Pasta Primavera

Yes, yes, I do realize that we are in the middle of winter but I really needed a dish to make it feel like spring...it's cold here in New England! So I threw a bunch of summer veggies in my cart and set out to recreate a killer pasta primavera my office ordered for our holiday lunch back in December.

The result of this recreation was delicious - there wasn't nearly as much creamy sauce as the original dish but that was part of my intention - food at my house will be damn good but not necessarily as heavy and fat-laden as that which can be found in restaurants.

Pasta Primavera
source: Smells Like Home

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small to medium zucchini, cubed in 1/2" pieces
• 1 medium or 2 small yellow squash, cubed in 1/2" pieces
• 1 red pepper, diced in 1/2" pieces
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes, drained, patted dry and sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 lb uncooked spaghetti

1. In a large stockpot, cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, squash, red peppers, salt and pepper and cook for 7-10 minutes or until veggies being to soften. Add sundried tomatoes and garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Reduce heat to medium.
3. Stir in tomato paste until vegetables are coated with the paste and cook for another minute or so. Stir in cream and allow mixture to come to a simmer. If sauce is too thick, add some pasta water. If sauce is too thin, add some additional tomato paste and allow sauce to return to a simmer. If there isn't enough sauce, add some additional cream, half-n-half or skim milk if you're watching calories.
4. After pasta is cooked and drained, add it to the veggie mixture and stir to combine veggies with pasta.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10-12 minutes

Serves: 3

Herb-Crusted Salmon

Kyle and I hit up Whole Foods Market for the first time last weekend as we transition our diet into eating solely organic foods and attempting to eat more locally grown foods. I must admit that he had a terrible time pulling me away from the butcher, the cheese monger, and the seafood monger and I'd estimate that nearly half of what we spent that day was divided between these three areas - and I'm not at all ashamed to admit it. I mean, Whole Foods is a 40 minute drive for us and I really didn't know the next time we'd be back (although little did I know then that we're going back tonight) so I loaded up the cart with great meats and cheeses that freeze well and was like a kid in a candy store at the seafood monger as I picked out wild shrimp and wild salmon - two things that we cannot find at the seafood counter in our local supermarket but that I feel are totally worth the extra money (although not that much extra because the wild jumbo shrimp were on sale for $10.99/lb - a bargain in my eyes!).

So back to the salmon. We don't eat a lot of fish. And while I have been fully aware of the health benefits fish provides, it's never been a big part of our diet because of two reasons: 1.) Kyle claims that he's never been a big fan, and 2.) I've been afraid to cook it for fear of it being horrible. I've recently decided that I've had enough of these two excuses and so fish will now be a more regular part of our weekly menus...starting with this salmon we picked up last weekend. I had no idea how to prepare it but bought it anyway, figuring that I can find a recipe when I got home. Well...uhh...I never really found an actual recipe that I wanted to follow but was inspired by Katie's herb-crusted salmon and decided to make a few changes. The salmon was paired with some herb-roasted potatoes (quartered small white potatoes, mixed with garlic powder, thyme, rosemary, Kosher salt, black pepper, and drizzled with olive oil then baked for 35-40 minutes at 400 degrees F) I got 2 big thumbs up from Kyle on this one, a real treat for me to see, and so as my fish confidence rises, you'll be seeing more and more fish dishes here. Enjoy!

Herb-Crusted Salmon

• 2 6oz salmon filets (about 1 1/2" thick)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup garlic and herb breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp fresh thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• couple sprinkles of garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp milk

1. In a medium oven-safe saute pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Pre-heat broiler in oven and move rack to middle of oven.
2. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, adding the milk last and adding enough so that the mixture just starts to stick together when pressed.
3. Cover flesh side of each salmon piece with breadcrumb mixture and carefully place salmon skin-side down in the pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
4. Transfer saute pan to oven and continue to cook fish under the broiler for an additional 3-4 minutes or until fish is firm and begins to flake. Be sure that the breading does not burn under the broiler. Using an oven mitt or pot holder, remove the pan from the oven and serve fish. Provided the fish is thoroughly cooked, it will come right off the skin as you eat it.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Serves: 2

Sausage and Peppers

I have been made blatently aware that Kyle's favorite carnivorous choice is pork in [almost] any form: Italian sausage, breakfast sausage, ground pork, bacon, pork chops, roast pork, pork tenderloin. The only form of pork that he shys away from is ham (thankfully because I'm not a fan either). He recently confessed that if he was ever stranded on a deserted island and he could only choose one food to eat for the rest of his life, it would be pork. Such a man! I suppose this is the reason why I have so many pork posts in this blog and the reason why I have come to love chicken sausage as it's a great and less-fattening alternative to pork sausage.

So Kyle has been in a cooking mood recently. Last week it was the broccoli aioli, on Sunday he made a big pot of sauce, and on Monday night, he thawed the frozen hot Italian sausages from our favorite Italian deli on Long Island that he's been dying to have. He reserved these sausages strictly for sausage and peppers, a dish that he is totally in love with and only on a rare occasion will he let me make because of how much he enjoys making it. Sometimes I wonder if he loves sausage and peppers more than he loves me! (kidding)

Anyway, enough chatter about a dish I didn't even eat. Yes, that's right: he made sausage and peppers for what was supposed to be 3 lunches this week and only turned into 1 lunch because he couldn't restrain himself from eating the rest when he got home from work on Monday. For shame!

