Cooking in Pajamas

If you are desiring a light, but filling and nutitious supper, this is the dish for you.  I am always looking for suppers high in fiber, and this one fits the bill with a combination of beans and fresh spinach.  Served with grilled sourdough or garlic bread to sop up the yummy sauce.

Seared Scallops with Sauteed Spinach and Tuscan Beans

2 T. olive oil, divided
1 ½ # sea scallops
1 c. chopped onion
⅛ tsp. crushed red pepper, or more to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ c. dry white wine
1 c. chicken broth
1 (19oz.) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
10 oz. fresh baby spinach
2 T. chopped fresh basil
kosher salt

Heat 1 T. oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Sprinkle scallops evenly with salt. Add scallops to pan, cook on 2-3 minutes per side, or until done. Remove scallops from pan and keep warm.

Add remaining 1 T. oil and onion to the pan. Saute 5 minutes. Add pepper and garlic, cook one more minute, stirring constantly. Stir in wine, cook 1 minute or until most of the liquid evaporates. Stir in broth and beans. Cook 2 minutes. Add spinach, cook until spinach wilts. Remove from heat and stir in basil. Serve with the scallops.

I think my family is finally beginning to look forward to our "Meatless Monday" meals.  I have managed to stretch our meatless meals to 3 dinners a week, which a goal of getting it to 5 days a week by the end of summer.  It is always a challenge for me to find dishes that are filling and delicious.   I still have emergency chicken breasts in the freezer, just in case......

Farfalle with Zucchini and White Beans was a wonderful dinner.  It was absolutely delicious, and the combination of pasta, veggies, legumes and cheese is definitely filling.  I even served some roasted broccoli with a sesame-lemon sauce as a simple side dish.  No one left the table hungry, and there was even a small portion of the farfalle leftover for lunch tomorrow.

Farfalle with Zucchini and White Beans

(courtesy of Health.com)

Ingredients:

6 ounces uncooked farfalle (bow tie pasta)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 small zucchini (about 6 ounces), cut diagonally into 1/4-inch slices then stacked and cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 small orange bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch cubes

1/2 cup canned small white beans, rinsed and drained

24 small curls Parmesan cheese removed with a vegetable peeler (1 1/2 ounces)

Preparation:

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain, and set aside.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in zucchini, salt, and pepper; cook until the zucchini begins to soften (2-3 minutes), stirring frequently. Stir in the bell pepper and beans; cook until bell pepper is softened (about 2 minutes), stirring frequently.

3. Add pasta to skillet; cook until heated through (about 2 minutes), stirring constantly. Transfer the pasta to bowls; top with Parmesan curls. Serve immediately.

It's going to take longer for me to write this blog, than it took for me to make this appetizer.  This recipe comes from Rebecca Lang, author of "Mary Mac's Tea Room" and "Atlanta Cooks At Home".

I attended the Atlanta's Table Presents: Ladies of Les Dames cooking class this week at the Cook's Warehouse in Midtown, sponsored by Simple Abundance.  Simple Abundance Cooking Classes allow participants to interact with master chefs, and learn and sample recipes, while helping to raise money for Atlanta's Table.  Atlanta's Table is a project of the Atlanta Community Food Bank, and 100% of the proceeds provides food to approximately 30 hunger relief agencies in Atlanta.  On average, Atlanta's Table provides a total of over 40,000 pounds of unused prepared food and products, to Atlanta's hungry each month.  Les Dames d'Escoffier is a world wide philanthropic society of professional women leaders in the fields of food, fine beverages and hospitality.   The powerhouse lineup of chefs included cookbook authors, chefs, and cooking show hosts.  During the next few weeks, I will be posting many of the awesome recipes from this incredible evening.  Not only did I walk away with amazing recipes, we got to taste 3 different kinds of wine (wine info. will be listed at the bottom of the blog for anyone interested), and we got to hear the most amazing stories, including several hysterical, personal stories about Julia Child!  Some of these ladies worked with Julia Child!!!!  OMG!!!!

Okay...enough chatter.  Here is Rebecca's recipe.  She also has a blog, which you can find a link for here.

Great Northern Bean Crostini with Chevre

1 bag of ready made crostini (Rebecca's recipe calls for making your own crostini, but it is a huge time saver to pick up a bag already made)

1/4 c. sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and oil reserved

1 15.8 oz. can Great northern beans, rinsed and drained

1 T. chopped rosemary

kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

10.5 oz. package goat cheese, crumbled

fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped for garnish

Finely chop sundried tomatoes.  Combine tomatoes, reserved oil, beans and rosemary in a medium saucepan over low heat.  Cook 2 - 3 minutes until warmed through, stirring gently.  Add salt and pepper and remove from heat.

Top each crostini slice with 1 tsp. of bean mixture.  Sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese and chopped parsley.  Makes 30.

Wine Tastings (all are French wines):

Joseph Drouhin Saint-Veran 2007 Burgundy

Chateau de Campuget Rose 2008 (Grenache Noir 30%, Syrah 70%)

Domaine de la Perriere Sancerre 2007 Sauvignon Blanc