Farro with Bacon, Mushrooms and Broccoli

I saw Farro for the first time at a work function and wondered what the heck it was!  I Google'd it and realized it's a grain...and since I usually love them, I thought I'd give it a try.  I found this recipe which called for spinach & shrimp to be added.  B doesn't love spinach so I subbed in broccoli for her.  We had shrimp as another part of our meal that night, so I didn't add the shrimp either.  Both the spinach and shrimp would have been great in the dish!  This is a versatile side and it's pretty easy / quick to do so it'd make a nice side dish even during the week!

Ingredients:
2 c Farro
6 slices of thick cut bacon, cooked and cut into smaller pieces.  Reserve 1 tbsp bacon drippings for later
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
10 crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 c Broccoli crowns
1/4 c dry white wine (you can use chicken broth instead)
Kosher salt & cracked pepper

Directions:
Cook Farro according to package instructions & drain

Add 1 tbsp bacon drippings & 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Saute garlic, onions, oregano and crushed red pepper just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in mushrooms. Cook 3 minutes or until softened slightly.Pour white wine (or chicken broth) over the top. Stir in broccoli. Cook just until crunchy, about 3 minutes

Mix farro and bacon into the mushroom / broccoli mixture. Mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.

 

Tortellini with Chicken & Spinach in a Wine Cream Sauce

I made this dish up entirely on my own but I think it's good enough to share.  :-)  B and I were in Target and I was trying to decide what to have for dinner.  She wanted pasta but I knew I needed to work in a veggie and protein somewhere.  I also wanted a lighter sauce for it (plus B doesn't love jarred sauces).  Here's what I came up with:

Ingredients:
1 pkg Butoni fresh tortellini
1/2 pkg fresh spinach
1-2 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
Lemon
White Wine
1 tbsp fat free milk
1 tbsp flour
Garlic
Freshly grated parmesan cheese (for topping)
Salt
Pepper
Onion Powder
Olive Oil (about 1 tbsp)

Directions:
Lightly season both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper & a little onion powder
Arrange chicken on a grill top (or skillet) and cook thoroughly (a few minutes per side).  Set aside.
In the same skillet, heat olive oil.  Add garlic cloves and cook for about 1-2 minutes, stirring around so it doesn't burn.  Add spinach and wilt.  Once it's wilted, remove from pan and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a separate pot, start water for pasta and cook pasta according to package instructions (about 8-9 minutes to cook)
Add a little white wine (about 1/2 c) to the skillet and simmer.
In a separate small glass, add flour, a dash of water and the milk (make sure the milk isn't super cold).  Whisk with a fork until the flour is combined.  Then add this mixture to the skillet.  Stir around to blend.  If you need more liquid, repeat the wine, flour, milk and water steps.
Add juice from 1/2 lemon and a little lemon zest to the pan and stir.
Add back in the chicken and spinach and stir to coat.
Serve pasta in a bowl and add chicken mixture to the pasta.  Top with a little fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!
 
 

Wild Mushroom Crostini

I served this a few weekends ago when my Aunt & Sister came to visit.  The only alterations I made were to use lower fat items.  I think it still tasted amazing (I'm sure the original recipe would be awesome too!)  I saw the recipe here.

Ingredients:
1 baguette loaf, cut into rounds
2 tbsp olive oil
1/3 c chopped shallots
2-1/4 c each of chopped oyster mushrooms & shiitake mushrooms
1-1/4 c chopped chanterelle mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c light cream
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp grated lemon peel
1 c grated Fontina cheese
1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Arrange baguette slices on rimmed baking sheet. Toast in oven until golden, about 9 minutes. Cool. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots; sauté 1 minute. Add all mushrooms; sauté until beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Stir in garlic; sauté 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in cream, rosemary, and lemon peel. Season with salt and pepper. Cool. Mix in both cheeses. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Preheat broiler. Top each toast with about 1 tablespoon mushroom topping. Place on 2 rimmed baking sheets. Working in batches, broil until cheese is melted and begins to brown, watching closely to prevent burning, about 3 minutes. Transfer to serving platter. Serve warm.

Crab & Shrimp Stuffed Mushrooms

We hadn't done one of our "appetizer for dinner" get together's in a while so the neighbors decided it was time to have another.  I found this recipe and made some tweaks to it.  I have always loved M's crab and shrimp recipes so I added shrimp to mine.  I don't like green onions so I left them out and put a little onion powder in the mix.  I eye-balled the measurements because I had more crab and shrimp than the original recipe called for.  I also added Old Bay (any good Marylander would do so!).  These were delish and the mixture would be good on bruschetta too!

