Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto

I am a huge fan of risotto, and will typically order a seafood risotto dish if it is on special at a restaurant. However, I was always afraid to try cooking it myself. I heard horror stories about how long and labor-intensive the process was, and that was enough to scare me off. That is, until my husband asked me to make him risotto for a special occasion. Challenge, accepted.

I looked up a recipe online, and it didn't sound too terrible. I went to the grocery store and bought some arborio rice - I crossed my fingers that I could successfully make this dish, because otherwise I was stuck with a huge, and somewhat expensive, container of rice! 

Surprisingly, the process of making risotto was very straightforward and didn't take very long. You do have to stir the dish almost constantly while it's cooking (don't worry if you need to take a quick break to get a drink or soothe your crying baby, or both - it worked okay for me!), but I found the entire process pretty cathartic. From start to finish, the dish took approximately half an hour, which was totally doable in my opinion. 

The best part is that the end result was delicious! My husband, son, and I all really enjoyed the dish, and the leftovers heated up extremely well. I have made the dish once more since then, and I look forward to trying switching up the ingredients for future risotto dishes.

Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto

(from Iowa Girl Eats)

Ingredients

5 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp butter
4 tbsp minced onion
2 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chopped asparagus
24 shrimp, peeled and deveined
2/3 cup parmesan cheese
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Add chicken broth to a small saucepan and bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce heat to low and keep hot.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. 
3. Add rice and combine with butter. Add wine and stir until almost completely absorbed by rice. 
4. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth to pan and stir continuously until broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until nearly absorbed before adding more. After adding 3 1/2 cups of the broth in total, add the asparagus and continue stirring. After adding another 1/2 cup of broth, add the shrimp and continue stirring. 
5. Taste rice. Continue adding the rest of the broth in 1/2 cup increments until the rice reaches a chewy-tender consistency. 
6.  Once it has reached the proper consistency, remove from heat, stir in parmesan cheese, and add pepper and salt to taste.

*Serves 4

My Adventures with Blue Apron

When a friend of mine sent me a link for a free week of Blue Apron, I figured that I might as well try it out! For those of you who aren't familiar with Blue Apron, it is a company that sends you fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and detailed instructions (complete with pictures!) to create 2-4 meals per week for a family of two or four. The fee is pretty reasonable and the package for the week is delivered for free to your house in a refrigerated box, in case you aren't home when the package arrives. For my free trial week, I received ingredients for 3 dinners. I have to admit that I didn't have high expectations because the cost, while reasonable, is certainly more than I spend at the grocery store on 3 dinners per week. However, by the end of the week I was sold!

First of all, for someone who loves to cook and try out new recipes, this is the ultimate fun experience. It took me out of my comfort zone of the typical types of meals I make, and exposed me to exciting new recipes. I received ingredients for salmon burgers, pork bolognese, and chicken pad kee mao. I have made something similar to the pork bolognese before, but the others were a new experience for me! I also really enjoyed that there were vegetables incorporated into each meal; we try to eat veggies with dinner, but often I just take the easy way out and microwave a frozen bag of broccoli. These recipes made me enthusiastic for eating vegetables. The recipes all took about 30 minutes to make, and had 600-700 calories per serving.

I have always wanted to make Thai food, but didn't want to invest in a lot of unique ingredients that I may not use again. With Blue Apron, I was able to try cooking pad kee mao at home without the major investment - it was a total success. Thai food now feels like a cuisine that I can make on my own whenever I have the craving!

And I have never even ordered a salmon burger in a restaurant because I didn't think I really liked salmon, but I ended up loving the burger! And it was served with a corn and arugula salad that I was very hesitant about, but it was one of the best salads I've had. The recipe was broken down into easy steps, and my husband and I had fun cooking this meal together. I suppose I'll have to stop telling people that i hate arugula.

The pork bolognese was a simple but delicious meal, and we actually ended up making it again (with beef the second time around) the following week. The portions for this recipe were huge, and there was enough for leftovers - my favorite kind of meal.

The only negative that I felt with Blue Apron is that we had to chop our own vegetables - I will do almost anything to avoid chopping an onion! It is a small price to pay in order to end up with 3 amazingly delicious meals that I can easily cook (or let my husband cook!) without having to go to the grocery store. I don't plan to get a Blue Apron delivery every week, but I intend to try at least one delivery per month. I can't wait to see what my next delivery brings!

Mozzarella, Roasted Red Pepper, and Basil Stuffed Chicken

I apologize for not posting any recipes in awhile - I've had my hands full the past few months! But since having a baby, I appreciate even more the importance of finding healthy recipes that are fast and easy to make (ideally, 10 minutes or less of prep time, since that's about as long as Little Man will allow me before he gets fussy!). 

I discovered this recipe a few months ago, and was amazed at how delicious it was for less than five minutes of prep time. I love mozzarella cheese, and chicken is a staple in my house, so it was bound to be a winner! The first time I made this recipe, I used store-bought roasted red peppers, but this time I made my own and they were also very easy to make. I made the peppers over the weekend, and they kept well in the refrigerator for two days until I was ready to make the chicken dish. 

Luckily my husband loved the meal as well, since I plan to add this into the regular rotation! I served it with a simple side of roasted broccoli (I use a version of this recipe, but without lemon juice and with garlic salt or a Parmesan seasoning).

