Cheese Ravioli with Asparagus and Walnuts

Tags

asparagus, cheese, Italian, main dish, pasta, pesto, vegetarian, walnuts

I love this recipe because it is delicious, quick, cheap, and easy….. That’s what she said!

Cheese Ravioli with Asparagus and Walnuts

• 20 frozen cheese ravioli
• 1/2 bundle of fresh asparagus, lightly roasted in the oven
• 1/4 cup English walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
• 1/8 cup pesto
• Parmesan cheese to garnish

Cook ravioli according to package directions. Drain and return to saucepan. Add the asparagus, walnuts, and pesto. Toss to coat. Garnish with Parmesan cheese. Serves 2.

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Kale, Caramelized Red Onion, Bacon, Mushroom, and Blue Pizza

Tags

bacon, blue cheese, Italian, kale, mushroom, onion, pesto, pizza

Shew! What a long name for such a great recipe. But how to shorten it?!? If you remove any of the title, you would remove such a key ingredient the reader would no longer have any idea of the true flavor palate or the recipe. So here it is… the whole long title….

Kale, Caramelized Red Onion, Bacon, Mushroom, and Blue Pizza 

The Crust:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 package of yeast
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups beer heated to 110 degrees F (I used my candy thermometer to make sure it wasn’t too hot)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Dashes of red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

The Toppings:

• 8 strips of bacon
• 1 medium red onion, sliced thinly
• 1 bunch of kale, ribs removed and roughly chopped
• 5 button mushrooms, sliced
• 3 oz crumbled blue cheese
• 8 oz grated mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup prepared pesto
• Salt and pepper to taste

In a glass measuring cup, warm in the microwave your favorite beer to 105 to 110 degrees. Pour in yeast, and let stand for 10 minutes to activate. In a greased large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, garlic, and hot pepper flakes. When proofed, add the liquid to the flour mix. Slowly work it in until it forms a ball. On a floured surface, knead the dough until smooth. Add more flour if the mix is too wet. Form into a ball and rub olive oil over the dough ball’s outer skin. Place back in the bowl, cover, and allow to rise for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 450 F and place a pizza stone (if you have one) inside.

In a skillet, saute the onions in the olive oil until softened and brown, about 20 minutes. Set aside and cool.

In the same skillet, fry the bacon until crispy. Drain and set aside to cool.

In the same skillet, saute the kale until slightly wilty. Add a few tablespoons of water and cover, if necessary.

In the same skillet, saute the mushrooms until the moisture has been rendered.

Sprinkle cornmeal on the heated stone. Carefully spread the dough onto the stone. Spoon pesto on to the dough and spread evenly with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the bacon, onions, mushrooms, and kale over the dough. Top with blue cheese and mozzarella. Bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and slightly browning. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Slice and enjoy!

Recipe loosely based on this recipe from Melting Pot.

Grilled Tilapia with Jalapeno Pesto (and an Award!)

Tags

food, grilled, jalapeno, Mexican, pesto, summer, tilapia

First off, let me thank Adventures of a Cake Diva for nominating Annashortcakes for  the Inspiring Blog Award!

Two awards in a month! How lucky am I! I am so happy that this blog has reached others in a positive way. I hope I continue to be inspiring to you and I look forward to being inspired by you!

Award Rules:

1. Thank the person who nominated you. (see above)
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Nominate 15 other bloggers that you admire or inspire you.
4. Go leave a comment and let the people know you have nominated them.

The Seven Things:

1. I grew up on a farm with a menagerie of animals, tobacco, hay, and a summer garden.
2. Quite opposite of the Cake Diva, I am much better at savory main dishes and sides rather than desserts.
3. I have recently starting reading non-fiction more than fiction.
4. I sleep at least 7 hours a night, otherwise you DO NOT want to be around me. Trust me.
5. I want to write a novel. I am just having troubles getting started. 🙂
6. The thoughts of having a baby scares me! I don’t know if I will be as good a mother as my future child deserves.
7. I am so annoyed that society has all these rules for what makes a woman beautiful. Good hair, white teeth, flawless skin, skinny with no cellulite. It is impossible to live up to these expectations. And even though I know real beauty is from within, I still kill it at the gym, whiten my teeth, and obsess over my pores. Being a girl is so hard!

