Pinterest Dinner: Spicy Thai Noodles

I swear I spend way too much time on Pinterest.  But I have to say it's totally worth it since the past couple of recipes I've made from my Food Board have turned out absolutely fabulous.  There's nothing better than sitting at work, thinking about what on earth I'm going to make for dinner that night, and instead of aimlessly scouring the internet, searching for god knows what - I just head to my Pinterest and pick something off my "Food" Board knowing that it will never let me down.  


Last week I made the BEST Cheesy Enchiladas which I found on Pinterest...and tonight I made Spicy Thai Noodles - a dish I 'pinned' awhile ago but finally got around to making.  The dish comes from the uber cute blog, A Small Snippet.  If you love chinese/thai flavors with a little heat yet don't feel like buying a zillion thai ingredients, this dish is for you.  It was made with items I already had in my house and turned out amazing!  Here it is:

Source - I'm sorry, I was lazy and didn't take any of my own pics!

Ingredients:


1 Box Linguine or Angel Hair (I actually used regular ol' Spaghetti b/c that's all I had!)
1-2 TBSP Crushed Red Pepper
1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 Cup Sesame Oil
6 TBSP Honey
6 TBSP Soy Sauce
Green Onions, Cilantro (I absolutely loathe Cilantro, so I subbed Basil for this), Peanuts and Sesame Seeds


Directions:


Boil Noodles.  Drain.
Chop Green Onions, Cilantro, and Peanuts.
Heat Both Oils and Crushed Red Pepper over Medium Heat in a Small Pan.  (2 TBSP Makes This Dish VERY Spicy - I used just 1 TBSP and it Still Turned out Very Hot).
Strain Out Pepper and Reserve Oil.
To Oil, Whisk in Honey and Soy Sauce.
Toss Mixture with Noodles.
Refrigerate Overnight or Until Cold (I did NOT Do This...Me and the BF Were Way Too Hungry so We Ate This Warm!)
*I Also Sauteed One Small Chicken Breast in the Vegetable Oil and Added it to the Pasta for a Little Extra Protein*
Before Serving, Top with Onions, Cilantro (or Basil), Peanuts and Toasted Sesame Seeds.


Enjoy!  


Thanks Again to Leana from A Small Snippet for this Quick and Yummy Meal!  


If you are lacking creativity in the kitchen, you seriously need to check out Pinterest and get inspired!

xoxo,

Amanda

What We Made This Weekend

Both Katina and I made two very successful yet very different recipes this weekend that we thought fabulous enough to share with everyone.....


Recipe Gurl's Buffalo Chicken Panini's:

So we recently received a panini grill as a gift for our engagement party. I think we’ve used it about 5 times and our party was only a little over a week ago. A Panini is such an easy and satisfying dinner! It’s also a crowd pleaser (esp for picky eaters). So I came across this gem on the fabulous blog over at The Grilled Cheese Social and just had to try it. I am always a little weary of blue cheese, I never like when it’s too strong. I followed this recipe to a T and it came out amazing, the blue cheese was not overwhelming at all, it was the perfect compliment to the chicken. And as always, I used a rotisserie chicken to make the recipe even easier, and lower fat ingredients whenever possible. I strongly advise cooking this on a panini grill or even a George Foreman grill would work if you had one of those, but it also works just fine cooking it in the pan. Enjoy!!

Ingredients

-4 thick slices of french bread **
-2 pads of real salted butter
-1 tbs blue cheese salad dressing
-3 tbs organic cream cheese
-2 tbs crumbled blue cheese
-1 tbs shredded cheddar
-1/2 cup cooked shredded organic chicken breast
-1.5 tbs Frank's hot sauce

Once you've got everything out, combine all the cheeses into a small bowl. Stir together until you get a smooth consistency. Now combine your finely chopped chicken with Frank's hot sauce and stir.

Ok, now you're ready to begin!  Smear on a little over a tablespoon of the mixture onto each slice of bread (or however much you want!).

