Linguine with Shrimp and Veggies

Another post from my new cookbook The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger. This made for a very tasty lunch today!

Notes: 

• Since I can't go out and purchase a bottle of white wine and I didn't have any on hand I used veggie broth and a couple splashes of white grape juice instead.
• I used spaghetti instead of linguine because it's what I had on hand.
  

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 3/4 box (12 oz) linguine
• 2 Tbls. olive oil
• 1 bunch (~1 lb) asparagus, woody bottoms removed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tsp)
• 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook the linguine according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the asparagus and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until they turn pink and the asparagus is tender but firm, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove shrimp mixture from the pan and set aside.

Combine the lemon juice, wine, and reserved pasta water in hte skillet over medium-high heat. Let simmer until the liquid is reduced by about half. Return the shrimp and asparagus to the pan and stir in the parsley. Add the drained linguine, tossingto combine. Add the tomatoes and toss. Sprinkle with cheese, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Apple Turnovers

Another new pick from my new cookbook, The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger. I am seriously addicted to these they are so tasty. It was my first experience with phyllo dough and I think it was very successful. These were really easy to make once I got the hang of it. There's really not much else to say! 

Notes:

• I didn't think Scott would like the cranberries so I left them out. 
• I don't know what happened, but somehow I ended up with enough apple mixture for 16 turnovers rather than 8 so I doubled everything else to use it all up (ladyfingers, phyllo dough, and canola oil). I really don't see how I could possibly have fit all those apples into the first 8. *shrugs shoulders* 
• Also, my turnovers did not take the full 20 minutes to bake, so I would keep an eye on them after about the 15 minutes mark.

Yield: 8 turnovers

Ingredients:

• 4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1/3 cup unsweetened dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tablespoon cold water
• 6 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
• 3 Tablespoons canola oil
• 4 ladyfinger cookies, crushed
• Cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large nonstick skillet, combine the apples, cranberries, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook until the juices in the skillet thicken, another 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Lay a sheet of phyllo on a large cutting board and brush with the oil. Top with a second sheet and brush with the oil. Sprinkle half o fhte crushed cookies on top. Add another sheet of phyllo and brush with the oil. Cut the layered phyllo into 4 long strips (I ended up doing my width-wise to use up more apple mixture). Put a small mound of the apple mixture about an inch from the bottom of one strip and fold the phyllo over the mixture into a triangle shape so a turnover is formed. Repeat with the other three strips. Repeat the whole process again with the remaining three sheets of phyllo so that you wind up with 8 turnovers. Be sure to reserve a little oil to brush the top of each turnover.

coat a baking sheet with cooking spray, place the turnovers on the sheet, brush the tops with the remaining oil, and bake until nicely browned, 20 to 25 minutes.  

Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo

My first recipe-test from my new cookbook The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger and it turned out great! I love it and am looking forward to eating on it the next few days for lunch - it was even better the second day!

I usually don't eat very much soup because I never feel full because there's nothing really crunchy, so this time I bought a french baguette and toasted it with some EVOO like Giada does and it is the perfect accompaniment to this delicious soup.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

Notes:

• I always use less onion than recipes call for.  ; )
• I also added more chicken because it just didn't look like enough to me.

Ingredients:

• 4 t olive oil
• 8 oz. sk/bnless chicken breast halves, cut into small junks
• Pinch of salt, plus more to taste
• 1 medium onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cup)
• 2 stalks celery, diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 medium carrot, diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 teaspoons copped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup orzo, preferably whole-wheat
• 2 large eggs
• 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat 2 t of the oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with the salt, add it to the pot, and cook, stirring, a few times, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a dish and set aside.

Add the remaining 2 t oil to the pot. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and thyme and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until the veggies are tender, about 5 minutes. Add 5 cups of the broth and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and let simmer until tender, about 8 minutes. Turn the heat down to low to keep te soup hot but not boiling.

Warm the remaining 1 cup broth in a small saucepan until it is hot but not boiling. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Gradually whisk the lemon juice into the eggs. Then gradually add the hot broth to the egg-lemon mixture, whisking all the while. Add the mixture to the soup, stirring well until the soup is thickened. Do not let the soup come to a boil. Add the cooked chicken to the soup. Season with salt and pepper and serve!

Slacker

I've been slacking way too much over the past few weeks when it comes to cooking. Been kinda stressed out and busy, but I should get going again soon. 

Saturday I got "The Food You Crave" cookbook by Ellie Krieger and I'm super excited. I went through and bookmarked everything that I want to try at first glance and am making at least 2 this week. I would try more, but I need to take baby steps for Scott! I'm also determined to lose 15 lbs. and try to be healthier. This whole Freshman 15 thing is no fun! So I might try to blog about that too as a self-motivator (no promises though.) : )