My Inspirations:

Korena in the Kitchen (check out her Cherry Blossom Pie with Sourdough Crust), Cook Eat Live Vegetarian, The Canada Cheese Man, Griffin’s Grub, Cooking in Japan, Charlotte au Chocolat, While Chasing Kids, Frugal Feeding, Vogue Vegetarian, Frozen Moments, The Librarian Who Doesn’t Say SHHH, Go Lightly Gourmet, Fig Jam and Lime Cordial, The Southern Lady Cooks, and Sydney’s Kitchen

Now on to today’s recipe…. Grilled Tilapia with Jalapeno Pesto

With the exception of my “blow out” meal last week, I seem to be on a roll with these healthy meals. I love that I don’t feel deprived or starving after eating these dishes. This is proof that you can eat healthy and be satisfied.

One Year Ago: Mustard BBQ Sauce

Grilled Tilapia with Jalapeno Pesto

• 4 tilapia fillets
• 3 jalapeno peppers, charred on a grill or under a broiler
• 1 tbsp coarsely chopped cilantro
• 2 tbsp onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Prepare grill as your normally would. With gloves on, remove the seeds and membrane of the jalapenos. In a food processor or blender, combine the jalapenos, cilantro, onion, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Grill one side of the tilapia about 2 minutes. Flip over and spread a decent layer of the pesto over the fish. Finish grilling until flaky. Serves 4.

Sorrel Pesto

Tags

food, gluten free, pasta, pesto, sauce, sorrel, vegetarian

Thanks to my friend Katherine from Quantum Darkness for giving me this sorrel. I had never tried sorrel before. It is very similar to the plant my sister and I used to called “sour pickles”, the edible fruit of the yellow wood sorrel. Which makes sense because it is in the same family. My grandfather used to tell us not to eat them because you never could tell if a dog peed on them or not…  I guess we didn’t ingest too many toxins because here I am today. 🙂

I used to sorrel to make this gorgeous pesto. The tartness of the sorrel adds a brightness to the pesto similar to adding lemon to a typical pesto. I am excited for the next growing season so I can plant my own.

Sorrel Pesto

2 cups coarsely chopped fresh sorrel, ribs removed
1/3 cup packed fresh parsley leaves
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil

In a food processor or blender, puree the sorrel, parsley, garlic, Parmesan, pine nuts and oil.

Transfer the pesto to a jar with a tight fitting lid and chill it, covered. The pesto keeps this way for 2 weeks.

Makes about 1 cup.

Roasted Mushroom Pesto for Pizza

Tags

cheese, Italian, mushrooms, pesto, pizza

I don’t remember how I came across Korena In the Kitchen’s recipe. It looks so fantastic and I just had to try it, even though I didn’t have all the ingredients she used. One day I will make the pizza, ingredient for ingredient. Until then, this version was very satisfying.

Roasted Mushroom Pesto Pizza

For the pesto:

• 5 ounces baby portabellos
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1/4 ounce dried shiitake mushroom
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 1 tbsp shallot, chopped
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• 3 tbsp olive oil

For the toppings:

• 1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves
• 4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/2 cup oven roasted tomatoes
• Desired amount of Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses (Korena used fontina.)

Place the 5 ounces of mushrooms on a foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil; salt and pepper as desired. Bake mushrooms for 5 minutes at 450 degrees. Add the smashed garlic to the mushrooms and bake another 5 minutes. 

While the mushrooms are roasting, soak the shiitakes in the boiling water.

In a food processor, add the roasted mushrooms, soaked mushrooms and their water, parsley, shallots, thyme, Parmesan cheese, and oil.

Pulse until the mushrooms are in small pieces and spreadable.

On a prepared 12 inch pizza crust, spread the mushroom pesto. Top with spinach, bacon, tomatoes, and cheeses.

Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes or until cheese is lightly browning.