Category: Weeknight Meal

Chicken Agrodolce with Creamy Polenta

Happy New Year! Our unseasonably warm weather seems to have left with 2015, and colder temperatures are here to stay for a while. This recipe for Chicken Agrodolce with Creamy Polenta from Cooking Light’s December 2015 issue is great for cold nights — it’s comforting without being too heavy.

Agrodolce means “sweet and sour” in Italian. In this recipe, the golden raisins provide the sweetness while the red wine vinegar adds a touch of sour flavor to the sauce. The chicken thighs are simmered in the sauce and served with a creamy polenta to soak up the flavors.

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups 1% low-fat milk
  • 2 1/3 cups unsalted chicken stock, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 2/3 cup cornmeal
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 4 (6-ounce) bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
  • 1/4 cup golden raisins
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 ounce pitted green olives, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Continue reading Chicken Agrodolce with Creamy Polenta

Seared Scallops with Chestnut Puree

 I absolutely love scallops. My fiance on the other hand does not. So I rarely make them. But when I found myself with a fiance-free dinner recently, it was clear what I was going to make!
This recipe for Seared Scallops with Chestnut Puree from Cooking Light makes use of winter-y ingredients such as chestnuts and blood oranges to make a simple but seemingly fancy dinner.
 The scallops are seared and placed on a chestnut puree, then drizzled with a blood orange vinaigrette. I added some dandelion greens, which have a subtle bitterness to them that is a nice contrast to the sweet chestnut puree.
Ingredients:
  • 1 cup packaged precooked chestnuts
  • 1/2 cup packaged precooked chestnuts, finely chopped
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh blood orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 16 diver sea scallops (about 1 1/2 pounds)
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

Continue reading Seared Scallops with Chestnut Puree

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

 This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HolidayWithChobani #CollectiveBias

I come from an Irish family, so mashed potatoes are a very important part of every large family meal. If it was socially acceptable, I’d fill my plate just with mashed potatoes and gravy at holiday meals.

Mashed potatoes are quite a staple in my life, so I now find myself to be a bit of a mashed potato connoisseur. I like mine super creamy, but don’t necessarily want them loaded with butter to achieve that creaminess.

I personally like to add in Chobani® Non-fat Plain Greek Yogurt. Not only does it deliver the creaminess I am looking for, but it is high in protein (44% of your daily value to be exact) and is low in fat. The yogurt contains no artificial flavors or sweeteners and is only made with natural ingredients that are not genetically modified.

Chobani® Non-fat Plain Greek Yogurt is a simple and tasty substitute for any recipes that use sour cream, mayonnaise, or oil, making it a super versatile product. I almost always have a quart in my fridge for smoothies, baking, and creamy dressings.

This recipe is definitely a favorite of mine. It uses minimal ingredients and is really simple to make! You can also snazz it up however you’d like! I picked up all of my ingredients at Walmart; you can find Chobani with the other yogurts in the Dairy section.

 

Ingredients: makes 4 servings. multiply as needed

Main Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs potatoes
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup Chobani® Non-fat Plain Greek Yogurt
  • 1/3 cup milk (I used 1%)

Additional Ingredients:

  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Horseradish cheddar cheese, for garnish
  • 1/4 cup chives, finely chopped, for garnish

Continue reading Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Hemp Seed Basil Pesto

During Choctoberfest, I was sent a pretty sweet package of goodies from Just Hemp Foods, including Hemp Protein Powder (which I used in these muffins), Hemp Seeds, and Hemp Oil.

 

This weekend, I finally cracked into the Hemp Seed Oil. I had a bunch of basil that I knew I couldn’t use up before it wilted, so I made pesto, or more specifically, Hemp Seed Basil Pesto!

 

Hemp Seed Oil delivers a subtle nutty taste, so it’s perfect in a pesto. The oil contains the ideal 3:1 omega-6 to omega-3 ratio which supports heart health. Hemp Seed Oil degrades with light and heat, so it’s best to refrigerate it and use it cold. The oil has a green color to it, so it really makes the basil pop!

 

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
  • 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup hemp seed oil
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Continue reading Hemp Seed Basil Pesto

Dubliner Cheese Toasties with Prosciutto and Tomato

Note: I was sent a coupon for a Kerrygold Product through Cooking Light Bloggers’ Connection. Opinions are mine alone.

We’ve had a rainy few days around Philly. Whenever there is crummy weather, there is only one meal that will suffice: Grilled Cheese!

