Summer Squash and White Bean Saute

Summer Vegetables - the theme of last week's recipe swap sponsored by A Taste of Home Cooking. I was given a recipe for Summer Squash and White Bean Saute shared by the author of A journey through trying new things.

What a great recipe to bring out the best in these summer vegetables - I really liked it! I'm not a big fan of beans, but they added nice texture to this dish while giving it some protein.

Ingredients (I cut the below ingredients in half and still had 4 servings)

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, halved and sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (of course I still used 2!)
• 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 1 medium yellow summer squash, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 1 tbsp fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 15 oz can cannellini or great northern beans, rinsed (I used small white beans)
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar (I completely forgot to add this and didn't miss it)
• 1/3 c finely shredded Parmesan cheese
  

Directions

• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
  
• Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes.
  
• Add zucchini, summer squash, oregano, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring once, until the vegetables are tender-crisp, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Stir in beans, tomatoes and vinegar; increase heat to medium and cook, stirring, until heated through, about 2 minutes.
  
• Remove from the heat and stir in Parmesan.

Spiced Beef Stir Fry with Scallions and Cilantro

The other day I bought a few sirloin steaks and planned on slicing them into thin strips for stir fry, but didn't want to do my usual Beef with Broccoli or something similar to that. I had cilantro to use up, and kept thinking about the amazing dinner we recently enjoyed at Buddakan, so I started to look for ideas using spices, cilantro, and the beef.

I found this one for Spiced Beef Stir Fry with Scallions and Cilantro. It fit all my requirements and looked great, and ended up being the quickest dinner I have made in months - maybe 5-6 minutes of cooking time! And since the rice takes 20-25 minutes to cook, you can easily do all of your prep during that time.

We both loved this one so much that I will be making it often. One change - next time I plan on squeezing a bit of lime juice over the top once it finished cooking.

Ingredients

• 14 oz filet of beef (I used 1lb sirloin steak)
• 2 tbsp peanut oil (I used olive oil)
• 1 tsp rice wine or dry sherry (I used mirin)
  
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 oz cilantro, roughly chopped (I just pulled off a large handful)
• 1 scallion, finely chopped
• For the spicy coating: 2 tbsp ground cumin, 2 tbsp dried chili pepper flakes, 1 tbsp ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp sea salt; I added approximately 1 tsp chili powder and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  

Directions (In my own words)

• Slice the beef wafer thin
• Mix the ingredients for the spicy coating; mix the beef into this mixture.
• Heat a wok or large saute pan over high heat; add the oil.
  
• Add the beef and stir-fry for less than a minute until browned and tender. Add the rice wine and soy sauce.
  
• Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro and scallions. Serve immediately.
  

The meat was so amazingly tender and flavorful - we both had 2 plates of this! Delicious!

Pasta with Asparagus, Sopressata, and Aged Asiago

It has been a while since I created a dinner recipe on my own, so I had so much fun putting this one together! My inspiration? A link of sopressata and block of aged asiago cheese in my fridge just waiting to be used for something, and a craving for pasta. Plus, my friend Jenny was coming for dinner and I know she loves my pasta dishes.

I have cooked with prosciutto and pancetta before, so I figured I could do the same with sopressata. I knew I'd have to use small pieces, however, as it is on the firm side and would maintain this firmness when cooked. So I pulled out my little handheld mandolin, peeled back the casing, and made very thin slices. Like this -

I then sliced each piece and diced them into very small pieces to be sauteed with the shallots and garlic.


Here is how it all came together -

Pasta with Asparagus, Sopressate and Aged Asiago
Original Recipe by Mary Ellen of Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb penne pasta
• 1/2 link of hot sopresatta (about 3 inch long piece)
• 1 bunch asparagus, top half only
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 shallot
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional for extra heat)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Pinch or two of Kosher salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Aged Asiago cheese, freshly grated, about 1/2-3/4 cup
• 1/2 c reserved pasta water
• Equipment: mandolin; I used a small handheld mandolin.

Directions

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil
• Put asparagus into the water and let cook less than a minute. Remove from the water and put in a bowl of ice water, or run under very cold water. Slice diagonally into 1.5 inch pieces.
• Add pasta to the water the asparagus cooked in; cook to al dente.
• Heat olive oil in a large saute pan
• Add shallots, garlic, red pepper flakes, and sopressata. Saute about 3 minutes.
• Add asparagus and pasta, mix. Slowly add a little of the pasta water - I only used about 1/4 cup.
• Add cheese, salt, and pepper

WOW - loved this. We all did! The aged asiago cheese added such great flavor (strong, yet not overpowering), and worked very well with the sopressata. I will definitely make this one again!

Asian-Inspired Halibut

Jon cooks fish for himself once a week, and this was a great recipe he came up with for Halibut.

I'm guessing on the amounts - just go with it and smell, taste, etc. That's how he developed it.

The recipe..
Mix 2 tbsp soy sauce, less than 1/4 tsp sesame oil, dash of rice vinegar.
Put the fish on foil, curling up the edges.
Pour the mixture over the fish, then top with about a teaspoon or more of chili-garlic paste.
Close up the foil, creating a pouch, and grill for 6-7 minutes.
Remove from the grill, carefully opening the pouch.
Top with chopped green onions and serve.

Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad

Have you seen Wacky Mac in the market? It caught my eye the other day so I picked up a bag. According to their web site, it is made from real vegetables - beet, spinach, and tomato. And they look fun, so I thought my daughter might like them (at first bite she didn't, but we'll keep trying!).

Over the weekend we had friends over and I had a bunch of leftover grilled and marinated veggies from our antipasto. What better way to use them up than to toss them into a pasta salad. I had Jon grill up some peppers and tomatoes for me, as well as roast a bulb of garlic on the grill, to make this salad complete.

Ingredients:
Handful of each of the veggies:

• Grilled asparagus, chopped
• Grilled peppers - red, yellow, orange. Peeled, cleaned, then chopped
• Grilled red onions, chopped
• Full bulb of roasted garlic, peeled then chopped
• Marinated artichokes, chopped
• Grilled tomato, chopped
• Marinated fresh mozzarella, chopped
• 10 oz wacky mac, cooked
  

Toss all of those ingredients with some salt and the dressing:

Dressing: 1/2 c olive oil, 1/4 c red wine vinegar, few turns of fresh black pepper, approx 1 1.5 tsp salt, 2 dashes dry mustard, a few shakes of dried oregano.

Easy, fresh, delicious - especially on a super hot summer day! Jon grilled up some light kielbasa that night for the perfect summer meal.

Recipe Swap: Mexican Sour Cream Rice

I participated in another Taste of Home Cooking recipe swap last week. This time the theme was Mexican... my favorite! Here is a roundup of all the Mexican recipes shared in the swap.

I was given a recipe for Mexican Sour Cream Rice shared by Melissa at Lemons and Love. I was inspired by the recipe, and decided to change it up a bit. First, I used freshly roasted jalapenos instead of canned diced green chiles. Other changes included using cilantro instead of parsley, using frozen corn instead of canned, and like the author suggested, adding black beans. I did not use chicken in my recipe as I was serving it as a side to marinated and grilled beef and veggie kabobs.

Everyone really enjoyed this! The jalapenos added nice heat, but were not overwhelming. I liked the addition of black beans, and think that even more veggies could be added next time - maybe some red and green peppers and onions. I also definitely see how adding cooked, shredded chicken would make this a complete meal.

Below is my version of this recipe.

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups uncooked white rice
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups sour cream
• 6 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 c shredded Mexican blend cheese
  
• Spices, approximate amounts: 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 jalapenos, roasted then chopped (seeds removed; see below on how to roast jalapenos)
• 2 c frozen corn
• 1/2 can black beans
• Handful chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Roast and prepare your jalapenos --- I roasted my jalapenos right on my gas stove, but you can do them on a grill as well. Just place them on the grates over the flame, and roast until each side is blackened. Transfer them to a bowl, cover with plastic, and let sit for 15 minutes so they can sweat, making it easier to remove the charred skin. Remove from the bowl, and scrape away all the skin. Cut in half, remove all the seeds, then chop.
  
• Bring the chicken broth to a boil; add the rice and stir. Lower heat and cover; cook 20 minutes until rice is done and broth has absorbed.
  
• In a large bowl, mix the sour cream, cream cheese, spices, and 3/4 of the cheese.
  
• Pour rice into a greased casserole dish
• Mix in the sour cream mixture, jalapenos, corn, cilantro, and black beans.
  
• Top with the rest of the cheese.
  
• Cover and bake for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad

I like making different pasta salads, like my South of the Border Pasta Salad, or this Antipasto Pasta Salad. So when I was given a new pasta salad to try in last weeks Taste of Home Cooking Recipe Swap (click here to see all of the recipes shared), I was excited to try it. And with the holiday weekend cooking fest underway, the timing was perfect.

The recipe was submitted by the author of the blog My Kitchen Rx. I made a few changes, noted in italics below.

The Dressing

• 1 7oz jar sundried tomatoes, with the oil
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 c extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Added: 4 large basil leaves

In a food processor, combine the sundried tomatoes in their oil, garlic, salt, pepper, basil, and vinegar until the tomatoes are chopped. Drizzle in the olive oil and continue pulsing until everything is combined. Note: I probably used a bit less olive oil than the recipe called for since I used the flavorful oil from the sundried tomatoes. This made a lot more dressing than I needed, but it will last in the fridge for a bit.

The Salad

• 16 oz corkscrew pasta
• 1/2 lb cubed mozzarella
  
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes cut into halves
• 10-15 leaves basil, chopped or julienne (I did a chiffonade)
• 1.5 c grated Parmesan cheese (I totally forgot to add this before serving, and didn't miss it)

Cook the pasta, drain, rinse under cold water until no longer hot. Toss with some of the dressing, the mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. Add more dressing as needed. Chill before serving, adjust dressing if needed.

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This was a really good recipe - everyone loved it. It had a nice tang from the sundried tomatoes, and was so fresh and summery with the basil and tomatoes. I will definitely make this again.

