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Roasted Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes, Olives, and Feta and Sautéed Green Beans with Shallots

February 14, 2014 //
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Roasted Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes, Olives, and Feta
This simple dish is a little bit salty, a little bit fatty, and super satisfying…
Chix Thighs w Shallots_Web


Sautéed Green Beans and Shallots
The addition of a shallot elevates this side dish from average to memorable.
Green Beans w Shallots_Web

1 ½ lb. green beans, ends trimmed
1 TB. butter
1 TB. olive oil
1 shallot, minced (optional)
salt and pepper

Bring salted water to a boil in a pot or saucepan and add green beans. Boil for about 5 minutes, or until crisp, tender. Drain the beans. In the same pot or pan, heat oil and butter over medium heat. When butter is melted, add shallot and saute for about 2 minutes. Add green beans to the pan and saute for another 30 seconds, add salt and pepper to taste.

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Mustard Crusted Branzino with Sauteed Spinach

February 7, 2014 //
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Mustard Crusted Branzino
I was a little bit nervous making this dish for my in-laws recently. I had never cooked a whole fish before, and even though the fishmonger cleaned the branzinos for us I still had to chop off the head. Eliza got a kick out of that! If you can’t find branzino you can use trout, and there is no reason why you couldn’t just use a fillet of thin, white fish, such as flounder, for the dish instead of a whole fish. However, the presentation of a whole fish is pretty impressive!

(Also, I used dried thyme instead of fresh and it was fine.)

Parisians shopping for fish

Shopping for fish at one of Paris’s markets

Sauteed Spinach
Popeye would approve!

2 TB. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 TB. pine nuts (optional)
2 bags or bunches of spinach, washed and dried well
salt and pepper
lemon wedge

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, when the oil begins to shimmer add the garlic and pine nuts, saute for 1-2 minutes. Add spinach to the pot and stir; as it wilts it will release water. Let the spinach saute for another 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, until most of the water evaporates. Add salt and pepper to taste, and squirt lemon juice over the spinach to serve.

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Spicy Peanut Chicken and Broccoli with Rice

February 7, 2014 //
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Spicy Peanut Chicken and Broccoli
Anything with peanut butter in it is fine by me. It’s what we all love about pad thai; right? I use broccoli instead of broccolini, because it is easier to find. If you can’t find Sriracha you could probably use a few dashes of hot sauce to add a little bit of heat, or for a milder dish, skip the Sriracha altogether. But, if you like a little spice, try and find that Sriracha – it does not disappoint.

Rice
I like Jasmine because it tastes nutty and cooks super fast, but really use whatever you prefer.

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Pasta Carbonara with Leeks and Lemon

February 7, 2014 //
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Pasta Carbonara with Leeks and Lemon

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Let’s get this straight; carbonara does not have heavy cream in it! Its creaminess comes from the use of eggs and grated cheese; capisce? I’ve had carbonara that sits like a bowling ball in your stomach, but the real stuff shouldn’t do that. The addition of lemon and leeks to this traditional dish imparts it with the flavors of spring.

Don’t be afraid of leeks if you haven’t cooked with them before, just beware that they are dirty. After you chop the leeks, soak them in cold water for several minutes to release any stubborn dirt stuck within their layers. The other nice thing about leeks is that they are often one of the first vegetables to return to farmers markets in the spring because they can overwinter, which just means they can survive in the fields, even under snow, and be ready for an early harvest. How’s that for a tough vegetable!

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Grilled Shrimp and Avocado Salad

February 7, 2014 //
1

This meal may seem summery, but it totally works in the winter when you need a break from heavy dinners. Together, the shrimp and avocado salad make a nice main dish, but you could skip the shrimp and treat the salad as a side dish or serve it with chips as a dip. I found the original recipe on Apron Strings Blog through Pinterest, but I’ve changed it a tiny bit.

Grilled Shrimp

1 ½ lb. medium or large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 TB. olive oil
1/2 ts. chili powder
salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. Add shrimp to a hot grill pan, saute pan, or grill. Cook shrimp on both sides for 2-3 minutes until pink. Remove from heat.

Avocado Salad

1/4 cup lime juice
1 ts. lime zest
2 ts. mustard
2 TB. olive oil
1/2 ts. hot sauce
1/2 ts.  soy sauce
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 large ripe Haas avocados, chopped
1 cup of grape or cherry tomatoes, chopped (in the summer, 1 medium ripe tomato, chopped)
2 scallions, just the white parts, thinly sliced

Whisk the first six ingredients together, add salt and pepper, and set aside. Carefully mix the avocados, tomatoes, cilantro and vinaigrette together so the salad is well dressed, but remains chunky. Serve with grilled shrimp.

 

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Brussels Sprouts and Pork (or Beef) Stir Fry and Rice

January 31, 2014 //
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Brussels Sprouts and Pork (or Beef) Stir Fry

Brussels Sprouts and Pork Stir Fry_Web
I actually really love this recipe as is, but we already had beef last week so I didn’t want to make it again. I had a feeling that pork would work nicely and I was right. I’m sure chicken or tofu would be great too. If you do use pork, I recommend a boneless chop; one chop per two people, sliced into strips.

