Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi (Cooking Light)

I made this recipe using my favorite short cut seafood, the frozen peeled and deveined uncooked shrimp from Trader Joe's. I had just about everything else on hand, so I had dinner on the table in 20 minutes and happy boys all around. Both kids love shrimp and orzo pasta is fun to eat for some reason.

Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi (adapted from Cooking Light)

Timing - 20 minutes

Ingredients
1 box orzo
2 T chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper
3 T butter
1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon, juiced

How to Make
Cook orzo according to package directions and drain. Place orzo in a bowl with parsley, salt and pepper and half a tablespoon of butter and cover to keep warm.

While orzo cooks, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large nonstick skilled over medium-high heat. Sprinkle shrimp with salt. Add half of shrimp to pan and saute two minutes or until almost done. Transfer to a plate and then cook the rest of the shrimp in another tablespoon of butter and transfer to the plate.

Melt last half tablespoon of butter in the pan and saute the garlic for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in shrimp, lemon juice and a generous amount of pepper and cook one minute until shrimp finish cooking. Toss shrimp mixture with the orzo and serve.

Serves 4

Black Bean Burgers (Gourmet Magazine)

I honestly did not think these would end up on the blog. I made them last week and was pleasantly surprised that the kids loved them. I will say that Lucas complained about half way through the meal when he realized they were made of black beans. He says he would have liked them all pureed instead of only half, but had I not mentioned that it was a bean burger, he would have been totally fine. The boys ate the burgers with cheese, even though it wasn't called for in the recipe. Dan and I went with the suggested 'southwestern' style fixings - sour cream, salsa, lettuce and avocado. The recipe was healthy and delicious and it took 10 YES 10 minutes!

Black Bean Burgers (Gourmet Magazine)

Timing - 10 minutes

Ingredients
2 14-oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained, divided
3 T mayonnaise
1/3 cup plain bread crumbs
2 t ground cumin
1 t dried oregano
1/4 t cayenne
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
3 T vegetable oil
4 hamburger buns
Cheese, sour cream, lettuce, salsa and avocado for serving, if desired

How to Make
Pulse one can of beans in a food processor with mayonnaise, bread crumbs, cumin, oregano and cayenne until a course puree forms. Transfer to a bowl and stir in cilantro and remaining can of beans. Form mixture into 4 patties.

Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Cook burgers until outsides are crisp and lightly browned, turning once, about 5 minutes total. Serve on buns with optional fixings.

Serves 4

Orecchiette with Tuna, White Beans and Tomatoes

I like to call this 'pantry pasta.' In recent years, I have gotten pretty good at throwing dinner together from what I keep in my pantry. There really are endless things you can do with dried pasta, canned beans and canned Italian tuna in oil. Once you get the basics down, you can experiment with these ingredients and easily substitute in other meats like leftover cubed chicken, fish or even ground beef or turkey. I always like to add something fresh to my pantry meals, even if that ingredient is Italian parsley. Other good add-ins are citrus zest or juice, fresh vegetables, and cheeses that keep a long time such as Parmesan, crumbled goat or crumbled feta. Last Sunday night I made this pasta. Not only did the kids love it, but it made a really nice leftover lunch for work the next day. There were three good sized leftover portions and they reheated well in the microwave.

Orecchiette with Tuna, White Beans and Tomatoes

Timing -

Ingredients -
1 lb orechiette pasta
half of a small onion, finely diced
olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 T fresh thyme leaves
2 cans Italian tuna packed in oil (don't use water packed)
1 can cannelini beans, drained
small container of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped

How to Make
Cook pasta while you make the sauce. When you drain it, save about a 3/4 cup of the pasta water.


Saute the onion in a little olive oil for a few minutes until it softens. Add garlic and thyme and cook another 30 seconds until fragrant. Add salt and pepper generously. Stir in undrained tuna and toss to combine and warm, about 1 minute. Add beans and tomatoes and toss until warmed through.

Stir in the pasta and parsley and then add pasta water, as needed, to loosen sauce.

