Lunch Rerun ~ Golden Crusted Brussels Sprouts

This recipe for Golden Crusted Brussels Sprouts has very few ingredients but the salty cheese paired with the tart lemon juice are simply delicious. It's easy to prepare in about 10 minutes and tastes like oven roasted veggies that take much longer.

Baked Butternut Squash with Garlic

2 T fresh parsley, chopped
2 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t kosher salt
12 grinds fresh black pepper
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400°. In a large bowl, combine parsley, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Add squash and toss to coat. Transfer to ungreased shallow 2-qt baking dish and top with freshly grated Parmesan. Bake uncovered 30 minutes or until squash is just tender. Serves 6.

Roast Pork Loin with Garlic and Rosemary

4 garlic cloves, minced
8 sprigs fresh rosemary, approx. 4 t chopped
1 1/2 t kosher salt
1/2 t fresh ground black pepper
1 to 2 pound boneless pork loin roast, trimmed

Preheat oven to 400°. Line 13x9 roasting pan with foil.

Combine garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper in small bowl. Rub garlic mixture over pork and place pork, fat side down, in prepared roasting pan. Roast pork 35-40 minutes, or until thermometer inserted into thickest part of pork registers 155°. Remove from oven, let rest 10 minutes.

Slice pork crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices and arrange slices on platter. Garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs, if desired. Serve with garlic mashed potatoes. Serves 4.

Chicken Tahini Wrap

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, grilled and chopped
1 t lemon juice
1/4 t garlic powder
2 c romaine lettuce, chopped
1 roma tomato, seeded and diced
2 T tehina, recommended Yehuda
2 flour tortillas
salt and pepper to taste

Place half chopped chicken in center of each tortilla, sprinkle with lemon juice and garlic powder. Top with romaine and tomato. Drizzle with Tehina and add salt and pepper to taste. Roll tortilla and secure with toothpick. Serves 2.

Lunch Rerun ~ Alfredo Penne with Sausage & Mixed Vegetables

I ran out of spinach and haven't gone to the store yet, so I made an old favorite with what little pasta I had on hand. There are some things I am sure I always have on hand like pasta (today it was a mixture of penne and rotini), sauce, and frozen mixed vegetables.

You will be amazed at what you can whip up with little time and very little money if you have a pantry containing a few standard non-perishables.

Baked Creamed Spinach

2 T butter
1 T garlic, minced
4 oz cream cheese
1/4 c freshly grated parmesan, plus 2 T for topping
1/4 t dried basil
1/4 t chives
1/4 t salt
dash ground marjoram
dash cayenne pepper
1/4 c whole milk or half and half
10 oz fresh spinach

Preheat oven to 375°. Spray small casserole dish with butter flavored cooking spray.

In large skillet over medium low heat, melt butter and saute garlic 1 minute, do not brown. Add remaining ingredients except spinach and stir until cream cheese is melted. Add spinach, cover and cook until wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Mix well and transfer to casserole dish. Top with additional parmesan cheese and bake uncovered 20 minutes. Turn oven to broil and cook another 5 minutes or until top is well browned. Serves 4.

Spinach Salad with Buttermilk Bleu Cheese Dressing

1/2 c buttermilk
1/2 c sour cream
2 T cider vinegar
3 oz blue cheese, crumbled
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 lb bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
10 oz fresh spinach leaves
1 small red onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 to 4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon to paper towels to drain.

In large bowl, whisk buttermilk, sour cream, and vinegar together. Stir in blue cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add spinach and red onion to bowl with dressing and toss well to combine.

Mound salad on plates and top with bacon and one chopped egg per salad. Serve immediately. Serves 2 as a main dish, serves 4 as a side dish.

Pasta with Spinach and Tomato

12 oz pasta, penne or rotini
1 T olive oil
6 slices bacon, chopped
2 T garlic, minced
1 ~14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
10 oz bag fresh baby spinach, rinsed
Fresh grated parmesan

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook al dente, approximately 9 minutes.

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Cook bacon in olive oil until browned and crisp. Add garlic and cook another 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, and cook until heated through.

Place rinsed spinach in colander, and drain hot pasta over spinach to wilt. Transfer to skillet and toss with and bacon tomato mixture. Plate in individual pasta bowls and garnish with fresh grated parmesan. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Chef's Note: This looks similar to Tomato Pasta with Spinach and Bleu Cheese that I made last week, but the taste is quite different. Either dish would be wonderful and easy to prepare during the hot, lazy days of summer.

