Happy Monday and Happy Belated birthday to my US neighbors. This week is action packed on the zesty front with 7 blog consulting gigs to finish, work work, zesty cooking, soccer and some chores outside to stay on top of before I am on vacation next week.  Did I tell you we rented a 36′ camper trailer next week to hang out by the water and do nothing but play, relax and eat?  I am pretty excited to say the least.

Do you ever feel that you want to get take out because you are lazy and do not want to wait for lunch or supper?  I have that feeling sometimes but I often revert and hold off my cravings with a dish like this one below.  It is super easy, tasty and really takes all of 15 minutes to make.  You could not even drive out , order and take it back home in 15 minutes.  Next time you are on the fence for wanting take out – give this dish a try.

There is not shortage of flavor, with fresh lemon zest and rich hoisin sauce.

Ingredients

• 2-3 cups Penne pasta
• Handful of baby spinach
• 1 Head of broccoli
• 1 Cup chopped button mushrooms
• Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp.  Soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp.  Hoisin sauce
• 1 Lemon ( juice and zest )
• 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 1 Garlic clove ( chopped )
• 1 Tsp. thyme

Method

1. Cook pasta according to directions
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat add olive oil, mushrooms and begin to cook down and add the garlic and thyme.
3. Now toss in the broccoli and begin to brown ( about 2 minutes )
4. Combine soy sauce, hoisin sauce, lemon juice and zest in a bowl and mix together.  Pour into mushroom and broccoli mixture.
5. Add spinach and cooked pasta and stir to mix thoroughly.
6. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve it up.
7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: To avoid the broccoli getting soggy, keep the heat on, constantly stir and avoid over crowding the pan.  Over crowding will cause it to steam and quickly become soggy.

Now this dish is nothing over the top but it is a great dish for a quick meal and another way to easily clean out your fridge before grocery day.  I so despise throwing out food from the fridge so dishes like these aide in that by throwing in some vegetables that may be on the verge of breaking down.

Let’s kick start this busy week with a bang!  I hope you have a fantastic Monday and I will be back with a “very special” post on Wednesday.

Take care

zesty

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What a weekend!  I don’t know about  you but the weather here in zesty land was absolutely fabulous.  Playing at the park, driving bicycles, washing  cars and even dusting off the vintage chino plaid shorts was in order for this past weekend.  Just a much needed break from work as well as a time to love the SUN.  To summarize the weekend in one word – FANTASTIC.

Now when you are speaking with zesty you know I always evaluate fantastic with food in some way shape or form.  This was no exception.  We had a huge Easter family dinner yesterday at Mother Zesty’s which included prime rib and a pork roast followed by all the trimmings.   Dessert was comprised of homemade cherry cheesecake, toffee fill tarts, chocolate dipped strawberries and homemade sugar cookies avec sprinkles.  It was delicious!

For today’s dish, I want to go back to a little leftover dish.  I know some people love leftovers and others will not see themselves eating them.  I am one who loves using leftovers to make a different dish.  Take for example the pork roast I made 2 weeks ago.  There was a bag of left over meat off the roast that I wanted to use a few days after I cooked to avoid having to throw it out.  I remember I had a bought a head of broccoli and a light bulb went off in my head…. Beef Pork and Broccoli!

This is a super easy lunch and one that I found very satisfying and tasty.  I used the Chef Hymie Sweet Barbecue Glaze – which is amazing!!  It gave the pork a lovely flavor and enhanced the flavor that it already had from the balsamic chili crust from the original roasting.

Ingredients

• 1 Head of broccoli
• 2 Cups of cooked pork
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp. Chef Hymie Sauce
• 1 Tbsp. Water
• 1 Tbsp. Slivered almonds
• 1 Clove garlic
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat sauce pan/wok to medium high heat.



2. Start pan frying the pork and garlic to heat through; about 4 minutes.
3. Add the broccoli, salt and pepper and begin to stir fry; 2 minutes ( try coating all the broccoli pieces with the oil and pork flavor )
4. Add water and steam broccoli with a lid for 1 minute.
5. Remove cover, add chef hymie sauce and cook down for another 2 minutes.





6. Top with slivered almonds and serve.
7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip:  I like to use the water and the lid just to give the broccoli an extra minute to cook through in the center.  I do love my broccoli crunchy in this dish but you want to avoid the broccoli being dry and cold in the center.  The barbecue glaze will help char and darken the outside of the broccoli and lock in the flavor.

So there you go, a quick weekend recap, an even quicker lunch but with no flavor missing!!  Hope you have a great Easter Monday and I will see you all on Wednesday for another giveaway.  Can you believe it?  I think this one may be a fun giveaway to win…. stay tuned.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

So as you know I pretty much packed the entire kitchen including pots, pans, spatulas etc so I decided to haul out the magic bullet and put it to the test.  Bacon Mushroom scrambled eggs using the bullet and the microwave – too easy!  The only thing I had to prep before hand was the bacon ( but I had left over anyway).  It is a super efficient way to have a hearty breakfast when you have little time or little appliances.

This recipe boasts that it makes the fluffiest, most flavorful eggs you’ve ever tasted.  I have to agree that they did taste pretty good but the best part was “No bowls, no chopping and no mess“.

Ingredients

• 3 Eggs
• 2 Slices Bacon
• 2 Slices of Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Broccoli
• Splash of Skim Milk
• Salt and Pepper

Method

1. Blend Eggs, milk, salt and pepper into Short Cup of Bullet.





2. Add bacon, and broccoli and pulse for 20 seconds.



3. Transfer to the microwave and cook for 2 minutes.  Once you see the eggs around the edge start to firm up, pause the microwave and give the mixture a stir.  Continue this process until complete.
4. Add your eggs to a plate.
5. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: For a fat free version just add egg whites instead of the whole egg.  Of course you can omit the bacon and cheese as well or even substitute your favorite ingredients.

Well my time is running out this week for packing and prepping to close the deal on this house.  There are still what feels like a million things to do but the list is getting smaller.  I am still looking for a couple of guest posts for next week when I am out of town.  Let me know if you are interested and hopefully we can work something out.

Have a great day and keep smiling.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Happy Wednesday!  I have been meaning to make this dish so I could share it with you and I finally did last night.

Stir fry broccoli with bacon, fresh Parmesan cheese topped with pine nuts and a splash of lemon.  A great side dish or a fine meal on its own. You should totally make this for dinner tonight. It’s fast, delicious, and only dirties one pan (two, if you decide to make some rice, which I think you should).

Now aside from frying the bacon – this dish takes all of 4 minutes so it is a great when you are in a pinch or simply trying to incorporate some green vegetables into the meal plan.

What I love about this recipe is how two fairly basic ingredients are combined with a few flavors to bring you an incredible result.  The idea is to pan fry the broccoli with the bacon fat and lemon juice (don’t leave out that final squeeze – it’s key).

Ingredients

• 2 Cups of Broccoli
• 8 Slices of Bacon (Chopped)
• 2 Tbsp. Pine Nuts
• Fresh Parmesan Cheese (Shaved)
• 1 Garlic Clove
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Juice of a Lemon

Method

1. Chop and prepare the bacon.





2. Cook on medium heat until bacon is crispy, drain on a paper towel.



3. Remove excess grease in pan from bacon except about a tablespoon.
4. Turn to high heat and add broccoli.



5. Cook quickly and constantly moving the broccoli, add garlic, red pepper flakes, pine nuts and salt.





6. After 2 minutes, add bacon back in the pan and stir fry for one more minute.
7. Freshly squeeze the lemon over the broccoli.
8. Remove from heat, plate it and top with shaved fresh Parmesan cheese.



9. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When cooking green vegetables, always add a bit of salt once placed in the heat to keep the sharp green color. Also in this dish above – a little splash of water will help the steaming process and the broccoli to cook evenly and avoid burning.

Question of the Day: What is you favorite Green Vegetable?

What are your thoughts on the inauguration yesterday?  I thought it was very memorable with an excellent speech and overall a very positive day for my friends south of the border.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Thursday has arrived.  What a day yesterday!  Work was busier than a New York City subway station and on top of that I was so excited about the giveaway post.  So far there has been a really good response to the book giveaway and I am really looking forward to reading more comments.  Thanks so much everyone.

Ever crave pasta but you are so hungry that you dread waiting to make the cream sauce, the toppings and the pasta so you break down and not bother making it.  Well that has happened to me many times, but with this dish – it no longer happens.

This is a staple dish is zesty’s kitchen with often a variation of vegetable, pasta or meat.  This really is a 15 minute dish that requires two pots/pan to make.  Your kind of dish if you are in a rush and starving.

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Whole Wheat Pasta (your choice)
• 2 Chicken Breasts (cut into bite size pieces)
• 1 Cup Broccoli
• 1 Tbsp. Basil Paste or 1 Tsp. Dried Basil
• 2 Cloves Garlic
• 1 Can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 1/2 Can of Skim Milk

Method

1. Cook Pasta according to directions ( 10 pasta cooking tips ).
2. Prepare chicken and slice into strips.
3. Peel and chop garlic.



4. Add Tbsp. Olive Oil to medium-hot sauce pan.



5. Stir fry chicken and garlic until opaque.



6. Add Basil Paste.



7. Continue cooking until chicken begins to brown, then add the cream of mushroom soup and milk Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes.





8. Bring back up to a gentle boil and add broccoli for the last 3 minutes of cooking time.



9. Drain pasta, add pasta to sauce, stir gently, and serve.
10. Top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.



11. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip:  When making cream sauces always be cautious of turning the burner on too high – anything with dairy in it will boil and burn very quickly.  To thicken the cream sauce however, you can use a slurry technique which combines a teaspoon of cornstarch or flour with cold water (to avoid lumps) into the sauce and bring to a gentle boil.

Now that was easy!  A no nonsense kind of meal that is hearty, tasty and appealing.  I like it!  If broccoli is not your favorite, I have often made it with spinach, mushrooms or even frozen peas.  Gotta get the greens in there somehow!

I hope you have a great day… the weekend is almost here.  If you have not already done so… visit the giveaway and make sure you get your comment submitted.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty