Roasted Butternut Squash with Pancetta Parmesan Topping
This simple side dish is perfect with roasted meats or a holiday meal. You can’t go wrong with crispy, salty pancetta, nutty parmesan cheese and sweet roasted squash. Its packed with big earthy flavors and got amazing crunchy texture. Its got that salty/slightly sweet thing going on from the butternut squash-pancetta-parmesan combination. Hope you give it a try:) Continue reading
I remember my father used to spend hours to digging out dandelions by the root and I always thought of them as one of the most ‘annoying’ weeds that find a way to spread in your yard. Then I came across them in the grocery story and decided it was time to experiment with different ways to prepare and use them. Dandelion greens are the most nutritious leafy vegetable that you can buy, slightly bitter and earthy. Cultivated dandelion greens from the store are less bitter than the wild ones, but in both cases taste great when properly prepared. Blanching them first for few minutes will help to get rid of some of the bitterness. Pairing them with salty Parmesan cheese, nuts and red wine vinegar will compliment the taste. Divide any pesto leftovers into portions and keep in on hand in the freezer. I served these chicken skewers with wild rice and a side of garden salad. This pesto is also great with pasta, scramble eggs or flat bread.
Similar recipe: Pasta with Spinach Pesto and Bacon Bites Continue reading
Who doesn’t love lasagna? Who doesn’t love Mac-n-Cheese? Put the two together….can you say Heaven? I made this specially for my husband last weekend. He just came back from China and I thought that some good american comfort food was the way to go. I found bunch of recipes for both and used them as an inspiration to create this one. I used no-boil lasagna noodles, which was super easy and no pre-boiling required. I added apple smoked bacon, sun-dried tomatoes, peas and 3 different cheeses. So many layers of flavor… it was delicious! My taste buds are getting excited just writing about it! This is a dish that you can easily adjust to your taste. For a healthier version, you can go with turkey bacon instead of the regular kind ( but I would tell you that the apple smoke bacon really makes a difference!), low-fat cheese and olive oil instead of butter, its up to you. I hope you enjoy this recipe from my kitchen to yours! Continue reading
Ocean View Kitchen 