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Man on a Couscous Mission

Here's a great money saving and healthy eating tip. Every Sunday, create a lunch and dinner menu for that week. That way, you won't splurge on an unhealthy expensive meal out because you're too tired to figure out what you want to eat when you get home. I went out of town for a bachelorette party last weekend, and when I came home, fiance had planned out our whole week of eating. It included a new recipe to add to our repertoire and he was on quite a mission to execute. It was a Chicken and Couscous Salad that he found on MyRecipes.com. 

This meal was really quick and beautiful. Tons of colors. It's great as an entree and would also be good as a side dish for entertaining. 

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (5.7-ounce) box uncooked couscous
• 1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken (about 6 ounces)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1/2 cup diced radishes (about 3 large)
• 1/2 cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 
  Directions:
• 
  To prepare salad, bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually stir in couscous. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Spoon couscous into a large bowl; cool slightly. Add chicken, onions, radishes, cucumber, parsley, and pine nuts; toss gently to combine.
  
  To prepare dressing, combine vinegar and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss to combine.
  
  Note: You can toast nuts quickly in a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Stir frequently, and as soon as they become fragrant, remove the nuts from the pan.

Grams

When I first started blogging, my fellow bloggers warned me it was a difficult thing to keep up. Boy, were they right! Between long hours at the office, traveling every weekend (literally), this took a back seat.  Well, it’s a new year so naturally one of my resolutions was to get back to it.

But more importantly…my Grams, one of the people I dedicated this blog to, recently passed away. Grams was an enormous influence in my life, she helped shape who I am today. As I mentioned in my very first post, my love for food is a result of her. Cooking was in my Grams’ heart and soul, and it is one of the many ways she showed her love for us over the years.

There are endless ways I can honor my Grams and cooking is one of them. Cooking her recipes for the people that I love, hearing her voice in my head the whole time… “Needs some more salt Kitty Kate”. 

So Grams, this one is for you. I love you and miss you with all my heart. Certainly gives a new meaning to heaven on a plate doesn't it? 

Grams’ Broccoli & Pasta Dish:

Ingredients:
4 heads of broccoli - chopped
2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
Crushed red pepper flakes
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 cup of bread crumbs
Whole wheat pasta (two cups dry)
3 gloves of garlic minced
Chicken bouillon cubes or chicken broth

Serves 2. 

Directions:

-In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

-Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, heat oil. Sauté garlic (don’t let burn) along with just a few shakes of red pepper flakes.

-If using chicken bouillon cubes (which I would suggest because they have a ton of flavor), add two cups of water to the skillet along with two cubes. The key is to add one cup of water for every cube. If using chicken broth, add two cups.

-Add chopped broccoli to the broth and turn up the heat so it begins to simmer.

-Once the broccoli softens, add the al dente pasta. It will finish cooking while absorbing the flavors. Add ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water. 

-After about 5 minutes, add bread crumbs, mix into the pasta and turn heat off. Let sit for another few minutes, stirring. If the mixture gets too dry, add more water or chicken broth.

-Add parmesan cheese to taste and enjoy! 

I heart Philly.

I used to live in Philadelphia and while I absolutely adore Boston, I often times find myself missing Philly and the life that I had there. Because the life that I had there consisted of me constantly wining and dining myself. I spent more money than I’m willing to admit on the incredible restaurant scene. I finally had to grow up, face the music and realize I did NOT have this type of disposable income - which is one of the many reasons I cook more now!

One of the chefs that I loved in Philadelphia was Marc Vetri. While I couldn’t even entertain the idea of dining at his signature restaurant “Vetri” (one of the most expensive in the city), I did spend my 25^th birthday at one of this other restaurants called Amis. I still think about the meal that I had that night to this day. So I was delighted when I stumbled across one of his pasta recipes in Food & Wine Magazine. The dish is Bucatini with Cauliflower and Brussels Sprouts and it has become a staple in our house. I recently served it to my sister and brother-in-law and although my brother-in-law doesn’t typically eat brussels sprouts (there are few people in this world that do), he seemed to really enjoy this one!  As I do with all of my recipes, I tweaked this to my liking. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
12 ounces bucatini
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound cauliflower florets, cut in 1-inch piece
1/2 pound brussels sprouts, halved or quartered if large
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving

Serves 4.

Directions:
1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

2. Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, heat 1/4 cup of the oil. Add the cauliflower and brussels sprouts and season with salt and black pepper; cover and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly charred and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.

3. Add 1/4 cup of oil to the skillet along with the onion, garlic, crushed red pepper; cook, stirring, until the onion is slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Cover and cook over low heat until the cauliflower and sprouts are tender.

4. In a small skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the bread crumbs and cook over moderately high heat, stirring constantly or they will burn, until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and transfer to a bowl.

5. Add the pasta and reserved cooking water to the vegetables and cook over moderate heat, tossing, until the water is nearly absorbed. Remove from the heat and stir in the 1/2 cup of grated cheese. Top with bread crumbs!

Hot damn, the man can cook!

I’ve learned so many things from my mom and my Grams throughout my life. One thing I’ve learned for certain is that cooking is a way of showing people how much you love them. I love cooking for this reason. Even if I’m just cooking for myself, it’s my way of saying, “Hey, you worked hard today. Here’s a fabulous meal.”

However, sometimes it’s nice when someone else does the cooking and I’m lucky that my roommate, aka my fiancé, has the culinary skills to be able to do this. A while back we found this recipe in Fitness Magazine (see, I really do like recipes I find in magazines) and last night he whipped it up for us. I realize my last post was also a stir-fry; apparently I just can’t get enough. This meal takes less than 20 minutes, is packed with protein and has great flavors. If you click on the link there’s an option to make an avocado salad alongside, however we find the stir-fry to be sufficient enough. Enjoy!

