After a week of indulging in tacos, guacamole, chips, cocktails and dessert - I decided that my hubby and I needed to eat a healthy, nutritious meal at home. I determined that the best way to launch us back into a healthy diet was to replace our usual pasta dinner with zoodles. Yup, you read that right - zoodles. Otherwise known as spiral sliced zucchini noodles. 😳 Before you judge me - I'm not the only zoodle maker apparently. Did you know that you can buy spiral sliced zucchini from the grocery store? Maybe I'm just late to the zoodle game but I found it in the freezer section at Wal Mart. The bag of zoodles was right next to the frozen spiral sliced squash (soodles?, squoodles?), so I picked up a bag of each. My twenty-two year old child gave the best response when I announced that I was preparing a dinner was consisting of fish and zoodles for her dad and I. She immediately launched into a series of questions starting with "Why would you do that" and ending with "Can I call dad and warn him before he gets home?" 🤣 I have to say that I was a little surprised that the man that I've been cooking dinner for, for the last 28 years didn't even bat an eye when he walked into the house after a long day of work and spotted a bowl of Zoodles sitting on the table. Experts say that we choose spouses that are opposites in many ways. Well, I certainly married my polar opposite. My hubby is super easy going and let's just say I'm ... not. 😅 He was actually super enthusiastic about tasting this new, healthy, pasta substitute. (Or a really good actor.) 🤣 And as fate would have it - he actually liked it. And I'm pretty sure that he wasn't just saying it to make me feel better either, because his bowl was completely empty at the end of the meal. 😳 I feel like his opinion of the zoodles is far more credible than mine because I like all things vegetable. Pan Seared Cod with Zoodles 2 cod filets 2 garlic clove, minced 2 Tablespoons olive oil salt and pepper 1 shallot, chopped zucchini and squash zoodles (I bough them in the freezer section) 2 teaspoons lemon zest 1/4 cup fresh basil 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Toss with fresh basil, lemon juice and zest. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among 2 plates or bowls and top with fish. My goal for 2021 is to get my whole family (22 year old included) on the zoodles bandwagon. You just cant deny the fact that when tossed in the light lemon basil sauce, they're the perfect compliment to any fish.
Ciao!
0 Comments
Like most of you, I have a single oven in my kitchen and that means that oven time is at a premium on Thanksgiving day. I schedule green bean casserole and stuffing baking times down to the minute to make sure that everything gets warmed and cooked in the most efficient way possible. I've actually been known to create a Thanksgiving oven spreadsheet with all the foods that require heating, the temperatures that the oven needs to be set at for each one and the amount of heating time that each dish requires for optimized oven use. Yup, there's that type A coming out again. 😅 I like to annex my Big Green Egg on Thanksgiving Day too and the reason for that is two fold. First of all - It frees up valuable oven space AND secondly, I love food that's cooked on the Big Green Egg. Seriously - if you have a Big Green Egg and you haven't grilled a turkey - you're missing out. 😜 I digress - grilled turkey is great but so is freeing up oven space on the busiest cooking day of the year. Maximizing oven space on Thanksgiving is key but figuring out how to achieve this can be a challenge. Prepping as many of the side dishes as possible, has proven to be one of the most helpful Thanksgiving oven savers. I start a week or so in advance and make the cranberry sauce, prebake the potatoes and the pies. This Crunchy Sweet Potato Salad is amazing and it's the perfect compliment to any Thanksgiving meal. So whether you're making the entire meal this year or enjoying a Thanksgiving meal prepared by someone else, you should consider this as a side to that juicy bird. Wouldn't your mom be impressed if you showed up to Thanksgiving with a heaping bowl of Crunchy Sweet Potato Salad? Crunchy Sweet Potato Salad 3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4" pieces 3 Tablespoons + 1/4 cup olive oil 2 teaspoons salt 3 scallions, sliced thin 3 Tablespoons lime juice (2 limes) 1 jalapeno chili, seeded and minced 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 1 teaspoon pepper 1 garlic clove, minced 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped 1/2 cup whole almonds, toasted and chopped
Add almonds and potatoes and toss to combine. When it comes to Thanksgiving, I come from a family of mashed potato purists. They refuse to even entertain the idea of swapping out the mashed white potatoes for sweet potatoes. I almost got ejected from the holiday one year for suggesting that we swap the mashed potatoes. 😅 Ever since then - I make sure that there's a giant bowl of mashed potatoes every year and somewhere in the mix of side dishes - I sneak in a few sweet potatoes, just for me. 😉