Rice
I like Jasmine because it tastes nutty and cooks super fast, but really use whatever you prefer.

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Chicken Breast Sautéed in Sweet Red Onion and Lemon and Parmesan Roasted Broccoli

January 31, 2014 //
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Chicken Breast Sautéed in Sweet Red Onion and Lemon
I grabbed this recipe from thekithcn, which is a great site for cooking tips and kitchen inspiration. Its sister site, apartment therapy, is where I go while daydreaming about owning my own home and painting the walls anything other than renter’s white. Anyhoo, this is a great weeknight dinner. Quick, flavorful, and you probably have most, if not all, of the ingredients already. My only suggestion is to not add the lemons until you are ready to add the chicken. I followed the recipe exactly the first time I made it and thought that the lemon was too overpowering, which for me is saying a lot. Note – this recipe is for one, but it is super easy to double, triple, quadruple – you get the point.

Parmesan Roasted Broccoli
I can’t believe this is the first time I’m posting a Barefoot Contessa recipe –  Liz Lemon and I agree, that she is the best! Trust me, you will see more of her recipes in the future, in my opinion, she can do no wrong. So with that, I present this recipe which I won’t change at all. Oh, okay I can’t help myself, I have never used the basil and it is still delicious. Note, the recipe is for 6 servings, but it is easy to cut that back.

 

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Italian “Stir Fry”

January 31, 2014 //
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Italian “Stir Fry”

When I was single and living alone, I prepared full meals for myself as a way to unwind. I would either cut a recipe down to one portion or make a larger portion and have leftovers for lunch or other nights. However, a lot of nights I prepared dinner using whatever was kicking around in my fridge and pantry – this recipe is an example. You can make this dish with literally whatever you think looks good at the market or what you already have in the fridge. You can add meat or not. It can go over pasta, rice, couscous, quinoa or farro. It is the perfect “what should I make for dinner tonight?” meal. The ingredient list below is merely a suggestion.

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1 TB. olive oil
1 red, yellow or orange pepper, chopped *
½ red onion, chopped *
1 zucchini, chopped *
1 summer squash, chopped *
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
¼ cup pesto (optional)
½ cup ricotta cheese (optional)
pasta – 3 oz dry for per person

* ingredients that can be prepped several days ahead.

Note – Boil salted water for the pasta as you prep the rest of the ingredients. When you add the pasta to the boiling water start your stir-fry; they should take the same amount of time to cook.

Heat olive oil in a pan and add the next four ingredients. Saute for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add your tomatoes, and cook for another 3-5 minutes or until they start to break down and get saucy. When your pasta is done, drain it, and throw it in the pan with the veggies; add the pesto, ricotta, salt and pepper to taste and mix it up.

 

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Honey-Soy Salmon and Baby Bok Choy with Cashews

January 31, 2014 //
1

Honey-Soy Salmon
This recipe on Eating Well’s website – which if I’m being completely honest, I have never made exactly as written – inspired this recipe. I’m sure the original recipe is great, but I have a tried and true method for cooking salmon that I learned from the Pioneer Woman and now I rarely make salmon any other way.

1 scallion, chopped
2 TB. reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 TB. rice vinegar
1 TB. honey
1 ½ lbs. salmon filet

Whisk scallion, soy sauce, rice vinegar and honey together. Place salmon in a sealable plastic bag with sauce and marinate for 15 minutes.

Remove salmon from bag and place on a baking sheet (in order to avoid a messy clean-up you may want to spray some oil on the sheet first). Place baking sheet in a cold oven, turn the oven on to 400 degrees. 25 minutes later (20 min. if your salmon filet is less than a 1 lb.) remove salmon from oven, and serve. I promise you, it will be perfect.

Baby Bok Choy with Cashews

Baby Bok Choy_Web

I do not mess around with this recipe – it is perfect, as is.

 

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Broiled Shrimp with Tomatoes and White Beans and Garlic Bread

January 24, 2014 //
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Broiled Shrimp with Tomatoes and White Beans

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This dish is incredibly easy and tasty. It could easily be dinner on its own, but the garlic bread is nice for soaking up every last bit of the sauce.

Garlic Bread

Maybe not the healthiest, but you have to indulge once in awhile…

1 baguette, halved lengthwise
1 TB. butter
¼ cup of olive oil
6 cloves of garlic, minced
handful of parsley, minced (optional)
¼ ts. garlic powder
salt and pepper

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a small saucepan, heat butter, olive oil and garlic until the garlic releases its aroma and gets a little bit golden.

Garlic Cooking

Remove from heat and stir in the parsley (if using), garlic powder, salt and pepper. Brush mixture all over the inside of the baguette. Wrap the baguette in foil and place in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, then open up the foil so that the top of the baguette is exposed and bake for another 2-3 minutes, or until the bread is hard to the touch and a bit crispy.

IMG_0743

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