Pasta Pignoli
25 Jul 2010 3 Comments
in Pasta Pignoli Tags: Delish, Nutritious Dishes, Pasta Dishes, Pasta Pignoli, Pasta Pignoli with Raisins, Pignoli, Quick Dinner Recipes, Recipes, Sun Dried Tomatoes
Last night’s dinner was a great success. This is a very quick and tasty dish. What makes it different from simple pasta dishes is the addition of a few ingredients. If you’re a pasta lover, you’ll like this slight variation.
Serves approx. 4-6
Prep Time: 20 minutes with sauce prepared earlier
Note: When I make pasta sauce, I always make more than I need for another night’s dinner. Generally, I start out with a basic tomato sauce with garlic, onion, and spices. When I prepare the evening’s dish, I add other ingredients, depending on what I’ve chosen to create for that particular nite. I freeze the plain sauce until it’s pasta night and add different ingredients. This dish was made with a base of plain tomato sauce.
Ingredients:
1 lb pasta (Rigatoni or Penne or your family’s favorite)
6 Cups Tomato Sauce
1 Clove Garlic chopped
2 Tbsp. Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Pepper
2 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter
1 Cup Sun Dried Tomatoes
1/2 Cup Raisins
1 Cup Pitted/Sliced Kalamata Olives
1 Tbsp. Bouquet Garni (dried herbs)
(This can be made from scratch to include your favorite flavors)
1 Cup Pine Nuts
1 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
Preparation:
Cook pasta according to package directions (10-12 min.) Rinse with cool water and place in a large bowl.
In a large sauce pan, warm olive oil (a minute or so), add Sun Dried Tomatoes, chopped garlic and raisins. Let simmer on low for approx. 8 minutes or until soft.
In the same pot, add tomato sauce (6 cups), bouquet garni, salt, pepper, butter and chopped kalamata olives – cook on warm to medium heat for approx. 8 -10 min.
Blend Pasta with Sauce, sprinkle with Pine Nuts (Pignoli) and Grated Parmesan Cheese. Voila! A total of approximately 20 minutes and your dinner is ready to serve.
Serve with garlic bread, pre-made at any store. I make my own: baguettes, butter,minced garlic and parmesan or cheddar cheese – DELISH!
Happy dinnertime all. As always, I look forward to any and all comments/feedback. Thanks to those of you who have written, stay in touch.
~Jens~
Mediterranean Orzo with Eggplant
17 Jul 2010 3 Comments
in Mediterranean Cuisine Tags: California Wines, Eggplant, Healthy Meals, Homemade Aoili, Jen's Delish Dishes, Nutritiondata.com, Orzo, Party Dishes, Recipes, Sole Food, Tasty
Meditteranean Orzo with Eggplant
First off, let’s take a look at the nutrition packed in this easy-to-prepare dinner. Our Mediterranean Orzo dish is an excellent complement to mild Sole fillets. We love Sole because it is very light and offers an abundance of Protein, Calcium and Iron.
The Sole shown above were purchased frozen. I keep these on hand for those nights when I just don’t want to spend a lot of time cooking, but want to serve a very healthy dinner. Also keep on hand home-made aioli – “we’ve got a recipe for that!” which we’ll share later. For now, use mayo with a tad bit of garlic. Great dip for fish.
Today’s focus is on the Mediterranean Orzo recipe. Nutritionally speaking, this is a great dish for all health food fans who relish flavor as much. Orzo gives us the carbs, fiber and protein we need plus Calcium, Niacin, Folate and Iron. Add to that the nutritional value of Eggplant, a very rich source of vitamins and minerals, and you’ve got a wonderfully healthy meal with just a few minutes of prep time.
Fortunately, we all enjoy international flavors and we’re all into trying new tastes and combinations. That makes it particularly easy for me because it allows me the gift of creativity, not to mention taste-testers for dishes I will add to my party lists.
This taste test proved to be another addition to my very long list of party menu items. Again, we had smiles all around and kudos to the chef d’oeuvre. Love it. You will too! If you try it, please let me know how it goes. I really enjoy hearing from you.
Ingredients:
6 frozen fish fillets (of your choice)
1-1/2 Cups Orzo Pasta
1 Cup Cherry Tomatoes (halved)
1/2 Cup Kalamata Olives (chopped)
1/4 Cup Lemon (fresh squeezed)
1/2 Cup Fresh Basil (chopped)
1/4 Cup Capers
2 Cloves Fresh Minced Garlic
2 Tbsp Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tsp Oregano
Pinch of Ground Black Pepper
Preparation:
Place fish in the oven and bake according to package instructions (about 15 minutes @ 350 degrees). I use my oven timer so that I can move to next steps.
Peel Eggplant and cut into small cubes. In a large frying pan, add Virgin Olive Oil, add 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic, a pinch of pepper and let saute until tender. Remove from pan and place into a bowl with paper towel at bottom. This to drain off some of the oil.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until al dente. You can mix all ingredients together while this is cooking.
Drain and rinse with cold water. Place Orzo in a large bowl with Kalamata olives, capers, tomatoes, eggplant, lemon juice, oregano and basil and stir all ingredients together. Mix well, and if you prefer, add more olive oil to taste. Voila!
