Oct 11 2011

Homemade Ricotta – Part II

Deep Dish Pasta Crusted Pan Pizza was the group I was assigned to in the “hands on” Homemade Ricotta class I took at the co-op w/Chef Lucia. This was my first “hands-on” cooking class and I decided that I enjoy watching the instructor more. It was basically organized chaos, and while that’s all well and good, you only really get to learn the dish your group was preparing – you didn’t get to watch the other dishes being prepared and I missed that.

Ingredients:
1 lb. Fresh or Dried Spaghetti or Linguini
3 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 Pound Pancetta or Thick Cut Bacon – chopped
3 to 4 Cloves Garlic – grated or chopped
1/2 to 1 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes – depending on how spicy you like it
1/2 Cup Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano – a couple of handfuls
4 Large Eggs
1/2 Cup Cream
2 Cups Ricotta Cheese
A Handful Fresh Flat-Leaf Parsley – finely chopped
1 Cup Shredded Provolone

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Heat water for pasta in large pot, salt it and add pasta for 3-5 minutes
  3. While water boils, heat a large skillet with extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat
  4. Add pancetta and brown, 3-4 minutes
  5. Add garlic and red pepper flakes
  6. Drain pasta, add to pan and toss
  7. Stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano and season with salt and pepper
  8. Beat eggs with cream and pour over top of pasta. Let eggs begin to set up, about 1 minute, and pat pasta into even layer to make the pizza pie crust
  9. Place skillet in oven and cook 5-6 minutes – make sure your skillet or pan is oven safe, no plastic handles
  10. Mix together the ricotta and parsley
  11. Remove pie from oven and smooth the ricotta over the top
  12. Scatter with shredded provolone or mozzarella and return to oven
  13. Bake 8-1o minutes more until cheese is melted and golden at edges
  14. Cut into wedges and serve

Serves 4-6

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As soon as Chef Lucia invited us to go to our work stations, my group got busy with the ingredient list.

Pasta, cheese, red pepper flakes, garlic…

Pancetta chopping…

Say hi to blog reader “Julie” – she just finished chopping a heaping bowl of garlic…

Oiled skillets ready for the pancetta, garlic and red pepper flakes…

Cooked pasta was then added…

Utensils, prep bowls, and measuring cups up for grabs…

Ricotta and flat leaf parsley…

All mixed together…

Heavy whipping cream and eggs…

Poured over the top of the pasta…

Mixed together and ready for the oven to make the pizza crust…

Pinot Grigio…Yes please!

I was so surprised at how flavorful the pizza turned out to be. The texture was great – the crunchy noodle crust edges, and crispy pancetta teamed with the light and fluffy ricotta was incredible. I think it would be a solid brunch option for entertaining as well.

Now that it’s been several months since the class – and now that I’m eating differently, the wheels are turning on how I could make this a little healthier. I’m thinking whole wheat noodles, subbing turkey bacon for the pancetta, and maybe light or medium whipping cream. I’ll have to play around with different options. Sometimes subbing things out isn’t worth it in the long run – I’ll just have to experiment.

P.S. – In case you missed it – Back to School – Homemade Ricotta Part I

Permanent link to this article: http://foodiddy.com/?p=5917

Oct 08 2011

17 Day Diet – 2nd Round Cycle 1 Update

The second round of cycle 1 ended yesterday and it was BRUTAL. Going from cycle 3 back to cycle 1 was a shock to my body. I ended up having to back down with workouts the first couple of days. Then I decided that was stupid – so instead, I kept my workouts at 45 minutes and I started eating a starch/carb serving here and there and extra protein before workouts. While I wasn’t following cycle 1 exactly how it was meant to be, my body needed the extra boost and fuel. All in all, I added 5 whole wheat pitas, 1 serving of oatmeal, switched back to low fat cheese instead of fat free and last night I had Afghan food – which included bolani – pan fried potato pancakes w/chives and some basmati rice. I still ordered green tea and enjoyed a few pieces of the chicken kabob and hanging out with friends.  Of the 17 days, I’d say I stuck to the cycle 1 food list about 10 of those days and I exercised 13 of the 17 days. It was almost like doing cycle 2 and I’m cool with that. With the increased workout times and being in the home stretch, I will not be revisiting cycle 1 again. If I don’t make my goal weight by the end of the 2nd round of cycle 3, I will just go back to cycle 2. Wow… did you get all that? I swear, I’m only getting into the details because I now know of at least 8 readers that are doing the diet.

I have officially lost my ass. The jeans in this photo were my “go to” Old Navy size 14 jeans… I pretty much wore them everywhere before starting the diet.

It’s crazy – especially since I had my new jeans on underneath this pair.  I’ve dropped 5.5 inches in my waist and I’m now wearing size 8 jeans after 68 days. While shrinking sizes is really cool, losing waist inches is what puts a huge smile on my face. Posting pictures like this reminds me of  the old days and brings me back to my Internet safety and digital citizenship presentations I do for work – You posted what on the Internet? Ha! Ha! – This is nothing compared to my old weight loss blog.

No worries foodie friends… screamin’ good turkey meatballs are below.

So…. The Numbers
I am down another 4.4 lbs. for the second round of cycle 1.

