I have to say, this recipe caught my eye, though I had just gotten Chinese takeout. The original recipe used leftover pork tenderloin, but I’m more of a chicken girl.

It was a great weeknight meal, as it came together very quickly. Like any stirfry, having your ingredients ready before you start cooking is a must. I took even more of a shortcut, shredding my chicken before it even went in the fridge the day before, and buying presliced mushrooms.

You can speed things up even more by stirfrying the vegetables while the noodles cook, as long as you have everything ready to go and at your fingertips when you start cooking…I even had the soy sauce measured out in a small dish I kept next to the stove.

Chicken Lo Mein
adapted from Everyday Food, November 2011

Print Recipe

1/2 pound (227 grams) whole wheat spaghetti or lo mein noodles
4 teaspoons peanut oil
9 cloves garlic, minced
3 inch (7.5 cm) piece ginger, peeled and minced
1/2 pound (227 grams) button mushrooms, sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 stalk broccoli (peel and julienne the stalk, cut off florets)
1/2 chicken, cooked, meat shredded*
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Generously salt and cook according to package instructions. Drain.

In a large frying pan, heat 3 teaspoons oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and ginger, stirring frequently, until lightly browned. Add a teaspoon of oil and the mushrooms, stirring constantly until the mushrooms are soft. Add broccoli, stirring, until bright green, then add sliced peppers and cook until softened.

Add the cooked noodles, soy sauce, and chicken. Toss to coat chicken and noodles with sauce. When chicken has warmed through, remove from heat and drizzle with sesame oil.

*Leftover roasted or rotisserie chicken works great.

When my parents and I were in Door County, the breakfast special at the Sister Bay Cafe was scrambled eggs with asparagus and tomatoes. I, having my mind set on something sweet, bypassed the special in favor of the bread pudding the cafe is known for. However, my mom and I shared each other’s meals. I have to say, her breakfast really hit the spot, and provided some much needed protein!

Though it’s fall, when I saw asparagus on sale at the grocery store yesterday, I simply had to pick up a bunch and recreate this breakfast. So I chopped and sauteed all of the asparagus – it’s nice to have it on hand for future meals, then scrambled my eggs and added a couple of chopped cherry tomatoes, along with a generous scoop of asparagus.

What I love best about this meal is it works for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.

Scrambled Eggs with Asparagus and Tomatoes

Print Recipe

2 large eggs
1 bunch asparagus
2-3 cherry tomatoes
butter
salt & pepper

Rinse asparagus and tomatoes. Chop asparagus just above the bottom band, then chop into 1/2 inch/1.5 cm pieces (slightly longer is fine if your spears are very thin).

Heat small frying pan over medium heat. Add a pat of butter; when the foam has subsided, add a generous handful of asparagus and saute until bright green. Remove to a bowl and continue with remaining asparagus, adding butter as needed.

Add another pat of butter, reduce heat to medium-low, and crack eggs into a small bowl; whisk lightly with a fork. When foam from butter has subsided, add eggs to pan. Stir occasionally to scramble.

Meanwhile, dice the tomatoes, separating the seeds and juice from the flesh. When the eggs are almost cooked to your liking, add the tomatoes to the pan. Add a generous scoop of asparagus to the pan, as well.

Season to taste with salt, and pepper if desired.

This dish is the perfect late summer meal. It’s light and fresh, taking advantage of an abundance of cherry tomatoes that many of us have. If you’ve ever had even just one cherry tomato plant, you know what I’m talking about.

If you also grow basil, even better!

In the summer, you can easily obtain great tomatoes or basil from a farmers’ market, farm stand, maybe even just the neighbors or a coworker. I’ve even seen pails of tomatoes in a work breakroom, along with a “Help Yourself” sign.

You know what I really like about this dish (besides the great taste)? The leftovers taste great straight from the fridge or microwaved lightly, resulting in an easy lunch the following day.

I’m already thinking about making it again.

Note – this is one of those dishes that requires a few hours for the tomatoes to macerate, so plan your time accordingly.

Summer Garden Pasta
adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home

Print Recipe

2 pints (450 grams) cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup (60 mL) extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
12 basil leaves, plus extra for garnish
dash crushed red pepper flakes
salt
freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces (225 grams) dried angel hair pasta
3/4 cups (170 grams) freshly grated parmesan cheese (plus extra for serving)

Cut 9 of the basil leaves in a chiffonade. (Reserve remaining leaves for garnish.)

Combine tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, sliced basil, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a sprinkle of black pepper in a large bowl. Cover with plastic and macerate at room temperature for 3-4 hours.

Before serving, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a handful of salt and about a teaspoon or two of olive oil. Add pasta to boiling water, cook until al dente (2-3 minutes). Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain pasta.

Add pasta to tomatoes, then add parmesan and remaining basil leaves. Toss with a large tongs, adding pasta water a tablespoon at a time, if needed to prevent noodles from sticking.

Top each serving with additional parmesan and whole basil leaves.

Serves 3-4.

I love sandwiches, but it’s all too easy for me to get stuck in a sandwich rut, only mixing up the cheese type and a vegetable or two. Most lunches consist of turkey, cheese, sprouts, tomato, sometimes cucumber and/or bell peppers, on some sort of sandwich bread or roll. Tired of having the same old thing over and over, I recently hauled out my cookbooks in search of inspiration. Well, I found it.

In this case, it’s a sandwich I’ve actually made (and enjoyed) several years back, before I’d even heard of food blogs.

I took a big shortcut, having a jar of roasted red peppers just begging to be used. I also made a trip to Trader Joe’s, as I really enjoy their ciabatta. I find that too often, grocery store versions look a little sad. TJ’s ciabatta looks rustic from the outside, and when sliced has all of the nooks and crannies I want in my bread.

And then there’s the goat cheese. Frankly, I adore the stuff. I will happily slather it on pretty much any piece of bread you put in front of me. It’s tangy, creamy, and provides such an interesting flavor contrast to so many ingredients.

The original recipe calls for several large basil leaves, but I’m not a fan of raw basil, so I substituted parsley. I knew the parsley wouldn’t overpower the other ingredients, like basil would to me.

This sandwich is perfect for a gathering, but also works for a bag lunch if you cut the bread into individual portions first, adding just enough cheese and filling for your serving.

Note: it’s best to let the peppers and dressing sit for a few hours for the flavors to meld. Preparing this part of the recipe the night before would work well.

Roasted Pepper & Goat Cheese Sandwiches
adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home

Print Recipe

1 jar roasted red peppers or 4 colored bell peppers
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 loaf ciabatta
1 11-ounce (312 grams) package plain goat cheese, at room temperature
10-12 parsley leaves
3 thin slices red onion
salt & pepper

If roasting peppers, heat oven to 500F/260C. Place peppers on baking sheet and roast for 30-40 minutes, turning twice, until skins are charred and wrinkled. Place peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 20 minutes to loosen the skins.

While peppers are cooling, combine oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.

Remove roasted peppers from bowl. You should be able to pull the skins off rather easily. Discard skins, then remove the stems and seeds. Quarter the peppers and add to the bowl with the olive oil. (If using jarred peppers, quarter the peppers and add directly to the bowl with the oil/vinegar mix.) Stir gently, then cover bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Cut the ciabatta in half horizontally. Spread the goat cheese on the bottom of the bread and top with the peppers, then the parsley. Spread with onion rings and season with salt and pepper. Cover with the top half of the bread, then cut into individual servings.

Sometimes I have to go back through my pictures to realize I’ve made many things I’ve yet to post. Often these are very un-fancy meals where I snap a few quick pictures in the kitchen, without bothering with lighting, props, my DSLR…

But that doesn’t mean this food isn’t worthy, that people aren’t interested in simple meals they can cook rather quickly.

I’m a big fan of using as few dishes as possible, which often means stir-frys or curries. Sure, there may be some prep initially to slice the meat and chop the veggies, but the meal tends to proceed quickly from that point. It’s also great because it’s easy to make year-round, warming you up a bit when it’s cold out, but also not heating up the kitchen too much during warmer months.

I made this curry several weeks ago, before I had my spiralizer. It was delicious with pasta, but I think spiraled zucchini would make it even more interesting. Guess I’ll just have to make it again…

Coconut and Beef Curry with Noodles
adapted from Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast

Print Recipe

8 ounces angel hair pasta (rice vermicelli for gluten free option)
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 pound beef skirt steak*, cut against the grain into 2 inch strips
1 red onion, halved and cut into thin slices
2 red bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup basil leaves
1 tablespoon lime juice
Salt & Pepper

*can also use sirloin cut into 2 inch strips

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, season with salt. Cook noodles per package instructions, drain.

Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon oil to large saute pan set to medium-high heat. Season beef with salt and pepper, then add half to pan until browned on first side (about a minute), then flip to brown on the other side. Remove to a plate and repeat with remaining oil and beef, remove to plate.

Add onions, bell peppers, and water to pan. Stir occasionally until veggies are slightly tender. Add curry paste, stirring, until combined and fragrant.

Return beef and juices to pan, add coconut milk. Simmer about 5 minutes, until sauce thickens a bit. Remove from heat, stir in basil and lime. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over prepared noodles.

For me, pasta is more of a delivery vehicle for a favorite sauce, rather than an excitement unto itself. Sure, there are gourmet flavored pastas, which I do enjoy from time to time, but for the most part, I don’t find pasta all that interesting.

A few years back, I discovered spaghetti squash and realized it was an excellent substitute for spaghetti when served with a tomato-meat sauce. I liked the texture, I liked the flavor, and I found it tasted better than noodles. What I didn’t like was the hassle of cooking it, cutting it, and scraping out the strands.

So when I discovered an inexpensive little kitchen gadget that would allow me to turn many vegetables into spirals, I had to get it. I used it for the first time mere days after it arrived, to turn zucchini into curly “pasta”. I tossed the zucchini with some store-bought sauce and served it alongside an easy chicken parmesan.

For a little extra flavor, I dredged the chicken cutlets in shredded parmesan seasoned with Italian seasoning and ground pepper before cooking them.

If you have an abundance of zucchini you don’t know what to do with, turning it into “noodles” is an easy, interesting way to use up some of it. Since I just picked up my produce box yesterday and found it filled with zucchini, you can bet I will be making more meals like this one.

If you’re interested in a spiral vegetable slicer, I’m very happy with this one; it’s easy to use and easy to clean, and it stores the various blades in the gadget itself.

Zucchini Pasta

1 medium zucchini per person, washed
1/2 cup prepared tomato-based pasta sauce or marinara per person

Heat pasta sauce in medium saucepan over medium heat.

While that’s warming, cut the stem end off your zucchini. Depending on the size of the zucchini, you may need to cut then in half, as well. Make sure the suction cups have secured the gadget onto your counter, and place a bowl to the left of the gadget to catch the zucchini strands. Push a flat end onto the circular piece by the blade, then push the spikes into the other end. Your right hand will rotate the zucchini, while your left hand will push the lower handle towards the blade.

Continue with each additional piece of zucchini until you’ve spiralized all the zucchini. Toss the “noodles” in with the warmed sauce, let sit in pan for 1 minute to warm through slightly. Remove from heat and serve.

This tart is the perfect weeknight dinner during the spring. It’s fast, it’s easy, and it’s relatively inexpensive, courtesy of one of my favorite seasonal vegetables. (The cleanup is also ridiculously fast and easy, always a winner in my book.)

When the first local asparagus hits the stores, it’s all I can do to not plan every meal around it. Let’s face it – it’s great, but it’s really not around all that long, making it extra special.

This tart combines three of my food loves: puff pastry, asparagus, and cheese. Add a glass of crisp white wine, and life is good. Even better…there’s still another sheet of puff pastry to have fun with!

Asparagus Tart
adapted from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast

Print Recipe

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (from a 17.3 ounce package), thawed
1 pound asparagus, trimmed to fit pastry
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1 cup shredded Emmentaler cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400*F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment.

Roll out puff pastry on a floured board to a 16×10 inch rectangle; trim uneven edges with a sharp knife or bench scraper. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. With a sharp knife, score a border 1 inch in from the edge of the dough. With a fork, prick the dough all over inside of that scored border. Bake until golden, 10-15 minutes.

Lightly brush the inside portion of the tart with half the olive oil. Sprinkle with gruyere and emmentaler inside the border, then arrange asparagus spears on pastry, alternating ends and tips. Brush asparagus with remaining olive oil, then season lightly with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parmesan.

Bake until cheese is melted and asparagus is tender, about 15-20 minutes.

I could probably eat this dish everyday. It reminds me of a fresher version of nachos. The warm chicken-tomato mixture heats the cheese just enough to make it a bit melty, while not making it greasy.

Delish!

It’s also quick to throw together, making it a great weeknight meal. You certainly don’t have to buy a rotisserie chicken to shred – leftover chicken works great. I happened to use a combination of both, since I didn’t have enough leftover chicken. Plus, I just love how rotisserie chicken stays so moist and flavorful.

Chicken Chilaquiles
adapted from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast

Print Recipe

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes, in puree
2 canned chipotle chilies in adobo, finely chopped, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from same can)
Coarse salt
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
2 tablespoons lightly packed cilantro leaves, chopped, plus 4 sprigs for garnish
4 cups (about 3 ounces) tortilla chips
Sour cream
Shredded emmentaler or cheddar

Combine oil and garlic in a large (3-to-4-quart) saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring. Add tomatoes with their puree (breaking tomatoes up with fingers or a spoon), chipotles and adobo, and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil; season with salt. Reduce heat and simmer until lightly thickened.

Add chicken and cook, stirring, until hot, about 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in chopped cilantro.

Divide chips among four shallow bowls; top with chicken mixture and sauce. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, sour cream, and cheese.

Serves 4.

If you need a recipe for a fast dinner, look no further.

I intended to make this dish for dinner yesterday, but in my pre-severe weather ultra-preparedness, I decided to make it for lunch on the off chance I might not have power last night. Why did I go to such extremes? Well, my city was one in a list of predicted tornado hot spots for yesterday evening, and I can be of a superstitious nature, so I figured the more I did to prepare for severe weather, the more likely I wouldn’t actually get it.

Instead of a cooked meal for Sunday dinner, I planned on a turkey sandwich. Don’t laugh – it worked! All I had here was a lot of wind, a little thunder, a little rain.

Anyway, the meal intended for dinner ended up being my lunch. The roasted asparagus, my first asparagus of the spring, probably elevated the deliciousness of the meal in my eyes, but that’s the joy of seasonality. I’ve waited so long to have asparagus again, and it will now make an almost daily appearance in my cooking, I am sure.

Goat Cheese Pasta with Asparagus
adapted from Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast

Print Recipe

1 bunch asparagus (1 pound), tough ends removed
5 tablespoons butter, divided
6 ounces cavatappi (or other short, ridged pasta)
4 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
fresh chives or parsley, for garnish
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 450*F. Spread asparagus out on a large rimmed baking sheet, dot with 2 tablespoons butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until tender, 10-15 minutes depending on thickness of spears. Remove from oven, cool slightly, then cut into 2 inch pieces.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Generously salt, then add pasta and cook until al dente (refer to package instructions for time). Reserve 3/4 cup pasta water, then drain cooked pasta; return to pot and add asparagus.

Combine goat cheese, remaining butter, and 1/2 cup pasta water in a bowl. Whisk until smooth, season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour over pasta and stir to combine. Garnish with snipped chives or chopped parsley, if desired.

This may possibly be my new favorite quick dinner. It’s definitely faster than takeout Chinese, and in this case, I happen to like this version of cashew chicken better – there’s no giant chunks of celery, and there are LOTS of cashews!

I can also attest that the leftovers were great – sure the cashews softened a bit, but the meal tasted just as good. And, unlike leftover Chinese food, it didn’t upset my stomach.

Of course, because dinner was so easy, I had to figure out another way to pull off a klutzy moment.

Now that we have daylight later in the day, I was able to snap a picture of my dinner by a window. It was still darker than I would have liked, so taking a picture without the tripod was a little tricky – most of my attempts turned out blurry.

I had my camera around my neck and decided to try to get more of a close-up from above. I held the camera against my torso, then reached forward to move something slightly…and in the process let go of the camera.

Into my dinner my macro lens went!

Thank God I had a lens filter on. I’d much rather deal with trying to clean that than messing up a not-so-cheap lens. The moral of the story? Don’t try to rush through pictures when you’re super-super-hungry, and dinner smells really, really good.

Cashew Chicken
from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tablespoon cornstarch
salt & pepper
2 tablespoons neutral cooking oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
8 scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces (whites and greens separated)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
3/4 cup toasted cashews*
Cooked rice for serving

In medium bowl, toss the chicken with the cornstarch to coat. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until browned. Transfer to a clean bowl. Add remaining oil and chicken, white parts of onions, and garlic to pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until chicken is browned. Return first batch of chicken to the pan and cook, until the chicken is cooked through.

Add rice vinegar to pan and cook until evaporated. Add hoisin and 1/4 cup water to pan, cook until thickened slightly. Remove pan from heat. Add green onions and cashews, stir to combine.

Serve over rice.

*To toast cashews, spread over a baking sheet and toast in 350* oven for 10 minutes. You can also use roasted (unsalted) cashews.