sardines, tomatoes, & pasta

Is it me or has this week just flown by?! Which is why today I made one of my favorite "5 or less" meals. Not only is this one supereasy but it's also superhealthy AND supertasty---the trifecta of happy eating. :-)

While the pasta water was boiling, I opened a can of sardines packed in tomato sauce. In a saute pan, I added a little olive oil, a couple cloves of finely chopped garlic, and a diced tomato. Then, after adding the pasta to the water, I cooked the garlic and tomatoes for a couple minutes before mixing in the sardines and sauce. I prefer to remove any larger fish bones beforehand, but it's not necessary. Simmer for five minutes and then toss with the cooked, drained pasta. Voila!

Today I added some chopped olive and fresh Italian parsley as well. I also tend to follow the Italian tradition of not mixing cheese with fish, so I mixed in some fine breadcrumbs seasoned with garlic and parsley; the breadcrumbs give a very similar texture as finely ground romano. Obviously, though, if you love cheese, traditions are always made to be broken. ;-) Enjoy!

the whole bird: part 2

Another option when buying an entire chicken is to roast the whole bird. I confess this is something I do every Sunday afternoon for the family's meat eaters (including the canines). See, even though I am a vegetarian, I make a supertasty roasted chicken. :-)

Back during my former omnivorous days, I perfected the roast chicken after being served at a Parisian bistro the most delicious bird I had ever eaten. And the preparation could not have been simpler: the chicken had been lightly sprinkled with a touch of sea salt and black pepper and popped into the oven. Parfait! After the holiday, I made it my business to replicate this little bit of France at home. :-)

My process is equally simple. As far as seasoning, I tend to stick to salt and pepper, if anything, although placing a few rosemary or thyme fronds under the skin before roasting has a nice effect. I have also sliced a lemon in half and then stuffed both pieces into the cavity; this too was very tasty. My favorite, though, is to put an entire head of garlic inside the bird; not only does the garlicky flavor enhance the chicken, but also the resulting roasted garlic can be added to mashed potatoes or spread on warm bread. Yum. :-D

Most importantly for my perfect bird is the following: I preheat the oven to 400-425 (or between the medium and high flames on our ancient cooking machine) and roast the chicken uncovered at this higher temperature for the first half hour. Then, I cut the heat back to low for the remaining ninety minutes or perhaps a little longer, depending on the size of the chicken. This way the skin has a nice crispness to it, but the meat remains incredibly tender and fall-off-the-bones good.

Occasionally our weekly chicken is served straight from the oven, but more often it is cooled, plated, and put into the refrigerator. Then throughout the week, it is can be added to a sandwich or salad or used to supplement the dogs' homemade food. And all for just a few bucks, eh? A definite seal of approval from The Happy Recessionist!

Photo is by Deborah Jones found on epicurious.com.

fast food

Today's dinner was so simple that you can prepare this easily in less than half an hour. Plus, it is a great way to use end-of-season tomatoes and zucchini.

I first quartered and sliced the zukes into chunks and sauteed them with a little olive oil, chopped garlic, and tomato. Then I simply tossed with cooked spinach and cheese tortellini and topped with a little grana padano.

Alternatively, you can also eliminate the pasta and just serve the vegetables as a side dish. Enjoy!

goody bag

Wow, how fast vacation weeks pass---is tomorrow really Friday?!! I guess time truly flies when one is busy combing the shoreline for sea glass. :-)

I have a bunch of goodies for you today. First a freebie! Visit the eos web site for a free all-natural, organic smooth sphere lip balm. All you have to do is fill in your mailing address, easy-peasy.

Second, while I was busy working in the kitchen this afternoon, I was listening to the radio as I often do. The program was taking calls from people who had innovative ideas on how to do our part to help the environment. There were many great suggestions, but one that I thought was especially useful was an organized school-wide carpool. Parents were surveyed whether they would be interested in participating, and then carpool teams were set up based on family locations---the end result: an average of 20 fewer cars traveling to and from school every day. Awesome!

