Baked Orzo with Fragrant Lamb

Man alive, did we have a crazy weekend!! Our realtor called Saturday with some houses she wanted to show us, so my mom ended up coming over to stay with the kids while we went looking at houses. Some were okay, some were horrible. We're still holding out hope that the one we put the offer on will come back approved from the bank. The waiting game sucks!! We should have an answer in four weeks or so at least, so we just have to hang in there. Anyway, the boy and husband went to a hockey game Saturday night, so the baby and I didn't really do anything special for dinner.

Yesterday was just about as crazy. Church, taking lunch to and visiting my friend Jen and her new babies. The boys were both melting down when we left, so we came home for naps. The husband went grocery shopping for me while I took a much needed siesta, then the husband and boy went to get haircuts, the husband went shooting, I made dinner, we ate, kids went to bed, husband and I watched a movie. Man! Not much time in there for updating the blog here. But I'm just a day late so I don't feel that bad.

Awhile back I found some ground lamb on manager's special at the grocery store and scooped it up. I didn't know what I wanted to do with it, but it was a good deal and I thought it would be something new to try. I checked one of my Weight Watchers cookbooks and found this recipe that used ground lamb--perfect! I was really excited to try something new, and this sounded really easy.

Baked Orzo with Fragrant Lamb

1/2 pound orzo
6 ounces lean ground lamb
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fennel bulb
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried mint
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 ounces reduced fat feta, crumbled
2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick spray; set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add the lamb and cook, stirring to break up the meat until browned, 3-4 minutes. Remove lamb with a slotted spoon and transfer to the bowl with the orzo.

Add the onion, fennel, garlic, mint, and oregano to the same skillet. Cook, stirring until onion begins to soften, 3-4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and cinnamon; cook until mixture thickens, 6-8 minutes.

Combine the tomato mixture with the orzo and lamb. Stir in the feta and mix well. Pour mixture into the baking pan. Sprinkle top with the parmesan. Bake until hot, 25 minutes.

Points Value: 6 (makes 6 servings)

*****

So, I had a bit of a mishap. The baby was standing next to me while I opened the package of lamb, and I checked the baby's diaper because the air smelled pretty gross. It wasn't him, it was the lamb. I was a bit skeptical of using it but went ahead and defrosted it and started cooking it. Then I called my mom to see if she knew if ground lamb was supposed to smell like a baby's dirty diaper. She didn't know, but we both agreed it probably wasn't a good sign. At this point the smell of it was making me want to puke, so I decided to scrap it. Luckily I had some ground veal in the freezer--the only other ground meat I had on hand--and quickly defrosted it and browned it. So, that was substitution #1. I ended up using the whole pound of veal because I needed to be using it up and really had no other ideas for what I could do with it. To compensate for the additional meat I added in more crushed tomatoes (conveniently I bought a 28 ounce can of tomatoes instead of 14) so it was a bit saucier. I also used fresh mint instead of dried.

I took a bite of it all mixed together before I put it in the baking dish and LOVED IT. I wasn't really sure how the cinnamon would play in when I was adding it, but it really accented the flavor of the tomatoes and feta. Who knew! Honestly I took quite a few bites before putting it in the baking dish...I couldn't stop eating it. Even once it was all heated up and baked it was so good!!! We all really liked this. I think it could easily be made with ground beef or turkey, which I would probably do in the future since it's pretty rare for me to have ground veal on hand. This was really so easy and tasty!! I'm glad I tried it--and I'm glad I had the lamb mishap. :)

Giada's Orzo with Peas, Mushrooms, and Parmesan

The sickness that hit the rest of my family last week finally made its way to me at the start of this week. I think actually mine just took a hiatus until everyone else was mostly better. Ugh. I'm still not feeling 100%, but I've muddled my way through the week.

We haven't had a whole lot of new stuff, so you haven't missed anything. Friday and Saturday of last week I didn't have to make dinner (woo hoo!), Sunday in honor of the Saints playing in the Super Bowl (and then their victory!!) we had muffuletta sandwich, king cake, and a really yummy buffalo chicken dip that the husband and I could not stop eating. I guess I need to post that recipe as well. That will be next.

Monday night we had this recipe that I found on my friend Jen B's blog. I was looking for some kind of vegetarian meal and came across this. All I needed were the mushrooms.

Giada's Orzo with Peas, Mushrooms, and Parmesan

2 Tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil (plus more to drizzle on top for finishing)
1 small onion, finely diced
8 oz. crimini mushrooms, sliced in half or quarters (depending on size)
3 clove of garlic, minced
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, grated
2 tbsp fresh basil, chiffonade
2 cups of orzo
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and mushrooms. Sauté until golden brown; add the garlic and stir frequently for 30 seconds. Remove from heat, season with salt to taste, and set aside.

Cook pasta per instructions then drain and place back in the pot. Add the peas, mushroom mixture, Parmesan, basil, salt and pepper to taste; mix thoroughly. Finish by drizzling a little more olive oil over the top. Serve and enjoy!

