I’ve never made a vodka sauce before, but this was easily the best homemade sauce I have ever made. I found a bunch of recipes online. Some asked for one cup of vodka, others called for only 2 tbsp (!?!). Very few used spinach, but that was a key ingredient of mine.  So, without a clear recipe I ended up combining elements of  to create this amazing sauce. I served it with lobster ravioli, but it would also be an amazing vegetarian dish if you substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock. Here’s what I did (the recipe is behind the cut):

Spinach Vodka Sauce

• 1 shallot, diced fine
• 1/2 small onion, diced fine
• 4 cloves garlic, diced fine
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 4–6 cubes Dorot frozen basil (get it at Trader Joes in the freezer section)
• 1 cup chicken stock (I’ve been singing the praises of Kirkland Organic Chicken Stock from Costco lately)
• 1 can (28 oz) chopped or crushed tomatoes
• 1 large bunch spinach leaves (or a bag of baby spinach). Leave baby spinach leaves as they are, but cut large leaves down.
• Splash of half & half (what I had on hand) or heavy cream
• 2–4 tbsp fresh grated asiago, parmesan or romano cheese
• Salt, pepper, crushed red pepper to taste
• 1 cup plus 1 splash vodka (we used whatever we used to refill our Crystal Head Vodka bottle; a Russian vodka in a less awesome bottle, I thnk… but I digress)

Heat your oil and butter in a large skillet or saucepan. Add the garlic, onions, shallots and basil and sauté for about 5 minutes or so. Add 1 cup of vodka (keep the bottle around for a splash later) and reduce by about half. Add the chicken stock and tomatoes (with juice). When it starts bubbling, reduce the heat. Taste often and season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper to taste.

After the mixture reduces and starts to become thick and saucy, add the cheese, fine-tune the flavors and add the splash of vodka. Reduce a bit more, then add the spinach until wilted. Before you serve it, add a splash of cream to taste. I like a little, but you can use up to 1/2 cup or more if you want it creamier. The little bit of creaminess will help it stick to your pasta. Taste again and adjust seasonings as necessary before serving.

Serve over pasta and garnish with some freshly grated cheese.

We’re not saving any money by joining a produce delivery service. Buying local and organic is hella expensive, and it’s even more expensive to have a Fresh Picks Double Box delivered to our door farm-fresh (or damn near it) every other week. That said, signing up for deliveries from Irv & Shelly’s Fresh Picks is one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. We worried we’d feel that we were wasting money, but so far it’s been worth every penny.

Why’d we do it?
For a couple reasons, really. Sure, we can get produce for much less from our local grocery store, but I love the idea of buying local and supporting local farmers. But that’s not the main reason we do this.

A Nudge in the Right Direction
The most common argument we hear from people considering joining a CSA or service like Fresh Picks, is that they’re afraid the produce will go to waste. But that’s the beauty of this, for us at least.

• The produce is SO much fresher than in the grocery stores it seems to have a never-ending shelf-life. Since we started we haven’t thrown a bit of produce away. We’ve easily been able to cook everything before it goes even a little bad; plus it lasts us the full two weeks between deliveries.
• We’re making TONS of veg for every meal now, and getting creative!! We’ve both lost weight and are feeling loads better since making this change to our diet. Having the piles of veg encourages us to (a) cook at home more and (b) cook with more veg, which necessarily makes everything healthier.
• We’re trying new things? Who knew rainbow chard would become a new favorite? When would I have ever bought fennel, or mizuna?  Probably never, but I’m having so many cooking adventures!

We’ve thought about joining a cropshare program, but the annual commitment scares me a bit. For now, we’re loving Fresh Picks and can’t say enough good things about them! We’re looking forward to a year full of new adventures in cooking with these interesting ingredients!

(Note: I found the photo all over the internets. I’d be happy to credit it to someone if I learn who the photographer is)

I’ve loved the original How to Cook Everything for years, so when my husband and I decided to become Less-Meatarians and make vegetables and fresh produce a more prominent part of our diet I immediately picked up the vegetarian version of the book and I’m so glad I did!!

For the tilapia served in this meal I just seasoned it with some Spice House Chesapeake Bay seasoning, but the star of this meal was certainly the Chard with Orange and Shallots.

Luckily, Mark Bittman has posted the recipe online to share with all, but I’m going to share it here with the changes that I made to the recipe.

Rainbow Chard with Caramelized Onions, Shallots and Clementines

• 1 pound chard, washed and trimmed
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• *1/2 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• *1 clementine, coarsely chopped with the skin on
• *2 tablespoons O Pomegranate Champagne Vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

You can get the prep instructions here.

The flavor was incredible. The sweetness of the orange and caramelized onions, the sourness of the vinegar, the bitterness of the chard greens and the clementine peel that softened deliciously and really completed the dish in a surprising way. I would actually consider making this as a main course because it was so delicious.

The Gruyere Chik’n Cutlets made the most phenomenal “chicken parm” (although it lacked both actual chicken and parmesan cheese). Once again, this was another case of meat? Who needs meat?!

I made a sauce that started with a jar of marinara sauce, a bunch of carrots and onions. I cannot express how amazing this product is. Quorn’s not for everyone, I’ve heard, but it’s one of my favorite things in the world.

CONFESSION: I really want a Mexican grandmother. I make outstanding Mexican food, if I do say so myself. I’m incredibly comfortable with the flavor profiles, but there are some dishes — some of my favorite dishes — that I just can’t tackle. Chiles rellenos, stuffed peppers, and tamales, are the ones best taught, I figure, by a nice Mexican grandmother.

Don’t let the looks of the above dish deceive you. Even though this was absolutely delicious, it’s actually kind of a failure. The batter barely stuck to the peppers and they exploded all over the place. I was barely able to form this one into something that looked appetizing.

