I’m kind of on a Sheet Pan kick. I love how simple they are, and how easy cleanup is! And this recipe for Sheet Pan Blackened Shrimp with Citrus and Roasted Fennel is no different!
This recipe is adapted from a Cooking Light recipe to make it a pure sheet pan meal.
I know the combination of flavors may seem a bit odd, but it really comes together in the end. My husband even asked for this to be put in our normal dinner rotation!
Ingredients:
2 small oranges (I used one navel, one blood orange)
2 medium fennel bulbs with stalks
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 small shallots, halved
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on
I realized this weekend as I was making some of my favorite St. Patrick’s Day foods that I have not written a post on Colcannon!
Colcannon is mashed potatoes with sautéed greens mixed in, typically either cabbage or kale.
It’s pretty awesome Irish comfort food in my opinion. It’s so engrained in Irish cooking that it even has it’s own song!
Did you ever eat Colcannon, made from lovely pickled cream? With the greens and scallions mingled like a picture in a dream. Did you ever make a hole on top to hold the melting flake Of the creamy, flavoured butter that your mother used to make?
This version uses shallots, leeks, and kale, but this recipe can easily be adapted to incorporate any green you prefer.
Over the last few years, my husband and I have moved too many times. Since 2014, we have lived in five different apartments/houses. Somehow in one of those many moves, I lost (or threw out) my paella pan. Sigh.
Paella is a favorite of mine. I love the combination of crispy rice, seafood, and spice. So when I saw this Epicurious recipe for a sheet pan version, I knew I had to try it.
I didn’t exactly stick to the original recipe, given what I could find in my post-snow supermarket. But one of the best parts about paella is you can basically throw in whatever you may have on hand to make the recipe yours! So here’s my adapted version – Sheet Pan Paella!
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup rice
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 teaspoon saffron, crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
2 links of Spanish chorizo (about 6 oz)
1 shallot, thinly sliced
6 ounces medium shrimp, peeled, deviened, tails left intact
~2 dozen clams, scrubbed
1 (14 oz can) fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained
Note: This post is sponsored by Moyer Beef. All opinions are mine alone.
I’m excited to share that my blog is about to get considerably more beefy! For the next few months, I’ve partnered with Moyer Beef to share some awesome beef recipes. Moyer Beef sources beef and angus beef locally from small family farms in the Northeast. I’ve been sent a bunch of different cuts, so I can’t wait to share some recipes!
Source: moyerbeef.com
First up, I decided to make a grilled meal using Moyer Beef’s Angus New York Strip Steaks. New York Strip Steak is also known as Kansas City Strip Steak or Ambassador Steak in the US and Sirloin Steak or Porterhouse Steak in Europe. This cut is particularly tender and flavorful. Angus New York Strip Steak, known for their marbling, are even more flavorful (marbling = flavor). This cut of steak comes from the short loin, along the back of the cow. (Fun fact = a T-bone steak is a New York Strip Steak with the bone and tenderloin still attached.)
So, in my opinion, the flavor of a New York Strip Steak should be allowed to mostly shine on its own. Adding a bit of fancy butter on top won’t hurt though, right?
Playing off the flavors of the Honey-Tarragon Blue Cheese Butter, I also made Grilled Tarragon Potatoes to go with the steak. The result is these crave worthy recipes for Grilled New York Strip Steak with Honey-Tarragon Blue Cheese Butter & Grilled Tarragon Potatoes!
There is a little cafe in Old City Philadelphia that I absolutely love called Wedge and Fig. It’s essentially a cheese shop converted into a bistro, so they really know how to choose the best cheese for a particular dish. One of my absolute favorite dishes they serve on their brunch menu is a spinach and cheese strata “savory layers of egg, Cantal cheese, spinach, shallots and bread.” It’s absolutely fantastic.
This weekend, I kind of had an epiphany: strata is a great make ahead option! I decided to make a batch of my own ahead of a busy week, and then portioned it out into containers to bring into work.
Like Wedge and Fig’s version, I used Cantal cheese, spinach and shallots. Cantal is a farmhouse cheese from France that has a flavor somewhat similar to Cheddar — buttery and tangy. I added in some Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese as well as some sourdough bread to bring a bit more tanginess to the dish.
This weekend, my fiancé went fishing with a friend and his friend’s father. They had quite a successful trip, and came home with a ton of Rockfish! Rockfish, also known as striped bass, is a mild whitefish that can be prepared many different ways, so I was jazzed!
We had some that night on the grill (yum!), but there was plenty left over, and my fiance’s friend was nice enough to send us home with more fish. I had a hankering for fish tacos, so these Rockfish Tacos are the end result! Rockfish, or striped bass, is the perfect balance of flaky and meaty, so it works wonderfully in tacos.
Ingredients:
1 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 tablespoon cilantro chopped, plus more for garnish
the juice and zest of 1 lime
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large fillet rockfish (striped bass), skin removed (~1.5 lb)
I can’t say that I know much about Hawaiian food, past that I assume is it fish-heavy and influenced by tropical and Asian/Polynesian flavors (with their favorite canned meat, Spam, sprinkled in, of course). So when I was given the opportunity to review Tommy Bahama‘s FLAVORS of ALOHA: Cooking with Tommy Bahama (paid link), I was really curious to see what the cookbook had in store.
