Pesto Bucatini with Buttered Breadcrumbs

Bae Rating: 3/5. It's not particularly fancy, but it plates beautifully and everyone loves homemade pesto. 

Vibes: You have 15 minutes to make dinner before TGIT, but you still want to do a lil' something. 

Ingredients

• Bucatini, cooked al dente 
• 2 cups of basil, stems removed
• 2 TBSP of pine nuts 
• 1/2 a cup of parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic 
• 2 TBSP of salted butter
• 3/4 cup of breadcrumbs 
• kosher salt to taste

 For the Pesto: 

1. Add pine nuts and garlic to a food processor and pulse for about 30 seconds until they're a crumbly paste. 
2. Add the basil leaves, a heavy pinch of kosher salt and pulse for another 30 seconds. 
3. While the processor is still running, drizzle in the olive oil and blend until the pesto is combined. 
4. Lastly, add the parmesan cheese and pulse for another 30 seconds. 

For the Breadcrumbs: 

1. In a nonstick skillet, melt salted butter on medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the breadcrumbs. 
2. Cook the breadcrumbs for about 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly until they're a deep golden brown. 

This is the color you're looking for!

To Serve:

1. While the pasta is still hot, toss with your desired amount of pesto. Top with the warmed breadcrumbs and serve hot!

Notes:

• We use our pesto for everything from pasta, to chicken and fish, to vegetable dishes! Try tossing some roasted veggies in pesto as a quick side, or whisk it into some balsamic vinegar and olive oil for a quick salad dressing!
• If you have any leftover, you can store it in an airtight container with a thin layer of olive oil on top.

Smoked Paprika Chicken Thighs with Tomato Caper Rice

Bae Rating: 2.5. Simply because this dish is literally chicken and rice. This is an "I had a long day at work so I need to cook for my husband of 25 years and our 5 kids" kind of dish. Still bomb though :). 

Ingredients 

1 1/2 LB Chicken Thighs (about 4)

1 1/2 tbs of smoked paprika

1 tbs of garlic powder

1 tbs of onion powder

1/2 tbs of dried oregano

Sea salt and black pepper (to taste)

1 cup of Tomato-Caper sauce

2 cups of chicken stock (plus extra)

1 cup of white rice (we used Uncle Ben’s)

2 tbs of vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Pat dry your chicken thighs, and trim any extra fat. Season them liberally on both sides with the spice mixture, and set aside
2. In a medium oven-safe skillet, heat the vegetable oil on medium-high, then add the chicken thighs skin-side down
3. Sear the chicken thighs until they are crisp and have a beautiful deep brown color, roughly 1-2 minutes depending on how hot your stovetop gets. Don’t worry about cooking them through, they’ll finish in the oven!
4. Remove the chicken thighs, and add the white rice. Coat the rice in all the chickeny, crusty goodness, and stir for about a minute
5. Add the chicken stock and tomato caper sauce and stir.
6. Place the chicken thighs on top, and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. Check the chicken at about 20 minutes, they should be done. If so, remove them, stir the rice, and let it continue to cook. If it looks a little dry, add a little more chicken stock, stir, and continue to bake it for another 5 minutes.
7. Serve the chicken and rice hot!

#15MinuteMeals - Soy and Ginger Salmon

Ingredients

2 tbs of soy sauce (or tamari)
-1/2 tbs of of ginger paste
-1 tsp of honey
-1 tsp of sesame oil
-Pinch of sea salt
-Pinch of black pepper
-sesame seeds (garnish)
-1 6 oz salmon filet
-1 TBS of Canola oil

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, mix the wet ingredients together and set aside
2. Pat the salmon as dry as possible, and season lightly with salt and pepper.
3. Heat 1 TBS of oil in an oven-safe skillet on medium-high heat
4. Cook the salmon skin side down for about 2-3 minutes, or until it’s crispy and the salmon has started to cook about halfway up the filet
5. Flip the salmon over and get the fleshy side nice and crispy and golden brown (about 2-3 minutes).
6. Brush the fleshy side of the fish with the soy-ginger sauce, and finish under a broiler.

We served ours with spinach wilted in a little sesame oil!