Penne with Asparagus, Arugula, Walnuts and Apples

Here’s a cozy dish for a snowy winter evening. This is our version of a Cook’s Illustrated recipe.

1 package penne

2 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp EVOO

1 bunch asparagus, washed and trimmed*

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 package (at least 5 cups) arugula, washed and dried

6 ounces feta cheese or blue cheese

2 tbsp cider vinegar

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced

*For tips on trimming asparagus, see our recipe for Tofu Mojito.

1. Cook penne until al dente. Drain and return to pot.

2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a non-stick skillet over high heat until it starts to smoke.

3. Add asparagus and cook for about 1 minute (don’t stir!), until the asparagus starts to brown.

4. Turn the heat to medium-high. Add walnuts and cook, stirring, for about 4 minutes, until nuts are toasted and asparagus is tender-crisp.

5. Add arugula and cook until wilted.

6. Add asparagus, walnuts, arugula, cheese, apple, cider vinegar and EVOO to pasta. Toss to combine.

No-Knead Spelt Bread

I made bread—and it was so good that I’m making another loaf right now! I’ve made plenty of banana breads and other delicious quick breads, but this was my first attempt at real, crusty bread. I was intimidated because making bread sounds like such a daunting task, but it was insanely easy.

I combined a bunch of different recipes I found online. Most of the no-knead recipes call for some of the baking to be done in a covered dutch oven, BUT since the knob that comes with the lid of the Le Creuset dutch oven apparently melts at high temperatures, I used the one recipe I found for baking the bread in an uncovered dutch oven. (Dear Santa, I would like a stainless steel replacement knob for my dutch oven. Thank you.)

3 cups organic spelt flour

½ tsp regular active yeast

2 tsp (a little less) sea salt

1 to 1 ½ cups water

1. Combine the flour, yeast and sea salt in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly with a wire whisk.

2. Add 1 cup of water and mix well. You want the dough to be sticky enough to collect the bits of dough from the sides of the bowl. If needed, add a teeny bit more water, then stir again. Repeat as many times as necessary, but don’t use more than 1 ½ cups of water total. The more water you use, the flatter your loaf will be.

3. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place. (In our house, the warmest place is right next to our 20-year-old furnace.)

4. Let dough sit for 18-24 hours.

5. Preheat oven to 350°.

6. Spray sides of dutch oven with oil.

7. Place dough in a sling of parchment paper and place it in the dutch oven.

8. Bake for 50 minutes.

Grilled Chili-Lemon Tilapia

I think this is the fastest dish we’ve ever made. The whole process (including prep) takes less than 10 minutes. Of course, if you serve it over brown rice like we did, your total cooking time will be a little longer. This recipe is adapted from Women’s Health.

FYI: Tilapia is a freshwater fish native to North Africa, but the tilapia we see in stores is from farms in the U.S., Central America and China. It’s all the same fish, but the fish’s country of origin makes a difference. According to Seafood Watch, tilapia farms in the U.S. are well-managed to reduce pollution. Management of tilapia farms in Central America is deemed moderately effective and management of tilapia farms in China and Taiwan is deemed ineffective. The bottom line: Seafood Watch recommends U.S.-farmed tilapia as a “Best Choice” and Central American-farmed tilapia as a “Good Alternative,” but advises consumers to “Avoid” tilapia farmed in China or Taiwan.

2 tilapia fillets

2 tsp mild chili powder

1 tbsp olive oil

2 lemons, sliced into rounds

1. Preheat grill pan.

2. In a small bowl, combine olive oil and chili powder. Brush over tilapia. Brush any leftover “sauce” over the lemon slices.

3. Place tilapia and lemon slices in grill pan. Grill for about 2 minutes per side.

4. Serve over brown rice.

Chocolate Peppermint Bark

This stuff is AMAZING! We’ve been told that it’s better than peppermint bark from Whole Foods and Williams-Sonoma (and we agree).

This recipe was inspired by a recipe from Fresh. (Yup, that’s the Hannaford magazine.)

12 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup white chocolate chips

6-8 candy canes, smashed (we recommend using a small hammer and placing the candy canes between two sheets of parchment paper)

1. Preheat oven to 250° and line an edged baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2. Place chopped bittersweet and semisweet chocolate on the baking sheet and soften in oven for 3 minutes.

3. Remove chocolate from oven and use a spatula to smooth the surface and spread the chocolate evenly over the pan. (It doesn’t have to reach the edges.) The chocolate may still be a little bit chunky.

4. Return chocolate to oven and turn the oven off.

5. Place white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and zap for 30 seconds. Stir, then microwave again for 15 seconds. Repeat until white chocolate is melted.

