Vegetarian Chili

Chili, to me, is a comfort food. It’s great for football games, on hot dogs, french fries or a meal to warm you up on a cold day. We’re all familiar with the traditional chili…meat, beans, tomatoes, spices…you know what I’m talking about. But these days, so many people are cutting out meat and wanting to be healthier. I have a wonderful vegetarian chili recipe shared with me by my sister-in-law (she and my brother are vegetarians) and you’re just going to love it. However, I hope you like beans and can deal with their effects because we are talking about a lot of beans. Let’s check it out…

First you will need to gather all of your ingredients. They are:

4 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 (12 oz) bottle of beer (you can substitute broth for this)
4 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp ground mustard
1 tsp dried oregano
freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp hot pepper sauce
1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained & rinsed
1 (15 oz) can cannelini beans, drained & rinsed
1 (15 oz) can of corn, drained & rinsed
**optional toppings based on your preference are shredded cheddar cheese or sour cream

Now it’s time to start cooking. Grab your stock pot and put in on the stove. In it you will sauté the garlic in olive oil on medium heat. The garlic can either be minced or finely chopped. I use a garlic press. This will only take about a minute. Be sure to watch your garlic closely so it does not burn. That will surely ruin the taste of the chili.

The next step will be to add all of the ingredients except for the beans. Keep in mind there are a lot of cans to open and spices to measure out. I always prep everything before I start cooking so I can pour it all into the pot immediately. Let this cook for a few minutes, then add the beans and corn. At this point, you will want to bring the chili to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Feel free to add more liquid as necessary, either water or broth.

That’s pretty much it! Sounds simple, doesn’t it? If you like chili and all of the ingredients I’ve listed above, you will love this recipe. It makes plenty so be sure to invite some friends or family over. Serve with your favorite cornbread recipe.

Cheesy Baked Tortellini

It’s time I wrote about a recipe from my favorite Food Network Chef, Giada DeLaurentiis. I have made soooo many of her dishes and have been extremely pleased with them all. They’re usually a big hit with everyone I share them with too. My family, friends and co-workers are my guinea pigs (whether they know it or not) and get to try whatever new recipe I decide to make for get-togethers and parties. Her recipes are definitely in line with my taste in food.

Giada’s ‘Cheesy Baked Tortellini’ has to be one of the tastiest, easiest recipes I’ve ever made. It takes no time at all to whip all of the ingredients together. You can make this meal on a week night when you want to get dinner on the table quick and still have plenty of time to relax. It’s actually a great meal for any occasion and doesn’t require expert cooking skills either. If you can boil water, measure ingredients and chop some fresh herbs, you can do this!

Let me walk you through the simple steps of making this meal. First, put your salted water on to boil. In the meantime, chop up some fresh parsley and thyme. Mix together 2 cups of your favorite marinara sauce (I prefer Prego), 1/3 cup creamy mascarpone cheese and the freshly chopped herbs. Once the water comes to a boil, drop in a bag of cheese tortellini. Only let them cook for about 2 minutes though because they’ll finish cooking in the oven. Once they’re done, drain and stir into the marinara mixture. Pour into an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 baking dish coated with olive oil. Top it all off with smoked mozzarella (or regular mozzarella) and parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes and you will have a wonderfully tasty meal to share with your family and friends. Visit the Cheesy Baked Tortellini recipe page on the Food Network website for ingredients and detailed cooking instructions.

Believe me when I tell you that you will be a star when you make this. The creaminess and tanginess of the marinara mixed with mascarpone cheese and the freshness of the herbs will create a burst of flavor in your mouth. You will appreciate not having to spend hours in the kitchen to make this extremely pleasing meal.

I love to serve this dish with warm ciabatta rolls and Ellie Kreiger’s Five-Minute Salad with Goat Cheese, Herb and White Bean.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Dessert

One of the most amazing combinations of flavors in the world is chocolate and peanut butter. It is so rich and satisfying and goes great with a big glass of milk to wash it all down.