Then divide half the chicken on top of each piece of the smeared bread.  Now smear the other slices of bread with cheese and put the top on the sammie.  Gently apply 1 pad of butter to the top of the grilled cheese and place it butter side down in your pan (or Panini Grill)!

This cheese mixture will melt really quick, so make sure to check the brownness of each grilled cheese about every thirty seconds or so.  It'll probably take about a minute and a half once the pans hot and you'll want to take it off when it looks like this on both sides.

You'll want to serve these immediately because they're super delicious when they're all gooey and hot.

**I used Whole Wheat French Bread just to make it just a smidgen more healthy**

xoxo,

Katina

Okay - now for my (much lazier dinner approach) One-Pot Thai Chicken and Rice:

So I went to my local grocery store and randomly picked up Taste of Thai's Seasoning Packet for Chicken and Rice.  I made it last night for the boyf and we scarfed it down like it was nobody's business.  Here's the uber simple recipe from Taste of Thai's Website:

INGREDIENTS

Salt and pepperOil for browning4 pieces boneless skinless, chicken breast (about 1 1/4 lbs)1 1/4 cups Jasmine Rice, uncooked2 cups water1-1.75 oz packet Chicken & Rice Seasoning, both inner envelopes1 red bell pepper, diced1 cup peas, fresh or frozen

Salt and pepper chicken. In a large saucepan, heat oil on high and brown chicken. Remove chicken when browned. Set aside.

Add Jasmine Rice to saucepan and stir to coat rice. Add water and Chicken & Rice Seasoning. Stir well to combine.                                                                                                                          

Top Rice with chicken and bell peppers. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer on a low heat 10 minutes.                                                                                                           

Uncover and add peas, re-cover and cook 5 minutes more.

I made this recipe to the tee, not changing a single thing and it was absolutely fabulous - as if we got takeout from our fave Thai restaurant.

Hope you enjoy one or both of these recipes!  

xoxo,

Amanda 

Recipe Gurl's Easy Pantry Salad

Source

 

 

So after a week of vacation and consuming nothing but Corona beer, crab legs dipped in raw butter, and hush puppies, I was in the mood for a healthy and light dinner to start my vacation detox. I was totally not inspired at the grocery store, so all I picked up was lettuce, cukes, tomatoes, an onion, and some chicken tenders for the grill. So when I got home I knew I was going to make a salad but what I purchased at the store was only the makings for a boring salad. So thanks to the ingredients I already had in my pantry and my fridge I created this unique salad.  Who would have ever thought capers would even be good in a salad? So try this one night when you're in the mood for something light but not boring. I would say it's kind of my twist on a plain old caesar salad.

 

Ingredients:

 

chicken tenders

light sun dried tomato dressing

romaine lettuce

tomatoes (diced)

red onion (finely chopped)

cucumber (diced)

eggs (hard boiled then chopped)

bacon bits (I use the Hormel 50% less fat real bacon bits)

capers

light creamy caesar dressing

low fat or whole wheat seasoned croutons

 

Directions:

 

Place chicken tenders in a ziploc bag, cover them liberally in sun dried tomato dressing and marinate in the fridge for a couple hours. Grill the chicken on a grill or cook in a pan. While the chicken is cooking assemble your salad with the ingredients above and use as much or little of the ingredients as you like to your taste. Place the grilled chicken on top of the salad, drizzle light creamy caesar dressing on top, and enjoy!

 

xoxo,

Katina

A Girl with Taste's Guilt-Free Gaucamole

I love my cute napkins (gift from Katina)

I've never actually been a huge gauc lover, but when I received two gorgeous avocados from a co-worker last week, I decided it was time to make my first batch of guacamole.  I did not, however; want to make a super fattening dish that I would no doubt consume the entire thing and then feel guilty for making it in the first place. So I googled 'low fat gaucamole' and found this recipe which I'm sure is great but I added a couple of ingredients  to give it a little 'umph' (not to mention I despise both tomato and cilantro).  I thought adding frozen peas would ruin the flavor but it actually turned out really good!  So here's my oh so delicious low-fat gauc recipe for you to try:

• 2 Ripe Avocados
• 10 ounce bag frozen peas (thawed)
• 1/2 to 1 whole red onion (chopped)
• 1/2 cup of your favorite salsa
• Dash of your favorite hot sauce
• Seasonings to taste (I used garlic salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper)
• 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
• Squeeze of 1/2 lime

So I of course took the lazy way out and put everything in my food processor and just pulsed it until I got the consistency I wanted.  Don't fret if you don't have a food processor, you can just mash all the ingredients with a fork or even use a blender.  

