Meatball and Spinach No-Sagna Remix

Today’s blog is simple.  Visit the original Meatball and Spinach No-Sagna post for a look at a remix of this favorite Krista Kooks dish.  Enjoy!

Surf and Turf Salad

Trying to eat light is a much more frequent thing in our household.  Sure you’ll still see me make sweets, but we are making an effort to eat less meat and increase the amount of veggies and fruits that we eat.  Spotting this recipe in Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Get Real Meals was perfect to add to my shopping list!  We both truly enjoyed this recipe and the salad dressing is really great!

Ingredients

2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 inch fresh ginger root, peeled and minced or grated
3 tablespoons Tamari (dark aged soy sauce)
1 teaspoon ground coriander (1/3 palmful)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon grill seasoning, such as McCormick brand Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 lemon, zested
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus some for drizzling
1 1/2-2 pounds flank steak
1 bunch scallions
16 medium shrimp, peeled, tails removed and deveined
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 hearts of Romaine, chopped
4 ounces baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley (a couple handfuls), chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped

Dressing:
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Salt and pepper
Directions

Pre-heat a tabletop grill, grill pan, or outdoor grill to high.

Combine the first 10 ingredients in a shallow dish. Coat flank steak in mixture and reserve for 10-15 minutes.

Trim ends and one inch of tops off of the scallions. Drizzle EVOO over both the scallions and the shrimp and season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Grill scallions and shrimp for two minutes on each side. Remove from grill and reserve.

Place flank steak on grill pan and cook 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove the meat to a plate, tent with foil, and let juices settle for five minutes.

Combine greens, red onion and parsley leaves on a large platter or individual plates. Cut reserved scallions into 1-inch pieces. Scatter over greens and then evenly distribute the grilled shrimp over the greens.  In a small bowl mix the lemon juice, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce and whisk in three tablespoons EVOO. Season the dressing with salt and pepper and drizzle it back and forth over the arranged greens and scallions and shrimp. Slice the steak very thinly against the grain on an angle with a sharp knife and arrange it over the salad.

Mother’s Day 2010

It’s time to honor Mom!  How are you planning to dine with Mom this Sunday?  Is this your first reminder that Mother’s Day is THIS weekend?  If so, I hope I can help you get ready :)  Here’s some ideas from Krista Kooks to help you enjoy time with Mom at home.  Click on any of the pictures to be directed to the original blog post. Blueberry Delight-Great for breakfast or brunch with Mom. Bacon Quiche Biscuit Cups- Also great for breakfast or brunch.

Fish Oreganata- Perfect main dish for a light lunch with Mom.Roasted Vegetables-Use this preparation method for your favorite vegetable.

Parsley-Paprika Potatoes- Delicious compliment to the 2 above.    Spring Summer Ziti-Just make a simple pasta to share with Mom.Fruit Cookie Pizza- Help Mom keep it light for dessert with this fruit cookie pizza!

Whatever you do, I hope you have a great Mother’s Day with Mom!

Chipotle-Glazed Chicken Breast and Grilled Chopped Veggie Salad

I’ve actually made this recipe once before, but it was pre-Krista Kooks time.  I was actually in college when I made this.  In fact, the first time I made this recipe, it was not NEARLY as good or as pretty :)  As I prepared this recipe the 2nd time around, I kept asking myself, “What were you doing when you made this before?”  Haha!  I kept remembering how silly I was before in how I prepared it.

Nonetheless, we loved the slight spice this chicken has against the very fresh tasting salad.  Best of all, this is a great good-for-you recipe!  Here’s another Rachael Ray Get Real meal! Ingredients

5 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus some for drizzling
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons honey
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 cup chicken stock or broth
1 medium zucchini sliced lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices
1 medium yellow squash, sliced lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices
1 red bell pepper, cut in half, cored, and seeded
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced into 1/2 inch rings
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 ounces each)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 16-ounce sack of coleslaw mix (on the produce aisle)
2 rounded tablespoons honey mustard, such as Guilden's Spicy Honey Mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (half a palmful)
2 rounded tablespoons sour cream or plain yogurt

Preheat a grill pan or charcoal grill to high.

