Pasta and White Beans with Broccoli Pesto

January 19, 2012 by · 8 Comments

I loved this. However, not everyone in my family did. Apparently to some people seeing green “sauce” on your pasta is weird. My girls are good eaters, but Taylor, my youngest has gotten a bit picky lately. Especially when stuff gets mixed together like this. So needless to say, I think she may have had an apple and a ham sandwich this night. We usually don’t do that, but occasionally you just have to know when to surrender to these battles.

This is a great choice for a meatless meal. You get your veggies from the broccoli and some protein from the cannellini beans. Half of the pasta was the Barilla plus and the other half was normal white pasta (because that is what I had.) There is also some freshly grated parm, olive oil and fresh garlic. Seriously…it’s green comfort food.

The only issue I had with this dish was that I don’t have a large food processor. My blender doesn’t do a good job chopping stuff up if there isn’t a decent amount of liquid. I do have a mini prep, but you can only put in so much at a time, so I did my best to make the pesto in batches. It worked ok, but it probably would have been a little smoother if I had a real food processor. It still tasted good so no biggie.

This recipe came from Martha’s Every Day Food magazine in their Light issue. They had a section on meatless meals and there were other recipes that sounded really good from that section – like cauliflower steaks with roasted pepper and tomato salad.

If you want some comfort food that is really a pretty healthy option I would definitely recommend this dish. You may be surprised how yummy green pasta can really be!

Source: Everyday Food January/February 2012

Pasta and White Beans with Broccoli Pesto
 
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Recipe type: Main

Ingredients
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 bunch broccoli cut into 1 inch pieces (4 cups)
  • 10 ounces short pasta (I used penne)
  • 5 teaspoons EVOO
  • ¼ cup finely grated parm with some more for serving
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ½ cup packed fresh parsley leaves (I didn’t use this because I didn’t have any, but would try it next time with)
  • 1-2 small garlic cloves
  • 1 can cannellini beans rinsed and drained

Instructions
  1. Cook broccoli until tender about 4-5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon transfer broccoli to a food processor. Boil water again and add pasta according to directions. Drain and reserve 2 cups of the pasta water for later. Return pasta to the pot.
  2. In the food process add oil, parm, lemon zest and juice, parsley and garlic. Process for about 2 minutes until nice and smooth. Add to pot with the pasta. Add enough water to this to make the sauce nice and creamy. Stir in the beans and heat until everything is warmed through. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parm.
  3. Enjoy!

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Thai Fresh Summer Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce

November 7, 2011 by · 5 Comments

My girls are visiting their grandparents up in Maryland this week, so Jim and I have the place to ourselves. The funny thing is, we really haven’t done anything different than we usually do. I thought we might try some different meals this weekend, but we really didn’t. I just couldn’t think of anything to cook that my kids wouldn’t eat. We realized this weekend that we are really pretty content doing the things we typically do when the kids are around. We go on walks with our dog, sit on our deck and grill, run errands or other little outings…. and that is exactly what we ended up doing this weekend. They also eat pretty much anything that we serve, too so I really can’t complain on the food front, either. I did enjoy having a clean house and not having to break up little silly arguments all weekend, but that was really about it.

The one food flavor that my kids don’t do well however, is spicy. I decided that today I would attempt to recreate one of my favorite restaurant meals – Spicy Thai Basil Chicken. I don’t know about you, but I can’t have a respectable Thai meal and not have some type of a roll. So, I decided to make Thai Fresh Summer Rolls to go along with my Basil Chicken.

I didn’t really take into account how long it would take me to put everything together and I will say that I definitely got a workout tonight in the kitchen.  Neither dish takes all that long by itself, but when you make them at the same time, it does take a little while. There’s a lot of chopping and soaking and trekking outside to my herb garden. I was just finishing up when Jim came in the door and I didn’t have the table set like I had originally planned. Oh well, luckily Jim is great in the kitchen (sometimes even better than I am) so we worked together and got dinner on the table pretty quickly.

Both dishes were absolutely amazing so it was definitely worth all of the chopping and wrapping and grinding. Tonight I am going to share with you my recipe for the Summer Rolls and Peanut Sauce. These honestly tasted exactly like any roll that you would get in a restaurant. I made these vegetarian, but you could add some cooked chicken or shrimp  and they would be great. The sauce was awesome and had a bit of heat to it and a great peanut flavor. Once you have all of your food chopped and noodles soaked, they are really easy to assemble. The rice paper was really easy to work with and extremely forgiving. I was a little bit worried that they would be hard to wrap and I probably didn’t roll them as tight as I should have but they still looked and tasted great.

I definitely urge you to give these a try. They are pretty healthy and the fresh taste is awesome. I used the Thai Basil from my garden, however, if you don’t have access to Thai Basil you could also use  Cilantro, Mint or Italian Basil and any of these would be a fine substitute. I do love the flavor of the Thai Basil though and the plant in my herb garden is still going pretty strong, so I am going to use it until it kicks the bucket. You can buy the spring roll wrappers at some grocery stores in the Asian Foods section, but I got mine at the huge Asian market not too far from my house (which is a really fun place to go by the way.)  I  figured out how to put the rolls together myself, however the peanut sauce is from Steamy Kitchen.  She also has a spring roll recipe there which sounds fabulous and it has shrimp, mango and mint in it.  See, you can really change these up with lots of different flavors.

Enjoy these tonight! And then when you are done you can take the kids and the dog for a walk:-)

5.0 from 1 reviews

Thai Fresh Summer Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce
 
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Recipe type: Appetizer

Ingredients
  • Summer Rolls
  • 8 Spring Roll Wrappers
  • 1 Carrot cut into matchsticks
  • 1 Cucumber cut into matchsticks
  • ½ cup Thai Basil cut in a chiffonade
  • 2 oz rice vermicelli or bean threads
  • rice vinegar
  • Peanut Dipping Sauce
  • 2 tsp cooking oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed in garlic press
  • 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
  • 3 tbsp sweet chili sauce
  • 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
  • ½ cup water
  • 3 tbsp chunky peanut butter

Instructions
  1. For the spring rolls….
  2. Have all of your veggies prepped and dried thoroughly.
  3. Soak vermicelli in hot water for 15 minutes. Drain and then dry noodles on a paper towel. Toss with a few splashes of the rice vinegar.
  4. To assemble spring rolls soak the wrapper in warm water for 3-5 seconds. Lay flat on your work surface and cover the lower third with some of the vermicelli, carrots, cucumber and basil. Fold the filling over once so it is completely nestled in the wrapper and then fold each of the ends in (like you are rolling up a burrito.) Then roll the rest of the way as tight as you can without tearing the wrapper. Let finished rolls sit, seam side down on a plate.
  5. Serve with spicy peanut sauce.
  6. To make the peanut sauce, heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook garlic and ginger until fragrant and then add remaining ingredients. Cook until thickened and then cool in the refrigerator before serving.

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Spicy Black Bean Burgers

July 22, 2011 by · 4 Comments

Sometimes when I take pictures I have time to set them up, make it look kind of pretty and in my totally amateur attempt at food photography take a decent picture.  Then there are the times when dinner is on the table, the kids and hubby have already dug in and I think to myself – “Oh, I need to take a picture!!!”  Meanwhile, I have already buttered and salted my corn, put ketchup on my burger, gotten up three times to get the kids different condiments, drinks, napkins.  Well you get the picture.  So needless to say, there are times when my pictures will look decent (and hopefully improve dramatically at some point)….and there are times when my pictures will look…..well, like this one.  So, that’s something I am working on…and its getting a bit easier.  The kids are starting to understand why mommy is taking pictures of my food all the time and Jim is being patient when I pause in the midst of dinner craziness to take a picture on my Thunderbolt.

Ok….I just needed to get that out there.

This will be the last meatless post this week and I thought that a burger would be fitting for a Friday.  We very often have hamburgers on Fridays because we like to grill and have a drink to relax after a busy week.  Jim and I sit out on the deck and the kids will either sit with us and chat or they will run through the yard getting their energy out of their system.  It’s one of my favorite times of the week.  However, today with the extreme heat, I don’t really think many people want to be out grilling so black bean burgers are perfect.

