Tag Archives: vegetarian

Cacio e Pepe with Roasted Butternut Squash

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I’m not trying to get all fancy on you.

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Trust me. I’m not an expert on cacio e pepe. I didn’t even know what that meant probably a year ago.

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But I’ve been reading about it. It’s a classic recipe from Rome. Cacio e pepe translates to cheese and pepper. And it really is that simple. Pasta with cheese and pepper. Simplicity at its finest. 

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I have never been to Italy, but from what I read and see, authentic Italian food is truly simplicity at its finest. Few, simple ingredients that go very very well together. 

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And that’s what appeals to me about cacio e pepe. Cheese is wonderful and so is pepper. This dish brings out the best of both of those flavors.

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So, I don’t know if I’m doing something wrong by adding something to this simple, classic pasta dish. I added roasted butternut squash. I thought it sounded good. And it is, it works. I will say though, I am sorry if I am offending any authentic Italian cooks by doing this. This is just my take on it :). 

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Let’s talk about the butternut squash. I got this one from the garden of Greg’s mom and stepdad. Can’t get better than that. His stepdad, Greg, told me that he was looking for a recipe for butternut squash on my blog. I do have this butternut squash bread pudding recipe, but he was right when he said that that recipe is a bit more complicated. He wanted something simple, and that made me want something more simple, too. Enter: this pasta. 

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The most difficult part of this dish was cutting the butternut squash. Does anyone out there have a trick to cutting one? If you do, please let me know!

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Once it is cut, all you need to do it roast it. While your squash is roasting, you can prepare the pasta. Roast the squash, cook the noodles, add some cheese, pepper and a few other things, toss with the squash and you’re done. 

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Roasted butternut squash on its own is really good as a side dish or a snack, but in this pasta it is awesome. It turns into a meal.

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The key to this pasta is the reserved cooking water. After your noodles are done cooking, make sure you reserve a bowl full of the water. Adding it back into the pasta creates a super creamy sauce without adding any cream. Other than the cheese, pepper and butternut squash, I also added some white wine and a pinch of nutmeg. You can’t go wrong with adding wine to pasta, I think, and I love how nutmeg tastes with butternut squash.

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So, you guys, I do hope that you get to try this pasta. It is such a delicious dish, and an easy one to make any day of the week! 

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Cacio e Pepe with Roasted Butternut Squash
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Ingredients
  1. 1 large butternut squash, or 3-4 cups diced butternut squash
  2. Olive oil
  3. 1 package spaghetti noodles
  4. 1/2 cup white wine + a little more
  5. 1 garlic clove, minced
  6. 2 tablespoons butter
  7. 1/2 - 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
  8. 1/2 - 1 tablespoon black pepper
  9. Salt
  10. Nutmeg
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400*.
  2. Start by cutting the butternut squash. Alternatively, you could buy the pre-cut butternut squash. You are looking for a 1/4 inch dice.
  3. Place the butternut squash in a bowl, drizzle it with olive oil and season with a little salt and pepper.
  4. Roast in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until soft and slightly browned.
  5. While the butternut squash is roasting, bring a large pot of water to a boil.
  6. Add the spaghetti noodles, 1/2 cup white wine and minced garlic clove to the water.
  7. Boil according to package instructions.
  8. This is important: make sure to reserve a bowl full of pasta cooking water when you drain the noodles. I placed my strainer on top of a bowl.
  9. When the noodles and squash are done, place 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the same pot you cooked the noodles in.
  10. Add about 1/2 tablespoon of black pepper and stir.
  11. Remove the pot from the heat and add the noodles, cheese, 1 cup cooking water, another splash of wine (if desired), a pinch of salt and nutmeg.
  12. Toss everything together.
  13. Taste, and add more pepper, cheese, salt, wine, nutmeg, or cooking water, until you reach a taste and texture you are happy with.
  14. Enjoy!
The Dreaming Foodie https://www.thedreamingfoodie.com/

Spinach + Feta Braid

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I’ve made something for you.

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And if I could, I would serve it to you, too.

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I’ve always liked the idea of entertaining guests.

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I think it dates back to high school. My house was always a place where friends came to hang out. I loved having friends over. Once I really got into cooking and baking, I loved making them food. I remember cheesecake being a must-have at get-togethers for a long time. No get-together was complete without a big cozy welcome and a table full of food to snack on all night long. 

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I remember having my mom and dad come over to my new college apartment a few years back for cinnamon rolls I had just prepared. I could not wait to have them over to serve them these warm cinnamon rolls in my tiny one-bedroom. It didn’t matter that I saw them almost every day, I just wanted someone to entertain. 

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In Greg’s last tiny apartment, where I lived with him this summer, we had guests several times. When we did though, we spent as little time at the apartment as possible. When we did spend time there, one person could sit in a recliner, one on a kitchen chair, one on the desk chair and the other on the bed. Not so great for spending an entire evening. 

