Caramelized Onions and Fusilli

As tasty and satisfying as this meal came out, it was born in disaster...

It all began at Jamba Juice on 5th Avenue on Tuesday, March 29th. Despite working so close, a half hour break still doesn't leave much of a window to order lunch, wait for it and make it back to work in time -- nevermind actually sitting down and eating it. But I tried. I got to work at 7 a.m. (yes, I had to get up before 6!) and was already looking forward to 12:00 because I had already decided to try out the oatmeal at Jamba Juice. I organized all the bread and filled baskets and blah blah, let's fast forward to 12. I rushed downstairs to grab my coat and purse, fumbled with the lock on my locker and the frustration started to build. Forgetting to clock out, I made it outside. I power walked across the street to Jamba Juice and at about 12:08 I found myself in front of the menu, confronted with too many choices, as usual.

"I'll have an oatmeal with fresh bananas and a 16 Orange Carrot Karma."

"We're out of carrots."

"Uhhhhh...." My eyes robot-scanned the menu again and fixed onto the all fruit choices. "Mega Mango, then," I sighed with disappointment.

I waited in line with the suits for the guy behind the blender to call my name. Finally. I sat down with about 10 minutes to have my lunch. I opened my newest issue of Cooking Light anyway to find something for dinner -- something I could make without shopping again. I pretty much decided on the first recipe I found: Fusilli with Caramelized Spring Onions and White Wine.

With dinner hastily decided, I shoved the last bite of (wonderful) oatmeal into my mouth and left with my Mango in hand. I had about 3 minutes to get back to work. With my eyes on the approaching walk signal, my pace quickened on the sidewalk. Then the disaster happened. My Jamba Juice slipped out of my hand and splattered onto the sidewalk. For a split second I contemplated picking it up and saving it to transfer to another cup. But in that split second it continued to pool all over the pavement. I looked up, devastated. An older woman saw my pain and sympathized with my loss, "Oh! I'm so sorry!!"

My sadness quickly transformed to rage. I stormed back to work and fumed about my wasted $4 and my lost nutrients in the form of deliciousness. And what does this loss have to do with my fusilli and caramelized onions, you might ask? Everything. I was looking forward to cooking it and taking photos and taking my time -- a leisurely and enjoyable cooking night. But my Jamba Juice frustration still lingered when I began cooking and as soon as I began I found myself rushing and overly frustrated.

BUT nevertheless, it came out delicious and I will give you the rundown of my recipe. I made some changes from the original.

What You'll Need:

• bread crumbs 
• I made my own with leftover slices of Otto bread from work. Toasted, pulverized & mixed with a little olive oil, chopped garlic, salt and crushed red pepper. Then toasted in the oven for a few minutes.

• garlic: chopped or minced
• onions, thinly sliced (about 1 and a half... I didn't have spring onions -- just regular yellow)
• white wine
• chicken broth
• parmesan rind
• peas
• bacon
• whole wheat fusilli
• quinoa

Put it All Together:

• Caramelize your onions. Ideally, do it nice and slow and low with butter. This equals perfection. I didn't have the time or the patience for this so I used some water and then a little olive oil and sauteed until soft and browned.
• Add a couple cloves of garlic and the wine. Heat it up to cook off the alcohol. Add parmesan rind for flavor (don't eat it!). 
• Add chicken broth and reduce.
• Throw in your frozen peas to heat them all the way through.
• Mix in about a quarter to a third of your prepared quinoa (1 cup uncooked) and most of your pasta (from 1 box). Toss it all together.
• Serve with bread crumbs, grated parmesan and crumbled bacon on top.

And hopefully you can do it all with less frustrations than me.

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Lentil Soup

Now, let's be honest: We've all got a relative (...relatives) who can't cook. I've got one. Well... actually... it's not that she can't cook, but that she doesn't really like cooking as much as me or most of my family. Oddly enough, one of my favorite foods that I always remember looking forward to when I was little was made by her. Lentil soup. She made the best lentil soup. (I also remember at their house they'd always have orange-pineapple-banana juice -- or whatever delicious combination it was -- and dark German bread.)

Obviously this means that lentil soup will now be one of my staples. It's delicious, it's easy and it's healthy. Lentils are really good for you. I made it at my dad's last winter and it came out pretty amazing, if I do say so myself. I made it recently and it wasn't quite as fantastic, but it was still really good. It's all about feeling out the right ratios and experimenting with the flavors you like, right? Right. So here are the basics...

What You'll Need:

• olive oil
• onions
• carrots
• thyme
• marjoram (don't skip this one, you need this for the soup's unique flavor)
• cumin
• parsley
• big can of diced tomatoes
• chicken broth
• lentils (about a cup and half-ish)
• and cheddar!

Put it All Together (So Easy):

• Soak lentils for about 20 minutes and then drain.
• Sautee diced carrots and onion.
• Add all other ingredients (except cheese) and simmer until lentils are soft.

