Please Feed the Animals

[lls_mutant]

Ugh- I so wish I could have a day off today. I just don't feel like doing anything- can't Moms call in sick and lie about it? I feel fine- I just want to do nothing.

But on to things I can solve.

We're having friends over for dinner tomorrow night. I'm trying to figure out what to serve them. Here's the criteria:

For me: something I can prepare mainly ahead of time. I love to cook, and I don't mind complicated recipes, but it's best if I can just put it in the oven or something at the end, because then I can actually spend time with our guests. And preferably something diet-friendly.
For Howard: something without onions, or where he can pick the onions out. Really, he's very easy to please.
For Drew: something with animal products. If it's green, it doesn't go near his mouth.
For Ann: I don't think she's very picky, but I think she also tries to eat healthy.

Normally, my solution is baked ziti with sausage and fresh mozzerella. However, I have made this dish so many times the past few months I really don't feel like seeing it again. Lasagna's too heavy for this heat. (At least, regular lasagna.) I have a recipe I LOVE for pasta with red peppers, proscuitto, and kalamata olives that's from Cooking Light, but the red peppers make up a lot of the dish, and I think that might be more veggie than Drew can handle. I have a recipe I LOVE from Silver Palate for a pasta with tomatoes, brie, garlic, and basil, but it calls for a pound of brie and a cup of oil. (I think I could seriously reduce the oil, though.) We can't grill, because the grill isn't put together, and yes, the lawn is more important tomorrow. (It's REALLY getting high.)

So. My very first poll!

[Poll #740668]

Comments

[sasha-davidovna.livejournal.com]

The Silver Palate is always reliably fabulous. :) If you might be interested in a variation on your usual ziti, may I recommend this recipe? I usually substitute mushrooms and/or eggplant for the sausage, but you could leave it in, and I also reduce the cheese (we're not big cheese eaters) and add some black olives. I love the addition of the pesto and usually add just a little extra also. It does have onions, but you could probably get by with leaving them out, or just cut them big enough to pick out.

[aome.livejournal.com]

The only thing 'green' here is celery, which Drew could pick out or eat around. Very easy, very tasty, good when it's warm, and a reasonable balance of 'healthy' - neither overly fat nor super-skinny.

Picnic Pasta Salad

12 oz Penne or Rotini pasta, cooked according to package directions
2 C chopped fresh tomato
1 C (8 oz) Italian dressing
1/4 lb EACH sliced deli ham and salami, cut into bite-size pieces (or use some other meat if you prefer - recipe is pretty flexible). I usually ask for them to cut the meat on the thicker side; it's easier to handle in the salad that way.
1/4 lb cheese, cut into small cubes (recipe calls for provolone or mozzarella; I usually use a mix of jack and sharp cheddar - so, again, use what you like)
3/4 C sliced pimiento-stuffed olives (I usually leave these out - we're not big olive fans)
3/4 C sliced celery
2 tsp chopped fresh garlic
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

After cooking pasta, rinse with cold water to cool quickly; drain well. In large bowl, toss cooled pasta with remaining ingredients. Chill in fridge. Serves 10-ish (depends a bit on if you're using it as main dish or side salad).

Another option:

Ginger Chicken
(I'm going on memory here because I can no longer find my recipe card. But it's close enough.)

1 lb boneless chicken, cut into strips (thighs, breasts, tenders, whatever)
1/3 C flour
1 Tbsp oil
1/2 C juice (apple or orange works best)
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1-2 cloves chopped garlic or ... 1/2 tsp garlic powder?
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger, or ... 1/2 tsp powdered ginger? (May need to taste to see.)

Put chicken and flour together in a bag or container with a lid. Shake to coat chicken. Brown chicken in oil. In small bowl combine remaining ingredients. Pour over chicken. Cover and simmer 5 mins, until chicken is completely cooked. Serve with rice or noodles.

[poolman.livejournal.com]

Aw man, you're having Drew and Ann over? Dang, why can't we all just live closer together?

Oh well. Tell them I said hi!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Except for the pest and spinach, that's very similar to my ziti. Hmm. Might have to try that some time. Pesto is GOOD. And yeah, I've both left the onions out and left them in, and with a dish like that Howard's okay.