To make the chipotle glaze, in a small saucepot heat about 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and garlic; cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the tomato paste, honey, chipotles, and 1/4 cup cider vinegar, and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and cook for 10 minutes, or until glaze has thickened. Reserve the sauce on low heat.

While the chipotle glaze is cooking, season the sliced veggies, apple, and chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Drizzle with a generous amount of vegetable oil. Place the veggies, apple, and chicken on the grill. The veggies should be cooked in 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until they are well marked by the grill, then remove to cook slightly. The chicken should be cooked for 6 minutes per side. For the last 2 minutes of cooking time, baste the chicken using a pastry brush with the thickened chipotle glaze. Both sides of the chicken should be well coated with the glaze. Remove the chicken from the grill to rest while you put the rest of the grilled chopped veggie salad together.

Chop the cooled veggies into bite-size pieces and transfer to a salad bowl.  Add the coleslaw mix. In a small bowl whisk together the honey mustard, cumin, and the remaining 3 tablespoons of cider vinegar; stream in the remaining 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil while you continue to whisk the dressing. Stir in the sour cream or yogurt. Season the dressing with salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the veggies and toss to coat.

Slice the chicken breasts on an angle and serve them on top of a mound of the salad.

Brazilian Chicken Cutlets with Raw Tropical Sauce

OMG, delicious!  No side needed at all!  This one is a dish all by its self, and a tasty one at that.  There’s also not much major cooking involved in this dish either; most of the time is spent on dicing the tropical sauce.  If you are someone that utilizes help from the grocery store in buying already diced onions, etc., this could be a pretty quick meal for you!

Also, as I mentioned on Wednesday, using Panko bread crumbs is a great way to change the texture of a recipe requiring bread crumbs.  For this dish, I think it made it feel so much lighter/healthier.  Additionally, I mentioned that I began using organic chicken; I did the same here and once again felt the same after this meal.

The sous chef was very impressed with this Rachel Ray recipe!  We ate all the leftovers :)

Click for source:

Ingredients:

1 large, ripe mango, pitted and chopped
4 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
1/4 cup (about a palmful) cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1 Lime
A few dashes hot sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 lemon, zested and cut into wedges
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus more as needed
Preheat oven to 250ºF.

Directions:

Prepare the raw sauce by combining the mango, plum tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, hot sauce, salt and freshly ground black pepper in a medium mixing bowl.  Stir gently to combine.

Flatten the chicken breasts into cutlets by butterflying each piece open then pounding it out 1/4 inch thick.

Set up three shallow dishes on the counter.  To one dish add the flour, to the second add the eggs and beat with a splash of water, and to the third add the bred crumbs, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, granulated garlic, and lemon zest. 

Bread the cutlets by first tossing them in the flour, then dipping them in the beaten egg, then coating them in the breadcrumb mixture

Heat 2 tablespoons of EVOO in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, cook the cutlets in batches until golden brown on each side and cooked through, 4-5 minutes per side, adding more oil to the pan as needed between batches. As each cutlet finishes cooking, transfer it to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while the others cook.

Serve the cutlets with the raw sauce over top and lemon wedges to squeeze over the cutlets if desired.

Chicken Parm Bites

With just 2 people in the house, there tends not to be a lot of snacks around as I don’t typically buy anything at the grocery store that I’m not using in recipes.  Anything else that I could buy would likely be bad before even half of whatever it is has the chance to be eaten.  Thus, I decided to make a homemade snack.  Silly me thought it might last throughout the week; not with my sous chef around.  Once he learned of this delicious snack, I never got another bite.  Literally. 

All that said, these little bites are DELICIOUS and the tomato pesto sauce that goes with with is very refreshing!  I had some leftovers bread crumbs that I used, however, if I could have, I would have used Panko bread crumbs.  If you can, you definitely should use them!
This recipe is another fabulous one from Rachael Ray’s Big Orange Book recipe!  Click the photo to order from Krista Kook’s Amazon store.

