birthday-- a momentous occassion in itself. But I am not that self-serving (wait, I have a blog in which I talk about my life and myself. Maybe I am that self-serving). At any rate, the momentous-ness of Tuesday is really due to it being the first day of FALL. Don't get me wrong...I love summer to pieces. But I really love Fall, as well. The weather gets a little cooler (I am sick of this heat wave!), football season is in full-swing, and there are yummy veggies to make delicious soups and stews with. In celebration of my birthday, I mean, the first day of Fall, I cooked up some butternut squash and onions, and mixed them with chicken, barley and some great spices! Enjoy!

FALL VEGGIES, CHICKEN AND BARLEY
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/4 tsp table salt, divided
1 cup(s) uncooked barley
1 spray(s) cooking spray
2 cup(s) butternut squash, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 cup(s) sweet white onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 medium onion(s), red, cut into 8 wedges
2 tsp olive oil
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp dried currants
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
6 Tbsp almonds, natural, chopped and toasted
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked (I bought the pre-marinated Foster Farms chicken, diced it into 1-inch pieces and baked it in the oven; you could also just buy the pre-cooked chicken breasts that are cut into strips)

DIRECTIONS: Bring 6 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Add barley, cover and simmer until tender, about 55 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F and cook the chicken (about 30 minutes). Turn up temperature to 450°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and coat foil with cooking spray. Place squash, white onion and red onion on prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt and cayenne pepper; toss to coat. Roast, tossing vegetables once or twice, until lightly charred and tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Drain barley and return to pot. Stir in currants, cumin, cinnamon, roasted vegetables and chicken. Toss with almonds just before serving. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Devon's Cooking... Sauteed Tilapia with Almonds and Cherries

Meat in bulk doesn't really sound like a great idea, but when the mecca of free samples and industrial-sized jars of pepperocini (Costco) throws it out there with ridiculously low prices (actually, I'm not even sure they're that low. I am math-challenged, so I can't really figure out if the $30 I'm paying for 3 pounds of beef is a bargain or if I'm getting robbed. Who cares? I love Costco), I can't resist. Dave and I went to Costco last week in search of their delicious Healthy Choice 100-calorie fudge bars (which, incidentally, they were out of) and walked out $180 poorer. Unless you count the 3 pounds of tilapia we purchased... in that case, we feel richer.

So what do you do with 3 pounds of tilapia? Well, if it's just 2 of you, you portion it out into three 1-pound servings and find 3 different recipes to make. This was the first (I can pretty much guarantee you'll see 2 additional tilapia recipes coming down the pipeline in the near future).


SAUTEED TILAPIA WITH ALMONDS AND CHERRIES

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp almonds, sliced
1 pound(s) raw tilapia, four 4 oz fillets
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
3 tsp olive oil, extra-virgin, divided
1 small onion(s), chopped
2 Tbsp wine, dry white or dry vermouth (see note)
1/2 cup(s) cherries, sweet, pitted, halved
1/3 cup(s) vegetable broth, reduced-sodium, fat-free
1/2 tsp dried thyme

Directions: Toast the almonds in a large nonstick skillet set over medium-low heat until aromatic and golden, shaking the pan often, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Season fish with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in the skillet, then add the fish. Cook until firm and lightly browned, about 2 minutes, then flip and cook about 2 more minutes. Remove fish to four serving plates. Heat the remaining teaspoon of oil in the skillet, then add the onion. Cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the vermouth or wine; loosen any browned bits of food on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Cook for 20 seconds, then add the cherries, broth and thyme. Heat until simmering; cook for 30 seconds to reduce slightly. Divide the sauce and toasted almonds among the fish. Serve at once. Yields 1 fillet plus 1/4 of sauce per serving.

Devon's Cooking...Lamb with Figs, Zucchini-stuffed Heirloom Tomatoes and Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches

All I have to say about this meal is YUM. Okay, I'll probably say a little more. But if I do say so myself, this was REALLY GOOD!

I've been so busy with the start of the semester and preparing for my new online class... so I haven't been cooking as much. But we had a great weekend planned last weekend-- since our sailing got cancelled a couple of months ago (see: Lamb Burgers dinner party; alternatively see: one day it rained in San Diego this year), we finally rescheduled our sailing date with the Reinkings and the Stayners for last Sunday. We had a great time and liberated quite a few wine bottles of their contents (and Stayner had a delicious pre-bed G&T for good measure) with Kev and Melissa. And some good food. As I mentioned above.