I really liked these because they were super simple and they had some tomato, spice and corn in them.  Sadly, I couldn’t add the jalapeño because we were serving them to the girls and they are “spice wimps” so I served some pickled jalapeño for Jim and I to top them with.  We served them like regular hamburgers  topped with a slice of cheddar, tomatoes, onion, lettuce, ketchup and mustard.  Boy, were they good and a great substitution for our usual hamburgers.  I really like black bean burgers served with some Mexican toppings.  Last time I added some guacamole, cheese and salsa – once I even replaced the bun with a wrap.  Seriously people, if you have never tried a black bean burger you need to.  I like to fry mine in a cast iron skillet so they get a good sear on them.  I think it’s key to get a good crust on these so you get some of the bite back that you would have with a meat burger.

Just a note – my other favorite meatless burgers are the Masala Burgers from Trader Joes.  They have some Indian spices and lots of veggies and potato in them.  They are really even less of a burger than the black bean, but they are so good for a quick lunch….love them.

Well, I hope you enjoy these burgers as much as we did.  Dress them up like you wish and serve on a bun or in a wrap.

Enjoy!

The recipe is from Jenna at Eat, Live Run.  I love her blog because one day she will have decadent brownies and the next a quinoa salad that looks equally amazing.  Love that.   I believe she also went to culinary school and creates a lot of her own recipes.

Spicy Black Bean Burgers

Adapted from Eat, Live, Run

2 cans of black beans – drain and rinse them well

2 cloves of garlic

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 egg beaten *

2 T tomato sauce

3/4 cup of Panko breadcrumbs

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup corn (fresh or frozen and defrosted)

Pickled Jalapeno’s – optional

Topping ideas can include, guacamole, salsa, cheese, tomato, onion, lettuce

olive oil (or canola oil)  for frying burgers

Directions:

Pulse the garlic cloves in a good process or good blender until finely minced.  Add one can of beans and then combine.  Add the cumin and salt until it gets pretty well combined.

Transfer your bean mixture to another bowl and add the next 5 ingredients mixing until thoroughly combined.  Add the rest of the black beans and mix.

Heat your olive oil over medium high heat and form patties.  Fry until you get a good crisp on the outsides of the burgers – probably about 5 minutes per side.  Top with cheese at the end if desired.

Serve on either whole wheat hamburger buns or wraps.  Enjoy!

*She used ground flax and 3T of water which I just didn’t have so I threw an egg in to bind everything together.  I am not completely sure if that is what the flax does, but I seem to remember something about and egg substitute that was made with flax.  I would have done this if I had ground flax.  This would actually make these vegan, too (just don’t top with cheddar.)

 

 

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Tagliarini Picchi Pacchiu

July 21, 2011 by · 1 Comment

This is probably my favorite weeknight meal and don’t let the name fool you – its extremely simple.  The key is using all the right ingredients.  When everything comes together, it’s a dish you can serve up in a snap on a weekday night or one you can serve to guests on the weekend.  We originally had this at Carrabba’s and once I had a bite I knew that I had to replicate it at home.

When Jim and I got married we lived in Rochester, NY.  Now if you have ever lived in the north, you know that there is no shortage of wonderful Italian restaurants.   We would often take clients out for lunch and go way down into the city to these little “hole in the wall” wood-paneled restaurants and they would be packed with older men ordering dishes like tripe and beans and greens.    We had a great little restaurant down the street called Guido’s Pasta Villa and their Chicken Parm was the best I have ever tasted.  With the migration down south for so many northerner’s, we have benefited from some great Italian Restaurants in this area, too.  We have a few in our town and some excellent pizza shops.  So, you can imagine why I find it kind of funny that we have grown to love Carrabba’s as much as we do.  My oldest daughter could make a dinner on their calamari and bread with dipping oil alone.

