Tuna Pasta Nicoise

This was the meal of THAT night.  But please, please don't let that deter you.  It was really good despite the fact that the evening didn't start out so well.  Some might find the combination of ingredients really strange (I did at first too!).  However at the very same time, I found the list of ingredients intriguing as well, and you know?  It really does work.

Hot (or Cold) Niçoise-Style Tuna Pasta ~ adapted from the wonderful Rachael Ray

2 small red potatoes

4 large eggs
Salt
1 pound short-cut pasta, such as shells, penne or farfalle (bowties) (I actually ended up using whole wheat egg noodles)
About 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 pint grape tomatoes (I used cherry from the garden)
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used chicken stock, but the wine would be wonderful)
1/4 cup Niçoise olives, chopped (I could not find Niçoise olives anywhere, so I used Kalamatas)
1/2 tsp red chili sauce (like Sriracha, more to taste if you're like the Hubs)
2 Tbsp onion, minced
2-3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 jar or can tuna in water or oil (12 ounces), drained and flaked
A handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
A small handful of fresh basil leaves, torn

Place the potatoes and eggs in a medium sized pot with enough water to cover the eggs by at least two inches.  Bring to a rolling boil and boil for two minutes.  Turn off heat and cover tightly.  Let stand for fifteen minutes.  (This COMPLETELY goes against the way my mom taught me to make hard boiled eggs.....but you know what?  It really does make a perfect hard boiled egg.  I was surprised too, Mom!)   

Remove the eggs (leave the potatoes in the water) and peel eggs under cold water.  Cut into small cubes or roughly chop.  Remove the potatoes and dice. Bring a large a pot of water to a rolling boil and cook pasta according to package instructions.  Reserve 1/2 cup starchy cooking water prior to draining pasta.   

While the pasta is cooking, over medium heat, in a large saute pan, heat olive oil.  Add the tomatoes, wine (or stock), olives, chili sauce, onion, and garlic.  Cover the pan and increase heat to medium high.  Cook and uncover the pan when the tomatoes start to crack. This will take about 10 minutes.  Lightly crush tomatoes with a wooden spoon.....whoops!  I didn't crush when I made this!  Make sure to crush!  Stir in tuna, parsley, and basil.  Add in starchy pasta water. 

Add the pasta to the sauce and toss.  Stir in eggs and potatoes and serve. 

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

This recipe is linked to:

Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday
Blessed With Grace Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Designs By Gollum Foodie Friday
Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap
Friday Potluck at EKat's Kitchen
Hearth 'n Soul Recipe Swap at Premeditated Leftovers
La Bella Vita's Fresh Clean and Pure Friday 
Miz Helen's Country Cottage Full Plate Thursday  

 

Spicy Chipotle Fish Tacos

My husband has introduced me to many new flavors of Mexican cuisine and for that I am grateful.  I realize now how much I was missing out on--like the super easy, super yummy homemade nachos--another one of my now favorites are fish tacos.  We used to eat at Baja Fresh when we were dating and he ordered the fish tacos frequently.  The first time he did so, I thought to myself, "Oh well, that's disgusting."

Now just to clarify--I like fish.  I like tacos.  I just thought the marriage of the two sounded somehow wrong.  Which is so funny because my best friend in high school worked at Chevy's and we would always go there on her days off and eat half price and I always, always, ALWAYS ordered the shrimp fajitas.  Which are pretty much the same thing.  Well, sort of.  But you get what I am saying, right?  

Anyhow, back to Hubs and Baja Fresh.  As we were sitting there eating, he found out that I had never had fish tacos before and offered me a bite like any good, self-sacrificing, [then] boyfriend would.  I begrudgingly tried them....and I haven't looked back since. 

Fast forward many moons later and we don't ever rarely eat out any longer.  That and I don't buy fish all too often either (love it, just can't afford it!).  I saw some snapper on sale a few weeks ago and decided to get some and make fish tacos.  I will defintely be making these again!

I realize you can hardly see the fish, as it is slathered in guac and sour cream, but that's how we roll around here. 


Spicy Chipotle Fish Tacos

~1 pound of fish fillets   (I used snapper.  You could use cod, halibut, salmon...nearly any variety would do.)
2/3 cup flour   (I used half all purpose, half white whole wheat.)
1 egg, beaten with a splash of water
Salt & pepper
Cayenne pepper
Coconut oil     (You could use vegetable oil too.)

Heat skillet on medium to medium high heat with enough oil to generously coat the bottom of the skillet.  Slice fish against grain into 1/2 inch strips.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.  In a flat dish, mix together flour with a little more salt and pepper and several pinches of cayenne (depending on how you like it).  Dip fish in egg and then dredge each slice in flour mixture.  Brown fish on both sides, until fish is cooked through.  Mine took about 4-5 minutes per side.  When turning, the fish (with breading) should pull away from the pan easily, if it doesn't, it's not cooked enough on that side or you may not have enough oil in the pan. 

Chipotle Sauce

2/3 cup mayonaise
1 tsp. minced, canned chipotle chilies  (see my tip about these here, at the bottom of the recipe)
lime juice ~1 Tbsp.

In a small bowl, whisk together to a spreadable consistency.  Slather on corn tortillas and top with fish, or drizzle on top of fish. 

For serving/garnishes

Corn tortillas
Avocados/guacamole   (Which Peanut has discovered she loves and calls Mawky-mole-eh.)
Sour cream
Shredded cabbage   (I didn't have on hand, but is often served on fish tacos.)
Fresh cilantro, minced   (I didn't have on hand either (I plan real well, I know), but would be excellent.)


This recipe is linked to:

Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday
Blessed With Grace Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Designs By Gollum Foodie Friday
Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap
Friday Potluck at EKat's Kitchen
Hearth 'n Soul Recipe Swap  
Miz Helen's Country Cottage Full Plate Thursday 
Paisley Passions Fun With Food Friday 

White Lasagna

I know, I know.

The "red" is better for you.  Yes, the red does have less calories, but butter isn't bad as we were led to believe.  And while I love the traditional red sauces, I have a thing for the white counterparts of the red classics.  Like my white enchiladas or white chili.  I just like the fun and different variations of the dishes we all know and love.

When I visited home last week, my Mom had started to make this for dinner but the Peanut was begging to go outside and play, so I shooshed my Mom and Peanut out the door and I took over in the White Lasagna preparation.   I would definitely make this one at home if seafood wasn't so expensive, as this is my kind of dish! 






















White Lasagna

2 (14 oz.) cans plain artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
2 lbs. large shrimp, cooked and tails removed
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt
8 oz. lasagna noodles
1 box frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed completely dry of moisture,then crumbled to small pieces)
2 cups cheddar cheese (white cheddar is even better--you know, to make this "white")

Sauce:

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp seasoning salt
1/8 tsp pepper (white if you have it)
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/3 cup white wine

Filling:

2 cups Ricotta cheese (cottage cheese works too, although Ricotta has a smoother texture)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cups fresh, grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Cook lasagna noodles in boiling salted water with 1 tablespoon of oil until just shy of al dente.  Rinse in cold water and drain.

Sauce:  Melt butter over low heat.  Add onion and cook until tender.  Add in flour, salt, and pepper to make a roux.  Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture bubbles for about two minutes.  Whisking constantly, pour in milk, chicken stock and white wine.  Bring to a simmer, whisking until mixture thickens--about five minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to layer with other ingredients. 

Filling:  Mix together Ricotta (or cottage cheese) and egg and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan.  Combine with cream sauce.

Place 1/3 of lasagna noodles in bottom of the prepared baking dish.  Spread with 1/3 each of artichoke hearts, shrimp, spinach, cheddar cheese, and sauce.  Repeat twice and top with remaining  1/4 cup of Parmesan.

Now here's another trick when making any type of lasagna:  When layering your lasagna noodles, start the bottom layer of the noodles going one direction (usually the length of the dish), add your fillings/sauce, then with the next layer of noodles, alternate the direction of the noodles.  Continue alternating the direction of the noodles with each layer thereafter.  What this will do is provide a little more structure/sturdiness to the lasagna so when cutting into it (and when combined with the cooling tip as suggested below), you it won't just be a mess'o'lasagna.    

Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until the middle is heated through.   Let stand (covered in foil) 20-30 minutes prior to serving.  Makes 8 to 10 servings. 