LEMONY HUMMUS
Ingredients:
1 15-to 16-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
1 small garlic clove, pressed
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions: Puree beans, garlic, 3 tablespoons olive oil, and lemon juice in processor. Add 3 tablespoons oil, sugar, and cumin. Puree until very smooth, about 1 1/2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. Cover; chill at least 1 hour and serve with cut-up carrots, celery and other fresh veggies.

LAMB CHOPS WITH FIGS AND THYME
Ingredients:
Lamb chops:
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
4 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
4 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram
2 2-pound racks of lamb, trimmed of fat and sinew
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

Roasted figs:
12 ripe Kadota figs, halved lengthwise
16 sprigs lemon thyme or regular thyme
Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions: For lamb: Combine herbs in small bowl. Rub lamb with olive oil, half of chopped herbs, and garlic; cover and chill overnight.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Heat grapeseed oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper; sear until brown on both sides, 5 minutes total. Transfer lamb to large rimmed baking sheet; roast to desired doneness, about 20 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer lamb to cutting board; let rest 5 to 10 minutes. Maintain oven temperature; reserve baking sheet for figs.

For figs: Place figs and thyme sprigs on baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining herbs and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Roast in oven at 425°F for 10 minutes.

Cut lamb racks into individual chops; arrange on plates and place figs alongside.

ZUCCHINI-STUFFED HEIRLOOM TOMATOES
Ingredients:
8 slightly firm medium heirloom tomatoes
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 cups white corn kernels (cut from 3 to 4 ears)
2 cups chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup chopped tomatoes
3 cups 1/4-inch cubes zucchini (from about 12 ounces)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh epazote or cilantro
1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)

Directions: Core whole tomatoes, creating 2 1/2-inch opening at top. Using melon baller, scoop out tomato, transferring juices and pulp to small bowl (for filling). Turn tomatoes, cut side down, onto paper towels to drain. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large deep skillet over medium-high heat 1 to 2 minutes. Add corn and toss until tender and beginning to color, 2 to 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer corn to medium bowl. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to same skillet. Add onions and sauté until translucent, about 4 minutes. Using garlic press, squeeze in garlic; stir 30 seconds. Add chopped tomatoes and reserved tomato pulp and juices. Sauté until tomatoes are soft, about 5 minutes. Mix in zucchini, epazote, oregano, and corn. Sauté until sauce thickens and zucchini is just tender, about 8 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Arrange tomato shells, cut side up, on small baking sheet. Spoon in filling, mounding high. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake tomatoes until filling is heated through and tomato shells are just tender, about 25 minutes.

LEMON ICE CREAM SANDWICHES WITH BLUEBERRY SWIRL
Ingredients:

For lemon ice cream:
2 pint premium vanilla ice cream
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

For blueberry compote:
2 cups blueberries (10 ounces)
1/4 cup sugar
2 (3-by 2 1/2-inch) strips lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch

For sandwich layers:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Make lemon ice cream: Transfer ice cream to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave at 30 percent power in 10-second intervals, stirring, until softened, about 50 seconds total. Stir in lemon zest and juice. Spread ice cream thinly in a 13-by 9-inch baking dish and freeze while making compote and sandwich layers.

Make blueberry compote: Cook blueberries, sugar, and zest in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat, thoroughly crushing blueberries with a potato masher, until juices are released and sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes. Stir together lemon juice and cornstarch, then stir into blueberry mixture. Boil, stirring, 1 minute (mixture will thicken). Transfer blueberry compote to a bowl and chill until cold, about 1 hour. Discard lemon zest.

Make sandwich layers while compote chills: Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Butter baking pans and line with foil, leaving a 1-inch overhang on each side, then butter foil. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Beat together butter and brown sugar in another bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. At low speed, add flour mixture in 2 batches, mixing until just combined. Divide batter between 2 8-inch square baking pans and spread into thin, even layers with offset spatula. Bake until golden-brown but still tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely in pans, about 30 minutes.

Assemble sandwiches: Dollop tablespoons of blueberry compote all over ice cream, then swirl it gently through ice cream with a spoon. Spoon all of ice cream over 1 sandwich layer (in pan) and spread evenly using clean offset spatula. Invert second sandwich layer over ice cream, pressing gently to form an even sandwich. Wrap baking pan in plastic wrap and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.

Transfer sandwich to a cutting board using overhang. Trim edges if desired, then cut into 8 pieces.

Devon's Cooking...a Fiesta of Food

As you may have read, my last dinner party was a little overly-ambitious. So when we decided to have a few friends over for dinner a couple of weeks ago, I decided to scale back my expectations (and my effort!). I also had scheduled drinks with my buddy from college, Mike Levy, right smack in the middle of the day, so I couldn't afford to have a broken-pasta-machine-snafu this time around! So for our dinner with the Heavy's (including Heav's sister, Audra) and the Billingers, I mean Davies, we made a great little fiesta spread of homemade salsa, homemade guac, carne asada, marinated tilapia, marinated portobellos, grilled veggies, black bean and corn salad and baked apple chimichangas for dessert! Jen also made a kick-ass sangria, but you'll have to ask her for the recipe (and I apologize in advance for the headache that comes as a result the next morning!).