Kyle's Sausage and Peppers

• 4 hot Italian pork sausages
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 tbsp plus 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
• 2 green peppers, seeded and sliced
• 2 medium onions, sliced in half-moons
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• grated Parmesan cheese

1. In a deep heavy-bottom pot or dutch oven over medium heat, heat 2 tbsp olive oil. Add sausages and cook, turning occasionally, until fully cooked, about 10-15 minutes. Turn the heat to low or medium-low if the sausages are browning to quickly.
2. Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat remaining oil over medium-high heat; add peppers and cook for 5 minutes then add onions, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes or until peppers and onions begin to soften. Reduce heat to medium. Add in garlic and cook for 2 minutes. If mixture becomes too dry, add some additional oil.
3. Add wine to the pot containing the sausages and deglaze the bottom of the pot. Be sure to scrape the bits of sausages from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. When peppers and onions have softened, add to pot and turn heat to low. Stir to combine and cook for an additional 5-8 minutes, taking care to not let the garlic burn. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese before serving.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 15-20 minutes

Serves: 2-4

Broccoli Aioli

One of my favorite meals that my parents make is aioli and when I lived at home, it was always a treat when that was on the menu because it's God-awfully fattening...butter, olive oil, spaghetti, Parmesan cheese, a ton of salt, and it was usually served with either pork chops or sausages...delish but completely artery-clogging at the same time. Unfortunately, it isn't one of the dishes that I've been able to perfect since trying my own hand at it. My mom keeps telling me that it needs to be heavily salted but some part of me is truly frightened to heavily salt anything for fear of cankles (fat ankles that look like an extension of the calf) and sausage fingers the next morning. So I've never made it since I've been with Kyle, although he has made it on a couple of occasions. It's one of those meals where you have all of the ingredients in the house already and it has come in very handy on the nights where we've stared at each with blank faces, shrugging our shoulders figuring out what to make for dinner because nothing sounds "good."

This exact situation happened last week, during my 'I don't feel like cooking because I'm still worn out from cooking Thanksgiving last week' week. So Kyle opened up the fridge, pulled a few things out and whipped up a great meal. What can I say? I have a husband who loves food and enjoys cooking! I guess it helps that he worked in an Italian restaurant/pizza shop for a few years 'way back when.'

Anyway, this aioli turned out great, and again, it needed salt. The broccoli was a really nice addition and didn't make it feel as fattening as it actually is...and I suppose the whole wheat spaghetti we used helped with that feeling too. It's a quick and simple meal and you really won't be let down - give it a try!!


Broccoli Aioli

• 8 oz whole wheat spaghetti
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• lots of salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. During the last 3-4 minutes of cooking, toss in broccoli and cook until pasta is finished. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat oil and butter over medium heat. Add salt, pepper, and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes and then turn heat to low to keep warm while broccoli and spaghetti finish cooking.
3. After spaghetti and broccoli are well-drained, add to frying pan and toss to coat. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Top with grated Parmesan cheese and serve with crusty bread.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Serves: 2

Chicken Quesedillas

A while back I found pre-cooked southwestern seasoned grilled chicken strips (by Perdue) in the grocery store and had the wonderful idea of making quesedillas with them. That was a couple of years ago and I guess the popularity of the southwestern variety has faded because it has become increasingly difficult to find them in the grocery store when I need them. In essence, I gave up on finding them and decided that I could make this chicken for my quesedillas just as good at home - and without any of the artifical additives I suppose were in the pre-packaged stuff.

These quesedillas are always a nice treat and are especially easy and inexpensive if you've got what you need in the house already. I always tend to have leftover flour tortillas from other meals I've made with them and they end up sitting the fridge for a couple of weeks before I realize that I have to use them before they go bad. Use whatever cheese you have in your cheese drawer - cheddar, Monterey jack, gouda, fontina, a shredded taco or mexican mix, mozzarella, American...it doesn't matter - they'll all work perfectly. And for the chicken, if you want to buy the pre-package stuff, go for it, but making it at home is just as easy and quite cheaper. Marinate in the suggested ingredients below or just sprinkle some of your favorite seasonings on the raw chicken and grill until fully cooked. Add a few veggies if you'd like - sauteed peppers and onions would work great but I only had onions in the house the night I made them so that's what I used. Serve them alongside some rice and beans or on their own - with sour cream of course for dipping. :) Good stuff here....

Chicken Quesedillas

source: Smells Like Home

• 4 (10") flour tortillas
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (pounded to 1/2" thick) or tenderloins
• 1 cup shredded cheese (I used a mexican mix)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 large onion, sliced
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, ground coriander, salt and pepper, all to taste (or use whatever you like/have on hand)

1. In a Ziploc bag, add lime juice, honey, olive oil, and dry spices; blend well. Add chicken and allow to marinate for 10-15 minutes.
2. While chicken is marinating, in a medium-sized frying pan, heat oil and butter over medium heat and add onions. Cook until very soft, about 10-15 minutes.
3. Grill until fully cooked. Slice chicken into 1/2" by 3" (approximately) strips. When chicken is almost finished cooking, heat a griddle or large non-stick frying pan to medium-high heat. When griddle is hot and chicken is finished cooking and is sliced, place tortilla on the griddle. Add cheese, onions, and chicken to one half of tortilla half. Carefully fold over empty half to sandwich the filling between the two halves of the tortilla. When the bottom half is browned and cheese is starting to melt, carefully turn over to brown the uncooked half. When cheese is melted and quesedilla is browned, remove from griddle. Repeat with all tortillas.
4. Serve with mexican rice, beans, and sour cream.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Serves: 2-4

Fabulous Frittata

When life gets hectic, the last thing I want to do is be a slave to the kitchen trying to cook dinner. I had a feeling yesterday would be one of those days and I'm so glad I planned early to make frittata for dinner, because it really was one of those days.

I had a 5pm dentist appt after work to have what I thought was a small filling put in as a preventative measure, which didn't have me worried at all because I don't need any novacaine for these types of things. In fact, the last time I had novacaine was over 20 years ago. Well.....this procedure proved to be different. The dentist numbed me gum as soon as I got in the chair then came at me with the novacaine needle - ummm....what??? I thought this was a small procedure!! As it turns out, the "spot" they originally saw two months ago progressed to a full-blown cavity IN BETWEEN my teeth and the dentist ended up having to drill down damn close to the nerve ending. OK, so I felt nothing whatsoever during the procedure but the novacaine left me feeling weird and slightly disoriented. To make matters worse, when I got back in the car, I realized that I had broken my glasses when I made the tranisition from glasses to sunglasses earlier in the afternoon. GREAT. Alright, not so much of a big deal because I'm not totally blind without my glasses and it was still semi-light out so I could handle it.

On the drive home, I decided to stop at Barnes & Noble to pick up my next book club book. I parked and got out of my car to put my jacket on and when I leaned back in the car to get my purse, I hit my head so hard on the top of the door jam that I literally saw stars. Woah!! Seriously, could the chain of events get any worse?? Thankfully it didn't and I was so happy to come home and only have to make frittata for dinner because if I had planned anything else, it would have been take-out for sure.

If you're still reading, this, I commend you...and if you're wondering, yes, I do still have an egg on the top of my head. But I digress...the frittata was fabulous!! I used up some thawed out frozen spinach, chopped red peppers, sliced roasted garlic chicken sausage and fontina cheese (my favorite!) and I couldn't be more pleased with how this turned out. Seriously, if you have trouble getting your kids to eat their veggies, put them (the veggies, not your kids) in a frittata! All of the flavors came together beautifully and not a single veggie screams out "I'M A VEGETABLE!!" I told Kyle that I was considering making this frittata again for dinner tonight! :)

Fabulous Frittata

source: Smells Like Home

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 6 eggs
• 2 tbsp heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black
• 2 chicken sausages, sliced
• 1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed, and drained
• 3/4 cup red pepper, diced small
• 3 oz fontina cubed small

1. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, cream, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
2. Turn oven on to broil. In a 9 or 10 inch non-stick, oven-safe skillet, heat oil and butter over medium-high heat. Coat the sides of the pan with butter and oil mixture. Add spinach, peppers, and chicken sausage and cook for 3-4 minutes until tender crisp and heated through. Reduce heat to medium-low and add egg mixture then cheese. Cover and cook for 2 minutes until eggs have set but the top is still runny.
3. Carefully move pan from stovetop to oven and broil for 4 minutes or until the top is browned and no longer runny. Remove from oven (handle will be hot!!) and let stand for 2 minutes. Loosen frittata with a non-stick spatula and slide onto serving plate.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Serves: 2-3

Tomato Soup with Pancetta

Soup has never been my thing. To eat it? Yes, of course! To make it? No way. I've tried, really, I have. My attempt New England clam chowder...inedible. Creamy tomato soup...red tasteless liquid. Broccoli and cheddar...green tasteless liquid. And then there was the infamous attempt at making Manhattan clam chowder - from a tried and true recipe that my mom and grandmother have used for YEARS and is the only food guests ask about the presence of during my aunt and uncle's annual beach house party on Fire Island...it turned out so horrific that even the animals wouldn't eat it when it froze after I poured it outside in the middle of winter. I've watched enough Food Network in my life to have seen dozens of soups being made and not a single one of them looked too challenging to make - so WHY couldn't I do it??

I had pretty much given up on making homemade soups but something inside of me yelled out to tell me that I wasn't quite ready to resign to eating canned soup for the rest of my life. I searched and searched last week and finally came upon a tomato soup recipe that I was willing to make in the hopes of rejuvinating my efforts at making soup. It was Giada's tomato and pancetta soup and being that I've yet to fail at making any of Giada's recipes, I figured that this would be the right recipe to get me on the soup track.

The recipe sounded perfect except for adding chunks of bread which are supposed to aid in thickening the soup - to me it only sounded like soggy bread and I wasn't willing to risk another soup attempt on soggy bread. I've learned enough over the past couple of years about how to make substititions to recipes in order to make them "my own" and this would be another one of those times. Actually, my changes were minimal, only omitting the bread and adding about 1 1/2 tbsp of a cornstarch slurry, 1/2 cup heavy cream (I LOVE creamy tomato soup), and a package of fresh tortellini to really round out the soup as a meal. I also used my handy-dandy immersion blender before adding the tortellini and cream to smooth out the thick chunks of diced tomatoes as I knew Kyle would never try the soup with chunks of tomatoes floating around. If you don't have an immersion blender, you could puree the soup in a blender then return it to the pot.

The result was outstanding. I was truly astounded that I FINALLY made not only a decent soup, but one that we both loved and that I'm having for both lunch and dinner today! After pureeing with the immersion blender, the flavors really mingled nicely and the cornstarch and heavy cream did a wonderful job at thickening the soup just enough. Before making this, I read a lot of the reviews on FN and about half didn't like and wouldn't recommend putting the bread in the soup so I'm really glad I opted out of this. The reviews also highly recommended not omitting the mascaropone and sour cream mixture to dollop on the soup before serving, and I'm SO glad that I listened to the reviews. The mixture added the perfect touch to the warm soup and I ended up doubling the mixture because 1/2 cup didn't seem like enough for 6 servings of soup. Below you will find the recipe with my changes - the original recipe can be found here. I will definitely make Giada's tomato soup again, and thankfully, this recipe has restored my faith in my soup-making abilities.

Tomato Soup with Pancetta

source: Giada De Laurentiis

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 ounces pancetta, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 6 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• dash or 2 of dried crushed red pepper flakes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper (I used about 1/2 tsp Kosher salt and maybe 1/4 tsp pepper)
• 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch plus 1 1/2 tbsp water, combined in a small bowl to make a slurry
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 12 oz tortellini, uncooked
• 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 cup low-fat sour cream

1. Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until crisp and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the broth, tomatoes, oregano, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. Puree soup with the immersion blender.
2. Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for 3-5 minutes. Add cornstartch/water slurry and tortellini. Allow to cook, covered, for 7-8 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in heavy cream. Cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add basil during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Reseason soup with salt and pepper if necessary.
3. Stir the mascarpone and sour cream in a small bowl to blend. Ladle the soup into bowls. Spoon a dollop of the mascarpone mixture atop the soup and serve.

Prep time: 5 mintues

Cook time: 25 mintues

Serves: 6-8

Vodka Sauce

Why is it that we often are reluctant to make dishes at home that we love so much at restaurants? Well, of course they won't taste the same, right? Wrong! My shining light, Giada, has a wonderful recipe for vodka sauce both in her Everyday Italian cookbook and it's also available on the Food Network website, which is where I came across it again earlier this week.

I never thought to make the sauce from the cookbook because 1.) how can it be better than what I can be served in a restaurant?, and 2.) Kyle is not at all a fan of vodka sauce (gasp!). I had thumbed past it a number of times but finally decided I would make it for myself for lunch on a day where I would be home for lunch...which happened to be today as I had taken the day off from work. Yay!

The result? ummm....YUM!!! This sauce really was one of the best vodka sauces I've ever had and it was so easy to put together! It was perfectly creamy and the vodka flavor really came through but wasn't at all overpowering. The recipe gives instruction for a homemade sauce but since I already had some on hand, I skipped that part and cut a good 45 minutes off the recipe. I halved the recipe and ended up freezing the 2 remaining servings in Ziploc bags layed flat in the freezer for the next time I have a craving for vodka sauce.

Vodka Sauce
source: Giada De Laurentiis

• 1 quart Simple Tomato Sauce, recipe follows, or store-bought marinara sauce, blended until smooth
• 1 cup vodka
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 pound penne (I used tortellini)

1. Simmer the tomato sauce and vodka in a heavy large skillet over low heat until the mixture reduces by 1/4, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Stir the cream into the tomato and vodka sauce. Simmer over low heat until the sauce is heated through. Stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted and well blended.
2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and transfer it to the pan with the sauce, and toss to coat.

Simple Tomato Sauce:

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 stalk celery chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
• 4 to 6 basil leaves
• 2 dried bay leaves
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional

1. In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrot and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour or until thick.
2. Remove bay leaves and taste for seasoning. If sauce tastes too acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, to round out the flavor.
3. Pour half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
4. If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and then pour 1 to 2 cup portions into plastic freezer bags. Freeze for up to 6 months.
   

Without making sauce:

Prep time: 2 minutes (without making sauce)

Cook time: 25 minutes

Serves: 6

Including making sauce:

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Serves: 6

Chicken Chow Mein...or is it Chop Suey??

Why the confusion about what this meal is called? I might ask my mom the same thing but for whatever reason, I've yet to ask. My mom wrote this recipe out years ago and chicken chow mein/chop suey and made it to our dinner table on a number of occasions. I have no idea why the title has two names and I really can't tell you which it is - I don't think I've ever ordered either from a Chinese restaurant so I just don't know which the meal more closely resembles...or if it resembles either at all!

