Recipe – Page 8

Stuffed Piquillo Peppers

Published on November 1, 2013October 29, 2013 by twinswithoriginality2 Comments

Four months ago, T.W.O. traveled to Spain and enjoyed pintxos daily. We felt nostalgic this past week and decided to re-create one of our favorite pintxos we had in Madrid- stuffed piquillo peppers! We ordered them at Lateral the first night in Madrid and loved them so much, we ordered them again on our last night of the trip! This pintxos dish is a great appetizer to serve at your next dinner party and can be prepared ahead of time so you can enjoy socializing with guests. Ole!

Ingredients

-1 can of piquillo peppers
-0.5 lb ground beef or turkey
-1/2 cup of goat cheese*
-1 cup of Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Soup**
-1/4 cup of Greek yogurt
–Crazy Salt
-Garlic Powder
-Pepper
-Chili Powder

*T.W.O. has also used cream cheese, which makes for a creamier mixture
**T.W.O. would suggest Trader Joe’s Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Soup

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a sauté pan, begin cooking the meat over medium heat. Season with salt, garlic powder, pepper and chili powder.

While meat is cooking, take the peppers out of the jar and separate. Pour the soup into a sauce pan and heat up. Add the Greek yogurt and reduce heat to low.

Once the meat is cooked, drain some of the grease. Don’t drain all of it for you don’t want the meat to be dry.

While the meat is still hot, add in your goat cheese or cream cheese and mix. Stuff the peppers individually with the meat and place into a Pyrex.

Once all the peppers are stuffed, pour the soup mixture over the peppers.

Place into oven and bake for about 30 minutes. Allow the peppers to sit for about 3-5 minutes before serving. Then it is time to enjoy some pintxos!!

Roasted Butternut Squash with Swiss Chard

Published on October 28, 2013October 24, 2013 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Picture this: A cold autumn’s night with green vegetables, toasted pine nuts, butternut squash and goat cheese. Sounds T.W.O. perfect, right? Well it is! Check out how to make this dish below.

Ingredients:

– 1 large butternut squash
– 2 large shallots, quartered
-4 gloves of garlic, skinned and halved
– 1 ½ Tablespoon cinnamon
– 1 ½ Tablespoon nutmeg
-1 large head Swiss chard, stems and leaves chopped separately
-¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
-¾ cups dried cranberries
– ¼ cup honey goat cheese, crumbled
– balsamic vinegar, to drizzle

Preheat oven to 375ᴼ. Peel the squash and cut in half lengthwise. Seed the squash and cut into bite-size cubes. Spray/brush the squash with olive oil and mix in cinnamon and nutmeg. Once the squash is coated, place on a baking sheet and cook for about 30-40 minutes until soft. Check the squash periodically and mix.

At the 20 minute mark, add the garlic and the shallots to the butternut squash on the baking pan in the oven.

While the squash medley is cooking, chop the Swish chard stems and sauté in a fry pan for 3 minutes with a drixzle of balsamic vinegar. After 2 minutes, add the Swish chard leaves.

Mix in the cranberries and the roasted pine nuts.

Remove the squash, shallots and garlic from the oven and add to the Swish chard mixture. Once mixed, remove from stove and plate the ingredients. Add the goat cheese to the top for garnish. Serve immediately.

T.W.O. enjoys having this for leftovers for lunch the next day. Just heat it up in the microwave or on the stove and you will have another tasty meal!

Happy cooking!!!

Deep Dish Pizza

Published on October 25, 2013October 21, 2013 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Friday Night Pizza!!! T.W.O. decided to spice up Friday Night Pizza night and make a deep dish pizza. That’s right, pizza pie! T.W.O.’s brother made a deep dish pie a couple weeks ago, which inspired us to try our own version. Grab your rolling pin, pie dish, ingredients and let’s start cooking!

Ingredients:

– Pizza dough
– Flour
– Cornmeal
– Mozzarella cheese, 1 inch block
– Marinara sauce (T.W.O. uses Molinari’s homemade marinara sauce)
– 1 large head of broccoli, chopped
– 1 can of olives, diced
– 1 small package of mushrooms, diced
– 2 jalapeno, diced

Preheat oven to 425ᴼ.