Tres Leches Cake ~ From The Pioneer Woman Cooks

For Sponge Cake
1 c flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
5 eggs, separated
1 c sugar, divided
1 t vanilla
1/3 c milk

Tres Leches
1 can evaporated milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup heavy cream

For Frosting
1 pint heavy cream, for whipping
3 T powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°. Generously spray 9x13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In separate bowl, beat egg yolks with 3/4 c sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Gently stir in milk and vanilla. Pour egg yolk mixture over flour mixture and stir just until combined.

Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 c sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry. Add approximately 1 c egg whites into yolk mixture to lighten, stir well. Fold remaining egg white mixture in very gently until just combined.

Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake out onto a rimmed platter and cool completely. When cake is cool, cut off outer dry edges and pierce top surface with fork several times.

Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and 1/4 c heavy cream in a small pitcher. Slowly drizzle all but 1 c of milk mixture, pouring all the way to edges of cake. Allow cake to absorb milk for 30 minutes.

Whip 1 pint heavy cream with 3 T powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Spread evenly over top and sides of cake. Decorate cake with whole or chopped maraschino cherries, if desired. Cut into squares and serve. Refrigerate leftovers loosely covered. Serves 12.

Chef's Note: I preferred the flavor and texture the next day as it was thoroughly cold but still spongy and moist. However, I took the whipped cream off my slice as I thought it was too rich with all the condensed/evaporated milk. I suppose I could have eaten it with the whipped cream if I had a smaller piece... but who am I kidding?!

Apricot Glazed Chicken ~ Adapted from Dave Lieberman

1 whole chicken, cut into parts
2 c apricot preserves
10 dried plums
1/4 c olive oil
splash rice vinegar
1/4 t kosher salt
10 grinds black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
20 fresh sage leaves

Preheat oven to 400°. Wash and dry chicken and trim excess fat. Place chicken in large mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients. Toss well, until chicken is evenly coated with sauce. Transfer pieces, skin side up, with sauce to 9x13 baking dish lightly coated with olive oil.

Roast uncovered, until top of chicken pieces are browned and chicken is cooked through, 45 to 50 minutes. Serve with pan drippings over wild rice. Serves 4.

Tomato Pasta with Spinach and Bleu Cheese~ Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

1 pound spaghetti, prepared al dente
2 T olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
28 oz canned petite diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 t red pepper flakes
5 oz bleu cheese crumbles
1 c heavy cream
4 c fresh baby spinach

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, approximately 3 minutes. Add tomato and crushed red pepper to taste. Lower heat to medium and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in 4 oz of bleu cheese and continue stirring until completely melted. Add cream and season to taste. Remove from heat and add spinach. Stir until spinach is wilted, not more than one minute. Transfer to large serving bowl and toss with pasta. Top with remaining 1 oz bleu cheese and serve immediately. Serves 4.

Chef's Note: This is an amazing recipe. The tart tomato, the tangy cheese, the bitter spinach... it comes together in a way that was wonderfully unexpected. I would serve this recipe to company as a side dish with roasted Italian spiced chicken for a main dish. It's that good.

Asian Noodle Salad~ Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Salad Ingredients
1/2 pound Linguine, prepared and cooled
1/4 head each green and purple cabbage, shredded
1/2~ 10 oz bag fresh baby spinach
1 whole each red, yellow, and orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 c fresh bean sprouts (a.k.a Mung bean sprouts)
1 c fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
3 scallions, diced
Red pepper flake, to taste

Asian Ginger Dressing Ingredients
1/3 c olive oil
1/3 c soy sauce
1/3 c rice vinegar
1/4 c brown sugar
2 T sesame seed oil
3 T fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lime

Mix salad ingredients together in large bowl. Whisk dressing ingredients together and pour over salad. Toss thoroughly with tongs to combine and serve immediately. Serves 2.

Chef's Note: If preparing ahead, individually pack vegetables and refrigerate up to two days. Dressing may be stored for three days in refrigerator.

If you think you would enjoy an overly detailed step-by-step tutorial of how to prepare this salad, visit The Pioneer Woman Cooks.

Xiexie!