Ja cię kocham…

I just love when I look at the back of a box and find a recipe with ingredients that I already have in my kitchen!  This pasta dish is seriously one of my favorites of all time.  And yes, it has bacon in it.  I’m TRYING to gradually incorporate meat into my dishes.  It’s not really working, but every once in a while I succeed, and it’s usually with bacon.   I think because it’s chopped so small within a mound of other things that I am capable of eating it.

Okay so this pasta dish is indescribably amazing.  I got it off the back of a Ronzoni Whole Wheat Linguine box (which I mildly altered).  It’s super simple, super cheap, and super awesome.  I cannot tell you how many times I find winning recipes on the back of food boxes.  Don’t be so quick to throw boxes away!  There are some incredible recipes just waiting to be tested.

Linguine with Bacon, Baby Spinach, and Sage

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 packages of linguine
1/4 lb. bacon, diced
1 sweet onion, finely diced
1 egg
1 1/3 cup chicken or veggie stock
3 Tbs. fresh sage, chopped
1/2 lb. baby spinach leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cook pasta according to directions.

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon for 4-5 minutes or until ALMOST at desired crispiness.

Add egg.  Stir constantly until cooked.

Stir in stock and sage; simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Add spinach and cook until barely wilting.  Season with salt and pepper.

Toss linguine with sauce and serve with sprinkled Parmesan cheese.

I was beyond ready for dinner today.  I mean, I was trying not to eat my own hand as I drove home.  My stomach was gurgling and turning to the point that I seriously considered picking up a snack at a gas station in order to make it home.  This whole hunger extravaganza started because I woke up this morning at 4am for no apparent reason other than the fact that I was in the mood to exhaust myself today.  Grrr*  Eating breakfast at 5am, leads to an earlier lunch than usual, leading to wanting an early dinner.  The problem is that I work until 6 and have a 30-35 minute commute home.  Yeah, I was in no mood for a late dinner.  Crabby, perhaps?

Yes!  Crabby!!  Very, very crabby.  That’s just the sort of word that inspired tonight’s dinner.  Pasta is fast, fish is fast, and the two together are very tasty.  This was a night that called for throwing anything in your kitchen cabinets and fridge into a dish and calling it dinner.

I bought this canned crab from Trader Joe’s a little while ago and it was just sitting in my kitchen waiting to be appreciated.  I’ve been eating so many fresh fruits and vegetables lately that I have neglected my cabinet of goodies.  It was finally time for Mr. Crabby.  I was a little hesitant about the canned crab because I didn’t want it to be ridiculously salty or fishy.  Surprisingly, it was neither!  For $2.50 a can, it’s worth the investment for a nice pasta dish.  Of course fresh is better, but since it’s $30+ a pound, I stuck with the can.

I loosely adapted this recipe from Gourmet magazine (May 2008) that I found on Epicurious.  I needed some inspiration.  I didn’t just want butter.  Butter and Lemon would have been good, but I wanted something with a zing.  Something unique.  Add a little chipotle chili pepper and hot sauce to your crabby noodles and you’ve got pizazz in less than 30 minutes!  Just what I wanted…

Crabby Pasta with Lemon and Spice

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/2 pound spaghettini (thin spaghetti)
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 can of crab meat (or if you want fresh crab – 1/2 pound shelled cooked crab meat, cut into 1-inch pieces (from about 1 1/4 pound thawed frozen king crab legs)
1 Tbs. chipotle chili pepper
1 tsp. hot sauce – your favorite brand (ours is D.L. Jardines)
1 to 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
zest of 1/2 a lemon
2 tsp. dill weed
2 tablespoons salted butter
Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cook spaghettini in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (3 tablespoons salt for 6 quarts water) until al dente.

Meanwhile, cook onion in oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring, until softened, then add crab meat. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, just until crab meat is heated through.

Drain pasta, then add to skillet along with remaining ingredients and toss to coat well.

So unbelievably yummy!  Enjoy!

Holy Crap this was good.  I wish I could be more eloquent with my words, but all I can say is,  “Holy Crap”.  As my husband put it… “I would never think to put pears and blue cheese together or on a pizza, but that was amazing.”

All that I can say is that I adore fruit and cheese as hors d’oeuvres so why not pears and blue cheese?!  I’d put it on a cracker, why not a pizza??  Same concept, right?  YES.

This recipe was simple, derived from minimal ingredients, and was super tasty.  Even if you are a skeptic, trust me, you’ll like it.  Really.  Trust me.  It’s THAT good.