The peas added almost a hint of sweetness to the mixture while my salsa, red pepper flakes and hot sauce added some heat.  The end result was so delicious and something I didn't have to feel guilty about eating.  

Serve with baked tortilla chips and enjoy (without the guilt of course)!

If you have any healthy (healthier) recipes - please send them my way! 

xoxo-

Amanda

Recipe Gurl's Must Try Scallop Dish

So, I’ve never been good at cooking scallops in the pan, they always come out tough and rubbery. I always end up disappointed because I love getting scallop dishes in restaurants, but can never successfully cook them at home. So when I saw this recipe for BAKING scallops I had to try it. This was soo easy and the scallops came out perfectly. To make the dish more figure friendly, I swapped out butter for Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread made with Extra Virgin Olive Oil http://www.smartbalance.com/products/buttery-spread/smart-balance-light-buttery-spread-made-extra-virgin-olive-oil  This is a great dish for company or a date night because it looks and tastes impressive, but takes no time at all. Add a salad, crusty bread, and white wine, and you have yourself a simple yet fancy meal!

Source

Ingredients

• 2 lbs scallops (about 4 cups)
• 1 cup dry white wine
• Salt
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, separated 3 Tbsp and 3 Tbsp
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 2 1/2 Tbsp flour
• 1/2 cup fine bread crumbs

Method

1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Place scallops in a medium sauté pan. Add the wine and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and simmer for 4 minutes. No longer. Remove the scallops to a 1.5 quart casserole baking dish. Pour off the cooking liquid to a separate container and reserve.
2 Heat 3 Tbsp butter in the sauté pan on medium heat. Add the onions and cook until wilted, a couple minutes.
3 Slowly sprinkle the flour and add the cooking liquid over the butter onion mixture, whisking vigorously while you do so. As soon as the sauce is thickened, add it to the scallops in the casserole baking dish. Stir to fully incorporate the scallops into the sauce.
4 Sprinkle bread crumbs over the scallops and dot with the remaining 3 Tbsp butter. Bake in the oven at 400°F until bubbly and brown, approximately 15 minutes.
Serves 6. Serve with lemon slices.

You can also find the recipe here: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/baked_scallops/

Recipe Gurl's 'Go-To' Recipes

So everyone has those few recipes that you make over and over again because you just know you can always count on it to be easy and delicious.  I asked my BF, Recipe Gurl, to share hers with us.  Here are her fave 'Go-To' Recipes:

1.  Salmon Filets over Couscous



Foodnetwork.com



Ingredients

• Olive oil
• 4 (4-ounce) pieces salmon
• Lime
• House Seasoning, recipe follows
• Butter
• Couscous, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Add a drizzle of olive oil to glass pan and place the salmon. Squeeze the juice of 1 lime over the top of the salmon and sprinkle with the House Seasoning. Top with pads of butter. Wrap in the foil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve on a bed of couscous.

House Seasoning:

1 cup salt

1/4 cup black pepper

1/4 cup garlic powder

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Couscous:

2 1/4 cups water or chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons butter

10 ounces couscous

1 cup diced tomatoes

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup green onions

Combine water or chicken stock, salt and butter in a saucepan, over medium heat and bring to a boil. Stir in couscous. Add diced tomatoes, crumbled feta, and green onions. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes.

Uncover, fluff with a fork, and serve hot or cold.

