Haha, you thought I meant my muscles….Oh dear no. I meant the mussels from the water. Thanks to the folks from Mussel King we had a feed of mussels on Christmas Eve as well as the day after as there were so many. But talk about delicious! When I made them on Christmas eve, the comments were over the top with amazement at how plump, juicy and full these mussels were.

For the preparation of these mussels – I kept it simple.  Things this good, you just need to keep it simple.

Ingredients

• 5lbs. Mussels, rinsed and clean
• 3 Tomatoes, chopped
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 3 Tbsp. Butter
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 Cup dry white wine
• Handful of fresh parsley
• Handful of cilantro

Method

1. Preheat a large stock pot on medium to high heat.
2. Add butter and onions and cook for a couple of minutes until translucent
3. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper – cook for another 30 seconds
4. Add the white wine, cilantro and parsley – Stir together.
5. Toss in the mussels, throw on the lid and let steam about 5-7 minutes.
6. Let steam until all the mussels have opened.
7. Serve into a bowl
8. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip:  The butter is the key here… steaming the mussels in butter with a little wine intensify the flavor and make them even juicier.  This is a must try for anyone who LOVES mussels.

Well, Happy Friday everyone.  Hard to believe Christmas is over and a new year right around the corner.  Tell me your New Year’s eve plans in the comments and I will talk to you all on Monday.

Happy New Year

zesty

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Ever feel that you are running out of meal ideas with certain foods?  That happens to me sometimes so I try to step back and think about different ways to use that certain ingredient.  The last thing you want to have happen is that you get bored with a great food.  The food of choice today is “Tomato“.  I never used to like tomatoes but as I grew older I have found a new love for them.

I am not a huge fan of the tomato on just any given deli sandwich however but I do love tomatoes roasted, in sauces and on certain sandwiches with cheese.  I just compiled a simple list that I came up with on ways I like to use tomatoes.

Hopefully they will spark your interest to try them.

7 Ways to Use Tomatoes

1. No-Cook Pasta Sauce – In a large bowl combine several chopped tomatoes, a clove or two of minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Add olive oil to coat tomatoes. Add hot pasta and toss to coat pasta. Bits of fresh mozzarella can be added – they will get a bit melted  when tossed with the hot pasta. At the very end you can add red chili flakes, basil, and freshly shredded Parmesan are all tasty additions as well.
2. Grilled Tomatoes – Slice the tomatoes nice and thick, coat with a little olive oil – season with salt and pepper and grill for 4 mins on each side.  Yum!
3. Toasted Tomato and Pesto Sandwich – Spread two slices of your favorite sandwich bread with your favorite pesto (need a favorite? try this pesto), top one pesto-ed slice with several meaty slices of tomato, sprinkle with salt, sandwich, and enjoy!
4. Simple Salsa – Make your own fresh salsa by tossed chopped tomato with your choice of the following: minced red onion, minced garlic, finely chopped jalapeño or serrano chiles. Add salt to taste. A splash of red vinegar can be tasty, too.  Another addition can be some fresh avocado as well.



5. A Kicked Up BLT – This is a classic with a twist.  This takes a little bit of effort but is so worth it.  I like to take two slices of a thick homemade bread, toast it, top with a little butter and a nice piece of cheddar cheese. After that I add the fresh romaine lettuce, juicy red tomatoes and crisp bacon.  I top it with freshly ground pepper and enjoy!



6. In a Salad – Any salad of your choice – tomatoes are a great addition. Keep it simple and dress it just before serving.
7. Stuffed Tomatoes with Rice - This one is a great fun recipe on a cool day.  Scoop out the insides of the tomato.  To prepare the filling use cooked rice, oregano and ground beef ( or you can omit)  Top with fresh basil and mozzarella cheese and bake in the oven for 40 minutes.

So there you have it!  My top 7 ways to kick up the regular tomato.  Let me know if you have any other great ways to kick up the tomato in the comments section.  I will be back tomorrow - Have a great Wednesday.

I am off to New York… and will blog from the BIG Apple on Friday!

Take care

zesty

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Ummm Hello… is this thing on?  Yay!

It is Friday.  Another week down the tubes and believe it or not – we are expecting sunshine.  I will celebrate that later I guess with a cut of the grass and a weed of the garden.  But before we get into the house chores take a look at this recipe.

