Butternut Squash Risotto

I have a few vegetarian friends, and I like to give them different recipes to try that I don't always make.  This time, I am making something to post on my blog :)
This is a vegetarian dish that can also be vegan, you just have to omit the cheese if you are vegan..
One of my co-workers also brought me an enormous sage plant.  So I was inspired to cook with some sage.

Ingredients;
1 2-3lb butternut squash
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 cups vegetable stock
4 sage leaves
2 sprigs of thyme
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 c. Ambrosio rice
1/2 c white wine
1/4 c grated Parmesan Romano cheese
4 sage leaves for garnish

Cut the butternut squash lengthwise into 2 pieces.  Peel the skin off of one side and clean the guts out of the 2nd half.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a large glass pan, pour 1 tablespoon olive oil in the bottom and spread around, coating the bottom of the pan.  Place the one half face down on the pan, chop the other half of the squash in cubes, and place around the other half of the squash.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place in the oven for about 20-25 minutes.  Remove from the oven and set aside.

Carve the squash out of the roasted half.

Set the squash aside.
In a small pot, add stock, sage leaves and thyme sprigs.  Heat on medium low, until the stock is hot.  Leave on the stove, cooking on low.
In a medium size pot, heat a tablespoon of olive oil and add shallots and garlic, saute until they are light brown.

Add the rice to the pot and stir 2 minutes until the rice begins to be translucent.

Add the white wine, and stir until the wine has almost cooked off.  then start slowly adding the stock, one spoonful at a time, continuing to stir.

When the rice is about 10 minutes from being done (not still crunchy, but hard), add the carved out butternut squash to the risotto.

Add more stock and continue to cook, fully incorporating the butternut squash.

One the risotto is almost done, add the cheese (omit if you are vegan) and then add the remaining chunks of the butternut squash, stirring to incorporate.

Garnish with a sage leaf.  Serve immediately.... Thyme 2 taste!

Serves 4.

Homemade Pizza

When I lived in Los Angeles, I lived 3 blocks from a Trader Joes.  I don't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing because I was always there!  One of my favorite recipes to make was pizza.  They have the dough, the sauce and great fresh ingredients.  Not sure if you have tried the pizza dough, maybe after you read this, you will!  The best part of this recipe is that it takes a few minutes to put everything together and it bakes in 20 minutes.

Ingredients;
1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 bag of fresh pizza dough
1 container Trader Joes Pizza sauce
1 package of mushrooms
1 red pepper
1 package of black forest ham
1 package of shredded mozzarella cheese

Set the dough aside until it becomes room temperature.  While waiting for the dough to warm up, chop your ingredients.

Spread the tablespoon of olive oil on the pan.  Spread out the dough.  Preheat the over to 425 degrees.

Spread the pizza sauce on top of the dough.

Sprinkle the dough with cheese and then add the red peppers, mushrooms and ham.

Bake in the oven at 425 for 20 minutes.

Thyme 2 taste and enjoy!!

TIP:  You can add whatever ingredients you would like, or toppings.  For the pizza dough, I usually buy the Italian Dough, since it has fresh herbs incorporated into it.  They also have plain and whole wheat.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Bacon

If you are having guests over, it's nice to start with some snacks to munch on to hold everyone over until dinner.  One of my favorite hors d'oeuvres to serve is goat cheese stuffed dates wrapped in bacon.  They pair well with wine and they can be served at room temperature.  Did I mention they are not very difficult to make and EVERYONE loves them??

Ingredients;
20-25 Whole dates, with pits
1 small log of goat cheese
1 package of bacon

One of the reasons I buy whole dates, with the pits, is because when they are removing the pits from the dates, sometimes they slice both sides.  For this particular recipe, that wont work.  So, I know it is a little more work, but it is worth it!

To start, slit the date along one side and remove the pit.  Repeat until all of the pits are removed from the dates.

Stuff the date with goat cheese.

Cut a slice of bacon in half (if you use the whole slice, it will be too much bacon and the bacon will not get crispy enough), and roll the date in the bacon.  Do not use the thick cut bacon.  Use the regular thin sliced bacon.

Heat a pan on medium high.   Once the pan is hot, place the dates on the pan.

As they brown on each side, rotate the dates so you get a nice sear on all sides, about 10-15 minutes.  When removing the dates, place on a plate with a paper towel.  Remove from the paper towel, transfer to a platter and serve!

Thyme 2 Taste...

Mozzarella and Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I have to admit, it is hard to find a good, fast recipe to cook during the week or even a quick dinner on the weekend.  One of my favorite chicken dishes is Chicken Cordon Bleu.  Because I am trying to be mindful and not eating as much fried food as I do, I thought of stuffing chicken with spinach and cheese and baking it in the oven rather then frying it.  So, I took a look in the fridge to see what else I had in the fridge, and here is what I came up with.

Ingredients;

4 boneless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch of fresh spinach, rinsed and stems trimmed
1/8 c of roasted red peppers, chopped into cubes
1/4 lb fresh mozzarella, sliced
4 Tbsp Parmesan Romano cheese
4 Tbsp Dijon mustard

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
First start by tenderizing the meat.  Usually place a layer of plastic wrap on top so the juice from the chicken does not get all over the place.

Tenderize each piece, sprinkling with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

In a large saute pan, heat oil, add garlic and saute garlic for 2-3 minutes on medium high heat.  Once the garlic is beginning to brown, add the chopped red peppers, sauteing for another 2 minutes.

Add the spinach, and immediately cover.

Add 2 tablespoons of water and cook for a few minutes until the spinach is wilted and cooked.

Remove the contents of the pan onto a cooking board, and chop the spinach, red peppers and garlic.

Set the spinach mixture aside.
Top some of the spinach mixture on top of the chicken breast, sprinkle with grated Romano cheese and a slice of mozzarella.

Roll the chicken breast, and insert a toothpick to hold the chicken together.   Seal the sides, tucking in the spinach and cheese as much as possible with additional toothpicks.

Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.  Place all the chicken in a glass dish.

Brush the chicken with Dijon mustard and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

TIP: As a quick side, toss some potatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper, minced garlic, fresh thyme and rosemary.  Bake in the oven with the chicken.

Thyme 2 Taste...

TIP: If you don't like roasted red peppers, try mushrooms or something else that you prefer.