When I posted the recipe for my Fiesta Potato Pie a little over a year ago, I got a lot of comments about the fact that I used instant mashed potatoes to make the crust. I know, I know, I don’t normally buy instant mashed potatoes either, but I actually developed the recipe for a Hungry Jack instant mashed potato contest! I didn’t win, but still thought the recipe was blog worthy, and I did like the fact that I could easily control the moisture level of the crust by using the potato flakes. Anyway, everyone wanted to know if the crust could be made with real potatoes instead, which I totally understand, so when I was brainstorming ways to use up my 15 pounds of potatoes, I decided to tackle the crust once again!

I’m so glad I did because it turned out beautifully – crusty on the outside and soft and buttery on the inside. This time I filled the unique crust with layers of caramelized onions, shredded gouda cheese, and goat cheese…soooo good! I served the wedges alongside a healthy dose of roasted Brussels sprouts, but a salad would also be lovely. Also, the tart is easier to slice once it’s cooled off a bit.

Cheesy Caramelized Onion Tart with a Mashed Potato Crust
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 large yellow onions, sliced (12 cups)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt, divided
2 pounds golden potatoes, peeled, and cut into chunks
1/3 cup milk (I used 2%)
2 cups shredded gouda cheese
4 ounces goat cheese

Directions:
Heat 2 tablespoons butter and olive oil over medium low heat in a large nonstick pan. Add onions, cover, and cook 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes. Remove lid and cook an additional 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, or until caramelized. Add garlic and cook for 1 additional minute; stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add potato chunks to the pot and boil for 10 to 15 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and mash in a large bowl; stir in milk, remaining 3 tablespoons butter, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Heat oven to 350˚F. Press mashed potatoes into a greased 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and bake at 350˚F for 40 to 45 minutes or until potato crust is golden brown. Push the center down with the back of a spoon.

Evenly spread half the caramelized onions in the cooked potato pie crust. Evenly crumble goat cheese on top and then half the shredded gouda cheese. Top with remaining caramelized onions and shredded gouda cheese. Bake for 5 minutes at 350°F or until cheese is melted. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes, use a toothpick to loosen the edges if needed, and remove from tart pan; cut tart into wedges. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 398 calories, 21.0g fat, 6.2g fat, 14.1g protein per serving
Cost: $1.52 per serving

This pasta has Apolinaras’ name written all over it. I guess you could call him my muse from time to time. He looooves mushrooms and was so happy when I encouraged him to go ahead and put the pricey fresh shitakes in the grocery cart the other day. When I told him I was planning to use the mushrooms in a pasta dish with a creamy goat cheese sauce, he did a cute little happy dance in the middle of the aisle!

Luckily, the pasta came together beautifully and lived up to his high expectations – he loudly proclaimed multiple times that it was his very favorite pasta dish I’ve ever made! Of course, I had to take this with a grain of salt because any dish with mushrooms and goat cheese would steal his heart. I do really like that while this dish tastes incredibly indulgent, it’s really not that bad for you. I used whole wheat farfalle that I purchased at Eataly, but any shape would work well. You could also add some chicken or shrimp if you’d like a bit more protein.

Farfalle with Mushrooms and Goat Cheese Sauce
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pound whole wheat farfalle pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
24 ounces mushrooms, sliced (I used half baby bellas and half shitakes with the stems removed)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk (I used 2%)
1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
10.5 ounces goat cheese (1 log from costco)
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Prepare pasta according to the package directions, drain, and place in a large pot.

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large nonstick pan and add mushrooms. Sauté 8 to 10 minutes or until tender; add garlic and sauté 1 additional minute.

Meanwhile, make the sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth and cook one more minute or until mixture starts to brown. Whisk in milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and whisk in pecorino romano, goat cheese, and salt. Heat 5 minutes, stirring frequently, or until cheese is melted and mixture is smooth. Add the sauce and mushrooms to the pot with the cooked pasta and mix well. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition: 531 calories, 21.8g fat, 7.5g fiber, 22.0g protein per serving
Cost: $2.92 per serving

I don’t usually buy a lot of produce at Costco, since it’s tough for just the two of us to eat our way through their large packages of fruits and veggies before it all spoils (although I do regularly make an exception of their Brussels sprouts and berries because we gobble those right up!), but the other day a 15 pound bag of potatoes ended up in my cart. I was craving roasted potatoes and feeling way too lazy to head to the regular grocery store just to pick up a smaller package. Plus, I was feeling up for a little potato challenge!

The first thing I did when I got home was whip up a potato hash with bacon, onions, and apples. It’s great for breakfast, but I enjoyed it most topped with a lovely piece of salmon glazed with maple syrup and crusted with chopped pecans and panko. This yummy meal also came together in a flash since I made the hash the day before and then just quickly cooked up the salmon before dinner. Ok, I’m off to brainstorm some more potato recipes – only 6 pounds left to go!

p.s. The winner of my Milk Bar giveaway was Bianca – congrats!

Maple Pecan Salmon over Roasted Potato, Apple, and Bacon Hash
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Roasted Potato, Apple, and Bacon Hash:
1 1/2 pounds potatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 slices hickory smoked bacon, chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 tart apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt

Maple Pecan Salmon:
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup panko
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
4 salmon fillets (ours were 7 ounces each)

Directions:
To make the hash, heat oven to 400°F. Place potato pieces on a large baking sheet and toss with olive oil. Roast at 400°F for 50 to 60 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, place chopped bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium heat and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes or until crispy; drain on paper towels. Place onions and apples in the bacon grease and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Mix roasted potatoes, bacon, onions, apples, and salt together in a large bowl.

To make the salmon, heat oven to 350˚F. Mix pecans, panko, and salt together in a small bowl. Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large nonstick skillet and sear the salmon fillets, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Place seared fillets in a large baking dish and use a pastry brush to evenly brush with maple syrup. Evenly sprinkle pecan panko and press gently into the salmon. Bake salmon for 10 to 12 minutes at 350°F or until cooked through. To serve, divide the hash evenly among 4 plates and place salmon on top. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 964 calories, 58.2g fat, 6.0g fiber, 63.7g protein per serving
Cost: $4.70 per serving

Happy Hanukah! Merry Almost Christmas! We’re on a bus right now headed to New York City, where we’ll be spending the holidays with my family. I’m really looking forward to eating our way through the city, and I’m especially excited about heading over to The Doughnut Plant, which my friend Britt has been urging me to check out forever. She knows how much I love donuts – I’m so excited!

I also kind of love the fact that the internet is working on our bus, and I’m blogging away. Multitasking just makes me happy – I wish I could do this daily during my regular commute! Anyway, I won’t be cooking for Christmas this year, but if I was, I think I would add this mac & cheese to the menu. It’s super creamy and packed with fontina, asiago, and goat cheese. Plus, the festive red and green sun dried tomatoes and roasted broccoli, respectively, just make me smile. I even snuck in some protein-packed chicken for Apolinaras, so this was a one dish meal for us, but you could leave it out and feature it as more of a side dish too. Happy Holidays to everyone!

Christmas Mac & Cheese (aka Three Cheese Mac & Cheese with Roasted Broccoli and Sun Dried Tomatoes)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 head broccoli florets (I had 5 cups, 11 ounces)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound orecchiette pasta
4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)
2 cups shredded fontina cheese
1 cup shredded asiago cheese
8 ounces goat cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil, well drained

Directions:
Heat oven to 400°F. Place broccoli florets on a large cookie sheet and drizzle evenly with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Roast for 15 minutes at 400°F or until tender.

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and place back in a large pot.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat and sauté chicken for 5 to 7 minutes or until fully cooked and no longer pink in the center. Remove chicken from pan and place in the pan with the pasta; add roasted broccoli to the same pot.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth and cook one more minute or until mixture starts to brown. Whisk in milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and mix in fontina, asiago, and goat cheeses, and salt. Heat 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and mixture is smooth, whisking occasionally. Mix cheese sauce with the pasta, chicken, and broccoli in the large pot; stir in sun-dried tomatoes. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 847 calories, 31.3g fat, 5.6g fiber, 57.5g protein per serving
Cost: $2.20 per serving

I’m sort of in denial that it’s somehow already November, but the bright side is that peppermint mochas and gingerbread lattes are back, and I’m finally getting some use out of all my cute boots. Plus, now that there’s a bit of a chill in the air, I’ve been brainstorming up some ideas for comfort food! Soup and mac & cheese always top my list, but chicken pot pie also warms me up, especially when it’s topped with puff pastry.

For my version, I made individual servings with my cute little French onion soup bowls again, but any small oven-safe dishes would work well. I couldn’t resist topping them with the aforementioned puff pastry, and I decided to give them a bit of Caribbean twist. I spiced the filling with jerk seasoning and added roasted sweet potatoes and plantains in with the chicken. Ahh, plantains just make me happy, and I really loved this flavor combo. It’s a cold weather comfort dish with some island flare, ironic perhaps, but very tasty!

Jerk Chicken and Sweet Potato Pot Pies
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 medium yellow plantains with brown-black spots, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk (I used 2%)
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons jerk seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 box puff pastry sheets, thawed
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water

Directions:
Heat oven to 400˚F. Place sweet potato pieces on a large cookie sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Mix until evenly coated with oil and roast at 400˚F for 15 minutes. Add plantains to the cookie sheet, mix well, and roast for an additional 10 minutes at 400˚F or until sweet potatoes and plantains are tender; place roasted veggies in a large bowl.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet and add chicken pieces. Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the center. Remove chicken from heat and place in the bowl with the sweet potatoes and plantains. Add chopped onions to the skillet and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender; add garlic and sauté 1 additional minute. Add onions to the bowl with the veggies and chicken and mix well.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth and cook one more minute or until mixture starts to brown. Whisk in milk, chicken broth, jerk seasoning, and salt and simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened. Place in the bowl with the chicken and veggies and stir until well combined. Evenly distribute filling into 6 mini oven-safe pot pie serving dishes. Place dishes on a large cookie sheet.

