Category Archives: Vegetable Main Dishes

Summer Cooking Inspiration – Herbed Zucchini Noodles with Grilled Shrimp and Tomatoes

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In an effort to share more of what we love and what we cook, here is the first in hopefully a little series of summer cooking inspiration posts.

These posts will serve as just that – inspiration. I won’t have exact recipes of what we made – I will just share photos of the process and notes of what we did in hopes that it inspires you to cook something that makes you happy.

This one was a perfect summertime meal – zucchini noodles with grilled shrimp and tomatoes. We cooked this meal on our charcoal grill and enjoyed every moment of a perfect not-quite-summer evening.

Here’s what we did:

Zucchini noodles:
We spiralized 3 large zucchinis and tossed them generously with olive oil, salt and pepper. We actually cooked these on the grill, in our vegetable grate, and it worked so well. We cooked them, tossing often, for about ten minutes. Right before we pulled them off the grill, we added minced garlic and freshly chopped herbs. We used herbs from our garden – basil and rosemary. Once off the grill, we mixed in fresh lemon juice.

Shrimp and tomatoes:
We skewered the shrimp and tomatoes separately. To season, we mixed minced garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil and a ton of fresh lemon zest. We brushed this on both the tomatoes and shrimp before going onto the grill, and then again once we flipped them on the grill. We cooked the tomatoes until the were slightly blistered, and they were just perfect in this dish.

The dinner:
For putting the meal together, we just topped the zucchini noodles with the grilled shrimp and tomatoes. We didn’t do this, but thought that it would also be great topped with a bit of fresh Parmesan cheese.

One thing we would change next time is adding a bit more seasoning to the zucchini noodles. We’d probably add more salt, pepper and herbs, lemon juice and maybe a pinch of red pepper flakes. 

Our favorite part of the meal was the marinade/seasoning mix we made for the shrimp and tomatoes. The combo of olive oil, minced garlic, lemon zest, salt and pepper was so, so delicious and the flavor really came through nicely in the dish. We will be making that again to put on many things. I think the key was using a lot of lemon zest – I used the zest from one large and thoroughly zested lemon.

Take a look:

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Late Winter Pasta: Homemade Noodles with Crispy Canned Artichokes and Lemon Parsley Pesto

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Remember when I shared with you my late summer pasta, homemade noodles with tomatoes + pesto? Today I bring to you my (very) late winter version – homemade noodles with crispy canned artichokes and homemade lemon parsley pesto.

I’ve kept up with the homemade noodle habit. Not for every time we’ve had pasta (not even close) but I’ve done it several times over the past few months and I’m feeling more and more comfortable with the process. I wanted to create a wintertime pasta with homemade noodles to share with you. The idea for the dish came from a craving I’m having for simplicity – I wanted to use few, simple ingredients that would come together to create a powerhouse of flavor. And that is just what came to be.

This pasta is bright, it’s fresh. Taking a bite of this pasta is like taking a bite of sunshine. And who doesn’t love sunshine?

But in case you want a more specific description of what this tastes like (you know, in case you don’t know what sunshine tastes like) it is lemony. And parsley-y. Neither of those ingredients are cooked in this dish so their flavors are strong and bold. If you aren’t the biggest fan of those strong flavors, this pasta may not be for you. But if you are (like me), get ready to be in love. The bold flavors are complemented by the artichokes, that are baked in the oven with just a bit of olive oil and salt, until tender and crispy.

I want to mention that I have tried two different noodle recipes since my first noodle post. While I loved that recipe, I felt the need to try other things. One time, I followed the directions for the noodles exactly as you see in that first post, except that I replaced one cup of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. I wasn’t happy with the outcome. The noodles were edible, but extremely tough. It wasn’t the most pleasant of eating experiences and I wouldn’t do just that again. The second recipe I tried resulted in the noodles that you see pictured today. I followed the ingredients and directions from Garden Betty, as you see here (for the fresh homemade egg pasta). I must admit that I did have some trouble with the dough. It was very stiff and a bit difficult to work with and I actually had quite the tough time kneading it and rolling it out. I was regretful of my decision to try it out, that is, until I tasted the noodles. While I did have a difficult time rolling out the dough, once it was rolled, cut, cooked and in this dish, I must say that the noodles not only tasted great, their texture was amazing. The end result was worth the difficult time and I would definitely try this noodle recipe again, hoping that the challenge I had with the dough was just a one time fluke. For this dish, feel free to use the noodle recipe I describe in the recipe below (form Garden Betty), the recipe from this post, or even non-homemade noodles (it would still be great!). With homemade noodles, for me, this is definitely a weekend, take-your-time dish. With non-homemade noodles this could quickly and easily be a meal made during the week.

