Recipe Review from 5/13/2013

I had a busy week that had me teaching 7 yoga classes - my usual four plus three more. It was supposed to be eight, but only one person showed up for a sub class and they were willing to join the class across the hall.

Then both the Husband and I took Friday off to go see Star Trek!  Had a lovely date-lunch then movie and still got home with some nice evening time to relax.  Saturday was a whirlwind of activity: The Husband and Dad had their yearly charter fishing trip, I had yoga class.  The boat caught four fish and a good dose of sea-sickness.  Sunday the Husband and Dad went and did campsite maintenance on their "Adopt a Campsite" on the Superior Hiking Trail while I stayed with Mom, who is one week into recovering from knee surgery and has limited mobility.

So it is, only two recipes to review from last week: 

Open-Faced Chicken Sandwiches with Artichoke Pesto (Ckng Lght, May 2013)
I'm usually not a fan of the whole "open-face" sandwich.  I find them messy and awkward to eat - you can't really pick them up like a true sandwich, and why even add the bread if you have to cut them up?  But!  I love artichokes and this looked pretty simple and I needed simple this past week.

photo from CookingLight.com

• 3 (8-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• Cooking spray 
• 6 ounces drained canned artichoke hearts
• 2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved and divided (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 2 tablespoons canola mayonnaise 
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves
• 6 (1-ounce) slices multigrain bread 
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Preheat broiler to high.
2. Cut each chicken breast half in half lengthwise to form 2 cutlets. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until done.
3. Combine artichokes, 3 tablespoons cheese, nuts, mayonnaise, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and garlic in a mini food processor; pulse until coarsely ground.
4. Place bread slices on a baking sheet; broil 1 minute on each side. Spread 2 1/2 tablespoons pesto on each slice. Slice chicken; place 3 ounces on each bread slice. Top evenly with remaining 5 tablespoons cheese and parsley.

Shrimp Fr Diavolo (Advertisement in Ckng Lght, May 2013)
I had the spaghetti.  I had the shrimp.  Just needed a jar of marinara sauce and I was good to go.  And it is that quick.  It was one of those recipes where I thought, Why didn't I think of something like this?  My only suggestion would be to use more shrimp.  Half a pound just wasn't enough.

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (or more to taste)
6 oz whole-grain spaghetti
4 cups (24oz jar) of marinara sauce
1/2 fresh or frozen (thawed) large, raw, shelled shrimp
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

1.  Cook spaghetti according to directions on package.  Add shrimp to pasta during last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain and return to pot.  Keep warm.
2.  Heat a 12" skillet on medium until hot.  Add sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and crushed red pepper and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add marinara sauce.
3.  Combine sauce and pasta, tossing well to coat.  Serve.