One Pot Lemon Garlic Shrimp Orzo

August 6, 2015 by Christine Skari

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I really like food.

Give me all cuisines, all flavors (except spicy because apparently I can’t handle the heat but I will NOT get out of the kitchen #heckno), and all cooking methods. One of the biggest downsides to being a big foodie, though, is the mess that comes with it. I swear, it kinda just sneaks up on you and one minute you’re doing you’re minding your own business, doing your cooking’ thing and then BOOM. You turn around and it looks like your kitchen exploded on you. A mountain of dishes overflowing everywhere. Half-chopped onions are on the floor and it’s making you emotional (onions=the original tear gas). And I’m not even sure why the entire counter is so sticky.

WHAT IS HAPPENING. Kitchen warfare.

One Pot Lemon Garlic Shrimp Orzo

That’s why this recipe has my heart. One pot. ONE.

The orzo cooks right along with the veggies, soaks up all the liquid, and you’re good to go! I’m used to having at least several pots and pans going at the same time, but with this recipe, it’s one and done. I am in love.

Orzo will always be one of my favorite pasta shapes. It must have something to do with it’s similarity to rice, which my half-Japanese heart beats for (<3), but I also think it’s because it’s just a nice change up from your run-of-the-mill average spaghetti. Pasta can get a bit redundant for me, so I love making little changes to make one of Kyle’s favorite foods more fun!

One Pot Lemon Garlic Shrimp Orzo

This recipe is a spin off of a dish that Kyle used to make every Sunday when we were in Santa Barbara for the school year. We called it Farmer’s Market Pasta because we would spend the morning strolling up and down the isles of fresh produce and pick out the veggies and herbs that we wanted to include that week. We even were able to score some freshly made pasta (!) from a bread stand as well as some herbed garlic focaccia to really make things taste completely homemade. We’d come back to my house, make a mess in the kitchen, then settle down with heaping bowls of steaming noodles and watch the latest episode of Game of Thrones. HEAVEN!

I’ve adapted this version to be a one pot, easy clean-up recipe because no one wants to spend time cleaning dirty dishes when you could be stuffing your face with even more food. It’s chock full of vibrant flavors and the combination of the lemon and garlic is officially my new best friend. It’s also on the healthier side because it’s made with a tomato base (rather than cream) and includes tons of vegetables to add fiber, nutrients, and bulk to each serving. And ya’ll know I’m all about eating LOTS of good food, so anyone who is in the same boat as me will rejoice! Huzzah! Pasta miracle.

Healthy Weeknight Spaghetti Bolognese

January 22, 2015 by Christine Skari

Nothing screams comfort to me more than an enormous, steamy-hot bowl of pasta. There’s something about pasta noodles that make it the perfect flavor vessel and man, is it carrying the most perfect cargo in this recipe! I’m talkin’ a super rich (but actually lightened up!) tomato sauce that’s chock full of lean ground beef, onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms and all tied together with that perfect savory touch of garlic salt and a gorgeous sprinkling of parmesan.

Let’s have some #realtalk here: it would be blasphemy to leave out all that beautiful parm <3.

This is one of those meals that Kyle and I on a regular basis. We’re both pretty busy (he’s an engineering major), but his schedule is more intense this term than mine, so I do most of the cooking. It’s kinda funny, but when I’m not working on recipes for the blog, I tend to gravitate to time-tested and super easy meals that I can whip up quickly. This definitely fits that bill! I made this on Wednesday night and paired it with steamed veggies and some whole wheat baguette bread.

It was the definition of healthy comfort food and I only decided to photograph it at the last minute since I figured it would be a pretty good representation of the type of meals I eat. I like a balance of indulgent, yet healthy recipes that make me feel happy and content and have ingredients that do good things for my body. Huzzah!

So this. Done in 30 minutes and, if you’re like Kyle and I, it will serve you up at least 4-5 hefty portions. Kyle eats a lot and we still have a serving in the fridge! If you’re a lighter eater or serve this with veggies/a side, it will easily last you 6 meals and you are set for a few days. Perfect for people who don’t want to slave away in the kitchen all day and are big fans of yummy pasta-tomato-y-goodness.

*raises hand*

Happy eating!

Lightened-Up Cheesy Garlic Noodles

August 7, 2014 by Christine Skari

Guess who got an A+ in productivity today? THIS GIRL. I’ve been up and running and knocking things off my to-do list left and right. POW POW.

I got up and did a few bloggy things over a homemade latte, went on a gorgeous 3 mile run at the beach, picked up some props for my photos from Michael’s, went to the grocery store, started typing up the newest income report, unsuccessfully made homemade banana chips (womp womp womp), but countered that failure with a big success: Lightened-Up Cheesy Garlic Noodles.

