Scallop & Snow Pea Purses with Orange Miso Sauce

Courtesy of Clean Eating Magazine
http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/recipes/scallop-snow-pea-purses-with-orange-miso-sauce

As most of you know, it has been WAY too long since I've cooked and posted anything on the blog! In the last month, we have moved places and both gotten new jobs -- just a little busy. We finally are both in town this week (and super happy about it). I was like a kid in the candy shop this afternoon when I went to the grocery store -- and this meal was super delicious! What a great meal to kick off our routine again...hopefully we can stick to it for a bit! This was also my first shot at cooking with parchment paper as well, but turned out great!

This recipe came out of the Clean Eating magazine. I had no idea how much flavor this recipe would have, and my husband has now announced it's in his all time top 10 recipes I've ever made! Woo hoo - give it a shot! You won't regret it.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups snow peas, trimmed (about 8 oz.)
• 1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks (I actually used 2 carrots)
• 1 1/2 tb white miso paste
• 1 tb peeled and minced ginger
• 2 tsp orange zest, plus 1 tb fresh orange juice
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 1/2 tsp rice wine (NOTE: this is also known as Chinese cooking wine or Shaoxing. You can also substitute with sake.)
• 1 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1 lb bay scallops, patted dry (I used the larger sea scallops since they were fresh and just cut them in half)
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions (white and green parts)
• 1 tb sesame seeds (I ran out of these, so left out)
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• Butcher's twine

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Soak 4 5" pieces of twine in water. Cut 4 15" pieces of parchment paper. Mound one quarter each of the carrots and snow peas in the center of the parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the miso paste, ginger, orange zest and juice, sesame oil, rice wine, and soy sauce. Add the scallops and gently toss to coat. Scoop one quarter of the scallop mixture on top of the snow pea and carrot mixture. Sprinkle with green onions, sesame seeds and black pepper.

Package up all 4 corners of the parchment paper and tie with one piece of soaked butcher's twine into a packet. Repeat for all 4 packets. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until scallops are opaque throughout and the vegetables are tender, which should take about 15 minutes. 

 Before (pictured above)

After (pictured above)

Pork Chops with Shallots and Mustard Sauce

Adapted from Rachael Ray

Apparently I've been on a pork chop kick recently - hence my last two posts on this blog. I can't help it; I love pork chops - especially the thick cut chops, and you can buy them so lean! I saw this recipe made on the Rachael Ray show - she used bone-in, which I normally would have, but these looked better in the store today. So, they worked out just fine! You could definitely use this sauce on chicken as well -- it was very tasty!!! I'm planning on having the leftover sauce for lunch tomorrow on grilled chicken - can't wait! This was fairly easy once you prep all of the vegetables to cut up - so it shouldn't take super long to prepare on a weeknight. I served this with canned green beans from my grandmother - not pictured. Enjoy!

Note: the recipe below is for my adaptation of the recipe

Ingredients:

4 pork chops, each about 1 to 1 1/4-inches thick (boneless or bone-in)

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 large shallots, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

2 springs rosemary leaves, stripped and chopped

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup chicken stock

3 tablespoons capers in brine, drained

2 rounded tablespoons grainy mustard

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Season the pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper. In a large, cast-iron skillet, heat the oil, three turns of the pan, over medium-high. When the oil ripples and smokes, add the chops and cook until browned, 2 minutes per side. Using tongs, lift the chops and brown them on the edges; transfer to a plate. Add the shallots, garlic and rosemary to the skillet. Cook, stirring often, until the shallots soften, 1-2 minutes. Add the wine and stir until evaporated, about 1 minute more. Add the stock, capers, mustard and butter; swirling the pan to incorporate. Add the parsley then slide the pork chops back into the pan. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast until the pork is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Spoon some sauce from the skillet onto each plate. 

Source: http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/recipes/22094_bone_in_pork_chops_with_shallots_mustard_sauce_and_watercress/

Smoky Pork Chop with Grilled Asparagus Salad

Adapted from Redbook 

Who doesn't love the flavor of smoke when you combine it with a pork chop?! If only it were grilling season, this would definitely be at the top of my list. Don't fret - you can still make this inside, and it's still very tasty! This was extremely quick and easy, and I grabbed the grilled asparagus salad that I love from Whole Foods to go with it vs. the avocado salad listed in the original recipe. I love avocados, but that particular night, it just wasn't on my mind! This was a great recipe - give it a try!

Ingredients:

1 tsp finely ground coffee (I used bold Starbucks - Thanksgiving blend)

1 Tbsp dark brown sugar

1 tsp coriander

1/8 tsp cayenne

1/4 tsp garlic powder

kosher salt and pepper

4 bone-in pork chops, trimmed of fat

grilled asparagus salad (in prepared food section of Whole Foods)

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix the first 6 ingredients, plus salt to taste. Rub the pork chops with the oil, then the spice blend. Grill on medium-high heat 5-7 minutes per side until desired “doneness”.

Seared Scallops with Pesto Zoodles & Noodles

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

Sometimes dinner doesn't go as planned. I had quite the drive home today from work, so I needed something remotely healthy for dinner, but also somewhat fast! The scallops were fresh at the grocery store, so I couldn't resist. I knew I wanted to serve the scallops over zoodles (zucchini noodles - yum), but I did not have enough for both my husband and I...then I saw regular pasta noodles in the cabinet! I decided to toss a few rigatoni in with the zoodles, and then top with the seared scallops. It wasn't AS healthy as I had hoped, but it was a great combination! I also didn't have time to make my own pesto, but a good quality, store bought pesto will do just fine! Enjoy!

Serves 2 people

Ingredients:
1 cup rigatoni pasta, cooked al dente
2 zucchini, spiralized into noodles (you could use 4 zucchini if you don't want to use pasta)
~1/3 cup pesto sauce (I used the kind found in the refrigerated section)
.75 pound sea scallops (this was about 10 good sized scallops for me)
dash of Italian seasoning for scallops
dash of salt for boiling water
dash of lemon juice
1-2 tb olive oil

Directions:
Pat the scallops dry and sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Heat 1-2 tb olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Boil two pots of water with a pinch of salt in each - one for the pasta and one for the zucchini noodles. Sear the scallops on each side for ~3 minutes to brown them. Turn the heat down to medium and cook for an additional 2 minutes or so. Boil the pasta until cooked al dente, and throw the zucchini noodles in last minute - they'll only take a couple of minutes. Once done, drain the pasta and zoodles and place back in one of the pots. Mix in the pesto sauce and season if necessary. Serve in a pasta bowl and top with the seared scallops.

Broiled Haddock with Tomatoes & Capers

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

Who doesn't love a quick and easy weeknight meal? This dinner was very easy to make and healthy at the same time! You can use a variety of fish in this dish as well, but I'd probably recommend a white fish. The sauce was also great on the side of green beans I made (just heated up canned green beans from my family's garden with some salt and pepper). Enjoy!

Ingredients:
~ 4 servings of fish filets (I had 2 very large filets of haddock)
1 can Hunt's Fire-Roasted diced tomatoes, with garlic
1 handful of capers (adjusted based on your liking)
1/4 cup white wine (I'd recommend something dry)
dash of salt and pepper
olive oil, enough to brush on the filets

Directions:
Salt and pepper the fish and brush with olive oil. Set the oven to Broil and place the rack about 6 inches from the broiler. While the fish is broiling, heat the tomatoes in a pan with the capers. Add the wine and reduce until the sauce thickens a bit. Depending on your taste, you may want to add a tb of sugar into the mixture or use a sweeter wine to mix in. Simmer a couple of minutes and top the fish once the fish is done broiling. The fish should take around 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness.

Healthy Turkey (or Beef) Chili

Adapted from www.ambitiouskitchen.com

We live in the Northern VA area, and this past weekend we experienced the Blizzard of 2016! The question is - will there be others this winter?! It was quite the blizzard and we got about two feet of snow. My first thought was that I needed to make chili! I found this recipe and it caught my eye because it used ground turkey. However, the store was running out of everything, so I used lean ground beef instead -- so we'll still consider this healthy. This really turned out well - we topped ours with some unhealthy toppings, but we couldn't resist! Definitely give this one a try!

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

1 pound extra lean ground turkey, chicken, or lean ground beef (I used 93/7 beef)

4 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 1/4 cups chicken broth

1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15 oz) can sweet corn, rinsed and drained

For topping: cheese, tortilla chips, and sour cream

Directions:

Place oil in a large pot and place over medium high heat. Add in onion, garlic and red pepper and saute for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently. Next add in ground meat and break it up; cooking until no longer pink. Next add in chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper and salt; stir for about 20 seconds. Next add in tomatoes, chicken broth, kidney beans, black beans and corn. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes or until chili thickens and flavors come together. Taste and adjust seasonings and salt as necessary. Garnish with anything you'd like.

Cajun Catfish

Courtesy of Plated Perfection 

Obviously, I'm not done with New Orleans flavors yet! One of my closest friends, all the way back to college, came over for dinner. We were looking for a healthy dinner, so I immediately thought of fish and veggies of course. Whole Foods had some fresh, local catfish that looked outstanding. I bought about 1.25 pounds, which served 3 nice servings (can't wait to have the 3rd for lunch this week). This was super easy to make - definitely give it a shot. You could switch out the fish no problem, and even the seasoning blend. To make this a simple weeknight meal, I bought some of the prepared vegetables from Whole Foods which I love. Enjoy!

Servings: 3 (6oz-8oz servings)

Ingredients:
fresh catfish filets (I cut mine into 3 servings)
~3-4 tb cajun seasoning (I eyeballed this, so use as much as you want)
~2 tb garlic chive butter (purchased from seafood counter at Whole Foods)
~1 cup flour
~1tb vegetable oil
juice of lime to top fish, optional

Directions:
Mix the cajun spice into the flour in a shallow bowl. Dredge the fish on both sides in the flour mixture and set aside. Heat the oil and butter in a saute pan over high heat. Brown one side of the fish for approximately 4 minutes. Turn the fish and cook on the other side for about 4-5 minutes, turning the heat down to medium-low after both sides are brown. Top with juice of a lime or lemon and serve with vegetables.