Week 14, Recipe 2: Spaghetti w/Bread Crumbs & Anchovies

Recipe courtesy of Life's Ambrosia (I think I found via Food Gawker)

• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
• 1 pound dried spaghetti
• 6 anchovy fillets, minced fine
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
• salt to taste
• grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small sauce pan. Cook bread crumbs until browned and toasted, about 3 – 4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of pasta water.
3. While pasta is cooking, heat 1/3 cup olive oil over medium heat, add anchovies and cook 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and pepper. Cook until anchovies dissolve, about 2 more minutes. Stir frequently and do not allow the garlic to burn. Add hot pasta and reserved pasta water. Toss to coat.
4. Sprinkle toasted bread crumbs and parsley over the pasta. Toss once more. Season to taste with salt if needed.
5. Serve with plenty of grated Parmesan cheese and some more crushed red pepper.

Results: I know what you're thinking-- didn't she do this 2 weeks ago with sardines?  May...be.  Okay very, very similar BUT the other one was better.  I used angel hair, skipped the parsley, subbing Italian seasoning and swapped parm for romano.  I also added frozen peas.  Not bad at all.  Still needed more bread crumbs.  The anchovies disappeared TOO much.

Week 14, Recipe 1: Strawberry Mania Smoothie

• 1/4 cup(s) cranberry juice cocktail, chilled
• 1 container(s) (8-ounce) low-fat strawberry yogurt
• 1 cup(s) frozen strawberries

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Directions from Good Housekeeping

1. In blender, combine cranberry juice, yogurt, and strawberries and blend until mixture is smooth and frothy. Pour into 1 tall glass.

Results: MMMMM!!  I used vanilla yogurt, frozen strawberries, frozen peaches & 100% cran.  I don't do cocktails.  Very tasty.  When it was gone, I wanted more!

Week 12, Recipes 1 & 2: Baked Parmesan Chicken Legs with Cous Cous

2 c. dry bread crumbs
2/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. ground oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper
Salt to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 c. melted butter
12 chicken legs or thighs

 

Combine crumbs, cheese, oregano, pepper and salt and set aside. Lightly saute garlic in 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in remaining butter. Dip each piece of chicken in butter and then in bread crumb mixture. Place chicken in long shallow pan. Sprinkle remaining bread crumbs and butter over chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes or until golden brown.   Serves 12.

 Recipe from Cooks.com

 

Results: Way more butter and bread crumbs than you need.  I used 1 stick plus a tbsp. and still had some to spare with 12 drumsticks.  You can probably half the bread crumbs.  I didn't use enough salt so it wasn't as good as it will be the next time I make this.  The cheese tasted great.  I used parm and romano.  It probably could've used even more cheese... but I'm a cheese fiend.

 

Couscous with Green peas

2 c. vegetable stock 

2 c. couscous

onion powder

garlic salt with dried parsley

cumin
turmeric 

pepper

Bring vegetable stock to a boil for 5 to 10 minutes. Add couscous slowly and mix well.  Add peas and dried herbs when you add couscous to hot water.   Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 7 minutes. Stir and serve.

Recipe from Robin Miller and Cooks.com with some Jameil changes

Results: I combined these recipes & added onion powder, garlic salt with dried parsley, cumin, and turmeric.  I also used veggie stock instead of chicken stock.  In the future, I will only be using veggie stock for vegetarian-prepped dishes.  It isn't any more flavorful than water to me.

Week 12, Recipe 1: Quick Pasta with Breadcrumbs, Sardines & Capers

I know I've been slacking!  My bad!  Recipe courtesy of the New York Times

Salt

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup bread crumbs, ideally made from stale bread
1 onion, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound long pasta, like perciatelli
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons drained capers
2 cans sardines packed in extra virgin olive oil (about 1/2 pound)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish.


1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Put half the oil (2 tablespoons) in a medium skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant, less than 5 minutes, and then remove. Add the remaining oil and the onion to the pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until just tender; drain, reserving some of the cooking liquid. Turn the heat under the onions to medium-high and add the lemon zest, capers and sardines; cook, stirring occasionally, until just heated through, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the pasta to the sardine mixture and toss well to combine. Add the parsley, most of the bread crumbs and some reserved water, if necessary, to moisten. Taste and adjust seasoning, garnishing with more parsley and bread crumbs.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Results: What a welcome back from my kitchen to me!!  Thank you VERY much, kitchen!!  This was DELICIOUS!!  I didn't have parsley so I just skipped that.  I also used angel hair pasta and subbed shallots for onion.  Toasting the breadcrumbs?  Very necessary.  Also very quick.  This was sooo good!  :)  If you're scared of the sardines, don't be.  Even though I like sardines, if you like fish of any kind, you should be okay.  MMMM!