Yum Yums: Spinach Ravioli + Turkey Sausage w/ Garlic Basil Sauce

As aforementioned in my Wash Day Rambling post, my humungo Spinach raviolis were made but had not yet been cooked for human consumption.

Well, I'm here to tell you that they HAVE been cooked, and were pretty freakin tasty too ;)

This inclination to make ravioli came about after I had bought a bag of spinach & was running out of ideas of what to make. I used it in omelets and rice, served it on the side or in salad but i wanted to do something different! Since I bought those won ton wrappers and saw that I was gonna be able to make ravioli w/ them, it was over. Spinach ravioli HAD to be made!0_0

This is another one of my simple recipes that can easily be cooked by anybody who may know their way around the kitchen a lil bit..but if not, I hope I make it easy enough to follow!! These can be made to be used the same day, or be frozen for future use, like I did. If you DO decide to freeze them, make sure you freeze them on a flat surface like so ---->>

BEFORE you put them into a container to freeze because if you don't they will all stick together and create a horrible mess and all of your hard work will be ruined..and you don't want that, do you? No. Didn't think so.

Here it goes...

Spinach Ravioli

Yield: 3-5

1/2 pack Nasoya Won Ton wrappers ( I got them from Shop Rite for like..$3)

4 c. Fresh Spinach, washed & drained

1 tbsp. Garlic, minced

2 c. Ricotta cheese

1 Egg, beaten

1 c. Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp Salt

1tbsp Pepper

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

1 egg + 1 c. water for egg wash.

1/4 c. flour for tray

1. Separate out the won ton wrappers, discarding the torn ones. I used 30.
2. In a pot of boiling, salted water, blanch your spinach until wilted, strain, and then place the spinach into a bowl of ice & water to stop it from cooking any further.
3. Remove the spinach from the water and wring as much of the water out of it as you can. *This process is done easiest with cheesecloth, but if you do not have any on hand, fold the spinach up in 2 coffee filters, 2 paper towels, and an old, CLEAN wash rag, [preferably one you don't care for too much] and wring it out. 
4. Remove the spinach from the cloth and give it a rough chop.
5. Combine spinach w/ egg, ricotta, Parmesan, salt, pepper and nutmeg and stir until fully distributed.
6. Wrap either a sheet tray, cookie sheet, or regular food tray in foil and spread flour onto the tray evenly. Lay out your won ton wrappers in 2-4 rows (depending on how big your cookie sheet/ tray is) and using a spoon, scoop a quarter-sized amount of filling and place it in the center of every other won ton wrapper.
7. Using either a brush or your finger, brush the egg wash onto the outer sides of the won ton wrapper, around the spot where you placed the filling.
8. Take the won ton wrappers that do not have any filling on them, and place over thee ones that do. In order to seal it, press your fingers around, not on, the area where the filling is and gently push outward, towards the edge of the ravioli. This will help push out any excess egg wash and remove any air bubbles. Repeat with all ravioli.
9. If freezing for later enjoyment, keep on tray and freeze. Once fully frozen, place into Tupperware and return to freezer. 
10. If you can't wait to eat them, get a pot of boiling, salted water ready, drop a few of your ravioli in and cook until they begin to float, remove and serve with the sauce of your liking.
11. ENJOY!

Turkey Sausage w/ Garlic Basil Sauce

1/2 link Turkey Kielbasa,cut into 1/4in thick pieces

2 tbsp Garlic, minced

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp flour

1/4 c. White Cooking Wine

1/2c. Veg stock

6 Basil leaves, chiffonade

Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Heat pan over medium heat. 
2. Add sausage and sear on all sides until brown, but not burnt. 
3. Stir in garlic and saute for 1 min.
4. Turn up heat, add butter until fully melted and then stir in flour. Cook for another minute or so- be careful not to burn.
5. Add wine and stir/whisk. The pan should sizzle alot when you do this, don't be afraid cause that's what you want. Cook for 2 mins or until the alcohol is cooked out.
6. Add stock and bring to a simmer.
7. Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper
8. Serve over ravioli
9. ENJOY!

