Recently I made a couple recipes that I featured in previous blogs.  I happen to LOVE lemon – I like it in desserts, and I like in savory dishes.  Theres just something about the crisp tartness that goes well with so many different foods.  Both recipes are healthy, low fat, gluten-free, and dairy-free (as long as you skip the Parm and Feta cheeses).  They are both light and refreshing with the citrusy flavors, as well as hearty and satisfying.  It’s always fun revisiting recipes – sometimes I make them as originally written, and sometimes I make modifications to improve them.

Lemon Risotto with Shrimp and Spring Veggies

In my post Risotto It’s Not As Difficult As You Think I shared a basic risotto recipe with variations using various broths, vegetables, and proteins.  Most recently I made this Lemon Risotto with spinach, basil, English peas, and shrimp.  Simply follow my recipe for Basic Risotto using the instructions for the Lemon-Parm and Shrimp variations.  I didn’t change anything up with this one – I’ve made risotto so many times, and I always stick to the basic core recipe, using the variations I mentioned above.

One Pot Greek Lemon Chicken

This one-pot meal is a family favorite and the leftovers taste just as good heated p the next day.  I used my original recipe as posted in One Pot Greek Lemon Chicken & Rice, with one minor tweak:  After the onion has cooked, but before adding the garlic, oregano, and rice, I deglazed the pot with a splash of white wine.  This brought up the brown bits from cooking the chicken and onion, and allowed for some extra flavor to incorporate into the rice.

I also served it with sautéed zucchini, but instead of the usual slices, I diced the zucchini into small pieces.  It cooked up evenly and didn’t get soggy like the slices sometimes do in the middle.

Sometimes I’m so focused on creating new, that I forget about going back to the recipes I’ve already written.  This was a good reminder to not forget the basics!