Lobster Vegetable Spaghetti

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

Lobster. Yum. Harris Teeter, my BFF, had buy one get one free lobster tails...obviously those went in my basket! Usually we broil them (Nick broils them), but this go around I wanted to do something different and had some vegetables to use up. I decided to throw some zucchini and carrots into the mix. I decided to wing the sauce, and it came out well! My only improvement for next time would maybe be to add more ingredients for more sauce but this was sufficient! I'm just obsessed with sauce. This is definitely a great spring or summer treat!

Ingredients:
2 lobster tails, approximately 4 ounces each
dash of lemon pepper seasoning
dash of garlic powder with parsley seasoning
1 tb olive oil
2 tb butter, each tb used separately
1 large garlic clove, diced
1/2 cup carrots, sliced in halves
1/2 cup zucchini, sliced in halves
3 fresh basil leaves, roughly torn or chopped
approximately 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (I used grated)
1/2 pound pasta (I used spaghetti)
1/2 cup white wine
1 lemon, juiced
dash of Italian seasoning

Directions:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta as directed.

Cut the shell of the lobster tails down the middle. Gently pull away the meat as much as possible. Rub a little butter on each tail and sprinkle each tail with a dash of lemon pepper and garlic powder. Broil on high for approximately 5-10 minutes (depending on size). Once done, remove the meat from the shells, cut into pieces, and set aside.

While the water is coming to a boil, heat 1 tb butter and 1 tb olive oil in a skillet. Cook the zucchini and carrots until barely crisp or beginning to get tender (your own preference). Remove from heat. Bring the pan back to a medium heat and add the garlic. Cook for approximately 2 minutes making sure not to brown. Toss in the white wine and lemon juice and bring to a simmer to reduce down if need be. I decided to use all of the liquid, so I added the lobster meat, Italian seasoning, a dash of pepper, and stirred together. Remove from heat. Toss in the pasta, vegetables, basil, and cheese. Serve and enjoy!

Red Wine, Balsamic & Blue Cheese Filet & Lobster Tail with Zucchini

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

I have a hard time walking away from the fresh meat section at Harris Teeter - and the seafood section, sigh. So, why not get both? This meal wasn't too difficult and you can choose to serve the steak with or without the sauce. I also cooked up some zucchini and diced tomatoes to have on the side. Note: This recipe is for medium cooked filet.

2 filet mignon (mine were about 7 ounces)
2 lobster tails
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup Meritage (you can use a red wine of your choosing)
1.5 tb brown sugar
3 tb butter
approx. 1 tb Montreal steak seasoning
2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
1 zucchini, cubed
1/3 cup diced tomatoes
1 tb Italian seasoning
2 tb olive oil
dash of lemon juice

Steak: Leave the filet mignon out for about 30 minutes to bring to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 500 with an oven proof skillet or cast iron skillet in the oven. Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel. Top each side of the filets with the steak seasoning. When the oven is finished preheating, take the dry skillet out and insert the steaks. Sear approximately 2 minutes per side. Place back in the oven for approximately 4 minutes per side (this may vary depending on the size of steak). Remove from oven, top with the blue cheese (feta also works) and cover the steaks with a foil tent for approximately 10 minutes on a platter.

Sauce: Combine the wine and vinegar and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally. Stir in the brown sugar and 2 tb butter and cook to your desired consistency. I let mine boil for about 10 minutes. Drizzle over the steak.

Lobster Tail: Cut the top shell of each lobster tail down the middle. Pull away the sides a bit. Season each tail with lemon pepper seasoning, a dash of lemon juice, and 1/2 tb butter. Broil on high for approximately 10 minutes until the tails are firm to the touch. Pull out of the shell and top the steak.

Zucchini: I decided to spice up the zucchini with some diced tomatoes. Toss the zucchini in a bowl with 1 tb olive oil and the Italian seasoning. Add the olive oil to a saute pan. Toss in the zucchini and cook for approximately 5-7 minutes until lightly browned. Add in the tomatoes and simmer for another 2-3 minutes.