In less than a half hour, you’ve got yourself a beautiful, healthy meal to serve to friends and/or family. Add a glass of Pinot Blanc and enjoy!
~Jen~
Stay Tuned for This Specialty Pizza
Apricot, Bacon, Tomato, Cheese Pizza
Asian Fig-Chicken Salad
02 Jul 2010 2 Comments
in Chicken Salad Recipe Tags: Asian Chicken Salad, Chicken Salad Recipes, Figs, Healthy Meals, Nutrition, Recipes, Salads, Whole Foods Rotisserie Chicken
Jen's Asian Fig-Chicken Salad
Through the month of June, all I could think about were our tree-picked cherries. We added cherries to just about everything, made a cream cheese blend with cherries, and our cherry fruit smoothies were out of this world. We have enough frozen Cherry Chutney to satisfy our cherry taste-buds throughout the summer and longer.
Until our next barbecue with Cherry Chutney, we’re moving into some of our fig delights. We are Fig lovers around here and I look for every opportunity to toss them into our meals. Figs are rich in numerous vitamins and minerals and a great source of fiber and potassium.
Today a neighbor, who has a six fig trees in his backyard, invited us over for a fig picking free for all. What a bonanza! A half hour later, I thanked him and carried home a bag full of fresh figs. Felt like Fig Heaven! I was eager to find a light summer recipe in my recipe stash. I found the perfect recipe for a warm summer evening: Asian Fig-Chicken Salad.
Such a treat! This recipe is easy to prepare and adds a new twist on Asian Chicken Salad. I did shred the lettuce and carrots, but you can purchase them in any market. Also, you can pick up a rotisserie chicken or two in the market. I picked up a fully prepared one from Whole Foods earlier in the day.
Here goes! If you decide to use this recipe, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
Ingredients
2 cups Shredded Lettuce
1/2 cup Julienne Carrots
1/2 cup Chopped Green Onions
2 cups Rotisserie Chicken (you can use baked or pan fried chicken breasts)
4 large Fresh Figs
1/2 cup Chopped Mango (or Mango Salsa)
1/4 cup Cilantro (optional)
1 -2 Tbsp. Roasted Sesame Seeds (optional)
1/4 cup White Wine Vinegar
2 tbsp Sugar
2 tbsp Chopped Ginger
5 tbsp Soy Sauce
3 tbsp Sesame Oil
1 tbsp Fresh Garlic
Prepare Dressing and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
Mix the Wine Vinegar, Sugar, Ginger, Sugar, Soy Sauce and Garlic (use a blender for creamier consistency) – Set aside.
Combine Shredded Lettuce, Carrots, Green Onions, Chicken, Mango and Figs. Mix Well.
Shake dressing and mix 1/2 quantity to taste. Add more if needed.
Once again, everyone oooh’d and ahhh’d over tonite’s healthy and distinctively tasteful meal.
Have a go at it and let me know what you think. I love it when you write with your comments.
~Jen~
Delish Tilapia Fish Tacos
01 Jul 2010 2 Comments
in Fish Recipes Tags: Catering, Dinner, Healthy Meals, JensDelishDishes, Nutritious, Recipe, Tacos, Tilapia
Tilapia Breaded Fish Tacos
Earlier, I wrote about a great Tilapia recipe I conjured up using fresh cherries and tomatoes. It was a great treat and absolutely DELISH!
Today, I created yet another recipe using Tilapia…it’s quite versatile and rich in Niacin and Phosphorous, Vitamin B12 and Selenium. Plus, Tilapia is a mild tasting fish that you can spice up to thrill the palate. It turned out wonderful. Everyone, including my four year old, went back for seconds – and one diner for thirds! Love it when that happens.
This recipe will serve 4-6 people easily, with leftovers, even though I had none left over – so be prepared for that scenario. Time to prepare: approximately 30 minutes total.
Ingredients:
4 Tilapia Fillets
2 cups Italian Style Bread Crumbs
1 Cup Wheat Crackers
Package of Tortillas
(corn or flour, whichever you prefer)
3 tbsp Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbsp Fresh Chopped Garlic
2 Eggs
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Za’tar (MidEast Seasoning)
Condiments:
1 Container Prepared Guacamole
2 Mangos Chopped (or Prepared Chopped Mango)
1/2 Onion
1/3 Cup Mint Leaves (Fresh)
3 Medium Tomatoes
1 Small Bowl Cotija Cheese
1 Small Bowl Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
2 Fresh Limes, Cut into Wedges
Preparation:
In a large bowl, stir eggs until smooth. Add Tilapia fillets and let soak a minute or two. Place bread crumb mixture in a large plastic (freezer type) bag. Remove Tilapia from bowl, one at a time and shake inside bag until coated completely. Repeat this process again.
In a large pan, add virgin olive oil and chopped garlic, cooking on medium until garlic begins to brown. Add Tilapia and let cook until color is dark and rich, check for flakiness of fish (approx. 10-15 min). Remove from heat and place on a platter. Cut into bite size pieces.
Serve with chopped tomatoes, onions, mint, mango salsa, guacamole, Cotija cheese and sharp cheddar cheese, lime wedges.
If you want added flavor, put out some aioli. We love our home-made aioli, but it is available in stores.
I hope you enjoy this wonderfully satisfying and easy to make meal. Please let me know how it turns out for you.
Until next time,
~Jen~