Roll out puff pastry and cut to fit over the 6 dishes (I used 3/4 of the package). Place cut puff pastry on top of the dishes. Whisk egg and water together in a small bowl; brush egg wash evenly over the puff pastry and poke a few holes in the top of each puff pastry. Bake at 400˚F for 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition: 707 calories, 30.2g fat, 5.2g fiber, 46.8g protein per serving
Cost: $2.40 per serving

Umm, so if you’re watching your weight, you may want to click back to the last page you viewed right about now…. I tend to cook healthy dishes most of the time, but decided to go all in on this one and it was so worth it! I was in the mood for some comfort food this week, and my cute little French Onion Soup bowls were begging to be used again, so I dreamed up this French Onion Mac & Cheese!

Uh huh, cavatappi pasta mixed with a creamy fontina, asiago, and mascarpone cheese sauce and a healthy dose of caramelized onions (which just make everything better!). I didn’t stop there though. In order to mimic the soup, I filled up the bowls with my mac & cheese and topped them with some croutons and grated gruyere cheese. So rich and indulgent and definitely my favorite mac & cheese recipe so far. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

French Onion Mac & Cheese
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large yellow onions, sliced (9 cups)
1 pound cavatappi pasta
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)
2 cups shredded fontina cheese
2 cups shredded asiago cheese
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups croutons
3 cups shredded gruyere cheese

Directions:
Heat 2 tablespoons butter and olive oil over medium low heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add onions, cover, and cook 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Remove lid and cook an additional 10 minutes, or until caramelized.

Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and place back in a large pot with the caramelized onions.

Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth and cook one more minute or until mixture starts to brown. Whisk in milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and mix in fontina, asiago, and mascarpone cheeses, and salt. Heat 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and mixture is smooth, whisking occasionally. Mix cheese sauce with cooked pasta and caramelized onions in the large pot. Pour pasta into 8 oven-safe dishes, preferably French Onion soup bowls! Place dishes on a large cookie sheet.

Heat oven broiler. Top bowls filled with mac & cheese evenly with croutons and shredded gruyere cheese. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 993 calories, 60.2g fat, 5.8g fiber, 42.2g protein per serving
Cost: $2.50 per serving

Whew, what a week! We moved and are finally mostly unpacked, although the guest bedroom is still a bit of a disaster and we need to go shopping for a few accessories (rugs, mirrors, etc). The most important room is completely organized and fully functional already though – the kitchen, of course! I made a super easy meal the third night in our new place – Mediterranean Couscous with chicken sausage, and it was so nice to have a home cooked meal after too many nights of takeout. And tonight, I finally found enough time to whip something up for my blog!

I made golden mashed potato cakes stuffed with shredded chicken, peas, and a bunch of Indian spices. The chicken addition was inspired by my Avocado Chicken Cakes. Can’t wait to cook again!

Indian Spiced Chicken and Potato Cakes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons canola oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed, peeled, and cut into chunks
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups cooked shredded chicken (I poached 4 chicken breasts)
2 cups frozen peas, thawed
7 tablespoons of your favorite chutney or Greek yogurt (I mixed a bit of tamarind sauce with Greek yogurt)

Directions:
Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil over medium high heat in a large nonstick skillet and sauté onion for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender; add ginger and garlic and sauté 1 additional minute. Add coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper, turmeric, and salt. Immediately remove from heat and stir until spices are fragrant.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add potato chunks to the pot and boil for 10 to 15 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and mash in a large bowl; stir in milk and butter until smooth. Mix in cooked onion mixture and flour until smooth. Stir in chicken and peas. Shape mixture into 14 cakes.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium high heat in a nonstick skillet. Add 3 cakes and cook until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining oil and cakes. Drizzle chutney evenly over cakes. Makes 7 servings of 2 cakes each.

Nutrition: 608 calories, 21.2g fat, 6.0g fiber, 39.2g protein per serving
Cost: $1.73 per serving

I’ve been unable to stop smiling lately. I just feel like we have so much to look forward to – we’re moving next week into a more spacious apartment and will finally have a grown up master suite with a walk-in closet. I’m already itching to organize our new kitchen and we’re working on buying new furniture to keep things more organized – yes, all our books will actually be on bookcases instead of hidden away in boxes in the garage! We also have a couple of fun trips planned for the fall including a visit with my mom over her birthday weekend, a trip to Portland, Oregon for my dear friend Britt’s wedding, and a once in a lifetime adventure to New Zealand!

Small things usually make me smile too though – a sweet training run, an iced mocha (soon to be a pumpkin latte – yay!), or a yummy dinner like these easy baked potatoes loaded with all the delightful goodies in today’s lengthy recipe title. These were really filling and perfect for leftovers the next day!

BBQ Chicken and Cheddar Baked Potatoes with Corn and Roasted Red Peppers
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
4 large baking potatoes, scrubbed and poked all over with a fork
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
Corn from 4 ears of corn
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 7-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
Juice of half a lime
2 cooked boneless chicken breasts (I poached mine), shredded
1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
1 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:
Heat oven to 400˚F. Place potatoes on a large cookie sheet and bake at 400˚F for 60 to 70 minutes or until tender. Cool 15 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop out most of the flesh, leaving just enough behind that the potato skins can still stand up. Place flesh in a large bowl. Mash well and stir in butter and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat and sauté onions for 5 to 7 minutes or until soft; add corn and sauté 3 more minutes; add garlic and sauté one additional minute. Remove from heat and stir in roasted red peppers, lime juice, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place veggies in the bowl with the potato flesh and mix well.

Preheat oven broiler. Mix shredded chicken and BBQ sauce together in a medium bowl. Fill potato skins evenly with the potato/veggie mixture. Top evenly with BBQ chicken and cheddar cheese. Broil for 2 to 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 660 calories, 26.7g fat, 7.2g fiber, 45.4g protein per serving
Cost: $2.53 per serving

When it comes to pizza, I’m a crust girl. It can make or break a pie for me and I will often scavenge up extra pieces of crust from my crazy family members who are somehow not all about the carbs. The very first thing I made with my sourdough starter was this amazing pizza dough, which resulted in the very best crust I’ve ever made! It’s an ideal way to use up some of starter that you would otherwise throw away when you’re feeding your culture, and the resulting crust had the perfect amount of tang and chew. It just baked up beautifully and I felt like I was in a pizzeria!

I love pizza of all kinds – thick, thin, deep dish – I don’t discriminate, but this time went for a nice hearty thick crust and used the entire amount of dough for one pizza. I topped the crust with a generous amount of an arugula and basil pesto blended with a hefty amount of goat cheese. Then I topped it off with lots of chopped tomatoes, mozzarella, and fontina cheese. So good!

Oh, and you can actually buy a sourdough starter if you don’t want to deal with making your own but would like to try a few sourdough recipes at home!

Pesto Goat Cheese Pizza
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Pesto Goat Cheese Sauce:
1 cup packed arugula (2 ounces)
1/2 cup packed basil (0.7 ounces)
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1/4 cup finely grated pecorino romano cheese
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup olive oil
6 ounces goat cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt

Pizza Assembly:
1 batch of sourdough pizza dough
6 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded fontina cheese

Directions:
To make the sauce, place arugula, basil, pine nuts, pecorino romano, garlic, and olive oil in a food processor and pulse until smooth, about a 1 minute, scraping down the sides as needed. Put in goat cheese and salt and pulse again until smooth.

To make the pizza, heat oven and a pizza stone to 500˚F. Shape pizza dough into desired shape on a peel heavily dusted with semolina flour. Spread crust evenly with pesto goat cheese sauce and top evenly with tomatoes, mozzarella, and fontina cheese. Bake on the pizza stone at 500˚F for 12 to 15 minutes or until crust is deep golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes and slice into 8 slices.

Nutrition: 384 calories, 14.1g fat, 2.2g fiber, 18.4g protein per slice
Cost: $1.67 per slice

I think I’ve mentioned before that I often devour leftovers for dinner because I tend to get home pretty late and I’m always starving when  I walk in the door. So, when I do manage to find time to cook during the week, I’m usually whipping up a meal to enjoy the next day, and I’m often just getting started in the kitchen around 10 or 11pm!

The other night I made this lasagna and instructed Apolinaras to stick it in the fridge before he hit the sack since it needed to cool down a bit more and I was heading off to bed. You can imagine my surprise when I was suddenly jolted awake by a grinning Apolinaras who had eaten a piece and came in to gush that it was the best lasagna I’d ever made! It was pretty cute that he couldn’t wait until morning to proclaim his lasagna love, and I fell right back asleep and almost thought the whole conversation was a dream until I asked him about the next day.

I stuffed my whole wheat lasagna with layers of creamy ricotta, chicken, summer veggies, and a luscious goat cheese sauce. I was very excited to recently find that the goat cheese at Costco now comes in two 10.5-ounce contains instead of one large package. Now there’s much less pressure to use it up before it goes bad – yay!

Summer Veggie and Chicken Lasagna with Goat Cheese Sauce
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Chicken and Veggie Layer:
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
2 zucchinis, chopped
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 7-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped

Ricotta Layer:
32 ounces part-skim ricotta
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg

Sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk (I used 2%)
1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino romano
10.5 ounces goat cheese (1 log from costco)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Assembly:
1 box whole wheat lasagna noodles
4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:
To make the chicken and veggie layer, heat olive oil over medium heat and cook chicken for 5-7 minutes, or until cooked through and no longer pink in the center. Place chicken in a large bowl and add zucchini to the same hot pan; sauté 5 minutes and add the leeks; sauté an additional 2 to 3 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and sauté one additional minute. Stir zucchini mixture and roasted red peppers in with the chicken.

To make the ricotta layer, place ricotta, basil, oregano, thyme, salt, and egg in a large bowl and mix until smooth.

To make the sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth and cook one more minute or until mixture starts to brown. Whisk in milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and whisk in pecorino romano, goat cheese, and salt. Heat 5 minutes, stirring frequently, or until cheese is melted and mixture is smooth.

Heat oven to 350˚F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook lasagna noodles according to the directions on the package. To assemble the lasagna, place a layer of 4 noodles in a 13×9-inch pan and top it with half the ricotta mixture, half the chicken and veggie mix, half the sauce, and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Repeat this layer. Then place the remaining 4 noodles on top and sprinkle evenly with the 2 remaining cups of mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350˚F for 45 minutes or until cheesy is light brown and bubbly. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving. Makes 12 servings.

Nutrition: 501 calories, 23.4g fat, 4.1g fiber, 41.6g protein per serving
Cost: $1.93 per serving

I’ve gotten in a little summer routine in the kitchen lately. We can’t get enough zucchini and yellow squash and every Sunday I end up sautéing a bunch of the veggies (7 yesterday!) in my huge wok to enjoy alongside some chicken and carby side dish of some kind. I’m dreaming of the day we have a garden and more summer squash than we know what to do with, but for the time being I’ll settle on what I can scoop up at the farmers’ market. The way I cook the chicken varies a bit, so at least I’m not completely in a rut! One of my favorite ways to keep chicken juicy is to marinate it in Greek yogurt and then give it a quick sear on my grill pan before finishing it in the oven. Of course, I can’t wait until we have a backyard for a grill too!

The other weekend I mixed the yogurt along with some tart lime juice, sweet honey, and a plethora Moroccan spices, which I picked based on this recommendation. I love the way spices can transform a dish from average to exotic.

Moroccan Spiced Chicken
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
Juice of 1 lime
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Directions:
Place Greek yogurt, lime juice, honey, turmeric, ginger, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, cardamom, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl and mix until well combined. Spread marinade evenly over chicken breasts in a shallow dish and refrigerate for an hour.

Heat oven to 350˚F. Heat a nonstick grill pan over medium high heat. Spray with nonstick cooking spray and sear chicken for 2 minutes per side or until browned. Place chicken in a large rectangular dish and bake at 350˚F for 8 to 10 minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink in the center. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 337 calories, 2.9g fat, 0.1g fiber, 59.6g protein per serving
Cost: $1.63 per serving

There are some things I never pass up and one of them is corn on the cob. I will eat it anytime, anywhere, even if I don’t have any floss with me. The deliciousness is definitely worth having a few annoying pieces stuck in my teeth! Of course, fresh summer corn is just as tasty off the cob and I recently decided to take advantage of the season’s bounty by making a lovely corn salsa that also featured poblano peppers, red onion, lime juice, and cilantro.

I ended up piling the salsa atop a mound of cumin and paprika spiced shrimp nestled on corn tortillas covered with a creamy avocado spread. Just one bite convinced me that I need to put shrimp in my tacos more often! Oh, and I actually doubled the recipe for the corn salsa and stuffed the leftovers into some cheese quesadillas the next day for lunch – yum!

Shrimp Tacos with Corn Salsa
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Corn Salsa:
1/2 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 poblano pepper, chopped
Kernels from 2 ears of corn
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
Juice of half a lime
1/4 teaspoon salt

Shrimp:
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp with tails removed
1 tablespoon canola oil

Avocado Spread:
1 large avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and mashed
Juice of half a lime
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt

For Assembly:
6 corn tortillas, warmed

Directions:
To make the corn salsa, heat canola oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add onion and pepper and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes; add corn and sauté 2 additional minutes or until all veggies are tender. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro, lime juice, and salt.

To make the shrimp, mix cumin, paprika, and salt in a small bowl and evenly rub into shrimp. Heat canola oil over medium heat in a nonstick skillet and sauté shrimp for 2 to 3 minutes or until pink and cooked through.

To make the avocado spread, mix the mashed avocados, lime juice, cilantro and salt in a medium bowl until smooth.

To assemble the tacos, evenly cover the corn tortillas with the avocado spread. Top evenly with shrimp and corn salsa. Makes 3 servings.

Nutrition: 547 calories, 21.4g fat, 11.5g fiber, 38.9g protein per serving
Cost: $3.98 per serving

The orange box contains packets of a Yuzu Citrus Tisane Beverage concentrate, which you’re supposed to mix into some water to enjoy – score! I whisked several of the packets together with the other ingredients in the picture – garlic, ginger, dark soy sauce, and miso – and used half the mixture to marinate some mahi mahi fillets and the other half to make a sauce to top them. I served the fish over a lovely bed of oyster mushrooms and baby bok choy, which I learned how to cook properly here. This was a lovely light summer meal, and I’m so glad I spotted that yuzu drink concentrate on the shelf!

Yuzu Miso Mahi Mahi
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Mahi Mahi with Yuzu Miso Sauce:
6 1.1-ounce packets Yuzu Citrus Tisane Beverage from a 11.2-ounce box from Trader Joe’s
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons miso paste
1/2 tablespoon minced ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 9-ounce mahi mahi fillets

Baby Bok Choy:
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
8 ounces oyster mushrooms, chopped
1/2 tablespoon minced ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds baby bok choy, ends trimmed
1/4 cup chicken broth

Directions:
To make the mahi mahi fillets, place yuzu beverage, soy sauce, miso, ginger, and garlic in a large bowl and whisk until miso is dissolved. Pour half the mixture (1/2 cup) into a shallow pan with the mahi mahi fillets, coat the fillets well with the marinade on both side, and marinate for 20 minutes to an hour in the fridge.

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and sear the mahi mahi fillets on both sides, about 1 minute on each side. Bake fish for 10 minutes at 350˚F or until cooked through. Meanwhile, make the sauce by placing the remaining unused yuzu miso mixture in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes or until thickened and reduced.

To make the baby bok choy, heat 1/2 tablespoon canola oil over medium heat in a large wok. Add mushrooms and sauté 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Remove mushrooms from pan and add remaining 1 tablespoons canola oil. Place ginger and garlic in the wok and sauté 1 minute or until lightly browned. Add baby bok choy to the wok and mix well. Add chicken broth, cover wok, and steam for 3 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat and stir in cooked mushrooms.

To serve, evenly distribute baby bok choy on 4 plates. Top with mahi mahi fillets and sauce. Make 4 servings.

Nutrition: 493 calories, 8.5g fat, 0.7g fiber, 65.5g protein per serving
Cost: $6.55 per serving

Apolinaras is pretty spoiled in the culinary department.  Last weekend I made a bunch of tofu fried rice for my weekday lunches, and also cooked up a separate batch of chicken breasts for him because he likes to loudly proclaim the fried rice is the worst dish I make. Apparently, it’s not spicy enough and of course, he’s biased because it’s vegetarian and he’s not a huge tofu fan. His grumbling always makes me roll my eyes and giggle though – more rice for me to enjoy, right? Is there a dish that you really like but your significant other can’t stand?

I also try to fulfill most of Apolinaras’ dinner requests, since he doesn’t make them very often. One night he told me that he was in the mood for some chicken stuffed with leftover blue cheese and bacon – umm, yes please, what a great idea! I decided to go for a black and blue theme and made a spice rub to coat the outside of the chicken so it was blackened. In addition to the bacon and blue cheese, I also put shallots, garlic, and cream cheese in the stuffing. I loved how the creamy filling provided a yummy built in sauce for the chicken. Hopefully Apolinaras will inspire another tasty dish soon!

Blackened Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Blue Cheese and Bacon
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup chopped shallots (3-4 large shallots)
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 strips turkey bacon, chopped
3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 large boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1 tablespoon ground thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a medium nonstick pan and sauté shallots for 5 to 7 minutes or until softened; add garlic and sauté 1 additional minute. Remove from heat and place in a medium bowl. Add bacon to the same pan and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes or until browned. Place bacon in the same bowl with the shallots. Allow to cool to room temperature and stir in cream cheese, blue cheese, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Place chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound to 1/3-inch thickness using a meat mallet. Place filling evenly lengthwise down each chicken breast, roll up the sides, and secure with toothpicks. Mix thyme, allspice, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle chicken breasts evenly with seasoning mix and rub into the chicken.

Heat oven to 350˚F. Heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat in a large nonstick pan and place two chicken breasts in the pan. Use large tongs to rotate the chicken and sear it on all four sides. Place seared chicken breasts seam side up in a large baking pan and repeat with remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and two chicken breasts. Bake at 350˚F for 18 to 22 minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink in the center. Allow to rest 5 minutes, then remove toothpicks, and cut on a bias. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 541 calories, 26.9g fat, 0.0g fiber, 64.4g protein per serving
Cost: $2.00 per serving

Ah yes, it’s finally time to share my very first beef recipe! We don’t eat a huge amount of red meat, but every once in awhile a serious craving strikes and I just have to devour a juicy burger or steak. I only recently began cooking steak at home though because I was always a little nervous I would accidently overcook a pricey cut. I finally decided to just dive in and go for it, and I’m so happy I did because I’m feeling much more comfortable now that I’ve had a bit of practice.

We’ve become very enamored with tamarind sauce, which is one of the condiments commonly served with samosas. I thought the flavor would pair well with red wine, so I used the two to marinate a lovely flank steak and then also make a sauce to top it. I cooked our steak under the broiler, but grilling it would also work well. The wine flavor is pretty pronounced, so be sure to use one that you like and not one of those “cooking” wines. This recipe is the perfect way to use up any extra wine you couldn’t quite finish the night before. Of course, you could alternatively open a new bottle and enjoy a couple glasses while you’re whipping up the marinade – such a win-win situation!

Flank Steak with Red Wine and Tamarind Sauce
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Marinade:
1 cup red wine (I used Cabernet Sauvignon)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 tablespoons tamarind sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 pounds beef flank steak

Sauce:
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup tamarind sauce
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

Directions:
To make the marinade, place red wine, olive oil, tamarind sauce, and salt in a small bowl and whisk until well combined. Place steak and marinade in large food-safe plastic bag and make sure marinade evenly coats steak. Close bag, removing as much air as possible, and marinate in refrigerator 6 hours or as long as overnight, turning once.

Heat oven broiler. Remove steak from marinade and place steak on rack of broiler pan so surface of beef is 2 to 3 inches from heat. Broil 10 to 16 minutes for medium rare (145°F) to medium (160°F) doneness, turning once. Remove; let stand 5 minutes to rest. Carve steak across the grain into long strips.

Meanwhile, make the sauce by placing red wine, tamarind sauce, and brown sugar in a small pot over medium heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally for 7 minutes or until thickened and reduced. Spoon sauce over cut steak. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 568 calories, 30.7g fat, 1.5g fiber, 35.6g protein per serving
Cost: $3.63 per serving

I hope everyone is enjoying the long holiday weekend! Apolinaras and I are celebrating our seventh wedding anniversary with a mini vacation in Portland, Maine, and the eats have been phenomenal so far. I’ll have a full recap soon! In the meantime, I thought sharing the recipe for these Caramelized Pineapple Pulled Pork Flatbreads would be the perfect way to usher in the summer.

I topped warm pieces of naan with BBQ pulled pork, caramelized onions and pineapple, and a touch of cheddar cheese. This is my version of a semi-homemade meal since I bought the smoked pulled pork from Costco and mixed it with a little jarred BBQ sauce. I also used frozen naan instead of making pizza dough. Of course, caramelizing the pineapple and onions takes a little bit of extra time, but I did this the night before so it the meal would come together quickly. I also actually caramelized several onions and a whole pineapple, so I had extra to use in other recipes like this one!

Caramelized Pineapple Pulled Pork Flatbreads
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 cups chopped pineapple, patted dry
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
4 pieces naan
2 cups pulled pork with BBQ sauce
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:
Heat butter and olive oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add onions, cover pan, and cook for 25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, or until onions are caramelized.

Meanwhile, heat over broiler. Place pineapple on a large cookie sheet and sprinkle brown sugar evenly on top. Broil for 5 minutes or until caramelized.

To assemble, top each piece of naan evenly with pulled pork. Sprinkle caramelized pineapple and onions on top. Sprinkle evenly with cheese. Place on a cookie sheet and broil for 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 644 calories, 34.8g fat, 2.8g fiber, 29.8g protein per serving
Cost: $2.24 per serving

Apolinaras really enjoyed the last Israeli couscous dish I made. In fact, he said it would have been a 10 if I hadn’t included the spinach in the salad, haha. He snuck another box into our cart at Trader Joe’s recently, which I thought was pretty cute, and since he’s completely spoiled, I decided to whip up a dish featuring the couscous and some tasty shrimp for him the very next day.

I basted the skewered shrimp with a sauce mixed up from Thai sweet chili sauce, apricot preserves, and a touch of rice wine vinegar. Then I cooked the shrimp up quickly on my grill pan and served them atop a bed of Israeli couscous with red onion, red pepper, and corn. This was such a lovely light summer meal!

Sweet Chili Apricot Shrimp Skewers over Israeli Couscous
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Shrimp:
1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp
1/4 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
1/4 cup low sugar apricot preserves
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Israeli Couscous:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 1/3 cups Israeli Couscous (1 8-ounce box from Trader Joe’s)
1 3/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups cooked corn

Directions:
To make the shrimp, soak 6 wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes. Thread shrimp onto the skewers. Place sweet chili sauce, apricot preserves, vinegar, and salt in a small bowl and mix well. Brush shrimp evenly with about half the sauce with a pastry brush. Heat a greased grill pan over medium high heat and cook shrimp for 2 minutes on each side, or until pink and cooked through, basting well with the remaining half of the sauce while cooking.

To make the couscous, heat canola oil over medium high heat in a large saucepan; add onion and red pepper and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Add couscous and sauté 2 minutes or until light brown. Add chicken broth to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, put on lid, and simmer for 8 minutes or until broth is absorbed and couscous is tender. Mix in corn. Serve by evenly distributing couscous on three plate and placing shrimp skewers on top. Makes 3 servings.

Nutrition: 476 calories, 9.3g fat, 6.9g fiber, 38.0g protein per serving
Cost: $4.80 per serving

Apolinaras and I finally checked out Foundry on Elm, a newish hot spot in our neighborhood, on one of our recent date nights. It was packed on the Tuesday evening we went and we could see why after we tried the creative cocktails. Mine was called the Bee’s Knees and was a mix of gin, lemon, and honey syrup – yum! Most of the food was pretty tasty as well, and I especially savored every bite of the spaetzle, which was mixed with ham, exotic mushrooms, hazelnuts, and aged Comté. I actually wanted to recreate this dish at home and couldn’t believe it when Deb from Smitten Kitchen posted about how to make spaetzle the very next day!

Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten around to trying the recipe yet, but I did take inspiration from our meal and used some gnocchi from Trader Joe’s to whip up this super quick weeknight dinner. I mixed the gnocchi with pancetta, mushrooms, garlic, gruyere, and walnuts. This came together in just 20 minutes and we really enjoyed it. In fact, we had a little scuffle over who got the leftovers the next day for lunch!

Gnocchi with Pancetta, Mushrooms, and Gruyere
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 17.6-ounce package whole wheat potato gnocchi from Trader Joe’s
1 4-ounce package pancetta
16 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup freshly grated gruyere cheese
1 cup toasted chopped walnuts
3/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Prepare gnocchi according to package directions and drain.

