Spinach Ravioli Stuffed w/ Crab & Ricotta

So I've been a little sparse in the posting lately.  Life has caught up with me and I just haven't had the time to sit down and blog. 

House hunting has become somewhat of a bust - between finding the right home and dealing with the bank... it just doesn't look like it'll be a possibility until the end of the year.  It bums out Andy more than it does me, but it's still a kick in the butt when we had our hopes so high up.

I hesitated to start the garden up this year because we thought we'd have bought a home by now, but it looks like I'll have time to plant one here after all.  I'm doing something different this year, too.  I'm trying the whole "urban gardening" method - growing everything in big planters on our back deck.  I've got one big pot for potatoes, and several medium-sized for bell peppers, tomatoes, and an array of herbs.  I'll keep you guys updated on how that all goes!

I had a bunch of spare time yesterday so I decided to take the time to roll out some fresh pasta.  Ravioli is one of the easiest things and the possibilities for stuffing are endless.  I had a ton left over and ended up freezing them - definitely will make for quick and easy meals later on!

Ingredients:

Spinach Pasta Dough:

3 eggs
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
8 oz. bread flour, plus more, if needed (you can use a combination or substitution of semolina, but I find it makes the dough harder to work with afterwards, and most people are more apt to have bread flour in their pantry than semolina)
4 oz. blanched spinach, pureed

Crab Filling:

4 oz. lump or claw crab meat
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
8 oz. ricotta
1 egg
salt and pepper, to taste
 
Parmesan Cream Sauce:

5-6 sprigs thyme
3-4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
salt and pepper, to taste

In the bowl of a mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the eggs, olive oil, salt, and pureed spinach.  Add about a third of the flour and mix until combined.  Switch to the dough hook attachment and continue adding flour until the dough is dry and cannot absorb any more flour (you may need more than the recipe says - I did).

Remove the dough from the bowl and wrap in plastic wrap.  Let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, you can make your filling.  In a food processor, combine the crab meat, parsley, ricotta, and egg.  Mix until combined and season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Keep in the refrigerator until needed.

After the dough has rested, unwrap and cut into fourths.  Using one section at a time (make sure to cover the other sections so they don't dry out), roll out with a pasta machine or rolling pin (I keep it old school and do this).  You'll want the dough to be as thin as possible, but still pliable enough to work with.  Make sure to have some extra flour handy for dusting so the pasta doesn't stick to your machine or cutting board.

Using a round biscuit cutter (I used a 2" diameter round) or ravioli press, cut out an even amount of ravioli shapes. 

Pair up the rounds, one round will have filling (the bottom), one will be the topper.  Place about a tablespoon or so of filling on each bottom round (this will vary depending on the size of your ravioli) - you'll want a decent amount of space around the filling. 

Using a pastry brush, brush some warm water around the edges of the bottom round.  Place the top round on top of the filling, and sealing the edges.  Make sure to press around the filling so there are no air pockets.

Continue until all of the dough is used up.

Place ravioli on a baking sheet dusted with flour and place in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
You can also freeze the raviolis at this point for use later.

When you're ready to cook these guys, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the raviolis and cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until the pasta is just cooked.  Fresh pasta most always takes less time to cook than dried.  Drain and add into the sauce, or reserve and pour sauce over top.

To make the sauce, just add the olive oil to a medium saute pan under medium high heat.  Add the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about a minute or so.  Add the cream to the pan and reduce until thickened.  Stir in the parmesan cheese until melted.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  You can add the raviolis to the sauce at this point or pour the sauce over top of the raviolis - whichever you prefer!

And voila - homemade pasta at it's finest.  Definitely easy and worth the little bit of extra effort!

Hope you guys have a great rest of the week!

Fettuccine w/ Artichokes, Tomatoes, & Spinach

How is everyone's week going so far? 

I can't believe it's already Wednesday.  This week has just flown by, hasn't it?

The next 10 day forecast is in the 50+ range, so Spring is definitely making it's way to Kentucky.  I made Andy this pasta dish for lunch because it was easy, delicious, and made me think of Spring!

Sorry to be short and quick today, but this girl has got some major errands and Spring cleaning to do!

Ingredients:

1 lb. fettuccine noodles
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 shallot, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
2 cups baby spinach
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add fettuccine and cook until al dente.  Drain and toss in olive oil to keep from sticking together.

In a large saute pan, melt butter under medium high heat.  Add shallot and garlic and cook until fragrant.  Add cherry tomatoes and artichokes and cook for another minute or two.  Deglaze pan with white wine and reduce until only 2-3 tablespoons remain. 

