Lemon-Garlic Orzo with Baby Spinach

A quick and easy side dish - orzo with bright and zesty lemon, fresh garlic, and baby spinach.

This side dish is light and summery but satisfies that pasta craving. Orzo also reminds me a lot of risotto, but without the time or labor. 
I served this lemon-garlic orzo with baby spinach alongside grilled chicken. I love when I only need to make one dish inside and Jon can be grilling the rest outside. Easy prep and super easy cleanup. 

Lemon-Garlic Orzo with Baby Spinach Original Recipe by Mary Ellen of Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations
Ingredients

• 12 oz dry orzo
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Juice of 1/2 of a lemon
• Zest of 1/2 of a lemon
• 1 bag (6oz) baby spinach
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

• Cook orzo according to package directions
• In the meantime, heat the butter and oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.
• Add the garlic and saute 2 minutes, being careful not to let it burn
• Add in the lemon juice and rind.
• Toss in the orzo and stir in the spinach.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste and top with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese. 

Grilled Lemon-Garlic Asparagus with Parmesan

Asparagus is hands-down my favorite vegetable to grill, so I am crazy excited that asparagus season is upon us. We have a friend who cuts asparagus at his brother's farm, and I am just counting the days until we get our first bunch. There is nothing like cooking it just a few hours after it was cut - it's so sweet and fresh, and we easily eat the entire bunch in one sitting!

Not only is asparagus delicious, it has so many health benefits. Check out more info on asparagus shared by Quick Easy Cook.

There are so many ways to cook asparagus. I usually toss the asparagus with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast it, but for our first grilling night of the season, I wanted it to scream spring. Adding lemon brightens up the flavors, and garlic is a must because, well, garlic! It makes everything better.

I mixed olive oil with lemon juice, lemon zest and garlic and poured it over the asparagus before adding sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

These grilled up quickly, so they were still slightly crunchy with a perfect char on the tips. Once they came off the grill I quickly added some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Grilled Lemon-Garlic Asparagus with Parmesan
Original Recipe by Mary Ellen of Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations

Ingredients

• One pound of asparagus, woody ends snapped off
• 1/2 c olive oil
• Juice of 1/2 of a lemon
• Zest of 1/2 of a lemon
• 2 cloves of garlic, pressed
• Salt and pepper
• 1 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Additional lemon zest, if desired

Directions

• Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and garlic. Pour over the asparagus and toss until coated. 
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Place on a hot grill and cook 2-4 minutes; flip and cook an additional 2-4 minutes until charred but still crisp.
• Transfer to a plate and top with the grated Parmesan cheese and additional lemon zest. 

Spicy Quinoa Corn Chowder

A take on corn chowder using quinoa instead of potatoes, and with a spicy kick!

On Christmas Eve we were hanging out with family at my parents' house. My cousin handed my daughter a gift that she immediately started to open. When she got some of the paper off, she saw the American Girl logo on the box and started to get really excited. Meanwhile, we are all sitting there thinking "oh no, she thinks it is a doll." There is no way it was a doll, it was a flat, square box.  She continues to rip off the paper as we all hold our breath. Well, once she saw that the box contained her own set of cooking utensils, she screamed "YES!!!!" over and over and kept jumping up and down. BEST reaction EVER, and my cousin wins the prize for best gift ever! 

In addition to the cooking tools, we gave our daughter a set of plastic chopping knives, so she now has her own drawer in the kitchen with all of her tools. Every time she is ready to cook with me she pulls out every single tool, even if she only needs a knife and a spoon, grabs her stool and gets to work. 

The last time we cooked together we made this Spicy Quinoa Corn Chowder - a hearty yet healthy soup using quinoa in place of potatoes, and only a touch of cream. 

I like a bit of kick in my corn chowder, so the minced jalapeno adds just the perfect amount. I round it out with some chili powder and cumin for that smoky flavor. The next time you want a chowder, try using quinoa - it worked so well in this soup and one cup was a delicious and filling lunch. 

Spicy Quinoa Corn Chowder Original Recipe by Mary Ellen of Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations
Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp light olive oil
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 stalk of celery, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno, seeds and stems removed, minced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 sm can creamed corn
• 3/4 c frozen corn
• 1/2 c quinoa, rinsed
• 1 tsp each chili powder and cumin
• 1/2 tsp each salt and black pepper
• 4 c low sodium chicken (or vegetable) broth
• 1/2 c light cream

Directions

• Heat olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven
• Add the carrots, celery and onion; saute 2 minutes
• Add the jalapeno, garlic and red pepper; saute 2-3 minutes
• Add the frozen corn and creamed corn; stir
• Add the quinoa and spiced, stir to combine
• Add the broth and bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat and let simmer 15-20 minutes until quinoa has cooked through.
• Add the cream and stir. Adjust seasoning if necessary

Cheese Tortellini Primavera in a Light Garlic Cream Sauce

Cheese Tortellini with Fresh Vegetables in a Light Garlic Cream Sauce - A quick and easy meal that comes together in 20 minutes! 

