Poco-Cocoa

A couple of days ago, I wasn’t feeling too great, and I wanted soup. Granted, it was probably 90 degrees outside, and we didn’t have much groceries in the house, and I didn’t feel like going anywhere, but I wanted soup! So Justin said, “How about sopa?”

Mmmmm…sopa. Justin’s parents made us this dish once when we went to visit them in Lubbock, and we loved it. I guess every Mexican-American household has their own version of sopa, using vermicelli (fideo), elbow macaroni (coditos), or even shell pasta (conchas). This is as close as I could get to Justin’s parents’ sopa. We add whatever vegetables we have–always onions and tomatoes, then maybe zucchini or yellow squash, broccoli or bell pepper, or a mixture of them all.

Sopa de Conchas

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 small package Mexican shell-shaped pasta (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 2 cups broccoli florets, sliced yellow squash or zucchini, and/or chopped bell pepper
• 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
• 3 cans vegetable broth
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Colby-jack cheese, grated or cut into chunks, for topping

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add shell pasta, and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned.

Meanwhile, heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large soup pot. Add onion and vegetables, and saute briefly until crisp-tender. Add tomatoes, browned pasta, broth, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until pasta is tender. Ladle into soup bowls and top with cheese.

Makes 4 large servings.

Source: Justin’s parents

I’ve made omelets, scrambles, and quiches, but I have been avoiding the versatile frittata for one silly reason: I don’t have a skillet with an oven-proof handle. Most frittata recipes call for finishing the dish under the broiler, right in the pan, to cook the top portion of the eggs. I had read of ways to flip the whole thing using a plate and a lot of skill, but it seemed daunting. There were always warnings: “Be very careful, lest you toss your eggs all over the kitchen.”

Well, I decided to brave the flipping. And it worked pretty well! It would have worked better, but (me being the non-waster that I am) I tried to fit too much broccoli and potatoes into it, so there was not quite enough egg to hold it perfectly together. It was yummy, if not beautiful, and I’m looking forward to messing with the recipe more and adding our favorite fillings. Just think of the possibilities! Roasted bell peppers, artichoke hearts, spinach, feta, zucchini, tomatoes…

Notes: I used about 1 1/2 cups broccoli and 1 1/2 cups potatoes. I microwaved the potatoes (pierce with a fork first) for 4 minutes on each side, peeled them, then chopped them before adding to the frittata. The original recipe called for additional cheese, either mozzarella, cheddar, or Swiss, but the frittata was perfect without it. I also used a green bell pepper instead of red, because it was much cheaper.

Broccoli and Potato Frittata

• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 cup peeled and cubed potatoes, cooked
• 1 cup fat-free egg substitute
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Spray a medium non-stick skillet with non-stick spray. Add onions, garlic, broccoli, and bell pepper. Cook over medium-high heat until tender-crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in cooked potatoes.

In a small bowl, combine egg substitute, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Pour over vegetables. Tilt skillet to spread egg mixture evenly.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook until set, about 10 minutes. If using an oven-proof skillet, place under broiler to brown top. Otherwise, slide frittata onto a plate, then flip back into skillet to brown opposite side (2 to 3 minutes).

Makes 4 servings.

Adapted from Looneyspoons by Janet and Greta Podleski.

Yesterday I made this super-simple dessert with a container of ricotta that was sitting humbly in my fridge. I’m not a big dairy consumer; I don’t like milk (or let’s say that milk doesn’t like me), not a huge fan of yogurt, though I’ll eat it occasionally, and we don’t have cheese every day. Lindsay got me interested in adding ricotta to my diet, in varied ways, to increase my calcium intake. It has tons more calcium and way less sodium than cottage cheese, and you can choose the fat-free version without a huge loss in texture and flavor. I tried it with pasta…eh. I tried it with fruit…hmph. I tried it in tiramisu…good, but too much coffee flavor. Then I found this recipe. Ricotta, here I come.

Oh, and if you’re wondering whether Justin liked it, here’s what his bowl looked like shortly after he served himself:

Chocolate Ricotta Pudding

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (good quality–your pudding will only be as good as your chocolate)
• 15 ounces fat-free ricotta cheese

In a microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate chips in 20-second intervals, stirring between each, until smooth.

In a food processor, process ricotta until smooth. Add chocolate; process until combined, scraping bowl as needed. Divide among four dishes. (Can be refrigerated, covered, up to 1 day; serve at room temperature.)

Makes 4 servings.

Adapted from Everyday Food magazine.

I make hummus for lunches at least once a week. It’s cheap, it’s easy, and it tastes so perfect with a toasted pita. My version is definitely not authentic, as it’s missing tahini, or sesame seed paste. I don’t keep tahini in the house, and I hate buying a small amount of it just for hummus. So I leave it out, and it tastes just as yummy. I think I got the idea from Mr. Food years ago, and it’s been in my repertoire ever since.

Try it as a dip with toasted pita bread, or use as a spread in wraps with a whole wheat tortilla (warmed), spinach, roasted bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, and cucumber slices. Hummus also makes a great sandwich filling, along with lettuce, tomato, and avocado.

Hummus

• 1 can chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved
• 1 small garlic clove, coarsely chopped
• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cumin

Combine the chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and cumin in a food processor. Pulse a few times, then slowly add some of the chickpea liquid, a tablespoon or two at a time, as you continue to puree the mixture. Taste the hummus for texture and flavor, adding more liquid if needed (I usually use between 1/4 to 1/3 cup, but you can use more if you prefer a more runny consistency).

Makes about 1 3/4 cups.

Source: Possibly Mr. Food.

Last night Leti and I made this pizza for dinner. Justin loves it because of the peanutty flavor and heat from the red chile flakes. The original recipe called for sauteed cubes of chicken breast to be added to the sauce as it simmers, but when we went veg a couple of years ago, I decided to substitute mushrooms and red bell pepper so we could continue to enjoy this amazing pizza.

I used a homemade pizza crust (the same I used in the Mexican Pizza), but a prepared or refrigerated crust would work just as well.

Malaysian Pizza

• 3/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter
• 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• Cooking spray
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Colby jack cheese
• 1 pizza crust

Preheat oven to 400�F.

Combine first 8 ingredients in a bowl; stir well with a whisk.

Heat a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add red bell pepper and mushrooms, and saute 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender and their juice has evaporated somewhat.

Pour rice vinegar mixture into pan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook mixture 6 to 8 minutes or until slightly thickened. (Mixture will be the consistency of thick syrup.)

Sprinkle cheese over prepared crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border, and top with vegetable mixture. Bake for 12 minutes; place pizza on cutting board and let stand 5 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

Adapted from Cooking Light magazine.