Main Dishes
End of Summer Risotto
Do you love Risotto? Do you love Summer?
Well friends, let me tell you…… if the answer was yes to either one of those questions, you WILL LOVE this recipe!
For some reason, I have always loved veggies. That’s not to say that I eat them all the time, or I’m a vegetarian (I tried to be a couple of times and FAILED MISERABLY!………….BOTH ………TIMES!)
I just haven’t met a vegetable I didn’t like. I have asked my mother what she did differently during her pregnancy with me, but she wouldn’t give me the secret, so alas, I have not been able to recreate this my own kiddos.
I have to say that while this wasn’t a hit with all 3 of the kids, it WAS with one and Mom and Dad. (*So maybe I got the pregnancy secret down with one of the kids and not the others, right? LOL!)
For some who aren’t familiar with risotto, it is basically rice that you cook slowly and add liquid and other ingredients too that in the end, becomes a rich, creamy, thick rice dish. In other words, YUMMY!
I cannot claim this recipe for my own. I got it from one of my go to Cookbooks, Cooking Light: Good Mood Food.
I always seem to tweak my recipes just a little, so it never ends up exactly like the original, but that’s ok with me. 😉
I really think you are going to love this!
Here you go!
Recipe: End of Summer Risotto
• 6 cups of water
• 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 3/4 in. pieces
• 1 3/4 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup uncooked Arborio Rice
• 1 cup Frozen Shelled Edamame
• 1/2 Kosher Salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 2 oz. (1/3 – less- fat cream cheese (about 1/4 cup)
• 1/2 Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 oz. Shredded Parmesan (about 1/4 cup) * You can find this in the pre-shredded packaged cheese in your grocery store.
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme or * Dried Thyme works just fine! Just remember to reduce the amount. Dried is stronger than fresh.
Directions:
– Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a saucepan. Add asparagus, and cook 2 minutes. Drain. Bring 2 cups water and chicken broth to a simmer in a saucepan.
– Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add olive oil, and swirl to coat. Add onions; cook 4 minutes. Add garlic, and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in rice, edamame, and salt; cook 1 minute. Stir in 1 cup broth mixture,; cook 4 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add remaining broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until liquid is absorbed before adding more ( about 20 minutes total.)
– Stir in asparagus, cream cheese, and pepper; cook 1 minute.
– Spoon risotto into a large serving bowl, OR * 4 individual bowls if main dish. Top the large bowl with 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese or 1 Tbsp. of the parmesan if you are serving in individual bowls.
– Sprinkle with Thyme.
SERVES: 4 if serving as main dish, and much more if serving as side.
SIDE NOTE:
I loved this so much, I had it the next day with left overs! For dinner the night before, we served it with Grilled Chicken. So for left overs, I made it a single bowl full of yumminess!
I ended up with left over Risotto, Grilled Chicken, and added Wilted Kale over top. I love pepper too so I got a little heavy handed on that end, but oh my word!
So So Good!
Hope you enjoy!
XoXo,
Esther
Salmon Chowder
I know that you can eat fish pretty much any time of the year, but let’s be honest, it’s the best during the Summertime, right? When I think of fish in general, I think of the ocean and that usually leads me to thinking of the beach and that ultimately is the goal for most of us during the Summer!
If you love Salmon as much as I do, YOU MUST TRY THIS RECIPE! This might not seem like it would be very “kid friendly”, but I swear….. my little BABIES eat this up!
Maybe they are just weird or maybe they just can’t taste the salmon, or ……. yeah, maybe they are just weird………. 😉
Regardless the case, they really do love this one!
Salmon is probably one of the healthiest kinds of fish out there. The best part is that this meal is very light too!
Check out the Recipe below!
Recipe: Salmon Chowder
• 1 lb. fresh skinless Salmon
• 1 – 2 Tbsp. of Olive Oil
• 2 cups Shredded Carrots
• 1 cup Chopped Onions
• 1/2 cup Thinly Sliced Celery
• 2 1/2 cups Cubed Red- Skinned Potatoes
• 4 cups Reduced-Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1 (16 oz.) package Frozen Corn
• 1 Tsp. Fresh Chopped Dill Weed , plus more for Garnish (Optional)
• 1/4 Tsp. Salt
• 2 Cups Milk (I used Skim)
• 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch (for thickening)
• Water for Poaching Salmon
Directions:
• Rinse Salmon and pat dry. Set aside.
• In large pot, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. Cook and stir carrots , celery, and onion in hot oil about 10-12 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, in another large pot, bring water (about 2 cups) to a boil. Add salmon. Return to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 6 to 8 minutes or until the salmon flakes easily with a fork. Remove salmon, flake into 1 inch size pieces and set aside. Discard water.
• Stir the broth, potatoes, corn, dill, and salt into cooked veggies. Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to medium low heat . Cook, covered, for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.
• Stir together 1/2 cup of the milk and cornstarch. Add milk mixture to pot.
• Stir in remaining 1 1/2 cups milk to pot.
• Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and slightly bubbly. ( about 5-6 minutes)
• Gently stir in poached salmon and heat through.
• Serve in bowls and top with additional fresh dill.
• Goes GREAT with Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread!
ENJOY!
XOXO,
Esther
Chili Mac and Cheese
The other day, I was thinking back to when Z and I first got together. I was a young new bride and didn’t know much about cooking.
