Fettuccine with Baby Spinach, Herbs and Ricotta April 20, 2011

This one comes from the April edition of Cooking Light magazine. It’s super easy to make and really delicious! Make sure you use fresh herbs though, its what really makes the dish seem so light and delicate! The recipe calls for you to use really thick ribbony pasta called Pappardelle, but I couldn’t find it anywhere, so fettuccine works just as well. If you really want the pappardelle you can try an Italian Specialty shop.

Fettuccine with Baby Spinach

8 ounces uncooked pappardelle (wide ribbon pasta)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/3 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
3 cups baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
3 tablespoons grated fresh pecorino Romano cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Method:

Cook pasta with 1 tablespoon kosher salt according to package directions, omitting additional fat. Drain in a colander over a bowl, and reserve 1 cup cooking liquid.
Combine 1/2 cup reserved hot cooking liquid and ricotta cheese in a food processor or blender, and process until well blended.

Combine hot pasta, cheese mixture, spinach, and remaining ingredients in a large bowl; toss gently to coat. Add additional cooking liquid to moisten, if needed.

This recipe super rocks because it takes like 10 minutes to make, and there is barely any prep!

Ravioli with Peas and Prosciutto April 18, 2011

This recipe is from Food Network Magazine, and it is really simple and delicious! I added a few things to make it tastier, mainly a bit of white wine to add some zip to the sauce, which is very mild and light. Using light cream instead of heavy cream in the sauce also helps make it a bit lighter if you are on weight watchers for forever, like Mike likes to be!

Ravioli with Pea Prosciutto Sauce

ravioli, cooked according to package directions (save 1 c. pasta water before draining)

4 oz chopped prosciutto

2 tbsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/4 c white wine

a few glugs of chicken broth

1/4 c. light cream or heavy cream

1 c. blanched frozen peas

some chopped parsley and fresh grated romano, to taste

Method:

Boil ravioli according to directions on package. With two minutes to go, add the frozen peas and cook til the pasta is done, reserve one cup of cooking liquid and drain the pasta and peas.

Cook prosciutto in a skillet with the olive oil until crisp. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook another minute or two. Deglaze pan with the wine and add the chicken broth after a minute or two of cooking the wine. Next ladle in the pasta water and cook until reduced on very low heat, about 4 minutes. Add the cream and simmer another 3 minutes, until the sauce thickens up. If it isn’t thick enough, add a touch more cream. Toss the sauce with the ravioli and peas, and top with the parsley and cheese.

You will want to eat this twice in one week, which is what Mike and I did!!

Vegetable Lo Mein* November 2, 2010

This recipe had a decent amount of chopping and prep, but if you have a lovely helper (such as my dear husband), it goes by pretty quick! This is actually from an episode of Giada at Home or whatever her new show is called, in which she makes Chinese food for her family instead of Italian! crazy! I have to say, its really really good, you don’t miss the meat at all, and the sauce is so good I could have just had a bowl of that! Give it a try when you have a little extra time to make dinner!

Giada’s Vegetable Lo Mein

8 ounces Chinese long beans or green beans, cut into 1/2 to 1-inch pieces to yield about 2 cups
2 large carrots, peeled, trimmed and cut into matchstick-size pieces (ahem, bought the pre-prepped bag!)
*8 ounces fresh or dried chow mein noodles (Giada is crazy, she means LO MEIN NOODLES, chow mein noodles are not spagetti-like)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 large shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup hoisin sauce**
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 green onions, thinly sliced
*Can be found at specialty Asian markets though I got mine at Stop and Shop!

Method:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the beans and carrots and cook for 1 minute. Drain and put in a bowl of iced water until cool, about 1 minute. Drain and set aside.

Return the water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Pat dry and set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add the noodles, ginger and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes until the noodles are lightly browned. Add the mushrooms, beans, carrots, and water chestnuts and cook for 3 minutes. Add the broth, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and honey. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir until slightly reduced and thick, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the green onions to stir and serve with crispy Chinese noodles if you have them!

