Garlic Teriyaki Edamame

Last night’s salmon left much to be desired, but I’d be doing you all a disfavor not talking about the edamame we had alongside.

First off, edamame are fun – you can eat them with your fingers without being frowned upon, they fun to suck out of the pods, and let’s not forget the amazing nutritional value behind them.

Usually pan seared and sprinkled with sea salt, you’ll find these little gems in most Asian restaurants.  We, however, had them at home last night and they were amazing.

The sauce really deserves all the credit.  A little garlic, teriyaki, and brown sugar goes a long way.  Once the pods are all tossed and covered in the goodness, sprinkle the bowl with some sesame seeds for the added flare and sense of “fancy”.  When you combine it all together, you are left with the perfect combination of sweet and salty.

Garlic Teriyaki Edamame

Garlic Teriyaki Edamame

What You Need:

• 1⁄4 c water
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 16 oz package frozen edamame, in the pod
• 1⁄4 c teriyaki sauce
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• Sesame seeds

How You Do It:

1. Bring the water and garlic to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat.
2. Stir in the edamame, and cook until the edamame are hot, and the liquid has nearly evaporated, about 5 minutes.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the teriyaki sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar.
4. Stir constantly until the sauce has thickened and coats the edamame, about 4 minutes.
5. Sprinkle with sesame seeds to serve.

Garlic Teriyaki Edamame recipe adapted from Kitchme.com. 

Stove-Top Mac & Cheese

Alright friends, I know it’s been a while and there has been a lot going on, but I’ve got to share this amazing mac and cheese recipe I made this past weekend for Friendsgiving 2013.

Now, I must start with two points:

1.  I don’t like homemade mac and cheese.  I can’t get the consistency right.  So I just don’t make it.
2. This was a special request from my favorite Shaw.  Otherwise, see point 1.

So, now that’s all out there, I have to admit – this recipe was to die for.  To.  Die.  For.  Yes, I used whole fat milk and whole fat cheese and yes, it was totally worth it.  This recipe is cheesy and gooey and does not solidify and become granular as so many of the other mac and cheese recipes I’ve tried does.

I doubled the original recipe (my version is below with a full pound of pasta) which I totally recommend.  We had 18 people around our Friendsgiving table and this was by far the first thing to go – even before coveted Green Bean Casserole or “Carrot Stuff”.

I made this ahead of time and kept it warm in a slow cooker before our meal and had to add some additional milk to keep it moist and creamy – next year I would do this just before dinner to avoid any chance of drying out and to keep that amazing creaminess this offered.

So when you’re in the mood for some serious (and I mean serious!) cheesy comfort food, try this.  You won’t be sorry.

Stove-Top Mac & Cheese

 

Stove-Top Mac & Cheese

What You Need:

• 1 box (1 lb) elbow macaroni
• 1 stick butter
• 4 eggs
• 12 ounces evaporated milk
• 1teaspoon hot sauce
• 3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 8-oz blocks sharp yellow cheddar, grated using a box grater
• 1 8-oz block mild yellow cheddar, grated using a box grater

How You Do It:

1. In a large pot, cook the pasta until desired doneness. Drain and return to pot and melt in the butter. Toss to coat.
2. While the pasta cooks, whisk together the eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt & pepper to taste, and mustard. Stir into the drained pasta and mix to combine.
3. Add the cheeses and stir to incorporate and melt
4. Continue to stir over low heat until creamy.

Stove-Top Mac & Cheese recipe adapted from the amazing Alton Brown via FoodNetwork.com.  

Roasted Salmon and Sweet Pepper Coulis with Parmesan and Pea Baked Risotto

Every so often, the husband and I decide to have an in-house date night.  We light some candles, put on something nice, I attempt to stay awake for an entire movie, and of course, I make a nice dinner.  And last night was one of those nights.

Now, I don't love roasted red peppers.  I often will pick them off my plate and let the hubs enjoy them.  However, tonight's salmon recipe featured a red pepper sauce I actually liked.  The sweetness of the peppers was pretty muted out and was accompanied by fresh basil, really was a delicious, and surprisingly light sauce.  The salmon was melt-in-your-mouth tender and really paired well with the sauce.

As a side dish, I went for a risotto.  I know everyone shies away from risotto because of how long it takes to cook and how much stirring is involved, but this one was baked!  Rice and broth in my magic pot, and into the oven it went.  45 minutes later, out it came and in went the cheese and peas.  Easy-peasy.