My mother recently made a wonderful Peanut Butter Chocolate Dessert recipe she found in a Taste of Home Quick Cooking magazine. The recipe was provided by Debbie Price from LaRue, OH and won 1st Place in a contest back in 2002 for the magazine. When I saw how much everyone loved this dessert, I knew I had to make it for my company picnic. Everyone loved it there too!!

As you will notice in the picture, when clicking on the link above, there are several layers of delicious ingredients that you will dig into when eating this dessert. Each level is so easy to make and the best thing is it doesn’t require any cooking. You will definitely save time without the cooking. When you are finished assembling the layers, you simply cover and put in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

Now let me take you through the taste experience of this dessert. As your fork sinks into each layer then makes its way to your mouth you will be about to enjoy a peanut butter and chocolate creation out of this world! The first layer is a creamy chocolate mixture of chocolate pudding, milk, confectioners’ sugar and whipped cream, then you bite into a crunchy layer of chopped miniature peanut butter cups as you make your way to the creamy peanut butter blend of peanut butter (of course), cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and whipped cream then finally down to the crust of crushed sweet cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies and melted butter to hold it all together. Mmmmmm….does that sound good or what?

I know you’re all dying to learn the recipe so you can run out to the store to buy the ingredients, so here it is:

20 Chocolate cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, divided
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
½ cup peanut butter
1-1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar, divided
1 carton (16 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
15 miniature peanut butter cups, chopped
1 cup cold milk
1 package (3.9 ounces) instant chocolate fudge pudding mix

Crush 16 cookies; toss with the butter. Press into an ungreased 9-in. square dish. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter and 1 cup confectioners' sugar until smooth. Fold in half of the whipped topping. Spread over crust. Sprinkle with peanut butter cups. In another mixing bowl, beat the milk, pudding mix and remaining confectioners' sugar on low speed for 2 minutes. Fold in remaining whipped topping. Spread over peanut butter cups. Crush remaining cookies; sprinkle over the top. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours. Yield: 12-16 servings.

In closing, I would just like to say, the dessert you are about to enjoy may cause serious indulgent tendencies and create the sudden urge to lock yourself in a closet with the entire dish so no one else can have any. Eat at your own risk!!

Marcella's Ristorante

Marcella’s
1319 Polaris Parkway
Columbus, OH 43240
http://www.marcellasristorante.com/

Marcella’s is a unique twist on fine Italian dining. It is one of the newer concepts created by Cameron Mitchell Restaurants. Currently, there are only two locations in Columbus, but hopefully they’ll expand into Cleveland soon!! (Hint, Hint)

The atmosphere immediately feels calming with colors of brown, gold and deep red decor. The walls are adorned with photos, mirrors and cabinets full of wine bottles, bread baskets, cans of tomatoes and more. The banquet style tables are set with paper placemats portraying a map of Italy and white kitchen towels with a blue stripe through it for napkins. There are also a stack of plates in a wire rack to encourage sharing of your plates. Whether you’re dining for lunch, after work or on the weekends, you will be completely relaxed, ready to enjoy wonderful food with good company when you walk in the doors.

Now that I’ve somewhat painted a picture of the surroundings, (and you can view actual photos of the interior on the Marcella’s website) I will dive right into the food. We started out with their selection of assorted olives, a Formaggi (cheese) plate, fresh sliced prosciutto with melon, bruschetta with prosciutto and deep fried calamari. The olive pot was filled with 4 types of tasty, assorted olives. The Formaggi plate is completed with your choice of 6 different cheeses based on your preference. We chose 3, Mozzarella di Bufala (Buffalo Mozzarella), Aged Goat Cheese and Pecorino di Pienza. These cheeses were so fresh and each had their own distinct flavor. The Goat Cheese actually came in the form of a sliced cheese, more firm than the traditional soft Goat Cheese I’m familiar with. You can also order a plate of various Italian meats from the “Salumeria”, but we opted for a cold plate of sliced prosciutto and melon.



Now if that wasn’t enough, we absolutely had to order the Bruschetta covered in whipped ricotta cheese, roasted tomato and parma prosciutto, as well as the Fritto Misto (Calamari with roasted garlic aioli & marinara). Love Calamari!!