HOMEMADE SALSA
Ingredients:
28 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 jalapeno (or more if you like it really spicy!)
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (you should probably use cilantro, but I HATE cilantro, so I don't use it!)
1 medium onion, diced
salt and pepper to taste
Directions: Place all ingredients into blender and blend to desired consistency. Enjoy with chips!

HOMEMADE GUACAMOLE
Ingredients:
4 ripe avocados
1 lemon
1 packet of that awesome guac mix from the grocery store produce aisle
Directions: Follow the instructions on the packet (hey, I said I was lowering expectations!). Serve with chips or raw veggies!

CARNE ASADA
Ingredients:
3 lbs. flank steak
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 limes, juiced
1/2 cup oil (you can omit this if you want-- it makes the meat a little more moist, but it's fine without for far fewer calories)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
Directions: Marinate in a plastic Ziploc bag overnight. Grill to desired done-ness on an outdoor BBQ.

MARINATED TILAPIA
Ingredients:
1 lb tilapia
1 packet Taco Seasoning
Directions: Marinate overnight. Grill about 4 minutes on an outdoor BBQ. For portabellos, do the same (but not in the same bag as the fish-- that would be gross).

GRILLED VEGGIES
Ingredients:
4 medium zucchini
2 medium sweet onions
8-16 green onions
2 green bell peppers
2 red bell peppers
Directions: Slice all veggies to uniform size; place on grill tray and spray with cooking spray. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Grill until soft, about 5 minutes for zucchini, grilled onions and about 8 minutes for peppers and sweet onions.

CORN AND BLACK BEAN SALAD
Ingredients:
10 oz. frozen corn, defrosted
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 red onion, chopped
1 cup salsa
3 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
Directions: Mix all ingredients and chill for at least 2 hours.

I'm not going to include the Apple Chimichangas recipe because it wasn't very good... but I'm workin' on it!

Devon's Cooking.... Sugar Cookies and French Toast

Dave's brother, Ian, and his wife, Ashley, have four gorgeous daughters who we were lucky enough to have in San Diego for almost a week last week. The girls-- Kailey (8), Kara (7), Kassie (4) and Korrine (2)-- are amazing... gorgeous, funny, well-behaved and cool to hang with.

Kassie is a tow-head and with two brunette parents, people often ask where she came from. Ian and Ashley used to answer: "She looks like her Uncle David," but some people took this the wrong way. I joked that they could say she looked like "the milkman" instead, but realized that instead of implicating my husband as the father, I was implicating my Dad! :)

But I digress-- though Kailey, Kara and Korrine don't look as much like Dave's children, they all sort of got to be our kids Tuesday night when we had a sleepover with all four of them. For those of you who've been to our house, you know it sucks for kids-- white leather, no toys, hard surfaces...so we decided to keep everyone occupied by a) making everything we ate from scratch and b) getting everyone so full they would sleep through the night. Mission Accomplished!: we made homemade pizzas for dinner, sugar cookies for dessert and french toast for breakfast the next morning. It was a feast any kid could enjoy-- oh yeah, and the girls liked it almost as much as we did!

Individual Pizzas
Ingredients:
1 package Trader Joe's fresh pizza dough
cheese
turkey pepperoni
diced onion
diced mushrooms
Pizza sauce

Directions: Sautee onions and mushrooms with salt, pepper and oregano until soft. Separate dough into four and roll out each individually. Put sauce, toppings and cheese on your dough and bake about 8-10 minutes.

Rolled Sugar Cookies
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS: In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight). Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely. Frost as you like!

FRENCH TOAST
Ingredients:
3 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
8 slices thickly sliced french bread

Directions: In medium bowl, combine all ingredients but bread; whisk until well combined. Dredge each slice of bread in mix and place on hot griddle or skillet over medium heat (or 375 if you use a skillet). Cook each side about 4 minutes or until done.

Devon's Cooking...Tandoori Chicken

Dave has this joke that he loves to tell. I apologize in advance for a few things: a) this joke is very un-PC; b) it's actually completely illogical; and c) if you ever have Dave tell you this joke in person, your eardrums will not be pleased. It goes like this: "How do you sell a deaf guy a chicken?" You respond with a blank stare because you have no idea. Dave, in his loudest voice, then responds to his own question: "WANNA BUY A CHICKEN?!?!"

