Asparagus, Tomato, and Mushroom One Pot Pasta

Hello fellow foodies! It's been a long time but I'm going to do better at sharing some of my yummy creations. I'm trying to eat better as I enter my final stretch to turning 40. So I've restarted my meatless Mondays. This week I was inspired by all the One Pot pasta recipes I've been seeing to create this nice and light dish. It was a hit! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

EAT GOOD FOOD, LIVE A GOOD LIFE!
- Poetic Cook

 

 

Ingredients:

1 box pasta (I used DeBoles Jerusalem Artichoke Linguini)

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4-5 garlic cloves sliced thin
8 asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces
1 medium tomato diced
4 oz mushrooms (I used portabella, oyster and shiitake)
1 shallot, chopped
2 tbsp fresh basil ripped into small pieces
2 tsp parsley chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
4 cups chicken broth
1.5 tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp onion powder
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

Instructions:

Heat oil and sauté garlic and shallots until softened. Add asparagus to the pot. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir often until asparagus turn bright green and start to soften,   Add mushrooms. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir often for about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, parsley, basil and oregano. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir often until all vegetables are softened but not mushy (about 10 minutes). Add chicken broth. Add lemon zest, onion powder, additional salt, pepper and oregano to taste. Bring mixture to a boil. Add pasta. Use tongs to stir pasta into mixture. Stir constantly until pasta is softened, not clumped together, and fully immersed in liquid. Add cream. Cook until pasta is al dente. Serve while hot. 

Best Banana Bread

Hello Fellow Foodies!  I don't bake a lot but I do have some staple recipes that are long standing family favorites.  This is one of them.  One day I had about 5 overly ripe bananas but didn't want them to go to waste so this is the result...a moist, sweet and delicious banana bread recipe.  If you don't have brown sugar feel free to use white sugar.  That's the beautiful thing about this recipe - the ingredients are probably already in your pantry! So have some with a hot cup of tea or coffee on a crisp fall morning and let me know what you think.

EAT GOOD FOOD, LIVE A GOOD LIFE!
-Poetic Cook

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar 
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 very ripe bananas, mashed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs, mashed bananas, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Chicken Caprese Pasta

Hello Fellow Foodies! While I was recently visiting my in-laws in Kentucky, my mother-in-law, who loves pasta, asked me to make her a dish with pasta and chicken in it. That's about all the guidance I had so I decided to do a twist on a dish that I usually do with the pasta on the side.  Let's just say the "twist" was so good there were no leftovers! This is a guaranteed go to meal!   

EAT GOOD FOOD, LIVE A GOOD LIFE!
-Poetic Cook

Ingredients:
2-3 boneless chicken breasts (I prefer the thinner kind)
1 box thin spaghetti
1 cup tomato basil pasta sauce (I prefer Barilla)
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 clove of garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons dried oregano, each separated
2 large firm tomatoes, diced
6-8 small balls of fresh mozzarella, pulled apart
7 fresh basil leaves, minced
Romano cheese, grated (optional)

Directions:
Sprinkle chicken breasts with a generous amount of salt and black pepper on both sides (in the end should be mostly salt with a light sprinkling of black pepper). Bake at 350 degrees on a non stick baking sheet for 30 minutes. Turn chicken breasts over half way through cooking time. Do not let chicken dry out. Remove chicken. Let rest for 5 minutes. Cut chicken in cubes and set aside.
Cook pasta to al dente.
While pasta is boiling in a separate sauce pan heat olive oil on medium heat. Once hot, add garlic, tomato and some salt and pepper. Cook until tomatoes begin to soften. Add basil. When the mixture becomes juicy (about 8 minutes) add oregano, heavy cream, pasta sauce and chicken. Sauce should boil quickly. Lower heat and add drained pasta.
Toss pasta in sauce mixture adding remaining oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Once pasta is to your desired taste add mozzarella and stir until cheese is melted through the pasta. Serve while hot and top with grated Romano cheese if desired.

NOTE: YOU CAN ALWAYS ADD MORE PASTA SAUCE IF YOU WANT IT TO BE LESS DRY AND MORE SAUCY. YOU CAN ALSO ADD GARLIC POWDER TO YOUR PASTA WHEN YOU ARE SEASONING IT IN THE END IF YOU WOULD LIKE IT MORE GARLICKY.

Savory Butternut Squash Soup

Hello Fellow Foodies! Nothing says fall flavor like butternut squash soup.  I had tasted many variations of it at restaurants and while I was okay with them generally, nothing really hit me as a recipe that I would want to try to recreate at home.  So I set out to find a recipe that was less sweet, more savory and more my speed.  After finding a variety of savory versions on line I decided to add my own twist and this is what I came up with...the perfect balance of sweet and savory fall flavors...true comfort.  Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.    

EAT GOOD FOOD, LIVE A GOOD LIFE!
-Poetic Cook

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 small potatoes, cubed
1 granny smith apple, diced
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
30 oz of chicken stock
2 packets Knorr Low Sodium Homestyle Chicken Stock
salt
freshly ground pepper
freshly ground nutmeg

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pot, and cook the onion, celery, carrot, potatoes, apples and squash 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Pour in enough of the chicken stock to cover vegetables as well as the Knorr stock packets. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 40 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender. Transfer the soup to a blender, and blend until smooth. Return to pot. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Let soup return to a light boil. Serve and enjoy!

Skirt Steak Fajitas with Yellow Tomato Salsa

Hello Fellow Foodies! I started buying skirt steak these last few years especially for summer months to go on the grill.  But I also have used it to broil after this long drawn out marinating process. I had some skirt steak but wanted to do something different but flavorful with the meat.  So I decided to comb through the various approaches of marinating the meat for fajitas and ultimately formulated my own mix.  The feedback from my daughter was and I quote, "Mommy this steak fajita is A-MAZING!"  So she told me I had to share this wonderful recipe with all of you and that is exactly what I'm doing.  These fajitas are great for a weeknight meal or as a fajita bar at a party.  I hope you find them as yummy as we all did!   

EAT GOOD FOOD, LIVE A GOOD LIFE!
-Poetic Cook

Ingredients:
1.5 lb skirt steak, cut into 2-3 pieces
6 Medium Soft flour tortillas, warmed
Mesculin salad or your favorite lettuce, cut up
6 oz. shredded cheddar cheese or mexican blend

For Steak marinade:
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Teaspoon coarse mustard
Tablespoon Soy sauce
Tablespoon Lime juice
Teaspoon Fresh parsley, chopped
Tablespoon Fresh cilantro, chopped
Teaspoon, Minced garlic
Teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon black Pepper
Teaspoon Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Red pepper flakes
Teaspoon Brown sugar

For Roasted Onions & Peppers seasoning:
1/2 large onion sliced
1/2 medium green bell pepper
1/2 medium orange pepper
1/2 medium yellow pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Cumin

For Yellow tomato salsa:
One large yellow tomato, diced
1 small shallot, chopped
1/2 Serrano pepper chopped
Tablespoon cilantro, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon lime juice
Salt
Pepper


Directions:
1. Lay steak flat in a glass dish with space for each piece to marinate evenly. In a medium bowl mix all marinade ingredients together and stir briskly until well blended. (Note: taste a small bit to make sure there is enough salt. If the flavor is a bit dull add more to taste). Once well mixed brush marinate generously over steak in the dish, turning to coat all sides of each piece. Pour any remaining marinade over the top and cover dish with plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator for 30 min. (May be kept refrigerated up to 24 hours) Remove and let sit at room temp for another 20-30 minutes.Turn on your broiler.  Place steak on a sheet pan and put under broiler.  Cook for 15-25 minutes depending on how well you want your meat cooked, turning half way through.  
2. In the meantime mix all of the ingredients for the Onions and Peppers in a bowl and toss until the veggies are coated thoroughly with oil and seasoning.  Let sit.
3. Take all of the ingredients for the Salsa and mix them together well in a bowl then chill until ready for serving.
4. Once your meat is done remove it from the oven and set it aside to rest.  
5. Put your oven on 425 degrees.  Place your marinated veggies in another sheet pan and roast them for 10-12 minutes or until they begin to soften.  Do not let the edges of your veggies burn.
6. Once the steak has rested, slice your skirt steak and place it in your soft tortillas and build your fajita with the lettuce, cheese, salsa and onions and peppers.  Fold over and enjoy!

Seafood Stew

Hello Fellow Foodies! I love the farmers market in the fall.  The one by my house had a vendor recently who was selling fresh fish and seafood.  I decided to get a pound of mussels because I already had 2 dozen clams and a bag of jumbo shrimp at home. The wheels started to turn and after some research for inspiration this simple but yummy creation came about.  So all you seafood lovers...dig in!   

EAT GOOD FOOD, LIVE A GOOD LIFE!
-Poetic Cook

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1 cup bottled clam juice
1 cup drained, diced tomatoes (from a 15-ounce can)
2 thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, plus more for serving
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed
1 pound of mussels, scrubbed
1/2 pound shelled and deveined extra large shrimp
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Crusty bread, for serving

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil. Add the shallot and garlic and cook over high heat, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and boil until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the stock, clam juice, tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf and hot sauce and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes. Add the clams and mussels, cover and cook just until most of them open, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp, cover and simmer until they are cooked through and the remaining clams and mussels have opened, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the seafood to individual bowls. Add the butter and parsley and cook over moderate heat for 1 minute, swirling the pan. Spoon the broth over the seafood and serve with crusty bread.

Macaroni and Cheeseburger Casserole

Hello Fellow Foodies! This recipe was inspired by a photo I saw on Pinterest that had no recipe attached to it.   The whole concept seemed like the ultimate comfort food. When I looked up recipes for the dish I came up with a number of combinations but none of which were completely what I thought would go over well with my family.  So I took a few ideas from them and added some ingredients of my own and ended up with recipe success!  I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine did. 

EAT GOOD FOOD, LIVE A GOOD LIFE!
-Poetic Cook

Ingredients:

1 lb elbow macaroni, uncooked

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 lb ground sirloin (can sub chicken or turkey)

1 yellow onion, diced

1 half green pepper, diced

1 can diced tomatoes with chiles

1 small can tomato sauce

1/4 cup A1 Steak Sauce

1 can semi condensed cream of mushroom soup

3 packets Knorr low sodium homestyle chicken stock

salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

1 lb shredded Cheddar cheese 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Cook your macaroni according to package directions. Drain and rinse and set aside. Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat olive oil and then brown the onion and green pepper. Once onions and peppers are soft but not brown, add your meat to the skillet until it is brown and crumbled. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, can of soup, steak sauce and chicken stock; stirring well. Cover with lid and let cook for about 10 minutes until a light boil. Add some salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.  In a deep casserole dish, mix the hot macaroni with the sauce, stirring to coat well.  Add 3/4 of the cheddar and stir thoroughly into mixture. Top with remaining shredded cheese. Cover with foil and put in the oven. After the first 25 minutes remove foil and put back into the oven for an additional 25 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbling. Serve while piping hot.