To be honest, I had completely forgotten that my mom used to make this until Kyle asked me to make "American Chop Suey," a dish his mom used to serve that involved elbow macaroni, ground beef, onions, and canned tomato sauce...and that's it. gag. It's like a homemade version of Hamburger Helper and while I did try it once because I couldn't say I didn't like it without trying it, I vowed to never make it again.

OK, so I got a little off topic there...Kyle's request for his mom's meal jogged my memory and I had my mom make a copy of her recipe for me. This meal is a great way to use up leftover chicken and gravy and I often make it with leftovers from a Sunday roast chicken. It's so easy to make and usually fulfills my craving for Chinese food but is so much healthier. I serve it over rice or spaghetti (this time I used penne because I was out of spaghetti) and top it with a few crunchy noodles.

Chicken Chow Mein/Chop Suey

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2-3 stalks celery, chopped small
• 1 carrot, peeled and julienned
• 1 1/2 medium onions
• 3/4 cup bean sprouts, washed and drained
• 1 1/2 cups chicken gravy (either homemade, jarred, or a combo of both)
• 1 chicken bouillon cube plus 1/2 cup water (I use 3/4 cup chicken stock)
• a good pinch of salt, freshly ground pepper, and garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 - 2 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce (I used more like 2 tbsp)
• 1 tbsp sugar or molasses (I use sugar)
• 1 tsp gravy master if you don't use molasses
• 1 1/2 cups diced or nearly shredded cooked chicken (or pork)
• 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water (if needed)

1. In a large non-stick frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat, then add celery and carrot and cook for 5 minutes. Add onions and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until everything starts to soften.
2. Add bean sprouts and stir to combine. Turn heat to medium-low. Add gravy and bouillon cube and water or chicken stock. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, ginger, and soy sauce. Stir to combine and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in sugar or molasses and gravy master (again, if not using molasses). Cook for 3 minutes or until sauce is bubbly.
4. Add in chicken (or pork) and cook until chicken is heated through and sauce is thick. If sauce doesn't thicken, add the cornstarch.
5. Serve over rice or pasta. Freezes well (without pasta).

Prep time: 5-8 minutes

Cook time: 15-20 minutes

Serves: 4

Creamy Pumpkin Sauce with Roasted Garlic Chicken Sausage

The original version of this meal was simply roasted garlic chicken sausage in homemade spaghetti sauce over whole wheat pasta. Easy enough meal to make for myself being that Kyle is working evenings this week, right?

Well...I got thinking this afternoon about things I wanted to get accomplished tonight and it clicked...Kyle is working evenings this week...evenings this week...hmmm...YES!! It's not that I don't love spending time with my husband because I very much do, but the time alone for dinner certainly gives me a little more latitude about what I can cook for myself. "What do I have in the fridge to beef up my pasta dish tonight? .... PUMPKIN!!" I thought to myself - it was leftover from the pumpkin pancakes I made over the weekend. I had been reading through Cara's blog today and came across her hazelnut sage ravioli with pumpkin cream sauce and after the pumpkin light bulb went off in my brain, I decided to do a savory creamy pumpkin sauce tonight. Yes, yes...I realize that I would be taking a chance with this one - garlic chicken sausage with pumpkin sauce?? But you only live once and since I had to opportunity to possibly ruin only one meal, rather than two, tonight, I decided I'd better take advantage.

The ideas raced around my head during my 45 minute drive home and when I got in the house, I got right to work in the kitchen without even changing out of my work clothes. I was on a mission. Oh...did I mention this mission had to be lower in calories and fat since Kyle and I have started a healthy eating plan that involves only eating a certain amount of calories per day? Right...there would be no heavy cream in this sauce and instead skim milk, which I've always found works beautifully when making creamy sauces.

So here's what I did:

1. Melt 1 - 2 tsp butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 tsp flour to melted butter and stir to make a liquidy roux. Stir in about 1/4 tsp of cinnamon, a dash of nutmeg, 1/4 tsp salt, and a pinch of black pepper. Cook for 30-60 seconds.
2. Turn heat to low and whisk in 1/2 to 3/4 cup skim milk, whisking until there are no lumps. Stir in 1/4 cup pumpkin puree until well-incorporated. Cook on low stirring frequently for 5-8 minutes or until thickened to desired consistency.

I cut up and heated one pre-cooked roasted garlic chicken sausage and served the sausage on top of whole wheat pasta and the pumpkin sauce. Before eating, I sprinkled another dash of cinnamon on top and garnished with a few strips of Parmesan cheese. This was SO good and SO easy!! The mix of flavors from the sweet pumpkin and cinnamon along with the savory chicken sausage and Parmesan cheese was just delightful. And knowing that the sauce was low cal/low fat made eating the meal so much more satisfying! This is definitely a keeper...and maybe next time I'll attempt it when Kyle IS home for dinner.

Turkey Chili

Yes, fall has arrived! In spite of the 80-90 degrees temperatures here in CT this week, I'm moving full steam ahead into fall with some warm meals. Last night, turkey chili was on the menu and what a treat this always is!

Years ago my mom swapped out ground beef for ground turkey and tomato sauce for salsa in her chili recipe and I've taken that recipe and modified it a little further. In my grocery store, I've found 33% reduced sodium chili seasoning packets (by McCormick) and organic salsa that has about 50% the amount of sodium as regular salsa. I tend to be very sensitive to sodium and thus try to control for it as much as possible in everything I cook and eat. Because the ground turkey usually is slightly more than 1lb and the seasoning packet calls for just 1lb of meat, I've found that a few extra seasonings is necessary and you'll see what I add below.

This truly is one of my most favorite cool-weather meals yet I'm still surprised on the number of compliments I get when I serve this (maybe I'm surprised because of how easy it is to make!)...but I hope you love this chili recipe as much as I do and that you'll share it with every

Turkey Chili

adapted from my mom's kitchen

• 1 to 1 1/4 lbs ground turkey
• 1 lower sodium chili seasoning packet
• 1 jar organic salsa
• 1/2 jar of water (the salsa jar)
• 1 (15oz) can red or dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 3/4 tsp ground coriander

1. In a large frying or saute pan over medium-high heat, brown turkey. Drain if necessary.
2. Reduce heat to low and stir in the remainder of the ingredients. Cook on low for 10-15 minutes.

Extras:

• Fixin' suggestions: sour cream, shredded cheddar, diced onions, scallions, chives, tortilla chips.
• Serving suggestions: over rice, on tortilla chips with shredded cheddar or Monterey jack cheeses as chili nachos, as chili dogs or chili burgers, or layer in an 8x8 baking dish with cream cheese, shredded cheddar or Monterey jack cheese, and scallions and bake for 15 minutes at 375 for a hot dip.

Prep time: 0 minutes

Cook time: 15-20 minutes

Serves: 4-6

Chicken Stir-fry

There isn't much that's easier than sauteeing chicken with some veggies and whipping up a smooth homemade stir-fry sauce. Yes, to some stir-fry seems a little daunting but if you really break down the steps and are able to tailor the sauce to your own tastes, you'll find yourself making this dish more often...and making your busy life a little easier at night in the process.

Make it easy on yourself --- prep the ingredients for stir-fry on the weekend. Put your cut-up chicken and veggies in separate baggies and stick them in the fridge for a day or two until you're ready to use them. The sauce will come together as you add your spices but if you end up measuring your spices (I don't), you can create larger batches and store them in the pantry for future use. Use whatever veggies you want and make your sauce as spicy as you can stand it (mine isn't spicy at all). Don't feel like you always have to use chicken - try beef, shrimp or even tofu, if meat isn't your thing. Serve it over rice, pasta, or on it's own.

Chicken Stir-fry

• 2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 red peppers, sliced
• 1 bunch broccoli florets (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ground ginger
• Chinese 5 spice
• garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2-3 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• crunchy chow mein noodles

1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat in a large heavy skillet or wok. When oil is hot, add peppers and onions and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and broccoli and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Remove veggies from skillet.
2. To the skillet, heat remaining oil then add chicken and the dry spices (all to taste). Cook chicken for 3 minutes, return veggies to skillet.
3. Add soy sauce and honey, coating stir-fry mix with the sauce. Bring sauce to a simmer and add cornstarch. Simmer until sauce thickens, adding more cornstarch to thicken further, if desired. Toss sauce well with chicken and veggies. Top with crunchy chow mein noodles before serving.

Prep time: 10-15 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Serves: 2-3

Orzo with Parmesan and Basil

I was looking for a great new side dish to go along with my recently discovered favorite pork chop recipe when I remember a recipe that had been tossed around my cooking board a few months ago - orzo with Parmesan and basil. This was a wonderful complement to the perfect pork chops and because I finish the pork chops off in the oven, the orzo and the chops finished at the same time and I wasn't waiting around for one of them while the other sat and got cold...something I've really been working on.

Orzo with Parmesan and Basil

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
• 1 (14.5oz) can chicken broth
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil for garnish

1. Melt butter in heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in orzo and saute until lightly browned. (I actually forgot about the orzo and it over-browned a little bit but still came out wonderful. Next time I'll pay more attention!!)
2. Stir in chicken broth and bring to boil. Cover. Reduce heat ans simmer until orzo is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.
3. Mix in Parmesan cheese and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to shallow bowl. Garnish with extra basil.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Spinach and feta stuffed chicken

Feta cheese is not a staple in my house and as much as I LOVE cheese, I've never cooked with feta. The salad that was served to Kyle and I at the wedding we were at recently had feta on the side. We looked at each other and commented on how good the feta was. I decided then that I needed to add feta to one of my upcoming menus.

So I decided to make a stuffed chicken breast with spinach and feta. Easy enough and it sounded so good! I reduced some tomato sauce and served it over some orzo on the side.

Spinach and Feta Stuffed Chicken

• 2 chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 bag fresh spinach
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 tsp plus 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
• salt and pepper

Heat oil in a medium-sized oven-safe saute pan to medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add spinach, stir in with garlic. Cover and cook for 1-3 minutes. Once spinach has wilted remove from heat and transfer to a bowl.

Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Cut small pockets (about 2 inches wide) in the sides of the chicken breasts. Using a sharp paring knife, slice the inside of the chicken open to increase the size of the pocket without enlarging the outer opening, being careful not to cut through to the opposite side.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Return the saute pan to medium-high heat with 1 tbsp olive oil. Stuff chicken with feta then spinach mixture. Carefully place stuffed breasts in the hot pan and cook until chicken has begun to brown, turning once, about 4 minutes per side. Cover and move pan to oven. Cook for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: about 20 minutes

Serves: 2

Spicy Garlic Lime Pasta

After weeks of reading raves about this recipe on my cooking board, I finally put it on my weekly menu (last week's menu actually). Overall, I thought it was great but I think next time it needs a little extra lime and spiciness, which says a lot coming from me. Thanks Amber for finding this one and for reworking the original recipe from http://www.allrecipes.com/!

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4

Gnocchi with Thyme Butter Sauce

Before watching Giada's show on the Food Network a couple of years ago, I had never known what gnocchi was and even after finding out what it is, I'd still never tried it. Yes, I've seen it on menus but for some reason, I was never drawn to ordering it at a restaurant - and I'd never even considered buying it at the grocery store. Once again, the ladies on my cooking board inspired me to try a new dish at home. They'd said that homemade gnocchi is much better than what you'll find in the frozen section of the grocery store and for that reason, I decided to attempt both making it and tasting it for the first time this past weekend. How's that for jumping in with both feet?

I found a recipe for homemade gnocchi in Giada's Everyday Italian cookbook - Gnocchi with Thyme Butter Sauce - and decided that it looked easy enough to make and the sauce sounded great too so...why not? In all honesty, the recipe really WAS simple and I surprised myself with how easily and quickly it came together. From start to finish, this recipe took 30 minutes to prepare and cook. Overall, both Kyle and I really enjoyed this but felt that the dish needed a little more "umph." The sauce was just butter and fresh thyme but next time I make it, I think I'll saute some garlic in the butter as well. I'm not sure if the gnocchi themselves were what Kyle and I had expected but I told him to expect something similar to pierogis (which he LOVES) and I think my estimate was pretty close.

Being so easy to make, these are something I will definitely try again - and work on a variety of sauces for them as well. It might be nice to cut the recipe down by a couple of servings and serve it as a side dish with a light fish or with some grilled shrimp.

**Note: This recipe differs between FN.com and Giada's cookbook. I used the cookbook version, which is posted below. Some of the reviews of the recipe on FN.com say that the gnocchi fell apart and were just like mashed potatoes and I think there are mistakes in the FN.com version of the recipe. I had NO trouble at all with the gnocchi - and I had no idea what to expect while making and eating them for the first time. For the sake of reducing confusion, I am not linking this post the recipe on FN.com.

Gnocchi with Thyme Butter Sauce

Gnocchi:

• 2 russet potatoes (about 12oz each)*
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup shaved Pecorino Romano, for garnish*

Thyme Butter Sauce:

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
  

To make the gnocchi, pierce the potatoes all over with a fork. Microwaved the pototoes on high until tender, turning once, about 12 minutes. (You can also bake the potatoes at 375 degrees for 50 minutes or until tender.) Cut the potatoes in half and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; discard the skin. Using a fork, mash the potato well. Stir in the egg, salt and pepper. Sift the flour over the potato mixture and stir just until blended.

Scoop out a large spoonful of gnocchi dough. Roll each scoop on the work surface into a 1/2-inch-diameter rope. Cut the dough into 1-inch pieces. Roll each piece of dough over a wooden paddle with ridges or over the tines of a fork to form grooves in the dough. Set the formed gnocchi on a baking sheet while you form the rest of the dough.

To make the thyme butter sauce, melt the butter with the thyme leaves in a medium, heavy skillet over medium heat until the butter is melted, about 2 minutes.

Working in two batches, cook the gnocchi in a large pot of boiling salted water until they have all risen to the surface, about 3 minutes. Scoop out the gnocchi into a colander with a slotted spoon, while you cook the second batch. Reheat the thyme butter sauce over low heat. Transfer the cooked gnocchi to the skillet with the hot thyme butter and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper and toss again.

Spoon the gnocchi and butter sauce into shallow bowls. Top with the Pecorino and serve.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 6 minutes

Serves: 4-6

*Modifications:

1. I used 2 large Idaho potatoes and cooked them for 60 minutes at 375 degrees in the oven.
2. The shaved cheese on top of the gnocchi really made this dish. I shaved Parmesan rather than Pecorino Romano and it was just delish!

A mistake turned great!

OK, so I forgot to pick up frozen spinach BOTH times I was at the store this weekend and thus my intention of making my new Giada recipe, Chicken Saltimbocca, was thwarted once again - next week, I promise! What's the phrase, "out of the ashes rises the Phoenix"? Yes, I just finished Harry Potter 7 so this phrase has been on my mind but alas, it holds true with tonight's dinner. Since I had everything except the spinach to make the saltimbocca, I improvised a little...and was SO pleased with the result: chicken breast stuffed with prosciutto, basil leaves, and fontina (as if you can't already tell from this blog, Kyle and I are BIG fans of fontina cheese) with a creamy tomato sauce (using some of the spaghetti sauce I made yesterday) on top and side of spaghetti (which orginally was supposed to be Giada's basic risotto). HOLY MOLY was this good!!!