Kerrygold has a nicely upgraded version of grilled cheese on their website (adorably named “toasties“) made with their Dubliner Cheese, an aged cow’s milk similar to cheddar. These Dubliner Cheese Toasties with Prosciutto and Tomato are topped with prosciutto, arugula, and tomato slices, yum!

Kerrygold products are a favorite of mine, you can always find a bit of gold shimmering from my butter dish. Their cheese is also amazing!  The Kerrygold brand is a line of all-natural, grass-fed cheeses and butters crafted at dairy farms throughout Ireland. The hormone-free cheese and butters are available around the world but still come from milk supplied from independent dairy farmers within the Emerald Isle. (I’ve used Kerrygold’s Garlic and Herb Butter and my trusty Dubliner Cheese before in this post for Spinach-Chive Potato Bites.)

 

Ingredients (makes one sandwich):

  • 2 slices marble rye
  • 2 1/2 ounces Dubliner Cheese, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 ounce thinly sliced prosciutto
  • 1/4 cup arugula leaves
  • 2 to 3 slices tomato
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 teaspoons Kerrygold Irish Salted Butter, at room temperature

Continue reading Dubliner Cheese Toasties with Prosciutto and Tomato

Slow Cooker Beef and Bean Chili

Note: I was sent a Rubbermaid’s Easy Find Lids 20-Piece Storage Set to review. All opinions are mine alone.

 

We have had a pretty moderate fall so far, but the cold weather isn’t too far off. This time of year, I like to fill my freezer with different meals so I always have comfort food on hand for busy weeknights. One of my favorites, of course, is chili.

 

I was sent Rubbermaid’s Easy Find Lids 20-Piece Storage Set to try out, so it was the perfect time to make my annual batch of chili!

 

Rubbermaid Easy Find Lids are a life saver – I typically just keep the containers from take out and they are all just shoved into a cabinet net to my stove, with no organization to them whatsoever. So i spend a good 10 minutes finding the right top to go with whatever container I’ve chosen. Rubbermaid’s storage set takes the annoyance out of trying to find the right top — the Lids snap on to the bottom of their respective containers so you can find them in no time! The containers also nest inside each other so you can have a small stack of all of your containers and lids in one spot.

 

The 20-piece set comes with  3 (0.5 Cup), 3 (1.25 Cup), 1 (2 Cup), 2 (3 Cup), 1 (5 Cup), and 10  respective Easy Find Lids. The plastic is dishwasher, freezer, and microwave safe and is also BPA-free.

 

On to the recipe! This time around, I went for a classic – ground beef and beans with some bratwurst meat for additional flavor (I used beef bratwurst, but you can use any type you’d like).

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (omit for dairy free)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 pound bratwurst, removed from its casing
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1  onion, chopped
  • 1 chipotle from can of chipotles in adobo sauce, finely chopped (seeds removed if preferred)
  • 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from can of chipotles in adobo
  • 2 red bell peppers, chopped (or whatever color you prefer)
  • 2 (15.5 oz) cans red kidney beans, drained
  • 1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, drained
  • 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon ground chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
  • 1/2 tablespoon dried parsley
  • 1/2 tablespoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1 cup beef stock
  • 1 tablespoon espresso grounds
  • For garnish: 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped; 4 oz sour cream; 4 oz cheddar or pepper Jack cheese, shredded

Continue reading Slow Cooker Beef and Bean Chili

Shakshuka

Shakshuka (or shakshouka) is an Israeli breakfast dish of eggs poached in a chunky tomato sauce with spices. It’s a favorite of mine, and easily works as a “breakfast for dinner” option for a busy weeknight.

This recipe can be easily customized to suit your tastes. My version below, adapted from a Cooking Light recipe, has a bit of a Middle Eastern take to it, but could also be made more Mediterranean by adding in olives and  fresh basil.

Shakshuka is awesome on it’s own, but is even better with pita or crusty bread, or spooned over rice to soak up the flavors of the dish.

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 red bell pepper cut into thin strips
  • 1 green bell pepper cut into thin strips
  • 1 yellow or orange bell pepper cut into thin strips
  • 1 red onion, sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 (29 oz can) tomato puree
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • a few drops hot sauce, or to taste
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese (omit to make dairy free)
  • 2 cups prepared white rice (optional)
  • pita or crusty bread for dipping (optional)

(note: this recipe is gluten free if served with rice rather than bread)

 

Continue reading Shakshuka

Beer and Cheddar Soup with Grilled Polska Kielbasa

Messaging below is intended for ages 21+ and is intended to be enjoyed responsibly, in moderation. This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #OktoberOnTheFarm #CollectiveBias

I’m celebrating Oktoberfest a bit late on my blog, but the weather has just starting feeling fall-like this week! Oktoberfest is a 16-day festival held in Munich, Germany at the end of September/beginning of October that is famously known for its beer drinking and accompanying eats.