Add heavy cream and reduce until thickened. Add in parmesan cheese and spinach, stirring until spinach is wilted.  Add pasta and toss until coated with the sauce.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste. 

Serve in hot plates or bowls with garlic bread.  Dig on in!

Easy and so versatile!  Change out the vegetables based on what you have on hand, or keep it as is!  The possibilities are really endless!  Hope you guys have a great rest of the week!

Halibut w/ Spinach & Scallop-Citrus Beurre Blanc

I'm telling you - I'm Beurre Blanc obsessed.

When in doubt for a pairing sauce for a dish - beurre blancs are your answer.  I mean, does butter not go with nearly everything?!  Seriously.

The only thing I didn't like about this dish is that the scallop flavor didn't come through as much as I wanted it do.  It may have been the citrus.  It could have overpowered the delicate flavor of the scallops.  But besides that, I was pretty satisfied with this dish - and Andy cleared his plate so I can't complain.

Ingredients:

Fish:

2 6 oz. halibut fillets
flour, for dusting
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 cups raw spinach, stemmed
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
salt and pepper, to taste

3 sea scallops, cut in half
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Scallop-Citrus Beurre Blanc:

1 sea scallop, thinly sliced (think sashimi)
1 shallot, minced
1/4 cup citrus champagne vinegar (alternatively, you can just do 1/4 cup citrus juices or a mixture of champagne vinegar and juices)
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

You can prepare your sauce first.  In a medium saucepan, combine the shallot and citrus vinegar.  Reduce to about 1-2 tablespoons.

Turn heat to low and slowly whisk in unsalted butter, one cube at a time.  Be careful not to add to much butter at once or you run the risk of your sauce breaking.  When all of butter is emulsified into the sauce, season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in thinly sliced scallops (the residual heat will cook them through) and chopped parsley.  Reserve sauce in a warm area until needed.  You can also choose to strain the mixture of the solids at this point, but I chose not to.

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Season both sides of halibut fillets with salt and pepper.  Dredge in the flour, shaking off any excess.

Heat an oven-proof skillet under medium high heat and add butter and oil.  (On a side note: We use a combination of peanut oil and butter in the restaurant I work at for two reasons.  The butter is there for browning and flavor, and the oil is there for a higher smoke point - to help achieve a desired "crust" - you can choose to not use both, but be forewarned if you just use butter, you run the risk of it burning, and if you just use oil, you may not get that desired golden crust)

Add your halibut to the pan and cook the first side until it is a nice golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.  Flip each fillet over and carefully transfer pan to the oven to finish cooking, about 3-5 minutes.

While your halibut is finishing you can wilt your spinach and saute your scallops.

Heat two pans under medium high heat.  Add butter to both pans, adding your spinach to one, and your scallops in the other. Of course you can do these separately, instead of all at once, but hey, multitasking is a skill we can all get better at, right?

Cook the spinach until wilted and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Sear your scallops until you get a nice golden brown sear, and then flip over to continue cooking for about 30 seconds to a minute.  Since they're cut in half, you won't need to cook them as long as if they were kept whole.

To plate, arrange a mound of spinach in the center and top with halibut fillet.  Arrange 3 half scallops on each plate and top halibut with beurre blanc.  Voila!

I love using wilted spinach as a side dish.  It comes together so easily and give you an added color boost to any plate.

Hope you guys have a great start to your week!

Spinach Souffle

I've obviously been on an egg kick, lately.  I don't know why, but I'm all about the little protein powerhouse.  Maybe because it's such a cheap commodity.  So easy to manipulate and do different things with?  Who knows. 

And I've never tried making a souffle before.  With a little extra time on my hands now that school is over for the quarter, I have time to conquer the unconquered.  I don't think I've mastered it, by any means.  But for a first attempt, I think they turned out rather nicely!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small shallot, minced
1 cup raw spinach, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
salt and pepper, to taste
pinch of cayenne pepper
pinch of nutmeg
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites
1/2 cup Emmentaler (Swiss) cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Heat a medium skillet under medium high heat.  Add olive oil and heat until shimmering.  Add shallot and cook for about 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant.  Stir in spinach and cook until wilted.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Set aside to cool.