Skillet Eggs with Squash & Zucchini

Adapted from Food Network Magazine (July/August 2011)

I'm ashamed that I haven't posted anything in as long as it's been! This usually means that I've been bad by eating out, going to too many happy hours, and most likely going out of town on the weekends! However, a lot of fun has been had in the past couple of weeks, but now it's back to the grind and cooking! I decided to make a new breakfast dish since the weekend seems to be the perfect time to do this. One note - your life will be a lot easier if you have a food processor with the shred attachment. This is now my new favorite toy :)

INGREDIENTS:
4 medium summer squash and/or zucchini (I used 2 of each)
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
1 leek, sliced thinly (white and about an inch of the green portion)
1 dash ground red cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
6 large eggs
1/2 cup freshly grated smoked gouda

DIRECTIONS:

Grate the squash into a colander using the large holes of a box grater (or use a food processor fitted with the shredding attachment). Toss with 1 tablespoon salt, then let drain in the sink, 30 to 40 minutes. Squeeze the squash to remove as much liquid as possible.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Set aside 3 tablespoons scallion greens. Add the remaining scallions (white and green parts), the leeks, the cayenne pepper, and salt to taste and cook until the scallions are soft, about 3 minutes. Add the shredded squash and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 7 minutes. Stir in the parsley, nutmeg, and pepper to taste. Cook until the mixture is slightly dry, about 1 more minute. Remove from the heat and let cool, 5 minutes.

Spread the squash evenly in the skillet. Make six indentations in the mixture with the back of a spoon; put 1/2 teaspoon butter in each one. One at a time, crack each egg into a small bowl and pour into an indentation. Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the cheese.

Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the egg whites are set and the yolks are cooked to desired doneness, 10 to 12 minutes. Scatter the reserved scallion greens on top.

Zucchini Boats

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

I love zucchini. Cooking it similar ways usually gets old though. I also love marinara sauce. I thought I'd try to marry these two in perfect harmony. Usually, I would also top this with some Italian bread crumbs and fresh grated parmesan cheese, BUT the boyfriend and I are trying to eat somewhat healthy. So, I used almond meal as an alternative...on top of the marinara of course. That, I will never cut out :) These turned out pretty yummy and it's always fun to eat something a little different!

2 zucchini, cut down the middle length-wise
1 small jar of GOOD marinara sauce (you won't use all of this)
salt and pepper
1 tb olive oil, to brush on zucchini
approx 4 tb almond meal (to cover zucchini)

In each zucchini half, scoop out a portion of the middle. Season with a brush of olive oil and dash of salt and pepper. Bake at 325 for approximately 15 minutes. Take out of the oven and top the middle with marinara and almond meal. Bake for another 10 minutes or so.

Honey Key Lime Chicken & Squash Zucchini Bake

Courtesy of www.allrecipes.com
Let me start off by saying I don't normally have an abundance of key lime juice in my house, but as of this week, it just so happens I do. The juice comes in this great, large bottle so that you can experiment with all kinds of recipes! Key lime pie is on my list for this weekend, but for now, honey key lime chicken! Aside from making sure you can marinate the chicken for at least one hour, this is simple. Ideally, you would grill the chicken outdoors, but since it's February in DC, I baked the chicken this go around. I decided to throw in some squash and zucchini as well, since I had some on hand. All I have to say is the smell of key lime juice baking is MMM MMM GOOD!

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons key lime juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• olive oil to grease the baking dish
• basmati rice

In a resealable plastic bag, mix the key lime juice, honey, garlic, and lemon pepper. Place the chicken in the bag, seal, and shake to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes, turning the bag occasionally.  Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat. Grill the marinated chicken about 8 minutes on each side, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Discard remaining marinade.The other option is to bake the chicken at 350 for about 25 minutes, or you could use a skillet or an indoor grill. I baked it this go around since grilling outdoors isn't exactly an option right now. Cook the basmati rice according to package and place the chicken on top of the rice.

 Squash & Zucchini Bake:

• squash, cut into slices
• zucchini, cut into slices
• approx. 1/2 cup of bread crumbs
• approx. 1/2 cup of shredded Italian blend cheese, or parmesan
• approx. 1 tb olive oil, salt, and lemon pepper 

Saute the vegetables in a skillet with about 1 tb olive oil, and some salt and lemon pepper. Once they get a little tender/brown on the edges, transfer from the heat and place into a dish for the oven. Top with the bread crumbs and cheese. Bake at 350 for approximately 10 minutes or until the cheese melts.