Mediterranean Polenta

My midwife fed me this amazing polenta one day when she checked my blood glucose at a prenatal appointment and saw that it was 51. Well, she fed me after she yelled at me.

1 c cornmeal
1 c water
3 c stock (veg or chicken)
2 tsp dried basil
3 tomatoes, diced
2 zucchini, diced
1 sweet red pepper, diced
2 tbs olive oil
dash salt and pepper

1. In a bowl, combine cornmeal and water.
2. Combine the stock, herbs, salt and pepper in a nonstick pan. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and stir in cornmeal mixture slowly. Cooking, stirring constantly, for five minutes until the mixture boils and thickens. Reduce heat and simmer for ten minutes more until thicker and smooth.
4. Add the diced veggies and oil and cook until veggies are soft. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand five minutes.

Spaghetti Salad

Nate's cousin makes spaghetti salad for all family events. And it is delicious. I think she uses Italian dressing or something, it's basically just like what you'd get at the deli. So this evening when Rachel wanted a side dish, I suggested spaghetti salad - but she had no Italian dressing. I pondered for a moment... and then started rummaging through the cupboards. This is what I came up with, and Steven - if you ever make it to this blog - this is what we had at lunch. Mmm. I did eyeball it, though - in fact, I didn't even really EYEBALL it, I just added stuff until it SMELLED right... heh... so use your best judgement.

Spaghetti, cooked and drained and rinsed under cold water*
Balsamic vinegar
Italian seasoning (maybe 2 tsp?)
Coarsely ground black pepper
Mayonaise (approx. 1/3 c)
Olive oil (a few tbs)
One lemon, juiced
2 tomatoes, diced
4 green onions, diced
1 green pepper, diced small
1 cucumber, cut into small chunks
1/2 jar marinated Antipasto olives, sliced
1 jar artichoke hearts, chopped
1/4 c chopped pepperocinis
Fresh grated romano cheese

* We used waaay too many noodles which diluted the flavor of the dressing, so mind that.

Basically, I just diced the veggies, mixed them in a bowl with the mayonaise, seasoning, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, etc, and mixed it all together. I added them to the pasta and tossed it, and grated romano cheese over top. Mixed the romano in and then grated some more to dress the salad.

It was freakin' delicious.

Garlic Lemon-Pepper Asparagus

My kids never liked asparagus until I started doing it this way. Now we go through about 2 lbs of asaparagus a week.

Fresh asparagus
2 tbsp butter
garlic powder and lemon pepper seasoning to taste

1. Melt butter in skillet on stovetop.
2. Add asparagus and seasonings
3. Sautee over medium heat until al dente, or for about 15 minutes.

Sweet Potato Casserole

My mom used to buy sweet potato casserole from the deli for Thanksgiving (she is not much of a cook). I spent some time trying to figure out the recipe and I think I have finally got it right. It tastes just like sweet potato pie.

For casserole:
1 large can of yams
1/2 c butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c packed light brown sugar
1 egg

For topping:
1/2 c packed light brown sugar
1/3 c flour
1/2 c pecans
1/3 c melted butter

1. Mash the canned yams. Add butter, vanilla, brown sugar, and egg and mix well. Pour in greased 8x8" or 9x9" glass dish.
2. Combine ingredients for topping and spoon over casserole.
3. Back for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees.