Mango Rice Salad with Grilled Shrimp

It's not even June yet, and the high hit over 90 degrees today in DC with some extreme humidity. I guess summer is officially here!

While looking through recipes for this week, the combination of curry powder and fresh mangoes seemed impossible to pass up. Shea and I don't have a grill, so we decided to pan fry our shrimp. It turned out well, and luckily there are lots of leftovers to eat for lunch tomorrow. !


Mango Rice Salad with Grilled Shrimp
Courtesy of Cooking Light at http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/mango-rice-salad-with-grilled-shrimp-10000001065498/

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 4 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 36 shrimp) $
• 2 cups water
• 2/3 cup light coconut milk $
• 1 1/4 cups uncooked long-grain rice $
• 3/4 cup shredded carrot $
• 2 cups diced peeled mango (about 2 mangoes) $
• 1 1/2 cups diced red bell pepper $
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice $
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Cooking spray $
• Cilantro sprigs (optional)

Directions

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add shrimp; toss to coat. Cover and chill 1 hour.
2. Bring water and coconut milk to a boil in a medium saucepan; add rice. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Add carrot and next 7 ingredients (through salt); toss gently to combine.
3. Prepare grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.
4. Thread 3 shrimp onto each of 12 (6-inch) skewers. Place skewers on grill rack or grill pan coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes on each side or until shrimp are done. Serve skewers over salad. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Crisp Asian Salmon with Bok Choy and Rice Noodles

Shea and I have been fortunate to have been busy with lots of visitors lately (Dunya and my parents came to visit the past two weeks!). It's hard to cook in our tiny apartment for a lot of people, so when we have visitors we usually go out to eat, which means we haven't been cooking lately!

This weekend was our first weekend with an empty apartment AND we had the day off for Memorial Day, so it was the perfect time to fill up our fridge and find some good recipes! We don't have a grill, so we aren't able to cook the traditional Memorial Day fare of burgers and brats, but we agreed that this dish looked fantastic. It was easy, flavorful, and full of brain food (what Shea calls salmon).


Crisp Asian Salmon with Bok Choy and Rice Noodles
Courtesy of Food and Wine http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/crisp-asian-salmon-with-bok-choy-and-rice-noodles

Ingredients 

1. 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2. 2 cups water
3. 1/4 cup mirin
4. 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
5. 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
6. 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
7. 2 garlic cloves, minced
8. 1 teaspoon sugar
9. 8 ounces rice vermicelli, broken into 4-inch lengths
10. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
11. 6 center-cut salmon fillets with skin (about 6 ounces each)
12. Salt
13. 1 pound baby bok choy, cut into thin wedges
14. 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the broth, water, mirin, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, garlic and sugar to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. In a bowl, soak the rice noodles in very hot water until pliable, about 10 minutes. Drain the noodles and add them to the boiling water. Cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Drain and transfer to 6 shallow bowls.
3. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Season the salmon fillets with salt, add them to the skillet skin side down and cook over high heat until browned, about 4 minutes. Turn and cook until medium-rare, about 4 minutes longer. Set the fillets on the noodles.
4. Add the bok choy to the boiling broth and cook until bright green, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, divide the greens among the bowls and spoon in the broth. Garnish with the scallions and serve.

Brown Butter Gnocchi with Spinach and Pine Nuts

I found this recipe on the Cooking Light website while looking for something simple and delicious, and boy did I hit the jackpot. This recipe is extremely easy to make (Shea commented that the longest part of the prep was boiling the water!), and has an extremely decadent taste due to the combination of the brown butter and pine nuts. In fact, it was so rich that we decided to squeeze a little bit of lemon in at the end, which balanced the dish out perfectly. Enjoy!


Brown Butter Gnocchi with Spinach and Pine Nuts
Courtesy of Cooking Light
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/brown-butter-gnocchi-with-spinach-pine-nuts-10000001867562/

Ingredients

• 1 (16-ounce) package vacuum-packed gnocchi (such as Vigo)
• 2 tablespoons butter 
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 2 garlic cloves, minced 
• 1 (10-ounce) package fresh spinach, torn 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) finely shredded Parmesan cheese
• 
  
• Directions 
• 1. Cook gnocchi according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.
• 2. Heat butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add pine nuts to pan; cook 3 minutes or until butter and nuts are lightly browned, stirring constantly. Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute. Add gnocchi and spinach to pan; cook 1 minute or until spinach wilts, stirring constantly. Stir in salt and pepper. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Chicken in Tarragon-Mustard Cream Sauce

When I was 23, I was living in Hawaii about 5,000 miles away from Seamus. While there were of course times when I missed Shea, I had such fantastic friends that I never had to feel lonely.

For example on my 23rd birthday, my good friend (and future roommate who ingrained the love of food and cooking in Shea and me), Bob, celebrated with me by making me a fantastic meal. Bob brought over a small grill and a bag of chicken that had been marinating in his homemade mustard and tarragon sauce. The chicken was moist and delicious, and we had a fantastic night chowing down with all of our good friends.

This recipe is a take off of Bob's, from Food and Wine Magazine. While Shea wasn't there to experience my 23rd birthday party, I have told him about it so much that when he saw this recipe online, he knew that I would love it.


Chicken in Tarragon-Mustard Cream Sauce
Courtesy of Food and Wine at http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chicken-in-tarragon-mustard-cream-sauce

Ingredients

1. 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2. 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2-inch strips, or skinless, boneless breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
3. Salt and freshly ground pepper
4. 1/2 pound white mushrooms, thinly sliced
5. 1 large shallot, minced
6. 3/4 cup dry white wine
7. 1 1/4 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
8. 1/2 cup heavy cream
9. 2 tablespoons grainy mustard
10. 2 tablespoons chopped tarragon
11. Buttered noodles, for serving

Directions

1. In a very large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add it to the skillet in a single layer. Cook over high heat, turning once, until browned but not cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a plate. Pour off any fat in the skillet.
2. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook until reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 4 minutes. Add the stock, cream and mustard and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce has reduced by half, about 6 minutes.
3. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet and simmer over moderate heat until the chicken is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tarragon. Serve with buttered noodles

Bob giving me a Bday Lei right before grilling up some mustard and tarragon chicken for my 23 birthday!

Linguine with Cauliflower Pesto

The cherry blossoms in DC  are in full bloom, people are starting to party on their rooftops, and I just swapped out my sweaters for my skirts in my closet. Suffice to say, I clearly have a case of Spring Fever!

With the warming temperatures I have been craving pesto, but because it is not yet Summer, we don't yet have cheap and fresh basil. But this recipe is a great alternative! Give it a try for a twist on your favorite pesto, and you won't be disappointed.

Linguine with Cauliflower Pesto
Courtesy of Deb Perlman's "Smitten Kitchen Cookbook"

Ingredients
salt
1 small head of cauliflowers, trimmed and cored and cut into large chunks
1 garlic clove
generous pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup of almonds or pine nuts, toasted and cooled
2 ounce chunk of parmesan cheese, plus a little more for passing
4 sun-dried tomatoes (dry variety)
1 tablespoon drained capers
a few tablespoons of fresh parsley leaves
1/3 cup of olive oil
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1 pound linguine

Directions
1. Prepare Pesto - pulse half the cauliflower in a food processor until it looks like mixed sized couscous. Transfer the cauliflower to a large bowl and repeat until you have processed it all. Pulse the garlic, pepper flakes, almonds, cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and parsley in a food processor until the mixture looks like course breadcrumbs. Transfer to the bowl with cauliflower, add the olive oil, vinegar, and salt and combine.

2. Assemble the Dish - Once the water is boiling, add the linguine and cook until it is al dente. Reserve a cup f the cooking water, then drain the rest. Immediately toss the hot pasta with the cauliflower pesto and half of the reserved cooking water. Add more water if the pesto is too think. Enjoy!

