Creamy Avocado Pasta

Several people tend to make healthy eating resolutions around the start of a new year…I’m not very good at that so I just consider it a daily struggle, but if you’re one of those normal  people, you may enjoy a creamy without containing cream pasta!

Creamy Avocado Pasta

Makes 2 servings

• 1 medium ripe avocado, pitted and skin removed
• 1/2 lemon, juiced (reserve lemon zest for garnish)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2  small shallot, roughly chopped
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 cup fresh Basil
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 6 oz pasta, your choice as to shape
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Bring water to a boil in a medium sized pot.  Add pasta and cook according to manufacturer’s directions.

While you’re waiting for the water to boil, combine garlic cloves, shallot, lemon juice, and olive oil into a food processor. Process until smooth.  Add in avocado, basil, and salt. Process until smooth and creamy.

When pasta is done cooking, drain and place in a large bowl.  Add avocado sauce and toss to combine.  Garnish with lemon zest, pine nuts, and black pepper.

Serve immediately (this does not reheat well).

Recipe slightly adapted from Oh She Glows

Skillet Chicken with Pasta and Broccoli

I love one-skillet meals particularly for during the week meals.  This meals satisfies my quickly bored taste buds by giving me pasta, chicken, broccoli, and sun-dried tomatoes flavored with my favorite product, cheese, all in one dish.  There’s something to be said about having multiple things to eat which is why I was mildly obsessed with a lunch place in Columbus where you got mini-sizes of THREE items for lunch.  You could never get bored with what you were eating!

Although you can’t really tell in the photo, there is a little bit of sauce to the dish too to keep it flavorful.  Please note though that you need a skillet WITH a lid.

Skillet Chicken with Pasta and Broccoli

Serves 4-6.

• 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch squares
• Table salt and ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 12 ounces ziti or penne
• 4 1/4 cups water
• 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 4-5 cups broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped coarse
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese or asiago
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 12-inch or slightly larger non-stick skillet (one that you have a lid for!) over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook for 1 minute without stirring. Stir the chicken and continue to cook until most, but not all, of the pink color has disappeared and the chicken is lightly browned around the edges, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a clean bowl and set aside.

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, onion, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the skillet. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened, 2 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the pasta, 3 cups of the water, and the broth. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the liquid is very thick and syrupy and almost completely absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, and the remaining 1 1/4 cups water. Cover, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the broccoli turns bright green and is almost tender, about 2 minutes.

Uncover and return the heat to medium-high. Stir in the cream, parmesan, and reserved chicken with any accumulated juices and continue to simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is cooked and heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing more grated parmesan at the table, if desired.

Recipe found at My Kitchen Cafe; adapted from The Best Skillet Recipes

Cincinnati Chili

I grew up in Cleveland, but we still had “access” to Cincinnati Chili via Skyline.  When I was younger, I didn’t care for the chili and would get buttered spaghetti when we went although I really did like that, their greek salad, and the oyster crackers.  Later, I evolved enough to order a 3-way (spaghetti, chili, and a big lucious mound of cheese), but I still ask for the chili on the side, because it is a very strong flavor, so I like it in smaller quantities then what they give you.

However, I decided I wanted to try a homemade version, and this ended up very well and fairly authentic tasting.  One thing that I would recommend is to make sure you use regular paprika and not smoked.  I didn’t think it would have a huge impact (it was all we had on hand), but I realize I’m just not the world’s biggest smoked paprika fan!

Cincinnati Chili

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 4 cups water
• 12 oz tomato paste
• 1 ¾ tsp onion powder
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp mild paprika
• ½ tsp hot or Hungarian paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp all-spice
• ¾ tsp celery seed
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp oregano
• ½ tsp crushed red pepper
• ½ tsp ground clove
• 1 oz unsweetened chocolate
• Pasta
• Cheddar Cheese

Brown ground beef in olive oil, then add water, spices and tomato paste. Simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally and replacing water as needed. Add chocolate and continue simmering for 1 hour, stirring occasionally and replacing water as needed.

Serve over pasta and top with cheese, beans, and/or onions depending on your preferences!

