Cod poached with tomatoes and spinach

 A one dish dinner.  Serve over rice.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
¼ tsp (scant) cinnamon
1 ½ Tbsp. minced garlic
1 c water
¾ c dry white wine
2 Tbsp. capers, drained
1 14.5- oz can diced tomatoes
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
¾ tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
3 c fresh baby spinach
4 6-8-oz cod fillets
¼ c sliced olives (Green, Black, and Kalamata all work)

Directions
Heat olive oil in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
Add garlic and cinnamon and sauté for about 1 minute, or until lightly browned, being careful not to let it burn.
Add canned tomatoes with liquid, water, wine, capers and all spices.  Stir to combine, then bring to a boil.
Add spinach and stir until wilted.
Reduce heat and nestle cod fillets into sauce.  Cover and simmer 5-6 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. 
Serve over rice with about 2/3c of sauce and top with olives

Sweet Corn Gazpacho

 A fabulous late summer meal. Trust me, go to the trouble of finding yellow tomatoes. It's worth it. Recipe from The Endless Meal.

2 lb yellow tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 yellow bell peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
3 ears of corn, removed from cob (save a few kernels for garnish)
1/4 cup white onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, smashed
Optional: 1/4 jalapeño pepper, (seeded, for texture, not spiciness)
2 teaspoons sea salt 
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice – from about 1 lime
Sea salt, to taste
Olive oil, cilantro, corn and fresh cracked pepper, to garnish

Combine the yellow tomatoes, bell peppers, corn, onion, garlic and jalapeño pepper in a large bowl. Sprinkle the sea salt over the top and mix well using your hands. Set the bowl aside on your counter for half an hour. (Can be left for up to 4 hours, if needed.)
Working in batches blend the soup along with the olive oil. I like this soup quite creamy, but if you think you might like it a little chunky blend the soup just a little, taste, and then continue to blend it until it's perfect for you.
Stir through the sherry vinegar and lime juice then season to taste with sea salt. This soup can be made up to 3 days in advance. Keep it covered in your fridge until you are ready to serve it.

Pasta with Pancetta, Snap Peas and Mint

 Adapted from Food52 which always has great recipes and ideas

Ingredients

4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 pound chopped pancetta (I get this at Trader Joes and it's great!)
4 shallots, minced
1 pint cream
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
1/2 pound fresh snap peas, whole, chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
salt and fresh ground pepper
3/4 pound (3/4 box) pasta, farfalle or orecchiette


In a heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and cook pancetta until crispy. Take out the pancetta and add the garlic, cooking for 2 minutes until just beginning to color.

Add the shallots and cook for 3-4 minutes to soften, and season with a pinch or two of salt and a turn or two of fresh black pepper.

Meanwhile, bring your pasta water to a boil, salt it, and add your pasta. You will want to time the pasta to be finished just as the sauce is finishing so that the cream doesn't sit long.

With about 3 minutes left on your pasta, add the peas and cook for 2 minutes. We want them to retain their crunch. With one minute remaining, add the cream and quickly bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add the cheese, stir, and reduce the heat to low.

Drain the pasta, and toss with the sauce to coat. Sprinkle liberally with fresh mint, and serve with black pepper and extra Parmesan cheese. 

Baked Scallops with Parmesan and Panko

 From Eating Well

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound large dry sea scallops (about 16 scallops)
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped shallot
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Coat the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish with 1 tablespoon oil. Pat scallops dry; arrange in a single layer in the dish. Sprinkle the scallops evenly with salt and pepper.

Whisk melted butter, lemon juice and shallot in a small bowl; pour over the scallops.

In the same bowl, combine panko, Parmesan, parsley and the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the scallops.

Bake until the scallops are opaque and the topping is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Chicken Pot Pie

 I found this recipe from another member of an online recipe group. Normally I don't care for "cream of something" soups in recipes, but I make an exception here!

Ingredients:

1 Premade pie crust (2 crusts) 

2 Chicken breasts, chopped 

8 oz frozen Peas and Carrots
16 oz Southern Style Hash brown potatoes (cubes) (1/2 bag)
3 cans of “Cream of” soup (chicken, mushroom or celery-your choice or combination)
½ onion, diced
Salt and pepper

Place 1 of the pie shells in a pie plate.
Mix together chicken, veggies, potatoes, onion and soup.
Heap mixture in pie shell and top with second shell. Crimp edges and poke top of shell.

Bake at 350°F, for 1 hour, or until golden brown.

Recipe compliments of Bob - http://www.thatswhatbobscooking.com/2014/12/chicken-pot-pie.html 

Baked Lemon Herb Parmesan Salmon

 This is a real winner from Wholesome Yum. We keep frozen salmon from Wild Alaskan in the freezer and this is a quick recipe I've been known to do from frozen in a pinch (just add 5-10 minutes in the oven).

Ingredients

Up to 2lbs salmon fillet (if you're cooking less you'll just use less spread and topping)
Sea salt
Black pepper

For Spread:
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp lemon zest
2-4 cloves garlic, minced

For Topping
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
1 tbsp butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 400* F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Place the salmon onto the lined baking sheet. Season both sides with sea salt and black pepper.
In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients for the spread (grated parmesan, mayonnaise, lemon zest and minced garlic). Spread the mixture over the top of the salmon.

In a dry bowl, stir together the remaining 1/2c parmesan cheese, parsley, and dill. Add the melted butter and stir until crumbly. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the salmon and pat lightly.
If you have the lemon left from making the zest, and feel daring, squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the fish.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Taco Pie

 My go-to when we have too many eggs. This is based on a recipe from Simply So Healthy, but I've made it more eggy!

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef 
1 packet (approx 1/4c) taco seasoning 
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup salsa
1 cup Mexican blend cheese , divided
6 large eggs
2/3 cup heavy cream (although I've done this with half and half as well as 2% milk just fine)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat oven to 350º. Grease a 9" round deep dish pie dish.
Brown ground beef in a skillet over medium high heat. Drain as needed.
Add taco seasoning and take off the heat.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and heavy cream. Stir in the green onions, salsa, 3/4 cup of the cheese, and the salt.
Stir prepared taco meat into the egg mixture. Pour this mixture into the prepared pie pan. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
Bake pie in preheated oven for 35-45 minutes or until the top is brown and the pie is set. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with your favorite taco toppings such as salsa, sour cream, guacamole, etc.

Greek Chicken, Lemon and Rice Soup in the Instant Pot

 From 365 Days of Crockpot

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
6 cups chicken broth 
2 large carrots, cut into quarter inch slices
1 rib of celery, diced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3/4 cup long grain white rice
2 chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 eggs
feta cheese


Turn your Instant Pot to the saute setting and add the olive oil. 

Stir and saute the onion for about 3-4 minutes. 

Add the broth and let the broth heat up while you cut up your carrots and celery. 

Add in the carrots, celery, salt, pepper and rice.
Cut your chicken breasts in half, so they are half as thick. This will help them cook at the same rate as the rice. Add them into the pot.
Set the manual/pressure cook button to 5 minutes (high pressure).
Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then move the valve to venting.

Pro tip: drape a dish towel over the release valve because this tends to splutter a lot when venting manually and it will reduce clean up a lot!

Remove chicken and place on a cutting board to rest.
In a bowl whisk together the melted butter and flour until smooth. Ladle a cup of the soup into the flour/butter mixture and whisk until smooth. Ladle the mixture back into the pot. This will help to thicken the soup.

Add the lemon juice into the pot.
In a bowl whisk together the eggs until frothy. Temper the eggs by ladling a tablespoon of the hot soup into the eggs and whisk, then repeat the process a few times. This way the eggs won’t scramble. Add the entire mixture into the pot and stir. This will make the soup creamy and thick.

Shred the chicken and add it to the pot.
Ladle soup into bowls and serve with feta.

One Pot Italian Beef and Rice

 A quick one pot meal from I Wash You Dry.

Ingredients:

1/2 onion, diced
1 lb. ground beef
15 oz diced tomatoes, canned
1 1/2 cups mixed veggies, peas and carrots
3/4 cup uncooked white rice
2 cups beef broth
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese

Brown the ground beef and onion in a large skillet until no longer pink, drain any excess fat.

Return skillet to stove top and add in the tomatoes, mixed veggies, rice, beef broth, oregano, garlic salt, basil and pepper. Stir until combined and bring to a light boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and let cook until rice is tender - about 17 minutes.

Gently fluff rice with fork and top with mozzarella cheese. Cover with the lid for about 3 minutes to let cheese melt. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.