Chicken Saltimbocca

serves 4
2 boneless chicken breast
2 Tbsp. olive oil
8 oz button mushrooms, halved
1/2 cup dry marsala
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 oz prosciutto chopped (1/2) cup
2 tbsp sage
2 tbsp butter

-Slice chicken breast in half lenght wise
, and pound each piece with a mallet
-Saute pieces of breast in the olive oil until browned, 3 to 5 mins. Transfer to a plate.
-Saute mushrooms in the same pan until starting to brown. About 5 mins.
-Deglaze pan with marsala wine, scraping all the brown bits on the bottom. Add broth and bring to a boil, simmer until liquid is reduced by half.
Off heat, stir in prosciutto sage and butter.
Serve everything with chicken.

Tortellini Soup

I've heard of totellini soup, but I've never had it. So I gathered a few recipes of different versions of this soup online, and this is what I came up with. I literally made this in 15 minutes, and it's delicious!! This is definetly one of those recipes I'll make regularly. Enjoy!

Yield: 3-4 servings
Ingredients:
1 tbsp. olive oil
½ cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp. dried oregano
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, with juices
4 cups chicken broth
9 oz. tortellini, any variety
1 - 10 oz frozen spinach
1- 10 oz frozen butternut squash
Salt and pepper
Grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions:
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions to the pan and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Mix in the oregano and diced tomatoes. Add the broth to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add the tortellini to the pot and cook according to the package directions. One minute before the tortellini is fully cooked, stir in the spinach. Remove from the heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm with grated Parmesan as desired.

Source: slightly adapted from The Well-Fed Newlyweds

Skirt Steak Stir Fry with Noodles

Ingredients
1-½ pound Skirt Steak, Sliced Very Thin Against The Grain
1 cups Low Sodium Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon of fish sauce
2 Tablespoons Packed Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1 Tablespoon Minced Fresh Ginger
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 teaspoon Red Chile Paste (or A Few Dashes Red Chile Oil)
2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
1 whole Medium Yellow Onion Sliced
2 whole Red Bell Peppers, Cored And Sliced Into Rings
1 Tablespoon Diced Fresh Jalapeno (or 1 Teaspoon Dice Hot Pepper)
Red Pepper Flakes, For Sprinkling
Cilantro Leaves
Preparation Instructions
Mix together soy sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch, ginger, garlic, and chili paste (or chili oil.) Place sliced beef in the mixture and toss to coat. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high to high heat. When it is very hot, throw in the onions and cook for less than a minute. Remove to a separate plate. Return skillet to flame, allow to reheat, and add bell peppers (and hot pepper/jalapeno if using.) Cook for a minute, tossing, until peppers have brown/black bits but are still firm. Remove to a plate.

Return skillet to heat and allow to get hot. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add 1/3 of the meat mixture, evenly distributing over the surface of the skillet. Allow to sit for 20 to 30 seconds, then turn with tongs. Cook for another 30 seconds, then remove to a separate plate. Repeat with remaining meat until all brown.

Reduce heat to low. Add all meat, onions, and peppers to the skillet and toss to combine. Pour in remaining sauce (the sauce the meat marinated in*) and stir. Allow to simmer on low for a few minutes. Sauce will slowly thicken. Turn off heat.

*Update/Note: you can also whip up an extra batch of liquid if you do not want to use the same liquid you use for the meat.

Turn off boiling water, then throw in noodles. Stir, then allow noodles to sit in hot water for 8 minutes or so (check package directions to be sure.) Drain, then add 1/2 the noodles to stir fry. Toss together, then add more noodles to taste. Add very hot water if needed to thin.

Top with cilantro leaves. Serve immediately.

Moussaka

Oh my GOD!! I lovee this recipe, I have made it before in school, but I remembered it being such a process. Well, I remembered wrong. It's about as much work as making lasagna, and its so much healthier. Well, maybe not so much. Enjoy!

Ingredients

6 tablespoons cooking oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground lamb
1/2 cup red wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 1/2 cups canned crushed tomatoes in thick puree (one 15-ounce can)
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon salt
Fresh-ground black pepper
1 eggplant (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Directions
Heat the broiler. In a large stainless-steel frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderate heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the lamb and cook until the meat loses its pink color, about 2 minutes. Stir in the wine, tomato paste, tomatoes, bay leaf, cinnamon, allspice, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with the remaining 5 tablespoons oil and season with 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Put the eggplant slices on a large baking sheet and broil, 6 inches from the heat, until browned, about 5 minutes. Turn and broil until browned on the other side, about 5 minutes longer.
In a small saucepan, combine the cream cheese, milk, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper. Warm over low heat until just melted.
Oil an 8-by-8-inch baking dish. Layer half the eggplant in the dish, then half the meat sauce. Sprinkle with half the Parmesan. Repeat with the remaining eggplant, meat sauce, and Parmesan. Spoon the cream-cheese sauce on top;broil until just starting to brown, 1 to 2 minutes.