This issue of the G! was all about celebrities and what I would feed celebrities if they came to our gentle Island.  Of course you have to go with local ingredients and blow their minds with flavor.  This steamed mussel dish could be no easier than firing a few things in a pot and cranking up the heat to create steam.  When the mussels pop open.  EAT.

Ingredients ( Based on 4 lbs of Mussels )

• 1/4 lb Butter
• 2 Large Onion diced
• 1  head of garlic, peeled and chopped
• 2 Cups of grape tomatoes
• Fresh Cilantro ( for garnish)
• 3/4 Cup white wine
• 1 Bay leaf
• 3 sprigs of fresh thyme

Method

1. In a large pot over medium heat add the butter and onion and begin to saute for 3 minutes.
2. Once the onion is opaque throw the rest of the ingredients in the pot.
3. Throw the lid on and let the mussels steam until they are cooked (open)
4. Keep an eye on them.  Serve them with some crusty bread so you can dip the bread in the broth!
5. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: If a mussel does not open in the pot, don’t bother wrestling with it to try and open it, just discard and stay safe.

Did you know that Prince William and Kate are coming to the Island?  Kind of fun… but I doubt they will pop over to our house but you never know.  Some big musicians are dopping in this summer as well for a big concert on the beach.  Meatloaf, Brad Paisley, Toby Keith, Trace Adkins, Johnny Reid and Eddie Money.  If they show up at the zest house – i will have to whip up a batch of these mussels.

Have an awesome Friday and an even better weekend!  Talk to you on Monday.  Oh- we were invited to a pizza party tomorrow at the zesty inlaws with the brick oven.  I think next week will have some awesome pictures!

Take care

zesty

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A package of lean ground beef, 2 hot house tomatoes, 2 sweet potatoes and some baby romaine.

Turned into an Indian infused meatball that had reviews all around the table.  Things like:

• Wow, Delicious.
• Amazing flavor.
• Dad, another meatball please – these are double thumbs up.

Nothing makes me feel better than preparing food that everyone enjoys and remembers.  Last night’s meal was definitely one of those meals.  Nothing fancy or complex just a simple dish packed with flavor and using fresh ingredients.

The highlight of the dish was the sauce.  A reduction of tomatoes and balsamic vinegar hot with a shot of barbecue sauce at the end to balance it out.  We could have licked the pan dry on this one.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Lean Ground Beef
• 1 Egg
• 1/4 Cup Raw Instant Oatmeal
• 1/2 Tsp. Coriander
• 1 Tsp. Garlic, minced
• 1 Tsp. Cumin
• 1/4 Tsp. nutmeg
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1/3 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 tomatoes , cut into quarters
• 3 Tbsp. Barbeque sauce

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. In a large bowl, add ground beef, egg, oatmeal, all the spices and mix together.
3. Preheat a dry pan on the stove to high heat, and begin to shape your meatballs. Place the meatballs in the pan and sear on both sides.
4. Once seared, add the tomatoes and move to the oven to finish cooking – about 12 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and set the meat balls aside.  Returning the pan to a hot burner, add the balsamic vinegar and barbecue sauce and let reduce for your sauce.
6. Wait for the “fat” roasted sweet potatoes
7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: I find when you buy lean or extra lean ground beef it can dry out quickly and become pretty awful.  Adding the egg and hint of oatmeal will help add some moisture inside.  You can always add cheese as well.

Alright, I better go get cleaned up and on the road.  Have a super Wednesday and I will touch base you on Friday with something sweet.  It is time we made something sweet – dontcha think?  Oh Wow – I just remembered it is Mother’s Day this weekend. Hmmm I better get the hamster moving for some ideas.

Take care

zesty

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Happy Monday morning to you.  Or let’s at least hope it is a happy Monday.  It’s Easter week which is kind of exciting, shortened work week, chocolate everywhere and a bunny will be hopping by the house soon enough.  Ever not feel like making dinner and ordering out but you don’t want to order out cause you are too lazy to get dressed and go pick it up?  That was like me last night.  I had no energy to venture outside and drive to get a yummy take out meal, possibly Lebanese food, maybe a little taste of china or even one of my staple choices of Swiss Chalet chicken.  Instead I opted for a vegetarian pasta that was super simple yet flavorful.

