Whenever I ask Apolinaras where he’d like to go out to dinner, he inevitability suggests his favorite BBQ place in Boston, Blue Ribbon. I have to admit that I’m a pretty big fan too, and actually just writing this post is making me crave some pulled pork and burnt ends! But, while their BBQ is amazing, out of all the side dishes I’ve had there, and believe me, I’ve pretty much tried them all, only the mashed potatoes really do it for me. So, I usually order one of their special sides of the day and last time they were featuring eggplant orzo.  I was pleasantly surprised when it was quite addicting! Apolinaras actually immediately requested I try to recreate it at home, which is a first for him.

During one of our big snowstorms this winter, I was craving some summer flavors and finally got around to making the dish. I mixed the orzo with eggplant, zucchini, sun dried tomatoes, and lots of feta, and dressed it with olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic. Then I stuffed the mixture into roasted red peppers – so tasty! I calculated out (yes, I’m a dork!) that the amount of orzo in this recipe makes enough to fill 10 bell peppers, but I actually only stuffed 4 and we enjoyed the rest of the orzo on its own. Red bell peppers are pricey, but I went ahead and included all 10 in the cost below. I think I’m going to try roasting the veggies next time too instead of sautéing them. Can’t wait to make this again!

Eggplant and Orzo Stuffed Red Peppers
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
10 large red bell peppers, tops cut off and seeded
1 pound orzo
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 medium eggplant, chopped into 1-inch cubes
2 zucchinis, chopped into 1-inch cubes
4 garlic cloves, minced
Juice of one lemon
1 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
2 cups crumbled feta
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Heat oven to 400˚F. Place peppers on a greased baking sheet and roast at 400˚F for 20 minutes or until tender.

Prepare orzo according to package directions, drain, and place in a large bowl.

Place 2 tablespoons olive oil, red onion, eggplant, and zucchini in a very large nonstick skillet (working in batches if needed) and sauté 7 to 9 minutes or until veggies are tender, stirring frequently. Stir in garlic and sauté one additional minute. Mix cooked veggies, lemon juice, remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil, sun dried tomatoes, feta, and salt in the large bowl with the orzo. Stuff orzo mixture evenly into roasted peppers. Makes 10 servings.

Nutrition: 398 calories, 15.9g fat, 7.8g fiber, 13.2g protein per serving
Cost: $2.24 per serving

I love planning parties. My perfectionist and organizational sides enjoy thinking about all the details and watching everything come together. We may not have kids yet, but I already know I’ll be one of those moms attempting to throw picture perfect birthday parties for them! I’m also intrigued by the white parties that seem to be popular with celebrities – you know, the ones everyone is required to white from head to toe (not that I recently saw one of these on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills or anything…). I have no idea what I’d wear if I was invited to one, but after making this meal, I certainly know what I’d serve if I was hosting – there’s barely any color at all in this dish (thank goodness for the oregano!). Yeah, so it may not be the most attractive chicken dish I’ve ever seen, but don’t let that stop you from making it because it’s pretty tasty. Plus, I bet you could get more color on the chicken if you used a grill pan!

These chicken skewers have a Latin twist. I marinated the chicken in Greek yogurt with garlic, oregano, lime juice, cumin, and cayenne pepper, and broiled them to perfection. They turned out really juicy! Then I served them over citrus mashed potatoes. I used lime and clementine zest, which we really enjoyed, but I think a variety of zests would be tasty.

Chicken Skewers over Citrus Mashed Potatoes
Printable Recipe

Chicken Skewers:
6 ounces plain nonfat Greek yogurt
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons Mexican oregano
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks that fit the skewers

Citrus Mashed Potatoes:
2 pounds potatoes, scrubbed, peeled, and cut into chunks
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup milk
1/2 tablespoon of your favorite citrus zest (I used half clementine and half lime)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Mix yogurt, garlic, oregano, lime juice, cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Mix in chicken and marinate 1 hour in the refrigerator. Soak skewers in water.

Meanwhile, make the mashed potatoes by placing potato chunks in a large pot of boiling water. Boil for 15 to 20 minutes or until fork tender. Drain well and return to pot. Mash potatoes and mix in butter, milk, citrus zest, and salt until smooth.

Heat oven broiler. Thread marinated chicken pieces onto skewers. Hang skewers across the top of a 13×9-inch pan and broil for 3 minutes per side or until cooked through and no longer pink in the center. Serve skewers over mashed potatoes. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 566 calories, 15.6g fat, 3.8g fiber, 64.1g protein per serving
Cost: $2.49 per serving

Happy New Year! Can you believe it’s already 2011? I smile every time I think about 2010 because we made it a great year. The highlight was our big vacation when Apolinaras and I visited his home country of Lithuania over our anniversary. On the career front, Apolinaras joined Pixability, a company he really loves, and I finally figured out that I’d like to be a professor and have begun taking steps to do just that after my postdoc. I also finally got back into working out regularly and did my first, second, and third 5Ks, and first half marathon and sprint triathlon. I’ve grown to love racing! Oh yeah, and I was on the Food Network’s Ultimate Recipe Showdown!  I still can’t believe my recipes are on the Food Network site.  I’m already excited to see what adventures lay ahead in 2011.

Has anyone made any foodie resolutions? I managed to accomplish three of my original five culinary resolutions last year, which isn’t too bad. I whipped up a lot of Indian dishes, including saag paneer, co-hosted Thanksgiving, and tried at least one new recipe a week from the blogosphere or my cookbooks. But, I only made pasta once and I still haven’t learned how to cook all the different cuts of meat, so I need to keep working on those two. And of course, I have a few new ones I’d like to add to the list! I want to improve my Asian recipe repertoire and become a master of whipping up fancy breads and pastries (croissants are first on my list!).

I started the New Year off right by visiting HMart, an incredible Asian grocery store, for the first time. Apolinaras and I spent 2 hours wandering all the rows and having lunch at their yummy food court. About 20 minutes were spent just trying to figure out which dumplings to try – I felt like a kid in a candy store! I also ended up picking up a bunch of ingredients for a lighter Thai green curry. I decided to use both chicken broth and coconut milk in the curry (but if you want a richer curry use two cans of coconut milk instead!) and packed it with Asian veggies and shrimp. I used Chinese eggplant, red pepper, and broccoli rabe, so it was really colorful. I actually hadn’t cooked broccoli rabe before, but thanks to Martha, learned that it’s best to boil it for a minute first to reduce the bitterness and then saute it, so, I did just that and it turned out perfectly. I’ll definitely be making this again, especially if it means I can go back to HMart!

Thai Shrimp Green Curry
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pound broccoli rabe, ends trimmed and sliced into 2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons canola oil
3 medium Chinese eggplants, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 tablespoons green curry paste (or to taste)
1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk (I used regular full fat)
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
3 3-inch pieces lemongrass
1 cup sliced bamboo shoots, drained from a 20-ounce can
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups cooked brown rice

Directions:
Prepare the vegetables. Place broccoli rabe in a large pot of boiling water and stir well. Boil one minute, drain in a colander, and rinse gently with cold water. Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil over medium high heat in a large nonstick skillet. Sauté eggplant and red pepper for 6 to 8 minutes or until veggies begin to soften; add broccoli rabe and sauté 3 additional minutes or until all veggies are tender. Remove from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, prepare curry by heating one remaining tablespoon canola oil in a large stock pan over medium high heat. Add red onion and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender; add garlic and ginger and sauté one additional minute; add curry paste and sauté one more minute, or until fragrant. Add coconut milk, chicken broth, and lemongrass to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove lemongrass and add bamboo shoots, shrimp, and salt, and cook 3 to 4 to minutes, stirring frequently, or until shrimp are pink and cooked through. Remove from heat and stir in cooked veggies. Serve over brown rice. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 697 calories, 33.0g fat, 9.7g fiber, 32.7g protein per serving
Cost: $4.60 per serving