red pepper flakes – Oven Love

Creole Rice Skillet with Andouille Sausage

Natalie — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 19:19:26 +0000

I heart quick dinners. Don’t we all?

Some nights there just isn’t time to mess around with the oven and the pots and the pans and the measuring cups and the nonsense.

Some nights I just pull out the cast iron and see what happens.

The night I made this skillet, I was lucky enough to have some cooked rice, some beans and some Aidell’s Cajun-Style Andouille Sausage* hanging around. So creole/cajun/jambalaya-style skillet it was. It came together lightening fast since the rice and sausage were already cooked, but it wouldn’t take more than 20 minutes to get that taken care of, so still a quick dish in my book.

This one was a winner for the adults in our household, but it was a bit spicy for the kids. If you want to make a kid-friendly version, I would go easy on the spices and use a milder variety of sausage. Still a yummy combo, I’m sure.

If you’re not really into the cajun/creole thing, maybe try Italian sausage and cannelini beans or really anything else from the pantry or fridge that sounds good to you. That’s the best part about skillet dinners- you can just throw more stuff in until it looks like a meal. (Spoken like a true food professional, amiright?)

*P.S. This post is not sponsored by Aidell’s, I just like them! They are the best option at my local grocery store for natural link sausages.

2.5 from 2 reviews

Creole Rice Skillet with Andouille Sausage

The prep time includes cooking the rice and sausage.

Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Main Dish

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1-2 tablespoons grass-fed butter or lard
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cups cooked rice, any variety
4 andouille sausage links, cooked and chopped
1½ cups or 1 drained and rinsed can of red kidney beans
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon paprika (I use smoked paprika but any kind will do)
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper (or both)
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme

Instructions

In a cast iron skillet, heat the butter or lard over medium heat. Saute the onion and bell pepper until they begin to soften.
Add the rice, sausage and red beans. Stir and let cook until warmed through.
Add the spices and stir until completely coated. Serve warm in the skillet.

Guest Post: Chicken Parm Bake

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Hello, Oven Lovers! I’m Jessica (from Jessica Lynn Writes and The Tale of Two Kitchens) and I’m so happy to be here today! I know Natalie from my days of living in Georgia, and as much as I love living my new digs in Italy, I miss seeing her face almost every day and getting to taste all the delicious creations she makes in the kitchen.

I’m thrilled she asked me to pinch-hit for her while she soaks up some quality time with her new bundle of joy, Lucy, but I have to be honest: she left me with some very large oven mitts to fill; Natalie simply rocks in the kitchen. I wracked my brain figuring out what to share with you, but then, as I made this dish for the umpteenth time, I realized it would be perfect.

This is what I’d take over to her family one night if I still lived near her so she wouldn’t have to worry about dinner. It’s actually what I’ve been taking to all the new parents out here—it turns out Italy is the place to have babies.

This Chicken Parm Bake is unbelievably easy and so delicious that I almost don’t want to let the secret out. I love that there’s virtually nothing to clean up, it can be put together in no time, and even though it’s baked it has more flavor than some chicken parms I’ve tasted in restaurants. True story.

Truth be told, you can guestimate and just wing-it with the measurements (enough oil to cover the bottom, half a jar of sauce, plenty of cheese to please, etc.), and if I’m making it for someone else I use a foil container so it can go straight from the oven over to their house.

Chicken Parm Bake

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

50 mins

Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Main

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 pound chicken breast, chopped in bite-sized pieces (can use whole tenderloins if you want to make it even easier)
½—1 Tbs olive oil
2 or 3 garlic cloves minced
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups favorite pasta sauce (about half a jar)
5-10 basil leaves, julienned (or ½ teaspoon dried basil)
8 ounces shredded mozzarella (divided)
4 ounces Parmesan (divided)
5-ounces package, croutons

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F (180C). In a casserole dish (square, small size, or even individual dishes), mix olive oil, crushed garlic and red pepper flakes; spread mixture around to bottom of the dish. Place chicken on top of oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Pour marinara sauce over chicken; spread evenly to cover. Sprinkle chopped basil over sauce. Cover sauce with ¾ of the cheese (mozzarella and Parmesan).
Next, cover every nook and cranny with croutons. Steal one crouton, eat it, and enjoy. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the croutons.
Bake, uncovered, for about 30 minutes or until cheese is golden brown and starts to bubble and meat reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees. (If meat isn’t fully cooked yet—usually if you’re cooking them frozen or whole, cover with foil and continue cooking until meat is cooked.)

Spicy Kale Lasagna

Natalie — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 14:05:00 +0000

Mmm.. I am having good memories of this lasagna.

