DAY ELEVEN

I was going to do a rant on how calorie counting is a completely idiotic school of thought and how just because something has a lot of calories doesn't mean it's bad for you, but it's a long, thoughtful piece and I need time to figure out what I'm going to say. Also, research. So look forward to that in the future. In the meantime, remember: if calorie counting was the only thing that mattered, we could eat nothing but junk food and as long as we didn't go over our daily limit, we'd be healthy. But everyone knows that wouldn't work. It's what kinds of calories you consume that matter the most; mainly, nutritious ones.

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So, early dinner today as I had to be at Micah and Jodi's house to see how their daughter, Ella, gets put to bed because I'll be babysitting her next week. By the way, Ella? CUTEST. BABY. EVER. GOD I HOPE I HAVE KIDS THAT LOOK THAT GOOD SOMEDAY.

Anyway, tonight's meal was very simple, even though it sounds complicated: pasta all'arrabbiata. I've seen several recipes for this meal but very few of them are the same, so I decided to do a little research to see what it really is.

Wikipedia defines it as "a Roman sauce of garlic, tomatoes and red chili cooked in olive oil. This dish is usually served with with pasta and chopped parsley sprinkled on top." All'Arrabbiata mean "angry sauce", so named for the heat caused by the chili. So apparently mine wasn't really pasta all'arrabbiata because the recipe I used just used regular marinara sauce with cayenne added to it. Or maybe it's just one of those dishes that can have a ton of different variations and still be called the same thing. Who's to say?

Either way, it was delicious.

I will say this, however. The recipe I used had fennel in it. Now, fennel is very much an acquired taste, because it taste like anise, i.e. licorice (not the Twizzlers kind, either; real licorice). Some people like this, some people don't. Now, this recipe is nice in that you cook the fennel for a long enough time that its flavor subdues quite nicely, but you will still have that underlying anise taste. If you don't like that, I would stay clear of this dish.

Pasta All'Arrabbiata

1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored and cut into 1/4 inch wide julienne strips (Here's a handy little how-to on that.)

3 tbsp, olive oil

2-3 c. marinara sauce (It will depend on how much extra sauce you want. A canned marinara sauce would work fine for this, but I'll add in the recipe I use below, if anyone wants to have a look.)

1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

1 lb dried penne pasta (What? Pasta? Evil carb-filled pasta? Yes. Just use whole wheat, Barilla Plus, or Ronzoni Smart Taste; they all have ample amounts of fiber to combat the carbs.)

15 pitted kalamata olives, cut in half (Actually, any kind of black olive can be used here, I just like kalamatas the best. You might want to rise them beforehand though, to get rid of some of the salt.)

1 c. fresh basil leaves, slivered

Freshly grated parmesan cheese, for serving

Cook the pasta. Directions should be on the back of the package. Once done, toss with some olive oil to keep the noodles from sticking to each other. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the fennel and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Fennel should be soft and tender. Add marinara sauce and crushed red pepper flakes and stir to mix. Simmer for 10 minutes on low heat, stirring frequently. Add pasta, olives and basil and stir to incorporate everything. Serve immediately with Parmesan.

Marinara sauce

1/4 c. olive oil

2 small onions, chopped (I know there's a normal measurement for that, but I cannot for the life of me remember what it is right now. I'm going to guess a cup and a half, but I really don't know.)

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2, 32 oz. cans crushed tomatoes

2 dried bay leaves

1 c. strong red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot recommended. A Shiraz also works pretty well, surprisingly.)

salt and pepper to taste

thyme, oregano and basil, to taste (I like to use fresh herbs, but dried will work fine as well. Usually you'll want more basil than thyme or oregano, both of whom works wonders even in small amounts.)

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)

In a large pot, heat oil. Add onions and garlic; saute until translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add celery and carrots and salt and pepper. Saute until vegetable are soft, about 8 minutes. Add tomato, wine, bay leaf and herbs; stir to mix. Simmer covered over low heat until sauce thickens, about 30 minutes to an hour (Really. This time changes drastically ever time I make this sauce, so that's about the best window I can give you). Let cool for about ten minutes, then remove and discard bay leaf. In a blender, and in batches, blend to the desired consistency. Season with more salt and pepper is desired and add cayenne.

This recipe makes a lot and freezes well.

Until next time, my duckies!

DAYS FIVE AND SIX

Okay, so I haven't been updating because I haven't actually been making recipes recently, just eating leftovers, and then last night I got side tracked by reading stuff at cracked.com and going to Old Chicago for the weekly Thursday get-together. But I'm back now, so it's all good.

Monday and Tuesday of this week I mainly had leftovers and fruit: I have class on Monday nights so my family gets to fend for themselves and Tuesday I completely forgot to plan a meal so we just had leftovers and some frozen Chinese dumplings.

Wednesday I had class again at night, but my mother and I went down to State Street to do some shopping and I got take-out from Himal Chuli, which is this lovely little Nepalese restaurant that makes not only the best dal in the world, but is pretty much a vegetarian heaven. Almost everything on their menu is vegetarian, and a lot of it is vegan too, and everything tastes absolutely divine. I have never had a bad meal there, ever.

The very slight downside to Himal Chuli is that it is a little expensive: entrees range from about the $7 - $15 range, though it's worth noting that all of the most expensive dishes contain meat, so the solution? Don't order the meat dishes. Otherwise, it's just a little more expensive than say, eating at Noodles and Company, and most of the meals come with dal (a tasty lentil soup) and roti (puffy flatbread made with yogurt, available in white or whole wheat).

My personal favorite dishes are the samosa (triangle potato and vegetable filled pastries that come with this sweet white sauce; I have no idea what it is but it's delicious), kadi (onion dumplings in a yogurt soup served with a side salad) and momocha (shown to the right with a bowl of dal: peanut dumplings with a tomato-cilantro sauce), which is what I had on Wednesday.