I already apologized. It's a bad joke. But I always think of it when I buy chicken at the grocery store-- this week was no exception. This week's chicken purchase led to a delicious, but ultimately disastrous, feast of "Tandoori" chicken. The recipe below will explain how this got so delicious... but not how it got so disastrous. Here's what happened: we have a lovely toaster oven that we received as a wedding gift; we now have a big enough kitchen for said toaster oven...sort of. We still use the nice flat-top of the t.o. (not to be confused with T.O., who we're going to see play in a Browns-Bills game in Buffalo this October) for storage. Namely, my much-used food scale often sits on top of the t.o., despite bold and oft-repeated warnings posted all over the t.o., shrilly reminding me that NOTHING should go on the top becuase it gets HOT. The warnings are not for naught-- that t.o. DOES get HOT! I realized this ten minutes too late as my delicious tandoori chicken was cooking perfectly in the t.o.-- but instead of aromatic curry, I started smelling burnt plastic. You guessed it-- my food scale was melting into the t.o. I grabbed the scale, searing two fingers in the process, and, finding that, despite my rescue efforts, the scale had melted (and I forgot to take a photo!). The new joke should go: "How do you sell an illiterate home cook a new food scale?"

Ingredients:
2 tbsp tandoori spice mix
1 medium onion(s), chopped
2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
1 cup(s) plain fat-free yogurt
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, four 4-oz pieces

Directions: In large zip-close plastic bag combine spice mix, onion, garlic, yogurt and lime juice. Make diagonal slashes across chicken about 1 inch apart. Add chicken. Refrigerate 6 to 24 hours. Heat broiler. Cover baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place chicken on sheet, cover with sauce. Broil 4 inches from element until cooked through, about 15 minutes. (If spice mix is unavailable, substitute: 1 tbsp fresh minced ginger, 1 1/2 tsp coriander, 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice.)

Devon's Cooking...Roasted Veggie Lasagna

Okay, this blog should officially change its name from "Devon's Cooking..." to "How Many Varieties of Lasagna and Burgers Can I Come Up With?" What can I say? We like lasagna and burgers-- they're easy, they taste good....

In the past, as ye faithful ten readers know-- I've done wild and crazy things like use Matzoh crackers as stand-ins for lasagna noodles. Well, here's an even crazier lasagna-noodle doppelganger: thinly sliced zucchini! This is a very vegetarian meal and surprisingly delicious, especially as leftovers the next night (why is it that pasta-- even faux pasta-- always tastes better the night after it's made?). I had half a loaf of french bread in the freezer which I defrosted (i.e. left on the counter for a few hours) and slathered with some homemade garlic butter (butter + lots of garlic + a few shakes each of dried basil, salt, black pepper + a teeny bit of cayenne pepper) and wrapped in foil...and then tossed in the toaster oven. The lasagna: va bene! Just like my Nana would make (if she were a vegetarian).

ROASTED VEGGIE LASAGNA
Ingredients:
3 large zucchini
1 tbsp table salt
1 spray(s) cooking spray
1 small onion(s), finely chopped
2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
12 oz mushroom(s), white button
3 cup(s) tomato(es), freshly chopped (about 3 beefsteak tomatoes)
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1 pound(s) shredded fat-free mozzarella cheese

Directions: Slice the zucchini lengthwise into 1/8-inch thick strips. Place in a bowl and salt generously, tossing once or twice to coat well. Lay strips on paper towels on your work surface. Set aside 1 hour. Meanwhile, spray a large saucepan with nonstick spray and set over medium heat. Add the onion; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add garlic; cook 20 seconds. Add the mushrooms; cook, stirring often, until they give off their liquid and it reduces to a glaze, about 7 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, basil, oregano, nutmeg and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes start to break down and the sauce thickens, about 25 minutes. Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Blot any moisture off the zucchini strips with paper towels. Use one third of the zucchini strips to line the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking pan, laying them lengthwise like you would lasagna noodles. Top evenly with one third of the sauce, then one third of the shredded cheese. Place half the remaining zucchini strips on top, as before, then top evenly with half the remaining sauce and half the remaining cheese. Repeat this process one more time: using the remaining zucchini, remaining sauce, and remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, until bubbling, about 45 minutes. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before slicing into 6 pieces; serve.

