Posts tagged ‘easy dinner’
Recipe of the Week – Capt Jim’s Asparagus Lasagna
From the Starch/ Pasta Collection at emealsforyou.com
Capt Jim's Asparagus Lasagna
After completing a long road trip for a visit to our “old” neighbors in Virginia we settled in to enjoy the company, weather and especially the food. Capt Jim, as we call him on this blog and our website, emealsforyou.com, has dedicated a lot of his time to perfecting the art of cooking. We looked forward to his fresh baked bread but had no idea he was preparing short ribs for dinner the first night. We thought he would have a hard time upstaging these wonderfully tasty and tender ribs the next night but were more than pleasantly surprised by his Asparagus Lasagna on Saturday. The lasagna was perfectly cooked and all the flavors blended together to form a spectacular visual as well as a true gourmet entrée. Jim finished the evening off with a delightfully flavorful but light Grapefruit Granita for dessert.
It was a great visit; with great friends and more than great food. I only hope we can return the favor when they come to our home.
Capt Jim’s Asparagus Lasagna
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 8 |
| Category: | Starch/ Pasta |
| Meal: | other (General) |
| 2 | Tb | oil, olive |
| 9 | sheets | lasagna noodles |
| 16 | oz | sun-dried tomatoes, in oil |
| 1.5 | cups | basil leaves, whole |
| 1.25 | cups | cheese, parmesan, grated |
| 0.25 | lb | pancetta |
| 1 | medium | onions, diced |
| 2 | cloves | garlic, minced |
| 1 | lb | asparagus |
| 1 | 16 oz. container | cheese, ricotta |
| 1 | tsp | salt, kosher |
| 0.5 | tsp | pepper, fresh cracked |
| 2 | cups | cheese, mozzarella, shredded |
| 2 | Tb | butter, unsalted |
Boil salted water; add 1 TB olive oil and pasta and cook for 5 minutes. Rinse and drain pasta; separate sheets. Combine sun-dried tomatoes and basil in a food processor; remove to a bowl and stir in 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Brown pancetta in a sauce pan; remove when done. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan, add the onions and garlic and sauté until tender. Cut the asparagus into 1 inch pieces and add to the pan and cook until tender. Remove asparagus and onions from the pan to a large mixing bowl. Stir in the ricotta, salt and pepper. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle some of the sun-dried tomato mixture over the bottom of a 9 X 13 baking pan. Place a layer of the lasagna sheets in the pan; add half of the asparagus mixture; spread evenly over the pasta. Sprinkle 1/3rd of the mozzarella and 1/3rd of the remaining Parmesan on top; repeat the pasta and mixtures; ending with the a pasta layer and the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Dot the top with the butter and bake until heated through and golden. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Note: You may substitute any good ham for the pancetta and a good low-moisture cottage cheese for the ricotta.
See more of Capt Jim’s recipes at emealsforyou.com
Recipe of the Week – Warm Chicken Salad
(From the Salad Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Warm Chicken Salad
It was warm in the Ohio Valley this weekend; and after a couple of days of running errands we settled in for a nice, light dinner on Sunday. Trying to figure out what we felt like proved difficult until I mentioned a Warm Chicken Salad, something we have in the summer and always find just right.
There is something special about a nice big salad topped off with a few pieces of warm chicken. Just the right amount of food to keep us happy without the heavy feeling of over-doing it on a warm night. Besides, we had room for a Klondike Bar a few hours later.
Warm Chicken Salad
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 2 |
| Category: | Salad |
| Meal: | Other (General) |
| 4 | cup | lettuce, mixed |
| 0.5 | tsp | garlic powder |
| 0.125 | Tb | oregano, dried |
| 2 | Tb | oil, olive |
| 1 | Tb | vinegar, red wine |
| 6 | oz | chicken breast, cooked , skinless and boneless with pan juices |
| 1 | pinch | salt and pepper to taste |
Place lettuce in a bowl; add garlic powder, oregano, oil and vinegar. Toss and place in center of plate. Heat chicken and pan juices. Cut chicken into slices and place on salad. Spoon pan juices on top and serve.
More Diet Friendly meals at emealsforyou.com
Recipe of the Week – Acorn Squash Risotto
(From the Starch Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Acorn Squash Risotto
We are back from the NJ trip and ready for Fall. The weather seemed to cooperate for one whole day and then we were and are back into the high 80′s and low 90′s temps. I like Fall as it gets the juices flowing; cooking-wise. Saturday we had homemade chicken soup, after a week of overeating this was a welcomed change of pace. We finished up on Saturday with another classic Fall dinner of roasted chicken and twice baked sweet potatoes.
As Acorn Squash Risotto was mentioned by my sister-in-law following the side-trip to Monticello, I thought it would make a good suggestion for those of you who are looking for an easy and very good Fall night’s meal. Serve with a small salad and this just may make you forget that the Halloween candy is already in stores.