A lot of souffle bases don't require a bechamel, but I think it makes the souffle creamier and more delicate in the long run, so I highly recommend it.  In a medium saucepan, melt the butter.  Whisk in the flour and cook for just a few minutes, or until the flour is a light blond color.  Stir in milk, a little at a time, whisking constantly to avoid lumps.  Stir until all milk is incorporated and mixture is smooth.  Whisk in the cayenne pepper, nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil and let simmer, whisking occasionally, for about 3-4 minutes, or until mixture is slightly thickened.  Take mixture off of heat and whisk in egg yolks, one at a time.  Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they are at stiff white peaks (think meringue).  Fold in about 1/4 of the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture, along with 1/2 of the cheese and the spinach mixture.  Fold in the rest of the egg whites.

Grease one large souffle dish or 4 mini ramekins (I had 4 inch diameter ones that made perfect side dishes).  Sprinkle inside of souffle dish or ramekins with a little bit of cheese.  Turn out mixture into prepared dishes and sprinkle with remaining bits of cheese. 

Place dish(es) in oven and turn heat down to 375 F.  Bake for about 25 minutes or until souffles are risen and golden brown on top.

Carefully take out of oven and admire your accomplishment!

I had a little bit of a deflation in one of my souffles, but that's expected with any first try, right?  Right.  But the result was an airy, creamy spinach souffle that won over Andy (who, I could tell, was a bit skeptical of having souffle as part of our dinner). 

Have you ever made a souffle?  How did your first go at it go?

Spinach Omelette

With the close of another quarter of school, I'm one step closer to finishing!  I get to do my internship during my last lab (which happens to be next quarter) and I couldn't be more excited!  But I'm also excited about the much needed break until the new year.

It's been hard to have differing schedules with Andy.  He's a nine-to-fiver and I'm a 3-midnight kind of gal.  But we make it work.  We have lunch dates.  He takes days off (apparently he's got tons of vacation days that he needs to take).  We make time for each other and I'm thankful for that.

So when time is limited, meals end up being quick and easy.  So I've been on an egg kick.  Omelets used to be my go-to meal when I lived with my parents.  My favorite combination?  Hot dogs and cheddar.  I know - weird.  My omelet preferences have since become more "adult" in nature over the years, but I still revert to the classic every now and then.  Don't hate.

What's your favorite omelet combination?

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 cup raw spinach, stems removed
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded 
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
hot sauce (optional)

Heat a medium skillet under medium high heat.  Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in the pan and add the spinach along with a big pinch of salt and pepper.  Stir the spinach constantly until it wilts (the stirring creates steam which causes it to spinach to wilt faster than if you were to just leave it alone).  Remove from heat and place in a medium bowl to cool.

Once the spinach is at room temperature, add eggs, milk, dijon mustard, and cheese to the bowl.  Whisk until well mixed.

In a medium nonstick skillet, melt the butter under medium heat.  Pour in egg mixture and cook until the bottom and edges are set, with the top and middle still liquid.  Now this is where people differ in their omelet-making.  Some people fold both sides inward.  Some people roll.  Some people just fold one side over.  You can do whatever you fancy!  I tend to gravitate toward just folding one side over.  It's easier than the other two, and if you mess us, it's easy to make it look like an omelet after some quick damage control.  But feel free to take on whatever omelet construction you deem fit.

So fold accordingly and cook just until egg on the inside is just cooked through.  It should still be light and delicate on the inside.

 

Serve with hot sauce and you're in business!

Hope you guys enjoy the last day of the weekend and have a great start to your week!

Red Snapper w/ Sweet Mustard & Spinach

It's only two days before the big Thanksgiving Feast, here in the states.  My family is all over the place this year, with my dad visiting my brother in Florida, leaving the girls and my mom to fend for ourselves.  My sister is taking care of the main attraction (the turkey!) and I'll be doing all the sides.  I even plan to bust out a from-scratch pecan pie.  So hopefully all runs smoothly for us!  But not too smoothly, of course.  We don't want to end up having to put on Thanksgiving every year.  Hehe.

How do you all plan on celebrating the big Thanksgiving day?!

So I ended up taking home a 6 lb. red snapper yesterday from Whole Foods.  It just looked SO good.  Then I realized, what the heck am I going to do with a 6 lb. red snapper?!  After breaking it down, I ended up with 8 4 oz. fillets.  That's more than enough to feed us for a bit!  So I decided to give 4 of them to a couple close friends.  And with 2 of them I made this fantastic pre-birthday dinner for Andy (whose birthday is indeed today!).  He gobbled it all up without a problem!

Ingredients:

2 4 oz. red snapper fillets
flour, for dusting
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil

Sweet Mustard Sauce:

2 tablespoons dijon mustard (I used the whole grain variety)
3 tablespoons boiling water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1-2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon soy sauce
juice from 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 lb. spinach, stems removed
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
 salt and pepper, to taste

Caramelized Apples:

1 Granny Smith Apple, core removed and cut into 8 wedges
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons brown sugar

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Make your mustard sauce first.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the dijon mustard and boiling water, adding the water in small increments in order to create a smooth emulsion.