The Silver Palate IS always reliably fabulous. The problem is, it's also reliably fattening! I'm usually pretty good at slimming down their recipes (you don't need half the butter or oil they call for), but the pasta one is hard. The recipe is simply a shitload of tomatoes, a cup of basil, a pound of brie, a cup of olive oil, three cloves of garlic, and some salt and pepper. You mix it all together and let it stand, and then pour it over hot pasta. (Very easy for company.) But I'm betting I could get by with a half cup or even a quarter cup of olive oil- I'd have to look at it and eyeball it. I seem to remember the finished product being pretty oily in teh past.

But I'll have to try that ziti recipe sometime!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I actually have very similar variations of both recipes- the chicken one is to die for. (I usually make it with orange juice. And thighs. Mmmm.) I was actually debating the chicken because it's an oven dish.

Hmmmm.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

No kidding! It would be very cool.

On the other hand, if you and Julia DO do that New York trip and make your way out here, Sue's coming out sometime late this summer. And since Drew doesn't live far away...

Four Mutants. You know you want to. (Without the entendre this time, please!)

[tesseract-5.livejournal.com]

If you're looking for a lighter alternative to The Silver Palate, try Deborah Madison's cookbooks. Her "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" is marvelous. Every recipe has turned out well that I've made from it.

A cup of oil sounds rediculous. Olive oil is good for you, but you could reduce that two a quarter cup I'm betting. You only need enough to make sure the pasta does't stick together.

[merlinssister12.livejournal.com]

I have a similar recipe to this Silver Palate one, it actually uses grilled veg marinated in balsamic dressing, whatever kinds you like, although you could just as easily saute them, and light havarti cheese cubed up, half over the hot pasta and half just as you serve it. I've had it hot, cold and reheated and it always turns out great.

[aome.livejournal.com]

Well, my ginger chicken dish is a stovetop one (in a skillet) if that makes any difference to you.

[brieza.livejournal.com]

I make something similar to the first one (I think). I can't stand brie so I've not looked at recipes containing it. But it uses 4oz of goat cheese and limited oil.

[midnitemaraud-r.livejournal.com]

The easiest healthy food I've found is a simple roasted chicken. You baste the skin with a thin layer of olive oil and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. (You can use butter, but you said you wanted healthy :) )

For the inside, I stuff it with a couple of peeled and slightly crushed (with the side of a knife) cloves of garlic (2 or 3), sprigs of fresh rosemary and either thyme, marjoram, sage - whichever you like - and 1 large or two smaller scored lemons (poke them with a fork).

I slice up a couple of onions - thick slices - to strew onto the bottom of the pan because you don't want the chicken resting flat on the bottom.

Tuck the wings in, because the tips will burn if they're sticking out and bake at 325 or 350 - depending on your oven (mine's gas) - and length depends on the weight. Usually it's like 10 or 15 minutes per pound, but the packaging should tell you optimal cooking time and temp.

The prep takes 15 minutes, and once it's in the oven, you only need to check it occasionally after an hour to make sure the wing tips don't pop out and burn.

As a side dish, brown rice cooked in chicken broth instead of water is tasty, or pasta - hot or cold - or (mashed) potatoes, cous cous - whatever.

Leftovers make a nice chicken salad, and if you're feeling industrious, you can use the carcass to make chicken soup the next day. :)

[krisomniac.livejournal.com]

It's cooler now, but an AWESOME recipie for summer, provided that you have a decent fish market nearby, is ceviche.

I dunno if you've had/made it before, but it's no cooking, make it ahead to let the ingredients marinate, and the acid from the lemon and lime juices cooks the fish. Really really yummy.

Shrimp curry is easy to throw together and reheat when the guests arrive.

I make some kick ass salads, but that doesn't sound like Drew's thing.

I concurr with the chicken people. Healthy, easy, clean, meat.

[magic-at-mungos.livejournal.com]

As a slightly diffent guine fowl receipe with stuffing and it's just yummy.

