CEiMB: Shrimp Fra Diavlo with Spinach
I have been such a bad CEiMBer lately 
I missed several weeks of cooking over the summer, and now I’m totally off-track from the rest of the group. While they are making the Fettuccine with Crab and Asparagus this week, I decided to make this shrimp dish from a few weeks back.
My first experience with this “devil” of a sauce was back in 2006 while I was on a cruise with my parents and grandma. Interesting that I can remember a meal I ate so long ago, isn’t it? Well, it happened to be the same dish the chef prepared the following day at a cooking demonstration, so I guess it stood out to me. Now, speaking of demonstrations, this is the same cruise where I became famous for my “shaking” skills. Let me explain. One morning, at what felt like the crack of dawn, my mom, grandma, and I decided to go to a demonstration on cocktail-making. Apparently I looked a little too sleepy, and the bartender called me up on stage to help him mix a chocolate martini. I don’t know about you girls, but when a very good looking man holding a chocolate drink tells me to shake it, I do. So he and I were shaking our drinks and dancing around. It was quite embarrassing but also a lot of fun. Little did I know that there was a videographer taping the entire demonstration, and the clip of me making my drink would play on the ship’s televisions over and over and over again throughout the rest of our trip. Several people stopped me to talk about my short stint as a bartender; it was like being a celebrity! And, yes, my family bought the DVD, so my dance (and funny face after tasting the very strong cocktail first thing in the morning) are locked away in the vault of family memories forever.
Back to Ellie’s dish. Spicy tomato sauce with shrimp and pasta – what’s not to love about that? Throw in some spinach for a healthy boost, and it was a great meal. I was most impressed with how quickly it all came together and will definitely make this one again and again. The only changes I made were to increase the amount of tomatoes (which were from my grandma’s garden) and sauce ingredients, and next time I’ll add even more crushed red pepper flakes for more of a kick!
Shrimp Fra Diavlo with Spinach
12 ounces whole wheat spaghetti
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 small onions, chopped
10 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups canned tomatoes, unsalted
1 cup white wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound shrimp, uncooked, cleaned
5 ounces baby spinach, chopped
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente and according to the directions on the package.
While the pasta is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 additional minute. Add the tomatoes, wine, tomato paste, the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, the oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, 8-10 minutes. Add the shrimp and spinach and cook, stirring, until the shrimp is just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the drained cooked pasta to the sauce and toss until well combined.
Source: Ellie Krieger’s “So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week,” p. 162
4 servings | 12 POINTS
Egg Cups
I love a savory breakfast. Cereal is OK every now and then, but given the option of eggs, bacon, and toast over pancakes or waffles, I’m going to pick eggs every time. Omelettes are a favorite of mine, even though I’m not good at making them. Breakfast sandwiches are a staple for me when it comes to the first meal of the day. I’ve also been known to turn to Smart Ones Stuffed Breakfast Sandwiches or Breakfast Quesadillas in a pinch. I am constantly on the lookout for cheesy, eggy, bacony, and QUICK breakfasts that I can eat as I run out the door (at the last possible minute, inevitably). Enter this recipe. Veggie-laden eggs wrapped in ham, and it can be made ahead of time and frozen for later. Sounds perfect.
And it nearly is. I made a few adjustments to the recipe, and I would make a couple more next time, but on the whole, I am in love with this idea. In the original recipe they give two ways of making these, as a mini quiche minus the ham “bowl”, or as an egg cup. I made it both ways, but I have to tell you, the ham was a winner for me. First of all, the quiches stuck to the wrapper (or the pan since I only had three liners), and I just really liked the extra flavor of the ham. In the future I will omit the Canadian bacon in the egg mixture and just use the ham as a liner. The eggs wrapped in ham popped right out of the muffin pan and were easier to freeze. The only other change I’ll make is to add more crushed red pepper next time since I love spice!
At only 1 POINT (and about 50 calories) each, these are a great start to the day!
Egg Cups
1 3/4 cups liquid egg whites
3 ounces reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 ounce parmesan cheese, shredded
1/4 cup reduced-fat ricotta cheese
6 ounces frozen, chopped spinach, defrosted and drained
1/3 cup roasted red peppers, chopped
1 ounce Canadian style bacon or ham, chopped
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
12 slices honey ham (Look for longer, oval pieces, not the circular ones like I used because they were too small for the muffin pan.)
Preheat oven to 350.
In a bowl, combine all ingredients (except ham slices) and stir well.
Spray muffin tin with non cook spray and place one piece of ham in each well to form a bowl.
Evenly divide egg mixture between the 12 muffin wells (about 1/4 C each), being careful to keep ingredients well dispersed. You want them to fill right up to the top.
Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. The tops should be puffed and just barely set on top. Eggs will sink after cooling.
Store them in an airtight container in the fridge, or freeze them. When reheating in the microwave, make sure to take off the foil liner! And if you’re reheating from frozen, I try to take them out the night before so they can thaw in the fridge. Then when you microwave them, set them on a folded paper towel to drain excess moisture.
Source: Our Best Bites
12 servings | 1 POINT
Meatless Monday: Vegetarian Chipotle Nachos
As my taste buds grow accustomed to distinct flavors and I push myself to try unconventional ingredients, I have also been making an effort to think about food and meal planning differently. I was born in the Midwest and my grandparents owned a meat packing company, so it’s safe to say that I grew up in a home where meat was clearly emphasized and everything else was served “on the side”. Our meals were structured around a protein source of some type which is typical of the Western diet, I think. Even as a teenager, when I decided to become a vegetarian for many years, my meals were still unbalanced as my focus was a meat-substitute (think of the green packages in your grocer’s freezer) and carbs. As I’ve gotten older and started making meals for myself, I have mirrored this habit.
Since I started blogging, I have become increasingly aware of food trends such as the local and organic movements. While I am certainly no expert on the subject, it is hard to ignore the impact our collective eating habits have on our bodies and the environment. There is a plethora of information available on these topics in every form of media from movies to books to internet sites and beyond. In fact, there is so much data out there, some of it conflicting, that it can be challenging to know what to believe and overwhelming. For me, I feel almost helpless. I want to lessen my impact on the Earth and make the best decisions for myself and my family, but I didn’t know where to start – it seemed almost an insurmountable task. So, I decided to start small.
First, I started incorporating vegetarian meals as I felt like it without much thought as to how often we were eating them. I’ve slowly been adding more beans and vegetables to our menu which has helped transition us away from eating as much meat, and I’ve been cutting back our portion sizes when we do eat meat. These were all small steps that felt effortless. Now that I’ve been ruminating on it for a while and feel comfortable with the changes I have made so far, I’ve decided to commit to reserving one day a week to maintaining a meatless diet. For those of you who are familiar with the initiative, I am referring to Meatless Monday.
Meatless Monday is an international campaign whose goal is to encourage people to make healthier choices at the start of every week. According to Wikipedia, reducing meat consumption by 15% (the equivalent of one day a week) lessens the risk of chronic preventable illness and has a strong positive impact on the environment. There is a wealth of information on MeatlessMonday.com about how going meatless for even one day can improve your health as well as many, many recipes and tips. So if you are interested in participating, be sure to check out this invaluable resource.
Now, like I said, I’m not an expert nor do I assume to know what is best for your family. I enjoy meat as much as the next person and don’t envision myself going vegetarian on a long term basis again, but I am enjoying this new challenge that I’ve set up for myself. I like to stretch my own personal comfort zone, especially in the kitchen, so I am looking forward to trying out various recipes, ingredients, and ways of cooking which with I wouldn’t have experimented otherwise. I can’t promise to post a Meatless Monday recipe every week as I will likely turn to veggie burgers or other quick, easy standbys every now and then, but when I do have a meatless recipe to share with you, I’ll be sure to point it out with a Meatless Monday tag as I have with this one.
