Kitchen Hack #1: TJ's Traditional Marinara Sauce

Welcome to Yes to Butter Blog's Kitchen Hack.

Kitchen Hack segments are designed to simply and affordably amp up an unassuming grocery item to new yummy heights.

This week we explore the tantalizing potential bottled up in a jar of TJ's Traditional Marinara Sauce - priced at $1.29 for 18 fl.oz.



Vegetarian Bolognese
For this hack you will need:

1 18oz. jar of TJ's Traditional Marinara Sauce or any other brand or homemade sauce of your liking
cooking oil spray or tsp of butter or desired combination (I mixed in a tab of butter)
1/4 cup carrots (diced)
1/4 cup celery (diced)
1/4 cut red onion (diced)
smidge of salt 1/16 tsp ish, if that
6oz of ground meat substitute like Smart Ground or REAL ground meat of your choice
Fresh Basil

Begin by heating a frying pan with cooking oil spray over medium heat. Add diced carrot, celery, and onion. It's important not to over crowd the pan so use a 10" skillet, not your omelet pan. Sprinkle some salt over the vegetables to help draw the moisture out. We're not salting to flavor so use sparingly - there's more than enough salt in the marinara. Continue to move the diced mixture over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes. You'll see wisps of steam come off the veggies. Our goal is to cook off some of that moisture to concentrate flavor. An over crowded pan means soggy veggies.

After the veggies are cooked down add the ground protein substitute and toss. Incorporate the tomato sauce and bring the sauce to a bubbling boil then reduce heat to a low simmer immediately. Continue simmer for 15-20 minutes.



While the sauce is melding, chiffonade your basil then give three more additional cuts across the rags so that the pieces aren't stringy. You can set aside some fresh basil for garnish.

Add the basil to the simmering sauce.

Serve with your favorite pasta and enjoy!

One Dish Dish

The weather has been really weird this year. Not sure if we can legitimately open season for comfort food, but with this dish I'm sure your taste-buds won't mind. This is yet another dish I Frankensteined together with things I found left lying around in the pantry and fridge:

1 can tomato sauce
1 can sliced mushrooms

whole wheat macaroni shells

asparagus
onion
leftover boiled chicken (optional)
substitute 1 can tuna if desired

butter
olive oil
dried oregano
dried basil
kosher salt
smidgen of sugar
2 Tbsp of chicken broth or water

***Start to BOIL water for pasta***

CHOP asparagus into 1 1/2 inch pieces (separate tips from stalk) and onions as desired
HEAT olive oil and butter in a saucepan. Throw in the lower stalk of the asparagus first, onions, and a dash of salt. The salt will help draw moisture out of the veggies. After about 2 minutes add the asparagus tips.

***ADD pasta to boiling water***

Start heating the sliced mushrooms from the can in a frying pan over med-high heat with a smidgen of olive oil.

The asparagus and onion won't brown in the saucepan, but you should start to see the milk fats from the butter and sugars from the veggies start to brown around the saucepan. TRANSFER the asparagus and onion into the frying pan with the mushrooms to brown.

***Check on the pasta. The shells should be al dente as it will cook the rest of the way in the oven. DRAIN. RINSE in cold water to stop the pasta from cooking. PREHEAT oven to 375***

Set aside 1/3 of the asparagus, onion, mushroom mixture.

ADD chicken broth or water to deglaze the saucepan. ADD tomato sauce, sugar, dash of kosher salt, basil, and oregano. REDUCE. As the sauce thickens, add 2/3 of the veggie mix. Turn off the heat.



BUILD in a casserole dish:
Boiled chicken, pasta, sprinkling of kosher salt, the previously saved 1/3 mix of the veggies, tomato-veggie sauce

COVER dish with aluminum foil and make slits or vents for the steam to escape.

BAKE @ 375 for 25 Minutes

Cool slightly and enjoy!

My Minimalist Fried Rice

Today we're going to explore my take on Mark Bittman's take on Jean-George's fried rice. For those of you who don't know Bittman, he a food journalist - most notably for The Minimalist column in the New York Times.
After much testing of the recipe, I've finally perfected my own version of this very simple dish. Let's begin by exploring the original recipe.

The Minimalist: Jean-Georges's Fried Rice - nytimes.com/video from The New York Times on Vimeo.

I cringed when I watched Mark pour all that sesame seed oil and soy sauce over the rice. Way too much! There are a few simple changes you can make to the recipe that will improve the overall texture and flavor of this dish.

