Orange Ricotta Crab Linguine

I'm a Florida native, born and bred, so I grew up eating the best of the best oranges. The ones used in this recipe actually came from a friend's backyard, so they're probably some sort of hybrid. When you're shopping, make sure you get an orange with a nice looking rind and since you'll be using it in the recipe, make sure to wash it before you grate it. Navels would be lovely here. Really any citrus would work in this recipe (personally, I'm a big fan of grapefruit and crab) just make sure to take it easy on the amount of rind you use if the citrus is on the tart or bitter end.

This pasta is actually really easy- it's made even easier if you use store bought ricotta. My chef husband made ours from scratch which I can show you to do at a later date, if you're feeling really ambitious. Either way, this would totally be a great date night meal since it's fairly impressive and makes the perfect amount for two people.

Orange Ricotta Crab Linguine

Ingredients: (These are all approximate, so feel free to adjust based on your own taste.)

• two slices of thick cut bacon
• approximately two-three small or one very large orange
• tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
• teaspoon of olive oil (I used lemon flavored because it's extra delicious)
• two handfuls of mixed greens (I used baby spinach and arugula)
• 8 oz. of lump jumbo blue crab meat (you can get this in the seafood section of most grocery stores)
• one package of linguine or other pasta of choice
• 8 oz. of ricotta cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cut bacon into smallish (1/4 inch long) slices.
2. Place bacon in a large, COLD skillet over medium heat.
3. Place pot of water on stove over high. (DUH. This is the water you're boiling the pasta in.)
4. Wash your oranges. Then, grate the peel until you have about 1/4 cup of grated orange rind. Set aside.
5. Juice your oranges and remove the seeds. 
6. While your bacon is rendering (i.e. cooking until sizzling), mix the juice from the orange with the vinegar and olive oil. Whisk, whisk, whisk. Set aside.
7. When crispy, remove bacon from pan and place on a paper towel lined plate. Leave the bacon grease in the pan.
8. When your water is boiling, add the pasta, and set a timer for it.
9. Place greens in the pan and stir until they begin to wilt. Add the crab meat, bacon, and orange juice/olive oil mix and reduce heat to the lowest setting.
10. In a large bowl, mix the ricotta with the orange rind until it's thoroughly incorporated.
11. Drain the pasta and add it to the ricotta bowl, stir, then add the greens/crab mixture.
12. Salt and pepper to taste. White wine would be nice.

Apple and Peanut Butter Muffins

As soon as I found out that apples would be our first ingredient, I knew that I wanted to do something with peanut butter. Apples and peanut butter have been a favorite snack of mine for years. I remember the first time I had it was sitting in a friend's dorm room her freshman year of college. I wanted a snack, typical, and it was all she had available. There's something about the combination of apples and peanut butter that feels both decadent and wholesome. It's sweet and salty, crisp and creamy, and fairly guiltless...

I wanted a way to transfer those qualities into something breakfast related and portable (i.e. I can eat it in the car on the way to work without worrying about smearing peanut butter all over the steering wheel). A muffin seemed like a good bet. I used this recipe from the Pajama Chef as the starting off point- I really liked her use of the peanut butter chips instead of actual peanut butter- but I made a few tweaks based on what I did and didn't have on hand.

Apple and Peanut Butter Chip Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour (feel free to sub out a cup for whole wheat flour, if that's your thing)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 cups diced apples (I used a mix of Fuji and Granny Smith apples, I also left the peel on because I'm lazy and who has time to peel apples?)
• 3/4 cup unsweetened apple juice (shhh... I used unsweetened apple sauce and watered it down)
• 1/3 cup coconut oil (you can use canola, instead)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup peanut butter chips (approximately)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin tin with paper liners or spray with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients: flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder and cinnamon.
3. Remove about 1/4 cup of the dry mix and toss with diced apples. 
4. Whisk together apple juice, coconut oil and egg. Pour into dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. (The more you stir, the heavier your muffins will be. You don't want this.)
5. Fold in apples, then peanut butter chips. I liked a lot of chips in mine, adjust according to your own taste.
6. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on a rack before storing.