Did you all stick with me through all that? OK, good 
I’ll keep the review of this recipe short: it turned out really well! I was hesitant about using the meatless crumbles because I hadn’t ever had them before, but they were much better than I expected. I would probably prefer to have used another can of beans in their place, but I am the only bean-lover in the house so I felt they were a nice non-meat compromise. I didn’t notice them adding much of a flavor at all, and the texture was pretty close to finely ground meat. The mixture is quite versatile – I enjoyed this as much the next day over a salad as I did the first night as nachos, and it would also be good in tacos or burritos. I’m pretty sure even die-hard beef fans would enjoy this… at least the one in my house did
Vegetarian Chipotle Nachos
1 cup bell peppers, chopped
1 cup onions, chopped
12 ounces meatless crumbles
1 tablespoon Chipotle chile in adobo sauce, chopped
15 ounces reduced-sodium black beans
14 1/2 ounces diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
6 ounces tortilla chips
2 cups lettuce
1 medium avocado, diced
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 ounces reduced-fat pepper jack cheese, shredded
6 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add bell pepper, chopped onion, and crumbles; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chile, sauce, beans, tomatoes, garlic, basil, and oregano to pan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cilantro. Arrange 1 ounce of chips on each of 6 plates. Top each serving with 1 cup bean mixture, 1/3 cup lettuce, about 2 1/2 tablespoons avocado, 2 tablespoons onion, 3/4 ounce of cheese mix, and 1 tablespoon sour cream.
Source: Cooking Light
6 servings | 9 POINTS
CEiMB: Salmon Florentine
This week’s CEiMB recipe, which is NOT Salmon Florentine, is one that sounds absolutely delicious to me. Mixed Berry Cobbler? Sign me up! I don’t usually go for sweets or desserts, but when I do, I choose fruity options every time. Something warm served a la mode with melty vanilla ice cream on top. Heaven. However, the one of us who does actually eat sweets and desserts does not like berries or any other fruit for that matter. So instead of making an entire cobbler basically for myself (and then eating only one or two servings before dumping the rest in the trash), I opted to do a “rewind” and go back to the salmon recipe that I missed earlier in the summer.
I was really disappointed that I hadn’t been able to make this sooner, especially after it got really good reviews from the rest of the group, so I was happy to have the chance to make it this week. I am huge fan of seafood, and salmon is one my favorite varieties of fish. I usually pick salty, sweet, Asian inspired marinades when I make salmon, but I was looking forward to a departure from my norm. Ellie did not disappoint. I love the combination of spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and ricotta cheese on top of the sweet, flaky fish. My only complaint was that the ricotta got a little overpowered. I remember someone saying this might be better with goat cheese, and I think I would try that next time. Otherwise this was a great dish; quick and easy.
Be sure to check out the recipe at Cooking with Boys and to read about how Pam and the rest of the CEiMBers enjoyed their cobblers this week! I’m noting the recipe for another time, when I’ll have more people around to help eat it. I know my family would love it so it’s going on the holiday menu I’m already mentally planning.
Now, a photography question to fellow bloggers (or anyone in the know): I was fortunate to get this recipe made during the day which allowed for some lovely natural light. That is quite a luxury for me as I am usually cooking well after the sun has gone down. I love the way the picture turned out; any tips for recreating natural light on a regular basis in a tiny, dark apartment?
Salmon Florentine
10 ounces frozen, chopped spinach
1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil), julienned
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
2 salmon fillets, 6 ounces each
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using your hands, squeeze spinach of all excess liquid.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes until they begin to soften. Add spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and cook an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool approximately 10 minutes. Add ricotta and stir to combine.
Using your hands, pack 1/2 of spinach mixture on top of each salmon fillet, forming mixture to the shape of the fillet. Place fillets on a rimmed baking sheet or glass baking dish and bake for 15 minutes, until salmon is cooked through.
