Sweet Love and Ginger

Dinner 4 1

D4One: Sausage & Bean Stew

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This is my cleaned up take on a Spanish classic. Typically in Spain
chorizo would be used, but I chose to go with garlic and spinach chicken
sausage, you could also use Italian sausage if you wanted as well, giving you
lots of choices. It can also very easily be multiplied for a large family, and
because it is so easy my bet is that you will be making it a lot.  I even had it leftover cold and it was delicious, so this is a good one to have for the summer months as well. Please give it a shot.

Sausage & Bean Stew

1 tbs olive oil

½ lb turkey sausage links

1 small onion, sliced thin

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp thyme

1 can cannellini beans, rinsed

1 cup low sodium chicken broth

2 cups fresh baby spinach

Add half the oil to a large skillet over medium heat, and add sausage.
Cook sausage, turning occasionally until cooked through, roughly 10-15 minutes,
then set aside. Reduce heat to medium, and sauté onion, garlic and thyme until
softened, roughly 5 minutes. Add the beans and broth and cook for about 10
minutes. Add spinach and cook until it just begins to wilt. Slice sausage into
bite size pieces, and stir into stew. Remove stew from heat and serve in bowls,
warm.

D4One: Cream of Spinach and Asparagus Soup

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This is a recipe for a quick and easy Cream of Spinach and Asparagus Soup with crispy panchetta on top. It’s perfectly decadent and a great starter.
Cream of Spinach and Asparagus Soup

So this recipe is one that I actually used for Valentine’s Day dinner this year however I think it is the perfect recipe to add to my Dinner 4 One series. If you are looking for a recipe for two simply double the ingredients.

What I like the most about this dish is that it is so simple, even though it looks complicated. It is a perfect way to use up extra spring vegetables while still being hearty and delicious. I really think that the crispy pancetta on top adds so much more dimension to the dish, by adding not only crunch, but a hint of saltiness.
Cream of Spinach & Asparagus Soup
1 Shallot, Sliced
1 tbs butter
¼ lb Asparagus, Cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tbs flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup half & half
1 cup baby spinach
salt & pepper to taste
pancetta diced & cooked crispy
In a sauce pan, cook shallot in butter on medium for 2-3 minutes.  Add asparagus and cook for 4-5 minutes until it begins to soften.  Add flour and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.  Add chicken stock and half-and-half, stirring until the mixture is well blended.  Bring to a simmer, and allow it to thicken, and then add spinach.  Add salt & Pepper and served topped with crispy pancetta. And a small drizzle of olive oil.
Cream of Spinach and Asparagus Soup

 

D4Onw: Mozzarella & Herb Grilled Cheese

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Ok so this recipe is one that is so darn easy and so darn delicious. A simple grilled cheese sandwich stuffed with mozzarella and herbs, coated in egg and pan fried for a perfectly crispy outer shell. Now serve this warm and cheesy sandwich with a side of hot chunky marinara sauce and you have pure heavenly delight. At least it is in my opinion. I love cheese! The combination of cheese and tomato sauce has got to be one of my favorite things ever! It also made a great late night snack after a busy Christmas Day for me.
I really like this sandwich stuffed with hole chunks of roasted garlic, and chopped fresh herbs (Oregano, Basil, and thyme to be exact) however not everyone has the love affair that I do with herbs. If you are one of these people just start with a few shakes of your favorite dried herbs, and adjust it based on your own tastes.
Grilled Mozzarella Sandwich
¼ lb Fresh Mozzarella, sliced
2 slices bread
1 clove roasted garlic, diced
1 sprig of oregano, finely chopped
2-3 medium basil leaves, finely chopped
1 small sprig of thyme, finely chopped
1 egg, beaten
Dash of salt
1 tbs butter
¼ cup warm chunky marinara sauce
Place slices of mozzarella on both slices of bread. Layer garlic and herbs onto one side and close to make a sandwich. Whisk egg and salt together in a shallow bowl. Melt butter in a skillet over medium- high heat. Dip the sandwich into the egg mixture, turning to coat. Place the sandwich in the pan and cook until golden brown, then flip and brown the other side. Serve warm with a side of marinara sauce.

