Barefoot Bloggers -- Sun-dried Tomato Pasta

The Barefoot Bloggers made Ina's Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes this week. I wasn't sure if I was going to make this recipe since I'm not too fond of sun-dried tomatoes. They are *okay* and I will eat them if someone serves them to me, but really I find the taste overwhelming and I do not love the texture at all. Still, I was curious about the recipe and I usually have great success with all Ina's recipes, so I went ahead and made the pasta today.

I think that this recipe would work either as a hot or a cold dish. I served it as a salad since today was another really hot day. I made a couple changes: I pureed all the veggies as part of the dressing, so I did not have any chunky pieces of tomato or olive. I also left out the basil because Dave accidentally fed it to our giant rabbit Greta as a treat. Greta is as big as the cats and she gets lots of veggies and greens as snacks.

The verdict? I like it! I think this is a nice salad and I didn't find the sun-dried tomato taste too overwhelming. Dave of course loved it. Dave's highest prasie for something I make is when he says, "you have to make this for your dad". He adores my dad and is always wanting to feed him yummy things. I think this salad would also be delicious without any sun-dried tomatoes, and with extra fresh tomatoes. It would have a much more subtle flavor though.

Here is the recipe for the pasta:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/pasta-with-sun-dried-tomatoes-recipe/index.html

Cat, from Delta Whiskey chose this recipe; please check out her cute blog.
http://deltawhiskey.us/

You can find all the Barefoot Bloggers here:
http://barefootbloggers.wordpress.com/

Tuesdays with Dorie (a day late) -- Katharine Hepburn Brownies

This week we made Katharine Hepburn Brownies. Apparently, Katharine Hepburn was famous for her brownies. She liked a dense brownie with very little flour. This recipe is a tribute to her style of brownie, not the exact recipe that Katharine used.

These brownies do indeed have very little flour. They are dense and fudge-like, which is what I prefer over cake-like brownies. This is an easy recipe to make and the brownies are quite good. I love the addition of cinnamon and lots of nuts.

You can find the recipe for these brownies at the adorable blog Surviving Oz. http://www.survivingoz.com/2009/07/lisa-vs-tribute-to-katherine-hepburn.html

You can find all the TWD bakers and their yummy baked goods here: http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/

Pan-Fried Coco Wheats -- Vegan Tuesday

Dave has told me at least 1000 times that when he was growing up his favorite breakfast was Cream of Wheat cereal. I don't think I'd even tasted Cream of Wheat until I was an adult and I made it for him. It's okay, but I like oatmeal much better. When I was grocery shopping the other day I saw Coco Wheats--chocolate flavored Cream of Wheat. Neat! I just knew that Dave would love it, so I bought a few boxes. It turns out that Dave prefers the original Cream of Wheat, but I now love the Coco Wheats. Who would've thought?

When I was cooking the Coco Wheats for breakfast over the weekend I was thinking that the cooking method is very similar to polenta. I wondered if it would be possible to cook the Coco Wheats, let it cool, and then pan fry it the way I do with polenta. So, I made a really big batch of Coco Wheats, using less liquid than usual, and saved the majority of it for pan frying the next day. I spread the cooked cereal in a large baking dish so that it was about 3/4" thick, and kept it in the fridge over night.

After the Coco Wheats were chilled and very firm, I cut them into squares and pan fried them in a little bit of oil over medium heat. I cooked them just until the ends were crispy and the middles were nice and hot. I served them with Maple Syrup.

They were SO yummy. I love my pan fried Coco Wheats. I have been making them for dinner because I love them so much. Since I use water instead of milk, and no butter, this is a vegan dish. And, it's not sweet. The Coco Wheats do not have any sugar, just unsweetened cocoa.

Sometimes when I make up recipes things turn out rather badly. This time though we have a winner--well, at least for me. I am really, really loving my Coco Wheats!

Lemon Sugar Cookies with Raspberry Cream Filling

I am not usually one to blow my own horn, well at least I think I'm not, but sometimes something turns out so well it's hard not to get excited and braggy.

