Smokey Walnut Spinach Pesto

Tags

dinner, easy meal, food, foodie, garlic, gouda, pasta, pesto, postaday2011, quick & easy, quick meal, recipe, side dish, spinach, walnut

Exhausted tonight, I needed something that was quick to make for dinner. The fridge and pantry were sparse and I had some fresh spinach that needed to be used. Pesto it is! After all, pesto doesn’t have to be pine nuts and basil.

Smokey Walnut Spinach Pesto

Ingredients:
1 lb. linguini, 1/2 c. olive oil, 1/2 c. walnuts (toasted), 1/2 c. smoked gouda, 2 c. fresh baby spinach, 1 clove of garlic, lemon zest, fresh ground sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper

Directions:
In food processor blend together ingredients. Cook pasta according to package directions. Pour sauce over fresh hot pasta and toss to coat. Sprinkle with fresh grated cheese and serve.

I’m hoping to bake again tomorrow… What are your Friday plans?

Garlic Knots

Tags

bread, dinner, dinner rolls, entree, food, foodie, garlic, garlic knots, Italian, postaday2011, recipe, side dishes, vegan, vegetarian

For dinner I made a spinach & cheese lasagna for myself and a traditional one for Hubster. I thought about making garlic bread, but thought garlic knots would be more fun. I couldn’t find the recipe I had book marked to try, so I used my focaccia bread recipe as the base of my garlic knots and improvised from there.

Garlic Knots

 

Ingredients:
4 tsp. yeast, 4 c. flour, 4 Tbs. olive oil, 1 3/4 c. warm water, fresh ground sea salt, garlic powder, minced garlic, oregano

Directions:
Mix together yeast, 1/2 c. flour and 1/2 c. water. Cover with a warm moist towel and store in a warm area for 1/2 hour. Mix in remaining, flour, water, and some salt. Knead dough on a floured surface for 5 minutes. Oil dough and place in a metal bowl, cover with warm moist towel and store in a warm area for about an hour. Preheat oven 400°F. Grease baking tray. Using floured hands roll out dough. Rub top with EVOO and sprinkle on the garlic powder, fresh ground sea salt, and oregano. Using a pizza cutter, cut into 2″ thick strips. Knot and tuck each piece of dough and place on baking tray. Press minced garlic on tops. Bake for about 15 minutes and serve warm.

 

 

 

Creamy Shrimp Scampi

Tags

chardonnay, dinner, food, garlic, Gruyère, heavy cream, lemon, parsley, pasta, recipe, shrimp, shrimp scampi

Today I was craving pasta with garlic… which often makes me think scampi. Hubster was watching the football game with friends and since he doesn’t like seafood I figured I could indulge myself. I decided to get a few shrimp at the grocery store while I was there picking up a few items. I used small shells in the dish instead of traditional linguini, the shells are just too fun with the seafood theme. Plus it’s quick and easy to make and only uses one pan (When making a smaller portion, I cook the pasta first and then use the pot in place of a frying pan)!

Creamy Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp Scampi Ingredients:
pasta, shrimp (deveined with tails still on), lemon juice, olive oil, butter, 1 Tbsp. minced garlic, fresh chopped parsley, 1/2 c. chardonnay, 1/2 c. heavy cream, fresh crackled black pepper, fresh ground sea salt, fresh grated Gruyère

Shrimp Scampi Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse shrimp and season with salt & pepper. Heat frying pan over medium heat, add olive oil. Cook shrimp until they turn pink. Removed shrimp and set aside. Add garlic to pan for a minute.  Then add butter, lemon juice, wine and 1/2 of the fresh chopped parsley. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Turn heat to low and stir in cream. Add shrimp back into pan. Pour over pasta and top with fresh chopped freshly and grated Gruyère cheese. Serve hot & enjoy!

*Make shrimp scampi without the pasta, arrange on a plate with cocktail forks and serve as an appetizer!

What did you have for dinner tonight?

Tomato, Spinach, Cream Orzo Lunch

Tags

garlic, lunch, meatless dish, orzo, pasta, pasta recipe, pasta topping, recipe, risoni, sauté, side dish, side dishes, sides, spinach, tomato, tomatoes, vegetarian

Yesterday, I wanted to whip up a quick hot  lunch. Due to the steam I couldn’t get a focused picture, Hubster and I were too hungry to wait for it to cool down.

Spinach Tomato Orzo

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil, 1 bag baby spinach, 1 clove garlic minced, 12 Roma tomatoes (I actually used grape Roma), fresh romano pecorino, 1 box of orzo, 1/2 c. cream, fresh ground sea salt, fresh cracked pepper

Directions:
Cook orzo according to package directions. Slice tomatoes and set aside. In a sauté pan over medium heat, heat olive oil and garlic. Add spinach to oil until wilted. Add tomatoes just to heat. Remove from heat and stir while add creaming, salt and pepper. Pour sauce over orzo, and top with fresh shavings (or grate, if you prefer) of romano pecorino.

Serve hot!

Side dishes often make great lunches. Do you have a favorite side dish you eat as a meal?