Spinach, Mushroom and Leek Frittata

Spring has sprung in Maryland.  I absolutely adore this time of year...windows open, fresh breezes, birds chirping, bright blue sky and picture perfect temperatures.  This year something else came into my life when winter turned to spring....allergies.  Ugh is all I have to say.  No excuses but we are going to blame allergies on the lack of blog posts over the last week.  It seems like they are under control and I am back tempting your palate with some great recipes.

I have the wonderful benefit of lunch be provided at my job and it is delicious.  I started about two months ago and a few pounds have crept on my small frame since January...GULP!  If you know me, you are probably letting out a big sigh and thinking that I have nothing to worry about, but I do.  Three pounds turns to five, five pounds turns to ten and then all of the sudden I am the size of a linebacker (ok...not possible but still).  It is time to put down the the filet and crab cake (perk of working at a banquet facility) and time to start bringing lunch.  We have a trip planned for the Caribbean at the end of June so this is great motivation.  I don't believe in diets because they don't work.  If anything they are temporary.  I do believe in eating the foods you love in moderation.  I absolutely love chips and I eat them every day but I only have a handful and it helps that I don't eat dessert.  We have to make choices every day to stay in balance and I chose to keep my meals in check so I can have my daily handful.

My hope is that with a simple lunch fix, I will be back to my fighting weight in a week or two.  That being said, I have decided to make a frittata this week for lunch.  It is loaded with yummy veggies (leeks make another appearance), tasty gruyere cheese and eggs.  It is an easy dish that you can constantly reinvent with your favorite ingredients or a great meal choice if you are trying to clean out the fridge.  It's as simple as sauteing your veggies, beating eight eggs, combining the two and baking for 25 minutes.  You can make frittata's as healthy or sinful as you would like but for the most part they tend to stay on the healthy side.

SPINACH, MUSHROOM AND LEEK FRITTATA

2     tablespoons olive oil
2     garlic cloves, minced
1     package of frozen spinach, thawed and access water removed
1     package of mushrooms (used baby bellas)
2     small leeks, cleaned and sliced
1     teaspoons of dried oregano
1/4  cup of white wine
8     large eggs
1/2  cup of milk
8     ounces of gruyere cheese, shredded

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 425.

Heat olive oil in sauté pan on medium heat.  Add garlic, cook for two minutes.  Add leeks, spinach and mushrooms and cook for additional 3 minutes.  Add white wine and a few shakes of salt and pepper.

In a separate, mix eggs and milk.  Shred cheese and add half to egg mixture.  In a lightly buttered (or sprayed) pie pan add veggies and top with egg/cheese mixture.  Stir to incorporate all ingredients.  Sprinkle remaining cheese.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until set and golden brown.

Since this will be my lunch for the week, I cut in wedges and store in individual plastic bags and serve with mixed greens.  Bon Appetit!

Two Garlic Cloves - Use the side of your knife and smash cloves to easily remove peel 

Mince Garlic 

Cleaned Leeks - remove dark green leaves 

Halve Leeks and Slice

Baby Bella Mushrooms Sliced (I bought mine pre sliced in a package)

Saute Garlic, Leeks and Mushrooms

Stir in Spinach, White Wine and Salt and Pepper to Taste

Grated Cheese...YUMM!!!  

8 Eggs and Milk

Mix and add Cheese

Combine Veggies and Egg Mixture in Pie Pan (be sure to butter or spray before)

Sprinkle remaining Cheese

Bake on 425 for 20 to 25 minutes

Chicken Milanese with Arugula and Crispy Proscuitto

My typical Saturday goes a little something like this...sleep in, walk dog, hit the gym and then come home and start my weekly cleaning session.  It's amazing how dirty a house can get in seven days.  Keep in mind my sweet little pup is only 9 months old and I will blame her for most of the mess (sorry Riley).


A part of my cleaning routine is to go through the refrigerator and toss any left overs that we haven't eaten.  Fruits and veggies that are looking a little less then fresh and any other items that are just crying to be moved from the fridge to the garbage.  My husband thinks I am a little dramatic with how long food will keep (seven days MAX) but after taking a ServSafe class in culinary school you would trend on the safe side as well.  We do the bulk of our shopping on Sunday's so this is also the time to see whatever ingredients have a little life in them and create something delicious.