These cookies are so delicious--surely some of the best cookies I've made so far. The cookie part is from Martha Stewart; it's her Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookie recipe. The cookies are full of fresh lemon flavor and are not overly sweet. The filling is actually the frosting I used on the last TWD cupcakes. It's 1 stick of cream cheese, 1/2 stick butter, powdered sugar, and about 6 ounces of fresh raspberries. I used just enough powdered sugar to thicken the frosting, so it wasn't super sweet. I had some frosting left after I made the cupcakes, and I decided to use the rest to fill the cookies.

The lemon cookies and the fresh raspberry cream filling work so well together--the cookies taste just like summer. I will definitely be making these again as they are the perfect cookie to eat poolside!

Here's a link to the sugar cookie recipe:
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/old-fashioned-sugar-cookies?autonomy_kw=sugar%20cookies&rsc=rf_result2 Note: The recipe calls for sanding sugar to top the cookies, but since I was using a filling I left off the sugar. I also added some extra lemon zest.

Pasta with Carrots, Risotto Style

I've never made pasta this way before--by cooking it in a measured amount of liquid until the pasta absorbs enough to become tender, so I wasn't sure if it would turn out. I was worried that the pasta might be gummy. It wasn't; it was cooked perfectly and so flavorful because of the broth. You want to use a very good vegetable broth for this--homemade if possible, or a high quality organic broth from the store.

Pasta with Carrots, Risotto Style
**adapted from Saveur Magazine

8 cups of vegetable broth/stock
5 tablespoons of butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 lb. mini-penne pasta
8 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
salt and pepper
parsley to garnish

Bring stock to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to low to keep stock hot.

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a medium heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and carrots and cook, stirring often, until pasta is lightly toasted, about 5 minutes.

Add 1 cup of the hot stock at a time to the pasta, stirring constantly; wait until almost all the stock has been absorbed before adding more. Continue cooking and adding stock (you may have some stock left over) until pasta is tender but firm to the bite, 10-15 minutes.

Remove pot from heat and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and the cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a warm serving dish and garnish with parsley. Serve with extra cheese.

This pasta is one of Dave's favorite non-dessert recipes. I am thinking about making it again but using a variety of different veggies--summer squash would be a lovely addition.

Sweet Melissa -- Brown Sugar Peach Ice Cream

This Sunday we made Melissa's Brown Sugar Ice Cream, and Hot Fudge Sauce. The recipes were chosen by Karen of Karen's Cookies Cakes & More.

I decided to add some peach puree to the ice cream base as I have SO much in my freezer from our peaches. It was a good addition--peaches and brown sugar go well together. The ice cream recipe was relatively easy to follow; it starts with a basic custard, using brown sugar instead of white sugar. I added the peach puree just before freezing the custard mixture.

The ice cream was delicious--a peach-caramel flavor with vanilla in the background. I made sundaes using Melissa's Hot Fudge Sauce. The sauce is really good and especially neat as there is no dairy at all, so it is suitable for vegans. In addition to hot fudge, I topped the sundaes with slivered almonds, coconut, dried cherries, and whipped cream. Dave looked as if he had died and gone to heaven after his first bite--he is a huge ice cream lover.

To get the recipes please visit Karen's blog.

http://www.karenscookiescakesnmore.com/2009/07/sms-brown-sugar-vanilla-ice-cream-with.html


You can find the Sweet Melissa blogroll with all the talented bakers here:
http://sweetmelissasundays.wordpress.com/bakers/

Happy July 4th and Happy 1st Birthday Veggie Num Nums

I wrote my first post one year ago on 4th of July...

When I started Veggie Num Nums it was really an extension of my flickr account--a place to post recipes for the food photos I took. I never expected that my blog would take on a life of its own. I want to thank everyone for reading my posts and offering comments and suggestions. I've come to know so many wonderful people in the last 12 months, and I've learned so much from other bloggers and foodies. I really appreciate being a part of your online world.

Later this week I will be unveiling a whole new blog design. It's pretty neat!

Have a great holiday if you're in the US, and a great weekend if you're somewhere else.