Self Care: Shrimp and Chorizo Rice Bowls

Today, when I made this delicious bowl for lunch, was cold and rainy.  We haven't had much winter weather here in Georgia, but it's been a gray winter and I know most of the country has been buried in snow.  This recipe is a bright taste of summer to help you get through the last dregs of a rough winter.  Shrimp is a special treat I cook every once in a while and that combined with these bright flavors are just the ticket to perk up a winter day.

You can use whatever size of peeled and deveined shrimp you can find, and frozen is just fine!  You can also peel and devein the shrimp yourself, but I usually take the timesaving shortcut.  Chorizo proved to be a challenging hunt in Athens.  I was looking for Spanish style chorizo, a small link of cured sausage, rather than the loose, uncured Mexican style chorizo.    I was surprised to find that neither were available at my usual stores and eventually found thinly sliced chorizo at Publix - made by the Italian brand Fiorucci.  It wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but it turned out to be a nice crispy addition to the dish.  If any Athenians know where I could find the links of cured chorizo please let me know!

Start by marinating the shrimp.  This is not the type of marinade that you want to do far in advance.  The lime juice will begin to cook the shrimp, and while that is great for making ceviche it's not what we're going for here.  Mix together two tablespoons of chopped cilantro with the juice of one lime, one tablespoon of honey, a clove of crushed garlic, chili powder, salt, and pepper.  Refrigerate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients, about 20 minutes.

While the shrimp marinates, prepare the rice.  Bring one cup of salted water to a boil with half a tablespoon of butter or oil.  When the water boils add half a cup of white rice, stir, and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 22 minutes.  Once the rice is simmering dice the chorizo - if it's hard to cut put it in the freezer for a few minutes.  Add the chorizo to a pan over medium heat with a scant drizzle of oil.  The chorizo has a lot of fat that will render out, so you don't need to add much oil.  While the chorizo crisps dice the red onion and jalapeño.  Remove the seeds and stems of the jalapeño to moderate the heat in the final dish.  When the chorizo is crisp remove to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.

While the onions and jalapeños soften in the same pan and oil from the chorizo dice the tomato and cube the avocado.  Season the tomato with a little salt and pepper on the cutting board.  When the onion mixture has softened add the shrimp without the extra marinade liquid.  The shrimp will cook quickly, about two minutes per side.

When the shrimp and rice are both done add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl with the juice of one lime and the remainder of the cilantro.  Serve immediately. 


Shrimp and Chorizo Rice Bowls

Ingredients

• 10 oz. peeled and deveined shrimp (large, extra large, or jumbo)
• 1/2 cup diced chorizo
• 1/2 cup uncooked white rice
• 1/2 large red onion
• 1 small jalapeño pepper
• 2 plum tomatoes
• 1 large avocado 
• 3/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 limes
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1/4 tsp. chilli powder

Instructions

1. Chop about 3/4 cup of cilantro and set aside in a bowl.
2. Marinade shrimp in the juice of one lime, olive oil, honey, crushed garlic, chili powder, salt, and pepper.  Place in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.  Do not marinate for more than 20 or 30 minutes!
3. Bring 1 cup of salted water and 1 tbsp. butter or oil to a boil. Add 1/2 cup of white rice, reduce to a simmer, cover, and set timer for 22 minutes.
4. Dice chorizo and brown in a pan on medium heat with a scant drizzle of oil.  Allow the fat to render and the chorizo to crisp.
5. Remove chorizo from pan and drain on a paper towel.
6. Dice onion and jalapeño, removing the seeds and ribs.  Sauté in the same pan used for the chorizo and allow to soften.
7. Seed and dice the tomato and cube the avocado while the onions and jalapeño cook.  Season the tomatoes with some salt and pepper on the cutting board.
8. Add the shrimp to the pan (do not pour the remaining marinade in the pan) and cook about two minute son each side.
9. When the rice is done fluff with a fork and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
10. Add the shrimp and onion mixture, the tomatoes, avocado, juice of one lime, and the remaining cilantro to the bowl and stir to combine.

Quick Dinner: Farro, Arugula, and Grilled Fennel Salad

I am not in the least it ashamed to admit that I devoured this salad in heaping, sloppy, arugula-falling-out-of-my-mouth gulps.  The only change I would make is doubling the recipe so I could have more leftovers (this yields about two servings).  This all started with a delicious, but unsatisfying salad recipe I tried in the fall semester.  It was arugula, orange segments, thinly sliced red onion, and shaved raw fennel. The flavor was incredible, but even copious amounts left me still feeling hungry.  This salad takes those delicious salad elements and makes them something much more satisfying.  All of that plus it's done in about thirty minutes and is a great protein packed meal to make when "just a few more emails" becomes two extra hours in the office.

Start by cooking the farro.  Farro is a grain that is both delicious and super high in protein, which is part of the reason it doesn't leave you feeling hungry.  I use Trader Joe's Ten-Minute Farro because it cooks in fifteen minutes.  I don't understand the name either.  Bring one cup of farro and two cups of broth or salted water to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the water is mostly absorbed.

While the farro is cooking make the dressing.  I like to make dressing in a mason jar because it is easy to seal and shake up instead of having to wash a whisk and you can store leftover dressing in it.  Squeeze half of an orange into the mason jar and add 1/4 cup of chives, one crushed garlic clove, a tablespoon of dijon mustard, half a cup of olive oil and salt and pepper.  Seal the jar and shake it vigorously until the dressing is completely combined.  Taste for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper if necessary.

Finely dice about a quarter of a large red onion and slice half a head of fennel.  Heat your grill or grill pan to high.  The goal is to have a short and quick cooking time for the fennel so it is nicely charred and caramelized, but not cooked through entirely.  If you don't have a grill pan cook the fennel quickly under the broiler in your oven.  Coat the grill in olive oil and season the fennel with salt and pepper before grilling until nicely charred, about four minutes.

When the farro is done (it should be al dente - softened, but with some bite) drain and additional liquid and put in a bowl.  Add about half of the dressing and stir to combine.  Place in the refrigerator to cool slightly - the farro should not be so hot that it wilts the arugula.  While the farro cools (about ten minutes) chop the grilled fennel into half-inch cubes.  When the farro has cooled add the red onion, fennel, and two or three handfulls of arugula (about two cups).  Add a little bit more dressing to coat the vegetables and toss to combine.

Farro, Arugula, and Grilled Fennel Salad

Ingredients

For the Dressing

• 1/4 cup of orange juice (about half an orange)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1/4 cup chopped chives
• 1 tb. dijon mustard
• salt and pepper

For the Salad

• 1 cup of farro, uncooked
• 2 cups of broth, or water
• 2 cups arugula
• 1/2 bulb of fennel
• 1/4 large red onion

Instructions

1. Bring 1 cup of farro and 2 cups of water to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes
2. While fennel cooks combine all dressing ingredients and whisk together (or shake vigorously in a mason jar)
3. Slice fennel and finely dice red onion
4. Heat an oiled grill pan and season fennel with salt and pepper.  Grill fennel until charred, but not cooked through, about four minutes
5. Chop fennel into 1/2 inch cubes
6. Combine cooked farro with half of dressing and cool for 10 minutes in the refrigerator 
7. When farro has cooled add arugula,  fennel, and red onion with a few more tablespoons of dressing and toss to combine.

Quick Dinner: Rigatoni with Sausage, Mushrooms, and Spinach in a Pink Sauce

There’s something about a pink sauce… The tangy, acidic tomato combined with the rich and silky cream is so luxurious.  The smooth sauce finishes with a wonderful heat that cuts through the richness and rounds out the flavor.  Needless to say, pink sauce is a big part of my life.

