Orecchiette with Peas, Shrimp, and Buttermilk-Herb Dressing

Posted by: Maggie

I decided after making this pasta salad that fresh dill is my favorite smell in the world. I know I should be telling you how delicious this pasta salad tasted, but I'm really more into talking about the smell. It is intoxicatingly delicious. 

You know how dumb teenagers huff paint and glue? Well, I'm about to start huffing dill. Can someone please turn this scent into a candle or an air-freshener so I can stop making idiotic statements like that? I'm obsessed. 

I'll stop waxing poetic about the smell of dill for 5 seconds to tell you that this pasta salad is not only delicious, but low-fat! The dressing is made of light mayo, cut with some fat-free buttermilk and an epic amount of fresh herbs, instead of straight-up regular mayo, like most pasta salads. This takes about 30 minutes from start to finish to make, including the time it takes for the water to boil. Stupendously easy!

Off to go stick my head in the fridge to sniff the leftover dill...please send help. 

Here's what you'll need:

8 ounces uncooked orecchiette pasta 

1 cup frozen green peas

1/2 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined 

1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise

1/4 cup fat-free buttermilk

3 tablespoons minced fresh chives

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Pinch of cayenne pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions (omitting salt.) During the last 3 minutes of cooking, add peas and shrimp. Drain, and rinse well with cold water. 

In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, buttermilk, chives, dill, lemon zest, lemon juice, cayenne, garlic, salt, and pepper. 

Transfer pasta mixture to a large bowl. Pour dressing onto the pasta, and toss to combine. This is delicious served at room temperature, or chilled. 

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Source: Adapted from Cooking Light: Best Low-Fat Main Dishes

Spicy Spinach-Stuffed Mushrooms

Posted by: Annie

Pictured here is the best mushroom you will ever eat, but let's be real, you will not be able to eat just one. This is the kind of recipe that leaves you scraping the bowl, licking your fingers (secretly of course) and wishing that you had purchased 48 ounces of mushrooms instead of just 24.

Last weekend, our little sister came from Philly to New Jersey for the weekend, and I volunteered to make an appetizer and dessert. I spent all Saturday morning baking and cooking, and after tasting the filling for the mushrooms, deeply regretted not buying all the mushrooms in the world. When I realized I had extra filling (some of my mushrooms were "petite") I couldn't bear the thought of throwing it out, so I literally scooped it up with tortilla chips - it's THAT good. 

What you will need:

24 ounces whole white mushrooms

1 medium onion, diced

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1 8-ounce block cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sour cream

1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

1/2 cup mild Cheddar cheese, shredded 

8-12 dashes hot sauce (depending on taste) 

Salt and pepper, to taste 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Wipe down mushrooms with a damp paper towel to clean. Remove stems from mushrooms and dice stems. Heat butter and olive oil over medium heat, and add onion and mushroom stems. Cook until onions are soft, and then stir in bread crumbs. Cook for an additional 2 minutes, then set aside to cool. 

Squeeze water from thawed spinach and set aside. 

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, Monterey Jack, and Cheddar. Stir in cooled panko mixture, and mix well. Add in spinach, hot sauce, and salt and pepper. Mix to combine. 

Scoop the filling into mushroom caps. 

Place filled mushrooms in baking dish and cook 20-25 minutes, until filling is hot. 

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Source: Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Sun-Dried Tomato Risotto

Posted by: Maggie

Is it weird that I remember the first time I tried risotto?

Annie and I had gone into NYC together back in early 2008 to have lunch and see the Legally Blonde musical (don't judge, it was amazing.)

We decided to go to Lidia Bastianich's restaurant Becco, since they had this awesome lunch special where you get salad and three different kinds of pasta, all of which were unlimited and served tableside. I know I'm making it sound like a fancy Olive Garden with that description, but really, would there be anything wrong with a fancy Olive Garden? Say what you will about the OG - those breadsticks are the shit. (Pardon my salty pirate mouth, there's really no better descriptor here.)

Anyway, my Olive Garden fantasies are not the point of this story.

The point is, one of the three pastas that day wasn't actually pasta - it was risotto. I couldn't tell you what else Annie and I ate that day, but I still remember my first creamy, parmesan-filled bite. To be fair, the reason that I may have forgotten the other pastas that I ate is probably less attributed to the fact that they were unmemorable, and more attributed to the fact that Annie and I each enjoyed several cocktails upon discovering that they had no plans of carding her then 20-year-old self. Fun times.

Risotto has an undeserved reputation of being difficult to make. It's actually quite simple, as long as you're okay with a recipe that is hands-on for a solid 20-25 minutes of stirring.

Here's what you'll need:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups Arborio rice, uncooked
8 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and minced
1 cup dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
6-8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fresh basil for garnish

In a large saucepan, heat up broth. Keep warmed on low heat throughout entire cooking process.

In a large saute pan, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook for 3 minutes. Add in dry Arborio rice. Stir to coat rice thoroughly, and cook for 3 minutes.

Turn heat to medium-low and pour in wine. Cook for a couple minutes until the wine is mostly absorbed. Add in sun-dried tomatoes and stir.

Begin adding the broth 1 cup at a time, stirring continuously, allowing the rice to absorb each cup before adding the next. Repeat until the rice is creamy and fully cooked. It should still have a bit of a bite to it and not be mushy - this takes about 6-8 cups of broth, and roughly 20-25 minutes.

Remove from heat, and stir in parmesan and heavy cream. Salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with basil. Serve immediately.

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Source: Adapted from The Pioneer Woman