This recipe is linked to:

Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday
Blessed With Grace Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Designs By Gollum Foodie Friday
Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap
Hearth 'n Soul Recipe Swap  
Miz Helen's Country Cottage Full Plate Thursday 
Paisley Passions Fun With Food Friday  
We Are THAT Family's Works For Me Wednesday

Cajun Jambalaya Soup

When I used to go to work everyday, I brought a lunch from home about 95 % of the time, as it saved lots and lots of money.  One day though, I didn't bring a lunch and decided to get some of the soup from Safeway's deli--their Signature Cafe Soups.  That is when I was introduced to their Cajun Style Jambalaya Soup--and we've been close friends ever since.  In fact, when I learned their soup rotation and what days the jambalaya soup was served, I may or may not have conveniently "forgot" my lunch so I had a legitimate excuse to buy a cup bowl of that deliciousness.  What was really funny is that I was talking to my Dad one day and we figured out that we both shared the same obsession with this soup!  He would always go pick some up from the Safeway by his job to scarf down as well!

Anyhow, fast forward several years.....A few months back during a moment of weakness, I bought a container of the soup to bring home.  (If you are new here, I don't normally do convenience foods--they are too expensive!)   As I was a rinsing the container to put in the recycle bin (and in a rare moment of brilliance) I jotted down the ingredients from the container.  I promised myself that I would try to come up with a recipe for a homemade batch and I finally got around to trying it out!  In my humble opinion (ha, ha), I think it tastes just like the one from the deli, but without all the extra additives.  Please, please give it a try...you won't be disappointed!

This one is for you, Dad...I'll have to make some one of the next times we see you.

Cajun Jambalaya Soup - inspired from Safeway's Signature Soup


1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. Italian sausage links, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
1 cup diced onion
1 green bell pepper, diced
3-4 ribs, celery, sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup flour (I used all purpose--shame, shame, I know!)
2 1/2 quarts chicken stock (that's 10 cups for those people out there like me who have to Google a conversion every time because they don't remember)
1 cup white rice
1 lb. diced ham
2 Tbsp. tomato paste (see my tip for what to do with the rest of the can)
3/4 tsp. paprika
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2-3/4 tsp liquid smoke (add it to taste)
1/2 (or to taste) pepper sauce (I used Tabasco)

In a dutch oven over medium to high heat, saute sausage in olive oil until browned and fully cooked.  Add in onion, bell pepper, celery,  and garlic and saute until onion is translucent.  Add in butter, and once melted, stir in flour.  You will have a big pasty mess--but don't worry.  Pour in chicken stock and mix thoroughly.  Once the stock has heated completely (it doesn't need to boil) add in remaining ingredients, stirring to make sure sure rice doesn't stick to the bottom of pan.  Simmer over medium low heat, stirring occasionally for about an hour.  Soup should thicken and the rice should be completely cooked.  Enjoy!

Note:  I didn't add in any salt because with the sausage, ham, and chicken stock I didn't really think there was a need--but if for some reason yours needs some, add some!  :)  You could also use cooked rice instead of adding in uncooked rice--I would do about 2 cups cooked.  Last, I think chicken or shrimp would be fabulous additions to this as well.  Yum!

This recipe is linked to:

Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday
Blessed With Grace Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap
Hearth 'n Soul Recipe Swap  
It's a Keeper Thursdays
Life As Mom Ultimate Recipe Swap

Seafood Linguine

We had our special dinner for Valentine's last night.  DH is in restaurant management, so it goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway) that he worked late on Valentine's.  Go figure!  :)

This recipe was inspired by the Pioneer Woman's Linguine with Clam Sauce, which is what I was going to make.  However, I decided to add some other seafood to it, because, well, I can.  And DH and I both love seafood.  And we don't eat it that often, so I thought I would go all out.  Anytime I go to Olive Garden, I always order their Seafood Linguine .  I love it and well, I'm in a rut.  But that's okay, because I really, really like the Seafood Linguine rut.

You will need:

1 pound linguine
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp butter
3 garlic cloves
4 Tbsp flour
Two 6.5 ounce cans minced clams, drained
1/2 pound small scallops
1/2 pound shrimp, tails removed, coarsely chopped
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup chicken stock (or you could use the clam juice)
lemon juice, to taste
2 Tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Cook linguine according to package directions--you want your pasta to be al dente. 

Heat olive oil and butter in large sauce pan, adding garlic and cooking until softened.  Be careful not burn the garlic.  Add flour and cook for 2-3 minutes.  This is a roux. Add the shrimp and scallops and cook through.  Add the clams and pour in the cream and stock.  Cook over low heat until thickened.  Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in parsley.  Mix in pasta and serve.  Garnish with Parmesan and parsley.

 Super easy and super yummy!

Enjoy!