Angel Hair tossed with Fresh Tomatoes, Basil and Parmesan

 If you are looking for an easy, light weeknight meal, add this one to your list. I have seen several different variations on Pinterest, and kind of made this one as a combo of a lot of the ideas I saw on there. You could adjust according to your taste. I pump up the garlic and herbs, but I have seen some recipes that throw in some red pepper flakes too.

 

 

Angel Hair tossed with Fresh Tomatoes, Basil and Parmesan

• 1 box angel hair (usually a pound)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes ( I use a mix of yellow and red)
• 1 cup loosely packed basil, roughly chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup shaved parmesan
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan, plus more for garnish

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large non stick skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook into soft and golden but not brown, about two minutes.
3. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add tomatoes and garlic salt. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are soft and just starting to burst.
4. Add pasta to skillet, cook another two minutes.
5. Turn the heat off, add basil and grated parmesan cheese. Toss to coat.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Serve with shaved parmesan cheese on top. 

 

 

**Makes 4-5 servings 

**3 on Bryce's dish scale, a pot, a skillet, a colander and a small cutting board and knife for basil.

Homemade Creamy Mushroom Soup

 It's winter (and although it's unusually warm here) that means it's soup season! This is a recipe that's been a staple in my house during the winter for years. We have shared it with numerous co-workers, friends and it's in our shared family cookbook. I found it online a million years ago and it's supposed to be close to Woflgang Puck's version of Creamy Mushroom soup, but the original didn't have nearly enough mushrooms in it for me, and I have no idea where to find it online now. I still have the original I printed off 7 years ago! Serve it with crusty French bread.

Creamy Mushroom Soup

• 2 lbs mushrooms, coarsely chopped (I use a variety of shitake, button, and baby bellas, and regular portabellas)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 teaspoons minced shallots
• 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves , plus more to top
• 1 small bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 cups heavy cream 
• 1 1⁄2 cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tbs water

1.  Sprinkle mushrooms with lemon juice.
2.  Melt butter in large heavy saucepan and saute shallots. 
3. Add mushrooms,thyme,and bay leaf, saute for 10 minutes.
4. Add salt,pepper,cream, nutmeg and chicken broth and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. 
6. Add cornstarch and simmer another 10 minutes,stirring. 
7. Sprinkle with more time.

**makes 4-6 servings
**2 on Bryce's dish scale. Big pot, cutting board, knife.

Experimenting with Bucatini: ONE-POT Bucatini with Turkey Italian Sausage and Zucchini

This is one of those recipes I did backwards. I bought Bucatini because it was on sale and I had never seen it in my grocery store before. Then I went looking for a good way to cook it. I found a million great recipes, a lot of which included similar ingredients to this, but I picked this one because it was a ONE POT meal. That gets me every time when it comes to easy week night meals. The original recommended regular Italian Sausage but I used turkey to make it less greasy. I also changed up portions slightly based on what we had on hand.

 

One Pot Pasta Bucatini with Turkey Italian Sausage and Zucchini

 

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
• 3 spicy turkey Italian sausage links, casings removed
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 zucchini, sliced lengthwise, then thinly sliced (into 1/2 circles)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced thyme
• 2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 12 ounces bucatini
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a duch oven. Sauté turkey sausage until browned and crumbled, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from pot with a slotted spoon, set aside and discard grease (there shouldn't be much).

2. Place pot back onto the stove and other tablespoon of oil. Sauté onions for 4 to 5 minutes. Add zucchini, garlic and  garlic salt. Continue to sauté for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Stir in thyme and add sausage back into the pot and sauté for 1 minute.

4. Pour stock into the pot and bring to a boil. Add pasta and lower heat to medium. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and pasta is al dente. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Add in parmesan and carefully toss until well combined. Sprinkle a little more parmesan on top before serving.


**Makes 4 servings
**2 on Bryce's dish scale. One pot. Cutting board, knife!

Light Main Dish Salad: Citrus Pomegranate Fennel Salad

This was so very very easy and a great fall salad. I was honestly surprised how much I liked it because of the simplicity but it was a perfect Monday night Main Meal salad after a weekend of eating unhealthy. It feel cleansing and filled me up! I found the original on Pinterest and added a few things to it. Pomegranates are in season so I thought that would add a nice crunch. Also, the original calls for a variety of different oranges, and my grocery store is not well-stocked with orange varieties. If you can find fun ones like blood oranges, and cara cara and Minneola, by all means - mix it up. I could only find Navel and Mandarin in the fresh section. I tried adding a little grapefruit too and it was very tart, I liked it, but my husband said he would pass on that the next time. So adjust as you wish to what you can find. Below is the recipe for how I made the salad pictured. It makes 2 main dishes and again my magic bullet came in handy for the dressing. 

Citrus Pomegranate Fennel Salad

• 2 navel oranges, separated into slices
• 4 mandarin orange, separated into slices
• 1/2 of one grapefruit, separated into slices, then cut slices in half
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
• 1/2 one fennel bulb, very thinly sliced
• fennel fronds
• 1 avocado sliced
• 4 cups mixed salad greens, chopped up a little

Dressing

½ shallot, peeled and sliced

⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons champagne vinegar (I had a hard time finding this, but Google told me white wine vinegar is a good substitute)

1 tablespoon honey

kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

¼ cup mint leaves

Reserved fennel fronds

 

 

1. Split up all the salad ingredients between two bowls, starting with the greens. then layering oranges, fennel, pomegranate seeds.
2. Blend the dressing in a blender (I use my Magic bullet, perfect size)- and top the salad with the dressing. It's that easy.

**Makes 2 main dish salads

***2 on Bryce's dish scale, you eat in the bowls you make it in. Cutting board, knife and magic bullet.

 

 

Orzo Salad with Corn, Zucchini, Feta and Mint

This was my first time making Orzo at home, so I wanted to do something simple. I found the recipe on Pinterest - and made very few changes, and it was delicious. We did this as a main dish and it made plenty for us and leftovers. I knew we'd like it because of the meditereanian flavors.

 

One Pot Orzo Salad with Fresh Corn, Zucchini, Feta and Mint

 

• 3  tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 small zucchini, diced
• 2 ears of fresh corn, kernels cut from the cobs
• 1 1/2 c. (about 8 oz.) orzo pasta
• 14 oz. can low-sodium chicken broth, plus enough water to equal 3 c. total liquid
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 2 scallions, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh mint
• 3/4 cup crumbled reduced fat feta cheese
• the juice of one fresh lemon
• salt & pepper, to taste

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and a pinch of garlic salt, and cook stirring occasionally until the zucchini is well-browned and just tender, about 3-4 minutes.Remove the zucchini and put aside on a plate.
2. Add a smidge more olive oil , the corn and a pinch of garlic salt to the pan. Cook until the corn is browned at the edges and just tender, another 3-4 minutes, add corn to the plate with the zucchini.
3. To the skillet, add the remaining another tablespoon of olive oil and the orzo. Cook stirring constantly until the orzo is toasty and browned, 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the 3 cups of liquid and about 3/2 tablespoon of salt. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook, stirring once or twice throughout, until the liquid is absorbed and the orzo is tender, about 15-20 minutes
5. Off heat, add the sauteed veggies, scallions, mint, feta and lemon juice. Stir to combine, season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with a little more mint for serving.

**Makes 4 servings
**2 on Bryce's Dish scale. Cutting board and knife, one pot!

Soba Noodle Bowl with Brussels Sprouts, Kale and Mushrooms

 I had a package of soba noodles sitting in my pantry for months because I had no idea what to do with them. When I searched on Pinterest I found so many different ideas I didn't know where to start. Until one day I stumbled upon one that had a ton of my favorite foods so had to try it. Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, and an Asian flair. It comes from Self magazine, and it is touted as a "slimming superfood" recipe. All I know is it's super good, makes great leftovers, and filled me up. I tweaked the portions based on the package of noodles I had and to make sure there were plenty of leftovers. I also added and left out a few things but am so grateful I found this idea. It's super quick and easy too, soba noodles only take a few minutes to cook!

 

 

 

Soba Noodle Bowl with Brussels Sprouts, Kale and Mushrooms

 

 

• 9.5 ounces soba (buckwheat) noodles (I say 9.5 because that's the size of the package I found at my grocery store, Hakubaku is the brand and they were in the Asian foods section)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• 2 cups trimmed and quartered mushrooms ( I used a combo of baby bella and white mushroom)
• 2 cups stemmed and chopped kale ( I bought the pre-washed and sliced kind to save time)
• 1 small zucchini, quartered and sliced
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons agave syrup
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon siracha, plus more for serving on top

1. Cook noodles as directed on package.
2. Heat a olive oil in large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add sprouts and 1 tbsp water; stir-fry 3 minutes.
3. Add mushrooms, kale, zucchini and 1 tbsp water; stir-fry 3 minutes.
4. In a small bowl combine sesame oil, soy sauce, siracha, garlic, ginger, vinegar and agave. Then add to skillet with veggies, toss to coat.
5. Add noodles to the pan. Cook, tossing, 2 minutes. Top with sesame seeds and more siracha.

*Makes 4 servings
*Its a 2 on Bryce's dish scale. A pa, a skillet, a cutting board and knife.

Fall Quinoa with Turkey Sausage and Kale cooked in Hard Cidar

This is a fantastically fall tasting quinoa dish. I actually found it on the Whole Foods website several years ago when I was learning to cook with quinoa. I made a few tweaks and it's become one of our favorite fall and winter quinoas. It's definitely a hearty main dish, and the ingredients are all pretty healthy AND YOU MAKE IT ONE POT.

 

Turkey Sausage and Kale Quinoa 

 

• 12 ounces smoked turkey sausage, cut into (1/2 inch) cubes (getting the fully cooked kind makes it cook quicker) 
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons chopped  fresh sage
• 1 cup apple hard cider (the original says you can use pear too, but I never have)
• 1 cup quinoa , rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• One garlic clove minced
• One teaspoon garlic salt
• 2  1/2 cups chopped kale leaves (I buy the bag of prewashed and chopped)

1. In a large pot, cook sausage, onions, garlic and sage over medium-high heat until just browned, about 10 minute s(no oil needed).
2. Add cider, quinoa, cranberries, salt and 3/4 cup water and bring to a boil.
3. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until liquid is just absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.
4. Stir in kale, cover again  for a few minutes so the Kale softens. 

**Makes 4 servings (great as a leftover hot or cold)
***1 on Bryce's Dish Scale - ONE POT! And a cutting board.