Menu Plans 11-22-10

Monday - Chana Masala, Brown Rice
Tuesday - Pizza Out!
Wednesday - Black Bean and Chicken Chilaquiles
Thursday - Thanksgiving!
Friday - TBD

Check out some other great menus at orgjunkie.com!

Cold Sesame Noodle Salad

This is a great dish to make ahead for a quick dinner or side dish since it’s served cold. Plus, all the colors look so pretty together. :)

Adapted from Good Life Eats

Ingredients
7.5 oz. whole wheat angel hair pasta
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp lime juice
3/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 bunch of scallions, sliced
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 head of red cabbage, sliced thin
Large handful matchstick cut carrots
3/4 cup shelled edamame, cooked
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Directions
1. Cook pasta according to directions. Drain, rinse under cold water.

2. To make dressing, whisk soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, crushed red pepper, scallions, and cilantro in a large bowl. Add noodles and vegetables, toss to coat. Top with sesame seeds.

3. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

The Facts
4 Servings

Menu Plans 10-11-10

I'm back! Whew, it's been a while. After a two and a half week vacation and a week and a half recovery/detox, I'm ready to get back in the swing of things! Hope you didn't miss me too much... :)

Sunday - Grilled Filet Mignon, Mashed Cauliflower and Sweet Potatoes, Salad
Monday - Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches, Garlic Roasted Zucchini and Mushrooms
Tuesday - Mediterranean Lentil Salad
Wednesday - Leftovers after Volleyball
Thursday - Trivia @ Smokey Bones - Defending champions from last week!
Friday - Dinner Out

Check out some other great menus at orgjunkie.com!

Menu Plans 09-06-10

Monday - Leftover BBQ Pulled Pork and Chicken Sandwiches from our Labor Day BBQ
Tuesday - Shrimp with Mango and Basil, Jasmine Rice, Side Salad
Wednesday - Frozen Pierogi's, Habanero Chicken Sausage, Roasted Okra
Thursday - Trivia @ Smokey Bones
Friday - Dinner Out

Spicy Tuna Kobachi

Without a doubt, pretty much anytime we eat sushi out we’ll start with a spicy tuna kobachi. It’s SO GOOD! I had heard that a local produce and meat market sold frozen sushi grade tuna so I went and checked it out. Seriously, it was $6.99 a pound. You can’t beat that! The filets came in individually vacuum sealed pouches of about 4 oz. each. I thawed them the day I made this so they would be fresh.

This recipe was absolutely delicious! I’m so happy with how it came out. A small warning though – if you’re not a fan of some spice, you might want to reduce the amount of Sriracha you use. One teaspoon gave it a good amount of kick.

Adapted from Gina’s WW Recipes

Ingredients
13 oz. sushi grade ahi tuna, finely chopped (or however much you have)
2 tsp pure sesame oil
1 tsp rice wine
2 tsp fresh lime juice
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp Sriracha hot sauce (to taste)
2 tbsp scallions, minced
1/2 ripe, firm hass avocado, diced
1/2 tsp sesame seeds

Directions
1. Mix diced sushi and avocado in a medium bowl.

2. Combine sesame oil, rice wine, lime juice, soy sauce and sriracha sauce. Pour over diced tuna and mix to coat all pieces.

3. Top with scallions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

The Facts
4 Servings

Menu Plans 08-30-10

Monday - Spicy Tuna Kobachi, Cold Sesame Noodle Salad
Tuesday - Dinner Out After Softball
Wednesday - Jerk Chicken Kabobs, Rice
Thursday - Trivia @ Smokey Bones
Friday - Amber's Birthday Celebration!
Saturday - Dinner Out

Avocado Baked Mahi

So I heard there might be some interest in a fish recipe on the blog. Both Bryan and I enjoy fish but we never really cook it at home. I’m not sure why… Mahi was on sale at the grocery store this week so I decided this was good time to attempt cooking fish at home. I found a recipe that looked pretty good with a creamy avocado sauce. My problem with fish is I’m not quite sure how to tell when it’s done. I pulled these out after 13 minutes and they definitely needed more time. We stuck them back in for another 5 minutes or so. I enjoyed the final product and really liked the avocado sauce on top.