These made 12 normal sized muffins for me. Obviously, they were best warm and straight from the oven, but they also held up well the next day. My co-workers gobbled them up. They get really moist on day two due to all the apple, so I don't think they'd be very good if you held on to them longer than that.

They're not too sweet and the apple flavor is definitely the dominant one here, but the peanut butter chips add a nice richness and slightly salty kick every other bite. I would totally make these again.

All About Sara!

Hi, I'm Sara! I'm the orange half of the Oranges to Apples duo. Some fun facts about me?

Current Location: Orlando, FL.

What You Should Know About Me: My husband is a professional chef. He's both my biggest fan and my biggest (constructive) critic. I grew up eating southern/Italian food and the hubs grew up eating Cuban/Brazilian. The result is that I am a pretty adventurous eater who genuinely loves food and cooking, but doesn't have a ton of time for it. I believe in investing in quality ingredients and that no one will ever make better fried chicken than my Mom. Also, in real life, I'm a librarian.

Favorite Foods: Oh god, everything. From raw oysters, medium rare steak, and sweetbreads to super fresh raspberries, dark chocolate almond milk, and spicy hummus.

Least Favorite Foods: Pretty much the only two things I really loathe are salmon and Gorgonzola cheese. Even then, the only thing I would ever flat out refuse to try again is Gorgonzola. I've tried salmon numerous times and it's just not my thing, but if someone made me dinner and that was it, I could eat it with a smile on my face. Gorgonzola on the other hand... let's just say that if you served it to me, you are no friend of mine.

I'm Allergic/Sensitive To: soy, eggplant, corn and possibly wheat. Luckily, I'm not deathly allergic to any of it, but I still avoid it as much as I can, with the exception of wheat. I think I may have been misdiagnosed with a wheat allergy as a child, since that's really common. I still try to limit how much of it I eat though.

Favorite Food to Make: My favorite food that I make myself is angel hair pasta with a tablespoon of butter, a ton of pepper, grated parmesan cheese(the real stuff, not the kind that comes pre-grated) and juice from half a lemon. Ridiculously simple, but so damn good.

Least Favorite Food to Make: Anything that involves having to temper eggs because I suck at it. Also, fish is troublesome for me. I can never tell when it's done and always end up overcooking it to be on the safe side.

Biggest Mess in the Kitchen: I have thrice attempted to make the Banana Bread from 'Wichcraft and thrice it has exploded in my oven.

Biggest Success in the Kitchen: Jaque Pepin's Crusty Chicken Thighs. Mostly because I didn't really believe that I could do it. Cold non-stick pan and all. It inspired me to try other things that I didn't think I could do, too. (Like making my own caramel for these Salted Caramel Brownies.)

Favorite Food/Recipe Blog(s)/Site(s): Smitten Kitchen, Crepes of Wrath, Inside the Kaganoff Kitchen, Ezra Pound Cake. (Clearly, I'm a sucker for a literary reference.)

Favorite Health Blog(s)/Site(s): Peanut Butter Fingers, The Chalkboard, Meals and Miles.

Favorite Meal: Red wine and charcuterie. My husband and I do this at least one Sunday a month and I love how adaptable and portable it is. Some sort of bread, really good cheese, olives, and cured meats. You can make it as simple or as fancy as you want and it doesn't leave much clean up.

Favorite Workout: The Bar Method. It's consistently engaging and challenging, it will totally change your body, and I love that I leave class feeling energized.

Why I'm So Excited to Read Teddi's Adventures: Because she says things like, "A life without cheese is no life at all". In all seriousness, Teddi is one of my favorite people to dine with because she appreciates good food just as much as I do. She also consistently inspires and encourages me to try new things and I know her recipes will help me look at ingredients in a new way.

What I'm Most Looking Forward to In This Little Journey: Accountability. It's much too easy to come home after a challenging day and have a bowl of cereal for dinner. But, if Teddi (and you, dear reader) are counting on me for a new post, that's at least one day that I'll make the extra effort. I'm sure that will motivate me to try a little bit harder on my days "off" too.
 

I'm looking forward to sharing our kitchen adventures with you!