Slowly drizzle in vegetable oil, whisking constantly, until all is incorporated.  Stir in honey, soy sauce, lemon juice, and parsley.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Set aside, until needed.

In a medium saute pan, melt the butter with the brown sugar.  When the sugar is dissolved, add your apple wedges.  Cook until the apples start to soften and are warm.  Hold warm until needed.

Heat a large oven-proof saute pan under medium high heat.  Add butter and oil to pan.  Season both sides of snapper fillets with salt and pepper.  Dust with flour, shaking off any excess.  Add snapper to the pan and cook until browned.  Carefully flip fish over and transfer pan to oven to finish cooking, about 3 minutes was perfect on these.

During those 3 minutes you can quickly saute your spinach.  Add butter to a medium pan under medium high heat.  When butter is melted, add spinach.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook spinach until wilted.  I find it's easiest to keep the spinach moving, to create steam.  This helps the spinach wilt faster, but you don't necessary have to do that if you don't want to.

To plate, arrange half of the spinach on each plate.  Top with snapper fillet.  Arrange the caramelized apples around snapper.  Finally, drizzle the sweet mustard sauce over top of the snapper.  Enjoy!

This is definitely a keeper dish!  Andy loves snapper more than any other fish, and I'm glad we've got a couple extra fillets in the freezer for when his craving strikes next!  I'm off to finish baking Andy's birthday cake - hope you all have a great day!

Roasted Chicken w/ Creamy Spinach-Celery Root Puree, Sauteed Apples, & Bacon

Hello guys!  How was everyone's weekend?  Mine was ABSOLUTELY phenomenal!  Saturday was my birthday and my friends and family made it such a special treat!  We went and ate at 610 Magnolia (Ed Lee's restaurant of Top Chef fame) and it was such a killer meal.  SO. SO. SO. SO Good!  My chef is pretty good friends with Ed Lee and we ended up getting a complimentary bottle of champagne on Ed, himself!  It pays to have connections, doesn't it?!  After dinner, a few friends showed up at a cheap bar for drinks.  Such a fun time and I'm so lucky to be surrounded by such amazing and caring people!

I competed in the San Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef competition on Friday, as well.  I didn't win, but I'm thankful to have the experience to be apart of something like that.  The girl that did win, deserved it on so many levels.  Her plate of food was just stunning, elegant, and perfect.  I hope she represents Kentucky well in Chicago!

Anyway, I made this dinner for my friends on Friday night and thought I'd share with you guys.  Looks fancy, but it's something so easy and so tasty - sure to impress anybody =)

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, skin on
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil

Spinach-Celery Root Puree:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, diced
1 cup celery root, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 lb. fresh spinach
juice from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper, to taste

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and each cut into 8 wedges
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2-4 strips of bacon, cooked and broken into 1/2 inch pieces

Preheat oven to 400F.

Start by making the spinach-celery root puree.  Heat a large saucepan under medium high heat.  Melt butter then add onions and celery root cubes.  Saute until onions become translucent and celery root is starting to soften.

Add in spinach and lemon juice and stir until spinach is wilted.

Add in flour and cook until somewhat of a paste is formed, about 2-3 minutes.

Add in stock and bring to a simmer.  Stir in heavy cream and simmer for about 5 minutes.  Blend mixture with an immersion blender and season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Keep warm until ready to use.

Heat an oven-proof skillet under medium high heat.  Add olive oil and heat until shimmering.  Season chicken with salt and pepper and place skin-side down into pan.  Cook until skin is golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.  Flip chicken breast over and place pan in the oven to cook until white throughout, about 6-8 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken breast.

While the chicken is in the oven, you can cook your apples.  Heat a medium saucepan under medium high heat and add butter.  Sprinkle the apple slices with cinnamon and add to pan.  Cook until softened and starting to brown, about 5 minutes or so.

Remove chicken from oven and let rest for about 3-5 minutes.

To plate, place a good dollop of the spinach-celery root puree in the center of the plate.  Place about 5 apples slices in a line over top of the puree.  Top the apples with the chicken breast.  Sprinkle crumbled bacon around plate.

 

The puree may not be the most pleasant color in the world, but it sure is tasty!  The whole plate comes together in no time and is basically a no fuss type of meal.  And not to mention the presentation - definitely will wow your dinner guests!

Hope you all have a great start to your week!