Are you feeling full yet…this is just the beginning!! Dinner is served…

Between the eight of us, we tried several different dishes. Starting with the two girls (ages 9 & 10), who ordered from the children’s menu, they were served a bowl of fresh fruit with the appetizers of cantaloupe and grapes, which they happily devoured. One ordered the buttered penne for her meal and the other ordered spaghetti and meatball and boy was this a large meatball as you can tell from the photo. The penne needed a little extra butter which they were happy to supply. They both thoroughly enjoyed their meals, especially the bowl of vanilla gelato that arrived at the end.

The two teenage boys and my brother ordered pizza. These are classic Neapolitan stone oven pizzas with your choice of cheeses, vegetables and meats. There’s sure to be one that makes your mouth water. The two boys ordered the Quattro Formaggi (4 cheeses), which consisted of Pecorino, Asiago, Gorgonzola and Parmesan Reggiano. Not the typical cheeses they’re used to on their pizza, but they absolutely loved it. My brother ordered the Sicilian with capacola, salami, chunks of meatballs and asiago cheese. You can see from the picture that this is a hearty meal.



Now onto my parent’s meals. My father loves veal, so it wasn’t surprising when he ordered the Veal Milanese which is served with Pomodoro Sauce. I don’t have a picture of this meal and unfortunately didn’t taste it but he assured me it was delicious. My mother ordered one of Marcella’s Favorites, Ravioli Mezzaluna. This one I did taste and would definitely consider ordering it on my next visit. As you can see from the picture, this dish is made up of lovely, half-moon shaped pasta stuffed with goat cheese then smothered in a sauce of cabbage and Italian Bacon (pancetta) along with other ingredients that give it a golden brown colored sauce. The taste was amazing. It was very rich and flavorful.



Finally, I had a tough time deciding between the Linguine & Clams and the Spaghetti Alla Carbonara. I’ve had Linguine and Clams before at the little Italian Café down the street from me and loved it, but I had never had Carbonara and really wanted to try it, which is what I ended up ordering. What makes Carbonara distinct is that it is topped with a slightly cooked egg yolk that you mix into the pasta. If you’re not a fan of egg yolk, you probably won’t like it, but I’ll eat just about anything. Not too many ingredients in this dish. It’s basically the pasta in a simple sauce of EVOO (Extra-Virgin Olive Oil), pancetta (Italian Bacon), garlic, black pepper, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and the egg yolk. It was pretty good for my first Carbonara. I love EVOO, garlic and crushed red pepper on my pasta, so this was right up my alley. You could really taste the distinct flavors of each ingredient. The bits of pancetta were perfectly cooked. This is an Italian or Spanish dry cured pork belly that has been salted and spiced. I’ve cooked with it before and it has a rich meaty consistency and the spices give it a great flavor.


I think I’ve probably filled up the page with this post and I’m sure you’re all tired of reading by now, but at least the pictures gave you a visual instead of having to imagine what everything looks like. I would highly recommend this restaurant if you’re traveling in the Columbus area. My only regret is that we didn’t have room in our stomachs for dessert.

Molly Woo's Asian Bistro

Molly Woo’s Asian Bistro
Polaris Fashion Place
1500 Polaris Parkway
Columbus, OH 43240
http://www.mollywoos.com/

Molly Woo's is one of the exquisite dining concepts owned by Columbus based Cameron Mitchell Restaurants. It is an Asian Bistro attached to the Polaris Fashion Place Mall in Columbus, OH. Cameron Mitchell offers a variety of upscale restaurants specializing in Asian and Italian cuisines, as well as steak and seafood. Visit the Cameron Mitchell website to learn what makes each of their concepts unique and how much emphasis they place on quality food and excellent service.

Now onto my experience at Molly Woo’s…

Let’s talk about atmosphere for a minute. The surrounding definitely sets the mood for your dining experience. When you enter a nice restaurant, you expect a nice atmosphere. How about walking into a room that has red lanterns hanging from the very high ceiling in all different sizes and amazing Asian artifacts decorating the walls? That is what you’ll see when you walk into Molly Woo’s and it really makes for a grand welcoming when entering their large dining room.