So, I did what any other sane person would do……..
I went for the man’s heart and I bought Hamburger Helper! Awe yeah! You know you do did too! Right????
I remember being in the grocery store and thinking……..”Man! They have a million different varieties! They have Cheesy Hamburger Helper, Hamburger Stroganoff, Bacon Cheeseburger, Cheesy Broccoli.” *It was like I was in that scene from Forrest Gump….. Shrimp creole…..
One for every night of the week! I had totally SCORED!
Fast forward 11 years later and the man can hardly look at a box of it without his stomach turning.
I have to say though, this homemade Chili Mac and Cheese recipe conquered his fear had him coming back for more. Your’s will too…. not to mention your kids will love it as well!
From the cheesy macaroni,
To the diced tomatoes with green chiles. Your family will be hooked with the first bite.
The only thing I can suggest is that you may just want to double the recipe!
*Now, the only thing I need to work on is his fear of Shake-N-Bake!
Recipe: Chili Mac and Cheese
– 1 lb. Ground Beef
– 1 tsp. Canola Oil
– 2 tsp. Chili Powder
– 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
– 1 tsp. Cumin
– 2 cups Lower Sodium Beef Broth
– 1 cup Water
– 1 (10oz) can Mild Diced Tomatoes and Green Chiles, Undrained
– 12 oz. Uncooked Elbow Macaroni (*Go for whole wheat if you can find it!)
– 1/2 cup Fat-Free Milk
– 4 oz. 1/3-less-fat Cream Cheese (about 1/2 cup)
– 4 1/2 oz. Reduced- Fat Finely Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Directions:
– Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil, and swirl to coat. Add beef , chili powder, garlic powder, and cumin. Cook meat until no longer pink and cooked through. Drain Meat in a colander.
– Return meat to pot and add broth, water, and tomatoes. Bring to a Boil.
– Stir in macaroni, cover and cook 10 minutes or until macaroni is done.
– Heat milk and cream cheese in a saucepan over medium heat.
– Cook 4 minutes or until cheese melts stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
– Stir in cheddar.
– Add cheese sauce to macaroni mixture and toss well.
– Serve immediately. Goes great with Roasted Broccoli or Salad!
I’m Back, JACK! …….. and I got some Vodka Sauce to go with it!
Whoo! It has been a long time since I have been able to type on these pretty pages.
It’s not my fault though, it’s my HUSBAND”S FAULT!!!
Let me explain:
First, he goes and get’s me hooked on Breaking Bad. Did I mention that I had never seen a single episode? He tells me, “Don’t worry sweetie. Netflix has all of them and you can watch them all there!”
Word of advice: Never watch it! You will become consumed and it will take over your life.
Well, I finally finished all the episodes and I was done. Life was worth living again and I was fine.
Enter: Sons of Anarchy!
Again! My husband says, “You have to watch this! Netflix has all of them too!”
“NO!”, I said.
“Just watch one episode and you don’t have to watch anymore”, he says.
Five seasons later (*Don’t judge me!), I am finally alive again and not living in a leather made world of tattoos and motorcycles. (*Except for on Tuesday nights when the current season comes on…….)
I have neglected you and I feel bad about it.
SO!
As a peace offering, I give you this:
The easiest ever Shrimp Fettuccine in Vodka Sauce!
Now, I was going to try and make my own Vodka Sauce, but by the time I added up all the ingredients that I would need to make my own, it just seemed more reasonable to go another route.
I am a very practical girl and I’m not afraid to use a bottled sauce every now and again.
I usually buy Bertolli products when I purchase my pasta, so since they had a Vodka Sauce, I decided to go with them.
So so yummy!
I used shrimp and a lot of it because my family is what you call BIG EATERS, but you could definitely use chicken.
Best part is that this is probably a 20 minute meal!
Not to mention that it only has 5 ingredients and the whole family will LOVE IT!
Here you go!
Recipe: Shrimp Fettuccine in Vodka Sauce
Ingredients:
– 1 – 2 lbs. of Raw Medium Shrimp, peeled ( I used 2 only because I have a family of 5 and they eat A LOT!) or 1 lb. Chicken Breast, cut into cubes in place of Shrimp
– 16 oz. Fettuccine
– 2 tbsp. Olive Oil ( I use extra virgin)
– 2 (24oz) jars of Vodka Sauce (*I used Bertolli) *I USED 2 JARS BECAUSE I HAD 2 LBS. OF SHRIMP, BUT YOU COULD DEFINITELY USE 1 JAR) OR still use 2 jars if you like a lot of Sauce.
– 2 tbsp. fresh chopped Basil (Optional)
Directions:
– Cook Fettuccine according to package directions.
– Meanwhile, heat a large skillet on medium heat.
– Add Olive Oil and Shrimp and saute 4 minutes or until shrimp are cooked and are no longer opaque. *Try not to overcook shrimp! Set aside.
– In the same skillet, heat Vodka Sauce and let simmer for 10 minutes.
– Return cooked Shrimp to pan with sauce and add cooked Fettuccine.
– Top with chopped fresh Basil.
– Serve immediately.
*NOTE: If using Chicken, cut chicken into cubes and saute’ in place of shrimp about 6 to 7 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and cooked through. Continue with recipe.
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
You must be logged in to post a comment.