Lastly, here's the recipe for one of my favorite summer salads. Truly I don't know that it could be any easier to make, and it is one of the most "more-ish" picnic foods in our basket. And EVEN better yet, its simplicity means it falls into our "5 or less" recipe category! :-D I believe the recipe originally came from Lidia, although it is no longer listed on her web site. Here's what you need:

1 can/jar (about 16 oz.) garbanzos, rinsed
1 can tuna
a couple chopped spring onions
1 T olive oil
3 T red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Mix the listed ingredients and chill for about 30 minutes before eating. This salad is so delicious and simple....I could have it just about every day. Also, a great dish to take to a summer picnic as there's no dairy to worry about going off in the heat and plus any carbophobes will be happy, too. Enjoy!

a list to keep close

I am a list maker. I LOVE lists, I really do. They allow me to organize my head, my day, my life. Not to mention there is that very satisfying feeling of crossing off completed items at the end of the day. (Of course, there also are those days when it seems like NOTHING gets done!)

It is also important that we don't allow our lists to become toooo long and unwieldy. After a long time of feeling like I never was accomplishing anything I realized I was listing enough tasks for three busy days rather than the one day I had allotted to complete all the items. No wonder I felt defeated by a lack of time every day! So now I try to keep my lists manageable, to---you've got it---5 or less "things to do". Of course, many days I have more than 5 things to do, but learning to prioritize the most important 5 and leaving the rest as "optional" has helped me to keep focus.

Which is just one of the reasons I like this list "5 Ways to Be Happy in a Recession". I also happen to agree with just about everything on this list as well! Here are the 5 recommendations:

1. Take care of yourself: Truly in the toughest of times, the basics DO become more important. Eating well, getting enough sleep and exercise can go a long way to keep life balanced. You'll feel better and have more energy; cardiac exercise helps to keep our mood elevated. Plus, I like to use my long morning walks with the dogs as a quiet meditative time, also so important during an otherwise unsettled, stressful period of life.
2. Become more charitable: I know EXACTLY what you're thinking---how am I supposed to be more charitable when I can't even afford my own bills!!! Believe me, I hear ya. But I also know they're right. :-) As I mentioned previously, I am a big fan of Kiva and their microloan program. However, there are plenty of ways to be charitable without spending much money. The article suggests signing up to be an organ donor and giving blood as two great ways (that cost nothing) to give back. Some other ideas I would add include taking a bag of cat or dog food to a local animal shelter, offering to drive an older person to a doctor appointment, picking up trash in your neighborhood or local park, or taking leftovers to a neighbor who lives alone.
   
3. Spend more time and money on enjoyable activities: I would probably even put "and money" in parentheses because there are soooo many things to do on this big great planet that are thoroughly enjoyable AND totally free. But I completely agree with the premise of investing our time and money on DOING activities we enjoy rather than on spending precious $$$ on stuff! Stuff that we think we NEED but ultimately doesn't enrich our lives the way a new hobby, interest, or sport can. Learning to be a better cook or a new language by taking a class IS money well spent, as is a sewing or tennis lesson. I know for a fact a couple knitting needles and a couple balls of yarn can be bought for less than a movie ticket and a large popcorn. :-)
4. Invest in relationships: I don't need to remind anyone that good true friends cannot be bought anywhere! And nothing beats the support of a best friend during a challenging time. :-) Schedule a phone date with your old roomie cross-country, have a special night out with your partner, and take the afternoon off to treat the kids to an impromptu picnic. Laughter and kisses and creating happy memories help to put money difficulties into proper perspective, I assure you.
5. Focus on what you're grateful for: "One day at a time"---this is my mantra during good times and bad. The concept of a gratitude journal is nothing new, and I am grateful for learning about it rather early in my life. Because remembering to step back every day and looking for the positive will change your life. If even on what seems to be the most hopeless of days I can still manage to find three or five or ten things to be grateful for, then I am a lucky, lucky person. And when I feel myself becoming anxious about when I'll be assigned my next work project, I ask "Do we have everything we need TODAY?" The answer is almost always yes. And that alone is a huge thing to be grateful for.
   