Adapted from Cara’s Cravings

Ingredients
1/2 of an avocado, pureed
1 tbsp plain nonfat Greek yogurt (14gm)
1 tbsp minced scallion, green part only
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp ground ginger
dash of salt
2 Mahi Mahi filets, 6 oz. each
coarsely ground black pepper

Directions
1. Whisk together the avocado, yogurt, scallion, garlic, Worcestershire, ginger, and salt.

2. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray an oven-safe skillet or baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place the fish in the pan and sprinkle with salt. Spread 1-2 tbsp of the avocado mixture on top of each and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

3. Warm the remaining avocado mixture gently in the microwave (low heat for about 30 seconds; you can thin with a little water if you like). When ready to serve the fish, drizzle with warm avocado sauce and sprinkle with black pepper.

The Facts
2 Servings

Chili-Lime Shrimp

I love shrimp because there are so many different flavor combinations you can cook with them. They are also a tasty low calorie protein option and they cook super fast. This was another successful dish with shrimp. The butter mixed in at the end gives the dish a taste of richness. I added a bit of water to the final mix to make for some extra sauce to serve over the rice. I enjoyed this meal and look forward to making it again.

Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients
Cooking spray
3/4 cup chopped green onions, divided
1 lb peeled and deveined large shrimp
1 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
2 tbsp Smart Balance buttery spread, or butter
1/2 tsp salt

Directions
1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add 1/2 cup onions; coat onions with cooking spray. Cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally.

2. Add shrimp and chili powder; cook 4 minutes or until desired degree of doneness, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

3. Add lime juice, butter, and salt, and stir until butter melts. Add 2-4 tbsp water if a thinner sauce is desired. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup onions and serve.

The Facts
4 Servings

Menu Plans 08-23-10

Monday - Crockpot Shredded Chicken Tacos, Tijuana Kitchen Rice
Tuesday - Avocado Baked Mahi, Roasted Red Potatoes, Side Salad
Wednesday - Sriracha Poultry Meatballs, Asian Noodles
Thursday - Trivia @ Smokey Bones
Friday - Dinner Out

Check out some other great menus at orgjunkie.com!

Rolled Greens

This was my first attempt at cooking collard greens, and I must say, they didn’t come out too bad! Bryan has been craving a good southern meal for a while so, this week I set out to make fried chicken and collard greens healthy. I started with two bunches of fresh organic collards from Whole Foods. You can easily use the pre cut bagged version, but I figured if I wanted to make some true collards, let’s start from the beginning.

I rinsed and chopped the greens and realized they were going to shrink drastically while cooking. There was NO WAY I had enough for four people. The original recipe called for collards OR kale; I randomly had kale in the fridge as well, so into the pan than went too! The end result was a tasty greens dish with a hint of bacon flavor. Yum! I would make this again for sure.

Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients
2 bunches of collard greens
1 bunch of kale
1 tsp olive oil
2 bacon slices, finely diced
1 medium onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Remove stems from greens. Wash and pat dry. Stack 4 or 5 collard leaves together, and roll up holding tightly. Slice thinly. Chop kale as well.

2. Heat oil in a large pan until hot. Add bacon; sauté 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Add onion; sauté 2 minutes or until soft.

3. Add greens in 4 batches; cook 1 minute after each addition, stirring frequently. Cook an additional 25 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with hot sauce if desired.

The Facts
6 Servings

Menu Plans 08-16-10

Monday - Oven-Fried Chicken with Waffles and Rolled Collard Greens
Tuesday - Chili Lime Shrimp, Rice, Spicy Crispy Kale with Lime
Wednesday - Spaghetti and Chicken Sausage, Side Salad
Thursday - TBD
Friday - Dinner Out

Check out some other great menus at orgjunkie.com!

Spicy Shrimp, Chorizo and Cheese Grits

Oh, Yum! This dish had an all around great flavor. We’ve seen shrimp and grits on tons of restaurant menus, but have never actually ordered them. When I saw this recipe, I figured it would be fun to recreate this dish with a healthy spin. I rarely buy sausage, but for some reason a pack of chorizo caught my eye at Whole Foods one day. I loved that it was all natural with a lot less fat than your typical sausage links. I tossed them in the freezer and knew this was the perfect recipe to use them in. The sausage had a kick of spice complemented nicely by the seasonings in the rest of the dish. I would definitely make this meal again!

**Please note that nutrition is calculated using the chorizo referenced above. I believe a different brand will drastically alter the calorie and fat content.

