Arugula Pesto Cream Sauce with Portobello Mushrooms

My mom and dad recently vacationed in Buenos Aires, Argentina. While there, my mom had an arugula pasta dish with a cream sauce that she absolutely loved. She thought that I might be able to re-create it if she described it to me, so I whipped up a yummy sauce the other night for her! I used a fresh cavatappi pasta, but it was a little too thick in my opinion. I'd suggest using a penne or fettuccini pasta with this sauce! Enjoy! 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup baby arugula leaves
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 oz. pine nuts
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 pint regular cream
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 6 oz. Portobello mushrooms, chopped into small pieces
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Place arugula and garlic cloves in a food processor (or blender), pulse a couple of times. Slowly add the olive oil in an even stream, and process until the mixture begins to emulsify, about 30-40 seconds. Add the pine nuts and Parmesan cheese. Blend for a minute.

In a saucepan, melt the butter on low-medium heat. Add the Portobello mushrooms and sauté until tender. Add the cream and heat over low until it begins to simmer. Strain half of the hot cream into the food processor with the arugula pesto (make sure not to pour the mushrooms in the food processor), and pulse for about 20 seconds. Pour the mixture back into the cream, and simmer for 5 minutes, or until thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with the pasta of your choice... fresh pasta is always best! Top your pasta dish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Adapted from a recipe on AllRecipes.com!

Fennel and Apple Salad

One of my favorite things to do is to look in my refrigerator for ingredients just lying around, and turn them into something yummy!  That's just what I did today at lunchtime.  I had a fennel bulb in my fridge (I used the trimmings in a fish stock the other day), so I decided to whip something up revolving around the distinctive flavor of fennel.  Some people don't like or haven't even tried fennel - I hadn't tasted it until only a couple of years ago - but I think it's one of the most interesting, fresh tasting ingredients out there. One day I'll have to post my interpretation of Prune's Braised Fennel in Trout Roe Butter, but until then, here's my Fennel and Apple Salad... Hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients:

• 1 fennel bulb, chopped
• 1 Honeycrisp apple, cored & chopped (or your favorite variety of apple)
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 handful of raw walnuts, chopped
• 2-3 tablespoons of Brianna's Homestyle Poppy Seed Dressing
• 1 lemon wedge
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Prepare all of the ingredients. Squeeze the lemon wedge on the apple just after chopping to prevent the apple from browning.

In a large bowl, mix together the fennel, apple, walnuts, and cilantro. Add some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Stir in the Brianna's Homestyle Poppy Seed Dressing. Done! :)

Green Curry Chicken Burgers

Serves 4

A few months ago, my boyfriend and I came up with the idea of a Thai-inspired burger. We discussed all of the different ingredients we could throw together, and got really excited about it, but didn't try to execute the experiment until tonight. There are a million different things you could do with this burger, and it would be fantastic! Next time, I may use red curry paste instead of green, and possibly add a little fish sauce (mine was expired tonight, so I wasn't able to use it). This is a super moist & flavorful burger, and a fun meal since you get to create your own mixture of toppings at the end! I hope you dig this recipe as much as we did!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. organic ground chicken
• 1 tbsp. chopped sweet red pepper
• 1 tsp. green curry paste
• 1/4 tsp. lemongrass paste or chopped lemongrass
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce (or Tamari)
• Peanut oil, about 2 tbsp.
• Bean sprouts
• Fresh cilantro leaves
• Sweet red pepper, sliced
• Sweet onion, sliced
• Sriracha pepper sauce
• Vegenaise or mayonnaise
• Seeded hamburger buns

Directions:

In a bowl, mix together ground chicken, chopped sweet red pepper, green curry paste, lemongrass, egg yolk, and soy sauce. With your hands, shape the mixture into 4 patties.

Heat a large skillet on medium heat till well heated, about 4-5 minutes. Add the peanut oil. Gently place chicken patties in the hot oil. Cook over medium heat until a yummy brown crust forms, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Reduce the heat to low, and partially cover the skillet, allowing the steam to escape. Cook for another 8-10 minutes longer, turning once, until the internal temperature reads 160 degrees.

While your burgers are cooking, nicely arrange the bean sprouts, cilantro, sliced sweet pepper, and sliced sweet onion on a plate. In a small bowl, mix together a couple of spoonfuls of vegenaise or mayonnaise, and add desired amount of Sriracha pepper sauce for flavor & heat.

Serve the burgers on the seeded hamburger buns, and allow your guests to dress their burger themselves from the plate of fresh veggies & Sriracha mayo. This burger goes perfectly with my Tangy Thai Nectarine Salad! Enjoy! ♥

Tangy Thai Nectarine Salad

Serves 2-4

This is such an easy salad, yet so delicious and refreshing! I was inspired by the nectarines I purchased the other day, but still hadn't eaten. They smelled soooo good this afternoon, and since I had already decided to experiment with a Thai-style chicken burger for dinner, I came up with a Thai-inspired salad to toss these perfectly ripened nectarines in. I will absolutely make this recipe again...and again...and, yeah. ;)

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg Romaine hearts
• 1 ripe nectarine, sliced
• A handful of Sing Buri cashews, chopped (you can also use regular roasted cashews or peanuts)
• Fresh cilantro leaves
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. Tamari or soy sauce
• 1 tsp. light brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
• Juice of 1 lime

Directions:

Arrange Romaine hearts on a pretty plate. Place nectarine slices on top of the Romaine. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro leaves & Sing Buri nut blend. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl to make the dressing. Pour over salad just before serving. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes if desired. Goes really well with my Green Curry Chicken Burgers! :)

Mountain Getaway

I'm in North Carolina, staying at Shawn's grandpa's cabin in the Appalachian Mountains. We're taking a much needed breather for inspiration & relaxation! :) Tonight's dinner: PBJ with Cape Cod potato chips, and red wine served in mason jars! Why? We got stuck driving up the mountain, and after getting un-stuck, had to leave our car at the bottom of the mountain & hike up to the cabin - in 12 degree weather! ;) We decided it would be a lot less stressful to just stay put & eat the back-up food we bought, drink some wine, and write some music! I'll get back to recipes & such when I return home next week... Until then - xoxoxo!

Anjelah Johnson - Nail Salon

I'm not cooking tonight. I'm going to have cheap Mexican food with my best ladies, and we're going to see Anjelah Johnson's live comedy show! Thought I'd post one of my favorites of her videos before I run out the door! :)

Curried Harissa Cauliflower

In the mood for a delicious, easy dinner on the healthier side? This side dish is it. My friend, Barbara (whom I mentioned in an earlier post - she gave me the Harissa olive oil from The Olive Oil Store), told me about a yummy cauliflower dish that she makes frequently. I decided to add a couple of ingredients and try it out myself. I LOVE spicy food, and LOVE curry, so really this dish was the main focal point - the shrimp & salad I made along with it were an afterthought. The cauliflower came out beautifully!

Ingredients:

• 1 med. head cauliflower, separated and cut into even pieces (the size of the smallest florets)
• 1 large (or 2 small) clove garlic, lightly chopped
• 1 large shallot, sliced
• 2 tbsp. Harissa olive oil* (or 2 tbsp. regular olive oil with a few drops of chili oil)
• Organic curry powder (about 1/8 tsp.)
• Sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper

Directions:

Preheat broiler on high - about 10 minutes. Arrange cauliflower florets, garlic, and shallot onto a foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle with Harissa olive oil, and dust with curry powder. Sprinkle with sea salt & black pepper. Broil on high for 18 minutes, or until lightly browned. Serve while hot.