This recipe is an expansion on a recipe I’ve been making forever.  One day I was making the pink sauce with sausage when my roommate Christine said, “That reminds me of something I make with mushrooms and spinach.”  I thought, “Wow, that sounds even better than the original recipe” so I decided to try it out.  This also contributes to my general food philosophy, which is “more vegetables are more good.”  And yeah, I guess the heavy cream in this recipe also contributes to my overall philosophy of moderation.  Vegetables are good, and so is cream (sometimes).  The other great thing about this dinner is that it’s quick!  It took me 45 minutes from filling the pot with water to sitting down and eating this while watching The Borgias on Netflix.  It’s not necessarily the meal for a night when you have a late meeting, but it’s definitely an achievable weekday dinner.

Start by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil and prepping the mushrooms.  There is this big urban myth that you can't wash mushrooms, and I'm here to tell you that it's just not true.  Alton Brown agrees, and made a point to mention it during his live show in Athens a couple of weeks ago.  Gone are the days of delicately brushing each mushroom with a little brush - you're welcome.  I like to put a colander in the sink and run a steady, but not too powerful, stream of cold water outside of the colander.  I quickly wash each mushroom so there is no visible dirt and place in the colander.  Place the colander next to the cutting board and trim the woody end of each stem (but don't remove the stem completely) and slice. One more quick note about mushrooms: you could use regular white button mushrooms here, but the cremini (or "baby bella") mushrooms have a more robust flavor and firmer texture that I especially appreciate for Italian dishes.

Once the mushrooms are prepped remove the sausage from the casing and brown in a little olive oil over medium heat.  Break up the sausage into bite-sized pieces as you cook and be careful to stir frequently so they do not burn.  Once fully cooked, remove the sausage from the pan and add the mushrooms, crushed red pepper flakes, dried oregano, and salt and pepper.  Cook the sausage until brown and cooked through before adding the crushed garlic (I use my favorite kitchen tool - a garlic press) and spinach.  Season the spinach with salt and pepper to build well seasoned and even layers of flavor.  Once the spinach wilts return the sausage to the pan and add one 14.5 oz can of crushed tomatoes and season with a little more salt.  Stir together and add heavy cream and bring to a simmer.  If you didn't want to add the heavy cream (which I'll grudgingly admit is a valid healthier alternative) you can use one 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes and proceed without the cream.

Add the cooked pasta to the sauce, turn off the heat and stir until fully combined.  Serve with grated cheese, and maybe garnish with some fresh basil if you're a food blogger or you're planning to put this on Instagram.

Rigatoni with Sausage, Mushrooms, and Spinach in a Pink Sauce

Adapted from Today's Mama, and Christine Licata

Ingredients

• 1 lb. rigatoni (or other tubular pasta)
• 3-4 links of Italian sausage
• 10 oz. cremini mushrooms
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 3-4 cups of spinach, chopped
• 14.5 oz. crushed tomatoes
• 1 pt. heavy cream
• ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• ½ tsp. oregano
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil
2. Wash and slice mushrooms
3. Remove sausage from casings and cook over medium heat until browned.
4. Remove sausage from the pan and add sliced mushrooms, season with salt and pepper.  Cook until browned and cooked through.
5. Add crushed garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, oregano, and chopped spinach to the pan and season with salt and pepper.
6. Once spinach has wilted return the sausage to the pan and add crushed tomatoes.  Season with salt.
7. Once tomatoes begin to simmer add heavy cream and season with black pepper. 
8. Stir to combine until sauce begins to bubble and reduce to a simmer.
9. Once pasta is cooked to al dente drain and add to pan.
10. Serve with grated parmesean or romano cheese.

#SApro Tips: Weekly Menu Planning

"I wish I could cook like you do, but I just don't plan well."

"My biggest challenge is deciding what I want to eat in advance."

"Teach me how to not eat like a toddler!"

These are some phrases I hear a lot, and it seemed to be time to share some tips and tricks on how to make menu planning and your food life a success.  We'll go through the process of menu planning and then use my actual menu from the past week as an example to show how to implement the system and make a grocery list.  Big thanks to my professor, friends and colleagues who contributed to the ideas for this post: Dr. Chris Linder, Tim Mousseau, and  Chandler Thompson (check out their blogs too)!  I hope that you find planning in advance will help you have less stress, reduce food waste, and save money.

