Strawberry and Cheese Bruschetta Recipes

June 16, 2014 by 15 Comments

It’s strawberry season right now in Portland, and although the small looking Hood strawberries may look not as plump and juicy as their California cousins, let me assure you that they make up for their appearance in flavors. This makes them such the treasure that people get up early to rush to the Farmers Market before they sell out – and yes, they do sell out.

I like strawberries usually with a little bit of cream, but of course with cheese is also quite acceptable, like in these strawberry and cheese bruschetta recipes. I have two ways of making strawberry and cheese bruschetta, which celebrates the flavors of these strawberries by complimenting them just with a little rich creamy cheese and olive oil, a little counter with good balsamic vinegar and then uses the vehicle of toasted bread to get them into your mouth.
Strawberry Bruschetta, vegetarian and easy to put together with fresh strawberries, basil, olive oil and balsalmic vinegar, and good cheese on good bread Strawberry Bruschetta, vegetarian and easy to put together with fresh strawberries, basil, olive oil and balsalmic vinegar, and good cheese on good bread

One uses mozzarella, as well as salt and fresh ground pepper, and the other uses goat cheese. I decided to share both with you. Perhaps for fun, since the ingredients are so close together, you might make both at once like I did for a little bruschetta face-off.

After all, it might take you tops 20 minutes to whip this together for your early summer get together.

They look gorgeously impressive as a starter for a dinner party, or just for yourself to go with your sangria or glass of wine as you sit outside on your porch or patio reading a book.

Strawberry Bruschetta with Mozzarella

Strawberry Bruschetta, vegetarian and easy to put together with fresh strawberries, basil, olive oil and balsalmic vinegar, and fresh mozzarella cheese on good bread
This is a lot like caprese, but instead of heirloom tomatoes (oh, can’t wait for those treasures to start appearing on the plants and markets) it uses the current in season strawberries. This version of bruschetta highlights the strawberries more as they are contrasted against the very fresh subtle taste of the rest of the ingredients, and there’s something delightful about the parallel bursts when you bite both into a strawberry and a little mozzarella piece. The amount for the recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 French Baguette or you can also use a good bread loaf that has a nice crust that you might slice into quarters or halves depending on the loaf size
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries
  • 2 tablespoons of fresh basil, chopped
  • 4 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Good balsamic vinegar
  • Coarse salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. Slice your baguette or bread into palm-sized pieces, brush with oil and toast or grill until lightly toasted.
  2. Clean, dry, and then dice strawberries.
  3. Chop your basil leaves finely, add to the mixing bowl of strawberries and toss, then  let stand.
  4. Dice up your fresh mozzarella, and add to the mixing bowl. Toss together, and then spoon this mixture onto each of your bread slices.
  5. Drizzle all the slices lightly with a little bit of olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Finish with a sprinkling of salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Strawberry Bruschetta, vegetarian and easy to put together with fresh strawberries, basil, olive oil and balsalmic vinegar, and fresh mozzarella cheese on good bread Strawberry Bruschetta, vegetarian and easy to put together with fresh strawberries, basil, olive oil and balsalmic vinegar, and fresh mozzarella cheese on good bread

Strawberry Bruschetta with Goat Cheese

Strawberry Bruschetta, vegetarian and easy to put together with fresh strawberries, basil, olive oil and balsalmic vinegar, and fresh goat cheese on good bread
The reason why I like this version of bruschetta is that the texture of the goat cheese is very luxurious, and depending on what goat cheese you purchase it often has an extra bit of tangyness that is added.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 French Baguette or you can also use a good bread loaf that has a nice crust that you might slice into quarters or halves depending on the loaf size
  • Extra virgin olive oil to brush on baguette slices
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, diced
  • 4-5 large basil leaves
  • 4 ounces goat cheese
  • balsamic vinegar for drizzling
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. Slice your baguette or bread into palm-sized pieces, brush with oil and toast or grill until lightly toasted.
  2. Clean, dry, and then dice strawberries. Place them in a mixing bowl.
  3. Chop your basil leaves finely, add to the mixing bowl of strawberries, toss, and then let stand.
  4. On each of your bread slices, spread your goat cheese. Depending on the strength of flavor of your goat cheese, you might slather it on or just want a schmear.
  5. Finally, top each slice with the strawberry and basil. Drizzle all the slices lightly with (optional) a little bit of olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Finish with a freshly ground black pepper.