Adapted from Cooking Light and Cooking Light

Ingredients
Shrimp and Sausage:
Cooking spray
3/4 lb peeled and deveined medium shrimp
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sweet peppers, chopped
6 oz all natural Chorizo sausage, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup water

Cheese Grits:
2 cups water
1/2 cup uncooked old-fashioned grits
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3/4 tsp hot sauce
1 oz grated fresh Parmesan cheese (approx 1/4 cup)

Directions
1. For grits, bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Gradually stir in grits. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes (or per package directions). Stir in milk. Remove from heat; add remaining ingredients, stirring until cheese melts.

2. While grits cook, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shrimp, seasoning, and black pepper, tossing to coat. Cook 3 minutes or until shrimp are done, stirring frequently. Remove from pan; keep warm.

3. Coat pan with cooking spray again. Add chopped peppers; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add sausage; cook 2 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Add reserved shrimp mixture and garlic. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add 1/4 cup water; cook 30 seconds, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Remove from heat; let stand 2 minutes.

4. Serve shrimp and sausage mixture over cheese grits.

The Facts
4 Servings

Menu Plans 08-09-10

Monday - Spicy Shrimp, Sausage and Cheese Grits with Side Salad
Tuesday - Grilled Steak, Roasted Broccoli and Okra, Parmesan Orzo
Wednesday - Shredded Mexican Chicken Tacos, Spicy Black Beans
Thursday - TBD
Friday - Dinner Out

Check out some other great menus at orgjunkie.com!

Orecchiette with Mixed Greens and Goat Cheese

I asked Bryan to help me with the dinner menu, and he came up with this amazing recipe. He loves orecchiette styled pasta at restaurants, so I think that’s what drew him in. However, have you ever tried to find orecchiette at the local grocery store? Ha, that was an adventure. Two grocery stores later, we came home with a $5 pound of imported pasta from Italy. This better be good.

Luckily, the dish was very tasty and we both enjoyed it. The pasta was almost doughy like a small dumpling. I’m sure this recipe would work well with other pasta shapes too; maybe medium shells? I doubled the recipe for company without any issues. I would recommend serving this with a simple grilled chicken.

Adapted from Food Network: Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients
6 oz. dried orecchiette pasta
2 cups Mediterranean-style mixed salad greens
2 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes (packed in olive oil), chopped
1 tbsp goat cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
Pinch salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook per the package instructions, until tender but still firm to the bite. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the water.

2. In a medium bowl, mix the salad greens with the sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese, and Parmesan. Top with warm pasta and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss to combine and wilt the greens.

3. Season with a pinch each of salt and pepper, or to taste. Garnish with additional Parmesan, if desired, and serve.

The Facts
3 Servings

Menu Plans 08-02-10

Better late than never! :)

Monday - Home-made Lasagna at Joanne's
Tuesday - Sweet Chili Pulled Chicken, Orecchiette with Mixed Greens and Goat Cheese
Wednesday - Sweet and Spicy Shrimp, Yellow Rice, Roasted Broccoli
Thursday - Trivia @ Smokey Bones
Friday - Dinner Out

Pasta with Herbed Goat Cheese

This was a super easy and delicious side dish. I’ve been enjoying goat cheese in my salads and at restaurants a lot recently so when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. I simplified the recipe by omitting the sautéed tomatoes. While I’m sure they would add a lot of flavor – one less pan to clean was kind of nice! I would easily make this again as a simple side to complement some grilled chicken or steak. I halved the recipe below and it was plenty for the two of us.

Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients
12 oz Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta
3 oz garlic and herb-flavored goat cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

Directions
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; place in a large bowl. Add goat cheese, salt, pepper and broth to pasta; stir until well blended.

The Facts
6 Servings

Chicken Sate Lettuce Wraps with Pineapple Jicama Slaw

This recipe gave me a chance to work with a brand new (to me) ingredient. – jicama! Prior to this, my only encounter has been on salad bars where it is typically julienned. It was interesting to see the root vegetable, closely related to the potato in its natural state. I googled how to work with the jicama and it was really quite easy.

The slaw took a lot of time to prep due to all the chopping required. I would recommend tackling that task the night before. However, once it was ready to go, the rest of the recipe came together quite quickly. We enjoyed this meal as a nice light dinner prior to Bryan’s volleyball game. It was definitely enough to feel satisfied but not be weighed down. I bet this would make a good lunch served cold as well.

