Lemon-Herb Orzo

Things have been a bit busy around our house preparing for our baby to arrive...can't believe it should be in less than a week! I have been cooking some of our favorite recipes that can be frozen for when life gets crazy. However, that also means I haven't been making anything new to share. I finally tried a simple and quick recipe from my stack of printed and ripped out recipes.

One of the great things about this is its freshness from the herbs and lemon, yet it is still versatile enough to pair with anything. We had it with my garlicky baked shrimp. Since we ate this with seafood we added some lemon juice in addition to the zest, it is all up to your personal preference. I plan to eat the leftovers cold for lunch either over mixed greens or add in some feta cheese for some salty tang.

Lemon-Herb Orzo
Source: Food Network Magazine

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups Orzo
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup chives, chopped
¼ cup dill, chopped
¼ cup parsley, chopped
1 lemon zested

Directions:
Cook orzo in boiling salted water until al dente per box, usually about 8-10 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking water.

Toss orzo with butter, chives, dill, parsley and lemon zest. Add reserved water if you need to loosen. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

Let's be honest, who doesn't love potatoes?! They are easily one of my favorite side dishes; so versatile and always delicious. Roasted potatoes are one of the easiest things to cook and makes a meal look and feel fancier for some reason. We have a huge rosemary bush in our backyard so I am a fan of any excuse to use it, plus it's one less ingredient to buy at the store. I made them as a side to Roasted Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon for family dinner, but are a perfect side dish for any meal. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
Serves: 3-4
Source: Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds small red or white-skinned potatoes (or a mixture)
1/8 cup good olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 Tablespoons minced garlic (3 cloves)
2 Tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut the potatoes in half or quarters and place in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary; toss until the potatoes are well coated. Dump the potatoes on a baking sheet and spread out into 1 layer; roast in the oven for at least 1 hour, or until browned and crisp. Flip twice with a spatula during cooking to ensure even browning.

Remove the potatoes from the oven, season to taste, and serve.

Quinoa with Black Beans

Happy Labor Day! This normally marks the end of summer and everyone heading back to school. However, in Florida it still remains hot and the kids have already been in school for a week! One thing that does remain the same, is that this holiday like most others, is synonymous with food and get togethers, so that is exactly what we did. While we didn't have an all American BBQ we did take advantage of the grill. Jason grilled up some juicy jerk chicken thighs and peppers and I made this bright and zesty quinoa with black beans and corn. I happen to really like cilantro and it brightens up this dish, especially with the lime juice. Next time I will definitely add in some diced bell peppers for some crunch and color. It is tasty warm but also just as good cold for lunch the next day.

Quinoa with Black Beans Slightly adapted from: Betty Crocker
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

1  cup uncooked quinoa

1 can chicken or vegetable broth

1  cup black beans (from 15-oz can), drained, rinsed

1/2  cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed

1/4  cup chopped fresh cilantro

3  medium green onions, chopped

1  Tablespoon fresh lime juice (1/2 lime)

1  clove garlic, finely chopped

1/4  teaspoon salt

Directions:

Rinse quinoa thoroughly by placing in a fine-mesh strainer and holding under cold running water until water runs clear; drain well.

In 2-quart saucepan, heat broth to boiling. Add quinoa; reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

Fluff quinoa with fork. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook uncovered about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly heated.

Zucchini Tots

Happy Friday! We all survived another week and this time with record heat! We are big fans of summer squash and zucchini but am never too creative in how to use it aside from saute, steam or grill. During the summer they are fresh and affordable so take advantage! I wish I had a garden to grow some in, but have a feeling this Florida heat would not cooperate well. This is a perfect recipe for a party food, side dish or even part of breakfast! There is built in portion control with the mini muffins and they have a little golden crunch on the outside. They are great for sneaking in vegetables since there isn't a strong flavor from the zucchini but mainly the seasonings. I am going definitely keeping this recipe on hand for the future.

Zucchini Tots
Yields: 12 mini muffins
Serving Size: 4 per person
Source: Skinnytaste

Ingredients:
1 cup zucchini, grated
1 large egg
1/4 medium onion, diced
1/4 cup reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
salt and pepper to taste
cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°. Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.

Grate the zucchini into a clean dish towel. Wring all of the excess water out of the zucchini. In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients and season with salt and pepper.

Fill each muffin section to the top, pushing down on the filling with your spoon so it's nice and compacted so they don't fall apart when you take them out of the tin.

Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until the tops are golden.  Use a plastic knife or rubber spatula around the edges of each tot to remove them from the muffin tin.   