Now let’s talk about service. When you sit down in a nice restaurant, you expect to be taken care of in a respectful and efficient manner. Our servers name was Melanie and she couldn’t have been any sweeter. She was very attentive to our table and extremely patient and helpful to me when I was having a tough time deciding what to order. Since we had never been there before, she took the time to explain the menu and how we could change most of the dishes to our liking if we didn’t want all of the ingredients or if we wanted the heat of the spiciness toned down. The manager also stopped by at one point to let us know that the ribs we ordered as an appetizer were not cooked to the chef’s liking and since it would take another hour to prepare, he generously offered us another choice at no charge. This is definitely a place that goes above and beyond to make sure you have the best dining experience possible.

Finally, let’s talk about the food. Absolutely delicious!! My son and his friend ordered the Firecracker Chicken, which is a wonderful, tasty blend of crispy fried chicken and shredded carrots in a sweet Thai Chili Sauce. My son’s friend does not like carrots, so they were happy to leave them out. The Thai Chili Sauce had just the right combination of spicy and sweet and both boys loved it.

After going back and forth between several of the dishes that caught my attention, I decided on the Pineapple Curry Shrimp. This sweet and spicy concoction is made up of spicy wok seared shrimp, pineapple, green peppers, onions and tomatoes smothered in a coconut curry sauce. Have you ever eaten something so delicious that you don’t want to put your fork down? This was one of those times for me. The sweetness from the pineapple and coconut milk mixed with the spiciness of the curry really blended well together.

Needless to say, we thoroughly enjoyed our dinner at Molly Woo’s and are likely to return for another tasty meal. Maybe I’ll try their sushi next time…

The South Side (Tremont Restaurant)

The South Side
2207 W. 11th St.
Cleveland, OH (Tremont neighborhood)
http://www.southsidecleveland.com/

I am pleased to introduce the first 'Guest' post to my blog. Thank you to my brother for providing the following restaurant review. Sounds like a great place to visit and enjoy a relaxing meal on a sunny afternoon. Please enjoy!!

We’ve never been to The South Side in Tremont, but it turned out to be an enjoyable casual dining experience overall. After checking out the full menu on their website, we made our way down there on a sunny Friday afternoon to take advantage of the outdoor patio. There was plenty of on-street parking, which is no big surprise for one o’clock in Tremont, and we found a nice spot under a shady tree in front of a house where a local artist was working on his latest sculpture on the porch. Dining in Tremont is only partially about the dining, after all.

The entrance to the three-story brick building on W. 11th seems a little dark and overgrown, but once you cross the front door, you’ll see a long, modern barroom with about a half-dozen tall, wooden tables along the opposite wall from the bar. The décor is bare brick, stone, and wood, with the curvy, marble bar as the centerpiece of the room. To the left is the main dining area/indoor patio, another room highlighting the restaurant’s natural décor. There are another 8-10 lower wooden tables and a fireplace for those colder days. From the indoor patio, a set of wide glass doors opens to the outdoor patio that takes up the corner of W. 11th and Fairfield. Outside, there are another 10 or so large wooden tables, some with umbrellas, that are secluded by large bushes outside of a tall, black, iron fence. During our lunch, a local resident said “hello” to the server and nearby patrons, claiming not to be “peeping, just passing by.” So, there is some privacy, but it doesn’t completely exclude the color and uniqueness of the neighborhood. The outdoor patio is decorated on one wall with a large Scott Radke mural, a former local artist whose work is ubiquitous in Tremont (and around town). The two-sided fireplace also opens to the outdoor part of the patio. It’s a nice, open area for a laid-back lunch or evening out.

