New Dinner Recipe: Pan-Seared Cod with Pickled Grapes & Summer Succotash

Hi Everyone!

I just got back from my trip to Italy with two of my brothers and the food was so amazing! Seriously, I had no idea how incredibly lucky they are with all of those tasty dishes! With that being said, I opted to make something a little less Italian for dinner last night! I really liked the pickled grapes as an addition to this! Definitely try this one out. Also, it was very quick and easy to prepare!

Ingredients:

2 Cod Fillets

2 Cloves Garlic

1 Bunch Chives

1 Ear Of Corn

1 Tomato

1 Shallot

3 Ounces Green Beans

2 Ounces Red Seedless Grapes

2 T White Wine Vinegar

1 T Sugar

⅓ c Rice Flour

Directions:

1. Wash and dry the fresh produce.
2. Pick the grapes off the stems and discard the stems and thinly slice the grapes.
3. Peel and mince the garlic.
4. Peel and thinly slice the shallot.
5. Remove and discard the husks and silks of the corn.
6. Cut the corn kernels off the cob and discard the cob.
7. Trim off and discard the stem ends of the green beans and cut the green beans into ½-inch pieces.
8. Core and large dice the tomato.
9. Cut the chives into ¼-inch pieces.
10. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, sugar and a big pinch of salt.
11. Stir until thoroughly combined and the sugar has dissolved.
12. Add the sliced grapes and set aside to pickle for at least 10 minutes.
13. While the grapes pickle, in a medium pan heat 2 teaspoons of butter on medium-high until hot.
14. Add the shallot and garlic and season with salt and pepper.
15. Cook for 1 minute until softened and fragrant.
16. Stir in the corn and green beans and season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.
17. Add the tomato and cook for 2 minutes before transferring to a plate.

1. While the grapes continue to pickle, place the rice flour on a plate.
2. Pat the cod dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper on both sides.
3. Then, thoroughly coat the cod in the rice flour.
4. In the pan, heat 2 teaspoons of butter on medium-high until hot and add the coated cod and cook 4 minutes per side.
5. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and immediately season with salt and pepper.
6. Divide the succotash and cooked cod between 2 plates.
7. Spoon half the pickled grapes and as much of the pickling liquid as you’d like over each cod fillet.
8. Garnish with the chives. 

Let me know what you think!

Kristin

Seared Pork Chops and Kamut with Corn, Spinach and Stone Fruit-Cherry Tomato Salsa

Hi Everyone,

Normally I don't love pork chops but I have to say these turned out to be delicious! I think it has a lot to do with the salsa on top! Also, the corn and spinach mixture was amazing. It was also very convenient to make since it only took a total of 25 minutes and was about 655 calories. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

Ingredients

2 Boneless, Center-Cut Pork Chops

½ C Semi-Pearled Kamut

4 Ounces Cherry Tomatoes

1 Ear Of Corn

2 Scallions

1 Summer Stone Fruit

½ Pound Spinach

1 Bunch Basil

2 T Balsamic Vinegar

1 T Butter

2 tsp Seared Pork Spice Blend (Ground Fennel Seed, Dried Whole Thyme, Sweet Paprika & Ground Coriander) 

Directions:

1. Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling on high and add the kamut.
2. Cook 18 minutes and turn off the heat. Then, drain thoroughly and return to the pot.
3. Cut off and discard the root ends of the scallions and thinly slice the scallions. Keep separate the white bottoms and green tops.
4. Pit and small dice the stone fruit.
5. Pick the basil leaves off the stems; discard the stems.
6. Quarter the tomatoes.
7. Remove and discard the husks and silks of the corn and cut the corn kernels off the cob.
8. Roughly chop the spinach.
9. In a medium bowl, combine the stone fruit, tomatoes, basil (tearing the leaves just before adding) and half the green tops of the scallions. Add olive oil, salt and pepper and then stir to combine.

1. In a large pan, heat 2 teaspoons of butter and add the corn and cook for 4 minutes.
2. Add the spinach and white bottoms of the scallions and cook for 2 minutes.

1. Transfer to the pot of cooked kamut and stir in half the vinegar and a tiny amount of olive oil, salt and pepper.
2. Season the pork chops on both sides with salt, pepper and the spice blend.
3. In a pan, heat 2 teaspoons of butter and add the seasoned pork chops.
4. Cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until browned and cooked through and then transfer to a plate, leaving any browned bits (or fond) in the pan.
5. Add the remaining vinegar and ¼ cup of water to the pan of reserved fond and cook on medium-high, stirring frequently and scraping up any fond from the bottom of the pan, 1 to 2 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced in volume by half.
6. Turn off the heat. Add the butter; stir to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Divide the finished kamut and cooked pork chops between 2 plates.
8. Top with the pan sauce and salsa and add the remaining green tops of the scallions. 

