Modified comfort food is just as good.

After experimenting with the Turkey Tetrazzini "Cream" sauce, I decided to expand my horizons and use the cream sauce as a base for other dishes. On Valentine's Day, I wanted to surprise my sweetie with a delicious, but non-stomachache causing dish to satisfy us both. This lead me to the creation of my "creamy" tomato sauce.

The pink hue of the dish just happened to be a delightful coincidence :)

Suz's "Creamy" Tomato Pasta with Sausage
Serves approximately: 4-6
Equipment:
Medium sized casserole dish
Skillet

Ingredients:
1/4 cup and 1 T. olive oil
1/2 cup diced white onion
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup fresh thyme, extra for garnish
3 sausage links (I used spicy pork sausage)
10 ounces pasta (I used spirals)
3 T. flour
1 1/2 - 2 cups rice milk
1 12 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 tsp. salt, plus more to taste

In a heavy bottomed skillet over medium-low heat, heat the 1 T. olive oil, adding the sausage and onions once hot. While continuing to stir the onions, allow the sausage to brown on the outside, then take out of skillet and slice the links into bite sized pieces. Put these pieces back into the skillet to finish cooking. Once the sausage is cooked and the onions are translucent, stir in the wine and fresh thyme and cook until all of the wine has been absorbed. Remove the contents from skillet and place into the casserole dish.

Meanwhile, boil a large pot of salted water. Once the water is at a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook until just al dente. Drain, toss with a small amouint of oil, and set aside.

In the same heavy bottomed skillet used to cook the onions and sausage, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Whisking constantly, add the flour and cook until the mixture gives off a slightly toasted aroma (about 1-2 minutes). Stirring constantly, gradually add the rice milk to the pan (the mixture will bubble and fizzle). Add the salt and cook until the mixture is thickened slightly. Once you've created this thick "cream" sauce, add the can of diced tomatoes to the mixture. Allow the sauce mixture to simmer for 5-10 minutes and season to taste with salt and pepper.

In the casserole dish, toss the pasta with the onion-sausage mixture and the sauce.

Serve hot, garnish with fresh thyme or parsley if desired.

They way to my heart is chocolate.

Lucky girl that I am, my neighbor signed me up for Bon Appetit when they were offering a 2 for 1 deal.

The latest issue was all about Valentine desserts. What does that mean exactly?

Chocolate.

Lots and lots of chocolate.

Unfortunately for me, many of these chocolately recipes call for lots and lots of milk. And while my brain is telling me that just one dairy filled dessert won't do me harm, my body is screaming no.

Fortunately, I've found that being lactose-free does not mean I have to be completely chocolate free. Most dark chocolates don't contain any dairy and, honestly, they taste so much better to me now that my palate appreciates 60%+ cacao bars.

On the cover of this Valentine edition of Bon Appetit was a picture of decadent, chewy, totally indulgent brownies. As I flipped through the pages, I crossed my fingers the recipe would be Suz friendly.

As you can see from the label on this post, they are indeed lactose free!

Before I move on to the recipe, I just want to take a brief moment to tell all you chocolate lovers in Seattle of the most wonderful chocolate experience.

In Fremont (aka the Center of the Universe), a neighborhood in North Seattle, there is a wonderful chocolate factory called Theo Chocolates. Theo Chocolates is the only organic, fair trade, bean to bar factory in the entirety of the United States.

And you, my friend, can take a tour of said factory for only $5!!

What comes with this tour? A behind the scenes look at how chocolate bars are made AND unlimited samples of the best chocolate around.

If you are a true chocolate lover, you should skedaddle down to Fremont as soon as you are able.

Now, here's the brownie recipe I promised:

Bon Appetit's Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts
Serves approximately: 16

Equipment:
Medium sauce pan
Foil
Cooking spray
8X8X2-inch metal baking pan

Ingredients:
10 Tb. (1 1/4 sicks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. water
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs, chilled
1/3 cup plus 1 Tb. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup walnut pieces

Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 325 degrees. Line baking pan with foil, pressing foil firmly against pan sides and leaving a 2-inch overhang. Coat foil with cooking spray.

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking until butter stops foaming and browned bits form on the bottom of the pan, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; immediately add sugar, cocoa, water, vanilla, and salt. Stir to blend. Let cool 5 minutes (mixture will still be hot).

Add eggs to hot mixture 1 at a time, beating vigorously to blend after each addition. when mixture looks thick and shiny, add flour and stir until blended. Beat vigorously for 60 strokes. Stir in nuts. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake brownies until toothpick inserted into center comes out almost clean, about 25 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan. Cut into 4 strips and then cut crosswise into 4 brownies per strip.

Possible suggestions for tweaking the recipe:
- Use chocolate chips instead of nuts
- Allow to cool overnight before eating!! Seriously... they are way more fudgy and chewy on day 2.

Perfected

I never knew this was unusual until recently, but I have a close group of friends dating back to high school. We meet up as often as we can, though with our lives changing by the minute it now tends to be only once or twice a month.

One of my best friends from this group (though it's truly difficult to say any one of them is more my friend than any other) recently moved to Colorado to pursue a Ph.D in Physical Therapy. Her schedule has been crazy since she left for Denver; with time only for studying and the occasional visit to a local bar or pub for much needed mental breaks.

With a love for home cooked meals but educational time constraints, she's been focusing on perfecting recipes that are quick and easy. The following is her favorite which she taught to me over her Christmas break.

Anna's Butternut Squash and Sausage Soup
Serves approximately: 6

Equipment:
Large soup pot
Skillet

Ingredients:
8 cups chicken broth
2 T. olive oil
2 packages of frozen butternut squash
2 medium sized zucchinis
2 medium sized carrots
1 small onion
3-4 pre-cooked sausages
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Pour the chicken broth into the soup pot and turn on stove to medium. Grate carrots and add directly to the chicken broth along with the two packages of butternut squash.

Dice onion and zucchini. Pour oil into the skillet and turn heat to medium. Once oil is heated, add zucchini and onions and saute until onions are translucent.

While onions and zucchini are cooking, chop up the sausage to desired bite-sized pieces. Add to the onions and zucchini to warm them up. Add onions, zucchini and sausage all at once to the soup pot. Season with nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.

Allow soup to simmer for 10-15 minutes and serve hot.

Casser-ole!

A few days after Christmas, I found myself sniffling and achy.  Normally when I'm sick, I'm a pretty poor patient.  Being uncomfortable and cranky go hand in hand for me.  Fortunately, my extremely patient (the other kind) SO took excellent care of me and made sure that I had an endless supply of medicine and tea.

During these days of feeling blah, I found myself craving comfort food.  My mind kept bringing images of steaming, fresh out of the oven, casseroles to mind.

Casseroles are fabulous for multiple reasons including the following:
Easy to make
Easy to reheat (i.e. great leftovers!)
Tasty

With a plate full of chicken left over from Christmas dinner and a strong craving for casserole, I took it upon myself to find some creative way to use them in a baked dish.

Now, we all know that most classic casseroles consist of noodles, meat (typically turkey or tuna), and a cream sauce (usually cream of mushroom soup).  I can't do the cream of mushroom soup and not just because it contains milk.  It's handy when you are in a rush and need to churn out a dish quickly, but taste wise it's just not as good as a homemade sauce.

I used this recipe from about.com to make my delicious casserole :)

Non-Dairy Turkey Tetrazzini
Serves approximately: 4-6
Equipment:
Medium sized casserole dish
Skillet

Ingredients:
1/4 cup and 1 T. olive oil
1/2 cup diced white onion
10 ounces of sliced crimini mushrooms
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup fresh thyme, extra for garnish
2 cups chopped, cooked turkey (I used chicken)
10 ounces pasta (I used spirals)
3 T. flour
2 1/2 cups soy milk (I used rice milk instead)
1 tsp. salt, plus more to taste
Nutritional yeast for garnish, if desired

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly oil the casserole dish and set aside.

