Seafood pasta

I kind of made this one up after reading several seafood recipes and my experiment worked out so I want to remember it now! Serves 2: 1 for me, 1 for mike.

Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2  lb mussels, scrubbed
• handful of small scallops
• 12-15 shrimps
• 1/2 Gluten Free spaghetti noodles 
• 1/2 green beans
• 10-12 grape tomatoes
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 shallot, diced
• 6 Basil leaves, roughly diced
• Salt & pepper to taste

I learned how to cook mussels for the first time! This is where I learned how to clean them:  http://allrecipes.com/howto/cleaning-mussels/

Directions:

1. Cooked the pasta noodles al dente. Rinse under cold water immediately to prevent overcooking and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, boil water in a medium pot, add 1 garlic clove and all the green beans. Boil until cooked, then strain and set aside.
3. Meanwhile during cooking the pasta and beans... In a large pan, add 1/2 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tbsp butter, 1 clove of garlic and 1/2 of diced shallot. Saute until garlic browned, then add shrimp. Once shrimp cooked, remove shrimp. 
4. In the same pan, add an addition 1/2 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tbsp butter, 1 clove of garlic & rest of diced shallot. Saute until garlic browned, then add scallop. fry until cooked (about 3-5 minutes), then set aside.
5. In the same pan, add additional 1/2 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tbsp butter, 1 clove of garlic. Add mussels to pan, cover mussel with butter garlic mixture. add 1/3 cup water and bring to a simmer, cook covered for 5 minutes. 
6. Once mussels cooked, add the basil, tomatoes, green beans, shrimp, scallops to the pan. Salt and pepper as desired. Once mixture is cooked, it's time to eat!

do you like the colors? 

Tallarines Verdes (Peruvian pesto pasta)

omg, you have to try this. My Peruvian coworker gave me this recipe and I'm so glad she did! It is a creamy lighter version of the Italian pesto recipes I've had in the past. Between the 2, I definitely prefer this one! She told me it's often served with steak right off the grill so just sit it on top of the pasta and let the juices mix into the pasta.

Time: 15 minutes for pasta only (If you are making steak make your significant other grill while you are making pasta or else you will be taking longer than 15 minutes.)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb GF spaghetti, uncooked
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves
• 4 cups spinach leaves
• 1 cup basil leaves (stems removed)
• 3/4 cup evaporated milk (Carnation brand if GF, i checked)
• 1/2 cup white fresh cheese (queso fresco), cubed (this is also naturally GF, cause its cheese, duh.)
• 1/4 cup almonds (the original recipe said pecans but i did not have any)
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• Pepper
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Instructions:

1. Cook pasta in boiling water following package instructions. Drain pasta and set aside.
2. Meanwhile saute onions in 1 tbsp oil on medium-high heat until translucent (about 5 min).
3. Add spinach leaves into pan with containing onions and saute lightly (avoid cooking until soggy).
4. In blender, combine onion & spinach mixture with garlic, basil, evaporated milk, white cheese, almonds, olive oil and pepper.
5. Reheat pasta & sauce as needed before mixing them together. Serve immediately, sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

Lox

I learned about lox when I was in New York where people are brunching all the time. A Jewish friend told me it is originally a Jewish meal so I will take his word for it. This recipe is less about cooking and more about chopping and putting things together. An easy but fancy breakfast/brunch meal!

Time: 5-10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 pack of smoked salmon
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1 tomato
• 1/4 red onion
• some capers
• 2 GF bagels (I'm an Udi's fan)
• Some Cream Cheese (I prefer Nancy's cream cheese since it has probiotics)

Directions:

1. Toast your bagels.
2. Chop everything and plate it pretty. Time to eat!

Chicken sandwich: the works

I don't remember where I got this idea but it works and so I include it even though it is just a sandwich. The trick to this sandwich is: cream cheese, jam, lots of vegetables and love. I generally don't like sandwiches but the jam and cream cheese make it moist and yummy.

YUMMY...

Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 slices of gf bread
• 1 tbsp cream cheese
• 1 tbsp raspberry jam
• Some Cooked Shredded chicken or deli meat
• Veggies (my favorites: sprouts, lettuce, red onion, cucumbers, avocado, tomatoes ....)

Directions:

1. Toast the bread
2. Spread cream cheese on one slice and jam on other slice.
3. Assemble sandwich with chicken or deli meat and piled high with vegetables.
4. Smother it with love and eat it.

eat me.

Chicken mushroom quesadilla

Yum chicken quesadilla! I based today's recipe from the book: So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the week by Ellie Rieger.

Time: 30-45 minutes. how fast can you chop food?

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 8 ounces mushrooms, coursely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, Minced
• 1 boneless chicken breast, thinly sliced
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 cups spinach, coarsely chopped
• salt
• pepper
• 4 GF tortillas (Rudi's GF tortillas hands down the best we've tried)
• 1 cup shredded cheese

Directions:

1. Cook the chicken: Season chicken with salt, pepper, lemon juice. In a medium high heat pan with 1/2 tbsp olive oil, cook until just done. (dont overdry). Set aside. Cut chicken into slices or cubes, however you want it in the quesadilla.
2. In the same pan with another 1/2 tbsp olive oil, add onion mushroom and garlic. Season with cumin & oregano. Once mushroom water evaporated, add spinach and cook until wilted. Season with salt & pepper.
3. Add chicken into pan, heat everything together, then set aside.
4. In a new clean pan, heat to medium heat, place tortilla in pan, sprinkle with some of the cheese and chicken mushroom filling in top. fold the tortilla in half and heat both sides till yummy. Ok, you're done. Let's make another one!

fun fact: i had to learn how to spell quesadilla to write this entry. fun fact.

Caramelized Chicken with Ginger

I based this recipe off a recipe I found in: The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook: The Essential Recipe Collection for Today's Home Cook

Time: 1.5 hour

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp avocado Oil
• 2 lbs chicken wings or drumettes
• 1/4 cup honey 
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 4 Tbsp fish sauce
• 1Tbsp soy sauce
• 4 shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 Tbsp ginger, minced
• 1/2 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 green onions, sliced on the diagonal

Directions:

1) In a large pot over high heat, heat the oil. Add the chicken and sear all sides until golden brown, 10-15 minutes. Removed chicken from the pan and drain off excess fat from pan. Set pan aside without rinsing.
2) To make the caramel sauce:
       a) In a saucepan over low heat, combine sugar, lemon juice, and 3 Tbsp water stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.
       b) In separate saucepan over low heat, combine fish sauce, soy sauce, and 1/4 cup water and heat until sauce simmers; set aside
       c) In the saucepan with sugar: Raise heat to high, and boil without stirring until mixture caramelizes and turns amber, 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat.
       d) Pour fish sauce mixture into the sugar mixture. The sugar will bubble viorously, stil until smooth sauce forms and set aside.
3) Return large pot to medium heat. When hot, add shallots, garlic, 1 Tbsp ginger & pepper. Saute until shallots begin to wilt, about 2 minutes.
4) Return chicken to the pot and pour caramel sauce over the top. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer chicken until nearly tender, about 20 minutes with lid on.
5) Uncover chicken and continue to simmer until meat very tender, about 10 minutes longer. Stir chicken once or twice while it cooks.
6) Tranfer chicken to serving dish & garnish with green onions.

YUM!

Asian style country style ribs

I found that country style ribs from PCC taste much better than from QFC. I don't know why, it just is.

Time: 30 minute marinations, 1 hour cooking.

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs Pork country style ribs
• 1 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar
• 4-5 Tbsp honey
• 4 Tbsp GF soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp avocado Oil
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Marinate pork in: apple cider vinegar, honey, soy sauce, avocado oil, garlic, salt & pepper for at least 30 minutes.
2. Pre-heat oven to 380 degrees. Bake the marinated pork for 40 min at 380 degrees. Turn heat up to 400 degrees and bake for 10 more minutes. And now we feast.