So, this dish is a wonderful mixture of great ingredients.  I  use canned diced tomatoes, and the key is to get  San Marzano – or at least the best tomatoes you can get your hands on.  You can also cut up your own tomatoes, but quite honestly, I kinda like the taste of the canned in this (plus, time is money, people.)  You will also want to use good olive oil and cheese.  Slice your garlic as thin as you can (think Goodfellas) and you MUST MUST MUST use angel hair pasta.  I have tried other pastas and it’s just not the same.  Oh yes – and fresh basil.  Did I say this dish is all about the ingredients yet??

Enjoy!

Tagliarini Picchi Pacchiu

8 oz. Angel Hair Pasta – use whole wheat if you are trying to make this healthier

3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

4-5 Garlic cloves sliced very thin

1 14 oz can of San Marzano diced tomatoes – mostly drained however its ok if there is still some juice

salt and pepper to taste

a good handful basil cut into a chiffonade*

1-2 tablespoons of butter (optional)

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Red pepper flakes (optional)

Additional Olive oil for finishing the dish (optional)

Cook pasta according to directions on box.  Heat oil over medium heat and sauté garlic until fragrant (about 2-3 minutes and watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn.)  Add tomatoes and cook through until heated.   Finally, add basil, butter (if using) salt and pepper and give it another 1-2 minutes to cook through.  Plate your pasta and, if desired, toss with some olive oil and red pepper flakes.  Spoon sauce over pasta and finish with freshly grated cheese.

*To chiffonade basil, place 5-6 leaves on top of each other and roll into a tight little log.  Slice the basil perpendicular so that you end up with little strips.  Easy peasy!

 

 

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Bean and Veggie Fajitas

July 19, 2011 by · 1 Comment

Or are these soft tacos?  I was going back and forth on that one, but we will stick with fajitas.

I love Mexican food.  When I was pregnant with my second daughter I craved it.  I still do to this day with all the different flavors it has to offer.  So naturally, one of the first meatless dishes that we decided to make was fajitas.   We thought it would be easiest to go meatless with foods that have tons of flavor and spices.    I was a bit worried that I would miss the bite of the meat, but quite honestly, it was so flavorful we didn’t miss it at all.

We used canned vegetarian beans from Trader Joe’s (they are the best I have had) however, it’s really easy to make your own refried beans and I will give you the basic recipe below.  When I eat fajitas I try to stuff one as full as I can get it and still wrap it up.  The wraps have a lot of calories in them so I try to limit the number I eat.  You could also eat these with whole wheat wraps if you have  some that you really like.  TJ’s has handmade WW wraps that are really good – I just didn’t have any when we made these.

You can add or subtract as you like, but I think the layering is key here.  The more flavors you can pack in – the more satisfying and the less chance you will miss the meat!

Enjoy!

Bean and Veggie Fajitas

Sautéed Veggies

1 onion sliced – we use Vidalia

2 red, orange or yellow peppers – sliced into thin long strips

2 tablespoons olive oil

a few squeezes of lime juice

salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat.  Add peppers, onions, salt and pepper and cook until onions are translucent and peppers are soft but still have a little bite to them.  Squeeze the lime juice in at the end.

Basic Refried Beans

1 can pinto beans – drained

1/2 cup vegetable broth ( you can use chicken broth if you aren’t trying to make this vegetarian)

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp kosher salt

Cook the beans in a sauté pan with the broth, cumin and salt until the broth is mostly absorbed into the beans.  Mash the beans with a potato masher or a fork until they are the consistency you like.

Fajitas

6 warmed Fajita wraps *

1 ripe avocado – either cut into thin slices or mashed with a little salt, pepper and lime juice

Good salsa – either fresh or bottled with all natural ingredients (like the kind they have at Trader Joe’s)

Freshly grated cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese (grate this yourself for the best flavor)

Cilantro

Kosher or sea salt

Lime Juice

(For a little more heat add some sliced jalapeño)

Spread a layer of the beans and then onions and peppers.  Top with the avocado, salsa, Cilantro, Kosher Salt and Lime Juice.  Sprinkle with a little salt and lime juice to finish.

* To warm wraps we put them in the sauté pan that we cooked the peppers in for a few seconds on each side.  You can also put them in the microwave a few at a time with a wet paper towel over top.  Nuke for about 10-15 seconds.

 

 

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