Single Girl's Supper: Naan Pizza

Since trying Tandoori Chef’s naan earlier this summer, I haven’t been without a box in my freezer for more than a day or two. These delightful little pieces of heaven go from frozen to warm and delicious in just 90 seconds. The garlic is my flavor of choice.

I was chowing down on a piece the other night and I thought...Wow, this would make an amazing pizza crust. So I set to work looking for a recipe online and I found more than a few.  Looks like I wasn't the only one thinking naan would make a simple and yummy pizza crust. I thought this one at In Praise of leftovers sounded great, as well as this one at Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen, and this grilled version at Tasty Days.

With those as inspiration, I set to work creating my own version.......

I chopped up a Portabella mushroom and sauteed  some onions. These are actually diced frozen onions I brought at Whole Foods. They cook up just like fresh onions and it's really handy when you're trying to put together a quick meal. You don't have to worry about unused onion going to waste and, best of all, no tears!

Once the onions have caramelized, add in the chopped mushrooms, garlic, and some roasted tomatoes.

Cover the still frozen naan with tomato sauce. I used Newman's Own Fra Diavolo Sauce straight from the jar. I like that it has a little kick to it.

On went the sauteed vegetables, a layer of feta cheese, and shrimp. You could certainly use whatever toppings and cheese you'd like. Fresh mozzarella would also work nicely.

After about 20 minute in the oven at 350 degrees, I enjoyed my personal sized naan pizza with a few slices of fresh yellow tomato and balsamic vinegar.

Single Girl's Supper: Chinese Noodle Stir-Fry

I tried my hand at a recipe in one of my 5 cookbooks, "Perfect Wok & Stir-Fry". Turns out it takes quite a few ingredients to make a lot the dishes in this book...and by ingredients I mean....random stuff that normal single girls like me don't just have sitting around. So, I decided to wing it...using the recipe for spicy noodles with mushroom egg rolls for guidance.

Since I had about 2 of the 10 things it took to make the mushroom egg rolls, I nixed that part of the recipe all together. For the noodle dish, I used a bag of mixed stir-fry vegetables, Chinese noodles, and just about every Asian seasoning I have at my disposal. I stir-fried the veggies with garlic, chili powder, and a little soy sauce. I also used a curry noodle sauce from World To Table. I cooked the noodles according to the package and they were ready to go in about 5 minutes. I quickly stir-fried them in my wok and then added the curry noodle sauce and veggies. I poured myself a glass of lemonade and lunch was ready to go.

It was yummy and definitely makes me want to go out and buy of the ingredients necessary to really recreate on of the recipes in my cookbook. Plus, I have plenty of noodles left to try something new!

Later,
Guru

Single Girl's Supper: Shirmp, Feta, and Tomato Bake

A few days ago, I had a friend over that's visiting the states for the summer and I wanted to impress him with my ever evolving cooking skills. There's something about baking that makes a meal instantly seem ten times more complicated and special. So, I got my fabulous oven mitts out of the drawer and set to work making an extra special dinner of baked shrimp, feta, and tomato.

This meal may seem complicated but, with a few shortcuts, this puppy was on the table in about a half hour. 

I started with 3 servings of frozen shrimp that I thawed according to the package instructions. I seasoned them with a bit of chili powder, salt, and pepper and sauteed them for about 4 minutes. Next I prepared one package of Alexia Select Sides, Roasted Red Potatoes, and Italian Inspired Vegetables in a skillet according to package instructions.  (On a side note, I'm infatuated with Alexia's products. Their spicy sweet potato fries are a dream. Their select sides were launched earlier this year and I've tried every variety. They're super convenient and tasty.)

Moving on...to the prepared vegetables, I added fresh chopped cherry tomatoes (that I'd picked up from the farmer's market that morning), and chopped fresh spinach. I mixed everything, the shrimp and the vegetables together and pour the mixture into a baking dish. 

Over the mixture I poured a little white wine and some olive oil. Then I sprinkled the dish with crumbled feta cheese. Finally I popped it into an over at 350 for about 15 minutes. You'll know it's ready when the cheese softens and starts to brown. I served it over brown rice.

It was absolutely delicious and only took 30 minutes to prepare. My guest went back for seconds and thirds!

Later,
Guru 

Single Girl's Supper: Grilled Shrimp and Mahi Mahi Salad

The other night I had an unexpected guest over for dinner. I whipped up this quick and tasty summer salad.  I recently purchased this 2 Burner Reversible Grill Griddle from Target and was excited to grill up some shrimp, mahi mahi, red and green peppers, and onions.

I seasoned the shrimp with a tiny dash of old bay, and rubbed the mahi mahi with a couple drops of olive oil, salt, pepper, and chili powder. On the grill they went with the chopped veggies. I used a bag of lettuce and a vinaigrette from Whole Foods. Their 365 balsamic vinaigrette is amazing! I lightly tossed the lettuce with the dressing, and some lemon juice. I also added a little lemon to the shrimp and fish once they were off the grill. I let the grilled items cool a bit before adding them to the lettuce.

We rinsed it down with a bottle of chilled Barefoot Moscato. It's a good, inexpensive choice for people that are just venturing out into the sometimes intimidating world of wine. It's crisp and sweet with touches of  peach and citrus. A great addition to an impromptu summer dinner party for two!

Single Girl's Supper: At home Indian Food

In a diverse area like the district there's no shortage of fabulous Indian restaurants. I've heard about recipes being passed down from one generation to the next and slow cooked meals that could take hours if not days to prepare. So, when I stumbled upon this line of frozen Indian entrees at Whole Foods from Tandoor Chef, I was a tad sceptical. Just how good could a frozen dinner be? But, I'm a busy girl and the thought of a delicious Indian meal at home in my pjs in under 5 minutes was just too good to pass up. So I purchased the Paneer Tikka and a box of the Garlic Naan.

Eager to try it, I heated the items up for dinner that night. The entree cooks in the microwave and I popped the naan in my toaster oven for a minute and a half. I added my own instant rice and, long story short, I'm sold! The meal was actually pretty good. So much so that I ran out this weekend and got about 5 more to stick in my freezer. Besides the look I got from the checkout guy- sad little single girl and her frozen dinners- and that fact that these bad boys are (while low in calories) fairly high in fat and sodium, the only other negative was the smell of curry lingering in my apartment for around 2 days. These meals are so tasty and convenient, I'm more than happy to crank up my Glade plug-in and run an extra mile or two from time to time.

Tanoor Chef is available in the freezer section at Whole Foods. They're all natural and come in a variety of dishes. Check out their website HERE.

Later,

Guru

Single Girl's Supper: Kitchen Sink Mahi Mahi

Maybe it was just my desire to try out my new fancy pants oven mitts (they kind of look like I swiped them from a fire fighter) that made me fire up my seldom used oven earlier this week. Seriously, what everyday, non-industrial kitchen adventure would ever require this amount of flame retardant protection is beyond me. But, I love mustard yellow...and I love my hands...oh...and I love getting the matching set for under $10 at Marshall's. There I was with two handy dandy oven mitts and an oven that has just about never been used.

So, what had me donning my brand new oven mitts and cranking up the old oven? A little something I've named Kitchen Sink Mahi Mahi- a yummy combination of cherry tomatoes, onions, sauteed spinach, carrots, and seasonings. Basically, whatever I had in the fridge that sounded like it would work.

 I took a fillet of mahi-mahi and seasoned it with olive oil, salt, pepper, chili powder, and crushed red pepper. Then I added my veggies (minus the spinach) to the mix and baked at 375 for about 20 minutes. I sauteed fresh spinach separately. I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious it was! It was really flaky and flavorful. I was a little nervous about the tomatoes, but they were actually a really nice touch and went well with the spinach.

All this without a burn in sight thanks to my new firemen inspired oven mitts. What will I do with them next?  Fight forest fires or make cookies? Who knows!

Later,

Guru

Single Girl's Supper: Quick and Easy Easter Brunch

I'm just headed out the door to pickup some last minute supplies for Easter Brunch.  Thought I'd share what's on the menu....

Country Potato Frittata

A classic combination of eggs, ham, potatoes, and veggies covered in cheese and served warm

Grilled Asparagus and Tomatoes

Fresh asparagus and ripe tomatoes seasoned and lightly grilled

Cresent Rolls with Warm Apple Butter

Banana Bread Pudding

Because every good meal needs dessert, I'll be making my signature bread pudding with a twist. I have some banana's burning a hole in the fridge and the cutest little mini bread loaf pans you've ever seen.

Mimosas

I got the OJ and they're bringing the champagne

I'm going to try this Country Potato Frittata Recipe from Cooks.com. I liked this one because it has ham in it which is what we always had at my house on Easter as a kid. I'll probably omit the peas.

 COUNTRY POTATO FRITTATA

1 tsp. vegetable oil

1 tsp. butter

1 1/2 oz. diced potato

3 eggs

1 tbsp. water

1/8 tsp. pepper

Dash salt

1/2 oz. cooked ham, diced

1/4 c. each frozen peas, thawed

Diced onion

Diced bell pepper

1/2 oz. Muenster cheese

In 8" skillet that has a metal or removable handle, heat oil over medium high heat; add potato and ham. Saute, stirring often, until potato is tender- crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Add peas, onion, bell pepper and saute until potato is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes longer. While potato is cooking in medium bowl beat together eggs, water and seasonings; pour over vegetable mixture and immediately stir quickly to combine. Sprinkle with cheese and cook until bottom of frittata begins to set, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer skillet to broiler and boil until top is puffed and lightly brown, about 2 minutes.

Pictures tomorrow!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Single Girl's Supper: Chocolate Banana Pie

Since moving into my new place I've really been enjoying my new, larger kitchen. I've been so busy over the last few years I haven't really had a chance to cook and I've always loved cooking.  I remember my little brother turning down my pierogies with chopped tomatoes and onions. I didn't take it personally. He was six and it wasn't chicken nuggets.

Now I simply enjoying cooking for myself. I like quick, uncomplicated, and tasty dishes and desserts. I'll be posting a few here in my very own guide to the Single Girl's Supper.

I made this chocolate banana pie in around 20 minutes flat. This would be a great dessert for a dinner party. However, I'd probably take them out of the disposable pie plates for serving.

I started with:

Jell-O Pudding Mix- Banana
Mini Keebler Pie Crusts

3 squares of Ghirardelli Chocolate

1/2 banana

Milk

Whipped cream

(Makes 4 mini pies)

Prepare the pudding as directed. Melt the chocolate in the microwave with a splash of milk. Spread the chocolate into each of the pie shells.

Fill each pie shell with the pudding. Put the filled shells into the freezer to set for about 5 minutes.

Slice up 1/2 of the banana to top the pies.

Take the pies out of the freezer and top with whipped cream and banana slices.

They taste delicious and look like they took way more time than they actually did. Bet my brother wouldn't turn these bad boys down.