Tomato and Feta Baked Shrimp Pasta

What a crazy month. First, the inevitable end of the semester grading tornado pretty much knocked out any available free time I had, and then the beginning of summer session knocked out any chance I had of returning to some level of sanity.

In addition....I'M MOVING! Yes, I'm leaving the Palouse, headed back to the midwest, and am now firmly entrenched in the very exciting but very time consuming process of setting up housing and wrapping up loose ends here in Pullman. Needless to say, I've been making a lot of quick and easy dishes for dinner.

Quick and easy is exactly what this shrimp and feta bake is, and if you happen to have vegetable orzo on hand, it can also be colorful. I imagine you could also substitute Israeli couscous, which I'm trying next time. Serve it with a spinach salad or some warm, crusty bread for a light and healthy weeknight meal.


Tomato and Feta Baked Shrimp Pasta
From Closetcooking

1/2 cup orzo (I used a whole wheat orzo)
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic(chopped)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups tomatoes (peeled and chopped)
1 teaspoon oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh herbs (chopped, parsley, basil, dill, mint, etc.)
2 green onions (sliced)
1/2 pound shrimp (peeled and deviened)
1/2 cup feta (crumbled)

Directions:
1. Cook the orzo until al dente.
2. Heat the oil in a pan.
3. Add the onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
5. Add the white wine, tomato and oregano and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and stir in the herbs and green onions.
7. Mix the sauce, orzo and shrimp, place in a baking dish topped and top with the feta.
8. Bake in a preheated 425F oven until the shrimp is cooked and the sauce is bubbly, about 10-15 minutes.

Asparagus and Spinach Soup

I've mentioned my love of soup many times on this blog, but I can't crow enough about the financial benefits of soup. Not only can you make large batches that can be frozen for months, but it's also a great way to use up vegetables that are on their way to spoiling. Want to stretch your food budget? Make soup!

I'm a big fan of baby spinach, so when I couldn't decide between making an asparagus or a spinach dish, marrying the two together in a healthy, nutritious soup seemed like the logical compromise.


Asparagus and Spinach Soup

2 cups peeled, diced red potato
3/4 lb. asparagus, diced into 1/4" inch pieces
2 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 ribs celery, chopped
4 1/4 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh black pepper to taste

Directions
1. Combine potato, asparagus, onion and celery in a large soup pot, and cover with vegetable broth. Bring to a boil over medium high heat then lower to a simmer and cover for 15 minutes.

2. Turn off heat and add baby spinach to the soup. Cover for two minutes, or until spinach wilts. Blend using a hand blender and stir in Parmesan cheese. Season with black pepper to taste.

Chicken with Easy Mushroom Sauce

Not much to report on this one, save for the fact that I'm drowning in grading (I've even had dreams to that effect) and I needed something with mushrooms. And potatoes. And chicken. My brain doesn't work outside of spitting out random ingredients when work gets the better of me, so considering I made it through preparing dinner without drooling or rambling nonsense, I can attest to this being an easy comfort food to prepare. It may not be the most aesthetically pleasing dish, but it sure hits the spot.

Okay, back to my grading hovel. If you don't hear from me in the next week, send someone in with a sword fashioned out of a red pen and a really big dictionary.

Chicken with Mushroom Cream Sauce (Link to original recipe)
2 5-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and tenders removed (see Tip)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium shallot, minced
1 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps
2 tablespoons dry vermouth, or dry white wine
1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives, or scallion greens

Directions

1. Season chicken with pepper and salt on both sides.
2. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once or twice and adjusting the heat to prevent burning, until brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°F, 12 to 16 minutes. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
3. Add shallot to the pan and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 2 minutes. Pour in vermouth (or wine); simmer until almost evaporated, scraping up any browned bits, about 1 minute. Pour in broth and cook until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in cream and chives (or scallions); return to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan, turn to coat with sauce and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.

