Creamy chicken orzo

Carbs and protein make me a very happy woman. Fortunately for my arteries and waistline, I also like vegetables. So, the other night, when I had nothing planned for dinner, I threw together some of my favorite things that I already had in my kitchen: chicken, orzo, grape tomatoes, kalamata olives and mozzarella cheese.

It felt good to use up some of the food I already had in my apartment. I’ve had the orzo in my cabinet forever, it seems, and I buy the jarred kalamata olives, so they last quite a while. Plus, Trader Joe’s had a big container of grape tomatoes for less money than four of their plum tomatoes, so I had to use up some of those, too. For the sauce, I simply heated some crushed red pepper and garlic in olive oil, seasoned it with salt, pepper, and Herbes De Provence, and added a splash of lemon juice for some acidity (I had no white wine). The end result was delicious, creamy (thanks to the melted shredded mozzarella cheese), satisfying, and free (technically). That’s my kind of dinner.

Ode to Trader Joe's

I have jumped on the Trader Joe's bandwagon - and I may never get off. I know it seems a little overdue for me to have realized the beauty that is Trader Joe's, but I finally live in an apartment accessible to a TJ's. Plus, I grew up in New Hampshire in a family of six, so we were lucky if groceries came from anywhere other than Market Basket.

For anyone who's behind the TJ times like I was, trust me when I say their food is good, organic, natural and insanely cheap for the quality of food you're getting. Case in point: I bought a bag of wild arugula at the Burlington location the other day for $1.99.

Yes, $1.99.

At Hannaford, I normally pay a whopping $3-4 for my beloved, peppery arugula.

I'm still reeling from this inexpensive find because it can be so hard finding cheap, healthy food (especially cheap produce). Right now I'm in love with Trader Joe's for making it possible for me to eat arugula-based salad and still have some cash leftover to buy tomatoes.

Do you shop at Trader Joe's? Why or why not?

Best deal this week: $32 for all-you-can-eat maki at Uni Sashimi

I love me some mercury. I have yet to eat sushi that I don't like, and I am fortunate enough to get full very quickly so I don't spend a fortune every time I crave the raw fish. However, most of my friends (especially the males) could eat triple the amount of sushi I typically consume. With that being said, I feel like Uni Sashimi's Maki Mondays deserve to be the best deal this week. Every Monday, Uni Sashimi on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston lets us sushi lovers eat all the maki we want for $32. This would be a great deal at any sushi joint, but especially at Uni Sashimi, as their "everyday" prices are typically quite high. The only catch: it's $32 a person, so it's not the best deal for people like me who get full from just a few pieces of sushi.

On a side "best deal" note, Uni Sashimi also has Sake Bomb Tuesdays, where diners get a four course menu and a sake bomb for $35 per person, excluding tax and tip.

Have you been to Uni Sashimi's Maki Mondays? If yes, what's your review?

Roasted summer veggie lasagna (in winter)

The other night, I finally broke out my Frugal Foodie Cookbook in hopes of finding a comfort food recipe for dinner. This meal was also being eaten during the filming of "Food, Inc." in my apartment, so I wanted to make sure it was meatless. Thankfully, the Frugal Foodie has a vegetarian section, and Roasted Summer Veggie Lasagna was one of the more comforting recipes. Even though the ingredient list asked for a lot of seasonal summer produce, the only item I had to omit was zucchini.

The end result was fantastic, and the lasagna was chocked full of flavorful, fresh vegetables. The pesto/ricotta cheese mixture also made a huge (and satisfying) difference to the dish. Even though I highly suggest you buy a copy of this cookbook for your own culinary book shelf, I really want to share this recipe with you here. So, here it is, taken straight from the Frugal Foodie Cookbook:

Roasted Summer Veggie Lasagna

Total price: $20

Servings: 8

Price per serving: $2.50 (can't beat that!)

-2 medium zucchini, sliced thinly (1 yellow, 1 green)

-1 medium tomato, sliced thinly

-2 portabello mushrooms, sliced thinly

-2 peppers, sliced

-1 onion, sliced thinly 

-1 eggplant, sliced thinly

-1/2 cup olive oil

-1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

-Salt and pepper to taste

-1 box whole wheat lasagna pasta

-1/3 cup pesto (store-bought or homemade - I used store-bought)

-2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese

-2 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

-1 16-ounce jar tomato sauce

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper (I skipped this step). Toss vegetables in oil and vinegar; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread evenly across two baking sheets; roast 30 minutes, or until caramelized. Cook pasta until just barely done; mix pesto and ricotta together in bowl. In another bowl, combine mozzarella and Parmesan. When vegetables are done, turn oven to 325 degrees. Layer lasagna in 9" x 13" baking dish (I split mine into two baking dishes, because I don't have a 9" x 13") by adding sauce to bottom, then 3 noodles, 1/3 of pesto-ricotta mixture, 1/3 of vegetable mixture, then 1/4 of mozzarella-Parmesan mixture. Repeat twice, then add remaining mozzarella-Parmesan and any leftover vegetables or sauce on top. Bake 40 minutes uncovered; let site 10 minutes before serving. Freeze single portions in plastic containers for up to 6 months for easy weeknight meals.