The Process

Make it a habit:  I think the most important way to make weekly menu planning a reality is to incorporate it into your weekly ritual.  For me that means I sit down with a cup of tea and Pinterest (you can follow me on Pinterest here) every Sunday morning to create my list.  Some weeks I'll do this on Saturday if my Sunday plans prohibit me from going shopping, but it's almost always a Sunday endeavor.  Pick whatever day works best for you and stick with it.

Figure out your formula: There's no prefect formula and this will be different for everyone depending on your appetite and the size of your household unit.  I'll share what works for me and offer some amendments for you to try to have enough food for your needs.  Most people who know me know that I'm all about moderation; I generally eat pretty healthy and I'm also not too concerned with things like calories and carbs.  Especially carbs, this Italian guy loves carbs.  My rule of thumb is to have at least one vegetable with every meal, including breakfast.  With that in mind, I cook four meals a week which is enough for dinner and leftover to bring to work for lunch.  I always have pasta once a week (a self-imposed restriction because I could eat pasta every day) and one meat-free meal.  Since I don't buy anything additional for lunch this could be an easy way to make the same four meal system work in your multi-person home.  Play around with the proportions until you find what works for you.

Check your calendar:  This step is especially important for my student affairs colleagues.  With all of our late nights, programs, and after-hours meetings we need to be cognizant of what our time limitations are.  I know that on Tuesdays and Thursdays I don't get home until around 7 because of meetings for the organization that I advise so those evening have to be quick and easy dinners that don't require a lot of prep.  On Wednesday nights I have an evening class that doesn't end until 8pm, so Wednesdays are always a night for leftovers.  For the extra-busy weeks, like Welcome Week, where I have an event every evening I switch up the plan and cook a couple of big things on Sunday that will last all week. For those weeks I'll do something like a big batch of chicken enchiladas and a sausage and superfood hash.

Utilize leftovers: Now that you're ready to start making a menu and list, take stock of things that are left over from last week.  I always seem to have leftover tortillas and fresh herbs.  This week I'll use the leftover tortillas to make egg and arugula quesadillas for breakfast, the leftover rosemary for the panko crusted chicken and roasted sweet potatoes, and the leftover chives for kotlety.  If you use Pinterest you can search by ingredient if you need ideas for what to do with something leftover.  You can also search "just my pins" as a way to cull the results down to things you had already shown interest in.

Look for overlapping ingredients: Similar to repurposing leftover ingredients, looking for ingredients that overlap throughout recipes is a good way to cut costs and reduce waste.  I make a point to do this whenever I'm buying bagged greens like arugula, spinach, or kale because any leftovers are unlikely to remain fresh into a second week of cooking.  This week arugula is becoming a big overlap player as a filling for my breakfast quesadillas, a bed for my panko crusted chicken, and a side salad for my kotlety.  The panko breadcrumbs will do double duty as a coating for the chicken and a filler in the kotlety.  Lemon zest will be used in the chicken coating and the juice from that lemon will be used to make the salad dressing.

Pick a splurge item: Do something good for your emotional health each week and pick a splurge item.  This could be something luxe like prosciutto, a fancy cheese, or an expensive cut of meat or something downright comforting like a frozen pizza or boxed macaroni and cheese.  Either way I think it's important to incorporate some little food items that make you happy as long as you do so in moderation.  This week I got an awesome frozen pizza from Trader Joe's, the Tarte d'Champigon (not as fancy as it sounds), and had absolutely no regrets about it. Self care, y'all!

