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)
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.
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’m in another busy period of work, so expect a lot of quick weeknight dinner meals! Seafood is always a favorite quick meal of mine, and this recipe from Cooking Light’s latest issue is ready in no time! I paired it with an adaptation of a Bon Appetit Couscous recipe.
The trout is pan seared and then topped with a chunky warm parsley-caper vinaigrette. I’d suggest doubling the recipe so you have some to toss into the couscous!
This post is #sponsored by LongHorn Steakhouse. All opinions are my own.
With summer in full swing, it’s time to get grilling! As I’ve mentioned before, I unfortunately do not have any outdoor space at my apartment for a grill, but that hasn’t stopped me! I use my trusty grill pan as often as possible to bring the flavor of summer indoors.
This yummy recipe for Grilled Citrus Salmon was sent to me by LongHorn Steakhouse, and a version of this is actually available in their restaurants as part of their Summer Chef’s Showcase menu. I adapted it slightly to include ingredients I had on hand, so be sure to stop in to your local LongHorn Steakhouse to try their version as well!
As we all head out to grill this July 4th, LongHorn Steakhouse will have their Grill Us Hotline open Thursday, July 2 through Saturday July 4 from noon to 5 pm to answer grilling questions via phone and text. At-home grillers can call 1-855-LH-GRILL or text LHGRILL to 40679 (wait for a response & follow the prompts) to be connected with a grilling expert to answer questions live in real-time.
LongHorn Steakhouse was also kind enough to offer to give away a LongHorn Steakhouse Summer Grilling Party Pack to one winner! The grilling pack includes various grilling tools, koozies for your outdoor grill-out and a $25 gift card to visit LongHorn Steakhouse. More details after the recipe.
Ingredients:
Salmon
4 (7-oz.) salmon fillets
Salt and Pepper, to taste
8 oz. crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley
Citrus Glaze
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
Summer Vegetables and Pearl Couscous
4 cups cooked Israeli (pearl) couscous (~1 cup dry)
I am a carb fanatic — I’d eat pasta with some day-old bread every single day if I could. But on really hot summer days, sometimes you need something that feels lighter while still filling you up. Cooking Light’s Pulled Pork Lettuce Wraps are a nice filling meal that are perfect on warm days; pulled pork is wrapped in Boston Bibb lettuce rather than added to a roll. The result is a super yummy and crunchy dinner!
I use my slow cooker year-round and this adaptation is no exception. Slow Cookers are such a simple way to get an awesome meal on the table in no time. Plus, it gives your oven a break!
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 white onion, quartered
1 (2 1/2-pound) boneless pork shoulder, trimmed
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons sherry
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted chicken stock
1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean chile paste) (gluten free is available)
1 1/2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce (or coconut aminos to make gluten free)
I live in an apartment that has no outdoor space, so we clearly do not have access to a grill, which is causing me to only want grilled food! Luckily, I have a grill pan so I can get my fix, and I’ve been using it nonstop!
A really simple weeknight favorite of mine is to grill up some shrimp and serve over rice. This recipe is quick and easy to make, but delivers on flavor! Blue Chair Bay Rum sent me a bottle of their Coconut Rum that I knew would be perfect for a glaze on grilled shrimp. The glaze caramelizes beautifully, adding a nice char and sweetness to the shrimp.
I adapted this recipe from a Cooking Light recipe, adding more hints of coconut to play off of the Blue Chair Bay Coconut Rum.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
the juice of one lime
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, minced
24 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 1 1/2 pounds)
6 sugarcane swizzle sticks, each cut into 2 pieces
One of my favorite cookbooks is Love and Olive Oil‘s Breakfast for Dinner. (I did a post highlighting their Huevos Rancheros Tacos a while back.) So it’s probably not surprising that I make a few recipes from this cookbook on a regular basis. One that I love to make in particular is their version of the Hawaiian dish Loco Moco.
Typical Loco Moco is usually made with white rice, topped with a hamburger patty (or spam), a fried egg, and brown gravy. Love and Olive Oil’s version substitutes coconut sticky rice for the white rice, uses ground pork instead of the hamburger patty, and finishes the dish off with a sweet-spicy-salty soy sauce reduction rather than brown gravy.
I decided to alter their recipe slightly to give it a local spin; this version is topped with pork roll (or Taylor ham) instead of the ground pork, and this recipe for New Jersey-style Loco Moco was born!
Pork Roll is originally from Trenton, New Jersey (hence the name of this post), but can also be found in parts of Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. The pork product is thinly sliced and pan fried and is a staple in most breakfast places in the area.
Most Sunday nights in my house are Pasta Night. Typically, we just thaw a batch of homemade tomato sauce from the freezer to mix in with the pasta, but I am all out of my tomato sauce at the moment! Cooking Light to the rescue!
This recipe from Cooking Light is really quick and easy — it takes about 30 minutes to make. I adapted the recipe a bit, but the general concept remained the same. For the original recipe, visit myrecipes.com.
Ingredients:
8 ounces uncooked mini bow tie pasta (or ziti, rigatoni, etc.)