The only other thing I would change the next time I make this: I'd cook the noodles for less time (if at all).

What's your favorite seasonal recipe to eat off-season?

Food, Inc. inspired shopping spree at Russo's

The other night, I finally watched Food, Inc. – and the movie ruined me. Or made me a better person, depending on your perspective. I don’t have plans to become a full blown vegetarian, but I am definitely going to start paying much closer attention to what I’m shoving down my gullet.

Since the movie is still fresh in my mind, the last thing I wanted to cook up for dinner last night was mechanically engineered chicken. Instead, my roommate showed me one of my new favorite markets, right down the street from us in Watertown: Russo’s.

Russo’s makes Whole Foods look like Stop & Shop. The good sized marketplace is chocked full of fresh, hard-to-find produce (sunchokes, anyone?), homemade pasta, fresh baked goods, and even pre-made dishes for on-the-go folks.

Let’s just say I was in foodie heaven walking around this place, and was so relieved that not one product I looked at had an ingredient list a mile long, full of unpronounceable words. It was all fresh, homemade, “real” food.

My roommate and I ended up grabbing homemade sauce, pizza crust and veggies for dinner last evening (she footed the bill), but I also grabbed some of the best guacamole I’ve ever tasted (with fresh cilantro leaves and chunks of bright green avocado), a big container of spicy hommus, fresh mozzarella, a red pepper, and a portabello mushroom – all for the price tag of $11.91. Not a bad cost, considering the quality of food I was getting. Financially, I can’t do my grocery shopping at Russo's every week, but I’ll definitely be going there more often for “safer” meats and produce.

Have you seen Food, Inc.? What did you think of the movie?

Recap of Rogue Beer Dinner at Cambridge Common

“We love beer so much, it’s the only reason we get out of bed in the morning.” Amen to that.

Suzanne, one of the masterminds behind Cambridge Common’s beer dinners, said this at their Rogue Dinner last week. After my first beer dinner at Cambridge Common, I had to go back for another. This time, I hit up the beer dinner with Zach, and, somehow, this event was even better than the first. The dinner was also sold out, so Zach and I sat across from another, same aged couple and ended up leaving with two new friends – bonus!

Now, on to the food and brews: I sipped the pre-meal beer, Captain Sig’s Deadliest Ale, while perusing the menu. 

At CC’s beer tastings, you basically get five 6% or higher beers, plus four good sized courses for $50 – and you get your choice of an entrée. The soup of the evening was garlic, cheddar and andouille sausage paired with Dead Guy Ale. Being a vegetarian, Zach was even able to get the soup without the sausage, as CC had made a veggie-friendly batch. The soup was creamy and flavorful, and wasn’t too heavy (despite all the cheese), which was necessary as we had several courses and several heavy beers to go.

The salad was simple, made with baby spinach, toasted hazelnuts, cranberries and crumbled bleu cheese, paired with Rogue’s Hazelnut Brown. The salad was coated with a hazelnut vinaigrette, but the hazelnut flavor was next to nonexistent. The beer was also not my favorite – as one of our fellow diners put it, it tasted like it came “out of the Hershey’s syrup jug.” It really didn’t taste much like hazelnut, and would have been better as a dessert beer, although it did help to cut the tang of the bleu cheese.

The entrée, however, was another story. I had my choice of Crab Stuffed Halibut and a Pork Chop with a Black Lager Mushroom Jus. As if I wasn’t getting enough of a buzz that night, I opted for the pork, which was juicy and perfectly cooked, while the jus reminded me why I finally like mushrooms. 

The pork was paired with Dirtoir, which paired with the mushroom sauce beautifully. The beer was slightly sweet and very dark – but, thankfully, not very heavy. 

Zach, again, was able to get a vegetarian-friendly option, too: the restaurant made him a large plate of yummy, filling side dishes.

Finally, dessert was a Molten Chocolate Lava Cake paired with my favorite beer of the evening: Sebbie’s Chocolate Stout (Sebbie was also in the house that evening, chatting with all the diners/drinkers – I had serious celebrity stage fright). The beer itself I could easily take by IV on a daily basis, and the dessert was decadent, yet not overly sweet. The cake and the beer paired perfectly together, too, without giving my body chocolate overload.

Overall, the Rogue Beer Dinner was informative, delicious, and encouraged social interaction amongst foodies and beer snobs alike. Let’s just say I didn’t leave sober, hungry, or disappointed – which means I had a good night. 

Best deal this week: four courses & four wines at Sel de la Terre for under $40

I’m not sure how Sel de la Terre can do this and still pay their bills, but I guess that’s their worry. Every Wednesday, the Southern France-inspired eatery gives out four courses and four wines for $38 – just above the price of one of their dinner entrees. At the events, diners are seated at large dining tables, encouraging people to socialize while enjoying the chef’s rustic French cuisine, and sipping wine that’s explained to you by Sel de la Terre’s own sommelier. The tastings are also inspired by the changing seasons, and start promptly at 7 p.m. – and are only offered at the Long Wharf location. Oh, and did I mention the price tag’s only $38?