Smokey Israeli Couscous recipe

"Better than Texas de Brazil's couscous!", according to my husband. He does not lie. He ignores the couscous at the salad bar, but whenever I make this couscous he makes sure everything is scraped out of the pan. Absolutely none wasted!

Texas de Brazil's couscous is on the citrusy side of the flavor spectrum, and it's one of my favorite side dishes from there. Is my couscous better than theirs? You decide :)

Printable Recipe

Smokey Israeli Couscous

ingredients:
• 1 cup Israeli/pearl couscous
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tbsp sun dried tomatoes, chopped (about 4-5 halves, packed in oil & Italian herbs)
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
• 1¼ cup unsalted chicken stock (Kitchen Basics)
• ¾ tsp kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped + more for garnish

instructions:
1)  Heat oil and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning the shallots.
2)  Add garlic, sun dried tomatoes, smoked paprika, crushed red pepper, and couscous; cook for 1 minute.
3)  Add chicken stock, salt, ground black pepper, and cilantro; give it a stir.
4)  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and put the lid on. Simmer for 10 minutes, giving it a stir at the 5 minute mark.
◘ note: Don't worry about the bottom being stuck to the pan halfway through simmering.
5)  Turn off the heat after 10 minutes but do not remove the lid. Let stand with the lid on for 5 minutes. The browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan will loosen up after the rest period.
6)  Give couscous a final stir, scraping up the bottom of the pan. Garnish with torn cilantro leaves.
   

Loaded Golden Mashed Potatoes recipe

I think most of us are familiar with Loaded Mashed Potatoes that you get at restaurants. I said "most of us" because there are those who follow different types of diet, me included. No, I'm not a vegetarian or vegan; I'm simply an omnivore. But when it comes to side dishes, if steamed broccoli is available then that's what I'll have; other than that, regular mashed potatoes will do if nothing else on the menu interests me. I really don't know what loaded mashed potatoes taste like. I mean obviously I see potatoes, some bacon bits, and shredded cheese -- I can imagine what that taste like. Do I know the rest of the ingredients exactly? No. So I decided to make my own version, using my Simply Heavenly Mashed Potatoes recipe as a guide.

My husband loved this version!
"I could eat this all day! But I'm going to save some.. so I can have it again tomorrow!" His exact words.

I don't know about you, but we love a few grinds of black pepper on our mashed potatoes before devouring it. I think it may be the aroma of freshly ground black pepper that we love, or simply the taste. Who knows.

Printable Recipe

Loaded Golden Mashed Potatoes

ingredients:
• 3 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled & chopped
• ¼ lb prosciutto, chopped
• ½ cup heavy cream, scalded
• ½ cup half & half, scalded
• 1 stick unsalted butter, divided use
• 2 oz Philadelphia cream cheese
• 1/8 cup sour cream
• 2 tsp kosher salt, divided use
• freshly ground black pepper
• chopped chives for garnish

instructions:
1)  Put potatoes in a pot and add cold water just enough to cover them.
◘ tip: Make sure the potatoes are uniform in size for even cooking.
2)  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, put the lid on and simmer for 15 minutes or until tender.
◘ tip: Leave the lid slightly ajar if the lid doesn't have a vent hole to let steam escape. Use a fork to check for doneness, not a paring knife.
3)  Drain the potatoes; set aside. In the same pot, add the prosciutto and cook for 2 minutes over medium heat. Stir constantly.
◘ tip: Cook the prosciutto longer if you desire crispy bits; stirring constantly to prevent it from sticking to the pot too much and being careful not to burn them.
4)  Transfer prosciutto to a plate. Add the potatoes back in the pot and turn the heat on to the lowest heat setting.
5)  Add half of the butter, half of the scalded dairy, 1 tsp salt, and some pepper. Mash a little bit using a potato masher.
6)  Add the rest of the butter and scalded dairy, cream cheese, sour cream, prosciutto, 1 tsp salt, and some more pepper. Mash again just enough to get the rest of the ingredients incorporated.
◘ tip: Do not overmash. Switch to a spatula or a wooden spoon if you need to stir the potatoes a little more.
7)  Garnish with chopped chives.
     

Spaghetti alla Carbonara with Shrimp recipe

This pasta dish is a lot lighter than my Fettuccine Alfredo with Bacon recipe. Just because it feels lighter in the tummy, doesn't mean compromising the flavor! I think I actually like this better -- the shrimp may have played a part in that decision. If you want yours to have a little bit more sauce, use a total of 2 eggs and 1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, and salt to taste. Speaking of eggs, use pasteurized eggs if you think raw eggs are sketchy.

For extra flavor, you may drizzle shrimp with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast at 400° F for 8 minutes. I just chose to boil the shrimp because I didn't want to add another thing to wash after dinner. I boiled the shrimp first, then used the same pot for cooking the pasta. Ha, I thought it was genius. Oh, don't forget to serve this dish with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and a few grinds of black pepper. It really makes a difference.

Printable Recipe

Spaghetti alla Carbonara with Shrimp

For the Shrimp
ingredients:
• 1 lb shrimp, peeled & deveined
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• water

instructions:
1)  Bring a pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add salt and shrimp, give it a stir. Cover the pot and turn the heat off. Let shrimp sit in hot water for 2 minutes. Drain shrimp and set aside.