I pulled a chicken breast out of the freezer on Thursday for dinner but it didn't defrost in time and Friday was date night.  So that meant that today (Saturday) was the last opportunity to cook the chicken before it made it's way into the trash.  As we all know, chicken is a boring staple and needs to be jazzed up a bit before it turns into a delicious dish so I was on the search for a few more items.  Last week, I was shopping for my first blog post (Pappardelle with Braised Leeks) and went to the deli and ordered what I thought was 10 thin slices of proscuitto.  It turns out the guy behind the counter was not paying attention and before I knew it I had $25 worth of proscuitto (I have had my fair share of proscuitto this week).  Last but not least, I discovered some Arugula on the top shelf all the way in the back with two servings left in the bag.


As you will soon discover, I am passionate about all things Giada de Laurentiis.  I have watched every episode of Everyday Italian and Giada at Home, I have all of her cookbooks (and have cooked a TON of recipes), went to a live cooking demo in DC a few months ago and in less then a month will officially get to meet my role model/idol at a book signing.  Her dishes are so flavorful that all you need are a few bites and your completely satisfied.  Anyway, my inspiration for today came from her Chicken Milanese with Tomato and Fennel which I make on a regular basis and is as tasty as ever.  I referenced her technique for chicken milanese and decided to use the arugula in its basic form and bake the proscuitto for 8 minutes until it was nice and crispy.


Cleaning out your fridge is a great way to help get your creative juices flowing and make you feel more comfortable around the kitchen.  Before you know it you will be walking through the aisles of Whole Foods and creating your meals on the fly.  Enjoy this recipe and let me know what you think.


Chicken Milanese with Arugula and Crispy Proscuitto
Serves 2


Chicken
1/4 Cup of All Purpose Flour
1 Egg Beaten
1 Cup of Italian Bread Crumbs
1/4 Cup of Grated Parmesan Cheese
1-2 Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts (I say 1-2 depending on how big of an eater you, I only used 1)
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil


Proscuitto
3 Thin Slices of Proscuitto
Canola Oil Spray


3 Cups of Arugula
Salad Dressing of Choice (I made a lemon vinaigrette with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of dijon muster - mix)


Using 3 wide shallow bowls - add the flour to one, eggs to one another and bread crumbs, parmesan and a touch of salt and pepper to one. 

On a cutting board, place chicken between two piece of plastic wrap.  Use a meat mallet or bottom of a frying pan and pound the chicken until 1/4-inch thick.  Dredge chicken in flour (shake off excess), eggs (allow excess to drip off), coat with bread crumb mixture (shake off excess but be sure it is well coated. Cut chicken in thin strips to be placed on top of arugula.

In a large, nonstick saute pan heat olive oil to medium heat.  All the oil to heat so that when you move the oil around the pan the oil ripples.  I always toss in a pinch of bread crumbs to see if it bubbles to ensure the oil is hot enough (but do not over heat as olive oil has a low smoke point).  Saute chicken breast for about 3-4 minutes on each side.  

Spray a baking sheet with canola oil and place proscuitto in a single layer and broil on low for 5-8 minutes.  Proscuitto will crisp up.  Once cooled, crumble proscuitto.

Place arugula on a plate, top with sliced chicken breast (in my case I topped with 1/2 chicken breast), crumble proscuitto on top and dress with favorite dressing.  Bon appetit.

Ingredients (before)

Flour, eggs and breadcrumb mixture split between 3 shallow bowls 

3 Tablespoons of olive oil on medium high heat and dredging station ready to go

Pound chicken with meat mallet or bottom of fry pan until 1/4 inch thick

Place coated chicken breast in pan with heated oil

Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side

Slice chicken breast

Spray cookie sheet with canola oil spray

Place proscuitto in single layer

Broil on low for 5-8 minutes until crispy

Bon Appetit!

Tuna Salad with a crunch (amazing)

It's amazing that so many people are intimidated by cooking.  Once you understand the basic fundamentals there is no reason that you can't make the perfect meal for you.  My husband is the creative one in our house when it comes to creating new recipes.  The fundamentals that I learned in culinary school help make his vision happen.  We are a great team!

