Baked Ravioli with Red Pepper Marinara

When I'm in the kitchen and I don't have anything in particular in mind to cook, inspiration usually comes from the necessity of needing to cook something for dinner. Trying to make something out of nothing or in this case what I had on hand. This red pepper marinara sauce is one of those creations that came about from a bag of frozen peppers and onions in the absence of fresh produce and jarred tomato sauce.
I've made this sauce numerous times since then and each time I marvel at how delicious it is. It varies just a bit depending on weather I have Anaheim chilies or not but it is basically the same with a solid base of bell peppers and onions and the natural sweetness from the carrots and stewed tomatoes. Yum!

The idea for the Baked Ravioli however, came after I spent a Sunday with girlfriends wine tasting at a few local wine bars. Our first stop was a wine bar that also served small plate appetizers and I ordered a delicious fried ravioli appetizer with a red pepper cream sauce. It was delicious but the ravioli were very deeply fried. It was great to curb my hunger after a glass of wine but I felt like it was a bit too fried, so I decided to try my own version of it here at home. Especially since I already had the perfect sauce for it. So here is my lighter version of Baked Ravioli with Red Pepper Marinara. Enjoy!

Baked Ravioli with Red Pepper Marinara Sauce

Red Pepper Marinara
1 bag of frozen Peppers and Onions
2 Anaheim chiles seeded and chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 14 oz. can stewed tomatoes with Italian Seasonings
2 T olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tsp marjoram, dried
red chili flakes (to taste, I like it spicy)
salt and pepper (to taste)

If you don't have frozen peppers and onions, by all means use fresh ingredients. This is just what I used because it's what I had on hand. The beautiful thing about this sauce is that you literally throw all the ingredients in a large skillet, cover, and simmer for about 30-35 minutes. Once the carrots are soft, transfer the cooked veggies to a food processor and blend on high until smooth. Add the blended sauce back into the skillet and heat, uncovered for an additional 20-30 minutes to reduce and thicken the sauce. Salt and pepper to taste and set aside as you prepare the ravioli.  

This sauce is made more decadent when you add a touch of cream to it. It's great tossed with some Penne Pasta and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Yummy!
Baked Ravioli

1 bag of frozen ravioli
1 egg, beaten with 1 T milk
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 t dried basil
salt and pepper
non-stick olive oil cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Thaw ravioli.

Line cookie sheet with parchment paper and then generously coat parchment paper with non-stick cooking spray.
 
In shallow dish, add egg and milk and beat until incorporated and set aside. In another shallow dish, mix Panko flakes, Parmesan cheese, basil, salt and pepper. Dip thawed ravioli in egg mixture first then the bread crumb mixture. 

Place coated ravioli onto the prepared parchment in a single layer. Generously spray the top of each ravioli with cooking spray. This is an important step to ensure the coating crisps up. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with warm Red Pepper Marinara and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan Cheese. Enjoy!

 
 

Other pasta recipes to try:
Turkey Sausage and Peppers Pasta





 

Penne with Roasted Asparagus and Balsamic Butter Sauce

Confetti Salad with Honey Champagne Vinaigrette

After a bumpy start to the new year, Spring has come just in time to give me some much needed peace and time for renewal. Friday was my first day off and I was in the kitchen ready to make something delicious. I'd planned to make some Picadillo Stuffed Pobano Peppers with a  Tomatillo Cream Sauce...which sounded like a great plan if it hadn't been 90 degrees. It was crazy 'summer hot' here in Southern California last Friday!  
Instead, I opted for this delicious and decidedly cooler, Confetti Salad with the amazing Honey Champagne Vinaigrette. I know a salad is far cry from a satisfying main dish but you'll see the stuffed Poblanos in the near future. I promise. I made this salad dressing and salad a few weeks ago for a friend and I loved the dressing so much I decided to blog it. The recipe is actually an adaptation of the dressing I had at the Chef Tech Blogger/Cooking Workshop event back in February. I took their basic vinaigrette recipe and changed it up a bit. This salad is not only delicious but festive and beautiful. Use any vegetables you like, just cut them up real small so that the dressing coats every nook and cranny.  I especially like this salad because it's perfect to use up those bags of mini bell peppers. Most of the time it's hard to find uses for all those mini peppers before they get mushy. There is a limit on how many bell peppers one can eat in a week.
Anyway, chop up your veggies and whip up a batch of this delicious Honey Champagne Vinaigrette. You'll end up putting it on everything! Enjoy!

