Roasted Cod With Pesto and Breadcrumbs

I made my own pesto sauce! Man does homemade pesto taste so much fresher than that store bought stuff.  It’s so easy to make too, just Pine Nuts, Basil, Olive Oil, Garlic and Parmesean Cheese.  If you have one of those fancy food processor’s good for you because I don’t.  I used my Blendtec- I love this machine!!  It makes Frappucino’s!  I don’t spend the 4-5 bucks you all spend buying those Starbucks drinks, I make mine at home.  Now I just need to learn how to make a hot peppermint mocha at home and I’m done with you lover! I mean Starbucks.  No pun intended.  It’s a financial decision after all…okay in all honesty I think I will always want you  I can make frozen yogurt out of this machine!!! Hot Soups!!  What the????  You want one?  Go to Amazon and get one!

On with the dish….I found this fantastic recipe on a pinboard and discovered this awesome food blogger called Circle-b-Kitchen.  I tackled yet another Recipes to Try Pinboard!  I love pinning I’m becoming addicted to that…so much so I think you should check out the stuff I have pinned to my “Funny” Pinboard  especially if you need a laugh after having a bad day.   I love finding recipes using my favorite fish “Cod,” and it’s healthy because it is baked!

Growing my own Basil….

Ready to make the Pesto

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Chili-Spiced Chicken Soup

For this rainy day I thought I’d make a tasty Chicken Soup and I found this Chili Spiced version from Cooking Light.  This is not spicy so if your looking for some real heat double up on the Chili Powder or use Indian Chili Powder.  I decided instead of making the presentation of it look good for this post as I always try to do with my recipes I’m going to do a post about portion sizes.  I normally use this large white plate to do my photography and it’s bigger than the actual portion size that I eat.  It’s very important to understand when your counting calories that portion sizes is what will make you maintain or lose weight.  I bought these children Disney Plates from the Disney Store awhile back and I use them to eat out of because this is the actual serving size vs. the bowls that we purchase in the stores.  So if your trying to lose weight and want to know what a portion size is buy kids plates and you got the portion size that you should be eating.  Surprising but true.  I eat out of kids plates.   When you go out to eat, you will know when it’s too much food even though they serve you on these gigantic plates.  I’m guilty of eating an entire plate of food if the food is of 5 star quality but after I do I’m tired, sleepy and need to walk just to digest it more quickly.  Over eating makes you feel stuffed, exhausted and doesn’t help you lose weight either.

Serving Size…Plate Size Matters…Start measuring your food in a measuring cup too.

Ingredients

• Spice blend:
• 2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Soup:
• 1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
• 1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
• 2 cups chopped sweet onion
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups fresh corn kernels
• 1 (32-ounce) carton fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (28-ounce) can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes, undrained
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• Relish:
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions
• 1 teaspoon grated lime rind
• 3 ounces queso fresco, crumbled
• 1 diced peeled avocado
• Cilantro sprigs (optional)

Preparation

1. 1. To prepare spice blend, combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl.
2. 2. To prepare soup, heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chicken; sprinkle 1 1/2 tablespoons spice blend over chicken. Sauté 8 minutes or until done; cool. Chop chicken; set aside.
3. 3. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in pan over medium-high heat; add onion, bell peppers, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle vegetable mixture with remaining spice blend; sauté 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in chicken, corn, broth, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 15 minutes. Add lime juice.
4. 4. To prepare relish, combine chopped cilantro and next 4 ingredients (through avocado).
5. 5. Ladle 1 1/4 cups soup into bowls; top with 1/4 cup relish. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Jamie Miller, Maple Grove, Minnesota, Cooking Light
MARCH 2010

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

• Calories: 285
• Fat: 9.6g
• Saturated fat: 2.1g
• Monounsaturated fat: 4.7g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 1.8g
• Protein: 27.2g
• Carbohydrate: 23.1g
• Fiber: 5.5g
• Cholesterol: 648mg
• Iron: 3.1mg
• Sodium: 773mg
• Calcium: 99mg

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Eggplant and Goat Cheese Sandwich

I glanced at this recipe several times and finally after reading all of the 5 star reviews I decided I must give it a try.  I see what all the hype is about as this is now one of my favorite sandwiches.  I’m loving the pesto, goat cheese, eggplant and red bell peppers… ahh yes the perfect combination of flavors!  This will be on my weekly rotation for lunch or quick dinner for sure.  :)   Meatless too!!  I grabbed this fabulous Eggplant and Goat Cheese recipe from Cooking Light!

If you love Eggplant try out my other Opened Face Eggplant sandwich recipe.

On Sour Dough Bread….even better

Ingredients

• 8 (1/2-inch-thick) eggplant slices
• 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 4 (1-ounce) slices ciabatta bread
• 2 tablespoons refrigerated pesto
• 1 cup baby arugula
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) soft goat cheese

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat broiler.
2. 2. Arrange eggplant slices in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Brush both sides of eggplant with 1 teaspoon oil. Cut bell pepper in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membrane. Arrange bell pepper halves, skin sides up, on baking sheet with eggplant; flatten with hand. Broil 4 minutes; turn eggplant over (do not turn bell pepper over). Broil an additional 4 minutes; remove eggplant from pan. Broil bell pepper an additional 7 minutes or until blackened. Place bell pepper in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand for 15 minutes; peel and discard skin.
3. 3. Broil bread slices for 2 minutes or until lightly browned, turning once. Spread 1 tablespoon pesto on each of 2 bread slices. Layer each bread slice, pesto side up, with 2 eggplant slices, 1 bell pepper half, and 2 eggplant slices. Toss arugula with remaining 1 teaspoon oil and black pepper; divide arugula mixture evenly between sandwiches. Spread 2 tablespoons goat cheese over each of 2 remaining bread slices; place, cheese side down, on sandwiches.

Maureen Callahan, Cooking Light
OCTOBER 2009

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

• Calories: 395
• Fat: 20.4g
• Saturated fat: 6.4g
• Monounsaturated fat: 11.6g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 1.4g
• Protein: 14g
• Carbohydrate: 43.1g
• Fiber: 6.7g
• Cholesterol: 18mg
• Iron: 3.5mg
• Sodium: 635mg
• Calcium: 108mg

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Irish Car Bomb Brownies

After having my 13 month old crawl up my leg and my 4 1/2 year old singing the same song over and over again as I was making these brownie’s the distraction actually made me forget to add the Guinness to the brownies.  How dare I right?  Probably the most important ingredient and yet I didn’t leave out the Whiskey in the Ganache topping.  After realizing what I did I drizzled about 1/4 cup Guinness on top, it’s okay I will have to attempt these again with the full can of Guinness to see the difference in taste as these did come out tasty regardless of my error.  I grabbed this recipe from A Spicy Perspective food blog, as this was one of the recipes I wanted to tackle on my Pinterest Pinboard.  :)

If you love brownies…check out my favorite Sea Salted Caramel Brownies ))

Mixing Chocolate into the Batter

Melting the Chocolate Down… Imported Dark Chocolate from Belgium (Purchased from Trader Joe’s)

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Bacon and Wild Mushroom Risotto with Baby Spinach

I’ve made Risotto several times now and I find it to be of an acquired taste, I’m starting to like it more as I play around with the flavors that go into it.    What I like about this new recipe is the use of Spinach, Mushrooms and bacon as this makes for really tasty flavor combinations.   This can easily be a meatless meal too.   I found this fantastic Risotto recipe from Cooking Light, so yeah it’s light on calories too all the reason to give it a try right?  ;)  Try out my other Risotto recipes-  Lobster Risotto and Seafood Risotto.

Ingredients

• 4 cups Homemade Chicken Stock
• 6 bacon slices, chopped
• 1 cup chopped shallots
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
• 4 ounces oyster mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup uncooked Carnaroli or Arborio rice or other medium-grain rice
• 1/3 cup Madeira wine or dry sherry (Found Madeira wine at Trader Joes for $3.49)
• 4 cups baby spinach
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Asiago cheese (I used fresh ball mozarella, thin slices)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. 1. Bring Homemade Chicken Stock to a simmer in a small saucepan (do not boil); keep warm over low heat.
2. 2. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add bacon to pan; cook 8 minutes or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon. Add shallots, oil, thyme, and garlic to drippings in pan; cook 6 minutes or until shallots are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in mushrooms; cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add rice, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in Madeira; cook 1 minute or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Stir in 1 cup stock; cook 4 minutes or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add remaining stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of stock is absorbed before adding the next (about 25 minutes total). Stir in spinach; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in cheese, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle with bacon.
3. Wine note: A light-bodied pinot noir can echo the smoky and earthy flavors of Bacon and Wild Mushroom Risotto with Baby Spinach, without overpowering the dish as a bigger red wine might. Redtree Pinot Noir 2008 ($8), from California, shows this grape’s aromatic earthiness, along with snappy, tart berry fruit that provides a palate-cleansing contrast to the creamy texture of this dish. —Jeffery Lindenmuth

David Bonom, Cooking Light
MAY 2010

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

• Calories: 405
• Fat: 19.1g
• Saturated fat: 6.6g
• Monounsaturated fat: 8.4g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 2g
• Protein: 16.5g
• Carbohydrate: 42.6g
• Fiber: 3.5g
• Cholesterol: 38mg
• Iron: 2.4mg
• Sodium: 555mg
• Calcium: 145mg

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Ahi Tuna Tartare with Avocado, Crispy Shallots & Soy Dressing

I’ve become an addict to pinning on Pinterest and I discovered some really great looking recipes on there that I’d like to try.  So I created this Recipes to Try pinboard and I can’t wait to tackle that thing.  This is where this lovely recipe was pulled from.  I love Ahi Tuna so when I spotted this one I couldn’t resist as I’ve been pacing for days to make it.  I didn’t use the rice crispies that was in the ingredients and though I’m sure it’s absolutely delicious with them, it was incredible without them too.   I added the shallots to the top of mine and I know my version doesn’t look as pretty as Zen Can Cook’s version but hey…not too bad right?  It looks gourmet enough for me..  Next time I make this I’m doubling up on the shallots as the nice sweetness and crispiness to this onion made this recipe fantastic so I think if I sneaked some of these in the middle of this thing it would be a killer bite.  I can’t wait to make it again, along side a salad with pears and feta in it….mmmm My kind of meal.

• Original Recipe from Zen Can Cook-  I didn’t do the rice crispy thing, but would love to try it that way.

  Ahi Tuna Tartare w/ Avocado, Crispy Shallots & Soy-Sesame Dressing

• • Inspired by Laurent Tourondel of BLT
  • Serves 6

• • For the Ahi Tuna & Avocado Tartare

  • 20 ounces sushi-quality Ahi Tuna, cut into small dice
  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 ripe Hass avocados, peeled and diced
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • salt & freshly ground pepper

  • For the crispy shallots and rice:

  • canola oil for frying
  • 4 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 tablespoons rice crispies
  • sea salt

  • For the soy-sesame dressing:

  • 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons mirin
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon hot sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon honey

  • For the tuna tartare:

  • Make the tartare: Toss the tuna with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss the avocado with lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

  • For the crispy shallots & rice:

  • Heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Toss the shallots in the flour and fry for 45 seconds, or until golden brown. Remove the shallots with a fine mesh strainer and drain on paper towels. Mix the rice crispies. Season with salt.

  • For the soy-sesame dressing and finish:

  • Mix all the ingredients together.
  • To assemble: Mold the avocado using a 3-inch tartlet ring or cube mold. Mold the tuna tartare on top of the avocado and finish with the crispy shallots. Lift off the ring and drizzle the dressing around.

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