Ciao! Eggplant Parmesan will forever be one of my all time favorite comfort foods. There's just something about taking a bite of the gooey, sauce covered vegetable that feels like a great big hug. I don't even know when I became such an eggplant parm fan because as a child, I'm fairly certain that I refused to even try it. Or eggplant in any other form for that matter. I don't know when that all changed but now I can't seem to get enough of it. 😋 Even though I prefer to eat my Eggplant smothered in cheese and sauce, I'm calling this a plant based recipe. It's mostly vegetable based, right? I'm not sure I would go as far as to say that it's a "healthy" recipe but I feel like it's healthy-er than the deep fried Eggplant Parmesan recipes. You may notice that this eggplant pecorino has no breading. I've always wondered why people go through the trouble of breading the eggplant in eggplant parmesan anyway. After you drench it in marinara, the breading on the eggplant gets soggy. I much prefer this method of lightly sautéing the eggplant before layering it with spicy marinara and salty cheeses. I've actually heard that this is the traditional way that Italians first made eggplant parmesan. Not sure if that's true but I choose to believe it. Eggplant Pecorino Sauce 2 Tablespoons butter 1/4 cup finely chopped onion 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 anchovy filets, minced 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1/4 teaspoon oregano 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil 1 Tablespoons olive oil Eggplant 3 eggplants 1/2 cup flour 4 eggs 1 cup olive oil 2 cups Pecorino Romano cheese, grated 1 cup mozarella cheese, shredded
Repeat layering 3 more times. Spread remaining sauce over eggplant and sprinkle with mozarella. Bake 30 minutes at 375. Place under broiler and cook until browned. Let cool for 20 minutes before serving. Hahahaha It's officially eggplant season and I can't get enough of the purple fruit. 🍆 There has never been a better time to make my favorite eggplant dishes. I've got eggplant lasagna and eggplant meatballs on my menu for next week. Here's hoping my family doesn't get tired of eggplant dinners before the season ends. 😂
Ciao! Got up close and personal with some of my neighbors this week. 🐮This is the closest I've gotten to anyone outside of my family in a month. 😂 These guys (and girls) are actually great company. They're just as curious about me as I am about them. Panera introduced their warm grain bowls a few months ago and after exactly one bowl - they became my new favorite menu item at the restaurant. Their Mediterranean bowl is a brown rice and quinoa base with arugula, chicken, tomatoes, olives, cucumber and hummus. (I get mine without the greek yogurt and feta.) It's simple and yet really satisfying and delicious. I was so obsessed that I made a special trip to Panera the other day because I was craving one - only to find out that it's not on the limited drive-through only menu. 😢 I know - poor me. Since I can't get my Mediterranean Grain Bowl from Panera until the dining room reopens, I decided to make them at home for myself. Best decision ever. These are surprisingly easy to make and just as tasty as the Panera version. I would love for you to taste the Panera grain bowls but if they're not available at your local restaurant either - give my homemade version a try. You might just like my recipe better. 🤭 Mediterranean Grain Bowl 2 cups spring mix 2 cups cooked brown rice and quinoa (look for it in the freezer section) 2 chicken breasts, cooked and sliced 10 grape tomatoes, sliced 1/3 cup kalamata olives 1/2 cucumber, diced 1/2 cup hummus 1/2 lemon
Top with lettuce. Mine came from my garden.
I'm not usually one to choose prepared frozen foods over fresh but in this case - the frozen rice and quinoa was a huge time saver. I microwaved both at the same time in 5 minutes! I am loving this Grain Bowl and thank you Panera for the inspiration.
Ciao! If serving corn salsa for dinner is wrong - I don't want to be right. It's so stinking hot outside that salsa really seems like the best option for dinner. You know it's a scorcher when it's too hot to even stand on the deck and grill something for dinner. (I'm determined to try and fry an egg on my back deck one day -- I'll keep you posted on that little experiment. ) 🍳 Wouldn't we all just prefer to eat salsa and chips for dinner anyway? This roasted corn salsa is delicious as a meal. It's equally delicious on a taco and a burrito. It's delicious on a salad and and over a bowl of grits. I would eat it in the air, I would eat it in a chair. I would eat it in the car and in a bar. I couldn't resist. 😂 This scrumptious roasted corn salsa is refreshing and hearty and the sweet corn just steals the show. You know how much I love a good pan of roasted vegetables and adding just a few fresh herbs and spices really brings out their flavor beautifully. Stock up on the chips friends - you're going to eat a lot of them while you devour this salsa. Roasted Corn Salsa 1 pound plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise 2 ears corn, halved lengthwise 2 onion, sliced into 1/2" rings 1 poblano chile, seeded and halved 2 jalapeno, seeded and halved 2 Tablespoon canola oil 2 garlic cloves, peeled 1 teaspoon salt 2 Tablespoons lime juice 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 12 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Process lime juice, cayenne, tomatoes, garlic and 1/2 t. salt until smooth. Add to corn mixture along with cilantro. Let sit for 1 hour. Sometimes I add a half and avocado to my corn salsa because I'm obsessed with avocados and because they make everything better. I'd love to hear from any of you who make this salsa with modifications. Let me know what kinds of peppers, seasonings, and spices do you add to make it unique. 🌶
Ciao! |
Like my page on facebook.
Follow me on Instagram
Categories
All
Archives
April 2024
|