First, roll out dough on a flour, cornmeal surface. Make sure to evenly roll out the dough in a circular shape so it fits in the pie dish. Once completed, place the dough in the pie dish and pat in place. Add some flour and cornmeal to the bottom of the dough so it will help absorb some of the juices.

Cut thin mozzarella slices from the block of cheese and lay on the bottom. Next, drizzle some marinara sauce to cover the cheese. Add the cut vegetables to the pie and layer cut slices of cheese in between. Once you have all your ingredients in the pie, top with the remaining marinara. The sauce should fill in the gaps between the vegetables.

Put the pizza pie in the oven and bake for about 30-40 minutes. You will know when the pizza is ready when the sauce is “bubbling”. Take out and top with parmesan cheese.

Let the pizza sit for about 10 minutes prior to cutting. Once served, sit down and enjoy your deep dish pizza pie!

Happy Friday Night Pizza Night!!!

Cheers,

Spaghetti Squash with Ground Turkey, Swiss Chard, Cranberries & Spicy Dijon, Lemon Vinaigrette

Published on October 22, 2013October 16, 2013 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Spaghetti Squash with Ground Turkey, Swiss Chard, Cranberries & Spicy Dijon, Lemon Vinaigrette

Fall is in the air, and it’s also in T.W.O.’s cooking! Check out how to make this easy and tasty recipe the whole family will love. It’s great as an entrée, side dish or even lunch! T.W.O. doubled the recipe and was able to enjoy it throughout the week…leftovers are the best!

Ingredients

Spicy Dijon Dressing:

– 4-5 tablespoons spicy Dijon mustard
– 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
– ¼ cup rice vinegar
– ½ lemon, juiced
– Krazy Salt & Pepper to taste

For the Spaghetti Squash:

– 1 large spaghetti squash
– 1 pound lean ground turkey meat
– 1 bunch of Swiss chard leaves, removed from steam
– ½ – 1 cup dried cranberries
– Olive oil cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 375ᴼ F. Using a sharp knife, cut the spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and the “strings” just like you would when carving a pumpkin. Once clean, place the squash, face down in a sprayed Pyrex pan. Salt and Pepper to taste. Put the Pyrex in the oven and cook for about 40 minutes.

While the spaghetti squash is cooking, sauté the ground turkey meat with pepper and Krazy Salt. Once thoroughly cooked, put aside.

Next, sauté the chopped Swiss chard leaves in a lightly oiled pan. Sauté for about 3-4 minutes. Once complete, add the cranberries and ground turkey meat.

To make the dressing, add all the ingredients in a cup and whisk for about 2 minutes.

After 40 minutes, take the spaghetti squash out of the oven and let cool for 4 minutes. Once cooled, take a fork and “stroke” the squash from top to bottom to get the “spaghetti” noodles and put in a large mixing bowl. Continue to do this until you scrape to the skin.

Once the spaghetti is ready, add the Swiss chard, cranberry, turkey mixture to the squash. Mix lightly. (You don’t want to break the spaghetti) Add the dressing and mix. T.W.O. highly suggests serving this dish warm, so you can immediately plate it!

Happy Fall cooking!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Published on October 17, 2013October 15, 2013 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Don’t throw away those brown bananas you have sitting on the counter; instead make chocolate chip banana bread! And T.W.O. did that exact thing for a Sunday afternoon project. It’s a great recipe for breakfast, a snack or even a sweet tooth craving after dinner.

Ingredients

– 2 ½ cups flour
-1 cup sugar
-3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
– 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
-¾ cups milk (or almond milk)
-1 egg
-1 cup mashed bananas, ripe (~2 to 3 medium bananas)
-2-3 cups Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350º. In a mixer (T.W.O. uses a KitchenAid), cream the oil, sugar and egg. Once mixed, add the mashed bananas and milk.

Next, slowly add the flour and the baking powder. The batter should be thick, but not sticky. After about 4 minutes, stop the mixer. Slowly fold in (or on low speed in the mixer) the chocolate chips. Depending on your love for chocolate, feel free to add more or less!