Place pancetta in a large nonstick skillet and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes or until browned. Place pancetta in a small bowl and add mushrooms to the pan; sauté 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and sauté 1 additional minute. Add mushrooms to the bowl with the pancetta. Place olive oil and butter in the skillet and sauté gnocchi for 3 minutes. Mix in pancetta and mushrooms, gruyere cheese, walnuts, and salt and stir until cheese is melted. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 728 calories, 44.2g fat, 4.6g fiber, 25.3g protein per serving
Cost: $2.73 per serving

I’m often asked how I manage to post original recipes so often while working long hours and hitting the gym the majority of the days of the week. Well, what I usually do is work in bursts. I may perfect three or four recipes in one weekend and then take a break. I feel most comfortable when I have at least six or so recipes ready to go in my “blog” folder on my desktop, which sounds like a lot, but is really only three weeks worth. Then when I’m extra busy at work, on vacation, or spending all my kitchen time developing recipes for a contest, I can go a couple weeks without cooking for my blog. I end up rarely posting recipes right away, because I’d rather take my time editing the photos, writing up the recipe, calculating the nutrition info, etc, but the chicken I made tonight was SO good that I had to make an exception!

I stuffed chicken breasts with a creamy mixture of mascarpone and blue cheese, shallots, spinach, and turkey bacon, and then coated the stuffed breasts with pecans. This recipe does take a bit of time to put together, so I pounded out my chicken, made my stuffing, and assembled my pecan coating yesterday. Then everything came together in about 40 minutes tonight, which is the max amount of time I want to spend cooking on a weeknight. I am already looking forward to leftovers tomorrow!

Spinach, Bacon, and Blue Cheese Stuffed Pecan Crusted Chicken Breasts
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup chopped shallots (4-5 large shallots)
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 strips turkey bacon, chopped
4 cups baby spinach (4 ounces)
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup pecans, pulsed in the food processor until finely ground
1/2 cup panko
1/4 cup flour
4 large boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
2 eggs, beaten

Directions:
Heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a medium nonstick pan and sauté shallots for 5 to 7 minutes or until softened; add garlic and sauté 1 additional minute. Remove from heat and place in a medium bowl. Add bacon to the same pan and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes or until browned. Place bacon in the same bowl with the shallots. Add spinach to the pan and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until wilted. Add spinach to the bowl and allow ingredients to cool completely to room temperature. Add blue cheese, mascarpone cheese, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the bowl and mix until well combined.

Meanwhile, place chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound to 1/3-inch thickness using a meat mallet. Place filling evenly lengthwise down each chicken breast, roll up the sides, and secure with toothpicks. Mix ground pecans, panko, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a shallow pan. Put the flour in a shallow dish and lightly dredge both sides of the stuffed chicken in the flour. Place the beaten eggs in another shallow dish and dredge both sides of the flour coated chicken in the egg mixture; place chicken in the pecan mixture and coat well on all sides.

Heat oven to 350˚F. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat in a large nonstick pan and place two chicken breasts in the pan. Use large tongs to rotate the chicken and sear it on all four sides. Place seared chicken breasts seam side up in a large baking pan and repeat with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and two chicken breasts. Bake at 350˚F for 18 to 22 minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink in the center. Allow to rest 5 minutes, then remove toothpicks, and cut on a bias. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 415 calories, 24.4g fat, 2.1g fiber, 35.2g protein per serving
Cost: $1.35 per serving

One of my favorite meals to whip up when we’re low on groceries is a red or green Thai curry. We always have coconut milk, Thai curry paste, and rice in our pantry, and even if we don’t have any fresh produce, I can usually at least dig up some frozen veggies to round the dish out. I have a pet peeve about Thai curries though – after spooning the curry over rice, I feel like I never quite get the perfect ratio of rice, sauce, and veggies in every bite. Then, one night while I was stirring my rice and sauce together on my plate, I realized the obvious solution was simply to make a Thai risotto with Arborio rice!

So, that’s exactly what I did with this dish. I cooked shallots, ginger, garlic, and red curry paste in a pan and then added and toasted my Arborio rice. Then I slowly stirred in a mix of lychees ground in the food processor (which make this curry extra special), chicken broth, and coconut milk, and mixed in red peppers, snow peas, and tofu. I loved this risotto and will definitely be making it again!

Red Curry Risotto
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large red pepper, chopped
6 ounces snow peas
1 20 ounce can lychees in syrup, drained
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup coconut milk (full fat)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 shallots, chopped (3/4 cup)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon red curry paste (or to taste)
1 cup Arborio rice
9 ounces firm tofu, cut into chunks

Directions:
Heat canola oil over medium high heat in a large pan and sauté red peppers for 3 minutes; add snow peas and sauté 3 additional minutes or until veggies are tender. Remove from heat.

Place lychees, chicken broth, and coconut milk in a food processor and pulse until smooth, about 1 minute. Meanwhile, melt butter over medium high heat in a large stockpot. Sauté the shallots for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender; add ginger, garlic, and red curry paste and sauté for an additional minute. Add the rice and stir until well-coated and translucent. Reduce heat to medium and stir in 1 cup of the chicken broth mixture. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the stock has been absorbed; add another cup and continue in this way until all the chicken broth has been absorbed, for about 30 minutes. Stir in cooked red peppers, snow peas, and tofu. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 504 calories, 18.4g fat, 4.4g fiber, 17.0g protein per serving
Cost: $2.65 per serving