Spring Stir-Fry

This week it’s all about quick dinners.  And this stir-fry is no exception.  The beauty of this recipe is that you can substitute in what you have on hand.  I made my portion vegetarian with edamame while Big Guy enjoyed the addition of chicken.  Additionally, instead of carrots I went with sliced red bell pepper.  If you don’t use the chicken, dinner will be ready in under 15 minutes.  I served our Spring Stir-Fry over white rice.

 

I almost didn’t get green onions at the store but I’m so glad I did!  The freshness really brightens up the dish.  Also, I didn’t come armed with an intense grocery list.  Who knew I was out of soy sauce (tamari)?  I sure didn’t.  Fish sauce came to the rescue.  Seriously – don’t freak out if you’re missing an ingredient.  There is almost always a substitution.  Have fun in the kitchen!  Don’t make cooking dinner a chore.

 

The calorie count is rather low for this dish (without the rice) as a dinner – so if you’re not into rice, you might want to double your portion or add another starch.

 

Garlic Shrimp in Coconut Milk, Tomatoes and Cilantro

I love a good purging of a closet.  Call it Spring cleaning, call it organizing.  Whatever you want to call it, I did just that on Sunday.  Closets were emptied, piles were made and only the things I have used and/or worn in the past year (at most) were put back.  Only stopping for a quick lunchtime smoothie, I wanted a comforting,  yet light, dinner on Sunday night.

Garlic Shrimp in Coconut Milk, Tomatoes and Cilantro is a quick and easy dinner yet full of flavor.  Shrimp is cooked in a coconut-tomato broth that is brightened up with cilantro and lime juice.  The plump shrimp and broth were served over white basmati rice to soak up all the deliciousness.

Don’t be afraid of the coconut milk.  It’s super light and the tomatoes and garlic balance the sweetness.  If you’re not a fan of shrimp, chicken would be fantastic.  Simply brown your chicken first since it takes longer to cook.  Or you could keep it vegetarian by using chickpeas.  That would really cut down on the cooking time.

But whatever you do, don’t leave out the garlic and cilantro.

 

The most difficult part of this dinner, deciding if using a fork or spoon was easier…

Pasta with Toasted Garlic, Dried Cranberries, Kale and Feta

Al dente [brown rice] spaghetti.

Sweet and plump dried cranberries.

Vibrant green kale.

Salty, crumbly feta.

Crispy garlic chips.

One of the most amazing flavor combinations ever.

I had all the ingredients in my kitchen when I ran across this recipe (for the 38th time) and I knew I had to try “the best pasta dish. ever.” for myself.

I couldn’t get over the flavors!  Each bite was different.  But my favorites included the garlic chips.  I see garlic chips making another appearance very soon.  Very, very soon.

Please, go get the recipe from the link above and make this for dinner tonight.  It comes together in a flash and the flavors will not disappoint.

Lost in the shuffle.

The past few weeks have been a blur!  Between wedding planning (who’s getting married?) and well, life, I haven’t had a chance to share everything!  So here’s a run down of things that have gotten lost in the shuffle.

pizza and wine

Sometimes frozen pizza is necessary.  A few weeks back, one of those times happened.  This was my first time trying Trader Joe’s 3-Cheese Gluten Pizza and I must say it was awesome.  This will be purchased again.  And the wine?  It was a red wine blend that somehow appeared in our wine rack.  Though I don’t consider myself a “red wine drinker” this was actually rather tasty.

frozen dinner

With the frozen pizza, I served frozen green beans.  What can I say, it was a Betty (not Martha) kind of night.  But I did doctor up the green beans with caramelized onions and balsamic vinegar.

jam bars

I baked!  My Momma mentioned jam bars she made using a recipe from the Pioneer Woman and it made me excited to try Jenna’s Jam Crumb Bars.  I used strawberry jam and Big Guy loved ‘em.

green pizza

St. Patty’s Day seems like moons ago, but I can’t help but show you our creation.  Corned Beef and Potato Pizza.  I made a few changes to the recipe – using a gluten-free pizza dough mix, less creme fraiche and a “real” potato instead of frozen mashed potatoes.  Big Guy also cooked up some corned beef to chop up.  The pesto guoda is where it’s at, though!  It is an insanely weird color but it is insanely delicious.  But honestly, can you go wrong with pesto infused cheese?  It was available in limited amounts at Trader Joe’s.

Can you believe it’s the last week of March?

 

32

And I’m not talking days until I get married.

Happy Anniversary to my parents!!!!!!!!!!!!

