easy weeknight dinners

25Jul

Chicken Soup with Orzo [In the Kitchen]

Gazpacho isn’t the only summer soup. I like a chicken soup, pretty much any time of the year. It’s hearty enough to fill you up, but the broth gives it a light feel. When you serve it with a biscuit, and possibly a local honey or jam…it’s so very summery. I make a very simple chicken soup and this time I tried to change it up a bit by adding orzo. Orzo is a pasta that masquerades as rice. It soaks up the savory liquid, but isn’t as cumbersome as your typical noodle. I’m a fan!

This recipe has a case of ‘no specific measurements.’ Here’s how it all goes down. I buy a roasted chicken at Costco (or the local market.) I roughly chop the meat after it’s been taken off the bone. Take what’s left and through it in a big pot. Add water to cover it. Boil it for a little as an hour or as long as 4. See, NO specifics! But, the beauty of it is…you can’t mess it up! I don’t add any flavoring or vegetables. The seasoned skin is enough. I strain the broth into another bowl and set it aside. Using the same pot, I chop whatever vegetables happen to be lingering in the fridge. In this case, I used 1/2 an onion, a few celery stalks and a handful of baby carrots. Add a little bit of olive oil to the pot and saute the vegetables. Add the broth and chopped chicken back into the pot. You may not need all the broth, depending on how much chicken and vegetables you are using. Simmer the soup until 10 minutes before you are ready to serve and then add a handful of orzo. Again, the amount is going to depend on: A) how much of the soup you made B) how much you love orzo and C) how much leftover orzo you have in your pantry. In the 10 minutes it takes the orzo to cook, you can pop some biscuits in the oven, because this soup shouldn’t be served without them!

Date 07/25/2012
Category In the Kitchen
Tag chicken noodle soup chicken soup chicken soup with orzo easy weeknight dinners orzo in soup
Comments Leave a Comment!

23May

Tyler Florence’s Angel Hair Pasta with Chile, Lemon & Arugula [In the Kitchen]

As an update to the mini-sessions I posted yesterday…I have filled all of Saturday’s time slots, so I opened Friday morning, June 8. If you’d like to book a time, please email or call. I have a feeling these are going to go fast! info@kristineldridge.com 562-980-6480

In other news…PASTA! It cures most that’s wrong in the world. But, don’t most carbs do that? I listen to the Joy the Baker podcast while I’m editing sometimes and they recently talked about a big hullabaloo where Tracy made Tyler Florence‘s Angel Hair Pasta with Chile, Lemon & Arugula. She tweeted him about it, didn’t hear back and long story short he was on the podcast last week talking about this recipe, his books and lots of other random stuff. After hearing about the ingredients over and over, I had to try it. Let me just say, wow. We had it for dinner (even the kids ate it!), then I had it for lunch and breakfast this morning. A 10:30 breakfast because I missed real breakfast, but still. I loved it.

There’s a wonderful lightness to the dish, along with the contrast of peppery arugula, hot chile and tart lemon. I think it hits every craving!

The recipe is found on Tracy’s blog. And I’ll copy and paste it here as well.

1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, silvered
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
grated zest & juice of 1 lemon
1 pound angel hair pasta
6 cups lightly packed baby or wild arugula
freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving

In a skillet, combine the panko with 2 tablespoons of the oil and toss to combine. Toast over medium heat, stirring, until the bread crumbs are golden brown, about 10 minutes. season with salt and pepper, then transfer to a small bowl.

In the same skillet, heat the remaining 6 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 10 to 12 minutes to infuse the oil and gently cook the garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the lemon zest and remove from the heat.

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until al dente. Drain the pasta well, and transfer to a large bowl. Immediately add the arugula, the infused oil with the garlic, and the bread crumbs. Use tongs to gently toss everything together. Mound the pasta on a large platter, squeeze lemon juice on top and serve, topping with grated Parmesan as desired.

Date 05/23/2012
Category In the Kitchen
Tag Angel Hair Pasta w/ Arugula & Lemon arugula recipes easy weeknight dinners how to make a light pasta pasta recipes
Comments 1 Comment

04Apr

Stir Fried Szechuan Steak [In the Kitchen]

It’s no surprise that I love easy. When you are in the middle of a busy week, you don’t want to mess around with 10 step recipes or hunt down complicated ingredients. You want to put dinner on the table in about 15 minutes without setting off the smoke alarm. Oh, you don’t set off a smoke alarm? Moving on.

Flank steak is one of those humble cuts of meat that can really shine when it’s properly prepared. I don’t normally show photograph meat in its raw state. Because, eewww. BUT, it’s so important to cut flank steak diagonal to the grain. So, lay it out on your cutting board and look at the direction of the lines. Take your knife (love this one by J. A. Henckels) and put it perpendicular to those lines. Now start cutting in 1″ strips. A few pantry staples later and you’ve got a marinade. The original recipe does not call to marinate, but marinating never hurt anyone, so I let it sit for about an hour.

Veggies are a good addition to any meal, especially when they’re mixed into the dish, like this stir fry. The crunch of peanuts and kick of cilantro fancy things up a bit.

We like brown rice, so I made a pot while I was prepping the meal. It takes 30 minutes, so you have to plan ahead. The quick and easy minute rice can be made as you are setting the table.

1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
2 cups fresh sugar snap peas, trimmed (about 8 ounces)- you can buy these at Trader Joe’s in a bag
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts

Preparation

Cut steak diagonally across grain into 1-inch-thick slices. Combine steak, garlic, and pepper in a bowl; toss well to coat. Combine soy sauce, cornstarch, and sugar in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sugar snap peas to pan, and stir-fry 1 minute. Add meat mixture to pan, and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add soy sauce mixture to pan; stir-fry 1 minute or until sauce is slightly thick. Place about 1/2 cup rice on each of 4 plates; top each serving with about 1 1/4 cups steak mixture. Sprinkle each serving evenly with 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro and 2 1/4 teaspoons chopped peanuts. Serve with rice

Date 04/04/2012
Category In the Kitchen
Tag beef szechuan easy dinners easy weeknight dinners stir fry recipes stir fry szechuan steak
Comments 1 Comment

14Feb

Creamy Enchiladas: Easy Weeknight Dinner [In the Kitchen]

Sometimes a dish can go awry when the spice is just a little too much to handle. In the past, I’ve found that with enchiladas. They’ve never been a fan favorite at my house due to the ‘spicy’ complaints. In an effort to bring them into our rotation of easy-dinners, I decided to make a creamy version of the original.

Trader Joe’s enchilada saucy mixed with a container of light sour cream does the trick! Whisking the two together gets rid of all the lumps.

If you have cooked chicken on hand, dice it up. I had chicken tenderloins in my freezer, so I gave them a generous sprinkle of cumin, chili powder and garlic salt along with a drizzle of olive oil. After they baked in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, I let them cool and then chopped them up.

For a bit more flavor I chopped about a half an onion, sauteed and added that to the chicken.

I only had sharp cheddar on hand, but any kind of cheddar or monterey jack would work. To the inside of each tortilla (I had flour on hand, but corn would work great too.), I rolled up a tablespoon of diced chicken/onions, shredded cheese and a bit of the creamy sauce.

When my 9×9 pan was tightly packed with tortilla rolls, I added more sauce the topped with cheese. And into a 350 degree oven it goes (for 20-25 minutes)!