It started out with fresh ingredients as any great dish should, coupled by a few distinct flavors, garlic and basil and blossomed from there with a hint of parmesan cheese and the juice of ripened tomatoes.  It was GOOD.

Ingredients

• Penne Pasta ( cooked according to directions )
• 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 2 Cups spinach
• 1 Clove garlic ( Minced)
• 1/4 Cup Pine nuts
• 1/3 Cup Parmesan cheese
• 10-12 Cherry  Tomatoes
• 6-7 Mushrooms
• 1 Handful of fresh basil

Method

1. Cook pasta according to directions; Heat a large frying pan or wok and add the olive oil
2. Begin to saute the mushrooms for 3-4 minutes, add garlic and pine nuts; let cook for 2 more minutes.
3. Toss in tomatoes and cook for 2 more minutes; add in spinach, fresh basil and half the Parmesan cheese.
4. Drain pasta, reserving a little bit of pasta liquid and add noodle to the vegetable mixture.
5. Toss and add remaining Parmesan cheese
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Make sure you salt the water when cooking pasta.  Adding salt to the water will allow the pasta to absorb the flavor while cooking and enhance your dish.   When adding pasta to a sauce or mixture like above, you can sometimes under cook the pasta by a minute or two as it will continue cooking in the sauce.

Nothing fancy, nothing astounding, just a dish that will satisfy you in 11 minutes or less and keep you in your pajamas on a wet and windy Sunday night.  Isn’t that really how I roll?  Straight from the hip and a dish for everyone.  This was actually very tasty.  I added some fresh cracked black pepper at the very end which accompanied the cheese very well.

Have a super start to your week and I will be chatting with you again mid week.

Take care

zesty

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It’s a new day! A new week!  And guess what?  The sun is out.  Whooo Hoooo.  Ok Ok enough of me being silly I have something very fun to share with you today.  A simple recipe that will warm you from the inside out with packs of flavor.  It always seems the simple things in the kitchen taste the best.

I mean you look at this dish, a few aromatic choices, some seafood and some fresh herbs and you have yourself a yummy appetizer, main course or for me – maybe just a snack when you are starving.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 1/2 Cup finely chopped shallots or onion
• 1 Bay leaf
• 2 Plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 Tsp. Salt
• 1 Bottle clam juice
• 1/2 Cup white wine or water
• 1 Cup of water
• 1 lb Mussels ( scrubbed)
• 1/2 lb halibut or cod ( cubed )
• 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley

Method

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil with butter over medium heat; cook shallots and bay leaf, stirring often until shallots are softened, about 3 minutes.
2. Stir in tomatoes, garlic and salt and cook for another minute
3. Stir in clam juice, wine and 1 cup of water and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and cover for 10 minutes.
5. Add mussels and halibut; cover and cook until mussels open and halibut flakes easily to the touch; about 6 minutes.
6. Discard bay leaf and any mussels that did not open
7. Stir in parsley.
8. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: This will work with any of your favorite seafood.  Mix it up with whatever is on sale and experiment.  You can also feel free to add more flavors but I find less is more with this dish and the plum tomatoes are a really nice addition.

Ok, I am off to work and the start of another week.  Have a great Monday and let me know if there is anything that you want me to post about or try in my kitchen.  I am always up for new adventures.

Take care

zesty

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It’s Friday, It’s Friday!!  How are you doing?  Hopefully all is well but just in case you are down in the dumps – I have a spicy low carb pasta recipe that will make your tongue hop.  One of my favorite things to eat with pasta is a little bit of heat.  Nothing uncontrollable but I do like a bit of spice that can be accompanied by a nice glass of white milk.

Remember when I did a “how to cook pasta” post, pretending I am Italian but oh well…. I feel I have eaten enough pasta to somehow understand the ins and outs of cooking noodles.  But what I remember the most is asking everyone what your favorite drink to have with noodles.  Surprising a lot of people said milk – which is my favorite for sure.

When you take a look at this dish – it could not get any easier.  Shrimp is an excellent source of protein and super easy to work with ( especially if you just buy frozen ).  Very quick to cook and you can have this low carb pasta recipe on the table in 15 minutes.  That is my kind of meal.  With everyone busy and doing 100 different things, eating healthy still has to be a priority in order to keep the energy levels up.