In a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat, heat the 1 T. olive oil, adding the onion once hot.  Stirring occasionally, cook the onions until they are translucent (about 6 minutes).  Add the mushrooms, cooking until just soft (about 3 minutes).  Stir in the wine and fresh thyme and cook until all of the wine has been absorbed.  Stir in the turkey, remove from heat, and cover and until ready to assemble the tetrazzini.

Meanwhile, boil a large pot of salted water.  Once the water is at a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook until just al dente.  Drain, toss with a small amouint of oil, and set aside.

In the same heavy bottomed skillet used to cook the onions, heat hte remaining olive oil over medium heat. Whisking constantly, add the flour and cook until the mixture gives off a slightly toasted aroma (about 1-2 minutes).  Stirring constantly, gradually add the soy milk to the pan (the mixture will bubble and fizzle).  Add the salt and cook until the mixture is thickened slightly.

In the casserole dish, toss the pasta with the onion-mushroom mixture and half of the sauce.  Pour the remaining sauce over hte casserole, sprinkle with nutritional yeast if desired and bake until browned and bubbly (about 35 minutes).  I only baked it for a few minutes, because the pasta was basically read to eat.  Serve hot, garnish with fresh thyme or parsley if desired.

Possible suggestions for tweaking the recipe:
- Using tuna instead of chicken or turkey
- Using a non-dairy cheese to melt on top of the casserole- Adding more vegetables

I've got the urge to bake!

One of the greatest barriers to baking is simply having the time.  Time to put it all together and then subsequently to clean it all up.

One fine evening this week I found myself staying in (i.e. TIME), the SO working late, and two very mushy bananas quickly deteriorating in my fridge.

The obvious conclusion was to make banana bread.

Banana bread is inherently fantastic because virtually every recipe you come across does not use dairy!  Banana bread is a lactose intolerant's dream come true.  It's delicious and there's no horrible tummy ache (or head ache in my case) as an after effect.  The bananas provided enough moisture that milk is rendered completely unnecessary.

Since I also keep chocolate chips as a staple in my cabinet, I chose to use the Banana Bread with Chocolate and Cinnamon Sugar
recipe from Orangette.

Banana Bread with Chocolate and Cinnamon Sugar
Serves approximately: 8

Equipment:
Mixer or bowl
Scraper
Mixing spoon if using a bowl
8 inch square pan

Ingredients:
3 very ripe bananas
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For topping:
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter or spray an 8-inch square pan.

In the mixer or bowl, mix or mash the bananas well. Add the eggs, and mix well to combine. Add the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and vanilla, and mix on low. Add ¾ cup of the chocolate chips, and stir briefly. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the topping ingredients. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the batter in the pan, and top with the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Possible suggestions for tweaking the recipe:
- For some reason the edges of the bread ended up extremely chewy.  I am not exactly sure how I would adapt the recipe though.  I wonder if I over mixed the banana?
- This recipe isn't overly sweet without the chocolate chips, but I'm not convinced I like the texture of the cinnamon and sugar mixture on top.
- I liked being able to use a square pan, but I might try using a loaf pan to see if it makes a difference on cooking time, since mine ended up being in the oven for more like 45-50 minutes.

There's turkey coming out of my ears!!

While most people celebrate Thanksgiving just once a year, I am one of few lucky ones who celebrate it not once, not twice, but sometimes three times in one year!

First, I eat the traditional Thanksgiving meal on Thanksgiving day.

Then, I roast a turkey for the annual "Friendsgiving."

Finally, my immediate family and I celebrate our own small Thanksgiving on a later date so we can all be in attendance.

Where does that leave me?

With lots and lots and lots of leftover turkey.

Unfortunately, after eating so many Thanksgiving meals, one gets rather sick of eating turkey in the traditional way.  My stomach begins to churn at the thought of yet another plate of turkey and mashed potatoes.