*****

I was pretty excited to try this because Jen and her family really liked it, but I have to say we were pretty disappointed. I don't know if I had too much orzo or too few vegetables, but the picture of hers looks a lot more full and flavorful than mine was. I think if I'd had more mushrooms it would have been better. I don't know if this is one I'd try again. It came together really fast which was a plus, but it just needed some more flavor.

Orzo and Feta

I was looking through a cookbook recently that my mother-in-law gave me for Christmas, and I saw this recipe. The ingredients are all things I normally have on hand, so I've been waiting for the right main dish to serve this alongside. I thought falafel tonight would work well. Nice light dinner, nice light side dish. Perfect for an insanely hot day like we're having here in Phoenix.

Orzo and Feta

1/2 pound orzo, cooked according to package directions
1/2 cup green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta
1/3 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp dill weed (or 1 Tbsp fresh)
1/4 tsp oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and serve at room temperature.

*****

I love easy, and this dinner tonight definitely fits the bill. I just need to get the falafel out of the freezer (I bought them ready-made at Costco awhile back), slice up a tomato or two, tear up some lettuce, and call it good. Oh, I'm using naan bread instead of pitas for the sandwiches tonight. Pitas just cause me too much grief, and I found the naan worked quite well last time. Once all that is defrosted and heated, I'll spread some hummus on the naan, top with falafel, tomato, and lettuce, and call it good.

*****

This was a fantastic side dish! I kept taking bites straight out of the bowl after I mixed it all together. It was really light and flavorful--a perfect summer dinner accompaniment. This will definitely be added into regular rotation!

Giada's Orzo Stuffed Peppers

I'm taking dinner to a friend tonight, so I wanted something that wouldn't require a lot of hands-on work since I'm running food over to them once the husband gets home. I had originally slated Red Beans and Rice for dinner tonight since it's in the crockpot and would be put together ahead of time. I ran out of time this morning to get everything ready, and the recipe says it needs five hours on high, and, well, now we'd be eating way too late if I started working on it now. So I'll bump that to another night instead. I had this down for a dinner later in the week. I had extra pepper filling the last time I made this, so all I need to do is take that out of the freezer then stuff the peppers and bake them. Nice. here's the original post:

Giada's Orzo Stuffed Peppers

Giada's Orzo Stuffed Peppers

When I first got the newest Giada cookbook, I flipped through and noticed this recipe immediately. I couldn't wait to make it but wanted to wait until red peppers were on sale. I was super excited when I saw them for cheap at Sprouts last week (are you asking when I'm going to stop talking about Sprouts? I don't blame you, but I'm almost out of all the goodness I bought there), and I had looked at the recipe shortly before that trip, so I knew the other major stuff I needed for it.

I'm not feeling super wordy today, so on to the recipe.

Giada's Orzo Stuffed Peppers
1 (28-ounce) can Italian tomatoes
2 zucchini, grated
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
6 sweet bell peppers (red or yellow)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Pour the tomatoes into a large bowl and break apart using a pair of kitchen shears or your finger tips. Add the zucchini, mint, cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.

Meanwhile, bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the orzo and cook for 4 minutes. The orzo should be only partially cooked. Use a fine mesh sieve to transfer the orzo to the large bowl with the other vegetables. Stir the orzo into the vegetable mix to combine. Transfer the warm chicken broth to a 3-quart baking dish.

Slice the tops off the peppers and remove all ribs and seeds. Cut a very thin slice from the base to help the peppers stand up.

Place the peppers in the baking dish with the warm chicken broth. Spoon the orzo mixture into the peppers. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle the top of each pepper with cheese and continue baking until the cheese is golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, carefully transfer the orzo stuffed pepper to a serving plate.

*****

I didn't make many changes to this, except I had regular canned whole tomatoes, not Italian. I meant to add some Italian seasoning to the mixture, but I forgot when I was mixing it all up. I also browned some sweet Italian sausage and added in to the mixture, per Jen B.'s recommendation. And can I just say how much I love fresh mint?! It smells fantastic...I could stand in my kitchen inhaling that scent all freakin' day. I only used four peppers, and I have a ton of the filling left, so I put it in the freezer, then I'll have a super easy dinner at some point in the future. I tasted some of the filling before I froze it, and it was so good. Lots of yummy flavors--the olive oil, sausage, tomatoes, mint, parmesan (oh yeah, I used parmesan instead).

These were really good. The boy didn't eat it at all, but I think he was having an off night. All he ate for dinner was broccoli. Yes, my toddler loves broccoli. Anyway, the husband and I both really liked this, although he said the pepper itself was kind of bland but the filling was really good. Not sure what I can do about that, but if that's his only complaint, I'm not complaining. We will definitely have these again...regardless of the huge bag of leftover filling in the freezer. ;)

Creamy Parmesan Orzo

Ah, back to the daily grind of cooking. Well, only sort of. We got a fancy schmancy new grill and cooked ahi tuna steaks on it. Yum! They were already marinated, so all I did was cook up some orzo and broccoli. I had kind of forgotten about this recipe until Jen B. made it recently. I don't know how I forgot about it--it's one of my favorites! And it's so yummy. I'll have to get it back in the rotation.