Momma and Dadom -
You two have shown me what a marriage should be.  I know your marriage isn’t perfect because y’all aren’t perfect.  But then again, who is?  But you do love each other and all of us kids (plus the additions) more than anything in the world.  There is no way that I will ever be able to show you how much I appreciate and thank you both – but I’m hoping that by mirroring your marriage I’ll show you the respect your deserve.  I hear it takes a lot of work to make a marriage last (and I believe it) but I also think that at the end of the day you have to remember why you fell in love in the first place.
Thank you.
I love you more than Moon Pies and Mountain Dew.
And that’s a lot.

And since I haven’t posted a recipe in awhile, here’s what I made Momma on Tuesday night.

Not only is it delicious and healthy but there are only 6 ingredients (not counting S&P and EVOO) and it was ready in about 20 minutes.  Spinach, balsamic vinegar, chicken breasts, avocado (optional – Momma went without), mozzarella and pre-made Trader Joe’s (or any other brand) bruschetta.  Here’s the link to the recipe for Avocado, Mozzarella and Bruschetta Chicken.

Tequila Lime Flank Steak Salad with Copycat Chipotle Corn Salsa

I’ve always said “salads aren’t boring” and this salad only further proves that statement.

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that on Sunday I was putting a recipe to the test that involved limes.  Lots of limes.  Well now I’m here to tell you that the tequila lime marinade for the flank steak is worth making twice.  I was working on picking out a marinade for the flank steak that Big Guy will be grilling up next weekend for a party we’re helping to host for one of our favorite couples, Kristen and Adam (heeeey, KP!).  Well, this will be the marinade we use.  No need to try any others.  It’s easy and doesn’t have a long ingredient list which is awesome when you’re cooking for 40 people.

We threw our tequila lime flank steak on a salad along with a healthy helping of Copycat Chipotle Corn Salsa.  This salsa will also be making an appearance at the par-tay.

Y’all – this stuff is insanely delicious.  Forget needing a chip, I could eat this stuff straight from a spoon (or fork).

On top of my not-boring salad:  flank steak (cooked to perfection by Big Guy), avocado, grilled bell peppers, corn salsa and drizzle of the chile lime vinaigrette.  (For the dressing, I used red pepper rice vinegar instead of the red pepper oil – why?  Because it’s cheaper.  Just keepin’ it real, y’all.)

I can’t get over how good this salad was.  So many textures.  So many flavors.  A little heat – but not too much.  Tons of freshness from the corn salsa and the creamy avocado.  I’m sure that cheese, black beans and chips would be an awesome addition but I didn’t miss ‘em.

Crock Pot Sesame Honey Chicken

I love when she is in charge of dinner.  And by she, I mean my crock pot.

instagram pic

This “skinny” recipe was my answer to feeding my Momma a “warm” meal when she was in town last week for my bridal portraits.  That “warm” meal promise was a good idea after playing on the front porch of Rose Hill in 50 degree weather in a wedding dress.

Unlike a lot of Crock Pot meals, this recipe only needs 3 hours on LOW.  I happened to have most of the ingredients already on hand when I decided that this was the “warm” dinner that I was going to prepare.  The only real change I made to the recipe was using chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts and I only cooked up about 1.5 pounds of chicken.  Trust me, there was still plenty.  The chicken ends up being so tender it couldn’t help but shred easily with two forks.  And the smell!  I think that’s the best part of a crock pot meal.  You leave home as you usually would and you come home to (hopefully) the most amazing smell ever that just brings a smile to your face.

I served the sesame honey chicken over jasmine rice with a side of sugar snap peas for some green on the plate.  On top of the chicken, I added a sprinkling of sesame seeds and some green onions for a little freshness (a tip I learned from the Rach – Rachael Ray…add freshness to any crock pot meal with fresh herbs).

And the leftovers were fantastic, too.  I ate a serving of chicken on top of a salad one day for lunch and it was a winning combination of warm and cold that I love so much.

I should let “her” be in charge of dinner more often.

 

** I’m going to start naming all the food posts with the name of the dish so that they’re easier to find – I promise to update the “Recipe” tab soon!!!!**

 

Salad Beast

On average, I eat a salad every single day.  It’s my go-to lunch to pack up to take to lunch.  People thing salads are boring and boy, do I disagree!  But then again, I’ll throw anything on top of lettuce (or even without lettuce) and call it a salad.  A typical salad for me includes beans, feta or goat cheese, avocado or nuts and a light dressing.  Sometimes I’ll add fruit, like strawberries.  And sometimes I’ll add in hummus instead of beans.  Like I said, if it’s in the fridge, it can go on a salad.

Last week I add a salad of sorts not only for lunch every day but for dinner twice.  I’m a salad beast.  The bigger the salad the better.