Put in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes. You know the bread is ready, when you poke the loaf with a butter knife and it comes out clean!

Happy Baking!

Creamy Polenta with Funghi & Fish

Published on October 15, 2013October 14, 2013 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Tired of mashed potatoes? Well T.W.O. has a great alternative side dish to add on your next menu…Creamy Polenta. Check out how to make this easy dish for a gourmet dinner at home.

Ingredients

For the Polenta:

-4 cups vegetable broth, low sodium
-2/3 cup polenta
-1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano

For the Mushrooms:

-1 tablespoon olive oil
-1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
-4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and discarded, sliced
-12 ounces crimini (Baby Bella) mushrooms, sliced
-2 cloves garlic cloves
-1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
-1/8 teaspoon Krazy salt

For the Fish:

-2 filets rock fish
-1 meyer lemon
-Salt
-Pepper
-Oregano

Polenta: In a sauce pan, bring the vegetable broth to a boil. Reduce the heat and whisk in the polenta. Mix frequently for about 15-20 minutes until the polenta is soft and thick. At this time add the Pecorino Romano. Mix well.

Mushrooms: In a frying pan, heat the olive oil for about 1 minute over medium heat. Add the diced garlic gloves and mushrooms and sauté about 3-4 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and the salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low/medium and cook for about 8-10 minutes. The mushrooms will shrink, so don’t get scared that you are over-cooking them.

Fish: Place the fish on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Marinate the filets with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Set aside and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Turn the oven on to 400 degrees. Put the fish in the oven for about 8 minutes. Once the fish is almost done, turn the oven to broil and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Watch carefully so you don’t burn the filets.

Presentation:

Place the cooked polenta on a plate. Add the mushrooms on top of the polenta followed by the filet of fish. Note – this dish is best when hot, so make sure your table is set and your guests are seated!

Enjoy!

Smoked Ribs

Published on October 9, 2013October 9, 2013 by T.W.O.1 Comment

T.W.O. has a love for barbeque, but recently we have enjoyed smoking meats. Last Christmas, T.W.O. purchased a smoker for their father and boy, do we have fun experimenting with it. This past weekend T.W.O. + dad smoked ribs. Check out this lip smackin’ recipe below.

Ingredients:
Beef Short Ribs
Montreal Steak Seasoning
KC Masterpiece Reserved BBQ Sauce
Apple wood chips
Optional:
Sriracha

Rub the ribs with Montreal Steak seasoning. Note – you want to limit the amount of seasoning, so you don’t overpower the natural flavor of the meat. Let the meat sit for about 20 minutes at room temperature. While the meat is sitting, start the smoker and place a handful of apple wood chips in the bottom of the smoker.

Once ready, place the ribs in the smoker.

Before

After 2.5 hours

After about 2 1/2 – 3 hours take the ribs out and place them on foil. Smother the meat in BBQ sauce and cover with foil. T.W.O. experimented and added sriracha in addition to the BBQ sauce to a couple of the ribs.

Take the covered ribs and place them back in the smoker for about 20-30 minutes. At this time the ribs are ready to eat!

Enjoy the delicious meat!!

Mmm…T.W.O. good!

Libby wanted some Ribs too!

*T.W.O. + dad are continently trying new recipes. There are many different versions that you can follow, so sit back, relax and keep an eye out for more of these smoke’n BBQ recipes! Both these recipes (sriracha/ non-sriracha) turned out great…just depends on your tastebuds!

Spaghetti Squash “Pasta” Bowls

Published on October 7, 2013October 6, 2013 by twinswithoriginality2 Comments

Spaghetti squash is one of T.W.O.’s favorite vegetables to eat during fall and winter. It makes for a great side dish, entrée, or even a snack! Spaghetti squash is full of nutrients such as folic acid, potassium, and vitamin A. It is also gluten free! So T.W.O. decided to give your typical “spaghetti dinner” a spin and create a delicious, healthy dish for dinner!

Ingredients

-Spaghetti squash
-½ sweet white onion
-2 garlic cloves
-Mushrooms
-Broccoli florets
-Pasta sauce
-Fresh buffalo mozzarella or Parmesan cheese
-Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 350°. Using a sharp knife cut the spaghetti squash in half and remove all the seeds. Place squash on a foil-lined cookie sheet and put in oven. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until the “meat” of the squash is soft.