Confetti Salad with Honey Champagne Vinaigrette

Mixed greens (I used romaine, spinach and kale)
Red, yellow and orange baby bell peppers, small dice
3 mini Persian cucumbers, quartered and sliced
1 cup shredded carrots 
1/4 cup green onions, sliced

Chop, rinse and spin salad greens.
Cut mini bell peppers into thin match sticks and then dice.
Cut Persian cucumbers in half and then into quarters lengthwise. Then slice into small pieces. Finely slice green onions. I used pre-shredded carrots but if you have whole carrots, finely dice them or shred them with a box grater.

Add all vegetables to the salad greens and set aside. Prepare Vinaigrette.

Honey Champagne Vinaigrette
1/2 cup Champagne Vinegar (can substitute with white wine vinegar)
1/3 cup honey
3 T shallots, finely minced
2 T Dijon Mustard
1/4 cup Canola oil
3/4 cup Sunflower oil
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste


Finely mince a small shallot and add 3T to food processor. Add 1/2 cup champagne vinegar, honey, and Dijon mustard to the shallots. Process on high until fully incorporated. In a measuring cup, combine the oils and set aside. 
With your food processor on high, add the oil to the round insert in the lid of your processor. The round insert has a small hole at the bottom of it that will slowly add the oil so that it is emulsified. This will be good for about a week in the refrigerator. 

I didn't toss the dressing with the salad in these pictures, so that the lettuce would keep for dinner later that night. Normally, toss with the vinaigrette before serving. :) Enjoy!

Other salad recipes to try:
Caprese Salad with Pesto Vinaigrette
Sunflower Sprout Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette
Roasted Baby Carrot Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing

Wilted Brussels Sprout Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

Some people see salad as a side dish, merely something they grudgingly eat to get to the main course. But this is a salad that you'll be hard pressed to just want to 'get' through. Even those who don't like Brussels Sprouts or vegetables for that matter, will enjoy this salad. It's surprisingly light but packed full of flavor. The sweet, sour and salty bacon dressing goes perfectly with the warm Brussels Sprouts and crispy bacon bits. The slightly wilted Brussels Sprouts are still crunchy and have the taste and texture similar to sauted cabbage. It's like a really good coleslaw, but better because it has bacon in it. 
Now that I think of it, this salad would be amazing on a burger, just like coleslaw. Hmm... I'm going to whip up a batch for our next BBQ and pile it high on a burger with extra pickles. Absolutely delicious! Give this recipe a whirl.

Wilted Brussels Sprout Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
(recipe from Cuisine at Home, Nov/Dec 2014)
Makes 12 servings

1 1/2 pounds Brussels Sprouts, ends trimmed, shredded
8 oz. thick sliced bacon, diced
1/4 cup shallots, diced
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 T light brown sugar (I added an extra Tbsp of sugar)
1 T stone ground mustard (I used a Country Dijon)
salt and pepper, to taste

Shred Brussels Sprouts in a food processor or using a slicing blade.
Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet until crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Drain all but 2T of bacon drippings.
Add shallots to the skillet. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Deglaze skillet with vinegar, and whisk in brown sugar and mustard. Add Brussels Sprouts and bacon. Toss to wilt brussels sprouts, 2-3 minutes. Serve warm.

Other salad recipes to try:
Brussels Sprout Salad with Garlic Balsamic Vinaigrette
Green Goddess Primavera Salad
Kale Salad with Strawberry Mango Salsa

Slice of Life: Chef Tech Cooking School

Recently, I had a chance to step out of the kitchen and away from my computer to take part in a networking event for food bloggers in my area.  Small Chicks Big Eats partnered with Chef Tech Cooking School here in Long Beach and held a Bloggers Networking and Cooking Workshop last month.