When I developed and photographed this recipe, we were still in the dead of winter. It was a yearning for spring. Now, it’s clear that spring really is just around the bend. This is still a winter pasta – not much fresh produce here – but it is bright and fresh, just like good ol’ springtime. Come to us soon, spring.

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Late Winter Pasta: Homemade Noodles with Crispy Canned Artichokes and Lemon Parsley Pesto
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Ingredients
  1. 2 cans whole artichokes
  2. Parmesan cheese, for topping
For the noodles
  1. 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading, rolling and dusting
  2. 3 eggs
  3. 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the parsley pesto
  1. 1 bunch flat leaf parsley, rinsed and dried
  2. Juice of 1 lemon
  3. 2 large garlic cloves
  4. 2 tablespoons olive oil
  5. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  6. 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400*. Drain and thoroughly rinse the canned artichokes. Cut each artichoke in half lengthwise, and lay cut side down on paper towels to dry. You want the artichokes to dry as much as possible before going into the oven. Let the artichokes continue to dry, changing the paper towels once, as you prepare the noodles.
  2. For the noodles, I followed the method from gardenbetty.com, linked in the post above. I will describe what I did, but before making the noodles, I recommend studying the original post at gardenbetty.com.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, measure two cups of all-purpose flour. Make a well in the center of the flour, crack three eggs and measure two tablespoons of olive oil into the well. Gently whisk the eggs and olive oil, incorporating a little flour into the well at a time, and continue whisking until the dough starts to come together. Dump the rough dough and any remaining flour in the bowl onto a clean, lightly floured surface and begin kneading the dough. Knead for about 10 minutes, or until dough is no longer sticky and the surface is smooth. Cover the dough with a towel and let rest on the counter for 30 minutes.
  4. While the dough is resting, arrange the artichokes, cut side up on a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes, or until browned and slightly crispy. When the artichokes are done roasting, turn the oven off, but keep them in the oven until you are ready to add them to the finished pasta.
  5. To make the parsley pesto, in a food processor, combine the parsley, lemon juice, garlic cloves, olive oil, salt and pepper. Process for about 30 seconds, or until smooth. Set aside.
  6. Before you roll out the noodles, put a large pot of salted water on to boil.
  7. To roll out the noodles, cut the dough into quarters. On a well floured surface, using a rolling pin, roll out one segment of the dough at a time, as thin as you can get it. Mine took a lot of work but eventually got very thin. Once rolled out, sprinkle each side of the dough with flour. Fold the dough once in half and using a sharp knife, cut thin strips, to form the noodles. Once cut, unfold the noodles, gather together and sprinkle with flour to prevent sticking. Bunch the noodles, set aside and continue with the other segments of dough.
  8. Once all noodles are cut, place the noodles in the salted, boiling water. After the noodles are added and the water returns to a boil, boil for 3-5 minutes, or until noodles are soft and tender. Taste one after three minutes to check if it is done. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your noodle.
  9. When noodles are done cooking, drain well and set aside. Return the pot to the stove and add the parsley pesto followed by the noodles, then toss well to combine. Add the artichokes and toss once again.
  10. Serve pasta and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
  11. Enjoy!
Notes
  1. The amount of noodles made provided us with about 4 meals. We each had a serving for dinner and then lunch the next day.
  2. This would also be great with non-homemade noodles. Simply follow the instructions for roasting the artichokes and making the parsley pesto. Cook the packaged noodles according to the instructions on the box, then toss everything together.
The Dreaming Foodie https://www.thedreamingfoodie.com/

Smoked Gouda Tomato Soup

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Here’s a little, simple recipe for you today. For me, easing back into the recipe sharing. For you, an almost effortless dinner idea.

Smoked Gouda tomato soup. Nothing revolutionary here, nothing crazy. Simple, classic tomato soup with a (smoked) twist.  This is just a standard tomato soup recipe, one that I have been making for months, with a handful of smoked Gouda cheese thrown in. All blended up to creamy perfection. A way to liven up tomato soup without too much effort. Not that tomato soup needs much livenin’ – I love the classic – but for something just a little bit different, this is it. I reccomend serving with extra shredded Gouda on top and slices of hearty bread – it’s hard to not enjoy.

If I have to do winter, this is how I want to to do it – hot soup in mugs and cozy evenings in. Cheers!

