elly says opa

Chicken with Prosciutto, Fontina, and Arugula

April 11, 2013 · 15 comments

A few weeks back, I had a really proud mom moment when we were eating dinner and my not-yet-three-year-old said, “Mom, is this a sundried tomato?” Add to that him telling me he ate all his prosciutto a few weeks later without my reminding him what it was called, and I was pretty much beaming. This kid eats, recognizes, and loves things that I probably didn’t even get to have until I was in my twenties. Lucky, lucky dude. He’s also in a phase where he calls things his “favorites” and the night we had this he asked what was for dinner. I told him we were having crispy chicken with cheese and ham. He said, “But I want one of my favorites!” and I told him, “I know you’re going to like this dinner because it has a lot of things you like.” Sure enough, he asked for more chicken twice and by the end of the meal, he declared it a new favorite.

Of course it wasn’t just Zachary who enjoyed this dinner—we all did. I adored this meal for so many reasons. You really can’t go wrong with crispy, panko-coated chicken, even if it’s just served on its own. Topped with creamy cheese and salty prosciuitto, this meal feels indulgent, but the fresh and peppery arugula on top keeps this from feeling too heavy and is the perfect counterpart to the rest of the components. Plus, it’s incredibly quick and simple to make, but feels special and is totally company-worthy.

The original recipe actually calls for a triple creme cheese or brie but :::shielding self::: I’ve just never been a huge brie fan. I know, I know, I’m crazy. I can eat it but it’s just never been one of my favorite cheeses. Instead, I went with something that melts well and is still pretty creamy—fontina. It paired really well with the prosciutto and I’ll likely use it again next time, though I’m sure that several cheeses will work in its place if you are so inclined.

Chicken with Prosciutto, Fontina, and Arugula

Adapted from Bobby Flay via A Taste of Home Cooking

Arugula Salad
1.5 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. dijon
2 Tbsp. olive oil
6 oz. baby arugula

Chicken
1 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
4 (4-5 oz.) chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4″ thickness
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 lb. fontina cheese, thinly sliced
8 thin slices prosciutto

To make the arugula salad: Whisk the vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste together in a large bowl. Slowly add the olive oil while whisking, to emulsify. Add the arugula and toss to coat.

To make the chicken: Place the flour, eggs, and panko in 3 separate shallow bowls. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on each side, and then dredge in the flour, shaking off the excess. Dip into the egg , letting excess drip off, and then dredge both sides into the panko mixture, being sure to coat the chicken completely.

Heat a large nonstick skillet (or two) with the oil and butter over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted and sizzling, add the chicken. Cook until golden brown on one side and then flip and cook until done, about 5-6 minutes total. During the last minute, place the fontina on top of the chicken so it begins to melt.

Plate the chicken and top each piece with 2 slices of prosciutto and 1/4 of the arugula salad.

{ 15 comments }

Meatless Monday: Easy Mushroom Paprikash

April 8, 2013 · 10 comments

in healthy,quick and easy,vegetarian

We try to eat meatless 1-2 times per week but admittedly, I have a really hard time getting past pasta on those nights. Not only because it seems that a lot of the vegetarian recipes I come across are pasta-based, but also because I tend to already have a pasta dish on the menu once per week, and don’t really like eating pasta more than that (or, more accurately, I really would like that, but can’t really justify it).

We really enjoy chicken paprikash and, being the big mushroom fans that we are, I knew we’d like a mushroom version as well. And yes, paprikash is often served over egg noodles, but we had this over rice instead—although I didn’t have time to make brown rice this particular day so considering we had white rice, I probably should have stuck with pasta anyway. :) At any rate, what I like about mushroom-based meatless dishes is that they still have a hearty, meaty quality to them. I ended up increasing the amount of mushrooms in this recipe. I used cremini, but I think sliced portobellos would also work really well. This dish is easily made ahead—and even tastes a little better that way—but it’s also incredibly quick, so it can easily be made on a weeknight.