I'm not going to write out the recipe for this because it really is so straight-forward. Pound out 2 chicken breasts and season with salt and pepper. Lay prosciutto, fresh basil leaves and shredded fontina (about 2 tbsp of cheese for each cutlet) out on top of the flattened chicken breast. Carefully roll up and secure with toothpicks. Heat olive oil in a saute pan (medium-high heat) and cook chicken until fully cooked, turning to brown all sides. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, cook down 1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce until thickened. Turn heat to low, add 1/3 cup heavy cream and stir until well-combined. Add some pasta water (or regular water) until the sauce is to your desired thickness. Serve with pasta, rice, veggies, etc.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Serves: 2

grillin' up some veggies

Last week, I had been dying for some roasted veggies but it was just too hot to crank the oven up to a g00d roasting temperature so I decided to throw some on the grill. I cut up the a red and orange pepper and half of a red onion, put them onto a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, tossed them with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and put the foil on a hot grill. I left the foil open (i.e., didn't make a foil packet) because I was afraid the veggies would steam rather than grill and char. All told, the veggies were done in about 15 minutes and came out soft, charred and a little caramelized. YUM!! I paired these with grilled chicken that I sprinkled with some salt, pepper, and herbes de provence.

Tuna...The New Red Meat...

at least in my house! Holy cow was this good! Kyle and I had eaten lots of fish while on our honeymoon in Hawaii last year and got pretty spoiled by it. And now for my confession...I've NEVER made fish aside from whatever comes out of the freezer section. I know, I know...how did I grow up in a coastal community (Long Island, NY) and manage to never learn how to cook fish? Beats me!

Nonetheless, I took the plunge last week and picked up a big tuna steak (that I cut in two) and 2 HUGE sea scallops. I was bound and determined to prepare a healthy seafood meal that reminded me of a fancy dinner we had in Hawaii while overlooking the setting sun on the Pacific Ocean. After lots of searching online to make sure I felt confident enough to cook the tuna without ruining it, I came across a great recipe for balsamic-glazed tuna on CookingLight.com.

The glaze was a touch on the sweet side and I think the next time I make it, I will cut out 1 tsp of brown sugar. While only making 2 tuna steaks, I did make the full amount of glaze because the reviews on the website said that 1 tbsp of glaze wasn't enough per serving. This recipe calls to grill the tuna but I seared it alongside the 2 scallops on a griddle that attachs to our gas grill's side burner and cooked them for 4-6 minutes per side (4min for my med-rare and 6min for Kyle's medium) over low heat. I cooked the scallops for 5 minutes per side - they were about 1 1/2" thick before cooking.

I paired the tuna and scallops with brown rice that I cooked in chicken broth and garlic powder and a vegetable salad that Kyle came up with and prepared all on his own - see below. (I was SO proud of him!) The vegetable salad was a wonderful and light addition to the meal and we will definitely make it again.

Balsamic-Glazed Tuna

• Cooking spray
• 1 1/4 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 (6-ounce) tuna steaks (about 3/4 inch thick)
• 1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 4 teaspoons dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/4 cup diagonally sliced green onions
• sesame seeds (the recipe didn't call for these but I pressed them into the tuna before searing)

Place a grill pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Sprinkle pepper and salt over fish. Place fish in grill pan; cook 3 minutes on each side until medium-rare or desired degree of doneness. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, combine broth, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Spoon glaze over fish; top with green onions.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes (including rice)

Serves: 4

Serving size: 1 steak and 1 tablespoon glaze

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 266 (29% from fat); FAT 8.5g (sat 2.2g,mono 2.3g,poly 2.9g); PROTEIN 40.3g; CHOLESTEROL 65mg; CALCIUM 11mg; SODIUM 366mg; FIBER 0.3g; IRON 2.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 4.6g

Source: Marianne Marinelli , Cooking Light, JANUARY 1999

Vegetable Salad

• 1 1/2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1/2 medium red onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 8 oz fresh mozzarella, diced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Combine all indgredients and serve cold.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: none

Serves: 4

Dinner in a pinch

You know how some nights when you come home from work and just don't feel like cooking but really don't feel like going out for a bite either and delivery isn't an option in a small rural town? I had one of those nights earlier this week and the old standby of pasta with jarred sauce turned into a really nice meal. In an effort to add some more veggies to our diet, we sauteed some onions and garlic with zucchini, yellow squash (summer squash??), and some extra sliced red peppers I had hanging out in the fridge in a little bit of olive oil. We added the sauce and topped some thin spaghetti with the veggie sauce (is this primavera??). Kyle cooked up a hot Italian sausage and added that too to his serving - I skipped the sausage. It was quick and easy and satisfied both of our appetites. Next time, I'll take the extra step and defrost a roasted chicken sausage to add to my serving.