The recipe above reflects how I would normally make it, however since I am still trying to eat healthy I made the sandwich with whole wheat bread, low fat mozzarella, egg whites, extra virgin olive oil and my home made marinara sauce. I also had a chocolate protein shake with frozen banana. The flavor combination reminds me of fried mozzarella and a chocolate shake at some hole in the wall restaurant where you know it’s delicious and terrible for you, but SURPRISE! It’s actually not! Ha! I love it when I come up with a recipe like this!

D4One: Vegetarian Mushroom Stroganoff

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I love stroganoff, but then who doesn’t? It’s a heavenly combination of creamy deliciousness. It’s one of my favorite things to make when I am home alone because I don’t have to use meat if I don’t want to, it’s fairly easy, and you can buy nearly all the ingredients in small quantities, so it’s perfect for a single meal. If I am looking for meat I simply brown some stew meat along with the onions and leave it in the pan while I cook the rest of the dish.
What’s funny about this dish is that I typically don’t like mushrooms; though I have discovered it is a textural thing, if they are cooked enough then I don’t mind them so much, which is what happens in this dish. Also I find that I don’t have as much of an issue with dried mushrooms, which are the base of this particular recipe. Fresh mushrooms can be used, just skip the soaking step and use vegetable broth where the recipe calls for soaking liquid. I tend to use dried mushrooms, because they don’t go bad easily, and when I have them on hand I can whip up something like this or vegetarian gravy very easily.
Vegetarian Mushroom Stroganoff
1 cup dried porcini mushrooms, diced
1 ½ cup warm water
2 tbs olive oil
1 small onion (or shallot), diced
2 tbs thyme
2 tbs flour
½ cup sour cream
Salt & Pepper
1 cup egg noodles, prepared according to package instructions
Minced parsley for garnish
Place mushrooms in water for roughly 30 minutes to rehydrate. Heat oil and sauté onion, until it becomes translucent. Add the hydrated mushrooms to the pan (reserve the water), and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Mix in thyme, and flour, until it is well blended and deglaze the pan with remaining soaking liquid. Cook, stirring continuously until the sauce has thickened, then remove from heat. Stir in sour cream until well blended and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm over egg noodles and topped with chopped parsley.

D4One:Perfect Broiled Haddock

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There is a restaurant near my work that we frequent often. It is a little Greek place in what used to be a bank. I would link their website if they had one. The place is pretty darn fabulous. I pretty much love it there. I also pretty much go there every time I eat out at work, which isn’t often so that’s saying something.
They have this lunch special every week that is mouthwateringly fabulous. It is a broiled haddock served with a rice pilaf, broccoli and warm rolls. My stomach is rumbling just thinking about it, it is so good, and so simple! How do I know? I spent quite a few nights trying to figure out their recipe. I asked the wait staff a few times what was in it to get the jist, and then I went through quite a bit of haddock to perfect it, but now I think I have it, and dare I say mine is better? Well I’m sure that’s dependent on who is eating it. I prefer more sherry to butter, other may prefer more butter to sherry, so I guess it’s a wash.
Since I am making this dish for lonesome self, I decided it was fine to be bad and make extra sauce to toss pasta in instead of making rice pilaf. This was a fabulous decision! Especially after I topped it with fresh chopped parsley (about ¼ cup – you know how I love my herbs!), and a touch of parmesan cheese.
Now if you just want enough sauce for fish, then half the recipe below.
Broiled Haddock in Sherry Butter Sauce
½ a stick of butter (unsalted)
¼- ½ cup of sherry
½ lb haddock fillet
1 cup pasta cooked aldente
Preheat the oven broiler. In a large oven safe skillet melt the butter and allow it to brown slightly. Add ¼ cup of sherry and allow it to cook roughly 1-2 minutes. At this point you may choose to add more sherry or not, but if you add it allow it to cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add fish to the pan and baste with sauce. Place skillet in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until fish breaks apart with a fork. Remove fish and add pasta to pan to toss with sauce. You may need to add a little butter or oil if it has reduced too much. Serve fish and pasta together, topped with parsley and parmesan cheese to taste.
Can you say divine? I can because it was. I felt like I was riding on clouds while I ate it. I am so happy I was able to figure this one out. Now I just need to figure out their creamy chicken soup.