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 pounds chicken tenders, each cut into thirds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper 
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup homemade basil pesto or store-bought

Directions

Arrange three shallow bowls on the counter and fill one with the flour, one with the eggs and one with a mixture of the bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, lemon zest and parsley.

Season the chicken pieces with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and coat each piece first in the flour, then the egg and finally in the breadcrumb-cheese mixture.  Set the coated chicken pieces on a baking sheet.

Place a large pan over medium-high heat with 3 tablespoons EVOO. Cook the chicken pieces in 2 batches, turning once, until golden brown and cooked through, 5-6 minutes.

While the pieces are cooking, place a small pot over medium-high heat with the crushed tomatoes and bring up to a bubble. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the pesto.

Serve the chicken bites with the tomato-pesto sauce alongside.

I also used Organic chicken for the first time when I made this recipe, and I really like it!I absolutely believe that hardly anyone would ever taste the difference.  I completely get that.  However, it’s the way I feel after I eat this chicken.  I don’t feel tired like I do with regular chicken.  We’ve had it for several meals now (still to come), and they all have the same effect.  I think I’m changed :)

Tilapia with Balsamic Brown Butter

I can absolutely promise you that this tastes amazing, and the pictures do not do this fish justice at all.  We are so used to having tilapia with a lemon or lime flavored seasoning/taste that it was a drastic difference to have this sauce on top of the fish.  That said, it’s a welcomed difference.

This is part 2 of the dinner I mentioned on Friday in this post.  You can find this recipe with the Creamy Farfalle in the Big Orange Book by Rachael Ray.Ingredients:

4 (6 to 8-ounce) tilapia fillets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp EVOO
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Season the fish with salt and pepper. Dust fish with flour and shake off excess.

Heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook fish 4 minutes on each side, until cooked through.
Remove fish from skillet to a platter and cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Reduce heat to medium and add butter to pan. Brown butter, 2 to 3 minutes, stir in balsamic vinegar and simmer 1 to 2 minutes to reduce by half. Pour the brown butter and vinegar over fish. As promised, here’s a picture of the whole meal! If you want to know if this is good, let me help you…

Of the 4 fish filets….I ate 3 of them.

Creamy Farfalle with Bacon, Tomato and Peas

This is Part 1 of a fabulous dinner that the sous chef and I shared recently.  I separate them, however, because they can be individual players in any meal.  I will share pictures of them paired together for the meal though.

This recipe introduced me to a new ingredient: mascarpone cheese.  I’ve never ever used it before, and I don’t think I’ve ever eaten it before.  I’m not quite sure.

I would like you to take note that I did not slice my mushrooms; I took help from the grocery store and bought them pre-sliced.  Some were a little thick, so I sliced them smaller, but this otherwise made preparation a little quicker.  I’m always a fan of finding ways to make things a little easier if I think I can get basically the same taste out of the shortcut.  It’s kind of a Sandra Lee way, but not to that extent.  Also, this recipe makes a lot of pasta, so I would recommend halving this recipe, even for four people.

Nonetheless, here’s another fabulous Rachael Ray Big Orange Book recipe!
Ingredients

1 pound farfalle, bow ties
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
5 slices center cut bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
12 white mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 (28 oz.) can San Marzano tomatoes
1 (10-ounce) box frozen peas
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup basil leaves, shredded or torn

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the EVOO in a deep large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the bacon and cook for 3 to 4 minutes to crisp.  Add the onions and mushrooms to the skillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook until tender but not browned, 5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, crushing them up with a wooden spoon, and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.  Salt the boiling water and add the pasta.  Cook to al dente.

Stir peas into sauce, return to bubble and stir in mascarpone cheese.  Adjust seasoning.
Drain pasta, toss with sauce and wilt basil into pasta.

Re-visit Your Cookbooks

I’m sitting here browsing recipes in my cookbooks and realizing that I was crazy not to have wanted to make some of these recipes in the past!

You see, as I browse through them each time, I bookmark the recipes I’d like to make sometime.  When I’m ready for recipes again, I open said cookbook to the bookmarked pages.  However, every once in a while, I browse through the cookbook again to remind myself of the other recipes in the book.

