Bay Scallops, Tomatoes and Asparagus with Quinoa and Brown Rice

Lately I’ve been experimenting with the Mediterranean diet. Being one who has dealt with high cholesterol my entire life, heart health has always been a focus of mine. I’m also looking to find more reasons to be in the kitchen nowadays, it’s very therapeutic for me, always has been. I enjoy the challenges that come along with trying new recipes. Learning about the Mediterranean diet and all its health benefits has been a fun journey so far. I’ve collected several recipes through websites, magazines, and even treated myself to a new book by Mediterranean diet guru Suzy Karadsheh. You can follow her amazing website at themediterraneandish.com.

After spending some time doing research on the proper ingredients and cooking methods, I found myself inspired to give it a go with my own recipe. I’ve always been a fan of grains, such as couscous, farro, quinoa, and brown rice. These grains, along with many more, are often included in the Mediterranean diet. The recipe that I chose to experiment with uses a mixture of quinoa and brown rice as the base. To that, I added olive oil, shallot, cherry tomatoes, chopped asparagus, bay scallops, fresh chopped parsley, salt and pepper. I ended up with a quick and delicious, filling and heart-healthy meal. I even allowed myself a shortcut by using a Near East brand box of rosemary and olive oil quinoa and brown rice mixture.

I’m looking forward to spending more time researching the Mediterranean diet, its benefits, and its wonderful flavors… and I look forward to sharing the recipes here with you!

Bay Scallops, Tomatoes and Asparagus with Quinoa and Brown Rice

Makes 4 small or 2 large servings

One 4.9 ounce box Near East quinoa and brown rice blend, rosemary, and olive oil flavor
(or you can use your favorite choice of prepared rice or grains)
One shallot, finely chopped
One pint cherry or grape tomatoes
Two tablespoons olive oil
12-15 spears asparagus, 1/3 of the bottom removed and discarded, chop the rest to half inch size pieces
25 to 30 small frozen Bay scallops
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, plus additional for garnish
Salt and pepper

Prepare the rice according to directions, set aside when done. While the rice is cooking, heat oil over medium heat in a sauté pan. Add chopped shallot, heat until translucent. Add tomatoes, you can cut them in half or add them whole. Put a lid on the pan until the tomatoes start to soften. Add the asparagus, season with salt and pepper, cover again with the lid.

When the tomatoes start to break down and liquid starts to form in the pan, add the scallops (you can add them frozen), put the lid back on for 5-7 minutes. The scallops will cook within this time.

After the scallops are tender, stir the rice and chopped parsley into the pan. Continue to simmer with the lid off to allow the sauce to thicken.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with additional parsley as garnish.

Party Dip Stuffed Mini Peppers

A few weeks back, my daughter Ava and I were trying to figure out what we wanted to have for dinner. Instead of making a full meal, she suggested we have ourselves a fun picky food dinner made up of different party dips. It was a rainy Saturday and we had no plans for the night, so we went ahead with this fun idea. Two of the dishes that Ava requested were Buffalo chicken dip and spinach artichoke dip, served with toasted bread. While this did sound fun and appetizing, I was in the mood for just a bit more. Something just a step beyond party dips. What I decided to do was use these dips as a stuffing with mini peppers. Not only did this combination kick the party meal up a few notches, it also became a fun way to actually serve the party dips.

With New Year’s Eve literally just a few days away, what better time to share this idea with you. It really is not so much of a recipe, but rather an idea, a concept and a fun presentation. While we went with Buffalo chicken and spinach artichoke, I could see a bunch of party dips working well with this presentation. Anything from smoked salmon and clam dip, to French onion, hummus and crab dip would make an excellent pairing with a pepper. I’m even thinking Italian hoagie dip would be pretty amazing….although I’m not sure I would serve those warm. The crunch of a fresh stuffed pepper may be the better choice there.

The dip recipes that I used were found online, and believe me there are a ton of them out there for you to follow. If you are not into making a dip of your own, use a container of store bought dip. Again, this is more about presentation and not so much about making it from scratch. The suggestions that I can offer are to use mini peppers, sliced in half and seeds removed. Use about a tablespoon of your dip, making sure to not overstuff. Bake in a 400 degree pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes. And there ya go.

I encourage you to take this idea and run with it. Make it your own, and it will become the hit of the appetizer table. Or just have it for dinner like we did…either way, you will enjoy!

Quick and Easy Sunday Crab Gravy

This is a quick and condensed version of the Sunday summer Italian-American staple. While I am using 16 ounces of pure canned crab meat in place of of actual crabs, I guarantee you that this dish does not lack flavor, aroma and the overall deliciousness of the real deal.

The trick to doing this condensed version correctly is to use the proper type of canned crab meat. You want to get the full 16 ounce size can of pure crab meat that is sold in the seafood section of the grocery store. The smaller cans of crab meat found near the canned tuna are packed with water, so you are not really getting much for your money with those. You will find a choice of crab meat (special, claw, lump), the lump crab meat being the most expensive. I use the special crab meat and find that it works very well. The lump crab meat, of course, is the tastiest. But there are a lot of flavors going on in this dish, and I feel that the cost of the lump crab is a bit much for what you are using it for in this recipe.

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 16-ounce can crab meat
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 sprig fresh basil
1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano, or 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
Pinch sea salt, to taste

Add the olive oil to a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions, stir until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, stir until aromatic, about 30 seconds to one minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, stir. Add the full sprig of basil, then add the crab meat and stir. Add the Old Bay seasoning, salt and oregano, stir. Cover with lid, let simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes, spiring occasionally.

Meanwhile, boil a large pot of salted water. Add the pasta of your choice, cook according to directions to al dente stage.

Remove the basil and adjust the taste of the gravy to your liking. Remove the cooked pasta from the pot and place in a large bowl, reserving the pasta water. Top the pasta with the crab gravy. You can add a bit of the reserved pasta water to thin out the gravy if you prefer. Plate it and enjoy!

Breaded Zucchini

This past weekend my daughters and I were invited to a wedding celebration for our cousin Anthony and his beautiful new bride, Amanda. Anthony and Amanda were actually married back in December in a breathtaking outdoor ceremony out on the west coast. So this was a celebration for family and friends who live here on the east coast. Of course, the biggest highlight of the day was honoring the new bride and groom while also spending time and celebrating with our amazing family. Being the foodie enthusiast that I am, I was taking note of the many dishes that were served to us. Luckily, this trait has also carried on to my daughters. We weren’t very far into the appetizer course when both Jules and Ava asked if we could try making the crispy and delicious breaded zucchini that we all just finished scarfing up. Which brings us to today’s post!

Breaded zucchini is a tasty and nutritious dish that is very simple to make. Just a few basic ingredients are all you really need: zucchini, breadcrumbs, eggs for egg batter and some seasoning. My breadcrumb of choice for this dish is Panko. Unlike traditional breadcrumbs, Panko is a bit more flaky and airy, which gives more of a crispy texture to the breaded food. Panko also holds up well when fried, however I prefer to bake as often as I can as opposed to frying, and this dish bakes up very well!

Before we get into the recipe, I thought I would share some of my tips and tricks when using Panko. I like to add grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano to the breadcrumbs for a nice, nutty flavor. For every cup of Panko, I add 1/4 cup of grated cheese. I also like to add additional seasonings. Italian seasoning and garlic powder are always perfect seasonings of choice. For this dish, I decided to use Everything Bagel Seasoning. It has a nice combination of onion, garlic and sea salt flavoring, along with the texture of poppy and sesame seeds. If you don’t have Everything Bagel Seasoning on hand, a mixture of Italian seasoning, garlic and/or onion powder, or your favorite seasoning of choice will work just fine.

When breading with a Panko mixture, I find that it works best to use the mixture in small batches as opposed to dipping the battered food into one big bowl of the breadcrumb mixture. Because Panko is more crispy and airy than traditional breadcrumbs, I find that they can become soggy and mushy when combined with too much of the wet batter. Think rice crispies after they have been sitting in a bowl of milk for a while. What I like to do is mix up the breadcrumbs and seasonings in one bowl, then add it to another bowl in portions. Just enough to use what you need, adding more as you need it. This will help prevent the breadcrumbs from turning into a pile of mush that will not stick to the battered food. Patting the food dry with a paper towel before battering and adding breadcrumbs is also a good idea to help make the breadcrumbs stick and stay crunchy.

BREADED ZUCCHINI

Makes about 24 pieces

3 small zucchini, sliced length-wise about 1/4 inch thick. You can keep the skin on or peel it ahead time. Keeping the skin intact will give a bit more firmness to the slices. You can also slice the zucchini into round chip shapes if you prefer.
salt for seasoning
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
2 tablespoons Everything Bagel Seasoning (or your choice of seasonings, such as Italian seasoning, garlic or onion powder)
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the Panko, grated cheese and seasonings in a bowl. Add the breadcrumb mixture in small batches into another bowl, which you will use for applying the breadcrumbs.

Pat the sliced zucchini dry to remove any excess moistrure. Lightly season the sliced zucchini with salt on both sides.

Dip the sliced zucchini into the egg batter one slice at a time, making sure that the zucchini slice is fully coated. Toss the battered zucchini into the small-batch bowl of breadcrumb mixture, lightly pressing the breadcrumbs to make sure they stick. Place the breaded zucchini onto a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Continue this process, adding breadcrumbs to the small batch bowl as needed, until all zucchini slices are breaded.

Bake until the breadcrumbs turn a golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve on its own, or with a dipping sauce such as marinara or ranch.

CONGRATULATIONS ANTHONY AND AMANDA!