Pesto Pasta

There is just something about a simple pesto pasta.  

Flavorful, yet light, easy to make, yet complex flavor.

LOVE LOVE LOVE Pesto!

This is mostly the same as any pesto recipe, except it uses walnuts instead of pine nuts.

I couldn't really tell much of a difference, but it was good all the same. 

The nice addition of lemon juice added a bright taste also.

Whole wheat pasta made for a healthier version of this classic, of course you could always just use while pasta if you are feeling indulgent. 

ENJOY!

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Lighter Pesto

S&P

8oz whole wheat spaghetti

Lighter pesto (recipe below)

fresh basil leaves, torn for garnish (optional)

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti until al dente.  Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, drain pasta and return to pot.

Toss pasta with pesto, adding reserved pasta water a little at a time to create a thin sauce that coats spaghetti (you may not need all the water). Season with salt and pepper.  Serve immediately, garnished with basil if desired.

Lighter Pesto

3 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves (2oz)

3 T walnut pieces

3 T grated parmesan cheese

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 T fresh lemon juice

3 T water

S&P

3 T olive oil

In a food processor, combine basil, walnuts, parmesan, garlic, lemon juice, and the water; season with S&P.  Puree until a paste forms.

  

With motor running, add oil in a thin stream.  Process until very smooth, about 1 minute.  

Pesto can be refrigerated in an airtight container, with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface to prevent discoloration, up to 3 days.  Or freeze in an airtight container up to 6 months.

Logan Rating: ****

Chicken Pasta Salad

Somehow, all the 'in progress' photos from this meal were deleted.  Don't ask me how, but they are gone.  So this is what you get, just finished product photos. Luckily this is an easy recipe, so the photos of the process are really quite unnecessary anyway. 

This is a cold chicken pasta salad, which is actually quite good warmed as well...so you can eat it either way, whichever your taste buds prefer more.

I liked it cold, Logan liked it hot...you choose.

This recipe calls for greek yogurt (which is what makes it lighter than your average pasta salad), and as I went to grab the Greek yogurt from the fridge I realized I made an epic mistake while grocery shopping.  Aren't those the worst kinds of mistakes, really?

Instead of plain yogurt I bought vanilla!!!!!!!! EPIC FAIL!

You can't put vanilla yogurt in a pasta salad!

So after grieving for a minute and attempting to ask a neighbor to save me, I put on my big girl pants, sucked it up and began to think of a solution.

It was about 6pm and this meal had to be finished before Logan left for work at 6:45pm (he works nights).  So a trip to the store was out of the question.

After almost settling with mayonnaise, because I just couldn't think of anything else I saw the ricotta cheese.  I mixed some ricotta with a little bit of 2% milk and it had a very similar texture and consistency as yogurt. SUCCESS! 

And to my surprise it actually tasted really good too!

I plan to someday make this recipe as it was intended to be made, but for now I will just bask in the glory of my success. 

Try it with yogurt!  Don't buy vanilla!  And let me know!

ENJOY!

Pasta Salad with Chicken, Raisins, and almonds

2 T unblanched almonds

1 lb boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves

S&P

8oz whole wheat penne or other short pasta

1 cup plain low fat yogurt

1/2 cup golden raisins (optional, but highly recommended)

1/2 cup coarsely chopped parsley (I can't believe I actually used parsley)

1 T finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 T fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350.  Spread almonds on a rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until darkened, tossing once or twice, 10-12 min.  Let cool, then coarsely chop.

Place chicken in a large saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil, season with salt and reduce to a bare simmer.  Cover and cook 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let chicken stand, covered, until cooked through, 12-14 min more.  Remove chicken from liquid.  When cool enough to handle, shred into bite size pieces.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente according to package directions.  Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water.  Drain pasta then rinse under cold water to stop the cooking, drain well.

In a large bowl, stir together pasta, chicken, yogurt, raisins (if using), parsley, almonds, and lemon zest and juice.  Thin sauce with reserved pasta water if necessary.  Season with S&P.  

Serve chilled or at room temp.

Serves 4.

It is all I can do most days to keep my cat (Olive) from jumping into my photo shoots and eating all the food on the plate. -pictured above

Logan Rating: ***

Pastitsio...revisited

If you've never tried this classic Greek dish, you are really missing out.  It is truly delicious!

So remember that, when I tell you that in this spaghetti casserole-like dish there is both nutmeg and cinnamon...STOP...don't run scared.  It is seriously SO GOOD!

It has that perfect sweet and savory combo going on.

It is really quick to throw together AND you could put it all together the night before and then throw it in the oven right before it is time to eat.  Nothing better than a easy, delicious meal that can feed a crowd and make them all happy!

There is a different version of this that I already blogged about, but this one is definitely the one I prefer, even though I don't think its quite as traditional.  

This particular recipe comes from "Take out Tonight", which is actually a a Weight Watchers cookbook, but you definitely wouldn't know it by how amazing all the food is!

Let me know what think, I've yet to meet someone who doesn't like this tasty meal.

