pasta – Keely Marie

April 30, 2013

Scallops Blanco Limón de’ Orzo

Light, fresh, and airy meals always make me feel great and they are perfect for the upcoming summer heat. I’ve used whole wheat orzo to keep it healthy, feel free to substitute with regular.

This is a quick dish where you can choose to simply cook the scallops with EVOO salt and pepper or to use the flour coating I’ve used below. The flour coating adds flavor and creates a nice texture.

Looking for even lighter? Try this recipe where the scallops are served on a bed of spaghetti squash.

This scallop dish pairs well with this Mediterranean Cobb Salad. For added depth of flavor use a balsamic drizzle on the scallops when you serve the dish.

Scallops Blanco Limón de’ Orzo

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 ½ pound Large Scallops, if frozen thaw and dry on paper towels
6 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup orzo, I used whole wheat in the photo above
½ cup dry white wine
1 cup low sodium, fat free chicken broth
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided in half
½ large sweet onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons chives, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon

Instructions

Place flour, garlic powder, paprika, pepper and salt in a large plastic bag or bowl. Stir to mix. Add scallops and toss to coat. Set aside.

Heat olive oil on medium heat. Once hot sauté onion and garlic for 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.

Add Orzo and toss to coat and toast up a bit, 2 minutes.

Add white wine and broth. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a low simmer for 15 minutes.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan on medium-high heat. Once hot add the scallops to the pan, being sure not to overcrowd (they should not touch each other). Cook in batches if needed. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side.

All scallops are different sizes, so a good way to test to your preferred level of done-ness is to take one and cut it in half to be very sure. I also look for the amount of liquid coming from the scallops, when this starts to disappear they are usually done, you do not want to overcook.

https://keelymarie.com/2013/04/30/scallopsblancolimonorzo/

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::: keelymarie :::

January 13, 2013April 29, 2013

Black Sesame Sea Bass + Asian Soba Noodles

You guys KNOW I jump on any Asian influenced recipe, so you can imagine my excitement when I saw that our Food Matters Project recipe this week is Asian influenced. Love it!

The original Mark Bittman recipe calls for salmon, but we just haven’t jumped on that bandwagon yet. I used this as an opportunity to make one of my favorite fish, Chilean Sea Bass. I mostly followed the noodle recipe, adding yellow bell peppers. I also made sweet and spicy edamame as a side dish, recipe to come.

This dish is delicious and it felt super light even though you area eating ‘healthier’ noodles. Perfect week day dinner.

Thanks Sara for a great pick! Head here to see the other members’ versions, some close to the original and some very creative.

Black Sesame Sea Bass + Asian Soba Noodles

Total Time: 30 minutes

Serving Size: 2-3

Ingredients

Salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 ounces fish fillet, this recipe uses Chilean Sea Bass (skin removed)
Black pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 1?2 pounds spinach, roughly chopped
1/2 large yellow bell pepper, diced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1?2 teaspoon sesame oil
8 ounces buckwheat (soba) noodles or whole wheat spaghetti

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Put the vegetable oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. When it’s very hot, sprinkle the sea bass on both sides with salt and pepper and sear it in the pan until nicely browned on both sides, about 6 minutes total. Remove from the pan and cut or flake it into bite-size pieces. (you need to flip and remove it gently so it doesn't break apart)

Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium. Add bell peppers and cook 5 minutes to soften. Then add the garlic and sesame seeds and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic begins to soften and the sesame seeds turn golden, about 30 seconds. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, for another minute or 2. Add the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and a splash of water and cook until the spinach is wilted, another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Cook the noodles in the boiling water until they’re tender but not mushy (start tasting after 5 minutes), then drain and rinse, reserving some of the cooking water. Turn the heat under the spinach mixture to medium and add the noodles. Toss, adding enough reserved liquid to keep things moist. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve pasta on the side of the fish.

Notes

adapted from The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman, recipe page 239 "Sesame Noodles with Spinach and Salmon"

https://keelymarie.com/2013/01/13/black-sesame-sea-bass-asian-soba-noodles/

We just moved from Brickell to South Beachthen went straight to Islamorada for the weekend for my birthday and meanwhile I’m changing some things on the back end of my blog and have a broken camera… so I apologize for the lack of frequent posts! It’s totally been wild around here (even some great side projects on top of work!). I’m praying things get a little more sane this week, but I’m not expecting it yet. Stick with me please! I’m not going anywhere. 🙂

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::: keelymarie :::

November 19, 2012April 29, 2013

Carrot Parsnip Gnocchi with Sage Brown Butter

This last week was intimidating and exciting at the same time. I joined a new gym and started working with a personal trainer. I’m enjoying the guided kick your ass work-outs and I am definitely feelin’ it! Spending some time on ME has been a long time coming, so it feels good.

I was a little concerned to make gnocchi the same week that I jump into a healthy kick, but these carrot and parsnip gnocchi really didn’t seem that unhealthy since the most prevalent ingredients are the veggies.

The simplicity of this dish completely blew my mind! Just carrot, parsnip, and flour? So many possibilities and the FMP members pulled out all the stops. Our host this week, Joanne whipped her rendition up with Butternut squash instead of carrots.

I chose to add some sweet parsnips and loved how they turned out! This would be a really unique dish for your Thanksgiving dinners this week.

Carrot Parsnip Gnocchi with Sage Brown Butter

Prep Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes

Serving Size: 2-3 servings

adapted from The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman

Ingredients

1/2 pound carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup regular flour
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2-3 sage leaves

Instructions

Place carrots and parsnips in just enough water to cover them and bring to boil. Add a pinch of salt. Boil until soft, about 45 minutes, then drain. Return carrots and parsnips to your pot and let them dry over the lowest possible heat for 10 minutes. Puree carrots in food processor or by hand (I used a potato masher and did this by hand) and add nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool for a couple minutes. Boil a small salted pot of water (this will be used to test the dough).

Combine both flours in mixing bowl. Add carrots to mixing bowl and stir until just combined. Pinch off a piece of the dough and boil in your test pot it to make sure it holds its shape. If it falls apart add more flour to mixture, until gnocchi just holds together.

Turn dough onto floured surface and roll into 1/2-inch ropes. Cut rope into 1-inch pieces. Arrange gnocchi on a floured baking sheet then cover with a towel. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or up to 2 hours. (At this point the gnocchi can be frozen on the sheet pan, then transferred to a plastic bag for 3 months. Do not thaw before boiling.)

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Also heat oil, butter, and sage over medium low heat in a large skillet. Heat until sage begins to crackle and butter begins to lightly brown. If butter is browning a lot turn down the heat. Cook a few gnocchi at a time in boiling water, until 1 minute after they rise to the surface. Transfer cooked gnocchi to skillet with a slotted spoon and lightly toss to coat. Continue process until all gnocchi are covered in the sage brown butter sauce.

Serve immediately.

https://keelymarie.com/2012/11/19/carrot-parsnip-gnocchi-with-sage-brown-butter/

Head here to see what the rest of the members created this week.

This week I’m heading to Orlando then Ft. Myers for some family time. Happy Thanksgiving!

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::: keelymarie :::

August 21, 2012August 29, 2012

Greek Pasta Salad

I would eat this every single day for lunch if I had the time to chop chop chop all the veggies twice a week. It is healthy and just filling enough to get back to your day with energy. {This dish would be nonexistent to me if Peter didn’t teach me to chop veggies super small with great German knives. He and his family are an inspiration for my cooking.}

Continue reading “Greek Pasta Salad”