Curried Parsnip and Chickpea Puree

It's eleven degrees outside currently, and school won't be back in session until 11 January, so of course, I'm cooking up a storm (never have I been so on top of updating my blog). It's been great to work exclusively from home, and I have been alternating between writing, reading, and cooking happily for over a week now.

I have also combed through some old cookbooks and cooking magazines that have been collecting dust for months (okay, years), and I was pleasantly surprised to find a puree recipe from an early 1990s Reader's Digest cookbook titled Live Longer Cookbook. My grandfather always gifted my family with a subscription to Reader's Digest, and I'm pretty sure this cookbook ended up in our house after some kind of subscription promotion. Some of the information is outdated, of course, and the suggestion that you microwave all vegetables to "retain" nutrients is obviously not a great pearl of wisdom, but some of the side dish and sauce recipes are pretty decent, and none asks for fat free sour cream (I really think this is an oxymoron).

I served the puree with a simple, herb-baked tilapia and green beans, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that Ian actually enjoyed the dish. Definitely a keeper.


Curried Parsnip and Chickpea Puree
(ever so slightly adapted from the Live Longer Cookbook)

1 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 teaspoon curry powder
4 baby carrots, thinly sliced
1 lb. parsnips, peeled and thinly sliced
14.5 oz can low-sodium tomatoes (with juice)
1/2 c. chickpeas
2 tbsp. plain nonfat Greek yogurt
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Stir in garlic and curry powder, then add the carrot, parsnips, and tomatoes. Cook, covered, for 20 minutes, or until the parsnips are just tender. Add chickpeas and cook, covered, about 5 more minutes.

2. Combine mixture in a food processor or blender, along with yogurt and s/p. Serve immediately.

Baked Lemon Shrimp

Here's another fast and easy weeknight meal that can be assembled in a flash. I use a lot of shrimp in my house, and when I get tired of serving shrimp with pasta, I turn to baking them and serving with wild rice and veggies. If you like, you can also serve this with crusty bread instead of rice, but I just love the way the rice soaks up the lemon garlic sauce.

Baked Lemon Shrimp

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and de-veined
Juice of one lemon
1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire
2 tbsp. butter, melted
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. lemon pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put shrimp in a baking dish coated with cooking spray. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss to coat. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until shrimp is cooked through. Serve with wild rice and veggies.

Broccoli, Spinach, Feta and Gruyere Pizza on Whole Wheat Crust

I love pizza, as guaranteed by two factors: 1) I'm from Chicago, and every person's DNA is altered by the Chicagoland area "pizza gene" (along with an automatic affinity for dancing the Superbowl Shuffle and the need to yell out "BER-WYN," or tearing up remembering the Bulls' glory days in the 1990's when one hears EMF's "Unbelievable"); 2) I make some damn good pizza crust.

I've posted my recipe for simple thin crust pizza once before, but I also love whole wheat crust. Now, before we go on, I must admit something. I'm going to say something that might shock you, especially those of who you might have preconceived notions as to what the Chicago "pizza gene" does, so I want you to sit down.

Ready?

...I don't like thick crust. Or deep dish. I'm a thin crust kind of gal, and no amount of exposure to the aforementioned pies will ever convert me. Paper thin crust with a bit of a bite to it is just my cup of tea. In fact, I didn't know anyone growing up who even liked deep dish pizza. It's kind of a tourist thing.

So there. Moving on.

When I make whole wheat pizza crust, I generally feel weird putting sausage or heavy ingredients all over something so seemingly healthy, so I opt for veggies and non-traditional cheeses. In addition to the dough recipe and the pizza toppings, I'm including a simple recipe for pesto made with walnuts (instead of the traditional pine nuts that cost a stinkin' fortune). I'm going to be honest: I love my garlic, so feel free to cut down to 3 cloves. Or two.