Almost every time I do this, I ask myself, “Why didn’t you bookmark this one, or this one, or THIS one?!”  I end up bookmarking even more pages.

As I make a recipe, the book mark goes away as I don’t tend to repeat recipes.

That said, I just wanted to encourage my dedicated readers to really go back and look at the cookbooks you have!  You might find something this time through that you didn’t see before.  It’s like rereading a book or watching a movie over again; you notice something that you didn’t notice before!

Just for grins, here’s a look at some of my favorite cookbooks.  Click on each picture to buy it from the Krista Kook’s Store!

 

Potato, Spinach and Tomato Soup

So, last week, I caught some kind of cold. Yuck! I never really like soup, as I mentioned before in my Cheddar Soup with Tortilla Crunchies post. That soup changed my opinion, yes, but I'm still skeptical of soups in general. That said, I could tell my body really needed some fluid, and I was hungry! FYI, I do not keep canned soup in the house.

I did a search on FoodNetwork.com and found this recipe that let me use stuff that I had on hand in the house, which is always helpful. I did quarter this recipe since I was only making this for myself, but the recipe calls for a 28oz. can of tomatoes when making the full recipe. I personally didn't think that 1/4 of that was enough when making my quartered recipe. Thus, I used a 15 oz. can, and I felt that portion was appropriate for this amount.

This is Rachael Ray another soup that helped point me towards liking the idea of soups a little more. Shhh, I had 2 bowls :) This was really delicious!

Seafood Pasta with Sherry Tomato Cream Sauce

My wonderful sous chef told me he was craving a recipe with shrimp as part of the recipe, so I decided to deliver! He’s not usually a fan of mushrooms, but this one looked so good, I decided to make it anyway. I’m glad I did because we ate every bit of this!!! I think it’s probably difficult to go wrong with a pasta and cream sauce, but still. I think I really need to consider making this a staple recipe in our household because it’s so quick and simple! This is most definitely a 30 minute meal if not a 20 minute meal. I know my mother would love it also, as there are very few dishes involved in the preparation :)

Source:

Click here for the recipe.

The clickable link recipe is a little different from that in Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book. The book's recipe suggests that you use any kind of small seafood meat, such as shrimp or crab meat in addition to the lobster suggested in the recipe on FoodNetwork.com. Thus, we used shrimp.

Eat up!

Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Roasted Pepper and Black Olive Sauce

I know I’m a tad crazy for wanting to make this recipe, simply because of the cost of the meat I purchased, but oh my goodness was it oh so good! If you are not a beef fan, I’m sure this post doesn’t look so appetizing, but, if you are, WOW! Surely you can just look at it and see the tenderness of this tenderloin, right?!

Source:

Click here for the recipe.

Anyhow, the sauce for this tenderloin was made in my trusty Magic Bullet, as are most recipes that call for a food processor or blender. I do own a blender, but I do not own a food processor. Rather than use my blender, I prefer to use my Magic Bullet because sauce clump and cake up at the bottom of a blender; you don’t encounter this problem with the Magic Bullet!

Here’s our delicious meal with the Parsley-Paprika Potatoes and the Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Roasted Pepper and Black Olive Sauce.

Parsley-Paprika Potatoes

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! I'm still playing some catch up on all the recipes I've made this month. These mashed potatoes were a fabulous side dish to our dinner early this month (the main dish is next to come).

This recipe, once again, comes from Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book. We thought these potatoes were fabulous! We liked the spice of the hot sauce and the flavor of the sweet paprika all at once.

Ingredients:

4 pounds baby red-skinned or baby Yukon gold potatoes, halved if large

Salt

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, cut into small pieces

1 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, a couple of handfuls, finely chopped

2 teaspoons hot sauce

1 tablespoon sweet paprika, a palmful

Black Pepper

Place the potatoes in a deep pot and cover with water. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. When the water boils, salt the water and cook the potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return to the hot pot. Add the butter, stock, parsley, hot sauce, and paprika and smash the potatoes to the desired consistency. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper to taste.