Sweet Potato Hash with Chicken Sausage and Spinach

Tags

apple, chicken, clean, eat clean, healthy, onion, recipes, sausage, spinach, sweet potato

I was inspired by a photo of roasted sweet potatoes on my facebook feed to create dinner for Brent and myself. It was a little off the beaten path since our dinners lately consist of a grilled protein and lots of greens. This was different in every way for us and has instantly become a favorite. It’s easy to make. Healthy. And only soils ONE pan!

This sweet potato hash has everything good in it. Onions. Apples. Sausage. And spinach. Don’t let the apples fool you as they cook with the onions- they take on the delicious flavors that they are surrounded by! I cannot wait to make it again and modify it for lighter days!

Serves 4 or 2 big portions

Ingredients

2-3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 lb of chicken sausage (Italian style), sliced

1 medium red onion, diced

1 apple (pink lady preferred), cored and chopped

1 5oz package of fresh baby spinach

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil

Method

Steam the diced potatoes for 8-10 minutes to soften. While they are steaming, sauté chicken sausage in 1 Tbsp of olive oil until browned- about 8 minutes over medium heat. Set chicken sausage aside. Add onions and apples and allow to cook in sausage drippings. If anything is stuck to the pan, add a spoonful of water to the pan to help break up the dried up bits on the bottom of the pan. Allow the onions and apples to caramelize. Add salt and cook on medium to low heat for 10 minutes or until onions are caramelized.

Add 1 Tbsp of olive oil to the pan and add sweet potatoes. Allow to crisp – combine with apples and onions. Add salt and pepper to taste. After about 5 minutes, the potatoes should have a little crispness to them, add the sausage back to the pan.  Add spinach to pan and combine. Allow 2 or 3 minutes to wilt the spinach. Give it a good stir and serve.

This tastes even better the following day!

I enjoyed my leftovers for lunch with a fried egg on top. It was everything! I plan on remaking this again in the near future and swapping out the sausage for black beans and a smoky paprika- and definitely keeping the egg!!!

Stuffed Chicken Breast

Tags

chicken, goat cheese, recipes, spinach, white bean puree

Stuffing chicken is nothing new. But its been SO LONG since I have even thought of stuffing chicken.  Spending a rainy day at home watching movies and not wanting to order take out, I defrosted my old reliable: chicken breast.

Chicken doesn’t really disappoint. It’s easy to get, quick to cook, and more times than not, pretty healthy. So while staring at the chicken breast defrosting in the sink I thought about stuffing it. Inside the fridge was a half full jar of salsa and little bit of cream cheese nearing its life expectancy.

So, I stuffed two chicken breasts with 1/2 cup of salsa and 1/4 cup of light cream cheese. I totally butchered the chicken with my sub par stuffing skills and did an even crappier job of securing it with toothpicks. I gave the chicken a roll in some seasoned breadcrumbs and baked at 375 for 30 minutes.

Nothing pretty to look at, but it smelled damn good and tasted pretty awesome.

This was a definite hit for me and BR. And after more thorough planning, I added it to my menu the following week with much better looking results.

Broiled chicken stuffed with spinach, garlic and goat cheese alongside a white bean puree and roasted sugar snap peas.

The chicken was much safer to eat too!

For the white bean puree (makes 4 servings): about 1/2 cup per serving.

1 can of small white beans (rinsed and drained)

1/2 tsp olive oil

1/8 tsp smoked paprika

pinch of salt.

Method: Place white beans in a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. Add the olive oil while its mixing. Transfer the puree to a pot and warm. While warming season with paprika and salt.

For the chicken (makes 4 servings):

4 chicken breasts (4-6 oz each)

1 cup of cooked spinach (excess water removed)

1/4 herbed goat cheese, crumbled

1/8 tsp garlic powder

salt  and pepper to taste.

Method: Set broiler to High. Slice the chicken to create a pocket. Combine the spinach, goat cheese, garlic and salt in a medium sized bowl. Stuff half of the mixture into the pocket of the chicken breast. Secure with toothpicks. Broil for 15-20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145* (letting it rest will bring it up to a safe 160*).

If you are looking for a good substitute for rice or mashed potatoes, this white bean puree is a quick and easy favorite in our house.

Revisiting: Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups

Tags

dinner, healthy, italian, lasagna, spinach, zucchini

On a typical Sunday afternoon, you can find me in the kitchen preparing a hearty dinner to prepare for the work week. The big meal is enjoyed around 4pm and all the leftovers are packed into containers for the week ahead. With an abundance of summer greens constantly coming in, thanks to my CSA, I decided to incorporate as much of my veggies as possible into dinner. With a giant head of spinach and more zucchini than I could tolerate, I decided to revisit a recipe.