Ready for the oven

The finished product

Ingredients:
1 lb fresh mushrooms, washed & stems removed (I saved the stems for use in omelettes the next day)
7 oz crab meat
1 lb shrimp, peeled & de-veined (I bought mine already steamed however if yours isn't, make sure to steam them first)
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp onion powder
Few dashes of Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 c mayo (I used low fat)
3 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese (for topping)
1/4 tsp paprika

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Pick crabmeat thoroughly and chop shrimp into small pieces
In a medium bowl, combine crab, shrimp, spices (not paprika), mayo & cheese.  You can refrigerate until needed.
Fill mushroom caps with mixture and place on cookie tray.  Sprinkle tops with a little extra cheese & paprika
Place in oven and bake 15 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Cauliflower Pizza Bites

I brought these to the same 4th of July party mentioned in the Berry Flag Appetizer post.  They were devoured in a matter of minutes!  I really liked them and thought they were pretty easy to make!  I found the original recipe here but after reading their site, I wanted to post where to find the original recipe (here).  (As requested by the original recipe poster, I will not re-post the instructions on how to make these.  Rather, if you want to see the instructions, please click the link for the original recipe and you can obtain it there.)
One thing to note, on the blog I read about these, they tried several methods to try to improve the crispiness and curtail the amount of scrubbing a muffin tin afterward.  I read their recommendations and made mine on parchment paper.  I "dropped" them on using a tablespoon measuring spoon and it worked perfectly.  I topped mine with 1 turkey sausage round.

Enjoy!

Berry "Flag" Appetizer

I saw this on Pinterest (many times) and thought it'd be a fun item to bring to a friend's 4th of July party.  The "white" was supposed to be bananas but B doesn't like them.  So, we subbed marshmallows and it was a big hit!  These are easy to make & a crowd pleaser!

Ingredients:
Wooden skewers
Strawberries, washed, trimmed and cut in half
Blueberries, washed
Large marshmallows, cut in half

Directions:
Begin with the blueberries and "string" several at the top of a skewer (we did 6 or 7)
Next, gently push 1 marshmallow to the bottom of the blueberries; then add a strawberry.  Continue with the marshmallows & strawberries until the skewer is full.
Make 5 total skewers with the blueberries; marshmallows and strawberries.
Then make skewers with just marshmallows and strawberries until your serving dish is full
Chill & serve when ready

Jalapeno Mozzarella Sticks

I saw this recipe and wanted to try it since it seemed pretty easy.  We all agreed it was "okay" but needed some more kick.  I tried a 2nd batch and left a few more jalapeno seeds in the peppers and instead of mozzarella sticks, I put a jalapeno cheddar dip (found at Costco) in them.  The 2nd batch was much tastier than just using mozzarella sticks.  

Ingredients:

1 cup Panko bread crumbs

1/4 tsp Kosher salt

1/4 tsp Garlic powder

8 sticks of Mozzarella string cheese, cut in half 

8 small jalapenos, cut in half and seeds removed (leave some in if you like a little kick)

16 wonton wrappers

Bowl of water

1 egg, beaten

Oil for frying

Directions:

In a shallow bowl, combine Panko, salt & garlic powder

Place in piece of mozzarella inside one jalapeno half & place in wonton wrapper.  (You may need 2 wrappers per jalapeno depending how large your peppers are.)  Dip your finger in the water bowl and run along the edges of the wrapper.  Press wonton together to seal.  Dip in egg and then in Panko to cover completely.  Repeat with remaining ingredients.

In a large skillet, heat oil.  Fry jalapenos, turning them a couple of times, for about 2-3 minutes each until golden / crispy.  Set on paper towels to allow oil to drain off.  

Enjoy!

Sausage Bites with Pine Nuts

It's been quite some time since I updated the blog but that doesn't mean I haven't been experimenting with new recipes.  This recipe is for a fun / pretty easy appetizer.  Most of the bites were good - some were a little soggy but I think that can be attributed to my oven cooking a tad uneven.  I didn't use pine nuts because we had friends over that have a nut allergy (although I think pine nuts would have been okay, I didn't want to risk it).  I found the recipe here.

Ready to go in the oven

The finished product

Ingredients: 

• 2 tbsp butter or margarine
• 1 medium onion or 3 medium shallots, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 package (14 oz) mild or hot Italian Sausage
• 1 tsp dry thyme
• 1 tsp dry basil
• 2-3 tbsp fresh chopped dill
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed according to instructions
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan (optional)
• 1 egg for glazing, whisked with a small pinch of salt and 1 tbsp water until smooth
• Sesame, Caraway, dill or fennel seeds for decorating

Directions: 

1. In a skillet, melt margarine over medium heat
2. Add minced garlic and onion, and saute for 5-6 minutes, until fragrant and translucent. Let cool until manageable
3. Mix sausage, onion+garlic, thyme, basil, fresh dill, salt and pine nuts in a bowl, until uniform and smooth.
4. Roll out the puff pastry out on a lightly floured surface into 4 strips 3 inches wide and about 12 inches long.
5. Arrange sausage stuffing into a 1″ inch roll in the middle of the strip, taking care to reach all the way to the edge on short end of the strip.
6. Sprinkle a portion of parmesan on top of the sausage stuffing
7. Spread some egg wash along one of the long edges of the dough.
8. Carefully fold the dough over the sausage stuffing, closing the seem.
9. Roll the sausage filled dough pipe on the board a little bit to ensure uniform thickness and to seal the seam.
10. Proceed with the remaining dough and stuffing.
11. When all pipes are ready, spread the egg wash all over them, and sprinkle the seeds of your choosing on top.
12. Preheat the oven to 425F.
13. Cut each pipe into 12 1″ bites.
14. Arrange the bites on a baking sheet 1″ apart.
15. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden and crisp.  Serve warm