Devon's Cooking...an Italian Dinner Party

After a couple of weeks of easy dinners, I feared that perhaps I was getting lazy... so, to assuage my fears, I lined up a great menu for the small dinner party we had on Saturday night in honor of Brandie and Christian's visit to San Diego. Inspired by Liz Slo, I decided to make a drink to start us off and the menu grew from there. I decided to go with Pluot-Prosecco Fizzes for our drink, gourmet pizzas and cheeses for our appetizer, a grilled veggie salad with a mustard-lemon vinaigrette and homemade pasta with fava beans, tomatoes and sausage for our main course, and macerated nectarines with a ricotta-vanilla cream and pine nut brittle for dessert. It was a CRAZY day of cooking, especially since my pasta machine was having some serious issues (causing me to have serious frustration) and since I might have been a little overly ambitious given my time constraints. Lucikly, I had Brandie as my sous chef, and Dave as my barbeque-guru and pizza dough-maker to help out! It all tasted great at the end of the day and we had a tremendous time! And all that food provided a nice base for the Mules we had at Starlite afterwards!

PLUOT-PROSECCO FIZZ
Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 lemons
1 pound Pluots (4 to 6 small), halved, pitted, coarsely chopped
1 750-ml bottle Prosecco or cava, chilled

Directions: Bring sugar and 1/2 cup water to boil in small saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil 1 minute; remove from heat and cool. DO AHEAD: Simple syrup can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Using vegetable peeler, remove lemon peel (yellow part only) lengthwise in eight 1/4- to 1/2-inch-wide strips and set aside. Juice lemons. Place Pluots, 6 tablespoons simple syrup, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice in food processor; puree until small flecks of Pluot remain. Strain.
Measure 3 tablespoons Pluot puree into each of 8 Champagne glasses. Fill with sparkling wine. Drizzle 2 to 3 drops lemon juice over. Garnish with lemon peel.

PIZZA WITH FIGS, GORGONZOLA, BALSAMIC AND ARUGULA (adapted from Bon Appetit magazine)
Ingredients
1 pound pizza dough (you can buy fresh pizza dough at Trader Joe's or, even better,
you can make your own-- we LOVE this Wolfgang Puck recipe--http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/recipes/view/3391/pizza-dough-- and it makes two pizza doughs, enough for both of your pizzas!)
8 oz. crumbled gorgonzola
6 small fresh Kalmyra figs, sliced in 1/4-inch slices
2 Tbsp fig basalmic vinegar (get this at Whole Foods)
1 Tbsp EVOO
8 cups arugula

Directions: Preheat oven to 450. Roll out dough and place on greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with gorgonzola and grind a little fresh pepper on top. Bake pizza until crust is brown on bottom, about 10-15 minutes. In the meantime, drizzle 1 Tbsp of vinegar over figs and set aside. Once crust is browned, arrange fig slices on top and put back in oven for about 1 minute. Transfer pizza to cutting board and, while cooling, mix olive oil, 1 Tbsp of vinegar and toss with arugula. Place arugula on pizza slices and serve.

GORGONZOLA, PEAR AND PROVOLONE PIZZA
Ingredients
1 pound pizza dough
2 ripe pears, thinly sliced
5 oz. crumbled gorgonzola
1 package provolone cheese
1/4 cup crushed walnuts

Directions: Roll out pizza dough on prepared cookie sheet. Sprinkle gorgonzola over crust, then layer pear slices, then provolone slices, and then sprinkle with walnuts. Bake pizza until crust is browned and cheese is melted, about 10-15 minutes.

GRILLED VEGGIES WITH MUSTARD-LEMON VINAIGRETTE
Vinaigrette Ingredients
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Vegetables Ingredients
20 asparagus spears, each trimmed to 5-inch length
8 green onions, green tops trimmed
4 medium zucchini, each cut lengthwise into 1/4- to 1/3-inch-thick slices
2 large ears of corn, husked
4 medium heads of Belgian endive
2 small heads of radicchio, halved through core
6 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
Olive oil (for brushing)

Directions for vinaigrette: Combine first 9 ingredients in medium bowl. Gradually whisk in oil; season with salt and pepper.
Directions for vegetables: Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Arrange all vegetables on baking sheets. Lightly brush all vegetables with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill asparagus, green onions, zucchini, and corn until lightly charred and just tender, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes for green onions, 8 minutes for asparagus and zucchini, and 10 minutes for corn. Return vegetables to same sheets. Grill endive and radicchio until lightly charred, turning often, about 8 minutes. Transfer to baking sheets with other vegetables. Place tomatoes, skin side down, on grill and cook until just charred, about 3 minutes. Turn tomatoes; grill until just beginning tosoften, about 1 minute longer. Transfer to sheets with other vegetables. Cut asparagus, green onions, and zucchini crosswise into 1-inch pieces; place in large bowl. Cut corn kernels from cobs; add to bowl. Cut endive in half lengthwise. Remove cores from endive and radicchio. Chop into 1/2- to 3/4-inch pieces; add to bowl. Coarsely chop tomatoes. Using slotted spoon, add tomatoes to bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