Keep this list close because even when this recession does finally leave us, life will still throw us off course with all sorts of difficult challenges. Returning focus to these basics will help keep your days on track regardless of whatever problem comes your way. Would love to know what suggestions YOU would add to the list (even if it does mean we go over 5! ;-)

Be happy.

tomato! artichoke! garlic! tuna! basil!

These were the five ingredients I used to make my latest "5 or less" meal. And boy was this pasta topper GOOOOOD! Added bonus: this delicious (and nutritious) meal maybe took twenty minutes from start to plate---my kind of oooking! :-)

While waiting for the pasta water to boil, I chopped three garlic cloves (our family loves garlic; if yours doesn't, use only one or two) and three medium tomatoes, quartered ten artichoke hearts, opened a can of tuna packed in olive oil, and cut a fistful of fresh basil leaves into thin ribbons.

Just before I started cooking the pasta, I heated a couple tablespoons of olive oil in another pan. The garlic was sauteed for a minute or so before adding the tomatoes, artichokes, and tuna, and then I reduced the heat to medium-low while I went to grate some cheese.

The cheese (I used pecorino) and a little fresh pepper are optional, but in our house we believe a little cheese makes everything better. :-) When the pasta was done (about 10 minutes for the rigatoni I used), I removed the sauce from the heat and stirred in the basil and cooked (drained) pasta, waited a minute, and then served. So simple, and so tasty! AND quicker (not to mention cheaper) than a pizza delivery! Enjoy!

insto-presto pesto

Well, perhaps this method is not as quick as a modern-day food chopper, but in my opinion there is no better way to make pesto---plus, cleanup is much easier using a mezzaluna or a sharp chopping knife (which I always appreciate!) And I find there is also something extra satisfying replicating recipes just as our grandmothers would have done. :-)

Because of the simple ingredient list---fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan, and olive oil---pesto falls under my favored "5 or less" recipe category. If you do follow the Gevonese nonna technique linked above, I do recommend tasting frequently to ensure the correct balance of ingredients. For example, in the batch I prepared yesterday for our Sunday picnic lunch, I only used two cloves of garlic because they were perhaps a tad on the large side. Had I used the recommended three, the garlic flavor would have been overwhelming.

A jar of pesto is a wonderfully versatile condiment to have in the refrigerator. It can be generously added to cooked pasta, for one, but it can also be spread on a baguette topped with cheese, tomato, and onion or added to a tuna and garbanzo bean salad---two ways we used it for our outing today. It also can be spread on grilled fish or a pizza base, stirred into soups or potato salads, or baked into vegetable and cheese tarts. The possibilities seem endless! Enjoy! :-)

five or less

I am a firm believer that delicious and healthy meals need not be complex and difficult to make. Although I love good food and enjoy time spent being creative in the kitchen, I do not have the time every day to invest in complicated recipes.

For example, today's lunch (which is also our family's main meal of the day, a luxury of sorts that we have working from home) I put together using my "five or less" ingredient scheme. While I waited for the pasta water to boil, I poached some salmon steaks (I figure one medium steak for two people). Then, when the pasta was cooking, I chopped some tomatoes and removed the few bones from the salmon.

After the penne was done, I simply tossed it with the tomatoes and salmon, stirred in a few tablespoons of aioli (a garlic mayonnaise), and garnished with ribbons of fresh basil, a little crumbled feta cheese, and some ground pepper. So packed with flavor, but also light enough to eat at the height of summer. Fantastic! AND, this dish can be eaten either hot or cold, so make extra to ensure leftovers. :-)

Enjoy!

Now I'm curious---what are some of your favorite, easy-to-prepare meals?