Thursday, January 7, 2010

Today ....

Is one of those days when I consider dropping out of law school.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Lunch and dinner today (and tomorrow)

One of our New Year's resolutions was to menu plan and not eat out or eat crap. To that end, we cooked food today. Each recipe feeds four, so we have food for tomorrow, too!

Pasta Primavera:
(serves 4)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 yellow bell peppers, chopped
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
salt to taste
1 box pasta (we used Dreamfield's Rotini)
2 cups lightly packed baby spinach
1 cup thawed frozen peas
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice.

Boil water for the pasta. Make sure to add salt!

While you're waiting for the water to boil, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat, then add garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds. Add your bell peppers, asparagus, tomatoes, and salt to taste (we used about 1/2 teaspoon). Stir, then cover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Then uncover and cook until veggies are tender (about another 5 minutes).

When the water boils, add the pasta, then cook until al dente. Drain, and return to the pot. Add spinach, peas, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pasta. Stir in the tomato-veggie mixture.

Done!

Steamed Salmon w/ Asparagus & Chive Butter Sauce
(serves 4)
1 lb thick asparagus, trimmed
Salt and pepper to taste
4 salmon fillets (we used thawed frozen fillets)
1/2 cup white wine (we used a medium dry riesling)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons chopped chives (we used dried, but fresh would probably be better)

Lay asparagus in a single layer on the bottom of a large skillet. Add 1 cup water and salt (we used 1/4 teaspoon) to the skillet. Season salmon with salt and pepper and lay it across the asparagus spears. Bring water to boil over high heat. Cover, and cook over medium heat until salmon is cooked through and asparagus is tender (this took about 8 minutes for us). Transfer salmon and asparagus to serving dishes.

Add wine to the skillet, increase heat to medium-high, and simmer until mixture is syrupy (this took about 5 minutes). Turn off heat. Wishk in butter and chives, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour over salmon and asparagus.


Both were tasty!