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ease of preparation: easy

2.  Roasted Tilapia with Roasted Pototoes and Lemon



realsimple.com



Ingredients

• 1 pound baby potatoes (about 12), halved
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 4 6-ounce skinless tilapia fillets
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F.
2. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the potatoes, lemon, thyme, 2 tablespoons oil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer.
3. Roast, tossing once, until the potatoes begin to soften, about 20 minutes.
4. Toss the olives with the potato mixture; nestle the fish in it. Drizzle the fish with the remaining oil and season with paprika and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
5. Continue to roast until the potatoes are golden brown and crisp and the fish is opaque throughout, 12 to 15 minutes.

3.  Honey Chicken Skewers with Grilled Corn Salad



realsimple.com



Ingredients

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• kosher salt and pepper
• Canola oil, for the grill
• 6 ears corn, shucked
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 scallions, sliced

Directions

• Place twenty 8-inch wooden skewers in water to soak. Heat grill to medium-high.
• In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, honey, and Worcestershire sauce. Set aside.
• Slice the chicken lengthwise into twenty ½-inch-thick strips. Thread each strip onto a wooden skewer. Season with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
• Lightly oil the grill. Cook the chicken, turning occasionally, until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes, basting with the ketchup mixture during the last 2 minutes.
• Meanwhile, grill the corn, turning occasionally, until slightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Cut the kernels off the cobs, place in a medium bowl, and toss with the butter, scallions, and ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper. Serve with the chicken.

4.  Chicken Broccoli Couscous



Rachel Ray Magazine



Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper
• 3 cups chicken broth
• One 10-ounce box couscous
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 head broccoli, broken into small florets
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Toast nuts in a 350° oven until fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes.

 

Directions:

 

• In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add to the pan and cook, turning once, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a work surface, let cool, then shred; reserve the skillet.
• Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring 2 cups chicken broth and 1 tablespoon olive oil to a boil; season with salt and pepper. Add the couscous, cover and remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
• In the reserved skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and the remaining 1 cup chicken broth and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken, raisins, parsley and couscous; season with salt and pepper. Toss with the almonds before serving.

**Recipe Gurl Tip:  Cut down on time by using Rotiserrie Chicken instead!!**

5.  Chicken Caesar Burgers with Parmigiano Taters

Ingredients

• For the taters:
• 1 sack frozen tater tots, waffle fries or your favorite frozen tater, any brand
• A couple of handfuls of grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Romano cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves removed and chopped
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon grill seasoning (eyeball it)

• For the dipping sauce:
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1/2 small onion, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• For the burgers:
• 1 1/4 pounds ground chicken breast, the average weight of 1 package
• 3 garlic cloves, 2 finely chopped, 1 cracked from skin
• 4 anchovies, finely chopped (optional – but recommended)
• A handful of Parmigiano Reggiano
• Salt and coarse black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• A handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest plus juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus some for drizzling
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 heart romaine lettuce, chopped
• 2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 4 crusty rolls, split in half

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Start the taters: Combine Parmigiano, salt, rosemary, hot pepper flakes and grill seasoning in a bowl. Pour four portions of taters onto a non-stick cookie sheet. Bake until almost crisp (about halfway through the cooking time on the package), then remove and sprinkle them with a handful of the cheese, tossing them a little to make sure they're coated, and then finish baking them off. Sprinkle them with cheese and herb mixture, tossing them around a bit so the mixture sticks. As the frost starts to melt, the flavorings will set into place.
• Make the dipping sauce: Heat EVOO in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add grated onion (onion can be grated right over the pot) and garlic, and cook 1-2 minutes. Add tomatoes, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, for 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat and reserve.
• While the sauce is working, prepare the burgers: In a bowl, combine the chicken, finely chopped garlic, anchovies, a handful of cheese, a pinch of salt and a generous amount of pepper, Worcestershire, parsley and lemon zest. Mix the meat and form 4 oval-shaped, rather than round, burger patties.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet with 1 tablespoon of EVOO, a turn of the pan, over medium-high heat. When hot, add the chicken patties and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side.
• Preheat the broiler and toast the bread on a cookie sheet or broiler pan. Once lightly golden in color, remove from oven and rub the breads with cracked garlic. Drizzle bread with the EVOO.
• Combine Dijon, lemon juice and 2-3 tablespoons of EVOO with salt and pepper, and toss the greens with it.
• Place the patties on the bun bottoms and top them with a pile of romaine, sliced tomatoes and bun tops. Serve the burgers with the Parmigiano taters and a bowl with the dipping sauce alongside.

