dinner Archives - domenica dreams of calamari

October 3, 2018

Green and Black Noodles with a “Cheese” Sauce

This was my first real foray into making a nut-based cheese sauce but I thought I’d give it a shot. Nutritional yeast is kinda weird but REALLY works, it’s crazy. Also I wanted to use up the rest of my squid ink pasta and also use zucchini noodles so I just went ahead and combined them here. You can definitely use one or the other but you gotta admit, it does look pretty cool with two colors of noodles.

{serves 2}

2 cup leftover squid ink noodles (optional)
2* cups zucchini noodles (zoodles, if you will) *[FOUR cups of zoodles if not using leftover squid ink pasta]
1 generous dash of everything but the bagel spice (trader joe’s)
8 oz crimini mushrooms sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp coconut aminos
1/2 cup each; cashews and almonds
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp sauerkraut juice (literally the juice in the sauerkraut jar)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp turmeric
1 dash himalayan salt

soak cashews and almonds in hot water for an hour
in a food processor blend nuts, and following 5 ingredients until smooth, add water if too dry
in a big skillet or wok heat the olive oil and add the everything bagel seasoning over medium heat, add mushrooms, cook for about 3 minutes with lid on
add zucchini noodles and coconut aminos and cook for an additional 5 minutes, you can do this in batches if it’s too much for your pan, stir occasionally
then add other noodles (already cooked), if using
spoon the sauce over the noodles and mushrooms and stir until combined
garnish with basil or chili flakes or both, done!

September 23, 2018September 23, 2018

Squid Ink Pasta with Scallops, Tomatoes and Basil

Last weekend I went camping in Joshua Tree. It was an amazing amazing experience but by the time I got home I was ready to leave my Lara Bar/Apple/Hummus meals behind me and make some nice pasta. I picked up this squid ink pasta from Trader Joe’s a while back and hadn’t had the chance to try it yet. I’ve always like squid ink pasta, it’s super popular in Southern Italian cuisine, especially when it’s a seafood pasta. I worked at the Fish Shop during the day so I brought home these beautiful scallops :). Maybe I’m biased but I think they’re the bessssst. These roasted tomatoes are also a new Trader Joe’s item that are bomb.com.

{serves 2}

6 BIG scallops
1 pack squid ink pasta
10 fresh cherry tomatoes
10 roasted dried tomatoes (in oil)
1 big handful fresh basil
3 tbsp (roughly) olive oil
1 pat butter
1 pinch nutmeg
a splash of white wine (optional)

boil water and cook pasta according to instructions
gently clean scallops with a wet paper towel
heat 1.5 tbsp olive oil and butter in a pan over low heat, allow the butter to start to brown, add nutmeg
add scallops gently (tongs are great for this)
let scallops cook on each side for about 2 minutes then flip them, they should be just starting to get some color on the bottom
when they start to stick to the pan add a splash of wine to deglaze the pan
when they are pure white and just starting to brown remove them from the pan, set them on a plate in the oven to keep warm
strain pasta then add it back to the pasta bowl, drizzle with remaining olive oil, halve tomatoes and add them to the pasta
serve pasta and top with three scallops each, drizzle with sauce from the scallop pan
slice basil and use it to garnish, parmesan and red pepper flakes optional!

August 5, 2018

Healthy Summer Grain Bowl

It’s been sooo hot (or at least soo hot for us coastal San Diegans) so I’ve been trying to come up with sneaky ways to avoid turning on the oven at all and still having protein/veggie rich meals. I love love love smoked fish but it can sometimes be pricy. This peppered rainbow trout from Trader Joe’s is the bomb and is also only $4 for a pack that has 4 servings. Thanks Trader Joe’s! Another shoutout to my dad’s friend, Tom, for supplying us with a steady source of avocados from his tree!

{serves 2}

2 servings of peppered rainbow trout or your favorite kind of smoked/cured fish
2 eggs
2 handfuls lettuce
1 cup bulgur (uncooked)
1 large tomato
1 small/medium avocado
5 slices cucumber
1 can garbanzo beans
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 splash red wine vin
salt/pepper
olive oil

soft boil eggs
cook bulgur according to package instructions
drain garbanzos and rinse, then move to a medium sized bowl and stir in dijon, red wine vin and salt and pepper to taste
halve and slice tomato and avocado, slice cucumbers
assemble bowls: a handful lettuce each, a spoonful of bulgur and garbanzos in each, distribute avo, tomato and cucumber evenly
peel eggs and place in each bowl and lastly don’t forget the fish!
dress with olive oil and more red wine vinegar

July 21, 2018

Smoky Portobello Risotto

I get very excited to got to Costco and see what’s new and this week they had… beautiful portobellos! I love love love mushrooms so it was an exciting find. We saw a recipe for a smoky mushroom risotto and loosely based this off of it, tweaking it with what we had. We added these mini peppers for a little flavor contrast and color.

{serves 4}

1 1/2 cups arborio rice
2 shallots
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp olive oil
1 pat butter
3 small portobellos
1/2 cup sweet mini peppers (optional)
pinch smoked sea salt
pinch black pepper
3 cups low sodium bone broth (or chicken broth)
1/2 tbsp coconut aminos

to garnish:

basil
red pepper flakes
parmesan

heat butter and 1 tsp olive oil over low heat, slice shallots thinly and cook them slowly to caramelize them
in a big pot over medium heat, heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil and coat the uncooked rice in the oil to lightly toast it
add one cup of broth stirring continuously
add additional cups as the liquid gets absorbed
cook risotto for 40 minutes, stirring often
meanwhile season mushrooms with a drizzle of olive oil, a drizzle of coconut aminos and a bit of smoked sea salt
grill (or bake on a sheet) them until well done, dice them once they cool
when the risotto is done, season to taste with smoked salt and pepper
add the sweet mini peppers and mushrooms
garnish with sliced basil, parmesan and red pepper flakes

May 11, 2018May 11, 2018

Smoked Yellowtail, Baked White Bean and Roasted Tomato Salad

For anyone who thinks salads can’t be exciting dinners, I have to disagree. We’ve been focussing on dinner salads for the past couple of weeks. It’s quick, versatile, cheap and easy. This one was especially notable. We picked up some smoked yellowtail at Seaside Market and I kind of based the dinner around that. I used to bake beans like this in college all the time. I lived with three girls who all loved to cook and had similar tastes and this was one of our favorite drunk snacks. We’d all end up back in the living room after a night on the town and I’d inevitably toss together some white beans (cannellini beans) and nuts with some mustard, tahini and vinegar mixture and throw them in the oven- side note, I’m kind of known for my strange drunk snacks. Anyways don’t knock it ’til you try it, it sounds kind of funky but it’s quite good. Also roasted tomatoes are never a bad idea and of course I have unending fondness for soft boiled eggs <3

{serves 2}

1 can cannellini beans
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 lemon
Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel Seasoning
a drizzle olive oil
1 tbsp tahini
2 rosemary sprigs, stemmed and chopped
2 thyme sprigs, stemmed
2 eggs
14 cherry tomatoes
8 oz smoked fish
pita chips (optional)
avocado ! (optional)
3 handfuls mixed greens
1 bell pepper

pre-heat oven to 350ºF
soft boil eggs; boil a small pot of water then turn it down to a simmer, add the eggs gently and cook for 6-7 minutes then remove w/ a slotted spoon and put in an ice bath for a few minutes –or hard boil them if that’s more your speed
drain beans and transfer to a medium sized bowl; add tahini, mustard, balsamic, lemon juice, herbs and Everything But the Bagel Seasoning
line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread beans on one half, then toss tomatoes in same bowl, drizzle with a little olive oil
spread them on the other half of the baking sheet
bake for about 30 minutes, checking and turning every so often after the first 15 minutes
rinse greens and chop, divide between two bowls
chop bell pepper and add that on top; slice fish and throw that in
let the beans and tomatoes cool slightly when finished them add them to the party and lastly top with the egg and avo! great with a vinaigrette and maybe a glass of crisp rose

February 17, 2018

Mean Green Pasta, with Goat Cheese!

I didn’t want to go to the store yesterday so I whipped up this pasta with all stuff we had in the fridge/freezer/pantry. I like this frozen Kale/Spinach mix from Costco, it’s great for smoothies and cooking! Soft goat cheese is a great base for sauces. It’s melts down so easily and pairs well with just about anything.

{serves 3-4}

1 box Banza penne (or pasta of your choice)
3 oz goat cheese
3 garlic cloves
1/4 white onion
5 cups frozen greens
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp mustard seeds
10 green beans
1/4 cup pistachios
olive oil
parmesan and red pepper flakes for garnish

mince garlic and chop onion, heat oven to 350º F
heat olive oil in a large skillet or wok and add garlic, onion and mustard seeds
when the onion has turned opaque add the greens, you can use any frozen greens you’d like, squeeze in lemon juice
meanwhile bring salted water to a boil for pasta (according to box instructions)
when greens are heated add goat cheese and stir until it’s well incorporated
cook pasta, toast pistachios for 5-7 minutes or until smelling toasty
once the goat cheese is melted and stirred in, turn off heat and cover the sauce
chop green beans removing ends, chop pistachios roughly and set aside
serve green sauce over pasta, top with green beans, pistachios, red pepper flakes and parmesan

February 17, 2018

Kale Salad with Chicken, Avocado and Mustard Vinaigrette

Kale salads can be really good or not good at all. The secret is massaging the kale and adding enough acidity and liquids so that the leaves relax a bit and it’s not just like, well, chewing on leaves.

{serves 2 or 1 hungry person}

1 bunch lacinto kale
1 handful dried cranberries
1 handful pepitas
juice of 1 orange
8 oz cooked chicken (I used some we’d bbq’ed last night but this is pretty much up to you)
generous dash of ‘Everything but the Bagel Seasoning’ (Trader Joe’s)- if you don’t know now you know- I put this stuff on everything
heaping spoonful capers
1/2 avocado
2 soft boiled eggs
truffle pecorino- or plain pecorino

vinaigrette:

1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 tbsp caper juice
a generous splash (or even a glug) of red wine vin

cut kale along stems so you get a flap on either side, then slice it into small strips
put prepped kale in a big bowl then squeeze the orange juice into the bowl and massage the kale, like I mentioned the acid from the orange juice helps break down the sometimes tough kale leaves so this is the most important step! Give it a nice massage
bring water to a boil in a small sauce pan, bring it down to a simmer and gently slip your eggs into the water, leave simmering for 5-8 minutes (5 for a very runny yolk), then transfer to an ice bath (I suggest using a slotted spoon)
in a small jar, bowl, or if you’re conveniently at the end of your mustard container, add dijon, caper juice and red wine vinegar and shake or stir until incorporated
pour this vinaigrette over the kale situation and use tongs to toss
then add pepitas, dried cranberries and Everything but the Bagel Seasoning and toss once again
let sit in the fridge to marinate; meanwhile peel eggs, slice chicken, avocado and pecorino
when ready to eat assemble all these components on top of the kale and you’ve got yourself a kale salad!

April 10, 2017

Spring Orzo w/ Pesto, Favas and Asparagus

We planted fava beans in the beginning of the year and with our all of the rain we got they’ve taken off and grown over my head! They are super beautiful plants and these favas are so incredibly green, I just keep marveling at them. They are also available in lots of grocery stores and farmers markets now if you don’t happen to have a forrest of them in your front yard. This is a light pasta dish that we created to focus on the spring flavors.

{serves 4}

1 pack (1 lb) whole grain orzo (or reg. orzo)
8 cups chicken broth (or a mix of water and broth)
1 1/2 cups fava beans (pods removed, with outer bean layer still on)
2 tbsp heavy cream (optional)
2 tbsp julienned mint
asparagus tips (remaining from pesto)
more asiago for serving

for the pesto:

1/4 cup mint
juice of 1 1/2 lemons and zest of 1 lemon
1 lg garlic clove
1/2 cup pistachios
5 fat asparagus spears (cut off tips)
2 tbsp grated asiago
tbsp olive oil

cook the orzo according to package instructions
meanwhile remove fava beans from pods and boil for 30 seconds then move to an ice bath, let sit for 2 minutes then remove with a strainer and use your fingernails or a knife to peel outer layer off, use the same water to blanch asparagus for 1 minute, transfer them to an ice bath as well
blend all pesto ingredients together in a food processor
when the orzo is pretty cooled off stir the cream (if using) and pesto in
serve and garnish with asparagus tips, fava beans, mint and more cheese!

February 6, 2017February 6, 2017

Decadence of the Halibut

My uncle went on a fishing trip last summer and now he’s trying to get rid of all his fish. I guess he’s had enough. But we’re not complaining, my mom saw him a couple of days ago and he gave us some halibut, black cod AND salmon. Very exciting. We decided to go with halibut tonight but wanted to do something special with it so we gave it the fancy treatment that we usually do with scallops.

{serves 3}

1 lb halibut
1/4 capers
1 pat butter
1 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1 meyer lemon
parsley (as garnish)
splash of white wine

pre-heat oven to 400º F
in an oven-safe skillet, over medium heat, heat the butter and olive oil, then add capers to fry up a bit
push the capers to the side of the pan and place the halibut in the pan over medium low heat, cook for 3 minutes before flipping
pour a splash of white wine in the pan and cover with lid
remove lid and squeeze juice of 1/2 of meyer lemon into the pan
then move to the oven and bake for 7 minutes (w/ lid on)
then squeeze the rest of the lemon juice in, plate w/ butter and capers on top and garnish with parsley and enjoy with a nice white wine

January 5, 2017January 5, 2017

Creamy Goat Cheese Mushroom Sauce over Spaghetti Squash

I was always kind of wary of the whole spaghetti squash as a replacement for pasta thing but once you get over the fact that it’s not going to taste like pasta you start to appreciate how much lighter a vehicle it is. Another little trick that I’ve grown to love is using a tad bit of goat cheese to make a creamy sauce without the heaviness of cream or sour cream. Goat cheese also goes great with mushrooms and spinach and these things all cook quickly so this sauce comes together very easily. The only thing that is time consuming is baking the squash but if you throw it in the oven while you’re doing other things, it’ll just heat up the house and make it smell good to boot. Another cool thing about this recipe is everything is very cheap; mushrooms, onions, squash and spinach (especially when you buy it at costco).

1 spaghetti squash
1/2 cup broth (turkey, chicken or veggie)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pat butter
2 or 3 oz goat cheese
16 cremini mushrooms
1/2 onion white
2 garlic cloves
3 handfuls spinach
zest of one meyer lemon
juice of 1/2 of a meyer lemon
a dot of truffle oil (optional)
red pepper flakes (optional)
parmesan cheese (optional)

{serves 5}

pre-heat oven to 350º F
bake spaghetti squash whole on a lined baking sheet for 1 hour and 15 minutes
dice onion and mince garlic
heat oil and butter in a wok or large skillet
clean mushrooms and quarter them
add the garlic and onions to the skillet over medium low heat and let cook for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally
then add mushrooms and continue sautéing until they are cooked through (4 or 5 minutes), zest the lemon into the pan then squeeze the juice of half of it in
cut or crumble the goat cheese into a couple of pieces and add to the pan and stir in until melted
when the squash is finished, let cool and cut in half lengthwise, then discard seeds and scoop out the flesh with a fork
move the spaghetti squash “spaghetti” into a heat safe container and pour the broth over and keep covered in the oven
slice spinach roughly, move the mushroom-goat cheese mixture to one side of the pan and add the spinach on the other side to steam
then incorporate the spinach into the rest of the stuff and serve over the spaghetti squash, top with grated parmesan and red pepper flakes and enjoy!