Herbed Ricotta Tart

This very delicious-looking Cooking Light recipe, with an enticing photo to accompany it, has been sitting in my “to make” pile for a year now. Yes, I have a pile of magazine pages waiting to be organized in my personal recipe book, one of the many projects on my to-do list. Last Sunday seemed like the perfect day to try this treat; I needed something flavorful, easy and substantial. Since the recipe called for refrigerated pizza dough, I figured I could handle it. After (maybe) a little too much wine at our friends’ wedding the night before, I wasn’t up for anything too challenging; it was in Sonoma, can you blame me!?!

A short 45 minutes after I started mixing together fresh herbs and creamy cheese, I pulled my new, gorgeous quiche dish (thanks to my darling sisters!) from the oven and was quite impressed by the fact that it looked exactly like the magazine photo. Mark and I enjoyed a piece with a light side salad while I challenged him to find another wife that whipped up gourmet lunches for two on a Sunday afternoon (okay, other than my mom and sisters). Truth be told, this was a simple, no-fuss recipe that required little more than a trip to the market for fresh herbs. But no one needs to know that ;)

Herbed Ricotta Tart

1 (11-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough

Cooking spray
2 cups thinly sliced green onions
1 1/3 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh chives
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons finely grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Unroll dough, and press into bottom and sides of a quiche dish or 9-inch round removable-bottom tart pan coated with cooking spray.
3. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add thinly sliced green onions to pan; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Combine cooked green onions, ricotta cheese, sliced fresh chives, minced fresh dill, salt, freshly ground black pepper, eggs, and egg white. Pour onion mixture into prepared crust; sprinkle mixture with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes or until center is set. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 6 wedges.

Each piece is about 250 calories

While reheating a piece of quiche for lunch at the office, I spotted some fancy hot sauce and added a few dashes once it was ready. The extra kick was great, and of course the added bonus is that spice makes you feel a bit fuller. I definitely got a few envious glances from those pulling out their PB&Js and canned soup. Of course the two extra pieces went in the freezer, saved for Mom & Dad Swanson to try on their trip out next week!

Chile-Cheese Corn Muffins

Muffins are a great side because you can easily freeze the leftovers and use them later without much planning ahead, since they defrost in less than a minute in the microwave. Whenever I choose recipes, the ease of use for leftovers, number of ingredients needed and amount of labor required all factor into the equation. This recipe includes ingredients that you likely have on hand, and they're all pretty cheap too! Since we were grilling steaks the other night, I wanted a quick recipe that had just a couple of steps. I've made these Rachael Ray muffins a few times, and they are out of this world! They were perfect with steak and zucchini mash!

Chile-Cheese Corn Muffins


2 1/3 cups flour (Sometimes I use 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 1/3 cups white flour)
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 cup corn (canned or frozen- but make sure to thaw)
One 4-ounce can diced mild green chiles, drained
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
1 cup milk (I use 1%)
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use light)

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cayenne. Stir in the corn, chiles and 1/2 cup parmesan. Stir in the milk and mayonnaise. Spoon the mixture into a nonstick, 12-cup muffin pan.
2. Bake for 15 minutes, then sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon cheese. Bake until golden-brown, about 10 minutes more.

If you want to get really fancy, you could grill corn, instead of using canned or frozen, for a different flavor. Alter the amount of cayenne to make these more or less spicy; they've got a good kick to them with 1/2 teaspoon. You can't go wrong with these muffins- they're also a perfect side for chili or enchiladas! While I can't take credit for this photo, I can assure you that they really do turn out to look like this!

Chipotle Shrimp Salad

When I’m feeling like a light, healthy dinner, big salads are my go-to plan. This week, I was particularly in the mood for shrimp, and really went all out by picking up some fresh, local (and very expensive) shrimp at our neighborhood market. I figured the meal had to be pretty phenomenal to relieve my guilt for dropping $20 on 10 shrimp- yup, I REALLY wanted shrimp, and okay, I didn’t look at the price very closely… Mark gave this one a whopping 10 out of 10 on the KellyInTheKitch scale- a first time perfecto! The homemade marinade and salad dressing were well worth the time spent slicing and dicing!

Chipotle Shrimp Salad

10 large shrimp

Marinade

4 teaspoons olive oil

Zest of 1 lime

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice                                               

1 teaspoon sauce from can of chipotles en adobo sauce (I never use a whole can, and keep leftovers in the freezer)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

Dressing

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

Zest of 1 lime

1 clove garlic, minced

Salad

4 cups chopped lettuce

2 tomatoes, chopped

4 scallions, sliced thin

4 tablespoons olives, sliced

4 tablespoons corn

1/2 avocado, chopped

4 tablespoons Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

1. Peel and devein the shrimp, keeping them on ice while working.
2. Combine and whisk all marinade ingredients in a large Ziploc bag. Add shrimp and toss to coat. Let the shrimp marinade for at least 20 minutes.
3. While the shrimp is marinating, whisk together all dressing ingredients. Set aside and refrigerate.
4. Prepare the salad by chopping the lettuce, and adding all salad ingredients evenly between the two salads.
5. Prepare the shrimp on the grill or on a grill pan in the oven (I threw mine on my heavy Le Cruset grill pan in the oven). If using a grill, grill for about 2-3 minutes on each side; if grilling in the oven, broil in a heavy pan for about 4 minutes on each side. I poured the marinade over the shrimp before broiling for extra flavor. For either method, the shrimp should be just opaque in the middle when done.
6. Add the grilled shrimp to the salads, and evenly pour salad dressing on top.

Recipe serves two.

Normally, I have a few suggestions for ways that the recipe could be altered or improved, but this one was pretty perfect! The dressing was fabulous and would be great on a taco salad or Mexican chicken salad. Served with my favorite corn muffins (check back for the recipe!), this was a satisfying and healthy meal!

My Favorite Mojitos

Saturday was a great day. The weather was beautiful, we had no plans, and I had the whole day to think about what to make for dinner! Mark and I decided on pizza, not the most creative night, so I wanted to make a fun cocktail to go along with our meal. After searching through dozens of recipes and feeling frustrated because I didn’t have any of the 18 million different drink mixers or garnishes on hand, I headed to the market and figured I’d just grab some cranberry juice to mix with vodka and some berries. Browsing around the store, I came across Lemon Italian Sparkling Soda, which sounded like a delicious way to make mojitos. I picked up fresh mint and a bunch of limes and rushed home with excitement to create my masterpiece! The soda was amazing in the drink and Mark and I quickly polished off the bottle! Good thing I only bought one!

My Favorite Mojitos

12 mint leaves

1 shot rum (I used Captain Morgan Spiced Rum)

Juice of half of a lime

1/4 teaspoon sugar (optional)

1/2 cup crushed ice

1/2 cup Lemon Italian Sparkling Soda

1. Place mint, rum, lime juice, sugar and ice in a glass and muddle.
2. Top with soda and stir.
3. Enjoy- the more you make, the better they get!

If you’re like me and don’t keep many cocktail mixers on hand, this is an awesome choice! The soda is sweet enough so that you really don’t have to use sugar. This is an easy solution to a cocktail craving- simple, refreshing and inexpensive!