Eggplant and Potato Curry

Ingredients

2 large eggplants (about 1 1/2 pounds each), pricked all over with a fork
3 tablespoons cooking oil
2 onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 jalapeño pepper, seeds and ribs removed, minced
1 pound baking potatoes (about 2), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups water
3 medium tomatoes (about 1 pound), chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Directions
Heat the broiler. Put the whole eggplants on a baking sheet and broil, turning occasionally, until charred and soft, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the coriander, cumin, fennel seeds, and jalapeño and cook, stirring, for 1 minute longer. Add the potatoes, salt, and water and bring to a simmer. Cook, covered, until the potatoes start to soften, about 10 minutes.
Cut each eggplant open and spoon the pulp into the potato mixture. Simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes more. Add the tomatoes and heat through, about 2 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro.

Chicken and Shrimp Jambalaya

Serves 4 to 6



Ingredients
1 medium onion , peeled, ends trimmed, and quartered lengthwise
1 medium rib celery , cut crosswise into quarters
1 medium red bell pepper , stem removed, seeded, and quartered lengthwise
5 medium cloves garlic , peeled
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
8 ounces andouille sausage , halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice (10 ounces)
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (see note)
1 can diced tomatoes (14 1/2-ounce), drained, 1/4 cup juice reserved
1 cup clam juice (bottled)
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 pound medium shrimp (31 to 35 shrimp per pound), or large shrimp, shelled
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Instructions
1. In food processor, pulse onion, celery, red pepper, and garlic until chopped fine, about six 1-second pulses, scraping down sides of bowl once or twice. Do not overprocess; vegetables should not be pureed.

2. Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking, about 2 minutes. Add chicken, skin-side down, and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken and cook until golden brown on second side, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to plate and set aside. Reduce heat to medium and add andouille; cook, stirring frequently, until browned, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to paper towel–lined plate and set aside.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low, add vegetables, and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping bottom of pot with wooden spoon, until vegetables have softened, about 4 minutes. Add rice, salt, thyme, and cayenne; cook, stirring frequently, until rice is coated with fat, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, reserved tomato juice, clam juice, chicken broth, bay leaves, and browned sausage to pot; stir to combine. Remove and discard skin from chicken; place chicken, skinned-side down, on rice. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir once, keeping chicken on top, skinned-side down. Replace cover and continue to simmer until chicken is no longer pink when cut into with paring knife, about 10 minutes more; transfer chicken to clean plate and set aside. Scatter shrimp over rice, cover, and continue to cook until rice is fully tender and shrimp are opaque and cooked through, about 5 minutes more.

4. While shrimp are cooking, shred chicken (see illustration below). When shrimp are cooked, discard bay leaves; off heat, stir in parsley and shredded chicken, and serve immediately.

Summer Vegetable Gratin

Serves 6-8 as a side or 4 as a light main dish. Published July 1, 2008. From Cook's Illustrated.

The success of this recipe depends on good-quality produce. Buy zucchini and summer squash of roughly the same diameter. While we like the visual contrast zucchini and summer squash bring to the dish, you can also use just one or the other. A similarly sized broiler-safe gratin dish can be substituted for the 13- by 9-inch baking dish. Serve the gratin alongside grilled fish or meat and accompanied by bread to soak up any flavorful juices.




Ingredients
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound zucchini , ends trimmed and sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices (see note)
1 pound summer squash (yellow), ends trimmed and sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices (see note)
2 teaspoons table salt
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes (3 to 4 large), sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 medium onions , halved lengthwise and sliced thin pole to pole (about 3 cups)
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
2 ounces Parmesan cheese , grated (about 1 cup)
2 medium shallots , minced (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Brush 13- by 9-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon oil; set aside.

2. Toss zucchini and summer squash slices with 1 teaspoon salt in large bowl; transfer to colander set over bowl. Let stand until zucchini and squash release at least 3 tablespoons of liquid, about 45 minutes. Arrange slices on triple layer paper towels; cover with another triple layer paper towels. Firmly press each slice to remove as much liquid as possible.

3. Place tomato slices in single layer on double layer paper towels and sprinkle evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt; let stand 30 minutes. Place second double layer paper towels on top of tomatoes and press firmly to dry tomatoes.

4. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and dark golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Set onions aside.

5. Combine garlic, 3 tablespoons oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and thyme in small bowl. In large bowl, toss zucchini and summer squash in half of oil mixture, then arrange in greased baking dish. Arrange caramelized onions in even layer over squash. Slightly overlap tomato slices in single layer on top of onions. Spoon remaining garlic-oil mixture evenly over tomatoes. Bake until vegetables are tender and tomatoes are starting to brown on edges, 40 to 45 minutes.


6. Combine bread crumbs, remaining tablespoon oil, Parmesan, and shallots in medium bowl. Remove baking dish from oven and increase heat to 450 degrees. Sprinkle bread-crumb mixture evenly on top of tomatoes. Bake gratin until bubbling and cheese is lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and let sit at room temperature 10 minutes before serving.