One Pot Wonder- Tomato Basil Pasta

This is a pretty cool way to cook pasta without having to wait for the water to boil.  A lot of time it's hard to find a spaghetti sauce that is so great that you love every drop when eating it.  This recipe makes your noodles so flavorful and you can really make any combo of ingredients to throw in the pot.

Recipe from Apron Strings. Serves 4 to 6 as an entree
1 box 12-13 ounces linguine pasta (I used whole wheat)
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes with liquid (she recommended zesty red pepper flavor, I used plain)
1 large sweet onion, cut in julienne strips (we left it out and it was still tasty, but I'd add it if you like onions)
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
2 large sprigs basil, chopped (I used dried basil, but if you have fresh, use it)
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth (regular broth and NOT low sodium)

Handful of Kale
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan cheese for garnish

 Place pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, in a large stock pot. Pour in vegetable broth. Sprinkle on top the pepper flakes and oregano. Drizzle top with oil. This was before I squished it all down so the liquid was covering the noodles.  I also broke the noodles in half so they would fit better.

Cover pot and bring to a boil. This is when I added in the kale, I didn't want to add it too soon, but it tasted great in there.  Reduce to a low simmer and keep covered and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so. Cook until almost all liquid has evaporated – I left about an inch of liquid in the bottom of the pot – but you can reduce as desired . Mine took about 20 minutes for the liquid to evaporate instead of the 10 she says so keep an eye on it. I also turned the heat off and let it soak up more at the end.

 Season to taste with salt and pepper , stirring pasta several times to distribute the liquid in the bottom of the pot. Serve garnished with parmesan cheese. Guess what- this was a meatless meal! Experiment with all the different things you can put in. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Friday Letters & Food Friday-Pesto Tortellini Salad

Dear Friday, I always seem to start out with Friday on these letters. It's a great day, because the weekend is almost here! We have a lot planned (as usual-I'm a planner), but it's nice to have a to-do list or I would seriously do nothing. On the list for the weekend: set up David's Moms' new Ipad they got her for mother's day, cars oil changed, get and put down pine straw, finish my embroidery projects, sort papers/old mail in the office, meal planning/grocery shopping, graduation party, pool party, drawing out plans for fence for HOA and of course playing with buddy. Dear David, Yay! Glad you are back in town, you were gone too long this week. Can't wait to see you.  Dear Max and Mom, I am jealous of your day you have planned. Kinsley is hanging with family today so Mom and Max are heading to play in the fountains, maybe the mall and lunch. Dear Blurb Blog Book, I am still working on you for my pregnancy book. It seems easy enough, but when they take 1 post and make it 10 pages, that isn't cool so now I have to go through and spend 30 mins per post and that is not fun, but it's necessary. I have got to get on this.

I had a lot of requests for me to put up this recipe after people saw it on instagram (follow me at Jens871). This recipe is a great main meal dish or would be great for a pot luck side.  They said to eat it cold, but who has time for that so we ate it warm and it was great. This recipe comes from Katies Cucina.

Ingredients
    1 package of refrigerated whole wheat tortellini (I used 2 and doubled recipe for leftovers for lunch)
    ½ bag of spinach (I used kale pieces)
    ¼ cup pesto from sauce aisle
    ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes
    ¼ cup artichoke hearts, drained and cut (get the non marinated kind)
    3 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
    ½ cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions
    In a large pot boil water and cook tortellini according to directions. During the last 30 seconds of cooking add the spinach and wilt. Drain the pasta and spinach and place in a large bowl.
    In a small saute pan toast the pine nuts until they are golden brown then set to the side. This step is a must, I know it's easier if you don't do it, but it doesn't take long and really does make a difference taste wise.
    In the large bowl with the tortellini and spinach add the pesto, sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, toasted pine nuts, and grated parmesan cheese. Mix well until incorporated. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and serve cold. Remember, if you are pressed for time, this is really a simple weeknight meal that can be eaten warm and was delicious! One thing that is also great about this, it's meatless and filling!

Green Fruit Smoothie

As the new year gets underway I know a lot of people have been trying to eat healthier (our family included) so I wanted to share this smoothie recipe that we've been enjoying. I adapted the recipe a little from Whole Food Mommies (great site if you haven't been). The proportion sizes of all the fruits/veggies you put in will vary depending on your blender. I used our magic bullet, but the bigger container (but it's not the size of a full blender) so keep that in mind. The one on Whole Food Mommies is a HUGE blender so I basically cut the recipe in half.

Green Fruit Smoothie-
1/2- 3/4 cup red grapes
1/4" slice of lemon, peel and all (you can leave this out if you don't have it, it can be a little strong if you use to much and make you want to add vodka to the smoothie. Then again that might not be a bad idea, kidding.)
1/4 of cup canned or fresh cut pineapple
1/2 of a banana (I freeze my banana halves and then just pop them in)
1 cup frozen fruit (I use strawberries, but the mixed bags would be great too)
1-2 TBSP of ground flax seed
1 cup of almond milk
Spinach- Fill the rest of your smoothie up with spinach

*A few notes: I also threw in fresh blueberries so you really can't go wrong with the fruits you are choosing. For a richer more nutrient dense smoothie you can use kale instead of spinach, I haven't been brave enough yet (I've never had kale). Don't be afraid of the color, depending on how much spinach you put in, it will be green. Put it in a cup that you can't see through if your mom kids refuse to try it.

I love that I can make a batch and have enough for me to put in a big cup to go, give some to Max and have some left for my mom (David leaves too early to share). You also get a lot of servings of fruit and veggies right at breakfast. It keeps me pretty full (about 2-3 hours or so) before I want another snack (I do munch on toast with it).

Flax seed is very good for you, there’s some evidence it may help reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. It has Omega-3 essential fatty acids, Lignans, which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities and fiber. Another interesting fact about flax seed that I just read was that it has been reported that 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed mixed into cereal, juice, or yogurt twice a day cut women's hot flashes in half.

Almond milk- This fortified beverage, made from almonds, has a surprisingly rich and creamy taste. Lower in calories and fat than regular cow's milk, it is high in vitamins, such as vitamin E. It also has just as much calcium as cow's milk. Here is an interesting article about the diff. types of milk out there. This has definitely peaked my interest in making my own almond milk and learning about kefir.

Spinach- Low in calories and high in vitamins, spinach is one of the most nutrient-dense foods in existence. One cup of the leafy green vegetable contains far more than your daily requirements of vitamin K and vitamin A. Read more.

Give it a try!

Roasted Asparagus Salad

I made this salad for Easter and it was too good not to share. I did forget the avocado, but it still tasted amazing. This recipe comes from tomatoes on the vine.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 lbs. fresh asparagus

1/2 cup olive oil, divided

1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1 head Bibb lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces

1 avocado, sliced

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Snap off and discard tough ends of asparagus; remove scales with a vegetable peeler, if desired.

2.  Stir together 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1-1/2 teaspoons chopped basil, 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl.

3.  Add asparagus to olive oil mixture, and toss gently to coat.  Place asparagus on a lightly greased baking sheet.

4.  Bake asparagus at 425 degrees F. for 13 to 15 minutes or to desired degree of tender ness.  Cool 10 minutes.

5.   Whisk together balsamic vinegar, garlic, and remaining 7 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon basil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

6.  Toss together tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, and 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar mixture.

7.  Arrange lettuce on individual serving plates or arrange pretty.  Top with tomato mixture and asparagus.  Add avocado just before serving.  Drizzle with remaining balsamic vinegar mixture.

Food Friday- Stuffed Zucchini

I decided to have some fridays as food recipe day as they aren't the most fun to read, but I still like to reference the blog for recipes.  This recipe is one of my favorites for the summer grilling season. It takes a little prep work inside before heading to the grill though. 

Grilled Stuffed Zucchini by Our Best Bites

Ingredients-

2 medium zucchini (about 10″)

4 oz Italian turkey sausage (1 link, I use 2 though)

1/4 C diced red onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium tomato (about 1/2 C diced)

1 1/2 T chopped fresh basil (or abt a teaspoon of dried)

2/3 C Italian cheese blend 

1 T Italian style bread crumbs

Directions-

Slice zucchini in half length wise, leaving the tops on. Scoop out the centers, saving them in a bowl. Leave at least 1/4 inch around the edges and bottoms. Take the good parts of the zucchini guts you just scooped out and dice up 1/2 C. This will go in your filling. Head over to OBB for a great tutorial on what this should look like, I failed to take a picture of this part. 

Drizzle the zucchini shells with a little olive oil and use your hands to rub it on all sides. Sprinkle with some kosher salt and black pepper and set aside.

Preheat your grill outside and then start your filling in a skillet on the stovetop. Start by browning the sausage. When you no longer see pink, add the onions, garlic, and diced zucchini. Cook for 2-3 minutes until onion is tender. Add tomato and basil, 1/4 t kosher salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

 Take your zucchini to the grill and put them hollow-side down (don't mind the sausage in the background, I used the others in the package to serve on the side with dinner).  Grill for about 5 minutes on medium heat. They should have nice charred marks and look tender on the inside.

Take them back inside. Add cheese and bread crumbs to filling mixture. Stir to combine and then divide the filling between the zucchini. Top each zucchini with about 1T cheese and sprinkle with 1/4-1/2 t bread crumbs. Lastly, give them a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Place them back on the grill (filling side up- please!) Close grill lid, and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Larger/thicker zucchini will obviously take longer to cook.

They really are very filling and delicious! 

Mango Quinoa Salad

I wanted to post this recipe before memorial weekend, but it got deleted by accident. This recipe is tasty as a main dish or a side and comes from Our Best Bites. Plus, it's super healthy and you can add grilled chicken or a side of salmon to make it more of a main dish.

Ingredients-

2 cups cooked quinoa at room temperature, or chilled (I used chicken broth to cook my quinoa and it gave a nice flavor)
1 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium mango, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced

4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 handful chopped cilantro (about 1/2 cup)
Dressing-

4 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper

Place cooked quinoa in a large bowl.  Add mango,

red pepper, green onion, black beans, and cilantro.

This dish has amazing presentation with all the bright colors. Perfect for summer!

In a small bowl combine vinegar, olive oil, and lime juice.  Whisk until smooth and pour on top of salad.  Toss to combine, add salt and pepper to taste. 

Chill for at least one hour before serving. You'll be the hit of the party if you bring this. Enjoy!

Memorial Weekend BBQ Potlucks- Memphis Style Coleslaw & Baked Beans

This weekend officially kicks off the barbecue season with memorial day. Although its been nice and toasty here, we've been bbq'ing since April. I had another recipe to add to this, but blogger decided to delete the photos when I pressed the undo button for something and now they are gone. That recipe will have to wait. I made these recipes for David's 30th Birthday.

Memphis-Style Coleslaw from Our Best Bites. This recipe is easy and delicious.

Ingredients-

1 c. mayonnaise 

2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 heaping tsp. Kosher salt

1 Tbsp. onion powder

2-2 1/2 tsp. celery seed (don't leave this out)
1 16-oz. bag shredded cabbage with carrots

1/2 minced green bell pepper

1 carrot, peeled and grated

Combine mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, sugar, salt, onion, and celery seed.

In a large bowl, combine shredded cabbage, carrots and green pepper.

Toss with dressing and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours. This stays good for a couple days if you want to make it ahead of time. 

The next bbq favorite is Southern Style Baked Beans from The Pioneer Woman. I am not a huge baked beans fan, but these are sweet tasting and amazing!
Ingredients-
8 slices bacon, halved (I used turkey bacon and didn't have a lot of the bacon grease that is needed, you can add a little olive oil if you want to make up for it)
1 medium onion, cut into small dice
1/2 medium green pepper, cut into small dice
3 large cans (28 ounces each) pork and beans
3/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup distilled or cider vinegar
 2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Fry bacon in large, deep sauté pan skillet until bacon has partially cooked and released about 1/4 cup drippings. Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towels. This is where I just added some extra olive oil since my turkey bacon didn't produce drippings.

Add onions and peppers to drippings in pan and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add beans and remaining ingredients bring to a simmer.

Pour flavored beans into a greased 13-by 9-inch (or similar size) ovenproof pan. Top with bacon, then bake until beans are bubbly and sauce is the consistency of pancake syrup, about 2 hours. Let stand to thicken slightly and serve. I don't have an after picture, but trust me when I say they taste amazing!

Hope everyone has a great memorial day weekend and thank you to all our troops!

Stuffed Green Peppers

This recipe is a good, healthy recipe from $5dinners. I would serve it with salad or bread to make it more filling.
Ingredients-
1 cup brown/white rice
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 cup cooked black beans
1 cup cooked red kidney beans
1 can or frozen bag of cooked corn
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
4 green peppers
Few pinchfuls of Shredded cheddar cheese

1. Cook the brown/white rice as directed on the package. 
2. To the cooked rice, add the chopped onions, diced tomatoes and green chilies, cooked black and kidney beans, corn, ground cumin and salt and pepper (to taste).

3. Slice the stem out of the top of the green pepper and place in a pot with boiling salt water for 5 minutes. Remove from water, slice into 4 sections per green pepper (sorta like a boat shape).

4. Top with a pinchful of shredded cheese. I used mozzarella, but it needed a bit more flavor so cheddar would be good.

5. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and is bubbly.

Homegrown Food

I picked my zucchini last week and wanted to show you what I made with it.

I was so nervous that it looked good from the outside, but not on the inside. So as soon as I cut it open and saw how great it looked I took a picture! It was normal!!

I also spotted this beauty in the garden! It's a cucumber and its growing so fast!

I also picked basil from the garden and made pesto! Here is a basic recipe that I used:

2 tablespoons pine nuts 

2 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves

1/2-1 cup (4 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 to 2 garlic cloves

1. Lightly toast pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until golden, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
2. In a food processor or blender combine basil, cheese, oil, pine nuts and garlic; whirl until pureed. If made ahead, cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before using.

We had fresh vegetables (including my zucchini) and tortellini with homemade pesto sauce. Mmmm Good.

Grill Roasted Corn and Tomato Salsa

I hope everyone had a great memorial weekend. We had a lot of bbq's, pool time and fun with friends. I'll post about some events soon. I wanted to share this amazing salsa recipe from Our Best Bites.
Grill-Roasted Corn and Tomato Salsa/Salad 
3-4 ears corn 
5-6 tomatoes, slightly firm 
3/4 C sliced green onions 
3/4 C chopped cilantro 
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (it's great without the beans too)
1/2 t cumin 
1/4-1/2 t Chipotle Chili Powder*
*(you can substitute 1/2 t chili powder + 1/4 t cayenne pepper)
kosher salt 
pepper 
2 limes 
2 avocados


Prepare grill and set to med heat.

Shuck corn. Lightly brush corn cobs and tomatoes with olive oil. You can put them all on a big tray and spread the oil around. Sprinkle them all with salt and pepper. 

Place corn and tomatoes directly on the grill. Turn them periodically. I also put a couple of chicken breasts on with a jerk seasoning (lawrys).

The tomatoes will be done first, and it doesn't take long. They should be plump with the skins just starting to split. Be careful not to over cook tomatoes or they will be mushy and fall apart (but if that does happen, no worries, they still taste good!). They should be slightly firm to the touch still.

The corn will take a little longer. Anywhere from 5-10 minutes. Just keep turning and you'll see the kernels becoming vibrant yellow indicating they've cooked.

While the corn and tomatoes are cooking, combine everything except for the lime juice and avocados in a bowl so it's all ready. 

Remove corn and tomatoes from grill. You can remove the skins from your tomatoes if you want, or leave them on. Remove corn from cobs and chop tomatoes. David is doing a great job by demonstrating this step.

Add them to the bowl and combine. The hot veggies will warm everything up. 

Add the diced avocado and lime juice last of all and toss to combine.

You can eat it like this as a dip or you can make it more of a meal. 

I chopped up the grilled jerk chicken and made it into nachos (minus the cheese). 

It was fantastic and great for parties or dinners at home.  

Grilled Lemon Tilapia with Asparagus

I thought I'd post this recipe before the memorial weekend holiday. If you are doing some grilling and like fish, then you will love this recipe. It has a great flavor to it with the lemons. Here is what you need:

Ingredients-

5 lemons, divided into 4 slices per lemon

1/2 cup  KRAFT Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing or any you can find, my store never carries it in Kraft

4 firm-textured fish fillets (we only did 2 for us) (1 lb.), such as cod, tilapia (I used this) or salmon

1 lb.  asparagus, trimmed

Directions-
SQUEEZE juice from 1 lemon; mix with dressing. Pour half the dressing mixture over fish in shallow glass dish; turn fish over to coat both sides of each fillet. Refrigerate 15 min. to marinate. Refrigerate remaining dressing mixture for later use.

MEANWHILE, heat grill to medium heat. Cut each of the remaining lemons into 4 slices. Remove fish from marinade; discard marinade. Place 8 lemon slices on grill grate or enough to hold each fish;

Top your lemon slices with fish. Brush with some of the remaining dressing mixture. Cover grill with lid.

GRILL fish 5 min.; turn over onto the same lemon slices again

Add remaining lemon slices and asparagus to grill. We put them on foil so they wouldn't fall through and brushed with some extra dressing. Grill 5 min. or until fish flakes easily with fork and asparagus is crisp-tender, brushing occasionally with the remaining dressing mixture. Remove fish, lemon slices and asparagus from grill. Discard lemon slices under fish. Serve remaining lemon slices with fish and asparagus.

We just had a big sale on cucumbers so I made a cucumber salad. It was just sliced up peeled cucumber and added some Italian dressing.

Hope everyone has a great, relaxing Memorial Weekend! What are your plans for the weekend?