The Menu

• Breakfast all week: Arugula and Egg Quesadilla 
• Sunday: Lemon Rosemary Chicken (from The Country Chic Cottage) and Roasted Sweet Potatoes

• Monday: Kotlety (from Natasha's Kitchen), Orzo, and Arugula Salad

• Tuesday: Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry (from Skinny Taste)

• Wednesday: Leftovers
• Thursday: Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower, Broccoli, and Chickpeas (from Buzzfeed)

The List(s)

Each week I go to both Kroger and Trader Joe's.  I love Trader Joe's and find that some produce items like mushrooms and bagged greens are much cheaper there (organic spinach for $1.99, what?!).  Other TJ's items are simply much better quality.  I get everything else from Kroger.  The two stores are across the the street from each other so going to both is not much of a hassle, but all of these items would be available at your grocery store.  Please note that these lists are not exhaustive of everything you would need to make all of the dishes for this week.  The lists do not include things like rice, pasta, oil, spices, and seasonings that I always have in the house so take stock before you go shopping!

• Trader Joe's
• 1 head fresh broccoli
• 1 head fresh cauliflower
• 1 lemon
• 1 bag arugula
• 1 package white button mushrooms
• 4 apples (for snacks)
• 3 sweet potatoes
• panko breadcrumbs
• frozen pizza
• smoked gouda cheese (for snacks)
• Kroger
• 1 lb. chicken cutlets
• 1 lb. chicken tenders
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 bunch asparagus
• 1 inch fresh ginger
• 1 lb. pasta
• 1 can chickpeas
• 1/2 dozen eggs
• 1 bag shredded Mexican cheese blend

I hope this guide helps you to plan your weekly meals and run a more efficient kitchen.  Let me know if you have any questions or other tips and tricks in the comments!

Fried Artichoke Salad and Summer Internship Reflection

I just got back from a wonderful summer in St. Louis working with the First Year Center at Washington University in St. Louis.  I loved being at Wash. U. and in St. Louis for the summer and wanted to share this recipe for a great salad I had at Katie's Pizza.

Now it's pretty rare for me to get excited about a salad and I generally don't view salad as the main part of a meal, but this salad is really wonderful and substantial enough to be a complete meal.  Take the time to roast the asparagus ahead of time, preferable to use in another meal during the week.  I always seem to have a few leftover asparagus and this is the perfect place to use them.  Look for thin asparagus for this application and save thicker asparagus for stir fries and purees.

Lightly dredge halved artichoke hearts in the seasoned flour and fry to a golden brown in oil.  I used canned artichoke hearts, but you could also use fresh or frozen.  While the artichokes fry arrange greens (I used a spring mix), asparagus, crumbles of goat cheese, and pistachios.  Top the salad with fried artichokes and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  You could make a real dressing by whisking it all together, but I was feeling artistic/lazy and just drizzled the dressing over the salad and it was just fine.

Fried Artichoke Salad

Ingredients (per salad)

• 2 artichoke hearts, halved
• flour
• 4-5 spears of roasted asparagus
• 2 cups of mixed greens
• 1 oz. goat cheese
• 2 tbsp. pistachios
• 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp. olive oil

Instructions

1. Lightly dredge halved artichokes in flour seasoned with salt and pepper
2. Fry artichokes to a golden brown in oil
3. While artichokes fry, add salad greens, asparagus, pistachios and goat cheese to bowl
4. When artichokes are golden brown transfer them to a paper towel lined plate and allow them to drain before transferring to the salad
5. Drizzle salad with oil and vinegar and serve immediately.

Quick Dinner: Marinara Sauce

I've hesitated to add this recipe to the blog for a long time - not because it tastes bad or anything, but because it seems too easy to actually be a recipe.  After numerous requests to add a marinara sauce to the blog I realized that not everyone has a wonderful Italian mother who whips up this sauce when she doesn't have time to make "real" sauce.  With that in mind it translates to a perfect quick dinner for a #SApro because it will be finished in the time it takes to boil water and cook pasta.  Even better is that it lends itself to a bunch of second round recipes for later in the week like chicken parmesan, meatball heroes, pizza, stromboli, etc.

Coat the bottom of a large pot or dutch oven with olive oil and bring to medium heat.  Use your garlic press to crush two large cloves of garlic and add them to the pot with crushed red pepper flakes.  Feel free to add more or less red pepper flakes based on your preference - add more if you're serving this with seafood! Let the garlic cook for a minute or two, being careful not to let it brown, then quickly add the red wine.  Use any red wine that you have open and around the house.  For me that means its most likely a cabernet sauvignon or a shiraz, but any red will do.  My non-drinking friends can skip this step without worry.

