Smoked Paprika Chipotle Chicken with Spirali Pasta and Kale Pesto

Dec 16, 2011 by lovelypantry

Every now and again I tend rebel. I’ve been using recipes because that’s how I learned to cook. But some days I just want to throw caution to the wind and follow my heart and do what comes to mind. And that’s exactly what I did. I gave my friends on Facebook a quick peek at what I prepared. Because I didn’t follow a recipe, I don’t have a fancy name for it so the ingredients will have to do for now.

On my recent grocery shopping trips, I picked up a few items just for fun. White/Black Truffle Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Smoky Paprika Chipotle Seasoning. Both completely out of my comfort zone but I’m all about expanding my horizons. The risk was well worth it. Although I did hold back, just a little.

I used Kale for the “pesto” because I really like the health benefits and it has a nice flavour. However, after smelling the Chipotle seasoning (that bad boy is strong), I opted to leave the cheese and any form of nut from the pesto. Traditional pesto consist of  Basil, Parmesan or Romano Cheese, Olive Oil, Pine Nuts and Garlic. It makes me smile to myself and ask the question – is it still really pesto if it doesn’t have cheese and nuts? Ah well. It tasted great so I’m still calling it pesto. There. I’ll try it with all the ingredients next time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There’s no need to panic if you didn’t plan dinner tonight. The possibilities are endless…

 

 

 

 

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Lyn’s Pastitsio

Dec 12, 2011 by lovelypantry

I absolutely LOVE Pastitsio.  I guess I love my particular version, as there are so many versions of it. At the end of the day, you just have to make it your own. I’ve made it a few times and its a definite keeper. I love the process. I especially love the delicate creamy Bechamel Sauce that hugs the meaty pasta goodness underneath. Aside from the fact that I like it – my kids like it too and THAT should say it all! 🙂 This is also a great dish for entertaining.

The big surprise for me, was the ingredient that I never expected… cinnamon. It added such a lovely flavour. I will warn you… don’t add more than what is specified in the recipe below. Too much cinnamon in this dish is no good. Take my word for it.

I added sweet pepper and zucchini because I like to incorporate vegetables within the dish itself. Zucchini is one of those sturdy veggies that are so versatile – you can roast, steam, sauté, blend… seriously. It’s just that good. Turkey lightens it up a bit for me since I don’t have red meat so often. I’ve made it with lamb before and it was just as good. As I always say… use what you have on hand.

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s the recipe:

 

 

Want some?

 

 

Recipe adapted from Everyday Food

 

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Seared Scallops with White Kidney Beans & Spinach

Nov 30, 2011 by lovelypantry

 

Cooking brings me such joy and calm. Looking at beautiful photographs of food, and envisioning how I’ll prepare it inspires me to make what I see or to do something similar. I like to use ingredients that are available to me in the moment. For this recipe, adapted from Cooking Light’s Mix & Match Low Calorie Cookbook,  I pretty much had everything available. Except the Scallops! They look tasty and I’ve read that they have a really mild flavour. So off I went to get these scallop things from the supermarket. Scallops are generally available year round – fresh or frozen.

Scallops are a great source of : Protein, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Vitamin B12, Magnesium and Potassium. It’s good to know how what you eat benefits your body, don’t you agree?

 

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Olive Oil, divided

1 LB Sea Scallops

1 Onion, finely chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped

1/4 Cup Dry White Wine

1/2 Cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth

1 Can White Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained

2 Cups Baby Spinach

Salt & Pepper for seasoning

 

Preparation:

Rinse scallops well and pat dry. In a medium-sized skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper on both sides. Cook on both sides  for about 2 minutes or until a nice golden colour is achieved. Set aside and keep warm. You may have to do this in batches so that you don’t have too many scallops in your skillet at one time.

Using the same skillet, add the remaining oil and saute the onions for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and combine. Add wine and cook until most of the liquid has been reduced, about 2 minutes. Add broth and beans, allow to cook for 2 minutes. Add spinach and cook for about a minute or until it wilts nicely.

Remove from heat. Add additional salt and pepper, if needed.

I can’t believe how velvety these scallops were. Very mild and almost sweet! I enjoyed this meal and I bet you will too.

 

Lyn

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Almost Lasagna

Oct 31, 2011 by lovelypantry

 

There are some days when I am willing to make Lasagna, and there are days when I wonder why go through all the layering. Don’t get me wrong, we love lasagna. It’s a beautiful thing. This is a recipe that happened one day when I started to make lasagna but never quite made it. You just never know how things will turn out  in my kitchen. This was a great meal!

