From The America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook.
This cookbook has some of the recipes from the best light recipes book that I love, but not all of the recipes are light. Most are quick and family-friendly. I also like that it's in a binder and so lays flat when you're trying to read them/cook.
This will be a new recipe for me this week.
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2-3), trimmed and sliced thin
1 leek, whte and green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp minced fresh thyme
2 tsp all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 1/2 oz)
2 tsp grated lemon zest plus 1/4 cup lemon juice from 2 lemons
1 bunch medium-size asparagus (about 1 lb), tough ends trimmed, and sliced on the bias into 1-inch lengths
12 oz whole-wheat pasta
2 tbsp shredded fresh basil
1. Heat 1 1/2 tsp of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add the chicken, break up any clumps, and cook until lightly browned but not fully cooked, about 3 min. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Add the remaining 1 1/2 tsp oil to the skillet and return to medium heat until shimmering. Add the leek and cook until softened, about 5 min. Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 min. Slowly whisk in the broth and wine and bring to a simmer, scraping up and browned bits. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened, about 15 min.
4. While that is cooking, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the asparagus and 1 tbsp salt and cook, stirring often, until the asparagus is crisp-tender, 2-4 min. With a slotted spoon, transfer asparagus to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Return the water to a boil, add the pasta, and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
5. Return the chicken with any accumulated juice to the skillet. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 min. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Add the chicken-broth mixture, asparagus, and basil to the pasta and toss to combine. Before serving, add the reserved cooking water as needed to loosen the sauce.
Per 1 2/3 cup serving: 380 cal, 7g fat, 1.5 g sat fat, 50 mg cholesterol, 44g carb, 29 g protein, 8 g fiber, 540 mg sodium. 9 pts plus.
Showing posts with label pasta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pasta. Show all posts
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Baked Ziti with Spinach, Tomatoes, and Smoked Gouda
In an attempt to make up of our night of consuming melted cheese and chocolate for dinner, I decided to go with a Cooking Light recipe tonight. This is quick and easy and could be prepped ahead of time and then popped in the oven about 20-30 minutes before dinner, plus it contains lots of good stuff. Quantities listed are what the recipe says; quantities in parenthesis are what I actually used.
8 oz uncooked ziti
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion (1 small)
1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper (2 peppers)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomaotes with basil, garlic, and oregano OR 2 cans tomatoes plus Italian seasoning/basil/oregano to taste
4 cups baby spinach (1 bag or approx 12 cups--yes, I know, that seems like a lot, but it wilts and I'm sneaking spinach into my family's diet. It's noticeable, of course, but they don't realize how much of it they're eating)
1 1/4 cups (5 oz) shredded, smoked Gouda cheese, divided. If you don't like the smoke taste you can use regular Gouda, or you can use a different kind of smoked cheese like smoked cheddar, but the smoked Gouda is yummy.
Preheat oven to 375.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
In a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat the oil.
Add onion and pepper. Saute 5 minutes. Add garlic to pan, saute 2 minutes or until onion is tender.
Stir in tomatoes (and seasoning if needed) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add spinach, one handful at a time. Cook until spinach wilts and repeat until all desired spinach has been added.
Remove from heat. Add pasta and 1 cup cheese to tomato mixture, tossing well to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown.
Even the Big Geek, who is a huge carnivore, likes this. And, as I said, he has no clue how much spinach he's eating.
Of course, I realized tonight that he also didn't know that ziti was pasta. He acted like he didn't know what I was making when I mentioned the plan for dinner, and then at the table I asked if he remembered having it before.
"Yeah, but you didn't mention the pasta before."
"Ziti IS pasta."
"Oh."
So he learned something, we all had a nice dinner, and everyone ate his or her spinach for the day. :)
8 oz uncooked ziti
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion (1 small)
1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper (2 peppers)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomaotes with basil, garlic, and oregano OR 2 cans tomatoes plus Italian seasoning/basil/oregano to taste
4 cups baby spinach (1 bag or approx 12 cups--yes, I know, that seems like a lot, but it wilts and I'm sneaking spinach into my family's diet. It's noticeable, of course, but they don't realize how much of it they're eating)
1 1/4 cups (5 oz) shredded, smoked Gouda cheese, divided. If you don't like the smoke taste you can use regular Gouda, or you can use a different kind of smoked cheese like smoked cheddar, but the smoked Gouda is yummy.
Preheat oven to 375.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
In a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat the oil.
Add onion and pepper. Saute 5 minutes. Add garlic to pan, saute 2 minutes or until onion is tender.
Stir in tomatoes (and seasoning if needed) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add spinach, one handful at a time. Cook until spinach wilts and repeat until all desired spinach has been added.
Remove from heat. Add pasta and 1 cup cheese to tomato mixture, tossing well to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown.
Even the Big Geek, who is a huge carnivore, likes this. And, as I said, he has no clue how much spinach he's eating.
Of course, I realized tonight that he also didn't know that ziti was pasta. He acted like he didn't know what I was making when I mentioned the plan for dinner, and then at the table I asked if he remembered having it before.
"Yeah, but you didn't mention the pasta before."
"Ziti IS pasta."
"Oh."
So he learned something, we all had a nice dinner, and everyone ate his or her spinach for the day. :)
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Stovetop Sausage Mac and Cheese
This is a fast, easy, filling recipe that's great for a cold day. It was originally printed in Cooking Light, but I've made a few adjustments (and doubled it, because I like leftovers).
1 package Chicken sausage, chopped. (Package usually contains 4 links--get the flavor you like and adjust other additions to this dish accordingly. As written, any kind if Italian/artichoke/sundried tomato will work.)
2 1/2 cups fat-free milk
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded reduced-fat SHARP cheddar cheese
2/3 cup (about 2 2/3 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup (4 oz, or 1/2 a package) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic salt
10 cups hot cooked elbow macaronie (about 16 oz uncooked, or 1 box)
Optional (but strongly suggested):
1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (not in oil), julienned (if you're lucky, you can find them this way at the store.)
Cook macaroni according to package directions.
While that's cooking, heat a large nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sausage and saute 4 minutes or until browned.
Combine milk and flour (add 1 Tbsp at a time) in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk (or fork). Add milk mixture, spinach, and sundried tomatoes to pan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
Reduce heat to medium. Stir in cheeses, onion powder, and garlic salt. Cook 3 minutes or until cheeses melt, stirring constantly.
Stir in pasta.
Enjoy!
1 package Chicken sausage, chopped. (Package usually contains 4 links--get the flavor you like and adjust other additions to this dish accordingly. As written, any kind if Italian/artichoke/sundried tomato will work.)
2 1/2 cups fat-free milk
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded reduced-fat SHARP cheddar cheese
2/3 cup (about 2 2/3 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup (4 oz, or 1/2 a package) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic salt
10 cups hot cooked elbow macaronie (about 16 oz uncooked, or 1 box)
Optional (but strongly suggested):
1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (not in oil), julienned (if you're lucky, you can find them this way at the store.)
Cook macaroni according to package directions.
While that's cooking, heat a large nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sausage and saute 4 minutes or until browned.
Combine milk and flour (add 1 Tbsp at a time) in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk (or fork). Add milk mixture, spinach, and sundried tomatoes to pan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
Reduce heat to medium. Stir in cheeses, onion powder, and garlic salt. Cook 3 minutes or until cheeses melt, stirring constantly.
Stir in pasta.
Enjoy!
Monday, November 9, 2009
Easy Meatless Manicotti
This dish isn't one I'd serve at a dinner party, but it's a good weeknight meal that couldn't be easier.
2 cups (8 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1 (16 oz) carton fat-free cottage cheese (or low-fat, if you can't find fat-free)
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
1/4 cup (1 oz) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 (8 oz) package manicotti (14 shells)
1 (26 oz) jar fat-free tomato-basil pasta sauce (or whatever sauce you like)
cooking spray
1 cup water
Pre-heat oven to 375. Spray 13 x 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large zip-lock bag, combine 1 1/2 cups mozzarella (reserving 1/2 cup of the 2 cups), cottage cheese, spinach, Parmesan cheese, oregano, salt, and pepper. Seal the top and mush it around to combine the ingredients.
Pour half the sauce into the bottom of the pan.
Snip of one corner of the bag (not too big a hole), and use the bag like a pastry bag to fill the manicotti. Place them in a single layer over the sauce in the baking dish. You will have exactly enough filling for 14 manicotti, so don't worry about running out.
Top with remaining sauce. Pour 1 cup water into the dish (I like to pour mine into the sauce jar and shake it around first to get all of the sauce out). Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella.
Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour (or until shells are tender). Let stand 10 minutes before serving (I suggest leaving it covered for 10 minutes, perhaps while your garlic bread toasts, and then uncovering it for another 5-10).
The shells can be a little "al dente" sometimes, but considering that this is the easiest version of Manicotti I've ever seen, who cares? Plus little geeks can help you squish the ingredients in the ziplock, and older little geeks might even like to try filling the shells.
I also like that you put it in the oven and walk away. I use this time to clean my kitchen, usually, but you could do something more fun if you're more creative than me.
Just remember that it takes an hour to bake (plus another 10-15 minutes of "resting") and plan accordingly!
from Cooking Light
2 cups (8 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1 (16 oz) carton fat-free cottage cheese (or low-fat, if you can't find fat-free)
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
1/4 cup (1 oz) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 (8 oz) package manicotti (14 shells)
1 (26 oz) jar fat-free tomato-basil pasta sauce (or whatever sauce you like)
cooking spray
1 cup water
Pre-heat oven to 375. Spray 13 x 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large zip-lock bag, combine 1 1/2 cups mozzarella (reserving 1/2 cup of the 2 cups), cottage cheese, spinach, Parmesan cheese, oregano, salt, and pepper. Seal the top and mush it around to combine the ingredients.
Pour half the sauce into the bottom of the pan.
Snip of one corner of the bag (not too big a hole), and use the bag like a pastry bag to fill the manicotti. Place them in a single layer over the sauce in the baking dish. You will have exactly enough filling for 14 manicotti, so don't worry about running out.
Top with remaining sauce. Pour 1 cup water into the dish (I like to pour mine into the sauce jar and shake it around first to get all of the sauce out). Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella.
Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour (or until shells are tender). Let stand 10 minutes before serving (I suggest leaving it covered for 10 minutes, perhaps while your garlic bread toasts, and then uncovering it for another 5-10).
The shells can be a little "al dente" sometimes, but considering that this is the easiest version of Manicotti I've ever seen, who cares? Plus little geeks can help you squish the ingredients in the ziplock, and older little geeks might even like to try filling the shells.
I also like that you put it in the oven and walk away. I use this time to clean my kitchen, usually, but you could do something more fun if you're more creative than me.
Just remember that it takes an hour to bake (plus another 10-15 minutes of "resting") and plan accordingly!
from Cooking Light
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Antipasto Salad and--BUNNY CAKE!
Had some friends over today to color Easter eggs, and wanted an easy lunch, so I bought some hot dogs and threw together a pasta salad. It was based loosely on a recipe from Taste of Home.
1 package penne pasta, cooked (spirals would have been better, but I wanted to use up some of my excess pasta)
1 small jar quartered marinated artichoke hearts
1 green pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
bunch of cherry tomatoes, halved (I just kept putting them in until I thought I had enough)
about 4 oz provolone cheese, cubed
about half a can of black olives, halved
about 1 lb low-fat salami, chopped
dressing:
1 1/2 cups olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
about 2 Tbsp fresh oregano, chopped (or 1 dried)
1 tsp salt
Combine all ingredients in large bowl. In small bowl, combine dressing ingredients. Pour dressing on pasta mixture and toss to coat.
I took out some of the pasta salad before adding the salami as one of our friends is Muslim and doesn't eat pork. But after she went home I threw it all back together. :) I know, I know, our Muslim friend came over to decorate eggs. It's a multi-cultural world, my friends.
Also, the original recipe called for chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), but I couldn't seem to find any at Safeway and I didn't have any at home (I could have sworn I did). It also called for pepperoni in addition to the salami, but they didn't have turkey pepperoni at Safeway and do you know how much fat is in that stuff?
It was good, and will be even better tomorrow. I may eat some for dinner, too.
Then after naptime, the geeks and I made a bunny cake.
Here's what you do:
1. Make a cake in 2 round pans. Whatever kind you like. Mine is carrot.
2. After they cool, cut one of the rounds to make the ears and a bow tie. It kind of looks like this when you cut it: ()() Ok, imagine those parenthesis are part of a big circle. If you google "bunny cake" you can find pictures.
3. Cover a cookie sheet or tray or something (piece of cardboard?) with foil and place the cake so that it makes a bunny with a bowtie shape.
4. Frost with white frosting. Since my cake is carrot, my frosting is cream cheese. I do not suggest using the low-fat cream cheese to make cream cheese frosting. It's kind of thin. But we survived.
5. Decorate. We put coconut on the bunny to give him "fur" and used candy and some pink decorator icing for the rest. Tint some coconut green by putting it in a ziplock bag with a few drops of green food coloring and shaking.
6. Admire your bunny cake!
1 package penne pasta, cooked (spirals would have been better, but I wanted to use up some of my excess pasta)
1 small jar quartered marinated artichoke hearts
1 green pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
bunch of cherry tomatoes, halved (I just kept putting them in until I thought I had enough)
about 4 oz provolone cheese, cubed
about half a can of black olives, halved
about 1 lb low-fat salami, chopped
dressing:
1 1/2 cups olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
about 2 Tbsp fresh oregano, chopped (or 1 dried)
1 tsp salt
Combine all ingredients in large bowl. In small bowl, combine dressing ingredients. Pour dressing on pasta mixture and toss to coat.
I took out some of the pasta salad before adding the salami as one of our friends is Muslim and doesn't eat pork. But after she went home I threw it all back together. :) I know, I know, our Muslim friend came over to decorate eggs. It's a multi-cultural world, my friends.
Also, the original recipe called for chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), but I couldn't seem to find any at Safeway and I didn't have any at home (I could have sworn I did). It also called for pepperoni in addition to the salami, but they didn't have turkey pepperoni at Safeway and do you know how much fat is in that stuff?
It was good, and will be even better tomorrow. I may eat some for dinner, too.
Then after naptime, the geeks and I made a bunny cake.
Here's what you do:
1. Make a cake in 2 round pans. Whatever kind you like. Mine is carrot.
2. After they cool, cut one of the rounds to make the ears and a bow tie. It kind of looks like this when you cut it: ()() Ok, imagine those parenthesis are part of a big circle. If you google "bunny cake" you can find pictures.
3. Cover a cookie sheet or tray or something (piece of cardboard?) with foil and place the cake so that it makes a bunny with a bowtie shape.
4. Frost with white frosting. Since my cake is carrot, my frosting is cream cheese. I do not suggest using the low-fat cream cheese to make cream cheese frosting. It's kind of thin. But we survived.
5. Decorate. We put coconut on the bunny to give him "fur" and used candy and some pink decorator icing for the rest. Tint some coconut green by putting it in a ziplock bag with a few drops of green food coloring and shaking.
6. Admire your bunny cake!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Lemon Basil Bow Ties
I think this is from Taste of Home.
This is a quick, easy side dish that could be made into a main course by adding some sliced grilled chicken or scallops (or other protein, although I don't think beef would be very good). It's meant to be served hot, but I served it cold as a pasta salad for a playgroup party today.
4 cups uncooked bow tie pasta (I used "easter" pasta today in the shapes of bunnies and eggs and carrots, but bow tie would work best with this sauce/dressing
1 garlic clove, minced
1-2 Tbsp olive oil (I thought it needed more)
1 Tbsp lemon juice (about 1/2 a lemon)
1 tsp grated lemon peel (if you don't have a plane grater, you should get one, it works way better than my "lemon zester")
1/2 tsp salt (or less, I thought it could have used less)
1/4 tsp coarsely ground pepper
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
1/4 to 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Cook pasta according to directions. Meanwhile, in a skillet, saute garlic in oil for one minute. Stir in the lemon juice, lemon peel, salt, and pepper. Drain pasta. Add to skillet. Add basil. Toss to coat. Cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until basil is wilted. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
I will make this again--it was easy and good--as a way to use leftover chicken in the future.
Also, I hate dishes, so I put the pasta in a colander and did all the dressing in the pasta pot, then put the pasta back in (rather than use a skillet). It worked just fine, although I maybe could have let the pasta pot cool down a bit more.
Update: I made this again yesterday, using bow tie pasta. I used more like 5 tbsp oil, the juice and zest of an entire lemon, 2 Tbsp garlic, and doubled the salt and pepper. I also cut up some leftover chicken breasts that had an Italian marinade on them and tossed them in before I added the pasta. We ate it warm, and it was GOOD. This may become a staple in my house. The Big Geek loves lemon, the little geek likes eating "butterflies," and I just like eating. :)
This is a quick, easy side dish that could be made into a main course by adding some sliced grilled chicken or scallops (or other protein, although I don't think beef would be very good). It's meant to be served hot, but I served it cold as a pasta salad for a playgroup party today.
4 cups uncooked bow tie pasta (I used "easter" pasta today in the shapes of bunnies and eggs and carrots, but bow tie would work best with this sauce/dressing
1 garlic clove, minced
1-2 Tbsp olive oil (I thought it needed more)
1 Tbsp lemon juice (about 1/2 a lemon)
1 tsp grated lemon peel (if you don't have a plane grater, you should get one, it works way better than my "lemon zester")
1/2 tsp salt (or less, I thought it could have used less)
1/4 tsp coarsely ground pepper
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
1/4 to 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Cook pasta according to directions. Meanwhile, in a skillet, saute garlic in oil for one minute. Stir in the lemon juice, lemon peel, salt, and pepper. Drain pasta. Add to skillet. Add basil. Toss to coat. Cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until basil is wilted. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
I will make this again--it was easy and good--as a way to use leftover chicken in the future.
Also, I hate dishes, so I put the pasta in a colander and did all the dressing in the pasta pot, then put the pasta back in (rather than use a skillet). It worked just fine, although I maybe could have let the pasta pot cool down a bit more.
Update: I made this again yesterday, using bow tie pasta. I used more like 5 tbsp oil, the juice and zest of an entire lemon, 2 Tbsp garlic, and doubled the salt and pepper. I also cut up some leftover chicken breasts that had an Italian marinade on them and tossed them in before I added the pasta. We ate it warm, and it was GOOD. This may become a staple in my house. The Big Geek loves lemon, the little geek likes eating "butterflies," and I just like eating. :)
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Scallop Pesto Pasta and Roasted Garlic
I grew up in Oklahoma. When you grow up in a land-locked state, you don't eat a lot of seafood. In fact, I'm pretty sure the main source of seafood when I was growing up was Long John Silvers, and we lived in a tiny town so we didn't get it often. That, fish sticks, and tuna noodle casserole were my exposure to seafood. I didn't even know you could eat fish that hadn't been dipped in batter and fried until I was in college, at least. So to say I shy away from cooking it would be an understatement.
And I don't just shy away from cooking fish. I pretty much avoid cooking anything that lives in water. But this week before my grocery run I logged on to download coupons, and I found a really good coupon for scallops. So I opened my recipe book, found this recipe, and decided we'd have this for dinner tonight.
Not having ever purchased uncooked scallops before, I had no idea how much they cost. I got to the store and a 1.5 lb frozen bag was over $22. Made my $3 off "awesome" coupon seem measly. But I found another 1 lb bag with smaller scallops for just under $9 and decided I'd go ahead and try it just this once.
I have to say, I'm pretty pleased with the results. It could stand some tweaking, and my cooking technique needs some refinement, but it tasted good, and in the end, that's what matters.
Ingredients:
1 box of angel hair pasta (8-12 oz)
1 jar pesto (1/2 to 3/4 cup, depending on how much pasta you make)
1 lb scallops
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper
3 Tbsp butter
Cook pasta according to directions. In the meantime, combine flour, salt, and pepper in a ziplock bag. Put scallops in bag, shake to coat. You just need a light coating, so don't get carried away.
Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallops and cook for 3-5 minutes until browned, turning regularly.
When pasta is finished, drain. Combine pasta and pesto. Top with scallops.
It seriously is that easy. It takes all of 10 minutes, depending on how long it takes water to boil on your stove. If you put the scallops in about when you put the pasta in the boiling water, they'll finish pretty close to the same time.
Things I'd change:
1. I'd make my own pesto, or find a brand I like better. I bought the store brand "Safeway Select" from the refrigerated pasta section. It was only ok. If you have a good/easy pesto recipe (or know a good ready-made brand), please share.
