Israeli Couscous With Cauliflower, Spinach, And Shallots

One of the benefits of working at home during these awful snow (sleet, rain, insert precipitation here) storms is getting to actually make myself lunch during my lunch break rather than reheating some random leftovers in the microwave. Last week, because it was so gross and nasty out, I was definitely craving comfort food, but at the same time I wanted something with some veggies too. I feel like I've been eating a ton of comfort food lately that is not all that good for me (yes, I'm talking about bowls full of mac and cheese), but it's definitely possible to make a comforting dish that is somewhat healthful.

A picture of some cauliflower couscous in the latest issue of Food Network Magazine intrigued me, and I used the accompanying recipe as an inspiration for my own. Along with a head of cauliflower, I had a package of baby spinach and thought that would be a good addition to the dish, working some extra vitamins and nutrients in.

The measurements and types of veggies in here can certainly be adjusted, and while I cooked everything in chicken stock, you can use vegetable stock or water to make this vegetarian. Also, I finished the dish with a splash of Cabernet vinegar, but you can leave this out or go with red wine vinegar or balsamic if that's what you have on hand.

Israeli Couscous With Cauliflower, Spinach, And Shallots (inspired by Food Network Magazine, January/February 2011)
(Print this recipe)
Makes about 3 lunch-size portions

Ingredients

1 cup Israeli couscous
1 1/2 cups plus 1/4 cup chicken stock, divided
About 4 cups cauliflower florets (from one head of cauliflower)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 cup baby spinach
Salt and pepper
Splash of Cabernet vinegar

Preparation

In a medium pot, combine Israeli couscous and 1 1/2 cups chicken stock. Bring to a boil, and then cover and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Turn heat off, and leave couscous covered.

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat, and pour in the 1/4 cup of chicken stock. Add the cauliflower florets, cover, and cook until cauliflower softens, about 10 minutes.

Uncover the cauliflower, and stir in the olive oil and sliced shallot.

Raise heat to medium high, and cook, stirring often, until cauliflower and shallot start to brown.

Lower heat to medium, and stir in the couscous with any liquid that remains in the pot.

Stir in the baby spinach, and cook until softened.

Season with salt and pepper, and add the splash of vinegar.

Serve hot.

Israeli couscous, toothsome little pearls, are similar to pasta and offer that same comfort a warm dish of spaghetti and meatballs or a heaping helping of baked mac and cheese does, but the addition of cauliflower and spinach lightens the dish a bit at the same time. It definitely hit the spot and made me very happy, as long as I didn't look out the windows!

How do you make a better-for-you comfort food dish? And what dishes are you curling up with to forget about the snow?

Slow Cooker Chicken Quesadillas

I'm pretty sure for those of us who are food-obsessed, sometimes it doesn't even matter what teams are playing in the Super Bowl (not that I wouldn't have liked to see the Patriots make it). We just get happy the Super Bowl is coming because it gives us an excuse to make party food. I'm hoping to throw together a big pot of chili this weekend, but another recipe that I think is perfect for the occasion is these slow cooker chicken quesadillas.

I have been making these, or some version of them, since I found the recipe for crockpot chicken tacos on Beantown Baker a year or so ago. The recipe includes a great spice mixture to give the chicken lots of flavor, and the leftover spice mixture can be used for future Mexican recipes in place of those store-bought packets of taco seasoning (not that there's anything wrong with those).

The chicken cooks slowly in the spices, broth, onions, and diced tomatoes until it can be easily shredded to make up the quesadilla filling.

The bulk of the recipe is hands off, and once the chicken is done and shredded, you'll just need to assemble and grill the quesadillas. You could even involve your Super Bowl party guests and have them assemble their own quesadillas, providing an array of fillings and salsas for them to choose from. I just go with the basics: chicken and cheese. And I'm a guacamole fiend, so that's the one topping I make sure to prepare and have on hand when I serve these.

Homemade Taco Seasoning (from Beantown Baker)

Ingredients

3 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried onion flakes
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 tablespoons cumin
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper

Preparation

Mix all of the spices together. I like to measure them into a container that has a lid, so I can just throw the lid on and shake everything up.

The mix can be stored in an airtight container for up to a year, and 2 1/2 tablespoons is equal to one taco seasoning packet.

Slow Cooker Chicken Quesadillas (adapted from Beantown Baker)
(Print this recipe)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
15 ounces low sodium chicken broth
2 1/2 tablespoons of the taco seasoning mix (recipe above)
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes and liquid
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 to 4 tablespoons butter
6 to 8 flour tortillas
1 8-ounce package of shredded cheese (cheddar or a Mexican cheese blend works well)
Salsa, guacamole, etc. (optional)

Preparation

Heat olive oil in small frying pan over medium heat. Add diced onion, and saute until soft and starting to brown.

Transfer onions to slow cooker.

Measure the chicken broth into a large measuring cup, and whisk in the taco seasoning.

Pour the diced tomatoes and their liquid into the slow cooker.

Lay the chicken breasts on top of the tomatoes, and pour the broth/seasoning mixture over the chicken.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Test the chicken before removing it, and make sure it pulls apart easily with a fork.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken to a large bowl, and shred it using two forks.

Use the slotted spoon to scoop the diced tomatoes out of the slow cooker, and add those to the shredded chicken (unless you live with someone who doesn't like tomatoes, in which case, add them to your own quesadilla). Then stir about five spoonfuls of the liquid from the slow cooker into the shredded chicken to moisten it.

Preheat a panini grill with flat plates to 400. (You could also use a frying pan or griddle, but you'll have to flip the quesadillas to brown both sides.)