Serves 6

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Whole Wheat Pasta with Peas and Cheese

I often use whole wheat pasta for health reasons, but I have found that only certain sauces work well because the whole wheat noodles don't seems as absorbent as regular noodles. This week, I threw together a recipe with what I had around and it turned out to be really good. The cheesy ricotta went really nicely with the whole wheat pasta and it almost made a cream sauce without having to add so much fat. The kids loved the little fresh mozzarella and thought they looked like marshmallows. It might have been disappointing when they figured out it was cheese, but they still finished their plates.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Peas and Cheese

Timing - 20 minutes

Ingredients
1 lb whole wheat penne (or other short pasta)
1 shallot, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup frozen peas
about 12 leaves of basil, chopped (or about 1/3 cup)
2 T ricotta
1 small container fresh mozzarella (I used small balls, but you could also chop the large ones)

How to Make
Cook the pasta according to the package directions for al dente. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

When the oil is hot, saute the shallots for about 2 minutes until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add in the tomatoes and cook for about another minute. Add the frozen peas and cook until they are no longer frozen, about three minutes. Stir in the basil.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Add the pasta to the skillet along with the pasta water. Stir to coat and remove from the heat. Stir in the ricotta and mozzarella.

Serves 6

Chicken Thighs with Olives and Tomato Sauce (Cooking Light)

I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with the slow cooker. In theory, it seems like the working mom's dream, but in practice, I hardly ever use mine because I feel like:

1. Everything tastes the same or

2. Food is overcooked and tasteless



Ok, so that might be a bit harsh, but honestly, I pick and choose what goes in. I've had good luck with soup and chili, and Dan's mom makes a mean Italian beef, but that is the extent of the success I have had. So, when this month's Cooking Light had some slow cooker recipes, I had to give it a try. I made this recipe with a few modifications based on what I had around, and it was fantastic! I served it over Israeli cous cous with some nice crusty bread and everyone agreed it should 'go on the blog.*'



* - Lucas now knows what 'the blog' is and frequently tells me what should and shouldn't go there.



Chicken Thighs with Olives and Tomato Sauce (adapted from Cooking Light)



Timing - 20 minutes hands on, 6-8 hours in slow cooker



Ingredients

12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
salt and pepper
olive oil
1.5 t minced garlic
1/4 cup dry red wine (or white)
3 T tomato paste
2-3 t crushed red pepper
1 28 oz can tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup sliced pitted kalamata olives
2 T chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley


How to Make
Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan and brown on both sides for about 2 minutes. Don't crowd the pan; do in two batches if necessary. Place the chicken in the slow cooker. Add garlic to the pan and saute 40 seconds, stirring. Add wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; cook 30 seconds. Place wine mixture in cooker.


Squeeze tomatoes to break them up and add to the cooker. Add tomato paste and crushed red pepper.


Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours (I did 8). Stir in a little more salt and pepper to taste, as well as the olives and parsley.


Serves 6

Greek Style Chicken Wraps

We eat a lot of tortillas, pitas and other flat bread wrap sandwiches. I have found that I can make lots of versions of wraps and usually add or subtract ingredients for the kids so that everyone at the table can be happy. One of Dan's favorite versions is "Greek Style," which consists of marinated chicken with a Greek salad wrapped in either Lavash or whole wheat tortillas. Neither of my kids is a big fan of lettuce, so with the Greek version I made this week, I simply gave them chicken and feta cheese and then added some cooked frozen corn to round it out. Jacob also likes olives, so he got a few from the salad as well.

Greek Style Chicken Wraps

Timing - 25 minutes

Ingredients
1 to 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 T red wine vinegar
1 lemon, juiced
5 T olive oil
2 t dried oregano
salt and pepper
1 head romaine or iceberg lettuce
1 English cucumber, sliced
1/3 cup kalamata olives, chopped
feta cheese, to taste
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
Lavash or whole wheat tortillas

How to Make
Pound the chicken breasts between two pieces of saran wrap to about 1/4 inch thick. Mix red wine, lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper to make a marinade/dressing. Pour half of the marinade over the chicken breasts and toss to coat; reserve the rest for the salad dressing.

Heat a grill or indoor grill pan (sprayed with cooking spray) over medium-high heat. Grill the chicken until done, about 3-4 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, make a salad with the lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, olives and feta. Dress with the remaining marinade/dressing.

When the chicken is done, slice into bite-sized pieces and wrap with the salad in the tortillas.

Serves 6