Adapted from Cara’s Cravings

Ingredients
Slaw
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 lime, juiced and zested
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
freshly ground salt & pepper, to taste
about 1 cup diced pineapple (150gm)
about 1 cup julienned jicama (100gm)

Chicken Sate
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
1.5 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
3 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 lime, juiced and zested
pinch of crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced

Peanut Sauce
3 tbsp PB2, mixed with a little water
1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 tbsp chili paste with garlic
1/2 teaspoon sugar

10 leaves Boston Bibb lettuce, washed and dried

Directions
1 Combine all of the slaw ingredients in a large bowl and chill until ready to serve.

2. For the chicken sate, combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, red pepper, and garlic. Slice the chicken into thin strips and toss with the marinade in a bowl or shallow baking dish. Let marinate for 10 minutes at room temperature, or up to an hour in the refrigerator.

3. Meanwhile, whisk together the peanut sauce ingredients.

4. Preheat large pan over medium heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard marinade. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from heat and chop chicken into bite sized pieces.

5. Serve chicken in lettuce leaves with pineapple-jicama slaw and peanut dipping sauce. Enjoy!

The Facts
Four Servings, Including Sauce

Menu Plans 07-26-10

Saturday - Smoked Lamb with Mint Salsa Verde, Pasta with Herbed Goat Cheese, Pan Roasted Asparagus
Monday - Smoked Pork Tenderloin, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli
Tuesday - Tequila Lime Shrimp Tacos, Chili Lime Rice
Wednesday - Chicken Shawarma, Taboule Salad, Veggies and Hummus
Thursday - Trivia @ Smokey Bones
Friday - Dinner Out
Saturday - TBD

Check out some other great menus at orgjunkie.com!

Greek-American Lamb Gyros

I don’t even know where to start with these. They were SO incredibly good! Bryan and I enjoyed every single bite of this popular Greek meal. I made gyros a few months ago, but the recipe I used just wasn’t that great or worth sharing. While making our dinner menu for the week, Bryan requested gyros again. I obviously wasn’t crazy about the first recipe so I went on the hunt for a new and improved one. I stumbled across this article. Here, some chef did a food lab experiment of different methods for making gyros at home. Perfect! I read through it and really liked what he described, so I went for it!

To add to my growing collection of kitchen electronics and gadgets, I bought the meat grinder attachment for my KitchenAid Stand Mixer. Wowsa, that thing was awesome! Way better than my previous method using the food processor. We bought a boneless lamb leg roast (from Costco, ha!). I portioned out about a pound of meat and froze the rest. I trimmed some of the fat prior to grinding, however I made sure to leave enough as this is the main binding ingredient. I omitted the bacon and had no issues. Otherwise, I followed the recipe in its entirety.

The end result was delicious, perfectly juicy, well seasoned lamb slices. The only change I would make next time would be to flip the meat and broil on BOTH sides. I highly recommend reading the food lab article to see the entire process and importance of each step. We enjoyed our gyros on wheat pita flatbreads with Tzaztiki from the local Mediterranean restaurant as well as an amazing garbanzo bean salad and barley salad from the same restaurant. We completed the gyros with tomatoes, red onion and crumbled feta. I can’t WAIT to make these again!

Adapted from J. Kenji Lopez-Alt on Serious Eats

Ingredients
1 lb ground lamb
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp picked fresh oregano leaves (or 1/2 tsp dried)
1/2 onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 clove garlic, sliced

Directions
1. Combine lamb, salt, pepper, and oregano in medium bowl. Mix with hands until homogeneous. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 300°F. Place cold mixture in bowl of food processor with onion and garlic. Process until smooth puree is formed, about 1 minute total, scraping down sides with rubber spatula as necessary.

3. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. With moist hands, form meat mixture into rectangle about 1 1/2 inches high, 8-inches long, and 5-inches wide. Bake until center of loaf reads 155°F on an instant read thermometer, about 30-40 minutes. Allow loaf to rest at room temperature for 10-15 (or refrigerate for up to a week).

4. Adjust broiler rack to highest position (about 1 1/2 to 2 inches from broiler element) and preheat broiler. Slice loaf crosswise into 1/8th to 1/4-inch strips (each strip should be about 5-inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide). Lay strips on rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and broil until edges are brown and crispy, about 2-3 minutes.

