Asparagus Risotto

Asparagus was on sale at the grocery store last week, so I bought some on a whim. I had no idea what I was going to make. After a few days of forgetting about it in the vegetable drawer I had a wonderful idea. Risotto! I had never made it before and I knew it was time-consuming, but I also knew it was delicious. I found a recipe on a blog* and it looked delicious. I promise this recipe is not as difficult as it may seem. It just requires constant attention for about 40 minutes. That’s practical, right?

Ingredients:

• 1 pound asparagus
• 3 Tbsp plus 1 teaspoon butter
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (or 1 Tbsp lemon juice and 1/4 cup water)
• About 3 1/2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock for vegetarian option)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper

Prepare the asparagus by breaking off discarding the tough ends (about the last inch of the spear). Cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch pieces (tips longer, base shorter). If your asparagus are especially large, cut into even smaller (bite-size) pieces. Bring a saucepan with a quart of water to a boil. Blanch the asparagus pieces for 2 minutes. At the end of two minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove the asparagus pieces to an ice water bath to shock the asparagus into a vibrant green color and to stop the cooking. Drain from the ice water bath and set aside.

In a 3 or 4 quart saucepan, heat 3 Tbsp butter on medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for a few minutes until translucent. Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring until nicely coated.

While the shallots are cooking, bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan.

Add the wine. Slowly stir, allowing the rice to absorb the wine. Once the wine is almost completely absorbed, add 1/2 cup of stock to the rice. Continue to stir until the liquid is almost completely absorbed, adding more stock in 1/2 cup increments. Stir often to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking and stirring rice, adding a little bit of broth at a time, cooking and stirring until it is absorbed, until the rice is tender, but still firm to the bite, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Gently stir in the Parmesan cheese, the remaining 1 teaspoon butter, and the asparagus. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

*Original recipe here: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/asparagus_risotto/

Enchilada Bake

Yet another gem from Simple and Delicious magazine! This recipe is so easy and everyone will love it. It’s even a great make-ahead meal. You can assemble everything, let the pan come to room temperature and then bake according to the recipe. I hope you love it as much as I do!

It’s not the prettiest, but it sure is yummy.

Ingredients:

• 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded (I used a pound of ground pork for this version. Cheaper and actually healthier because there’s no dark meat!)
• 1/2 Tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 can (28 oz) green chile enchilada sauce
• Corn tortillas
• 4 cups Monterey Jack cheese
• Sour cream, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Toss chicken and cumin together. Line a greased 9-in. x 13-in. with tortillas, about 6 per layer. Layer half of the chicken, 1/3 of the sauce and cheese. Repeat, ending with tortillas, sauce and cheese.

Cover and bake 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer. Serve with sour cream. Enjoy!

Balsamic Chicken Pasta Salad

This recipe came from one of my beloved cooking magazines. It’s full of fresh ingredients and it’s pretty healthy. (Using whole wheat pasta would make it even healthier!) It’s a great make ahead because the longer the flavors mingle, the better it tastes. I made this on Sunday and I’ll probably bring it to work every day this week. You can eat it cold, as it’s intended, but I love warming it up too because the mozzarella melts. Mmmm.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound pasta
• 4 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 2 cups tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup fresh mozzarella, chopped (Or if you’re broke, like myself, you can chop up string cheese. No joke)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup minced fresh basil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup Parmesan

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water; transfer to a large bowl. Add chicken, tomatoes, onion and mozzarella.

In a small bowl whisk oil, basil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Drizzle over salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve. Enjoy!

Greek Chicken Salad

This is a recipe I stumbled across on a great blog called Poor Girl Eats Well (http://www.poorgirleatswell.com/). She used a store bought tzatiki, but I have a delicious recipe for that here: https://amyschobinger.wordpress.com/2011/11/01/greek-pizza-with-tzatziki/. (That also happens to be my first post!) This is a delicious snack or lunch, and it’s perfect to bring to work. It’s super quick to make and it’s one of those dishes that keeps getting better the longer it chills.

Ingredients:

• 1 chicken breast, cooked and cubed
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 1/2 small red onion, diced
• 1/2 cucumber, diced
• A few tablespoons tzatziki, depending on how saucy you like it. I used about 3 or 4.
• Pita chips, for dipping

Combine the first 5 ingredients. Serve immediately with pita chips, or chill in the refrigerator until ready to eat. Makes about 2-3 servings. Enjoy!

*This would also make a great pasta salad! Just double the ingredients and add a pound of cooked pasta.

 

Chicken and Spinach-Artichoke Grilled Cheese

I recently made Spinach Artichoke Dip for a party and there was a little bit leftover. Crazy, right? But I had the wonderful idea to make this into an epic sandwich. It’s so freakin’ good, you need to try it ASAP.

Ingredients:

• Spinach Artichoke Dip (See my Thanksgiving appetizer post here for the recipe: https://amyschobinger.wordpress.com/2011/11/25/thanksgiving-appetizers/)
• Two chicken breasts, cooked and sliced
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 8 slices of bread
• Butter

Butter each slice of bread. Top 4 slices with 1/4 cup cheese each. Top with chicken and place on a pre-heated griddle or large skillet. Spread a little spinach artichoke dip on the remaining 4 slices and top the half sandwiches with their other half. Cook until bread is toasted. Flip and cook until the other side is toasted. Makes 4 sandwiches

Enjoy!

Shrimp Scampi with Fettuccine

This is the first meal I made in my new apartment! My roommate, Lindy, and my best friend, Becky, gave rave reviews. I hope you enjoy it as well! Disclaimer: I didn’t write anything down as I went so these measurements are estimates. I’m sure yours will be delicious no matter what.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. fettuccine
• 1/2 to 1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2-3 clove garlic, minced
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• juice of one lemon
• 1/4 cup white wine
• Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions.

In a large saucepan, melt butter with olive oil. Add garlic and cook until it starts to sizzle. Add shrimp, cook about 4 minutes, or until pink. Add green onions, lemon juice and white wine. Cook about another minute or so, until the alcohol cooks out a bit. Toss with drained pasta. Top with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!