Here are a few tips laid out in chronological order:

• Leftover rice is best for any fried rice dish. If you've got a bit extra after a dinner, toss the extra in a ziplock and throw it in the freezer. This helps the grains to break up, particularly helpful when you're using sticky white rice.
  
• Be sure to chop the leeks short against the grain. If you cut them longer lengthwise, it will be a stringy, chewy mess.
  
• When frying up the rice, add a dash of salt and ground white pepper for flavor. Adding some salt now will cut down on the amount of soy you use later. Less moisture = happier fried rice. Don't use cracked black pepper here. Both the flavor and texture will overpower the subtle flavors in the dish.
  
• Instead of frying your egg in oil, try adding some water to the pan. the egg will still cook up the same way, and you can avoid the tough skin that forms in the egg whites that make it hard to break the egg apart.
  
• Use the sesame seed oil sparingly. Don't pour it straight out of the bottle on to the plate. This oil in particular has a very strong aroma - and that's pretty much what you're using it for. Add more and you're not intensifying the aroma, you're just drowning in calories.

A note about substitutions:
In the photo above, you can see that I substituted fresh chives in place of cooked leeks. Though I enjoy the sweet, onioney flavor of leeks it's nice to have a more savory option. You can achieve this different flavor profile by topping the final leek-free version with freshly chopped chives.

Trader Joe's Finds

So every once in a while, I don't feel like pulling out pot and pans to make a meal for myself. Today I found myself in such a lazy, hungry predicament that I drove over to Trader Joe's for my favorite brie. I thought it'd be fun to share with you all my favorite TJ "recipes."

Have one yourself? Feel free to leave a comment and share~!

Red Wine Cheese Ensemble

• Belletoile Tripple Cream Brie (look for the gold label) - Out of all the brie I've tasted at TJ's this is by far my favorite. It has a great balance between creaminess, saltiness, and great cheese flavor.
• Bite Size Everything Crackers - Think of it as a cracker version of the classic Everything Bagel. It has great savory onion and fennel flavor, and finishes with a bread-like sweetness.
• Columbus Dry Italian Salami

Toasted Mini Turkey Sandwiches

• Rosemary Rolls - They're about the size of your palm, are topped with cheese, and come 8 to a bag
• Chive & Yogurt Dip - Super low in calorie per serving of yogurt, without losing the creamy thickness of a cheese-like spread. Tangy flavor is PERFECT for this combination
• Italian Style Sliced Turkey - Of all the sliced turkey I've tried, this is by far my favorite flavor. Oven Roasted would take the silver medal.

Cut the rolls in half as if making burger buns. You have to toast it. This is a mandatory step in the process. You can't judge this "recipe" unless you've tried the Rosemary Rolls toasted. Toasting will reinvigorate the roll with fresh rosemary oil flavor, and the warmth is going to make the bread and cheese topping chewy while adding a bit of crunch. Smear a generous helping of yogurt dip to the roll and top with a slice of turkey. This sandwich is out of this world. Yes, they're tiny... but perfect for sneaking into the theater as a yummy snack ;)

Zucchini Burger

Zucchini - the delectable summer squash. All my life I have desecrated this beautiful vegetable by tossing it into stir-fry, letting it get all soft and soggy... The secret to unlocking its true potential is to grill it!
Zucchini has a wonderfully subtle, sweet flavor and is loaded with water. Like mushrooms, you might have noticed that it releases a lot of liquid when heated. The key is to cook out those juices in order to intensify their flavor.

Zucchini Burger - grilled in the pan!

1 Zucchini
1 Red Onion
dry thyme
1 tsp extra Virgin Olive Oil or Butter (or a mix of both)
Your choice of salt - I recommend Kosher or Pink
1 Tomato, ripe
1 Head of Iceberg Lettuce
Mayonnaise - I recommend Kyuupi Mayonnaise
(You can find this at most Asian food stores)

CUT full-length slices of zucchini 1/4 inch thick, same with the red onion and tomatoes. Set aside the tomatoes for assembly later.

HEAT your pan with either olive oil or butter over medium/low heat. Lay out the zucchini and onion slices (intact like they do at In&Out) and sprinkle over a pinch of salt. The salt will draw out the liquid from the vegetables. The key here is low and slow - if it's too hot, the food will burn. You'll know when it's ready to flip them over by the sweet smell. The sugars in the vegetables will start to caramelize and give the veggies a beautiful color and aroma. When they're gorgeous on both sides, sprinkle a bit of thyme, and give both sides an extra 30 sec to 1 minute to allow the herbs to open up in the oils left in the pan. Set the veggies aside on a plate for assembly.

