Yes, it’s technically spring. But. It snowed last night here. So it’s not time just yet to delve into super springy recipes. Sigh.
So this recipe for Pesto Pasta with Peas is a happy medium. The bright green color is a nod that spring weather is (hopefully) not too far away. It is still a warm dish though, so it is good for colder nights. (This recipe from Inda Garten is originally a pasta salad, so it can absolutely be eaten cold as well)
Ingredients:
Pesto:
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pine nuts
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pasta:
3/4 pound fusilli pasta
3/4 pound bow tie pasta
fresh pesto (see recipe below), to taste
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
Brown rice can take a while to cook but it makes for a great base for a yummy meal. If you don’t want to wait for traditional brown rice to cook, you can always use the microwave pouches to get this dinner ready in no time. This recipe for Salmon and Snow Pea Brown Rice Bowls is from Cooking Light. Ingredients:
This is probably apparent with the different types of recipes I post but I really like some variety in what I eat. As a kid, I ate the exact same meals every day because I was so picky, so now that I’ve (luckily) grown out of that, I want something new and different each time I cook.
I was just send Cooking Light’s latest cookbook: Global Kitchen: The World’s Most Delicious Food Made Easy that is filled with recipes from around the world. The recipes can be made with ingredients you can find in your supermarket, making it a great way to experiment with new flavors. There are so many recipes I plan to try in this book, and you can expect to see quite a few showing up on my blog! Cooking Light also sent me an extra copy of Global Kitchen so I am giving one away at the end of this post!
This recipe for Fish in Coconut Curry (Mtuzi wa Samaki) takes a bit longer than most I post on here (~45 minutes) but is well worth the time. Because the recipe makes a really delicious sauce, I served it over rice. I also adapted it slightly to fit with what was available at my supermarket.
According to Global Kitchen, the recipe is based on a Tanzanian dish although fish curry originated in Zanzibar: Tanzania sits at a crossroads in the spice trade routes from India. That’s why Indian spices ended up in so many Tanzanian dishes like this fish curry. The dish originated in Zanzibar but is now enjoyed all over the eastern coast of Africa. Coconut milk enriches the curry and gives it a tropical flavor.Ingredients:
Now that Lent is in full swing, I thought I’d add even more salmon recipes to my blog. (If you haven’t picked up on it yet, I love salmon. I would eat it every day if I could.) This recipe for Seared Salmon Fillets with Orzo Pilaf from Cooking Light has a bit of a Mediterranean flare to it: a simple seared salmon filet over orzo pilaf with kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, and dill.
Ingredients:
5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
3/4 cup uncooked orzo
1 1/2 cups unsalted chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 cup bottled roasted red bell peppers, thinly sliced
It can be tough to prepare a side dish to go with your dinner on busy weeknights. It’s just one more step you probably don’t want to deal with when you get home and you just want to eat. But this recipe for Asparagus with Tomato and Feta is so simple, you can easily make this delicious side to go with sauteed chicken breasts or seared salmon in no time!
This side can be made in about 15 minutes and cooks in the oven, leaving the stovetop free for you to cook the rest of your meal.
I love comfort food dishes, but they can take quite a bit of time to make. And sometimes after a long day, all you want is a comforting meal without having to put forth all that effort and time. This recipe for a deconstructed chicken pot pie from Cooking Light uses rotisserie chicken meat to speed up the process without taking away from the overall taste of a traditional pot pie. The “crust” is actually a round of puff pastry that is baked separately in the oven to stay crispy.
This recipe takes about 35 minutes to make so you can have this comfort food even on busy weeknights!
Ingredients:
2 sheets frozen puff pastry dough, thawed
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 1/2 cups chopped skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
So sorry for the lack of posts! I just moved and finally dug out my pots and pans, spices, and pantry items and am ready to get cooking again! Because unpacking is still taking up most of my nights, expect a few quick recipe posts in the coming days. I thought I’d get started with my favorite meal: salmon! This recipe for Spice Roasted Salmon takes just fifteen minutes!
