Yesterday's Meals

OK, since this is what got me started:

Yesterday's lunch was leftover jambalaya. I'll try to reconstruct the recipe.

Jambalaya (adapted from AllRecipes.com)

Heat a little oil in large heavy pot (Dutch oven type). Slice smoked andouille sausage (12 oz package) into rounds and saute until browned. Remove from pan. Cut two boneless chicken breast halves into 1-inch pieces, sprinkle with Cajun seasoning if you have it, salt and pepper if you don't, add a little more oil to the pan and saute the chicken until lightly browned. Remove from pan.

In same pan, saute a large onion, a green pepper, 2 large celery stalks, all diced, and 3 large cloves garlic, minced. When veggies are tender, add a can of diced tomatoes (14 oz?),  1 tsp salt, several shakes Tabasco, and a good shake of Worcestershire sauce. Stir in chicken and sausage and cook 5-10 minutes.

Stir in 1 1/4 cups rice, a can of low-sodium chicken broth, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, until rice is done, about 1/2 hour.


I also cooked some okra that I had just picked at Honey Brook Organic Farm. I blanched it for a couple of minutes, then sauteed it in a little butter with lemon juice. Perfect with the jambalaya.

Yesterday's dinner was zucchini soup with rosemary and penne with grape tomatoes and picked-by-me-at-the-farm green beans.

Zucchini-Rosemary Soup (adapted from Epicurious)

Melt 2 Tbsp butter with 1 Tbsp olive oil in large saucepan. Add 1 large onion, diced, and saute until translucent.  Stir in 2 large garlic cloves, sliced, and 2 tsp minced fresh rosemary. Add 3 cans low-sodium chicken broth (I only had two and made up the difference with water) and a peeled and diced russet potato. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add 3 med or 2 large zucchini, diced. Simmer until veggies are tender, 15-20 minutes. Puree with immersion blender. Season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with crunchy fried onions. Note: these are very cheap at IKEA!

Penne with Grape Tomatoes and Green Beans

Boil and salt water for pasta. Cook 1 lb penne al dente. Meanwhile, in large pan, saute 2 large, thinly-sliced garlic cloves in 2 Tbsp olive oil. When garlic starts to turn golden, add 3-4 cups grape tomatoes, sliced in half, along with 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes and 3 basil leaves, chiffonaded (sliced into shreds). Saute until juicy, then add about 1/2 lb green beans, cut into segments as long as penne, and salt and pepper to taste. Continue cooking until pasta is done.

Before draining pasta, reserve 1 cup of the cooking water. Add drained pasta to the saute pan along with the cooking water. Toss together until well-mixed with a couple more shredded basil leaves.

Serve with freshly grated Parmesan, or Parmigiano-Reggiano if you have it.