Steamed Salmon w/ Greens, Corn, & Pickled Vegetables

Happy Friday guys!

We've got a big Labor Day weekend planned, too!  Our great friends Ike & Becca are getting married tomorrow - so congrats to the future Lehrs! 

Sunday, we'll probably head out to World Fest - which showcases the cultural diversity of Louisville by food, music, and shops!  We went last year and had a great time, so looking forward to that one! 

Still don't have any Labor Day plans, but if all else fails, I know we'll be lounging around - which is good enough for me!  Anyway, let's get to today's dish!

We haven't been eating a lot of red meat around these parts.  I don't know why, we've just been opting for lighter meals.  Salmon is always a favorite of ours, and when I saw this simple dish over at Joanne's Eats Well With Others, I knew I had to try it out!


Ingredients:
Adapted from Eats Well With Others' Recipe

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1-inch thick slice of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1/2 cup kale, chopped
1/2 cup spinach
1/2 cup mizuna greens
1 tablespoon soy sauce, plus extra for drizzling
2 6 oz. salmon fillets
salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups fresh corn
pickled vegetables

In a large skillet under medium high heat, add both oils.  Add the ginger and garlic powder.  Stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add kale, spinach, mizuna, soy sauce, and 3 tablespoons of water.  Saute until the greens start to wilt, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Spread the greens in an even layer in the skillet.  Season the salmon with salt and pepper and place the fillets on top of the greens in the skillet.  Cover pan and lower heat to medium.  Steam fish for about 5-7 minutes, or until just cooked through. 

You can choose to cook your corn if you'd like, but I'm weird and I like the taste of raw corn.  Divide corn among two plates and top with salmon fillets.  Serve alongside the greens and pickled vegetables.  Drizzle additional sesame oil, soy sauce, and/or remaining steam liquid in pan (it was infused with the garlic and ginger, so it's tasty!).

This was a great meal.  Andy and I both had our plates cleaned on this one.  That's a sure sign of a winner there!

Hope you guys have a great holiday weekend and I'll be back Monday!

Blueberry & Avocado Spinach Salad

Happy Monday guys!  Anybody do anything exciting?

Again, we were pretty lazy.  Andy had to go into work yesterday night for some end of the month reports, so I sat around the house catching up on some Netflix action.

It's also August!  Boy has this year flown by!

I thought I'd start the week with something light.  I usually take my lunch to work 99.9% of the time, and this is just a glimpse of the sort of thing I take with me!

Ingredients:

1 Avocado, cubed
1/4 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
a few slices of ham, chopped
1/4 cup blueberries
1 cup spinach
juice from 1 lime

I'm one of those weird people that prefers their salad undressed most of the time.  And plus, the avocado is creamy enough that it adds a faux dressing feel.

Combine avocado, tomatoes, ham, blueberries, and spinach in a large bowl.  Toss until mixed well. 

Squeeze lime juice over salad and toss again. 

Dig in!

Quick and easy lunch any day of the week!

Do you bring your lunch to work?  What sort of things do you take with you?



Well, I'm off to get some cleaning done around the house - since I let myself be lazy all day yesterday!  Have a great start to the week guys!

Spinach-Stuffed Chicken Breasts w/ Spicy Peas & Mushrooms

Happy 4th of July everybody! 

We've been enjoying our 3-day weekend by being lazy and relaxing!  I really don't want to go back to work tomorrow - but gotta pay those bills, right?

We'll be heading over to my parent's house today for some eats and apparently a Mario Party party - my sisters are addicted (and maybe we can be entertained by watching my mother try to play too, hehe!). 

Anyway, I made this dinner a couple weeks ago after our CSA included these amazing peas.  They're just beautiful, aren't they?  Enjoy your Monday guys!

Ingredients:

2 cups spinach 
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 large chicken breasts, pounded to about 1/2 inch thickness
salt and pepper, to taste
3 thai chiles, chopped
8 oz. package of sliced Portobello mushrooms
1 to 1 & 1/2 cups shelled peas
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Place spinach in a microwave-safe bowl and add about a tablespoon or two of water.  Place in microwave for about 2-3 minutes, or until wilted.  Let cool slightly.

Stir in sour cream, parmesan cheese, and about half of the minced garlic.

Lay the chicken breasts flat and spoon about half of the spinach mixture on top of each.  Either roll the chicken breasts or just fold up and tie with kitchen string to seal.  Place chicken breasts in a greased baking dish (seam side-down) and top with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Bake for about 35 minutes, or until chicken is white throughout and Parmesan on top is golden brown.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet under medium high heat and melt butter.  Add remaining minced garlic and thai chiles and saute for about a minute or so.  Add mushrooms and cook for about 10-15 minutes, or until mushrooms start to "sweat".  Add in peas and cook an additional 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve chicken breasts atop a big heaping of the mushroom and pea mixture.

