Sweet Love and Ginger

Recipe

D41: Tuna, Pea Mac & Cheese

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This summer heat has me not wanting to cook a whole lot,
even while Chuck is out of the house. So for this meal I am sharing one of my
favorite all purpose cheat meals. I call it an all purpose cheat meal, because it’s
so dang easy, you can make it on a stove top, in a microwave, or over a
campfire, and well coming mostly prepackaged it’s not the healthiest, but I could
do worse. I’ve done it probably every way.

Microwave/easy mac: I would suggest either using half the
tuna and pea or doubling the easy mac for a balanced meal.

For backpacking: I usually like Velveeta. I know that
draining the water has some people discouraged but I just bring some hot cocoa
mix, and drain the excess water into my nalgene. It works to stop the waste and
is a tasty treat.

Cheaters Tuna &
Pea Mac & Cheese

1 box packages mac & Cheese

1 can tuna, drained

1 /2 cup green peas, frozen or fresh


Prepare mac & cheese according to package instructions.
Gently stir in tuna, peas and serve. (Serves 2)

Now tell me that was not the
easiest recipe like ever?!

On a side note I was featured today on my friend Heathers
blog Run Like a G! She is currently running a promo to help other small blog
get some love. When I say friend I mean real life friend, we’ve met several
times in real life, through one of my high school besties Amanda. Heather
mostly blogs about running, and her path to finding herself, with finding a teaching
job, getting healthy, being married, and all that other stuff that goes into
life. She’s really good at writing about her emotions and really showing the
world who she is.

Spinach Pesto tossed Pasta with Lemon Shrimp

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This dish is one that I actually made quite a while ago, for
a friend and just never got the chance to share. What I like best about it is
that it is simple and super quick but it gives an air of refinement and purpose
that hides my true intentions; for it to be quick and easy.

I don’t know about you but at the end of nearly every week I
am trying to use up the last bit of spinach in our house before it goes bad. I haven’t
been successful in growing it yet (darn rabbits!) but I still buy it every
week. For the main reason that leafy greens are important in your diet and this
way we are sure to eat them. This recipe is one of the best for using up
spinach, plus it makes whatever you are cooking so green and pretty. I have
used it as a puree under a steak, or chicken before but in this particular case
I just tossed some pasta in it and added some Lemon Thyme Shrimp from mygrilled Tapas recipe, and viola! A full beautiful and seeming complicated meal
that actually takes less than 20 minutes, or the amount of time it takes to
make pasta.

Spinach Pesto

1 package baby spinach

1 clove of garlic

1 tbsp pecorino romano cheese, grated

1 tbsp Extra Virgin olive oil

1 tbsp sliced almonds

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend for 20
or 30 seconds until smooth and creamy. You may need to add more oil, but be
sure to do it in teaspoon increments. Add some additional cheese for garnish, and serve. (Serves 4)

Image Inspiration: Red Pepper Sriracha Kabobs & Radish, Snap Pea Salad

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I love our new outdoor table that we got from Grammy Chuck.
Not only can we eat outside, but now we can actually fit more than 2 plates on
the table! Plus it has an umbrella for super sunny days.

Today’s meal was inspired by images, and the garden. I had
so many radishes that needed to be eaten this day.  

Sometimes I see images of food and get really excited thinking
OMG I NEED TO MAKE THAT RIGHT NOW! Then I look at the recipe and all my
ambition falls flat because it looks gross, or I have nowhere near those
ingredients in my cupboards. That’s when I begin to improvise.

Luckily this is one thing I have always had a knack for.

This meal was sparked by the images above, but I totally
didn’t follow the recipes and made it up as I went.

Red Pepper Sriracha Chicken Kabobs

1 roasted red pepper

1 tbs sriracha sauce

1 tbs rice wine vinegar

1 tbs olive oil

2 cloves of garlic

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-2 inch
pieces

Place all ingredients, except chicken pieces in a blender
and blend until smooth. Place the chicken in a small bowl, pour the red pepper
mixture over the top and toss to coat. Pierce the chicken with skewers and
place on a preheated grill for 3-5 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked
through. Serve warm.

 Radish, Feta and Snap Pea Salad

1 bunch radishes, trimmed

1 lb snap peas

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

1-2 tbs white wine vinegar

1 tbs olive oil

1 tsp Pepper

Combine radishes, peas and feta in a bowl. Drizzle vinegar
and olive oil over the top, add pepper and toss to coat. Serves 4.