I found out about the event by chance after having a glass of wine one night with my friend Gina at the Willmore Wine Bar, which happens to be a few doors down. Chef Tech Cooking School's bright lights flooded the dark sidewalk and the smell of baked bread peaked our curiosity. We peered in through the storefront window and what a sight it was. It was about 8:30 at night and the baking class students were taking their glorious breads, muffins and rolls out of the oven. Perfect timing.
Chef Teri waved us in. She let us try some of the warm potato rolls with butter. Yum! As we talked, Gina mentioned that I had a food blog and Chef Teri asked if I was coming to their food bloggers event that coming Sunday. In short, I rushed home, signed up and cleared my Sunday plans so I could make the event. 

It was an amazing day filled with learning, eating, and meeting some amazing fellow food bloggers. We had bakers, home cooks, teachers, business owners, caterers, food editors and YouTube bloggers each demonstrating our love of food. 
 
Let's take a look at the wonderful food, Chef Teri prepared for us.

MENU

Grilled Chicken Breasts

Shaved Fennel Parmesan Salad

Strawberry Rhubarb Quick Stir Cake

Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Here are some the pictures from the event. Beginning with homemade Vanilla Ice Cream. What's the saying? "Life is short. Eat dessert first."
This was unbelievably smooth and decadent.

Next up, the Strawberry Rhubarb Quick Stir Cake. (I would of posted in process pics but the pics were blurry and all around not good...so let's jump to the finished product! Ta Da! Beautiful!)

Now it's time to get those Chicken Breasts in the brine and get them ready for grilling. I've only brined chicken a handful of times and usually it wasn't chicken breasts. It was legs and thighs that kind of thing. Well... I learned that you shouldn't brine legs and thighs of chicken because they have built in fat between the muscle fibers that naturally keep them moist. Brining meat serves to not just flavor the meat but seal in juices. I have yet to do this at home with chicken breasts but believe me, this will be my 'go to' way to prep chicken breasts because they were delicious. 
I didn't get any shots of these lovely ladies soaking in salt water but I did get a post-spa day picture of these hot chicks sunbathing on the grill. :)

AND NOW ON TO MY FAVORITE FOOD...SALAD!

Not only did I get to eat this delicious salad, I learned a few things along the way. I learned the difference between Vinaigrette and Dressing and I learned what that little hole at the bottom of the insert at the top of my Food Processor is used for. It was a full day of salad learning for me! :) 
I'll share what I learned when I blog this recipe in an upcoming blog.
 
Here's a picture of Chef Teri emulsifying by hand with a whisk. Later, she added the vinaigrette to the food processor and emulsified it further. Easy breezy.

Here's Chef Teri demonstrating her knife skills. I plan on taking Chef Tech's Knife Skills class!

(Stay tuned, I will be blogging this salad recipe in the very near future...As you know, I love salad and I love fennel. It's my new favorite ingredient...check out another great recipe with fennel with my Rustic Minestrone Soup with Butternut Squash and Fennel)

At the end of this amazing experience, the one thing I know for certain is that I need to take the Knife skills class. It's a given. I also want to take the Professional Chef 1:Foundation classes at Chef Tech Cooking School in September. Now I just have to save up for it and enroll. :) 

Thank you to Small Chicks Big Eats for organizing this wonderful event and to Chef Teri at Chef Tech Cooking School for opening your doors to this home cook with a blog.  

For more information about classes and workshops at Chef Tech Cooking School visit their website for their calendar of events. 

Check out these amazing ladies:
smallchicksbigeats.com 
figsontop.com
Tanayastable.com
FloriCooks.com
Lacooquette.com
Bakingwithmelissa.com
Instagram@juliegoeshealthy
Instagram@cremedelacroom
Instagram@Kel_Shiroma (thefoodcritique.com)

Spicy Slow Cooker Beef and Sweet Potato Stew

This is hands down the best beef stew recipe I've ever had. The Latin spices and the sweet potatoes in this beef stew sets this one apart. Traditional beef stew is kinda bland to me, but this one is pure greatness. Spicy, full of flavor with a bit of heat in the end. And the sweet potatoes are a nice change of taste and texture from traditional starchy potatoes. 
I substituted the poblano chilies in this recipe for some New Mexico chiles that I got from my friend Danielle last year. I still had one bag of them left in the freezer and tossed them in. Maybe that's where all the heat came from in this version. You just never know how hot or mild those New Mexico chilies will be. I don't mind, for me the hotter the better. But not so great for my kiddos. I'll file this recipe under, "Recipes my kids won't eat". Next time, I'll make it milder for them, substituting with roasted mild Anaheim chilies. Whether you like it spicy or mild this recipe is super delicious and easy because the slow cooker does all the work. Enjoy!

