Friday, August 24, 2012

Friiiiiii-atta!

I have been meaning to post this for a little while but then some stuff happened and life got in the way. Please accept my deepest apologies.  This was one of the new recipes I had on the menu for us to try. We have quiche on a semi-regular basis but we almost always use Senor's recipe which is delicious. I am a sucker for goat cheese thus when I saw this one and decided it might be worth trying; something different. I did make a few adjustments and it was yummy but I definitely felt like it was lacking some flavor or seasoning; I think next time I'd add some basil or something to give it more flavor.

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 400° F. Cook bacon then add onions and mushrooms. Cook until they're brown and proceed to #2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
  2. Add the spinach and cook, tossing, until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the eggs and sprinkle with the goat cheese. Cook until the mixture begins to set around the edges, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the skillet to oven and bake until set, 10 to 12 minutes.
  3. Dividing evenly, place the greens on plates and drizzle with the vinegar and the remaining oil; season with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Serve with the frittata and bread.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Sesame Lime Chicken Salad

This is another Real Simple recipe we tried tonight (and tomorrow night). It was simple enough. Extremely light and had a nice flavor. I served it with mangoes and sticky rice ( and this time I had real sticky rice from the Asian market!! with coconut milk + Sugar of course!)



Serves 4Hands-On Time: 20mTotal Time: 20m

Ingredients

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the canola oil, lime juice, sugar, sesame oil, chili, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Add the lettuce, carrots, and chicken and toss to combine.
  2. Serve the salad sprinkled with the sesame seeds, noodles, and cilantro.
** I made a few alterations to this.
1. I eliminated the chili pepper in the dressing; just used like 1/8 tsp red pepper from my spice cabinet; also used vegetable oil 'cuz that's what I had.
2. I added 1-2 Tbsp soy sauce to the dressing it and used ALOT more lime juice than it called for--I juiced 2 limes completely; mixed it up & kept in a jar rather than mixing it in with the greens; I don't like to pre-dress my salads--better for leftovers if you don't. 
2. I added chopped celery and green onions to the salad mix. 
3. I added red peppers chopped to the salad mix. (sweet red peppers)
4. I used chicken I'd boiled (w/bone + skin) in water and soy sauce; removed the skin and bone and chopped up the chicken. 
5. I omitted the sesame seeds
6. The cilantro is CRUCIAL to this dish!!!

It was relatively easy and delicious. 

Zucchini Salad

I noticed several folks have done posts this evening on their dinner plans/menus/general routines and it reminded me (er, um "motivated" me) to post about our dinners as of late.
I have pulled most of this week's menu from the most recent issue of Real Simple.
I also decided to add back the calendar at the bottom of our family blog.
Next week maybe a bit wild and wooly since the kitchen will be out of commission more or less. I think I will be compiling some freezer/crock pot meals to cover the week of destruction.

Last night (and the night before--remember cook once eat twice--or thrice!!) we had this dish. I added black beans for protein and some fresh corn. The corn didn't work well with the other flavors. I would definitely up the beans though. They added a nice flavor and would definitely "anchor" this as more of a filling dinner. I also strongly recommend the step where you toss everything as the end so it's all warmed up. I almost skipped it and was so glad I didn't when I ate it!!


Serves 4Hands-On Time: 20mTotal Time: 20m

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water; drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
  2. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes; let cool, then break into pieces. Add the oil, zucchini, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper to the drippings in the skillet and cook, tossing occasionally, until tender, 4 to 6 minutes.
  3. Add the zucchini, tomatoes, and cooking water to the pasta and cook over medium heat, tossing, until the tomatoes soften slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the Feta and bacon and toss to combine. Serve sprinkled with the basi