Gnocchi with Pesto and Simple Salmon

At a family birthday celebration a few weeks ago, my aunt and uncle introduced us to delicious gnocchi pasta tossed in pesto and served with salmon. Now their meal was much more elegant and beautiful, I just took their concept and simplified for a quick dinner tonight.

I cheated this meal and did not make anything from scratch. My crazy fall event season has started, so my ability to cook as much as I've been able to this summer is going to be slightly adapted to fit my schedule getting home past dinner times every night. So after meetings this evening, a quick meal is what I needed.

I bought the gnocchi from World Market, my second favorite store, the pre-made fresh pesto and salmon fillets from Whole Foods, my first favorite store, and used Worcestershire sauce and Herbs de Provence to season the salmon with. Simplicity. I adore...

This falls under one of my blog pretenses of "if you need a change in your usual dinner combination" - this is a fantastic dish to add to your rotation. Nothing challenging, nothing crazy, just a new addition and recommendation!

Herb Chicken with Orzo

No story, no intro. Let's get right to the point. I found this recipe on a fellow blogger's recipe site but made some changes to it. Prep time was about 15 minutes with cook time running close to 20 to 25 minutes. I substituted some of the initial ingredients to make it a healthier version and it came out tasting amazing!

Grocery List:

8 oz. orzo pasta, uncooked
Chicken breasts (I used 3 to make leftovers for lunch)
Herbes de Provence (dried spice mixture of thyme, oregano, parsley, rosemary and lavender)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juices
2 cups broccoli florets
1/2 can of Evaporated milk
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper

Additional Needs:

Cutting board, knife
Large skillet
Medium-large size sauce pan
Colander
Oven safe dish

Start by pouring your orzo into your pot, fill with water and boil for about 15 minutes, or until soft. Once ready, drain in colander and set aside.

Take your chicken and season them with salt and pepper, then thoroughly sprinkle both sides of the chicken with the Herbs de Provence.

Add olive oil to your skillet, let it heat then throw the chicken on.

Sear both sides for about 3 minutes each, then take out of skillet and set aside in oven safe dish.

The original recipe told me to add the chicken back to the skillet along with the orzo, but I decided to bake my chicken and keep the orzo out. Go ahead and top your chicken with the parmesan cheese, then pop in the oven for 15 minutes.

Mince up your garlic and shallot - I called in my pint sized hero, the food processor, to assist in this.

Once chopped to perfection, add them to the skillet to sautee until fragrant.

Slowly add the can of diced tomatoes. I felt my version of this was a little runny, possibly due to the diced tomato juices, so I would try to just add a little, then save for as needed.

Next, add your broccoli florets!

Finally, start to pour in up to 1/2 of the can of evaporated milk - again, I would add as you go to achieve your desired consistency. Season with additional Herbs de Provence, salt and pepper.

Once the chicken has finished cooking, dish out your orzo then spoon your sauce and broccoli over, top with the chicken breast and viola! Perfection :-)

Max Man Makes Brunch!

This really isn't a surprise, my Max Man helps me cook all the time. When we started dating, we unknowingly set this as a staple of our "courtship", if you will. After a weekend out with all of our friends, we would take Sundays to go see a movie, then grocery shop, pick up things for dinner - usually anything he could grill - then make dinner together and watch whatever NBA game was on, or Sunday night TV shows.

Cooking together just kinda became our thing.

I've never been much of a breakfast person but we usually go to breakfast (ok, considered brunch by the time I actually get up and moving in the mornings) at a few favorite places but after my birthday brunch last weekend, there was an inspiration. He had some amazing breakfast flautas with griddle potatoes (hashbrowns), and I had an omelette stuffed with bell pepper, spinach, cheese. So in his grocery shopping this week, he picked up some breakfast potatoes - not the shredded hashbrowns, but the cubed ones - eggs and bacon. I already had frozen mixed bell peppers and spinach, so we/he went to town!

If you are looking for one tasty breakfast, try this one on for size. I painted my toe nails for an afternoon pool party, Max Man made brunch.

Grocery List:
4 eggs (or more if you like)
5 strips of bacon
Frozen spinach
Frozen bell peppers
1/4 cup of low fat milk
1 bag of Ore-Ida southern style cubed breakfast potatoes
Tony's Creole Seasoning
Lean or Turkey bacon

Additional Needs:
2 skillets
1 over-safe dish
1 mixing bowl
Vegetable Oil

Mr. Max combined the egg yolks, handful of thawed spinach, handful of thawed bell pepper and milk in a mixing bowl, then beat it all together until well mixed.

He added a little vegetable oil to a skillet and poured in the egg mixture. I won't instruct you on making scrambled eggs from here, it's something we've all done - just cook over medium heat. We added a little bit of his shredded "cheddah makes it bettah" cheese.


Bacon is bacon - skillet cook to perfection.