From the archives of 2011, I found this spinach lasagna roll up. I cannot believe its been that long since I have made this! I was first inspired by Gina at Skinny Taste and Now, my inspiration lies within the fresh summer veggies that keep coming in.

This meal is very inexpensive to prepare and a little can go a long way. I have mentioned before how perfect this dish is if you are looking to control your portions. Prepared this way, its easy to see 12 equal portions.

The only changes that I made to this recipe included swapping frozen spinach for fresh and adding shredded zucchini – all the leftover zucchini was sliced, breaded and baked. Recipe here.

I had two pieces of lasagna. I don’t regret it for a second.

The special man in your life might need 3 pieces… or 4 if hes super hungry. But since I added some oven baked zucchini, a little went a long way.

Now, if I see another zucchini, I might hurt somebody.

I kid, I kid.

BBQ Turkey Meatballs

Tags

bbq, cauliflower, dinner, healthy, meatball, recipes, spinach

I wanted to change things up a bit. When I saw this recipe in Cooking Light magazine back in April, I thought this was a definite win. The last meatball recipe I tried in a cooking light magazine was the chicken yakitori meatball and they were fantastic. So, I thought meatballs and bbq sauce couldn’t steer me wrong.

• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with mild green chiles (such as Del Monte)
• 1 1/4 pounds ground turkey
• 3 tablespoons Italian-seasoned dried breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• Cooking spray

1. Place first 6 5 ingredients in a blender; blend until smooth.
2. Combine turkey, breadcrumbs, and chili powder in a large bowl; using wet hands, shape into 12 meatballs.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly coat pan with cooking spray. Add meatballs; cook 2 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Add tomato mixture to pan; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 6 minutes or until the meatballs are done.

The meatballs couldn’t be eaten alone… or could they?

I decided to saute some spinach in garlic and olive oil.

And to make it look just like the photo, I whipped up some smashed cauliflower.

This was a really balanced dinner but if I’m being honest, I really didn’t like the sauce on the meatballs. It was too acidic and sweet for my liking. I prefer bbq sauces to be smoky. It wasn’t a total failure but I’ve had better.

Mini Meatball and Tortellini Soup

Tags

soup, spinach, tortellini, turkey

The other day while chatting with my coworker, Alyssa, she mentioned she was making soup for dinner. So, obviously when she started talking about her dinner, I wanted to know more. And it sounded so wonderful that I decided to make it too.

What I love about this soup is the simplicity of it. Meatballs. Tortellini. Spinach. Broth. Parm Cheese. And its pretty tasty too.

Soup is not an easy sell for dinner but this is filled with meatballs.. so how can that be bad, right?

Ingredients (serves 4)

1 lb lean ground turkey

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumb

6 cups chicken broth

8 oz cheese tortellini, cooked

1 bunch of spinach

handful of parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450*. In a medium bowl combine turkey,onion, garlic, salt, and breadcrumbs using clean hands. Once incorporated, form into small meatballs. Transfer meatballs to a baking sheet sprayed with oil. Bake for 20 minutes.

2. In a large pot, heat 6 cups of chicken broth. When the meatballs are done toss them into the broth. Bring the broth to a simmer and add the spinach. Cook 2-3 minutes (or until spinach wilts) and remove from heat.

3. Add cooked tortellini to 4 bowls, respectively.  Pour 1 and a half cups of broth and meatballs into a bowl. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve..

4. … with cheesy croissants, of course.

Awesome! Now, if only it would FEEL like winter in NYC, this would be perfect.

Make sure to use big spoons for easy slurpage!

Spinach, Feta, and White Bean Quesadilla

Tags

brunch, feta cheese, light dinner, light lunch, quesadilla, quick dinner, spinach, vegetarian

Before I really knew what I was getting myself into with regards the cooking for my new boy, I was menu planning with great excitement. BR is a regular dinner guest and I am more eager to get home and cook. I really get a kick out of trying new things and making bellies happy. A challenge I have is making things that are healthy for me and still hearty enough for the likes of BR. BR is a guys’ guy. When he sits down to a meal, he doesn’t care what’s on the plate as long as there is meat. It never fails that whenever I ask him what he feels like for dinner, he replies “meat”.

I found this recipe for a spinach and feta quesadilla on the weight watchers website.  It looked simple enough to make with ingredients that I usually have on hand anyway. The only modification I made was adding shredded rotisserie chicken to BR’s quesadilla to bulk it up for him.

Ingredients:
2 sprays of cooking spray
1 bunch of scallions
1 clove of garlic, minced
10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
¼ cup fat free feta cheese, crumbled
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp fat free half and half
4 ounces reduced fat cream cheese
½ cup part skim mozzarella, shredded
¼ cup cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
¼ tsp black pepper
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
4 medium flour tortillas

(ADD 1-2 Chicken Breasts, shredded to the mix to bulk up the protein…or for the eaters in your life that MUST have MEAT)

Directions:
Coat a 10 inch skillet coated with cooing spray and heat over medium high. Add scallions and garlic. Sauté for 1 minute. Stir in spinach. Cook through until spinach is hot , about 3 minutes.
Add feta cheese, parmesan, half and half, cream cheese, mozzarella, beans, pepper and lemon juice. Stir until well combined.

Spread ½ cup of the spinach spread onto the bottom half of the flour tortilla. Fold to create a half circle and crisp up on a pan that was sprayed with cookin spray.

Toast the tortilla on each side (about 4 minutes).

Remove from heat and serve immediately with sour cream and salsa.

Quesadillas are simple enough to make and can be quite versatile. These quesadillas should be enjoyed fresh. They lose a lot of the crispness after they sit for a while or even after refrigeration. But if you must have leftovers, heat them in the toaster oven and top with a fried egg for a healthy brunch!

BLT Risotto

Tags

bacon, dinner, recipes, risotto, spinach

I really didn’t know what to do with the 3lb bag of Arborio rice that was given to me by mistake from Fresh Direct, so it sat in my cupboards. Sure, I could make risotto… I mean, that’s what arborio rice is for. But the thought of using it never came to mind until I was looking through a cookbook at Patty’s house.

“Oh, I have been meaning to give that to you…”

A free cookbook! It was Emeril Lagasse’s Sizzling Skillets and One Pot Wonders. Everything about a one pot dinner sounded great to me but when I spotted the BLT Risotto recipe my mind went right to the giant bag of free Arborio Rice.

I had most of the ingredients on hand, so I figured “Why Not?”

I was also nursing a really gnarly hangover and was craving CARBS like crazy. There was no time like the present to 1) make hangover risotto and 2) stop feeling hungover.

Ingredients:

6 cups chicken stock

6 ounces thick cut bacon  1/5 lb thick cut bacon

1 cup onion, diced

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp crushed garlic

1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme 3/4 tsp dried thyme

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

3/4 cups dry white wine

1 lb vine ripened tomatoes 2 vine ripened tomatoes

5 ounces fresh baby spinach

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 ounces parm cheese

To start, set the 6 cups of broth in a pot to simmer. It has to be hot in order to do its magic later.

While the broth was simmering, I crisped up the bacon in a large skillet… the same skillet I would be using for the duration of the cooking! One skillet to wash! yesss!

I digress.

When the bacon is nice and crispy, remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside on some paper towels.

Add the onions to newly rendered bacon fat and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon until the onions are translucent. About 4-6 minutes.

Add the garlic, rice, and thyme. Toast up the rice, stirring frequently for 5 minutes. Pour in the wine and allow the rice to absorb it.

When the wine is absorbed, add 1 cup of the chicken stock and gently stir the rice. As the stock evaporates, continue to add 1/2 cup of stock at a time. This should go on for about 15-18 minutes until there is 1/2 cup of stock remaining and the rice is al dente.

Add the tomatoes and allow to cook for two minutes.

After that, add the spinach, bacon, remaining stock, butter and parmesan cheese. Once the spinach wilts, allow it cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Plate and serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Amazing.

And it made for an awesome hangover breakfast!

Spinach and Scallion Tart

Tags

brunch, dinner, healthy, lunch, scallions, spinach, tart

Some of you are still holding strong on those New Year’s Resolutions, and while individuals such as myself, refuse to make promises I can’t keep I like to change things up every now again to sort of even things out.

That, and I bought a tart pan that I really wanted to play with it.

I didn’t really put much thought into the tart because I really just wanted to make something savory in my new tart pan. Tarts are amazing like that. You need some dough and then some eggs (for binding), meat or veggies (or both) and cheese (optional). And it was the perfect excuse to use the Smoked Gouda that I bought for no damn reason at all.

For the crust, I used a lightened up recipe from my usual pie crusts, but if you don’t have a tart pan you can easily use the following:

– Unrolled crescent dough pressed into a pie plate

– Frozen pie crust

– No crust (for the health conscious) and a pie plate lightly sprayed with cooking spray.