For our meal, we started with a couple of drafts, Blue Moon and Dortmunder, from their fair list of beers on tap. They have the usual line-up of Great Lakes local favorites, plus a few other craft beers and domestics. They have a decent-sized full menu, but we ate kind of light since it was lunchtime. I won’t bore you with the details since you can just check it out here: South Side Menu, but suffice it to say that there’s something for just about everyone. An appetizer of fried mozzarella “moons” was a pretty satisfying way to start the meal. Three lightly-breaded and tastefully-seasoned half-circles of quarter-inch thick slabs of cheese were accompanied with a slightly sharp marinara and fresh greens. It was just enough to take the edge off of our hunger before our main dishes arrived. For the main course, I had the “homemade black bean veggie burger” and my dining companion had the “capresa sandwich.” The burger was about an inch-thick patty of mashed black beans, corn, peppers, and other veggies. It came on a large roll with tomato, lettuce, and onion with a side of fresh-made fries. As a vegetarian, I’ve tried different restaurants’ takes on the “veggie burger,” and this was one of the better ones. It certainly was homemade as claimed (many of them are not) and was not ruined by overseasoning or too many conflicting vegetable flavors, which can be the case with a lot of restaurants’ veggie burgers. It also held together pretty well for such a large burger, again not the case with some others. The fries were pretty good being fresh cut, but there were a couple that could have spent another few seconds in the fryer. On the other side of the table, they served up a “capresa sandwich” which is a version of the popular Italian caprese, fresh mozzarella with olive oil, fresh tomato, and basil on a salty roll. The South Side’s featured ciabatta bread, fresh balsamic greens, and roasted tomatoes and was piled generously with the fresh mozz. The portion was good-sized, and there were no complaints about the taste. A side of newly-cut potato chips accompanied the sandwich, and although they were crisp and relatively light, they could have had a little more flavor. Overall, the food was tasty, filling, and made with quality ingredients—definitely an enjoyable bistro dining experience.

The service and prices were also in line with bistro dining. The service was casual, but attentive, and while the appetizers could have come sooner, there was never a wait for a refill or the main dishes. The wait staff was pleasant and agreeable overall. The prices, as well, were fair and what you’d expect for patio dining in Tremont. Our meals and a couple of cold ones didn’t run more than $35, plus there’s never a cost for parking. Besides that, you can’t really put a cost on a lazy, summer, Friday afternoon lunch in the open air of artsy, quirky Tremont. If you’re not expecting “fine dining,” check this place out—it’s a great casual place to grab a beer and a quality meal that won’t break the bank.

Triple Chocolaty Goodness!!

First, let me just say, anything with ‘Triple Chocolate’ has got to be good!! This cookie will melt in your mouth and have you begging for more. The cookie I’m referring to is Ellie Krieger’s ‘Triple Chocolate Cookie’. She has a show on the Food Network called ‘Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger’. She’s a registered dietitian and her show focuses on making healthy meals. All of her recipes include nutritional information too, just in case you’re watching those calories. I’ve tried a few of her other recipes and they’re pretty tasty too. Her ‘Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes’ are scrumptious. Be sure to check her out on the Food Network.

Now back to the cookie. I was overwhelmed with the incredible taste of this simple dessert. I can’t believe something this sweet and chocolaty is actually good for you, in moderation of course. I’m sure if I ate an entire plateful I wouldn’t be feeling too great. The amount of chocolate that’s in your mouth with every bite is amazing. There’s cocoa powder in the dough and a mixture of dark and milk chocolate pieces in the cookie. I used Dove dark miniatures and semi-sweet morsels because that’s what I had on hand. I also omitted the pecans the recipe called for.




It’s healthy for you too, as it’s made with canola oil, which is low in saturated fat and a combination of whole-wheat flour and white flour. Whole-wheat flour has fewer calories and carbohydrates than white flour, and it contains five times the fiber, twice the calcium, and 25 percent more protein than white flour. (Source: howstuffworks)

I have to say, the best part of eating any chocolate chip cookie is having one right out of the oven when they’re hot and gooey and the chocolate melts all over the place. I’ll even throw them in the microwave throughout the week to get that fresh out of the oven experience.

This cookie is definitely a winner and I would recommend it for any occasion and any age group. My 16-year-old son loves them as much as I do.