Ramen Rehab

Ramen has a bad rap. Some of the criticism is deserved; some not so much. If you toss out the toxic flavor packet full of sodium and MSG and other nasty stuff, you're left with a decent serving size of ramen noodles. The price is right and a little creativity can make a great meal. Nothing wrong there!

1 package Ramen - noodles only
1 or 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup canned chicken broth (prefer Swanson: fat-free, lower sodium)

To jazz ramen up, take a saucepan and add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Turn heat to medium high and when the oil begins to shimmer, place the solid square of ramen gently in oil. Use tongs for this, please! In a very short amount of time, peek at the bottom. When golden brown, turn the noodles over carefully (with tongs) and follow same quick golden brown approach. Turn heat off and slowly, very slowly, add the chicken broth to the saucepan. You will get a big whoosh of steam when you add the liquid. Turn heat back to medium and let chicken broth and noodles simmer for about 2 -3 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed and noodles are tender.

You can eat this as is with a shaving of Parmesan or top with sauteed veggies. If you're holed up in your room for the afternoon, try some slow-roasted tomatoes on top. There are easy to do but you need to cook them for 4 hours at low heat.

Slow-Roasted Tomatoes a la Molly Wizenberg
4 Roma tomatoes or as many as you want to eat!
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

Cut off stem ends of tomatoes and slice them in half lengthwise. Place in bowl and pour oil and salt over them. Gently move them about with your hands to cover evenly. Place them cut side down on a foil line baking sheet. Place in 200 degree oven for 4 hours. When finished remove and cut carefully into bite-sized pieces - you don't want to lose any of the delicious juices. Pour over cooked ramen or any pasta. Yum!

Ratatouille - The Meal, Not the Movie

I may be the only mother in America who hasn’t seen this movie. Can’t imagine how I missed it. However, I used to make pots of ratatouille before children thanks to the Moosewood Cookbook. The other day I was reading a wonderful book by Molly Wizenberg and I fell in love with ratatouille all over again. It has all the hallmarks of a great meal: easy, delicious, inexpensive. This is an adaptation of her recipe. There are so many versions and this is one recipe that you can experiment with endlessly to make it your own.

1 eggplant - trim ends off and cut into round discs about 1 inch thick
4 medium zucchini - trim the ends, cut the long way and then into half moons 1/2 in. thick
1 large yellow onion - chopped
1 red pepper - cored, seeded, and chopped
5 cloves garlic - cut into thin strips
5 Roma tomatoes - cut off stem end and squeeze firmly to remove seeds. Chop roughly
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
Olive oil

Set oven to 400 degrees. Cover baking sheet with tin foil and spray foil with cooking spray. Set eggplant circles on sheet. Drizzle oil on each piece and rub in gently. Do this one at a time because the oil soaks in fast. Eggplant is like a crazy sponge! Oil both sides, then pop in oven for 15 minutes on one side. Flip the pieces over and cook an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven, cut into bit-sized pieces, and set aside.

In large dutch oven (pot in pic is a dutch oven - go big!), pour 2 tablespoons olive oil, and warm over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and saute until golden and tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and saute onion until soft, about 6 minutes. Lower heat as you don’t want the onion to brown. Remove onion and set with zucchini.

Add 1 more tablespoon olive oil and red pepper. Saute until tender (not brown) about 6 minutes. Add garlic, stirring constantly for 30 seconds so garlic doesn’t burn. Then add all the just-cooked vegetables, along with tomatoes, herbs & salt, into the pot. Cover and cook on low heat for 20 - 25 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Veggies will get progressively more tender as you heat, so if you want more of an “al dente” version, then keep an eye on the cooking time.

Serve with good crusty bread or over pasta with some parmesan. There are, however, tons of ways to use ratatouille. Spread some on a pizza-tortilla (see July 28 post), dot with feta cheese, and bake in 400 degree oven until cheese melts. Place a fried egg on top and eat with toast. Add a large spoonful to chicken broth, then whisk vigorously or place in blender for a nice veggie soup.

Also, If you want added protein, throw in a can of drained & rinsed chick peas during the final covered cooking. This recipe makes a lot, but ratatouille gets better the second day. You can also freeze left overs and enjoy a few weeks later.

Corn Muffin IQ

This is a test. True or false: corn muffins always taste good, no matter time of day.

Easy question I know, even with the tricky use of “always”, for this statement is true, true, true. Warm corn muffin with coffee for breakfast? Corn muffin cosy-ing up to a bowl of chili for dinner? Corn muffin with butter and raspberry jam around 3pm? All really, really good.

This recipe makes 24 delicious muffins. Once cool, eat your fill, then pop the rest in the freezer. For the next few days/weeks, depending on your level of restraint, you can pull one out, pop it in the microwave for a quick blast, and you’re good to go. Chili recipe to follow shortly.

Dry Ingredients
3 cups flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup sugar (use a few teaspoons less if you prefer more savory/less sweet)
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt

“Wet” Ingredients
1 2/3 sticks butter
1 1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

You’ll need two regular size muffin tins and use place paper liners. If you only have one muffin tin, just cook them in two batches.

In a large mixing bowl, add all dry ingredients, then whisk until combined. Put aside.

In a medium sized, microwave safe bowl, place 1 2/3 cup butter and melt in microwave. Once melted, carefully add milk, then stir. Add eggs and whisk vigorously.

Make a “well” in center of dry ingredients and pour wet mixture into the “well”. Gently stir together with a wooden spoon. Leave a few lumps; you don’t want to over-mix the batter.

Spoon the batter into the lined muffin tins. Place tins in oven and bake for 18-20 minutes (will vary based on your oven) or until golden on top.