For the Pasta
ingredients:
• ½ lb spaghetti or thin spaghetti
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• water

instructions:
1)  Bring a pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add salt and pasta, give it a stir. Cook to al dente according to package directions. Before draining pasta, save ¼ cup of pasta water; set aside.

For the Sauce
ingredients:
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ¼ lb pancetta, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped + more for garnish
• ½ tsp crushed red pepper
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper + more for serving
• 1 egg
• ½ cup Pecorino Romano cheese, freshly grated
• freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for serving

instructions:
1)  Beat egg and Pecorino Romano cheese in a bowl, set aside.
2)  Heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add pancetta, saute for 4 minutes. Add garlic and crushed red pepper, cook for 30 seconds.
3)  Add pasta to the pan and turn the heat off. Add salt, ground black pepper, parsley, and egg-cheese mixture. Toss a few times to get the egg-cheese mixture incorporated with the pasta a little bit. Pour in the reserved pasta water and continue to toss until it reaches desired consistency.
4)  Turn on the heat to low. Add the shrimp and toss for 1 minute to heat the shrimp through.
5)  Put a serving in a dish or bowl. Serve with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, few grinds of black pepper, and garnish with chopped parsley.
    

Sriracha-Cream Seared Alaskan Cod recipe

I originally used catfish the first time I made this recipe. Have I ever mentioned I don't eat fish a whole lot? Yeah, I'm not a fan. I think I've only tasted milkfish, tilapia, cod, a little bit of canned tuna, and a small piece of salmon (and I mean maybe the size of a fingernail). Oh, and fried perch once. So I really don't know what other fish taste like, and I sure as heck didn't know what catfish tasted like before I used it for this recipe! I hated it, but my husband didn't mind it. His palate for fish is more diverse than mine. In fact, he was the one who picked up the catfish at the store.

When I made this with catfish, I seared one side of the fillets and then broiled it the rest of the way. But this time with the cod, I seared one side and then baked it the rest of the way. Both times, I squeezed lime juice over the top before eating it. When my husband squeezed lime juice on the cod, he said it tasted like fish tacos. I wouldn't know.. I've never had fish tacos!

Printable Recipe

Sriracha-Cream Seared Alaskan Cod

For the Alaskan Cod
ingredients:
• 2 (1 lb each) Alaskan Cod fillets, halved crosswise or cut into thirds
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 6 tbsp olive oil, divided use

For the Sriracha-Cream Sauce
ingredients:
• ¼ cup sour cream
• 3 tbsp Sriracha
• 1 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise (Kewpie)
• 2 tsp lime juice, freshly squeezed + wedges for garnish
• 1 tsp honey, preferably raw

For the Breading
ingredients:
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 scallions, finely chopped + some sliced for garnish
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper

instructions:
1)  Let fish come to room temperature for 15 minutes before cooking. Preheat oven to 425° F. Place a 12-inch cast iron skillet (or 2 cast iron skillets) in the preheating oven.
2)  Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towels. Season fish on all sides with salt and pepper.
3)  Mix all the ingredients for Sriracha-Cream sauce on a plate, and the ingredients for the breading in another.
4)  Coat fish with Sriracha-Cream sauce on both sides, then coat with the panko mixture. Put breaded fish on a wire rack or plate.
◘ tip: When breading, lightly press the fish down to make sure the panko sticks to the fish.
5)  Remove skillet(s) from the oven and place over medium-high heat. Add 3 tbsp olive oil in each skillet to heat up (if using only 1 skillet, save the other 3 tbsp for later).
6)  Gently add fillets to the pan, remembering not to overcrowd the pan. Sear one side for 3 minutes. At this point, you can either carefully flip the fillets to sear the other side as well, or transfer the skillet to the oven.
7)  If searing the other side: Flip the fillets and sear the other side for 2 minutes, then transfer the skillet to the oven for 5 minutes.
If not searing the other side: Once fillets are seared on one side, transfer skillet to the oven for 10 minutes.
◘ note: Repeat cooking process for the rest of the fillets if needed.
8)  Place cooked fillets on a serving platter. Garnish with sliced scallions and lime wedges.
◘ tip: If one side of the fish is not seared, place fish seared side up on the plate for better presentation.
     

Sriracha-Cream Seared Catfish

Herbed Quinoa recipe

Quinoa is so good for you! It is a good source of protein, calcium, fiber, phosphorus, magnesium, and iron. Eating healthy can be toothsome!

Printable Recipe

Herbed Quinoa

ingredients:
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 cups unsalted chicken stock (Kitchen Basics)
• 1 tsp dried basil
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp parsley, chopped + leaves for garnish

instructions:
1)  Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent it from browning. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2)  Add quinoa, toast for about 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and chopped parsley; give it a stir. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, put the lid on and simmer for 15 minutes.
3)  Fluff quinoa with a fork. Turn the heat off, put the lid back on and let stand for 10 minutes.
4)  Fluff again with a fork before serving. Garnish with parsley leaves.