Skinny Zucchini and Red Pepper Pasta

 

I came up with this pasta on the fly, but it's now one of my family's favorites! It's fresh, flavorful, and filling.



 

 

 

Skinny Zucchini and Red Pepper Pasta
8 ounces lean ground turkey
8 ounces noodles (I used bowtie)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 large red pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup diced onion
1 large tomato
1/2 cup zucchini, chopped
1/2 cup canned grated parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

Boil the water for the noodles. Before adding the noodles to the water, place the tomato in the water for 30 seconds. Carefully remove the tomato and slice a small "x" shape in the top. Peel the skin off the tomato using the "x" as a starting point. Once the skin is removed, cut open the tomato, remove the seeds, and finely dice. Cook the pasta according to the package's directions.
Over medium heat, cook the turkey, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, onion, and one tablespoon of olive oil until the turkey is browned. Add in the tomato, zucchini, and red pepper, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini and red pepper are tender, but not mushy. Mix in the grated parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste, and noodles. Stir in 3 more tablespoons of olive oil so the pasta isn't dry. Enjoy!



Sweet and Savory Tofu with Savory Asian Noodles

 

 

I've always wanted to try tofu because it's so healthy. I finally purchased some at the store, and then scoured the internet for good tofu recipes. I'll admit, the only one that really appealed to me was a recipe for fried tofu.

Fried tofu.

Isn't that some sort of oxymoron?

So I came up with my own recipe. I have to admit, I love the caramelization of the marinade on the tofu. And I also came up with some Asian-inspired savory noodles. I wanted the tofu to be the shining star in the dish, so I made the flavors of the noodles pretty delicate.

Sweet and Savory Tofu
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1/4 cup oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
12.3 ounce package of extra firm tofu

Combine all of the ingredients except for the tofu in a large bowl. Slice the tofu into 1-inch thick slices. Put the tofu into the marinade and make sure the tofu is coated in the marinade. Let the tofu marinate in the fridge for at least two hours to absorb the flavors. After marinating, place the tofu onto a roasting pan or cooling rack (that's oven-safe) and broil in the oven until the marinade caramelizes on one side, and then flip and caramelize the other side. Use the leftover marinade as a dipping sauce.

Savory Asian Noodles
6 ounces linguine or fetticine noodles
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
1 squirt sriracha sauce (or more if you like it spicy)
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 green onion, sliced

Boil the noodles according to the package's directions. While the noodles boil, mix the remaining ingredients, except for the green onion, in a small bowl. When the noodles are finished cooking, drain the water and return the noodles back to the pan. Pour the sauce ingredients into the pan and stir to combine. Serve with the sliced green onions on top.

"Leftover Rotisserie" Chicken

I don't know about you, but I feel like I find so many "quick and healthy" dinner recipes that call for "leftover rotisserie chicken." I want to laugh every time I read "leftover rotisserie chicken." It seems like some recipes assume we eat rotisserie chicken every other day so we will always have leftovers. And since I do not eat rotisserie chicken every other day, I would have to cook the chicken for the recipe that night, making that recipe a lot less "quick."

Until.

Until I realized that I was spending waaaaay too much time every night handling yucky raw chicken. Now I cook the chicken all at once, and then freeze it. So now I have "leftover rotisserie" chicken whenever I need it!

Not only is this recipe so simple and easy, but it saves so much time during the week. And the chicken is super tender!

"Leftover Rotisserie" Chicken
Any size package of fresh (not frozen) chicken breasts
Chicken broth (use a good quality kind)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Trim the excess fat from the chicken and place in a glass pan. Do not overcrowd the chicken. Pour enough chicken broth over the chicken so that it is 1/2 inch high in the pan.

 

Cover the pan tightly with foil. Cook for one hour. When finished cooking, remove the chicken from the oven, but don't remove the foil for 15 minutes. After 15 minues, remove the foil and let the chicken cool to room temperature. Place the chicken in freezer safe resealable bags and store in the freezer.

When you're ready to use the chicken, just place it on a plate and microwave for a minute or two, until it is thawed enough to be cut through.

Creamy Chicken Corn Chowder with a Kick

My little guy loves keys. Loves them. The first thing he does when Daddy comes home is to reach in his pockets and pull out his keys. He knows which keys go to Daddy's car, and which keys go to Mommy's car (he likes Daddy's car keys the most). And, of course, he knows where the panic button is on each set of keys.
Tonight as I was tucking him into his crib, he rolled over and I heard a clink. Puzzled, I felt around his blanket and pulled out....the keys to my car. I have no idea when he grabbed them, but he kept them hidden from me while I fed him his bottle and rocked him. Apparently he was hoping to snuggle with them tonight....or take the car for a midnight spin ;)

So for those of you who need some spice in their food like my son needs keys, then this soup is for you. It's a comfort food with a spicy kick!

