Tag: parmesan cheese

Entrée, Gluten-Free, Italian, Meal Prep, One Pot Dish, Soup, Vegetarian

Bread Soup!

Annie

Ribollita is a Tuscan vegetable and bean soup using leftover bread to make a hearty stew-like meal. Who doesn’t love an excuse to eat bread? When you’re always dipping bread into your soup, why not just pop it right in? Since moving to Boston’s North End (also known as the city’s “Little Italy”), Ted and I have been on a mission to find the best pizza and the best loaf of bread. We’ve started to frequent Bricco, an Italian bakery selling artisan breads. After picking up a whole wheat loaf, it only seemed fitting to make Tuscan Bread and Bean Soup. The bread breaks apart to delightfuly thicken this soup. Flavored with parmesan and full of veggies, this will be a new cold weather staple.

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Entrée, Gluten-Free, Italian, Lightened Up, Meal Prep, One Pot Dish, Vegetarian

Creamy Autumn Harvest Risotto

Annie

This was an everything-but-the-kitchen sink kind of recipe–couple of Brussels sprouts here, some carrots over there, butternut squash frozen and ready to use. I whipped up a batch of Autumn Veggie Risotto yesterday because we had the most random produce and veggies in our fridge and freezer. The rainy, cold weather and upcoming football game created the perfect setting for a hearty dish. Risotto is comfort food at its finest. No need for heavy cream or cups of cheese to create a rich meal. The continuous stirring breaks down the rice’s starches to give risotto its gelatinous consistency and creaminess. I stirred in some mascarpone cheese leftover from making vegetable bolognese. The flavors of the vegetables speak for themselves accentuated by Parmesan cheese’s sharp bite.

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Entrée, Gluten-Free, Italian, Lightened Up, Meal Prep, One Pot Dish, Vegetarian

Veggie & Pesto Packed Primavera Pasta Salad

Annie

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The warm weather has finally rolled in, and it’s beginning to feel like summer. Verdant grass, trees, and flowers call for vibrant veggies to be used. I’ve been craving pasta and also pesto lately, so it only makes sense to use both for a pasta salad. In this Primavera Pasta Salad, your veggies can be a combination of fresh and frozen. I usually have frozen edamame and peas on hand in my freezer among some others (like cauliflower pieces and cauliflower rice). Fresh asparagus, peppers, and celery add a bite and a crunch. Add lemon juice, pesto, and spices for a summery and bright take on pasta salad.

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Breakfast/Brunch, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Meal Prep, Vegetarian

Passing 2017 with a Potato Thyme Quiche

Annie

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Have to close out 2017 with a bang, right? This Thyme Potato Crust Quiche was a winner. Remember my sweet potato crust quiche? Here’s a take on that. I love breakfast potatoes and hash browns for brunch. I’m not sure what it is about the starchy side, but I associate seasoned potatoes with breakfast. I made a potato crust for this eggy dish and added thyme to complement the sharpness of the parmesan and give flavor to the potatoes. For a quiche, it’s really filling from the potatoes, and adding a dash of hot sauce (or ketchup) does juuuust the trick.

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Entrée, Gluten-Free, Italian, Lightened Up, Meal Prep, One Pot Dish

Lightened Up Lasagna

Annie

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I have a confession. Well, actually I have two I suppose. The first is that I don’t own an 8×8 or 9×9 pan so hence why my lasagna looks like a pie (and sheet pan was way too big for this). Might need to change that… The second is that I haven’t made lasagna since moving to Boston. Crazy, right? After assembling and making Spaghetti Squash Lasagna, I realized I’ve been missing ricotta in my life. I made a homemade red sauce in the slow cooker (recipe here, minus the meatballs and plus a hearty amount of red pepper flakes) and cooked the spaghetti squash ahead of time. The key to keeping this a true lasagna is removing the excess water from the spaghetti squash. Then you can really pack the squash to make a thick layer  Then you can layer to your heart’s desire. This lasagna is lightened up with less cheese, chicken sausage and swapping noodles for spaghetti squash. Ignore the poorly plated end result because a) it was too dark to take a picture of the whole pan and b) the slice is an odd shape thanks to the pie pan, but I assure you that it’s truly fullllll of flavors.