Next time you have some a craving for pasta – give this low carb pastas recipe a try.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces  fresh or frozen peeled and deveined large shrimp
• 8 Oz.  dried Whole wheat spaghetti ( I just use a handful)
• 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 1 or 2  fresh jalapeno chile peppers, seeded and finely chopped*
• 2 Cloves  garlic, minced
• 2 cups  cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered, or chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 Tsp. Salt
• 1/4 Tsp. Black pepper
• Shaved green onion
• Finely shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

Method

1. Thaw shrimp, if frozen. Rinse shrimp; pat dry with paper towels.
2. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package directions.
3. Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil,  chile peppers and garlic to hot skillet; cook and stir for 1 minute.
4. Add shrimp; cook and stir about 3 minutes more or until shrimp are opaque.
5. Stir in tomatoes, salt, and black pepper; heat through.
6. Drain spaghetti; toss with shrimp mixture.
7. If desired, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and top with green onion.
8. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Because chile peppers contain oils that can burn your skin and eyes, avoid direct contact with them as much as possible. When working with chile peppers, wear plastic or rubber gloves. If your bare hands do touch the peppers, wash your hands and nails well with soap and warm water.

Flo-rida Vacation Update

Just a quick update on the accommodations for the Disney World trip, I want to thank everyone for their emails and comments – It was really fun to read through everyone’s ideas and Mrs Zesty and I are very appreciative.  I think we are going to try and pull the trigger today so I will keep you posted on the final choice.

Have a super weekend and I will chit chat with you on Monday.  Oh wait and before I go – try this recipe.  If you like shrimp – I am pretty sure you will be singing the praises of this one.

Take care

zesty

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Holy Salad again!  I am starting to impress myself with my eating habits of late.   This was just a quick last minute put together dinner that was tasty for sure but I was starving by 8:00pm.  Not the end of the world as you know I love eating and it was just in time for the hockey game to start.  For my evening snack I went with a bowl of cereal and my traditional handful of  “All Dressed” chips well OK, maybe 2 handfuls and a bit of chocolate at the end.

It takes me back to the sweet and salty post from a while ago.  I am definitely both!

Back to the salad

For this simple salad I went with the combination of chicken and fruit which I love.  The crisp pear was a great match for the spicy chicken.  I just had some frozen boneless chicken breasts that were done up chipolte style from the grocery store.  I roasted them in the oven for 25 minutes and chopped them up with some other fruits and vegetables.  Here is the mix.

Ingredients

• Baby Romaine Lettuce
• Sliced strawberries
• Sliced Pears
• Cooked Chicken breast
• Balsamic vinegar
• Cucumbers
• Carrots
• Tomatoes
• Olive oil

Method

1. Cook and slice chicken breasts
2. Prepare all fruits and vegetables in the salad by washing and chopping to your desired sizes
3. Organize the salad in the bowl
4. In a small jar, mix 2 parts oil to one part balsamic – add a dash of mustard and shake.
5. Dress the salad and serve
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: The addition of mustard to the dressing allows the oil and vinegar to combine into a nice rich texture and not break.

So there you have yet another simple salad for your Wednesday pick me up!  I don’t really have much to say other than I hope you enjoy the salad.  I am not sure what I am going to post for Friday as of yet but I did make another sweet potato dish a couple of weeks back that may be worthy of sharing.  Have an awesome hump day and keep smiling.

Take care

zesty

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The week is almost over.  This weekend has to be Get The House Ready For Christmas as we have not done anything at this point.  We also have to commence with the shopping and try and get organized.  Normally I like to leave everything to the last minute but that kinda bugs Mrs. Zesty – so I am willing to get things wrapped up so we can relax in the evenings.

Did I just say relax?  I wish…. oh well I love the way things are going in zesty land so I cannot complain.

On to the Food

There is something about soup this time of year that really makes you feel good, warms you up and makes you happy!  Today’s soup is something you can do on a weeknight and still be eating before your stomach starts to growl.  The downside to most soups for me is that I am so hungry I could eat a horse and chase the rider when I get home from work that I do not want to wait for the soup to cook and I end of eating something else.

