Seafood Frenzy Friday (Week 45)

Well, another week has come to an end. I hope you liked this weeks' recipe selections including Low Fat Black Bean and Sun Dried Tomato Lasagna, Italian Beef Stew, Whole Grain Spaghetti with Sauteed Chickpeas and Spinach (Copycat) and yesterday's Pork Chili. Feel free to comment below or let me know if there was a recent recipe you tried at home. I'd love to hear how your family enjoyed it! 

There have been quite a few newcomers to CEK over the last several weeks so I thought I'd explain the premise of my Seafood Frenzy Fridays. It started off as a way for me to share seafood recipes with you, since I don't eat seafood and rarely cook it myself. My kids love it and my husband only eats it occasionally so they just order it when we go out to eat. 

It also allows me to showcase food from other blogs. Some new, some more established, but all talented just the same. It's my way to pay it forward so to speak as so many others did for me when I first started blogging. In  these posts, I share the name of the blog, an image of their recipe and a link to the author's original post. I also write a comment on each person's blog with a link back to this post letting them know that I shared their recipe, as that is also the right thing to do. Plus, it's just nice to hear when someone appreciates your work and is willing to share it with others. 

So welcome to Week 45 of Seafood Frenzy Friday!  Click on the name of the recipe below the image to be taken to the author's original post. 

Just One Cookbook

Easy Tuna Bowl

Zestuous

New England Clam Sandwich

Mom, What's For Dinner?

Mojito Shrimp Bites

The Kitchen Life of a Navy Wife

Warm Crab Dip

Snixy Kitchen

Lime Ginger Albacore

Sumptuous Spoonfuls

Fish Shrimp and Corn Chowder with Bacon

Cupcakeluv

Puff Pastry Salmon

TasteFood

Shrimp Puttanesca

Avocado Pesto

Crab Rangoon

A Cup of Sugar...A Pinch of Salt

New England Seafood Chowder

I hope you enjoyed the selections this week, and THANK YOU to this weeks' bloggers 

for allowing me to share their creations. Have a wonderful weekend! 

Pork Chili (Slow Cooker)

I had made a pork loin roast over the holidays and we had quite a bit of meat leftover.  I wrapped it tight and put it in the freezer in hopes of making something with it when I had a little more time. I decided to pull it out last week, since the craziness of sports practices was in full swing and experimented with a chili. I figured it would make a quick weeknight meal and it certainly was. Since the meat was already cooked, I used the slow cooker for this one so it had time to sit and absorb all of the flavors. I've never made a chili using meat other than ground before and it was really very good, almost more like a stew. The family loved it, which is always a good thing. You can serve this on it's own or pour over rice or egg noodles. 

Pork Chili (Slow Cooker)
4 c. Center Cut Pork Loin, cooked and chopped
3 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1 Onion, chopped
2 Scallions, chopped
1/2 c. Scotch Whiskey
2 1/2 c. Tomato Puree (I used Hunts)
1/4 c. Water
2-15oz. Cans Red Kidney Beans, rinsed
2 tbsp. Chili Powder

Directions:
1. Add all of the ingredients to your slow cooker; mix well. 
2. Cook on high 2-3 hours; low 4-6 hours or warm 6-8 hours. 
Serves 8. 

*Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories 274, Carbs 27g, Fat 5.5g, Protein 20.4g, Fiber 10g

*Calculations based on ingredients entered into CalorieCount and may not be 100% accurate. 

*If you aren't using leftover meat, cut the pork into 1" cubes and lightly brown on all sides in a saute pan with a little oil before adding it to your slow cooker. 



Enjoy! 

Whole Grain Spaghetti with Sauteed Chick Peas and Spinach (Copycat)

Last March, over 40 bloggers got together and created a wonderful cookbook, Blogging for Fishes, to help raise money for two girls, Natalie and Alice Fish, who were diagnosed with Leaky SCID (Severe Combined Immune Deficiency). There are so many fantastic recipes in this book and as I was thumbing through it last week looking for something quick and easy to make for dinner one night, I came across this recipe from Aggie's Kitchen called Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Sauteed Chick Peas and Spinach. PERFECT! I happened to have everything in the house, but opted to use the Barilla Plus Whole Grain pasta instead (I have the "I don't eat brown pasta" thing going on at my house so I try to make it a little healthier any way I can) and used some Asiago cheese instead of the Parmesan. 

Not only did this meal come together in about 20 minutes, it was FANTASTIC! Thanks for a great recipe Aggie and if you haven't heard of this cookbook, click on the link above. You can get your own copy for $14.99 or eBook for $5.99. 

Whole Grain Spaghetti with Sauteed Chick Peas and Spinach (Copycat)
Adapted from Aggie's Kitchen
1 lb. Whole Grain Spaghetti (I used Barilla Plus)
2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Cloves Garlic, chopped
1/2 Red Onion, chopped
1-15oz. Can Garbanzo Beans (chick peas), rinsed
10oz. Fresh Spinach
1 tsp. Fresh Ground Red Pepper
Asiago Cheese, shredded
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package instructions and drain; reserving 2 cups of the pasta water. 
2. Heat oil in a large saute pan and add the garlic and onions. Cook over medium heat until they start to soften; then add in the chick peas and spinach. 
3. Allow the leaves to wilt, then turn off the heat and add in the pasta. 
4. Gradually add in some of the pasta water (depends on how moist you like it) and toss together. Season with salt and pepper; then place in a serving dish and sprinkle some of the Asiago cheese on top. 

*Nutritional Information per Serving (with 1/4 cup cheese): Calories 373, Carbs 57.2g, Fat 9g, Protein 16.7g, Fiber 8.2g

*Nutritional Information per Serving (without cheese): Calories 359, Carbs 57g, Fat 8g, Protein 16g, Fiber 8.2g

*Calculations based on ingredients entered into CalorieCount and may not be 100% accurate.

Enjoy!