Me? I used the following:

6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, softened

2 Tablespoons non-fat milk

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/4 cup of egg substitute, or 1/4 cup egg whites, or 1 egg

1 1/4 cup of all purpose flour

I whipped the butter in my Kitchen Aid Mixer to soften it and make it fluffy for about 3 minutes on low. While it was mixing, I combined the milk, salt and egg substitute in a bowl and whisked it together. I added the egg mixture to the Mixer and then slowly added in the flour, 1/4 cup at a time. When it was sticky and doughy, I formed it into a ball, wrapped it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for an hour.

After an hour, I pressed the dough into my nonstick tart pan and blind baked it for 30 minutes on 350*.

While the tart dough was baking, I whipped up my tart filling.

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon of extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 cup of thinly sliced scallions (about 3 or 4 scallions)

3 cups of fresh baby spinach

1 cup non fat milk

1 cup of smoked gouda, shredded

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup egg substitute, or 3/4 cup of egg whites, or 3 eggs

Directions:

Heat the Tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet. When skillet is hot, add the scallions and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Add spinach to the skillet and fold spinach constantly to allow it to wilt. And don’t worry if it all doesn’t fit in the pan. The spinach will shrink as it cooks.

See?

When the spinach is cooked, remove the spinach and scallions from the heat. In a separate bowl, combine milk, egg substitute and salt with a whisk. When fully combined, add the spinach mixture and cheese.

When the tart crust is done blind baking, pour the filling into the tart pan. I set mine on a baking sheet in case there was some boiling over.

Bake for 35 minutes at 350.

Its done when the eggy mixture is firm.

Remove from tart pan…which honestly was a pain in the ass for me. But once you do, allow it to cool.

And once it cools, you can serve yourself. This recipe makes 10 servings.

Each serving clocks in at 205 cals, 12 grams of fat, 15 grams of carbs, 1 gram of fiber, and 7 grams of protein.

I served mine with a side salad. This makes a great lunch or dinner….hell, even breakfast if you like. The smoked gouda is an excellent addition as it gives the tart all the taste of smoky bacon but without all the grease…and all the meat. If smoked gouda isnt your thing, I would add a nice sharp cheddar instead.

Enjoy!

Ristorante Aglio

Tags

carpaccio, dinner, fine dining, flourless chocolate cake, foie gras, gelato, lamb, lobster, spinach

Just a short walking distance from my office, lays a place with no name out front. The only signage is on the sidewalk listing the evening specials.  If you peek inside, you’ll see an inviting and warm atmosphere just waiting for you to partake of it.

Ristorante Aglio. The Italian restaurant that offers a lovely variety of creatively presented dishes and brilliantly mixed cocktails. The name suggests everything is garlic, however, from their website, the garlic notes are not overpowering in their dishes.

After work last night, my mother met me in front of Ristorante Aglio at the start of dinner service. They had literally just lit the last candle on the table as we entered the establishment. Immediately I fell in love with the dark furniture and creamy tan walls. It was dimly lit and felt very inviting.

I immediately thought this was incredibly romantic and with Valentine’s Day looming around the corner, it makes the perfect setting for your hot date.

We were given some Rosemary Pizza Bianca to nibble on with a very rich olive oil that had a very faint bit of heat to it, almost unnoticeable.

Having glanced at the menu before hand, I had an idea of what I was going to order… however, because I am terrible at making decisions with so many choices, I began to question my original choices. My mom needed little coaching as she picked out her choices and when our waiter approached we were ready to order.

Since it was a ladies’ night out, Mother-Daughter style, we ordered a cocktail. We both chose the Sylvia which is  a tall refreshing cocktail of Belvedere, Ginger Skyy, Saint Germain, Mint, Cucumber slices, muddled ginger, ginger ale and agave. It was delicious and very refreshing.

For our starters, Mom got the Foie Gras and Sweet potato. Reading the menu “Foie Gras with sautéed sweet potato, drizzled with Marsala wine sauce” she said it sounded fantastic. And I squealed inside because my mother once turned her nose up at Foie Gras some years ago and I was elated thinking she had a change of heart. Upon the presenting of the dish, her eyes filled with horror as she whispered across the table “Is this LIVER?”

When I confirmed, her disappointment was apparent and I offered her my own dish as I love Foie Gras. But, being the good sport that she is, she tried the Foie Gras. Turns out, it wasn’t as horrific as mom thought it would be. Of course, I had a few bites of hers and enjoyed it; I was just happy she was open to trying something new.

“I didn’t raise you on this food… where did your palate come from?”  

My Uncle, perhaps?

I ordered the Kanpachi Carpaccio which is a thinly sliced raw fish served with sliced endive, dill, black olives, Sardinian olive oil, and lemon vinaigrette. The dish was beautifully presented and the flavors were spot on. It made a great dish to whet my appetite for the next course. It was full of flavor but light and refreshing.