Let me know what you think!

Kristin

Southern Shrimp and Grits!

Living in Charleston it is hard to find a bad dish of shrimp and grits! It's a staple at nearly every restaurant downtown. So, the stakes were high last night for dinner when I made this new recipe. It was so delicious and very fast to make. I can definitely tell that this is going to be in the regular dinner rotation because it was so easy and inexpensive but still tastes delicious!
(This only takes about 25 minutes to prepare and is about 700 calories)

Ingredients:

10 Ounces Shrimp

¾ C Yellow Grits

3 Scallions

1 Clove Garlic

1 Ear of Corn

1 Lemon

1 Zucchini

2 Ounces Cherry Tomatoes

3 T Butter

2 Ounces Cheddar Cheese

1 tsp Smoked Paprika

Directions: 

1. Wash and dry the fresh produce.
2. In a medium pot, heat 3 cups of water and a big pinch of salt to boiling on high.
3. Remove and discard the husks and silks of the corn.
4. Cut the corn kernels off the cob and discard the cob.
5. Remove the lemon rind and mince to get 2 teaspoons of zest.
6. Grate the cheese.
7. Once water is boiling, stir in the grits, lemon zest and corn and reduce the heat to low.
8. Cook and stir frequently to prevent clumping for 10 to 12 minutes (until the grits have thickened).
9. Remove the grits from heat.
10. Stir in the cheese and half the butter; season with salt and pepper to taste.
11. Cover and set aside in a warm place.
12. Cut off and discard the root ends of the scallions
13. Thinly slice the scallions and separate the white bottoms and green tops.
14. Peel and mince the garlic.
15. Quarter and deseed the lemon.
16. Medium dice the zucchini.
17. Halve the tomatoes.
18. Place the shrimp in a medium bowl and toss with the smoked paprika.
19. In a large pan, heat butter on medium-high until melted and add the spiced shrimp; season with salt and pepper.
20. Cook shrimp for 4 minutes, or until browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
21. In the pan, add a tsp of butter and when melted add the garlic and white bottoms of the scallions; season with salt. Cook for 1 minute.

1. Add the zucchini to the pan of vegetables and cook for 2 minutes, or until slightly softened.
2. Add the cooked shrimp, tomatoes, remaining butter, the juice of all 4 lemon wedges and all but a pinch of the green tops of the scallions and cook for 1 minute.
3. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Divide the grits and shrimp and vegetables between two bowls. Top with remaining tops from scallions!

Let me know what you think!

Bacon, Egg and Avocado Breakfast!

Happy Saturday! This morning my brother, David, came over for breakfast so I made this really easy breakfast recipe to kickstart the day! It's not terribly healthy for you but it tastes delicious! This is very filling but we still added some blueberries, strawberries and raspberries on the side!

Ingredients (for 2 servings):
1 large avocado
4 slices of bacon
2 eggs
pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Place 4 slices of bacon on cooking sheet and cook for 20 minutes
3. Slice the avocado in half and remove pit
**You can do this by stabbing the pit with a knife and pulling it out**
4. Place two halves of the avocado in baking dish (use the corners of the dish to help keep it steady)
5. Crack one egg into each halve of the avocado
6. Bake for 20 minutes or until egg is cooked to your preference
7.  Add pieces of the bacon slices and pepper to the top of avocado and egg and serve!
**I omitted salt but you could add a small amount**

Let me know what you think!

Kristin

Quick Breakfast Sandwich - Perfect for Weekdays!

Hello Everyone!

Happy hump day :-). I just got back from a work trip to West Virginia and made the best breakfast sandwich this morning. It was so quick and easy (and moderately healthy) that I wanted to share iwth you!

Ingredients:
2 slices of sourdough bread (that is just my preference - if you want the recipe let me know!)
1 pat of butter
1 fresh tomato
1 fresh avocado
2 slices of bacon (I cooked mine in the oven)
1 fried egg
1/4 c cheddar cheese
salt/pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Cook the bacon on 375 for 20 minutes (I really just do this so the house doesn't smell and my dogs don't go crazy! - they love bacon)
2. While the bacon cooks go ahead and heat a pan on medium high with a pat of butter
3. add one egg per sandwich and fry the egg (about 4 minutes on one side and 3 minutes on the other side). *I cooked my egg so that it was not runny since I didn't want a messy sandwich while I was dressed for work*
4.Add a 1/4 of cheese to one bread slice/per sandwich and toast your slices of bread in the oven for about 5 minutes (until the sandwich is golden and the cheese starts to melt)
5. Slice your tomato and avocado
6. Add the bacon, tomato, avocado and egg to your toasted bread and add salt/pepper to taste
7. optional: sriracha is also really a fantastic addition to this recipe

Let me know what you think!
Kristin

Stir-Fried Ginger-Basil Chicken with Tinkerbell Peppers and Coconut Rice!

