Mussels Mariniere

This is a simple dish to prepare with a huge pay off. With just a few ingredients and only a few minutes of your time, you can make mussels mariniere for yourself or friends.

Here are the ingredients for this dish:
Mussels, butter, shallot, garlic, dry white wine & parsley.


Start by cleaning your mussels making sure to remove the "beard" from them and only keeping the ones that are closed. Rinse them off in cool water and scrub the outside shells with a brush to remove any debris.

Heat a large pan (that has a tight fitting lid) to medium high heat and add equal parts of butter & olive oil to the pan.



Add your sliced shallots and chopped garlic and sweat them for a few minutes until slightly soft. You don't want to brown them.



Now add your white wine & mussels:



Then cover the pot tightly to steam them for about 4 - 6 minutes. You can shake the pan to disperse them evenly.



You'll know the mussels are ready when they all open up. Discard any that do not open! Now add some chopped parsley and toss in the pan a bit.



Serve them with crusty bread (which is essential to sopping up all that great sauce!) and enjoy!




cheers!
xo diane
thepantrychallenge@gmail.com

Banana Crunch Muffins

Often I buy a small bunch of bananas to have as a snack, for breakfast etc. but for some reason, I don't always get around to eating them all before they get too ripe. I like banana bread and all, but wanted an alternative to that, maybe something more individually portioned. So I made these banana crunch muffins. They are SUPER moist (which I don't always get with the banana bread) and have an amazing crunch topping which gives them a little texture as well.

Here are the ingredients you need for this recipe:



Start with preheating your oven to 375ºF. Lightly grease 10 muffin cups or line with muffin papers.

Mix 1 1/2 C flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder & 1/2 tsp salt in a large bowl.



In another bowl beat together 3 ripe bananas, 3/4 C white sugar, 1 egg (slightly beaten) & 1/3 C melted butter. I used my Kitchen Aid for this with the paddle attachment.



Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened.



Spoon into prepared muffin cups filling about 2/3 of the way.



Here are the ingredients for the crunch topping:



In a small bowl mix together 1/3 C packed brown sugar, 2 TBSP flour, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon. Cut 1 TBSP of cold butter into the mixture until you have something the consistency of coarse cornmeal.



Sprinkle the topping over the muffin batter.



Bake for 18 - 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven and place onto cooling rack.



This is what it looks like inside. I had to dig right in...so moist & I love the crunchy topping! Enjoy!



cheers!
xo diane

Pumpkin Cheesecake Empanadas with Maple Glaze

I figured with the holidays here I would share with you one of the easiest recipes that I like to make instead of baking a pumpkin pie. Pumpkin Cheesecake Empanadas have a flaky crust with a moist filling and sweet glaze. This recipe makes 16 empanadas.

Here are the ingredients used for this dish:



Heat oven to 350ºF. In a large bowl blend room temperature creme cheese with 2/3 C brown sugar. Gradually add in 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. ground ginger, 1/2 tsp. ground cloves and 2 eggs. Beat until smooth. Add one 15 oz. can of pumpkin pureé and blend until creamy.



Next you need a can of 8 biscuits. Separate your biscuits into 8 individual pieces. Using a serrated knife cut each biscuit in half horizontally to create 16 rounds of dough. (My dough has yellow pieces in it since it was a "butter" flavored biscuit.)



On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece of dough to about a 4" circle.



Spoon about 1 - 2 Tablespoons of filling onto the center of the dough.



Now fold dough in half over filling and crimp edges with a fork to seal. Brush with egg whites. If you didn't want to use glaze on your empanadas you could sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the top before baking.



Here is the first batch ready for the oven.



Bake them for about 15 minutes until golden brown. Allow them to cool for at least 20-30 minutes.



While they are cooling you can make the glaze. In a bowl measure about 1 C. of powdered sugar and slowly whisk in a small amount of maple syrup until you have a nice glaze consistency. (not too thin!)



Using a fork slowly drizzle the glaze over the cooled empanada & enjoy!



I hope you all have a wonderful & safe Thanksgiving!

cheers!
xo Diane

Kale & Sausage Soup with Potatoes & White Beans

I was watching Top Chef last night where Kevin smoked some kale and that was it. I needed to make some kale soup today. The weather literally changed as I was making this beautiful pot of soup so when I finished, it was chilly enough to enjoy it!

