twice baked pesto potato

One way to extend the use of leafy greens is to make a pesto out of it. You can do this with basil of course but also with spinach and arugula. Since I have way more spinach than i can consume, pesto seems like the best option. bon appetit!

Spinach Pesto
4 cups spinach, lightly chopped
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
6 garlic cloves, lightly chopped
S&P to taste
3/4 - 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup Parmesan

Pulse the garlic & pine nuts in a blender or food processor for a few seconds. Add the spinach, salt & pepper and pulse until blended. With the blades running, slowly add the evoo and blend until fully mixed and then slowly add the parmesan. The pesto can be stored in the refrigerator (or frozen for a longer period of time). Store the pesto in an airtight container and pour a layer of evoo over the pesto.

Twice Baked Pesto Potato
1 russet potato
1 tbsp of butter
2-3 tbsp of pesto
1 dollop of sour cream, garnish
1 tsp of chopped garlic chives

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Poke holes into the potato and wrap in foil. Bake the potato for 1 hour.

Once the potato has been baked, scoop out the cooked potato flesh (leaving the skin in tact) and set aside in a bowl. Add the butter and pesto to the bowl and smash the mixture together with a fork until nice and fluffy. Refill the potato skins with the smashed mixture and bake for another 20 minutes until the top is slightly browned. Add a dollop of sour cream to the top and a sprinkle of chives.

Garden Update: My vegetables are flowering. I hear this makes the vegetables bitter but i kinda want them to seed so i can use the seeds for next season.

Spinach Flowers

Tomato Flowers

Basil Flowers

Roasted Bell Peppers Stuffed with Quinoa

There's something very satisfying about being able to go out to the garden and picking the ingredients for that night's dinner. That is until a giant, ugly bug comes crawling out of the water bath that you so lovingly filled to rinse off the little veggies.

I felt disgusted for a good 5 seconds and then I was pissed!

How dare that ugly little bug snack on MY spinach! I poured the entire water bath out and flushed that stupid bug down the drain. I then proceeded to triple rinse each leaf in OCD-like fashion and started the second water bath, where the little spinach soaked for a couple hours. Take that, bug!

Spinach & Parsley from the garden

The farmer's market in my neighborhood just re-opened today! Perfect place to get the rest of the ingredients for my dinner. 3 bell peppers, a carrot, and a 1/4 pound of mushrooms all for $2.75!!!

farmer's market finds added to the bowl of garden goodies

This recipe comes from Whole Foods and i must say, this is the second time they've disappointed me. I used a ton of ingredients and the meal still lacked flavor. Nothing that a healthy sprinkling of Parmesan cheese couldn't fix though...

stuffed and ready for roasting...

...roasted and ready for eating.

Gardening

My Dad had an amazing green thumb! He planted fruit trees, vegetables and flowers (peonies were his favorite!) in our backyard and even did all of the landscaping himself. I remember a time when this lady was in our front yard with scissors clipping our roses! My Dad told her she couldn't do that and she said, "Well why do you plant such beautiful flowers if others can't enjoy them?" Really lady? Get a life! My Dad was nice enough to let her take the flowers she clipped but told her she wasn't allowed to do it again.

In the last few months, I've tried to buy produce that is "closer to the source" whenever I could. It tends to be cheaper, fresher and more nutritious because it doesn't have to travel as far and has the added benefit of helping to support the local farmers. And ok, a tiny part of me likes to go to farmer's markets because there's usually a petting zoo.

I've been toying with the idea of growing my own herbs to use for cooking but unlike my Dad, I tend to kill all plants that I take home with me. Whenever a recipe calls for fresh herbs, I usually end up using a small handful and the rest goes bad before I can finish it. It would be so great to go out to the garden, pick a few basil leaves or sprigs of rosemary (just like Ina does on her show Barefoot Contessa), and allow the plant to grow until the next recipe calls for it. And what's "closer to the source" than your own backyard? But as I mentioned, plants come home with me to die so it was always just an idea until...

I saw the amazing vegetable and herb containers that my housemate Will made from scratch!

The containers are so well crafted that I thought he bought them! Job well done and just the inspiration I needed to get the garden going.

However, I haven't the slightest clue how to start a garden and I really wished I could ask my Dad for gardening advice but since he's no longer with us, the next best source is the nursery down the street.

Evergreen Nursery is amazing! They have everything! To be quite honest, I was so overwhelmed when I got there but a nice gentleman helped me. I told him I wanted nice hearty plants that don't die. He looked at me and said, "Well, we've got some low maintenance ones here but you'll still need to pay them some attention to ensure they live, but of course you already know that." I said, "Of course I know that!" but thought, "By pay attention I hope he means EAT."

He choose a nice assortment of little herbs and vegetables that would fit and live happily in the containers together and also sent me home with a lot of stinky fertilizer!

Later that evening, all of the little plants were in their new homes. I took pictures of them this morning and I'm going to track their progress on this blog. So if you don't see another post about this, do not ask me how the vegetables and herbs are doing, they are in their final resting places thankyouverymuch!

