Nourish! The Azerothian Menu

This, my friends, is a dish well named.  If you’re tired of boring ol’ spaghetti with sauce out of a jar, look no further – this exotic sauce put on top of any pasta will be sure to break the “boring pasta doldrums”.  Plus, it’s super easy and quick – an easy dinner to throw together if you’re late home from work or have a raid to get to ASAP!

Usually, I am not a fan of any sort of pasta at home, but the prospect of something different than usual made this much more appealing – plus, I got the chance to shop for interesting pasta!  I found some great fusilli at Vitamin Cottage to make this with and it tastes absolutely great.

Holy Fire Pasta
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of marinara sauce
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon of garlic pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder
• 2 teaspoons of red curry powder
• 2 tablespoons of chili powder

Cook your pasta according to the directions on the package.  (Don’t forget salt or oil in the pasta to keep it from clumping – and make sure and taste it every so often to make sure you don’t overcook it!)  While the pasta is cooking, mix together your ingredients in a small saucepan and heat on medium.  Spoon over a dish of pasta – with this sauce, a little goes a long way.  This is as much about the pasta as it is about the sauce, kids.  Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I wasn’t kidding when I said that this was aptly named!  It really does have some fire to it so I would recommend you might cut back on the chili powder if you know your tolerance for heat is low.

Submitted by: @Arcania of Warpriestess

*stage whisper* (Yes, I know that the name’s not really a Warcraft ability, but it’s so perfect!  Shhh, don’t tell Pix!)

When I saw the recipe for this dip from Annie’s Eats, I immediately thought of this comic from Luann.  I’ll wait for you to go read it real quick.

Ok, back?

Sometimes getting into the habit of having healthy snacks (such as fruit) is hard, since you can get used to super sugary snacks from a box and in comparison, the natural sugars of fruit might seem a little lackluster.  Sometimes you just like to dip your fruit in something sweet!  Or perhaps you just wonder what honey yogurt dip might taste like – if any of the above applies to you, read on!

I’ve never had Greek yogurt before, but I’ve seen several “sweet” recipes call for it, since Greek yogurt is supposed to be sweeter than regular yogurt.  I was a little worried about finding it in a store here in this small town, but I did manage to find these individual size yogurt cups, so I bet no matter where you live, you can find some as well.

The quantity I will indicate would be appropriate for an individual serving, however it’s no trick to double or triple this to accommodate more people.

Honey Spiced Lichen Dip
Ingredients:

• 4 oz. Greek yogurt
• 6 tsp. honey (local is best!)
• cinnamon to taste

Combine yogurt and honey thoroughly then add cinnamon to taste.  Be sure to add a little cinnamon at a time, since too much can easily overpower the honey, which I think is really the star of the dip.  Serve with whichever fruit pleases you – I thought the grapes went especially well with this dip.

Enjoy!

Source:  Annie’s Eats

Just about everyone I know loves salsa – who doesn’t?  It’s good for any occasion at any time – picnics, movie nights, Super Bowl Sunday or just for yourself because you want it!  While the convenient thing is to run to the store and get some salsa from a jar, homemade is always best!  But what makes the best even bester (yes, it’s a word!  *cough*) is using fresh tomatoes – it absolutely makes a difference.  If you have a farmer’s market or perhaps roadside stands, stop by and pick up some tomatoes to give your salsa a little more oomph.

This recipe is roughly what my dad makes, toned down for those of us that haven’t burned off our taste buds.  It makes a pretty big bowl-ful, so make sure you stock up on plenty of chips!  I like to use Garden of Eatin’s Blue Chips – adds a bit of tasty color to the salsa setup.

Ingredients:

• 15 roma tomatoes OR 7 regular tomatoes
• 1 medium largish white onion OR 2 bunches green onions
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3 or 4 jalapenos
• cilantro – handful, coarsely chopped
• salt

Directions:

Chop everything up as chunky (or as finely) as you prefer!  Mix everything up in a large bowl and salt to taste.  You could even put it in the blender and puree it a bit if you have super picky paladins in the house.  If you want to go for the presentation bit, you could garnish it with a bit of the cilantro as well.  Enjoy!

Also, don’t forget about PixelatedExecutioner’s plea for help naming contest!

Submitted by Anea of Holy Discipline

Ingredients:

• 2.5 lbs of stew meat (we use this to feed four people – add or subtract as you need)
• 1 medium-largish onion
• 6 jalapeño peppers (chilis)
• 6 roma tomatoes
• corn tortillas (optional)

Directions:

1. Chop your meat into smallish chunks
2. Dice vegetables
   A note about chilis – even though I have indicated 6 for this recipe, you probably will not want to leave the seeds in all of them. The inside of the chilis is what makes it burn your mouth. Depending on the hotness of the chilis (I find it varies by store/size/color), I will usually leave four of them with seeds in and two without. I will use that as a general rule – you may add or subtract as you think you can handle.
3. Put a dollop of canola oil into your skillet – enough to just about coat the bottom – and turn your burner to a medium-high heat
4. Add your meat to the skillet – after a bit you will see the bottom half start to turn brown. Add your onions and chilis.
5. Cook uncovered about 15 minutes until meat is cooked through
6. Add tomatoes
7. Cover and cook a few more minutes until tomatoes are cooked down into a sauce
8. If you decided to eat this with tortillas and you’re in a hurry, you can just heat them up in the microwave.