Red Pepper Pesto

Ok sorry for the less than amazing photo but 1) sunlight is fading fast in the evenings and 2) this stuff was so good I almost didn’t even stop to photograph it at all, I was all “get in my belly!”  Oh man this pesto is good!  It’s good on pasta, it’s good on sandwiches, it’s good on bruschetta, it’s good straight out of a spoon.  We got a great deal on red peppers at Costco last weekend and Tyler promised he’d find a way to use them.  He found this Rachael Ray recipe on the food network site and whipped it up last night.  It made a ton, and it was a great alternative to regular pesto since basil is just too scarce and too expensive these days!  Excuse me while I go eat another spoonfull before bed   You need to make this pesto, and soon!

Red Pepper Pesto Sauce (from Rachael Ray)

• 1 cup drained, packed roasted red peppers
• 2 small cloves garlic
• 1 (3-ounce) jar pignoli/pine nuts
• 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, a couple of handfuls
• Salt and pepper
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it

Combine roasted peppers, garlic, pine nuts, parsley, salt and pepper and cheese in a food processor. Turn the processor on and stream in the extra-virgin olive oil to form a thick, pasty sauce forms. Adjust seasoning and transfer sauce to a large bowl.

Read Full Post »

Kinda like pancakes, only faster!

This is another recipe I tore out of an old issue of Real Simple.  It was an easy recipe, although chopping up all the ingredients and shredding the chicken did take a bit of time (and help from the husband).  Worth it though, because this meal involves very little actual cooking and it is full of great flavors.  I was pleased the corn cakes cooked so fast, the batter looks like pancake batter but you don’t have to wait for bubbles to pop or anything tedious like that!  My only real complaint is the corncakes themselves could use a kick, maybe some green onion or something?  I’ll have to play around with it, but we agreed this is a great meal that we will make again.

Smoky Chicken Corn Cakes (from RealSimple)

1 3 1/2- to 4-pound rotisserie chicken
1 tablespoon chopped canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
4 Roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 large eggs
1 cup part-skim ricotta
10 ounces frozen corn, thawed
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)

Using a fork or your fingers, shred the chicken meat, discarding the skin and bones.

In a medium bowl, combine the meat, chipotle, lime juice, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, the onion, tomatoes, and cilantro; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, pepper, and the remaining salt. Stir in the eggs and ricotta until no lumps remain. Fold in the corn.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. For each corn cake, spoon about 1/4 cup of the batter onto the skillet and cook until golden brown and set on one side, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a spatula, flip the cakes and cook 1 minute more. Divide the cakes among individual plates and top with the chicken mixture. Serve with sour cream, if desired.

Read Full Post »

Steamed Salmon

I’m exploring more quick and easy meals now that I’m busy with school and my practicum (with preschoolers, which totally wears me out and makes me not want to spend much time in the kitchen!)  We made this meal last week and I really enjoyed it, although it may have been a bit too lemon-y.  It was an easy way to cook salmon though, and I looooooove salmon!

Steamed Salmon and Asparagus in Parchment (from RealSimple)

1 1/2 pounds small new potatoes
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
4 salmon fillets (about 6 ounces each)
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
4 scallions, trimmed and sliced
4 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 lemons, halved

Preheat oven to 400° F. Place a piece of parchment paper on a 13-by-12-inch baking sheet. Put the potatoes on the sheet and season with 1 teaspoon of the salt and ½ teaspoon of the pepper. Distribute the butter over the potatoes. Roast in top of oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until done. Meanwhile, lay out 4 sheets of parchment (at least 13 by 13 inches) and place 1 fillet on each. Top with the asparagus, scallions, and tarragon. Drizzle with the oil and season with the remaining salt and pepper. Top each fillet with a lemon half, after first squeezing on the juice. Pull the sides of the paper over each fillet, folding several times to seal. Fold and twist the ends to form rectangular parcels. Place them on a sheet pan. Bake on lower rack of over for 20 to 25 minutes while the potatoes finish cooking. Place a salmon parcel on each plate and cut open. Serve with the potatoes.

Read Full Post »

Cooking Club: Cookbook Swap

This month we kept it pretty simple by doing a potluck and cookbook swap: the catch?  You had to make a recipe out of the cookbook you were giving away!  We had a wide variety of dishes, and all of them were delicious (which made the cast-off cookbooks up for grabs more appealing!)  We drew numbers to decide who would choose from the stack of cookbooks first.  I came home with a great little cookbook about making sushi, which is perfect since it doesn’t take up much space and it will challenge Tyler and I to be more adventurous!  I don’t have the actual recipes for our dishes to share this time, sorry!  But enjoy the pictures

Some of the cookbooks up for grabs (I brought Ina, sorry Ina!)

Thai Chicken Pizza by Julie, our lovely hostess!

Various bruschetta by Leslie

Corn cakes by Audrey

Pasta Salad by Courtney

Sushi by Jules

Chocolate-Cherry Cake by Carli

Slow Cooker Apple Crisp by Lara

Pumpkin Banana Mousse Tarte by Me!

Carli, Julie and Lara

Audrey and Jules

Next Month: We’re thinking soups, stews, and homemade breads!

Previous Months: Risotto, Spanish Tapas

Read Full Post »

Sesame Noodles

I was flipping through my Best of Cooking Light cookbook over the weekend and ran across this recipe and decided to give it a try.  We had half a batch of potstickers in the freezer that I wanted to cook up with another asian inspired dish.  I altered the Cooking Light recipe a bit based on reviews I read on their website.  I omitted the chicken since the pork potstickers were enough meat for one meal, and I decided not to bake the noodles, since several reviews mentioned that the dish became too dry upon baking.  This was a filling meal, but lacked a zing I was hoping for, it was just a bit bland.  The reviews online had been mixed, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect.  Still, I think it’s a good base recipe that you could spice up.  It had a nice amount of veggies in it and complimented the potstickers well, plus it was a quick meal which I really appreciate right now since I’m buried under work for grad school!

Sesame Noodles (adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:

8 ounces uncooked spaghetti or linguine, broken in half (I used lo-mein noodles)
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 cup red bell pepper strips
8 ounces shiitake mushroom caps, sliced (I used regular white mushrooms)
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cream sherry
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 cups thinly sliced bok choy
3/4 cup sliced green onions
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, divided

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add red bell pepper strips and mushrooms; sauté 2 minutes. Add chicken, ginger, and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in soy sauce; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Combine broth and cornstarch, stirring well with a whisk. Add broth mixture to pan, and cook 2 minutes or until mixture is slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in sherry, vinegar, and crushed red pepper. Add pasta, bok choy, green onions, and 2 teaspoons sesame seeds to pan, tossing well to combine.

Read Full Post »