Pesto Pasta with Turkey Meatballs

As I mentioned in a previous post I have been seriously slacking on posting recipes that have meat as an ingredient so here is another one for all my meat eating friends out there. I had this recipe in mind for one of my friends who was looking for something quick, easy and healthy to make for dinner or to bring to work for lunch. 

Ingredients
Makes 2-3 servings

• 1/4 onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 5 oz ground turkey
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 egg white
• 2 tbs flour
• 2 tbs bread crumbs
• 1 tbs asiago

Mix all of the above ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Roll into 8-12 meatballs and place on a non-stick baking sheet. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes, flipping once then baking for another 8-10 minutes. 

• 2 cups uncooked wheat pasta
• 1 1/2 tbs olive oil
• 1 cup quartered artichoke hearts
• 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
• 1/4 cup arugula pesto

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Add in a drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle of salt and the pasta then return to a boil. Cook on medium high heat for 15 minutes or until pasta is cooked then drain the pasta. Once the pasta and meat balls ready place them in a casserole dish* along with the artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, olive oil and pesto then toss until everything is coated in pesto.Cover and keep warm until ready to serve. 

*The warmth of the pasta and meatballs should warm all of the ingredients enough but if you want you can warm heat the olive oil in a small sauce pan and add in the artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes & pesto and warm before adding it into the pasta. 

Baked Chicken Over Sauteed Chard & Leeks

I recently realized that I don't have a single dish on my blog that is not a vegetarian recipe! Someone might mistake me for a vegetarian. I eat mostly vegetarian dishes at home since the boyfriend is veggie but I do partake in meat eating at work and out to eat I just never write down my recipes so I decided that that has to change. This is a quick and easy recipe that is great to make ahead of time and take to work or make at home for a delicous well balanced dinner.

Ingredients
Makes 2 servings

• 1 large chicken breast, cut into 8-10 slices
• olive oil spray
• 1 roasted bell pepper, cut into 8-10 strips
• 6 oz of mozzarella, sliced into 8-10 small medallions
• 5 large rainbow chard leaves (or collard greens)
• 1 tbs water
• 1/2 small leek, sliced (white part only)
• 1 garlic clove, diced
• 2 tbs parmesan garlic blend* 
• 2 tbs balsamic vinegrette

Preheat the oven to 425. Season the chicken with pepper and parmesan garlic blend*. Place the chicken on a non stick baking sheet and spray with a little olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes then remove from the oven and place a strip of roasted pepper and a mozzarella medallion on each slice and bake for another 5-10** minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

While the chicken is cooking heat 1 tbs of coconut oil to a medium/low heat in a saute pan. Add in the leeks and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add in the chard along with 1 tbs of water, cover and cook for 7 minutes or until leaves are wilted.

Remove the chicken from the oven once it is cooked and place on top of your chard. Drizzle a little balsamic vinaigrette across the top before serving and enjoy.

If you making this dish to serve immediately leave the chard on low heat until chicken is ready and if you are planning to take this to lunch place the chard evenly in two separate glass Pyrex or Tupperware dishes then top with chicken. Bring your dressing to work and drizzle on once the dish has been warmed.

*If you dont have Pepper Creek Farms Parmesan Garlic Blend use 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp red pepper flakes and 1/2 tsp garlic powder.**Baking time is dependent on your oven

Arugula Pesto

Arugula is a tasty low calorie green that is high in antioxidants and packed full of vitamins and minerals. If you are looking to switch things up this arugula pesto recipe is delicious and quite a nice change from traditional basil pesto. 

 

Arugula pesto goes great on just about anything. I like to toss cheese tortellini in the pesto along with chopped tomatoes and black olilves for a cold pasta salad or warm fusilli noodles with artichoke hearts and sun dried tomatoes. Get creative and let me know your favorite arugula pesto dish!

Here are a few other recipes using the arugula pesto:
Green Beans and Potatoes
Shroom & Eggplant Polenta Medallions
Pesto Pasta with Turkey Meatballs
Cold Quinoa Salad w/Green Beans, Mozz & Tomatoes
Eggplant & Arugula Pesto Sandwich

Ingredients
Makes roughly 2 cups
3-4 cups of arugula
1/2 cup roasted almonds
1/2 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove
juice from 1 lemon

Place all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until smooth. 

Kabocha Squash & Chocolate Chip & Raisin Bread

Kobocha Squash is another goody that we have been getting in our CSA box every week. The kobocha squash is a Japanese pumpkin that has a yummy sweet taste just like the pumpkin we all know. 

I have been playing around with a few different recipes like Kobocha Squash Risotto but nothing beats a good ol loaf of sweet bread! This recipe makes a great dessert or a yummy breakfast treat.

This recipe calls for half a cooked kobocha squash. Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds and place in a baking dish with 1/2 cup water, drizzle with a little olive oil and bake for 1 hour. Peel off the skin and set aside to cool. If you dont have a kobocha squash use a small baking pumpkin.

Ingredients
Preheat the oven to 350. 

• 2 cups wheat flour 
• 1/2 cup wheat bran
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
  
  
  Mix the above dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
• 2 cups cooked kobocha squash (or pumpkin)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cane sugar
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
  
  Place all of the above wet ingredients into a large food processor and mix until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well.
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  
  Fold in the raisins and chocolate chips. Pour batter into a non-stick baking dish and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. 

Kobocha Squash Risotto

Risotto is such a delicious dish but it requires dedication and a long time in the kitchen. I made Butternut Squash Risotto in February last year and it turned out great so I decided to try again. Looking back at that recipe I realized that I added a few extra unneeded steps. This recipe is very similar but has a few different steps.

Make sure you have some dry white wine laying around for this recipe. I luckily had a bottle of wine but it was an amazing Italian Verdicchio so I was really not excited about pouring it into dinner.

Ingredients
Makes 4-6 servings

• 2 cups kobocha squash, pureed*
• 1/4 small yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
• 1 1/2 cups of arborio rice
• 1 1/2 tbs coconut oil
• 1 tbs chopped sage
• 1/2 tbs tarragon
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup shredded asiago or parmesen cheese
  
  
  In a large pot warm the coconut oil until to medium heat until it melts, then add in the garlic and onions and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add in the arborio rice, sage and tarragon, stir and cook for a 2-3 minutes.
  
  Pour in the white wine.Once the white wine is absorbed add in 1/2 cup of vegetable broth and 1/2 cup of squash, stirring constantly. Once the liquid is mostly absorbed, add in another 1/2 cup of broth and 1/2 cup of squash. Continue this process until you are out of broth and pumpkin. 
  
  This is a very slow process so have patience and make sure you stir continuously so the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. Once the final added liquid is absorbed turn the heat to low and cover until you are ready to serve. Top with a little shredded cheese and enjoy!!  

* Preheat the oven to 400. Place the squash into a baking dish with 1/2 cup of water. Drizzle with olive oil and cook for one hour. Peel the skin off and puree the pumpkin.

Polenta Medallions with Arugula Pesto Mushrooms & Eggplant

This recipe makes a great party snack, appetizer or in my case an addition to dinner. I had quite a bit of polenta in the pantry and a good amount of arugula pesto left over from my Green Beans & Potatoes  and wanted to make something delicious.The first thing that popped into my head was mushrooms with polenta tossed in pesto but I wanted to get a little more creative and add some variety to the plate so I added eggplant and roasted peppers. You friends and family will be quite impressed with this recipe so give it a shot and let me know your thoughts! 

Ingredients

• 18 oz. pre-cooked polenta, sliced into rounds
• 1 tbs olive oil

• 1 Japanese eggplant, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan
• 1 roasted red bell pepper, cut into squares
• 8-10 large crimini mushrooms, stems removed
• 4-6 oz buffalo mozzarella, thinly sliced
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1/8 cup water
• 1/4 cup arugula pesto (or any pesto of choice)
• 3 large basil leaves, sliced into strips

Bring the oven to a high broil. Place the eggplant on a nonstick pan and spray each side with olive oil. Broil the eggplant on high 5 minutes, flip and broil for 3 more minutes. Once the eggplant is cooked remove from the pan and place in a bowl, cover and keep warm.

Place 1/8 cup water and 1 tbs olive oil in a non-stick pan and bring to medium heat. Once it is warm add in the shrooms cover and cook for 5-10 minutes flipping once. Remove the shrooms from the pan when they are soft and add to the eggplant. Toss the vegetable in pesto and set aside.

Warm 2 tbs of olive oil in a large non-stick pan. Place the polenta medallions in the pan and cook for 5-7 minutes on each side or until they start to get crispy. When the polenta medallions are ready place them on a baking sheet or baking safe plate. 

After you place the medallions on the plate or pan assemble your creations. Once your medallions are assembled place the plate in the oven on a low broil for 5-7 minutes or until the cheese starts to melt. Carefully remove and serve warm.

Here are a few layering ideas: 

1) Mozzarella Cheese, Mushroom, Basil, Parmesan

2) Eggplant, Red Bell Pepper, Eggplant, Basil, Parmesan 

3) Red Bell Pepper, Basil, Parmesan 

Watermelon Radish & Citrus Salad

I think I have found my favorite raw winter salad. We have been getting lots and lots of radishes in our CSA vegetable share but they aren't something I use often when cooking. I have been trying to get creative and find creative ways to use them but I have been slacking on my radish recipes. This week we got a few oranges and more radishes which reminded me of a salad I saw in a cookbook. I made a few additions to the recipe and added a dressing. This combination of raw vegetables and fruit is such a tasty salad and it is great for you. 

Ingredients
3 watermelon radishes, peeled
1 large jicama, peeled
2 oranges, peeled
1 cucumber

Dressing
3 tbs orange juice
juice from lemon juice
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs dijon mustard

Slice the watermelon radish and cucumber into very thin slices and cut in half again into crescents  Peel the oranges making sure to reserve a few pieces to juice for the dressing. You only need is 3 tbs so juice cut first then squeeze the juice. After you peel the jicama cut it into rectangular slices. Mix all these ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Mix the dressing fixins in a small bowl then toss the salad with a little dressing at a time. Enjoy cold. 

*I served it over lettuce but it also makes a great salad on its own. 

Carrot Curry Soup with Chickpeas

Yum, yum yum!!! I am so glad I made this delicious dish for dinner tonight  I had a bunch of extra carrots and leeks from my past two CSA vegetable boxes and I thought I would make a carrot and leek soup. Before I started cooking I realized I only had a one can of vegetable broth so a traditional soup was out of the question. I also had a can of coconut milk so I thought to myself... why not make carrot curry. What a great decision it was because this recipe is super easy and tasty! If you are looking for something different try this carrot curry out.

Ingredients
Makes 4 servings

5-6 carrots, sliced thin
1 small leek (white parts only) chopped
2 tbs coconut oil

2 cups of vegetable broth
1 can of coconut milk
2 tsp chopped cilantro
1 tbs chopped basil
3/4 tbs curry powder
1/2 tsp coriander

1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Place the coconut oil in a large pot and heat on medium/low. Once the coconut oil is melted add in the garlic, leeks and carrots, saute for 5 minutes. Next add in the cilantro, basil, curry powder and coriander and cook for another minute.

Pour the vegetable broth in the pot and bring to medium/high heat. Cover and cook for 25 minutes or until carrots are soft. Once the carrots pour in the coconut milk and use an immersion blender* to puree the curry. When the soup is to the consistency you want it add in the chickpeas and warm for just a few minutes. 

*If you don't have an immersion blender just pour the mixture a little at a time into a blender and puree. 

Polenta Pizza with Roasted Peppers & Shrooms

I love polenta because it reminds me of grits. Growing up in Louisiana I did not know too much about food like quinoa, polenta, wheat berries, butter lettuce and the list goes on and on!  Typically I buy precooked polenta and make it into rounds like in my Polenta Bruschetta recipe but this time I decided to use make a pizza. If you are looking for a gluten free pizza recipe this one is for you!

 The directions below look a little intimidating but it really is easy. Just be super careful when transferring the polenta to your baking dish. I used a pizza stone but you can use a pizza pan instead which might make it easier. 

Step 1 - Make the Crust
Ingredients
1 cup uncooked polenta
2 cups of water 
1/8 tsp salt
sprinkle of garlic pepper 

Place the water and polenta in a large sauce pan and whisk until all clumps are removed. Bring the water to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Whisk the polenta a few times while it is cooking until it is thick and starting to stick together. Once the polenta is ready place the polenta on a sheet of wax paper on a flat pan. Shape the polenta into the shape you want your pizza and place into fridge.

Step 2 - Prep the Fixins
Ingredients
1 tbs butter 
2 small portobello caps, sliced

1/2 cup sliced roasted red peppers, sliced
6 basil leaves cut into strips
4-6 oz buffalo mozz8 oz tomato sauce
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Preheat  the oven to 450. If you are using a pizza stone place it in the oven now. In a large skillet melt the butter on medium heat and place the sliced mushrooms in the pan and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Make sure not to crowd the mushrooms and cook them in two rounds if needed then set aside when they are cooked. Slice the cheese, bell peppers and basil and set aside with the shrooms. Place the tomato sauce in a small pot with the oregano, garlic powder and red pepper flakes. Warm the sauce and make sure the flavor is to your liking.

Step 3 - Put the pizza together
Remove the pizza stone from the oven and the polenta from the fridge. Very carefully place the polenta on your pizza stone. Spray with a little olive oil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and spread on your pizza sauce, layer the cheese first, then vegetables and basil. Sprinkle with a little fresh parmesan and bake for 15 minutes. 

* The crust is not as strong as pizza dough so you may have to eat some of it with a fork. Next time I make this pizza I will use more polenta and see if that helps.

Lemon Poppy Seed Waffles

There is nothing like a warm breakfast after a nice long walk in the cold.  A couple times a week my friend Jessica and I will take our pups out for an early morning walk up the old highway. It is a wonderful way to start the day and get exercise for us and the dogs. It is about a 30 minute walk up and 15 minutes down so by the time I get home I am good and hungry. These lemon poppy seed waffles were just what I needed when I got back home. This recipe is a nice twist on waffles so give it a shot. It was super easy and of course YUMMY! 

Ingredients

Makes 4 waffles

1 egg

1 cup almond milk

1 tbs lemon extract

zest from 1/2 lemon

1 1/2 cups of wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tbs sugar

1 tbs poppy seeds

Mix the wet ingredients together in a small bowl. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Slowly mix the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well. Place in a waffle iron or on a skillet for pancakes. Garnish with lemon zest, a dab of butter and syrup!