Since I lack in the creative department, I like to put my spin on recipes that I see on Food Network, in Bon Appetit or on one of my favorite food blogs.  This allows me the opportunity to create a dish that is perfect for me but I don't have to spend hours testing recipes that may or may not work.  If a recipe says to use a certain type of fish and you don't like that fish there is no reason you can't change it up a bit.  The cooking temperature and time might change but other then that it's as easy as a little swap out.  If you love a certain herb or spice...try it out.  If it's not perfect then the next time you make the dish try something else.

Today's recipe was inspired by one of my favorite blogs The Kitchn.  I had a lot of cabbage left over from my Shrimp Tacos so I went on a search for more cabbage recipes.  This recipe looked simple and packed with flavor.  The other thing I like about this recipe is there is a touch of mayonnaise but the majority of the wet ingredients comes from non fat plain yogurt.  As always, I put a little spin on it to create a specific flavor and decided to serve it as an Hors D'Oeuvres so I toasted some bread and cut into smaller pieces and then topped with the tuna cabbage salad.

The recipe below is based on a 2 servings but my pictures are for triple the recipe.  The Tuna-Cabbage Salad turned out better then I could have imagined.  It is crisp, fresh and packed with flavor.

Tuna-Cabbage Salad
2 servings

One 5-ounce can tuna, drained
2 cups finely chopped cabbage
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
3 tablespoons plain non fat yogurt
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 slices of Italian Bread (use your favorite)
Olive oil to drizzle
Dried oregano
salt and pepper

Shred the tuna with a fork and stir in the rest of the ingredients. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste. Eat immediately or else refrigerate for up to two days.

Lay bread slices on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with dried oregano and a touch of salt and pepper.  Broil in oven on high until desired darkness (I broiled mine for approximately 2 minutes - do not walk away from the oven).  

For appetizer cut each piece in thirds and top with tuna salad.  For meal either make an open faced sandwich or use two slices of bread.

Enjoy!

Ingredients (ignore the thyme - I ended up using fresh parsley) 

Finely chop cabbage

Tuna, Cabbage and Parsley 

Mayonnaise and Sour Cream added to the mix 

Mix and add salt and pepper to taste

Slices of Italian Bread

Drizzle with Olive Oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and oregano 

Broil on high until desired doneness (this bread was broiled for approximately 2 minutes)

Finished product and BOY OH BOY is it delicious and healthy!

Shrimp Tacos with Cabbage, Avocado, Feta and Chipotle Jalapeno Yogurt Sauce

It's all I could do today to not think about leeks.  Did you know that when they are cooked they take on a creamy consistency?  Me...no clue.  As you will soon discover, my love for cheese runs deep but there was something about those braised leeks that did the trick.  Below are a few more leek recipes that I found online that I hope to try out soon.  Let me know if you have any favorites that you would like me to post and put my spin to create a simple recipe.

Pan Seared Salmon with Creamy Leeks

Leek and Swiss Chard Tart 

Baked Eggs with Leeks

This afternoon, I looked at my seasonal list and cabbage caught my eye.  I spent three years in Southern California so my first thought was to do some type of taco.  SoCal makes the most amazing fish tacos so with some shrimp in the freezer my menu planned itself.  Like leeks, I have very light experience with cabbage and in a way I took the easy way out with this recipe.  Perhaps I will try my hand at Corned Beef and Cabbage later in the week with the left over cabbage...more ideas to come later I am sure.

My husband and I created this recipe as we went and he ended up making the most AMAZING yogurt sauce.  We have done many versions and it adds a fresh flavor to any dish.  We used Greek yogurt but you could also use plain regular yogurt.  My only recommendation is that is is plain.

Shrimp Tacos with Cabbage, Avocado, Feta and Chipotle Jalapeno Yogurt Sauce

Serves 2

1/2 Pound of Shrimp (peeled and deveined)

1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil

1 Garlic Clove (chopped)

1/4 Cup of White Wine

Salt and Pepper to Taste

6 Ounce container of Plain Greek Yogurt (or regular)

1 Jalapeno (remove as many of the seeds as you would like, we did half - seeds are where the heat is)

1/4 Teaspoon of Chipotle Chili Powder

4 Flour Tortillas (whole foods makes really tasty fresh tortillas)

1 Cup of Shredded Green Cabbage

1 Avocado (sliced)

1/2 Cup of Feta (crumbled)

Heat olive oil in a small saute pan.  Add garlic and cook for one minute.  Add shrimp and flip after two minutes when they turn a light shade of pink.  Add wine and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Once shrimp is cooked through remove from heat.

