Blue Metal Pig

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Title: Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Pecan and Marshmallow Streusel
Tags: vegetarian, sides

12 large sweet potatoes
3/4 cup (11/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup toasted pecan pieces
1 cup miniature marshmallows

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Wash the sweet potatoes, scrubbing them well to remove any dirt. With a fork, prick the sweet potatoes in a couple of spots and place them on a sheet pan. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center goes in easily.

In a large bowl, mix the butter, brown sugar, and flour together until it's crumbly-looking. Add the cinnamon, salt, pecans, and marshmallows; fold the streusel topping together to combine.

Slice the sweet potatoes lengthwise down the center and push the ends towards the middle so it opens up. Stuff the sweet potatoes generously with the streusel topping and return to the oven. Bake for another 20 minutes, or until the topping is bubbly and brown.

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Title: Green Tea Buttercream Frosting
Tags: dessert

1 stick butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons half and half or light cream
1 tablespoon matcha powder
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1. Mix matcha in with the light cream to make a paste.
2. Beat butter briefly, scrape bowl.
3. Add the sifted powdered sugar and matcha paste. Beat until smooth.
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Title: Green Tea or “Matcha” Cupcakes
Tags: dessert

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons matcha

1. Prepare sheet pan by rubbing with butter, covering with parchment, rubbing with more butter, and dusting with flour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.
3. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
4. Add eggs/egg yolks one at a time, beat for 30 seconds between each.
5. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add to batter and mix to combine.
6. Mix matcha in with the milk. Add to the batter and mix until combine.
7. Pour into prepared 1/2 sheet pan and smooth flat.
8. Bake for 22-25 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

Note: You can use this batter to make straight up green tea cupcakes. Simply scoop into cupcake papers and bake for about the same amount of time.

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Title: Italian Sausage Soup
Tags: soup

8 ounces hot or sweet turkey Italian sausage
2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
1/2 cup uncooked small shell pasta
2 cups bagged baby spinach leaves
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan or Romano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Remove casings from sausage. Add sausage to pan, and cook about 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain; return to pan.

Add broth, tomatoes, and pasta to pan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until pasta is done. Remove from heat; stir in spinach until wilted. Sprinkle each serving with cheese and basil.
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Title: Bread Soup
Tags: bread, soup

1 T olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stalk celery, diced
1 t dried hot chili flakes
1 t dried oregano
4 c vegetable stock
1/2 small loaf of stale bread, cubed
1 small can of diced tomatoes
1 bunch spinach
2 T Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Saute the onion, garlic and celery in the oil over medium-high heat. When softened, add in the chili flakes, oregano and some salt and pepper. Add in vegetable stock and tomatoes and simmer over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Add in bread and spinach, stir and cover pot. When bread is soft and spongy and the spinach is wilted, throw in some cheese. Taste adding more salt or pepper if necessary. Serve with more cheese, if that's the way you wanna go.

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Title: Panzanella
Tags: salad, bread

1 recipe Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette [1/2 cuplemon juice, 1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil, 1/2 tablespoon lemon zest, 3 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced, 6 white anchovies, rinsed and thinly sliced (optional)]
9 cups day-old country bread, torn into large pieces
2 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, large dice
1/2 cup thinly sliced Tropea (red torpedo) onions (or a sweet onion such as Maui or Vidalia)
2 medium English hothouse cucumbers, halved lengthwise, large dice
1 packed cup basil leaves, torn into large pieces


1. Combine half of the Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette with all of the bread, and set aside to marinate for about 10 minutes.

2. When bread has marinated, add remaining vinaigrette and all other ingredients, and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Using clean hands, mix together until well incorporated.

3. Let salad rest for 15 minutes to let flavors meld and serve at room temperature.
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I have a bajillion potatoes (both sweet and regular) that need to be used. I also have pecans and oranges sitting around! This meal was made for me.

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Title: Sweet Potato Casserole
Tags: vegetarian, sides

3 large sweet potatoes
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup flaked coconut (optional)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Poke holes in the sweet potatoes with a fork, arrange the sweet potatoes on a cookie sheet. Grease an 11x7 inch glass baking dish.
Bake sweet potatoes for 1 hour. Let cool, then mash in a large bowl. There should be approximately 3 2/3 cups of mashed sweet potato.
Combine softened butter with brown sugar, nuts, coconut and flour; stir with a fork. Set aside.
Combine sugar, eggs, milk, orange peel, butter, vanilla, salt with the mashed sweet potatoes. Beat the mixture with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the brown sugar-nut mixture over the top of the mixture.
Bake for 35 minutes.

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Oh, yum, this was delish!