The best thing about this meal, other than how delicious it really was, is that it was SO easy to make.  Nothing to putz with - few ingredients and not much clean up.  And, to top off the night, the hubs came home mid-afternoon with dark chocolate covered strawberries and oreos!  A successful night in!

Roasted Salmon with Sweet Pepper Coulis

Roasted Salmon and Sweet Pepper Coulis
with Baked Parmesan and Pea Risotto

What You Need:

• 2 roasted red peppers
• 1/3 c olive oil
• 2 tbsp julienned fresh basil
• 2 6-oz salmon fillets
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp vegetable oil

How You Do It:

1. In blender, puree roasted red peppers.  Slowing add in olive oil and puree until smooth.  Transfer to small sauce pan.
2. Heat vegetable oil and butter in oven-safe pan.  Add salmon and bake  at 425* for 5 minutes.  Flip salmon and bake an additional 5 minutes or until salmon is cooked through.
3. While salmon bakes, slowly heat red pepper sauce.  Once heated through, stir in basil.
4. To plate, spoon sauce on plate, top with salmon, and drizzle with remaining sauce.

Baked Parmesan and Pea Risotto

What You Need:

• 1 1/2 c arborio rice
• 4 1/2 c chicken broth
• 1 c frozen peas
• 1 c grated parmesan cheese
• 3 tbsp butter, cut into cubes

How You Do It:

1. In a deep, covered 10-cup baking dish, mix rice and broth.  
2. Bake at 350* for 45 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and stir in butter, parmesan, and peas.
4. Cover, and let sit until peas are heated through.

Roasted Salmon with Sweet Pepper Coulis and Baked Parmesan and Pea Risotto recipes adapted from EzraPoundCake.com.

Zucchini Tots

I've been battling a nasty head cold for the past couple days and last night I was finally feeling well enough to hop into the kitchen.  The hubs was grilling up some steaks, so I took to the kitchen to saute some onions and mushrooms and whip together this doozie of a size dish.

Everyone loves those over-fried tator tots.  You can't deny it - they are amazing in all their greasiness.  So I took to Pinterest once again to find something similar but different.  Much to my delight... a zucchini version!  While these tots are not fried in gallons of oh-so-delicious grease, they are crispy and amazing nonetheless.

Zucchini Tots

Zucchini Tots

What You Need:

• 1 cups zucchini, grated
• 1 egg 
• 1/4 onion, diced
• 1/4 c shredded cheese (I used Colby-jack)
• 1/4 c seasoned breadcrumbs

How You Do It:

1. Grate the zucchini and squeeze out the excess water with paper towel.
2. In a bowl combine, the egg, onion, cheese, breadcrumbs, and zucchini.
3. Using a small cookie scoop, fill prepared mini-muffin cups to the top.
4. Bake at 400*F for 15-18 minutes, or until the top is browned and set.

Zucchini Tots adapted from The Curious Country Cook.

Lemon & Mushroom Orzo

This has been a strange week in our house.  My husband has been pretty under the weather and hasn't much gotten off the couch, let alone eaten much, so there hasn't been much cooking around here.  Tonight, however, he was finally feeling better so dinner was in order.  I put in a good workout, so a light dinner for me was perfect and with my husband's stomach finally coming around, he too wasn't interested in anything all too heavy.

I had two packages of mushrooms in the refrigerator for a dish I had originally planned on making this week and didn't, so I had just the recipe to try out.

Just the right amount of lemon, garlic, mushrooms, and a hint of basil, this made enough for us each to have dinner and another five, yes five, packages in the refrigerator.  This would most certainly make for a good side dish for a dinner party.  I will remember that...

Lemon & Mushroom Orzo

What You Need:

Lemon & Mushroom Orzo

• 1 package orzo (1 lb.)
• 3/4 c sliced almonds, toasted
• 2 lemons (the juice of both and the zest of one)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 8-oz packages sliced mushrooms
• 3 large cloves garlic, pressed
• 12 basil leaves, chopped

How You Do It:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook orzo according to package.  Once the orzo has fully cooked, drain and rinse.
2. While the water boils and orzo cooks, heat oil in a large rimmed pan.  Saute mushrooms.  Once the mushrooms start to soften, add garlic and continue to saute until mushrooms are fully softened.
3. Add the lemon juice, zest, toasted almonds, and basil.  Stir to combine, then fold in cooked orzo.

Next time I might sprinkle this with some parmesan...


Lemon & Mushroom Orzo adapted from EveryDay with Rachael Ray