Source: Ellie Krieger’s “So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week,” p. 197
2 servings | 8 POINTS
Guacamole Burger
A little over a month ago I did a guest post on The Daily Balance for a McDonald’s Egg McMuffin swap, and when Danica of Danica’s Daily asked me to write a post for her while she is away on vacation, I decided to do a similar recipe renovation. This time I made a healthified version of Steak ‘n Shake’s Guacamole Steakburger. I have fun doing these guest posts because it gives me the chance to do the step-by-step photos that I so enjoy on other blogs but don’t have the patience to do for every post here I hope you will all stop by Danica’s blog to check out the recipe, and if you don’t already follow her blog, I highly recommend it. She has delicious recipes and lots of healthy ideas, and she is an awesome blog friend to have. Anyone who loves rainbows as much as I do is pretty cool in my book
How I Spent My Summer Vacation
I can’t believe it’s been a month since I last posted here. *eek* It seems as though I took an unexpected summer hiatus, but you guys, I have so much to tell you! The last month has been super busy, and I’ve missed you all terribly. The worst part of not posting is that I had all this foodie stuff going on that I wanted to tell you all about! Over the past few weeks, I have eaten some of the best food of my entire life. Seriously. I wish I had been a better photographer/blogger and took lots of yummy pictures to share with you, but alas, I was a slacker in that department. I am going to post a few pictures that Ryan took at a local farmer’s market just to keep things pretty.
First up was my trip to Illinois to visit my grandma. We ended up canning tons and tons of fresh tomatoes from her garden and green beans from a local farmer, and I promise to share that with you very soon. If you have a garden or just find yourself with an abundance of fresh veggies, please consider canning. It was actually incredibly easy even though it was time-consuming and HOT. There are tons of great resources out there, both on the web and at your local library.
Almost immediately after I got home from that visit, several out of town family members descended on GA for one of my younger brothers’ college graduation! It was an awesome visit, and I was so happy to get to spend time with my family. It was an honor to watch my brother cross that stage but sad to see him drive off to law school this past week! He and my mom have both moved to Illinois to attend law school, and I am going to miss them both. I was a blubbering mess as I left my mom on Sunday She is going to rock SIU, and I so admire her decision to make such a scary life change, but I miss my mommy. I hope she’ll enjoy reading the blog to keep up with what’s going on back here in GA and see some pictures of her furry grandkids! (Hi, mom!!)
While my family was heading back to Illinois, Ryan and I were boarding a plane towards New Jersey to visit his family. His mom and dad were such gracious hosts, and we had so much fun. Since most of his family reads the blog, they knew how much Ryan and I both love food, they went out of their way to provide us with quite the foodie experience! On our first day we drove out to the casinos in Atlantic City where we also had lunch at The Rainforest Cafe. Though it was the only national restaurant we dined at, the food was very good, and I just love the jungle theme inside. The following day was a real treat because we spent most of the day at Grounds for Sculpture and had lunch at Top Chef contestant Kevin Sbraga’s restaurant Rat’s. Anyone in the NJ area should definitely check it out because both the grounds and the dining are well worth the trip. In case that wasn’t enough good food, Ryan’s brother and sister-in-law hosted a barbecue to celebrate Ryan’s and my birthdays. It was my first time eating food grilled on a Big Green Egg which was quite a treat! And then we had brunch at Cock ‘n Bull in Peddler’s Village on Sunday before our flight back home. Luckily we did a good bit of walking around while we were there to somewhat compensate for all the food! A big “Hi!” and “Thank you!!” to Ryan’s family, especially his mom who planned most of our trip. It was a great visit!
And, just as I was thinking it would be nice to spend some time in my own bed, I was in the car headed towards Asheville, NC for a girls’ trip. It’s only a few hours from Atlanta, but I’ve only been once before and that was only for a day in order to see the Biltmore Estate. Little did I know that Asheville had so much more to offer! When I got home and told Ryan about all the delicious food I had been eating (and that it was voted one of the best cities for beer!), he was incredibly jealous. One of the things I most enjoyed about the city is their overall commitment to supporting local businesses which includes providing locally grown foods in most of the restaurants. If you are looking for a quaint town with a lot of culture, a great foodie mentality, and beautiful views of the mountains, I would highly suggest Asheville. Ryan and I will definitely be planning a visit there soon.