5. Serve on warmed pita flatbread with Tzaztiki, red onions, tomatoes and feta.

The Facts
4 Servings (Meat Only)

Linguini with White Clam Sauce

Have you ever ordered steamed clams (or mussels) at a restaurant with that delicious wine/garlic/etc. broth? You know, the kind you can dip endless amount of bread in and savor every bite? Yes, yum? That’s what I was going for with this dish; of course with some linguini so it was an actual dinner and not an appetizer. I must say, this came out quite tasty!

They had fresh clams at Costco this weekend, so on a whim we grabbed a bag for dinner this week. I browsed google for some recipes and found a good one to serve as my base. I did however make quite a few changes as the original only called for twelve clams (yes, TWELVE). Well, I had four pounds, and although I didn’t actually count, there were significantly more than twelve little clams. There’s really no rhyme or reason to the amount of everything I used, but it worked well for the dish. A work of caution on the red pepper flakes – it was rather spicy so I’d recommend using only half a teaspoon. I also added some clam juice just to make sure there was plenty of broth for some good bread dipping.

This recipe is definitely a keeper. Everything came together rather quickly, at least once the clams were scrubbed (that takes me forever!). This is a great dish to serve for company, everyone will enjoy it!

Adapted from Healthy. Delicious.

Ingredients
1 box – 13.25 oz whole wheat linguini
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, minced
6-8 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tsp dried hot red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried oregano
1 cup white wine
1 cup clam juice
4 lbs littleneck clams, scrubbed well
2 Tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Prepare the linguini according to the directions on the package.

2. While that cooks, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Make sure your skillet is actually large enough to hold all your clams! Add the onion and sauté until it begins to soften. Add the garlic, red pepper, and oregano and cook for 1 minute, taking care not to burn the garlic.
3. Stir in the wine and clam juice. Cook for a few minutes to allow the flavors to come together. Add the clams, cover, and steam for about 7-10 minutes or until all the clams open. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and parsley; season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Add the half a cup of clam sauce to the pasta and toss to coat.

5. Serve pasta, topped with clams and additional sauce, and some crusty bread for dipping if desired.

The Facts
6 Servings

Menu Plans 07-19-10

Sunday – Thanksgiving in July! Our contribution: Sweet Potato Casserole
Monday – Linguini with White Clam Sauce
Tuesday – Lamb Gyros, Tzazitiki with Cucumbers
Wednesday – Chicken Sate Lettuce Wraps with Pineapple Jicama Slaw
Thursday – Trivia @ Smokey Bones
Friday – Dinner Out

**Check out some other great menus at orgjunkie.com!

Chinese Five-Spice Steak

I had an extra flank steak left over from a dinner I hosted a few weeks ago so I turned to Cooking Light for a good recipe. After narrowing down the options, I decided to go with this one, with one major alteration. Instead of pre slicing the beef and cooking the strips, we chose to marinate the steak whole, grill it, THEN slice it. Our reasoning behind this was to achieve more of a medium to medium rare steak versus well done pieces. This method made for a more tender and juicy meat.

I also added broccoli to the original recipe. This rounded out the meal with some veggies which tasted delicious in the sauce. We definitely enjoyed this meal, however if I make it again, I will double the sauce / marinade. Between cooking the steak differently than originally called out and adding the broccoli, there really wasn’t any sauce leftover to soak into the rice. Everything had a great flavor, it just would have been nice to have a little extra.

Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp five-spice powder
1 (1.5 pound) flank steak, trimmed
2 tbsp minced green onions
2 tsp bottled minced garlic
1 head of broccoli, chopped – florets only
2 green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil

Directions
1. Combine hoisin sauce, soy sauce, five-spice powder, and steak in a large dish. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.

2. Heat large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking oil and add minced green onions and garlic; sauté 30 seconds.

3. Meanwhile, pre-heat grill to medium-high (350*) and remove steak from marinade. Once grill is hot, reduce heat to medium low and grill steak 7-8 minutes per side, until cooked through.

5. Remove steak from grill and allow to rest a few minutes before slicing into 1/4 inch strips.

6. While steak grills, add broccoli and remaining marinade to skillet. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook 5-10 minutes, until broccoli reached desired tenderness.