Pear and Blue Cheese Pizza

Source: Loosely adapted from Just Eat Food

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Whole wheat pizza dough (enough for one medium pizza)
4 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 Tbs. brown sugar (I used organic)
2 Bartlett pears, ripe but still firm, cored and thinly sliced
Blue cheese crumbles (choose a quality blue cheese for best results)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.  While it is heating, shape your dough.  Poke several small holes in the dough with a fork.

Transfer dough to pizza stone, cookie sheet, or whatever you plan to use to cook the pizza.

Melt butter in large sauce pan and brush dough with some of it.  Cook for 5 minutes without toppings.

Add brown sugar to the remaining melted butter in the sauce pan and stir until dissolved.  Add pear slices to it and cook for about 6 minutes or until nicely caramelized.

Add pears to pizza dough and cook for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

Sprinkle with blue cheese and pop back into the turned off (but still warm) oven until cheese melts.

If you want to be festive but not slave for hours in the kitchen for St. Patty’s Day, a fresh basil pesto is in order.  It’s green, it’s lean, and it’s… awesome.  Sorry, I ruined the rhyme.  ;o)

Any meal based around basil can’t help but be incredible.  Pesto is simple.  Take a few fresh ingredients, zap them in the food processor, toss it in cooked pasta, and you’re DONE!   I threw in some chopped sun-dried tomatoes for extra flavor and some red pepper flakes for some heat.  So good.

I hope you enjoy your St. Patrick’s Day as much as we do!!

Angel Hair Basil Pesto with Sun-dried Tomatoes

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1 lb. organic angel hair pasta
1 Tbs. pasta water
6 oz. organic baby spinach, washed
2 cups fresh basil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese, extra for garnish
Sea salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Save 1 Tbs. pasta water.

In your food processor add the spinach, basil, garlic, pine nuts, tomatoes, and a dash of oil.  Zap it in the processor for a few seconds.  Keep adding olive oil and pulsing the pesto until its a liquid consistency.

Add the cheese and pulse for a few more seconds.

Mix pasta, pasta water, pesto, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.  Top with parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

It’s Friday around 6:30pm, and I just get home from work.  I’m STARVING.  I want something substantial like lasagna but I do not want to wait over an hour to eat it.  Eating after 8 is not something we like to do often.  What do I do????

I’ve had the recipe for black bean lasagna rolls for quite a while now, and it’s the perfect opportunity to make them!

They turned out pretty well.  Very quick, very tasty for the family!  Although it’s one of those recipes that I will need to tweak before I make them for guests.  The edges of the noodles got a little too crispy, and I have to make sure not to spread the cheese mixture too close to the edges of the noodles because it all oozed out and didn’t look as pretty as they could have.  But that’s okay because Jay said that these were a keeper!

Despite the crunchy ooziness, I would definitely make these again when I’m hungry for lasagna but don’t feel like waiting a long time to eat.  )

Black Bean Lasagna Rolls

Source: Health.com

Serves 8

Ingredients:

8 uncooked whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese
1 (15-ounce) carton part-skim ricotta cheese
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups drained canned no-salt-added black beans
Cooking spray
1 (15 1/2-ounce) jar no-salt-added salsa
Fresh cilantro sprigs (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain well.

Combine cheeses and next 3 ingredients, stirring well. Spread cheese mixture over 1 side of each noodle. Spoon black beans evenly over cheese mixture. Roll up noodles, jelly-roll fashion, beginning at narrow ends.

Place lasagna rolls, seam sides down, in an 11- x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover and bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

To serve, spoon salsa evenly over rolls, and garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Let me preface this post by saying that the pictures do not do them justice.  Black beans when cooked in liquid are not aesthetically pleasing.  That’s why we top them with bright and colorful avocado salsa!

These vegetarian tacos were simply to die for.  I know I make it sound like EVERYTHING tastes really good (because I love food and everything about it), but this recipe deserves a round of applause all on its own.  Whenever I pour black beans and its sauce into a skillet to simmer with vegetables and spices, I am astounded by the results.  Simply astounded.

The recipe calls for wheat gluten or seitan, which I could not find so I substituted it with extra firm tofu.  The results were quite tasty.  High five for black beans and avocados!

Black Bean Tacos with Avocado Salsa

Okay it’s another one of those recipes that is a no-brainer… Again I almost feel incredibly silly posting this because fajitas are so common and so easy.  But I decided to post it anyway to remind YOU how easy, filling, and delicious veggie fajitas are!  Plus, you can use just about any veggie that you like, which also makes this meal incredibly versatile.

Whenever I make these, I am reminded of a long weekend I spent up in the Poconos with the Hanes.  Each meal that Cindy made was incredibly healthy, super easy to make, and soooooo yummy.  We all ate like royalty and yet it was all natural.  Awesome.