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Title: Moqueca
Tags: fish

2 lb fish (grouper, monkfish, kingfish, salmon, or mahi mahi)
Juice of 2 lemons
Salt
flat leaf parsley and spring onions finely chopped
Coriander/Cilantro
4 or 5 tomatoes
2 red onions finely chopped
garlic paste
extra virgin olive oil
coconut milk
Dende oil

Finely chop the cilantro, parsley,spring onions, tomatoes. Set aside.
Chop garlic, add salt, and continue chopping, until a paste forms (use a mortar and pestle if that's easier). Add to herbs.
Heat a large clay pot, over a low/medium flame
Add mixed herbs, garlic and tomatoes
As soon as you start to smell the perfume from the herbs filling the kitchen, add a splash of olive oil.
Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the fish, season with salt, and carefully place over the herbs.
Add coconut milk, and dende oil.
Pop on the lid, and leave until cooked.
When the flesh starts to leave the bone you know its ready. About 15-20 minutes.
Serve direct to the table
Open the lid and allow the perfume to escape at the table. It's a must.
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Title: Poor Man's Meal
Tags: dinner

2 potatoes, cubed
1 onion, chopped
4 hot dogs, sliced
2 Tbsp pasta sauce
oil

Fry up the potatoes with the onion so the potatoes brown a little. Add a the pasta sauce and hot dogs and cook until everything is cooked. Add a little water to keep the potatoes soft.
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I tried making chapatis before, with little success. I'll try the techniques listed in this recipe with optimism.

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Title: Chapatis
Tags: bread

1 1/2 whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup warm water

Put the flour and salt in a food processor. Turn the processor on and slowly add the water. That will leave you with a slightly sticky dough ball.

Put the ball on a floured surface, under a towel, and let it sit for 15 minutes or so.

Pinch the dough into small pieces (about the size of a big marshmallow) and roll each one out to a round, about 3″ in diameter.

Heat a dry cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Put a round in the skillet and let it heat until the dough start to puff and bubble a bit, then flip it and it within a minute it should balloon up from the skillet. Each side should be lightly charred.

Put the finished chapatis in a small basket and cover them with a cloth until they’re all cooked.

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Shaw's had a store coupon for $0.79 potatoes, so I think latkes are in order. I have sour cream in the fridge waiting to get used up.

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Title: A Healthier Latke
Tags: vegetarian

2.5 pounds russet potatoes (peeled)
1 onion (I used half red and half regular)
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp salt
4 tablespoons flour (or better yet, matzo meal)
vegetable oil

Grate potatoes and onions in a food processor fitted with a grated plate or shred with a grater. Use your hands to squeeze out the liquid as much as you can and place in a big bowl. Add the salt, pepper, flour and mix with your hands. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Put about a tablespoon or two of oil in a large frying pan and wait until it gets hot. Grab a handful of the latke mixture, squeeze out the liquid and form into a patty. Place in frying pan. Continue with more of the latke mixture, but don’t crowd the pan. Lower the heat to medium and flip the latkes after about 4-5 minutes. Once each side is browned, place on a foil lined baking sheet. Continue until you fill up 2 baking sheets and place them in the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes or until they all are very brown and crispy. This recipe should make about 12 pretty large latkes.

Serve with applesauce (preferably homemade, it’s quick and easy) and sour cream.

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Inspired by the Japanese 'scattered sushi' concept, here is a vegetarian chirashi bowl for a more budget-friendly feast.

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Title: Chirashi Bowl
Tags: vegetarian

1 cup cooked brown rice
2-3 pieces broiled/grilled tofu (marinated in lime/lemon juice, garlic, and soy sauce)
1 handful of broiled/grilled asparagus
1 sliced avocado
1 sliced scallions
several slices raw red onion
several strips of nori
toasted sesame seeds

Basically heap some brown rice in a bowl, cover with everything else and top with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

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Title:White Bean and Kale Soup w/Garlic
Tags: beans, soup, vegetarian

2 cups cooked white beans and cooking water
1/2 bunch of kale, washed and chopped into bits (we had purple kale)
5-6 cloves of garlic, minced
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of fresh rosemary and sage (if you’ve got it)
Israeli couscous or any type of small pasta (optional)


In a large pot heat up a glug of the olive oil and saute about half of the garlic. Throw in the kale, lower the heat and cover until the kale is wilted a bit. Add 1.5 cups of the beans and a cup or two of the cooking liquid (use broth or water if you don’t have bean liquid). Let the whole mess simmer for a bit. In a food processor, process half the cup of beans with the rest of the garlic, herbs and a bit of olive oil - this will lend the soup some body. Pour the pureed mixture into the soup pot and mix. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper to your liking. Add more water if the soup is too thick. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes. I threw in about half a cup of Israeli couscous and some water to make the soup more of a meal. Let that cook for about 7 minutes or so.

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I haven't had goulash in for freakin' ever.

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Title:Goulash
Tags: beef, pasta

1 lb. of ground beef (.99 on sale)
1 lb. of elbow macaroni (.50, I buy in bulk)
1 can of stewed tomatoes (.25 scratch and dent sale)
1-2 cans of tomato sauce (about .12 a can)
1 onion chopped (.10, 5 1bs for a 1.00)
Salt and pepper to taste (pennies)

Brown ground beef and onion until done. Meanwhile boil the macaroni. Drain
the oil from the hamburger mixture, and drain the macaroni. Add the
hamburger to the macaroni. Chop up tomatoes and add to the meat and
macaroni. Add the tomato sauce and season to taste. Cook approx. 10minutes
on med heat.

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Perkier version than plain old red beans and rice.