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Now that we have our new apartment, with space and a kitchen and a lovely and large dining table, I have such an urge to entertain. I’ve been thinking about it and imagining it. I imagine having people over, lighting some candles, playing some music, opening some wine and enjoying some beer. I imagine cooking and serving good food that will fill bellies. I imagine having nights full of good conversation.

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There will be more than enough food to go around. It’s better to have more than you need than not enough. 

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I imagine serving this spinach and feta braid to my guests. Perhaps as an appetizer. I’ll pull it fresh from the oven, cut it up and serve it with dipping sauce. It will be enjoyed and followed by more food. By more wine and beer. By more conversation. 

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Our hunger will last long into the night, just as long as our stamina. With full bellies, we’ll all be ready for bed.

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Whether you are entertaining guests or not, this dish will please. It’s full of flavor, easy to prepare and can be great to make for a crowd, or just two!

Spinach + Feta Braid
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Ingredients
  1. *This could make one or two braids, depending on how full you make them
  2. 1 or 2 sheets rolled out cresent dough
  3. 4 cups fresh spinach
  4. 1 cup feta cheese
  5. 2 garlic cloves
  6. 1 egg + 1 egg white
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400*.
  2. In a food processor, combine the spinach, feta, garlic and one egg.
  3. Process until smooth.
  4. Roll out the cresent dough onto one or two parchment-lined baking sheets.
  5. Using a pizza cutter or knife, make 2 inch cuts down each vertical side of the cresent dough (see photo above).
  6. Spread the spinach feta mixture down the middle of the cresent dough.
  7. Braid the cresent dough around the spinach feta mixture (see photo above).
  8. Once braided, brush the top of the dough with egg white.
  9. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
  10. Enjoy!
Notes
  1. -Like I said above, this can make one or two braids, depending on how stuffed you make them. I made one, with a little filling leftover. It could make two, they just wouldn't be as stuffed.
The Dreaming Foodie https://www.thedreamingfoodie.com/

Corn Soup

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I was originally skeptical to share this recipe with you.

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Soup in the summer. It just didn’t feel completely right to me.

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It’s mostly hot where I am. But, early in the week last week, I saw that it was supposed to be cool + rainy on Thursday. I immediately planned soup.

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I’ve been absolutely craving soup. And, normally I’m one to indulge in it, even in warmer temperatures. But lately, it’s been too much. Way too hot even for me to eat soup.

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But Thursday was the perfect soup day. It was dreary and rainy, and honestly, kind of cool. Eating this for dinner felt so right.

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So, I was originally skeptical. I didn’t know if I should share this in the summer. And then, I ate this soup again for lunch yesterday. After one bite, I convinced myself that sharing this recipe was the right thing to do. 

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My mom always made a similar recipe. We call it corn chowder. It’s a thick soup, definitely chowder like, and made mostly of corn. This version, and I’m pretty sure hers too, also has potatoes and leeks. It’s simple. There are really just few ingredients. 

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And, it’s hearty. This soup will fill you right up. One bowl will probably be enough. 

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I think it’s a great soup for summer using fresh sweet corn from the cob. But also save it for those cool autumn days that will be here before we know it. 

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Corn Soup
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Ingredients
  1. 5 baby leeks, or 2-3 medium ones
  2. 2 large garlic cloves
  3. 6 small-medium potatoes
  4. 6 ears of corn, roasted or grilled and taken off the cob (save a little for topping, if desired)
  5. 4 cups broth (vegetable or chicken)
  6. Olive oil
  7. Dash of heavy cream
Seasoning
  1. Salt
  2. Black pepper
  3. Paprika
  4. Onion powder
  5. Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
  1. In a large pot over medium heat, add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
  2. Add the garlic and the sliced leeks and cook for about 5 minutes, or until leeks have softened.
  3. Add the potatoes and cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until potatoes have begun to slightly brown.
  4. Add the corn and the broth to the pot and bring to a boil.
  5. Cover, turn down heat slightly and let boil for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
  6. Add about half of the mixture to a food processor or blender (or use an immersion blender) and blend until smooth.
  7. Add back to the pot.
  8. Stir in enough salt, black pepper, paprika, onion powder and Worcestershire sauce to taste.
  9. Top with additional corn and seasoning, if desired.
  10. Enjoy!
The Dreaming Foodie https://www.thedreamingfoodie.com/

Simple Bruschetta

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I remember the first time my mom and I made bruschetta.

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It was many summers ago.

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It was a time when we scoured the internet for recipes when we wanted to make something more often than we tried to come up with recipes on our own.

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I remember finding the recipe, getting the ingredients and starting. It was a process. The recipe we used had us slicing an ‘x’ at the bottom of each tomato, plunging each tomato in a pot of boiling water, transferring them to a bowl of cold water, peeling the skin off, slicing each tomato in half, squeezing out the tomato seeds and then finally, chopping the tomatoes. Whew. It was quite the job.

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I will say, I remember that bruschetta being so good. We made it that way several times, and it was always an impressive dish when served to others.