Mozzarella, Roasted Red Pepper, and Basil Stuffed Chicken

(from Barbells and Bellinis)

Ingredients

4 large chicken breasts
8 0z. fresh mozzarella, cut into 8 slices (it's easiest if you buy a fresh mozzarella log)
6 oz. roasted red peppers (jarred or make your own)
fresh basil leaves
approx. 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
approx. 2 tbsp grated parmesan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Slice chicken breasts in half through the long side of the breast, stopping just short of the other side, to butterfly the breast. Open up each chicken breast and lay them in a greased baking dish or on a greased baking sheet.
3. Place 1/4 of the roasted red peppers, basil, and one slice of fresh mozzarella on the inside of each butterflied chicken breast. 
4. Fold the top half of the chicken back over, and sprinkle the top of each breast with Italian seasoning.
5. Bake chicken for approximately 30-35 minutes, until the juices run clear.
6. Take the chicken out of the oven and set the oven to broil on high. Place the remaining slices of mozzarella on top of each chicken breast, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. 
7. Broil for approximately 5 minutes, until the mozzarella is brown and bubbly. Enjoy!

Serves 4 (you can easily cut this recipe in half or double it, as desired)

Peanut Butter Chip Oatmeal Nutella Cookies

I will start off by warning you that this is not a healthy recipe. Not in the least. However, the cookies turned out so yummy that I felt it was my duty to share this recipe with the masses (aka my few loyal subscribers). You could replace the butter with applesauce to make this healthier, but to be honest, the buttery deliciousness of these cookies was what made these so excellent!

The original recipe looked great, but I decided to give them a bit more peanut butter flavor by using a peanut butter/chocolate swirl chip. If you can't find them in the grocery store, a peanut butter chip or chocolate chip should also work. I was also craving Nutella at the time, so I added some in, and I was glad that I did!

These cookies were easy to make, and received rave reviews when I brought them to a family function. My only complaint was that they didn't make many cookies, and they went fast as soon as I put them out on the table, so I would double the recipe the next time I made them for a group. (Or maybe I'll just make the recipe for myself :))

You should definitely bake these cookies if you're looking for a splurge! (And I promise I'll be back to posting healthier recipes soon.)

Peanut Butter Chip Oatmeal Nutella Cookies

(adapted from The Modest Homestead)

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4  tsp. salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2  cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 egg

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 cup peanut butter/chocolate swirl chips

1/4 cup Nutella

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with Silpat liners or spray with cooking spray.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

3. On medium speed, cream together the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract, until a consistent mixture. Add the egg and beat to combine. On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in the oats, then the chips, and finally the Nutella.

4. Scoop dough with medium cookie scoop (approx. 2 tbsp balls) and drop dough onto prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden.

*Makes approximately 20 cookies.

Tomato and Asparagus Orzo Salad

I realize that I haven't posted any recipes recently (ok, it's been about 5 months). I've been a little distracted by life, but I promise that I have continued to test new recipes and now I'm back with new blog posts!

I made the following orzo salad to bring to a family barbeque. It is a great addition to a cookout, but can also be served during a dinner at home with burgers or grilled chicken, for example. One of the great things about this recipe is that it can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until you are ready to serve it. The salad also made great leftovers.

The original recipe didn't call for asparagus, but I felt like it could use another vegetable to add substance to the salad. I think it would also be delicious if you added feta cheese. If you wanted to turn this into an entree, you could probably add chunks of grilled chicken or grilled shrimp. The options are endless!

Tomato and Asparagus Orzo Salad

(adapted from Food.com recipe)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups dried orzo pasta
• 6 asparagus stalks, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1 container grape tomatoes, chopped in half
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 -2 garlic clove, peeled and minced
• 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Directions:

1. Cook orzo according to the package directions, until al dente. Add asparagus chunks to the orzo for the last 2 minutes of cooking.

2. In a separate, large bowl, mix grape tomatoes, chopped basil, garlic, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.

3. Drain pasta and asparagus mixture, and add to the tomato mixture. Stir well.

4. Add in parmesan cheese, as well as salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, or refrigerate and serve cold.

*Makes approximately 6 servings.

• 
  

Light Peanut Butter Cookies

I love baking for others. I also love baking for myself, but because of my lack of willpower when it comes to fresh baked goods, I try to only bake when I have somewhere to bring (and leave) the treats. So when we made plans to visit my in-laws last weekend, it was the perfect excuse to pull out the mixing bowls. 

I craved peanut butter cookies, but I wanted to make a diabetic-friendly recipe, so I found a great flour-free recipe. I swapped out the regular sugar for Splenda, and I had the perfect, healthier peanut butter cookies. I used my new Silpat liner, which created a perfect, lightly browned bottom to each cookie.

My in-laws were excited to see us, and was perhaps equally excited to see the peanut butter cookies that we brought for them! I may be required to bake this recipe any time we make the trip to Pennsylvania :)

The only mistake I made was in forgetting to keep any cookies at home for Rick and I to eat!

Light Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups peanut butter
2 cups Splenda
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Stir peanut butter and Splenda together in a bowl until mixed together well. 
3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until mixed, then add in baking soda, salt, and vanilla.
4. Roll the peanut butter mixture into one-inch balls and place on a greased cookie sheet. 
5. Press the back of a fork into each ball, flattening and creating a criss-cross shape in each cookie. 
6. Bake 7-9 minutes, until the cookies are slightly browned. 

*Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.