The BEST side for chicken/fish/whatever

I have decided to revamp my long forsaken blog! Over the past year and a half a lot has changed.. For one, I've gone from the ripe age of 22, to the old, cat lady age of 24 (I kid!) and I've started back at the REAL USC (insert inappropriate Cock joke) as a Journalism major. More importantly I've had a chance to hone my writing skills, and eat a ton of great food. I'm still playing novice chef in the kitchen and plan on posting plenty of reviews along with my favorite recipes.

This first post back is dedicated to the side dish. If you're like me (& I know you are) you probably find yourself mulling around the kitchen or grocery store trying to figure out what will go along with your favorite protein. Sometimes deciding on a side is the hardest part, and I tend to make a lot of pasta or stir fry dishes in an effort to avoid such a dilemma. The recipe I am presenting you with today goes great with fish & chicken (& probably tofu- but I would not know as I am a pretty hardcore carnivore). I really enjoy this one because it's super easy, inexpensive and unique (plus it's tasty, duh). I found it in a great cookbook (pictured above) from one of my best friends (shout out to Laura), and it's become a staple in my recipe collection!

Without further ado I give you: Israeli Coucous with Zucchini, Red Bell Pepper & Parsley (pictured left w/grilled chicken)

What you shall need:

*2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (please don't substitute extra slutty olive oil)

*1 small/med yellow onion, diced

*2 cloves of garlic minced (or if you're lazy like me you can use your garlic press)

*1.25 cups israeli couscous

*2 cups chicken stock (I like to use beef stock in place of chicken sometimes too)

*Fresh ground pepper

*1-2 zucchini (depending on size & preference), ends trimmed, cut into 1/4" dice

*1 small/med red bell pepper, seeded, deribbed & cut into 1/4" dice

*2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Your directions:

*Alright, grab a saute pan with a tight-fitting lid and heat the olive-oil over medium heat (make sure the pan is coated). Add the onion and garlic and saute, stirring constantly until just beginning to soften (about 2 minutes).

*Add the couscous and stir constantly until lightly browned (2-3 minutes).

*Add the stock along with some fresh pepper and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low, cover, and simmer until almost all of the liquid is absorbed (about 8 minutes)

*Stir in zucchini and bell pepper, cover and cook until the zucchini is bright green and tender (3-4 minutes)

*Stir in parsley and serve immediately!

******You can always add different or more veggies if you prefer!******

Impress yourself & your friends with this SUPER EASY side (you can thank me later), and make sure to check back for more updates and reviews in 2012!

XOXO,

@BLONDEBITES

SHRIMP SCAMPI RECIPE

Last Wednesday I promised to cook my boyfriend dinner, despite getting out from hosting trivia at 10:30. I bought some shrimp from the Farmer's Market on King's st. hoping to find a quick and easy recipe. Lucky for me I found a shrimp scampi recipe on epicurious.com that was fast and incredibly tasty with a light, yet rich flavor.

What you'll need:

- 1/4 cup olive oil

- 1lb peeled and deveined large shrimp (raw)

- 4 large garlic cloves

- 1 teaspoon dried hot pepper flakes

- 1/2 cup dry white wine

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 1 teaspoon black pepper

- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter

- capellini pasta

- 1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

What I added:

2 more cloves of garlic (because I love garlic)

2 large tomatoes chopped

I also tossed the shrimp with some extra hot pepper flakes before cooking them

a little lemon juice at the end

How to Make:

boil 6-8 quarts of water with a pinch of salt (or olive oil)

While the water is boiling, heat the olive oil in a large heavy skillet over moderately high heat until it's hot, but not smoking. Saute the shrimp, turning over once until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer shrimp to a bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add garlic to remaining oil with pepper flakes (you can adjust the amount to make it spicier or less spicy), wine, salt, and black pepper (I also added my chopped tomatoes here). Cook over med/high heat for 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Add butter, stirring until melted, and stir the shrimp back in. You can remove from heat if your shrimp are cooked through, I let mine simmer for a minute or two first.

Cook pasta until tender, reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water before draining. Toss pasta with shrimp mixture and parsley in a large bowl, adding reserved cooking water if necessary to keep moist.

I chose not to toss the pasta, but made it a "serve yourself" kind of thing with grated parmesan, parsley and lemon juice. It took about 30 minutes (after the shrimp were peeled and deveined), and was so good that my boyfriend and I ate everything! My only regret was not having a baguette or bread of some sort to dip in the awesome sauce that was left over in the skillet.. I can't wait to make this again!

Original recipe can be found here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Shrimp-Scampi-Pasta-234258

Salsa Recipe

I always make this salsa when I make fish tacos. It goes with them perfectly and it's so easy to make!

6-7 vine ripe tomatoes chopped

1/2 medium red onion chopped

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 jalapeno (seeded) and diced

2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro

1 tablespoons of chopped parsley

1 1/4 teaspoon of cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup of frozen corn cooked and chilled

1/2 of a lime juiced

Mix everything and enjoy! It has a medium heat, but you can make it a little hotter if you add a few of the jalapeno seeds.

Tilapia Mediterranean style

Just finished eating dinner and it was f***ing great with out too much work!! The dish is a mediterranean style tilapia with spinach in a light, spicy, tomato garlic sauce.. over pasta of course! It took about 30 minutes and was hit with the bf too! (original recipe can be found on prevention.com)

What you'll need: (dinner for 2)

2 boneless skinless tilapia filets

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves of garlic (minced)

1 14oz. can of diced tomatoes with juice

3-4 basil leaves (minced)

1 tablespoon oregano (minced)

1 cup of chicken stock

1 teaspoon of red-paper flakes (this is a pretty mild to medium heat.. to make spicier add more)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

8 oz of baby spinach

parmesan to grate (optional)

pasta (your choice but I used capellini)

Heat olive oil and minced garlic over medium heat for 3 minutes in a medium to large skillet with sides. Add tomatoes with juice, basil, oregano, chicken stock, red pepper, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a medium simmer and cook for about 8-10 minutes to thicken. Add the tilapia and submerge in sauce. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes (flipping the tilapia over halfway through and covering again). Once the tilapia is fully cooked (it will get flaky), remove and set aside. Add the spinach and turn the heat up high, cooking and stirring for two minutes. Put the tilapia over pasta, add the sauce, and enjoy!! (parmesan can be grated on top).

The pasta I used only took two minutes to cook, so I put a big pot on to boil as a started cooking, and the pasta was done 5 minutes before the dish was ready... Also, I put in about 2 tablespoons of red pepper flakes and it was still a medium spice... My bf didn't care for parmesan (as he's not a big cheese fan to begin with) but I loved it!