Flavors will work differently if you add seasonings in the beginning of cooking vs. at the end. I wasn't thinking and just added everything all at once, which was fine. It's not so important when you're dealing with dried herbs, but if they were fresh I'd toss 'em in towards the end to retain the fresh flavor. (I probably used almost a teaspoon of each.)

Serve with shredded cheddar on top -- trust me, it makes it!! -- and some fresh bread. Or maybe dark German bread. ;) Delicious, comforting, filling and healthy. Can't be beat.

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Pasta e Fagioli

This is one of my favorite Italian dishes... It's got everything delicious: beans, garlic, bacon, onion, pasta -- It's really hard to go wrong. Unless you're my grandmother. She takes this dish in a completely different direction. She uses Boston baked beans and some kind of tomato sauce... very strange. But this recipe is not red: I don't believe in red pasta e fagioli.

What You'll Need:

• quarter package bacon, chopped
• diced onion
• chopped carrots
• chopped garlic
• chopped celery
• olive oil/butter
• red kidney beans
• cannelini beans
• chicken broth
• sage
• basil
• bay leaves
• elbow macaroni 

Put it All Together:

• Heat a skillet and add bacon first. Cook it for just a minute or two, to give it a head start. Then add some olive oil and a little bit of butter, onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Allow vegetables to soften.
• Sprinkle a bunch of sage over veggies, black pepper, 2 bay leaves and a few basil leaves torn up.
• Take about a half cup of red kidney beans and half a cup of cannelini beans and puree them -- this will make the "soup" thicker. (I used an immersion blender because it's all I have and it's super easy.) Add chicken broth, beans and bean... mush. Bring it all to a boil, then turn down to a simmer.

• Add about 1/3 to a half box of elbow macaroni and cook until they reach desired tenderness. (I like more pasta and cooked really well... makes it less soupy and more dense.)
• Serve with grated cheese on top.

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Another Tasty Pizza

Since I had to work on Sunday until 7:00, putting me home around 7:45 and the Oscars were on at 8:30, my window was fairly small for dinner preparation. So while I was on my way home, the boyfriend got the pizza dough ready (another Pillsbury can -- what can ya do?) and the toppings. When I got in we assembled and stuck in the oven and timing with the beginning of the Oscars was just right.

Our Toppings:

• Spinach (tossed in a little olive oil before going on)
• A mozzarella/cheddar shredded cheese blend
• Chopped ham steak
• Thinly sliced red onion
• Some more of that cheese
• Sprinkling of crushed red pepper

 YUM.

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Heeyyy Yoouuu Guyyysss!! It's Pizza Night!

Ah, yes... pizza. But don't pick up the phone for it -- or go to the freezer. It's so much more satisfying to do it yourself. Ideally, you should make it with a bag of fresh dough from a local bakery or pizzeria -- they usually have some at the grocery store. But, of course, dear Bravo (the grocery store around the corner from me) had none of these. My only option was Pillsbury dough in a can -- not bad, but not my first choice.

ANYWAY. Other than dough, you can pretty much do your own Pizza Night however you want. Whatever toppings you like.

Here's what I did -- after pre-baking the crusts for about 5 minutes, like the directions say. It's important -- you don't want to get stuck with soggy crust!! Spray your cookie sheet AND sprinkle a little flour over the top to prevent any sticking. (I used a regular crust for #1 and the thin crust for #2):

PIZZA #1: Barbecue Chicken.

• Pour about 1/3 of a bottle (depending on size) of barbecue (this one is amazing -- sweet, smoky and a little spicy) sauce onto your crust. Use a little less of this sauce than you would tomato sauce -- it tends to be pretty salty and very tasty.
• Add chicken strips on top. (Just cut up & brown chicken breast in a skillet with some olive oil, garlic, paprika & cumin... or whatever.)
• Dump more than half of a bag of shredded mozzarella cheese on top.
• Final touch: Thinly sliced rings of red onion.
• Bake in the oven around 400 until the cheese is melty and the crust is browned to your liking.

PIZZA #2: Classic with Onions and Pepperoni.

• In a small pot, soften about 1/3 of an onion (cut into rings) in olive oil with garlic (I just used powder because I had no cloves!). Once softened, add half a can of tomato paste and about 5 tablespoons of crushed tomatoes (the kind with basil). This ratio can change depending on the thickness you prefer, but I found extra tomato paste was better for the pizza. Add some salt and crushed red pepper. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes then spread over pizza crust when ready.
• Add shredded cheese on top -- four cheese Italian blend was perfect. (I also added some of the leftover chicken since there wasn't enough to save for later.)
• Slice up some good pepperoni and spread over the cheese -- You know, an actual stick of pepperoni. 
• Bake in the oven around 400 until the cheese is melty and the crust is browned to your liking.

Perfect accompaniment for pizzas? Well, salad -- definitely. (I went the super-easy lazy route and just used a bag.) But more important than salad? The movie... ⚡