My Blog Helper

Skyler was helping me write my blog posts this week.  Clearly she was 100% un-interested in what I was writing about!

- Miss J

Shrimp in a Yellow Coconut Sauce

Since all the recipes this week have been from my Cooking Light Cookbook, I thought I'd just continue the theme for the remainder of the week.  At the last K-scope reunion, my good friend Collin gave each one of of the girls a yellow spice from Turkey. She had put it in this little jar that had an "eye" on the top.  The "eye" was supposed to keep you safe (I think) so I removed it from the jar and have it at my desk for good luck.  As for the spice in the jar, none of us knew exactly what it was.  As a result, it has continued to sit in my cabinet and accumulate dust.  However, I decided to quit being a wimp and just try it!  I came across this recipe and decided that I would try to substitute it in for Turmeric and hope for the best!

Shrimp in a Yellow Coconut Sauce

Serves: 4 (approximately 175 calories per serving)
Source:  Cooking Light: The Essential Dinner Tonight Cooking published by Oxmoor House
1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 to 2 teaspoons of chili paste with garlic
1 tsp fish sauce
1/ tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric (Collin's mystery spice in my case)
3 garlic cloves
2 shallots, chopped
1 (1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
Cooking spray
1 cup light coconut milk
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
Chopped cilantro (optional)

Mix lime rind, lime juice, chili paste, fish sauce, coriander seeds, turmeric, garlic cloves, shallots, and ginger in a food processor until smooth.  Heat a large nonstick skillet with medium high heat.  Coat with cooking spray (or olive oil).  Add spice paste from the food processor to the pan.  Saute for 1 minute until fragrant.  Add coconut milk and shrimp to the pan. Simmer 4 minutes or until shrimp is done.  Garnish with cilantro. 

Serve with coconut rice, brown rice, pasta, or couscous. 

- Miss J

Ham and Gruyere Stuffed Potatoes

Potatoes are definitely one of my top five favorite foods.  It wasn't until recently that I realized that I could make potatoes the center piece of the meal by stuffing them with all sorts of goods!  As I was flipping through my new cookbook that I got for Christmas, I found this recipe.  I thought this was a perfect to serve to my good friend who came over for a much needed girls night last week.  The evening consisted of eating, watching desperate house wives, and letting our dogs play.  Based on the empty plates at the end of the meal, I am thinking that this recipe was a success!

Ham and Gruyere Stuffed Potatoes

Serves: 4 (approximately 350 calories per serving)
Source:  Cooking Light: The Essential Dinner Tonight Cooking published by Oxmoor House

4 Idaho potatoes (8 oz each)
2 teaspoons butter
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup fat-free milk (I used fat free half and half)
 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese (2 oz) (I used a aged white cheddar)
1/2 cup cooked ham (chopped)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Rinse the potatoes and poke sides with a fork.  Wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave on high for 5 minutes.  Flip and microwave for 5 more minutes or until tender.  Allow to cool for several minutes.  Cut the potatoes long way and scoop out pulp in a mixing bowl, leaving 1/4 inch thick shells.  Place shells on a baking sheet lined with foil.  Heat butter in a skillet over medium high heat.  Add garlic and saute for about 1 minute.  Be CAREFUL not to burn garlic or will have to throw butter away and start over.  Add milk to pan and bring to a simmer.  Pour milk mixture over potato pulp in a mixing bowl.  Add 1/4 cup cheese, ham, fresh parsley, and salt and pepper.  Mix well.  Stuff shells with potato mixture.  Top shells with remaining cheese.  Bake at 500 degrees for 8 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned. 

Notes:  I also mixed in bread crumbs to the remaining cheese to make a nice crunchy topping. You could also bake the potatoes in the oven before you stuff them if you don't like using the microwave.  I served these potatoes along side a roasted red pepper glazed with a balsamic vinaigrette.

- Miss J

Orzo Pasta with Chickpeas, Lemon, & Dill

In my attempt to try new things, this recipe jumped out in my Cooking Light cookbook.  I never have really cooked with Chickpeas ( also known as Garbanzo beans) before but I LOVE hummus so I thought why not give it a try.  This was a super easy recipe that required little prep work making it perfect for a busy weeknight meal.  Additionally, this recipe is only 330 calories per serving!

Orzo Pasta with Chickpeas, Lemon, & Dill

Serves: 4 (approximately 330 calories per serving)
Source:  Cooking Light: The Essential Dinner Tonight Cooking published by Oxmoor House

1 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
1/2 cup green onions (sliced thinly)
1/2 cup (2 oz) crumbled feta cheese (I use light or fat-free)
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1 (19 oz) can chickpeas drained
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons EVOO
1 tablespoon cold water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp minced garlic

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and rinse with cold water; drain.  Combine pasta, onion, cheese, dill, and chickpeas in a large bowl; toss gently. Whisk together the remaining 4 ingredients in a small bowl.  Drizzle mixture over pasta and toss evenly. 

Notes:  Rinse chickpeas with water if using canned chickpeas.  This will help remove the salty slimy film that coats the beans in the can. I also added left over ham that I had from a meal earlier in the week.  

- Miss J

Linguine with Basil-Pea Cream

Not all cooking adventures turn out the way we planned.  This was one that was a bit of a disappointment.  It wasn't a hundred percent failure; however, if I made this again, I would make a few tweaks to the recipe. 

Linguine with Basil-Pea Cream
Serves 6 (approximately 370 calories per serving)
Source:  Cooking Light: The Essential Dinner Tonight Cooking published by Oxmoor House



3 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 cup chopped leek
1 1/2 cup vegetable broth, divided
2 (10 oz) packages frozen green peas
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon EVOO
2 (8 oz) packages of presliced mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups hot cooked linguine (about 12 ounces uncooked pasta)
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add leeks to pan and cook 3 minutes.  Stir in 1/4 cup broth and peas; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.  Keep the skillet partially covered.  Meanwhile, place 1 1/2 cups pea mixture, 1/4 cup broth, 1 cup basil leaves, and oil in a blender.  Process mixture until smooth.  Pour pureed peas into a bowl and mix in remaining pea mixture. Melt remaining butter in a pan over medium-high heat.  Add mushrooms and garlic.  Saute for 5-7 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.  In the pan mix together mushroom mixture, pea mixture, and pasta.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Toss together well.  Once pasta has been plated, top with 2 tsp of chopped basil.  Serve immediately. 

Notes: As I mentioned, I wasn't in love with this dish.  I think it has good potential though.  I would cut the peas in half.  I would also only add about 1/2 cup of the pea mixture to the blender for the sauce.  Instead, I would add Parmesan cheese and a bit of whipping cream to make the puree thicker and more flavorful. Another add that would add some great flavor would be roasted onions.  You could roast them in the oven or on the skillet in some EVOO.  Add them to the blender to get some additional flavor in the sauce. 

- Miss J

Roasted Red Peppers and Steak salad with a Balsamic Vinaigrette

For Valentine's day, Moe and I decided to cook the steak that we got from our sister-in-law.  Her family owns a farm, and the quality of the meat is always outstanding.  It had been frozen for quite awhile so I was bit nervous it wasn't going to taste very good; however, it turned out perfect! 

Roasted Red Peppers and Steak salad with a Balsamic Vinaigrette

Serves: 2
Source:  Miss J

16 oz strip steak
1/4 cup Gorgonzola crumbled cheese
a handful of pine nuts
1 red bell pepper (de-seeded and cut into quarters)
3 cups of spinach (or romaine) lettuce
1 grape vine tomato (diced in 1inch squares)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper

salad dressing (serves 10)
1 garlic clove
1 shallot (finely diced)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp (plus or minus depending on desired sweetness)
pepper

Whisk together salad dressing and let sit for a half hour.  This allows the flavors to meld together while the rest of the meal is prepared. Turn on grill to high.  Once heat is roaring, reduce heat on grill to medium.  Brush steak with olive oil on both sides and lightly season with pepper.  Place steaks on the grill.  On a cast iron skillet, place the four bell pepper slices on skillet and lightly coat with olive oil.  Place bell peppers slices on the grill rack next to the steaks.  Cook on the steaks on the grill until internal temperature reads 140 -145 degrees (medium), approximately 10 minutes.  Flip the bell peppers about half way through.  Add a drizzle of the salad dressing on the bell peppers with 1 minute left to cook on grill.  Bell peppers are done when they are soft and the skin has loosened.  You do not want the skin to peel off.  If it does then the temperature is too high for the bell peppers. 

While steaks are cooking, toss spinach in salad dressing. Be sure not to use all the salad dressing as this recipe makes more salad dressing which you can keep at room temperature for up to a week. Divide the spinach across two plates.  Top with Gorgonzola cheese, tomatoes and pine nuts. When the steak and roasted red peppers are done, slice and divide up across the two salads.   Serve immediately.

Notes:  You could also cook the bell peppers in the oven at 400 degrees in an aluminum foil tent with some drizzled olive oil.  They should cook for about 10 minutes or until soft.      

- Miss J

Bile duct surgery or aortic valve replacement????

I agreed to go to osu campus and wait for Moe while he is at a medical school meeting. I figured that I can bring a book and catch up on my book club reading. So I get to the library and realize I forgot my book. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal as I am at a library, BUT it was a medical school library! I could read about bile duct surgery or aortic valve replacements... FML! - Miss J

Refresh

My life has been a spiraling mess of travel, work, stress, and more stress. As a result, my blog has been a low priority. However, I am hoping to get organized this upcoming weekend. The house is back on the market, I am settled into my new job (well new boss so by default new job), and I am done traveling until May. My goal is to find a way to ENJOY the next five months before Moe graduates instead of letting the fear of uncertainty control my life. Easier said than done. I'll leave it at that. - Miss J