Pesto mushroom ravioli

Baked.

Remember when you were little and your mom was all up in your business spouting off all this nonsense about how you should eat your vegetables?  They're good for you?   So you sat at the table and leered at them, wishing they would just disappear?  Yeah, that was how it was for me.  Except it was potato salad.  Seriously!?  Potatoes, eggs, mayonnaise and mustard?  No thanks.  I have actually always loved veggies.  I was the kid who sat on the porch going after carrot sticks instead of popsicles.  Naturally, when I went vegetarian I figured it would be a breeze.  I mean, you eat veggies.  Easy.  The only problem is I am not a fan of your typical vegetarian staples like squash, zucchini, eggplant, cucumber or the dreaded mushroom.  So, as I've continued down the path into vegetable land I have been trying to trick myself into finding ways to eat these things and maybe even like them.  My squash results have been minimal thus far but I struck gold the other day with these mushroom ravioli.  I promise they don't even taste like mushrooms.  They just taste awesome.  Go pour yourself a glass of wine and get ready!

You will need:

a package of wonton wrappers
1 egg, beaten
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp vegetable broth (go organic!)
 1 package of crimini mushrooms
1/4 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated

So, we gotta start by making your filling.  Heat a tablespoon of oil over medium heat.  While this is heating up slice your mushrooms thinly.  I cut off the stems but I am not sure that's necessary.  It was my first time cooking with mushrooms, give me a break.  Cook mushrooms with 1 clove of garlic until they soften up and darken (maybe 7ish mins).  Once they are done set them aside.  In your food processor, combine 2 cloves garlic, spinach, basil, walnuts, 2 tbsp olive oil, and vegetable broth.  Pulse until well blended.  Add mushrooms and continue pulsing until you get a relatively smooth texture.  You don't want it to look like a milkshake but it also shouldn't be chunky.  Get your egg and wonton wrappers ready.  Take a wrapper and dip it in the egg. Then scoop a small amount of your mixture into the middle of the wrapper.  Fold over edges to make a triangle.  Take a fork and use the tongs to crimp the edges.  Really get after it or they might fall apart.  Continue doing this until you have used all of the filling.

So, this recipe was all about experimentation for me.  I had tried ravioli before and boiled them and they were freaking nasty.  So, I needed a new way to cook them.  First I tried pan frying them which worked ok.  They ended up being a touch oily.  I boiled a few more just to humor myself.  They, too, were disgusting.  (see picture below)  I found that the winning way to prepare these is to bake them.  You can use either a cookie sheet or a baking pan.  Spray it with cooking spray and place them just so that they don't touch.  Bake at 350 for 20 mins, turning once.  And voila!  Enjoy these with a nice glass of red, perhaps a pinot noir!

Cheers!

Megan J

Pan Fried

Boiled.  Ick.

Broiled Ginger Garlic Salmon

At my 22nd birthday "party" my roommate introduced me to a guy named Sean (not actually his name, but go with it).  He was cute, nice and smelled pretty good so I hung out with him a few more times after that.  Then, like every 22 year old that spends five nights a week at the bar flirting with every half way decent looking guy I started ignoring poor Sean.  I would have liked to continue a friendship with him but I'm not so good at the friend zone game...I'm sure you figured that out from my last post.  It wasn't too long before I ran into him at a bar in Bigfork during Whitewater Fest.  He was drunk, I was buzzed and we chatted.  He said "I've been chasing after you and I feel like I'm sitting in a boat on a lake.  I'm in that boat and I'm fishin' and fishin', but there aren't any fish in the lake."  After sharing a good laugh over his description of "chasing" me I smiled and suggested he find a new lake to fish in.  He must have listened because last I heard he had gotten married.  I figured while we were talking about fish, metaphorical or not, that I would give you a tasty fish recipe.

You will need:

1 single portion salmon filet

1 tsp. ground ginger

2 minced garlic cloves

2 T. soy sauce (I used GF/reduced sodium)

2 T. orange juice

1 T. honey

Combine ingredients in shallow bowl.  If your filet still has the skin on it then marinate your fish with skin face up and the meat in the marinade.  I made rice with my fish so I marinated the fish while I started the brown rice, it got to marinate for about 1/2 hour.  Preheat oven to broil.  Place fish, skin down on tin foil covered pan, pour excess marinade on top.  Broil your fish until done, this can be tested with a fork.  It's about 10 minutes cook time per inch of fish thickness.  I recommend checking after about 5 mins, mine didn't take long to cook and you don't want it overdone, dried out fish is not awesome.  I served mine with brown rice and garlic sauteed broccoli and was presently surprised by how good it all was.  Enjoy!

Megan S.

Chicken 'n Rice Bowl

So first off I have to apologize to all of our loyal readers for the long absence.  These spinsters have been in the middle of major life changes, new towns, new jobs, new lives, not to mention the holidays.  Don't worry though because we are back and hopefully we are at least as good as we used to be, if not better.  I remember last year for NYE I did a blog post about my hatred of the holiday.  This year I was asleep by 11pm and I loved it!  I actually had a date lined up and plans for ringing in the New Year with a drink in hand.  Unfortunately (for him) I decided that I needed to put him in the "friend zone."  How do you do that to someone on NYE, a night when you're supposed to kiss your date at midnight?  So I feigned illness and stayed home and to be honest I feel alright about that, he can be "friend zoned" another night.  Tonight though it's time for a new recipe.

You will need:

1 chicken breast
Italian dressing
1 serving corn
1 serving of your fave rice
1 ziploc bag

Dice the chicken breast into bite size pieces and put in a ziploc bag.  Pour enough italian dressing in with the chicken to make sure all pieces are well coated.  Put in the fridge to marinate for a bit while you cook your rice, cook rice as directed on package.  I use jasmine or brown rice which takes about an hour to cook.  If you use Minute rice (eeeewww) make sure you allow your chicken to marinate for a half an hour or so.  Cook your chicken in a skillet while also cooking your rice according to package directions.  When everything is done pile it all together in a bowl and mix it up.  So easy, yet so delicious!  Again, I'm sorry no pic, I'm going to get my shit together I promise!

One last note before I sign off.  I would like to prepare you all for possible guest writers.  You may get to read some bachelor submissions in the future as I know of at least one that would like to submit his favorite recipes...and he's funny, so look forward to that!