Mushroom Paprikash

Adapted from Vegetarian Times

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. sliced cremini mushrooms
1 medium bell pepper, diced*
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 Tbsp. flour
2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 (15 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup sour cream

Heat the oil in skillet or small Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, and cook about 7 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and onion; reduce heat to medium and add a pinch of salt. Sauté 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent.

Stir in the wine, and cook 2 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the flour and paprika; stir 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and broth and cook, stirring, until sauce has thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made ahead to this point. Cover and refrigerate. Reheat before continuing.)

Stir sour cream into mixture just until warmed through. Re-season if necessary.

*I had frozen tri-colored bell pepper strips in my freezer, so I used about 1 cup of those.

{ 10 comments }

Chorizo and Romesco Burgers with Manchego Cheese

April 2, 2013 · 13 comments

in beef,burgers and sandwiches,latin,pork,quick and easy

Burgers are always a hit in this house. Not only are they endlessly adaptable, but they’re incredibly quick to make, which is a working mom’s (or at least this working mom’s) priority. In fact, today is Zachary’s birthday (how did my kid turn THREE?) and he asked for burgers for dinner, which is sort of unexpected and crazy, if you’re aware of his love for quesadillas—the kind of love that has him ordering a quesadilla immediately upon sitting down at a restaurant, to the busser who brings out water.

These Spanish-style burgers are a great change-up from your typical burger, and really don’t take much more time to make. Chorizo is mixed into the patties, giving them tons of flavor, and then they’re topped with one of my favorite cheese ever and a fresh romesco sauce. The romesco takes just a minute to make, especially if you used jarred peppers, and your food processor does all the work for you. Dinner is on the table in 15 minutes (particularly if you’re like me and mail it in with store bought chips :)). And, of course, the best part is that we all really enjoyed dinner!

Chorizo and Romesco Burgers with Manchego Cheese

Adapted from Honest Cooking

Romesco:
4 roasted red peppers, skins removed, chopped
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. water
salt and pepper to taste

Burgers:
1/2 lb. chorizo, casings removed*
1 lb. ground beef
salt and pepper
1 cup shredded or thinly sliced manchego cheese
4 rolls or buns, split

To make the romesco, combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. It should have the consistency of a thick pesto. If it’s too thick, add a little bit more water.

Combine the chorizo, beef, and salt (about 1 tsp.) and pepper.* (see note) Form the mixture into 4 patties. Preheat a grill or pan (or broiler) to medium-high. If using a pan, add a small amount of oil (or cooking spray). Cook the burgers until desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium. During the last minute of cooking, place an equal amount of cheese on each patty and melt.

Serve the burgers on the buns with the romesco sauce on top.

*Note: You can use fully cooked or raw chorizo. If using fully cooked, remove the casings and dice into small pieces before combining with the beef. If using raw chorizo then remove from the casing (if necessary) and brown in a skillet. Drain the fat and combine with the ground beef.

{ 13 comments }

Chewy Sugar Cookies

March 28, 2013 · 12 comments

in desserts/sweets

During my pregnancy, I craved sugar cookies like a mad woman. I pretty much never bought them, but any opportunity to make them, I did. When it came time to whipping up a batch of cookies for Santa, my mind immediately went to a simple sugar cookie—huge emphasis on simple.

These were really easy to make, especially with the assistance of my favorite kitchen helper.

The cookies are soft and chewy, thanks to the cream cheese and oil (I know sometimes it sounds weird to add oil to cookies but I find that cookies and muffins/cakes made with oil are always really tender and moist). You can change up what you roll or top the cookies with based on the occasion. We kept them simple with just a little bit of silver decorating sugar, but these would be great with some pastel sprinkles or decorating sugar for Easter or springtime renditions. These were a big hit with our family and Santa too (yes, I’m posting them just a wee bit late). Zachary was happy to see the cookies gone the next morning – though his prediction was wrong. The night before I asked him, “Do you think Santa will eat the cookies we leave for him?” to which he replied, “I think he’s just going to eat one of them and tell us to eat the rest.” Nice try, kid.