Progress:
Cycle 1: – 15.2 lbs.
Cycle 2: – 5.3 lbs.
Cycle 3: – 4.7 lbs.
2nd Round Cycle 1: -4.4 lbs.

Total Weight Loss: 29.6 lbs.

Woohoo! Today officially started round 2 of cycle 2 and I will probably do a bit of what I did with the second round of cycle 1 – mix some cycle 3 foods into the round.

Now to the Turkey Meatballs – I created this recipe on the fly, based on what I had on hand. This is why there are no ingredient or prep photos, I hadn’t planned on posting a recipe – but they were super tasty!

Ingredients:
1 Pound Lean Ground Turkey
Fresh Basil – 4-5 leaves, finely chopped
1/2 Tablespoon Crushed Rosemary
1 Tablespoon of  Dried Italian Seasoning
2 Cloves Garlic – minced
1 Small Onion – rough chopped
1 Egg
1/4 Cup Whole Wheat Panko
Salt and Pepper
Parmesan Cheese – finely shredded for topping
1/2 Jar Marinara Sauce – used for baking and then served on top

I mixed everything together and divided the meat into 9 meatballs. They were fairly large in size. I put the meatballs in a glass baking dish and topped the raw meatballs with 1/2 jar of Giorgio Baldi Tomato and Basil Marinara Sauce. Find any sauce with 3-4 grams of carbs per serving – the lower the better. You could also used crushed tomatoes or straight tomato sauce.

I baked the meatballs in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes and then I turned them over and baked them for another 15 minutes.

I served the meatballs on a bed of sauteed spinach – I used 3/4 small bag with two cubes of Dorat frozen garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and a little salt and pepper.  I will definitely be making these again!

I’m still sort of stuck in a food routine (eating my favorites from each cycle) –  but I did mix things up a bit and hope to continue to do so for the next cycles.

What makes me happy right now…
Having increased energy
Getting lots of good sleep
Less back pain
Smaller clothing sizes/new clothes
Weight loss rewards – think pedicures and massages
Green tea – I know, crazy right?
Sugar free frozen yogurt
Honeycrisp apples… OMG, pure heaven – best apple ever!
Cinnamon oatmeal in the morning

So what’s new with you guys and what’s making you happy right now?

Permanent link to this article: http://foodiddy.com/?p=5923

Oct 02 2011

Stuff. Is. Happening.

New Foodiddy business cards have been designed and ordered. The blog template, software, and plug-ins have all been updated. A new camera strap has been purchased, and photos have been taken and archived. Tweet up events have been RSVP’d too. My Foodbuzz blogger festival ticket and hotel has been booked. Fun/swanky restaurant outings have been planned… it’s about time I put aside hours to actually enjoy my hobby of food blogging. The diet has been on the front burner, but as I near the point where it’s just my new way of life, time management seems to be getting easier. I’m about to finish the last round of teaching my evening classes/presentations and then the kitchen, foodie events, and cooking classes are all mine again.

I’m ready to start on more recipe creations, making fall soups, holiday baking, and coming up with quick and easy/healthy meals.

A new round of cooking classes is also starting soon and I have my eye on a couple of fun ones. Fall is my favorite time of year for cooking and eating. I am definitely a fan of comfort food, so exploring healthier ways to prepare those meals will be a lot of fun. I generally fluff up the minute I start seeing displays of Halloween candy – so this is going to be a challenge, but I’m up for it and glad I already have 60 plus days of eating healthy under my belt. Translation – no processed foods and next to no sugar (except the sugars in fruit and some whole grains).

If you have any fun recipes to share, leave a comment or send me an email. I’m also excited to try some recipes from my new cookbooks and favorite bloggers.

Mama Pea (Sarah Matheny) who blogs over at Peas and Thank You recently came out with a new cookbook. Sarah’s blog makes me laugh and smile with every post –  I love it! She’s a vegan Mom who creates the most amazing recipes and shares them with her family and the world through her blog, book #1 and now book #2 – which is currently in the works. I briefly met Sarah at the Foodbuzz Festival last year and I plan on bringing my book in hopes that I can get her to sign it this year.

Heidi Swanson’s blog 101 Cookbooks was one of the first food blogs that I started reading back in 2005. Heidi’s photography is amazing and better yet, she lives in San Francisco – my most favorite city within driving distance. Both Heidi and Sarah’s books made it on the New York Times bestseller list and they’ve both been featured in many publications, including Vegetarian Times – which I started subscribing to last year. I’m all about more natural (less processed) ingredients and I’m looking forward to diving into both cookbooks.

Speaking of magazine subscriptions…

My mailbox is starting to fill up with lots of Fall delights. I also subscribe to Vegetarian Times, EveryDay w/Rachael Ray, Saveur, Food & Wine, Everyday Food/Martha Stewart and yes, I’m well aware that I may indeed have a problem.  In my defense, 3 of the subscriptions were gifts…but yes, I also realize… that leaves 7 that were purchased on my own. What can I say? There was a fundraiser for my niece’s Girl Scout troop. I have a short attention span and I like that I can just flip through, cut out recipes, and then throw them in the recycle. It would be so cool to one day have one of my own recipes featured… Mental note: get to work on that and stop making everyone else’s recipes, ha!

Permanent link to this article: http://foodiddy.com/?p=5873