Hi Everyone!

Happy Monday :-). Today was a busy day at work - I am traveling to West Virginia for part of the week. Since I will be eating out the next few days I made a really delicious stir-fried ginger-basil chicken recipe for dinner last night. I am highly recommending you try it too! The entire meal took less than 30 minutes to prepare and was only 645 calories (but also very filling)!

Ingredients:

10 Ounces Chopped Chicken Thighs

½ Cup Jasmine Rice

3 Cloves Garlic

2 Scallions

1 Japanese Eggplant

¼ Pound Tinkerbell Peppers

1 Large Bunch Thai Basil

2 Tablespoons Ponzu Sauce

1 1-Inch Piece Ginger

¼ Cup Coconut Milk Powder

¼ Cup Sweet Chili Sauce

Directions:

1. Wash and dry the fresh produce.
2. Peel and mince the garlic and ginger.
3. Cut off and discard the root ends of the scallions and thinly slice the scallions (make sure to the white bottoms and green tops).
4. Cut off and discard the stem end of the eggplant and cut the eggplant into 1-inch-thick rounds.
5. Slice the tinkerbell peppers into ¼-inch-thick rings.
6. Pick the Thai basil leaves off the stems and discard the stems.
7. In a bowl, whisk together the coconut milk powder and ¼ cup of water.
8. In a small pot, combine the rice, coconut milk mixture, a big pinch of salt and ¾ cup of water and heat to boiling on high.
9. Once boiling, cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer 11 to 13 minutes (make sure the rice is tender).
10. Remove from heat and fluff the coconut rice with a fork. Set aside in a warm place.
11. While the rice cooks, in a large pan, heat 2 teaspoons of oil on medium-high until hot and add the eggplant in a single, even layer; season with salt and pepper.
12. Cook, for 6 minutes, or until softened and browned and transfer to a plate.
13. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
14. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil on medium-high until hot in pan and add the seasoned chicken and cook, 7 minutes, or until browned and cooked through.
15. Add the garlic, ginger, white bottoms of the scallions and tinkerbell peppers and season with salt and pepper.
16. Cook for 2 minutes, or until fragrant.
17. To the pan of chicken and vegetables, add the cooked eggplant, sweet chili sauce, ponzu sauce, 1 tablespoon of water, half the Thai basil (torn into pieces) and half the green tops of the scallions and cook for 3 minutes.
18. Split the coconut rice and finished stir-fry between 2 dishes and garnish with the remaining Thai basil and green tops of the scallions. 

This was probably one of my most favorite dinners in a long time! Definitely let me know what you think!

Kristin

Sunday Brunch- French Toast Recipe!

This morning I wanted to mix up the brunch menu from our normal eggs and bacon. So, I made french toast with fresh fruit and homemade whipped cream! It turned out really well (no complaints from Andrew) so I thought this would be good to share since it is also extremely easy to make!

Ingredients:
1/4 c butter
1 loaf of bread (sometimes I make the bread but this time I just used store-bought sourdough bread)
3 eggs
1/2 c of milk
bottle of maple syrup
1 c fresh strawberries
1/2 c heavy cream
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Heat 1/4 c butter in a medium sized pan on medium high heat on the stove
2. Take a pie dish and add three eggs and half a cup of milk and whisk to mix ingredients together
3. Place slice of bread in pie dish to soak (on both sides) in egg/milk mixture
4. Place slice of soaked bread in pan and do not flip for 3 minutes
5. Flip the slice of bread on alternate side for 2 minutes
(you will need to do one slice of bread at a time)
6. Repeat steps 3-5 with each slice of bread
7. Slice strawberries into smaller pieces
8. In a bowl, mix the heavy cream and sugar with a hand mixer for 3-5 minutes (until stiff) and add in vanilla extract
9. Divide the french toast between two plates and top with sliced strawberries and add syrup and dollop of whipped cream
10. Enjoy (I had mine with a mimosa!)

Sometimes I also add cinnamon to the egg and milk mixture and use blueberries and raspberries with the strawberries!

Let me know what you think,

Kristin