Spiced butternut squash puree? Creamy bechamel? Gooey cheese? Yes please! This dish is so comforting and delicious – just perfect for fall.
Roast some butternut squash with olive oil, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Mash it up with mascarpone, Parmesan, brown butter, garlic, and shallots.
Stuff the filling into large pasta shells – I used whole wheat to add a semblance of health. I found one box of shells to be too many, actually – so I filled the others with cheese and tomato sauce. (more…)
I always see these beautiful steak pinwheels at the grocery store and was wondering if I could make them myself. It turns out that it isn’t that easy – but stuffed with boursin cheese, spinach, and artichokes these sure are tasty! I paired them with a pasta using up the last of a big batch of homemade ricotta, spinach, and golden raisins. (more…)
Here’s a fun and easy salmon dish for when you are pressed for time – Crispy Salmon with Creamy Basil Pasta.
Brush salmon with coconut oil, season with salt and pepper, and broil for 5 min per side on a rack. Serve on top of whole wheat spaghetti with a creamy basil sauce.
For a lighter side (I paired it with my Panko Salmon), make “noodles” out of zucchini in a yogurt sauce.
To make the zucchini noodles, use a julienne peeler or mandoline to make thin strips. Toss with salt and allow the water to drain out.
Then toss with a creamy lemon-chive dressing made with Greek yogurt. (more…)
A few weeks ago I posted about doing a roasted tomato pasta, but forgot to take a picture of the finished product! So when I saw these gorgeous local tomatoes at the market, I wanted to make it again.
So – toss with salt, pepper, olive oil and roast at 400 for 20 minutes or until they are bursting and caramelizing. I roasted mine ahead of time and stored them in the fridge until I needed them.
Then you just toss the hot tomatoes (I reheated mine when I was ready for them) with hot pasta and they will turn into a chunky sauce. Top with fresh basil and adjust for salt and pepper. That’s it! Gorgeous, fresh, fast, and easy.
I am so obsessed with figs right now. I buy a pint (or two) every week. And while they are amazing on their own or simply drizzled with honey, I like to give them the fancy treatment from time to time.
Like with this gorgeous pasta dish with figs, toasted walnuts, goat cheese, spinach, and lemon zest.
Or done up in a super classic pairing with prosciutto and mozzarella.
I cut some Black Mission figs in half, sandwiched a piece of mozzarella between them, wrapped them in the prosciutto and skewered them.
Then I broiled them until the ham was nice and crispy and the cheese was melty and drizzled the whole thing with honey. Ridiculously yummy – and the house smelled fantastic!
I am nowhere near done with my fig phase, still – more to come!
Fig and Walnut Pasta
adapted from Green Kitchen Stories
serves 2
whole wheat spaghetti, enough for 2 people
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 cup white wine
1 small lemon, juice and zest
1 big bunch of fresh spinach
4.5 oz goat cheese
3.5 oz walnut halves, toasted in a dry pan
salt
5 fresh ripe figs, cut into quarters
Boil the spaghetti to al dente, according to the instructions on the package, and set aside when done.
Add olive oil to a large frying pan on medium heat. Add garlic and let it sweat for about 30 seconds before adding the wine and lemon juice. Stir around, add spinach and goat cheese while stirring (save a small piece of the goat cheese for later). Let it simmer for three minutes before adding the spaghetti and the roasted walnuts. Stir for 30 seconds, taste it and add salt if needed, make sure that the spaghetti is covered in the goat cheese/wine/lemon cream then turn off the heat.
Add the figs and gently fold them into the pasta. Serve on a big plate or in a bowl with the rest of the goat cheese and lemon peel sprinkled over it.
The last time I posted a recipe for you was over a month ago! Oh my goodness! You have my deepest apologies, dear readers, and to make it up to you I will post not 1, not 2, but 3 delicious summer recipes for you!
Let’s start with this gorgeous zucchini tart from Closet Cooking (which is a blog that I highly recommend). Puff pastry is topped with a mixture of ricotta, feta, lemon, fresh herbs, and an egg along with thinly sliced zucchini and baked to puffy, golden perfection. Served on its own or with a side salad, this is the perfect summer lunch.
Next up, take advantage of those juicy summer tomatoes in a slightly different take on a fresh tomato pasta with a Roasted Tomato Sauce. (more…)
This is a pretty decadent dinner, but sometimes we need a little comfort (and a lot of cream). “Melt in Your Mouth” Chicken is topped with seasoned mayonnaise and baked to make it juicy and flavorful. Creamy Lemon and Chive Farfalle is surprisingly light – with the gentle flavors of white wine, shallot, lemon, and chives. (more…)
I was looking for a light (but filling) Spring side dish and stumbled upon this recipe for a Zucchini and Orzo Salad with Feta – perfect! It was so delicious and refreshing that I ended up eating it by itself for lunch instead of pairing it with salmon like I had intended.
But I did still need a side for the salmon, and I had extra orzo and some Mascarpone that I needed to use up. So I made this Creamy Mascarpone Pasta with Peas and Chives – yum! (more…)
Last week, I stumbled upon this really cool concept blog called Food ‘n Flix that invites bloggers to watch a movie, make a dish inspired by the movie, then blog about it. This month, the movie is Big Night (hosted by Spabettie) starring Stanley Tucci and Tony Shalhoub as two hilarious Italian brothers that own a restaurant together. In order to save the restaurant from bankruptcy, they risk everything they have on one extravagant dinner to impress a celebrity singer.
I loved the movie, it was cute and funny and well acted, and it made me SO HUNGRY. It inspired me to make a Tricolore Lasagna in the colors of the Italian flag (green, white, and red). (more…)
Photos like this one from Bliss are one of the reasons that I am addicted to Pinterest – I can look at gorgeous photos of food all day and then make the dishes that look yummy. (more…)