So here's my take on this classic soup. Kale, potatoes, cannellini beans, tomatoes, & even some sausage & a bit of bacon in it, which obviously can be omitted for those who are vegetarian. Its quite hearty while still being relatively healthy (if you don't count the meat)

Here are the ingredients for this dish:



You start by cooking your bacon. I chop mine into smaller pieces then remove them with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel once they are nice & crispy.



Next you can brown your sausage in the bacon drippings. Yes, this might add a bit more fat, but don't ever forget that fat = flavor. :) While the sausage is cooking chop your onions, celery, carrot, garlic, potatoes & kale.



Look at how beautiful this kale is!



Remove the sausage from the pot and set aside. Now in the remaining oil in the pan you can sautee your onions, celery & carrot together for a few minutes then add your garlic. Season with salt & pepper.

Once those are slightly soft add 4 cups of broth (either chicken or vegetable) and your potatoes. Let this cook for about 5 minutes.



Now add your chopped tomatoes, can of cannellini beans (rinsed & drained) and kale.



Cook now for another 5 minutes or so, then add back in your sausage. Once that is heated through taste the soup for seasoning. I added a pretty nice sized pinch of red chili flakes to mine...not to add too much heat, but just to boost the flavors of everything up.



Top with some bacon bits and voila!




I can't wait to go have a second bowl now for dinner. Served with some crusty bread and I'm all set! Enjoy!

cheers!
xo diane
thepantrychallenge@gmail.com

Spicy Carrot Soup

I'm down to the nitty gritty in my fridge which means I am getting really creative. Although, the best thing to do when you think you have absolutely nothing to eat is to make soup. So few ingredients are needed to really make something super flavorful & satisfying.

Here are the ingredients needed for this dish:



Start by chopping up your onion, carrots, celery & garlic. I always find it easier to cook when you have everything prepped and ready to go. Heat up a large pot to medium heat and saute your onions for a few minutes.



Then add your carrots, celery & garlic.



Cook for about 4 minutes then add 1 - 2 teaspoons of red curry paste. (depending on how hot you like it), 1 teaspoon of ground ginger & 4 cups of broth. It's up to you on what type you'd like to use...either chicken or vegetable broth work here.



Now bring this to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook until the carrots are tender. (The timing will depend on how small you chopped your carrots.)



While the soup is cooking I like to make home made croutons to add as a garnish. Start by cutting up some bread into cubes.



Season with a drizzle of olive oil, garlic powder, salt & pepper. Move them to a baking sheet and bake at 350º for about 10 minutes.



Keep an eye on them so they don't burn, and be sure to stir them up a bit so that all the edges get nice & golden brown.



These make such a nice snack as you're waiting....



Once the carrots are cooked your soup is ready. I like to puree my soup a bit to smooth out the texture, but not so much that its paste. I use my stick blender for this step.



Taste for seasoning and add anything you might need...salt or maybe some butter? :)
Serve and top with the crunchy croutons. I also topped it with some chives & a drizzle of olive oil.



This is one of the simplest & quickest meals you can make. Its also quite healthy too! Enjoy!

cheers!
xo diane
email me for the recipe card: thepantrychallenge@gmail.com

Quickie Recipe 4 - Day 2 Pasta: Butternut Squash, Peas & Bacon

Today I had a wonderful idea as to what I could create from the left over pasta dough & butternut squash filling that I had left over from the ravioli recipe the other day. I basically thought to "deconstruct" the ravioli, using the filling as the "sauce" then adding a few more ingredients for flavor & texture.

First I just rolled out some of the pasta and cut it with my pizza cutter into small strips (think fetuccini or smaller).



As the noodles were cooking I slowly heated up a tablespoon of butter, about 1 cup of the filling and about 1/4 C of milk. Once that was incorporated I added about 1/3 C of frozen peas and about 3 TBSP of crumbled bacon.



Once the pasta cooks add it to the filling and toss. At this point you also want to add a spoonful of the pasta water.



I served mine with cracked black pepper & a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.



It was so simple and the sweetness of the squash & peas was nicely balanced by the salty & smoky bacon. Enjoy!




cheers!
xo diane