Seriously... there is truth behind the saying that you can have too much of a good thing.

However, the most recent time I made a whole turkey, I was determined to use every single bit of that turkey and leave nothing to waste.

One of the creations I made were mini-turkey pot pies.  I cheated a bit in buying a pre-made crust, but nonetheless they were tasty, easy to make, and didn't make me sick at the thought of eating yet another turkey dish.

Suz's Day after Thanksgiving Turkey Pot Pies
Approximate servings: 4

Equipment needed:
4 ramekins
Skillet

Ingredients:
1 - 1 1/2 c shredded or chopped leftover turkey
1 1/2 c left over gravy
1/2 c diced onion
1/4 c diced celery
1/2 c diced carrot
3-6 sliced mushrooms
1 pre-made rolled pie crust
Note: You can really use as many vegetables or turkey as you want and determine the amount of gravy based off of how much room is left in the ramekins.  I've made a variation of these before using frozen peas, carrots, and corn, that was quite tasty though I prefer fresh vegetables.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Saute the onion, celery, carrot, and mushrooms until they are soft (not necessarily completely cooked through).  Mix together with the turkey.

Cut out 4 circles of dough a 1/4 - 1/2 an inch wider that the ramekins out of the pie crust.

Fill ramekins to the top with the vegetable and turkey filling.  Then pour gravy over the filling until the ramekins are full.

Cover there ramekins with the circles of pie crust and press the edges of the crust along the rim of the ramekins.  Poke holes in the top of the pie crust.

Bake in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes or until the top of the crust is golden brown.

Possible suggestions for tweaking the recipe:
- Using two pie crusts and lining the bottom and sides of the ramekin as well as the top.
- Using beef, chicken, or just plain vegetables and a mushroom gravy.
- Making homemade crust as opposed to the ready-made crusts.

What goes well with split pea soup?

When my SO and I moved into our apartment in August, along with a beautiful view, pool table in the lobby, and gorgeous rooftop deck, we also gained two fabulous neighbors - Kadi and Ryan.

Over the past few months, we've developed a kind of neighborly relationship that quite frequently revolves around food.  

Kadi loves to bake (especially when she is stressed) and I love to cook.

Ryan and my SO love to eat.

Neighbor match made in heaven!!

One fine snowy day this week, the four of us found ourselves ensconced in our respective apartments holing up from the cold.  They had ingredients for split pea soup and were willing to share, but I wanted to contribute to the meal as well.

After polling the gentlemen on what they thought would go well with the soup, we agreed upon biscuits. 

Unfortunately, when I first typed biscuits into the search bar, the results were overwhelmingly recipes for buttermilk biscuits.  

Buttermilk in this stomach?  No way!  

Finally, I found a very basic recipe on The Non-Dairy Queen and with a few minor modifications created a delicious accompaniment for the split pea soup.

Buttery Biscuits

Approximate servings: 12

Equipment:

Pastry blender or mixer (unless you're super strong and can blend cold butter with flour by hand)

Bowl

Silpat or other floured flat surface to roll out dough

Rolling pin (I didn't have one and patted the dough flat, but it would have been handy!)

2 - 3 inch pastry cutter (I used the rim of a wine glass)

Cooking spray

Baking sheet

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for flouring the Silpat

1 Tb. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter

2/3 cup rice milk or soy milk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and spray baking sheet with cooking spray.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.  Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or mix on low-medium speed until the dough is crumbly. Add milk and blend until combined and dough forms into a soft ball.  

Place the dough on the floured Silpat and roll out with a rolling pin or pat down by hand until dough is approximately 3/4 inch thick.  Cut out circles using the pastry cutter and place on the greased baking sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until they are lightly brown on top.

Serve warm with butter!

Possibly suggestions to tweak this recipe:

- None!!  But I would suggest using leftover biscuits by toasting them and serving them with jam and butter for breakfast.

My breakfast :)