Better Home Cooking Basics: #48 Make your Lettuce Last Longer in a Container with a Paper Towel.

Every week I buy a large container of organic baby lettuces. On a good week I’ll finish the whole package spread out between meals. On a bad week I’ll scrunch up my nose & throw away my greens (& hard earned cash with it) because the tender baby lettuce leaves have wilted & worse have become mushy & have started to ooze some weird liquid that forms a nice sludge at the bottom of the container.

Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Shrimp, Tomatoes & Arugula

I have a confession to make, sometimes I don’t go grocery shopping every week. Sometimes I don’t have a plan for dinner. There have been a lot of those kind of nights this weeks since I skipped my usual trip to the super market on Sunday & I’ve been left to my imagination when it comes to dinner. This spaghetti squash & shrimp dish was one of those. It was one of those that also surprised me because it was pretty tasty & easy to make.

What do you make on a whim?

Grilled Steak with Arugula, Parsley-Parmesan Salad

From time-to-time I cook steak for Chris. It’s true. I do. I found this recipe in Bon Appetit magazine & thought that it was a good marriage between the steak Chris likes to eat & the greens I’d like him to eat. I also think it’s a lighter option for steak eaters than a heavy creamed spinach side dish for steak - while yes it has greens it also has a ton of cream amongst other heavy ingredients. I amped up the original salad in this recipe with some arugula.  This salad is also great on top of chicken (how I ate it).

PS: We also had these potatoes, because if you have steak & you really should have potatoes!
PPS: Happy birthday to my beautiful friend Ashley!!! I love you :)

Strawberry-Rhubarb Salad with Mint, Walnuts & Arugula

Last week we were in Charleston, SC (ahhhh I love that place & I will share some pictures soon). Truth be told the majority of the food we ate was either fried or seafood - leaving little room left for anything green (unless you count fried green tomatoes).  Now that we’re back into the swing of a full week I’m doing my best to eat fresh - plus it’s spring (finally) so I always find myself wanting to eat more green things & just lighter in general.

I was flipping through the pages of Bon Appetite magazine & came across a recipe for strawberry-rhubarb salad. Being a forever fan of the pie version (my mom still makes the best strawberry rhubarb pie!). Coincidentally, my sister-in-law, Dulcie, asked me how else she could prepare rhubarb.  Clearly the universe was telling me that I needed to try out the salad.  It did not disappoint. It was every bit tangy & sweet that the pie is but in a healthy salady-bite. I did change it up a bit from the original recipe swapping out hazelnuts for walnuts & adding some arugla because it’s what I had on hand - & I just love arugula. (Check out this unexpected way to use arugula in your Cinco de Mayo cocktail that I stumbled upon at work & had to try out.)

PS: This recipe calls for mint. I could only find a small potted plant of the mint - wish me luck keeping her alive & green because my thumb is not.

PPS: Bon Appetit suggests not making this salad the night before in fear that the rhubarb will breakdown too much & become too soft. Make it as close to serving time as possible.

UPDATE: I ate all of the arugula out of the salad for dinner & had a lot of the strawberry-rhubarb mixture left so I refrigerated it overnight. I packed some arugula on top & some avocado & am currently enjoying it for lunch - maybe I didn't cut my rhubarb super thin but I have to say it's just as delicious on day 2.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Quinoa

Ask anyone at my office where I'm going for lunch & they'll usually say one of three places. The first would most likely be Pret A Manger.  I love Pret because they offer fresh food that's satisfying but doesn't make me feel stuffed to the brim after I eat it.  They also offer a lot of organic ingredients which is important to me.  One of my favorite go-to Pret items (besides coffee) is the quinoa pot they have available during breakfast. I could eat it at any time of day - I think it would make a great breakfast, lunch or dinner.  On that note I recreated it for brunch this past weekend.

What's your favorite versatile meal that works for breakfast, lunch or dinner?

Balsamic-Mustard Potatoes

It's safe to say that if there is no pasta on our dinner table there's a potato near by.  I never really met a potato I didn't like. I'm not a huge fan of overly mayo potato salads but I'll still eat it.  In lieu of mayo I really like acidic or mustardy potato salads made like this one. I didn't have all the ingredients Giada called for in her Lemon-Mustard Potato Salad so I ad-libbed my own version of it.

Spaghetti Squash with Arugula Basil Pesto

I cannot believe I've never had spaghetti squash - until last night. The gals at the office were chatting it up so much I had to try it. Turns out it's not only delish & gluten-free it's super easy - so don't worry about making your own pasta with some alternative flour to steer clear of flour allergies. No ma'am. Mother nature has done it all for us.

We will definitely be eating spaghetti squash at our house again & again very soon.

Click through for the full recipe & full photos of how to make spaghetti squash with arugula basil pesto.

Gluten-Free Pasta with Crab, Citrus & Fresh Greens

We clearly eat some pasta at our house. Don't let the "O" and apostrophe in my last name fool you - this girl is Italian & her Irish husband is now too :) Well part Italian at least.

I'm always looking for new recipes to use with the staples I pick up at the grocery store. Yes, canned crab is one of those staples since there is only so much chicken & salmon we can eat.

I jazzed this recipe up with my gluten-free pasta & some fresh greens of course.

Click through for a citrusy take on crab & pasta. Yum.

Mozzarella, Avocado, Tomato, Arugula & Mustard Toast

I really love toast. I think toasted bread  makes every sandwich better.  My brother is actually the one who schooled me on toasting my bread for sandwiches & layering the topping just so, so that when you cut through it there is a pretty cross section to display. This also feeds my need to make all of my food pretty. Chris will call it "fancy" but really I think it's just an  occupational hazard because I'm always picturing how it would look in (well) a picture.  I also think every meal deserves attention to how it looks, therefore breakfast, lunch & dinner may take a few minutes longer in our house.

