Menu Plans 06-21-10

Monday - Lobster Tacos with Avocado, Sweet Potato Chips, Salad
Tuesday - Grilled Filet Mignon, Parmesan Orzo, Zucchini Chips
Wednesday - Honey Mustard Chicken, Brown Rice, Salad
Thursday - Trivia @ Smokey Bones
Friday - Girls Night Out!
Saturday - TBD

**Check out orgjunkie.com for some other great menus!

Anniversary Dinner Recap

Bryan and I were married one year ago on Saturday June 13, 2009. I can’t believe it’s already been a year; it seriously flew by! We decided to celebrate with a nice dinner out at The Ravenous Pig. You may remember we ate there for the first time on my birthday a few months ago. Bryan made reservations a few weeks ago online and mentioned that we were celebrating our first anniversary.

We arrived thirty minutes early to enjoy a few pre dinner beers at the bar. We checked in at the hostess stand and they said whenever we were ready to be seated to let them know. After enjoying a beer and some candied popcorn we headed to our table.

Last time we eyed the ‘House-made Charcuterie and Artisan Cheese’ but decided to save it for a special occasion. This was the perfect time to try it! The gourmet meat and cheese board had four different types of salami, two prosciuttos, a wedge of gouda and a wedge of bleu cheese. On the side were thick bread slices cooked in bacon grease which were amazing! The sampler was delicious; however I’m not sure we’d order it on a normal basis – definitely a special occasion appetizer.

We also decided to split the Farmer salad: bitter greens, house smoked bacon, parmesan, soft boiled egg, Caesar vinaigrette and brioche croutons. The egg is served whole on top of the salad. Our server recommended we break the egg up and mix it well with the greens. Oh my, the runny yolk was fantastic on the salad! And the bacon was cut into large, chewy chunks – yum! The entire salad was full of flavor.

For my entrée, I ordered “Grilled Local Cobia.” It was served with Charlie’s new potatoes, grilled artichokes, green olive tapenade and pickled gypsy peppers. The fish was very tender and I loved the artichokes. I’m not a huge fan of green olives, but the tapenade was the perfect complement to the Cobia. This is definitely a dish I would order again.

Bryan went with the “48 Hour Short Rib.” The beef was served over mustard spaetzle, Vidalia onion puree and charred radicchio and topped with rye sauerkraut. The meat was a perfect medium and melted in your mouth. Bryan definitely enjoyed his meal, but I’m pretty sure my fish was better. ;)

And what’s a special celebration without dessert?? Being the chocolate fiend that I am, I ordered the dark chocolate-raspberry tart while Bryan ordered the Florida peach-blackberry crisp with toffee crunch ice cream. Up until this point, the restaurant had not acknowledged that we were celebrating our anniversary as Bryan had stated when he made the reservation. But check out the dessert spread:

This was an awesome surprise and I really like how they handled our special day. The hostess on the way out even wished us Happy Anniversary as we were leaving.

Back to the desserts, in one word: FABULOUS. They were a perfect ending to a wonderful dinner with my husband. Looking forward to another dinner here soon as well as many more happy years with my love.

Shrimp and Penne with Spinach Sauce

Mmm, this was a very enjoyable dish. It had grains, veggies and protein all in one! It was a nice change of pace to not have to worry about cooking/prepping two or three different things. They pasta sauce had a great creamy texture to it, and the spinach added a bring pop of green. I added the shrimp to the original recipe. I found that the shrimp put off a little liquid in cooking making the use of the reserved pasta water unnecessary. I also wilted the spinach slightly to take off the cool crunch. Bryan and I both agree this recipe is a keeper.

Adapted from Mia Cucina

Ingredients
1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
10 oz. whole wheat penne
3 garlic cloves
2 oz. goat cheese
1 oz. fat free cream cheese
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
6 oz. fresh baby spinach leaves

Directions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the penne and cook per the box directions.

2. Mince the garlic in a food processor. Add the goat cheese, cream cheese, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and half of the spinach leaves. Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Set the cheese and spinach mixture aside.

3. Meanwhile, add pre heat a medium skillet to medium high heat. Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper. Spray skillet with olive oil and add the shrimp. Sauté until pink and cooked through.

4. During the last minute of shrimp cooking, add remaining spinach and mix until wilted. Remove mixture from heat and add to large bowl.

5. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Spoon the pasta atop the spinach and shrimp in the bowl.

6. Scrape the cheese and spinach mixture over the pasta mixture and toss to coat, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper.

The Facts
4 Servings

Menu Plans 06-14-10

Unfortunately, our AC in the house died Friday, so we've temporarily moved into my mom's house for the week. Hopefully it will be fixed soon... In the meantime we've loaded up two dogs, a week's worth of clothes as well as a cooler full of food for the week! I had a lot of fresh produce in the house so I we could enjoy it before it went bad. My menu this week isn't too exciting as I was trying to use what we had on hand.

Monday - Gators Dockside (Because we're on this side of town, so why not?!?)
Tuesday - Shrimp, Couscous, Salad
Wednesday - Spaghetti with Chicken Sausage, Salad
Thursday - Trivia @ Smokey Bones
Friday - TBD

Sangria Chicken

This dish was definitely reminiscent of sangria! The wine and orange marmalade gave the chicken a delicious fruity flavor. This would have been great served with grapes (per the original recipe) how ever my grocery store trip never happened this week so I made do with what we already had on hand. I substituted reduced sugar marmalade and this resulted in a thinner sauce. It never really thickened up, but still tasted great. We used the leftover sauce to dip our chicken for extra flavor.

Adapted from How Sweet It Is

Ingredients
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup sweet orange marmalade, reduced sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 lime, cut into wedges
salt & pepper to taste

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425.

2. Heat a skillet on medium-high heat and spray lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and brown on both sides. Add chicken to a baking dish and roast until cooked through – about 20 minutes.

3. While chicken is cooking, simmer wine and marmalade in a small saucepan until thickened and reduced to about half.

4. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Add to baking dish with chicken, and roast for an additional 10 minutes.

5. Garnish with lime wedges (and grapes if you have them!).

The Facts
4 Servings

Menu Plans 06-07-10

Monday - Sangria Chicken, Orange Jasmine Rice, Salad
Tuesday - Penne with Spinach Sauce, Sautéed Shrimp, Roasted Patty Pan Squash (CSA!)
Wednesday - Jack Daniel's Pulled Chicken Sandwiches, Baked Beans, Salad
Thursday - Trivia @ Smokey Bones?
Friday - TBD or Dinner Out
Saturday - Anniversary Dinner Out! Celebrating one year. :)

**Check out orgjunkie.com for some other great menus!

Crunchy Peanut & Panko Shrimp

I’ve had this recipe bookmarked for a few months now. When I originally saw it pop up on Google Reader, it was the first time I’d heard about PB2 and I was intrigued. A low calorie peanut butter? Yes please! I immediately ordered some, however when I checked my order status a few weeks later, it was BACKORDERED! I finally received it 3 months after ordering it and immediately put this recipe on the menu.

In the end, I have to say I was slightly disappointed (with the shrimp, not the PB2!). I don’t feel like it had the peanut taste I was looking for. Perhaps some additional PB2 should be mixed in the panko mixture? The shrimp were good, just lacked the peanut flavor. I served this with a dipping sauce hoisin mixed with some chili garlic paste.

Adapted from Cara’s Cravings

Ingredients
1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails left on
1/4 cup egg substitute
4 tbsp (24gm) PB2
1/2 cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs
dash of chili powder

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400F. Rinse the shrimp and pat dry. Add the shrimp to a large zipper bag along with the PB2. Close the bag and shake to coat the shrimp thoroughly.

2. Place the egg substitute in a bowl. In a mini food processor or blender, pulse together the panko and chili powder to combine evenly and create a finer crumb; pour the mixture onto a plate.

3. Place a cooling rack atop a baking sheet, and lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray. Dip each shrimp into the egg substitute, and then the panko mixture. Set on top of the rack.

4. Bake for about 12 minutes or until shrimp are cooked through and coating is lightly browned.

The Facts
4 Servings

Crunchy Asian Cabbage Salad

Two coleslaws in two weeks? Looks like we’ve been on a cabbage kick lately! These sides make a great alternative for the typical salad I usually serve with dinner. A perfect way to switch it up a bit. This dish was very light and refreshing with a hint of Asian flare. My cabbage was larger than what the original recipe called for so I increased the other ingredients slightly as well.

Adapted from Apple A Day

Ingredients
1 head cabbage, sliced thinly (~300 grams)
1 carrot, grated (~100 grams)
6 green onions, sliced and dark green ends discarded
2 tbsp cilantro, minced
2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1.25 tsp sesame oil
1.5 tsp lime juice
1 tbsp sesame seeds

Directions
1. Combine all ingredients in large bowl and toss well to combine. Place in fridge and let stand at least one hour. Before serving, toss once more.

The Facts
4 Servings