Chipotle-Tomato Rice

I was looking for ideas for a new side when I came across this recipe for Chipotle-Tomato Rice on the blog Oishii. Easy, flavorful, and it went perfectly with our chili-lime-garlic marinated pork chops.

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 TBS. canola oil
• Half a white onion, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (or 1/2 tsp. chipotle powder); I used the pepper in adobo sauce, diced
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano; I used Mexican oregano
  
• half of a 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes, with liquid
• salt & pepper to taste
• chopped cilantro, for garnish

Directions

• In a large saute pan, heat the canola oil over medium high heat.
  
• Cook the onion until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
• Stir in the chipotle and oregano.
  
• Add the canned tomatoes with liquid. Reduce heat, and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes.
• Add the cooked rice, and stir until combined and heated through. Season to taste with salt & pepper and serve. Garnish with cilantro.
  

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Before making this myself, I had never had gumbo, not even when I was in New Orleans. I have always wanted to try it, but never really thought about making it myself until I saw it here on Elly's blog. I immediately put it on my list of things to make. Although I'm just blogging about it now, I made it back in late March.

One ingredient in the recipe I wasn't familiar with was the file (fee-lay) powder. Turns out that it is a thickening agent, but also adds flavor. I'm not sure what kind of flavor, however, because I forgot to buy it. But I do know that the local specialty bulk foods store carries it so I will get it next time I make it to see what it adds to the recipe (although I don't know what the file powder would have added, I do need to note that I didn't feel the recipe was missing anything).

This is definitely something to make when you have a few hours to kill, and when you want leftovers for a few days. It made a lot, but that was fine with me, and with my parents who got a big container of them.

One other note, and something that Elly mentions in her post, too - prep your chopped veggies ahead of time. Although you don't use the veggies until you are about 45 minutes into the recipe, you won't have time to do any prep once you start as the creation of the roux takes constant attention. And one more thing - I used chicken breasts instead of thighs. Here is my adaptation of the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp and 1/2 c canola oil
• 1 lb smoked sausage cut into 1/2 inch pieces; I used chorizo
• 2 lbs boneless chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp Emeril's Creole Essence Seasoning; I probably used a bit more (didn't measure, just seasoned liberally!)
  
• 1 c flour
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1/2 ea chopped red and green bell peppers
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3 bay leaves
• 9 c chicken broth
  
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Directions

• Heat the 1 tbsp oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
  
• Add the sausage and cook until browned, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
  
• Season the chicken with the Essence seasoning. Add to the pot and brown on both sides, about 6 minutes total. Remove the chicken, cool, and store in the fridge til later.
  
• Here comes the long part - making the roux. Add the 1/2 oil and flour to the pot over medium heat. Stir slowly and constantly until a dark brown roux that looks chocolaty in color is formed. This will take 20-25 minutes.
  
• Add the yellow onion, celery, and bell peppers and cook 5 minutes.
  
• Add the cooked sausage, salt, cayenne, and bay leaves and cook for 2 minutes.
  
• Slowly add the chicken stock, stirring, until well combined. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat. Simmer uncovered for 1 hour.
  
• Add the chicken to the pot and simmer for 1.5 hours, skimming off any fat that rises to the surface (since I used chicken breasts, I didn't really have any fat to skim).
• Remove the pot from the heat, and remove the chicken using a slotted spoon. Shred the meat, then add it back to the pot along with the green onions and parsley.
  

I served the gumbo over rice. Optional: hot sauce.

Doesn't this look delicious?? I can't wait until next fall so I can make this again. LOVED it.

Spicy Chicken with Asparagus and Chile

When I saw this recipe, I wanted to make it because it combined asparagus and jalapenos, and I don't think I've ever eaten them together, especially in an Asian-inspired recipe. But I love both, so I put it on our menu.

The original recipe, posted by Brianna on her blog Oishi, called for ground pork. I had chicken breasts to use, so I decided to dice the uncooked breasts, sort of like how I diced them for my Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps. I also omitted the oyster sauce and honey, and added a bit of hoisin and chicken broth. We both loved this recipe, and it's a quick and easy one to throw together on a weeknight.

Below is my adaptation of the recipe.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp soy sauce, divided
• 1 tbsp Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
• 3 tsp Asian sesame oil, divided
• 12 oz thin to medium Asparagus spears, cut on a diagonal to 1/2-3/4 inch pieces
• 1 jalapeno, minced (ribs and seeds included)
• 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 1/4 c chicken broth
• 1 tbsp hoisin
• 2 green onions, sliced

Directions

• In a bowl, whisk together 1 tbsp of the soy sauce, the rice wine, and cornstarch. Add the chicken and toss to coat.
• Heat 2 tsp of the oil in a large saute pan or wok over high heat. Add the asparagus, jalapeno, and ginger. Toss until the asparagus is crisp tender, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate.
• Add the remaining oil to the pan. Add chicken; saute until browned, about 4 minutes.
• Return the asparagus mixture to the pan. Add the remaining soy sauce and hoisin. Saute a few minutes. Add the chicken broth and toss.
• Stir in the green onions, or serve them on top.

We ate this over white rice, but it would also be good over noodles. I would have liked a little more sauce, so next time I'll increase the liquids.