FRESH PASTA WITH FAVA BEANS, TOMATOES AND SAUSAGE
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1/8 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1/2 pound Italian sausages, casings removed
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 3/4 cups chopped plum tomatoes
1 cup shelled fresh fava beans (from about 1 pound), blanched 3 minutes then peeled
3/4 pound fresh pasta sheets, cut as desired, or dried egg fettuccine (I made homemade pasta and cut it in a "style" called maltagliati (badly cut) pasta (because my stupid pasta machine was having issues cutting it into actual fettucine), which means you just take a knife to your pasta and cut into triangle-y shapes. It actually turned out pretty cool)
2 tablespoons finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese plus additional for passing

Directions: Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add next 3 ingredients. Sauté until onion is translucent, about 6 minutes. Add sausages; break up with fork. Sauté until brown, about 3 minutes. Add wine; simmer 1 minute, scraping up browned bits. Add tomatoes and fava beans. Sauté until tomatoes soften, about 5 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to same pot. Add sauce to pasta. Toss over medium heat until sauce coats pasta, adding reserved cooking liquid as needed if dry, about 2 minutes. Mix in 2 tablespoons cheese. Transfer pasta to bowl. Serve, passing additional cheese.


MACERATED NECTARINES WITH RICOTTA-VANILLA CREAM AND PINE-NUT BRITTLE (adapted from Gourmet magazine)
Ingredients:
3 nectarines (about 1 lb.), cut into wedges
1/2 cup plus 4 tsp sugar, divided
1 tsp fresh lime juice
1 cup ricotta (I used partially-skim)
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted (you can buy toasted pine nuts at Trader Joe's)
1/4 cup mint leaves

Directions: Toss nectarines with 1 tsp sugar and lime juice in a bowl and let macerate, stirring occassionally, about 15 minutes. In the meantime, puree ricotta, whole milk, vanilla, and 3 tsp sugar in a blender. Transfer to a large bowl and pop in freezer, stirring after about 10 minutes; put back in freezer for another 10 minutes until thickened. Line a cookie sheet with foil. Bring water and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil, without stirring, swirling pan occassionally, until medium amber, about 10 minutes. Watch this step closely, because it is WAY too easy to burn this (I did so 2 times before getting it right!). Stir in pine nuts, then immediately pour onto foil-lined cookie sheet. Spread as thinly as possible with rubber spatula and let sit until set, about 5 minutes. Peel foil off and break into pieces. To put together dessert, place a few nectarine slices in small bowl, drizzle with 1/4 of ricotta cream and place a large chunk of brittle in. Add a few leaves of mint and serve!

Devon's Cooking.. Orange Baked Chicken and Turkey with Feta-Tomato Sauce

I'm watching an old epsiode of "The Soup" right now and Seth Green is on promoting "Robot Chicken." I have no idea what Robot Chicken is (nor do I care to see Tila Tequila singing about it), but this is the perfect intro to my blog this week. Why, you ask? Because on Friday night Dave and I went with Melissa and Derek to see Joel McHale, host of the amazing E! show, "The Soup," at Humphrey's by the Bay (he was hilarious, by the way. Well done, McHale.) And, more importantly, because it was poultry week at the Atchison house this week... no particular reason, but Dave was craving some bird. Even better, these are two of the easiest, quickest recipes around, which helped because I finally made an appearance at work this week after 5 weeks of being "absent."

ORANGE BAKED CHICKEN
Ingredients
2 Tbsp orange juice
2 Tbsp Grey Poupon (or other Dijon mustard)
1/2 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
3/4 cup crushed whole wheat crackers (to crush, just place the crackers in a plastic baggie and hit repeatedly with a rolling pin or crab mallet... good if you're frustrated about going back to work!)
1 Tbsp grated orange zest
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
4 three-ounce chicken breast pieces

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine orange juice, mustard and soy sauce. On small plate, combine cracker crumbs, orange zest, onion powder, and pepper. Dredge the chicken in the orange juice mix, then roll the chicken in the cracker crumb mixture; place on wax paper-covered cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes, turn over and bake another 15-20 minutes, until chicken is cooked all the way through.


TURKEY WITH FETA-TOMATO SAUCE
Ingredients:
4 sun-dried tomato halves (either dried or packed in water, not oil-packed)
1/2 cup boiling water
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 scallion, minced
minced garlic (as much as you like)
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 package Jennie-O turkey cutlets

Directions: Spray broiler rack with Pam; preheat broiler. In a small bowl, combine tomatoes and boiling water for about 2 mintues (until tomatoes rehydrated). Drain and finely chop tomatoes; return tomatoes to bolw and stir in cheese, scallion, garlic, basil and oregano. Broil turkey 4 inches away from heat for 4 minutes. Turn turkey over (flip the bird?!?!) adn top with cheese mixture. Broil until turkey is cooked through and cheese starts to melt (about 4-5 more minutes).