Once the wine has reduced, about two minutes, add the crushed tomatoes and the small can of tomato sauce.  Be careful not to use sauce with seasoning - we're taking care of that ourselves. Add salt and stir the sauce together.  Bring to a rolling boil before you add the fresh basil and simmer semi-covered for 20 minutes.

Marinara Sauce

Ingredients

• 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
• 8 oz. can of plain tomato sauce
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup of red wine
• 2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Coat the bottom of a small pot in olive oil and bring to medium heat
2. Add crushed garlic and red pepper flakes, cook for 1-2 minutes
3. Add red wine and let it reduce, about two minutes
4. Add tomatoes and salt, stir, and bring to a boil
5. Add fresh basil and let simmer covered for 20 minutes

Quick Dinner: Pork Milanese with Arugula Salad

There's something about a hot, breaded pork cutlet topped with a cold, tangy salad that I can't get enough of.  The pork brings me back to when I lived in Iowa, where an Iowa pork tenderloin is truly a special experience.  What's even better is that it's such a quick dinner to throw together - about 30 minutes!  This is a great meal for when you're getting home from work just a little bit later than you'd hoped to...

Start by setting up your breading station: pork cutlets, two beaten eggs, breadcrumb plate, empty plate.  Keep some breadcrumbs on hand in case you need more than two cups.  Dip your cutlets in egg, than in seasoned breadcrumbs carefully coating each cutlet completely.  Some people also add flour to this menthol before the egg, but my mother never did that so I haven't bothered.  I also use this method to bread chicken cutlets that I've  very thinly pounded.

The irregular little croquette you see on the plate is what my family calls a bread ball.  Thrifty Italian ancestors refused to waste the leftover egg and breadcrumbs from coating the meat, so they would mix them together to form a croquette that's fried alongside the cutlets.  It's a delicious treat for the cook!

Once the pork has been breaded liberally coat a pan with oil and heat over medium-high.  I prefer vegetable or corn oil for frying because olive oil has a very low smoke point.  Peanut oil is also good for frying, albeit not allergen free.  Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until the pork has browned and cooked through.

While the pork cooks mix together your salad dressing: lemon juice, olive oil, dijon mustard, salt and pepper.  Whisk vigorously until it is emulsified and let it sit until just before serving.  Once the pork is cooked through add arugula and pecorino romano (or parmesan) cheese to the salad dressing, toss, and top pork cutlets.

Pork Milanese with Arugula Salad

Ingredients

• 1 lb pork cutlets (may be labeled pork cube steak, or pork tenderloin)
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs
• 4 oz. arugula
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 2 tbsp. dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup pecorino romano (or parmesan) cheese

Instructions

1. Bread pork cutlets by dipping in beaten eggs and coating in breadcrumbs.
2. Fry pork over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes per side
3. Meanwhile, vigorously whisk oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt, and pepper until the mixture emulsifies.
4. Toss arugula and pecorino romano with salad dressing and top cooked pork cutlets.

Make Ahead Meal: Tomato Basil Quiche

This summer I'm doing a NODA internship at Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL).  The schedule for days when we have orientation sessions is tight, so taking time to cook is going to be on the back burner.  When I get busy I like to lean on some good make ahead meals like this quiche.  Make it on a Sunday afternoon and you can have it for breakfast all week, or have it for dinner with a salad.  You can also use this recipe as a base and add whatever ingredients you like - tomato and basil is perfect for the summer though!

Start by poking some holes in the bottom of the pie crust with the tines of a fork.  You could make your own pie crust, but I feel like that defeats the purpose of a time saving meal...  It will be delicious either way.