This Slow Cooker Saucy Chicken Over Rice is one of my favorite go-to recipes, so I was really surprised to find that I hadn’t shared it on my blog yet!
My fiance is a runner, so I tend to make this recipe a few days before the race because it has a nice balance of carbs and protein with no dairy. (Note: every runner is different and has their own preferred menu on the days leading up to a race, this just happens to be one of my fiance’s favorites.)
This recipe from MyRecipes.com is a really simple slow cooker meal that involves about 15 minutes prep in the morning before popping everything into the slow cooker. The result is a yummy, tender, chicken recipe that freezes and reheats great as well! I’ve adapted the recipe slightly, but the general concept is still there. If you’d like to see the original, visit MyRecipes.com.
I have been having a crazy couple of weeks, so despite cooking a bunch of weeknight-friendly meals, I haven’t had much of a chance to write any posts to share those recipes! This one is too tasty to not share right away though.
This Thai Basil Chicken Stir Fry from Cooking Light’s latest issue is super simple and really flavorful. I served it with Cashew and Green Onion Rice (because I didn’t have any bulgar on hand) and it was an awesome complement!
The whole recipe took about 20 minutes to make (including the rice) so it’s a nice option for busy weeknights. I made a couple of substitutes to the original recipe, so be sure to check out the original to see if it’s more your style.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 poblano chile, thinly sliced
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite sized pieces
May is National Strawberry Month! I have many a strawberry-filled recipe on my blog (like this recipe for Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes) but most are desserts. Strawberries are considerably more versatile than I give them credit for and can be used in all sorts of recipes from breakfast, to drinks, to dinner. Driscoll’s recently contacted me to highlight National Strawberry Month so I decided to make a more savory recipe this time around!
The sweet strawberries in this recipe help offset the spiciness of the jalapeno and work really well with the creaminess of the avocado to bring a super balanced salsa.
This recipe for Tortilla Crusted Fish with Strawberry Avocado Salsa is adapted from two separate recipes; a blue tortilla crusted fish recipe from Food Network, and a Strawberry Avocado Salsa recipe from Cooking Light.
Ingredients:
Fish:
the juice of 1 lime
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper
12 ounces corn tortilla chips
4 mahi mahi fillets (about 6 ounces each), or any other white fish you prefer
Hooray for spring weather! As the days get warmer, the produce offerings also get better. It’s the perfect time of year to experiment with more veggies!
Door-to-Door Organics, a home delivery organic and grocery company, is a great way to receive seasonal and organic fruits and vegetables. Their produce is USDA Certified Organic and is locally sourced whenever possible. You choose a produce box size (little, small, medium, or large), type (fruits, veggies, or mixed), and delivery frequency. A few days before it will be delivered, you will receive an email with what will be in the box. You can make up to 5 substitutions, which is really a great feature.
You can also shop for other groceries and add them to your delivery, including diary, meat, bread, etc. Their Facebook page is also an awesome resource. You can find some recipes, links to some of their helpful blog posts, and get more information about Door-to-Door Organics!
I have been using Door-to-Door Organics for a few weeks now (I get the Little Mixed Box box delivered every other week courtesy of a coupon given to me by Door-to-Door Organics) and was so excited to see that my latest delivery had beautiful rainbow baby carrots in it!
I love when my food has vibrant colors, so I couldn’t wait to roast these beauties up. My box also came with a red onion, a head of garlic and some fresh Italian parsley, perfect accompaniments to the carrots.
This recipe for Honey Mustard Roasted Rainbow Carrots is really simple and takes about 30 minutes, depending on how soft you like your carrots (I like mine to have some crunch to them!)
If you want to try Door-to-Door Organics for yourself, they were nice enough to offer a discount for I Can Cook That readers! Use the coupon code ICANCOOKTHAT to receive $10 off!
Whew. I am having a crazy busy month, so unfortunately my cooking is suffering. I can never have too many weeknight meal options (ie. meals that can be on the table in 30 minutes or less) at my disposal, so here’s another quick and easy dinner that comes together quickly- Smoked Sausage with Rigatoni! I tend to usually make chicken or seafood recipes, so I am finally doing a quick beef recipe!
This recipe for Smoked Sausage with Rigatoni uses Hillshire Farm’s Beef Smoked Sausage to add some yummy flavor to a quick fire roasted chunky tomato sauce. It’s a great alternative to chicken to snazz up a midweek meal.
The beef sausage cooks up in no time. Using the same pan to cook the sausage and to make the sauce gives the sauce a subtle smoky flavor that’s so tasty!
Ingredients:
1 (16 oz) box rigatoni, cooked according to package directions
1 package Hillshire Farms Beef Smoked Sausage, cut into slices
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped (~1 cup)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil leaves
2 (14.5 oz) cans Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
salt and pepper, to taste
grated Parmesan cheese, optional
#spon: I’m required to disclose a relationship between our site and Hillshire. This could include Hillshire providing us w/content, product, access or other forms of payment.Continue reading Smoked Sausage with Rigatoni
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