 

When I think of Oktoberfest, I immediately imagine beer, pretzels, and yummy wursts (or sausages). One of my favorite sausages (although it’s not German) is Kielbasa, especially when grilled.

 

 

Hillshire Farm® Polska Kielbasa is made with beef, pork, and turkey with a blend of natural spices to really bring the flavor. I wanted to play off of the smoky flavor as well as pay tribute to Oktoberfest with a Beer and Cheddar Soup to pair with the Grilled Polska Kielbasa. I found Hillshire Farm Polska Kielbasa in my local Walmart.

 

 

Ingredients:

  • 4 tablespoons salted butter
  • 1 leek, chopped
  • 1 large carrot, chopped
  • 1 celery stalk, chopped
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 4 cups low sodium chicken stock
  • 12 oz Oktoberfest beer
  • 1 1/2 cups half and half
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon smoked hot sauce (can also use liquid smoke)
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 12 oz extra sharp yellow cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 Hillshire Farm® Polska Kielbasa
  • the juice of 1 lemon, optional
  • olive oil for drizzling, optional
  • chives, finely chopped, for garnish

Continue reading Beer and Cheddar Soup with Grilled Polska Kielbasa

Freezer Friendly Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

I live in Philadelphia, and last week I was kind “stuck” at home because of the pope’s impeding arrival. So I used the opportunity to cook up a storm! (Seriously, I managed to make Saucy Chicken Over Rice, Chicken Tacos Bowls, Tomato Sauce, this recipe shared below, and a bunch of other yummy freezable dishes. My slow cooker and stove had quite the week!)

 

Here’s one of my favorite “freezer friendly” meals, with directions on how to store in your freezer and how to reheat when ready.

 

These Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells are easy to make, and are great to pack away for future meals (or eat immediately, that’s totally allowed too).

 

Ingredients:

  • 30 cooked jumbo pasta shells
  • 1 15 oz container ricotta
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
  • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 cups marinara sauce, divided
  • Cooking spray Continue reading Freezer Friendly Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

New Barber Foods Chicken Cordon Bleu & Sauteed Green Beans #SimplySpecialMeals

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SimplySpecialMeals #CollectiveBias

 

We all have those nights where dinner is the last thing on your mind. On busy days (especially Mondays), I just don’t want to think up something for dinner, and  I don’t want to spend the money on delivery.

 

Having a main dish in the freezer, like Barber Foods Stuffed Chicken Breasts, is a lifesaver for busy days. I picked up a 6-pack of Barber Foods Chicken Cordon Bleu from my local Superfresh (you can find them in the freezer section) so that I’m set for future dinners. Look for their new snazzy packaging!

 

The stuffed chicken breasts are individually wrapped so you can make as many or as few as you want at a time. Barber Foods’ Chicken Cordon Bleu is a chicken breast stuffed with savory ham and Swiss and American cheese which is then breaded — they recently updated the recipe to go along with their new packaging, yum! The frozen raw chicken can go right in the oven from the freezer, so no preparation is needed. This allows me to get dinner going as soon as I walk in the door, so helpful!

 

I like to make a quick side dish to serve while the chicken is cooking, so for the Chicken Cordon Blue I decided to make sauteed green beans with garlic and toasted almond slices.

 

Ingredients:

  • 4 Barber Foods Breaded Stuffed Chicken Breasts (I used Cordon Bleu)
  • 1 (16 oz) bag frozen cut green beans
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup sliced almonds
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • the juice of one lemon

Continue reading New Barber Foods Chicken Cordon Bleu & Sauteed Green Beans #SimplySpecialMeals

Glazed Salmon and Rice Bowl

I don’t think I’ll ever have enough 30 minute weekday recipes, especially healthy ones! Here’s another one from Cooking Light, that includes salmon, brown rice, snow peas, and quick pickled radishes for a bunch of flavor, crunch, color, and a little tanginess.

 

This is actually two recipes together: the salmon rice bowl and orange-sesame snow peas.