Strawberry Bruschetta, vegetarian and easy to put together with fresh strawberries, basil, olive oil and balsalmic vinegar, and fresh goat cheese on good bread Strawberry Bruschetta, vegetarian and easy to put together with fresh strawberries, basil, olive oil and balsalmic vinegar, and fresh goat cheese on good bread

So easy but beautiful and delicious. You won’t break a sweat making these at all, but the results look incredible.

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Roasted Vegetable Lasagna Rollup Recipe

May 12, 2014 by 2 Comments

Rather than laying out lasagna the traditional way across a casserole dish and then having to cut pieces, I like the idea of individual rolled pieces that this Roasted Vegetable Lasagna Rollups Recipe calls for. it’s a great to portion out servings for a group. They are easy to make, and by roasting the vegetables it adds more flavor and is a great alternative to meat lasagna. A little red pepper adds a subtle little additional kick.
Roasted Vegetable Lasagna Rollups Recipe

It may look like this has a lot of ingredients, but it’s really based on you

Ingredients:

  • 12 long lasagna noodles- you want them to be longer and not the short ones that you put two across in a dish in order to have enough to roll them. You can use regular or whole wheat pasta if you want these healthier – I used regular.
  • 3 tablespoons of olive oil, divided with 2 tablespoons for the roasted vegetables
  • 4 cups finely chopped vegetables- you can just use spinach, but since I knew some guests I was sharing this with were not a fan of cooked spinach I used a mix of frozen vegetables I had in the freezer that I had to use as my freezer was no longer freezing- carrots, peas, carrots, asparagus tips, squash… your choice! Fresh vegetables are better than frozen, but frozen is easy. Your call here too.
  • 1 teaspoon of chopped sage
  • 1 teaspoon of cumin
  • 15 oz part-skim ricotta cheese (1 container)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley
  • 1/2 tablespoon chopped oregano
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder (or you can use a close of minced garlic to up the garlic level!)
  • 3 1/4 cups shredded Italian cheese, such as mozzarella, Parmesan, Romano, or a blend, divided into 3 cups for the filling and 1/2 cup for topping. I like using a blend as the various cheeses rather than one cheese adds more depth but just using low fat mozzarella is healthier
  • Salt ( to taste)
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • At least approximately 3 1/2 cups of your favorite marinara sauce
  • 1 teaspoon of red pepper
  • Optional- Parmesan for topping

Directions:

  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. In a aluminum foil lined 13×9 pan, spread the vegetables and then spread the 2 tablespoon of olive oil so all the vegetables are coated. Now season with the salt, pepper, 1 teaspoon of chopped sage, 1 teaspoon of cumin, and roast for about 40 minutes. Remove and let cool. Now I decided to roast with those seasonings but you can get away with simple salt and pepper,  especially if using fresh vegetables.
  2. While the veggies are roasting, boil the water and then place the lasagna noodles in until al dente. Strain out the hot water and run cool water over it for 20 seconds or so until you can handle the noodles. Drain the water and distribute 1 tablespoon of olive oil among the noodles so they don’t stick together
  3. While the noodles were cooking, I made the mixture by combining the ricotta cheese, 2 cups cheese, 1 egg, parsley, and oregano in a bowl. Stir all together until well combined.
    Roasted Vegetable Lasagna Rollups Recipe- making the ricotta mixture with ricotta and parsley and oregano, vegetarian Roasted Vegetable Lasagna Rollups Recipe- adding the 2 cups of cheese to the ricotta and parsley/oregano mixture, vegetarian
  4. Spray the 13×9 baking dish with cooking spray. Line bottom with a little bit of the marinara sauce so that nothing will be sticking to it- this might be about 1/2 to 3/4 cup. I admit I used two baking dishes, so I did this twice to lay out 6 Noodle rolls on each.
  5. Lay out a work space- I did this with wax paper. Lay the lasagna noodles flat on this surface. Take 2 1/2 tablespoons of the ricotta filling and spread evenly over noodle. Now spread on top of the ricotta some of of the roasted vegetables and then top with 1 tablespoon of the marinara sauce. Carefully loosely roll and place seam side down into the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.
    Roasted Vegetable Lasagna Rollups Recipe Roasted Vegetable Lasagna Rollups Recipe Roasted Vegetable Lasagna Rollups Recipe
  6. Top rolled noodles with remaining sauce- make sure you cover all the lasagna noodle edges so it doesn’t dry out. Sprinkle the 1 teaspoon of red pepper over everything and then top with the remaining cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
    Roasted Vegetable Lasagna Rollups Recipe Roasted Vegetable Lasagna Rollups Recipe Roasted Vegetable Lasagna Rollups Recipe
  7. Remove foil and bake for additional 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted on the top.
  8. Remove from oven let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Optionally, serve with Parmesan cheese and a grater that your guests can grate what amount they desire!