For our entrée, mom was ecstatic when she saw the lamb chops. They are one of her favorites. Growing up, mom used to make lamb chops about once per week… and I just about got sick of them. I had a bite and let her eat the rest. The lamb was rich and succulent, cooked medium upon the Chef’s recommendation.

She ordered a side of creamy and fluffy mashed potatoes to complete her dish.

I seized the opportunity of having lobster. Grilled lobster with fennel! I haven’t had lobster in such a long time due to the heavy saturation of butter that some chefs use to prepare it. For me, the combination does not agree with me and I get very ill. However, seeing that the lobster offered at Aglio was simply grilled and nothing more, I happily ordered it. In its simplest preparation, the lobster was sweet and cooked perfectly.  It came cut up for me to make my time shucking easier and I couldn’t have been more grateful.

(i forgot my camera and took a crappy cell phone pic… but wanted to show, despite its blurriness)

To accompany my lobster, I ordered the garlic spinach.  Fresh and whole spinach leaves lightly sautéed with garlic and oil. A fantastic side!

Over my excitement over dessert, I neglected to take a photo! However, I can report that my flourless chocolate cake was dense and chocolately! It was a great end to such a wonderful meal. My mother, feeling quite full from her dinner ordered a scoop of their hazelnut Gelato which she happily consumed.

The service here is spot on! While leaving the restaurant my mother, who takes pride in respect and courteousy, was impressed by the “impeccable service” and I take after my momma, so i would have to agree! Fantastic service.  (And the restroom was reminiscent of a day spa with heated seats and a bidet!)

Overall, my experience at Ristorante Aglio was a wonderful one! With it being so close to the office, it makes a great venue to celebrate events over lunch with colleagues and even as a romantic backdrop for a fancy date in TriBeCa.

If you and your love are looking for a special night this Valentine’s Day, Ristorante Aglio will be offering a 5 course dinner for $68 per person. Check out their website and make a reservation!

Slow Cooker: Tofu in Peanut Sauce

Tags

crock pot, peanut butter, peanut sauce, slow cooker, spinach, tofu, white rice

After a very busy week, I thought long and hard about my recipes for the week. I really wanted something kinda spicy and I wanted something that I could make but not miss a minute of the Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives marathon… Hey, as long as im being honest, right?

Truthfully, I just really wanted to use my slow cooker. I get into these little phases where I want to overuse an appliance and get absolutely bored with it… long time followers might note the month or so that I posted about baking goodies with my kitchen aid mixer (that is now officially 1 year old)… But all the appliances deserve a little love, right? (My dutch oven is begging to be used and Im listening!)

Another factor is recipe building this month is savings. Holidays are coming up! Everyone feels the pinch during the holidays and every year I am amazed at how i can pull off gift-giving on the “salary” I make.

When I feel the pinch, i opt for things like tofu. Relatively inexpensive. Versatile. Healthy. So, with a little inspiration from the crockpot lady, I sought her guidance as I prepared this tasty slow cooker delight:

Tofu in Peanut Sauce. You will note how gorgeous hers looks and how mine looks like diarrhea…i promise its tastier than it looks.

Ing:
1 block of extra firm tofu (diced into 1 inch cubes)
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
Cooking spray
3/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup water (my addition)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lime juice (this is approximate- i used the juice of two limes)
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 Tablespoon of garlic
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
salt and pepper for taste.
10oz (at least) of fresh baby spinach
Cooked white or basmati rice for serving

Dredge the tofu in cornstarch and brown in a pan coated with cooking spray. When the tofu is goldben brown on all sides, set aside.

In a 4 qt crock pot, combine the peanut butter, water, soy sauce and lime juice and give it a whisk. (the peanut butter is difficult to stir without the liquids). Add the ginger, garlic, red pepper and S&P. Whisk again and make sure its seasoned to your liking. Add the tofu and cook on high for 1-2 hrs or on low for 2-3 hours.

30 minutes before the end cooking time, add the fresh spinach and let it wilt in the crock pot until the time is up.

WHen its done, fold the spinach into the tofu and serve over rice.

I ended up tweaking this recipe as the sauce was too thick to coat anything (pretty sure thats the cornstarch’s fault) so i diluted it every now and then wen i would peek into the tofu. While it looks like shit  UGLY, i can assure you, this was awesome!

It tastes especially good the next day after the flavors have had time to develop. I served this with white rice and made all my coworkers jealous when i reheat this fragrant bowl of yum.

Enjoy!

ONLY ONE MORE DAY TO ENTER THE HERSHEY’S CONTEST! Contest ends 11:59 pm on December 14th!