 

Ingredients:

Salmon and Rice Bowl

  • 3 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce (or coconut aminos to make gluten free)
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, divided
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 4 (6-ounce) skin-on salmon fillets
  • 1 cup very thinly sliced radishes
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 (8.5-ounce) pouch precooked brown basmati rice
  • 1/2 cup (1-inch) pieces green onions
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Orange-Sesame Snow Peas

  • 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
  • 12 ounces trimmed snow peas
  • 1 teaspoon lower-sodium soy sauce (or coconut aminos to make gluten free)
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind

 

Continue reading Glazed Salmon and Rice Bowl

Lemon Browned Butter Cod with Hazelnut Pilaf

Have you ever made an Armenian-style pilaf? This style of pilaf adds toasted spaghetti or other noodles to the rice. This recipe for a Browned Butter Hazelnut Pilaf is really stellar. The cod recipe that goes along with it is also tasty, but the real star is the pilaf. The recipe for Lemon Browned Butter Cod with Hazelnut Pilaf, from the latest Cooking Light, is a quick meal, so it’s great for something a little different for a weeknight dinner!

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
  • 2 ounces uncooked thin spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 cup unsalted chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup uncooked basmati rice
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
  • 1/4 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
  • 4 (6-ounce) cod fillets
  • the juice of one lemon
  • 4 lemon wedges (optional)

Continue reading Lemon Browned Butter Cod with Hazelnut Pilaf

Beef Tenderloin Steaks with Chipotle Butter and Bell Pepper Sauté

I haven’t posted a beef recipe in quite a while, so I’m happy that the one I’m sharing is absolutely delicious! It’s really simple to make as well! This recipe for Beef Tenderloin Steaks with Chipotle Butter and Bell Pepper Sauce is from the latest Cooking Light and works great as a weeknight dinner. I paired it with the suggested side, Cilantro-Cumin Quinoa, which was also really tasty.

 

I found the portion of my steaks to be too big, so the below ingredients is a smaller cut than is shown. The beef tenderloin steaks are topped with a simple bell pepper saute and chipotle butter, so a flavorful dinner is ready in no time!

 

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
  • 1/4 cup sliced onion
  • 3 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1 small red bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 small orange bell pepper, sliced
  • 1/4 cup dry sherry
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
  • 3/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 2 (4-ounce) beef tenderloin steaks or 1 (8-ounce) sirloin steak
  • 1 tablespoon butter, softened
  • 1/2 tablespoon finely chopped chipotle chile in adobo sauce

Squash Ribbon Pasta with Lemon Herb Cream Sauce

Late August delivers some of the best produce! I’ve been using a lot of zucchini and yellow squash lately because it’s so darn plentiful right now.

 

This recipe is adapted from Cooking Light and makes the most of summer squash. I added some lemon juice to the dish to brighten it up a bit, but in general kept the recipe in tact.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium zucchini (about 8 ounces)
  • 1 medium yellow summer squash (about 8 ounces)
  • 8 ounces uncooked fettuccine (I used spinach fettuccine)
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
  • 1 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh tarragon
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • the juice of 1 lemon
  • freshly chopped parsley, for garnish

 

Continue reading Squash Ribbon Pasta with Lemon Herb Cream Sauce

Zucchini Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce

It’s probably no secret that I love pasta. My fiance and I eat it every Sunday night. But its so darn hot in Philadelphia right now and I’ve been craving something a bit less heavy to eat.

OXO must have known my pasta-loving dilemma because they sent me their new Hand-Held Spiralizer, which turns veggies into long thin spaghetti-like strands in no time!

Zucchini noodles (or “zoodles”) seem to be all the rage at the moment, so I was excited to try them out myself!

The OXO Hand-Held Spiralizer creates curly noodles from  long vegetables like zucchini, carrots, and cucumbers, while it’s open blade design accommodates round vegetables like beets, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. The food holder keeps hands safe from the blade and the easy non-slip grip container makes it simple to turn the Spiralizer. It is also BPA-free and dishwasher safe.

For this recipe, I decided to make a tomato sauce out of the fresh tomatoes I had in my house, so this recipe for Zucchini Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce is a very summery meal!

Note: I was sent an OXO Hand-Help Spiralizer to try for this post. Opinions are my own. 

 

Ingredients:

  • 9 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped (~3 cups)
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 6 zucchini squash
  • grated Parmesan cheese (omit to make dairy free)
  • fresh basil leaves, optional

Continue reading Zucchini Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce

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