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

I love sweet potatoes. It was not always this way growing up but somewhere along the line I came to like their flavor better, and of course the fact that they are better for you than a regular potato doesn't hurt. I have never made mashed potatoes or mashed sweet potatoes before but love them when we eat out. 

This recipe was really easy to make with just boiling the potatoes and then mashing in the other ingredients. It meant I only had to dirty one pot instead of using a food processor or whipping them with an electric mixer. The orange juice brightened up the flavor while the cinnamon and honey gave it  the sweetness and warmth you look for.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Serves 8

Ingredients:
6 sweet potatoes (about 4 pounds), peeled and cut into eighths
3 Tablespoons honey
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon butter 

Directions:

Place the sweet potatoes in a large pot and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return to the pot.

Add the remaining ingredients and mash with a potato masher or fork. Season to taste with more salt if necessary.

Adapted from: Real Simple 

Broccoli-Quinoa Pilaf with Salmon

I have been hearing so many great things about quinoa and finally tried to make it tonight. Quinoa is a great whole grain that is also a complete protein and full of amino acids (like muscle-relaxing magnesium), fiber, and other minerals. It is a great way to mix things up from having rice as a side dish and a lot better for you. I had bought a bag a while ago after seeing it featured in a few blogs and magazines, but it has been sitting in my pantry just waiting to be opened. Tonight I used a recipe that my mom had made for me while home a few weeks ago. I figured that the first thing I try I should know sort of how it is supposed to turn out.  And with it I made some healthy pan seared salmon to round out the healthy meal.

Broccoli-Quinoa Pilaf with Salmon

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 teaspoons olive oil

½ small onion, chopped

kosher salt and black pepper

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well

2 cups chopped broccoli

½ cup roasted almonds, coarsely chopped

6-ounce pieces salmon

Seafood seasoning (Old Bay or Phillips)

Directions:

1. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and season with ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to brown, 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Add the quinoa and 1½ cups water to the saucepan and bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently until almost all the water has evaporated, 10 to 12 minutes. Fold the broccoli and raisins into the quinoa, cover, and cook until the quinoa and broccoli are tender, 8 to 10 minutes more. Remove from heat and fold in the almonds, scallions, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Season the salmon with the seafood seasoning and cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 4 minutes per side

 4. Serve with the broccoli-quinoa mixture and enjoy!

Tip: Steaming the broccoli along with the quinoa means one less pot to clean. This technique works with lots of vegetables, including peas, green beans, and carrots.

Nutritional Information:

Calories 464; Fat 16g; Sat Fat 2g; Cholesterol 65mg; Sodium 833mg; Protein 37g; 

Carbohydrate 44g; Sugar 7g; Fiber 6g; Iron 6mg; Calcium 109mg

 

Adapted from: Real Simple

Southern cooking- Dry rub Ribs and corn souffle

With it officially being summer and all the delicious BBQ foods are shown I have had a craving for ribs. Unlike most people I am not a fan of the wet BBQ sauce and much prefer dry rubs. Since I was feeling like ribs were southern, what better side dish to make than a corn soufflé. My Aunt in Atlanta had made this for us when we were visiting in April and it was so good I couldn’t get it out of my mind. Finally a chance to try it out.

The ribs cooked perfectly and were falling off the bone. After they were in the oven the whole house started to smell like the spices in the rub. What I like most about this recipe is that they come out tender but doesn’t require 6 hours in the hot oven.

Dry Rub Ribs – Memphis

Ingredients:

2 pounds baby back ribs

For the Rub:

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon dry oregano

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

25 grinds fresh black pepper

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

I added a few sprinkles of garlic powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Mix the rub ingredients together well in a small bowl.

Remove the membrane from the bone side of the ribs, then rub the vegetable oil onto the ribs. 

Pour the rub over the ribs and work the rub fully and evenly into the ribs. Spread the ribs out evenly on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Bake until tender and juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Source: Dave Lieberman

As for the corn soufflé, it was so simple to make. Literally everything gets thrown in a bowl, mixed up and poured into the dish to bake. Since I have 1 oven I cooked it at a lower temperature so they could go in with the ribs and it took a bit longer than the recipe, but still came out golden brown. I wasn’t sure if my picky eater would like them, but Jason and his Dad both went back for seconds which in my book means a job well done!

Corn Casserole

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn

1 (8-ounce) package corn muffin mix (recommended: Jiffy)

1 cup sour cream (I used a light version)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, stir together the 2 cans of corn, corn muffin mix, sour cream, and melted butter. Pour into a greased 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown.

Let stand for at least 5 minutes and then serve warm.

Source: Paula Deen