The Sriracha skewers were actually reminiscent of barbeque
sauce but slightly sweeter, for those who aren’t a huge fan of spicy food, like
me they are great dipped in ranch dressing. The heat from the skewers was also
a great match for the Radish, Feta and Snap Pea Salad; it was so light and
fresh, with a delicious crunch that I just couldn’t stop eating it all.

Camp Breakfast Burritos & Fire Roasted Onions

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The long holiday weekend was a much needed break for me, despite only being a short distance from home, just that little time away from it all was amazing.

The actual holiday of July 4th was rather busy, with 5k’s to be ran, parades to attend, massive food commas to induce, innocent bystanders to splash and of course fireworks to watch, the rest of the weekend was restful and restorative.

I didn’t get to work in the hiking I had hoped, but my body needed some rest after all the festivities so a few days camping in the Adirondacks was a nice trade off. I think the excitement of the weekend had Brody all tuckered out anyway, a hike might not have been so fun for him. He’s been doing nothing but sleeping for two days now.

I don’t have much to share in the way of pictures from the whole weekend; I was too busy enjoying myself. But I do have a few camping recipes that I’m excited to share.

Breakfast Burritos

 

½ lb breakfast sausage

6-8 eggs

¼ cup milk

4 large tortillas

16 oz shredded cheddar cheese

 

In a large skillet cook the sausage thoroughly, and drain,
set aside. In a small bowl whisk together eggs and milk, then pour mixture into
a preheated pan to cook for roughly 5 minutes, stirring often.  Lay tortillas flat and evenly distribute the
sausage eggs and cheese. Roll tortillas into burrito form and then wrap in tin
foil. Place over fire for 3-4 minutes until all ingredients are warmed, and
cheese is melted. (Make ahead up to 2 days in advance)

 

Now I can’t take all the credit for this one. I got the idea
from this post, and it was so awesome I had to share! My recipe is obviously alot simplier, but we liked it alot. There is also a video
that helps showcase this awesome camping recipe, plus i’m kind of obsessed with the blog.

Fire Roasted French Onions

 

4 medium Onions

1 packet brown gravy

3-4 tbs of water
Peal all four onions, leaving the root in place (this keeps
the onion together while roasting), and cut them into quarters. Place onions in
a large piece of tin foil. Open the brown gravy packet and add water, using the
packet to stir it all up. Pout this mixture over the top of the onions. Using
the tinfoil wrap the onion, gravy mixture up and place over the hot coals of a
fire, roast for 20-25 minutes, turning several times, until the onions have
become caramelized. Serve warm.

 

As if you don’t get enough French Onion Recipes from me? I
love this one, because it is easy, light weight, with little waste, and great
for a back packing trip, plus onions don’t need to be refrigerated!

 

 

Herby Burger with Lemon Aioli

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My Garden is coming along despite the presence of a pesky
rabbit that seems to be in love with my kale, chard and kohlrabi. Those little
babies didn’t stand a chance. He doesn’t seem interested in my beans or
radishes though thank goodness, they acted as a barrier for the rest of the
garden.
Radishes are coming in hot, and Chuck is eating them as fast
as they are coming. Which is fine by me, not being a huge fan and all, he can
have them. He loves them just plain as a snack; I think he is crazy.
The lettuce is growing by leaps and bounds with all the
rain, so lately we have been having LOTS of fresh salads.
Unfortunately I started some late seasonal herbs, in pots on
the deck, but I think the mix of scorching sun most days and violent, drowning
storms in the evenings did them in, most of them started to come up and died
shortly thereafter. It’s ok though because I am learning a lot.
There is something so satisfying about stepping out of your
back door taking a few snippets of lettuce, or herbs and making a meal out of
them. Not only are you seeing the fruition of your own hard work, but you get
to experience each step of how your food gets to the table.
This particular meal began as just a lazy summer meal of
burgers that I dressed up with herbs, sprouts, lemon aioli and a side salad all
from the garden.

 
Herbed Burger

1.5 lb lean ground beef

1 tbsp chopped tarragon

1 tbsp chopped basil

1 tbsp chopped Italian parsley

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

In a large bowl combine all ingredients with dampened hands.
Once well mixed divide meat mixture into four equal pieces, and form patties. Place
patties on a preheated and greased grill and cook over high heat for roughly 5
minutes a side. Serve warm on grilled buns with your choice of toppings.
Lemon Aioli

½ cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 tsp pepper

Place all ingredients in a small bowl, and mix to combine.