Meanwhile, chop up garlic, onion, and mushrooms and broccoli. Once the squash is done, take it out of the oven to cool slightly. (Keep oven on) While the squash is cooling, sauté the garlic, onion and mushrooms in olive oil. Microwave the broccoli florets in a bowl filled with ¼ inch of water for about 2 minutes.

Using a fork, scrap out the squash and put into a large bowl. Squash should come out like “spaghetti.” Once all the squash is out of the “shells” place the “shells” aside. These will be used as bowls for the dish.

Add the sautéed garlic, onions, and mushrooms to the squash and mix. Season with salt and pepper. Next, add in the broccoli and pasta sauce and mix.

Place the spaghetti squash back into the “shells”, top with fresh mozzarella and put back into the oven. (Parmesan cheese can also be used.) Bake for about 10 minutes. Before taking the squash out, turn the oven to broil. Broil for about 1-2 minutes or until cheese is slightly brown. Now it’s time to eat!!

Enjoy!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Published on September 20, 2013September 19, 2013 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Friday Night Pizza night!

T.W.O. had some leftover chicken in the refrigerator, so why not make a BBQ Chicken Pizza?!

Ingredients:

– Pizza Dough
– Cornmeal
– Flour
– Chicken breast, shredded
– BBQ sauce
– 1/2 cup olives, sliced
– 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
– 1/4 cup cilantro, diced
– 1/2 cup red onions, diced
– 2-3 cups mozzarella

Roll out the pizza dough on a floured/ cornmeal surface. Once the dough is evenly rolled out, transfer the dough to the pizza stone. Next take the BBQ sauce and spread it on the dough, making sure you reach all the edges.

Then, add your mozzarella! Take the sliced olives, mushrooms, cilantro and red onions and spread it on the cheese. In a bowl, mix the shredded chicken breast and BBQ sauce. Once mixed, put the chicken on the pizza.

Let the pizza rise for about 15 minutes while the BBQ is heating up. Note – you don’t want to put the stone on a cold BBQ. The temperature should reach a medium-high heat before placing the pizza on. Watch the pizza closely; you don’t want your crust to burn! It should take about 15-20 minutes, depending on your grill.

Bon Appetite!

Fresh Tomato Bun Burger with Avocado

Published on August 16, 2013August 16, 2013 by twinswithoriginality4 Comments

Love hamburgers? But don’t seem to eat them because of the carb-loaded bun? Well, we have a solution for you. Tomatoes! You will definitely not be missing that bun after you sink your teeth into that sweet, juicy tomato, complemented by that savory beef patty. This recipe is a healthy, gluten free option that works great for your next meal. Or just add a toothpick and serve as an appetizer for your next dinner party. Check out the recipe below:

Ingredients:
-4 large tomatoes
-1 lb lean ground beef
– 1 teaspoon ground pepper
– 3 Tablespoons sriracha
– 2 Tablespoons Montreal Steak Seasoning
– 1 cup mushrooms, diced
– 1 cup bell pepper, diced
– 2 shallots, diced
– 3 cloves garlic, diced
– 1 avocado
– lettuce
– mustard (spicy, regular or dijon)
– ketchup
– mayo (optional)

In a bowl, mix the beef, ground pepper, sriracha, Montreal Steak Seasoning, mushrooms, bell peppers, shallots and garlic. Make sure all the ingredients are evenly distributed between the meat. Form 5 patties and press them out on parchment paper.

Now, let’s GRILL! You can grill the burgers on the bbq, but if you don’t have a bbq, try using a stove top grilling pan. Cook the patties to your liking. (Rare, medium rare, medium, medium well, well-done)

While the burgers are grilling, cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the seed membrane with a spoon. Set aside. Cut the avocado in thin slices.

Once the burgers are done, place them on a paper towel to soak up the excess grease. Place the patties on the cut tomatoes and add the avocado, lettuce and your favorite burger condiments. T.W.O put a squeeze of ketchup and spicy Dijon mustard on ours!