Asparagus with Lemon Vinaigrette

Adapted from Melissa D'Arabian

In an attempt to eat healthy, I've been trying to cook vegetables with each entree (meat/seafood, etc.). Asparagus is so easy and fast - how can you not love it? I really enjoyed this vinaigrette and would easily use it on a salad as well. It's a little tart, but I love tart :)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 pound fresh asparagus, woody stems removed
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablepoon Dijon mustard
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Bring a skillet filled half full with salted water to boil. Dump in asparagus all at once. When water returns to the boil, cook asparagus until crisp-tender, about 1 to 3 minutes, depending on size. While this is cooking, mix together the mustard, lemon, and olive oil. Drain the asparagus and top with salt and pepper. Pour the vinaigrette over the asparagus. 

Sweet & Salty Bacon Wrapped Scallops (with Prosciutto Asparagus)

Courtesy of allrecipes.com

First of all, Nick found this recipe and has made it twice for me. Every time I devour these scallops. I know I've posted bacon wrapped scallops on the blog before, but this is my new go-to recipe. They are just heaven. It's a nice combination of sweet and salty, and who doesn't love something wrapped in bacon?  I went the extra mile and decided to make asparagus..and keeping with the theme, wrapped it in prosciutto!

• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 12 large sea scallops, halved
• 12 slices smoked bacon, halved
• 24 toothpicks
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

1. Stir together maple syrup, soy sauce, and Dijon mustard in a bowl until smooth. Add the scallops, and toss to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and marinate at least one hour.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with a sheet of aluminum foil.
3. Arrange bacon pieces on baking sheet so they do not overlap. Bake in preheated oven until some of the grease has rendered out of the bacon; the bacon should still be very soft and pliable, about 8 minutes. Remove bacon from the baking sheet and pat with paper towels to remove excess grease. Drain or wipe grease from the baking sheet.
4. Wrap each scallop piece with a piece of bacon, and secure with a toothpick. Place onto baking sheet. Sprinkle the scallops with brown sugar.
5. Bake in preheated oven until the scallops are opaque and the bacon is crisp, 10 to 15 minutes, turning once.

For the asparagus, simply snap off the ends of fresh asparagus. I peeled the stalks a bit this time. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake in the oven at 375 for approximately 10 minutes. Take out and wrap each stem with a piece of prosciutto. I usually tear each piece of prosciutto in two pieces. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake for another 10 minutes or so. YUM. This is a good snack.

Ginger Lime Swordfish

Adapted from Cooking Light

Swordfish is one of those things I only eat if fresh...and it's rarely available when I'm at the grocery store. It always reminds me of the beach because I usually order it at restaurants during the summer on vacation! I came across fresh swordfish on Saturday and couldn't resist. This dish was easy and turned out SO yummy. I highly recommend broiling this, as the recipe states. It cooked perfectly. I just modified a few of the ingredient amounts. I served this with steamed asparagus.

• 2 teaspoons grated lime rind
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons bottled fresh ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons minced green onion (didn't have on hand, so made without)
• 2 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
• 4 (6-ounce) swordfish steaks (about 3/4 inch thick)
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Asparagus spears (portion out as desired)

Preheat the broiler. I cooked mine on high. Combine first 7 ingredients in a small saucepan. Sprinkle swordfish with salt and pepper. Dip each steak into the lime mixture to coat. Place fish on a broiling pan coated with cooking spray. I actually used aluminum foil on the broiling pan to make less of a mess. Broil 10-15 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.While fish cooks, place lime juice mixture over medium heat; cook until reduced by half (about 8 minutes). Serve sauce with fish and asparagus.

Prosciutto & Asparagus Risotto

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

Risotto is a little intimidating at first (well, to me at least), but it's actually pretty simple -- it's just a bit time consuming. You must stand at the stove during all of the cooking time, but it's so worth it :) The best thing about risotto is you can start with a generic base and add whatever ingredients you want! Tonight I was in the mood for prosciutto and asparagus...mmmm.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (I prefer Pinot Grigio)
1 shallot, diced (or small onion)
3 cups chicken broth
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 pound asparagus, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
3 slices prosciutto, cut into strips about 3/4 inch
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan

Bring the broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan over moderately low heat and cook the shallot, stirring occasionally, until soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add wine and simmer, stirring constantly, until absorbed, about 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup of the hot broth, the salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper and simmer, stirring constantly, until broth is absorbed. Continue simmering and adding hot broth, about 3/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing the broth to be absorbed before adding more, until rice is almost tender and creamy-looking, about 18 minutes.

Add the asparagus and cook just until the vegetables are hot. Stir in the prosciutto and parmesan.

*Note: If the risotto is too thick, add more broth to thin it out...or wine :)

Grilled Salmon, Pancetta & Ranch Packets

Adapted from Rachael Ray

I love salmon, and bacon, and ranch...so this was like love at first sight. The original Rachael Ray recipe called for bacon, but I used pancetta instead. I had some Boar's Head pancetta on hand (delicious) and I highly suggest using that if possible. It had so much more flavor than regular bacon. It's pretty salty, so if you use pancetta, I would not add anymore salt. The recipe also called for an outdoor grill to cook this, but my high-rise doesn't quite allow that -- so I opted for baking it. It was so tender and delicious! (I halved this recipe, didn't exactly "measure" the toppings, and had the nice seafood man at Teeter take the skin off for me!)

• Four 6-ounce, 1-inch-thick salmon fillets, skin on and at room temperature
• 1/2 cup good ranch dressing (I've fallen in love with Cindy's Kitchen Buttermilk Ranch - Whole Foods)
• 1/4 pound pancetta, cooked and crumbled
• 1/4 crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tomatoes, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut four 8-by-12-inch sheets of heavy-duty foil. Place each salmon fillet skin side down on a sheet; season with pepper, top each with 2 tablespoons ranch dressing, 1 tablespoon pancetta and 1 tablespoon feta. Fold up the sides of the foil, leaving the top exposed.

Place in the oven on a broiler sheet and cook until almost opaque in the thickest part, approximately 10 minutes. Serve topped with the tomatoes.

Roasted Carrots & Asparagus (best to do this before cooking the salmon)
In an attempt to eat more meat and vegetables, I decided to roast some carrots and asparagus. This was very simple -- trim the carrots and asparagus, spray a baking dish with PAM, cover vegetables with a drizzle of olive oil, a dash of salt, pepper and italian seasoning, drizzle with balsamic vinegarette. Bake at 375 for approximately 25 minutes. Cover with foil to keep warm if necessary.

Ginger Soy Glazed Mahi Mahi with Asparagus & Oranges

Courtesy of Coastal Living
Fish is one of my favorite things to cook -- it's healthy, quick, and usually very tasty. The key is to buy fresh, good quality fish. I actually prefer Harris Teeter because they have weekly specials and I always go for what is fresh that week, or on the day(s) that I go (which is way too often in one week). Mahi Mahi is one of those fishes I tend to get at restaurants, but not make on my own. I'm not sure why -- maybe because it's usually pretty expensive. In any event, I purchased it this week and it was delicious! I think this sauce/recipe would be good with any somewhat firm white fish. I decided to add some asparagus since I had some on hand, and would have liked to have some rice, but there was just no time! I was too hungry.

Mahi Mahi

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 (6- to 8-ounce) mahi mahi fillets, about 1 inch thick

Whisk together first 4 ingredients in a small bowl until well combined. Set aside. Heat canola oil and sesame oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute or until fragrant. Stir in soy sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Add fish fillets; cook, covered, 4 minutes. Carefully turn fillets over using a spatula, cover, and cook 3 to 5 additional minutes. Transfer fillets to serving plates, and drizzle each evenly with the pan sauce. Serve immediately.

Asparagus

• 1 to 1 1/4 pounds asparagus spears
• 2 navel oranges
• 1-inch fresh ginger root
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (I didn't have these on hand, so left them out)

Let me start by saying, I screwed up the oranges in terms of how you were supposed to cut them. Things got a little messy, so I just decided to wing it -- therefore, mine do not look AS pretty :)

Using a peeler, make thin long strips of orange zest from both oranges. Cut the ends off the zested oranges and stand them up right on a cutting board. Remove the pith in strips using sharp knife and cutting down from the top of the orange. Discard the pith. When the oranges are both peeled and trimmed, turn them on their sides and slice into 1/4-inch rounds, cross sectioning the whole. Set the orange disks aside. In a skillet with a cover, bring 1-inch water to a boil with the zest of the oranges and grated fresh gingerroot. Allow the orange zest and ginger to simmer for at least 1 minute then add salt and asparagus spears. Simmer the spears 3 to 5 minutes until just tender. Drain the asparagus. Discard the orange zest and ginger. Sprinkle sesame seeds over asparagus and oranges.

Pan Seared Filet with Cabernet Sauce

Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

I just moved over the weekend and last night was the first time I was able to cook in the new kitchen! What better meal to break it in than filet mignon? I decided to make some asparagus and potatoes as well, because they just naturally seem to go well with steak :)  My boyfriend, aka new roommate, also worked an extremely long day, so I thought coming home to a steak dinner could be nice. Cooking with wine also gives me an excuse to drink the wine, minor detail. I did scale this recipe in half, and it turned out just fine!

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) chilled butter
• 4 filet mignon steaks (each about 4 ounces
• 1/3 cup chopped shallots
• 2/3 cup Cabernet Sauvignon
• 1 generous tablespoon drained capers
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle both sides of steaks with salt and generous amount of ground black pepper. Add to skillet and cook to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium. (This actually took me a bit longer to cook b/c the filets were thick -- adjust as necessary.) Transfer steaks to 4 plates. Tent with foil. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots; sauté 1 minute. Add wine, capers, and mustard; simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in parsley. Reduce heat to medium-low. Whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Spoon over steaks.

Roasted Potatoes
Take about 12 small golden potatoes and half them (you could also use red). Coat a baking dish with Pam and drizzle a little olive oil over the potatoes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Rosemary Herb Seasoning (or whichever seasoning you prefer, but rosemary works nicely). Bake at 375 for approximately 35 minutes. Stick a fork in the potatoes to ensure they are tender.

Asparagus
Portion this out however you would like. Snap the spears at their natural snapping point. Place into a Ziploc Steamer bag if you have these on hand -- they are wonderful. Drizzle a little olive oil, salt and pepper into the bag. Steam for about 1.5 minutes. If you do not have steamer bags, simply broil these in the oven for a couple of minutes, or bake them.

Seared Scallops with Lemon Orzo and Asparagus

Tonight, I had a hot date with Kaiser and made her dinner :) Since we both enjoy seafood, I decided to keep up the trend of cooking it. I found another great recipe on Cooking Light and decided to check it out. I must say, from now on, I will always cook orzo this way...so full of flavor! YUM. I could make a meal out of just that, but I decided to serve the scallops too, and top it all off with asparagus...seeing green on my plate makes me feel more healthy :)

Ingredients:

• 1/2  cup  pre-chopped onion (or shallot)
• 1  cup  uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
• 1  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2  cup  dry white wine
• 1/4  teaspoon  dried thyme
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh chives (I had green onions on hand and used those)
• 2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
• 2  teaspoons  olive oil
• 1 1/2  pounds  sea scallops
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
• bunch of asparagus

Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in pasta, broth, wine, and thyme; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and pasta is al dente. Stir in chopped chives and lemon juice. Keep warm.

Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Pat scallops dry and sprinkle scallops evenly with salt and pepper. Add scallops to pan; cook 3-4 minutes on each side. Serve with pasta mixture.

Prepare the asparagus however you prefer - steamed, baked, grilled, broiled, etc. I chose to bake the asparagus for about 10 minutes in a dish with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. I then drizzled balsamic dressing over them once they were out of the oven. Serve with scallops and orzo.