Tag: recipes

Vegetarian Black Bean Soup

Vegetarian Black Bean Soup

Lola Rugula vegetarian black bean soup recipe

Oven Roasted Garlic and Lemon Artichokes

Oven Roasted Garlic and Lemon Artichokes

I love a good artichoke recipe, don’t you? And if you’ve been following me here on my journey, then you might remember how excited I was to finally learn how to grow them myself here in zone 5. I’ve also shared with you some basic 

Hash Brown and Veggie Skillet Recipe

Hash Brown and Veggie Skillet Recipe

I threw this together today and it was so good, I had to share it with you. I had some Yukon gold potatoes and a crisper full of veggies that I really wanted to use up, so this is what became of them. This would be easy to customize to use the veggies of your choice and though I decided to toss in some ham at the last minute, it can easily be vegetarian without it. Also, if you have some leftover baked potatoes, this is a fantastic way to use them up.

hash brown and veggie skillet recipe

Cheesy Hash Brown and Veggie Skillet Recipe

  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 5 medium Yukon gold potatoes, cooked and grated
  • 3 small sweet peppers, thinly sliced
  • 1 small jalapeno, thinly sliced (optional)
  • 2 cups small cut broccoli florets and peeled stem
  • 6 asparagus spears, sliced into 1 1/2 inch pieces
  • 4 scallions, sliced + 2 additional sliced for serving (optional)
  • 2 roma tomatoes, seeds removed, diced
  • 1 cup diced ham (optional)
  • 2 cups shredded cheese of your choice (I used a mix of Italian blend and triple cheddar blend)
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons butter

Directions

  • In a large bowl, whisk eggs until well beaten
  • Add the Dijon, ricotta, salt and pepper and whisk until no large chunks of ricotta remain
  • Add the remaining ingredients EXCEPT for the butter and use a large spatula or spoon to fold everything together
  • Refrigerate for 1 hour

Preheat oven to 400°

Place oven rack in the center of the oven

  • In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter until it begins to foam, then swirl it around in the pan to evenly coat the bottom and sides
  • Use a large spoon to add the potato mixture and then press it down evenly to fill the pan
  • Place in preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes
  • If the top needs a bit of browning, turn on broiler and broil for 4-5 minutes
  • Remove from heat, sprinkle with reserved scallions, and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving
lola rugula hash brown and veggie skillet recipe

I’m sure you can see how easy this is to change up; you can change up the veggies, change up the cheese, you can even change up the ham and use bacon, shredded chicken or pork instead….there are a plethora of options with this.

Also, if you don’t have ricotta, consider using sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.

I’ve never used frozen hash browns but I imagine you can use them here.

A dish like this isn’t limited to breakfast or brunch; it would make a nice dinner served with a salad of mixed greens, also.

As I mentioned in my last post, I’m already in garden mode getting my yearly head start on some of my veggie plants so this was an easy throw-together dish on a Sunday afternoon that didn’t take a lot of effort to make. Also, the results were delicious. 🙂

Enjoy!

Easy Sauteed Chicken Livers and Garlic Recipe

Easy Sauteed Chicken Livers and Garlic Recipe

Lola Rugula easy sauteed chicken livers recipe with garlic

Pan Seared and Oven Roasted Filet Mignon

Pan Seared and Oven Roasted Filet Mignon

If you ever wanted to know how to cook filet mignon without a grill, I’m about to show you a perfect way to do it. I’d love to tell you that I’m a die-hard grilling machine who pulls out the grill in the dead of 

Crispy Panko Crusted Pork Chops

Crispy Panko Crusted Pork Chops

This panko-crusted pork cutlet recipe one of those recipes that’s so easy and delicious that I can’t help but share it. It’s certainly not an overly unique recipe but sometimes the classics are the best way to go, no?

I prefer to add the seasonings directly to the pork chops and not mix them in with the flour, eggs, or breadcrumbs so that I know the chops are seasoned evenly. The panko breadcrumbs offer a much crispier crust than regular breadcrumbs and I prefer to use whole wheat panko on these over white.

Whatever you do, don’t skip the refrigeration step after breading the chops because this not only helps the seasonings work a bit of flavor magic but refrigerating them also helps the breading adhere better when cooking them.

Some people prefer to oven bake their breaded pork chops and though I’ve done them this way, I still prefer the old-fashioned way of pan frying them. If you have the oil properly heated and are sure to blot them on paper towels after frying them, there’s very little additional oil involved.

Easy and delicious whole wheat panko crusted pork loin chops recipe

Easy Panko Crusted Pork Loin Chops Recipe

  • 4 boneless pork loin chops, excess fat removed
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 2 large eggs, beaten in a wide shallow dish
  • 1 cup whole wheat (or white if you prefer) panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 cup canola or vegetable oil

Directions

  • Blot chops dry with paper towels
  • Use a meat tenderizer to pound the chops on each side to about 1/2 inch thick
  • Season on each side with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder
  • Spread the flour and breadcrumbs out on separate plates
  • Dredge one chop through the flour on each side until it’s well-coated and shake off any excess
  • Dredge the floured chop through the beaten eggs until it’s coated and let any excess drain off
  • Place the chop on the breadcrumbs, gently pressing it in, coating it on both sides until well coated and shake off any excess.
  • Place the finished chop on a plate and repeat with the remaining chops
  • Refrigerate the coated pork chops for one hour
Easy and delicious whole wheat panko crusted pork loin chops recipe
  • In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. I don’t bother with a thermometer, I just heat it for a few minutes, pull off a small piece of the breading and when it sizzles and jumps to the top, you’re ready to roll
  • Place 2 chops in the pan and fry for about 4 minutes per side, rotating the chops in the pan halfway through on each side so that they brown evenly
  • Remove with tongs and place on paper towels to blot/drain
  • Repeat with 2 remaining pork chops – always watch the second batch a little more closely as they will often cook faster than the first batch.
Easy and delicious whole wheat panko crusted pork loin chops recipe

That’s it! These chops stay very moist and tender while the crust is super crunchy.

And yes, you can also make panko-crusted chicken cutlets this way – works like a charm. Now, if you want to really ramp up the flavor, you can customize this a number of ways. Here are a few ideas:

  • Add a little hot sauce to the beaten eggs
  • Add a little spicy brown or Dijon mustard to the beaten eggs
  • Try a little smoked paprika or ground cumin with the rest of your seasonings
  • Add some dried herbs such as oregano and/or thyme to your breadcrumbs

The possibilities are practically endless. Have a little fun with these and use what you really love.

Enjoy!

Easy Pasta with Fresh Vegetables

Easy Pasta with Fresh Vegetables

This is a quick and easy pasta and veggie recipe that I just have to share with you. Eating healthy doesn’t have to be hard; it’s as easy as grabbing some fresh veggies and sauteeing them up with some olive oil and a few other