As you can see, there hasn’t been much of an opportunity for me to spend time in the kitchen lately, but now that life is settling back into some sort of routine, I plan on trying all the delicious recipes I’ve been mentally noting over the past month. So, tell me, how did you spend your summer vacation?
CEiMB: Warm Tomato and Corn Salad
A few weeks ago, it was my turn to host the CEiMB recipe, and while I was browsing through Ellie Krieger’s cookbooks, trying to choose one of the many delicious-sounding recipes, I bookmarked probably close to a dozen dishes. I finally settled on the Pesto Potato Salad because I thought it work the best for what I knew I had going on that week, but this corn salad was high on my list of possibilities because it just sounded like the perfect summer dish. Is there anything that embodies summer better than fresh corn? For me, there is not. And apparently Danica of Danica’s Daily agrees. Great minds
I spent the first third of my life in Illinois, and as anyone who has ever driven through the state can tell you, corn is aplenty during the summer. It is absolutely everywhere you look! One set of my grandparents actually lived up against a huge corn field, and my grandfather on my dad’s side always had an enviable garden. Even as he’s gotten older and stopped gardening, the rest of his neighbors and local farmers are good friends of his and my grandmother’s, and a dinner of only fresh vegetables is not uncommon in their house. I remember one summer, after we moved to Georgia, my brother and I were staying with my grandparents, and all my grandmother served for lunch and dinner several days in a row was corn on the cob. This memory has probably been exaggerated over the years, but I do remember being incredibly sick of corn by the end of that stay. It was literally years before I would even eat corn again, and I’m pretty sure my brother still doesn’t!
Since it was one of the few vegetables Ryan would eat when we first moved in together, I began making it on a more regular basis, and in the past year, I’ve really come to love it again. As with most vegetables, fresh is best! Nothing beats the sweet crunch of corn fresh off the cob. I have to admit though that I am usually pretty lazy when it comes to preparation. Frozen, steam in the bag corn? Always some in the freezer. Boiled or grilled while camping? Yep. Beyond that, I’m clueless. So when it came to jazzing up the corn, I was really excited to try something new.
I’m not sure if I really followed the recipe all that well since the original title was Chicken with Warm Tomato and Corn Salad. I ditched the chicken completely and instead served this warm salad alongside a pork tenderloin I marinated and cooked in Mojo marinade in the slow cooker. I also cut back on the tomatoes (still nervous about raw/only lightly cooked tomatoes) and omitted the cilantro, using a few sprinklings of ground cumin instead. The verdict? Awesome! The corn was nice and crunchy, and even though I’m not sure this would have been flavorful enough for us had we not marinated the meat, it was incredibly tasty. Summer perfection. Thanks again to Danica for such a great pick. Be sure to check out her blog because it is so fun to read, and she is a great blog friend.
As you’re reading this, I am in Illinois visiting family and hope to return with some corn and veggies from my grandma’s garden! Last year she sent me home with canned tomatoes, green beans, homemade pickles, and beets, and this year she has promised to spend a day teaching me how to can! I am very excited, and if possible, I will try to share some canning information with you when I get back. I will have very limited access to the internet while I’m gone, so please bear with me if I don’t respond to comments or posts until next week. Hope you all have a lovely weekend!
Warm Tomato and Corn Salsa
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 scallions, thinly sliced, whites and greens separated
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 ounces vine ripened cherry tomatoes
4 medium ears corn on the cob, cut off the cob
1 medium avocado, diced
1 tablespoon lime juice
salt, pepper, and ground cumin to taste
Add oil to a medium skillet, over medium high heat. Add scallion whites, cooking and stirring for 1 minute. Add the garlic. Cook and stir 30 seconds more. Add the tomatoes and corn to the pan. Cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the scallion greens and lime juice, and season with salt, pepper, and ground cumin to taste. Serve topped with avocado.
