PUMPKIN PUMPKIN and more PUMPKIN

I don't know about anyone else but growing up I loved getting those pumpkins to carve because it meant we made pumpkin seeds!!!!!!!!  YUM my favorite.  So this fall I bought a pumpkin, I didn't carve it because I wanted to try and cook the pumpkin for dinner.  But first I made Pumpkin seeds! They were delish I might add

Pumpkin Seeds

1. Place pumpkin seeds and strings in a colander and run under water to rinse and separate the seeds from everything else.

2. Measure pumpkin seeds in a cup. Place the seeds in a medium saucepan. Add 2 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of salt to the pan for every half cup of pumpkin seeds. Add more salt if you'd like saltier seeds.

3.  Bring saucepan to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain.

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat the bottom of a roasting pan or thick baking sheet with olive oil, about a tablespoon. Spread the seeds out over the roasting pan in a single layer, and toss them a bit to coat them with the oil on the pan. Bake on the top rack until the seeds begin to brown 5- 20 minutes, depending on the size of the seeds.  Keep an eye on the pumpkin seeds so they don't get over toasted.  When lightly browned, removed the pan from the pan from the oven and let cool on a rack.

 

Sweet Pumpkin over Nutmeg Quinoa

 

 

1 cup Quinoa, cooked

Nutmeg, to taste

2 cups chopped pumpkin

1 tablespoon butter

1 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

 

 

Directions

 

1.  Cook quinoa according to box (I use chicken stock instead of water, but that is optional). Once quinoa is cooked add in just a dash of nutmeg so you can taste just a hint of it.

 

2. While quinoa is cooking add a tablespoon of pumpkin into a medium frying pan. Add chopped pumpkin sauté until carmelized then add ground coriander and ground cardamom.

 

 

 

Herbed Sauted Pumpkin over Wild Rice

 

1 cup Wild Rice

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups Pumpkin

1 1/2 teaspoon Rosemary

1 1/2 teaspoon Thyme

 

1.  Cook wild rice according to directions, (I used chicken stock and lemon juice).

 

2.  Add 1 tablespoon olive oil into a medium frying pan. Add chopped pumpkin and sauté until caramelized.  Add Rosemary and Thyme to the pumpkin and cook until just fragrant.

 

 



Browned Butter Gnocchi with Pumpkin

 

1 16 oz package prepared gnocchi (on pasta aisle)

3 cups chopped pumpkin

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 tablespoons soy nuts

1.5 oz Parmesan Cheese

 

1.  Cook gnocchi in a large Dutch oven according to package directions.  Add pumpkin during the last minute or two of cooking.  Drain

 

2.  Heat a large skillet over medium-heat.  Add butter and oil; cook 7 minutes or until butter browns. Add gnocchi mixture and pepper to pan; toss to coat. 

 

3. Spoon about 1 1/2 gnocchi mixture into each bowl. Sprinkle each serving with soy nuts and 2 teaspoons of cheese.

 

 

 

 

 





Simply Seared Scallops!

I know I said I'd be making the Cornish Hens and I promise I will...tomorrow.

Today I had a very busy day; I ended up staying in Huntsville visiting with friends longer than anticipated so I needed a quick, easy plan! It also helped that Edgar and I were not that hungry.  So sorry guys no side tonight....This recipe was beyond simple and we had everything in the pantry/fridge already!!!  If we would have been hungry enough to add a side item I think a spinach salad with cashews and caramelized onions would have been perfect!  You could have even placed the scallops and sauce on top of the salad....yum!!!!

I love scallops but I dislike how fresh scallops make your entire house smell...FOR DAYS! So while at the store I bought frozen scallops. Now I typically like to keep our food fresh but fish is just one of those things I can't stand how smelly it can be...Maybe one day I'll move past that...But for now any fish I cook you can assume it will be frozen.

Here is our raw thawed scallops

One great thing about thawing scallops is it takes about 30 minutes.  I placed the scallops in a Ziploc bag and put them in a sink with some water.  Another thing if using frozen scallops make sure you drain the scallops after thawing and pat dry with a few paper towels.

Simply Seared Scallops

3 tablespoons  all purpose flour
1/2  teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 1/2 pounds scallops
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup white wine  (I used Relax Riesling)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a large Ziploc bag, add scallops.  Seal bag, shake to coat scallops.

Putting the coating to make the scallops turn golden!

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallops, cook about 3-4 minutes on each side or until done. (Make sure you are careful when turning the scallops otherwise the crisp crust will come off). Remove from pan and keep warm.



YUM!  I was so ready to try these at this point

3. Add wine and balsamic vinegar to pan; cook for 3 minutes stirring to thicken the sauce (it won't thicken too much).

Starting the Wine and Vinegar sauce



4. Add scallops back to the pan and CAREFULLY mix the sauce with the scallops after about a minute remove from heat and serve!

Once I added the scallops back in

Prep: 6 minutes (36 if using frozen scallops)
Cook: 10 minutes!!

Here are the finished scallops



Check back tomorrow I will be making the Cornish Hens for sure!

Does anyone have any advice on how to keep fresh fish from smelling up the entire house (or atleast the fridge)?  How do you like your scallops?