The sauce didn't look how I wanted it to but...it was still good!!!

Yum Yums: Simple, Easy, YUMMY, Carrot Soup!!

Yes. It is finally here folks...

Soup? In the summer?? WHY?

 Wellllll....

...we had alot of carrots in the fridge and I REALLY needed a reason to use my new immersion blender that I got for my birthday..

(it's sexy, right? ;) ) --->>

..so I was like, TA-DA! Carrot Soup!

Yeah, if only it were that simple.

I even got all fancy and made my own whipped cream [only cause the blender came with a whisk attachment] to put on top to create another layer of richness and flavor....mmmmm NOM.

*drools*

Sorry...

This recipe is freakin simple, it's ridiculous. I think I even forgot that it was on the stove for a second until I got a whiff of cinnamon in the air (Cinnamon? Yeah.)

Alright lovies, here it is!!

Kayla's Slam-Bam-Jammin Carrot Soup! <--- (I don't really call it that)

Yields: 6 servings

1 bag of Carrots, about 7-8 medium sized carrots total, medium dice

1 Onion, medium dice

3 cloves, Garlic, chopped

1 tbsp Canola Oil

2 tbsp fresh Ginger, either chopped or micro-planed/grated

1 tsp fresh Rosemary, chopped

1 tsp fresh Sage, Chopped

7 oz. Vegetable Stock

1 can Coconut Milk

1 tsp  ground Cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground Nutmeg

Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Preheat pot over medium heat, add oil and saute carrots, onions and garlic together for about 2 mins or until onions begin to turn translucent. 
2. Stir in ginger, rosemary and sage and continue to cook for another minute.
3. Add vegetable stock, bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook until the carrots have cooked all the way through. 
4. Turn off the fire, grab a potholder and prop the pot up using one hand*. Using the immersion blender, blend everything in the pot until no lumps remain. 

-OR-
If you do not have an immersion blender, use a regular blender or food processor, but DO NOT try to blend everything at once. Blend your soup in batches when using a regular blender/ food processor and DO NOT fill them all the way to the top. Once you've finished blending, return to the pot.

5. Bring to a simmer and gradually add coconut milk. If the soup is more thick than you'd like, feel free to add additional milk, cream, stock or water- whatever you prefer. I chose to thin it out with some more stock so that i wouldn't lose flavor. 

6. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg and season with your favorable amount of salt and pepper.

7. ENJOY!

*The reason you want to prop/ hold one side of the pot up with your hand before you use the immersion blender is to avoid splatters, and to allow easier blending. 

This soup lasted me a week in the fridge, but it can also be frozen and reheated for whenever you want. Another plus to this is that it can also be enjoyed cold, so choose your preference and dig in!!

P.S. To make the whipped cream, get some heavy cream, salt and chopped ginger, place in blender (or use whisk attachment on immersion blender ;) ) and whip until stiff peaks are reached. Don't over whip it though, you don't wanna make butter! (or do you....?)

I just garnished with some scallions and julienned carrots that i roasted in the oven for about 5 mins. 

Yum Yums: Indian Spiced Roasted Chicken

Remember that oh, so BEAUTIFUL chicken I bought for $4 a couple of months ago??

 Yeah. I did something special with that bad boy! 

This recipe is type long in terms of ingredients, but not difficult at all! 

I did this recipe for my practical exam and freakin blew my chef AWAY. 

Yeah, ya girl knows her way around the kitchen..;)

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

1 3-4lb Whole chicken

Rub:

2 tbsp Ground Cumin

1 tbsp Ground Coriander

2 tbsp Ground black pepper

1/4 tsp Grated Nutmeg

1/2 tsp Dry Mustard

1 1/2 tbsp Ground Cinnamon

1 tsp Ground Ginger

1 tsp Turmeric

1 tbsp Paprika

2 tbsp Kosher Salt

4 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp

2 Spanish [yellow] Onions

2 Garlic Heads + 2 cloves

3 Carrots

2 Celery Stalks

Stuffing:

1 Piece of ginger about the length of your thumb

1 sprig of parsley

1 sprig of thyme

1 bay leaf

1 tsp Peppercorns

Make sure you place your vegetables so that the chicken elevated evenly.