6. Remove the real chocolate from the oven.

7. Use a spoon to plop dollops of melted white chocolate onto the real chocolate, then drag the spoon through the chocolate to make it pretty.

8. Sprinkle candy cane bits on top of chocolate.

9. Let bark sit at room temperature for at least 4 hours.

10. Break into pieces. (The chocolate will peel away from the foil easily.)

*Ideally, we should all be using organic and/or sustainable chocolate for this recipe. To find out why, read Mmmm, Chocolate.

Turkey Pot Pie

We hosted our third Maine Thanksgiving this year, and for the third time we ordered the smallest free-range turkey we could get. For the third time, the smallest turkeys ranged from 10 pounds to 13 pounds and for the third time, we scored a 13-pounder. According to commonly accepted turkey math, that gave us enough turkey to feed 13 people. We were feeding five. Thankfully, we love leftovers, especially in the form of turkey pot pie.

This recipe is adapted from a chicken pot pie recipe from SELF.

For the Filling:

2 cups low-sodium nonfat chicken broth

1 medium yellow onion, diced

3 medium new potatoes (approx ½ lb.), skin on, diced

½ tsp dried thyme

¼ cup cornstarch

1 cup skim milk

1 zucchini, diced

1 yellow squash, diced

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced

1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 cups (or so) cooked turkey, diced

For the top:

2 ¼ cups reduced-fat Bisquick

¾ cup skim milk

1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Bring 1 cup of chicken broth to a boil in a Dutch oven. Add onion and cook until soft, about 3 minutes.

3. Add another cup of chicken broth, potatoes and thyme. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender, 6-8 minutes.

4. Combine cornstarch and skim milk in a large bowl. Stir until smooth.

5. Add zucchini, yellow squash, red pepper, green pepper, mustard and Worcestershire sauce to the cornstarch and milk. Mix well.

6. Add the zucchini mixture to the Dutch oven. Bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes (or until the liquid thickens), stirring to make sure the cornstarch doesn’t burn. Remove from heat.

7. Add turkey to the mixture in the Dutch oven. Stir to combine.

8. In a large bowl, combine Bisquick and milk. Stir until you’ve created a fairly sticky dough, then use your hands to lay the topping over the turkey and vegetable mixture. (The dough will stick to your fingers, which will make it challenging to cover the entire surface of the pie. This may be frustrating if you’re a perfectionist. Get over it. It’ll still taste delicious.)

9. Bake for 15 minutes, until the top is golden.

Makai's Favorite: Giblet Gravy

This is Makai’s favorite part of Thanksgiving. Note: Makai is a dog. We make no claims about the taste or healthiness of this dish for human consumption.

This recipe is from The Good Food Cookbook for Dogs.

1 tbsp vegetable oil*

½ pound turkey or chicken giblets

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 cup chicken broth

1. In a small skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add giblets. Cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes, or until giblets are cooked through.

2. Remove giblets from pan using a slotted spoon. Cut into small pieces.

3. Return the oil in the skillet to medium heat and add flour. Stir to form a flour and oil paste.

4. Slowly add chicken broth, stirring constantly. Make sure you scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

5. Return giblets to the pan and stir. Cook 1-2 minutes, until gravy comes to a boil and thickens a little bit.

6. Serve a few spoonfuls over your dog’s regular food.

7. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container.

*The recipe calls for 2 tbsp vegetable oil, but this produces a lot of splatter. We suggest starting with 1 tbsp and adding more as needed.

Tofu with Peppers, Carrots and Brown Rice

Tofu with peppers and brown rice is one of our speedy go-to dishes. About a year ago, we went to it too much and experienced major tofu-with-peppers burnout. We avoided the dish for months until this fall, when our normally lettuce-heavy CSA finally pulled through with some beautiful peppers—and carrots. How could we resist?

1 package extra-firm tofu, drained, patted dry and cubed

2 (or more) red, yellow, orange, green or purple bell peppers, cut into chunks

3 (or more) carrots, peeled and sliced

2 tbsp canola oil

3 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce

3 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Grated fresh ginger (somewhere between 1 and 2 tsp)

Garlic powder, to taste

1 cup brown rice

1. Cook brown rice.

2. Combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger and garlic powder in a medium bowl or pie plate. Add tofu and marinate for 5-10 minutes.

3. In a large skillet or wok (we use an electric wok), heat 1 tbsp canola oil over medium heat. Add peppers and carrots. Cook, stirring until tender crisp. Remove peppers and carrots from wok.

4. Heat 1 tbsp canola oil over medium heat. Add tofu and marinade. Cook, stirring to keep the marinade from burning, for 7 to 10 minutes until edges start to brown.

5. Return peppers and carrots to the wok. Add brown rice. Mix everything together, stirring well so the marinade flavors the rice and vegetables.