Spicy Slow Cooker Beef and Sweet Potato Stew (slightly adapted recipe from Cuisine at Home)
Makes 12 cups

1 boneless beef chuck roast (2.5-3 lb), trimmed, cut into 1-inch cubes
salt and pepper.
3/4 c flour
3-4 T vegetable oil
2 T tomato paste
4 c beef broth
1 can diced tomatoes in juice
1 large onion, diced (2cups)
2 T garlic, minced
1 T each of chili powder, dried Mexican oregano and ground cumin
1 t ground coriander
2 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 poblano chiles, charred, peeled, seeded and diced (I used New Mexico Chilies but you can also substitute with mild Anaheim chilies for less heat.)
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 T fresh lime juice

Toss beef with flour to coat. Brown beef in 3-4 batches in 1 T oil per batch in a large skillet over medium heat. Transfer beef to a slow cooker and stir in any remaining flour. Add tomato paste to skillet and cook over medium heat, 1- 2 minutes. Deglaze skillet with broth, scraping up any brown bits. Increase heat to high and boil 2 minutes.  Pour broth mixture over beef in slow cooker. Add tomatoes. onion, garlic, chili powder, oregano, cumin and coriander. Cover and cook for 4 hours. Add sweet potatoes and cook an additional hour. Stir in chiles, corn, cilantro and lime juice.  

Other recipes to try:
Corned Beef, Cabbage and Leek Soup
Tomato Garlic Soup with Cheese Tortellini
Minestrone for a Crowd

Ciabatta Chicken Sandwiches with Peppers and Leeks

After a few months of no blog cooking, I finally made some time to cook. Yay! The weatherman had threatened rain last Saturday, which kept me home and wanting to cook. My inspiration for this recipe came from Crockpot Salsa Chicken. You know the recipe, chicken breasts and a jar of salsa...so simple and so good! It's a staple in my house. My girlfriend, Gina had made it the other night while I was over and it inspired me to try an Italian version of shredded chicken. Even though it never rained last weekend, the weather was cool and cloudy. I threw these amazing sandwiches together with a few items I had on hand; chicken breasts, red and green bell peppers and some leeks were the basic ingredients. I also had some Italian dressing mix and some pepperoncini as well. Throw the whole thing in the Crockpot with some garlic, basil, butter and white wine and you're in business. Toast up these soft Ciabatta rolls with fresh basil butter, melted mozzarella cheese and top with this amazing chicken...yum! Enjoy!

Ciabatta Chicken Sandwiches with Peppers and Leeks
Makes 8-10 sandwiches

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 small leeks, white and light green parts, sliced and well rinsed (about 1 cup)
1 green bell pepper, diced (1 cup)
1 red bell pepper, diced (1 cup)
3-4 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/4 c sliced pepperoncini
1 packet of dry Italian Dressing mix
1/2 t dried basil
3 T of butter, unsalted, divided
1/4 cup white wine or water

Mozzarella cheese
8 Ciabatta rolls
Basil Butter (1/4 cup butter, softened with 4 leaves fresh basil, finely chopped)

Prepare all vegetables. Add about half of the leeks, peppers and garlic to the bottom of the slow cooker.  Add the chicken and sprinkle with half of the Italian Dressing mix. Top chicken with the remaining vegetables and sprinkle with the rest of the Italian dressing mix. Add pepperocinis, dried basil and place 1 tablespoon of butter on the top of each vegetable covered chicken breast. Add wine and cook on high for 5 hours. Shred chicken. Set aside while you prepare the basil butter and the rolls.

Spread basil butter on both sides of Ciabatta rolls and add mozzarella cheese to the top bun. Place under a broiler to melt the cheese and toast the buttered side for about 3 minutes or until the cheese is melted. 
Remove from the broiler, pile high with shredded chicken and serve hot. Enjoy!

Other recipes to try:
Veggie Sandwiches with Black Bean Hummus and Sunflower Sprouts
Sliders with Pickled Onions and Spicy Mayo
Chicken Panini with Swiss Chard and Leeks