Momofuku's Ginger Scallion Noodles

If it's got Momofuku's name on it, I want it.  I've only been to Milk Bar, but I know that David Chang has the Midas touch with food so when I stumbled upon this recipe I knew I needed to try it.  Also, it is very simple and you probably have most the ingredients on hand already.

Ginger Scallion Noodles
Adapted from David Chang

Ingredients
2 bunches of scallions, chopped
1/2 cup minced ginger
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
3/4 tsp rice vinegar
3/4 tsp salt
2 packages of ramen noodles

David's recommended additions:
pan roasted cauliflower
quick pickled cucumbers
bamboo shoots

1. Mix all ingredients together and let sit while you boil the water and cook the noodles.
2. Boil water for ramen noodles and cook according to package directions. Drain and toss with sauce and any toppings you decide on.

Oh sweet deliciousness! These were really perfection and I could have eaten the entire pot by myself Hey, I'm 9 months pregnant I can do stuff like that, ok?  I pan roasted some cauliflower florets in sesame oil with a bit of salt and pepper to add some nutrients. So easy, so fast, so good. Make it.

Banh Mi Pizza

I am not a fan of salad pizza.  I wish I was one of those people who loved salad so much that it would be my choice of pizza topping, but alas then this blog probably wouldn't exist.  This banh mi pizza however, gives traditional salad pizza a run for its money.

It's a totally refreshing dinner for the summer and if you are bold enough to cook it on the grill, you don't have to heat the house up!

Banh Mi Pizza
Adapted From Cooking Light

Ingredients
1 cup rice wine vinegar
1 cup water

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup matchstick carrots
1/2 English cucumber, sliced
1 jalapeno, sliced and seeded
1 pizza dough
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbps sesame oil, divided
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 tbsp sour cream
1/2 tsp Sriracha
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 500. In a small sauce pan bring vinegar, water, sugar, and salt to a simmer.  Stir until salt and sugar dissolve.  Remove from heat and add carrots, cucumber, and jalapeno. Set aside.
2. Stretch out your pizza dough and pierce with a fork all over to prevent bubbles. Brush with soy sauce and 1 tbsp sesame oil. Cook 5 minutes.
3. Sprinkle dough with grated cheese and cook 5 minutes more.
4. Remove pizza from oven an top with drained pickled vegetables. Mix sour cream and sriracha together, drizzle on pizza. Top with cilantro. Slice and serve.

Don't be alarmed by the fact that it's from Cooking Light.  If it makes you feel any better, they said it serves 4 and the 2 of us at the whole darn thing.

Zucchini Pizza

Zucchini is probably my favorite vegetable of summer.  As I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my garden zucchini, this recipe from Smitten Kitchen caught my eye.

It is perfect for summer not only because it showcases the zucchini front and center, but it also requires so few ingredients and comes together in a flash.  No time standing over a hot stove! Yes!

Zucchini Pizza
Adapted From Smitten Kitchen

1 pizza dough, store bought or homemade, you decide
1.5 lb zucchini
1 tsp salt
1 cup grated gruyere, or mozzarella, or a combination (I didn't have enough gruyere so I mixed it and everything was magical.  I imagine you can mix up the cheese any way you see fit)
red pepper, to taste
2 tbsp bread crumbs

1.  Grate your zucchini in a food processor or box grater.  Then place in a large bowl with salt.  Let stand 30 minutes or more if you have the time.
2. Preheat oven to 500. Drain zucchini over a colander, squeezing the water out with your hands.  Try to get as much water out as possible.  Wipe out bowl from before and mix cheese, drained zucchini, a few dashes of red pepper flakes and some more salt if you'd like.
3. Stretch your pizza dough on to an oiled 13x9 sheet pan. Spread zucchini mixture evenly over dough. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake 20-25 minutes.

Oh goodness I hope I can make this again with some garden zucchini.

2 Ingredient Watermelon Sherbet

Sometimes you buy an entire watermelon for just 2 people and the watermelon is not so great and you just don't know what to do with a fridge filled with bowls of this not so great watermelon.  And so I give you watermelon sherbet!

Watermelon Sherbet
From Five Heart Home

Ingredients
3 cups watermelon, cut up and frozen
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

1. Pulse watermelon and yogurt in a food processor until smooth. Serve immediately or put in a container in the freezer for later.

*Note: I added a few dashes of lime juice and doubled the recipe which you are definitely going to want to do.

I added some chocolate chips so I could pretend I was eating this latest creation from Dominique Ansel.

This recipe is just too easy not to try.  Also, it really is summer time dessert perfection.

Garlic Scape Pesto

I finally made it to a farmer's market!  What took me so long?  I have no idea.  I was on the hunt for some sort of random produce item that I'd either never had or just don't see at the supermarket.  That's why I was drawn to this container filled with curly green garlic scapes.

What does a scape taste like? What the heck do you make with it?  These were questions I was willing to discover later.

Garlic Scape Pesto
From Food52

Ingredients
1 cup garlic scapes, cut into 2 inch pieces
1/4 cup pine nuts (optional, I didn't use any nuts)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Take your scapes and nuts if using and pulse in a food processor until things are broken up a bit.  Then drizzle in your olive oil slowly while the food processor is running.
2. Pulse in the Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.

I made a grilled cheese with scape pesto and mozzarella cheese on proscuitto bread (which was also purchased at the farmer's market 😊).

Bailey wanted in on the action, but unfortunately this is not on his low fat diet.  

What else can I make with garlic scapes?! What should I do with the rest of the pesto?  Big decisions coming up this week.

Good Food Made Simple

I'm excited to share with you my tasting of Good Food Made Simple frozen meals.  I was given the opportunity to try them for free, but the opinions I share are my own.

I purchased these at my local Target store. They don't seem to be available at my Stop and Shop, but I'm not sure if that is the case across the country.

We tried 4 of them so far and they did not disappoint.  The hatch chile mc, seen below, we just what I was looking for in a mac and cheese.  The chiles definitely bring the heat so be prepared!

We also sampled the Thai style chicken and the chicken pad thai.  Below is a photo of the pad thai after it was microwaved.

It was great to be able to read the nutrition label and see ingredients that were natural and organic.

The nice part about the good food made simple brand is that each meal comes in its own bowl or plate.  That means your meal is ready in moments and there's nothing to clean up!  I currently have a baby on the way so I will definitely be stocking my freezer with these fast, simple, good for you meals.

Luvo Frozen Meals

Below you can see my latest package from Mom's Meet.  There are few things more exciting than seeing a Mom's Meet package waiting for me on my front steps.

I was chosen to sample Luvo frozen meals and boy was I glad I was picked!  I am currently pregnant and will be giving birth to a little boy in September.  As a home cook, I have grand ideas of stocking my freezer with home cooked meals in preparation for when the baby gets here and the house is turned upside-down.  But now that I know that Luvo's healthy and delicious frozen meals exist, I might not have to do all the cooking!

In this post I'll show you my first Luvo taste test: orange mango chicken with whole grains, broccoli and kale.  Would it look as good as it was pictured?  Would it taste as good as it sounded? I was skeptical....

The answers? Yes and yes!  I was so happy with this dinner.  It fit all my needs: nutritious. convenient, and delicious.

I will definitely be stocking my freezer with Luvo meals and you should too!