*Note: Giada actually calls this recipe Vegetable Chow Mein. But uh, Chow Mein doesn’t involve noodles. Its more like vegetables and sauce, that’s it. The only noodles that resemble what she wants are Lo Mein, so that’s what I call it! Maybe its different in actual Asian locations, but in America, its definitely not Chow Mein!

Tortellini Pasta Salad October 30, 2010

 

Well folks, I’m down to the wire: this baby is coming to stay sometime in the next 2 1/2 weeks! (Unless she is late of course), and I just started Maternity leave today! (Okay, I know it is Saturday so I guess it really starts on Monday, but still!) I have horrible sciatica and can barely walk at the morning, so that means I can finally sit down and update this blog with lots more backlogged recipes, hooray!

Today I give you a lovely summer salad, even though its um, almost November. Really though, I just love pasta salad. I can eat it all year round, and I love that you make it for dinner, pack some for lunch the next day, and it tastes even better then as the flavors had time to mix about and be even more awesome! You can’t go wrong with pasta salad. Ever!

I forget where this came from, and I do feel badly about that. I know it came form some blog or something, but at the time I had just cut and pasted the recipe to word and printed it out for some reason so I can’t attribute it to anyone. If it is yours, please let me know!

Tortellini Pasta Salad

1 lb of your favorite tortellini (I used fresh four cheese)

1 c. grape tomatoes, halved

5 carrots, sliced thin (Or be lazy like me and buy a bag of the matchbook diced ones and use like a cup!)

1/4 c of your favorite olives (I like mine cute into bite sized rings)

8 oz fresh mozzarella balls (Or do diced regular mozzarella or shredded if you can’t have the fresh, thats what I did)

1 c. olive oil

1/2 tsp whole fresh thyme (can always sub. dried)

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 lemons, zested

1/4 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp. dijon mustard

2 tbsp champagne or white wine vinegar  (I had white wine so used that)

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

grated parmesan for the top

Method:

Cook pasta according to directions, drain..

Meanwhile, add tomatoes, carrots, cheese and olives to a large bowl and combine with the pasta when it is ready.

Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan and add the thyme, garlic and lemon zest. Cook over low heat for 1 minute. Off the heat add the lemon juice, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour the hot vinaigrette over the pasta and enjoy!!

Fresh roasted tomato Sauce September 13, 2010

This is a nice one when you have lots of tomatoes from your thriving garden and want to eliminate them in an easy and tasty way. Or, if you are like me and kill any plant you lay your hands on, you can just buy some nice grape or cherry tomatoes from the store and make it anyway!

Fresh Roasted Tomato Sauce

about a pint of cherry or grape tomatoes (or more if you have a crowd- a pint made enough for two plus leftovers)

salt and pepper

olive oil (like 3 tbsp)

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

fresh parmesan cheese for grating over the top

fresh basil, torn (about 2 tbsp)

Method:

Preheat oven to 450. While it is heating, make spagetti or whatever pasta makes you happy on the stovetop. When it is cooked, save about a cup of the pasta water when you drain it. Don’t be like me and dump it all out and THEN remember the pasta water. That stuff isn’t coming back!!

Spread tomatoes out on a baking dish that has sides…those glass ones are nice. Drizzle with the olive oil, and add salt and pepper rather liberally. Swish tray around to coat evenly. Bake the tomatoes in the oven until they start to shrivel and burst open. This will take around 10 minutes, or a little more.

After straining the pasta (and  saving that water!) Combine the pasta with the tomatoes and any drippings into a bowl (you can add a little bit of pasta water to the pan to collect more drippings if you feel you are missing out during the initial pour). Add in an extra tbsp or two of olive oil, plus the vinegar, basil and half of the cooking water. Toss and coat the pasta, making a very light sauce. If it is too dry, add the remaining pasta water. Sprinkle with cheese and toss again. Add some salt and pepper if it needs it.

Serve with extra cheese, because you can never have enough of that…and also some garlic bread. It makes it extra perfect in my opinion. Enjoy!

Shells with grilled chicken and mozzarella August 9, 2010

Here is an easy and good one for a hot summer day, such as today! I got this recipe from the Martha Stewart website, in a desperate search for something new to eat that didn’t involve the oven! This one is great, and even better the second day when everything cools and the flavors meld. Eat it slightly warmed though, even on the second day. Try it!

Shells with Grilled Chicken and Mozzarella

Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 1/2 pounds chicken cutlets
8 ounces medium pasta shells
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch cubes (I used regular mozzarella, cuz I’m pregnant and not supposed to eat fresh, boo!)
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons butter

Method:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for pasta. Meanwhile, heat grill pan on stove. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Grill until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from grill, and cut into thin strips, halving if long.
Cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta, and return to pot. Add chicken, tomatoes, mozzarella, parsley, Parmesan, and butter. Toss to combine. Add reserved pasta water a little at a time to create a sauce that coats shells (you may not need all the water). Serve with more Parmesan.

Chicken Tortellini Salad July 17, 2010

Well I’ve finally run out of photos from pre “losing the battery charger for the good camera” and am now up to the terrible point and shoot that makes all food look yellow or green! So you must forgive me for the terrible photo and let me assure you this dish is SOOOO good! Especially for a really friggin’ hot summer, such as the one we are currently in the midst of!

I found this recipe after doing a google search for “summer pasta salads”. Mike and I love a good pasta salad, and since this is the hottest summer in all time, I am making quite a lot of them! I particularly like this one as it has a lot of meat to it…as in substance not like, 8 kinds of animal product, so it is very satisfying even in a small portion.

It is from a really fabulous food blog called “The Frantic Home Cook” , who got it from another site called “Rookie Cookie” and you should totally go look at all the yummy stuff they make!

Anyway, here is the recipe!

Chicken Tortellini Salad with Pesto Vinagrette

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded and picked free of bones and skin (about 4 cups of chicken)
1 9 oz package Buitoni fresh cheese tortellini
½ red onion, thinly sliced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 8 oz package white mushrooms, stems removed and thinly sliced
A few handfuls fresh baby spinach
Kosher salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup  prepared pesto
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
¼ – ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Method:

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Let cool.

In a large bowl combine, chicken, red onion, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and spinach. Season with salt and pepper.

In a separate bowl, combine pesto and white wine vinegar. Whisk in olive oil, until a thin consistency is achieved.

Add the tortellini to the chicken mixture. Stir well to combine. Add pesto vinaigrette. Serve at room temperature or cold.

Then please cross your fingers that somewhere in this house is the charger for my fancy nikon camera so I can stop using my ashton kutcher camera and making food unappetizing!!

Weight Watchers Lasagna with Meat Sauce July 5, 2010

This recipe is SO good and apparently only 6 points according to the “Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook”, which is where I got this recipe. It is also pretty easy to make as Mike made this one for us one night a few months ago when I was super queasy and sleepy. Now its a tad too hot to be making lasagna, but hey, its still worth knowing this one exists. File it away to cook when its a nice chilly fall evening!

Lasagna with Meat Sauce

9 lasagna noodles

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 pound lean ground beef (10% or less fat) *you could use ground turkey too, but the flavor is better with beef

1 onion, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

2 (15 oz) containers refrigerated marinara sauce

1 1/2 c. fat free ricotta cheese

1/2 c. shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

1/4 c. grated pecorino romano cheese

Method:

Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions. Drain and rinse noodles, set aside (OR: use the super amazing NO COOK noodles, which is what we did!)

In a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, cook the fennel seeds, shaking the pan and stirring constantly, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Watch them carefully, these guys burn fast! Pound the seeds between two clean kitchen towels or in a plastic bag with a mallet until finely crushed. Don’t worry if you suck at this, it still tastes good no matter what condition you get them in!

In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil and heat. Add the beef, onion, bell pepper and zucchini. Cook, stirring occasionally until all the juices evaporate and the beef browns, about 10 minutes. Stir in the sauce and fennel, bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened and the flavors blend, about 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a 9×13 inch baking dish, spread 1/4 of the meat sauce. Top with 3 of the noodles, 1/2 c. of the ricotta. Repeat the layering twice ending  with the sauce (NOTE: if you use the no bake noodles, they need sauce to cook. So, you must put a layer of sauce on each layer of noodles, THEN add the cheese…it still works out that you have enough sauce so don’t worry. Just put a tad less in the bottom of the dish to start)

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle with the mozzarella and romano. Bake until heated through and the cheese are lightly browned, about 20 more minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. If you can restrain yourself from eating some garlic bread with it,  you’re decently healthy here!!

Bacon and Butternut Squash Pasta Bake May 23, 2010

This recipe is delicious year round, though particularly yummy in the fall. Of course, I obviously made it recently because, well, I had a craving for it! When squash is in season, you can use fresh, but if it’s not, frozen butternut squash works just as well. They sell it pre-chopped in bite size pieces, so it’s ready to go. Just be careful roasting it, if you overdo it, they tend to get mushy which doesn’t look pretty but it still tastes good.

This recipe is from Cooking Light, and can be made pretty easily. I just take the lazy ladies’ way out sometimes and bake the bacon if I’m not in the mood to scrub the stove later. It is mostly just tossing everything together once you roast the squash. Give it a try, it’s a nice twist on plain old mac and cheese!

Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta (from Cooking Light)

3/4  teaspoon  salt, divided
1/2  teaspoon  dried rosemary
1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
3  cups  (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
Cooking spray
6  sweet hickory-smoked bacon slices (raw)
1  cup  thinly sliced shallots
8  ounces  uncooked mini penne (tube-shaped pasta)
1/4  cup  all-purpose flour
2  cups  2% reduced-fat milk
3/4  cup  (3 ounces) shredded sharp provolone cheese
1/3  cup  (1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Method:

Preheat oven to 425°.

Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, rosemary, and pepper. Place squash on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt mixture. Bake at 425° for 45 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Increase oven temperature to 450°.

Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 1/2 teaspoons drippings in pan; crumble bacon. Increase heat to medium-high. Add shallots to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender. Combine squash mixture, bacon, and shallots; set aside.

Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well.

Combine flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add provolone, stirring until cheese melts. Add pasta to cheese mixture, tossing well to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray; top with squash mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown.

Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan over the top, it is delightful!

Asparagus pesto pasta May 8, 2010

This one is a light and simple springtime meal. It only uses FOUR ingredients! How awesome is that!?

Here’s how you do it:

Asparagus Pesto Pasta

pound of chicken breasts, cut into inch long strips

pound of any short cut pasta (or 1/2 a pound, depending how many leftovers you want)

about 1/2 a bundle of asparagus, cut into inch long strips

salt and pepper to taste

jar of delicious pesto sauce

Method:

Cook the pasta according to the directions. My favorites to use are penne and rotini, but any short pasta will do. Once pasta is in the water, you can start the rest of the meal.

Salt and pepper the chicken and add to an oiled and preheated pan. Let the chicken cook, making sure it browns on both sides. Add the asparagus and cook, covered, for about another 5 minutes or so. Check that the chicken is fully cooked through.

When pasta is done, drain but don’t rinse. Put the pasta back in the empty pot. Pour in the chicken/asparagus mixture and add the pesto. I eyeball it, meaning I add more until it looks good to me. You might want more or less pesto, its up to you! Toss the ingredients together until everything is coated. Heat another minute or two to be sure that the pesto is warmed up if you like.

Serve in a bowl with a sprinkle of parmigiana. Yum!