This was a great potluck dish to make for one of our Game of Thrones nights, and is a main dish that gets your vegetables in too! I had the idea to print out the various sigils of the houses, cut them out and put them on toothpicks to perhaps mark each of the various roll-ups, but never did do it but thought it could be a fun extra touch.

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna Rollups Recipe

 

Have you made lasagna in these roll form before? What vegetables would you try?

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Tofu and Mushrooms A La King

December 19, 2012 by 1 Comment

I decided to try a vegetarian version of a gorgeous Chicken A La King recipe I saw on Pinterest and which originated from the blog Get off your Butt and Bake! I increased the cheeseiness from the recipe because I love cheese and it has never worked negatively for me when I have upped cheese. Nope, never ever ever. Anyway, this ends up yielding more sauce, so based on how many shells are in a package the recipe below is enough to yield enough sauce for two packages of six shells, or approximately six people if everyone has two puffs each along with another  side.

It is very rich, so would be wonderful to paid with another dish that has some acid to cut through this such as a salad with a citrus vinaigrette. I chose to use tofu and mushrooms, but having a variety of color and shapes in vegetables you choose, such as sliced carrots, peas, diced peppers, etc could make this really visually stunning. You could put anything into this sauce. Really, seriously, anything. This sauce is so good.

Ingredients:

  • 2 package of puff pastry shells (6 in a package).
  • 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of water, beat together
  • 1/3 cup of butter for the sauce
  • 8 ounces of sliced cremini mushrooms
  • Optionally, add in any other vegetables, such as peas, carrots, etc.
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch dissolved in 1/2 cup cold water
  • 1/2 cup vegetable broth
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of chopped dill
  • 1/2 teaspoon of  chopped parsley
  • 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 2 cups milk
  • 12 oz (3 cups) of shredded cheddar cheese- I used a mild cheddar which is also why I upped the amount
  • 1 extra firm tofu, diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon diced chives

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Beat together 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water. On parchment paper or foil on a baking sheet, lay out the thawed puff pastry shells. Beat together 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of water, and brush the tops with the egg and water mixture. Per the instructions on the package, bake the puff pastry for 20 minutes. After that time, remove the top of the pastry from the pan using a fork to help cut it out and place aside, and then  bake the shell portion for another 5 minutes or so just to make sure they are cooked through. Baking these shells could be done while preparing the sauce.
    Tofu and Mushrooms A La King Tofu and Mushrooms A La King
  2. Meanwhile, optionally prep and cook any additional vegetables (microwave, sautee, or steam them, or however you want to cook the veggies. I considered cooking the mushrooms sauteed in a butter sauce, but then decided since they were so fresh to not cook my tofu or mushrooms at all.
    Tofu and Mushrooms A La King
  3. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, and then add the cornstarch water mixture, broth, milk, and all your seasonings of salt, pepper, dill parsley, pepper, onion powder, and sugar. You can be creative with the seasonings to suit your taste and the flavor of the broth you used. Stir until the sauce has all mixed and thickened so that if you draw a line on the back of your stirring spoon, holding it vertically the sauce should not drip and cross the line.
    Tofu and Mushrooms A La King Tofu and Mushrooms A La King Tofu and Mushrooms A La King
  4. Turn the heat to low, and make sure the sauce does not boil. Add in the grated cheese 1/2 at a time, stirring as the cheese melts.
    Tofu and Mushrooms A La King Tofu and Mushrooms A La King
  5. Combine the mushrooms and diced tofu now into the sauce. I didn’t need to cook my tofu and mushrooms, but obviously you are using meat it has to be cooked beforehand. Stir everything to mix.
    Tofu and Mushrooms A La King Tofu and Mushrooms A La King
  6. Plating time! This was the hardest part for me- spilling little drops of sauce from the pot to the plate! Pour with a spoon the mixture into the puff pastry shells, top with a little bit more cheese if you’d like, but I topped mine with some fresh chopped chives.
    Tofu and Mushrooms A La King  Tofu and Mushrooms A La King Tofu and Mushrooms A La King

