Pan Fried Shrimp With Green Curry

Ingredients:
1 slice (1/4 inch thick) fresh ginger, peeled
3/4 c. plus 2 T. roasted cashews
1/3 c. plain low fat yogurt
1/4 c. cilantro leaves, packed
1 T. brown sugar
1 t. curry powder
1 1/2 lbs. large shrimp, peeled, deveined
2 T. olive oil

Directions:
In a food processor, pulse the ginger until finely chopped. Add the 3/4 c. cashews; process until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add yogurt, cilantro, sugar and curry powder; season with salt. Process until incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down sides as needed. Transfer to a serving bowl; sprinkle with remaining cashews.
Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Heat 1 T. of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over med.-high heat. Add half the shrimp and cook until opaque throughout, 2-3 minutes. Repeat with remaining tablespoon of oil and remaining shrimp. Serve the shrimp with the sauce.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 20 minutes.

Verdict:
I love shrimp so this was kind of a no brainer for me. The curry sauce with it was good. I liked it. Blake just ate his shrimp plain and the kids ate rice.

Sauteed Chicken In Mustard Cream Sauce

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breast
2 T. olive oil
1/4 c. dry white wine or chicken broth
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 t. dried tarragon

Directions:
Sprinkle each chicken breast with 1/4 t. each salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil. Add the chicken; saute until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes, turning once. Transfer to a plate; keep warm.
Pour the wine into the hot skillet; cook, stirring, until reduced by half, about 1 minute. Whisk in the cream, mustard, and tarragon. Cook, whisking, until thickened, about 2 minutes.
Pour any accumulated chicken juices into the sauce. Right before serving, drizzle the cream sauce over the sauteed chicken.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 25 minutes.

Verdict:
I didn't have any tarragon so I left it out. I am not sure if it would have tasted better with it. With out it it just tasted like chicken with a mustard sauce.

Chicken Caprese

Ingredients:
2 ciabatta rolls, split in half
olive oil
1 chicken breast, pounded thin
coarse salt and pepper
4 thick slices fresh mozzarella
4 slices tomato
fresh basil leaves

Directions:
Heat grill to high.
Brush ciabatta roll with olive oil and toast on grill. Season chicken breast with salt and pepper, brush with oil and grill until cooked though. Layer mozzarella, sliced tomato, and chicken on bottom half of roll; add fresh basil leaves. Sandwich with top half of roll.

Makes 2 sandwiches. Total time 15 minutes.

Verdict:
I really liked these. I have been wanting things that are fresh and easy lately. This fit the bill. Blake liked it too but ate his with out basil leaves on it. The kids ate all of their topping separately.

Spinach and Meatball Calzones

When making this recipe you will have to reference this one.

Ingredients:
olive oil
10 oz. baby spinach
coarse salt and pepper
flour, for work surface
1 lb. store bought pizza dough, or frozen bread dough thawed, cut into 4 equal pieces
8 meatballs, halved and 1 1/2 c. sauced reserved (from this recipe)
8 oz. fresh mozzarella, torn into pieces
1/2 t. red pepper flakes

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet. In a large saucepan, bring 1/2 c. water to a simmer. Add spinach and season with salt; cover and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer spinach to a fine mesh sieve and drain, pressing with a rubber spatula to release as much liquid as possible. Transfer spinach to a cutting board and roughly chop.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll each piece of dough into an 8 inch round. In a medium bowl, stir together spinach, reserved meatballs and sauce, cheese and red pepper flakes (if using). Season with salt and pepper. With a slotted spoon, divide mixture among bottom halves of dough rounds, leaving a 1 inch border.
Fold top half of each round over filling and roll and pinch edges to seal. Carefully transfer calzones to baking sheet. Brush tops lightly with oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake until calzones are golden brown, 15-18 minutes.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 30 minutes.

Verdict:
These were better than I was expecting. I left out the spinach because mine had gone bad but I was OK with that. I think Blake was OK with that too. We also added pepperoni because we like it. I used Rhodes frozen bread and it worked great. These were big though, so keep that in mind.

Savory French Toast BLT

Ingredients:
8 slices of bacon
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. fresh chives, chopped
coarse salt and pepper
3 T. butter
4 slices crusty bread, cut 1 inch thick
4 lettuce leaves
8 slices of tomato

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Place bacon on a rimmed baking sheet; cook until golden and crisp, about 15 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Drain on paper towels.
Meanwhile, in a large shallow dish, whisk together eggs, cream and chives; season with salt and pepper. Lay bread in a single layer in egg mixture coating on each side. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium. When butter sizzles, add bread and cook until golden and crisp around edges, about 3 minutes per side, flipping once.
To serve, layer lettuce, tomato, and bacon on each slice French toast and sprinkle with chives.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 30 minutes.

Verdict:
When I thought about making this I was under the impression that it was going to rock our world. French toast and BLTs together. What wouldn't be good about this? I was underwhelmed. I like just plain BLTs better and plain French toast. Just not together.