7. Stir in green onion pieces and chopped basil; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

8. Immediately before serving, combine steak slices with broccoli and enjoy over rice or rice noodles.

The Facts
4 Servings

Pan-Seared Scallops with Bacon and Spinach

Yum! This dish was absolutely delicious! Once the bacon hit the pan, the kitchen was immediately filled with an amazing aroma. Both Bryan and I couldn’t wait for dinner to be served. I bought fresh scallops from the seafood road show at Costco as well as spinach in bulk. Twelve ounces looked like a TON of spinach, but it cooked down a lot. I prepped all the ingredients before hand to allow for quicker cooking. Make sure you wait for the skillet to cool slightly before adding the garlic and onions to avoid burning. Overall, this was a great meal that I’m sure I’ll make again. I enjoyed cooking with some other seafood besides shrimp.

Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients
2 center-cut bacon slices
1 1/2 lbs sea scallops
1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp kosher salt, divided
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 cup chopped onion
6 garlic cloves, sliced
12 oz. fresh baby spinach

Directions
1. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings in pan; coarsely chop and set bacon aside.

2. Increase heat to high. Pat scallops dry with paper towels. Sprinkle scallops evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Add scallops to drippings in pan; cook 2 1/2 minutes on each side or until done. Transfer to a plate; keep warm.

3. Reduce heat to medium-high. Add onion and garlic to pan; sauté 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add half of spinach; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add remaining half of spinach; cook 2 minutes or just until wilted, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

4. Divide spinach mixture among 4 plates; top each serving evenly with crumbled bacon and scallops. Serve immediately.

The Facts
4 Servings

Menu Plans 07-12-10

So after 2.5 weeks without AC, a holiday week with company in town and countless dinners out, things are FINALLY getting back to normal around here! When it was 90 degrees in our house (NO, I'm NOT exaggerating), cooking in the kitchen was just not an option. The heat was unbearable. I am looking forward to getting back in the kitchen and preparing some fresh home cooked meals for us to enjoy.

Monday - Pan-Seared Scallops with Bacon and Spinach, Pasta Side

Tuesday - Chinese 5 Spice Steak, Brown Rice, Broccoli

Wednesday - Grilled Chicken with Cucumber Melon Salsa, Jasmine Rice, Roasted Eggplant and Zucchini

Thursday - Home Made Pizza, Salad

Friday - TBD

*Check out orgjunkie.com for some other great menus!

Menu Plans 06-21-10

Monday - Lobster Tacos with Avocado, Sweet Potato Chips, Salad
Tuesday - Grilled Filet Mignon, Parmesan Orzo, Zucchini Chips
Wednesday - Honey Mustard Chicken, Brown Rice, Salad
Thursday - Trivia @ Smokey Bones
Friday - Girls Night Out!
Saturday - TBD

**Check out orgjunkie.com for some other great menus!

Anniversary Dinner Recap

Bryan and I were married one year ago on Saturday June 13, 2009. I can’t believe it’s already been a year; it seriously flew by! We decided to celebrate with a nice dinner out at The Ravenous Pig. You may remember we ate there for the first time on my birthday a few months ago. Bryan made reservations a few weeks ago online and mentioned that we were celebrating our first anniversary.

We arrived thirty minutes early to enjoy a few pre dinner beers at the bar. We checked in at the hostess stand and they said whenever we were ready to be seated to let them know. After enjoying a beer and some candied popcorn we headed to our table.

Last time we eyed the ‘House-made Charcuterie and Artisan Cheese’ but decided to save it for a special occasion. This was the perfect time to try it! The gourmet meat and cheese board had four different types of salami, two prosciuttos, a wedge of gouda and a wedge of bleu cheese. On the side were thick bread slices cooked in bacon grease which were amazing! The sampler was delicious; however I’m not sure we’d order it on a normal basis – definitely a special occasion appetizer.

We also decided to split the Farmer salad: bitter greens, house smoked bacon, parmesan, soft boiled egg, Caesar vinaigrette and brioche croutons. The egg is served whole on top of the salad. Our server recommended we break the egg up and mix it well with the greens. Oh my, the runny yolk was fantastic on the salad! And the bacon was cut into large, chewy chunks – yum! The entire salad was full of flavor.

For my entrée, I ordered “Grilled Local Cobia.” It was served with Charlie’s new potatoes, grilled artichokes, green olive tapenade and pickled gypsy peppers. The fish was very tender and I loved the artichokes. I’m not a huge fan of green olives, but the tapenade was the perfect complement to the Cobia. This is definitely a dish I would order again.