Whole Wheat Pizza Dough (makes one 14" thick crust pizza, or 2 thin crust)

1 1/2 tsp. yeast
1/4 cup warm water (about 105 degrees)
1 tsp. honey
3/4 c. cold water
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 3/4 c. unbleached all-p flour

Directions
1. In a bowl or cup, mix yeast, honey and warm water together, and let sit for 8-10 minutes. When ready the mixture should be foamy. In another cup or bowl, combine cold water, olive oil, and salt.
2. Combine both flours in food processor bowl, and pulse until thoroughly mixed. Once yeast mixture is ready, add water/oil/salt mixture and yeast mixture to the processor with motor running. Mixture should form a dough ball after processing for 20-25 seconds. When it's ready, turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. Place dough ball in a large bowl coated with olive oil or cooking spray. Turn to coat with oil and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm, draft free place for about an hour.
3. Once dough has risen, punch dough down on floured surface and cut in half for two thin crust pizzas, or simply roll out for one thick crust pizza. Sprinkle pizza pan with cornmeal and transfer crust to pan once rolled out. With a fork, puncture crust all around to prevent bubbles.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush dough with 1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil and bake in oven until just beginning to brown. Remove from oven, top with desired pizza toppings, and bake.


Pesto (sans pine nuts)

2 c. fresh basil leaves, packed
4 cloves garlic
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
5-6 tbsp. water
1/2 c. parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1/4 c. walnuts
Pinch of salt and pepper

Directions
1. In a food processor, combine basil, walnuts and garlic; pulse until mostly chopped (note: you might have to scrape the sides of the bowl down before moving on to the next step). With the motor running add olive oil, water, and parmesan until thoroughly combined. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.

Note: If using all of the pesto for pizza, you may have to water down the pesto a bit more since pesto can sometimes dry out when applied to crust. Better yet, throw in a couple of tablespoons of ricotta, and give that a whirl.


Broccoli, Spinach, Feta and Gruyere Pizza on Whole Wheat Crust Note: this recipe is for two thin crust pizzas

1 recipe whole wheat pizza crust (see above)
2 small heads broccoli
2 c. baby spinach, packed
1/2 cup pesto (see above)
6 oz. Gruyere, shredded and divided
1/2 cup feta cheese

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut broccoli into bite sized florets and steam for 3-4 minutes. In the last minute, throw in baby spinach and remove from heat.
2. Spread pesto evenly between two pizza crusts with a spoon. Sprinkle broccoli on top of pesto, and place pieces of spinach evenly around pizzas. Sprinkle gruyere and feta evenly amongst toppings.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 7-10 minutes, cool and enjoy.

Pork Noodle Soup

It dawned on me awhile back that I rarely post the healthful, nutritious meals I serve most days of the week. It also dawned on me that the reason I don't post those recipes is that I rarely write them down. Most of them are so simple to make that I don't really need to follow a recipe, but I figured it was high time I write them down (just in case I ever think, "what was that delicious recipe for pork noodle soup I used to make?"). Without further adieu, here is one of my favorite soups.

Pork Noodle Soup

6 oz leftover pork (tenderloin, roast, pork chops, etc.), cut in small pieces or strips
5 cups low sodium chicken broth or stock
1" piece ginger, peeled and left whole
4 green onions, white and light green parts, sliced on diagonal in 1" pieces
2 tbsp. reduced sodium soy sauce
4-5 baby carrots, sliced in sticks
6 oz. whole wheat thin spaghetti, broken in half
2 bunches baby bok choy, cut in big pieces
1/2 cup snow peas
1 cup baby spinach, packed

Directions
1. In a 4-5 quart pot, simmer broth or stock, ginger, soy sauce, and green onions for 5 minutes. Add carrots and thin spaghetti to the pot; simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add baby bok choy and snow peas, and simmer 2 minutes more. Add spinach to the pot, stir to combine, and remove from heat.
2. Divide pork between two large soup bowls, and ladle soup over the pork.