Yes, you read that correctly. 20 minutes! 
Tortellini is a great pasta to use when you need to cut down on cooking time. Where other pasta shapes can take 8-12 minutes to cook, you will have perfect tortellini in about 5 minutes. 
As far as timing, chop your veggies and get out your other ingredients while the water is coming to a boil. Once the water boils, toss your veggies in for one minute. Blanching the veggies will cut down on your sauteeing time. Then, you make the sauce when you drop the tortellini. The sauce and tortellini will be done at the same time, and then all you need to do is toss it all together. 

This is a great Meatless Monday meal, a perfect quick weeknight dinner, and makes great leftovers (if you have any!) for lunch the next day. 

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Cheese Tortellini Primavera in a Garlic Cream Sauce

by Mary Ellen of Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations 
November-4-2016

Ingredients

• 1 small head broccoli, chopped into florets
• 1 large carrot, sliced
• 1/2 each red and green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 of a small yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 12oz bag of frozen tortellini
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• Splash of white wine
• 1/2 c low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/4 c light cream
• A few pinches each salt and pepper
• 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning (like McCormick's Perfect Pinch)
• 1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Once it is at a full boil, toss in the broccoli and carrots. Cook for one minute and then remove with a slotted spoon into a colander and run under cold water. Drain well. Return the water to a boil and put in the tortellini.Cook for approximately 5 minutes, or until the tortellini pops to the top of the water.
- Heat olive oil in a large saute pan.
- Toss in the onions and garlic; saute 1 min.
- Add the broccoli, carrots, red and green pepper, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning; saute 1 min.
- Add the white wine, stir for 20 seconds before adding the broth. Bring to a gentle simmer and then add the cream and Parmesan cheese.
- Drain the tortellini and add to the veggie/sauce mixture. Toss and serve.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 20 mins Yield: 4 Servings

Spinach-Artichoke Grilled Cheese

Crisp, buttery grilled bread stuffed with creamy melted cheese and a 

hot and bubbly spinach artichoke spread. It's like everybody's 

favorite party dip in a sandwich. 

My weekday lunches usually consist of a big salad, a bowl of homemade soup or a healthy, homemade wrap. On the weekends I'll splurge a bit, especially on lazy days with nowhere to be but home. 

I love a good grilled cheese sandwich, but wanted something more decadent, something cheesier and messier. My spinach-artichoke dip is so freaking delicious, and has inspired other recipes like these stuffed shells, so why not turn it into a sandwich? 

Thick sliced bread is a must for this. The outer layer gets buttery and crisp when grilled, while some of the bread stays fluffy and soft, soaking up all of that cheesy goodness. 

In addition to the creamy dip, I layered on sliced Fontina cheese, a cheese with a mild nutty flavor that melts fabulously. 

If you love spinach-artichoke dip, and you love grilled cheese, I promise you will love this sandwich.

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Spinach-Artichoke Grilled Cheese

by Mary Ellen of Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations October-25-2016

Crisp, buttery grilled bread stuffed with creamy melted cheese and a

hot and bubbly spinach artichoke spread.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp Olive Oil
• 1 small clove Garlic, minced
• 1 c Spinach, chopped
• 1/2 14oz can Artichoke hearts, chopped
• 4 Tbsp Cream cheese, softened
• Pinch each Salt and pepper
• 4 Thick slices Crusty Italian bread
• 2 TBSP Butter
• 4 slices Fontina cheese

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a small saute pan. Add the garlic and spinach, season with salt and pepper and saute until the spinach has wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer mixture to a bowl and add the artichokes and cream cheese. Stir until completely mixed.Spread one side of each slice of bread generously with butter. Heat a large griddle/grill pan. Add 2 slices of the bread, butter side down. Top each slice of bread with half of the spinach-artichoke mixture followed by 2 slices of Fontina cheese, and then put the other slice of bread on top, butter side up. Grill until browned, about 3 minutes, and then flip and cook until browned. Slice and serve.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 8 mins Total time: 18 mins Yield: 2 Sandwiches

Grilled Corn Salad with a Chili-Lime Vinaigrette

Sweet summer corn - isn't it the best?

My favorite way to prepare it is grilled - charred, to be exact - and that is what inspired this salad.