This was definitely one of those weeknight meals that you say "wow" to.  The chicken was juicy and the mushroom & pea mixture complimented it perfectly with just the right amount of spicy kick!  If you're struggling to find a good weeknight meal that fresh, seasonal, and tasty - look no further! 

Happy 4th guys!

Spinach & Bacon Salad

Andy and I have been on a little health-kick lately.  We've been over-indulging a little too much, and our bodies are retaliating.  So in order to pay homage to our bodies, we're eating better.  Everything in moderation right?

What I love about this salad is that it's absolutely beautiful.  It's simple.  It's colorful.  It's downright mesmerizing.  And that's before you even have a bite.

The tangy vinaigrette offers a bright awakening of the senses and goes perfectly with the fresh, colorful vegetables.  Needless to say, our bodies loved us for this.

* This post has been entered as part of Denny's & Foodbuzz's BACONALIA challenge for a chance to win.
 
Ingredients:

2-4 cups baby spinach, washed
1 cup red cabbage, shredded/sliced thinly
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
salt and pepper, to taste
4 slices of bacon

In a large bowl, toss the spinach, cabbage, and carrots until mixed.

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, maple syrup, and Dijon mustard.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Heat large skillet under medium high heat and fry up the bacon until crisp, about 5-8 minutes.  Drain on a paper towel-lined plate and roughly chop into small pieces.

Divide vegetables among two plates and top with bacon pieces.  Drizzle vinaigrette over top and dig in!

You definitely won't regret this.  Andy said he loved this salad, and even said that we need to start eating more of this type of salad.  I've got no complaints there!  I mean, this is practically ready in about 15 minutes or less!  And it was super tasty!

I'm off to a bookclub meeting with my girls - this month's book was The Other Boleyn Girl.  Definitely a good one!  Have you read it?  What are you guys currently reading?

Smoked Paprika Rubbed Salmon

Okay, I have a new obsession.  True Blood.  I love it.  I can't get enough of it.  And I'm thankful that Netflix has consistently been delivering Season 2 to my mailbox for the past week or so.  Just sayin'.

Remember all that salmon we got a few weeks ago?  And the promise of me posting salmon recipes?  Yeah, I know.  I've slacked.  I haven't posted any since we got the salmon.  That doesn't mean we haven't cooked it.  Boy have we been eating salmon!  I've just gotten caught up with all the other things going on, that those recipes weren't in the spotlight to post.  Just yet, anyway.

But this baby.  This was great.  This... was my very UN-Superbowl-themed dinner that we had on Sunday.  Instead of gorging on wings, dips, and all those other Superbowl-related artery-clogging goodies... I settled (well, preferred) to have this beautiful (and slightly healthier!) salmon.

Ingredients:
Adapted from Mccormick's website

Juice and zest from 1 minneola orange
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 6 oz. salmon fillets
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon hot smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cinnamon
salt and pepper, to taste

In a small bowl, combine orange juice, olive oil, and thyme.  Place salmon fillets in plastic Ziploc bag and carefully pour in marinade.  Seal tightly, getting rid of as much air as possible from the bag.  Let sit in fridge for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

In another small bowl, combine brown sugar, paprika, cinnamon, salt, black pepper, and orange zest.

Remove salmon from bags and place on foil lined baking sheet.  Rub paprika mixture atop salmon and bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until salmon is pink throughout. 

We served this salmon with some freshly sauteed spinach, corn, & carrots.  It was a match made in heaven.  There was a great contrast of sweetness from the brown sugar and a little kick of spice with the hot paprika.  Definitely a great flavor! 

I chose the healthy route on such a gluttonous day, but only because I was too lazy to make anything too crazy.  This is definitely one of those quick weeknight dinners that will make you feel good about yourself afterwards!  Enjoy guys!

Loaded Turkey Sandwiches

TGIF!

I know, I say that every Friday.  But seriously.  Friday is a great day, isn't it?  The end of the work week (well, for people who don't work weekends, unlike me).  A day that begins the much sought-after weekend.  And in my case, a day off.

It's snowy and sunny today, so practically perfect to just lounge around the house.  Maybe I'll do some cleaning.  Maybe I'll do some studying.  Or maybe I'll just do nothing.  Actually... I've been pretty productive today - looking at wedding venues!  Andy and I kind of silently decided that we need to have one booked by March and get this planning underway.  We've been procrastinating for too long! 

