Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Zucchini Carrot Bread

I had never baked a sweet recipe with a vegetable before. I've never made zucchini bread or carrot cake, or whatever other recipes rely on vegetables as opposed to the sweetness of fruits.

I was skeptical about how this bread was going to turn out. I mean, I know what carrots taste like and I know what zucchinis taste like, but in a quick bread? I just had no idea what I was getting myself into.

And really, what I was getting myself into was delicious. With this loaf sitting in my kitchen, I had a hard time not picking at it when I was walking through the kitchen. It lasted through about 3 days of breakfasts before it was no more.
This is definitely not a recipe I would throw away. I will make this again and again.

Zucchini Carrot Bread

Ingredients
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup sugar
6 tbsp egg substitute
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup shredded zucchini
1/4 cup shredded carrot
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
pinch cardamom
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup chopped pecans (or other nut - or just leave it out)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a loaf pan by spraying it with Pam.

2. Beat the egg substitute until frothy. Combine the oil and sugar with the egg substitute and mix well. Mix in the vanilla, zucchini, and carrots, and then set aside.

3. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Slowly add the zucchini mixture until blended. Fold in the nuts.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spoon. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

* makes 1 loaf - 8 slices per loaf
* 326 calories per slice

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi

I'm kind of half-considering moving to Wordpress, because I think I like the layout and functionality more than Blogger. By my next entry I'll know for sure what I'm going to do about that.

It's been awhile since I've posted, but I still have been cooking most every night. With homework though, it's hard to find the time to post on here. I'm seriously like 2 weeks behind in sharing what I've cooked. But as this journal is called "The Law Student's Cookbook", it does have to be expected that I don't have all the free time in the world to be posting on here. I guess it's a surprise in itself that I actually do cook almost every night.

This meal was super easy and was also the first time I've tried orzo. I really enjoyed it and will be trying different orzo recipes in the future!

This entry will be submitted to Presto Pasta, hosted this week by The Life & Loves of Grumpy's Honey Bunch!

Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients
1/2 cup uncooked orzo
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1/4 tsp kosher salt
3 1/2 tsp Brummel&Brown
3/4 lb peeled and deveined shrimp
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp black pepper

Directions
1. Cook orzo according to the packaging. Drain and place in a medium bowl. Stir in parsley and 1/8 tsp salt. Cover and set aside.

2. Melt 1 tbsp Brummel&Brown in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the shrimp with remaining salt. Add the shrimp to the pan and saute 2 minutes, or until almost done. Transfer the shrimp to a plate and set aside.

3. Melt the remaining Brummel&Brown in a pan. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in shrimp, lemon juice, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute or until shrimp are done. Serve the shrimp over the orzo.

CALORIES: 366

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Shepherd's Pie

I love potatoes. I could eat them all day and all night. When I was a little girl I used to get in trouble because of potatoes actually. At dinnertime, I'd just want potatoes, potatoes, and more potatoes. I would just want potatoes. I wouldn't eat anything else, because all I wanted was that starchy goodness.

My mom should have fed me shepherd's pie every night. While it isn't a substantial vegetable source, there at least is some vegetable in it and a protein source.

Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients
1 lb potatoes
1 tbsp Brummel&Brown
2 tbsp milk
1 1/2 onions
1/2 lb ground beef
5 oz frozen peas, thawed
5 oz frozen corn kernels
1/2 tbsp paprika
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1 pinch salt
1 pinch ground black pepper

Directions
1. Boil the potatoes until tender. Mash with milk and Brummel&Brown. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

2. Saute the onions with paprika. Add the ground beef and cook until browned.

3. In a sauce pan blanch the frozen vegetables for 5 minutes in boiling water. Drain.

4. Spread a thin layer of potatoes in a baking dish. Add half the peas and corn and top with potatoes.

5. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes, until golden brown.

* serves 4
* 252 calories per serving

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Beer Pork Chops with Mushrooms and Spicy Green Beans

How crazy is this? I make a post yesterday about how while I normally make chicken, pork chops were calling to me and then today I also post another pork dish.