This recipe from Cooking Light is so simple but packs a ton of flavor. The salmon is sprinkled with garam masala, a spice mixture commonly used in Indian cooking. The ingredients can vary, but typically include ground pepper, cumin, cloves, and cardamom. There is a slight heat to garam masala, so the salmon is topped off with a cooling yogurt mixture.
February is Heart Health Month, which brings awareness to heart disease, the leading cause of death for men and women, and how to prevent it. A simple way to keep your heart healthy is to maintain a healthy diet, filled with fruits and vegetables (It is recommended that you eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily), as well as choosing foods low in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol and high in fiber.
Salmon’s omega-3 fatty acids help to reduce blood pressure and blood clots. Having two servings of salmon a week can reduce your risk of having a fatal heart attach by up to one-third! (You can read more about it here).
Raspberries have 4 grams of fiber per half cup, with 25% of your daily recommended amount of vitamin C and manganese. (More info here.)
Driscoll’s sent me a few coupons so that I could add some yummy raspberries to recipes throughout February. Their raspberries are certified by the American Heart Association and have received the trusted Heart-Check Mark as a heart-healthy food.
Not only is this recipe a great way to keep your heart healthy, it can also be made in under 20 minutes!
I’ve been in a bit of a cooking rut lately (which is why I haven’t posted many recipes recently). Work has been busy which means that by the time I get home, I just want to eat something quickly with little effort. So I started researching 20 minute meals that are really simple to make, as long as I can get to the supermarket!
Working late really messes with my dinner making plans. When I get home later than expected, I can’t justify making a big meal, mainly because I’m already hungry and just want to eat as soon as possible. This recipe for Chicken and Guacamole Tostadas is perfect for nights like that, it uses shredded rotisserie chicken so that the recipe comes together in no time!
You’ll still notice that the photos are, well, crummy. I was super hungry and had to eat ASAP; the tostadas looked so good!
Ingredients:
1 ripe peeled avocado
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped tomato, divided
3 tablespoons minced fresh onion, divided
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
the juice of 2 limes, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
I am seriously starting to think that Cooking Light has a way to read my thoughts. It’s like they know exactly what ingredient I want to work with next, or a particular product I might be craving, like this recipe for Stuffed Chicken and Herb Gravy. And I don’t mind that one bit.
The latest issue has a recipe for Stuffed Chicken and Herb Gravy with Creamy Polenta that upon seeing in the magazine, I immediately put on my boots, coat, hat, scarf, gloves, etc. etc. and headed for the supermarket, despite the slippery and freezing walk I had ahead of me (it’s a whopping 5 blocks away, but I still managed to almost fall a good 3 times). And I have to tell you, it was worth it.
(I posted this photo to Instagram before I left for the supermarket. hehe)
Chicken breasts stuffed with prosciutto and provolone, over creamy polenta, topped with an herb gravy… What’s not to like? The recipe suggested making it with bacon green beans, but we had some Brussels sprouts in the freezer that I wanted to use so I substituted them in instead.
Ingredients:
CHICKEN AND GRAVY:
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 very thin prosciutto slices (about 1/2 ounce), halved
4 (2/3-ounce) slices reduced-fat provolone cheese
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 cups unsalted chicken stock, divided
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
POLENTA
2 cups 1% low-fat milk
1/3 cup unsalted chicken broth
1/2 cup uncooked polenta (I just used yellow corn meal)
There are some really fantastic sounding recipes in this cookbook. Just look at how I tabbed this book trying to decide which to make for this post!
Included in the cookbook, which features 120 recipe, are:
Forbidden Rice with Hearts of Palms, Mushrooms and a Jalapeno Vinaigrette
Bay Shrimp with Cannellini Beans dressed in Shallots and Cayenne Pepper
Red Miso Short Rib Braise
Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake
Unique Lemonade concoctions like Peach Ginger, Pear Basil, and Cantaloupe Sage
With descriptions like that, I have to point out that these recipes are surprisingly unfussy and manageable to make at home. I decided to make the salmon because 1. it sounds delicious and 2. I have never poached fish before and I love trying out new techniques.
This recipe takes about 40 minutes from start to finish so it is great for a special weeknight dinner (or as a mid-week pick me up!) I changed the ingredients ever so slightly so to see the original, check out the cookbook, available in stores now!