As the eggs were doing their thing, he first put the potatoes in the skillet to cook, then had the idea to broil them in the oven to make crisp. Placing in an oven-safe dish, he seasoned with our favorite Tony's Creole, then a little Garlic Salt. Topped with cheese and popped it in the oven to broil for 5 minutes.


Simple, delicious, cheap, healthy, filling. I made a pitcher of Forte's White Ginger Pear iced tea and we had our own brunch, better than what we've found in area dining establishments.



The only thing missing is the secret to maple infused honey wheat toast from Buzzbrews...I think that is in the category of "miracle" so not expecting to uncover that one.

Spicy Shrimp and Mango Salad

I was able to use some repeat ingredients from my Summer Stirfry for this one - getting my moneys worth for my grocery shopping! I'd been wanting to make a shrimp salad, because my college roommate and I used to make a tasty shrimp salad after we'd play tennis. Let me clarify - when I say "play" tennis, I mean we would go hit and try to serve, not really keep score and go until we were tired. It was one of our favorite meals and fun things to do. Tennis. Shrimp Salad. The Bachelor and/or The Hills.

As I was leaving Whole Foods, I came across a card for a spicy shrimp, it was baked and served as an appetizer. When we were in Houston a few weeks ago, I had an incredible salad with spicy shrimp and a mango viniagrette at Escalante's, so I decided to put it all together and create my own, nostalgic for that college version just kicked up a couple notches. Mr. Max, my meat and potatoes hearty meal man, was not exactly stoked to have salad for dinner - but oh were we both pleasantly surprised with the outcome of dinner. And... he got to play on the griddle which is as close to a real grill we can get at my apartment.

Grocery List:
For shrimp
1/3 cup Sriracha (a hot sauce you can find in the same aisle as the Asian foods)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 handful of roughly chopped cilantro
1 spoonful of sugar (Mary Poppins flashback...)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 lb of small peeled, deveined and preferably de-tailed shrimp

For salad
1 box of mixed greens
Cucumber
Avocado
Mango
Asparagus

For dressing (reminiscent of Chipotle's honey vinaigrette)
1/3 cup of red wine vinegar
1/2 cup of honey
2 tablespoons of Adobo (hard to find, I looked at all the regular grocery stores, finally finding it at Super Target - for another recipe long, long ago)
2 tablespoons of freshly chopped oregano
1/3 cup of olive oil

Additional Needs:
Skewers
Grill, Griddle or Skillet
3 mixing bowls

First, let's make our spicy shrimp sauce. Combine the Sriracha, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, cilantro and sugar then season aggressively with salt and pepper. Mix this all together, then add the shrimp to let it marinade for at least 20 minutes.








Next, you can make your salad dressing. These measurements are a bit loose, the olive oil was more and it was way too much, so I took it down to what I think would have been best, added more of the red wine vinegar and honey as I was making it, so those measurements should reflect the way I made it when it was all said and done. Combine them all together and continue to stir them, adding whatever you feel is best. Set aside in the fridge.



Next, take your mango, avocado and cucumbers to chop up to bite size/salad bits. You can steam your asparagus quickly in the microwave, then cut the spear into thirds or fourths.



Once your shrimp has marinated, run them through skewers, coat your grilling surface with no-stick spray and allow them to grill for about 15 minutes, flipping frequently.


As soon as your shrimp are grilled to your perfection, remove them from skewers and mix up your salad in a big bowl.


Add the dressing, add your shrimpies to the top and you have one amazing summer salad!

Summer Stirfry

The contents of this recipe were too much for a naming title. We've got chicken, mango, sweet potato, asparagus, whole wheat penne, and a sweet yet spicy sauce to toss it all in.

As mentioned in my Apricot Chicken recipe, I've had a hankering for "summer tastes" and trying to get those out of my system before the fall season. Here in Texas, even though summer doesn't feel over until October, September brings on a fall mindset.

I received the basis of this recipe (chicken, mango and sweet potato) in an email from AllRecipes.com, but took it upon myself to add my own components to it and make it more "me". I went ahead and cooked for an army, using the whole box of pasta, so this recipe will feed at least 5. There are a lot of steps to this recipe, so I would carve out an hour to make this meal.

Grocery List:
1 box of penne pasta
1 package of chicken tenders
1 ripe mango
3 small, thin sweet potatoes
1 bundle of asparagus
6 tablespoons of Tamari, soy sauce
3 tablespoons of honey
3 tablespoons of red chili sauce
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Red Pepper Flakes to taste

Additional Needs:
Wok or large skillet
Large boiling pot
Medium sized pot
Knife and cutting board
Small mixing bowl
Colander



The sweet potatoes take the longest, so go ahead and place those in a medium pot with water and boil until soft. Then drain and set aside.



Next take a large pot, add the penne and boil until al dente. Drain and set aside.


Peel your mango and cut it up. I still have not figured out the best way to cut a whole mango yet, so I cut off the bottom then stood it vertically to cut what I could around the seed.


