sausage

,

One Pan Sausage Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe

,
One Pan Sausage Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe

One pan meals are a regular at my home - their convenience is unmatched. This week’s recipe comes together in under 20 minutes. A hearty pasta toss that somehow remains light enough for a warm summer night. Little ears of Orecchiette pasta are the perfect shape to cradle juicy morsels of sausage and Parmesan cheese. Tender stalks of broccoli rabe bring some crunch to the party, but can be subbed with anything you have on hand - kale, broccoli, spinach, or even peas. Technically, we do use 2 pans/pots for this dish (a pot to boil the pasta!), but we’ll just keep that to ourselves :)

, ,

Eggplant Pizza

, ,
Eggplant Pizza

Eggplant pizza is the easiest way to satisfy your pizza cravings when you're trying to cut down on carbs! Using fresh eggplant as a "pizza crust" is a quick and tasty substitute; not to mention how cute they are!! Pizza is such a fun, hands-on meal to make with kids, and what better way to get some extra veggies into your families' diets than to use eggplant slices instead of dough :) 

One Pan, No Bake 20 Minute Lasagna

One Pan, No Bake 20 Minute Lasagna

This is of my favorite recipes since it's so easy, delicious, and straightforward. The results are great every time. A nice cheesy crust, tender lasagna noodles, creamy ricotta, savory Italian sausage, and zesty tomato sauce simmer on the stove for a mere 20 minutes and magically become the world's easiest lasagna. Once you've got all the ingredients prepped, the actual cook time is a breeze. Throw everything in one pan and impress your loved ones. I generally have a bunch of these ingredients on hand in my pantry so it's a great dish to make for last minute dinners. Find out how next...let's get cookin! 

Lap Cheong Brussels Sprouts

Lap Cheong Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts are fantastic - they pick up tons of flavor from other ingredients, and are extremely versatile! Check out my other Brussels recipes for Crispy Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Honey and Brussels Sprouts with Mustard Sauce! :)  I love living in Hong Kong. It's been such an inspiring experience. Growing up, my grandma often made Lap Cheong, a delicious dried Chinese pork sausage that is normally smoked, sweetened, and seasoned with rose water, rice wine, and soy sauce. It's the perfect mix of sweet and salty. Lap Cheong is a sausage that is dotted with huge gems of fat that render out and are wonderful for cooking the sprouts. This is a nice twist on bacon and Brussels that will have your family scarfing down sprouts :) Let's get cookin! 

,

Shrimp and Grits

,
Shrimp and Grits

There are a ton of nights where you simply don't want to leave the house for groceries. It's nice to have some staples on hand for lazy evenings. Frozen shrimp are so versatile and easy to cook with! Shrimp and grits sounds intimidating but is incredibly easy to throw together. You'll be surprised by how little effort it takes to gain so much flavor. You can, of course, use fresh shrimp. The only difference between the two is giving the frozen ones a little rinse in cold water to defrost them. When you're shopping for shrimp (I prefer tail-on, there's so much flavor in the shells!) it is sold by size and the sizes are expressed in counts per pound. For example, jumbo shrimp is expressed as 21/25, meaning that there would be an average of 23 shrimp per pound. Grits is a type of maize, or corn porridge. These two are a traditional pairing that is often eaten during breakfast :) We're adding a little cream and cheese to the grits to make them extra tasty. The creamy grits are a perfect canvas for the saucy shrimp, kielbasa, tomatoes, onions, and peppers! Let's get cookin :)