I checked out the website for The Green Building in downtown Louisville and was pretty impressed.  It's a somewhat small space (probably couldn't have more than 100 people), but you know... the more I think about it, the more I want an intimate small wedding.  Less to plan, more to be extravagant about (like the food!).   And speaking of the food, I also contacted 732 Social (which is a restaurant in the Green Building that we LOVE), to see if they could possibly cater!  So, while nothing is set in stone... a vision is coming together!

Anyway, I thought I'd end the week with an easy recipe.  Everyone knows how to make sandwiches so this really isn't a recipe, but more of just a showcase of the awesome sandwiches we ate the other day!  Sometimes easy and quick dinners like these are just what you need!

Ingredients:

Fresh homemade bread (I've been using this recipe here, and I LOVE it!)
Cajun turkey slices (for Andy's sandwich)
Maple-glazed chicken slices (for my sandwich)
fresh spinach
sliced tomatoes
chopped artichokes
mayo or miracle whip
slices of mozzarella cheese

I don't have to tell you guys how to make a sandwich.  I'm sure you're well-capable of doing that =)

But I did lightly toast the bread (so that the cheese could melt slightly) and sauteed the artichoke in a dry pan for a few minutes (I love warm artichokes!)  Then pile your chosen toppings on the bread and close!  Serve with some chips and voila!  Easy dinner or lunch!

Enjoy the weekend guys! 

Pan Seared Trout w/ Black Trumpet Mushrooms & Almond Caper Dressing

Well, the weather is supposed to get crazy overnight.  Everybody is all in a ruckus because it's supposed to be freezing rain and snow and all that jazz.  My meteorologist friend said that it's supposed to be at it's worst between 4 and 10 am.  Guess who has to work at 7 am tomorrow?  This girl.

Mr. Invincible (I call Andy that because he thinks that just because he drives a Jeep, he can run over/through anything) is going to have to take me to work if it gets too bad.  I have bad weather driving anxiety (yes, I made that condition up, but I'm sure some of you can relate!).  So here's hoping that it won't be too bad!  But if it is,  I'm sure I'll complain about it tomorrow!

Anyway, I love fast and easy fish dishes, and this is just that!  And I'm pretty sure it's hella healthy too, so you can't beat that, right? 

Oh, and I'd just like to give a shout out to the blog Elly Says Opa! because I actually won my first blog giveaway!  Out of 274 comments, mine was picked!  And guess what I won!  The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz, an ice cream scooper (which I've needed for like... forever!), and a $25 gift card to the Spice House!  Pretty awesome, eh?  So definitely check out Elly Says Opa because there's tons of awesome recipes over there!



So let's get to that trout!


Ingredients:
Adapted from a Food & Wine Recipe

1/2 cup roasted almonds, chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins, chopped
1/8 cup capers, drained
6 tablespoons olive oil
juice from 1 lemon
8 oz. package of dried black trumpet mushrooms
6 scallions, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
2 8 oz. rainbow trout fillets

Place black trumpet mushrooms in a small bowl and add enough water to cover.  Let sit until rehydrated, about 20-25 minutes.

In another small bowl, mix together the almonds, raisins, capers, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, and lemon juice.  Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil under medium high heat.  Add the mushrooms and cook until tender and starting to crisp, about 4-5 minutes.  Add the scallions and cook until browned, about 2-3 more minutes.  Take off heat and set aside.

In another skillet, heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil under medium high heat.  Sprinkle trout with salt and pepper on both sides.  Add trout to skillet, skin-side down and cook for about 4-5 minutes.  Gently flip over and cook an additional 1-2 minutes longer. 

Transfer trout to plates and top with almond/caper dressing.  Serve with some black trumpet mushrooms and a side salad and you've got yourself one healthy jam-packed meal!

I absolutely loved this meal.  The original recipe called for flounder, but Whole Foods didn't have any this past weekend, so we opted for the Rainbow Trout... it never disappoints!  This was a light, but oh so filling meal and definitely hit the spot!  And hey, it was done in a matter of minutes (if you don't count the whole rehydrating the mushrooms part, of course!).  Enjoy guys!

Fried Green Tomato Salad w/ Lump Crab & Remoulade Dressing

 Happy Friday everyone!  Hope everyone has had a good week and that you've got some good plans for Halloween weekend! 