Baked Risotto with Asparagus, Spinach, and Parmesean

I do not yet have a photo of this recipe in action, and that is because I make it so often that I don't use the recipe anymore when cooking so I don't think of it for my blog!

The recipe comes from a cookbook that my mother gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago. Like I have mentioned before, my mom lived in Italy for a while, so I respect her judgement of good Italian food and recipes.

Risotto is one of my favorite Italian foods, but I used to never make it because I always thought it was too hard (who wants to stand there and stir a pot of rice for an hour!?) and way too rich (do I really need to eat that much cream/cheese?!). This recipe is neither hard to make nor so rich that it makes you feel guilty. I always pack an entire bag of spinach and an entire bundle of asparagus in my version, and it turns out perfectly.

I hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as I do, and that it may become a staple recipe of your own. Next time I make it I will be sure to take a photo to share with you all!


Baked Risotto with Asparagus, Spinach, and Parmesan
Courtesy of Patricia Wells's "Trattoria: Simple and Robust Fare Inspired by the Small Family Restaurants of Italy"

Ingredients
1 tablespoon EVOO
1 small onion, minced
salt to taste
1 cup italian arborio rice
2 cups chicken broth
4 cups loosely packed fresh spinach, chopped
10 thin spears fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into diagonal slices
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F

2. In a 1 and 1/2 quart saucepan, combine the oil, onion, and salt over moderate heat. Stir to coat with the oil and cook until the onion is soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the rice, stirring to coat with the oil. Add the chicken stock, spinach, asparagus, nutmeg, and salt and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Stir in half of the cheese. Transfer to a 1 quart souffle dish and smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.

3. Place the souffle dish in the center of the oven. Bake until the rice is cooked through and has absorbed most of the liquid, 35 to 40 minutes.

Pan Fried Flounder (Haddock) with Poblano Corn Relish

Earlier this week Shea and I went to the grocery store and got all of the ingredients for this recipe. We bought an avocado, which was not quite ripe but was getting there. Yesterday I was home alone (Shea has night class), and I was hungry. I ate the avocado that Shea was planning on using for this recipe.

Shea was slightly annoyed when he came home and the I had eaten the avocado, but I promised that I would get a new one the next day. When the next day came around, I was feeling lazy and did not want to go to the store to buy the avocado, but in Shea's wisdom, he insisted that I did. And boy, it was worth it! This meal was one of my favorites we have ever made, and the avocado made all the difference in the relish.

We decided to use Haddock instead of Flounder, and used frozen corn instead of fresh corn. Both substitutions turned out perfectly well.

Pan Friend Flounder with Poblano Corn Relish
Courtesy of Food and Wine
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/pan-fried-flounder-with-poblano-corn-relish

1. 1 large poblano chile pepper, cut into thin strips
2. 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
3. 1 small onion, thinly sliced
4. 1 ear of corn, kernels cut off
5. 1 garlic clove, minced
6. 1/2 large Hass avocado, diced
7. Juice of 1/2 lemon
8. 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
9. Salt and freshly ground pepper
10. Four 6-ounce flounder fillets
11. All-purpose flour, for dredging

1. In a large nonstick skillet, spread the poblano strips in an even layer and cook over high heat, without stirring, until lightly charred, 3 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and the onion and cook over moderate heat until the onion is lightly browned, 3 minutes. Add the corn and garlic and cook, stirring, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Transfer the relish to a bowl and let cool to room temperature. Gently fold in the avocado, lemon juice and cilantro and season with salt and pepper.
2. Season the flounder with salt and pepper. Dredge the flounder in the flour, shaking off the excess. In each of 2 large, nonstick skillets, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until shimmering. Add 2 fillets to each skillet and cook over moderately high heat until golden brown on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Turn and cook just until the fillets are white throughout, about 1 minute longer. Transfer the flounder to plates and top with the poblano relish.