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But, we started looking at it as a lot of work. If we wanted to whip up a quick meal, that bruschetta could never be a part of it. It was so delicious, but just too time consuming.

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Over time, we looked for ways to streamline the process, and basically, this is what we came up with. It’s simple and easy, and something that many people, I’m sure, probably already do. It’s so easy that it’s silly to even call this a recipe. But, if anyone reading this is in our shoes and looking for a simpler bruschetta, this is it.

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I do have to say, I don’t have anything wrong witht the process I talked about above. The way we made it before was great. It was delicious. There was nothing wrong with the taste. I wouldn’t even say I won’t make bruschetta like that again someday. This is just a way to make it any night of the week. If you’re in a hurry, or just really hungry, this is the best.

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This version does have tomato seeds and tomato skin, while the other doesn’t. That was what the process was for — to remove the skin and seeds. For me, the skin and seeds aren’t a problem. It’s all about the flavor. Chopped tomatoes, basil and onion, good olive oil, a touch a salt and pepper, crusty bread and a sprinkle of parmesan. It’s simple deliciousness at its finest.

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This dish is best with fresh, summer tomatoes. I got mine from Three Springs and they couldn’t be better! Enjoy this summertime dish!

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Ingredients
1 baguette (I used a mini one!)
4 cups of grape or cherry tomatoes
4 tablespoons fresh basil
1 small red onion
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese

Dice the tomatoes. Chop the basil. Dice the red onion. Place all three into a bowl and stir. Add a drizzle of olive oil, about 2 tablespoons, and salt and pepper, to taste. Stir well.

Slice the baguette. Brush each slice with some olive oil and place under the broiler for about a minute, or until the bread begins to get crispy. Spoon the tomato mixture onto each slice of bread. Sprinkle cheese on top of the tomato mixture. Place the bruschetta back under the broiler for several minutes, until the cheese is melted and bread is at desired crispiness.

Notes:
-The amounts I provided are a guide. If you like more or less basil/onion, adjust accordingly.
-Use any cheese that you like.
-The tomato/basil/onion mixture will keep in the refrigerator for several days.
-These are a bit messy to eat, but so worth it!

Enjoy!

Loaded Veggie Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

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This is the grilled cheese sandwich that you never knew you needed. Is it a bit over the top? Yes. But sometimes life calls for over the top delicious grilled cheese sandwiches. And when that happens – make this. 

Freshly made guacamole, sauteed onions, mushrooms and spinach, freshly sliced tomato and melted cheese come together to create this deliciousness.

And, like most things on this site, this is very customizable. Don’t like mushrooms? Leave them off. Want to add some meat? Go ahead! Want to go lighter on the cheese? That’s okay, just add one piece instead of two. I don’t suggest that, but I do agree, not every day is a two-piece of cheese sandwich kind of day. Some days are, but not every day.

Every layer of this sandwich is special and it all comes together so perfectly. The flavorful guacamole, the fresh, juicy tomatoes, the melty cheese, the onions, cooked with a splash of wine, the spinach and the caramelized balsamic mushrooms all come together to make one unforgettable sandwich. Dig in!

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Loaded Veggie Grilled Cheese Sandwich

This is what I used for one sandwich. Double, triple, etc. as needed.

Ingredients

  • 2 slices your favorite bread
  • 1/2 of an avocado
  • Salt and pepper
  • Juice from 1/2 of a lime
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 large handful fresh spinach
  • 1 large portabello mushroom
  • Olive oil
  • Small splash white wine
  • Small splash balsamic vinegar
  • Butter

Instructions

  1. For the guacamole, scoop out the flesh of the avocado and add it to a bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add the lime juice. Mash together with a fork or potato masher until just slightly chunky. Set aside.

  2. Add about 1 tablespoon olive oil to a pan over medium high heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook for several minutes, or until the onion begins to brown. Once slightly browned, add a splash of white wine to the pan and let it cook off. Once the wine has cooked away, place the onions in a small bowl and set aside.

  3. To the same pan over medium heat, add a large handful of spinach. Cook until wilted. Remove from pan and set aside.

  4. Wipe the mushroom clean with a paper towel. Remove the stem and brown scaly insides. Slice the mushroom into long strips. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the same pan over medium high heat. Add the mushroom strips and stir around to coat the mushrooms in oil. Let cook for several minutes, until the mushroom begins to get soft. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar to the pan, stir, and let cook several more minutes, until the vinegar has cooked away. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside.

  5. To make the sandwich, butter one side of each piece of bread. Place one piece of bread in the same pan over medium heat. Top with the guacamole, tomato slices, one slice of cheese, onions, spinach, mushrooms and then another slice of cheese. Let cook until the bread is crispy and browned. Add the other piece of bread on top, buttered side up. Using a large spatula, quickly but carefully flip the sandwich. Let cook until the other slice of bread is crispy. Smash down a bit to combine everything together, slice and eat.