Pasta with Spring Veggies and Soft Cooked Egg

So Miss Kate is back at it again! This recipe is making me drool (was that too much information)? When we lived in Boston we used to go to a restaurant called Stella and this recipe reminds me of their linguine with poached eggs and truffle oil.

This is a great spring dish. Its easy enough for a weeknight meal, but seems fancy enough for a date night at home. It uses some fresh spring veggies tossed with pasta and topped with a soft cooked egg, the yolk runs into the pasta and makes it that much better!

Ingredients: 

• 4oz Spaghetti
• 1 C Asparagus
• 1 C Snow Peas or Sugar Snap Peas
• 1 Small Zucchini
• 2TB Butter
• 1/2 C Parmesan Shredded
• 2 Eggs

Serves 2

Before I begin, I want to say I'm a big fan of mise en place, use it! It makes cooking much easier, a few minutes of prep work will save you headaches in the middle of the cooking process. My mise en place for this recipe...

Fill a large pasta pot with water, salt generously and bring to a boil. Also fill a small sauce pan or pot (just large enough to cook two eggs) with water and bring to boil.

While waiting for the water to boil, prep your veggies. Trim asparagus and cut into 2 inch pieces, trim the peas if necessary. Using a julienne peeler cut the zucchini into slices by going length-wise around the outer edge of the zucchini until you reach the seeds in the middle, discard that part.

Once the pasta water is boiling add pasta and cook for 1 minute less than the package instructions for al dente, then add the asparagus and peas and cook for the last minute, reserve about a cup of pasta water then drain the pasta and veggies. 

In the smaller pot, reduce the water to a simmer and gently lower in the two eggs. Set a timer for  6 minutes and cook the egg for exactly 6 minutes. When done run under cold water immediately and set aside.

In a large skillet melt the butter and add about 1/4 C of the pasta water, then add the pasta and veggie mixture, along with the zucchini and Parmesan, stir to create a sauce adding more pasta liquid if necessary. Season with salt & pepper.

Turn off the heat but leave the pasta in the pan to stay warm and gently peel the soft cooked eggs, then divide the pasta among two bowls, top each with an egg, leaving it whole. Sprinkle lightly with Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

Then serve, each person can break into the egg and mix the yolk into the pasta, yum!

Okay, I am off to Harris Teeter right now to go and buy these ingredients! I have some truffle salt that I have been dying to try and think I might sprinkle a little on top of this meal!

Happy Pinning!
By Kate Lindsey

Steak and Potato Salad

Our favorite guest blogger Kate is back! Today she is sharing with us her steak and potato salad!

This is a great salad for a weeknight dinner. It has a few different steps but comes together pretty easily and is hearty enough to fill you up. Adapted from this recipe, with potatoes, green beans and the addition of some steak tips its like a whole meal in salad form!

For the Walnut Dressing...

• 2 TB Vinegar
• 2 TB Plain Non-Fat Yogurt
• 1 Tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 1/3 C Walnuts
• 2 TB Walnut Oil

The original recipe called for white wine vinegar, I didn't happen to have any and used regular white vinegar. I also used plain Greek yogurt. I found walnut oil with the olive oil in my regular grocery store, if you can't find it you can probably substitute olive oil you may just lose a little walnut flavor. 

Preheat the oven to 400 and toast the walnuts for about 6 minutes, until they are fragrant. Meanwhile in a small mason jar combine the vinegar, yogurt, mustard and salt, and give it a quick stir. Roughly chop the walnuts and add to the jar with the walnut oil. Place the cover on the jar and give it a good shake. Set the dressing aside or place in the fridge.

For the Salad...

• 3-4 Red Bliss Potatoes
• 1 C Green Beans
• 3-4 oz Arugula
• 1/2 lb Steak Tips

Serves 2

Preheat the oven to 400 (or leave it on if you have just made the dressing). Dice the potatoes into bite sized pieces, toss lightly with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast on a baking sheet for 45-60 min until cooked through and lightly browned. The timing may depend on how large of a dice the potato is and how brown you like them.

While the potatoes are roasting  bring a pot of water to a boil and prepare an ice bath. Trim the green beans then cut them in half or in thirds, so they are also bite sized.

Once the water is boiling, drop in the green beans and cook for about one minute. Then drain and transfer the beans to the ice bath to stop the cooking. Once the beans are cooled drain on paper towels.

Once the potatoes are done roasting let them cool slightly and prepare your steak tips to your liking. I used an Italian seasoning and grilled them. When the steak tips are cooked, let them rest while you assemble the salad. Toss the arugula, potatoes and green beans with the walnut dressing, divide between plates and top with the steak tips. Enjoy!

How delicious does this look? I can't wait to make this. Let us know if you try this recipe and how you adapted the recipe. 

Happy Pinning!
By Kate Lindsey

Quinoa Lasagna - Guest Blogger Kate

My favorite guest blogger, Miss Kate is sharing another recipe with us. Kate a few weeks ago shared a recipe for a Spinach Torta in a Potato Crust! We are so excited

This is a yummy dish packed with veggies, red sauce and a little cheese for good measure. 

I had some bolognese sauce in my freezer that I made this winter and wanted to use it up, and I've been obsessed with quinoa recently, I was late to the party with that one, but now I use it in everything. I figured I could make a sort of lazy lasagna, casserole type dish with the bolognese and some fresh veggies and the quinoa. If you don't have any leftover sauce hanging around you can certainly use a jarred version. 

I made the whole dish in my cast iron skillet, one of my favorite things in my kitchen. You can saute the veggies, make the sauce, assemble the dish and put it right in the oven, easy! 

Ingredients: 

• 1 C Quinoa
• 3-4 C Tomato Sauce
• 1 Small Zucchini, diced
• 1 Small Yellow Squash, diced
• 8oz Mushrooms, quartered
• 1 Bell Pepper, diced
• 1-2 C Shredded Mozzarella or Italian Blend cheese

Makes about 6 servings. 

While chopping your veggies cook the quinoa according to the package instructions, and set aside. 

Preheat your oven to 350. 

Heat drizzle of olive oil over medium heat in a skillet, toss in all your chopped veggies and season with salt & pepper. Saute until just cooked, you don't want them to turn to mush when you assemble the dish, and they'll cook a little more when everything goes in the oven. 

Wipe out the skillet and return it to the stove. Over medium heat, warm or make your tomato sauce. I combined my leftover bolognese with an 8oz can of tomato sauce and a 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes in sauce. Let it simmer for a few minutes, and make sure to check for seasoning, add oregeno or basil, salt & pepper as needed. 

Once the sauce is warmed through turn off the burner, or remove the skillet from the heat. (If you aren't using a cast iron skillet you can assemble everything in a casserole dish) Toss in the cooked veggies with the sauce, then add in the quinoa. Add in some shredded cheese, I used about a handful of an Italian Blend and handful of mozzarella, use more or less if you desire, mix well so the cheese is distributed evenly. Then top with another sprinkle of cheese. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes until everything is warmed through and starting to bubble, then turn on the broiler for 2-3 min to get the top nice and melty! 

Thank you so much Kate for sharing!!
By Kate Lindsey

Guest Blogger - Spinach Torta in Potato Crust

Today we have our FIRST guest blogger! You might have heard me mention Kate in some of my earlier posts regarding wedding showers!! She is an amazing cook, baker, chef and more!! I am so excited that she is sharing some of her recipes and secrets with us!!

Also, this could be a great time to test out that homemade ricotta you made!!

I made this spinach torta for Easter, inspired by this post. The blog is written in the Netherlands so the measurement units aren't what I'm used to, so I outlined what I did below. 

Spinach Torta in Potato Crust

• 1lb Fresh Baby Spinach
• 2 Eggs
• 1 C Part Skim Ricotta
• 1 C Fresh Herbs (I used about 3/4 C Parsley and 1/4 C Chives)
• 1 - 1 1/2 C Feta
• Zest of one Lemon
• Salt & Pepper
• 2-3 Russet Potatoes
• Olive Oil
• Springform Pan 

Place a large skillet over medium heat, add the spinach with a splash of water, toss until all spinach is wilted. You may need to add the spinach in batches if it doesn't all fit in the skillet at first, it will cook down. Place the cooked spinach in a clean kitchen towel and twist/squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible. Roughly chop the spinach and set aside. 

In a bowl mix the eggs and ricotta, add herbs, feta, spinach and lemon zest. Season with S&P and mix well. Set aside. 

Peel the potatoes and slice 1/8 inch thick, slice one potato lengthwise to make long slices to line the sides of the springform pan, and the other 1-2 potatoes into rounds to line the bottom of the pan. I used my mandoline slicer and put the slices in a bowl of cold water as I was working. This helps to keep the potatoes from browning while they sit, and draws out some of the starch. 

Place a nonstick skillet over med-high heat and brush lightly with olive oil. Working in batches remove potatoes from the water, dry well with a towel, then fry in the skillet until lightly browned on both sides and tender. Remove potatoes from skillet to paper towel and continue with remaining potato slices until you have enough to cover the bottom and sides of the springform pan. 

Preheat the oven to 375.

Spray the springform pan generously with nonstick spray and use the potatoes to create your crust. I started with the sides, using the lengthwise slices to create one layer going around the side of the pan, with the potatoes slightly overlapping. 

Then use the potato rounds to cover the bottom, starting on the outside, working your way in, in a circle, and slightly overlapping again to create a solid layer to hold the spinach mixture. Pour the spinach-ricotta mixture into the prepared pan, being careful  not to disturb the potatoes. 

Place in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes until the spinach mixture is set and everything is golden brown. 

This looks DELISH and I can't wait to try this recipe!! Thank you so much Kate for sharing and we can't wait for your next recipe!

Happy Pinning!!
By Kate Lindsey