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Braised Baby Back Ribs and Creamy Polenta with Brussels Sprouts and Pancetta

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Kaitlin

I’ve mentioned on here many times, I really stink at getting an entire meal on the table. I can usually handle making the main dish and then I just scramble to throw a salad together and call it a meal. So when Cooking Planit told me about their app, it was like they had made it with me in mind! The app, available for the iPhone and iPad (android coming soon) can also be accessed online. Your usage is synced up through your login, so you can browse on your computer, iPhone, and iPad seamlessly. (The app is currently on sale for $0.99 for iPhone and $1.99 for iPad) The overall goal of Cooking Planit is to get a meal, sides included, on the table at the same time. The app includes tons of recipes that come already packaged as meals, but you can also mix and match to suit your tastes. Once you choose your recipes/meal, you can add it to “My Cookbook” to store for future use. When you’re ready to go food shopping, just add the meal to your grocery list. The app gives you the option of planning for 2, 4, or 6 servings … Continue reading →

Vegetable Couscous Salad

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Kaitlin

The weather in Philadelphia decided to take a break from the cold and give us two days of summer! We hit temperatures above 80 degrees so I wanted to prepare a light meal that didn’t involve much time over a stove. This Vegetable Couscous Salad from Cooking Light is perfect for summer dinners. It also travels well, so it would be a great addition to a barbecue, just make it ahead of time and bring it with you! Ingredients: Dressing: 1/3 cup water 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 (.6 ounce envelope Italian dressing mix) or Italian spice blend Salad: 1 1/2 cups water 1 cup uncooked couscous 2 cups chopped red bell pepper (I used two peppers) 2 cups chopped tomato (I used two beefsteak tomatoes) 1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese 1/2 cup finely chopped green onions 1/4 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Matzo Ball Soup

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Kaitlin

One of my favorite parts of learning to cook is having the chance to learn about cultures through different foods. I love paging through cookbooks that contain recipes I’ve never tried and learning something about the history and tradition behind these recipes. In preparation for Passover, I was sent a copy of The New Jewish Table, written by Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray of Washington D.C.’s Equinox Restaurant. The cookbook takes traditional Jewish recipes and turns them into beautiful modern dishes. The cookbook is filled with a ton of re-imagined comfort foods, and is broken into seasons to make the most of seasonally available product. The last few pages of the book also has suggested menus for Jewish holidays. I hope to cook through the Passover menu over the coming days because it all sounds so delicious (besides the gefilte fish, sorry haha.) The Grays’ have filled the cookbook with personal stories and notes throughout that give a family feel and a background to their traditions which is a really nice touch. Each recipe is also labeled by type of recipe to make it easy to keep kosher: dairy, meat, parve, or mixed. Todd Gray’s childhood traditions are … Continue reading →

Creamy Corn Risotto

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Kaitlin

I tend to make a lot of mistakes when cooking. I won’t read the directions entirely through or will completely forget to pick up an ingredient and then at the last minute need to improvise. This time around, I actually read through the directions beforehand and had everything I needed, except I waited to long to use the Lobster and it had already gone bad. What an expensive mistake! So this recipe was originally a Lobster Corn Risotto, sigh. Anyways, it was still delicious and worth sharing! Ingredients: 3 cups water 2 cups chopped onion 2 celery stalks, chopped 2 (8-ounce) bottles clam juice 1 tablespoon butter 3/4 cup finely chopped onion 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 1/4 cups Arborio rice 1/2 cup dry white wine 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup frozen corn kernels 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese 1/3 cup chopped green onions 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Sesame Salmon with Green Onions and Lemon

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Kaitlin

I’ve been eating pretty crummy lately, a lot of take out and not a lot of thought about what I am eating. So it’s about time I tried a new salmon recipe. The latest Cooking Light has a recipe for Sesame Salmon that caught my eye. I made a few changes to the recipe (some intentional, some not) but kept the overall gist of the recipe in tact. Salmon is one of my favorite weeknight meals and this one is no different. The recipe takes about 20 minutes from start to finish, great for a busy night. Ingredients: 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets Cooking spray 4 tablespoons sesame seeds 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 2 cups sliced green onions (about 2 bunches) 5 thin lemon slices, halved 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 cup baby arugula