It is fitting that I am able to host this giveaway so close to my blog anniversary! One of my biggest inspirations for learning how to cook and starting a blog to document it was Cooking Light Magazine. My mom on a whim picked up a copy of the magazine while at the supermarket. As I paged through, I was surprised with how simple the recipes seemed to be and how absolutely delicious they all sounded. After cooking a couple of the recipes, I was hooked. Three years later, Cooking Light remains a huge inspiration as I continue to learn how to cook.
One of the best parts of learning to cook is being able to experience different cultures in your very own kitchen. America alone has a ton of different cooking styles with different areas and cities having signature dishes. Allison Fishman Task, a contributing editor of Cooking Light, traveled across America to discover native dishes across the nation. The lightened up versions can be found in Lighten Up. America! Favorite American Foods Made Guilt-Free. The cookbook tackles everything from fried green tomatoes to Philly cheesesteaks.
You can win a copy of this cookbook for your very own! Details after the recipe…
I am always in search of new seafood recipes so I gravitated towards the recipe for Beer Steamed Clams and Mussels. To Philadelphia-ize it, I used a local beer from Philly Brewing Company called Walt Wit.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 shallots, chopped
5 sprigs marjoram
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bottle Walt Wit (or another Belgian White)
the juice and zest of one orange, divided
10 clams (I used larger clams but I’d suggest using Littlenek)
Have you ever started a recipe only to find that you are missing an ingredient? And not just any ingredient, but a key ingredient? This happens to me more than I’d like to admit. Recently, I wanted to make Cooking Light’s Spanish Chicken and Rice with Saffron Cream, went and bought the ingredients, and came home to realize the person who checked me out never put the chicken in my bag! Blargh. so. Here’s a recipe for Chicken-less Spanish Rice with Saffron Cream
I was pretty annoyed, but we still had to eat. So this rice became more of a paella without the crispy bottom. And because of the chorizo, it still felt like it could be a complete meal. Anyways, this Spanish Rice with Saffron Cream was still tasty despite my grumbling for wanting some chicken.
Because I primarily only cook for two, using up leftover ingredients is always a bit of a challenge. When I wanted to make my version of Carrabba’s Cedar Plank Fired Salmon Topped with a Crabcake, I was left with a good six crabcakes. So I thought I’d include some of the ways I used up the crabcakes over the following days in case you need some inspiration.
Because I had already formed the crabcakes, it was really simple to whip up these dishes. The recipes for the crabcakes can be found in this post.
Crab Stuffed Mushrooms:
These were SO simple. I bought Portobello mushrooms, removed the stems, drizzled them with some olive oil, seasoned them with salt and pepper, and added one crabcake to each to stuff the inside. I then topped them with a bit more panko and cooked them at 400 degrees in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the crab mixture has browned. Because I had some of the lemon butter sauce leftover, I heated that up on the stove over low heat and drizzled it over the crabcakes. That’s it! (This is basically a take on my appetizer recipe for Crab Stuffed Mushrooms)
Crabcake Fettuccine with Mushrooms:
I cooked the pasta according to package directions, drained the pasta, and set it aside. While waiting for the pasta to cook, I cooked the mushrooms over medium high heat in a sauce pan with just some salt and pepper until they released their juices, about 15 minutes. To reheat the crabcakes, I added them to a small sauté pan over medium high heat for 4 minutes on each side. I added the crabcakes and mushrooms to the pasta and tossed to combine, breaking up the crabcakes as I did. I reheated the lemon butter sauce over low heat and tossed the pasta in the sauce.
Crabcakes with Spicy Remoulade:
You can also just eat the crabcakes as is, heating them over medium high heat for 4 minutes on each side. In the past, I’ve served crabcakes with a Spicy Remoulade which is really tasty.
Crab, Corn, and Tomato Salad with Lemon-Basil Dressing:
This recipe is a great way to use jumbo lump crab meat that hasn’t already been mixed into a crabcake mixture. It’s especially tasty the next day when the dressing has had time to incorporate into the crab meat.
What are some of your favorite crab recipes? Feel free to share below in the comments!
