Cilantro Lime Shrimp

This past weekend in NC was glorious.  I'm talking mid-60's and sunny.  I even went running in shorts and a t-shirt.  With the warm, springy weather, Seth and I were craving something light, fresh and zesty.  Luckily I had just the thing pinned. 

Cilantro Lime Shrimp
from Never Enough Thyme

Ingredients
1 tbs. butter (hell make it 2!)
1 tbs. olive oil
garlic, as much as you like
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
1/4 tsp. (or more) red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. oregano
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 lime, zest and juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tbs (or more) chopped cilantro

Method
1. melt the butter and oil in a skillet over medium high heat
2. saute garlic, onion and jalapeno
3. add the red pepper flakes and oregano, cook for  a minute
4. add the maters and cook until they are soft
5. add the shrimp, lime juice and zest, salt and pepper
6.  cook until the shrimp are done
7. stir in the cilantro and serve

I dumped this over brown rice and made a little salad to go with it.  Excellent meal!

Thanksgiving: Appetizers

Okay y'all, Thanksgiving is only a little more than 2 weeks away, which means its time to talk about food.  I sure do love food.  In order for this series of posts to make sense, I must clarify one big thing.  Seth and I do Thanksgiving just the two of us.  I absolutely adore my family and Seth's family, but there is just something so nice about it just being the two of us.  We like to think that we are building the traditions that we will one day pass on to our kiddos.  So with the sappy out of the day, onto the recipes.

I love to have some form of appetizer out.  We usually put it out fairly early because we don't want to fill up too fast.  This year, I have two options I am playing with.

First up, Pogaca.  What the hell is Pogaca?  Well, its fluffy cheese bread.  I have never had it, but really come on, cheese+bread=hell yes.  Seth also has really fond memories of this stuff from when his family was living in Hungary.  If I don't do this for an appetizer, it will certainly make the rounds at dinner.  The recipe is below.

Option two: Y'all are going to think I 've lost my marbles for good with this one, but I promise it is delicious.  Brie with caramel sauce.  I'll give you just a minute to pick your jaw up off the floor...  Ready?  Recovered?  Seth and I had this combo a few weeks ago.  The Fresh Market had little boxes of brie with caramel, so we gave it a go and man, it was so good!  Seth and I ate this at room temperature, so I think the only thing I would do differently is heat it up a bit so the cheese gets all gooey.  I promise, the recipe for this one goes like this:  open wedge of brie, dump caramel on top.  DONE-ZO!

Tune in later this week when I will tackle the healthier aspects of our meal (fruits and veggies), the carbs, the main dish (spoiler alert: it ain't turkey) and desert.

Pogaca

Ingredients
4 c. flour
1/4 c. warm milk
1 tbs. yeast
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 tbs. sugar
1 tsp. salt
3/4 c. mineral water
half bunch of parsley
1 1/2 c. feta cheese
1 egg yolk
poppy seeds

Directions:
Mix sugar and yeast with the milk, let proof.  Then combine all ingredients flour- mineral water (including the sugar/milk/yeast).  Mix well.  The dough should be pliable and not sticky.  Add more water or flour if needed.  Cover dough with a moist cloth and let it rest for 45 minutes.

Chop the parsley and mix it in with the cheese.

Pinch off a small piece of dough and flatten it with your hands.  Dump a tsp of cheese into the break and fold upwards into a bundle.  Place the pogaca's on a parchment lined tray, folded side down.

Preheat oven to 350

Beat the egg yoke and coat the pogacas.  Sprinkle with poppy seeds.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden.

Butternut Squash Hash

I love the fall.  The break from the relentless summer heat and humidity, beautiful changing leaves and a serious change in food.  I love fall foods- winter squash, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, orange food.  Seeing that butternut squash was on sale at the Teeter, I got it into my head that I should try and make some butternut squash hash.  My recipe is based on this one.

 Butternut Squash Hash and Eggs

Ingredients
Veggie bacon
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
1 butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 potato, diced
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. (or more) of hot sauce
4 eggs

Method

Preheat oven to 400

Cook your bacon and set aside

Saute your onion and garlic.  Add your squash and tater.  Cook until the tater and squash begin to get soft.  Add the vinegar and hot sauce.  Cover and cook until everything is nice and soft.  Add in your bacon.

Make four wells in your hash and crack eggs into them.  Place in over and cook until whites are set.

Enjoy!

Lentil Veggie Soup

Sorry folks no pictures of this one.  This is not a pretty dish.  In fact, its down right ugly, but it sure is good.  Feel free to omit or sub out any veggies that aren't to your taste.  Really this is a versatile little soup.


Lentil and Veggie Soup

Ingredients
1 Tbs. Olive Oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
4 c. veggie stock
1 1/2 c. lentils
1 small butternut squash, peeled and chopped
1 package frozen spinach

Methods

Heat oil and saute onions, garlic, carrots and celery until soft

Add lentils, broth and squash.  If necessary, add water until all ingredients are covered. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.

Cook 20-30 minutes or until lentils and squash are tender.  Add spinach.  Season her up- really any way you like.  I like a bit of spice so just some salt, pepper and red pepper flakes did the job.

Enjoy!

Raw Kale Salad

Now before you go all, "eewwww raw kale" on me, I promise you that kale, raw or cooked, is delicious.  If you haven't tried it, you should (yes, mom, I am looking at you).  And if you have tried kale, try it this way.  You'll love it.

This recipe comes from Happy Health Life- Thanks Kathy!

Start with a nice big bunch of wash and shredded kale, make sure you remove the tough stem in the process...

Kale, Yum!

Now mix up some dressing...

This dressing is:
2 1/2 tbs tahini
3 tbs rice vinegar
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbs olive oil
2 tsp maple syrup

Next toss your dressing and kale together and add toppings....

Based on the recipe I added:
3 tbs sunflower seeds
1 granny smith apple
1 avocado
1 tomato
1 can of juice packed mandarin oranges
1/2 red onion

Arranged all pretty like...

And a close up of all the prettiness....

In the slightly annoying words of Rachel Ray, YUM-O

Basil Pasta with Cheesy Tomatoes

Summer is here in the south and, aside from mind numbing heat, that means loads of beautiful tomatoes at the farmers market.  Seth and I made a quick run out to the big farmers market on Sunday and were pleased to also snag some beautiful fresh basil.  This dish did a wonderful job of highlighting both the tomatoes and basil and was super quick and easy to make.  All in all, this is a great summer dinner.

Basil Pasta with Cheesy Tomatoes 
Real Simple

Ingredients
12 oz. spaghetti
3 large tomatoes, cut into thick slices
3 tbs. olive oil
salt and pepper
fresh mozzarella, sliced
1/4 c. cup parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp. to 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
3/4 cup torn basil leaves


Directions
1. Preheat your broiler.  Cook your pasta according to directions, drain and return to pot.
2. Arrange the tomato slices on a baking sheet.  Season with salt and pepper.  Layer with mozzarella and parmesan.  Broil until the cheese in nice and bubbly, 3-5 minutes,
3. In a small sauce pan, warm oil with the garlic and pepper until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Add the garlic oil and basil to the pasta and toss well.  Serve topped with cheesy tomatoes and additional parmesan.


Enjoy!

 

Spring Risotto

I. LOVE. RISOTTO.  It's fast, easy and delicious.  Plus its so easy to customize based on the season.  On Friday, Seth and I whipped up some spring risotto with leeks, asparagus and peas.

This is one of those recipes where measurements don't matter too much and you can add or delete ingredients as your little heart desires.

Ingredients:
olive oil, enough to coat your pan
leek, clean it well and chop it up
garlic, a couple of cloves depending on how you're feeling
1 1/2 c. arborio rice
3/4 c. dry white wine
5-6 c. veggie stock, warmed
asparagus, cut into bite sized pieces
peas, I used frozen but you can always use fresh
parmesan
swiss

Directions:
Turn the stove to medium heat and coat the bottom of your pot with olive oil (you can also use butter, and I promise, I would have, but somehow we were out of butter.  I'm not sure how that happened, cause I LOVE me some butter) add your leeks and garlic and saute until soft.  Meanwhile, grab another pot, dump your broth in and heat it up until its nice and warm (just shy of boiling is perfect).

Next, dump your rice in with your leeks and garlic.  Add more olive oil (or butter) if you need to.  Saute your rice for about a minute or so.  Add your wine and stir it all together.  Once most of the liquid has been absorbed, add a ladle or two of warm stock, stir, let the rice suck up some liquid and then repeat.  Yes, this requires you to babysit your risotto a bit, but it is totally worth it.  And risotto always takes 25-30 minutes.  Perfect. 

One you have been adding stock for about 10 minutes, add your asparagus.  This will allow plenty of time for your asparagus to cook.  Keep adding and stirring and adding and stirring.  Once you get close to al dente or about 5 minutes out, add your peas.
 
Once you hit the 25 minute mark, check for doneness.  Your risotto should be al dente, creamy and delicious.  Add your cheese (a  handful or two of parm and another handful of swiss) and adjust your seasonings.

Enjoy!

veggie fajitas

Y'all I'm gonna be honest, I did not expect to be writing a post about veggie fajitas. I mean how exciting can they be, right?  Well, let me tell you, these things BLEW us away.  They are so freaking good.  Get you some...

Fajitas with Chipotle Sour Cream
from Vegetarian Times


Ingredients
1 c. sour cream (you can use light or non fat)
2 tsp. canned chipotles in adobo sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
10 inch flour tortillas
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 bell peppers, cut into strips
2 zucchini, cut into strips
1-2 poblano chiles, cut into strips 
2 tbs. canned chipotles in adobo sauce
1 tbs. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tbs. vegetable oil
store bough salsa and lime wedges


Directions
To make the sour cream, mix the sour cream, 2 tsp. chipotles in adobo and 1/4 tsp. salt.  Cover and refrigerate, this can be made up to a day in advance.


Preheat over to 350.  Wrap tortillas in aluminum foil and heat for 15 minutes.


In a large bowl, combine onion, bell peppers, zucchini, poblanos, chipotles in adobo, lime juice, salt and pepper.  In a large skillet, heat 1 tbs. vegetable oil and cook vegetables in batches until tender, adding oil as needed.


Serve warmed tortillas with chipotle sour cream, vegetables, salsa and lime wedges.


Hope you enjoy as much as we did!

Happy Plates

 

Skillet Gnocchi with Chard and White Beans

This dish is a simple, one pot meal that combines gnocchi, chard, tomatoes and white beans.  Find the recipe below or check it out on EatingWell.

Ingredients
1 tbs. olive oil
1 16 oz. package shelf stable gnocchi
1 onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. water
1 bunch chard, chopped (if you are scared of chard, you can use spinach instead)
15 oz. can diced tomatoes with italian seasoning
15 oz. can white beans
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 c. shredded low fat mozzerella

Directions
Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until they begin to soften.  Add the gnocchi and saute until slightly browned and plump.  Add the chard and water and cook until the chard begins to wilt.  Add the tomatoes, white beans and pepper.  Bring to a simmer.  Add the cheese and heat until melted.

Pasta with Sage Pesto, Butternut Squash and White Beans

Spring is here (that is if you don't count all the snow we had yesterday...) and my sage plant is HUGE!  I was so inspired that I decided to whip up a batch of Sage and Walnut Pesto.

Pasta with Sage Pesto, Butternut Squash and White Beans

This recipe is beyond simple.  For the pesto combine 1 c. toasted walnuts, 1/3 c. parsley, 2 springs of sage leaves, 1/3 c. Parmesan cheese, and 1/3 c. olive oil, dump it all in your food processor and process away!  Once done, adjust the salt and pepper as needed.  I found that mine was a bit thick, so I added some veggie stock, gave the processor another whirl and was left with pure herby heaven.

Georgeous

So to make the pasta, steam some butternut squash until tender, nuke some white beans until warm and cook some pasta (I used bow ties). Dump it all together in a big bowl, stir and serve.  Simple and delicious!

However, there was a lot of movement in the kitchen, so poor Oliver and Matilda were banished to the other side of the baby gate..

What recipes has spring inspired you to make?

Saturday Night Spread

You know those nights where you are starving, but you have no idea what you want and you don't want to mess with a restaurant and you really just don't know what to do?  When we have those nights, our solution is to run to the Fresh Market, but a bunch of yummys, open a bottle of red wine and feast.

Our lovely spread included Dubliner cheese, a smoked gouda, homemade quince paste (thanks sister!), dolmas, carrots, olives, sourdough, cinnamon almonds, grapes and homemade hummus.  This dinner is so great!  I certainly recommend it.

This dinner was also a success because I made the hummus and it was so freakin good and easy to make.  I don't think we'll ever go with the store bought stuff again.

HUMMUS

Ingredients
1 can of chickpeas
juice of 1 lemon
1/3 c. tahini
1/4 c. olive oil (plus more for drizzling)
garlic (as much, or as little, as you like)
paprika and pine nuts for garnish

Directions
Dump the chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, olive oil and garlic in your food processor.  Blend until smooth. Garnish with paprika, pine nuts and olive oil.

Enjoy!

Gado Gado

So y'all know how I'm kinda spacy sometimes?  Well, I made this beautiful dinner and had the camera out to take a picture and then forgot.  Let's just pretend that dinner was so awesome (and it was!) that I couldn't possibly focus on taking a picture...  So without further ado- GADO GADO!

Gado Gado
from The Vegetarian Feast
"An interesting, exotic Indonesian salad, gado-gado is not for people with aversions to peanut butter or ginger.  The textures here are wonderful: crunchy peanuts, in a creamy pungent sauce."

Ingredients
1/2 onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced or put through a press
1/2 c. raw peanuts
1 1/2  tbs. peanut or safflower oil
1/2 c. boiling water
1 c. crunchy peanut butter
1 1/2 tbs. honey
1/2 tsp. tabasco (I used WAY more- I like things with a kick)
juice and rind of 1 lemon
2 tbs. freshly grated ginger root
2 tbs. grated coconut
1 1/2 c.  milk

Directions
In a wok, large skillet or 2-quart sauce pan, saute onion, garlic and peanuts in the oil until the peanuts are lightly browned.  Stir in all the other ingredients except the milk and cook over a medium flame, continuing to stir, until the peanut butter has melted and blended in with the other ingredients.

When the sauce is bubbling gently, carefully stir in the milk.  Blend well and cook for about 5 minutes over low heat.

One of the best things about this sauce is that is totally versatile.  Traditionally, it is served over a rice and veggie salad.  I tend to serve mine over some stir fried veggies and tofu, but certainly, you could use meat as well.  Enjoy!

Black Bean Croquettes and Fried Plantains- A Very Sexy Meal?

For honeymoon 1, Seth and I spent a few days in lovely Asheville, NC and enjoyed one of our favorite restaurants- Salsa's.  A must have on the menu is their fried plantains.  They are oh-so good!  And then on honeymoon 2, we enjoyed fried plantains made just for us by the cutest man on the face of the planet- Miguel.  Suffice it to say that fried plantains have a special connotation in our mind (wink wink).

Also, did you know that, according to InterCourses, black beans are an aphrodisiac.  Apparently back in the day nuns weren't allowed to eat them because they were thought to increase fertility (not that we're looking to do that...).  So with that all said, I present you with a questionably sexy meal- black bean croquettes and fried plantains!

Yes, I need to work on my food photography skills...

Black Bean Croquettes
From Eating Well

Ingredients
2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp. cumin
1 c. corn kearnls
1/4 c. plus 1/3 c. bread crumbs
2 c. chopped tomatoes
2 scallions, sliced
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbs. olive oil
1 avocado, diced


Directions
1. Preheat over to 425, spray a baking sheet with cooking spray
2. Mash black beans and cumin with a fork until no whole beans remain.  Stir in 1/4 c. breadcrumbs.  In a separate bowl combine tomatoes, scallions, cilantro, 1/2 tsp. chili powder and salt.  Stir 1 c. of the tomato mixture into the black bean mixture.
3. Mix 1/3 c. of breadcrumbs, olive oil and 1/2 tsp of chili powder.  Form the black bean mixture into 8 balls and coat with the breadcrumbs.  Place on the baking sheet.
4.  Bake for 20 minutes or until brown.   Add the avocado to the remaining tomato mixture and serve along side the croquettes.


Fried Plantains
1.  Coat a skillet with oil and heat over medium high heat.
2. Slice 2 plantains.
3. Place plantain slices in the skillet, being careful not to crowd the pan.  Turn slices over after about 3 minutes or until browned.  Repeat until both sides of the plantain are nice and brown.  Drain on paper towels.
4.  Serve with guacamole.