Tag Archives: olive oil

Sweet Soba Noodles with Baby Bok Choy

2 Aug

Baby-Bok-Choy-Soba-2

For some reason I’m really into asian food lately. I recently learned that Michael LOVES asian cuisine so it’s been a win-win over here. This bowl of deliciousness was born from a side dish that I have been trying to make for about 6 months. Every time I would buy the baby bok choy, it would wind up going bad and my plan was foiled. Very sad.

This time I scheduled the meal for early in the week so the baby bok choy would be fresh and perfect. Mission accomplished!

Baby-Bok-Choy-Soba-1

Ingredients
1 package of Soba Noodles
1 lb baby bok choy, bottoms trimmed
1 cup chopped green onions, white and green parts
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 – 1/2 cup cashews
4 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp. dark sesame oil
1/4 cup of A Taste of Thai Sweet Red Chili Sauce

Directions:

  1. Cook noodles according to package.
  2. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for about a minute, then add the bok choy and garlic. Cover, lower heat and cook until the bok choy is wilted.
  3. Add the noodles, 2 tbsp of olive oil, sesame oil sweet red chili sauce and cashews to the pan and toss well.
  4. Split equally into bowls and top with chopped green onion.

As always, enjoy!

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Creamy Red Pepper Pasta

29 May

Creamy-Red-Pepper-Pasta-2

We rented our place last week so I’m finally able to cook again! These short weeks really throw me off. I work best when I have a regular schedule. Normally I go to the grocery store on Monday morning, but we were gone for the holiday so I had to go today. Really strange for me. On top of everything, Michael is going to San Francisco on Friday which threw me off even further. So now I’m off my schedule, Michael’s leaving and I have to start packing up our house. Yay for me!

Creamy-Red-Pepper-Pasta-3

This recipe was born from a state of complete disarray. As I said, I’m kind of a mess and needed something delicious and easy. Honestly, this couldn’t be any easier.

Ingredients:
Serves 2
2 red peppers, roasted, seeded and peeled
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp mascarpone cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 lb whole wheat pasta
3 tbsp fresh basil, julienned
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

    1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the peppers on a baking sheet and roast until well charred. Remove from the peppers from the oven and cover with a large pot. Allow the peppers to steam for 10 minutes. Seed and peel the peppers.
    2. Cook the pasta according to package.
    3. Add the peppers, mascarpone cheese, both garlic cloves and 1 tbsp olive oil to a blender. Mix until well combined.
    4. Heat remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the asparagus and saute until tender. Remove from heat.
    5. When the pasta is just about cooked, add the sauce to the pan with the asparagus and warm over medium heat. Add the drained pasta and toss until well combined. Add the basil and toss.
    6. Top with parmesan cheese and some fresh basil.

As always, enjoy!

Creamy-Red-Pepper-Pasta-1

Tags: , , , , , ,

Roasted Garlic Salad Dressing

8 Apr

Roasted-Garlic-Salad-Dressing

I was talking to a friend of mine a couple of weeks ago and she asked if I could do a post about salad dressing. She had been looking for a dressing without unknown ingredients and was left without a whole lot of options. So off to the kitchen I went to work on a healthier salad dressing.

Just a word of warning, reduce the amount of garlic if you want a more subtle garlic flavor. I felt like the garlic really developed once I put it in the refrigerator.

Ingredients:
1 single serve 2% plain greek yogurt
1 head roasted garlic
1 tbsp honey
9 shakes Italian Seasoning
1 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp water or more, as needed

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400o.
  2. Peel off the outer layers of the garlic and cut about 1/4 inch off the top. Place the garlic on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes.
  3. Once the garlic cools, squeeze the cloves into a blender along with all the ingredients except the water. Blend until well combined.
  4. Add the water and blend until you have your desired consistency.

As always, enjoy!

Tags: , , , , ,

Spanakopita

20 Mar

Spanakopita

While at the gym a while back the Barefoot Contessa was on one of the TVs and she was making individual spanakopitas. They looked delicious but I had completely forgotten about them by the time I got home. It dawned on me while planning my meals for the week, that I should make spanakopita. So, I powered up google, did a little research and came up with this amazing mess!

Ingredients:
11/2 lbs spinach
1 large onion, chopped
2 bunches green onions, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp nutmeg
8 oz crumbled feta cheese
24 sheets of phyllo dough (half for the top and half for the bottom)
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375o.
  2. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Saute the onion until clear, about 5 minutes. Add the green onions and spinach and saute until the spinach is wilted.
  3. In a bowl, beat the eggs and add the spinach mixture, feta cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Mix well.
  4. Lay 1 of the phyllo sheets out on a flat surface and carefully brush olive oil across the top. Lay the sheet into the baking dish and repeat with the remaining 12 sheets.
  5. Pour the spinach mixture into the baking dish.
  6. Lay 1 sheet of the remaining phyllo dough on the flat surface and brush olive oil on the top of each sheet and layering them to form the top.
  7. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

As always, enjoy!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,