Next slice the tomato crosswise to maximize the surface area and make it look pretty.  Shred the cheese and cut the basil into a chiffonade.  Start with a layer of cheese, then tomato, then basil and repeat.  Top this off with a final layer of cheese and basil.  Pour four whisked eggs, heavy cream, salt, and pepper into the pie crust.  Bake at 350 for forty minutes.

This really isn't that hard - most of the time spent making it is not actively cooking so it makes a great time saving recipe.  Here are some of my other favorite quiche fillings:

• Turkey sausage, green chiles, and a mexican cheese blend
• Bacon, apple, caramelized onions, and swiss cheese
• Spinach, diced tomato, and feta cheese
• Asparagus and goat cheese

Tomato Basil Quiche

Ingredients

• 1 frozen pie crust
• 4 eggs
• 2 tbsp. heavy cream
• 1 and 1/4 cups of shredded smoked gouda
• 5 large basil leaves
• 1 beefsteak tomato 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Thinly slice 1 large tomato crosswise, about 1/8th of an inch thick
3. Use a fork to poke holes in the bottom of the pie crust
4. Layer cheese, tomato, and basil (in that order) in the pie crust twice.
5. Add a final layer of cheese and basil to the top of the pie crust
6. Beat four eggs with 2 tbsp. heavy cream, salt, and pepper and pout over the tomato and cheese layers
7. Bake on a foil lined sheet pan for 40 minutes, or until a knife comes cleanly out of the center

Quick Dinner: Stir Fry

Stir fry is a great application for a quick dinner, it took me about 30 minutes to prepare.  You're able to get a bunch of vegetables into one meal, and often can use up vegetables you have leftover from other recipes.  Most of the time you invest in making a stir fry is in preparing those vegetables so doing that in advance (like on the weekend) is a great way to make this a truly quick dinner when you get home late from work.

The key to making a stir fry come together quickly and without stress is having everything you need prepared before you start cooking.  The French phrase mise en place means putting in place, and thats is the technique we'll utilize here.  As you prepare each ingredient place it in a little pile on your cutting board or in a bowl so it will be ready when you start cooking.  First combine the soy sauce, sriracha, and brown sugar in a bowl, stirring occasionally throughout the cooking process to make sure the sugar dissolves   Chop the bok choy, slice the mushrooms, grate the carrot, ginger, and garlic.  Slice the green onions and reserve some of the dark green pieces for later on in the preparation.  

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok on medium-high heat.  Once the oil is hot, add the garlic, ginger, and green onions and sauté them for a minute to create your flavor base.  After a minute add the mushrooms and carrots to the pan and sauté until the mushrooms are cooked through, about seven minutes.  The mushrooms will take the longest to cook through, once they have add the chopped bok choy and allow it to wilt.

After the bok choy has wilted, add the sauce udon noodles to the pan.  Typically these come fully cooked, I like to heat them in the microwave before adding them to the pan so they don't stick together.  Let the sauce and noodle cook with the vegetables together for three or four minutes until the sauce thickens.  Before serving add the reserved dark green onions.

Feel free to add any vegetables you like.  I didn't grow up in a meat and potatoes type of family, so I don't mind this vegetarian dinner.  If you do want to add chicken, pork, or steak (which I think would be particularly good with this sauce and vegetable combination) cook it in the beginning of the preparation and remove it from the pan until the end so it doesn't overcook.

Stir Fry

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup of soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons of sriracha 
• 3 baby bok choy
• 1 lb. white button mushrooms
• 1 medium carrot
• 4 green onions, some dark green reserved
• 1 inch of fresh ginger, grated
• 2 large cloves of garlic
• 1 14 oz. package of udon noodles

Instructions

1. Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, and sriracha in a small bowl, stirring occasionally to ensure the sugar is dissolved
2. Chop bok choy and green onions, slice mushrooms, grate carrots, ginger, and garlic. 
3. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat
4. Sauté garlic, ginger, and green onions for one minute
5. Add mushroom and carrots, cook for seven minutes, or until mushrooms are cooked through
6. Add bok choy and cook until wilted
7. Next add the sauce and udon noodles, cook for 3-4 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
8. Add reserved green onion tops and serve