Find out how you can start a toast addiction with this gateway version after the jump!

Thanksgiving Sandwich

There's a deli in NYC that serves a "thanksgiving on a roll" sandwich. I love it. So I recreated my own that I think was a bit healthier yet totally indulgent at the same time. 

What did you do with your Thanksgiving left overs?

Click through for the road map to make your own rendition of a thanksgiving sandwich.

Tomato, Beet, Avocado, Arugula & Walnut Salad

Sometimes it's a sandwich & salad kind of night at our house. Last night we dined on tuna sandwiches (courtesy of the hubs tuna salad) & this salad which was equally parts creamy, crunchy & tasty.

Since this salad is so easy to make, take the time to make it pretty when you plate it.  You eat with your eyes first, so make sure to feed them with a pretty feast.

Ingredients:

• 1 large heirloom tomato
• 2 avocados
• 1 large (cooked) beet
• 5 leaves fresh basil
• handful of walnuts
• 2 handfuls of arugula (or other lettuce of your choice)
• 1 tablespoon walnut oil
• sea salt & pepper

Make it!

1. Slice tomato, beet & avocados into equal sized slices (this may vary on the size of your fruits/veggies but closest to uniform size is ideal).
2. Coarsely chop walnuts & heat them in a pan over low heat for a few minutes until toasted (but not burned). As soon as you smell them take them off the heat.
3. In a separate bowl tear basil & mix with arugula.
4. Arrange the slices of tomato, beet & avocado in a pretty order on your plate, I like to alternate the colors like tomato, avocado, beet.
5. Top with arugula/basil mixture & toasted walnuts.
6. Drizzle walnut oil over all ingredients & season with sea salt & pepper.

PS: Happy Birthday Aunt Rosemary :) xx

Fresh Herb & Fruit Chicken Salad

 

Chicken can get kind of monotonous so I'm always looking for new ways to make it.  I had some leftover grilled chicken in the fridge, so on a whim I chopped it up & added a bunch of fresh ingredients for a fresh & simple dinner.  How do you make your chicken without getting bored of it? Please share!

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups grilled chicken (cut into cubes)
• 1/2 english cucumber (cut into cubes)
• 1 carrot (shred with a box grater or make curls with a veggie peeler)
• 1 clove garlic (mince)
• 1 mango (cut into cubes)
• 5 mint leaves (chiffonade) 
• 5 basil leaves (chiffonade)
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 2 cups baby arugula

Dressing Ingredients:

• juice of 2 limes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper

Make it:

1. Toss all salad ingredient together in a bowl.
2. In a smaller bowl or measuring cup mix all dressing ingredients together.
3. Toss salad with dressing & serve immediately.

Tangy Hot Chickpea Salad

Change up your salad routine with this hearty chickpea salad that's equal parts refreshing, healthy & hot! Simply combine all the ingredients in a large serving bowl.

Make it!
Mix the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.  Toss it all together. This salad is great served right away & only gets better the longer it sits in the dressing & chills in the fridge. 

Ingredients:

• 2-8oz cans of chickpeas (rinse & drain)
• 1 jalapeno pepper (seed & dice)
• 1 cup baby spinach (chiffonade)
• 1 cup arugula (rough chop)
• 2 tomatoes (seed & chop)

Dressing:

• 1 tablespoon agave (or honey)
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 limes (juice & zest)
• 1 tablespoon hot pepper flakes

Goat Cheese Flatbread

Ingredients:

• 2 large onions
• 3 shallots
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup fresh goat cheese
• 2 cups arugula
• 4 pieces trader joe's whole wheat tandori naan bread

Dressing:

• 1 lemon (juice + zest)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• salt & pepper

Jane is one of my favorite places in NYC to eat. They have killer bloody marys & excellent bites. I basically took this flatbread right off their menu. It's so simple but so so tasty & holds a special place in my memory book.

There are two distinct times in my life when I remember savoring this at Jane. The first time was with my mom, right after we had finalize THE fabric that my wedding dress would be made from. The second was the day before my rehearsal dinner for my wedding, with my sister. This flatbread makes my heart & belly warm & of course it helps that you-know-who (my hubby!) likes it too!

Make sure to click through to learn how you can serve it up at home yourself!

Blue Cheese Herb Mustard Salmon

I'm particularly proud of this salmon for two reasons. The first reason is because my husband actually LOVED it.  Since Chris is far from a fish eater (with the exception of that that comes in a shell or in the form of a sushi roll) that's a huge victory. WIN! The second reason is because it's super quick and easy to make.

I felt inspired by my foodie pen pal package and decided to make the blue cheese herb mustard as the star of my simple dinner.

Here's what you'll need:

1. 1 lb salmon
2. 3 tablespoons blue cheese herb mustard (or any other kind of spicy tasty mustard)
3. salt & pepper

Make it:

1. Get a large naked (no oil or butter - nothing!)  skillet  screaming hot on your stove top.
2. Season the salmon with salt & pepper on both sides.
3. Cook the salmon on each side for a couple of minutes.
4. With the skin side down spread the mustard on the pink fleshy part of the salmon.
5. Pop your skillet under the broiler for 7-9 minutes (or until your fish is cooked through). Make sure your skillet handle is oven safe!
6. Serve the salmon with a side of grilled asparagus and greens.

Tip: for a quick salad dressing mix olive oil, mustard and lemon juice together. Toss your greens in it and you've got a salad that automatically compliments the flavors in your fish!