Leftover Spinach Dip = Chicken, Spinach, & Orzo Casserole

You had a great party last night. Fun was had by all, the food and drink were great, and today you're blearily (possibly hungover) looking into your refrigerator trying to determine what to make for dinner. Sitting in front of you is a bowl of leftover spinach dip. Sure, you could park yourself on the couch, grab a spoon, and catch up on your DVR, or you could take 20 minutes to throw this chicken, spinach and orzo casserole together.

 Ingredients:

1.5 c. spinach dip
1/2 c. cottage cheese
1/2 c. plain yogurt
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 c. uncooked orzo
2 tsp. olive oil
1 lb. chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 c. shredded Swiss cheese

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F  

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the first nine ingredients (spinach dip through black pepper).

3. Cook the pasta according to package directions, reducing the suggested cooking time by two minutes. (It will continue to cook in the oven.)  Drain and add to the dip mixture.

4. Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a medium skillet. Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink (like the orzo, it will finish cooking in the oven.) Remove from skillet and add to dip-orzo mixture.

5. Mix thoroughly and place in 8x8 pan. Top with the shredded Swiss and bake at 400F for 20-30 minutes, or until slightly golden.  Let rest for 10 minutes, and serve.

Turkey Sausage and Spinach Frittata

Yield: 5 servings

Ingredients:

8 eggs

1/4 cup milk

2 Tbsp. cottage cheese

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes 

3 links Italian turkey sausage, casings removed

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped fine

3 cups baby spinach, coarsely chopped

2 Tbsp. chopped chives

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, cottage cheese, red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper until well blended .  
3. In an oven safe skillet, brown sausage over medium heat. Remove sausage and drain on paper towels.
4. Return skillet to heat and add the olive oil. Sauté the onion for five minutes, or until translucent.
5. Add spinach and cook until slightly wilted, about two minutes.
6. Stir the egg mixture and browned sausage in with the onion and spinach . Cook until eggs begin to set, about five minutes
7. Place skillet in the oven and bake for fifteen minutes, or until frittata is puffed and golden brown.
8. Cool for five minutes, sprinkle with chives, slice into wedges, and serve.

Grape Tomatoes - Cook 'em Until They Pop!

I have a confession....I hate raw tomatoes.  I've tried them over and over again and just don't like the flavor or texture.  It could be because I was traumatized once when  my sister shoved a tomato wedge in my mouth as a kid....

However, if tomatoes are cooked, roasted, or sauteed, I absolutely love them.  One of my favorite ways to cook grape tomatoes is to saute them until they burst.  They start to break down, and the flavor intensifies.

In the recipe below, adapted from Cooking Light, pork chops are browned, then shallots, garlic, and tomatoes are cooked with some balsamic vinegar, just until the tomatoes begin to burst.  The combination of flavors is incredible.

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons olive oil, divided 
4 (6-ounce) bone-in center-cut loin pork chops, (about 1/2 inch thick) 
1/2 tsp. salt, divided
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/2 c. thinly sliced shallots
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 c. grape tomatoes
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil.
2.  Sprinkle chops evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add pork to pan and cook 5 minutes on each side. Remove pork from pan. 
3. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, shallots, vinegar (don't stand directly over the pan when you add the vinegar!), and garlic to pan; saute 1 minute, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. 
4. Combine tomatoes, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl; toss gently to coat. 
5. Add tomato mixture to pan; cook 5 minutes or until tomatoes start to burst. Sprinkle with basil. Serve tomato mixture with pork.

Skillet Shrimp with Orzo - Fast, Easy, and Delicious

This recipe is from Everyday Food Magazine, and it was AMAZING!  It's pretty quick; only about 25 minutes, and extremely flavorful.  You start off browning garlic (always a good beginning!), saute tomatoes, then add orzo and chicken broth and place in the oven.  While baking, the orzo soaks up all of the flavor from the garlic, tomatoes, and broth.  Next, you add shrimp on top add place the skillet under the broiler for a few minutes, then top with basil.  A great one pot meal!