If you have some veggies that you would like to use up before they spoil, this is yet another recipe that is perfect for that.  )

Veggie Fajitas

Source: The Vegetarian Cookbook, p. 85

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 tsp of corn oil (I used olive oil)
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 bell peppers of any color, seeded and sliced
4 fresh green chilies, seeded and diced
2 tsp. chopped fresh cilantro
12 whole wheat tortillas
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottom skillet on low. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 5 minutes or until fragrant.

Stir in peppers, chilies, and cilantro, and cook for 10 minutes.  Stir occasionally.

Meanwhile, heat a separate, dry skillet over medium-high heat and heat tortillas for 30 seconds on each side.  Or just heat them in the microwave according to the package.  Cover them with foil or place in warmer drawer of oven until ready to serve.

Add the mushrooms to the veggie mixture and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.  Season with salt and pepper.

Divide veggies among the tortillas, roll them up and serve!

Clean?  What is clean food?

Eating clean simply means eating fresh, whole foods in their natural state.   The food is minimally processed and does not contain any additives or preservatives.   Fresh fruits and veggies, lean protein, whole grains and legumes are all a part of eating clean.

I purchased an incredible cookbook: The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook by Dr. Lisa Hark, PhD, RD.  It is FILLED with wonderful clean versions of our favorite dishes.  If you’re looking for a way to eat without feeling deprived or famished, I suggest you look at this cookbook.  All of the meals are beautifully presented, flavorful, natural and filling.  Nothing frustrates me more than feeling starved after a meal.  This isn’t the case here!

Jay and I have a thing for ethnic food – African, Thai, Middle Eastern, you name it!  The only problem is that going out all the time gets expensive, and I would much rather make my own meals so I know what is in them.

Dr. Hark included a Pad Thai recipe that looked very light and figure-friendly.  We LOVE pad thai so I wanted to give this a try.  After making the sauce, I was initially put-off because it didn’t taste super delicious.  I felt the sauce had too much concentrated tomato flavor that overpowered it.   But I was determined to make it work since I had done all the legwork for it already.  And you know what?  It turned out pretty good!  I used about a 1/3 of the sauce that the recipe calls for, which I think was a smart move.  Personally, I have never tasted pad thai like this before, but I know what I have eaten in the past was very bad for me.

I enjoyed this meal.  I wouldn’t give myself a high-five or anything… I would give it a 3 out of 5, but next time I will use less tomato paste and I think that will do the trick!

Clean Pad Thai

Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook, p. 266

Serves 8

Ingredients:

8 oz. rice noodles, flat
1 Tbs. canola oil
2 cloves garlic, passed through garlic press
2 cups shredded savoy cabbage
2 thick carrots, peeled and cut into thin slices
5 egg whites, lightly beaten
3 cups bean sprouts
1 cup thinly sliced zucchini
1 cup green onions, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish

Sauce:

3 Tbs. rice wine vinegar or rice vinegar
2-3 Tbs. tomato paste (original recipe calls for 1/4 cup)
2 Tbs. reserved noodle water
2 Tbs. unsulfured molasses
2 Tbs. low sodium soy sauce

Directions:

Cover rice noodles with boiling water in a ceramic bowl.  Read directions on container to determine length of time.

Drain, reserving 2 Tbs. of noodle water

In a small bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients.  Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Stir in garlic, cabbage, and carrot.  Stir-fry for 5 minutes.

Make a well in the middle of the pan and scramble the egg whites.

Add noodles and sauce and cook for 5 minutes.

Add bean sprouts, zucchini and green onions and cook to heat through.

Remove from heat, garnish with cilantro, and serve.

Since I’ve started this blog, I have completely neglected my cookbooks.   They have remained in the cabinet above my oven for weeks – if not months – without a single disturbance.  It’s been so long that there are cookbooks in there that I swear I have never seen before.  I’m sorry, cookbooks!  How could I neglect you for so long?!

Even though my non-meat eating ways are quite new, I have always taken interest in vegetarian cuisine.  Mind you, I’m not a vegetarian.  I still have it in me to eat fish.  I can’t give up my salmon or shrimp… that’s just NOT going to happen.  I also consume dairy and eggs so I think the proper term is “pescatarian”.  My friend Becca introduced me to that term.   I feel a little strange using “pescatarian”.  I don’t know… am I really going to give up meat forever?   We shall see )

So anyway, I climbed up to my cookbook cabinet (I’m slightly over 5 feet tall and the cabinet is about as high as you can get in my kitchen) and went through my vegetarian cookbooks.  My fruit and veggie drawers were becoming quite bare so I had to find a recipe that was flexible in terms of what foods went into it.  Yep – it’s time to throw what I have in a meal again!

That’s when I came across Vegetable and Coconut Curry in  The Vegetarian Cookbook.  I have vegetables, I have spices, and I randomly have coconut milk in my kitchen.  Awesome!

This recipe pretty much tells you to unleash your veggie drawer into the dish.  It’s a great way to get rid of the nearly sprouting potatoes and frozen green beans that have been in the freezer for too long.  It also calls for tumeric, coriander, and cumin, which make curry.  If you have curry already in your spice cabinet, then by all means go for it.  I had it, but I didn’t want to use it all up so I stuck with the recipe on this one.

As I was preparing it I was reminded of a Moroccan Platter I made so I threw in chickpeas for amusement.  I need protein, right?

I served the vegetables on top of brown rice but cous cous would be great, too!

Vegetable and Coconut Curry

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 onion, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1-inch piece of fresh gingerroot, thinly sliced
2 fresh green chilies, seeded and finely chopped
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 tsp. ground tumeric
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 lb mixed vegetables (such as broccoli, potatoes, green beans, cauliflour, carrots, zucchini), cut into bite sized chinks
1 c. coconut milk or cream
sea salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish
1 Tbs. shredded coconut, for garnish (optional)
freshly cooked rice or cous cous, to serve

Directions:

(If you have frozen vegetables that will be thawed and cooked already, please take note that your meals will take a lot less cooking time.)

Put the onion, garlic, ginger, and chilies in a food processor and process until almost smooth.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottom pan over medium-low heat, add the onion mixture, and cook, stirring constantly for 5 minutes.

Add the tumeric, coriander, and cumin (or just curry powder), stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes.

Add vegetables and stir to coat.

Add the coconut milk or cream to the vegetables, cover, and let simmer for 30-40 minutes until the vegetables are tender.   If your vegetables are already cooked then it will only take about 10 minutes.

Season to taste wtih salt and pepper, garnish wtih cilantro and coconut.  Serve with rice.

I have officially found my absolute favorite spice.

For years I have favored the all-purpose spice due to its versatility and taste.  But that’s boring.  Of course it’s versatile – it’s ALL-PURPOSE.

My husband loves any food that is  “chipotle-esque” so I when I came across Chipotle Chile Pepper in the grocery store I figured it was a worth-while purchase.  Little did I know that it would become MY number one.  It’s not too spicy – in fact, I would go as far to say it’s not spicy at all.  If you have a very senstive palette then you may feel a little heat, but you can still consume it and taste your meal afterward ;o)   It has a nice smoky kick to it, which is why I enjoy it so much.  McCormick, one of the spice powerhouses in the baking aisle, makes it so it’s easy to find.

I tend to throw whatever I have in the fridge into my meals, and this dish was no different.  I am often inspired by recipes and then tweak them so I don’t have to travel alllll the way to the store to retrieve the ingredients.  (I live out in the country so the nearest grocery store is 20 minutes.)

I was quite pleased with the results.  One can never be too sure how dinner will taste when it’s an improvisation.  This one is a keeper!

Chipotle Chile and Bubbly Swiss Casserole
Source: 101 Cookbooks

(Serves

Ingredients:

Extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 pound short, whole wheat pasta
sea salt
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1/2 – 1 c. bell pepper (any color), chopped  (Yep, I’m still trying to use up my big bag of peppers!)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cups well-chopped fresh spinach
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds, lightly toasted
zest of 2 lemons
1-1/2 tsp. chipotle chile pepper
8 ounces swiss, shredded (more wouldn’t hurt if you are a cheese fanatic like me)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter/oil a large casserole dish or baking pan – something roughly equivalent to 13×9-inch pan.

Boil the pasta in salted water per package instructions. Drain pasta, toss with a glug of olive oil. Set aside.

In the meantime, heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high. Saute the onions and peppers with a couple pinches of salt for a few minutes (or if you want a bit more depth of flavor until caramelized).  Stir in garlic. Stir in spinach. Cook for just about 20 seconds, until the spinach collapses a bit.

Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the almonds and 1/2 of the zest. Add to pasta, add the chile pepper and stir and stir – mixing extremely well, a minute or so.

Now sprinkle the bottom of baking dish with the rest of the zest. Add a layer of the pasta to the bottom of the baking pan, now sprinkle with some of the cheese, add more pasta, then more cheese. Finish with a layer of cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until cheese on top is bubbly and melty. Serve sprinkled with the remaining almonds.