I’m happy to report that I have about 1/3 of a batch of these in my freezer at the moment, and these will be making a reappearance very soon.

Chewy Sugar Cookies

Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated via The Nifty Foodie

2.25 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1.5 cups sugar
3 oz. cream cheese, cut into small pieces
6 Tbsp. butter, melted and warm
1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 egg
1 Tbsp. milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup additional sugar and/or decorating or turbinado sugar for rolling
sprinkles if desired

Preheat the oven to 350 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Place the sugar and cream cheese in a large bowl; pour the warm butter over it and whisk to combine—it will be slightly lumpy. Whisk in the oil until blended, and then add the egg, milk, and vanilla, whisking until smooth. Stir in the flour mixture with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until dough forms.

Use your hands to gently form 2 dozen balls with the dough, being sure not to over-handle the dough. Place the turbinado/decorating sugar into a shallow bowl, and roll each ball around in the sugar before placing on the lined baking sheet. Flatten each dough ball gently with the bottom of a small glass, so they are uniform in size. Sprinkle with a little additional sugar (and sprinkles, if desired) and then bake for 10-12 minutes, until edges are just set.

Cool on wire rack.

{ 12 comments }

Introducing Ian Gregory!

March 26, 2013 · 44 comments

in misc.

On March 20—my due date—Ian Gregory was born! He was 8 lbs. even and 20.5″ long (his big brother was 8 lbs. 1 oz and 20.5″ so they were so close!). I think a lot of people were surprised he wasn’t a girl. :) We’re all doing really well and adjusting to being a family of four.

Zachary has been a-maz-ing with little Ian. He came to visit at the hospital, and he held him and just wanted to look at him (well, and pet him – hah). The day we came home, we all went together to pick Zachary up from school, so they could enter our home together. Zachary gave Ian a tour, telling him what all the rooms in our house were. He has since been narrating his life to him (Look, Ian, I’m eating my chicken! Ian, I went to the potty!), telling him “It’s okay” when he looks fussy, and always asking about him. It’s been making my heart melt into a puddle.

Unfortunately, the night we got back, Zachary came down with a fever that reached over 104 the following day. So, we felt bad but we basically had to try to keep him from being too close to Ian. The next morning, I ended up with pink eye, and the following night, my own fever/chills. Oh boy. So, we’ve had a bit of a rough start in that regard, but everything else has been great.

We feel more confident as parents this time around, I think, and we’ve actually managed to get things done while trying to divide attention between the boys (which I’m sure will become incredibly more difficult once I go back to work). We’ve even managed to cook a couple meals at home – which I don’t remember doing for a long time after Zachary was born.

So, in that regard, I hope to have some food updates for you soon (and I already have a few pics/meals waiting in the wings), but bear with me as we get into the swing of things.

{ 44 comments }

Meatless Monday: “Revolutionary” Macaroni and Cheese

March 18, 2013 · 12 comments

in pasta,quick and easy,vegetarian

Macaroni and cheese is probably my ultimate comfort food. We don’t eat it very often because it’s really not terribly good for you, but every once in a while, you just have to have some macaroni and cheese. Homemade macaroni and cheese is pretty easy and straightforward, but it can take a while and, depending what kind you’re making, can also dirty quite a few pots. The reason this particular macaroni and cheese is “revolutionary” is because the pasta cooks in the milk, so there’s no need to make a roux/cheese sauce, and everything is done in one pot, which always wins me over. I added a little more milk (umm…and cheese) to the recipe, but otherwise just followed directions and was left with a quick and creamy macaroni and cheese that is a little healthier for you than the standard versions.

While this is not my favorite macaroni and cheese recipe (that would be reserved for baked mac and cheese with a buttery, crispy topping), it definitely has its place as a good, quick, and easy macaroni and cheese. You can use pretty much any cheese, really, and it barely takes any more time or effort than making macaroni and cheese from a box—but it definitely tastes better and you can feel better about its nonprocessed-ness. :) The pasta takes slightly longer to cook, just because it’s cooking at a slow simmer rather than a rapid boil, but you can shred the cheese while it’s cooking, and it’s all done really quickly, making it easy for weeknight dinners. I would definitely recommend buying a block of cheese and shredding it yourself, because the pre-shredded kind generally includes cornstarch and other things to keep it from clumping, and those things can make the texture of macaroni and cheese very gritty. I used a combination of extra sharp cheddar (for flavor) and leftover fontina (melts beautifully). The whole family liked this, and I’ll gladly add a super quick macaroni and cheese recipe to my cookbook!

One Pot, Stove-Top Macaroni and Cheese

Adapted from White on Rice Couple

2 cups small dried pasta, like small shells or elbow noodles (about 8 oz.)
2.25 – 2.5 cups milk (I used 1%)
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. salt
1.25 cups loosely packed shredded cheese (I used a combo of extra sharp cheddar and fontina)

Place the dried pasta in a colander and rinse under cold water quickly; let drain. In a medium saucepan, add 2.25 cups milk, butter, dry mustard, salt, and rinsed pasta.

On medium heat, slowly bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring often. Once the mixture comes to a simmer, reduce the heat to low. Continue cooking the pasta, stirring frequently, so that the pasta doesn’t stick and cooks evenly. Cook for about 15-20 minutes, until nearly all nearly all the milk has been absorbed and pasta is cooked. If additional milk is needed, add a couple tablespoons at a time.

Stir in the cheese evenly, cover, and remove from heat. Allow to stand for about 5 minutes. Stir once more and season to taste if necessary before serving.

{ 12 comments }

Sucré Chocolate Giveaway! [closed]

March 17, 2013 · 167 comments

in misc.

Last week, we all got home at the same time and there was a box addressed to me in our foyer. Tom asked, “Now what did you order from Amazon?” I thought for a minute and couldn’t remember, but figured it probably was from Amazon because…well, yeah.

But oh no, it was so much better. It was a box of chocolates from Sucré, a sweets boutique in New Orleans! Sucré offers plenty of different sweets—chocolate in particular—and if you haven’t already tried them out, you most definitely should. They don’t just have chocolate, though; they also carry macarons and various other confections.

I was sent a box of their Indulge Collection to test out, and a lucky reader can win the same box. And let me tell you, you’ll be very happy if you do. This is a 15 piece box of chocolate that includes toasted almond and white chocolate (my personal favorite from the bunch—heavenly), malted milk, peanut butter and jelly, hazelnut cream, and southern rum in ganache. Each one is fantastic, and I’m really excited to be giving a box away!

Enter to win a box of Sucré’s Indulge Chocolate Collection:

To enter, just leave a comment on this post answering, “What is your favorite chocolate combination?” Caramel? Peanut butter? You tell me.
One entry per person. Keep in mind that comments are moderated, so if you don’t see your comment posted immediately, do not post another.
Giveaway closes on Friday, March 22 at 11:59 p.m. CST. I will try to notify the winner on Saturday, the 23rd, but keep in mind I am hugely pregnant and might be at the hospital, so cut me a little slack. :)

Disclaimer: This giveaway is sponsored by Sucré. They provided me with a box of chocolate and are providing a box to one reader. Any opinions on the chocolate expressed in this post are my own.

If you want to learn more about Sucré, be sure to visit their Facebook page, Twitter, and blog.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Slowcooker Lamb and Stout Roast

March 15, 2013 · 8 comments

in crockpot,lamb

I’ve had a lamb shoulder roast in my freezer from the good people at Lava Lake Lamb, but I kept finding myself short on time during the weekends to give it the slow-cooked treatment in the oven. This week, I finally gave it the slow-cooked treatment – in the crockpot – so I didn’t have to be home while it got all tender and awesome and fabulous. Score!

The stout (you’ll notice I didn’t call this a Guinness roast because I actually didn’t use Guinness but Nitro) and lamb combo makes this pretty Irish (as Irish as a full-blooded Greek person and non-Irish stout get, anyway). So, this is obviously a great choice for St. Patrick’s Day (as is this shepherd’s pie), but it’s really good any time of year. It’s also highly adaptable and really you can use lamb, beef, a shoulder roast, stew meat, whatever. I wanted to stir in some peas at the end (I told you peas get added to a lot of our meals at the end!), but we were out.

Originally, I planned on making this a stew rather than a roast, so I started cutting the lamb off the bone. Then I realized, 1. I did not feel like doing this at 10:30 p.m.; 2. There is no way I’d be able to get ALL the meat off and I would be very sad to see any lamb lost and; 3. The bone will just add more flavor to the whole meal. So, I stopped cutting and ended up with a few random chunks of lamb and then the rest of the roast on the bone. :) Much easier that way if you ask me, but obviously if you already have stew meat that will work here (without a bone, though, you will want to use only about 1.5 – 2 lbs. of meat).

Slowcooker Lamb and Stout Roast

3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into sixths
3 carrots, peeled and cut into thick slices
4 celery ribs, cut into thick slices
1/2 lb. cremini mushrooms, halved
2 bay leaves
1 (2.5 – 3 lb.) bone-in lamb shoulder roast (or a beef roast, or lamb stew meat)
1/2 cup flour
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
12 oz. stout beer
1/2 cup beef broth
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 cup chopped parsley
cornstarch slurry (optional)

Place the potatoes, carrots, celery, and mushrooms into the slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper and nestle one of the bay leaves into the vegetables.

In a resealable bag or on a plate, mix the flour with a large pinch of salt and pepper. Dredge the roast or stew pieces into the flour, shaking off the excess. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the lamb to the skillet and brown on all sides. Place on top of the vegetables in the slow cooker.

Add the onions to the pan and saute for 3-5 minutes, before stirring in the garlic and tomato paste; cook one minute. Stir in the stout and use a wooden spoon/utensil to scrape off all the browned bits from the pan. Add the broth, rosemary, thyme, and second bay leaf. Season to taste with salt and pepper and then pour the mixture over the meat in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Remove the roast from the slow cooker, and season the sauce to taste. If desired, make a cornstarch slurry using about 2 tsp. cornstarch and 2-3 tsp. water and stir into the slow cooker, then turn to high. Cook for 5 minutes until the mixture thickens. Stir in the parsley. Serve the meat alongside the vegetables/sauce.

{ 8 comments }

S’mores Pie for Pi Day (and holy crap, I remembered Pi day!)

March 14, 2013 · 9 comments

in desserts/sweets

This blog has been in existence for six Pi days (3/14, for those of you not in the know) now. And every single year in maybe January, I tell myself, “Oh yeah, I should make a pie to post on Pi day this year!” And then every single year on March 14th, I’m scrolling through my reader going, “Oh, crap. I forgot about Pi day. Again.”

This past weekend, I actually remembered – in time! And on a weekend! Score. I couldn’t really decide what type of pie to make, though. I didn’t want to spend a whole lot of time because at 39 weeks pregnant, doing anything for long periods of time is not my specialty. I also didn’t really want to do a fruit pie since we’re sort of in between seasons when it comes to finding good fruit. I debated a coconut pie, but eventually settled on this s’mores pie – because I love s’mores and because it seemed really easy.

This pie is definitely easy. There’s a graham cracker crust, so there’s no cutting butter or rolling or anything associated with traditional pastry crusts. The chocolate filling really could not be any simpler to make, and then the whole thing is topped with marshmallows. The only problem I had with this was that my broiler completely stopped working after about 3 seconds. And then it took for.ev.er. to start working again (although I guess I should be glad it didn’t die on me altogether). Of course, I got one side nice and golden brown and then turned the pan and overdid the other side a wee bit. Oopsie. Oh well, it was still delicious even if not beautiful.

This pie is great. The ganache-like filling is smooth and silky and goes really well with a graham cracker crust. The marshmallows complete the pie (and I’m sure you could use fluff or a homemade marshmallow topping of sorts, if you would prefer to do that instead). I preferred heating a slice of pie for about 8-10 seconds before eating it, to re-gooify the marshmallows.

Happy Pi Day!

S’mores Pie

Adapted from How Sweet It Is and Food Network

Crust:
1.75 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 10-11 graham cracker sheets)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Chocolate Filling:
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
10 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 large eggs

Assembly:
About 16 large marshmallows, halved

Preheat the oven to 325. To make the crust, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press into a 9″ pie plate, and place the pie plate on top of a rimmed baking sheet.

To make the chocolate filling, combine the milk and heavy cream in a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until it simmers slightly around the edges. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate with a spatula or wooden spoon until melted. Whisk in the sugar and salt. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the 2 eggs; slowly add eggs to chocolate mixture while whisking.

Pour the chocolate filling into the crust. Bake the pie on the rimmed baking sheet for 20-30 minutes, until the filling is set and the surface is glossy.

Remove the pie from the oven and place the halved marshmallows all around the top, in concentric circles. Heat the broiler, and then place the pie under the broiler, just until the marshmallows begin to turn golden (for me, this was just a matter of maybe 20 seconds). Alternatively, you could just place the pie back into the oven or use a kitchen torch.

Allow the pie to cool slightly and then refrigerate for two hours or more before slicing. (I liked reheating a slice of pie for about 8-10 seconds, to get a warm and gooey marshmallow top.)

{ 9 comments }

Creamy Quinoa Primavera

March 11, 2013 · 9 comments

in healthy,quick and easy,rice and grains,vegetables,vegetarian

Because I’m a food blogger, it’s pertinent that I bring the occasional quinoa dish to your attention. After all, who would take me seriously without some posts about this popular supergrain (that’s not actually a grain)?

But, really, we have been fans of quinoa for a while now and even though it’s not necessarily the first “grain” we run to when it’s time to meal plan, we do keep it in the repertoire. We’ve had this dish a couple of times, and it’s definitely one of my new favorite ways to eat quinoa. It makes for a great weeknight meal and it’s healthy and filling, but creamy enough that it feels a bit more indulgent.

This recipe is highly adaptable and you can use whichever vegetables are your favorite, or anything in season. In the winter, I always seem to have extra carrots and celery from all the soups and stews I make, so I threw a couple of those in there along with a red bell pepper, mushrooms, and some peas (frozen peas make it into a LOT of our meals during the last 30 seconds – they’re just so easy). This would be great in the summer with zucchini and summer squash, too. The cream cheese makes feel a bit more decadent than…well, than like you’re just eating a bowl of quinoa and vegetables. I won’t go so far as to say it’s like risotto, but it definitely has a similar vibe. Plus, using a lowfat cream cheese still keeps this a nice and healthy option. The quinoa is packed with protein and the vegetables are full of nutrients; it will keep you full for a while despite not having any meat.

Creamy Quinoa Primavera

Adapted from Betty Crocker

1.5 cups uncooked quinoa
1 Tbsp. butter
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
1 celery rib, diced
1 small red bell pepper, diced
2 cups mushrooms, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup frozen peas
3-4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
2 Tbsp. grated Romano cheese

Place quinoa in mesh strainer and rinse for about 2 minutes. Set aside.

In a medium skillet or large saucepan, melt the butter. Add the mushrooms and cook until juices have been released. Stir in the carrots, celery, and bell pepper and cook for just 1-2 minutes minutes; vegetables will still be crisp. Add the garlic and quinoa, stirring for about one minute before adding the broth. Bring the broth to a boil; cover with a lid and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer until quinoa is cooked and broth is almost entirely absorbed, about 15 minutes.

Add the peas, stirring to warm through. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream cheese, until mixed throughout. Add the basil and Romano, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with additional Romano, if desired.

{ 9 comments }

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