Parsley Pesto

I've been meaning to share this recipe for a while. While browsing through my inbox, I subscribe to a million food newsletters, I came across a fantastic looking dish. Martha Stewart's  Lamb Chops with Parsley Pesto immediately caught my eye. We love mini lamb chops and the contrast of the bright green parsley pesto on top just made my mouth salivate. Apparently, parsley pesto is something Ms. Stewart is quite fond of. She seems to use this as a main ingredient in tons of recipes. I'll also show you how I continued to use the pesto in different ways.

Let's start with the main dish:

I followed Martha's recipe and served up mini lamb chops and parsley pesto. It was accompanied with Matt's favorite side starch, onions and potatoes, and sauteed green beans. The parsley pesto topped the chops and was actually very simple to make. It has such a fresh taste, I absolutely loved it. I couldn't wait to try it on more dishes.

The parsley pesto was easy to preserve. I keep almost every food container that even seems reusable. I just happened to have a small, glass Classico pesto jar that I saved a while back. I transferred the leftover pesto to the jar, topped it with olive oil, and stored it in the refrigerator.

Here are a few more ways to use it:

Breakfast Wrap

I wrapped eggs, cheese, and parsley pesto in a flour tortilla. 

Sandwich

I made a sandwich with Boar's Head Cajun Turkey, sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and parsley pesto.

Brunch

This is an original and a definite new favorite. 

I'm calling this Caprese Benedict! 

Toast, Pan Seared Ham, Poached Egg, Fresh Mozzarella, Sliced Tomatoes, Parsley Pesto, and Basil

Try changing things up by making a new accompaniment and using it with some of your favorite dishes!

Meatless......

So I've fallen a little behind in posts and I did not succeed in my last goal. :-(  I didn't follow the meal plan and I didn't post on every dinner that we made. I also skipped Meatless Monday two weeks in a row! I actually failed miserably at my blogging goals!

However, Meatless is back...and with vengeance! Thanks to some creative ideas from co-workers, Crystal and Meshia, I had Meatless Miércoles! ....(that's Wednesday for all you non Spanish speakers)

Well the day started off rough...to say the least. Breakfast was non existent so I started off with an early lunch and ate what was breakfast for a snack before my afternoon obligations.

Lunch 

Gourmet Grilled Cheese and Tomato Bisque

I used sourdough bread, creamy havarti, muenster, and pepper jack cheeses to make this gourmet grilled cheese. My sandwich was accompanied by a bowl of Select Harvest's Zesty Tomato Bisque and fresh chopped basil. It was delicious!

Snack

Shirred Eggs and Seedless Navel Orange

My shirred eggs were fantastic! This was a test recipe. In the office I'm working with select kitchen appliances; microwave, toaster oven, panini maker, and a toaster. I baked the eggs in the toaster oven with parmesan cheese and chives. OMG!...loved it! I also sliced up a seedless navel orange which really made me happy as well.

Dinner

Mushroom and Herb Risotto, Sautéed Zucchini

I've made risotto before....out of a box. This was my first time making it from scratch. Homemade risotto takes some tender love and care. It requires constant stirring and slowly adding liquid in small portions to get that perfect creamy texture. I added sautéed mushrooms, fresh sage, basil, oregano, chopped chives, and parmesan cheese. I was impressed and will definitely be making more in the future. I felt like I was lacking in my vegetable intake for the day so I also served up some sautéed zucchini. The fun thing about risotto is that you can add or top it with whatever you like to fancy it up. Matty's risotto was topped with a pan fried chicken breasts.

So I'm back in the game! Meatless meals have returned, I have a lot of new ideas for future dinners, and a few back logged things to post about! Look forward to some new great things.

Up next: Last week's Parsley Pesto Debut

Topped Filet Tuesday

Rachel Ray's Tenderloins were delicious!

You can find her recipe here...Tenderloin Steaks with Gorgonzola and Herbs and Roasted Garlic and Grape Tomato Pasta with Basil and Arugula

If you are trying this recipe at home I would suggest a few small changes. I caramelized the filets in the pan for 2 minutes, at least, on each side instead of Rachel Ray's suggested 90 seconds. I also left the oven on warm after putting the steaks in the oven instead of turning if off all together. This produced a nice Rare-Medium Rare steak. When making the pasta she also tells you to cook the noodles al dente or slightly firm because they will cook longer once you mix everything together. I did not find this to be true, they did not continue to cook later. I will leave the noodles cooking in the boiling water a little longer until they are to my desired firmness.

This dinner didn't even take that long to make. If you are a beginner then I would suggest doing some prep work before you start. I'm a kind of do it all at once, multi-tasker in the kitchen. I like having 10 different things going on around me at the same time. Pot on every eye, pan in the oven, sauces and such on the countertop. It makes me feel like I'm a chef in a big city restaurant on a busy Friday night.....just a dream.

I did really enjoy making this meal....and eating it!

Meatless Monday: Round 3

Self Evaluation: A-

 Italian always seems to be a comfortable, easy way to go with Meatless Monday meals. Most ingredients used in Italian dishes are very versatile and absolutely delicious, well to me at least. This week's meatless dishes definitely have an Italian theme to them. Enjoy!

Breakfast:

 One Egg, One Egg White, Pesto Omelet, and Cinnamon Toast

Omelets are easy for me to make at work with a limited kitchen. I used my pesto that I brought for my pizza to add some pizazz to my eggs.

Lunch:

Tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil Pizza

:

This is a favorite of mine, Meatless Monday or not. The original chef who designed this pizza is up for debate. However, it seems agreeable that a tomato, basil, mozzarella pizza was made in honor of Queen Margherita in 1889 on her visit to Naples. This pizza proudly displays all the colors of the Italian flag. 

Dinner:

 Eggplant Stack and Brocollini

I won't lie, I stole this idea from Real Housewives of Miami. I baked eggplant slices to a nice crisp. They were then stacked with fresh mozzarella, roma tomatoes, and fresh sliced basil. I then topped each stack with baby arugula and parmesan. On the side I served up so oven roasted broccoli raab. It was sooo delicious!

Tuna Sunday

Dinner was delicious!

Blackened Seared Tuna Steak (on sale at Harris Teeter), Sticky Sushi Rice, Fresh Express Double Carrot Salad with Makoto Ginger Dressing

My only complaint was I cooked the tuna a little longer that I prefer. I like a rare tuna steak, bright red throughout. This piece was definitely a little more on the medium side, but still absolutely delicious!

Looking forward to....

The goal for this week is to create a menu, stick to it, and have a daily short update from each evening's dinner. I wanted to give a sneak peek of what you can expect to see!

Sunday

 Blackened Seared Tuna, Sticky Rice, Salad with Ginger Dressing

Monday

 Eggplant Stack, Broccoli Raab, Salad

Tuesday

Filet Topped with Gorgonzola and Herb,

Garlic Tomato Pasta with Basil and Arugula

(Rachel Ray Recipe!) 

Wednesday

 Baked Italian Sausage Pasta, Salad

Thursday

P.F. Chang's Beef and Broccoli, Rice, Egg Rolls

Friday 

Baked Chicken Wings, New Potatoes, Broccoli and Cheese 

Saturday

If I stick to this menu for the entire week the reward is going out somewhere!

Meatless Monday: Round 2

So here we are, Tuesday afternoon. It's debriefing time for Meatless Monday: Round 2.

Well what can I say?

• I was pleased that I made homemade meatless meals and didn't wait until the last minute and buy pre-made "convenience" items.
• I still am finding myself with random weird meat cravings I never knew I had. 
•  I still want to step it up tremendously though in the weeks to come.

What did I eat this week?

Well I did get a little more creative with the meals, as promised. However, I am not completely satisfied. I want to really get into this and cook some awesome meatless meals. I did do a lot better than last week though.

Breakfast:

Tomato Basil Omelet and Cream Cheese Bagel.

SMILE! It's breakfast time!

I used one egg, one egg white, and fresh cut tomatoes and basil; felt good about that. On the side I served up a delicious everything smart bagel with light cream cheese

Lunch:

Small Spinach Salad and Spaghetti

I feel like I could have improved here. I loved my spinach salad, but I did go with plane ol' noodles (should have used whole wheat noodles!)and Ragu. Not very creative.

Dinner:

Mexican Pizza, Fiesta Rice, and Broccoli

A true Taco Bell knock off and it was delicious!

This ended up being a lot more food than I initially expected. Half of the pizza accompanied with a little rice and broccoli was plenty....made great leftovers for lunch today though!

P.S. I feel like I need to confess. I did cheat a little. While I was a Publix I ate a very small, two bite sample of beef strognaoff. ..... It was a sample and the lady was so cute that I couldn't say no.