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Title: Red Beans & Rice
Tags: dinner, chicken

1 lb. smoked sausage or chicken breast (or both!)
1 can (10 ounces) Rotel
2 cans (16 ounces each) red beans or dark red kidney beans, undrained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3/4 tsp Creole seasoning
4 - 5 cups cooked rice

Cut up sausage into 1 inch chunks. Brown sausage in 10 inch skillet.
Add tomatoes, beans, soup, and seasoning and heat through. Add cooked rice and heat through again, if necessary.


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Marinated artichokes give this vegetarian main dish pie a real kick. The creamy filling is made from ricotta cheese, sour cream, eggs, and Swiss cheese. You could use plain artichoke hearts instead of marinated ones if you'd like; just increase the tarragon to 1 tsp. and add some minced garlic to the custard.

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Title: Ricotta Artichoke Pie
Tags: vegetarian

pastry for double crust 9" pie
2 (6 oz.) jars marinated artichokes, drained and chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
16 oz. ricotta cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1-1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 tsp. dried tarragon leaves
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. white pepper
1 Tbsp. heavy cream


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line 9" pie pan with one half pastry; roll the other half into a 10" circle. Cover and set aside.

Prepare artichoke hearts and set aside. In heavy skillet, cook onions in olive oil until tender. Set aside.

In large bowl, combine ricotta, sour cream, eggs, Parmesan and swiss cheeses, tarragon, salt, and pepper. Add chopped artichoke hearts and cooked onions.

Pour into prepared pie shell. Top with pastry round; seal edges and flute. Cut vent holes in top of pie. Brush with 1 Tbsp. heavy cream. Bake at 400 degrees F for 35-45 minutes until crust is golden brown and filling is set. Bake a little longer if you opt to make this a single-crust pie.


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Title: Neely's Lasagna
Tags: dinner, pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for pan
1 pound ground beef or turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, chopped
1 (8-ounce) jar tomato sauce
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 (8-ounce) box no-boil lasagna noodles
2 large eggs
2 cups cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 teaspoons freshly chopped parsley leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 (8-ounce) bag shredded mozzarella
1 (8-ounce) bag shredded Cheddar


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish.

In a large saute pan, over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon oil and saute meat, onion, and garlic until meat is browned, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon. Drain pan of fat and add stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, then mix in cottage cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan, parsley, salt, pepper, and seasoning salt.

Spread a little of the meat sauce in the bottom of the prepared pan. Lay half the noodles in the bottom of the baking dish, overlapping by 1/2-inch. Spread half the egg and cottage cheese mixture evenly on top. Sprinkle half the mozzarella and Cheddar evenly over the cottage cheese mixture. Pour half the meat sauce on top. Repeat layering in same order. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan on top. Bake in center of oven 30 to 35 minutes until sauce is bubbling around the edges. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

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Title: Poor Man's Souffle
tags:bread, sides

1/2 loaf bread, cubed
2 cups cheese, any
2 cups milk
4 eggs
mustard

You take good stale white bread and scrape it with mustard, layer it in a greased casserole with grated cheese, any kind, and pour eggs beaten with milk over. Bake it at 350 for 35-50 minutes--depending on the depth of your casserole dish--or until it tests clean with a knife. It puffs and browns beautifully.

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Title:Ricotta
Tags: cheese

2 quarts whole milk
1 pint half-and-half
Generous pinch of kosher salt
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar or strained fresh lemon juice

Pour milk and half-and-half into a large enameled or stainless-steel saucepan, add the salt, and bring to a full boil. Remove from heat, add vinegar, and stir until the mixture has separated into thick curds and a clear liquid (the whey).

Set a large sieve over a large deep bowl and line it with a double layer of wet cheesecloth (or a damp paper towel). Pour the curds and whey into the sieve and allow to drain for 15 minutes (or up to 30 minutes if you want a firmer cheese). Scrape the ricotta into a bowl. It is ready to serve, or it can be covered and refrigerated overnight.

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Title: Ribollita
Tags: soup, bread

1 cup cannellini beans, uncooked
1 large red onion, sliced
2 carrots, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
4 potatoes, diced
10 zucchini, diced
1 1/2 cups swiss chard, shredded
1 leek
1 savoy cabbage, shredded
1 bunch kale, shredded
salt and pepper
2-3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 days old stale Tuscan white bread

Soak the beans overnight and then cook over low heat. It will take approximately 1 to 1 1/2 hours for them to cook.
In a pan, gently fry the onion. Add the other vegetables, with the exception of the cabbage, kale and beans which are added at a later point. When the vegetables have sweated out their juice, cover with hot water and then add all the cabbage and kale. Cover and simmer for an hour over medium heat.
Add the cooked beans (some of them whole and some puréed), salt and pepper. Leave to simmer for another 20 minutes, stirring frequently because the beans tend to stick to the bottom of the pan. Add the tomato paste.
Slice the stale bread and, in an earthenware casserole, alternate layers of bread with the soup until the bread is soaked. Let rest for one day.
To serve, remove the desired quantity from the casserole and reheat it, or "re-boil" it, as the name in Italian suggests.

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