Lemony seafood pasta

Oh man. We made this for dinner tonight. Scott said automatically that it was one of the best things he's had in awhile. Feta cheese is definitely our kryptonite. I don't think there has been a single recipe with feta that we haven't loved.

One of the best things about this dish was the dressing. I got to use our new dressing shaker, which was a wedding gift. These things are awesome. It's much more fun gratifying to shake a bottle, than use a whisk. I just don't know that I've ever gotten the hang of whisks!

Overall, this pasta felt light, and having scallops and shrimp was a nice change from our normal chicken or beef routine. I think I would like the dish even with a different protein, or the dressing by itself!

Lemony seafood pasta-adapted from Perfect One-Dish Dinners by Pam Anderson
Total time: 25 minutes
Serves 8

• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 quarts water
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 8 ounce penne pasta (or pasta of your choice)
• 1 pound bay scallops
• 1 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup jarred roasted red pepper, diced
• 6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano

Place garlic, lemon juice, mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper and oil in a dressing shaker and shake well. If you do not have a shaker, whisk well and set aside.

Meanwhile, bring 2 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for about 10 minutes, just until tender. Add in the scallops and shrimp, and cook until the seafood is opaque, about 3 more minutes. Drain and pour into a serving bowl. Mix pasta, seafood, tomatoes, red peppers, feta cheese, oregano and prepared dressing. Toss to coat.

Salmon with Potatoes, Asparagus and Lemon-Dill-Caper Sauce

This recipe was really delicious and easy to put together an entire meal in one dish! Just give it about 30-45 minutes to cook thoroughly and you have dinner ready to go! Also, the trick is to put these items in a cold oven that you're preheating as you cook-it's meant to be that way :)

Salmon with Potatoes, Asparagus and Lemon-Dill Caper Sauce-adapted from Perfect One-Dish Dinners by Pam Anderson
Serves 6
Total Time 45 Minutes

• 2 1/2-3 pounds salmon filets
• 5 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 2 pounds baby red potatoes, quartered
• 2 bunches asparagus, trimmed
• 1/8 cup chopped parsley
• 1/8 cup dill weed
• 1/4 cup capers plus 2 teaspoons caper juice
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 6 tablespoons canola oil

Coat salmon filets with two tablespoons canola oil and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper, and place on a foil lined baking sheet. Toss potatoes with another tow tablespoons canola oil and sprinkling of salt and pepper and set on another baking sheet. Toss asparagus with remaining one tablespoon canola oil, salt and pepper and set aside.

Adjust oven racks to lowest and upper-middle positions. Place potatoes on bottom rack and salmon on top rack of a cold oven, then preheat to 400 degrees. Roast until salmon is opaque, about 25 minutes, and potatoes are golden brown, about 30 minutes. 

Transfer salmon to a plate, and add asparagus to the original salmon sheet and cook about 5 to 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix parsley, dill, capers, juice, green onion and remaining canola oil in a small bowl. Serve over salmon.

Baked Goat Cheese in Tomato-Olive Sauce with Toasted Baguette

Scott and I have recently found our new love of bruschetta. When I saw this recipe, I just knew I had to make it. Goat cheese is something I haven't had a whole lot of experience cooking with yet, but I know I love to eat it! The hardest part of this recipe was slicing the goat cheese as it's a rather soft cheese, however I didn't care. I just went with it!

The next time you have people over, make this as an appetizer. I promise, you and your guests won't be disappointed. Scott and I definitely at this (and only this) for dinner when I made it.

Baked Goat Cheese in Tomato-Olive Sauce with Toasted Baguette-adapted from Perfect One-Dish Dinners by Pam Anderson
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Serves 6

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 14.5 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup sliced kalamata olives
• 1 thin baguette, thinly sliced
• 2 small logs (3.5-4 ounces each) goat cheese, sliced into 3/4 inch disks

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place oil and garlic in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook until garlic starts to sizzle and turn golden. Add tomatoes and olives, bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low and continue to simmer about 10-12 minutes.

Adjust oven rack to center position and place baguette slices in single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Pour tomato sauce into small baking dish and top with goat cheese disks. Bake until bubbly, about 10 minutes. Turn on broiler and cook until goat cheese lightly browns, 1-2 minutes longer. Serve with a knife and spoon.

Tuna Salad with Sushi Flavors

Sushi is one of our all-time favorite things. It is just so refreshing and delicious! We haven't learned to make our own (I want to take a cooking class!), but we still will go out from time to time for it. This definitely isn't sushi, but it had some great sushi-ish flavors. It isn't something I would make again, because of the wasabi. I like a little bit, so I went a little light on it in the recipe, but it was still too much for me. But if you love wasabi definitely try this! It's so quick and easy to make!

Tuna Salad with Sushi Flavors

Tuna Salad with Sushi Flavors-adapted from Perfect One Dish Dinners  by Pam Anderson
Total Time: 5 Minutes
Serves 8+

• 2 cans (6 ounces each) tuna in water, drained and mashed to a paste
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 3 teaspoons wasabi paste
• Sesame rice crackers
• Pickled ginger, for garnish

Mix tuna, green onions, mayonnaise, and wasabi in a small bowl. Place a heaping teaspoonful on each cracker. Garnish with ginger.