In a food processor combine yogurt, jalapeno (cut off stalk and remove seeds) and chipotle chili powder.  Blend until smooth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  You can also use a blender or mix in bowl if you dice the jalapeno fine.

Shred cabbage and slice avocado.  Cover tortillas with a damp paper towel and heat for 20 seconds in the microwave to soften.  Place shrimp, cabbage, avocado, feta and yogurt dressing on tortilla.   

This recipe should take you less than 30 minutes from start to finish.  

Saute Shrimp in olive oil and garlic 

Flip when light pink and add wine (take off heat when cooked through) 

Halve Jalapeno and remove seeds (if desired) 

Combine yogurt, jalapeno and chipotle chili powder in food processor 

Shred cabbage 

Slice avocado 

My little helper

Delicious!!!

Pappardelle with Slow-Braised Leeks and Pangrattato

My first encounter with a leek was not a good one.  I was working in a restaurant during culinary school and asked by the Executive Chef to make Potato Leek Soup.  It didn't turn out so well.  Unfortunately, I was not aware that you were supposed to remove the green leaves which turned my soup bright green.  The flavor was "ok" but the color was so far off that it was all dumped.

Today is my second attempt since that day almost 8 years ago.  My husband and I bought a Jamie Oliver cookbook a few months ago which I completely forgot about.  I dusted it off and found an amazing recipe that called for Braised Leeks.  I have modified the recipe ever so slightly to create a simple version that can be made in under an hour.  The flavor was bold and vibrant and the dish was overall very healthy.

Leeks seem to be a forgotten vegetable but full of flavor and potential.  It is apart of the allium family which also includes onions and garlic (my favorite).  Leeks have a mild onion flavor and are typically used to add flavor to stocks.  My recipe today uses the leek as a whole (except the leaves) and added to pasta.

Pappardelle with Slow-Braised Leeks and Pangrattato
Serves 6

5 Leeks (remove route and dark green leaves, washed)
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter
3 Garlic Gloves (peeled and diced)
3 Sprigs of Thyme (pick leaves off stem)
1 Cup of White Wine
2 Cups of Low Sodium Chicken Stock
1/3 Pound of Proscuitto
1 Pound of Fresh Papperdelle Pasta (choice of flavor - I chose whole wheat)
1/2 Cup of Grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Pangrattato:
10 Baby Bello Mushrooms
3/4 Cups of Panko Bread Crumbs
3/4 Cups of Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves (smashed not diced)
1 Sprig of Rosemary

Halve leeks lengthwise and cut in 1/2 inch slices.  Heat a wide saucepan on medium heat and add olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter.  Saute garlic and thyme for 2 minutes add leeks.  Saute for two more minutes.  Add white wine and chicken stock.  Cover leeks with single layer of proscuitto.  Cover and cook on medium low for 25 minutes.  Once the leeks are tender remove from heat.  Remove proscuitto from pan, slice and stir back into the leeks.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile in a mini food processor combine mushrooms and bread crumbs for pangrattato.  Set aside.  In a saute pan on medium high heat add olive oil, garlic and rosemary.  Once oil ripples add mushroom bread crumb mix and lightly fry.  Drain on paper towels and discard garlic and rosemary.

Boil water and add fresh pasta.  Cook for 3 minutes until al dente (note: fresh pasta cooks in half the time as dried pasta).  Save at least a cup of pasta water and set aside.  Transfer cooked pasta into leek mixture, add remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, parmesan cheese, pasta water (if needed) and toss.  Top with mushroom and bread crumb mixture and another sprinkle of parmesan cheese (yum)!

Leeks at Whole Foods

Ingredients ready to go

Leeks in their whole form

Cleaned and halved lengthwise

Cut in half inch slices

Saute in olive oil with garlic and thyme

Add white wine and chicken broth

Bon Appetit! 

Our first course: Arugula Salad and Parmesan with Lemon Olive Oil Vinaigrette

Here is a link to the actual Jamie Oliver recipe 

***My hope is that pictures will get better once I learn how to work my new fancy camera.  My Iphone will take full credit for these pictures.