Bryan went with the “48 Hour Short Rib.” The beef was served over mustard spaetzle, Vidalia onion puree and charred radicchio and topped with rye sauerkraut. The meat was a perfect medium and melted in your mouth. Bryan definitely enjoyed his meal, but I’m pretty sure my fish was better. ;)

And what’s a special celebration without dessert?? Being the chocolate fiend that I am, I ordered the dark chocolate-raspberry tart while Bryan ordered the Florida peach-blackberry crisp with toffee crunch ice cream. Up until this point, the restaurant had not acknowledged that we were celebrating our anniversary as Bryan had stated when he made the reservation. But check out the dessert spread:

This was an awesome surprise and I really like how they handled our special day. The hostess on the way out even wished us Happy Anniversary as we were leaving.

Back to the desserts, in one word: FABULOUS. They were a perfect ending to a wonderful dinner with my husband. Looking forward to another dinner here soon as well as many more happy years with my love.

Shrimp and Penne with Spinach Sauce

Mmm, this was a very enjoyable dish. It had grains, veggies and protein all in one! It was a nice change of pace to not have to worry about cooking/prepping two or three different things. They pasta sauce had a great creamy texture to it, and the spinach added a bring pop of green. I added the shrimp to the original recipe. I found that the shrimp put off a little liquid in cooking making the use of the reserved pasta water unnecessary. I also wilted the spinach slightly to take off the cool crunch. Bryan and I both agree this recipe is a keeper.

Adapted from Mia Cucina

Ingredients
1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
10 oz. whole wheat penne
3 garlic cloves
2 oz. goat cheese
1 oz. fat free cream cheese
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
6 oz. fresh baby spinach leaves

Directions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the penne and cook per the box directions.

2. Mince the garlic in a food processor. Add the goat cheese, cream cheese, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and half of the spinach leaves. Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Set the cheese and spinach mixture aside.

3. Meanwhile, add pre heat a medium skillet to medium high heat. Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper. Spray skillet with olive oil and add the shrimp. Sauté until pink and cooked through.

4. During the last minute of shrimp cooking, add remaining spinach and mix until wilted. Remove mixture from heat and add to large bowl.

5. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Spoon the pasta atop the spinach and shrimp in the bowl.

6. Scrape the cheese and spinach mixture over the pasta mixture and toss to coat, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper.

The Facts
4 Servings

Menu Plans 06-14-10

Unfortunately, our AC in the house died Friday, so we've temporarily moved into my mom's house for the week. Hopefully it will be fixed soon... In the meantime we've loaded up two dogs, a week's worth of clothes as well as a cooler full of food for the week! I had a lot of fresh produce in the house so I we could enjoy it before it went bad. My menu this week isn't too exciting as I was trying to use what we had on hand.

Monday - Gators Dockside (Because we're on this side of town, so why not?!?)
Tuesday - Shrimp, Couscous, Salad
Wednesday - Spaghetti with Chicken Sausage, Salad
Thursday - Trivia @ Smokey Bones
Friday - TBD

Sangria Chicken

This dish was definitely reminiscent of sangria! The wine and orange marmalade gave the chicken a delicious fruity flavor. This would have been great served with grapes (per the original recipe) how ever my grocery store trip never happened this week so I made do with what we already had on hand. I substituted reduced sugar marmalade and this resulted in a thinner sauce. It never really thickened up, but still tasted great. We used the leftover sauce to dip our chicken for extra flavor.

Adapted from How Sweet It Is

Ingredients
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup sweet orange marmalade, reduced sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 lime, cut into wedges
salt & pepper to taste

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425.

2. Heat a skillet on medium-high heat and spray lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and brown on both sides. Add chicken to a baking dish and roast until cooked through – about 20 minutes.

3. While chicken is cooking, simmer wine and marmalade in a small saucepan until thickened and reduced to about half.

4. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Add to baking dish with chicken, and roast for an additional 10 minutes.

5. Garnish with lime wedges (and grapes if you have them!).

The Facts
4 Servings

Menu Plans 06-07-10

Monday - Sangria Chicken, Orange Jasmine Rice, Salad
Tuesday - Penne with Spinach Sauce, Sautéed Shrimp, Roasted Patty Pan Squash (CSA!)
Wednesday - Jack Daniel's Pulled Chicken Sandwiches, Baked Beans, Salad
Thursday - Trivia @ Smokey Bones?
Friday - TBD or Dinner Out
Saturday - Anniversary Dinner Out! Celebrating one year. :)

**Check out orgjunkie.com for some other great menus!