Devon's Cooking....Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs and Honey Cake

Phew! It has been an insanely busy summer, as you can see on this blog. We came back from the East Coast, had 4 days back and then we were off running again! First up was Dave Cam and Amy's wedding in Irvine, California (ah, finally, a local wedding!). The rehearsal dinner was an absolute blast (with great live music), tanning by the hotel pool while the boys got ready for the wedding was relaxing and lovely, but the wedding truly took the cake (har, har... my punning is superb). Dave and Amy got married at this amazing venue called Rancho Las Lomas...there was a white tiger roaming (his cage), parrots squawking, and a mariachi band to help us get in the mood for a beautiful wedding ceremony. We danced the night away after the wedding and then enjoyed a delicious brunch the next day. No cooking for me all weekend unless you count the microwave popcorn I made Sunday night.

Gordon came back with Dave and I on Sunday to spend a couple of days in San Diego. We had so much fun with Gordo-- on Monday while poor Dave had to work, Gordon and I explored the beaches. We went to Ocean Beach for fish tacos at South Coast Bar & Grill (the best!), headed over to Wavehouse in Mission Beach for beers, sun and fake-wave-surf-watching, and finally to Sneak Joint (a great new little spot in Pacific Beach featuring the former sous chef from Oceanaire) for cold beer and yummy snacks. We then met Dave at our old favorite downtown haunt, The Neighborhood, to complete our San Diego journey! Tuesday was leftovers and farewell to Gordon, and then we were off early Wednesday morning to Vancouver.

Dave and I have been to many different places around the world, but have never been to much of the Pacific Northwest... so we decided to go on vacation (because we so desperately needed a trip somewhere??) to visit Vancouver and Seattle. In Vancouver, we had a great time eating wonderful food and enjoying a beautiful city! We took the train down to Seattle on Thursday night and, after a gorgeous journey with some amazing scenery, we headed to our old San Diego friends, the Frisches, new house in Seattle. While there, we saw Pike's Place Market, downtown Seattle, a few of the cool and trendy neighborhoods... and bees! Bees, you ask? Yes, bees! Kevin and Margaret's neighbor has bee hives, so he lent us some bee suits and let us watch while he inspected the hives-- we even got to see a Queen Bee laying eggs! And we got a bonus jar of honey--Dave's favorite! More on the honey later.

On Saturday, the four of us got in the car (with our reckless chauffer, Kevin, leading the way) and headed up to wine country to meet up with my old Boston roommate, Kate, her boyfriend Matt, and their dog, Barlow. We checked into a great little boutique hotel that, conveniently, was next door to various wine tasting rooms and Red Hook Brewery. We went to Columbia winery, where we got to meet up with Dave Camarillo's aunt who works there (thanks, Linda!), to 2 additional winery tasting rooms and then to Red Hook for the brewery tour and beer! Great times. From then on, Kate, Matt and Barlow were responsible for us.

We journeyed to Bainbridge Island, where Kate and Matt live, on Sunday and I decided to cook for us Sunday night (finally, the recipe is almost here). I made spaghetti and turkey meatballs (the picture of Matt holding his shirt in a ball is supposed to symbolize the meatballs in his stomach-- we forgot to take a picture until all the meatballs were gone!) and a caprese salad.

CAPRESE SALAD
Ingredients:
2 cartons grape tomatoes
1 carton balled mozarella
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 Tbsp balsalmic vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil

Directions: Mix all ingredients in large bowl and chill unti ready to eat.

SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS
Ingredients:
6 portions lean ground turkey (about 1 1/2 lbs)
2 egg whites
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup water
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat oven broiler. In a large mixing bowl, combine turkey, egg whites, breadcrumbs, water, onion, garlic, parsley, basil and black pepper. Mix ingredients thoroughly and then shape into 1 1/2" diameter meatballs. (makes approx 30 meatballs). Arrange meatballs on a baking sheet and place under broiler for 10 to 12minutes, turning occasionally until they are browned on all sides. Serve with cooked spaghetti (or any other pasta) and marinara sauce (see earlier blogs for my sauce recipe).

We also decided that instead of shipping that delicious fresh honey home, we should use it in Seattle...so I made a honey cake for dessert... this is SO good!