Peel, core and chop two dessert apples and mix with two tablespoons of grated lemon rind, a chooped garlic clove, 3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs and salt and pepper to taste. Then wash the guniea fowl and take out all the stray feathers and rub butter into the skin. Stuff it with the stuffing and then baste the whole thing with chciken stock. (The powdered stuff actually turns out quite well). Then cook for abut an hour on 190C/375F/gas mark 5

[lyddiejmarch.livejournal.com]

You don't know me, but here are my 2 cents anyway. :) You could substitute feta for brie in the Silver Palate recipe (which sounds fabulous). Feta's lower in fat and calories than brie, and it's stronger (I think) so you could reduce the amount. Use a good, flavorful olive oil and reduce the amount by a TON (1 cup is a shitload of oil-eek!). I'm thinking you could use like a drizzle. Mmm, I think I'll try it.

By way of introduction, I left a fanatical post on the AIL 11 thread a couple of days ago. Whatever you decide, enjoy. :)

LJM

[ignipes.livejournal.com]

Hope you've got the dinner party all sorted. :)

But what I'm really wondering -- did you ever send me your Remus & Regulus fic? I'm only asking because my email has a habit of eating things that people send me so that the messages are never seen again. (If you didn't send it, never mind. *g*) Just making sure nothing was lost in transit.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

OOoh, goat cheese would have been good. I LOVE Brie, so this recipe is a hit with me. But it's definitely not one I make often!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

I thought about roasting a bird, but what I really wanted was something really, really light and coolish. (Okay, what I really wanted was for my husband to put the grill together and for him to cook, but there literally was NO time for him to do that.) I'm not a huge roast bird fan overall, but I've discovered brining it makes SUCH a difference. Mmmm.

And chicken salad and chicken stock would have been good. (That's really what I need to do sometime- make chicken stock.)

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Brie it is :)

I haven't yet- I wanted to read over it first, and I literally haven't had the time. It should be there soon, though- I hope!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

I'm not a fish person, unfortunately. But I've heard it's really good if you like fish, and I actually do have a recipe for it.

Salad sounds GOOD to me though. (I did make a strawberry spinach salad, because I love it and tough for Drew!)

The pasta went over well. Drew was able to pick out anything green, and said he got enough, so... all was well. And I used minimal oil, and actually it tasted better, so that was good too.

We won't speak of the triple chocolate mousse cakes I made for dessert, except to say they were VERY yummy and so not diet friendly ;)

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Oooh, that sounds good, especially the fruit. I'll actually have to try that come fall- thanks!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I did use about 2 Tbsp of oil, as opposed to a cup, and surprise, surprise, it came out just fine :) I'll have to try it with the feta sometime. I don't know if it's stronger than Brie, because I think Brie has a very distinctive flavor, but it's different. (And it also goes well with kalamata olives.)

I did see the post- thank you! I've been meaning to respond to it, but it's one that might actually take some time, and unfortunately time is getting rarer these days :P But I'll probably respond to it after Lupinslittlenephew goes to bed tonight! ;)

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Oooh, thanks for the rec! I'll have to check that out. I'm not a vegetarian, but in the summer, I can be rather close.

I did reduce the oil to 2 Tbsp, and the pasta turned out (surprise, surprise) absolutely fine. In fact, I liked it better because I do remember it being pretty greasy. I think next time I'll even reduce the cheese. (Not the tomatoes though. I LOVE tomatoes.)

Thanks!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, havarti. I love havarti. That sounds fabulous! (recipe, please? :) )

Havarti Grilled Vegetable and Pasta Salad

[merlinssister12.livejournal.com]

Salad:
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
2 zucchini
1/2 spanish onion
11/2 cups pasta, cooked and drained
8 oz havarti, cubed
chopped parsley
Vinaigrette:
6 Tbsp olive oil
5 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp dijon
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp sugar

Remove core and cut peppers into quarters. Cut zucchini and onions into 3/4 inch slices. Brush vegetables lightly with some of the vinaigrette and BBQ over medium heat until vegetables are tender crisp. Cut vegetables into bite size chunks. Combine vegetables and pasta and 1/2 of the cheese with remaining vinaigrette. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with reserved cheese and parsley.

Vinaigrette: Combine ingredients in a screw top jar and shake well. Add salt and pepper to taste makes about 2/3 cup.

Add grilled chicken, marinated in extra vinaigrette first, for a great summer supper. Or in winter stir fry chicken and vegetables instead of grill.

Works great any temperature.

How did your dinner go?