Orzo with Shrimp

Well, hello all. The past 5 months have been hectic, to say the least. Somehow, I convinced myself that it taking the equivalent of anatomy & physiology I & II in 1 semester was a sane thing to do. While I suppressed any creative instincts for the past 5 months, the "right side" of my brain is now ready for a little action. OK, I know, Orzo with Shrimp is not creative, but I didn't really cook for about 5 months, so I need some training wheels again. I actually made this dish the first week after finals to celebrate freedom, and stay warm because we were freezing here in Lexington. This picture is from Greg's re-creation of the meal. After a few quick instructions, he was cooking away when I got home from work last night!

The key for this to turn out well is to actually over cook your orzo. It should be fairly mushy - makes it all the more comforting =). This time, we used frozen pre-cooked shrimp that were just thawed. Next time, I might use fresh frozen so we can spice them up a bit, without turning them into rubber with over cooking them. A dash of fresh nutmeg would also be good for next time. I can't wait for warming weather, because I think grilled shrimp and grilled veggies would be very yummy, too!

Recipe:
1/2 lbs orzo
2 zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds, then cut again into halves
2 cloves garlic, minced
~2 tbs EVOO
3/4 C. parmesan cheese
shrimp - thawed and prepared to preference
salt and pepper

Boil water for orzo - let cook until very well done.

While water is boiling, turn over to 375 degrees F. Slice zucchini and cut into rounds. Toss with EVOO, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 5-7 minutes, until they start to turn golden brown on the edges.

Thaw and prepare shrimp while veggies are roasting.

When orzo is done, drain off most of the water. In a large bowl, slowly add parmesan cheese & stir until it starts to smell like Alfredo sauce. You may not need the whole 3/4 C. Once cheese is stirred in, add zucchini and shrimp. Toss to coat. Serve warm.

Enjoy!!!

Zucchini Ricotta Risotto

I know, I know, I haven't posted in days! Just about 2 weeks, actually. =( It's been a busy two weeks, with not much time to cook, take pictures, and then write. Plus, my Mom and Sister came down to visit, and we ate out while they were here, so there was also less need to cook. But, needless to say, I'm back! This week is still pretty busy, but I decided that we just needed to make time and make something scrumptious. Since Greg and I now work the same shift (hooray!), we made this risotto together for lunch. It was so fun to cook with him! It just felt great to have something cooked for the next day. We tend to cook dishes that will feed us for at least two days. I always feel so relaxed when the cooking is done, and we eat so much better. I just need to remind myself of this whenever it seems that there isn't enough time.

I found this recipe in a vegetarian cookbook at Barnes and Nobel (our regular cheap date). Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of the book it was from! But, it looked so great that I had to write down the gist of the recipe. The original recipe only called for you to season the dish with salt and pepper. That sounded a bit to bland. We used nutmeg, oregano, rosemary, cayenne pepper, bay leaf, and of course, salt and pepper.

Using ricotta in the rice really helped make this seem super super creamy and fattening, without adding ANY fat! We also added a bit of parmesan after the ricotta for more flavor, but it was about 1/4 C. of parmesan for about 6 servings of rice! That works out to 2 tsp parmesan per serving, which is 20 calories and 1.5 g of fat.

When Greg took a bite, he said "this is heavenly", which roughly translates to "we'll make this again for years". We were trying to think of what we might do next time when we make it. Neither of us are big mushroom fans, but we both think that the nutty flavor of the risotto would go great with mushrooms. Maybe stuffed into a portabella cap?

Recipe: Serves 6-8 as a side

1 C. dried rice.
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/3 C. ricotta cheese
1/4 C. parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
3 gloves garlic, minced
4 C. chicken broth (recipe called for 3 C. chicken broth and 1 C. white wine, we didn't have any wine, so we used all chicken broth)
2 medium zucchini, sliced into rounds and then quartered
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil

-Heat oil on a large skillet to medium heat. Add garlic and onion and cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

-In a separate pot, bring chicken broth to a simmer.

-Add rice to the skillet once the onion is cooked. Stir to coat with oil. You may need to add more oil. "Fry" the rice until it is mostly translucent and smells nutty. About 2-5 minutes, careful not to burn it.

-Once the rice is ready, start adding about 1/3 C. of liquid to the rice at a time. Stir continuously until the liquid is mostly absorbed. Continue this process until there is about 1 C. of liquid remaining. Once there is only 1 C. remaining, add the liquid, spices & zucchini to the rice. Cover and turn down to a simmer. Let cook for about 20-30 minutes until rice is completely cooked.

-When the rice is cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed, add the ricotta and parmesan. Stir to evenly incorporate. Serve warm.

-Enjoy!

