Ode to Nie

Okay, I just have to say, right now Nie is my hero. She is an amazing cook, with an equally (if not more so) amazing spirit. I just have to put out this shout to her and thank her for all her great food and her example. Thanks Stephanie! To see her regular blog go here.
To see her cooking blog go here.
I hope to be able to try all of her recipes. As it stands, I have only posted the ones that I have tried.

Whole-wheat pasta mixed with arugula, sauteed garlic, onions and tomatoes

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced (4 cups)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 12 ounces plum tomatoes, cored and diced (about 2 cups)
• 3/4 cup lentils, picked over and rinsed
• 12 ounces whole wheat pasta
• 1 bunch (8 ounces) arugula, stemmed and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cover, and cook until onions wilt, about 20 minutes. Uncover; raise heat to medium. Cook, stirring often, until onions are dark brown, 20 to 25 minutes more.
2. Add 1/4 cup water; stir to loosen any browned bits from pan. Stir in tomatoes; remove from heat.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, cover lentils with water by 1 inch. Bring to a simmer. Cover; cook until lentils are tender but still holding their shape, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain; stir into onion mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Cook pasta in a pot of salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta, and return to pot.
5. Add lentil mixture, arugula, cheese, and reserved pasta water; toss. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with more cheese, if desired.

Compliments of Nie

Orange-Avocado Salsa

• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon honey
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 large navel oranges
• 1/2 firm, ripe avocado, pitted and diced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1. In a medium bowl, whisk lime juice and honey until combined. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
2. Slice off both ends of each orange. Following the curve of the fruit, slice away peel and white pith. Cut oranges into quarters lengthwise; slice sections crosswise into 1/4-inch thick pieces. Transfer to bowl along with onion and avocado; toss gently to coat with dressing.

Compliments of Nie

Herbed Whole Wheat pasta with lemon butter

Jeffrey LOVED this one. Pasta is his favorite, and this is his fav. pasta. It's a good one.

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/2 pound whole wheat pasta
  
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, tarragon, and chives
• crumbled feta

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Return pasta to pot.
2. Stir in butter, lemon zest, juice, and herbs; season with salt and pepper. Add some of the reserved pasta water to adjust consistency, if needed. Top with crumbled feta.

Compliments of Nie

Sauteed mushrooms and onions with wilted spinach on Whole Wheat toast.

Do you have bread? Do you have Spinach? How about cheese, onions and mushrooms? These are staples in my home, which means if I have had a long day, I can throw together this sandwich in a hurry, and still really think I put dinner together. It's brilliant!
Since I made this recipe up, I am not exactly sure on amounts. It is a easy and I am sure you can figure this one out.

Sautee white onion and mushrooms in olive oil together until soft.
Add course salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, toast whole wheat or grain bread.
Add Dijon deli mustard like and mayonnaise on toasted bread.
Right before adding mushrooms to toast, add bunch of spinach to mixture and let them wilt slightly add balsamic vinegar and mix around for a few more minutes.
Place on toasted bread with cheese such as fresh mozzarella.

Again, stolen from Nie

Whole Wheat spaghetti with garlic zucchini and tomato

I don't have pictures for most of these, but when I get them, meaning when I make it again, I will add them to the recipe it belongs to.

Ingredients:
Whole wheat spaghetti
3 tablespoons olive oil
course salt and pepper
small red onion cut into thick slices
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large zucchini cut lengthwise into sticks
2 plum tomatoes cut lengthwise into strips
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Boil noodles in salted water
Sautee 3 garlic cloves in 2 tablespoons of olive oil for 3 minutes
Add zucchini and 1/2 cup water. Let sit on med. for 10 minutes
Add tomatoes, onions and 1 tablespoon of oil.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Add cheese.

This recipe was found at Cuisine Nie

Some of my favorite recipes

So I decided to post some of my favorite recipes for my (and your) easy convenience. Some of them I have gotten from Nie Cusine, some from Green Smoothie Girl, and some just from random cook books. These are the foods we eat almost every day, and we (meaning I) get quite fat from them. Yep, you heard right. It's something I can't quite figure out, theay are all super healthy, yet I gain weight and my hubby looses. Oh well, I guess I just need to start exercising more. At any rate, for all you (two) readers of my blog, enjoy.