The first thing you want to do is get your vegetables ready. This array of vegetables is known as mirepoix, which  is the combination of celery, carrots and aromatics to provide flavor and aroma. Mirepoix can also be used to elevate a roast during roasting and also provides additional flavor to the pan drippings to later make a sauce for your roast.

1. Rinse off your celery; cut the tops and ends off of your celery stalks and cut the stalks into 3 pieces.
2. Peel your carrots; cut off the tops and ends and cut the carrots into 3 pieces.
3. Cut the whole garlic head in half, the way you would cut a grapefruit.
4. Cut the onions in half, discard the outer layer, and cut the halves in half.
5. Set aside in roasting pan

You don't want the vegetables cut too small because you don't want them to burn while the chicken is cooking on top of them.

• Next, I got the aromatics I planned on stuffing inside of the bird (Parsley, thyme, Bay leaf, ginger, garlic, peppercorns) prepped and set aside. I didn't chop anything up except for the ginger, which i cut into 3 pieces. 

• Combine all of your dry ingredients with butter and mix together until fully incorporated.

Now it's time to prep the bird!!

If you've never worked with a whole chicken, don't be intimidated, it's not difficult at all.

• Cut off the tail and discard.

• Next, remove the wishbone.

 Here's an instructional video on how to remove it.

 What I do is sit the bird on it's butt, open the neck and feel for the wishbone with my fingers. 
Once I feel it, I take my knife and scrape up against it to gently remove the meat that's covering it. 
When the bone is about 75% of the way exposed, I just run my fingers along the bone to remove any excess meat and repeat on the next side. 
Once it's exposed, I grab the tip of the wishbone and pull it out. 
Don't worry if it breaks on you, just take it out.

• Once the wishbone is out, throw the wishbone in with the mirepoix.
• Continue prepping the bird by cutting off the wing. ATTENTION: Don't do what I did and cut off the WHOLE WING Leave the drumette part attached. Throw the wing and tip in with the mirepoix as well.

See the part over to the far right-->> ??? Yeah. Leave that^ on the chicken.

....like so.

• The next thing you want to do is rub your fingers right under the skin of the breast to make room for the butter you're about to shove in there!

• Now, take a glob of the butter mixture and shove it up under the breast skin. 

• Once you get a good amount under there, use your thumb to push and evenly distribute the butter throughout the whole breast; repeat on other side. You can even try to get some butter in between the thighs for additional seasoning. When you feel as though you've stuffed enough butter in your bird, feel free to rub the rest of it on the outside. If you have none left, mix up some salt, pepper and curry powder to rub on it. 

The reason you rub the butter under the skin is to provide moisture and additional flavoring to the breast. Knowing that this is usually the driest meat on the bird, the butter will baste the breasts in conjunction with the fat in the skin to give in more moisture.

It looks kinda crazy, but it's gonna taste AWESOME!

• Stuff your chicken with the aromatics you set aside earlier.

• Finally, truss  your chicken, place it on your mirepoix and bake it at 350 degrees F, uncovered for 1 1/2 hours, or until the thigh meat reads 175 degrees F.

I don't have a pic of the final result (because they freakin ATTACKED it) but it was DELICIOUS! I hope you enjoy!!

P.S. Do NOT Consume the aromatics you stuffed inside of the bird. 

Yum Yums: Banana Fritters Pictorial!

This recipe is for the ones who leave bananas there to rot cause they think they've gone bad cause they're all brown and stuff...yeah. This recipe is for you. I had these two bananas left over that I didn't use for the banana cake I made the other day, and they were just sitting there gettin all brown and sad so I decided to take them and make fritters!