HONEY CAKE
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups honey
3/4 cup canola oil
1 cup strong brewed coffee
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar

For the glaze:
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Oil a 12-cup Bundt pan or 13 x 9-inch rectangular cake pan. First, make the cake: Combine the honey, oil, coffee, and vanilla in a small saucepan and heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is well blended. Remove it from the heat and let cool. Place the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, coriander, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and stir to blend. Place the eggs and sugar in a medium-size bowl and beat with a mixer on medium speed until the mixture is pale yellow and very thick, 5 minutes. Pour the honey mixture into the egg mixture and beat until well incorporated, 2 minutes. Stop the mixer occasionally and scrape down the sides until fully incorporated, 2 minutes more. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake until the cake springs back when lightly touched with your finger and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then place the pan on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert It onto a rack to cool while you prepare the glaze. Place the honey, sugar, and butter in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove the glaze from the heat. To glaze the cake, place it on a serving platter, Use a fork to gently poke holes all over the top of the cake. Brush on the glaze, letting it seep into the holes and down the sides. Serve the cake at room temperature.

After this meal, we needed some serious exercise. So the next day we got on the ferry, headed into Seattle and then made our way to Mt. Ranier. Awesome. We had a great 5 mile hike that Kate insisted would have "very little snow on the trail, if any." She lied, but we're sure glad she did! We had fun falling on our butts, learning to ski in tennis shoes, and otherwise enjoying the amazing scenery at Ranier. Five hours later, Dave and I, and a pound of sweat each, boarded our plane and headed back to Home Sweet San Diego. Thanks Margaret, Kevin, Kate, Matt, Barlow and the nice Canadians ("take off you hosers") for a wonderful five days!

Devon's Cooking...Chickpea and Brown Rice Veggie Burgers with Tomato Salad and Summer Vegetable Curry

Home, and settled at last (by "settled," I mean that I had a chance to unpack our suitcases and start a load of laundry), I decided to head up to Riverside to see the fam! I got to spend the day shopping with my Mom, hanging out with my sis-in-law, Sarah, and my gorgeous nephew Joshua, chillin' with my sister and playing with Gavin and Derek, and having dinner with my Mom and Dad before heading home to sleep in my own bed. Needless to say, after a day like that, following 3 weeks of traveling, I wasn't cooking Monday night.

But now that I'm over my lazy thing (see my Cheatin' Salad post below), I'm trying to get Dave and I a week of healthy eating (since we have Dave Camarillo's wedding coming up this weekend and then 5 days in Vancouver and Seattle the following week!). And for some reason, veggies and veg food just sounds amazing (this is what happens when "french fries" have become something of a food group for you). So both dinners I am making this week will be vegetarian. As a side note, save the leftover brown rice and chickpeas you have from the burger for the stew.

Since we've been on a burger kick (I mean seriously, have you noticed how many burger recipes are on here? What can I say-- they come in the perfect package! Remember, "french fries" is now a food group for me...), I decided to try out another vegetarian burger recipe. For the second half of the week, I used up all of our farmer's market fare to clear out our refrigerator... and the curry I made turned out pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.


CHICKPEA AND BROWN RICE VEGGIES BURGERS WITH TOMATO SALAD
Ingredients
BURGERS
1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
2 Tbsp dried bread crumbs
3 Tbsp shredded carrots
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 medium green onion, finely diced
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 large egg white

TOMATO SALAD
1/2 cup cucumer, diced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
2 Tbsp red onion, thinly slivered
1/4 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions: To make burgers, put chickpeas into food processor and process for about 30 seconds or until a coarse texture is reached. Add rice and pulse again to combine, about 10 more seconds. Spoon mixture into large bowl. Add bread crumbs, carrots, parsley, scallion, lemon zest, coriander, salt and pepper; mix to combine. Add egg white and mix to combine. Refrigerate about 10 minutes or up to overnight. To make the salad, combine ingredients in medium bown and set aside.

SUMMER VEGETABLE CURRY (no photo because it was sort of ugly and I sort of forgot!)
Ingredients:
1 large onion, finely chopped
crushed garlic (as much as you like)
1 piece ginger root (1 inch long), peeled and finely chopped
2 Tbsp curry powder
1 lb. butternut squash, chopped
1 small head cauliflower, broken into florets
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 lb. uncooked string beans, chopped
3.5 cups canned tomatoes, chopped
2 cups vegetable broth
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
3/4 cup chickpeas

Directions: Sautee onion, garlic and ginger in the biggest saucepan you have, about 3-4 minutes until softened. Add curry and stir to combine; then add vegetables, canned tomatoes, broth and half of your parsley. Stir and heat until boiling, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Mix in brown rice and chickpeas (leftover from the burgers) then season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with remaining parsley.