This happens to have been done with puff pastry shells, but you can also use any kind of carb you want- toast, biscuits, english muffins, croissants, rice, pasta… Yum. I love how this particular meal plates in a more fancy fashion that you could have at a dinner party, or just for a romantic evening thanks to the pastry shells. As mentioned since you can fold anything into this sauce, you can use any leftovers you would like such as leftover turkey or ham or chicken, etc.

Tofu and Mushrooms A La KingTofu and Mushrooms A La King

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Cornbread Stuffing – Veggie Version

November 19, 2012 by 1 Comment

It’s time for the Thanksgiving 2012 recipe roundup! The best cornbread stuffing I’ve made so far was from a whim 2 years ago. I modified a recipe I had seen by Michael Symon on Food Network. For some reason I had watched him make this in an episode- unusual because I don’t watch him at all but his show happened to be on and my TV still on Food Network. But, what I saw was so intriguing for a stuffing I looked it up online to print his recipe, and used that as my cornbread stuffing inspiration.

The cornbread is one that I made from a mix the day before thanks to Trader Joe’s. When it came to the smoked ham in his recipe I substituted a smoked veggie version, and of course vegetable stock for chicken stock. Meanwhile for the vegetables I replaced his call for red peppers with Thai red chilis (though in less quantity because I did want to keep my stomach lining). I used Thai red chilis because I had them in my herb garden, but you can easily substitute any other diced pepper you would like, or even spicy seasoning instead.

I also changed out the corn because I thought there was enough corn in the cornbread which had kernels already in it. I also used diced carrots, making use of a classic mirepoix as the base then of this stuffing. I’m not a fan of parsley and cilantro, so I went with dill, sage, and rosemary as my seasoning herbs.

The stuffing turned out visually quite pretty, and was even better the next day as a leftover. The “ham” even in the veggie version gave it a hint of smokiness, and the Thai red chilis a bit of extra zing of heat now and then.

Ingredients (serves 6):

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 2 cups chopped yellow onions
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1 cup choped carrots
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 package of diced smoked vegetarian ham- I used Tofurky Hickory Smoked flavor deli meat, but Yves or Lightlife could work as well
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 cups vegetable stock
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons chopped rosemary
  • 2 tablespoons chopped sage
  • 2 tablespoons dill
  • 2 tablespoons of diced Thai chili pepper, but you can use any other pepper but adjust based on the heat you want
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 cups cubed and toasted cornbread – I used Trader Joe’s cornbread mix and prepared per directions on the box. I think TJ’s mix is the best mix out there in terms of taste and texture

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Melt butter and sweat the celery, onions, and garlic until tender. Add ham and cook
    over low heat for 2 more minutes. Set aside to slightly cool.
  3. Whisk together eggs, stock, cream and herbs and chilis, and season with salt and pepper
    to taste. Combine all items, including cornbread, in a 4 quart pan.
  4. Cook covered for 30 minutes. Then uncover and cook for additional 20
    minutes or until crusty on top.
  5. Optionally, since when I picked the peppers I had some extra left I also sprinkled a bit more on top before serving the dish to make it look nice- you can do the same with extra herbs also.
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