Charred corn is packed with smoky flavors, so pairing it with something bright and zesty with a touch of heat works perfectly. I used cilantro and lime for the bright and zesty flavors, grilled red onion for some sweetness, crunchy red pepper for texture, spicy jalapenos for heat, and a dressing featuring chili and lime to pull it all together.

This Grilled Corn Salad can be eaten as a salad or you can really get creative with it. Picture it on fajitas or tacos - the perfect topping! Put it on top of grilled chicken or fish. Or just grab some chips and scoop it up like salsa!

I will definitely be making this one a few more times before the summer corn runs out.

Check out two of my other favorite summer corn recipes here -
     Grilled Corn with a Chipotle Lime Butter
     Mexican Grilled Corn Salad with with Citrus Aioli.


Grilled Corn Salad with a Chili-Lime Vinaigrette
Original Recipe by Mary Ellen of Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations

Ingredients

• 6 ears corn, cleaned (remove husks and all silk) and washed
• 1 red onion, sliced into rings (don't separate within the rings)
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• Handful of cilantro, washed and chopped
• Olive oil, salt and pepper

Dressing Ingredients

• 1/4 c vegetable oil
• Juice from 1/2 of a lime
• Zest from 1/2 of a lime
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• Salt and pepper

Directions

• Mix all of the dressing ingredients together and chill until ready to serve.
• Heat grill to medium high
• Brush/spray the corn and red onion with olive oil; season lightly with salt and pepper. Grill until charred in spots (to your liking), about 15 minutes. 
• Stand the corn on end. Using a sharp knife, remove the kernels into a bowl. 
• Chop the grilled red onion
• Add in the red pepper, jalapeno and cilantro
• Toss with the dressing and serve. 

Grilled Red Cabbage Wedges

We love grilled romaine and baby bok choy, and pretty much every other veggie we have ever grilled (except radishes... but that's a story for another day), so why not grill cabbage?

I picked up a small head of red cabbage on a whim the other day. I thought I'd make some kind of slaw, but then decided to throw it on the grill.

I cut the cabbage into wedges, poured olive oil over them and then seasoned with salt and pepper. I had no idea how long they'd take, so I put them on the grill when our pork had about 5 minutes left. I figured that would give me about 15 minutes to cook the cabbage when I factored in 10 minutes of resting time for the pork.

This ended up being perfect! I grilled the cabbage for about 7 minutes on the first side and 4-5 on the second side.

Grilled Red Cabbage Wedges
Original Recipe by Mary Ellen of Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations

Ingredients

• 1 small head of red cabbage
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Directions

• Heat grill to high
• Cut cabbage into wedges (6-8 wedges)
• Drizzle with some olive oil and season with salt and pepper
• Place on the grill and let cook for 7 minutes (or until you see it getting nice grill/char marks)
• Flip and cook on the other side for 4-5 minutes
• Serve warm

Roasted Cauliflower with Tomatoes, Garlic and Herbs

Every time I make roasted cauliflower my husband always comments how plain our plates look. It's true - for some reason I end up making cauliflower when everything else on the plate is somewhat lacking in color, like chicken in a creamy sauce or a side like risotto or rice. It's funny because I'm always concerned about color on a plate and making it appealing to the eye, but for some reason I haven't held to this when I'm making cauliflower.

Until now. I bought a head of cauliflower and was determined to make a pretty plate with it.

I tossed the cauliflower with multicolored tomatoes, garlic cloves, oil, and some dried herbs and then poured them onto a cookie sheet to roast.

After 20 minutes the cauliflower was perfectly roasted, the garlic was soft and sweet, and the tomatoes had melted, their juices mixing with the oil to help coat everything. We loved this as a side to our grilled chicken, and then the next day as a side to grilled burgers.

Roasted Cauliflower with Tomatoes, Garlic and Herbs
An original recipe by Mary Ellen of Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations

Ingredients

• 1/2 head of cauliflower chopped into florets
• A cup of multicolored tomatoes, halved
• 6 cloves of garlic, halved
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 tsp dried herbs - I used equal amounts of oregano and an Italian blend of dried herbs

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a cookie sheet with tin foil
• Place the cauliflower, tomatoes and garlic in a large bowl. Drizzle in the oil, salt, pepper, and herbs. Toss everything with a wooden spoon to coat.
• Pour the veggies onto the cookie sheet and roast for 20 minutes
• Serve immediately

Italian Orzo Spinach Soup with Fire Roasted Tomatoes

This recipe had me at "fire roasted tomatoes."

I love using these tomatoes for the extra smokiness they add. I always splurge when buying these tomatoes, too, choosing only Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Tomatoes. In my store the Muir Glen are almost double the price of the non-organic brands, but it is so worth it in my opinion. Plus it's not something I do that often, and when I think about the fact that this soup was my lunch for 4 days, the cost per lunch is lower than buying a sandwich.