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Breakfast/Brunch, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Meal Prep, Vegetarian

Spring Forward with this Spring Quiche

Annie

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It’s almost summer and I’ve been procrastinating writing these parts a wee bit — the descriptions. I made this Spring Veggie Quiche a handful of times during May. I like making quiche crustless unless I’ll be able to consume it in all its glory within a day or two before the crust soggily breaks down. Making the quiche crustless results more like a large omelet, but it retains all of the flavor. Asparagus, zucchini, squash and tomatoes are abundant in the summer and spring. Roasting the veggies enhances all of their natural flavors to be juicy and tender. Tossing them into a quiche with sharp and pungent parmesan only makes things better.

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Breakfast/Brunch, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian

This Quiche Has Got You Covered

Annie

Sage, Kale & Caramelized Onion Quiche

Sage, Kale & Caramelized Onion Quiche. All I can say is yummmm. I’ve never had a quiche expand so much while baking, that it rose up and out of the pan to get that goldeny-brown crust. Ironic since it’s crustless! I had some sage leftover after the Grapefruit Sage Water and the Crispy Sage Chickpeas over Sweet Potato Mash. Quiche is great to make ahead of time and then pull out pieces of breakfast, lunch or even dinner during the week. Pair with a fresh salad and it’s dinner or with half a grapefruit for breakfast. Plus, it’s easy to make — and delicious!

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Entrée, Salad, Vegetarian

Crispy Flaky Coconut Fish

Annie

Coconut-Crusted Tilapia with a Massaged Kale Salad

I told you I had big plans for those coconut flakes. I give you Coconut-Crusted Tilapia with a Massaged Kale Salad. I completed the meal with some Coconut Banana Cookies. I also think this would be quite delish with half a sweet potato or a gnarly piece of multigrain bread. For anyone with gluten-free needs, you could easily use gluten-free panko. Another great option to get your weekly dose of seafood or to bypass any meat on Fridays during Lent. The coconut flakes add a subtle flavor and pungent Parmesan cheese and earthy green kale balance the mild fish. Don’t worry dinner — I’ve got you covered.

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Gluten-Free, Salad, Side, Vegetarian

Breezing through a Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad

Annie

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Bet you can’t guess where I found my inspiration for my Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Pistachios and Cranberries recipe — Pinterest (obviously). I’ve come to like Brussels sprouts. For Thanksgiving at my dad’s parents’ house, I would go to their garden, bursting with late fall veggies, and my task would be to pick the Brussels sprouts to have for Thanksgiving dinner. Of course I would painstakingly pick them, but I would never eat them; I didn’t even get to enjoy my labors then, but I love this salad; it’s light, different, innovative and totally tasty. I made a few changes — I served this raw instead of cooking everything in a skillet. I like the crunch and flavor of the Brussels sprouts this way. Plus, transforming them from their solid form to a shaved one, you wouldn’t know you’re eat Brussels sprouts. For some color, my mom thought shredded carrots would make a nice addition. The pistachios are a decadent and unusual crunch, the parmesan — flavor and the craisins and fig balsamic (a local purchase from Ithaca) — a needed sweetness to combat and balance the salad’s earth tones.

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Appetizer, Entrée, Local Finds, Vegetarian

Simply Savory Kale Flatbread

Annie

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My mom discovered this recipe for a kale flatbread a couple summers ago in Southern Living; after some modifications, it’s too good not to share. Even my carnivore of a boyfriend approved and heartily inhaled one flatbread I made for dinner last winter (but probably along with one containing some form of meat). My parents and I traveled to Ohio this past weekend to visit my dad’s mom, and we made the flatbread for dinner on Friday night. My aunt and uncle grew curly kale in their garden and it’s thriving. Oh my goodness, the plant was so huge that it looked like a small 3 foot bush (see pictures below). Naturally we just had to incorporate abundant amounts of their homegrown kale into a meal, and we knew the Kale & Rosemary Flatbread was one such recipe that would do the job quite well. The rosemary adds a fantastic flavor and a fresh, yet savory element, especially along with the creamy fontina cheese and pungent parmesan cheese. In fact, there’s so much flavor that you forget your only topping is really just kale. So enjoy. Indulge a little, and pass that Kale & Rosemary Flatbread.

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