We don't really know what we'll be doing quite yet.  A guy from my softball team is having a Halloween party tonight, but I've got to work until 9:30 tonight so I don't know if I'll feel up to going (and I don't really have a costume, so if I go, I may just end up wearing my scrubs!)  And tomorrow, we may just get dinner with friends and play board games.  Lame, huh?  I don't know, the older I get, the more just staying in and playing simple games sounds more fun than anything!

So when I was telling Andy our dinners for the week last Saturday, when I got to telling him that we'd be having a "Fried Green Tomato Salad," he seemed less than enthused.  So that just gave me more motivation to make it out of this world and delicious from the get-go.  Hope you guys enjoy this one!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Closet Cooking's recipe
 

Fried Green Tomatoes:

2 green tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup corn flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup corn meal
olive oil for frying

Season the tomato slices with salt and pepper.

Mix the flour, cayenne pepper, and paprika in a shallow dish.  Dredge the tomatoes slices in the flour, then dip them in the egg, and finally dredge them in the corn meal.

Add enough oil to a large skillet to coat the pan.  Heat under high heat and add tomato slices.  Cook for about 2 minutes per side or until tomatoes are golden brown.  Let dry on paper-towel lined plate.

Remoulade Dressing:

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon horseradish sauce
1 small clove garlic, minced
juice from 1 lemon
1 teaspoon capers
1 green onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon sriracha 

Place all ingredients in a deep bowl or tupperware and blend with an immersion blender until you reach desired consistency (I like it pretty smooth).

Salad:

2 cups spinach
6 sliced fried green tomatoes
1/2 lb. lump crab meat
remoulade dressing (optional... but HIGHLY recommended)

 Divide the spinach among two plates. Top with the tomato slices.  Add desired amount of lump crab meat and drizzle on remoulade dressing.

The first thing that came out of Andy's mouth after his first bite - "Wow, I never thought this would actually be good."  And my response to that... "Did you ever doubt me?"  And I knew it was a success.  It really was THAT good.  It will turn non-believers into believers.  And you could definitely make it vegetarian by not adding the crab meat and utilizing other vegetables, of course!  Enjoy the weekend guys and be safe!

Curried Flounder & Rice

I'm not gonna lie, this was just okay. Kind of looks like a bunch of mush. Haven't really had anything good come about lately. Kind of depressing, but I guess I'll get back in the game soon... hopefully.


Ingredients:
Adapted from The Taste of Oregon's blog

1 cup spinach, washed and drained
1 egg
1 15 oz can coconut milk
2 flounder fillets, cut up into 1 inch cubes/slices
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 teaspoons red curry paste
1 teaspoon fish sauce
3 dried red chiles
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce, and egg. Beat the mixture until the curry paste is dissolved and well incorporated.

Add flounder pieces and let marinate in fridge for about an hour.

In a large skillet, heat up oil under medium to high heat. Add the dried chiles and cook until browned, about 1-2 minutes. Add the bell pepper and saute until soft, about 4-5 minutes.

Add fish/coconut milk mixture to pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes, when fish is white and mixture is heated through. Add in spinach and stir until wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with rice.

I don't really know how to describe this dish. It had flavors of a thai style curry, yes, but it just didn't have enough punch. The original dish was meant to be a custard-type deal steamed in a banana leaf boat, but I didn't feel like buying any banana leaves so I just heated the mixture up. I should have probably removed the egg since I wasn't planning on doing a custard. That was mistake number one. The curry may have been less chunky and more smooth that way. The rice I made was a little mushy too. Kind of made it runny. It was just sort of a plain jane dish and didn't get much depth of flavor. Oh well, try and try again I suppose.

Spinach Pesto Pasta

Talk about easy. This was incredibly tasty and the difficulty level was -3. My dogs could even probably make this. It whips up in a matter of minutes, basically just the amount of time it takes your pasta to cook! And I've been working with the white balance measurements on my camera, and I think my pictures are steadily improving, right? Right.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
1-3 cloves garlic
1 & 1/2 cups fresh spinach
1/4 cup fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
1/4 t0 1/2 cup olive oil
1 box spaghetti/fettuccine noodles

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add a tablespoon or so of salt. Then cook noodles until al dente, 6-8 minutes.

While noodles are cooking, combine remaining ingredients in food processor. You may have to do the spinach in batches because it's so bulky at first. I'd save the olive oil for last too because you don't want too much olive oil, just enough to get a good consistency out of the rest of the ingredients. Blend until you reach that desired texture.

Drain noodles and return to pot. Mix in pesto or serve pesto on top of noodles. I chose to mix it in because you get those beautifully colored noodles! I served it with some toasted french loaf that I rubbed some fresh garlic on. Yummy! Enjoy!