Month: April 2015

Risotto is a classic Italian rice dish made by cooking a special variety of rice (usually Arborio) in broth, which helps release the starch of the rice, creating a creamy, comforting dish.  While I have made my share of risottos, this recipe interested me since it used pasta.  I’m not picky….I’ll take my carbs in any variety!  This dish was simple yet so flavorful.  It takes a little time to constantly stir the pasta while it absorbs the broth.  However, it is worth it!  Toasting the pasta in the beginning of the recipe gives the dish a nice, nutty flavor.  Add in the sweetness of the caramelized onions and the tang of the Gorgonzola cheese and this dish is so flavorful!  The Weekend Chef noted that this is a dish that you’d find in a restaurant.  I made this dish with vegetable broth to keep it vegetarian.  Since my daughter does not like Gorgonzola, I scooped out a portion of the pasta for her prior to adding the crumbled cheese.  Serve with a salad and you have a perfect meal!

Risotto-Style Pasta with Caramelized Onions
Recipe adapted from Cooking Light, December 2014

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups diced yellow onion
1 1/4 cups uncooked acini di pepe pasta (about 8.4 ounces)
3 cups unsalted vegetable stock, divided
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola

Directions:

1. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the onion reducing heat to low, and cook 20 minutes or until onion is light brown, creamy, and caramelized, stirring occasionally. Once caramelized, remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

2. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the pasta to the saucepan cooking 5 minutes or until the pasta is a nice toasty color, stirring constantly. Add the onion and 1 cup stock, stirring frequently until the stock is absorbed. Once the pasta absorbs the stock, add the wine.  Continue adding the rest of the stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently until each portion is absorbed before adding the next. Test the pasta, as you want it to be al dente.  When it’s done, stir in salt, pepper and dried thyme. Remove from the heat and add the crumbled Gorgonzola cheese; stirring gently to mostly melt the cheese, but allowing for some chunks.  Serve immediately and enjoy!

This week’s edition of Weekend Chef’s Foodie Movie Review is based on another Netflix find: GMO OMG. This 2013 documentary is a film by Jeremy Seifert. Mr. Seifert is a father of 3 young children and the film follows him on his quest to find the source of the food that his family eats, primarily to see how much of what they eat involve the use of GMOs. For those who don’t know, GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism and can mean anything from tomatoes that are bred to glow in the dark to corn that is bred to resist pesticide. In some respects, mankind has been tinkering with plant genetics for millennia. Recent concerns about GMO crops stem from the extent that plant DNA has been scientifically changed and whether the new foods can cause the end users any long-term ill effects. The director’s goal in the film is to show how pervasive GMO’s are in our food chain. Large portions of our corn and soybean crops are modified to some extent and the majority of supermarket foods contain either corn, soybeans or both. The issue is whether or not the food we eat is harmful. I believe the director took the stance that it is harmful without sufficient scientific evidence to back it up . We may not know whether the incredible yields that have the ability to feed a growing global population are in some way poisoning those same people for many years to come. The science of genetic plant breeding may be a two-edged sword but only time will tell if there are negatives to outweigh the positives. I understand Mr. Seifert’s concerns. I have two young children myself and we should certainly try to be aware of the source of the foods we eat. However, I feel his quest to completely remove it from his family’s diet out of fear or precaution set a negative tone and removed the subjectivity from the documentary.

How do all of you feel about GMOs? A blessing to feed the world or a killer in disguise? Please share your thoughts in the comment section.

If you are like us, some mornings can be more hectic than others.  Trying to get the kids up and dressed and feed them breakfast before they have to be at before school activities can sometimes be difficult.  That’s when muffins come in handy.  A muffin, some yogurt and a piece of fruit make a quick, easy and healthy breakfast (or even lunch!).  Muffins in general are easy to prepare and cook much quicker than making a bread.  I love that I can make a batch, freeze them and can take them out as needed.  These chocolate chip coffee muffins were enjoyed by both the adults and the kids.  I used decaffeinated coffee granules to make them more child-friendly.  These will be making an appearance in our kitchen again soon!

Chocolate Chip Coffee Muffins
Recipe adapted from Very Culinary

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup milk
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg
2 tablespoons instant decaffeinated coffee granules

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and chocolate chips.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, butter, vanilla, egg, and coffee granules.

4.  Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients in the large bowl and combine until just moist. Spoon the batter into the muffin liners and bake for 15-18 minutes until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to let cool.