This soup however is pretty straight forward and serves up pretty quickly.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1/2 Cup onion (chopped)
• 1/2 Cup carrot (chopped)
• 1/2 Cup celery (chopped)
• 1 Tbsp.garlic (chopped)
• 1 Cup lentils
• 3 Cups chicken stock (or vegetable broth)
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp.chili sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cilantro (chopped)
• Sour cream

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pan.
2. Add the onions, carrots and celery and saute until tender, about 10-15 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
4. Add the lentils, stock, tomatoes and chili sauce.
5. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 10-15 minutes.
6. Season with salt and pepper and serve with a garnish of cilantro and a dollop of sour cream.
7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Use this as the basis to add or sneak in other vegetables if you so desire.  Frozen peas would be a nice addition or one of my favorites would be to add a huge handful of spinach at the end of the cooking process for a nice pop of color and texture.

New Kitchen Addition

We ordered stools for the kitchen!!  Finally!  Here is a snapshot of the stool.  We went with the white choice for color – but if we happened to know there was orange we may have changed our mind.

Have a super Friday and an even better weekend.

Take care

zesty

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I have a pretty fun recipe to share with you today.  Remember back around the new year  – we went to a potluck and I was unsure what to bring.  Well I was surfing the net looking for ideas and I strolled by Heidi’s 101 Cookbooks and found an very interesting and delicious pasta dish.  Once laying my eyes on the picture I was hooked and then I read deeper into the recipe and I was all set.  I had all the ingredients on hand minus the mozzarella so that was a snap to pick up.

I thought about adding a few ingredients to it that I had on hand not that it needed it -I just thought it would be nice to use of the stuff I had in the fridge.  The additions were chicken, bacon and roasted tomatoes.  Let’s just say it was a huge hit at the potluck.

Ingredients

• extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 pound whole wheat pasta shells
• sea salt
• 2 Chicken breasts (sliced and cooked)
• 8 pieces of bacon  (cooked and crumbled)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 cups well-chopped fresh spinach
• 10-12 Roasted grape tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups sliced almonds, lightly toasted
• zest of 2 lemons
• 8 ounces mozzarella, shredded or torn into small pieces

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.





2. Butter/oil a large casserole dish or baking pan – something roughly equivalent to 13×9-inch pan.



3. In a separate saute pan cook the bacon until crispy and then remove and set aside.



4. In a separate saute pan dry roast the almonds until brown and then remove and set aside.
5. Boil the pasta in salted water per package instructions. Drain pasta, toss with some olive oil. Set aside.
6. Heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high. Saute the chicken with a couple pinches of salt until no longer pink.







7. While the chicken is cooking, pop some tomatoes in the oven to start the roasting process – toss with olive oil and salt and pepper.  Cook for about 12-15 minutes.







8. Back to the chicken -stir in garlic and roasted tomatoes and let cook for a minute.  Toss in bacon and spinach. Cook for just about 20 seconds, until the spinach collapses a bit.









9. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the almonds and 1/2 of the zest; mixing extremely well, a minute or so.



10. Now sprinkle the bottom of baking dish with the rest of the zest.



11. Add a layer of the pasta to the bottom of the baking pan, now sprinkle with some of the cheese and chicken mixture, add more pasta, then more cheese and more chicken mixture until complete. Finish with a layer of cheese.









12. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until cheese on top is bubbly.
13. Serve sprinkled with the remaining almonds.



14. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: This pasta dish was really really good!  The only thing I noticed is that if you overcook it at all it will become pretty dry.  To avoid this you could add a little lemon juice to the chicken mixture and just be sure not to over bake the pasta and eat right away.

Around the Blogsphere

Are you ever looking for great blogs that have fun and exciting recipes?  I thought you would be so I decided I would share with you a few of my favorites in case you didn’t already know.

Here are some great recipe blogs that you will sure to find handy.

Kayln’s Kitchen – For a great combination of home cooked ideas, healthy alternatives and all around great recipes – this is a great spot.

Southern Plate – For all things Southern, Christy has it covered.  If you have never been here – it is a must to see.

RecipeGirl - This site has a lot of action, great recipes and Lori really knows how to cook.  Check it out.

Bakerella - Ever want to learn how to make the most amazing cake pops.  Bakerella is really amazing.

Joythebaker - For all things baking, it is a must to check out Joy.  You may never leave.

So there you have it.  A truly fun recipe to try on a Sunday afternoon and a great list of recipe blogs that you should check out for sure.  I hope you have a great Wednesday and I think I may have a little announcement on Friday.  Nothing major but just a little more fun.

Have a super Wednesday.

Take care

zest

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