Lemon Parmesan Swordfish Steaks

Ok, so swordfish wasn't officially on my list of new ingredients to try for the blog, but I HAVE been meaning to attempt it. Luckily, this recipe was simple and ROCKED and I couldn't wait to share it. We enjoyed it with a simple Greek salad to utilize the lemon juice and the parmesan that I already had out and was grating :)

Since this was a Sunday meal, I prepared the Pioneer Woman's easy Olive Focaccia bread to go with it. It takes a few hours, but it has easy ingredients and takes little effort - give it a try!

Lemon Parmesan Swordfish Steaks

1 pound swordfish steak
Kosher salt
Crushed black pepper
2 tablespoons butter (divided)
2 teaspoons shredded parmesan
2 teaspoons lemon zest

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season swordfish with salt and pepper liberally on both sides (especially the pepper!). Heat a cast iron skillet (or other oven-safe pan) on medium high heat and melt 1 tablespoon butter. Cook swordfish about 4 minutes, then flip and place in oven, cooking for another 9 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine remaining 1 tablespoon butter with parmesan and lemon zest. Spread over swordfish and enjoy!

Simple Greek Salad

6 ounces spring greens
1/2 cup artichoke hearts, cooked and cooled
1/2 cup sliced olives, assorted
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons shredded parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste
Balsamic vinaigrette

Two-for-One Sweet Potato Chili

I love chili, and while I have a few favorite recipes, it can be fun to mix things up. While perusing through the January 2011 issue of EatingWell, I came across their Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili and thought it would be a delicious and healthy way to satisfy my chili craving. Luke and I enjoyed it for lunch on a Saturday, and I had the idea to combine it with scrambled eggs on Sunday for a healthy spin on huevos rancheros. Yum!

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili
From EatingWell Magazine, Jan/Feb 2011

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium-large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
4 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups water
2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed (I used only one can)
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
4 teaspoons lime juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sweet potato and onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion is beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, chipotle and salt and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add water and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the sweet potato is tender, 10 to 12 minutes.

Add beans, tomatoes and lime juice; increase heat to high and return to a simmer, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

Sweet Potato Chili Scrambled Eggs

4 eggs
1 tablespoon milk
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cups sweet potato & black bean chili (recipe above) - warmed up
1/3 cup shredded cheese (I used 2% mozzarella)
1/2 tortilla chips, crushed

Whisk eggs and milk together until thoroughly combined and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet on medium heat and melt butter. Poor in egg mixture and mix around with a spatula until nearly done - about 2 minutes. Add chili mixture and stir to combine, about 30 seconds. Top with cheese and stir. Serve with tortilla chips (or in a tortilla wrap if you have them on hand). Enjoy!

New Year, New Ingredients

Sometimes even the most adventurous cooks and eaters can fall into a food rut, and while I don't consider myself amongst the most adventurous, I do lament that I have several "safe eating" patterns that I've fallen into in 2010.

With that in mind, I want to make a list of ingredients that I rarely, or never use, but would like to. Here are a few to get me started:

• Eggplant
• Tofu
• Mussels
• Tarragon
• Fennel
• Leafy greens (kale, mustard greens, etc.)

What ingredients do you shy away from? What would you like to see me experiment with in 2011? What are your New Years resolutions?

Happy New Year!

-Apron

Giada's Chocolate Almond Honey Tart

Are you looking for the easiest and most impressive dessert recipe to bring to a New Year's party? Look no further than this yummy, RICH tart, with only 6 ingredients from Giada de Laurentiis. Be warned, it packs a lot of flavor, so serve small squares and watch them disappear! Pair with a chocolatini for a REAL chocoholic experience :)

Chocolate Almond Honey Tart

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, at room temperature, plus extra for coating the pan
9 chocolate graham crackers, 5 1/2-ounces total
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup honey
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan.

Place the graham crackers and almonds in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the mixture forms fine crumbs, about 15 to 20 seconds. Add the butter and pulse until incorporated. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.

In a small saucepan, whisk the cream and honey together over low heat until the honey has dissolved. Increase the heat to medium and bring the mixture to just below a boil. Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until the mixture is smooth. Pour the chocolate filling over the prepared crust. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours or preferably overnight.

Loosen the tart from the sides of the pan by running a thin metal spatula around the edge. Unmold the tart and transfer to a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve.

Keep these in the fridge until ready to serve, as the chocolate gets messy if left at room temperature.

Pear, Pecan and Sweet & Spicy Bacon Salad

Someone has been a naughty blogger. If santa read food blogs, I would've gotten nothing but coal in my stocking. Lucky for me, he doesn't :) Here's a yummy holiday salad if you're feeling naughty OR nice!

Pear, Pecan and Sweet & Spicy Bacon Salad

1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
Dash cayenne pepper

3 slices bacon

6 ounces spring greens
1 pear, sliced
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola
Balsamic vinaigrette

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix together the sugar and spices, then lightly coat bacon with the spice mixture. Lay on a baking sheet and cook until crisp.

Meanwhile, toss together the spring greens, pear, pecans and gorgonzola. Add in the cooked bacon and dressing, then toss to combine.

Enjoy as a light meal or pair with your favorite bread or salad for something a bit heartier.

Bacon Squash Risotto

What is perfection in a bowl? Salty bacon, creamy risotto and sweet butternut squash. This recipe has a short ingredient list, but it definitely isn't short on flavor! This was a perfect meal for two using up a leftover half of butternut squash and finishing up the bacon in the fridge. It's a fantastic post-Thanksgiving treat when you're tired of turkey :)

Bacon Squash Risotto

1 pound butternut squash, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 slices bacon, diced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine, at room temperature
5-6 cups chicken broth, warm
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread out butternut squash over a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat. Bake about 30 to 35 minutes and remove. Set aside, keeping warm.

Meanwhile, heat a dutch oven over medium heat. Cook bacon until crisp; remove from pan, reserving drippings.

Add onion and garlic to bacon drippings and saute 2 minutes. Add rice and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour in wine and stir one minute, until nearly evaporated. Add chicken broth, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring often and pouring in more broth once it has been absorbed. This process should take about 25 minutes.

Remove risotto from heat and stir in parmesan cheese, reserving a few tablespoons for garnishing at the table. Stire in squash, reserved bacon and fresh thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Coq au Vin-Off

What do you do when Bon Appetit has a recipe for Quick Coq au Vin one month, and Cooking Light shares a recipe for Easy Coq au Vin the next month? Why - you try them both! Emily of Cooking Inside the Lines and myself often have similar tastes in magazine recipes, so we were tickled to find out that I had tried Bon Appetit's and she had tried Cooking Light's rendition. Naturally, we decided to flip flop and try the other and compare which coq au vin dish would reign supreme.

Quick Coq au Vin - courtesy of Bon Appetit

I made the Bon Appetit version with boneless, skinless chicken thighs and absolutely loved it for its depth of flavor and simplicity. I thought, how can a Cooking Light recipe match up against this?

Easy Coq au Vin - courtesy of Cooking Light

Although the ingredient list for Cooking Light's was longer, I enjoyed the added benefit and textures of veggies mixed in. Not to mention I used bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks.

In the end, Emily and I came to the same conclusion - we wish we could combine the two recipes! Either one you try, you'll be the hero of your dinner table - give it a shot!