But, as I said, it was delicious, despite it’s questionable success. For Meatless Monday I stuffed the pepper with soy chorizo — all the flavor of chorizo with a LOT less grease and fat. I served it up with a cheese and green chile tamale from Trader Joe’s and some meatless Mexican rice.

One of the things I’m really loving about Meatless Mondays is how little I miss the meat in these meals. This felt hearty and meaty.

Also, if anybody’s got a favorite chiles rellenos recipe to share, throw it my way. Or, y’know, if you have a Mexican grandmother, I’d totally pay for an afternoon-long cooking class.

CONFESSION: I used to be very narrowminded about vegetarian cuisine. When we first started Meatless Mondays back in November, we kept things really simple and traditional. Stir fries with tofu, and this, a simple falafel pita. I make my own falafel, mostly because I’m extremely picky about the texture. I like my falafel when it’s not at all mushy. I picked up my falafel mix at the local Mediterranean grocer (god how I love living in the melting pot that is Chicagoland!), but to be honest I think when this package is done I’ll be going back to the Casbah brand falafel that had a better flavor and texture for me.

I made the Israseli couscous with red pepper and some spices, then mixed in some mandarin oranges when it was done. A close second to my favorite couscous salad at Roti, but I was really happy with it.

With our new house comes a new grocery store, and lucky for me, that’s Trader Joes. It’s playing a huge role in my meals now, and with this meal it was a star. Their Mediterranean yogurt sauce was delicious on the falafel and the kalamata olives were super yummy, but the stars of this meal were the Feta and Caramelized Onion Pastry Bites.

If they hadn’t been sampling these at the store, I’d never have known. These were so delicious they were like dessert. Since then, they’ve become a favorite side dish. I can’t recommend these enough!

When I first discovered Doña María’s Ready-to-Serve molé sauce I was really, really skeptical. Molé, a spicy chocolate sauce, is one of those things that I’ve tasted done really, really well and really poorly. And, quite frankly, my expectations were so low that I actually reserved some of the sauce and only made half my enchiladas just in case they turned out bad. But when all was said and done, this was absolutely incredible.

I added a chipotle pepper with adobo to the sauce, which added a really necessary spice and complexity to the sauce that really brought it together. But even as I was spooning it over my enchiladas, stuffed with chicken sautéed with chipotle and lime, sweet onions and red pepper and chihuahua cheese, I still wasn’t entirely convinced this would work.

After baking this at 350º for 15 minutes it was bubbly and smelled incredible. And, when all was said and done, it was just delicious!

I served it up with some Mexican rice (leftover rice cooked up with leftover salsa and a little butter) topped with fresh avocado, and a fresh vine-ripe tomato. It was easily one of the best meals I’ve made in a long time, and you can bet I used the leftovers and the rest of the sauce for an impressive lunch tomorrow. Next time, I’m going to stuff these with nothing but vegetables and cheese for an awesome vegetarian meal.

When it comes to Doña María Ready-to-Serve Mole, I’m a believer.

For the chili mac I add fresh shredded cheddar, a little tomato paste to punch up the tomato flavor, some no-salt-added canned tomatoes and lots of my own chili powder to Chili Cheese Hamburger Helper. I also sautéed some bell peppers and onions, tossing them into the mix when everything was cooked through.

I also love fancying up Jiffy Cornbread, which you can usually get for under 50¢ a package at the grocery store. I follow the instructions on the box, but add a few tablespoons of honey (you can eyeball it), frozen corn and some Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic.

Again, it’s nothing special, but who says every meal has to be special? Sometimes simple really hits the spot.

Lee Kum Kee’s prepared sauces are about the same price (often less expensive, depending where you go) as the super-salty-low-on-flavor LaChoy selections, but here’s the difference: great big in-your-face flavor. The Spicy Garlic Eggplant sauce is one of my absolute favorites for restaurant-quality food at home AND, unlike many LaChoy products, is MSG-free.

Plus, it’s so easy to make! I like to peel my eggplant first (not a fan of the skin), but leaving the skin on adds a cool purple color to the dish. I also add onions, whatever pepper I have in the house, and this time the rest of some broccoli rabe that I bought for stir-frying a couple weeks ago.

I’ve made this with pork and, as I did last night, with chicken and tofu, and it never disappoints. Stick with the American brands if you’re cooking for kids or those without a sophisticated palette, I suppose. But if you’re cooking Chinese, buy the brands the Chinese use.

That’s why I took a chance when grilling the steak for this meal, and it made a really big difference! I just grilled it on my Mario Batalli grill pan, since I don’t have the luxury of a nice outdoor barbecue.

This was also my first time trying Archer Farms’ Basil Pesto Cream Sauce, Target’s new house brand of “gourmet” sauces and food products. And the verdict is… meh? This has sadly been the case for every Archer Farms product I’ve tried, and that makes me incredibly sad. They look so promising, with their pretty packaging and exotic flavors, but so far everything I’ve had has been bland as hell until I doctored it up. This sauce was still just cream sauce — barely any basil flavor — even after I added garlic, a few cubes of Dorot Frozen Basil, fresh tomatoes and peppers and shredded parmesan. The steak was well-seasoned, which balanced it out, and it was a yummy dish overall, but I like my basil cream sauce to be overpowering with the flavors of basil and garlic.

In fact, the inspiration for this dish, Bertolli’s Steak Rigatoni & Portobello Mushrooms frozen prepared meal (picked up for a couple dollars on super-sale + coupon), had far more flavor than Target’s jarred sauce. I think I’ve officially sworn off Archer Farms’ sauces, which is just too bad. There’s too much good stuff out there to keep wasting my time with something that doesn’t work.

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