Crab Cakes with Spicy Remoulade

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Kaitlin

I realized I have never posted a recipe for crab cakes. That is ridiculous! So today’s the day. I found this recipe in one of my Cooking Light recipes and altered it a bit for what I happened to have in my pantry. Crab cakes: 1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, shell pieces removed 2 tablespoons finely chopped green bell pepper 1 1/2 tablespoons canola mayonnaise 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 2 green onions, finely chopped 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1 cup bread crumbs, divided 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided Remoulade: 1/4 cup canola mayonnaise 2 teaspoons minced shallots 1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 3/4 teaspoon capers, chopped 3/4 teaspoon champagne vinegar 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Fish Tacos with Lime-Cilantro Crema

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Kaitlin

It’s funny how you can go years, even decades, thinking that you don’t like a certain food only to find you can’t get enough of it when you’re older. Fish tacos is one of those foods for me. They pack a ton of flavor but are a healthier option than other proteins (as long as the fish isn’t fried, that is). I also love how quickly you can cook them up, perfect for a weeknight dinner! Cooking Light always has the best taco recipes so I naturally went in search of a fish taco recipe there. I found this recipe in the myrecipes.com new cookbook: Myrecipes’ America’s Favorite Food Cookbook, which you can win by entering below! Ingredients Crema: 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 3 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise 3 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream 1 teaspoon grated lime rind (I just used the zest of one lime) 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice (I used the juice of one lime) 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 garlic clove, minced Tacos: 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 1 1/2 … Continue reading →

Halibut with Coconut-Red Curry and a Giveaway!

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Kaitlin

I am very vocal about my love of Cooking Light and myrecipes.com in general. I think it is a fantastic resource to find delicious recipes of all kinds and sort them easily and helpfully. I was recently sent a copy of myrecipes’ America’s Favorite Food: 200 Top-Rated Recipes from the Country’s Best Magazines which is a collection of recipes from All You, Coastal Living, Cooking Light, Health, Real Simple, Southern Living, and Sunset magazines. What makes this cookbook different than any I’ve ever seen, is that it incorporates a Scan-It/Cook-It technology. Once you download the free Digimarc Discover app onto your smartphone, you are able to scan photos and info boxes in the cookbook which opens up how-to videos, shopping lists, and related recipes. Brilliant! When I scanned the photo of the recipe I was making (Halibut with Coconut-Red Curry Sauce), it opened a how-to video to see how to prepare the dish, which is a wonderful tool for beginner cooks. The recipe also includes a side bar with substitutes and even tips on how to cook fish without smelling up the whole house. This is the perfect cookbook for all levels of home cooks and I’m happy to be … Continue reading →

Couscous with Dried Cranberries and Pine Nuts & a Giveaway!

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Kaitlin

I need more sides in my life. Couscous is a great weekday choice because it’s so quick to make, maybe 20 minutes in total. This recipe is from the Fresh & Healthy DASH Diet Cooking Cookbook which I absolutely love. The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet was developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute a encourages increasing whole grains, nuts, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy and lean proteins and minimizing processed gains, high-fat meats and dairy, sugars and sodium… which is basically more just eating healthy versus a diet. This couscous recipe is made with vegetable broth to give it some flavor with bites of pine nuts, dried cranberries, and scallions. Ingredients: 2 teaspoons canola oil 1/4 cup pine nuts 2 cups reduced-sodium vegetable stock 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 cup couscous (whole wheat if you can find it) 1/3 cup dried cranberries 2 scallions, coarsely chopped

Kung Pao Chicken Tacos

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Kaitlin

I have no idea who decided that different foods should get taco-fied, but I am all for this movement. I love tacos, and Cooking Light comes up with the best taco recipes. This Kung Pao Chicken Taco recipe is everything I want in a meal: quick and easy to make, colorful, a hint of spice, and full of many ingredients I already had on hand. Kung Pao chicken is a spicy stir-fry Chinese dish that includes peanuts, vegetables, chili peppers, and chicken. It is usually served over rice, but Cooking Light took some inspiration from Korean taco trucks and added the Kung Pao chicken to corn tortillas. Ingredients: 6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces 3 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce, divided 1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, divided 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided 1 1/2 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil 2 teaspoons rice vinegar 1 teaspoon sambal oelek (ground fresh chile paste) 1 large garlic clove, minced 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped dry-roasted peanuts 3/4 cup diagonally sliced celery (about 2 stalks) 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas 1/3 cup sliced green onions 1/2 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced 4 lime wedges Add … Continue reading →