Seriously guys, it's the most delicious dumpling meal I've ever had. Including Har Gow (Chinese shrimp dumplings).

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Day six, Thursday, consisted of Kashi Go Lean! Crunch for breakfast, crackers and cheese, grapes and applesauce for lunch (I have a slight addiction to applesauce, mostly because I can rarely find good apples outside of fall anymore) and Huevos Rancheros for dinner.

Huevos Rancheros is and probably will remain one of my favorite dishes in general, never mind as a vegetarian. For one thing, it's Mexican, and there are very few Mexican dishes out there that will not assault your mouth with pure yummy deliciousness when you take a bite. For another, it's really quite easy when you get down to it, but it makes a very filling and very satisfying meal. And finally, it's healthy. Actually, a lot of Mexican food consists of incredibly well balanced meals, which is why I love it so much and eat it so often, but that's a conversation for another time. For now: the recipe.

Huevos Rancheros (Pictured Right)

Eggs (1-2 per person)

1 15 oz. can Refried beans

1 package small corn tortillas (two tortillas per person)

1 recipe Ranchero Sauce, available below

Shredded cheddar cheese (or a "Mexican" blend, if you prefer)

Put refried beans into a bowl; add two tablespoons of water and microwave on high for about a minute. Take out, and using a fork, stir to incorporate the water. Beans should be pliable when they come out; if not, microwave them for another thirty seconds. Continue this process until they are. Once finished, spoon a large dollop of the beans onto each person's plate, and swirl around until it makes a circle about the size of your tortillas.

Steam the tortillas about seven seconds each side over a fry pan of boiling water using a screen splatter guard, or a colander over a sauce pan of boiling water. Be very careful not to let the colander touch the water if using that method. Tortillas should be soft and floppy but not soggy. Place one tortilla over each plate of refried beans and press down gently. Set the other half of the tortillas aside for now.

Ladle Ranchero sauce over tortilla, just enough to cover it.

Turn on your oven's broiler. If it doesn't have a broiler, set it preheat to 300 degrees. Note that you will need to have oven safe dishes for the part that involves the oven, so if you don't have those, skip any parts with the oven. It's not a huge part of the dish anyway.

Fry the eggs, and keep the tortilla plates next to you while you do so. Different people have different ways of frying eggs, but here's mine, and it works pretty well. Crack the eggs into a bowl (this way in case one breaks it doesn't do so on the pan). Heat a fry pan over medium heat until hot, then coat with butter; the butter should sizzle on contact. Pour the eggs from the bowl onto the pan, season quickly with salt and pepper, then wait until the whites harden and cook, about forty-five seconds. Then, using a spatula, cut the yolks separate from each other, and flip the eggs white back over itself on all sides. This will serve to make your surface area smaller, which makes the eggs easier to flip.

Wait another forty-five seconds or so to flip the eggs, but while waiting, ease the spatula under the eggs so you can loosen them before hand. Once everything but the yolk is cooked, quickly move spatula under the eggs, separating completely from the pan, and flip. The first couple times you do this, it will probably break, but don't give up; once you've mastered this method it's almost foolproof. Wait about thirty seconds for the egg yolk to just start cooking through, then repeat the flipping process, only this time transfer it from the pan to the tortilla. The yolk may break when you do this, but in this case, that's okay.

Place remaining tortillas over eggs, then place another ladle on ranchero sauce over the top, then sprinkle with cheese. MAKE SURE YOU ARE USING OVEN SAFE DISHES FOR THIS NEXT PART. OTHERWISE, SKIP IT. Place in the oven: if using a broiler, wait about forty-five seconds to a minute, depending on how browned you like your cheese. If using an oven, keep in mind it doesn't have to be fully preheated, just hot. Wait about two minutes for the cheese to melt properly.

Remove from oven and serve with the any of the following accompaniments:

Chopped lettuce

Chopped cilantro

Yogurt/sour cream

Hot sauce

Salsa (any kind)

Ranchero Sauce

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 c. celery, sliced 1/4 inch thick (about 2 stalks)

1 c. green bell pepper, chopped 1/4 inch dice (about 1 pepper)

1 c. yellow onion, chopped 1/4 inch dice (I have no idea what size onion. Ever notice how recipes always call for a certain sized onion, but when you use that particular size onion, there's either way too much or way too little? Yeah, that pisses me off.)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 cups chicken broth (I used vegetable broth this time around; that also works fine)

3/4 c. crushed tomatoes (from a can)

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. ground coriander seed

pinch of cloves

pinch of Mexican oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

Roux (for thickening the sauce)

3 tbsp. butter

3 tbsp. four

Stir the flour into hot melted butter in a small pan. Mix until it becomes a very light brown color and there are no more lumps, and let cook for thirty seconds while stirring continuously to keep from burning. Set aside.

In a large sauce pan, saute vegetables in oil until tender, about five minutes. Add broth, crushed tomatoes and spices and stir. Bring to a boil, stir for about two minutes, then take off heat and let cool. Blend in a blender until everything is throughly mixed in; do this in batches as it won't all fit at once. The sauce should become an orange/yellow color, though sometimes it also becomes pink-ish. Transfer back to pan and reheat; add roux, a little at a time, until the mixture takes on the consistency of tomato soup. You probably won't use all the roux, but how much thickening is required will change each time you make it, so it's good to have it all on hand.

This will make more than you need for one recipe of Huevos Rancheros, so put the leftovers in a container and freeze them. They can easily be reheated in saucepan.

Also, when you throw your remaining roux away, do so in the garbage. Butter is solid at room temperature and flour expands and becomes a sticky mess when added to water, so if you throw it down your sink, be prepared for clogging.

Until next time, my duckies!