Chicken Tostada Salad

Ingredients:
4 corn tortillas
3 t. olive oil
3/4 c. Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1/2 small red onion, diced small
1/2 t. chili powder
1 garlic clove, minced
breast meat from 1 rotisserie chicken, torn into bite-size pieces
coarse salt and pepper
1 T. plus 1 t. fresh lime juice
1/2 head lettuce, shredded
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced small
fresh cilantro, for serving

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with 2 t. oil and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden and crisp, 10 minutes. Divide cheese among the tortillas and return to oven. Bake until cheese is bubbling, about 3 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
Heat 1 t. oil in a large skillet. Add half the red onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add chili powder and garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add chicken and 1/4 c. water and season with salt and pepper. Cook stirring frequently, until chicken is warmed through and water is almost evaporated, 2 minutes. Stir in 1 t. lime juice and remove from heat.
In a large bowl, combine lettuce and 1 T. lime juice; season with salt and pepper. Toss well to coat and divide among tortillas. Top each tortilla with chicken mixture, tomato, avocado, remaining onion and cilantro.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 25 minutes.

Verdict:
So good. I am not just saying that because I love tostadas, because I do, but these taste similar to something that you would get in a Mexican restaurant. Except in a restaurant they are normally soggy from sauce. I liked these so much we are having them again next week. Perhaps I am just really loving Mexican food.

Grilled Chicken With Oregano and Lemon

Ingredients:
4 large chicken cutlets or 2 boneless skinless chicken breast cut in half thickness wise
2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
2 sprigs fresh oregano
1/2 lemon, quartered
coarse salt and pepper
1 T. olive oil

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine chicken, garlic, and oregano. Add lemon quarters, squeezing juice into bowl as you go; season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat grill.
Clean and lightly oil grill. Remove chicken from marinade and grill until cooked through, about 3 minutes, flipping once. Transfer cutlets to a platter and serve.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 10 minutes + marinating.

Verdict:
I wasn't expecting much from this. I made some noodles to go along with it. I was somewhat surprised at what a good flavor it had.

Kicked Up Tuna Melts

Ingredients:
4 cans tuna, drained
1/3 c. mayonnaise, plus more for spreading
1/4 c. red onion, finely chopped
4 t. capers, rinsed and drained
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. coarse salt
1 t. ground pepper
1/4 t. dried oregano, crumbled between your fingers
4 slices crusty bread
8 slices tomato, thin
4 slices provolone

Directions:
Heat broiler, with rack in the highest position. In a medium bowl, combine tuna, mayonnaise, onion, capers, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and oregano and stir until thoroughly combined.
Arrange bread on a baking sheet and spread a little mayonnaise on each slice. Divide tuna salad evenly among the slices, then top each with 2 slices of tomato and 1 slice of cheese.
Broil until cheese is golden and bubbling, 3-4 minutes.

Makes 4. Total time 20 minutes.

Verdict:
This really is just a glorified tuna sandwich.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. sweet or spicy Italian sausage
1 t. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced small
2 cans (28 oz. each) whole peeled tomatoes
1 lb. spaghetti

Directions:
Boil a large pot of salted water.
Remove sausage meat from casing and roll into 24 balls. In a large saucepan or dutch oven, heat oil. Add sausage and cook until browned all over, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon transfer meatballs to a plate. Add onion to pan and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, breaking them up as you go, and season with salt and pepper; bring sauce to a boil and cook 5 minutes.
Add pasta to water and cook according to package directions. Meanwhile, add meatballs to sauce and rapidly simmer until sauce is slightly thickened about 7 minutes.
Drain pasta then toss with sauce and meatballs.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 30 minutes.

Verdict:
Not bad. I have never been a big fan of spaghetti and meatballs but I figured I would give it a go. I liked that you can pick the spiciness of the sausage. The kids liked it but mostly picked around the meatballs.

Tilapia and Quinoa With Feta and Cucumbers

Ingredients:
1 c. Quinoa
2 1/2 t. olive oil
1 lb. boneless, skinless tilapia fillets
3/4 t. paprika
1 c. cucumber, diced small
1/3 c. fresh dill, roughly chopped
2 t. lemon juice

Directions:
In a small saucepan, bring quinoa, 2 c. water and 1 t. salt to a boil over high heat. Reduce to medium simmer and cook until water evaporates, about 15 minutes. Transfer quinoa to a bowl and let cool 5 minutes.
In a large nonstick skillet heat 1 1/2 t. olive oil. Pat fish dry and season with salt and pepper; sprinkle with paprika. Cook fillets until opaque throughout, about 4 minutes, flipping half way through.
Stir cucumber, dill, feta, 1 t. oil, and lemon juice into quinoa. Season with salt and pepper.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 30 minutes.

Verdict:
I love finding new things to try. I also love when they are good for you. Win/win. The fish had a good flavor for not having a lot of things on it. I also liked the quinoa. I will eat just about anything that contains dill and feta, to be honest. Blake liked both. The kids wouldn't touch the quinoa, they just picked out the feta.