Zesty Artichoke Basil Sauce

I received this recipe from a friend and she told me I would love it. Boy was she right! It was even a hit with my 3 and 1 year old. This is a great meal for those busy days when you don't have much time to cook. It took less than 30 minutes to cook. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
16 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained with marinade reserved
1 cup silvered onion
1 large garlic clove, minced
14.5 oz. diced tomatoes, undrained
6 oz  tomato paste
1 cup water
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. In 2.5 qt. saucepan, heat reserved artichoke marinade. Cook and stir onion and garlic in marinade for 2-3 minutes until tender. Chop artichoke hearts, add to onion mixture with tomatoes with juice, tomato paste, water, basil and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered 15-20 minutes.

2. While sauce simmers, cook pasta according to package directions.

3. Serve sauce over pasta and Enjoy!

Taco Pizza

Super Easy and Super Yummy!

Made this for dinner tonight and I loved it. I like that is a cheap dinner to make and meatless. I try to incorporate 2 meatless meals a week for dinner. Sometimes I am able to do it and sometimes not so much. I made the pizza dough from scratch but you can easily make this with store bought dough. Sometimes Publix has them on sale for $1.99. 

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon Active Dry Yeast

1-½ cup Warm Water

4 cups All-purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

⅓ cups Olive Oil

15 oz can Black Beans

1 teaspoon Taco Seasoning

1 cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar

1 cup Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

1 head Green Leaf Lettuce, Sliced/shredded Thin

1 whole Tomatoes, Diced

½ cups Cilantro Leaves

¼ cups Sour Cream

Directions:

1. Make the pizza dough: Mix yeast with warm water and set aside for 8 to 10 minutes. Mix flour, salt, and olive oil in a mixing bowl. With speed on low, drizzle in yeast/water mixture. Allow to mix until totally combined. Cover bowl with a towel and set bowl in a warm, draft-free place. Allow to rise for 1 to 2 hours.

2. Pour black beans into a saucepan. Add taco seasoning to taste and heat up beans over medium-low heat. Use a potato masher to mash the beans to desired texture. Continue cooking/heating beans over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until no longer runny. Should be the texture of refried beans. Set aside.

3. Place oven rack in the bottom position in the oven. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

4. Remove half the pizza dough from the bowl. Place remaining half in a large plastic bag and refrigerate, saving for another use. With hands, spread pizza dough on an oiled baking sheet, making sure it’s relatively thin. Spread layer of refried beans all over pizza crust. Sprinkle mixed shredded cheeses over the top. Place pan in the oven (in the bottom half of the oven) and bake for 9 to 12 minutes. Watch it to make sure crust doesn’t burn.

5. Remove pizza from oven. Sprinkle on shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and cilantro leaves.

With a spoon or you can put it in a pastry bag (or make your own out of a sandwich bag), drizzle the sour cream over finished pizza. 

Adapted from the Pioneer Woman.

Linguine with Eggplant

Ingredients:
2 eggplants (about 2 pounds)
1 pound linguine pasta
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
One 14.5 oz can chopped tomatoes
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pierce the eggplants all over, place on a baking sheet and cook until very soft about 1 hour. Let cool slightly, then cut each eggplant in half and scoop the flesh into a bowl; discard the skin.

2 Meanwhile, in a pot of boiling, salted water, cook the linguine until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.

3. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juice and cook until the liquid has reduced, about 10 minutes. Stir in the eggplant; heat through. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Add the pasta and basil; toss to coat. Add the reserved pasta cooking water as needed.


Adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray

Kale-Walnut Pesto Pasta

Ingredients:
1/2 bunch kale, stems discarded and leaves coarsely chopped
1 pound gemelli pasta
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
1. In a large pot of salted water, cook the kale until tender, 4 o 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the kale to a colander and rinse with cold water. Add the pasta to the pot and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/3 cup the pasta cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot.

2. Meanwhile, squeeze the kale to remove the excess water. Ina food processor, combine the kale, walnuts, garlic, and parmesan until almost smooth; season with salt and peeper. With the machine running, add the olive oil.

3. Add the pesto to the pasta, along with enough pasta cooking water to loosen the pesto as necessary. Serve sprinkled with more parmesan.

Stir-Fired Pasta Primavera

This is another great vegetarian meal.  I loved it because it was packed with veggies and a stir-fry.  Can't go wrong with that combo.

Ingredients:
3 cups of broccoli florets
12 ounces fettuccine or linguine pasta
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 red onion, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick
4 carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions:
1. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the broccoli until bright green, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a colander, reserving the water in the pot. Add the pasta to the pot and cook until al dente; drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water.

2. Meanwhile, heat a 14 inch, flat-bottomed wok over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes upon contact. Swirl in 1 tablespoon oil. Add the onion and stir-fry until it is fragrant, about 1 minute.

3. Swirl in the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add the carrots and stir-fry until the carrots begin to wilt, about 2 minutes. Add the broccoli and tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and stir-fry for 1 minute. Swirl in the cream, bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Stir in the parmesan and basil.

4. Add the pasta and the reserved cooking water to the wok and toss to coat; season with salt and pepper.

Pasta with Squash and Brown Butter

I have been incorporated one to two vegetarian meals a week to our menu.  I am LOVING it and the boys are eating more veggies.  It is a win win at our house!  I have made this recipe twice.  It is now one of my husband's favorites. Enjoy!!!




Ingredients:
One 3 pound butternut squash - peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 onion, chopped
2.5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
2/3 pound lasagna noodles, broken into pieces
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
3 tablespoons pine nuts

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss the squash, onion, and olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Place on baking sheet and roast until the squash is tender, about 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in al large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente; drain and transfer to a large bowl.

3. In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 7 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice.

4. Add the roasted squash, brown butter and 1/3 cup parmigiano reggiano cheese to the pasta and toss; season with salt and pepper. Top with the pine nuts and remaining cheese.


Adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray Magazine

Two-Color Ziti Fake-Bake

I have been trying to incorporate a vegetarian dish to our weekly menu.  I am so glad I did because I have discovered a love for kale.  It is delicious!!!

Ingredients:
Salt and pepper
3/4 pound ziti rigate, whole wheat ziti or any other short-cut pasta
3.5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
1 bunch kale, stemmed and very thinly sliced.
nutmeg
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup onion,  chopped
One 28 oz can italian tomatoes in puree
Basil
Freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
8 ounces thinly sliced fresh mozzarella or shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain reserving about 3/4 cup of the pasta cooking water.

2. While the pasta is working, in a large skillet, heat about 1.5 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Stir in 2 cloves garlic for 1 minute, then add the kale to wilt to crisp tender, a couple of minutes. Season with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg. Transfer to a plate and reserve the skillet.

3. Preheat the broiler and position a rack in the upper third of the oven. Place the ricotta cheese in the bottom of the casserole.

4. Place the reserved skillet over medium high heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Stir in the  remaining 2 cloves garlic for 1 minute, then add the onion and stir for 2 minutes. Using a blender or food processor, puree the tomatoes. Add them to the garlic and onion and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the basil to wilt. Lower the heat to simmer.

5. Add the pasta, reserved cooking water and the kale to the ricotta in the casserole; season with salt and pepper. Top with two-thirds of the tomato sauce, a thin layer of parmigiano-reggiano and the mozzarella.   Broil for a few minutes to brown the cheeses. Serve with the remaining sauce and parmigiano-reggiano.


Source: Everyday with Rachael Ray