Recipe found at: and a cookie for dessert

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

Not exactly on the lighter end of pasta dishes, but it was tasty and different from what we normally make.  I would say I probably don’t derive enough delight out of cream sauces to make it worth the caloric addition (I would definitely rather eat a nice thick sugar cookie or something…yum), but I’ve had weird food interests all day so only strange things are sounding good right now. And particular beverages.  Like Diet Dr. Pepper – we are somehow out of caffeinated pop, and two late nights of watching the Buckeyes and other stuff has left me draaaaaaaaaaaaging.  I’m typically not a stop at the store for one or two things kind of girl, but this might need to be one of those exceptions!

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 cans (15 Ounce Each) Tomato Sauce Or Marinara Sauce
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• Dash Of Sugar (more To Taste)
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• Grated Parmesan Or Romano Cheese, To Taste
• Fresh Basil, Chopped
• 1-½ pound Fettuccine

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.

Heat butter and oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for a minute or so. Pour in tomato sauce and add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Stir and cook over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and stir in cream. Add cheese to taste, then check seasonings. Stir in pasta and chopped basil and serve immediately. (Thin with pasta water before adding basil if needed.)

Recipe from Pioneer Woman

Turkey & Pork Meatballs/Orecchiette Pasta/Pesto

So the amusing thing is that I just looked up this recipe to share it, and Bravo has already changed several of the things we marked to change for the next time we made it.  Our original recipe didn’t include any oil in the pesto which we ended up adding, but you can see our sauce was more paste like than sauce.  I have adapted a hybrid approach between the sauce they have on the website and the sauce as we adjusted it, so this recipe could potentially be tweaked again.

My mom, Corrie, and I all love Top Chef, so we’ve all made and enjoyed eating this dish!

Meatballs:

• 1/ 2 pound ground turkey
• 1/ 2 pound ground pork
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon minced onion
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons white wine
• 1 large egg, beaten lightly
• 1/ 2 teaspoon red pepper chile flakes
• 1/ 2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed

Veggies & Pasta:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cups cauliflower florets
• 1 cup baby carrots
• One 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, each cut in half
• 1 packed cup fresh spinach leaves
• 1 tablespoon white wine
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound orecchiette pasta, cooked al dente

SPINACH-ALMOND PESTO:

• 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
• 1/ 2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/ 2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
• 4 ounces fresh spinach leaves, plus more as needed
• 1/ 2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more as needed
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed
• 2 tablespoons white wine
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

MEATBALLS:  In a large bowl, stir together all the meatball ingredients except the oil and form into meatballs about 3⁄4 inch in diameter.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking and cook the meatballs, in batches, turning them as they cook, until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add more oil to the skillet with new batches as necessary. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a wire rack to drain. Set aside.

VEGETABLES AND PASTA: In a large sauté pan or skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the cauliflower, carrots, and artichokes and sauté until softened but al dente, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for 1 minute, or until just wilted. Add the wine and cook until evaporated. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook orecchiette pasta according to the manufacturer’s directions until al dente.

PESTO:  In a food processor, add the garlic, almonds, spinach, cheese, lemon juice, wine, and salt and pepper to taste and puree. Drizzle in olive oil while food processor is running until it just turns into a sauce from a paste.  Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Set aside until you’re ready to assemble the dish.

Add the orecchiette and meatballs to the vegetables and stir to combine. Add enough pesto to coat, then heat to warm through. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary. Serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Bravo’s Top Chef

Pammy’s Pasta Salad

Inevitably I am always making pasta salad.  It’s great to take as a side item to someone’s house as I did with this batch, but it’s also one of those fantastic ways to clean out all the vegetables in your refrigerator.    We’ve also eaten this several times as our entree, and its great to have on hand to munch on during the weekend.  Sometimes I make my own dressing, sometimes I used bottled, sometimes I use it to combine two or three dressings to use stuff up!

I’m sure they’ll eventually be several variations that end up on here, but here’s this one…

Pasta Salad

• 1 lb. box of any short cut pasta, I used tri-color rotini
• 1/2 – 1 c. broccoli florets
• 1/2 c. grape (or cherry) tomatoes, I like that they don’t get their tomato “juice” all over my pasta serving!
• 1 carrot thinly sliced
• 1/2 block of mozzerella, cubed – I’ve used the semi-soft, brick, fresh – anything cheese is probably good in my book!
• 1/2 c. pepperoni slices – you can usually get the “party” pepperoni at the deli counter or with the lunchmeat, but you could also use the large sandwich style and slice it up
• 1 red pepper, diced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• Italian dressing, to coat

Cook pasta according to package’s directions.  Drain in a colander and rinse with cool water until it’s room temperature.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss with the dressing to coat…EASY!!!