Asparagus, Leek, & Mint Linguine

If you've been waiting for the first taste of spring, try this! Fresh and light - it will make the perfect meal to accompany the warming days.

Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
~12 oz. linguine (any pasta will do - we had a garlic and parsley linguine in the cupboard that I had been waiting to use the perfect recipe with)
~1 lb. asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
~4 tbs. olive oil
~2/3 cup thinly sliced leek, white and light green parts only
~3 garlic cloves, minced
~3 tbs dry white wine
~2 tbs chopped fresh mint
~salt & pepper
~1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1. Cook pasta according to directions. Drain.
2. Saute asparagus in 2 tbs oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or pot for 4 minutes (season asparagus with salt and pepper as soon as you add it to the pan). Remove from pan.
3. Add remaining 2 tbs oil and add leeks. Saute for 2 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 30 more seconds.
4. Add wine and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
5. Add pasta, asparagus, mint, and cheese.
6. Serve in bowls and top with additional grated cheese.

Shrimp Marinara Soup with Feta

This was INCREDIBLY easy as well as delicious. A lot of flavor for such a quick meal. I recommend adding some roasted tomatoes and/or kalamata olives to this for some extra oomph.

From Cooking Light, with additions

Ingredients:
~2 tsp olive oil
~1/2 tsp dried oregano
~3 large garlic cloves, minced
~1/4 cup dry white wine (my go-to cooking white is a pinot grigio)
~2 and 1/2 cups chicken stock
~1/2 cup uncooked orzo pasta
~2 cups marinara sauce (we used one with tomato and basil chunks)
~12 oz. large peeled shrimp, peeled and deveined (for an extra time-saver, use pre-cooked shrimp)
~2 tbs chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
~1 oz feta cheese, crumbled
~1 pint grape tomatoes (optional but recommended)
~1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved (optional but recommended)

1. If roasting tomatoes, preheat oven to 400. Toss tomatoes in salt, pepper, and olive oil and spread out on baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes or until tomatoes start to shrivel.
2. Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add oil and coat pan. Add oregano and garlic; saute 30 seconds. Add wine and cook 1 minute.
3. Add stock to pot and bring to a boil. Stir in orzo and cook for 6 minutes or until al dente.
4. Stir in marinara and shrimp, cook 4 minutes or until shrimp are pink.
5. Stir in tomatoes and olives.
6. Serve in bowls and top with parsley and feta.

Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Dates and Apples (with a side of crispy roasted fingerling potatoes)

The dates and apples caramelize to make this a very delicious chicken. Make sure to use fresh dates!

Created in our kitchen

Ingredients:
~3.5-4 lb fresh chicken
~1/4 lb fresh dates, pitted (To remove the pit, simply slice into the date with a paring knife. The pit resembles a small almond)
~1 apple, cored and cut into slices
~2 sprigs fresh rosemary (removed from stems and chopped) or 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
~4 tbs butter, softened
~1/2 tsp salt
~1/2 tsp pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425. Combine butter, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
2. Rinse chicken inside and out and pat dry. Place in dutch oven or roasting pan.
3. Using your fingers, rub 1/2 of butter mixture under the skin around breast and thighs. Rub the rest of the mixture on the outside of the chicken - this will give you that lovely brown skin!
4. Place a few dates and a few apple slices inside the cavity of the chicken. Put the rest around the outside of the chicken in the pan.
5. Roast chicken in oven for about an hour and a half uncovered, or until internal temperature reaches 160.

To make potatoes, you will need two pounds of fingerling potatoes. Slice into rounds and put in a bowl with 2-3 tbs. olive oil (we used a garlic olive oil and it was delicious!) Toss potatoes to coat and arrange on baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast with the chicken for 35-40 minutes.

Orange-Mustard Glazed Pork Chops

I often think pork chops are hard to cook - a lot of times they end up dry and tasteless. This is a recipe that redeemed them for me - and it's easy and looks beautiful!

From Cooking Light

Ingredients:
~1/2 cup fresh orange juice
~2 tbs orange marmalade (we used a blood orange marmalade - yum!!)
~1 tbs whole grain mustard
~4 bone-in pork loin chops (about 1 inch thick)
~1 tbs canola oil
~1/4 tsp salt
~1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
~2 rosemary sprigs
~1 medium red onion, cut into 1/2 inch wedges
~2 tbs fresh lime juice

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Combine juice, mustard, and marmalade in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes or until syrupy.
3. Heat a large oven-proof skillet (I used my cast-iron dutch oven) over medium-high heat and add oil. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper and add to pan. Cook for about 5 minutes or until browned.
4. Turn chops over and add rosemary and onion to pan. Pour juice mixture over chops and bake for 10 minutes.
5. Remove onion and rosemary and add lime juice. Return to medium-high heat on cooktop and cook for 4 minutes or until liquid is syrupy.
6. Plate chops and drizzle with sauce.

Lamb Burgers with Goat Cheese and Avocado

These are scrumptious! Try them out for a different take on a burger. The goat cheese and avocado make a creamy and tangy topping.

From Fork Knife and Swoon

Ingredients:
~1 lb ground lamb
~4 brioche or fancy buns
~4 tbs goat cheese
~1 tsp curry powder
~1 tsp smoked paprika
~1 tsp salt
~1/tsp freshly ground black pepper

1. In a large bowl, mix together lamb and spices. Form into patties about 3/4 inch thick. Cook over medium high heat on a grill pan until cooked through - about 4 minutes per side. Remove and let rest for a few minutes.
2. Toast buns (I toasted ours on the grill pan after I removed the burgers and let the bread
soak up the juices in the pan). Top burgers with goat cheese while they rest and you toast buns.
3. Mash avocado and spread on bottom bun. Top with goat cheese burger and bun top.
4. You could add any additional toppings you want, but we at them as-is and thought they were delicious.

Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Roasted Grapes and Roasted Rainbow Carrots

A hearty, delicious winter dinner. It's so easy to roast your own chicken if you've never done it before - give it a try! I know roasted grapes may sound a little weird, but I promise they're delicious. We found rainbow carrots in the produce section at Meijer.

Chicken recipe from In Sock Monkey Slippers.

Ingredients:
~3.5-4 lb. fresh chicken
~2 tbs unsalted butter, softened
~2 tbs chopped fresh rosemary
~1 clove garlic, minced
~1/2 tsp salt
~1/2 tsp pepper
~2 lbs red seedless grapes
~1/2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
~2 to 3 fresh rosemary sprigs
~2 bunches rainbow (or orange) carrots

1. Preheat oven to 425. In a bowl, combine butter, rosemary, minced garlic, salt, and pepper.
2. Rinse chicken and remove bag of extras. Pat dry.
3. Using your fingers, rub half of the butter mixture in between meat and skin around the breasts and thighs. Rub the remaining butter over the outside of the entire chicken. Place rosemary springs and a handful of grapes inside the cavity. Tie the legs together with cooking twine. (If you don't have twine, it's fine. The chicken will still cook and be delicious if you don't tie the legs.)
4. Place the chicken in the middle of a roasting pan, dutch oven, or cast iron skillet.
5. In a bowl, combine grapes, olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. You can leave the grapes on the stem if you wish.
6. Place grapes around chicken. Roast in oven for 1 and a half hours and chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165.
7. While chicken is roasting, prepare carrots. Remove tops from carrots and peel. Cut into sticks and toss with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Arrange on baking sheet and put in oven when chicken has half an hour left. Chicken and carrots will be ready at the same time.

Honey Chipotle Chicken Bowls with Lime Quinoa

The chicken itself is delicious and the coconut oil in the quinoa makes it really rich and yummy. Definitely give this one a try! Makes 2 large (dinner-sized) bowls.

From How Sweet It Is

Ingredients:
Honey Chipotle Chicken
~1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (we used thighs and I recommend it!)
~1/4 tsp. salt
~1/4 tsp. pepper
~1/4 cup olive oil
~3 tbs adobo sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo
~2 tbs. honey
~1 tbs. dijon mustard
~1 tbs. honey mustard
~4 garlic cloves, minced

Salad
~6 cups lettuce greens
~1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
~1/4 cup torn fresh cilantro
~4 green onions, sliced
~1 avocado, sliced (ours were small so we used 2)
~1 lime, juiced
~1 tbs olive oil
~1/2 tbs honey

Lime Quinoa
~1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
~1 cup chicken stock
~1 tbs coconut oil (you could substitute butter, but I recommend the coconut oil!)
~1 lime, juiced and zested
~1/4 tsp salt
~1/4 tsp pepper

The night before:
Add chicken to a ziplock bag and season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, adobo, honey, mustards, cilantro, and garlic. Pour marinade over chicken and cover evenly. Marinate in fridge for at least 2 hours, but overnight is recommended.

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Heat a bit of olive oil and then add chicken. cover and cook until chicken is deeply browned on both sides and cooked through - about 6 minutes per side.
2. Add quinoa and stock to a saucepan over high heat and bring to boil. Reduce to low and cover. Cook for 15 minutes, or until stock is absorbed. Stir in coconut oil, lime juice, zest, salt, and pepper.
3. Add greens to bowls. Top with chicken, quinoa, tomatoes, cilantro, greens, onions, and avocado. Whisk together lime, olive oil, and honey and drizzle over the top of bowls.