Vichyssoise with Zucchini and Brown Rice

Vichyssoise is a pureed soup, traditionally of leeks and potato, served cold with cream. There are two great stories of how this soup was created, one giving credit to an American chef, the other a French chef. Either way, it is a great soup. A lot of less traditional recipes (like this one) also suggest serving the soup warm; it is really a versatile soup. I have made a roasted red pepper version, which is fantastic, and I have found recipes for carrot versions, and purple potato.

In addition to tasting great, Greg and I love this soup because it is wonderfully healthy and inexpensive. We have played with the recipe for about a year, changing what onion to use, type of potato, ratio of zucchini to potato, etc, and right now we are at a great base. We have found that red onion and Yukon gold potato's make a less flavorful soup, and it is really important to add a bit of milk to the soup while cooking to get it to thicken. Greg's main complaint about the soup was that he still felt hungry after eating a big bowl, so we added brown rice. The rice changes the texture, but the flavor is still great and it is much more filling. With the rice added, I think the soup is better warm than cold. It almost turns it into a comfort food.

Just last night, Greg said that the next time we make this soup it would be fun to try leaving some chunky vegetables in. I'm not sure if this would still be a Vichyssoise, then =). I also would like to try adding wild rice, instead of brown. Now that the farmers market is open, and produce is super cheap there, it will be fun to re-make the roasted red pepper, and maybe try the purple potato version.

Recipe:

4-5 C. each of chopped zucchini and red skin potato (skins on both)
2 medium vadalia onions, chopped
4 TBS butter
Olive oil as needed
Chicken stock (up to 2 quarts)
Milk (about a 1/4-1/2 C.)
1 TBS parmesan cheese
2 tsp dried rosemary
1/8 tsp dried red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried sage or thyme (i've tried using both, and it gets a bit overwhelming, but either alone is fine)
-3 C. brown rice (should end up with 6 cooked cups)

-Brown butter in a stock pot. Add herbs and onion, stir until the onion is coated and turn heat down to medium low. Cover and let sit until the onion is see-through and soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add chopped zucchini and potato. Mix in with the onion well. If you need to add some olive oil to coat them, do so now.
-Add chicken stock until you can just see it through the vegetables.
-Add the milk until it is just covering the vegetables. Add the parmesan at this point. Stir to incorporate everything.
-Bring to a boil (the milk foam will rise, so beware!)
-Once to a boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 30-45 minutes, until veggies are soft.

-While veggies are cooking, cook brown rice as package directs. Instant brown works fine, too. Set aside when done cooking.

If you have a wand or stick blender, you are in luck. Blend until smooth and creamy.
If you don't have a wand or stick blender, pour the soup into a stand blender or food processor (could take a few trips) and blend until smooth.

-Once soup is creamy, add the rice. Serve with a bit of parmesan cheese and some black pepper.
-Enjoy!!!

Pineapple Chicken Stir-fry

This is a newer recipe and one of my favorites! I saw a not so similar version on Better Crocker's website that was a cold turkey salad with pineapple and cauliflower. Everything was cooked using the stir fry method, then chilled and covered in a vinaigrette. Though I love cauliflower, I didn't think it had much of a place along side pineapple.

I will absolutely make this dinner again. It's tasty, pretty, easy, and healthy! Greg helped me prep the veggies and stir everything so nothing burned. Of course, he also helped eating a serving or two. Another great thing about this meal is that it re-heats wonderfully! The zucchini ends up a little overdone after you re-heat it, but the flavor is still great, especially that of the chicken. The next time I make this, I want to add some green onion to the soy sauce mixture, I think that would add a nice layer of flavor.

There isn't really a set recipe I follow for this, more of a technique. These measurements are all guesstimates.

Recipe:

3 Chicken breasts, sliced against the grain, each slice about 1/4 inch thick.
1-2 Zucchini, cut into slices, again about 1/4 inch thick.
1/2 Pineapple, cut into 1/2 inch -1 inch pieces
3-4 Carrots, julienne cut
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

1/2 C. Soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp dry ginger or 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder or 1 smashed garlic clove
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes (more if you want it spicy!)
1 tbs brown sugar

Mix the soy sauce with ginger, garlic, pepper flakes and brown sugar, set aside.
Cut the veggies, set aside
Cut the chicken, set aside

Add about 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil to a large skillet or wok, set to (high) medium high. Once to temp add the veggies and pineapple and half of the soy sauce mixture. Stir frequently. Once they are cooked about half way pour them (and the sauce) back into a large bowl, cover and set aside.

Add the chicken and the remaining soy sauce. Stir frequently. Cook until chicken is no longer pink. Add the veggies back in and stir. Enjoy!!!