Source: Ellie Krieger’s “So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week”, p. 144
4 servings | 4 POINTS
Braised Cabbage with Bacon
I am sure you all anxiously awaiting the results of last week’s giveaway and probably wondering why I am going to make you read about cabbage of all things, but bear with me. I promise that this is not your grandma’s boiled cabbage, and I will announce the winner of Everyday Food’s “Fresh Flavor Fast” at the end.
A year and a half ago, on my and Ryan’s first St. Patrick’s Day living together, I followed in my mother’s footsteps by making corned beef and cabbage for dinner. I was really excited to make the dish for him since he kept reminding me that he is part Irish and this was “his holiday”. Unfortunately Ryan hated it. HATED it. I think it might be the only thing I’ve ever made for him that he refers back to with disapproval. More than anything else served that night, he detested the cabbage. To further make my point about how much he disliked this meal, I think it was the beginning of March this year when Ryan asked me, fear in his voice, “We don’t have to eat corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day again, do we?” Apparently it scarred him for life.
Now, to be fair, cabbage isn’t exactly on the top of my favorite vegetables list either. I don’t like coleslaw, and aside from throwing some in vegetable soups, I never buy cabbage. I wouldn’t have even known how to serve cabbage prior to this recipe, but I found myself with most of a bag of shredded cabbage leftover after a recent foray into fish tacos. Not wanting to waste it, I searched my delicious bookmarks and came across this recipe from Jamie Oliver on Sarah’s Cucina Bella. Being a strong believer in the idea that bacon makes everything better, I decided that this was worth a shot. As you can imagine, Ryan was skeptical at best. When he saw the bag of cabbage, he asked, again with fear in his voice, “What is that for?”
Knowing how strongly against cabbage Ryan was going into this, I want you to understand what a feat it was when he said this, “It’s not bad!” See, I told you, it’s not your typical cabbage. This was so easy to prepare, fairly healthy (if you cut back on the bacon, like I did), and really tasty. I was initially a little shocked by the flavor because I think I was expecting sauerkraut since that is sort of what it looked like to me, but once I changed my expectations, I was quite pleased. I didn’t know what “two pats” of butter was equivalent to, so I used a full tablespoon and would probably cut that back next time as it was a bit too buttery for me. The texture, however, was spot on. I loved that it still had a little bite to it, not soggy or overcooked at all. The main change I made to this recipe was to use already cooked bacon which I blotted the oil off of, crumbled, and added to a dry pan with a little vegetable oil. The original recipe calls for browning the bacon and using the bacon grease which I’m sure would be delicious, but I was trying to cut back on the saturated fat.
Bottom line: bacon does make everything better and cabbage has gotten a bad rap over the years!
Braised Cabbage with Bacon
3 slices of lower sodium bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 1/2 cups shredded green cabbage
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups unsalted chicken stock
salt and pepper, to taste
Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the bacon, vegetable oil, and garlic. Stir well. Cook for about a minute, just until garlic starts to color. Add the Worchestershire sauce and butter. Stir well. Add the cabbage and toss well with the bacon mixture.
Turn up the heat to high and add the chicken stock. Cover the pan and cook for five minutes. Remove the cover, stir and cook for an additional five minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
Source: original recipe from Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, seen here on Serious Eats
4 servings | 2 POINTS
And now, what you’ve all been waiting for, the winner of the Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food “Fresh Flavor Fast” giveaway, thanks to random.org‘s random number generator, is:
#21 – Amy! Congrats to Amy, and thank you to everyone who entered. I truly appreciate each and every one of you.
CEiMB: Chicken Paella with Sausage and Olives
If you follow me on twitter, you may remember that a few weeks ago I posted that I was overcoming my fear of fresh tomatoes by enjoying some straight from my mom’s garden. I chopped them up, drizzled some balsamic on them, and threw some fresh, chopped basil over top for good measure. The first bite was great, but by the time I had eaten three or four forkfuls, I was sorta over it. I am definitely working towards training my palate to enjoy new things, but it seems I’m going to need a bit more work when it comes to raw tomatoes.