Beef Stir-Fry

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
12 ounces beef tenderloin, cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 poblano, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
1. In a bowl, combine beef, 2 tablespoons lime juice, and 1 tablespoon chili powder; set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion, bell pepper, and poblano and saute 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add beef and marinade to vegetables and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.

Shrimp Stir Fry + Wedding Wednesday

When my fiancé and I first got engaged, we were given the greatest gift of all time and no, it did not come in a Cuisinart box. It came in the form of a piece of advice. My friend advised us to designate just one day a week to plan our wedding in order to prevent us (aka me) from talking about it around the clock. We realize as the wedding gets closer this won’t be as feasible, but we’re still one year away. So, we instituted “Wedding Wednesdays”. Once a week we sit down together and do all things wedding. We  cook our favorite meals, sit at the dinner table together, and really just make a night out of it. This has made us both enjoy the engagement process (always good to correlate memories with delicious food) and alleviate some stress. I can honestly say we’re having a blast planning our wedding together.

Last night, Wedding Wednesday was in full force as we’ve been putting off many “to do” items for quite some time. We’ve both been traveling fools and haven’t been eating very well so we knew we needed a meal that inspired us and was healthy and light. To say we love this dish as much as we love each other would be a stretch, but not too much of one. It’s quick, easy and healthy! Hope you enjoy as much as we do.

South Beach Diet’s Shrimp Stir Fry:

Ingredients

      4 teaspoons canola oil, divided
      2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce, divided
      3 garlic cloves, minced
      1 1/2 pounds medium peeled and deveined fresh or thawed frozen shrimp
      2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
      8 ounces white mushrooms, quartered (we usually omit these)
      4 scallions, cut into 1" pieces
      1 large bell pepper, any color, cut into thin strips
      8 ounces snow peas, strings removed
      1/4 teapsoon red pepper flakes

Directions

Whisk together 2 teaspoons of the oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the soy sauce, and garlic in a large bowl; add shrimp and toss to coat.

Coat a large skillet or wok with cooking spray and heat over high heat. Add shrimp and cook until pink, 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Heat remaining oil in the same skillet over high heat; add ginger and cook 30 seconds.

Add mushrooms, scallions, bell pepper, snow peas, and red pepper flakes and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in shrimp and remaining soy sauce and toss to combine. Serve hot.

Number of Servings: 4

Birthday Feast Roundup

Birthdays are a fabulous excuse to get your favorite people in one place and eat delicious food. That is what I look forward to most when it comes to my birthday – spending time with my loved ones and indulging in something wonderful. I turned 27 on Friday and indulge I certainly did!

The big day started off with my coworker delivering a giant vanilla with chocolate frosting and sprinkles cupcake from Crumbs bakery to my desk. She knows me so well. This was my first experience with a Crumbs cupcake and it certainly won’t be my last. My two coworkers and I devoured the poor thing, and did it so quickly I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of it in all of its glory.

Overall I thought the cupcake was delicious, it was very moist (apologies if this word offends you) and the frosting didn’t overpower the whole thing as sometimes it can do. It’s a great little gift for someone’s birthday!

Friday night, my friends, coworkers, sister and I went to Trattoria Il Panino, one of my favorite Italian restaurants in the North End. While the heat made for an interesting outdoor dining experience, the food was delicious. I feasted on pesto pasta which was light and fluffy – homemade pasta at its finest.

The next night, my very generous brother in law took my sister and I to Oishii in the South End for both of our birthdays (my sister and I are 3 years and 364 days apart to be exact). I’ve been to Oishii before and while it really deserves its own blog, this will have to do. Oishii is such a unique restaurant – it has mastered the art of being a fine dining establishment without any pretentiousness. Everyone is very friendly, service is stellar and the food is certainly something to write home about. It is expensive though, so a perfect place for a special occasion!

We began our meal with three appetizers:

-Salmon tempura with arugula salad in lemon dressing
-Kobe beef carpaccio with micro greens, fried Shallots, soy and pickled cherry blossom tempura on top
-Miso soup or “shiru”

All were delicious, especially the Salmon Tempura. It had a great crunch to it, and the lemon dressing was sublime.

For the rest of the meal we got:
-The Maki covered with Toro which has spicy mayo, asparagus, cucumber, bonito flakes and toro torched on top with a gingery Sauce and jalapeño
-Oishii Spicy Tuna Tempura Maki which has bluefin tuna sashimi, fleur de sel and chives
-Crispy Salmon Maki which has crispy tempura flakes, spicy mayo, tobiko and avocado maki with raw salmon and menegi on top
-Rock Shrimp Explosion Maki which has tempura rock shrimp and avocado rolled in white seaweed with brown rice chips and ting's wasabi flavored lemony sauce on top
-Toro Truffle Maki which has shrimp tempura, spicy mayo, cucumber, covered with seared toro, white truffle and sturgeon caviar on top

And lastly for dessert we feasted on a green tea layered cake with mascarpone and chocolate. A very satisfying dessert that wasn’t so rich you felt nauseous after you ate it.

Everyone had their own favorites of the night; I would certainly recommend the Crispy Salmon Maki and the Rock Shrimp Explosion Maki. Top notch sushi restaurants such as this make all the difference in the world – the ingredients are fresh and the fish practically melts in your mouth. And when it comes to eating sushi, I have a “go big or go home” mentality. I rarely eat rolls that only have one or two ingredients in them. While rolls with 5+ ingredients may seem intimidating to people, about 99.9% of the time the ingredients come together so harmoniously and it’s worth taking the risk.

Overall, a heavenly birthday that satisfied both my heart and stomach.