OK, you need to put this on your menu this week! This dish is so good!
Creamy pasta with Tex-Mex flavors. Meal-in-one. Easy peasy. Really....this will easily win a spot on your frequent dinner rotation.
CHICKEN ENCHILADA PASTA (3-4 servings)
1 cup cooked chicken
1 Tbsp EVOO
1 garlic clove, finely minced
3/4 cup (about 1/2 medium) onion
1/2 red pepperm duced
1/2 can (2 oz) diced green chiles
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 (10 oz) can green enchilada sauce (I used mild)
1/3 cup red enchilada sauce (I used mild)
1/2 can large black olives, cut in half, or about 1/3 cup sliced black olives
1/2 cup sour cream (I used reduced-fat)
3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese
5-8 oz penne pasta (I use less for a "saucier" pasta)
diced tomatoes, optional
green onions, optional
tortilla chips, optional
chopped parsley or cilantro, optional
Bring a pot of water to boil. Cook the pasta until tender. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet and add the onion. Cook 2-3 minutes until onion is translucent. Add the garlic and red pepper and cook for another 2 minutes, until pepper is barely tender. Add the cooked chicken, green chiles, spices, enchilada sauces, and olives.
Let the sauce simmer for about 8-10 minutes. Add the sour cream and cheese and heat through, until the cheese is melted (but don't boil).
Pour the sauce over the hot pasta. Garnish with extra sour cream, cheese, diced tomatoes, green onions, tortilla chips, and/or parsley if desired.
Recipe Source: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/chicken-enchilada-pasta/
Talk about being bad about thinking outside the box. I never would have thought of this dish and what a shame! It's absolutely delicious!
Fish with marinara, mozzarella, fresh basil over pasta. I served it with a Caprese Salad for the perfect, complete meal.
TILAPIA PARMESAN (4 servings)
2 Tbsp coconut oil or EVOO
4 mild white fish fillets (tilapia, swai, etc), about 4 oz each
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup AP flour
1/4 cup +2 Tbsp grated Parmesan
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 cup marinara sauce (or your favorite pasta sauce)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
4 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
cooked pasta (I used angel hair)
In a shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs, flour, 1/4 cup Parmesan, S&P, and garlic powder. In a separate bowl, beat the 2 eggs.
Dip the fish into the eggs and then into the bread crumb mixture, pressing down to make sure both sides are coated well. Set aside breaded fillets on a plate.
Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet.
Once oil is hot, place all of the fish into the skillet at once. Cook on each side 3-5 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
Spoon 2-3 Tbsp of marinara sauce on top of the cooked fish and top with mozzarella and remaining 2 Tbsp of Parmesan cheese.
Remove from heat and cover with a lid to melt the cheese. Serve atop cooked pasta (if using) topped with chopped basil.
Recipe Source: http://normalcooking.com/2016/03/31/tilapia-parmigiana/
Don't you just love it when you happen to have everything on hand for a quick, delicious dinner? This is about as easy as it gets. And it's a meal-in-one. No need to come up with side dishes.
You can easily adjust the honey and soy sauce amounts to suit your tastes. I think I'll add a bit more of each next time to ramp up the salty/sweetness of this dish. The original recipe calls for peanuts, but cashews would be great also.
HONEY CHICKEN and BROCCOLI STIR-FRY (6 servings)
1 1/4 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs
1 tsp salt
black pepper
4 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/3 honey, more or less to taste
3 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce, more or less to taste
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 Tbsp EVOO
4 cups broccoli florets
1 yellow or sweet onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 cups cooked long-grain white (or brown) rice
1/2 cup cashews or dry-roasted salted peanuts, optional
Cut chicken into 1" pieces and toss in a medium bowl with salt, pepper, and cornstarch.
In a small bowl, stir together broth, honey, soy sauce, and crushed red pepper.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook chicken until lightly browned, 3-4 minutes. Add vegetables and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until vegetables are soft, 3-4 minutes.
Add broth mixture to pan. Toss well; bring to a boil over high heat. Cook 1 minute to thicken sauce. Serve with cooked rice and top with nuts, if using.
Recipe Source: Relish Magazine, April 2016, p. 14
It is so hard for me to believe that just 21 years ago today I stood on the 21st floor of the First National Building in downtown Oklahoma City and watched the east side of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building blow out. And then wait for eight agonizing days before the body of my sweet brother, Paul, was recovered.
If you are ever near Oklahoma City, I hope you'll stop at the beautifully developed memorial so many worked on to never let anyone forget this awful event and to always remember all those we lost and all those who helped us.
When I first saw this recipe it looked quintessentially autumn-ish. But I had every ingredient on hand and decided to try it. With the fresh peppers and spinach and Italian turkey sausage, it's a light alternative to heavy, red meat based sauces. It's a perfect one-dish meal weeknight meal.
PASTA RUSTICO with TURKEY SAUSAGE (4 servings)
8 oz pound regular or whole wheat penne pasta
1/2 Tbsp EVOO
1/2 pound Italian turkey sausage links, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 tsp freshly minced garlic
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 1/2 oz fresh spinach leaves
S&P
grated Parmesan cheese
Bring a large pot of lightly-salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook 8-10 minutes, just until al-dente. Save 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until evenly browned and cooked throughout. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add onion, peppers, garlic, and Italian seasoning to the empty pan and cook until onions are translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
Return sausage to the pan and cook 2-3 minutes, just until fully reheated throughout. Add spinach, S&P, and reserved pasta water to the pan and immediately remove from heat. Stir until all is combined.
Serve the sausage mixture smothered over pasta and topped with the grated Parmesan cheese.
Recipe Source: "Choose This!" by Chris Freytag, 2011, p. 112
I am so bad about thinking outside of the box and am always thrilled to find a simple, simple way to change a favorite dish which makes it a favorite Part II.
Whenever I find a truly good tomato, a Caprese salad always jumps to the top of the list of how I want to use it. And so a Caprese sandwich.....why not?
One tip.....you'll need a hearty bread otherwise you're going to a soggy mess (you'll still need extra napkins, though). But so simple: tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil on a quality roll. You'll be making these all summer long.
CAPRESE SANDWICHES (6 servings)
6 whole wheat or other hearty rolls
2 Tbsp EVOO
2 tsp minced garlic
1/8 tsp each S&P
1 large tomato, cut into 6 slices
12 fresh basil leaves
8 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into 6 slices
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp honey
Preheat broiler to high. Separate rolls and place all 12 halves onto a sheet pan.
Combine olive oil, garlic, S&P and then lightly spread mixture onto the insides of all 12 halves of bread (see note below).
Top the bottom halves of the rolls with a slice of the tomato, 2 basil leaves, and slice of mozzarella cheese, in the order.
Position sheet pan about 6" from the broiler and cook 3-4 minutes, just until cheese is bubbling and buns are beginning to brown.
Meanwhile, combine vinegar and honey (see note below). Remove the sheet pan from the oven and lightly drizzle vinegar mixture over the melted mozzarella cheese.
Place each top bun into place to complete the sandwiches. Serve immediately.
NOTES: Instead of mixing the olive oil, garlic, & S&P in the 2nd paragraph, I used some prepared, jarred basil pesto mix.
Instead of mixing the vinegar and honey in the 5th paragraph, I used some bottled balsamic glaze I had on hand.
Recipe Source: "Choose This!" by Chris Freytag, 2011, p. 49
I picked a new cookbook a few weeks ago for a song not expecting too much. So wrong! I've made several recipes which have all turned out wonderfully. And they're all really easy using a minimum of ingredients.
Given that we do eat a lot of fish in our home, this is a great, basic, but certainly delicious entree. Steam some asparagus, serve with rice or quinoa and dinner is served.
LEMON and TARRAGON WHITEFISH (4 servings)
2 tsp EVOO
1 1/2 pounds whitefish fillets (tilapia, Swai, cod, halibut, etc)
S&P
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp chopped fresh tarragon
1/4 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 Tbsp butter
Heat oil in large skillet over medium to medium-high heat.
Pat fish dry with paper towel and season lightly with S&P.
Add seasoned fish to the hot pan and sear until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. The fish is done when it easily flakes with a fork. Remove from pan and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
Whisk white wine, lemon juice, and minced garlic into the pan to start to sauce. Let simmer 2 minutes before adding tarragon and lemon zest. Let simmer 1 additional minute.
Remove sauce from heat and stir in butter, S&P. Toss fish in sauce before serving drizzled with additional sauce.
Recipe Source: "Choose This!" by Chris Freytag, 2011, p. 142