I also ate a copious amount of homemade pie and turned my brain into boogers with all the Keeping Up with the Kardashians I’ve been watching. So there’s that as well 😯 .

So anyways, I’m eating these noodles in front of the tv and am getting a little too wrapped up in Khloe’s love life. In this episode, her sisters secretly set up a profile for her on an online dating site and are setting her up with some randoms. That’s the way to true love, my friends.

I think I’m developing a Netflix problem. Since I can get a ton of series instantly, I’ve been binge watching like no other. I’ve learned that if I want to get anything done at all, I need to completely shut off the tv. I try to convince myself that I will reply to emails and type up lab reports after juuust one more show, but Netflix automatically plays the next episode for you unless you click out after a few seconds. And once another episode starts, it’s like rude or something to turn it off. Right?

Mindless reality tv also lends itself to mindless eating and, looking down at the pot (who uses actual plates these days…pshh) I’m already halfway through the entire batch. WOOPS. But can you blame me?! Cheese yummyness. Garlic. GAH. It’s so simple and comes together in just 20 minutes, yet I could eat it all day err’day. I want to swim in a pool of cheesy garlic noodles.

And by swim I mean eat my way through it.

So here’s to a super easy, super speedy, super delicious dinner or lunch that just happens to be on the lighter side as well in terms of calories. WOO!

Baked Broccoli Chicken Alfredo

April 29, 2014 by Christine Skari

So imagine this. In my belleh. All over my clothes and hands. Creamy white cheese sauce dripping down my face and I look like a toddler trying to eat and missing my mouth but I just don’t care because it’s so damn delicious and I want to swim in it. The cheese, you guys!!

The other day I mentioned my excitement over having bought a new white baking dish. I didn’t mention that the #1 reason I’ve bought four new baking dishes in the last two weeks is so I can get the perfect baked pasta shot. Actually, I only ordered two initially but was smart enough to leave them at my parent’s house on accident during a weekend trip home. Going off me resembling a toddler, I also have zero patience and I just couldnotwait for them to come up to visit me in a week. How could I when supah cheesy baked pasta was calling my name?

Look at it. Just look at it. You have so much good stuff packed in one pan. So here we go, I’ll tell you guys the game plan. Everyone huddle up! So first, we’re going to take a pile of cheese and melt it till it’s all gooey-like in a ridiculously easy garlic-y homemade sauce. Then, we’re going to use that mouthwatering sauce to smother juicy chicken and vibrant broccoli. Pour it aaallll into that pretty new baking dish of ours and go crazy with fresh parmesan on top because really, why not. Now stick that beautiful mess into the oven and pace back and forth restlessly as everything melds gloriously together. Try your best not to let the delicious smells tempt you into reaching in and grabbing a piece to sample. You’ll burn yourself. Don’t ask me how I know this. When that timer goes off, have a quick dance party to celebrate and dish yourself up a big lo’ plate. Devour it. Then get seconds.

Ready? HIKE!

Roasted Garlic Asparagus Chicken Spaghetti

March 26, 2014 by Christine Skari

I would truly appreciate it if you could help keep Apple of My Eye running and share this recipe on Pinterest!Getting photos for this dish was a hassle. For some reason, the sun has been refusing to come out, which left me frustrated when it came to getting good quality lighting. I swear, the clouds were being purposefully spiteful to mock me. Rude.

When I first cooked this beauty up, I had to wait three whole hours to get a bit of sunshine to peak through my window. When I saw it, it was GO GO GO time. Cue the mission impossible theme song, because this girl was on a mission.

And you know what? It was worth it. I completely believe that you eat with your eyes first, and running a food blog sortakindamaybe requires that my photography be up to par. And look! Sparkly parmesan! Juicy chicken! Woohoo! I win!

The beauty of this recipe comes with its simplicity. You take a bunch of fresh and healthy ingredients, throw them together, and you’re bound to end up with something good! Adding a small but tastebud-worthy twist comes with roasting the asparagus with garlic beforehand, giving the dish an extra flavor boost.

And I mean, seriously, could healthy comfort food get any better? Cheesy goodness blended with savory chicken and an extra crunch of texture from the garlic-y asparagus.

So go ahead! Toss that gorgeous emerald asparagus with some chicken, extra garlic (can you tell I <3 it?), cherry tomatoes, onions, and parmesan cheese and you’re in for a healthy meal done in no time at all!

All in all, one big ol’ serving of steamy hot pasta has less that 500 calories and 37 grams of protein! Be kind to your body and satisfy your pasta cravings with this healthy substitute instead of reaching for a calorie and saturated fat-laden alfredo from your nearby pasta joint.

So what are you waiting for? Let’s get eatin’!