What are your "Go-To" Recipes??  I'll be posting mine after this weekend! 

Cheap and Easy Dinner - Cajun Baked Tilapia with Yellow Rice and Black Beans

Tilapia With Cajun Seasoned Crumb Topping

Diana Rattray

Cheap and Easy - just the way I like my dinners.  So last week at my weekly dinner with my mom - she, as usual, made a very tasty tilapia using only Cajun Seasoning, Garlic Salt and Olive Oil.  I wanted to recreate it this week but with a different twist.  I found a recipe online for baked Cajun Tilapia and decided to jazz it up a bit with Panko breadcrumbs.  It came out so delicious and super super easy.  If I can make this without a disaster and have it turn out yummy, then it should be a complete cake-walk for anyone else.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 to 6 tilapia fillets
• 1 cup soft fresh bread crumbs
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• Pinch dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Dash black pepper

Preparation:

Heat oven to 400°. Lightly grease a large shallow baking dish. Arrange fish fillets on the prepared baking pan. Brush with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter with the bread crumbs and seasonings. Sprinkle the crumbs over the tilapia fillets. Bake the fish fillets for 15 to 20 minutes, or until fish is cooked through. Fish will flake easily with a fork when done.
Carefully remove the fillets to plates with a spatula.
Serves 4.

I then bought Yellow Rice on sale at my local grocery store and just added a little hot sauce and  black beans and called it a side.

You can find the recipe here

Best Lettuce Wraps Ever!

So if you haven't already figured it out, Recipe Gurl is soooooo NOT me.  It's actually my best friend who is a whiz in the kitchen.  I, on the other hand, struggle tremendously with anything remotely related to baking and cooking.  I can follow the recipe to a tee and still end up with a disgusting, inedible mess.  So when I decided to tackle the most amazing lettuce wraps my mom made awhile back, I had very low hopes.  I'm not sure why, but every single time I make something, I always forgot atleast one ingredient - this time was no exception - I forgot the large onion!  Great, I was about to give up, but something told me to push through it.  Somehow, even with the missing onion and disaster of a kitchen, I ended up with the most delicious lettuce wraps I've ever had.  Yes, these beat out PF Changs and Pei Wei anyday!  Not to mention, MUCH healthier!  I used ground turkey instead of the beef ( I don't eat red meat) and even my boyfriend who hates when I sub turkey for beef, could not get enough of these yummy morsels. 

16 Boston Bibb or butter lettuce leaves

1 pound lean ground beef -- I used GROUND TURKEY

1 tablespoon cooking oil

1 large onion, chopped 

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

2 teaspoons minced pickled ginger

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

Asian chile pepper sauce (optional)

1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped

1 bunch green onions, chopped

2 teaspoons Asian (dark) sesame oil

Directions

1. Rinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry, being careful not tear them. Set aside.
2. In a medium skillet over high heat, brown the ground beef in 1 tablespoon of oil, stirring often and reducing the heat to medium, if necessary. Drain, and set aside to cool. Cook the onion in the same pan, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar, and chile pepper sauce to the onions, and stir. Stir in chopped water chestnuts, green onions, sesame oil, and cooked beef; continue cooking until the onions just begin to wilt, about 2 minutes.
3. Arrange lettuce leaves around the outer edge of a large serving platter, and pile meat mixture in the center. To serve, allow each person to spoon a portion of the meat into a lettuce leaf. Wrap the lettuce around the meat like a burrito, and enjoy!

You can also find this recipe HERE.