On Tuesday night, I made the salad beast of my dreams.  A bed of lettuce was topped with candied pecans (Trader Joe’s makes some of the best ever!), dried cranberries (or you could use raisins) and feta (goat would be awesome, too!).

I always forget how much I loved dried fruit and pecans on a salad.  A combo that needs to be on a regular rotation!

And then on Wednesday night, I made Pistachio Cinnamon Chicken Salad.  I totally didn’t mean to feed my Momma two cold dinners in February but it’s just how things work out (I promised her a hot meal tonight! – yep, she’s back!). When I first came across this recipe I just knew it would be made in my kitchen.  I love pistachios and well, cinnamon is an underused spice, in my opinion.  So many people think cinnamon is just for sweet things – but I think it can be super savory, too.  The only change I made to the recipe was omitting the basil – I just didn’t want to waste buying an entire plant for 4 leaves when I knew it didn’t fit into the meal plan the rest of the week.

I used a rotisserie chicken from Harris Teeter’s deli to make the chicken salad.  I served a small salad with the most scrumptious strawberries on the side and some Nut Thins to scoop up the chicken salad.  This plate screams warm weather.  Bring.it.on.  So light and refreshing!

I am a salad beast.  No salad is too big for me.

Fig Jam and Sweet Potato Stacks

“This is a perfect Sunday night dinner.”
- Emily

“This is a perfect Monday night, Tuesday, night, Wednesday night, even Friday night dinner.”
- Big Guy

Those words made my heart smile.  Cooking for other people is what I love to do.  It’s my hobby.  I throw together simple (and random) meals when it’s just me eating.  But when there’s someone to enjoy the meal with, I would spend 3 hours in the kitchen.

The menu:

Pork Chops with Fig Jam

Roasted Asparagus

Sweet Potato Stacks with Blue Cheese.

For the main dish, I chose to cook pork chops (bone-in) instead of the pork tenderloin since it was just the two of eating dinner.  Also, I simply love a bone-in pork chop and The Fresh Market had two gorgeous chops on Saturday that I couldn’t resist.  The chops marinated in fresh orange juice, orange zest, grated garlic, olive oil, honey, rosemary and salt for about 6 hours.  The marinade smelled so good – there’s just something about orange zest and rosemary!  Once it was time for dinner, we seared the chops in the cast iron and then placed them in the oven to continue cooking (please, please, please don’t overcook your pork!).  The chops were served on top of a dollop of fig jam (homemade – from Granny!!!!) with a seared orange slice on top.  It was super fancy looking.  (wink wink)

The asparagus were simple tossed with EVOO and a salt blend from Trader Joe’s (it included bay and thyme in the mix).

And for the sweet potato stacks, sweet potatoes were sliced with the skin on and tossed with EVOO, salt and pepper.  They were then roasted at 450 degrees for about 25 minutes.  Once roasted, the oven gets turned to broil and you top the tator rounds with blue cheese.  Broil until it gets melty and delicious.

Ohhhh myyyy.  Sunday dinner doesn’t get better than this!  The hot pork chop literally melted the fig jam making a lovely sauce for everything on the plate.  The blue cheese actually became milder when broiled and was the perfect topping for the potato rounds.  I could have eaten the whole batch!  The combination of flavors was unreal!  Sweetness from the fig jam, tartness from the orange, herby rosemary, succulent pork that was perfectly cooked, salty asparagus and melt-in-your mouth potato rounds.  Seriously good.

Like Big Guy said, you can eat this “Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.”  (Not really sure what happened to Thursday and Saturday).

Fat Saturday

Last week was Mardi Gras but I didn’t get a chance to celebrate until Saturday.  Big Guy and I decided to have a Mardi Gras/Cajun-themed dinner Saturday and called it Fat Saturday.  Hey, better late than never, right?

 

We started off the celebration with a cocktail!  Fresh mango chunks, blood orange juice, lime juice and a little agave are muddled together and then combined with light and dark rum to make a Maelstrom.

For dinner, Cajun Crab Dip and Spicy New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp.   I was shocked when Big Guy suggested the crab dip since he’s not a seafood lover but I didn’t ask any questions because I was excited to make a new dip.  The crab dip was awesome!  Best served with veggies and bagel chips (gluten free – Glutino makes awesome ones).  The only change I made with the crab dip was leaving out the panko on top.

 

As for the spicy shrimp, prep them ahead of time.  They can even marinate over night – just make sure the marinade is cool before adding the shrimp or it will start to cook your shrimp.  The only change I made to the shrimp recipe was not using as much butter (ran out) and I used half the amount of liquid smoke the recipe called for.  I find that my taste buds are very sensitive to liquid smoke.  The shrimp are roasted in the oven until perfectly tender.  Finger lickin’ good!

 

The perfect Fat Tuesday Saturday!