Mussels Fra Diavolo with Shrimp and Linguine

Long time no blog! I have no excuses - I have simply been lazy about blogging and every time I thought about penning a new one, I decided I had to clean my bathroom instead. But I'm back and ready to rumble! Today's blog: Mussels Fra Diavolo with Shrimp and Linguine. I made this the other night and props for the recipe go to the Food Network's infamous Emeril Lagasse.

I followed the recipe almost exactly, though I decided not to use clams or calamari (I was full enough with just mussels and shrimp, didn't want to overdo it on a Sunday night!). In lieu of making Emeril's "Essence" (a Creole seasoning), I used season salt, which was readily available in my spice rack. That decision made my prep time much shorter and really packed an amazing flavor (the season salt I used contained salt, paprika, celery, turmeric, and black pepper).

Otherwise, I found Emeril's recipe to be fabulous and followed the remainder of it every step of the way! The jalapenos and red pepper flakes packed a nice punch of spicy-ness. And the best part: such an easy recipe and took less than an hour to make!

Mussels simmering in the spicy red sauce - yum!

Mussels in a Creamy White Wine Broth

I guess I'm on a mussels kick lately, because this is the second week in a row I've made them! This time I made a white wine broth for the mussels, with just a dash of lemon to add a great flavor.

What you need:

• 1 lb mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 lemon

What you do:

• Clean the mussels, then place them in a bowl of cool water to rid them of any excess sand. Discard any mussels that do not close when tapped.
• Meanwhile, melt butter on low heat in large saucepan. Add olive oil, then sauté minced garlic. 
• Add white wine and cook on medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Meanwhile, cut lemon in half, and cut one of the halves into four wedges.
• Add mussels, heavy cream, and parsley. Then squeeze lemon juice from remaining lemon half into mixture. Cover for 5 minutes and let mussels cook. Discard any mussels that do not open after cooking in saucepan.

• Serve over linguine and with grilled artisan bread on the side. Use remaining lemon wedges to add additional flavor to your plate.

This meal tasted quite delicious! Next time I will probably add scallions for taste and more cream to thicken the broth.

Thai Coconut Green Curry Mussels

This new recipe comes from the August/September 2012 issue of Clean Eating Magazine. I know I have said this before - but you are seriously missing out if you're not getting any recipes from this magazine or their website (the magazine offers recipes that are not showcased on the website, but the website still has plenty of amazing meals). Clean Eating specializes in meals that are healthy and free of weird processed junk - and their meals don't break the bank either (a major plus for someone who is just starting to feel the wrath of that traitor Sallie Mae).

The final product

Clean Eating Mag's Thai Coconut Green Curry Mussels recipe was extraordinarily easy, and it is so rewarding to be able to make my own green curry paste using fresh ingredients. This paste called for a few easy to find items (most of which were already in my kitchen stock) - green onions, garlic, lemongrass, jalepeño pepper, cilantro, basil, ginger, lime juice, sunflower oil, and soy sauce. The mussels were cooked in the paste and coconut milk was added to the mix for added substance and flavor. 

Mussels cooking in the green curry paste

I served this mixture over brown rice with lime wedges on the side for added flavor. The meal was made complete with two slices of grilled artisan bread - great for dipping in the curry paste! For the actual recipe, please buy a copy of the August/September 2012 issue of Clean Eating Magazine. Or even better, subscribe to this fantastic magazine for one or two years at a time!

Easiest Pulled Chicken Ever

The slow cooker is one of my nearest and dearest friends - you throw some random stuff in it in the morning, and by the time you get home from work, you have a whole amazing dinner meal waiting for you to come devour it! This latest recipe - pulled chicken in the slow cooker - comes from Ashley, one of my other near and dear friends.

I was able to throw this together in 5 minutes before leaving for work. By the time I returned, the whole lobby of my apartment was filled with a beyond incredibly amazingly delicious scent. Thank you slow cooker!!

What you need:

• 1 boneless chicken breast
• 1 jar of salsa
• 1 packet of taco seasoning
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/4 red onion, chopped
• A pinch of pepper

What you do:

Throw all the ingredients in the slow cooker. Turn on low heat. I left it cooking for just over 8 hours, but I would assume it will taste just as good after 6 hours or so.

