Food For The Week 06/15/15

1. The Chew Angel Hair Zucchini and Mint (sub yellow squash), Roasted brussel sprouts or roasted broccoli, greek salad

http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/angel-hair-zucchini-mint-michael-symon

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/greek-salad-recipe.html

 

2. The Chew Zucchini and Mint Salad, The Chew Baba Ganoush, Shorbat Adas (Lentil Soup)

http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/arancini-tomato-zucchini-salad-michael-symon

http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/baba-ganoush-with-yogurt-chicken-skewers-michael-symon

http://www.food.com/recipe/shorbat-adas-middle-eastern-lentil-soup-287666

 

3. Udon noodles and vegetables, Sweet potato avocado salad

https://adeliciousdistraction.wordpress.com/?s=udon

http://picketfencepaleo.com/avocado-sweet-potato-salad/

 

4. Lentil Burgers and sweet potato fries

http://cookieandkate.com/2014/lentil-chickpea-veggie-burgers-with-avocado-green-harissa/

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Tidbits: I once made this drunk and added too much cajun seasoning. Very salty. Don’t make this drunk. However, if you are in your right mind, it comes out delicious! It’s all in the seasonings. You can replace the chicken with shrimp…more vegetables. Whatever you like! You can also replace the heavy cream with half and half. But that’s no fun.

Ingredients

1  16 oz. package of fettuccine or linguine.

Chicken – however much you like. I use boneless/skinless breasts, or shrimp (about 1.5 lbs., peeled and deveined)

2 tspn cajun seasoning

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp butter

1 green bell pepper chopped

1 large yellow onion chopped

1 red bell pepper chopped

3-4 cloves of garlic minced

1.5 cups heavy cream

1/4 tspn dried basil

1/4 tspn lemon pepper

1/4 tspn salt

1/8 tspn garlic powder

1/8 tspn black pepper

2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Season the chicken with the cajun seasoning and lemon juice.

2. Saute the vegetables in the butter till onions are slightly transluscent on medium/medium high heat

3. Add whatever meat you prefer – cook thoroughly.

3. Y’all know how to make pasta, right…

4. Turn down the heat for the meat and vegetables, and add the heavy cream.

5. Add all the dry ingredients.

6. Once the pasta is finished cooking and drained, add it to the sauce.

7. Let simmer for a couple of minutes. Then let sit. It should thicken a bit while standing.

Pesto Pasta (The Healthy Way)

Tidbits: Typical pesto sauce has pine nuts in it, but I find them hard to come by, and expensive when I do. So one day I didn’t have any and made it regardless, and I couldn’t taste a difference…so add them if you want, if not, that’s cool too.  I add sautéed veggies like broccoli and onion usually. I like adding extra garlic too. Also, you can use ravioli, tortellini, or  gnocchi also.

Ingredients:
16 oz of your favorite pasta (fettuccine, penne, etc)

½ cup part skim ricotta

2 tbsp. parmesan

2 oz. fresh basil

1 oz. fresh parsley

1/4 cup pine nuts (optional, tastes the same to me either way)

2 cloves of garlic

Salt and pepper (freshly ground, not that shaker stuff!)

Directions:

1.      Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook pasta as directed

2.      In the meantime, combine the rest of the ingredients in a food processor (a blender will work also)

3.      Season the pesto to taste, adding more of any of the above ingredients until it’s just the way you like it

4.      Drain the pasta, reserving about ¼ cup of the pasta water if you want to “thin out” the pesto. However, if you like the sauce          thicker this won’t be necessary.

5.      Put the pasta back in the warm pot and add the pesto (and water if desired).

6.      Mix well and serve!

Mexican Mac & Cheese

Tidbits: There are probably more varieties of Mac & Cheese than anyone could count, so why not add another to the list? The inspiration comes from Scott’s love for Mexican and Italian food. So I took a basic mac and cheese recipe and Mexified it.

1. To unmexify this (which is what I do for Thanksgiving) take out the chili powder, poblano and red pepper, and mexican cream. Do everything else the same. If you do unmexify this, I definitely recommend adding broccoli to the recipe. Cook the broccoli florets with the pasta during the last 2 minutes of cooking.
2. You don’t have to use the cheeses listed. If you prefer a different combo, have at it.
3. For a healthier option, you can use whole wheat pasta and milk and cheeses with a lower fat content (and nix the cream). Note that the sauce will be a bit thinner with low fat milk.

Ingredients:

1 lb macaroni elbows or corkscrew pasta

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 poblano pepper, chopped (make sure you get the ribs and seeds out if you don’t want a lot of heat)

1 red pepper, chopped

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp flour

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp chili powder

2 cups whole milk

1/8 cup Mexican cream (this ingredient is not necessary if you can’t find it/don’t have it)

1 cup vegetable broth

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded

1/4 cup bread crumbs (these are also not necessary, but always yummy)

Salt & Pepper (freshly ground, not that shaker stuff!)

Directions:

1. Mentally prepare yourself for multi-tasking. There’s a lot going on at once, but it’s ok if things finish early/late . It’s all getting mixed together at the end.
2. Cook pasta as directed (but check the Tips & Tricks page for some advice on this)
3. In the mean time, heat large saute pan over medium heat and add oil.  Chop the onion (fairly small pieces), poblano pepper, red pepper, and  garlic, then cook in this pan for ~ 5 minutes. Add a few dashes of the seasonings that you are going to use later for a little more flavor.
4. Heat medium sauce pan over medium heat.
5. Now for the roux (which will thicken your sauce, so this is important!).  Add butter to the sauce pan and melt. Then add the flour, cayenne pepper, paprika, and chili powder. Whisk until roux bubbles and cook for about a minute.
6. Whisk milk, broth, and Mexican cream into the roux raise the stove to high heat until it’s boiling. Watch closely because the milk will boil fast and wildly! Lower the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.
7. Add cheese to milk sauce and stir to melt.
8. Combine drained pasta, cheese,  veggies and plenty of salt & pepper in a 9×13 pan (use a non-stick pan or cooking spray for easy cleaning)
9. You could eat this now if you’re really hungry! Or…move on to step 10.
10. Sprinkle some bread crumbs on top and bake at 350º for about 15-20 minutes.

1. Mentally prepare yourself for multi-tasking. There’s a lot going on at once, but it’s ok if things finish early/late . It’s all getting mixed together at the end.
2. Cook pasta as directed (but check the Tips & Tricks page for some advice on this)
3. In the mean time, heat large saute pan over medium heat and add oil.  Chop the onion (fairly small pieces), poblano pepper, red pepper, and  garlic, then cook in this pan for ~ 5 minutes. Add a few dashes of the seasonings that you are going to use later for a little more flavor.
4. Heat medium sauce pan over medium heat.
5. Now for the roux (which will thicken your sauce, so this is important!).  Add butter to the sauce pan and melt. Then add the flour, cayenne pepper, paprika, and chili powder. Whisk until roux bubbles and cook for about a minute.

1. Whisk milk, broth, and Mexican cream into the roux raise the stove to high heat until it’s boiling. Watch closely because the milk will boil fast and wildly! Lower the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.

1. Add cheese to milk sauce and stir to melt.
2. Combine drained pasta, cheese,  veggies and plenty of salt & pepper in a 9×13 pan (use a non-stick pan or cooking spray for easy cleaning)
3. You could eat this now if you’re really hungry! Or…move on to step 10.

1. Sprinkle some bread crumbs on top and bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes.