Recipes

Bacon and Mushroom Risotto with Baby Spinach

Ingredients
6 slices bacon, chopped
1 cup shallots, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
12 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 cup Arborio rice
¹⁄₃ cup sherry
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups baby spinach
¹⁄₂ cup asiago cheese, grated
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Heat large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add bacon to pan and cook 8 minutes or until crisp, stirring occasionally.  Remove bacon from pan with slotted spoon, leaving bacon fat in pot. 

2. Add shallots, oil, thyme and garlic.  Cook 6 minutes, or until shallots are tender, stirring occasionally.  Add mushrooms and continue cooking 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add rice and cook 1 minute, stirring until rice is coated. 

3. Stir in sherry and continue stirring until liquid is almost completely absorbed.  Working ¹⁄₂ to 1 cup at a time, stir in broth.  Stir occasionally, waiting for each addition to almost completely absorb before adding more broth.  This will take about 20 to 25 minutes total. 

4. Stir in spinach and remove from heat.  Stir in cheese, salt, pepper, and reserved bacon. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2011 Cooking Light Annual.  Being a lover of risotto, bacon, spinach and mushrooms, I knew I had to give this recipe a try.  Sadly, we all thought the flavors were a bit off, I blame this on the use of sherry instead of the usual wine, or perhaps the asiago cheese instead of Parmesan. Next time I make this, I’ll probably use white wine and Parmesan cheese instead.  Regardless, this was a tasty risotto and every bit of the leftovers was happily eaten. 

Shown here with Herb Breaded Chicken.

Cooking Light 2011

Gingery Pork Meatballs with Noodles

Ingredients
For the meatballs
¹⁄₂ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
¹⁄₄ cup breadcrumbs
¹⁄₄ cup red onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons ginger, grated or minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground pork
1 large egg, lightly beaten

For the noodles
1 pound pasta (Rice noodles are great if you can find them.) 
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 small red or yellow bell peppers, cut into thin strips
2 cups snow peas, cut into thin strips
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 cup green onion, thinly sliced

Instructions
1. Like baking sheet with foil and place in oven.  Heat oven to 450*F. 

2. Combine all meatball ingredients in large bowl, stir until blended.  Cover and chill 30 minutes.  Form golf ball sized balls, remove baking sheet from oven, and place meatballs on baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until done.  (I used my disher for this.)

3. Bring large pot of water to boil.  Cook noodles according to package and drain well. 

4. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add bell peppers, snow peas, salt , red pepper, soy sauce, mirin, and rice wine vinegar.  Stir fry, stirring often, until crisp tender, about 2 to 4 minutes.  Add pasta and green onions to skillet and toss.  Serve pasta topped with meatballs. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2011 Cooking Light Annual and it was great!  The meatballs were fantastically gingery and full of great flavor.  I modified the recipe for the noodles to include a bit more in the flavor department since they started off a bit bland.  All three of us loved this and there were no leftovers.  None at all.

Cooking Light 2011

Creamy Bacon Tomato and Avocado Pasta Salad

Ingredients
1 pound bacon, cut into small pieces
1 pound rotini pasta, or similar small pasta shape
1 cup mayonnaise
Juice of 2 lemons
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¹⁄₂ teaspoon white pepper
2 teaspoons dried dill
2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
2 avocados, pitted and chopped

Instructions
1. Cook bacon until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate or sieve set over bowl. 

2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water until cooled. 

3. In large bowl, stir together  mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, garlic powder, pepper and dill.  Add cooled pasta, tomatoes, avocado, and bacon.  Toss until well combined.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. 

Comments
This recipe is from Life’s Ambrosia and has some of my favorite ingredients.  I decided to make it for lunches during the week because neither Art nor Lance care for avocados.  I greatly enjoyed this pasta salad, but the dill added a flavor that didn’t mesh well for me.  I think that, next time, I’ll omit the dill.  The pasta will certainly be flavorful enough without it!

Internet - Life’s Ambrosia

Salmon Croquettes

Ingredients
¹⁄₄ cup mayonnaise
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons Dijon mustard
¹⁄₄ cup green onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons red bell pepper, minced
¹⁄₂ teaspoon garlic powder
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₈ teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (6 ounces each) pack skinless, boneless pink salmon
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup panko
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon capers, finely chopped
¹⁄₂ teaspoon garlic, minced
¹⁄₈ teaspoon salt

Instructions
1. Combine 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons mustard, green onions, bell pepper, garlic powder, ¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt, red pepper, salmon and egg, stirring well. Add panko; toss. Shape mixture into small patties.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add patties; cook 5 minutes on each side or until browned.

3. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon mustard, parsley, capers, garlic and remaining ¹⁄₈ teaspoon salt, stirring well. Serve sauce with croquettes. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2011 Cooking Light Annual.  I remember having salmon croquettes as a kid and enjoying them, so I decided to try out this recipe.  The croquettes of my youth were breaded and deep fried, but these are just pan fried like burgers.  They were full of flavor thanks to the veggies in the mix and the sauce was reminiscent of a tartar sauce, a little bit went a long way!

Cooking Light 2011

Spicy Asian Marinated Flank Steak

Ingredients
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons rice wine vinegar (I used honey ginger balsamic vinegar.)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 (8 ounces) can crushed pineapple in juice, drained
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 flank steak (about 1 pound)
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt

Instructions
1. Combine soy sauce, lime juice, curry powder, red pepper, fresh ginger, vinegar, olive oil, pineapple, and garlic in a large ziptop bag. Add steak, seal and marinate in refrigerator 24 hours, turning occasionally.

2. Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

3. Remove steak from bag; discard marinade. Pat steak dry and spray with cooking spray.  Place steak on grill rack, and grill 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Sprinkle with salt, and let stand 5 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices. 

Note: If flank steak is larger than 1 pound, double all marinade ingredients. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2011 Cooking Light Annual.  Art grilled it for us and it was great.  The flavor of the marinade was lovely and the flank steak was perfect.  I served it with steamed rice and sautéed broccoli that had some garlic and soy sauce added in.

Cooking Light 2011

Cheeseburger Pasta

Ingredients
1 pound penne pasta
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 (14.5 ounces) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
¹⁄₄ cup dill pickle relish
¹⁄₄ cup Dijon mustard
¹⁄₄ cup ketchup
2 teaspoons steak seasoning (Such as Montreal steak seasoning.)
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions
1. Cook pasta 1 minute less than directed by packaging and drain. 

2. Meanwhile, in large skillet or Dutch oven, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is cooked through.  Add pasta to meat in skillet. 

3. Stir in tomatoes, relish, mustard, ketchup, and steak seasoning.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. 

4. Sprinkle with cheese and let stand 5 minutes. 

Comments
This recipe is from Taste of Home and was suggested to me by a fellow food blogger.  I admit, when I started out I was not too thrilled, but I think I’ve got to blame that on my dental work because this was great.  All three of us enjoyed it and actually polished off the entire pot of pasta.  Take “serves 4” with a grain of salt.  When I make this again, I should remember to double it if I’m expecting any leftovers!

Internet - Taste of Home

Goat Cheese Marinated with Herbs and Lemon

Ingredients
¹⁄₂ pound goat cheese log, cut into 16 rounds
Zest of 1 lemon
¹⁄₄ cup sundried tomatoes packed in oil, finely minced
1 teaspoon capers, minced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
3-6 rosemary sprigs (My sprigs were huge, so I used 3.)
²⁄₃ cup olive oil
Pinch of sea salt or kosher salt

Instructions
1. Arrange goat cheese slices in one layer in a shallow dish. 

2. Sprinkle with zest, tomatoes, capers, thyme, and salt.  Tuck rosemary around cheese. 

3. Pour olive oil over cheese and marinate in refrigerator for 2 to 6 hours.  Serve with crackers or toasted baguette slices. 

Comments
This recipe is from Nutritious Eats and I served it with toasted baguette slices as an appetizer.  The goat cheese was delicious and was quickly devoured.  You can easily halve this recipe if you don’t want to use a half pound of cheese.

Internet - Nutritious Eats

Slow Cooker Cheesy Creamed Corn

Ingredients
32 ounces frozen corn
16 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water
4 slices American cheese, torn into pieces (I used Velveeta.)

Instructions
1. Place corn in slow cooker.  Top with remaining ingredients.  Cover and cook on LOW until everything is melted, 6 to 8 hours, stirring after 3 hours. 

2. Stir well before serving. 

Comments
This recipe is from a Year of Slow Cooking.  I like corn side dishes quite a bit, and decided to give this one a try at a meal where it wouldn’t matter if I was the only one who liked it.  And I did like it!  So did most everyone else!  I’d call it a success and, like most crock pot meals, it was very easy to throw together. 

Shown here with AMAZING Smoked Turkey and Loaded Smashed Potatoes.

Internet - A Year of Slow Cooking

Seashell Salad with Buttermilk-Chive Dressing

Ingredients
1 pound medium shell pasta
¹⁄₂ cup mayonnaise
¹⁄₂ cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons fresh chives, minced or dried chives
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
4-6 ounces prosciutto, finely chopped
4 cups baby arugula
2 cups frozen green peas

Instructions
1. Bring large pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain well and return to pot. 

2. While pasta cooks, combine mayonnaise, buttermilk, chives, thyme, salt, pepper and garlic in small bowl. 

3. Heat skillet over medium-high heat.  Add prosciutto, cook 2 minutes.  Drain on paper towels. 

4. Turn heat under pasta to low.  Add sauce, arugula and peas.  Stir until peas are thawed and ingredients are well distributed.  Remove from heat and stir in prosciutto. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2011 Cooking Light Annual and, um, I completely forgot to add the arugula and didn’t even notice until just now, when I went to type the recipe up.  Drat.  And I love arugula!  I am not happy with this mistake!  It’s a good thing we all loved the pasta, because I guess I’ll just have to make it again the right way. 

This was really delicious, nice and tangy with a super amount of flavor from all of the spices. 

Shown here with Mom’s Chicken.

Cooking Light 2011

Sausage, Tomato, and Arugula Fettuccine

Ingredients
18 ounces fresh fettuccine
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 cups baby arugula
¹⁄₂ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Instructions
1. Bring large pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain in colander over bowl and reserve 1 ¹⁄₃ cups cooking liquid. 

2. While pasta cooks, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add sausage to pan and cook, stirring frequently, 3 minutes or until browned.  Add garlic, cook for 30 seconds, then add tomatoes, salt, and pepper.  Cover and cook 2 minutes.  Mash tomatoes with back of wooden spoon or potato masher to break them apart.  Cover pan, reduce heat to low, and cook 3 minutes.  Remove pan from heat.  Add pasta, reserved cooking liquid and arugula, and toss well.  Sprinkle with cheese. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2011 Cooking Light Annual and I loved it.  I’m loving arugula these days and I’m not sure why the sudden infatuation happened.  It’s so peppery and delicious.  The tomatoes broke down into a nice, light sauce.  The sausage made everything flavorful.  This was a great meal and I hope that I remember it in future meal plans since I’d love to eat it again.  It will be even better with summer tomatoes and arugula!

Cooking light 2011