I cooked up some brown rice from a box to serve with the pulled chicken, but Ashley puts her pulled chicken in wraps alongside guacamole. I unfortunately had neither wraps nor guacamole on hand so I made do with what I did have - and it came out AMAZING. The taco seasoning gives it a great Mexican flair and the salsa makes it nice and juicy. Not to mention this recipe required the most minimal effort in the kitchen ever. Two thumbs up for this recipe!

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

My carnivorous boyfriend, Jon, has been in town for a few days, so it was only right that I strayed from my typical veggie recipes and whipped up something a little more meaty than I would typically go for. A good compromise? Pulled pork sandwiches - so delicious, I think they could possibly convert a real vegetarian.

What you need:

• Pork shoulder cut, thawed - we made do with a 2.3 pound pork sirloin cut (the best time to grocery shop is certainly not late Sunday afternoon... not too much left to choose from!)
• Salt and pepper to season
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4-5 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 to 1 cup water (depending on how large your slow cooker is)
• 1 white onion, cut into half moons
• 1 12-oz bottle Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce (we used about 2/3 of the bottle, use as much or as little as you would prefer)

How to cook this bad boy:

1. Season the pork with salt, pepper, and 2 cloves garlic.
2. Heat a large saucepan on high, add olive oil, then brown pork on all sides.
3. Get the slow cooker ready. Add water and half of the onions. Then, add the pork, topping off with remainder of onions and last clove of garlic. Heat on low for 6 hours, or until pork separates at the light touch of a fork.
4. Put a colander inside a large pot or bowl, strain pork, and keep juice that sieves into pot. Put pork back into slow cooker and 1/4 cup of juices. Add BBQ sauce to desired taste. Allow pork mixture to cook on low heat in the slow cooker for about 15 minutes.

Pork, water, garlic, and onions in slow cooker.

When the pork is done, it should fall apart at the light touch of a fork.

Served on toasted Hawaiian sweet rolls with melted cheddar cheese and topped with onion strings. Our sides included homemade cornbread, Bush's Best Grillin' Beans, and Red Stripe lager. The best part of this meal? Coming home after an afternoon out and smelling the delicious slow cooked pork from the lobby of our apartment building! YUM.

Our homemade cornbread ended up with a smiley face!

The delicious dinner spread.

Summer Chicken and Veggie Salad

It has been brutally hot here in DC, as in most of the East coast. In this heat, I try to avoid the oven at all costs, since we're practically living in an oven at the moment. Tonight's solution? A summer chicken and veggie salad, which was gloriously refreshing, and absolutely filling.

This super easy salad contains:

• Grilled chicken (marinated in Italian dressing for about an hour prior to grilling)
• Spring mix salad greens
• Avocado, cubed
• Tomato
• Orange and red peppers
• Red onion
• Feta cheese
• Walnuts
• Craisins

Layer it all, as shown in the top picture, so you can scoop straight down when serving and get all the goodies at once.  Top it off with Ken's Lite Honey Mustard dressing. Served with grilled asparagus (made with garlic and oil) and grilled corn on the cob (made with butter and salt & pepper).

Penne a la Vodka

This is a favorite go-to recipe of mine. It's super easy, but tastes amazing, so your dinner guests will think that you are a kitchen master (or at least that's what I like to think mine believe...).

What you will need (serves 4):

• 1 pound penne pasta
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup vodka
• 2 15 ounce cans of tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon dried basil, or 3 to 5 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1 pinch of red pepper flakes

Instructions for cooking:

Pour olive oil into a large saucepan and heat on medium-low. Sauté diced onions until they are clear in color, then add in minced garlic and heat for 2-3 minutes. Add vodka and raise heat to medium-high, cook for 5 minutes. While the onions and garlic are cooking in the vodka, begin to boil a pot of water for the penne pasta. When water is boiling, add pasta and cook according to the instructions on the box. 

Lower heat to medium and add tomato sauce, cook for 5 minutes. Add heavy cream and cook for another 5 minutes. Then lower heat to medium-low, stir in basil and red pepper flakes, and let the sauce mixture heat for 10-15 minutes to allow it to thicken, stirring occasionally. 

Drain pasta and stir into sauce mixture, or serve sauce over pasta. Serve with Pepperidge Farm Five Cheese garlic bread. Enjoy!