Where you are always allowed to play with your food!
Hope you are having a terrific Tuesday! Here is a quick dinner I made for myself that is both healthy and indulgent. I added some of my oven roasted chicken (3/4 chopped breast), 2 boiled eggs, and 3 slices of chopped bacon on top of a generous serving of spinach. I topped with a few croutons and a tablespoon or so of dressing.
Another favorite for dinner tonight! 2 thumbs up from everyone! I have tons of basil in my garden, so I wanted to make a pesto of some sort. I also discovered a carton of mushrooms that needed some love. Here is what I came up with!
Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta with Mushrooms
Ingredients
4-5 chicken thighs cut up in to bite sized pieces.
1 small carton of mushrooms, sliced
1 box Ziti noodles
1-2 cups Alfredo sauce
1/3 cup of Pesto
Alfredo- 1 jar of Alfredo (I like Classico Light Creamy Alfredo) OR you could make your own- Melt 1/2 cup of butter and then stir in 2 cups of heavy cream. Cook for 6-8 minutes. Add 1 cup of Parmesan cheese. Add until mixed through.
Pesto- 1/3 of your favorite jarred pesto OR make your own. This time I did since I have plenty in my garden.
Ingredients and directions- .
2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup grated cheese- I combine Parmesan and Pecorino Romano
Combine basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, and nuts in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Blend to a smooth paste.
Directions
Add your chicken and mushrooms to a hot skillet with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Brown your chicken and let your mushrooms cook down, about 8-10 minutes. Cook pasta. Add Alfredo sauce to chicken and mushrooms. Add in your pesto a little bit at a time. When your pasta still has a bite, add it to the sauce. Mix well. This is a creamy sauce, but if you think it seems too thick, add in a ladle or 2 of starchy pasta water or maybe even more cream sauce or pesto. Cook until combined.
I also made some quick garlic toast. I added 3 tablespoons of butter with 3 cloves minced garlic (used garlic press). I spread the bread with the garlic butter and put them in the oven on broil. So good!
Good afternoon! I hope everyone had a great day. Last night I was trying to think of something to make for lunch with the leftovers in my fridge. I spied some leftover Alfredo noodles and a bunch of veggies.
So I prepped the veggies and sauteed them in a couple tablespoons of olive oil with plenty of salt and pepper.
I started cooking 1 onion-chopped, 2 carrots- sliced, 3 stalks of celery-sliced, and 1/2 container of sliced mushrooms, about 15 minutes. Then I added some cooked shelled edamame and 2 handfuls of spinach to warm the peas and wilt the spinach, about 5 minutes. Last, I added in the pasta (already cooked with the Alfredo Sauce- or use jarred if you have it).
Homemade Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
1 stick butter
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups freshly grated Parmesan
Pasta cooking water, as needed
Directions
In a saucepan or skillet, warm the butter and cream. Season with salt and pepper. Add the Parmesan and stir until melted. Toss to combine, thinning with pasta water if needed.
If it needs more sauce, you can add more heavy cream, butter and Parm. Or even a little olive oil will do.
If you ever wondered how you cut and eat a pomegranate, here is a helpful guide for you.
I cut the fruit in half down the middle. Then over a large bowl, I break apart the fruit with my fingers and begin to separate the seeds from the pith. It is actually quite easy and very therapeutic. You will be amazed how many little seeds are in a single fruit. Even Lizzie pitched in. She had a great time!
What is a persimmon? Well, it is an edible fruit that resembles a tomato and has very sweet flesh. I kind of think it tastes like a cross between a peach, apple, and tomato. So yummy! I saw some at the store and picked up a couple. I researched recipes and decided that I wanted to add one of mine to a salad. It was so yummy! I mixed a chopped salad with kale, radicchio, celery, mushrooms, beets, chickpeas, red pepper, and persimmons. I topped it with homemade balsamic dressing (recipe below).
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
3 cloves crushed,chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup Olive Oil
Directions
In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper until salt is combined. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until well blended. I made mine in a mason jar for easy mixing.
So yesterday I bought a beautiful eggplant at the farmer’s market. I was thinking of what I could do with it; parmesan, rollatini, pasta, lasagna, etc. I was researching online to see what else was out there. Apparently, there are tons of ways to prepare eggplant. I kept seeing tons of different recipes for dips.
Babaganush is a eggplant dip served in many greek and mediterranean dishes. I have had it many times before, but I have never made it. Traditionally, it calls for tahini paste. Tahini is made from sesame seeds that are soaked in water and then crushed to separate the bran from the kernels. The crushed seeds are soaked in salt water, causing the bran to sink. The floating kernels are skimmed off the surface, toasted, and ground to produce an oily paste. Fun fact for the day!
Anyways, I didn’t have any tahini paste handy, and I did not want to make a special trip to the store to buy any, so I improvised with what I had. I ended up adding more olive oil and some red wine vinegar. I only used 1 eggplant here and ate half of this dip in one sitting with some carrots and pita chips. I would say one eggplant for every 2 people if you have a bunch of eggplant lovers. I also LOVE garlic, so I added 2 cloves. You can certainly use less or sub garlic powder for less intense garlic flavor.
Roasted Eggplant Dip- serves 2
1 eggplant- cut in half, salt and pepper, and add plenty of olive oil. Cook in a 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes. Let it cool.
Scoop out your eggplant filling. The skin should easily peel off. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar, and 2 garlic cloves finely minced. You could even pulse this all in a mini-food processor if you wish. I added a shake of Mrs. Dash.
Serve with chips, veggies, or crusty bread. You could even use this as a spread on a sandwich. If you like eggplant, you will love this dish!
Fun Foodie Family 