This meal was absolutely delicious. While it may not photograph extraordinarily, I really wish there was a way to transfer flavors via the internet. The flavors of the beer, onions, mushroom, and pork melded together so well with the spicy taste of the green beans.

I served the meal with just a plain noodle. It was definitely good to do that, because there was lots of sauce going on that soaked up in the noodles.

Beer Pork Chops with Mushrooms

Ingredients
4 pork chops
1 10-oz can cream of mushroom soup with roasted garlic
1/2 cup beer of your choice
1 cup mushroom pieces
1 onion, finely chopped

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In a skillet brown the pork chops on both sides. Place in a baking dish.

3. Mix together the cream of mushroom soup and beer. Pour over the pork chops.

4. Arrange the mushrooms and onions over the pork chops.

5. Bake for 45 minutes.

* serves 4

CALORIES: 202 calories


Spicy Green Beans

Ingredients
4 slices bacon
1/2 onion, diced
1 tsp adobo sauce
1 lb fresh green beans
1 8-oz can petite diced tomatoes
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp lemon juice

Directions
1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat and cook until the bacon is crisp. Remove the bacon and place on paper towels to drain. In the bacon fat, add the onion and garlic, cooking until fragrant. Add the adobo sauce and tomatoes, cooking for 2 minutes. Stir in the green beans, water, honey, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover the pan, lowering heat to medium-low. Simmer until the green beans are tender, 30 to 40 minutes.

2. Crumble the bacon. Sprinkle the bacon pieces and lemon juice over the green beans.

* serves 4

CALORIES: 89 calories

Friday, September 30, 2011

Pork Chops with Mushroom Bourbon Cream Sauce and Mushroom Pasta Salad

My meat of choice is usually chicken. Ever since I was a little girl, chicken has been my go-to. I went to New York once with my mom when I was in high school and for the week I was there, every meal I had was chicken.

I have very little variation in my diet, clearly.

But I made a change with this dinner! I actually really like pork chops, but for some reason I just don't make them very often. I don't really have a reason for my lack of pork in my diet, except that I just am drawn to chicken most of the time.

This dinner was such a success though that I think I need to change things up!

The biggest success of the dinner wasn't the pork itself actually. It was the fact that the breading on the pork was the best breading I've ever had on a piece of meat that I cooked. It didn't flake off, it didn't stick to the pan, it didn't leave spots of exposed meat.. It just worked.

The pasta salad was a nice accompaniment (though it seems to be upstaging the pork in the picture).

Pork Chops with Mushroom Whiskey Cream Sauce

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb sliced mushrooms
2 tbsp chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup white cooking wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp Jameson Irish Whiskey
Salt and pepper to taste
1 egg
2 tbsp water
2 pork chops
all-purpose flour
2 cups bread crumbs
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

Directions

1. Saute onions, garlic, and mushrooms in 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet until the mushrooms are browned, about 15 minutes.

2. Increase the heat to high and add the white wine. Boil for about 4 minutes, until the liquid creates a glaze. Add the chicken broth and whiskey. Boil and reduce by 2/3. Add the cream and simmer, allowing the sauce to thicken.

3. Whisk the egg and water together in a shallow dish. Sprinkle both sides of the pork chops with salt and pepper. Dip the pork in the flour, the egg mixture, and then the bread crumbs. Make sure the pork is thoroughly coated in bread crumbs.

4. Heat the 1 1/2 tbsp oil in a skillet. Add the pork chops and cook for about 4 minutes on each side, until brown. Place the pork chops in a preheated oven set at 400 for 8 minutes.

5. Serve the pork chops with the sauce on top.

* serves 2

CALORIES: 518 calories


Mushroom Pasta Salad

Ingredients
4 oz dry pasta
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup snow peas, chopped
1/4 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 yellow bell pepper, chopped

Directions
1. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. Rinse in cold water and drain.

2. In a large bowl mix the vegetable oil, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, oregano, thyme, and mushrooms. Add snow peas, peppers, and pasta. Mix to make sure everything is covered in the flavors evenly.

3. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

* serves 3

CALORIES: 100 calories