ENJOY!

Pastitsio

3 cups reduced fat milk

1/4 cup cornstarch

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

8 T grated Parmesan cheese

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 pound spaghetti

1 T olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3/4 lb lean ground sirloin

1 lb plum tomatoes, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a 7x11 in baking dish with nonstick spray; set aside.

To make the white sauce, combine milk, cornstarch, and eggs in a large saucepan.   Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thickened, 7-9 min.  (Warning: it doesn't get that thick, so don't think it will change drastically in consistency, should just coat the back of a spoon.)

Remove from the heat and stir in 6 T Parm, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper and nutmeg; cover and set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add spaghetti and cook according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.

To make the filling, heat a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Swirl in the oil, then add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, 4-6 min.  Add the sirloin and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, 5-6 min.  Stir in the tomatoes, garlic, cinnamon, and the remaining 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper.  Cook, stirring often, until liquid from the tomatoes evaporates, 4-5 minutes. 

Arrange half of the cooked spaghetti in an even layer on the bottom of the baking pan.  Top with the filling, then top with the remaining spaghetti.  Spread the white sauce evenly over the spaghetti.  Sprinkle sauce with the remaining 2 T Parm.  Bake until top is golden, 30-35 min.  Cool at least 5 min.

Serves 8.

Logan Rating: ****

King Style Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

I use a recipe for just about everything I make.  I don't know why.  I guess I'm just not confident in my inventive skills.  But maybe I should be...because this version of spaghetti squash lasagna was pretty divine!

I had a spaghetti squash as well as a lot of other hodgepodge things that I thought could maybe go into a lasagna...so voila spaghetti squash lasagna.  This is actually one of our favorite things here in the King household, when the garden is exploding with Squash, you have to get creative on how to use  it. 

You can add in or take things out to your liking, it will be tasty no matter what, I promise.

Usually I do not put lasagna noodles in this dish because well it is supposed to be low carb, but because I only had one spaghetti squash that was not very big I added some noodles to bulk up the dish a little.

You could substitute another spaghetti squash for the noodles, easily.  

Ok now to try to remember all that I put into it...

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna, King style

2 cups cooked, roasted spaghetti squash

1-2 cups marinara sauce

1/2 cup part skim ricotta 

S&P

two handfuls of arugula (or spinach)

uncooked lasagna noodles for layering (however many fit in your pan)

hot peppers (jarred) for layering

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

2 T fresh oregano for layering

Preheat the oven to 375.

Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of your baking dish.  Top that with half of the cooked spaghetti squash and a handful of arugula.  Layer the lasagna noodles on top of the arugula.

Mix the ricotta and parm in a bowl, seasoning with S&P.  Then spread half of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles (I use the back of a spoon).  

Layer the hot peppers and oregano and then top with more sauce.  Repeat the layering process once more and then top with the mozzarella. 

Cover with foil and bake 15-20 min, until cheese is starting to bubble.  Remove foil and cook for another 5-10 minutes until cheese is slightly browned.

Logan Rating: ***

Roasted Vegetable Pasta

Finally, I'm sharing a recipe for the challenge with you, first time in a LONG time.

Some of you may not even know what this blog was originally about, but essentially I was trying to cook entirely through the 2 cookbooks that are pictured above. 

After a while I was getting extremely bored and for my sanity had to start cooking from other cookbooks, blogs, magazines, etc. 

This week I decided to go back to the roots of this blog, so I do have some recipes to share with you that actually count towards my tally (which is at the top of the blog), and this is one of them.

A delicious pairing of roasted summer vegetables and a simple pasta "sauce" which consists of butter and parmesan, really can you go wrong?

It was definitely not the most amazing pasta I've ever tried, but it was fresh and easy and made my taste buds happy :)  

Have a surplus of veggies in your garden, here is the answer, let me know what you think!

ENJOY!

Pasta with Roasted Summer Vegetables and Basil

4 summer squash (about 2 lbs), halved lengthwise if large, sliced crosswise 1in thick

2 pints grape or cherry tomatoes

2 red onion, halved lengthwise and slice 1/2 in thick

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1/4 cup olive oil

S&P

8 oz short pasta, such as campanelle or fusilli

2 T unsalted butter

1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

1 cup firmly packed torn fresh basil leaves

Preheat oven to 450.  Divide squash, tomatoes, onions and garlic between two large rimmed baking sheets.  Drizzle with oil, and season with S&P; toss to coat and spread evenly.

Roast (without tossing) until tender and starting to brown, 30-40 min.

Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to a boil; add a generous amount of salt.  Cook pasta until al dente according to package directions.  Drain and return to the pot.

Add roasted vegetables, butter, parmesan and basil to the pot; season with S&P.

Toss gently with pasta to combine.  Reheat over medium-low if necessary before serving.

Serves 4.

No Bake Lasagna

Whoever was the first person to think of this was/is a genius!

I am obviously not the only person that craves lasagna in the summer time, but can't bring myself to turn on the oven when its 96 degrees.

Ok so sometimes, VERY RARELY I am the crazy person that turns my oven on when its 90+degrees, BUT this recipe makes it so I don't have to.

It is essentially lasagna that is assembled after all its parts are cooked.

GENIUS!

So you cook the noodles, you make an absolutely delightful grape tomato mixture along with zucchini and then you layer them together with some ricotta and parm.

Now, you can't tell me your mouth isn't watering...

I will admit it is a bit more difficult to stack than I had anticipated, but nonetheless, I succeeded and really it doesn't need to look pretty it just needs to taste amazing, and it doesn't disappoint there.

You will love this!

ENJOY!

No-Bake Summer Lasagna

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

3 T grated Parmesan cheese

3 T plus 2tsp olive oil

S&P

8 lasagna noodles, broken in half crosswise

1 garlic clove, minced

2 pints grape tomatoes, halved

2 medium zucchini, ,thinly sliced

2 T torn fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish

In a small bowl, combine ricotta, Parmesan and 2 tsp oil; season with S&P.  

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook noodles until al dente according to package instructions; drain.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 T oil over med-high heat.  Add garlic, and tomatoes; season with s&p. Cook stirring until beginning to soften, about 3 min.  Transfer tomatoes to a bowl.  Add remaining 1 T oil and the zucchini to skillet; season with s&p.

Cook stirring until zucchini are tender, about 5 min.  Transfer to another bowl and stir in basil.

Divide one third of the tomatoes among four plates; top each with a noodle half and small spoonfulls of ricotta, zucchini and more tomatoes.  Repeat with remaining noodles and tomatoes. 

Serves 4.

I served this with some homemade 

Sourdough garlic cheesy bread

Basically cut a loaf of sourdough in half lengthwise.  Mix together about 2 T butter, 1 tsp minced garlic, S&P, 1T Parmesan and 1 tsp chives.

Spread this mixture on the bread and bake at 425 until cheese is melted and slightly browned.

Cut into slices and serve.

Logan Rating: ****

Chicken Salad with a TWIST

In our house, you can almost never go wrong with any kind of curry dish.

To say my husband loves curry would be an understatement, I'm pretty sure he would trade me in any day someone who made Indian food on a daily basis.  

So every once in a while, I indulge him, mainly because I love curry too!

This was a wonderful twist on a traditional chicken salad, which might I add my husband does not like.

Seriously, I'm telling you, I could add curry to ANYTHING and he would eat it.

This is a pasta salad, so it makes a delicious lunch on its own, but leave out the pasta and you could make wraps/sandwiches out of this wonderful chicken salad. 

The raisins add a perfect sweetness and the celery adds just the best crunch.

Don't forget to toast the almonds, it makes all the difference.

You guys would be crazy not to try this and then let me know what you think....

ENJOY!

Curried Chicken Pasta Salad

1/2 cup mayo

1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream

1/2 cup half and half (I used fat free and it was still awesome)

2 T lemon juice

2 T brown sugar

3 T curry powder, more or less to taste ( I used 3 T)

S&P to taste

2 cups shredded or diced cooked chicken

2-3 celery stalks, chopped

3 green onions, sliced (white and light green parts only)

3/4 cup regular or golden raisins

1/2 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted in a small skillet until golden brown

6oz bow tie pasta, cooked and drained

small handful of fresh dill, minced

Mix together mayo, yogurt or sour cream, half and half, lemon juice, brown sugar and curry powder.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, celery, green onions, raisins, almonds, dill and pasta.

Pour the curry dressing over all ingredients.

Toss to combine.  Chill if needed.

Serves 8-10.

(I halved the recipe and we still have tons leftover!)

Spring/Summer Pasta

Here I am again, blogging after a ridiculously long hiatus. 

I will skip the apology and get right to the food.

Happy summer to everyone, the weather is FINALLY cooperating here in MT.

So we have been doing lots and lots of grilling on our new grill.

And I have completely been neglecting my camera and you guys.

So my goal will be to stop being so lazy and get back to ya'll and this blogging world.

Starting with this delicious summery light pasta.

Check it out, try it for yourself and leave me a comment.

Thanks for reading!

ENJOY!

Spaghetti with Frisee and fried egg

(I subbed spinach for frisee)

S&P

8oz spaghetti

8oz bacon (8strips), cut into 1 inch pieces

1 large head frisee, coarsely chopped

2 T sherry vinegar

4 large eggs

grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente according to package instructions.  Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water; drain pasta and transfer to a large bowl. 

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, about 7 min, pouring off and reserving rendered fat halfway through.

With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain.

Add frisee to skillet and season with S&P.  Cook, stirring until frisee just begins to wilt, 1-2 min. 

Stir in vinegar and transfer to bowl with pasta. 

Add reserved pasta water and toss to combine. 

Return skillet to med heat and add reserved bacon fat.  Working in two batches, fry eggs until whites are just set and edges are golden brown, about 2 min. 

Season with S&P.  Serve pasta topped with bacon, Parm and fried egg.

Serves 4.

Logan Rating: ***