The cookbook is filled with quite the range of dishes, from appetizers to dessert. Written by Rick Rodgers, the cookbook transports you to Hawaii through 100+ island-inspired recipes including:
Tuna Poke with Guacamole and Flatbread
Flavorful Ono Oxtail Soup
Saimin with Asian Chicken Broth (arguably Hawaii’s state dish)
Steamed Sea Bass with Ginger Dipping Sauce
Huli Huli Pork Tenderloin and Pineapple with Old-School Teriyaki Marinade
Pineapple Crème Brulee
Hibiscus Lime Cooler
The cookbook also contains little facts about Hawaiian culture and history as well as tips for eating, drinking, and “living the life,” FLAVORS OF ALOHAinvites aspiring cooks of all abilities to embrace the Tommy Bahama spirit by taking an “island time” approach to cooking for family and friends. Plus the photos are gorgeous!
I wanted to use this opportunity to work with a seafood I rarely make (although I am absolutely going to have to make the Kona Flan in the near future!) and adapted the cookbook’s recipe for Mahi Mahi with Macadamia Nut Crust and Papaya Salsa to use swordfish instead.
Adapted from Flavors of Aloha, Cooking with Tommy Bahama
I have been meaning to make this recipe forever; seriously, years. I don’t know why it took me this long because it’s a pretty easy recipe, but for some reason I kept putting it off. And boy do I regret that. It’s so tasty! Honestly, what isn’t better with some peanut butter?
Chicken Satay is skewered chicken marinated in a peanut sauce that is typically eaten as an appetizer or street food. By adding a side of brown rice, this turns into an easy dinner!
This recipe actually has you ground your own peanuts with some other ingredients to make a sauce rather than starting with peanut butter. The result is really tasty!
Ingredients:
1/3 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
1 tablespoon toasted cumin seeds
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (~2 limes)
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 garlic cloves
1 shallot, peeled
1/3 cup light coconut milk
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 serrano chile, stem removed
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
I love Chicken Piccata, it’s a simple recipe that really delivers on flavor. Plus, I usually have the ingredients needed on hand! Cooking Light’s latest issue has a recipe for Chicken Piccata that browns the lemons to intensify the lemon flavor while taking away some of the “bite.”
This recipe would go great with a side of green beans and/or mashed potatoes. You could also add the chicken piccata over some egg noodles or other pasta, like I have with my past recipe for Chicken Piccata with Spaghetti.
A couple of weeks ago, I was invited on a Chevy Farm-to-Table Road Trip, which was SO much fun! Chauffeured in snazzy Chevrolets, the group first went to Terrain in Glen Mills for lunch at their cafe and then went wine tasting down the road at Chaddsford Winery. (To read more about Terrain and Chaddsford Winery, visit my guest post over on Drive the District.)
All of the food was fantastic at Terrain, but I cannot stop thinking about their fabulous Farro and Arborio Risotto with sweet potato puree and autumn vegetables. So, naturally, I decided to try to make my own version! This recipe is pretty involved but it sure is worth it!
This recipe can be easily made vegan (noted below) and is vegetarian if vegetable stock is used instead of chicken stock. This recipe, however, is not gluten free because farro does contain some gluten.
Ingredients:
Veggies:
2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
1 cup halved Brussels sprouts
3 Sweet potatoes, divided
2 Shallots, halved
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (or margarine to make vegan)
Risotto
3 cups water
1 cup uncooked farro
6 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock to keep vegetarian)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 cup Arborio rice
½ cup white wine
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (omit for vegan version)
My slow cooker and I are good friends, although I’m pretty sure the slow cooker is bringing more to the relationship than me. I love coming home to a delicious smelling dinner after work that takes maybe 15 minutes of prep time in the morning on my part.
This recipe for Slow Cooker Oxtail and Short Rib Stew from Cooking Light’s latest issue uses an ingredient I’ve never used before, or honestly even noticed in the supermarket: Oxtail. Oxtail is a gelatin-rich cut, which makes it perfect for hearty stews, especially slow cooked ones. The ribs add a bit more meat to the stew, which also has carrots and potatoes to round out the flavors.
This recipe is originally made in a Dutch oven and cooks for about 2 hours so if you’re not in the mood for a slow cooker version, be sure to check out the original recipe.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 pound bone-in short ribs, trimmed
1 pound oxtail
2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup sliced shallots
6 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
3 cups unsalted beef stock
1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 pound very small Dutch Potatoes (bite size)
3/4 pound carrots, cut diagonally into 2-inch-thick pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves
1 tablespoon corn starch dissolved in cold water, if needed
One of the best parts of Steak is how simple it is to prepare. You really don’t have to do much to a steak to make a delicious meal. But sometimes you want something a little different. This recipe for Flank Steak with Tomato Bruschetta is still super simple but ups the flavor of the steak with smoked paprika and a creole seasoning. The original recipe uses a pre-made creole seasoning, but I just substituted in some spices I had on hand to make my own version.
This quick Bruschetta is really tasty on bread, but be sure to use any leftover to put on top of the steak as well!
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
a pinch of salt and pepper
1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed
Cooking spray
2 cups cherry tomatoes
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 small shallot, chopped
8 (1-ounce) slices whole-wheat French bread baguette
I was feeling a little fancy this week so I decided to challenge myself with a protein I rarely use: duck! I’ve actually only worked with duck twice (Duck Breasts with Cider Farro Risotto and Grilled Duck with Warm Mushroom Salad and Truffle Vinaigrette), but I tend to order it at restaurants quite a bit. I am also on a berry kick at the moment (if you missed it, go check out the Blueberry Coffeecake I posted recently!) so I was really excited to try this Cooking Light recipe for Duck Breasts with Blackberry-Port Sauce. I served mine with some sauteed green beans but Cooking Light also suggests serving the duck over a bed of lettuce. Ingredients:
