Pasta with Zucchini, Tomatoes and Creamy Lemon-Yogurt Sauce Someday, science will catch up with my summertime needs and create a popsicle that sustains life. Until then, I’m looking for every shortcut that will keep me from having to turn on the stove or oven any more than absolutely necessary. Today, my shortcut was a big batch of Pasta with Zucchini, Tomatoes and Creamy Lemon-Yogurt Sauce. Yes, I had to turn on the stove, but only for about 15 minutes. No biggie. The only time-consuming thing about this pasta is slicing the zucchini. That said, don’t get too anal about the slicing. As for the lemon-yogurt sauce, I know what you’re thinking: can’t I just use lemon-flavored yogurt? No, because lemon-flavored yogurts are sweetened, and you don’t want your pasta sauce to taste like pie filling. The sauce itself is just a quick blend of plain Greek yogurt, Parmesan, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Finally, a big bowl of pasta made for big bites and absolutely no guilt. I guess the all-popsicle diet can wait.
Mozzarella Stuffed Homemade Meatballs 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 pound lean ground beef 1 large egg 1/2 cup finely chopped white onion 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese 1/4 cup milk 2 tablespoons minced garlic 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon yellow mustard 1 teaspoon hot sauce, like Tabasco 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt Ten 1-inch Mozzarella balls 1. 2. 3.
Baked Pasta with Sausage and Spinach Cheesy baked pasta made with Italian chicken sausage, mozzarella, ricotta, Pecorino Romano and spinach (but don't worry, no one will care about the green stuff). Perfect to feed a hungry family! This is also easy to make ahead, then pop it in the oven when you are ready to eat. If you don't want to make such a large amount, you can easily halve this recipe and make in a square baking dish as I did in the photo above. Spinach and Sausage Baked Pastawww.skinnytaste.comServings: 8 • Size: 1 3/4 cups • Old Points: 8 pts • Points+: 10 ptsCalories: 398 • Fat: 12.5 g • Protein: 27.5 g • Carbs: 44 g • Fiber: 6 g • Sugar: 1.5 gSodium: 636 mg (without salt) Ingredients: Preheat the oven to 375°. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, 6 tablespoons of the Pecorino Romano cheese and half of the mozzarella cheese. Meanwhile, in a large deep skillet, brown the sausage breaking up into small bits until cooked through; set aside.
Baked Zucchini Sticks and Sweet Onion Dip: that bloomin' zucchini! Today, class, it being late July and all, we’re going to examine our zucchini facts: •Zucchini is always at the end of any A-to-Z food list; •Zucchini and fruitcake are the undeserving targets of many a joke; •The zucchini plant literally grows like a weed, making it absolutely ubiquitous in vegetable gardens across America; •And for that reason, enterprising cooks have discovered ways to turn it into muffins, and cake, and pancakes, and… Baked Zucchini Sticks. You know that onion appetizer that came into bloom back in the late ’80s? These zucchini sticks, with their melty-soft interior and crisp crust, are reminiscent of those onions – and equally addictive, especially when served with their special onion-mustard dip. Ready to go beyond muffins, bread, kebabs, and frittata? First, find yourself 3 medium-size zucchini, about 9″ to 10″ long. That won’t be hard at this time of the year, right? Cut each zucchini into 3″ sticks about the diameter of your finger. Process until fairly smooth.