Then chop them into smaller bits and set aside.


Rinse your asparagus, then cut the spears into thirds. You may choose to steam them if you would like them to be soft.


Chop up your chicken to bite size chunks, then add your vegetable oil to the wok and throw your chicken in to begin cooking.




Cook until there is no longer any pink in the middle, about 10 minutes, then add the garlic to cook until fragrant.


When your sweet potatoes are cooled a bit, skin/peel them, then cut them up into small 1 inch squares.


Pour in the Tamari, honey, sweet red chili sauce. Bring to a simmer, then stir in the sweet potato, chicken, mango, asparagus and red pepper flakes.



In a mixing bowl, add 2 tablespoons of water and dissolve 1 teaspoon of cornstarch.


Add 1 tablespoon of honey, 2 tablespoons of tamari and 1 tablespoon of sweet chili sauce.


Add the noodles to the wok...


Pour the additional sauce on top, add more red pepper flakes if you would like and mix together until you are ready to serve!



This meal was absolutely amazing, the various components came together in a perfectly tasting dish!

Grown Up Grilled Cheese

I came across this recipe in one of my Cooking Light magazines, adapting it slightly adding pesto, spinach and pancetta, opposed to their tomatoes, bacon and onion. Coming it at 370 calories, I give you my new favorite grilled cheese sandwich.

Grocery List:
Reduced Fat sharp white cheddar (I found this to be a bit strong, for someone who is a self-proclaimed sharp cheese lover, I suggest a more mild cheese)
Fresh spinach leaves
Pancetta
Pesto
Fresh whole wheat bread
Butter

Additional Needs:
Skillet
No-stick spray
Knife, cutting board

To start, lay out your pieces of bread and spread one side lightly with butter.


Next, flip the bread and spread pesto like you would mayo or another sandwich spread. I cheated and didn't make a home made pesto - instead I used a pesto a coworker and fellow foodie, Laurie, made for me. It is some good stuff!


Sprinkle your cheese on either side of the bread pieces, then top with fresh spinach leaves. When I make this again, I would advise cooking the spinach so you could fit more in your grilled cheese and it could combine easier with the melting cheese.


Take your pancetta, coarsely chop it up, then put it in the oven for 5-8 minutes.


When it is cooked and browned take it out, let it cool, then add it to a piece of bread.


Spray your skillet with no-stick spray and lay your top and bottom bread, butter side down. Let this cook on medium for about 5 minutes until both pieces' cheese is melting.



Flip one piece of bread cheese-side down on top of the other to combine. Let these cook together on low heat for another 5 minutes.


Once the cheese is completely melted throughout, remove from heat and you are ready to serve!

Tomato Bisque

A vivid memory of feeling like a real grown up was when I started ordering Tomato Basil Bisque from La Madeliene. I was twelve and still in the "blue box mac and cheese, burgers or pizza please" way of life, so this was quite the feat. I started to love Tomato bisque until I found out just how unflattering the nutritional label was - 1,800 calories for a cup of soup?!?! Ok, not that many, but way more than necessary for one meal. However, I came across this recipe from a fellow blogger, Gina, and have adapted it just a bit. The best part is that this soup is a whopping 125.8 calories but I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Grocery List:
1 tsp butter (can use olive oil as a substitute)
1 medium onion
1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 - 1 celery stick
3 cloves garlic
30 oz can fresh plum tomatoes, peeled
32 oz fat free chicken broth (can use vegetable broth) - add slowly, possibly not using it all
3 sprigs parsley
10 basil leaves
2 bay leaves (I would advise against using, after having used them)
3 tbsp reduced fat sour cream
Parmigiano Reggiano for serving
Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Additional Needs:
Large sauce pan
Food processor



First take your choppables (garlic, onions, carrots, celery), chop them up...






and put them in your food processor. Grind them until smooth.



Melt butter (or olive oil) in a large sauce pan over medium heat, then add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Stir together until soft, about 8-10 minutes.


Next add your chicken broth and your tomatoes, stirring well to combine.


Using a string or rubber band, bundle together your herbs - the parsley, basil and bay leaves - then place them into the pot. Season with salt and pepper, reduce to low heat and let the soup simmer for 30 minutes, covered. (NOTE: I would not use the bay leaves again, I felt they gave a strange taste)




Remove the herbs from the soup and add the sour cream, blending with either a wire whisk or hand mixer until smooth.




At this point, you are supposed to beat the tomatoes while mixing in the sour cream - this did not work so well for me, so we had to improvise and call in the blender.


Once your soup is properly mixed together, return to the pot. I added dried basil and a little bit of milk to counteract a salty tang taste that I feel could have been from too much celery or the bay leaves that I used - don't use the bay leaves.


I also added some red pepper flakes to add a bit of a spice to the tomato bisque. Ladle into bowls and top with the Parmigiano Reggiano!


I served this with a grown up grilled cheese, recipe also posted.