Veggie Goat Cheese Pasta

Veggie Goat Cheese Pasta

We made this last night and it was surprisingly easy and tasty. It would be good cold as a cold pasta salad, as well. I got the idea from this recipe, but then improvised and added based on what was at the market and what we had at home.

whole wheat pasta (we used spaghetti, but next time I think we'll use a short pasta like penne or even bowtie)
1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli florets
1 small/ medium zucchini, cut into small slices and in half
1 small red pepper, diced
1/2 cup grated carrot
1 fresh goat cheese round (about 3 oz)

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add pasta and cook according to package directions. Meanwhile, steam the broccoli (we steamed it in the microwave), and sautee the zucchini with a little bit of olive oil for just a couple of minutes. Throw the red pepper and carrots in the sautee pan for a minute to heat them up. Drain the pasta and either return to pot or pour into serving bowl. Mix in veggies and crumble in the groat cheese. Serve immediately, or chill. YUM!

Golden Sweet Cornbread

I have always made "Jiffy" cornbread, so I had to find a recipe to make it here in France. I made this recipe for our chili supper last night and it was a big hit with all the guests. Here's the recipe:

Golden Sweet Cornbread

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup cornmeal

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Grease a 9" cake pan. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix wet ingredients in a medium bowl. Gradually add the egg/milk/oil mixture to the flour mixture until just combined. Let sit for a couple of minutes before pouring into cake pan. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with chili or serve with butter and honey for dessert or brunch.

Pizza Bianca

I found little pizza dough rounds at the grocery, so tonight we had little pizza biancas. I mostly followed this recipe. They were really good! They would also make good appetizers.

Pizza Bianca

1 pizza dough (or individual doughs!)

1 1/2 cups fresh goat cheese

1-3 tablespoons milk, if needed for spreading

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 small mushrooms, sliced (I used Paris)

1 medium tomato, diced

3/4 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1/2 cup fresh mozzarella, crumbled (or grated)

Place dough on a cookie sheet. Mix the goat cheese and minced garlic. If the cheese is too thick to spread, add milk. Spread cheese onto crust, going nearly to the edge. Top with vegetables, then mozzarella. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes or until cheese has melted and crust is beginning to brown.

Coq au vin

When I was in college, Dr. Prill, the main French teacher, and her husband would have the French students over once a semester for a huge French feast. We would walk in and breathe in the wonderful aroma of the traditional French stew, Coq au Vin. Traditionally this was rooster slow-cooked in wine to make the meat more tender... I have always had it with regular chicken. This recipe can be adjusted based on the time you have to prepare it... for a crockpot: cut the liquid in half and cook on low for 6 hours. For a dutch oven, use 2/3 of the liquid and cook on the stove on low for 3-4 hours. If you only have an hour or 2, follow this recipe using a stock pot(adapted from this Whole Foods recipe and this Emeril recipe and another recipe I did at a Salud class that I cannot currently locate) :

Coq au Vin

serves about 6

(adjust ingredients and quantities based on your preferences... you really can't go wrong!)

-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs

-a pie plate filled with flour (about a half cup), seasoned with salt and pepper

-1/2 lb thick bacon, diced

-a couple of tablespoons of olive oil

-2 cups chopped yellow onion (if you are slow-cooking, just cut into quarters or sixths... you can also use pearl onions)

-1 lb white, button, or baby bella mushrooms, quartered

-2 cloves garlic, minced

-1 shallot, diced

-2 or 3 carrots, cut into chunks

-2 cups chicken broth

-3 cups red wine

-2 sprigs thyme

Coat chicken on both sides with seasoned flour and set aside. Fry bacon until crispy, and move to a paper towel lined plate with a slotted spoon. Brown the floured chicken in the bacon grease, about 2 minutes per side. Set chicken aside. Adding olive oil when necessary, sautee the onions until tender, and place in a stock pot. Brown the mushrooms, add to pot. Sautee shallots and garlic, add to pot. Sautee the carrots, add to pot. Cover the vegetables with broth and turn burner on medium-high. Add chicken, bacon, wine, and thyme and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn to medium-low and simmer for 1 hour (or turn burner lower and simmer longer). Remove thyme before serving.

You have several options for serving... serve in a bowl as a stew, serve on a plate over couscous, mashed potatoes, or beside a crusty baguette.

Roasted Butternut Squash

This is such an easy fall side!

Roasted Butternut Squash

-1 butternut squash, cut in half, seeds scooped out

-for savory, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper

-for sweet, brush with melted butter, sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon

Place the two halves cut-side up on a foil-lined baking sheet (so you don't have a sticky mess like I did!). Roast at 400 for 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on the size of the squash. The butter/oil will fill tend to fill the "bowl" of the squash, so baste every 15 minutes or so.

Once cooked, you can cube, mash, or eat right out of the skin... you can actually eat the skin, too, if you want!

Spinach Zucchini Goat Cheese Walnut Quiche

Super long name, but not super difficult... I combined a few different quiche recipes and it turned out okay... I only used 1 round of fresh goat cheese- next time I'll use two.

Spinach Zucchini Goat Cheese Walnut Quiche

-1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced

-1 tablespoon butter or olive oil

-1 unbaked pie crust

-2 rounds fresh goat cheese (about 6-8 oz)

-3 eggs

-8 oz crème fraiche

-salt and pepper

-2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

-toasted chopped walnuts

Sautee the zucchini in butter or olive oil until tender, set aside to cool slightly. Wipe out sautee pan and reheat. Toast the walnuts until slightly browned... be careful not to walk away, they burn quickly! Set nuts aside. Roll pie crust into a pie dish and sprinkle with 2/3 of the goat cheese. Lay zucchini over cheese. In a medium bowl, beat eggs, crème fraiche, salt and pepper. Stir in chopped spinach until well coated. Pour mixture over the zucchini and top with remaining goat cheese and finally walnuts. Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes.