Sweet Love and Ginger

Dinner 4 1

D4One: French Fusion!

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I am writing this right now between bites. I wasn’t planning on posting this recipe but I simply have to. It is to dye for!

I originally came across this recipe on pinterest, from Stephanie Cooks, however I wanted something a little more traditional, and am so happy with how it turned out. This is my recipe for the dish.

French Onion Pasta

1 cup uncooked pasta
1 large onion, peeled, and sliced thin
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
½ cup white wine
1 cup beef broth (can substitute vegetable broth)
2 tbsp milk
¼ cup grated gruyere cheese
Cook pasta according to package instructions until aldente. Melt butter in a small skillet, add onion and cook until onion turns translucent and browns, or caramelizes. Blend in flour evenly and deglaze with white wine. Once wine has reduced by half add broth, and allow to reduce again. Next add milk and allow to thicken while stirring constantly. Add pasta to pan, and toss to coat. Remove from heat, and top with grated cheese.
Now tell me this is not delicious!

D41: Single Sweet Potato Soup

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These fall days often make me crave something warm and comforting, especially when I am home alone. On this particular day I decided to comfort myself with one of my favorite fall dishes for lunch. This recipe is a simplified version of my favorite Sweet Potato Soup recipe that is so easy for the single person to whip up!
Simple Single Sweet Potato Soup
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 ½ cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup milk or cream
Pinch salt
In a sauce pan boil potatoes and broth until tender. The liquid will begin to evaporate, so be sure to stir. Add spices and place in the blender. Blend until smooth and return to saucepan, on low heat stir in milk, adjust seasoning and serve.

 

Now I don’t always use a blender for this recipe. I often simply use a potato masher as shown above. Mostly because I am too lazy to do all those dishes for just me and I enjoy a little texture in the soup. This however is up to you.

 

Asian Marinated Grilled Scallops

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I LOVE LOVE LOVE scallops. It’s definitely one of the things that I picked up from my mother because I always remember her cooking them up at home, of course at that time I thought they were weird and refused to try them, only later did I realize how much I missed out! Not only are they delicious but being made up of protein, omega-3’s, and a little sodium they don’t make me feel guilty at all!
Here is a scallop recipe that I love, the marinade is light, yet flavorful, and so very easy. I can basically make it out of stuff I already keep in the house anyway., so its perfect for a night alone. I find I like to have scallops and shrimp alot for my alone nights because they can easily be kept in the freezer and are quick to defrost and cook up, so I don’t have to plan anything until my stomach starts to rumble.
Asian Marinated Scallops
½ lb medium sea scallops
¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp honey
½ tbsp ground ginger
¼ tsp Chinese five spice powder
1 tsp garlic powder
Combine soy, lemon, oil, sesame oil, honey, and spices in a
medium sized bowl. Add scallops and toss to coat. Allow the scallops to
marinate for 20 minutes, but no more than half an hour or they will become rubbery.
Skewer the scallops on soaked wooden or metal skewers and cook over a preheated
grill or broiler for 2-3 minutes per side. They should become firm and opaque,
but not hard. Serve immediately. (serves 2)

I like to make sure when grilling these bad boys that there is a little char on the outside to add a little more flavor. This recipe goes well over my basic Garlic Parmesan Pasta,or a salad with a soy-ginger dressing. I have also made this recipe and paired it with grilled steak and sides for a surf n turf dinner that will satisfy any crowd.

Try out this recipe for me and let me know what you paired it with!

Lemon Garlic Chicken & Pasta

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Well my detox is all over for now, and I can’t wait to indulge! Bad I know, but alas tonight again I am on my own so I thought I would add another recipe to my dinner for one series and of course I’m having wine with it!
When cooking for just myself I hate to have a ton of dishes leftover to clean up so I try to keep as many of my meals as possible down to one pan, and this is one of them. This recipe is great because once mastered it is super versatile and can be used in so many different ways, plus it can easily be made for larger groups. It has a light, refreshing taste that is sure to wow any guest into thinking you are a true chef, but it is so incredibly easy you won’t even break a sweat!

Lemon Garlic Chicken & Pasta
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cloves of garlic, minced
½ cup of dry white wine
1 cup of chicken broth
1 tsp lemon zest
1tbsp lemon juice
1 cup cooked pasta of choice
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Parmesan cheese for garnish
 

 

Heat oil over medium
high heat, and saute chicken until no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Add the
garlic and cook for an additional minute before adding the wine. Allow the wine
to reduce to about half before adding in the broth. Stir gently and allow the
mixture to again reduce to half. Add the lemon zest and juice and remove from
heat. Add the pasta and toss to coat. Serve warm topped with parsley and
parmesan cheese. (Serves 1)
I really think the parsley is a must with this sauce, it really ads color and texture to the dish. I also want to note that the sauce is a little thin so some of you may want to add a little flour to thicken it up, or add the pasta right to the hot pan so some of the starches blend and the sauce is able to “stick” to the pasta better. Lastly (I Swear!) be careful with the addition of parmesan cheese, you really don’t need a lot, and it will drastically change the flavor of the dish. I suggest starting without it and then adding a little at a time until you find your perfect balance.
This recipe can also be paired with seafood’s, such as shrimp or scallops without much change to the original recipe. I have also made the sauce over just pasta and cooked the meat portion of the meal separately; the sauce is so good it stands on its own quite well.

Dinner for One

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I have a lot of friends who are either on their own or work opposite schedules than their significant others, and I often hear that they don’t feel like they can make a real meal for themselves at dinnertime because it’s just them. I say HOGWASH!
Chuck ends up traveling a lot for work so a couple times a month I am on my own for dinner, and I feel no need to skimp on my meals then. In fact I use it as an excuse to whip up my favorite things that he may not like so much; it’s totally my guilty pleasure nights. Here is what I made last night:
What I love about this recipe is that its comprised of things that I typically just have around the house all the time anyway, so its super easy to through together. By swapping ingredients it’s super easy to make more or less healthy. I admit sometimes I use cream, butter and lots of cheese. Other times I use skim milk, and whole wheat pasta. I have also made it with spaghetti, ravioli, chicken, fish or no meat at all. Also if you don’t want to dirty another pan you can simply cook the shrimp in the oil before adding the garlic, the only thing you will be missing is the extra spices.

I took the pic before i added the tomatoes, whoops!
This particular recipe is my favorite combination. I love the warm creamy sauce, in contrast to the underlying spiciness of the shrimp, and the cool crispness of the cherry tomatoes.
Now for DESERT!
I’m not typically a huge desert person, HOWEVER I think every girl has a little something she craves. For me it’s usually cheese or chocolate. Last nightt I was definitely craving the chocolate, the kind of craving that requires a little more than a Cup of cocoa.
Hot Cocoa Mug Cake:
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 egg white
1 packet hot cocoa mix (roughly 2 tablespoons)
1.5 Table spoons Milk
splash of vanilla extract
1.5 tablespoons oil
Start with the dry ingrediants and mix everything well with a fork in the mug, while slowly adding the wet ingrediants. Once mixed well pop it in the microwave for about 60 seconds.

 

Stolen from somekitchenstories.com because dark blue mugs dont work for good pictures.

 

If you want to go the healthier route you can use chocolate protein powder instead. Also be sure not to skip on the milk or oil. You will end up with a texture like an overcooked egg, and it is so unappealing. I believe the picture also has a few peanut butter chips mixed in as well, which is not a bad idea if you ask me!
More single night recipes to come!