Smoky Spinach and Chickpea Stew

Steamy!

1 (15 oz) can stewed tomatoes
1 tsp Spanish paprika
1 lb baby spinach (~2 bags)
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 tsp salt

In a 4 quart saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the tomatoes and paprika and bring to a boil; boil 1 minute

Add the spinach; cover and cook until the spinach wilts (3-4 mins)

Stir in the chickpeas and salt; cover, reduce heat and cook until the spinach is just tender and the flavors are blended (about 4 mins longer)

Serve over rice

Yield: 4 servings

Source: Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook

Thoughts: I didn't have Spanish paprika, but it said you could substitute chili powder which is what I did. It wasn't as "smoky" as I hoped, mainly because of my substitution! I used a little less spinach than called for, about 12 oz instead of 16 and I thought that was a good call...it would have been a lot more spinach than any other ingredient and I thought the proportions were good. This is considered a side dish so if you wanted it as a dinner, it would probably yield only 2 larger servings.

Rating: 3

Marinated Asparagus

2 lbs asparagus, trimmed
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp sugar
1 ½ tbsp grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp pepper
½ cup chopped, toasted walnuts (optional)

Roast asparagus: preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place asparagus in one layer on baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil and rub until asparagus is coated. Salt & pepper to taste. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned and tender.

Combine soy sauce, vinegar, oil, sugar and ginger in large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss well.

Cover & chill for 1 – 2 hours. Toss again before serving.

Yield: 6 servings

Source: My aunt Pat, not sure where she got it from!

Thoughts: I've made this once before as a Thanksgiving side dish and it went over pretty well. I could do without the walnuts, so that's why I put them as optional and didn't include them in this preparation...honestly, I didn't miss them at all! The fresh grated ginger is a must to get that punch of flavor. Try using low sodium soy sauce...you can't really tell a difference!

Rating: 5

Fettuccine with Sweet Pepper-Cayenne Sauce

12 ounces dry fettuccine pasta
2 red bell peppers, julienned
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
3/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Meanwhile, spray cooking oil in a large skillet and saute red bell peppers, garlic and cayenne pepper over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes.

Stir in sour cream and broth; simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese.

Toss hot pasta with sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Yield: 4 servings

Source: allrecipes.com

Thoughts: I've never really liked bell peppers but have recently been more open to them, so I thought I'd try this out! This is another spicy dish, so use less cayenne if desired. The parmesan cheese didn't quite melt thoroughly at the end, so I did get some globs of cheese but otherwise it was pretty tasty! My personal issues with the bell pepper made it not as delicious as it would probably be to others...I will probably try this with a different vegetable in the future.

Rating: 3

Asian-Style Stir Fry

2 small chicken breasts
1 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch bok choy
1 can baby corn
1 can sliced water chestnuts
1 bag bean sprouts
House of Tsang - Saigon Sizzle (stir fry sauce) - to taste

Cut the chicken breasts into bite sized pieces, saute in large skillet with olive oil

Chop bok choy and baby corn into bite sized pieces, add to skillet along with water chestnuts, bean sprouts and stir fry sauce

Cook until bok choy wilts and everything else is heated through, serve over rice

Yield: 4 large servings

Source: Me! I've made something similar in the past, just choosing Asian ingredients and flavors that I liked and thought would taste good together

Thoughts: This turned out better than I remembered! The Saigon Sizzle sauce is spicy, just like I like it, so use sparingly if you're not into a big kick! I found the bok choy to be a little overwhelming and almost too sweet...will use more sparingly in the future.

Rating: 4

Baked Ziti

My very first casserole!

8 oz. ziti
1 pound ground turkey
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes, undrained
1 can (16 oz.) tomato sauce
1 t. oregano
1 C. grated Mozzarella cheese
1/4 C. grated Parmesan cheese
2 T. dried parsley

Cook ziti in boiling, salted water according to package directions; drain.

Lightly brown turkey and onion in a large saucepan. Add garlic, tomatoes with can liquid, tomato sauce and oregano. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Mix cooked ziti and sauce together in a 3 quart baking dish. Combine Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses; sprinkle lightly over ziti mixture. Sprinkle with parsley.

Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.

Yield: 6 servings.

Source: www.razzledazzlerecipes.com

Thoughts: The sauce was okay, not as good as my dad makes it though! It turned out pretty good for my first ever casserole, if I do say so myself! Make sure to leave the pasta very al dente before putting it in the casserole...it came out slightly mushy. I could probably just eat the cheesy crust on its own and call it a day!

Rating: 3

It begins...

Hello, and welcome to My Edible Experiment!

I've never been a very good cook...like, at all! Which is weird since I grew up with a super great cook (my dad), but I was too lazy to get him to teach me anything before leaving for college. After a few years of eating the crap campus had to offer, I moved on to the crap the real world had to offer, mainly, fast food!

Since then, I've taken steps toward making myself a better person in every way possible, and now it's time to turn my attention to food. I've read quite a few books on eating locally, eating natural foods and just taking charge of what you put into your body. My ultimate goal is to be happy with what I consume, not just because of taste but because of where it comes from, how it fuels me, and how I can do my part to make the world a better place because of my choices when it comes to food (corny, I know, but it's becoming increasingly important to me!)

But! Baby steps. That's the key. The first thing I need to do is learn how to cook! I've gone from gorging myself on campus buffets to gorging myself on fast food to eating slightly less of slightly better for me foods but not quite. The past year has been a lot of canned or boxed products that take 10 minutes or less to prepare, but also the introduction of fresh fruits into my daily diet. I figure once I get the cooking part down, I can adapt more to the local food movement and learn more about the nutritional qualities of different foods and how to combine them to get the most out of what I'm cooking.

I'll be posting my experiments which will include: recipes, pictures (whenever possible), source, thoughts on the outcome, as well as a rating 1-5, 1 being "gross, get it away from me" and 5 being "amazing, can I marry it so I can be with it always?"

Stay tuned!