OR I'd make the lemon cream sauce I saw on The Barefoot Contessa the other day. Not at all healthy or light, but it looked yummy and the lemon would compliment the scallops.
2. I'd use the larger scallops it they weren't twice the cost of the small ones.
I'd also like you to know that my 3-year-old geek ate scallops and pasta with pesto for dinner. OK, to be honest, she made a gagging sound after eating the scallop, but she didn't spit it out, and she ate a bunch of the pasta. I call that a victory.
Note to self: do not give child angel hair pasta with pesto after she's already had a bath and is in her pajamas.
I also heated up some brown and serve sourdough bread and made some roasted garlic to spread on it. I could pretend I knew how to do that and tell you about it, or I could just send you to the website I used. It was yummy, and now I have roasted garlic to throw in other things (like mashed potatoes) this week.
This made enough for The Big Geek, me, and the little geek (the other little geek has no teeth, so he gets nothing good for a while), plus a BUNCH left over for lunch tomorrow.
If you're really, really, REALLY lazy and not concerned with your sodium content, you could probably make one of those rice-a-roni type noodle meals in a garlic/olive oil/Italian flavor and just put the scallops on top of that. Not that I'm suggesting you SHOULD. I'm just saying that if you were desperate you COULD do that, and if you put scallops on top it would look way more impressive.
And I don't just shy away from cooking fish. I pretty much avoid cooking anything that lives in water. But this week before my grocery run I logged on to download coupons, and I found a really good coupon for scallops. So I opened my recipe book, found this recipe, and decided we'd have this for dinner tonight.
Not having ever purchased uncooked scallops before, I had no idea how much they cost. I got to the store and a 1.5 lb frozen bag was over $22. Made my $3 off "awesome" coupon seem measly. But I found another 1 lb bag with smaller scallops for just under $9 and decided I'd go ahead and try it just this once.
I have to say, I'm pretty pleased with the results. It could stand some tweaking, and my cooking technique needs some refinement, but it tasted good, and in the end, that's what matters.
Ingredients:
1 box of angel hair pasta (8-12 oz)
1 jar pesto (1/2 to 3/4 cup, depending on how much pasta you make)
1 lb scallops
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper
3 Tbsp butter
Cook pasta according to directions. In the meantime, combine flour, salt, and pepper in a ziplock bag. Put scallops in bag, shake to coat. You just need a light coating, so don't get carried away.
Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallops and cook for 3-5 minutes until browned, turning regularly.
When pasta is finished, drain. Combine pasta and pesto. Top with scallops.
It seriously is that easy. It takes all of 10 minutes, depending on how long it takes water to boil on your stove. If you put the scallops in about when you put the pasta in the boiling water, they'll finish pretty close to the same time.
Things I'd change:
1. I'd make my own pesto, or find a brand I like better. I bought the store brand "Safeway Select" from the refrigerated pasta section. It was only ok. If you have a good/easy pesto recipe (or know a good ready-made brand), please share.
OR I'd make the lemon cream sauce I saw on The Barefoot Contessa the other day. Not at all healthy or light, but it looked yummy and the lemon would compliment the scallops.
2. I'd use the larger scallops it they weren't twice the cost of the small ones.
I'd also like you to know that my 3-year-old geek ate scallops and pasta with pesto for dinner. OK, to be honest, she made a gagging sound after eating the scallop, but she didn't spit it out, and she ate a bunch of the pasta. I call that a victory.
Note to self: do not give child angel hair pasta with pesto after she's already had a bath and is in her pajamas.
I also heated up some brown and serve sourdough bread and made some roasted garlic to spread on it. I could pretend I knew how to do that and tell you about it, or I could just send you to the website I used. It was yummy, and now I have roasted garlic to throw in other things (like mashed potatoes) this week.
This made enough for The Big Geek, me, and the little geek (the other little geek has no teeth, so he gets nothing good for a while), plus a BUNCH left over for lunch tomorrow.
If you're really, really, REALLY lazy and not concerned with your sodium content, you could probably make one of those rice-a-roni type noodle meals in a garlic/olive oil/Italian flavor and just put the scallops on top of that. Not that I'm suggesting you SHOULD. I'm just saying that if you were desperate you COULD do that, and if you put scallops on top it would look way more impressive.
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