Are you ready for cool weather comfort foods? I’m sure you northerners are. I’m getting in the mood myself, but the southern weather is getting in the way! This lasagna is a great way to transition into fall- not too heavy, since there’s no meat involved. Some vegetarian lasagnas leave something to be desired, but I really love this version- very filling and you don’t miss the meat at all.

I want to tell you more about this lasagna, but there’s a crazy, silly toddler making it difficult to hear myself think. So you’ll just have to trust me on this one!

Tell me, though- what cool weather dishes are you looking forward to?

Spicy Kale Lasagna

Prep time

45 mins

Cook time

55 mins

Total time

1 hour 40 mins

adapted from Annie’s Eats- http://annies-eats.net/2011/03/01/spicy-kale-lasagna/

Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Main

Serves: 10

Ingredients

1¼ lbs. kale (or spinach), stems removed
3 tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes, (preferably with herbs)
1 (15.5 oz) can tomato sauce
2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1 tsp. lemon juice
4 cups cottage cheese (I usually use a mix of cottage cheese and ricotta)
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
¾ tsp. pepper
16 no-boil lasagna noodles (or noodles cooked according to package directions)

Instructions

To prepare the kale, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the kale to the pot and boil for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water until cool enough to handle. Wrap the kale inside a clean kitchen towel and wring out as much excess liquid as possible. Chop roughly, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
To make the tomato sauce, combine the oil, garlic, red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt in a cold saucepan. Heat over medium-high, stirring frequently. Once bubbling, cook for about 30 seconds. Mix in the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce, reduce heat and let simmer 5-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.
To make the cheese mixture, strain all of the liquid out of the cottage cheese. (I used a fine mesh strainer and pressed down to remove the liquid.) Mix in ½ cup of the Parmesan, 1½ cups of the mozzarella, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper.
Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. To assemble the lasagna, add a thin layer of the sauce to the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Cover with a layer of noodles, then half of the cheese mixture, half of the kale, and half of the remaining sauce. Add another layer of noodles, the remaining cheese mixture, and the remaining kale. Top with the remaining noodles, then the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup Parmesan.
Bake for 45 minutes, until bubbly and browned. Let stand at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Swiss Chard Dumplings in Chive Broth

Natalie — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 14:52:00 +0000

It’s been quite a month over here. Lots of vegan and vegetarian recipes, some personal, vegan-related drama and some probably not veganize-able (what?) Nutella cookies. I’m closing out all of this nonsense today with a recipe that can work for all diets; carnivores, vegetarians and vegans alike.

I’ve made this recipe twice in the recent past. If you asked, my husband would tell you that’s pretty rare around here. I like to experiment.. almost too much, sometimes. These dumplings were so good and such an excellent use of our garden chard that I had to do a repeat. They’re also very popular with the little guy.

The directions look horrendous and long, but I think it’s worth the effort. This would be a good weekend meal, or something to make when you have extra hands to help in the kitchen. When you bite into the dumplings, what you taste most is the bacon/pancetta. You’ll never know you’re getting all of those vitamins and minerals from the chard. I haven’t tried making them vegetarian or vegan, but I believe they’d still taste excellent that way. Please let me know if you try it and how it works out.

This dish has a garden/fresh feel to it that I think you’ll enjoy during the warmer temperatures.

And if you don’t remember, May is all about pies in the Great Food Adventure! I can’t wait to dig in, find the perfect crust, and share all of those luscious summer pie recipes with you. If you have any favorites from around the web, feel free to link to them in the comment section!

Swiss Chard Dumplings in Chive Broth

Prep time

45 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

1 hour 5 mins

Author: Eating Well Magazine

Recipe type: Soup

Serves: 6

Ingredients

Dumplings: 1 bunch Swiss chard, leaves and stems separated
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup finely chopped onion
¼ cup water
2 oz capicola, pancetta or thick-cut bacon, finely chopped (remove for a vegetarian meal)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Zest of 1 lemon
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
⅓ cup dry white wine
¼ cup part-skim ricotta cheese (remove for a vegan meal)
⅛ teaspoon salt
36 wonton wrappers
Broth: 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 cup thinly sliced fresh chives or scallion greens
8 teaspoons finely shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions

To prepare dumpling filling: Finely chop enough chard leaves to measure 3 cups; set aside. Finely chop enough chard stems to measure ¼ cup. (Reserve any remaining leaves and/or stems for another use.)
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and the chard stems and cook, stirring often, until beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add water and cook until the liquid has evaporated, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in meat, if using, and cook until the mixture is golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes more. Stir in garlic, lemon zest and crushed red pepper (if using) and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine and the reserved chard leaves and cook, stirring, until the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is somewhat dry, about 5 minutes more. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in ricotta (if using) and salt.
To prepare dumplings: You’ll need a clean, dry work surface, a baking sheet lightly dusted with flour and a small bowl of water. Cut the wonton wrappers in half on the diagonal. Cover them with a clean kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out. Lay 6 wrapper halves on the work surface. Spoon about ½ teaspoon of the filling in the middle of each. Moisten a fingertip and run it along the edges of the wrapper. Fold in half to contain the filling, forming a smaller triangle. Press the edges to seal. Pinch the 2 farthest ends together, making a tortellini-like shape. Place the dumpling on the prepared baking sheet; cover with a damp paper towel until ready to cook. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.
To cook & serve dumplings: Bring broth and water to a lively simmer in a Dutch oven or soup pot. Stir the liquid while carefully adding half the dumplings. Cook, stirring once or twice, for 4 minutes. Remove the dumplings with a slotted spoon and divide among 4 soup bowls. Repeat with the remaining dumplings, dividing among 4 more soup bowls as they are done. Ladle about 1 cup of the broth into each bowl. Serve immediately, sprinkled with chives (or scallion greens) and Parmesan, if using.

Farfalle con Broccoli

Natalie — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 02:28:00 +0000

Before I dip into the vegan recipes, let’s warm up with something vegetarian.

Let’s keep the cheese and cream for just a little while longer, shall we?

This dish feels like something you would make if you lived in Italy, went to market, saw a beautiful head of broccoli and just came home and put dinner together on a whim. It’s a picture of simple Italian-style cooking. If only every dish was this easy.

Preparation here is low-maintenance. The pasta and broccoli are cooked in the same pot and the sauce comes together quickly in the meantime. All you have to do next is toss the pasta with the sauce and add your cheese and you’ve got a lovely dish. It’s also an easy introduction to vegetarian cooking. The recipe calls for a little anchovy paste (don’t freak out- it’s not gross, it just adds a salty flavor), but that can be replaced with a little extra salt to make the dish truly vegetarian. Most kids will go for it, too (you don’t have to tell them about the anchovy).

If you’re cooking for a pickier/non-veg crowd (little ones or men used to eating more meat), you can easily add a little grilled chicken or some crisp bacon to the dish.

While you give this one a try, I’ll be busy daydreaming about Jess making me this dish when I come to visit her in Italy..

Farfalle con Broccoli

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

35 mins

adapted from The Geometry of Pasta, via Suzie the Foodie- http://suziethefoodie.blogspot.com/2010/11/geometry-of-pastas-farfalle-con.html

Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Pasta

Serves: 4

Ingredients

⅓ lb farfalle (bowtie) pasta
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
3/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 salted anchovy filets or anchovy paste (omit if necessary and add a little extra salt to compensate)
¼ cup heavy cream
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
fresh cracked black pepper

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and broccoli florets and boil until al dente (it should still have a little bite to it). Meanwhile, fry the garlic in olive oil until fragrant. Turn off the heat and add red pepper flakes to the garlic oil.
Crush the anchovies with a little oil to make a paste (or use a bit of anchovy paste per your taste). When the garlic oil stops sizzling, add the anchovies and mix with a wooden spoon. Mix in the cream and return it to the heat. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce.
Cook together until the sauce thickens. Add the parmesan and some freshly ground black pepper. If the sauce gets too thick and sticky, add some pasta water.

Mini Frittatas

Natalie — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 18:14:00 +0000

It’s March! That means it’s Brunch month in my Great Food Adventure. To tell you the truth, I’m relieved. Those macarons last month were giving me drama.

I think brunch is one of the greatest ideas ever. I only wish I could enjoy it more! I’m always ravenous in the morning and the bean never sleeps in, so our morning meal usually happens around 7am. But I do love the idea of having a beautiful spread of breakfast and lunch options, lots of eggs, beautiful fruits and veggies, pastries and carbs galore!

Here’s my first brunch offering for you- mini frittatas. These are great for a brunch spread- individually sized and protein-packed. A perfect way to start the day and a nice foil for all of the usual brunch sweets. The preparation is simple- saute the veggies, whisk up the eggs and milk, combine and bake. Brunch in a snap.

I am pumped about all the eggs I’ll be consuming this month. Love me some brunch!

What’s your favorite brunch food?

Are there any brunch recipes you’ve been dying to find?

Mini Frittatas

Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

55 mins

adapted from Rachael Ray

Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Breakfast

Serves: 12

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
½ cup cooked ham or sausage, chopped
1-1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
16 large eggs
2 cups milk
Crushed red pepper, to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°:. In a small skillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the ham/sausage and chives. Let cool, then add the cheese and set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and milk until frothy; season with salt and pepper.
Spray 2-3 muffin tins (depending on the size) with cooking spray. Divide the meat and veggie mixture evenly among the muffin tins and sprinkle each with a pinch crushed red pepper. Ladle the egg mixture to about ½ inch from the top of the tin. Bake until puffy and golden, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.