Creamy Parmesan Orzo
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup orzo
1 1/4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 1/4 cups water
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 teaspoons pine nuts, toasted

Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add orzo, and cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in broth and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until liquid is absorbed and orzo is done (about 15 minutes). Remove from heat; stir in cheese, basil, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle with the pine nuts. Serve immediately.

*****

I could have sworn the recipe called for 1/2 cup of parmesan. Oh well. A little extra cheese never hurt anyone, did it? :) I didn't have fresh basil, so I just used some dried. I think it's good either way.

It was definitely challenging trying to get dinner on the table at a decent time since the baby is ALWAYS hungry. I had to stop feeding him to work on dinner, which meant I was working on dinner with a screaming baby in the background. Fun stuff.

Tuscan Style Grilled Tuna Steaks

So I found a recipe close to the one I'd been looking for, but then when I went to dice up my mano, it was bad. Don't you hate when you buy something and it's bad when you get home?! I'm too lazy to go back to the store and fight over $1. Instead I found a different tuna steak recipe. The one I'd seen was sesame crusted tuna and a mango salsa. Sounds good, doesn't it? Well, the one I ended up finding was pretty good. We both liked it, Will didn't really eat it.

Tuscan Style Grilled Tuna Steaks
4 fresh tuna steaks, 8 ounces each, 1-inch thick
1 lemon, zested
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, about 2 tablespoons leaves stripped from stem
Handful flat leaf parsley
3 cloves garlic, crushed
Coarse salt and black pepper or grill seasoning
Extra-virgin olive oil, for cooking

Rinse and pat tuna steaks dry. Place zest on top of cutting board. Pile rosemary and parsley leaves on top of zest. Pile garlic and some coarse salt and black pepper or grill seasoning on top of herbs. Finely chop the garlic, herbs, and spices. Drizzle the olive oil over the tuna steaks just enough to coat each side. Rub herb and garlic mixture into fish, coating pieces evenly on each side. Let stand 10 minutes.
Grill tuna steaks 6 minutes on each side or 4 minutes on each side, if you prefer pink tuna at the center. Cook steaks over: high setting on indoor electric grill, medium high heat on outdoor gas grill or, 6 inches from hot, prepared charcoal.

*****

It was really yummy, like I said. And a totally easy way to prepare it also. I only seared ours for about two minutes per side for pink in the center. We had Creamy Parmesan Orzo and some peas with it. All in all, a super yummy dinner!

Baked Tilapia

Okay, once again I'm late in posting. This was because I had no idea what to make for dinner until about 4:45 when I called my husband and asked if he wanted lasagna or fish. After our binge weekend we're both trying to drop a couple pounds that we gained, so we went with the fish. I had bought some tilapia a few weeks ago at the grocery and had it in the freezer. I found an easy recipe for it and dinner was set! This was our first time having tilapia, and it was pretty good.

Baked Tilapia
1 sprays cooking spray
20 oz raw tilapia, four 5 oz fillets
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp garlic herb seasoning, salt-free

Preheat broiler. Coat a shallow roasting pan with cooking spray. Season both sides of fish with salt and pepper. Transfer fish to prepared pan and drizzle with lemon juice; sprinkle garlic herb seasoning over top. Broil until fish is fork-tender, about 5 minutes.

*****

Now, I'm not even really sure why I'm posting this recipe because I did it totally different. It's hot in Phoenix in the summer. My house gets hot in the summer. I don't like using the broiler in the summer in Phoenix because it's hot. Have I emphasized enough that it's hot? So I did it in a skillet on top of the stove. I used a little olive oil instead of the cooking spray. Sprinkled the fish with salt and pepper and also added a little spice blend I have from Pasta & Co that's basically like Italian seasoning. After my pan was hot, I put the fish in, seasoned side down, and cooked it for probably 5 minutes per side. I forgot all about the lemon juice, but since I really wasn't following the recipe in the first place, I figured that wasn't a big deal. Although the husband did say some lemon on it would have been nice. Oh well, next time.

With it we had that creamy parmesan orzo I made awhile back, only I was out of parmesan so I used mozzarella instead. And instead of basil I used the same seasoning I put on the fish. I have to say, I liked it better this way. So, all in all, it was a really good dinner. The boy didn't really like the fish, but he's 18 months old so I didn't really expect him to.

Dinner Review

The salmon was really good!! I think it was on the grill closer to 25 minutes, instead of the 20 listed in the recipe. I really like the sauce and will definitely use this recipe again.

The orzo was good, as always, although I forgot to add the salt and pepper. The husband couldn't tell, but I could taste that something was missing. Using fresh basil really makes a difference. I've used dried before with decent results, but fresh really adds a lot to it.

Tomorrow night's recipe...Portobello Pita Pockets!