My other favorite thing about this soup was the mixture of herbs, especially rosemary. My husband doesn't like rosemary so I never get to use it, but this soup was just for my lunches so rosemary it was.

The original recipe that I followed called for whole wheat orzo and while I looked in a few stores, I had no luck in finding it. I want to keep my eyes open though and hopefully use WW next time. I used less orzo than the original recipe called for so my soup wouldn't be too thick.

Italian Orzo Spinach Soup with Fire Roasted Tomatoes
Adapted from: Gimme Some Oven

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 sm white onion, diced
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup diced celery
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 14 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 3/4 cups orzo 
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
• 4 cups loosely-packed spinach
• Salt and black pepper

Directions

• Heat oil in a dutch oven or large stock pot over medium-high heat.
• Add onion and saute for 4 minutes, until soft
• Add carrots, celery and garlic and saute for an additional 3 minutes.
• Add stock, tomatoes, orzo, thyme, oregano, and rosemary; stir to combine.
• Bring soup to a simmer, and then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through. 
• Stir in the spinach until just wilted. 
• Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Mexican Grilled Corn Salad with Citrus Aioli

One of the summer's stars is definitely fresh, sweet corn.

I have mentioned this in my blog before that every week or 2 in the summer, my dad drives across the river to a small farm stand in NJ. He always comes back with the best tomatoes, zucchini, and of course, corn.

I like corn on the cob, but my favorite way to enjoy this summer treat is off the cob. The other night I decided to take it out of the husks and grill it for a salad.

If you have corn to use, make this salad. I thought it was out of this world good! There are so many flavors going on that just WORK together - the sweet corn, the salty cheeses, the bright cilantro and the bright and creamy dressing - seriously, O.M.G. good!

I made a few minor changes by adding grilled red onion, omitting the melted butter, changing the quantities, serving it at room temp (not hot), and in general changing how it was all put together (I simplified it). I plan on making this for every gathering I have as well as every one I go to for the rest of the summer - it was THAT good! So please do yourself a favor and make this ASAP. You will thank me!
 

   

Mexican Grilled Corn Salad with Citrus Aioli

Adapted from: Food and Wine

Ingredients

(serves 4)

• 5 ears of corn, shucked and cleaned
• 1/4 of a large red onion, sliced into rings.
• Olive oil, salt, and pepper
• 1/3 c mayonnaise
• 1/4 tsp finely grated lime zest plus 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/4 tsp finely grated lemon zest plus 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp Dijon mustard (or more, if needed, after tasting)
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1/4 tsp cayenne (or less - depends on how much heat you want)
• 1 oz crumbled queso fresco
• 1 oz crumbled cotija cheese
• handful each of fresh parsley and cilantro, chopped

Directions

• Make the aioli: mix the mayo, lime zest, lime juice, lemon zest, lemon juice, 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, Dijon, garlic, and cayenne. Season with salt. This can be made ahead of time and refrigerated.
• Heat your grill to high. Brush the corn and red onion with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the corn 8-10 minutes until cooked and slightly charred. Let cool before cutting the kernels off the cob and chopping the onion.
• Toss the corn kernels and chopped onion with the cilantro and parsley. Add in the dressing slowly (I didn't need to use all of mine) and then add in the cheeses. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.
• Serve immediately.  

   

Grilled Vegetable Pasta in a Garlic Broth with Basil

You know how they say you shouldn't go to the supermarket hungry? Well you also shouldn't try to write a food blog post when you are hungry. I am sitting here staring at the picture of this pasta and the only thought I have in my head right now is how badly I'd love to eat it.

So after giving you one tip, I'm going to let the pictures do the talking in this post. The next time you grill veggies for dinner, make extra so you can chop them up for this pasta dish the next night. Not only will you save time and have dinner on the table in less than 15 minutes, you'll get the great flavor of grilled veggies infused into a light and fresh pasta dish.

Grilled Vegetable Pasta

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• Leftover grilled veggies, chopped
• A few cherry tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 c low sodium chicken or vegetable broth OR 1/2 c pasta water
• 8 oz pasta
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh basil, roughly chopped
• Optional: fresh mozzarella, chopped

Directions

• Cook pasta until done to your liking; drain, reserving 1/2 c of the pasta water (unless you are using broth)
• Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat
• Add the garlic and tomatoes; sauté 2-3 minutes being careful not to burn the garlic
• Add the veggies and toss to warm
• Add the broth or pasta water, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a low simmer.
• Add the pasta and toss with the veggies.
• Top with basil and mozzarella