Mini Lasagna Cups If you have any wonton wrappers leftover from the Crispy Southwestern Wontons, here’s a great way to use them up! I was browsing Pinterest the other day when I came across these adorable mini lasagna cups made with wonton wrappers in a muffin tin! How fun are these little lasagnas? And so fun to eat, no utensils needed. Start with one pound of lean ground beef for the meaty lasagna sauce. For spaghetti and lasagna I also like to add a pound of sausage. You can even brown them in the same pan at the same time for ease. Now this makes a ton, so here’s what I do. Here’s 1/4 of the meat mixture with 1 cup of spaghetti sauce. Mix one and a half cups of ricotta cheese with a healthy pinch of salt and pepper. Coat a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray, and arrange a wonton wrapper into each cup. Take half the ricotta mixture and divide it among the 12 cups. Top with half of the meat sauce… And sprinkle with shredded cheese. And repeat the layers one more time. The rest of the meat sauce… Yum!
edible perspective - Home - Curry Grilled Zucchini Roll&Ups This recipe was a total accident. Kelsey was over for dinner the other week and we both contributed whatever vegetables we had in our fridge. Our plan was to make a big pot of quinoa, grill a boat-load of veggies, top them with goat cheese + avocado, eat from a massive bowl, and feast. I started the pot of quinoa with a few Italian seasonings thrown in before thinking about how we were going to spice the veggies. Then I asked Kelsey what flavor she was in the mood for, for the veggies. Barbeque sauced, herby, smoked, Mexican, curry spiced? She jumped all over curry spiced idea. And who would have thought goat cheese + curry would pair so well together? Why not wrap up curry grilled zucchini with a little goat cheese and roasted red pepper? Print this! Curry Grilled Zucchini Roll Ups [yields 14-18] Hope your Monday is off to a great start! Ashley
Crockpot Parmesan Garlic Chicken with Whole Wheat Orzo My only resolution is to eat more delicious things in 2012 than I ate in 2011. That sounds fair right? I like to be fair. So fair that I even took some pictures of broccoli. Oye. It was a complete snafu, I swear. Clocking in as my least favorite vegetable (well, minus the eight or so that I flat out refuse to taste), these little green trees here are creeping me out more than my weirdo man crush on Alec Baldwin. Wait… no… I don’t know. What I do know is that this chicken made my house smell like 4000 cloves of cheesy garlic (in a delicious way) and my mouth was watering as I scooped it on top of some whole wheat orzo. It has been quite dark and dreary and gloomy around these parts the last few days and I’ve craved some color in my life. I threw open the fridge door in a frenzy because if the holiday season taught my blood sugar anything, it’s that I’m starving every 20 seconds. But inside that crisper drawer? I quickly steamed it, which by the way… made my house smell like utter garbage.
Stuffed Shells with Sausage and Spinach Recipe After taking the photo for our sausage stuffed shells recipe, I scrambled into the kitchen to grab plates, knifes, forks and napkins — you know, like any normal person would do before sitting down to have a nice meal with their husband. Just as I was leaving the kitchen, I realized something. I left the shells with Adam. Alone. How he did it, I’m not sure, but in the time it took me to go to the kitchen, grab our supplies and get back to him, he had finished at least half of the shells. Being someone who likes to look on the bright side of life, that made me think the recipe was a success and as Adam mentioned to me just after his last stuffed shell, hey, maybe we can say these are finger food! So, there you go. How to make Our Sausage Stuffed Shells Recipe with Spinach Our stuffed shells recipe is pretty simple. Now, on to the filling. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Pour in a can of diced tomatoes, juice and all.
Creamy Caprese Pasta Sigh. It’s Monday. I know. You probably don’t have a smile on your face. Maybe you woke up 35 minutes late and couldn’t wash your hair. That only means one thing. Mondays are for grown ups. But I have some good news! Monday just got a whole lot more tolerable. Shucks… I sort of like Monday now. So – the pasta! Am I gonna give it up or what? Creamy Caprese Pasta serves 4-6 1 pound whole wheat pasta (noodles such as penne work best) 1 cup of your favorite pasta/tomato sauce 1/3 cup heavy cream or half and half 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese + more for garnish 4 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes 1 pint of grape tomatoes (I cut some in half and left some whole) 1 bunch of fresh basil leaves Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. While pasta is cooking, heat tomato sauce over low heat in a large saucepan. Top with additional fresh basil and grated cheese. Take that Monday.