 

 

Add colourful veggies. Serve and enjoy!

 

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Steamed Salmon with Lemon and Thyme

Oct 24, 2011 by lovelypantry

I will forever consider myself to be a lifelong learner. If I’m not learning new things, I’m not growing. Ever since I discovered my love for cooking and healthy eating, my desire to learn new recipes, foods, and techniques has grown tremendously.

I am very fond of Salmon and  I’ve prepared it in various ways, but how long before I’ve exhausted all the methods that I know? Steaming fish seems simple enough if you have a steamer of some kind. But what if you don’t? How can Salmon be steamed with just a few items that you already have in your kitchen? I recently learned of a very simple technique where I enjoyed the entire process in its simplicity.

Salmon really is a beautiful fish.

 

 

The original recipe called for fresh Dill which I did not have at hand (surprise, surprise). Instead, I used some Thyme that I had drying which did the trick perfectly.

 

Ingredients:

2 Salmon Fillets

1 Lemon, thinly sliced

Few Sprigs Thyme

1 Red (Or green, or yellow…) Sweet Pepper, thinly sliced

Salt & Pepper

1 Tsp All Purpose Seasoning

 

Preparation:

1 Large Skillet

1 Plate that fits into the skillet leaving some space around the diameter (an inch is good)

Aluminium foil rolled and formed into a ring

Water

 

Place foil ring into the skillet with some water. The foil itself should not be submerged at all. Place the plate on top of the foil, pressing down gently, ensuring stability.

 

 

Line the plate with a few slices of lemon. I used 2 rows with 3 slices in each. Add the Salmon on top of the lemon. Add the thyme (or fresh herb of your choice) between the fillets. Season the salmon with salt, pepper, and any other desired seasoning. Go light. Salmon does not need to be over-seasoned.

Place a few slices of sweet pepper on top of the salmon so that they overlap.

 

 

Did I mention that Salmon is a beautiful fish?

 

 

Cover the skillet and bring to a boil. This should take about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat and simmer until the salmon is cooked though. This should take about 15 minutes more.

 

 

The salmon is cooked when it is no longer pink and flakes easily with a fork. The smell is wonderful. You probably won’t be able to wait too long before you have this. I suggest you have your plate ready!

 

 

I served the salmon with some string beans. I enjoyed it. I know that you will too. You can use this technique with any fish, and try using different seasoning. Cooking is a journey in experiments. Give this a try!

 

 

I’d like to thank Everyday Food for sharing this technique and allowing me to share it with my readers.

 

Until next time, take care of you.

 

~Lyn

 

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Chicken Parmigiana

Sep 12, 2011 by lovelypantry

I love to make dishes that are tasty and family friendly. They can be as simple or as fussy as I want them to be, since in the end, my efforts will be worth it. I am steadily appreciating the flavour of tomatoes (that’s right, I don’t like them so much) and I’m slowly incorporating them into meals a few times per week. Chicken Parmigiana was something that always looked great but I remember when I tried it some time ago, there was just too much tomato sauce. I decided to try it my way.

I went looking for a sauce that I was comfortable with. I found a Pasta Sauce by a brand called Healthy Choice. There was a limited variety from their line but I went with the Garlic and Fine Herb. It’s the only one that I use now. I’m very happy with it.

 

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Breadcrumbs

1 Egg

6 Chicken breast cutlets, seasoned with salt and pepper {If you use whole breasts, you’ll have to thinly slice it length-wise in half to get a nice cutlet.}

1/4 Cup Gratered Parmesan Cheese

1 Cup Tomato Sauce

1/2 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese (or if you’re using sliced Mozzarella cheese, 1 slice per piece of chicken)

Olive Oil for browning chicken

 

Directions:

Turn on your broiler to  high.

In a large non-stick skillet, heat a few tablespoons of Olive Oil.

In a shallow dish, add bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.

Lightly beat the egg and pour into another shallow dish.

Dip each chicken breast into the egg to coat, then dip into the breadcrumb/cheese mixture. Shake off any excess. Brown each piece of chicken and be sure to do it in batches.

In an oven proof casserole dish, pour in tomato sauce to coat the bottom evenly. Place each piece of cooked chicken into the dish, slightly overlapping.

Sprinkle mozzarella over the chicken (or layer slices across the top of the chicken).

Place in your oven broiler at about 4 inches from the heat source for about 5-8 minutes. Allow the cheese to brown nicely. Serve with Pasta and Salad.

I enjoy this every time I cook it. Hopefully you will too!

 

Recipe adapted from Everyday Food.

 

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