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quickie dinners

Quickie Dinner Series: Sauteed Italian Mahi Mahi with Pesto Zoodles

By • September 29, 2017 • About, All Things Food, Meal planning, Recipes

I’ve been loving creating new recipes out of the giant bag of frozen mahi mahi I bought at Costco. Each piece is individually wrapped, so I only need to remember to take it out of the freezer, a feat in itself, and defrost it in the fridge the night before. This recipe has become a part of our weekly dinner rotation. It’s quick, full of lean protein, healthy fat and veggies.

Print

Sauteed Italian Mahi Mahi with Pesto Zoodles

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 4 Mahi Mahi filets, or similar fish
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste
  • 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
  • 3 cups Zoodles-zucchini noodles
  • 1 tbsp Minced Garlic or 2 cloves, minced
  • 1/2 tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 2 tbsp Pesto - store-bought or homemade
  • 1/2 dozen Cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 1/2 cup Greens-spinach, kale, chard-sliced thin

Instructions

  1. Take out fish filets and pat them dry.

  2. Sprinkle both sides of filets with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.

  3. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

  4. Sear filets for 3-4 minutes on each side and then cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove filets to a plate.

  5. To the same skillet, add the 1 tbsp. garlic and heat until fragrant, 30 seconds or so.

  6. Add the zoodles, cherry tomatoes, spinach, lemon juice and pesto to the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes until just heated through. 

  7. Place 3/4 cups of zoodles and veggies on each plate and top with fish filet. 

Recipe Notes

  • Feel free to sub pasta for the zoodles, but this will add to the cooking time.
  • Be careful not to overcook the zoodles. They taste much better when they're still al dente and not a large mush.
  • It's optional, but the dish tastes even better when topped with a lemon slice and an extra dollop of pesto.

This dish is healthy, but the pesto makes it taste creamy and indulgent. Store-bought pesto is awesome, but I like to use this recipe and freeze it in ice cube trays for later. When I need it, I can just take it out and use it in dishes like this one. Don’t worry if you have to improvise the ingredients. Last night I ran out of pine nuts and realized I had no parmesan. I used some pistachios and shredded some sharp cheddar cheese, and no one could taste the difference. Score!

Happy eating!

♥ Erin

 

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Quickie Dinner Series: Twenty Minute Shrimp Scampi

By • September 20, 2017 • About, All Things Food, Meal planning, Recipes

This quickie is so easy, and requires almost zero prep and cleanup. Divide the butter, slice up the lemon, remove the shrimp from the freezer, and you’re good to go. You can serve the shrimp over anything you want, but I prefer angel hair pasta or zucchini noodles because they’re both ready to eat in five minutes or less. Each foil pack serves two. You can prepare a bunch of them, fold them up and then keep them in the freezer for up to two months. Go grab some foil and start cooking!

Print

20 Minute Shrimp Scampi

Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1 pound frozen uncooked large peeled and cleaned shrimp (21 to 25 count)
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter divided into 4 pieces
  • 1 lemon sliced
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic divided
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/3 cup dry white wine
  • 1 pound dry angel hair pasta or 3 cups zucchini noodles
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves optional
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more as needed

Instructions

To Prepare the Shrimp Packets:

  1. Preheat the oven to 475°F.
  2. Tear 4 (16-inch-long) sheets of aluminum foil. Stack the first two sheets on top of each other, and do the same with the other two sheets. Divide the frozen shrimp evenly into the two foil packs, leaving space on the sides and the top.
  3. Place 2 pieces of butter on top of each pile of shrimp. Divide the lemon slices and garlic over the two packs, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fold over the sides of the foil and then the top and bottom to completely cover the shrimp.
  4. Place the packets seam-side up and side-by-side on a rimmed baking sheet. Open up them up just enough to pour in the divided 1/3 cup of white wine and then close them again.
  5. Cook shrimp for 20 minutes, or until they are completely cooked through.

To Prepare the Angel Hair or Zucchini Noodles:

  1. To cook angel hair: Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 2 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
  2. To cook zucchini noodles: Place a large skillet over medium heat and drizzle with 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Add the 3 cups of zucchini noodles and cook for around 3 minutes or until heated through.
  3. Carefully open the shrimp packets, and add the entire contents to the pasta or zucchini. Add 1/2 cup of the pasta water (if applicable), parsley, and 1 teaspoon of salt; season with pepper; and toss until combined.

To Freeze For Later:

  1. Complete the first two recipe steps, leaving out the white wine drizzle until you're ready to cook.
  2. Stack the packets on top of each other and slide them into a gallon freezer bag. Remove all air from the bag and seal. Freeze for up to 2 months.
  3. When ready to cook, complete remaining steps above.

Recipe Notes

Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Recipe adapted from thekitchn.com.

Check back later this week for more quick, tasty dinner recipes! Happy eating!

♥ Erin

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Quickie Dinner Series-Vegan Bolognese Over Greens and Beans

By • September 13, 2017 • All Things Food, Meal planning, Recipes

Who doesn’t love a quickie? These days I don’t have the time, or the energy, for much else. Sorry, husband. Seriously though, quick dinners (I’m talking fifteen minutes or less!) are the way to go.

This dish has it all:

Meatless Monday idea- √ 

Full of Protein- √

Full of Fiber- √

Full of Vitamins- √

Kid-Friendly-If your kids don’t dig zucchini, just swap it for whole wheat pasta- √

 

Print

Vegan Bolognese Over Greens and Beans

Prep Time 10 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1 jar of your favorite tomato sauce
  • 1 cup chopped fresh or frozen veggies-carrots, onion, celery, green beans optional, but adds to the healthy factor
  • 1 bag Beyond Beef meat-free crumbles can sub for 1 lb. ground meat of your choice
  • 1 tsp. olive oil
  • 1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup garbanzo beans
  • 1 tsp. of your favorite seasoning-smoked paprika, garlic powder,turmeric, etc.
  • 2 cups spinach
  • 2 cups zucchini noodles can sub any pasta here
  • 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Add the jarred sauce, the chopped veggies and the vegan "meat" crumbles to a small saucepan and cook over medium heat for five minutes. 

  2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 tsp. of olive oil over medium heat.

  3. Add 1/2 a tbsp. of minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

  4.  Next, add the 1/2 cup of chickpeas and sprinkle with 1 tsp. of your favorite seasoning. I like smoked paprika. Cook for 1-2 minutes. 

  5. Add the zucchini noodles to the mixture, sprinkle with 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice and salt and pepper and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.

  6. Divide the zucchini noodle mixture into bowls, top with the bolognese sauce and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

  • To speed up cook time, you can place all of the sauce ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl, (I use these glass containers.) in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, depending on your microwave.
  • You can always add pasta noodles or ground meat to this recipe. but it will, of course, add to the cook time.  You can brown the meat in a separate skillet, and then add the chopped veggies and jarred sauce to that instead of cooking them separately. If you're like me, the less dirty dishes the better!
  • The Beyond Meat meat-free crumbles are soy and gluten free and I buy mine at Kroger.
  • The skillet I'm using in the pictures is awesome! Nothing sticks to it and it was pretty cheap. Check it out!

                                                        

 

This is a tasty, healthy dish that my whole family enjoys, so I hope yours will too! Stay tuned for more quick dinners to simplify your September! ♥

 

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