Pescados: Smack Your Grandma

I've got three words for Pescados China Street: "Smack Your Grandma" (Google it.) and as any good southerner knows - that's a mighty high compliment.

At various food blogger functions I often hear lamentations about the lack of truly innovative restaurants in Richmond - ones that do something different from the pack. Pescados is the answer to those lamentations. The focus is on seafood (think Turks and Caicos Conch Fritters) but they also offer vegetarian dishes and meats like lamb shank depending on the night.

If I had to compare it to anything in Richmond, it's be a funky version of Coast, if Coast were to take a long Caribbean vacation.

This place is so good that I took the Wife there for lunch today and am taking clients and legislators there this evening. Twice in one day and I'd do lunch there tomorrow too.

Chicken & Sausage Stew with Greens & White Beans

The Husband pulled this recipe out of Men's Health quite awhile ago and asked me to make it for dinner one night.  Well, as mentioned before, prior to this week, I haven't been cooking.  I figured as I'm wading back into the cooking waters, I would give this recipe a try.  It worked out especially well, that it was cold and snowy - perfect weather for a stew!

Butternut Squash Soup

Freezing doesn't even begin to cover how cold it has been around here the past few days! And what's better in cold weather than soup? Not much!

This is another delicious (and healthy!) recipe from the Cook This, Not That book. This recipe is the book's alternative to Panera's Creamy Tomato Soup, which has 370 calories and 23 grams of fat per serving.  This butternut squash soup on the other hand, has only 150 calories and 3.5 grams of fat - which is especially amazing considering there are bacon crumbles on this soup!

Sriracha Marinara & Meatballs

Warning: If you don't like spicy, I'll just go ahead and save you the time and let you know that you won't like this dish.  Of course, I mean that in the nicest of ways.  If you do like heat, then this recipe is probably right up your alley! 

This Everyday Food recipe isn't by any means your typical spaghetti and meatballs.  It's a majorly kicked up and surprising version of the Italian go-to dish. This sauce is spicy and the meatballs are packed with delicious, good for you, spinach.

Another French Bread Recipe

The Wife wanted something vegetarian for dinner tonight, so soup seemed like the natural go to, especially with the rain. I decided on a cream of mushroom soup (I've been craving that ever since I had it at Aziza's and they haven't had it back on the menu).

Changes In One Couple's Kitchen

First of all - We apologize for the light/lack of posting over the past couple of months, but changes have been afoot in One Couple's Kitchen.

We're expanding - and you might notice a slight change in the kind of recipes that we are posting. No more recipes containing Brie or goat cheese (or any kind of unpasteurized cheeses), no recipes containing deli meats, or runny eggs - no mercury laden fish.

I'm also going to have to change the way I cook for The Wife over the coming months - no more rare steaks, or raw/seared tuna. And those are just the doctor's requirements - not to mention The Wife's taste buds that are changing. That currently includes an aversion to pasta and eggs of any kind and I'm sure this will be ever changing.

You've probably figured it out by now, we're growing to a family's kitchen from just a couple's kitchen. The Wife and I are expecting our first child in July of this year.

This is an exciting time for us, and a good reason to step up the healthy cooking - so look for lots of super foods recipes and ones that are mom-to-be friendly, and please share any that you have.

Thanks for stopping by, reading and commenting. Cheers to a great 2011!

Roasted Mushroom Soup

I have been craving mushroom soup ever since I had it at Aziza's nearly a year ago. They've never had it again when I've been in, so tonight I attempted my hand at it. I searched the internet and came across this recipe at Closet Cooking and this recipe at Kalyn's Kitchen and used them as my inspiration.

"Cook This, Not That" Artichoke Dip

This recipe comes from the Cook This, Not That: Kitchen Survival Guide (the David Zinczenko & Matt Goulding book that gives recipe alternatives to high-fat, calorie laden restaurant dishes).  Their recipe for Artichoke Dip is the substitute for Chili's Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip with Chips, which contains 1,040 calories and 85 grams of fat PER SERVING!

This recipe is 270 calories and 10 grams of fat per serving - and the serving size is ridiculously huge.  This dip supposedly feeds 4, and there were 4 of us who ate tons, and there was still leftover dip.

But, the question always with these recipes, is how does this "healthier" alternative stack up in the taste department.