TOAST your favorite bun or roll in the same pan. Add a bit of butter or oil to the pan if you need - there is usually enough residual oils left so I don't bother. When it's got that golden crispy crust, turn off the heat.

Start assembly from the bottom bun.

Step 1: Spread the mayo on the bottom bun - this acts as a fatty shield to keep your crispy bun from getting soggy.

Step 2: Lay out your zucchini first, then your red onion. I add a smidgen of a sprinkling of salt here. The key point is to bring out the sweetness in the vegetables - do not go overboard and make this into a salty mess.

Step 3: Tomatoes. I think that's pretty self-explanatory.

Step 4: Iceberg lettuce... lots of it! It is in my opinion that a heaping of iceberg lettuce is most harmonious for this recipe. Its crispy and refreshing - and it won't fight the wonderful flavors that come with the grilled zucchini and onion. Go ahead and try your romaine, alfalfa, or even arugula... but once, just once try it with the iceberg.

Enjoy!

Pictures

I'm sorry about the lack of pictures. It's just that I find it extremely tortuous to take a photo of yummy food and drink when it's ready to be consumed... I don't want to spend that extra 10 minutes setting up the shot when all I want to do is put it in my mouth.

Anyhow, I'll try to be better about bringing you more photos in the future.

The New Tuna Noodle Casserole

As I may have mentioned, I've been on a healthy eating kick. Luckily for you, that doesn't mean compromising taste. You know me!!!

How excited was I to discover that tuna noodle casserole is - dare I say - more delicious with a tomato base?!?!?! I know, I couldn't believe it either! Here is the breakdown:

Ingredients:
1 can of tuna (2 oz.)
1 can of tomato sauce (8 0z.)
1/2 cup green beans, freshly steamed
1/2 cup corn, canned or fresh
1/2 red onion, diced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Shredded parmesan cheese for topping, optional
Salt to taste
Dash of olive oil

1 cup whole grain pasta of your choice
(I recommend pasta shells)

Equipment:
Frying Pan
Sauce Pan
Colander
9 inch pie dish or casserole dish

This is super easy!

BOIL pasta according to directions, drain, set aside. Be sure it's al dente - or you'll have mushy casserole on your hands.

FRY the diced red onion in a smidgen of olive oil over medium-high heat. The purpose of the frying pan is not to cook or color our veggies, but to steam away the excess water keeping our casserole flavorlicious. Set aside in pie dish and spread evenly. Throw in the green beans and corn into the same pan and sprinkle with a dash of salt. Watch for whisps of steam to rise. The salt will draw the water out and enhance the sweetness of the fresh vegetables. When that stops - about 5 min later - transfer the veggies to the pie dish. The reason why we do the green beans and corn separately is because they have significantly higher moisture content than the onions. It would be steamed soggy city if we tried to do it all at once - as they say, three's a crowd.

DRAIN the canned tuna and throw it in the pan for 30 seconds. If you don't want to torture your cats or family with the smell of tuna wafting down your halls, you can skip this step. Personally, I don't mind it, but it's no biggie if you forgo it. Crumble tuna across the veggies.

POUR the canned tomato sauce across your veggie tuna mix, but save about 2 Tbsp or so. Salt to taste*

SPRINKLE dried herbs over the dish. Mix the remaining tomato sauce with the pasta and spoon over pie dish - the tomato sauce will help keep the pasta from drying out. Top with parmesan cheese.

COVER the dish lightly with foil and bake at 325°F for 30 min. Remove the foil and finish in the broiler in mere minutes - DO NOT WALK AWAY UNLESS YOU WANT CHARRED CASSEROLE!!!

*A word of caution about salting. There are two very important purchases that affect the salt content of this dish. First is your tuna - some tunas packed in olive oil overseas are also salted. Genova brand tuna is extremely salty. I would stick to solid white albacore packed in water. Second is your canned tomato sauce. Hunts has a sauce that comes pre-seasoned. It's actually pretty tasty, but it is pre-salted as well. If you want to have total control over your sodium, I recommend sticking with the all natural line.

I've made this dish despite it being summer... like... at least 5 times in the last month. It's so tasty and good for you. Enjoy!