Acorn Squash Risotto
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 4 |
| Category: | Starch |
| Meal: | other (General) |
| 1 | medium | acorn squash |
| 4 | Tb | oil, olive |
| 4 | Tb | butter, salted |
| 0.5 | tsp | allspice, ground |
| 1 | small | onions, chopped |
| 2 | cup | rice, Arborio |
| 4 | cup | chicken broth |
| 0.5 | cup | wine, dry white |
| 1 | tsp | salt, kosher |
| 0.5 | tsp | pepper, fresh ground |
| 1 | medium | pears, fresh |
| 0.5 | cloves | cheese, Romano, grated |
Cut, peel and seed the acorn squash, dice into ¾” pieces. Heat ½ of the olive oil in a pot with 2/3rds of the butter; add squash and sauté until brown on all sides; add allspice and stir. Remove from pot and allow to cool. Add remaining oil to pot, heat pot to medium. Add onions; sauté until softened, add rice and stir constantly until rice is light brown. Transfer squash to food processor and process until just smooth. (add a little of the broth to loosen if needed). Lower heat; add broth ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly, until rice is just tender but not mushy. (15-20 minutes) Add white wine. Add squash, stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Add remaining butter; peel and cut pear into small dice; add to risotto. Plate and top off with grated Romano cheese.
This serves 4 as an entrée but will serve 6-8 as a side.
See more recipes at emealsforyou.com
Recipe of the Week – Calzone
(From the Easy Recipes I Can Cook Collection at www.emealsforyou.com)
Calzone
I like the crust on pizza so it is a natural transition to calzone. These are, excuse me Tony at Aponte’s Pizza, folded pizzas. Just like pizza they are very good with any ingredients you wish to put inside. On this recipe I call for cheese and roasted red peppers. I used the ones in a jar from the grocery, but you can put cooked sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions whatever you would put on top of a pizza tucked inside. Use pizza sauce or any good store-bought tomato sauce that you like.
Served golden brown and steamy, right from the oven, they will give you an alternative to the pizza you usually serve. Your family will love them and you will appreciate the ease of preparation and clean up.
Calzone
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 4 |
| Category: | Easy Recipes I Can Cook |
| Meal: | N/A |
| 1 | recipe | pizza dough |
| 2 | cup | cheese, low-fat mozzarella |
| 4 | oz | peppers, red roasted |
| 4 | Tb | cheese, Romano, grated |
| 1.5 | cup | tomato sauce |
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut dough into four pieces, form into rounds. Roll dough into four small pizza sized disks. Divide cheese and red peppers evenly and place on half of each disk. Fold pizza dough over to form a half moon. Seal edges of dough together, cut an X into top and place in very hot oven until brown. Plate and spoon tomato sauce on top.
Extra Recipe of the Week – Pasta – Beyond Mac and Cheese
(From The Fish Entrée Collection at emealsforyou.com)
When we don’t know what to prepare for dinner we usually fall back on the usual suspects. For many of us this means Mac and cheese, from the blue box, maybe with chicken or a hot dog or something and maybe just by itself. While this makes sense for the kids, the kids would eat this 7 days a week, it may not be what your significant other expects after a hard day at work. Even foregoing this guilt trip don’t you deserve more?
This recipe is very easy, and with the exception of the shrimp requires ingredients you should have on hand. The shrimp, while it seems to be an extravagance, is pretty inexpensive if you buy it on sale. You only need about 6 medium shrimp per person to make this a special meal. Seriously, by the time the pasta cooks you will have everything else done… add a salad and you have a meal that is equal to any you would get at a good Italian restaurant.
So, dim the lights, light a candle on the table and dream of Rome.
Angel Hair Pasta with Garlic Shrimp
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 4 |
| Category: | Fish Entrée |
| Meal: | Happy Birthday (Celebration Meal Plans) |
| 2 | Tb | oil, olive |
| 2 | Tb | lemon zest, finely chopped |
| 4 | medium | scallions, sliced |
| 3 | cloves | garlic, minced |
| 1 | lb | shrimp, deveined, shelled |
| 1 | medium | lemon, juice of |
| 0.75 | cup | tomatoes, diced |
| 0.25 | cup | milk, 2 % |
| 1 | lb | pasta, angel hair |
| 4 | Tb | cheese, Romano, grated |
| 1 | Tb | parsley, flakes |
| 0.5 | tsp | pepper, fresh ground |
| 1 | pinch | salt to taste |
Heat oil in pan; add 1/2 the zest, all the scallions, garlic, and shrimp. Reduce heat and simmer until shrimp are done,( about 3-4 minutes) add lemon juice, tomato, and milk. Simmer 3 more minutes. Cook pasta in boiling water with 2 Tb salt. Add pasta to pan, mix well, plate. Sprinkle top with parsley flakes, black pepper, remaining lemon zest and romano.
Serve with garlic bread.
Note : If your pasta is too dry add a little of the pasta water.
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