Brush or rub the grill with some butter, until it is well coated, and scrape off any excess with a spatula.

Place a tortilla on the grill, and spoon chicken on half of it. Top the chicken with cheese, and fold the empty half of the tortilla over the chicken and cheese.

Close the panini grill, and press down to make sure the quesadilla is touching the grill plate. Cook for 2 to 4 minutes, until quesadilla starts to brown and cheese is melted.

Transfer to a cutting board, and cut the quesadilla in quarters.

Place on a serving plate. Repeat with remaining tortillas until you run out of chicken. You may need to re-butter the grill between every two or three quesadillas.

Serve with salsa and guacamole (if desired).

If you need the perfect dessert to follow these quesadillas, try these Mexican chocolate crackle cookies.

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What are you making (or eating) for the Super Bowl?

Butternut Squash Soup

Don't you just love a bowl of soup in the wintertime? After braving the outdoors, trudging through snow, and getting blown around by frosty winds, it's nice to come in and ladle up some comforting, warming soup. And not only is this particular soup comforting and warming, it's also easy -- so easy I made it while I was cooking us something else for dinner one night. (Squash is one of the many vegetables I can't get Jeff to touch, so I made the soup to take for lunch for the week.)

This is another recipe from The French Women Don't Get Fat Cookbook. I decided to try it because my favorite butternut squash soup is one my dad makes, and it has squash and apples in it just like this one. The soup was reminiscent of the one I've had at home. The main flavor is the squash, which is followed by a hint of onion and a glimpse of carrot and herbs. The original recipe calls for nutmeg, but I don't like my soup to taste like pie, so I left it out.

Butternut Squash Soup (adapted from The French Women Don't Get Fat Cookbook)
(Print this recipe)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 sprigs fresh thyme

3 fresh sage leaves, plus more for garnish

1 medium (2 to 2 1/2 pounds) butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeds and strings discarded, and cut into 1-inch pieces (I used frozen, partially roasted squash I had leftover from another recipe)

6 baby carrots, roughly chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
4 to 5 cups chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation

In a large pot, heat the oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until softened, about 4 minutes.

Add the thyme and sage, and cook for another minute.

Add the squash, carrots, apple, and 4 cups of chicken broth.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Remove thyme sprigs and sage.

Pour the soup into a food processor, and process until smooth.

I found the soup consistency to be just right, but the recipe recommends adding the final cup of broth if you want to thin it out.

Season to taste, garnish with fried sage leaves (if desired), and serve hot.

The soup is so luxurious, almost creamy, without the addition of any cream. I really enjoyed it and loved it best with the fried sage leaves on top. And while it's not the healthiest thing to do, after I fried some sage leaves to top off some leftover soup, I rewarmed the soup in the same pot, mixing in all of that nutty brown butter. This was fabulous!

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What's your favorite winter soup?

Guest Post On Travel, Wine, And Dine

Meghan from Travel, Wine, and Dine is away in Ireland right now, enjoying the greenery and lack of snow. Before she left, she asked if I'd write a guest post for her. You can check it out on her blog.  I know you'll love the recipe I made!

Want a little hint?

January Recap And February Plans

January, while it seemed like it might be a quiet month at first, ended up being quite busy.

I started the new year by spending the day with my future mother-in-law making blintzes and challah (and yes, there will be posts/recipes for these at some point, once I make them on my own) and then went over the next day to have brunch with Jeff's family.

After brunch, Jeff and I headed to out to visit a potential wedding venue. I had been focusing the search on farms and barns, and the inn we went to has a gorgeous barn space. As opposed to a couple other locations we went to, the barn looked every bit as perfect in person as it did in pictures. We left thinking it was a definite possibility. It was the fourth venue we looked at, and so far we only had one other place on our potential list.

The following weekend we went to see yet another venue. We headed north, took a few turns off the highway, and found ourselves driving down a tree-lined road through lightly falling snow. It was so picturesque. We met with the wedding coordinator, toured the grounds, revisited the menus (which I had already practically memorized), and asked all of our important questions (Could our dog come? How does the open bar work? Where can our out-of-town guests stay? Do you use local, seasonal food?). I think we both had a gut feeling about this place because we weren't on the fence like we were with the other two potential venues. When we left and got back in the car, we looked at each other and said, "We're getting married here, right?" And so... we picked our venue and set a date! Now that that's done, I am taking a little breather, but I'm excited to start dress shopping, picking out invitations, and thinking about all the little details!

Enough wedding talk though (I know most of you come here for the food)... I continued to do a bunch of cooking and baking at home all month long (as you know) as well as attended a ton of food events, including:

• The Seasonal Beer Dinner at The Lansdowne Pub
• Dinner at the EAT @ Bloc 11 Pop-Up Restaurant
• The Boston Food Bloggers Launch Party
• Brunch at the Langham Hotel Boston
• The Muir Glen Tomato Tasting at Garden at the Cellar

I really can't believe how much I fit in during January, and now February is already filling up! Here's what's on the radar:

• A cooking class at The Four Seasons Hotel
• A baking date with another blogger who loves to bake as much as I do
• A bowling party (and I am a terrible bowler!)
• A weekend with my mom and sister, which will include watching my sister's track meet and then hanging out in Boston
• A special homemade Valentine's Day dinner
• A weekend trip with friends to CT (if the weather cooperates)
• Facials and lunch with college friends
• The Burger Battle at KO Prime

... and I am sure some other things will come up throughout the month -- they always do!

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What was the best part of your January, and what are you looking forward to in February?