With that in mind, I decided to forego this week’s CEiMB selection, hosted by Peggy of Pantry Revisited, because I just didn’t think I could enjoy a panzanella, which is a salad containing sliced bread, tomatoes, and seasonings. I did consider trying it because it sounds very fresh and flavorful, but when I realized that the part that sounded the best to me was the chicken sausage, I decided maybe I should pass. Instead, I traveled back in time a few weeks and made the paella recipe I missed when Margaret of Tea and Scones was hosting.
Even though I hate missing the chance to cook along with my CEiMB friends, sometimes making a recipe after everyone else can be helpful. For instance, it seems that this recipe was well-received but perhaps a little bland for some. I decided to make a slight adjustment by seasoning my chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. I just sprinkled all the seasonings onto the chicken before browning it. I also added some cayenne to the pot while the sausage and chicken were browning. I was a little heavy-handed with the cayenne (by accident, because it sort of spilled out in a big clump – oops!), but the extra seasonings gave this dish a nice kick. The recipe was a little time-consuming but very easy to make, and I’ll definitely be making this one again.
Now, for a funny little story, let me tell you why I missed this the first time around. I was actually all set to make it, but this is back when I was ill so I didn’t end up being able to get to it. But, when I was planning on making it, I decided to read over the recipe to figure out what was involved. The first instruction is to preheat your oven, but I could not find where you ever bake anything. I read the recipe TWICE. I asked Ryan to read the recipe for me, too. Neither of us could see where it said to transfer the pot into the oven. I was seriously convinced that this was an error in the recipe until one of the other CEiMB girls pointed out the last couple of sentences. Whoops! Considering I was too medicated to even READ the recipe, I think it’s probably a good thing I didn’t try to COOK! Take my advice – follow the recipe and preheat your oven as instructed
The calorie count is a little high on this one at about 540 calories for my version, but the serving is a generous 2 cups. It’s very filling and satisfying so consider letting yourself splurge on this one! You could also use a spicy turkey sausage to save yourself some calories, but that may change the flavor profile somewhat.
Chicken Paella with Sausage and Olives
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
4 ounces chorizo
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
5 oz frozen peas
1 cup uncooked white rice
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 cup green olives, sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 tsp ground turmeric
small pinch saffron threads
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Heat 1 T of oil in large heavy skillet over medium-high heat (use an ovenproof skillet that has a lid to cover). Add the chorizo and cook, stir occasionally until browned, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken and chorizo to a plate.
Heat the remaining 2 tsp of oil in the skillet. Add the onion, and cook stirring until softened about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook for a minute more. Return the chicken and chorizo to the skillet. Add the chicken broth, peas, rice, tomato, olives, salt, pepper, turmeric, and saffron.
Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to the oven. Cook until the rice appears to be tender and the liquid is absorbed about 30 minutes.
Source: Ellie Krieger’s “So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week”, p. 183
4 servings | 11 POINTS
Just another reminder: To celebrate my blog’s new home, I’m giving away a copy of Martha Stewart’s newest cookbook! Go here and enter to win “Fresh Flavor Fast”: http://wp.me/sYIma-welcome The giveaway closes on Sunday, July 18, 2010 so don’t be late
Breakfast Sandwich
If you’re looking for a quick and healthy breakfast idea, head over to read my guest post at The Daily Balance to get the recipe for this Breakfast Sandwich. It was such an honor to be featured while Shannon is away on vacation, so please check out her fantastic blog to show the love.
For anyone that’s stopping by after seeing my post on The Daily Balance: welcome! I hope you’ll stick around a while
Just a reminder: To celebrate my blog’s new home, I’m giving away a copy of Martha Stewart’s newest cookbook! Go here and enter to win “Fresh Flavor Fast”: http://wp.me/sYIma-welcome