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Smoked Gouda Tomato Soup
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Ingredients
  1. 2 tablespoons olive oil
  2. 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  3. 4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
  4. 1 large garlic clove, minced
  5. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  6. 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  7. Heaping 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  8. 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  9. (2) 28 ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes
  10. 2 cups veggie broth
  11. (1) 8 ounce block smoked Gouda, shredded*
Instructions
  1. Add the olive oil to a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the chopped onions and carrots. Let cook, stirring several times, for about 10 minutes, or until veggies are just slightly browned and soft.
  2. Add the minced garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, and balsamic vinegar and stir. Add the two cans of tomatoes and veggie broth and stir once more. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down, cover the pot and let simmer 20-25 minutes, stirring once or twice to begin to break up the tomatoes. Soup is done simmering when tomatoes are soft and beginning to fall apart.
  3. Add two cups shredded Gouda to the pot and stir. Using an immersion blender (what I did) or regular blender, blend the soup until smooth. If using a regular blender, blend in batches.
  4. Ladle into bowls (or mugs!) and top each with additional shredded Gouda if desired.
  5. Enjoy!
Notes
  1. * I used one 8 ounce block of smoked Gouda and shredded the entire block. I put two cups of the shredded Gouda into the soup and reserved the tiny bit that was left for topping the finished soup.
The Dreaming Foodie https://www.thedreamingfoodie.com/

Butternut Squash, Pear + Curry Brown Butter Soup

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This soup. It has been my go-to since late September when butternut squash first started popping up. I am in love with this soup. There are so many butternut squash soup recipes out there, so I don’t know just how to convince you that this is the one to make, but know I believe that you’d be happy if you do!

Some reasons to try this soup:

1. This soup is simple. It uses fewer than ten ingredients (not including dried spices) and requires no complicated methods or tools.

2. It’s butternut squash soup. With pears. And curry brown butter. Those flavors, in every single bite. I feel like I don’t need to say more.

3. This soup will warm you to the core on this chilly autumn days.

While there is really nothing complicated about this recipe, here are a few notes to keep in mind:

– The curry brown butter is from this recipe, from 101 Cookbooks. I felt inspired to put the curry brown butter from their lentil soup into this soup and I’m awfully glad that I did. Brown butter is not hard to make, and is more than worth the small amount of effort. Read my description below on how to make brown butter, or for a very detailed description of it, with photos, click here.

-Use any type of pear that you have. Don’t be picky. For this batch of soup, I used pears that I had sliced and frozen earlier in the season, and that worked wonderfully. For past batches of this soup, I used fresh, chopped pears.

-This soup can be left chunky (like in the photos) by using a potato masher to “mash” the soup. If you desire a much smoother soup, use an immersion or regular blender to blend the soup until smooth. I’ve blended it before and enjoyed it that way, too.

-Speaking of leaving it chunky, I haven’t tried it yet, but I think the chunky version would go wonderfully over rice.

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Butternut Squash, Pear + Curry Brown Butter Soup
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Ingredients
  1. Olive oil
  2. 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  3. 4 large carrots, sliced thin
  4. 1 large butternut squash, cubed
  5. 4 medium pears, chopped
  6. 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  7. 3-4 cups vegetable broth
  8. 1/2 teaspoon each of dried oregano, onion powder, black pepper and cumin
  9. 1/2 teaspoon + 1 tablespoon curry powder, used separately
  10. 3 tablespoons butter
  11. Salt, to taste (I used 1/4 teaspoon)
Instructions
  1. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onions and carrots. Cook, stirring several times, for about 5 minutes, or until veggies begin to soften.
  2. Add butternut squash and pears to the pot and stir. Cook 10 minutes longer, or until squash begins to soften and everything is slightly browned.
  3. Add the fresh, minced garlic and the 1/2 teaspoon each of dried oregano, onion powder, black pepper, cumin and curry powder. Stir well, then add 3 cups of veggie broth.
  4. Bring soup to a boil, then turn heat down to medium and let it simmer for about 15 minutes, or until all veggies are very soft.
  5. While the soup is simmering, make the curry brown butter. Heat 3 tablespoons of butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Let butter melt completely, while whisking constantly, until you see brown specks appear. Add 1 tablespoon of curry powder and whisk a few more times. Remove from heat and set aside.
  6. Once soup is done simmering (veggies are soft) add the curry brown butter to the soup pot.
  7. Using a potato masher, mash everything together well to make a chunky soup. Alternatively, using a immersion or regular blender, blend soup until smooth.
  8. Give the soup a taste, and adjust seasoning to your liking. Add some salt, more broth or other seasonings if you desire.
  9. Enjoy!
The Dreaming Foodie https://www.thedreamingfoodie.com/

Late Summer Pasta: Homemade Noodles with Pesto + Tomatoes

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I can feel the end of summer. I can sense the change in many aspects of my life. In the types of clothes that I’m starting to reach for. In the foods that I am craving. In the air that blows through our open windows. Summer is ending, but it’s not gone just quite yet, and I plan to cherish my favorite things about it – especially the food – for as long as I can.

This pasta dish is definitely a testament to that. The tomatoes – a symbol of the part of me that is still holding onto summer, and the homemade noodles – showing that the first signs of fall have me slowing down, desiring long days in the kitchen, with cool air coming through  windows and a glass of wine (not beer, like summer) by my side.

This was my first time making homemade noodles because I’ve been intimidated by it for a long time. I don’t have a pasta roller and I just didn’t think that a rolling pin could roll homemade pasta dough thin enough. Recently though, something in me told me just to go for it and I’m awfully glad that I did. Just like my success with homemade gnocchi, these noodles were a pleasant experience. I plan on doing this regularly now, especially through the winter months.

So since I am just a beginner noodle maker, let me show you the resources I used: The Pioneer Woman, The Kitchn and Better Homes and Gardens. Thank you to those wonderful sites for giving me the knowledge and wisdom to smoothly get through my first noodle making experience. My advice, from one beginner to another is this: just to do it. Give it a go. Enjoy the slowness + comfort this season has to offer and make some noodles! I do understand though, that for most people, who are busy on the regular, this is a Saturday or Sunday type of meal. Not a weekday meal, and that’s okay. Save it for a special day. Make homemade noodles, dress them simply and enjoy every bite of your hard work.

We were lucky enough to get a bunch of tomatoes recently from Greg’s vacationing coworker’s CSA share and from Greg’s mom and stepdad. So, for this particular batch of noodles, I simply tossed them with pesto and roasted cherry tomatoes. A meal just right for this time of the year. Consider making it even without the homemade noodles. 

Even if you don’t have the time and/or desire to make homemade noodles at this time, I encourage you to enjoy what is now. Enjoy the last of what summer has to offer and if you’re like me, embrace the “slowing down” feeling that comes with fall. I’m enjoying it thoroughly and this dish represents that perfectly.

Below the photos, I typed out just what I did. I also suggest in the recipe section that if you do decide to make noodles for the first time, to read through what I have as well as look at my photos, but to also study the sites that I linked to above. Be prepared as possible and enjoy the process! Leave any questions in the comment section. Enjoy!

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Late Summer Pasta: Homemade Noodles with Pesto + Tomatoes
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Ingredients
  1. 3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling the dough
  2. 6 eggs
  3. 1-2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
  4. 1 cup of your favorite pesto
  5. Olive oil
  6. Salt and pepper
  7. Parmesan cheese
Instructions
  1. For the noodles, I followed methods from the Pioneer Woman, The Kitchn and Better Homes and Gardens, all linked above. I will describe what I did, but before making the noodles, I recommend also studying the pages I linked to above.
  2. For the noodles: Into a large mixing bowl, measure three cups of all-purpose flour. Make a well in the center of the flour and crack six eggs into the well. Using a whisk, gently whisk the eggs, incorporating a little flour into the well at a time, and continue whisking until the dough starts coming together. Dump the dough and any remaining flour in the bowl onto a clean, floured surface and begin kneading the dough. Knead for about 10 minutes, or until dough is no longer sticky and the surface is smooth (The Pioneer Woman post shows a good photo of this). Using a large, sharp knife, cut the dough into four equal parts. Gently knead each part for several minutes, just to be sure the dough has been kneaded thoroughly. Let the dough rest on the counter for 30 minutes.
  3. While dough is resting: Place tomatoes on a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with a small amount of olive oil and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in preheated 400-degree oven for about 10 minutes, or until slightly blistered. Turn the oven off, tomatoes can remain in there until noodles are done.
  4. While you roll out your noodles, begin to bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  5. After 30 minutes, roll your dough. Using a rolling pin, on a well floured surface, roll out one segment of the dough at a time, as thin as you can get it. Mine was extremely thin but also very pliable. Once rolled out, sprinkle each side of dough with flour. Gently roll the dough, jelly roll style, and using a knife, cut thin strips (as shown in photo above). Once cut, unroll each strip. You have noodles! Repeat the rolling out, rolling up and slicing with each of the remaining three segments of dough.
  6. To cook noodles, place in salted, boiling water and boil for approximately five minutes. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your noodle, so start checking them after two minutes. Mine took a full five.
  7. To make the pesto + tomato pasta: Add pesto to a large saucepan over medium heat, along with a ladle-full of the noodle cooking water. Add the cooked + drained noodles and toss. Add the roasted cherry tomatoes. Add more noodle cooking water, to thin the sauce, as needed. Top with Parmesan cheese, if desired, and enjoy!
Notes
  1. The amount of noodles made with this recipe lasted Greg and I over 2 meals. We each had a large serving for dinner, the next day for lunch, with leftovers yet.
  2. I didn't make enough noodles to freeze this time, but plan to for next time and will follow the directions on the Better Home and Gardens blog, linked above.
The Dreaming Foodie https://www.thedreamingfoodie.com/
*Noodle recipe/techniques from The Pioneer Woman, The Kitchn and Better Homes and Gardens.