Gnocchi with Summer Vegetables

Serves 4
Prep time: 17 minutes, Cooking time: 6 minutes

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 zucchini or summer squash, or one of each, quartered and sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 package (15 to 16 ounces) gnocchi
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano cheese (I used Parmesan)
1 tablespoon butter (I omitted the butter)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1. Start a large pot of water boiling. You should be able to chop everything up while you are waiting for that.

2. Put squash and garlic in a large bowl, add the olive oil and toss to coat. (I think this helps get them more coated with oil.) Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add squash and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until juicy, about 2 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, add the gnocchi to the large pot of boiling water and cook gnocchi according to package instructions. Reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid, drain gnocchi and transfer to skillet. Toss gnocchi, adding enough cooking liquid to create a sauce. Remove from heat and stir in basil, cheese, butter (if using), and lemon juice.

Results: YUM! This was so good and so filling. The boys wouldn't touch it, but that's fine with me, because GUESS WHO GETS THE LEFTOVERS? This was seriously good. I can't wait to make it again!

Recipe from The {UN}eventful Life

Grilled Flank Steak with Mango Chutney

Serves 4
Prep time: 12 minutes, Marinating time: 15 minutes, Cooking time: 10 minutes

cooking spray
1 pound flank steak, trimmed of fat (also called skirt steak)
1/3 cup mango chutney
1/3 cup pineapple juice
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp vinegar, tarragon-flavored (I used white wine vinegar)
1 1/2 Tbsp hot pepper sauce
2 clove garlic, minced

1. Coat grill rack or broiler pan with cooking spray; preheat grill or broiler.

2. Combine steak and remaining ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal and marinate in refrigerator for 15 minutes. Remove steak from bag; reserve marinade. Place steak on grill rack or broiler pan and cook 5 minutes on each side,
turning once, or until done.

3. Meanwhile, pour reserved marinade into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally.

4. When steak is finished cooking, let it rest for 5 minutes, then cut it diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Serve with chutney sauce.

Served with green beans and roasted potato slices (drizzled with olive oil and coarse sea salt, baked at 400 until done.)

Results: this was very easy to make and so good! Chris said the FedEx man actually stopped by while he was grilling to ask what we were having because it smelled so good. The marinade was sweet, with just a hint of spice to it. Definitely making this one again! Henry said the meat took "too long to chew." Both boys loved the potatoes.

Recipe from Weight Watchers

Sesame Grilled Portobellos with Sriracha Mayonnaise

Serves 4
Prep time: 6 minutes, Cooking Time: 15 minutes

1/3 cup fat-free mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon Sriracha (Asian hot chile sauce)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 large red onion
4 large portobello mushroom caps
4 thick slices beefsteak tomato

1. Spray grill rack with nonstick spray. Preheat grill to medium.

2. Stir together mayonnaise, ginger, Sriracha, and 1 tablespoon of the mint in a small bowl.

3. Stir together soy sauce, canola oil, and sesame oil in another small bowl. Cut 4 (1/2-inch thick) slices from center of onion; (reserve remaining onion for another use.)

4. Place onion slices and mushrooms, rounded side down, on grill rack. Brush with half of the soy sauce mixture; grill 6 minutes. Turn mushrooms and onion slices; brush with remaining soy sauce mixture and grill until tender, 6-7 minutes longer.

5. Place mushrooms, rounded side down, on 4 serving plates. Top each mushroom with tomato slice and onion slice; top evenly with mayonnaise mixture. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 2 tablespoons mint.

Served with orzo (sprinkled with Parmesan) and steamed broccoli.

Results: This is probably the most perfect meal I have had in a long time. It was so delicious, and I would not change a single thing about it. Amazing!

Spiced Pork Chops with Scallion Couscous

Serves 4
Prep time: 2 minutes, Cooking time: 13 minutes

1 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup couscous
2 scallions, thinly sliced
4 lime wedges

1. Spray large skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with coriander, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Place in skillet and cook until done, 3-4 minutes on each side.

2. Meanwhile, bring broth to boil in medium saucepan. Add couscous, cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Add scallions and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; fluff with fork. Serve pork chops with couscous and lime wedges.

Served with sauteed spinach.

Results: Super easy to make, and actually pretty good! Sometimes you need these simple meals for dinner. I've come to realize that I am the only person in our house who actually likes couscous, which is a shame, because this was a simple way to make it tastier.

Pork Pitas with Chutney Sauce

Serves 4
Prep Time: 4 minutes, Cooking Time: 15 minutes

1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, split in half lengthwise, almost all the way through
1 teaspoon smoked hot paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons fruit chutney (I used Mango)
4 whole wheat pita breads, warmed
2 cups baby arugula

1. Spray grill with nonstick spray. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with paprika and salt. Place in grill pan and cook until done, about 7 minutes on each side.

2. Meanwhile, to make sauce, stir together yogurt and chutney in a small bowl; set aside.

3. Halve pita breads; fill each half evenly with pork and arugula. Drizzle with sauce and serve at once.

Results: Hmmmmm...I'm not sure how I feel about this recipe. By itself, the chutney sauce was good. The pork was good. But together, this recipe just seemed weird to me. Maybe it was the texture of the whole wheat pitas. I'm not sure, but I just wasn't a fan of this. The boys HATED this. Chris, on the other hand, thought this was delicious.

Marbled Chocolate Mousse

Serves 8 (about 1/2 cup each)
Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cooking Time: 2 minutes, Chilling Time: at least 5 minutes, I let mine set for a few hours

1 (14-ounce) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk*
1 cup cold milk
1 (3.9-ounce) package chocolate instant pudding mix
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
2 cups frozen, fat-free whipped topping, thawed

*the original recipe called for full-fat condensed milk. I used fat-free, and didn't notice any problems with consistency. Save the fat!

1. Place milk and 1 cup cold water in a bowl; beat with a mixer at medium-low speed until blended. Add pudding mix; beat until smooth. Stir in melted chocolate. Cover and chill 5 minutes. (Again, I made mine earlier in the day and let it sit until dessert time.)

2. Gently fold in whipped topping, leaving large chocolate streaks. Spoon into serving dishes.

Results: Don't get me wrong, this was really tasty, and really easy to make, but it did taste a little like "instant pudding" to me. That doesn't mean I didn't eat it, mind you. The kids and the husband loved it. I thought it was good. Just good. I'll put it this way, you won't be wowing any quests with your dessert making skills with this one. We had the leftovers the next day and they were really good. I don't know how this would turn out, but I was thinking you could freeze these in little muffin tins and keep them in the freezer and just pop one in your mouth whenever you needed a chocolate fix. I may have to try that, because this is one easy dessert.

Crumb-Crusted Scallops with Parmesan Tomatoes

Serves 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes, Cooking Time: 15 minutes

2 large tomatoes, each cut into 4 (1/2-inch-thick) slices
2 1/2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons olive oil
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 1/4 pounds sea scallops (about 16)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. Spray casserole dish or baking sheet with nonstick spray. Preheat oven to 450*.

2. Place tomato slices on baking sheet; top each with 1 teaspoon Parmesan. Bake until tomatoes are tender and cheese is bubbly, 2-3 minutes. Transfer tomatoes to plate and keep warm.

3. Meanwhile, combine bread crumbs, parsley, oil and lemon zest in a large bowl. Add scallops; toss to coat. Place scallops on baking sheet; lightly spray with nonstick spray. Bake until lightly browned and oqaque in center, 10-12 minutes (do not turn.)

Served with parmesan tomatoes and hash browns.

Results: Very light, lemony and delicious! I thought this was a perfect portion, but Chris said he could have eaten about a pound more. Very easy to make too. My only complaint was that the lemon & parsley didn't stick to the scallops, so I had to sort of pile that on top of each scallop before cooking. Not a big deal though. A definite keeper!!

Tilapia with Prosciutto and Artichokes

Serves 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes (this would have been much shorter but I was utterly confused by the instructions), Cooking Time: 11 minutes

4 (5-oz) tilapia fillets
4 thin slices prosciutto
8 fresh sage leaves
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 (14-oz) cans quartered artichokes, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1. Cut each tilapia fillet lengthwise in half to make 8 pieces total. Cut each prosciutto slice lengthwise in half. Wrap prosciutto slice crosswise around each piece of fish. Tuck 2 sage leaves underneath each prosciutto slice. Sprinkle fillets with salt and pepper.

2. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fillets and cook, in batches, if neccessary, turning once, until prosciutto is browned and fish is just opaque, 2-3 miutes on each side. Transfer to platter and keep warm.

3. Whisk together broth and cornstarch in small bowl until blended. Add broth mixture and artichokes to skillet; bring to boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture simmers and thickens, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and parsley. Spoon artichoke mixture over fish.

Served with couscous.

Results: OK, the picture isn't that great, because this dish was seriously lacking in some color! Something green (salad, green beans?) really would have improved the presentation. The fish was really tasty, but this was artichoke OVERLOAD! I used less than the recipe called for and this was just too many artichokes. I would put the artichokes and sauce on the plate, then add the fish on top, so that the sauce isn't in every single bite. Otherwise, this was a good way to serve fish, that I'll probably repeat without the artichoke sauce.

Also, the day after I made this, I saw Rachel Ray (what can I say? I like to watch cooking shows while running on the treadmill.) make a similar dish wrapping sage and prosciutto around jumbo shrimp instead of tilapia. That sounds pretty good too.

Garlic-Rosemary Flank Steak

Serves 4
Prep time: 5 minutes, Cooking time: 10 minutes (but longer if serving with mashed potatoes)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary*
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 lb flank steak, trimmed
cooking spray

*Note: the original recipe was for Garlic-Thyme Flank Steak, but I didn't have fresh thyme. I substituted fresh rosemary, and it was delicious!

1. Spray grill rack with cooking spray. Preheat grill.

2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl.

3. Score both sides of steak diagonally in diamond-shaped patterns. Rub herb mixture evenly over both sides of steak.

4. Place steak on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from grill, and let stand 5 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices.

Served with salad and mashed potatoes (with blue cheese crumbles.)

Results: Fantastic! We are seriously on a roll with good recipes lately, I think we are due for a tumble. Chris wanted me to make this again the next night. My only complaint was that much of the herb mixture came off on the grill, so when you score the beef, be sure to push the herbs into those cuts. Also, the leftover steak was delicious on a salad for lunch the next day.

Southwestern Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Serves 4
Prep Time: 3 minutes, Cooking Time: 25 minutes, Marinating time: at least 1 hour

1 Tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp ground cumin Seed
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/4 pound(s) lean pork tenderloin, trimmed
1 tsp canola oil

1. To make the rub, combine all the ingredients except the pork and oil in a small bowl. Place the pork in a zip-close plastic bag and add the rub. Seal the bag; turn to coat the meat. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

2. Meanwhile, spray the grill rack with nonstick spray; preheat the grill to high. Place the pork on the grill rack. Grill, turning once, 18 to 22 minutes. Transfer the pork to a platter and cover loosely with foil; let stand about 10 minutes. Cut into 12 slices.

Served with couscous and salad

Results: A super easy rub to make and it was very tasty. Henry said is was good, but too spicy (yet he ate all of it) and even Chris thought it was too spicy. I thought it was perfect, but next time, I'll cut the spices down by half to keep the tender men in my life happy.

Fresh Mozzarella & Tomato Paninis

Serves 2
Prep Time: 18 minutes, Cook Time: 6 minutes

1 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
4 oz Italian bread, cut into four slices
2 oz whole milk mozzarella cheese, fresh, thinly sliced
1 cup basil leaves
1 medium plum tomatoes, cut into eight thin slices
olive oil cooking spray
1 clove garlic, peeled and cut in half

1. Preheat grill.

2. In a small bowl, stir together vinegar, oil, oregano, salt and pepper until blended. Brush mixture onto 1 side of each slice of bread. To make each sandwich, layer 1/2 of cheese over brushed side of bread and then top with 4 tomato slices and 1/2 cup of basil. Top with another slice of bread, brushed side down and then coat sandwich with cooking spray. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

3. Grill, lightly pressing with a spatula from time to time, until bread is toasted
and cheese melts, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. (I found it easier to flip the sandwiches off the grill.) Rub grilled bread with garlic clove.

Served with Chive Parmesan Chips

Results: Mmmmmmmm...these are so wonderful. I love Caprese salad, so this is a fantastic sandwich. I've made these before, and I'll make them again. One of my favorites!