Love to Cook

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Menu Plan 1/18/12 - 2/1/12

Super Stuffed Shells (Emerile Lagasse)

Our family loves this meal. When you look at this recipe seems time consuming but it is quick and easy. I don't make the sauce I substitute it with a jar of spaghetti sauce. This makes it a lot quicker.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 (12-ounce) box jumbo pasta shells (18 to 20 shells)
2 cups finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 pound ground veal (I use ground beef)
1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
15 ounces ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Essence, recipe follows ( I just substitute with Italian seasoning)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Basic Red Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 2-quart casserole dish with 1 teaspoon of olive oil.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt and the pasta shells, and cook until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally with a long-handled spoon to prevent the shells from sticking together. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Drain.

In a medium skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until very soft, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the ground veal and cook, stirring, until cooked and browned. Add the squeezed spinach and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Add the spinach mixture, the extra-virgin olive oil, Essence, remaining teaspoon of salt, the basil, oregano, and pepper, and stir to combine thoroughly. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the spinach-ricotta filling into each cooked pasta shell. Place the filled shells in the prepared dish.

Pour the Basic Red Sauce over the filled shells and top with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, until bubbly, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

Basic Red Sauce:

I usually just substitute this with a jar of spaghetti sauce. It is much quicker and easier. :)

2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 chopped yellow onion
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
16 ounces whole peeled tomatoes, broken into pieces, and their juices
16 ounces tomato sauce
4 teaspoons tomato paste
2/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon sugar

In a medium pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, salt, basil, oregano, and pepper, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, and sugar and stir well. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until thickened and fragrant, 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from the heat and keep warm until ready to use.

Yield: 3 cups

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Stuffed Flounder (All Recipes)

Ingredients

1 whole flounder
1 cup butter, divided
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cups chicken-flavored dry bread stuffing mix
1 (6 ounce) can lump crabmeat
1 (4 ounce) can small shrimp, liquid reserved
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning TM, or to taste
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Lay the fish down dark side up. Make an incision next to the backbone on both sides, stopping before the head and tail. Slip the knife in between the flesh and backbone and run the knife down the ribs on both sides of the backbone.
Melt 1/2 cup of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Saute the onion and celery in the butter until just tender. Place the stuffing mix into a bowl, and stir the onion and celery into it along with the butter in the pan. Mix in the crab and shrimp with their juices, adding a little more liquid, or more stuffing to get a good consistency.
Melt the remaining butter, and brush some of it onto a cookie sheet. Stuff the stuffing mixture into the pockets of the flounder, and place the stuffed fish on the cookie sheet. Brush the outside of the fish with melted butter, and season with the Old Bay and if desired, Cajun seasoning.
Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or just until the flounder flakes easily with a fork.

Lemon-Garlic Shrimp (Food Network)

Ingredients

3/4 cup instant grits
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/4 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails intact
2 large cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes
Juice of 1/2 - 1lemon, plus wedges for serving
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat, covered. Uncover and slowly whisk in the grits, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parmesan and 1 tablespoon butter. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, garlic and cayenne, if using, and cook, tossing, until the shrimp are pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and add 2 tablespoons water, the lemon juice and parsley; stir to coat the shrimp with the sauce and season with salt and pepper.

Divide the grits among shallow bowls and top with the shrimp and sauce. Serve with lemon wedges.

Serves: 4

Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

Ingredients:

1 (2 pound) boneless pork tenderloin (or regular pork loin)

1 teaspoon ground sage

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 cup water

Glaze

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions:

Combine sage, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub over roast. Place in slow cooker with 1/2 cup water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 1 hour before roast is done, combine ingredients for glaze in small sauce pan. Heat and stir until mixture thickens. Brush roast with glaze 2 or 3 times during the last hour of cooking. Serve with remaining glaze on the side.

Refreshing Salad (Kale With Love)

Ingredients:

3 washed tomatoes, quartered then halved
2 ripened avocados, peeled and chopped
1 large cucumber, sliced in half longwise, then chopped
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
fresh ground black pepper to taste
optional: juice of 1 lemon

Serves 4.

Directions:

Place chopped tomatoes, avocados, cucumber in a salad bowl.
Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar and lemon juice, then lightly mix with tongs.
Add fresh ground black pepper on top, and serve. Let me know if you are going to try it! It's super easy, and OH SO HEALTHY!

Roasted Chicken Wraps with Black Bean Salsa and Guacamole (Annie's Eats)

Yield: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

For the guacamole:

2 ripe avocados
¼ cup yellow onion, finely chopped
¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
3 tbsp. fresh lime juice
¾ tsp. kosher salt
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
For the black bean salsa:
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
¼ cup diced red bell pepper
2 tbsp. red onion, finely chopped
½ ripe mango, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tbsp. chopped cilantro
1 green onion, chopped
1 tbsp. jalapeño, finely minced
1 tbsp. olive oil
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 cob corn, roasted, or ½ cup canned corn
1 tsp. ground cumin

To assemble:

6 large whole wheat tortillas or wraps
2 roasted chicken breasts, diced or shredded*
4-5 cups baby spinach leaves