 Spinach & Bibb Lettuce

Tomato vine & more Bibb Lettuce

Garlic Chives

Rosemary

Sweet Basil

Found this picture of my Dad with his peonies

scallops

i've been eating a lot of meat lately. with my best friend's wedding coming up in 3 days, i should probably eat something light and healthy for dinner so i can fit into my bridesmaid dress. plus my landlord looks like he could lose a few... totally kidding, you need to gain 20!

i decided on an old standby - Orzo with cherry tomatoes & spinach chiffonade (recipe below). takes 10 minutes to make and it's healthy & delish! but what to top it with? not meat. don't want to deal with fish. scallops would be perf! meaty yet light and succulent. ::: drool :::

don't be fooled by my newfound passion for scallops. until very recently, i would let the scallop & vegetable dish pass me by on a lazy susan without a second glance. at that point, i had only tried scallops two ways, dried in jook (see "sook" post for definition) or in aforementioned scallop & vegetable dish most commonly found at cantonese restaurants. then one glorious day, i decided to give non-chinese scallops a whirl at the fabulous bonarda restaurant and my life was forever changed. so now, scallops are probably my favorite seafood to cook. there's hardly any prep time and they cook so quickly! i could go on and on but, i digress...

i decided to do a quick pan sear but this started to look like a weight watchers menu item (not so delish), i needed to give it a little boost...

here's what I ended up with:

Orzo with cherry tomatoes & spinach chiffonade 

topped with seared scallops and a drizzle of lemon caper butter sauce

Orzo with Cherry Tomatoes & Spinach Chiffonade

• start with a pot of boiling water and add a pinch of salt. add the orzo and let it cook for 9 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
• while the pasta is cooking, cut the cherry tomatoes in half and place into a large serving bowl. cut the spinach into long strips by stacking them neatly and rolling the leaves. then cut across to make long strips and place into the same serving bowl. 
• by this time the orzo should be al dente, drain the pasta and pour the hot pasta into the serving bowl, add salt & pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. 
• mix everything together and squeeze a quarter of a lemon over everything. this really brightens up the dish and brings out the flavors or each ingredient.

Seared Scallops with Lemon Caper Butter Sauce

• rinse the scallops under cold water, pat dry with a paper towel and set aside. 
• pour 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil & 1 tbsp into a frying pan and turn the heat on high. while the pan is getting hot, season the scallops with a sprinkle of salt & pepper. 
• once the pan begins to sizzle (don't let it burn), place the scallops into the pan and dont touch it for 1.5 minutes, then flip and sear the other side for 1.5 minutes. set the scallops onto a serving plate and turn the heat to low. 
• to make the sauce, add 1 tbsp of butter, 1 tbsp of capers, and a sprinkle of salt & pepper to the pan. whisk the ingredients in the pan until the sauce slightly thickens. add a squeeze of lemon juice and whisk for a few more seconds. remove the pan from the heat and use a spoon to drizzle the sauce over the scallops.
  

spinach

in my everlasting quest to be healthy & economical, i bought an economy-sized tub of pre-washed spinach last week. not one to let good food go to waste, i started thinking about what to make for dinner. it was 8am, i hadn't even had breakfast and i was already planning for dinner. oh well, it's chilly out so soup and salad it is!

i took an inventory of what ingredients i already had for my soup and salad and quickly jotted down the missing ingredients to give to will before he left for work:
- cherry tomatoes
- sliced almonds (for salads)
- 1 can of crushed tomatoes

here's what he came back with:
- grape tomatoes (close enough)
- honey roasted sliced almonds (i wanted unflavored, but i suppose this will be a sweet & savory salad)
- 1 huge can of crushed tomatoes

it turned out great!

bon appetit!


spinach salad with warm bacon dressing
Ingredients: spinach, grape tomatoes, boiled egg, bacon, bleu cheese, & honey roasted sliced almonds

fry the bacon in a pan, once crispy, set aside on a paper towel. take the remaining bacon fat and pour 2 tbsp into a small saucepan. over low heat, add lemon juice, 1 tbsp dijon mustard, salt & pepper, and whisk until thickens.

remove from heat and add a few handfuls of spinach into the saucepan and lightly toss until coated. add spinach to a bowl and top with sliced tomatoes, eggs, bacon, crumbled blue cheese & almonds. serve immediately.


spinach soup
Ingredients: chicken stock, chicken apple sausage, farfalle pasta, crushed tomatoes & spinach

brown the sausage in a large pot. once sausage has been browned, set aside to cool. over high heat, add 1 part chicken stock to 2 parts water and let the liquid come to a boil. add the farfalle pasta and cook until al dente. while the pasta is cooking, slice the sausage into thin rounds and add to the pot along with the crushed tomatoes. let the soup come to a boil again and add a few handfuls of spinach. once the spinach has wilted, the soup is then ready to be served. top with a sprinkle of parmesan and green onions.

spinach facts:

• rich source of vitamins c & a
• loaded with flavonoid that functions as antioxidant and anti-cancer agent
• makes my teeth feel rough (why is that?)