 

 

Cream Chicken Corn Chowder with a Kick
1 onion, diced
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
3 cups diced potatoes
1 can creamed corn
1 can corn, drained
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 small can green chiles
2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Several hearty dashes of hot sauce

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until softened. Add the flour, cook for one minute, stirring continuously. Add in the broth, milk, potatoes, creamed corn, corn, bacon, chiles and garlic powder. Cover the pot and let the soup simmer for about 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Don't let the soup come to a full boil. Once the potatoes are tender, stir in the chicken. Season with the salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Don't be shy with the hot sauce!  Stir to incorporate the seasonings, and enjoy!

Skinny Mini Turkey Meatloaves

Growing up, my mom made a mean meatloaf. I loved it so much, that I requested it for my birthday dinner when I turned 9. All of my other friends had pizza parties and junkfood. I had meatloaf.

The other night I had a hankering for meatloaf. I wanted to keep it healthy, but full of flavor. And so these Skinny Mini Turkey Meatloaves were born.

 

Skinny Mini Turkey Meatloaves
1 pound lean ground turkey
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup milk
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon beef base (you can use beef bouillon, but beef base is better)
1/3 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
5 slices smoked turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled (I like to cook mine in the oven at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes)

 

 

Glaze

1/4 cup ketchup

1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. )I used silicone muffin liners).

In a small bowl, mix together the oats and milk. Let the oats soak while the rest of the ingredients are prepared. In a large bowl, mix together the onion, garlic, beef base, barbecue sauce, egg, black pepper, and bacon until well combined. Stir in the oat and milk mixture until combined. Stir in the ground turkey until thoroughly combined.

Spoon the meat mixture into the muffin pan. You should be able to fill all 12 cups. In a small bowl, combine the ketchup and brown sugar. Spoon a small amount on each mini loaf, and spread over the top. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the mini meatloaves are cooked through.



Hash Brown Crusted Quiche

This dish features all the favorite breakfast foods--sausage, eggs, and hashbrowns--in a beautiful, cheesy quiche! It's so easy to put together because hashbrowns form the crust!

Hash Brown Crusted Quiche
3 1/2 cups shredded frozen hash browns, thawed
3 tablespoons butter, melted
4 large eggs, beaten
1 cup whole milk or 2% milk
8 ounces turkey sausage
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss the hash browns with the melted butter and press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie plate to form a crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and starting to crisp.
Meanwhile, cook the sausage and onion in a small pan over medium heat until the sausage is browned and the onions are tender.
Beat the eggs in a large bowl, and add the sausage mixture and remaining ingredients. When the hash brown crust is done, pour the egg mixture over it and put it back in the oven. Turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees and bake for about 30 minutes until the quiche is light golden brown and puffy.

Adapted from Food Network

Italian Cheese Loaf

Whenever I try a new recipe for dinner, I always watch my husband's face as he takes his first bite. If he eats it without changing facial expressions, then I know that the recipe is just okay, nothing noteworthy. If he gets this look of deep concentration, then it's either really good, or really bad. When he bit into this Italian Cheese Loaf, he got that look of deep concentration....and then devoured it....I took that as a sign that we have a winner here.

 

It's a warm, crusty loaf with a hearty filling of Italian spices, refreshing tomatoes, and melted cheeses.  

Italian Cheese Loaf

1 loaf (1 pound) French or Italian bread
8 oz. ground turkey or Italian sausage or ground beef, browned and drained (if necessary)

2 cups diced fresh tomatoes

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

3 green onions, chopped (I used the white part and most of the green part)

1/4 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese (I actually used the stuff in the can, and it worked great)

1/3 cup chopped olives

1/4 cup Italian salad dressing

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano 

Cut off the top half of the loaf of bread. Set aside the top half. Hollow out the bottom half of the loaf, leaving a 1/2 inch shell. 

Mix the remaining ingredients together and spoon into the hollowed out bottom half of the loaf. Top with the top half of the loaf and wrap in foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. (When I baked this, it was only warm inside after 25 minutes. So I removed the top half and broiled the bottom half for a minute or two to get the cheese all melted)

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home Appetizers