Greek Lamb Chops with Roasted Asaparagus drizzled with Balsamic Bowned Butter

Ok so while I was at the grocery store I ran across some Lamb Loin Chops. Now I have never tried lamb much less cooked so this was me going out on a limb. My husband always talks about how much he likes lamb and so I figured I'd try to cook some for him and see what he thought, and how I felt about it.

Before I go any further I'll tell you the outcome: "Fantastic best dinner cooked yet!"-Edgar.  I was pumped because I hadn't had a bite yet, but Man did it turn out fantastic!  The lamb was tender and juicy! The asparagus was crunchy with and delicious with the sauce I put over it!!!

Also I choose to make the Lamb Chops first to give them time to rest after cooking. Typically I let the meat rest about 5 minutes covered. (Edgar taught me about allowing meat to rest) These were able to rest a little long since I had to cook the asparagus after.

Greek Lamb Chops

 

1 Tablespoon dried Oregano

1 1/2 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 Lamb Loin Chops, trimmed

Cooking Spray

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl. I also lightly seasoned the lamb chops with salt and pepper on each side of the chops. Now that the chops have been lightly seasoned, rub the mixed ingredients onto the lamb chops.

3. Now for the fun part (Or I thought so). So we don't have a broiling pan just yet, so I made a makeshift broiling pan out of a cookie sheet and a baking rack. Make sure to coat your pan with cooking spray either way! (Just so you are aware if you choose to use this method its possible you will warp your cookie sheet). Place seasoned Lamb Chops on your broiling pan (or your make shift broiling pan). Then I poured any remaining mixture over the tops of the chops.

4. Once in the oven set your timer for 4 minutes. When the timer goes off flip those babies and cook them for another 4 minutes.  After pulling them out of the oven I immediately pulled the Chops off the boiling pan and placed them on a plate and covered them in foil to allow them time to rest!

Prep: about 9 minutes
Cook: 8 minutes

 

During the last 4 minutes on the lamb chops, I began washing and prepping the asparagus. So I could get them in the oven ASAP! (I'm not very patient especially when it comes to food)

 

Lamb Chops right out of the oven

 

 

 

Allowing the Chops to rest while the asparagus was started and finished

 

Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter

 

About 1 pound of asparagus

Cooking Spray

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.Arrange asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet, coat with cooking spray (I use a butter flavored cooking spray). Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes depending on thickness of asparagus.

3. Melt butter in small skillet over medium heat; cook for 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; add soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. (About the time the asparagus was finished up I was finishing the sauce. I moved the asparagus to a small bowl and poured the sauce in and gave it a quick stir. Another option is to leave the asparagus on the cooking sheet and drizzle the sauce over the asparagus. (I think I will try the second method next time its a little less messy when eating). Serve immediately.

 

Finished asparagus mixed with the balsamic butter sauce.

 

Here is our final dinner right before we dug in!

Have you ever cooked lamb? If so how was your experience?

Make sure to check back I'll be making Cornish Hen next!  Another first for me!

Meatless Monday: Greek Style Stuffed Eggplant

Ok, so Meatless Monday's have become all the rage here as of late.  My husband and I try to eat healthy. So we thought we should give this Meatless Monday a try. I picked eggplant because I am familiar with it as well as it is a hearty dish. This is the EASIEST stuffed eggplant I've ever made.  Eggplant has a very mild flavor, which means it can go with everything! One thing I love about this recipe is it provided us with leftovers for the next night which is always nice it allows us to hang out, enjoy the outdoors, our dogs and each other!

Here is our recipe:

2 eggplant; cut in half lengthwise
1/4 cup of water
cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped plum tomato
1/4 cup white wine (I used a Riesling white wine)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 ounce bread crumbs
2 tablespoons, grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise;  Carefully cut the pulp out of the eggplant make sure to reserve the shell of the eggplant. (If during the process you slice through the shell its not a big deal) Place the eggplant shells center side down in a 10-inch square baking dish. Add 1/4 cup water to the dish. Cover and microwave at HIGH between 3 - 5 minutes.  Leave in the microwave to keep them warm. Now roughly chop the pulp, it will be approximately 6 cups of chopped pulp.

2. Preheat broiler

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan HEAVILY with baking spray. Add chopped eggplant pulp. Sauté the eggplant for approx.. 7 minutes; until tender. Add chopped onion, cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Now for the fun stuff! Stir in the wine, garlic and tomatoes. I cooked this for about 3 minutes but you need the liquid to evaporate to adjust your cooking time as necessary. 

4. Remove from heat and pour into a medium sized mixing bowl. Add Feta, salt, pepper, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and parsley. Mix together!  I was able to use about 1 cup of the mixture in each eggplant shell. Once you  get all the mixture in each shell, place your baking dish into the preheated oven. Let it broil for about 2-3 minutes just to brown the top and add a little crunch.

Prep: about 22 minutes
Cook: about 19 minutes

Since this recipe is packed full of vegetables. I made some Quinoa to go with this. Which has a great nutty flavor and also is a vegetable, but it is cooks and looks like a grain, HOW COOL IS THAT!?!? It's so delicious I highly suggest trying it out! One way I make Quinoa a little different than the box says is by adding  vegetable broth instead of water.  Good Luck!

Let me know how you celebrate Meatless Monday!