I must warn you, I'm not really a "measurer"..I kinda just go off of my eye. I pretty much know this by heart because my grandma use to make them all the time...BUT I do have a recipe for you guys to follow so, HERE WE GO!

What you'll need :

• 2-3 Bananas
• 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 C. Sugar *I used cane sugar but regular sugar should be just fine*
• 1 tbsp. Baking Powder
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1 egg *optional*
• 3 C. Veg oil for frying

 

Tools Needed

• Deep pan
• Fork
• Spoon
• Bowl
• Measuring spoons
• Measuring Cups
• Slotted spoon
• A plate w/ paper towels or a brown paper bag for draining.

 Directions:

 First, you want to heat the oil over medium-high heat. You want the oil to reach at least 325 - 350degrees F. for the fritters to fry properly..

Next, you want to peel your bananas and place them in the bowl. Now, at this point, I like to just add everything but the flour and baking powder before I mash them to incorporate more flavor...

...take fork and mash until no large pieces are left.

Then you want to add the baking powder and stir in...

...and lastly the flour. I add the flour a lil bit at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.

I like it to be thick enough to slide off the fork, but isn't runny. It needs to be the consistency of..oatmeal.

See how it sticks to the fork?

Next, take a considerable amount of the mixture into your spoon, about 3/4 of the way full...

...hold the spoon directly over the heat and let the mixture slide off the spoon into the oil.

Let it fry for about 1 minute to set and then, using your slotted spoon, scrape the bottom of the fritter so that it's not stuck to the bottom of the pan. Let it fry for another 2-3 minutes.

 

Using your slotted spoon, kinda lift the fritter and peek at the bottom to see if it's golden brown. If it is, flip it over. If not, let it fry a lil bit longer but make sure you don't burn it.

This is the color you're lookin for...

 Once the other side is brown as well, you want to take your slotted spoon, remove the fritter, and place it on your paper towels to drain.

 We have a lot of paper bags lying around from Shoprite and the Chinese food store, so I like to use them to help sop up the oil when I'm frying foods. 

I tear it in half and place the top half into the bottom of the bag, and line it with a few napkins and/or paper towels.

It's simple AND cheap. Another thing I use is news paper w/ a couple paper towels on top.

Now, some people like to dust the fritters with powdered sugar, but they don't usually last long enough around here to require all of that. lol 

The only thing left to do now is DIG IN! *once they've cooled, of course*

ENJOY!

=D

Yum Yums: Produce Splurge

Went to the produce and the meat store & stocked up.

All of this stuff was only $20..and they basically sell in bulk, which is why I LOOOVE our produce store!

At the produce store I got a bag of onions, 3 bunches of scallions, a coconut, 2 containers of blackberries, a bag of potatoes, a bag of sugar snap peas, 2 avocados, a container of strawberries.

At the meat store I got the chicken, sour cream, apple cider vinegar, 2 cans of coconut milk and a couple of seasonings.

Yall should have seen the acrobatics I had to perform to carry that tote bag home cause when I tell you, that thing was HEAVY! I didn't drive over there because #1: it's only 4 blocks away &

#2: mommy had the car.

When I got home, my back was sore and my arms were tired...but I MADE IT.

Anyway....

This beauty ->>>

was only $4.20 *I'm pretty sure you peeped the price*

which I'm guessing would price it at about 25cents per lb which is NOT bad AT ALL. I took this chicken and hooked it UP! But that's a whole other post...;)

I'm sort of having a love affair with blackberries. I don't know what it is about them, but I just can't get enough. I guess that's good cause they're very high in antioxidants and polyphenols which help prevent cancers ( breast, cervical, etc) and heart disease. Plus, it contains high amounts of fiber as well to prevent intestinal disease & diabetes.More info

I GOT A COCONUT!!

I've never opened a brown coconut before; I only have experience w/ green ones. I honestly only bought this just to open it...but I DO plan on using it in something, I just don't know what yet. lol

O.O.T.D =)