Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Nettle Pasta

I love experimenting with new foods. I ordered some nettle pasta from Food52's provisions, and had no idea what to do with it. Based on some recipes I browsed through, I decided to pair it with a sauce of olive oil, ricotta, and lemon juice, and added sautéed mushrooms and toasted pine nuts. It was delicious and springy, and had a great combination of textures. 

Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Peas

Monday, April 21, 2014

Crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Growing up, my mom would make brussels sprouts somewhat regularly as they are one my dads favorite vegetables. I, on the other hand, did not like them. When I read once that they contain a small amount of some compound that is potentially poisonous to humans, I jumped at the chance to use that as an excuse not to eat them. I have since changed my mind aboutbrussels  sprouts and have even more recently discovered many delicious ways to eat them. 

My favorite way right now is to separate the leaves and either fry or bake them until crispy. These brussel sprouts are a result of a combination of different recipes I have read about and tried. The leaves are mixed with walnuts and tossed in a sauce of olive oil, sriracha, honey, and salt. All of this gets turned onto a baking sheet and roasted in a 375 degree oven for 12 minutes. I'm sure they would also be great with a little lemon juice or zest, some dried fruit, or another type of nut. 

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Passover

The last two years I've been lucky and have been home for spring break when Passover and Easter fell. This year I missed out on the festivities. Even though I didn't have time to have a real Passover Seder on my own, I did cook some of my favorite foods. Brisket, potatoes, spicy brocollini, haroset, matzah ball soup, and chocolate covered matzah.


Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Shrimp Pasta

I got this Greek style shrimp recipe from food52, them decided to turn it into a pasta dish by adding a bit more tomato to the sauce. It turned out great and was an easy weeknight meal!

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Weekday Dinners

I love having a few recipes that I have essentially memorized and are easy to make on a weekday; this way, I can experiment with some new recipes during the week and not have it take over my entire day. This week I made lamb chops with an improvised marinade, and a Greek orzo recipe I've made before from Food52. Yesterday, when I had a but more time, I tried a delicious coconut kale and salmon recipe with sweet potatoes and coconut rice.