Kara's Kooking - Arroz Cubano

I had arroz cubano, which translates to Spanish Rice, when I was studying abroad in Spain.  Every Friday (when her grandchildren came over) we had this dish.  This was fine by me because it was delicious!  In Spain, they have a sauce called "Tomate Frito"(translation: fried tomato), and unfortunately there isn't anything similar here in the States.  It was so good my roommate and I contemplated drinking it!  Anyway, when I miss Spain, I make my own version of Arroz Cubano.  It's definitely a dish that sounds weird, but don't knock it til you try it.

All you need is a medium grain rice, 1 egg, and plain tomato sauce.  

Cook the rice according to the package.  Fry up an egg.  Put the rice and egg in a bowl.  Pour tomato sauce on top.  Voila! 

Kara's Kooking - Summer skillet lasagna

I made this last weekend and it delicious.  The only complaint I had was that it needed a bit more sauce.  I would recommend adding some store bought tomato sauce to give it a bit more flavor.  I would also not use as much ricotta cheese as the recipe calls for.  Also, the bigger the skillet, the better!  The noodles need their space to simmer!

*Serves 4-6

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped fine

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes

Salt and pepper

10 curly-edged lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch lengths

1 small zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

1 small yellow squash, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

1/4 cup shredded fresh basil

1 cup part skim ricotta cheese

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Drain tomatoes into a 2-cup liquid measure. Add water to tomato liquid to make 2 cups. Add tomato/water mixture and 1 teaspoon salt to skillet.

Scatter noodles into the skillet, layer tomatoes over the noodles and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, stirring occasionally (so the noodles won’t stick!) for about 10 minutes.

Stir in zucchini and squash, cook, stirring now and then, until noodles and squash are tender, about 8 minutes. Add basil and half of the rictotta cheese and half of the Parmesan cheese to the noodles, stirring until the sauce is creamy. Dollop remaining ricotta  cheese over the noodles, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.

Here is the original recipe.

Kara's Kooking - Chicken Parmesan Triangles

I kept seeing pictures of these wonderful triangles of deliciousness, but it was never accompanied by the recipe. Finally, while browsing around one of my favorites websites, Pinterest, I found the recipe.

I made these a couple of weeks ago and they did not disappoint.  They are delicious and very easy to make.  The recipe suggests boiling the chicken and then shredding it, but next time I am going to shred baked chicken because the boiled chicken seemed a bit tough.  The egg roll wrappers are great because they get crispy around the edges, and they aren't doughy like a calzone is.

Chicken Parmesan Triangles - makes 6


Ingredients:
8 oz. raw chicken breast
1 cup marinara sauce, plus more for dipping
6 egg roll wrappers (each 7 inches squared)
1 cup baby spinach
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Directions:

Place the chicken breast in a small pot and fill with enough water just to cover. Bring to a boil on your stovetop, reduce the heat slightly, then simmer for about 12 minutes, or until cooked through. Drain and let cool before shredding with two forks, pulling against the grain of the meat. Mix the meat with the marinara sauce in a small bowl.

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Lay the egg roll wrappers on a clean work surface. Layer each with a few leaves of spinach, then chicken, followed by mozzarella and parmesan.

Lightly brush two adjacent sides of the wrapper with water and fold the upper left corner downward, covering the filling, and press to seal on the bottom right corner. Press to seal each of the sides. Repeat with remaining wraps.

Place all 6 filled wraps on a greased wire rack set over a cookie sheet, coat each in cooking spray or a light brushing of olive oil, and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the edges begin to turn a golden brown.

Serve with warmed marinara sauce for dipping.

Here's the original post

Kara's Kooking - Chicken, Spinach and Goat Cheese Quesadillas

I had a feeling these quesadillas would be dynamite since I love spinach and goat cheese.  The original recipe didn't call for tomatoes, but I added them because we all know how much I love tomatoes.

Ingredients: (Quantities are approximate)

• Flour tortillas
• Chicken (cooked and sliced)
• Garlic (1 tsp., minced)
• Tomatoes, diced
• Baby spinach
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Goat cheese (4 oz., crumbled)
• Shredded monterey jack cheese
• non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

1. Heat the spinach with the garlic, salt and pepper over medium-low heat until wilted; remove from heat and set aside.
2. Heat a pan over medium-high heat, and spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Toast the inside of the tortilla for about 30 seconds. 
3. Take the tortilla off the pan and assemble: Over half the quesadilla sprinkle monterey jack cheese, chicken, spinach, tomatoes, and goat cheese. 
4. Add tot he pan and cook for 1-2 minutes, fold the tortilla over and continue cooking about 30 seconds.  Flip the quesadilla over and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.  Enjoy! 

I served mine with salsa, but the original recipe recommended avocado sour cream.  

Kara's Kooking - Baked Parmesan Tomatoes

This recipe is a tomato lover's dream!  Growing up I hated tomatoes, which I think was based on my Dad's still present hatred of tomatoes, but now I absolutely love them and don't know how I lived without them.  This is a really simple recipe, and you could serve these as a side like I did, or you could have them as a snack.  

Ingredients:

4 tomatoes halved
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano or basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Preheat over to 425
2. Place tomatoes cut-side up on a baking sheet.  Top with Parmesan, oregano (I used basil), salt and peppter.  Drizzle with oil and bake until the cheese is golden, about 15 minutes.

Original recipe

Kara's Kooking-Penne with Roasted Asparagus and Balsamic Butter

I absolutely love balsamic vinegar so when I came across this recipe I was thrilled. Although there are a few steps involved at one time, it was very easy, and very quick to make. I made it with whole wheat penne pasta, but next time I will try regular penne because the whole wheat flavor took away from the flavor of the balsamic. I would also like to try adding chicken to add some protein to the dish.

Follow this link for the recipe! Penne with Roasted Asparagus and Balsamic Butter

Coming later this week: I'll be posting a recipe for Baked Parmesan Tomatoes (as long as they're good)!

Kara's Kooking-Sauteed Spinach

I was recently inspired by a fellow blogger to start eating healthier. I was in a rut of mac n' cheese, spaghetti, frozen dinners, take-out etc. The take-out was hurting my wallet, but these habits were also hurting my waist line and my general well being. With my jobs, some weeks it's virtually impossible for me to eat at home, but I'm trying very hard. For instance, last night my friends and I went to happy hour and usually we would eat as well. I had just gone to the grocery store so I said to myself "Wait until you get home to eat." And I did! Anyway, the goal is to try one new item/recipe per week in order to get out of my food rut!

I buy spinach for this pasta dish I make a lot (recipe to come next week), but I always end up throwing most of it out. I'm not a huge fan of spinach salad unless in the mood, so I thought, what else can I do with all this spinach? I decided to try sauteed spinach. I had never tried it, but knew it had to be pretty good since my dad is a fan. I did a little research to get a the general idea of how to make it, and it was simple.

I threw maybe half a tablespoon of olive oil into a pan along with one clove of minced garlic. I let the pan heat up on medium-low and then threw in a couple handfuls of spinach. I just stirred it around a bit until it was wilted. Finally, I sprinkled with a bit of parmesan cheese. Delicious! (For those wondering, I had it with chicken and parmesan risotto.)

The best part about spinach is since it wilts down so much, you get a huge serving of vegetables, even though it seems relatively small.