| Ingredients: Grapeseed or Olive Oil 1 bunch fresh broccoli or a few cups frozen broccoli 1 (12-16 oz.) bag penne 1 medium onion, minced 6 garlic cloves, minced 2 tsp. dried thyme 1/2-1 cup all-purpose flour 3-4 cups coconut milk (This made this dairy free until I added the mozzarella. This recipe is flavorful enough without the cheese added if you need dairy free. We added the cheese to ours but left one bowl without for our daughter who needs dairy free. I tried it both ways and loved it both ways.) Salt Pepper 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces Mozzarella cheese, shredded (I used a small block but you can add or omit cheese according to taste and need.) Tomatoes (I used a couple of handfuls of grape tomatoes and chopped them up but you can use any tomato chopped up.) | |
Directions: Use some of the oil to grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot, bring the water for the pasta and broccoli to a boil. Stir in some salt and the broccoli. This part is going to be up to personal taste but we like our broccoli very soft so I cooked until the broccoli was tender. If you want a little bite in your broccoli, you will want to pull it back out of the water pretty quickly. Remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon, tossing it into the greased baking dish and add the pasta and a little more salt to the boiling water. Drain the pasta and toss it with the broccoli in the baking dish. While the pasta is cooking, in a skillet, add some oil and start browning the chicken. Season the chicken with salt and pepper or any other seasoning you prefer. We like the herb and garlic Mrs. Dash. When the chicken is done, toss it in with the penne and broccoli. During this time is also when you should chop the tomatoes. Rinse and wipe out the large pot to make the sauce. Add some more oil to the pot and add the onion and garlic until it starts to brown. Add a few tablespoons of the flour and whisk. Add the coconut milk (or other milk if you prefer) stirring constantly. Add in the thyme and salt and pepper. Add the flour a little at a time until the sauce is thick and creamy. Taste regularly to add more salt and pepper. | |
| Toss all ingredients together in the baking dish. Put the dish in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes. If you don't need dairy free, feel free to add the cheese before putting the dish in the oven. I divided the cheese into bowls so I could store it all in separate bowls for leftovers so we had some dairy free and some cheesy. This dish and it's leftovers went fast so I didn't get a picture. But we will definitely be making this again so I will add a picture later. |
Showing posts with label Pasta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pasta. Show all posts
Monday, July 14, 2014
Chicken and Broccoli Penne
Monday, October 29, 2012
Turkey or Beef and Asparagus Meatballs
Update Note: We still love this recipe but I have had to make a few changes. We have constantly kept learning about the corn issues and our daughter has still had tummy troubles off and on that we have had to work with and figure out. We no longer do dairy since we did this recipe so those ingredients are now excluded for us. Also, the brand of ground turkey we can get here includes "natural flavors" in the ingredients. This often means some type of corn source. So we no longer use that either and I have not found a source of clean turkey yet. We have found a source for good, local, grass-fed beef though. So we now use that instead. It is VERY good. I can't believe now, that we ever ate that beef from the grocery store. This stuff tastes and cooks so much better!
These are very easy to make and very easy to sneak in some extra veggies. The original recipe only had asparagus in the meatballs and garlic in the sauce. Well I added spinach to the meatballs and sauce and onions to the sauce. I will include my additions in this recipe. You modify to your family's tastes. This was a hit with the whole family.
Ingredients for meatballs:
1 lb. ground white turkey or beef
3 asparagus spears sliced thin
1 handful frozen, cooked spinach, chopped
1 egg
½ tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. dry oregano
½ cup Italian bread crumbs (Try my recipe HERE)/(crumbled cereal or crackers can be used as well)
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese (optional if dairy free is needed)
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Directions for meatballs:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine ground turkey, asparagus, spinach, egg, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, bread crumbs, and parmesan in a bowl. I used my hands to mix. If it is too crumbly you can add one more egg. Form into preferred sized meatballs. I also made a few small flat patties similar to little sausage patties. This made it easier for the toddler to eat. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add each meatball/patty to the hot pan and cook until just getting browned on each side. Put meatballs in a baking dish or on a baking pan and bake for twenty minutes. I cut a meatball in half to make sure it was finished before taking them out of the oven.
Ingredients for sauce:
1 Tbsp. onion powder/dried minced onion or 1 medium onion, minced
1 handful frozen, cooked spinach, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 cups crushed tomatoes (No cans for corn-free. The original recipe called for 16 oz. but we liked it better with a little more.)
2 oz. softened cream cheese (optional for dairy free; or maybe try coconut milk or coconut yogurt? I haven't tried yet)
salt and pepper to taste
First, start boiling preferred pasta noodles. Saute onion and garlic in the same pan the meatballs were started. Add in the spinach. When the spinach is soft and warm, add in the crushed tomatoes, cream cheese and salt and pepper. Stir until the cream cheese is melted and incorporated into the tomato sauce. Now serve meatballs and sauce over pasta.
If you don't want noodles, you could easily just serve the meatballs alone with some more veggies or a gluten free option such as rice or quinoa.
Note: This recipe was modified from another recipe which you can find HERE.
These are very easy to make and very easy to sneak in some extra veggies. The original recipe only had asparagus in the meatballs and garlic in the sauce. Well I added spinach to the meatballs and sauce and onions to the sauce. I will include my additions in this recipe. You modify to your family's tastes. This was a hit with the whole family.
Ingredients for meatballs:
1 lb. ground white turkey or beef
3 asparagus spears sliced thin
1 handful frozen, cooked spinach, chopped
1 egg
½ tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. dry oregano
½ cup Italian bread crumbs (Try my recipe HERE)/(crumbled cereal or crackers can be used as well)
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese (optional if dairy free is needed)
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Directions for meatballs:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine ground turkey, asparagus, spinach, egg, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, bread crumbs, and parmesan in a bowl. I used my hands to mix. If it is too crumbly you can add one more egg. Form into preferred sized meatballs. I also made a few small flat patties similar to little sausage patties. This made it easier for the toddler to eat. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add each meatball/patty to the hot pan and cook until just getting browned on each side. Put meatballs in a baking dish or on a baking pan and bake for twenty minutes. I cut a meatball in half to make sure it was finished before taking them out of the oven.
Ingredients for sauce:
1 Tbsp. onion powder/dried minced onion or 1 medium onion, minced
1 handful frozen, cooked spinach, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 cups crushed tomatoes (No cans for corn-free. The original recipe called for 16 oz. but we liked it better with a little more.)
2 oz. softened cream cheese (optional for dairy free; or maybe try coconut milk or coconut yogurt? I haven't tried yet)
salt and pepper to taste
First, start boiling preferred pasta noodles. Saute onion and garlic in the same pan the meatballs were started. Add in the spinach. When the spinach is soft and warm, add in the crushed tomatoes, cream cheese and salt and pepper. Stir until the cream cheese is melted and incorporated into the tomato sauce. Now serve meatballs and sauce over pasta.
If you don't want noodles, you could easily just serve the meatballs alone with some more veggies or a gluten free option such as rice or quinoa.
Note: This recipe was modified from another recipe which you can find HERE.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Lasagna Roll Ups
This is another recipe from Pinterest. The original blog is HERE. I changed several things around to make it work for me though. The original recipe (I believe) was more complicated than it needed to be. I am all for short cuts when available since I cannot use convenience foods. And again, in this recipe I used garlic and onion powders instead of the real thing. I use the real thing sometimes but I save a lot of time when I use powders and I often don't have enough fresh on hand. I also hate cutting fresh onions. I rarely buy onions unless J will be there to cut it up for me. I do use fresh garlic regularly since it is easier to chop up.
The lasagna roll ups are easy and versatile. You could easily add chopped spinach to the cheese or omit the beef and make it a veggie lasagna. And the rolls make it easy to portion and store leftovers. My little picky family liked this meal.
Ingredients:
3/4 lb. lean ground beef (you could also use ground turkey here but I have yet to find a corn-free ground turkey)
2 small onions or powder equivalent
3½ cups crushed tomatoes (No cans for corn-free)
4 cloves garlic or powder equivalent
1 Tbsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
salt and pepper, to taste
olive oil if you use fresh garlic/onions
1 cup water
1(15 oz.) container ricotta cheese
grated parmesan and/or Romano (I mix the two or buy the container that already contains both)
mozzarella cheese, shredded
NOTE: The cheeses are not corn-free. At least not that I have found yet. Cheese cultures can be made from corn ingredients. I am working on a new recipe here as well.
Directions:
Boil lasagna noodles in salted water until desired texture. (Most recipes say to cook pasta to al dente but I like it more tender than that.) While noodles boil, cook onion and garlic in olive oil. (Skip this step if using powder.) Brown ground beef with 1 cup water. Water helps break the beef down to a finely ground texture. You could also grind the beef further in a food processor or blender. Add powder now if that is what you use. Stir basil and oregano into beef mix. It should start smelling AMAZING now. This is when I knew this was going to be a good meal. Stir in crushed tomatoes and simmer. Add salt and pepper now to taste. (Always taste your sauce!) I added more onion and garlic here in mine so feel free to add to your preferred flavor. Turn heat off of sauce. Strain noodles and wait until cool enough to touch. Lay noodles flat on some wax paper. Your noodles may dry out a bit in the time it takes to get the rolls prepared. Don't worry, they soften back up in the moisture of the sauce. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread a heaping spoonful of ricotta onto each noodle. Sprinkle parmesan and/or Romano on top of ricotta. Spread sauce over cheese. Use olive oil to grease a 9x13 baking pan. Spread a VERY thin layer of sauce across the bottom of the pan. Roll up noodles. I found it easier to roll from the top toward me. Put rolls in baking pan. Spread a good layer of sauce over the top so that the noodles won't dry out. Bake for 15 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven and sprinkle parmesan and/or Romano over the top. Spread mozzarella over that. Bake for 10-15 more minutes until cheese is melted and starting to brown.
I had pictures of this but I think my toddler erased them off of my phone. She has figured out how to work the phone by herself and if I am not watching very close, she will delete pictures. I will add pictures next time I make it.
UPDATE: I found some of the pictures! They were deleted from one place but I found them in another. Good thing I back most of my stuff up!
The lasagna roll ups are easy and versatile. You could easily add chopped spinach to the cheese or omit the beef and make it a veggie lasagna. And the rolls make it easy to portion and store leftovers. My little picky family liked this meal.
Ingredients:
3/4 lb. lean ground beef (you could also use ground turkey here but I have yet to find a corn-free ground turkey)
2 small onions or powder equivalent
3½ cups crushed tomatoes (No cans for corn-free)
4 cloves garlic or powder equivalent
1 Tbsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
salt and pepper, to taste
olive oil if you use fresh garlic/onions
1 cup water
1(15 oz.) container ricotta cheese
grated parmesan and/or Romano (I mix the two or buy the container that already contains both)
mozzarella cheese, shredded
NOTE: The cheeses are not corn-free. At least not that I have found yet. Cheese cultures can be made from corn ingredients. I am working on a new recipe here as well.
Directions:
Boil lasagna noodles in salted water until desired texture. (Most recipes say to cook pasta to al dente but I like it more tender than that.) While noodles boil, cook onion and garlic in olive oil. (Skip this step if using powder.) Brown ground beef with 1 cup water. Water helps break the beef down to a finely ground texture. You could also grind the beef further in a food processor or blender. Add powder now if that is what you use. Stir basil and oregano into beef mix. It should start smelling AMAZING now. This is when I knew this was going to be a good meal. Stir in crushed tomatoes and simmer. Add salt and pepper now to taste. (Always taste your sauce!) I added more onion and garlic here in mine so feel free to add to your preferred flavor. Turn heat off of sauce. Strain noodles and wait until cool enough to touch. Lay noodles flat on some wax paper. Your noodles may dry out a bit in the time it takes to get the rolls prepared. Don't worry, they soften back up in the moisture of the sauce. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread a heaping spoonful of ricotta onto each noodle. Sprinkle parmesan and/or Romano on top of ricotta. Spread sauce over cheese. Use olive oil to grease a 9x13 baking pan. Spread a VERY thin layer of sauce across the bottom of the pan. Roll up noodles. I found it easier to roll from the top toward me. Put rolls in baking pan. Spread a good layer of sauce over the top so that the noodles won't dry out. Bake for 15 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven and sprinkle parmesan and/or Romano over the top. Spread mozzarella over that. Bake for 10-15 more minutes until cheese is melted and starting to brown.
I had pictures of this but I think my toddler erased them off of my phone. She has figured out how to work the phone by herself and if I am not watching very close, she will delete pictures. I will add pictures next time I make it.
UPDATE: I found some of the pictures! They were deleted from one place but I found them in another. Good thing I back most of my stuff up!
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Creamy Garlic Noodles
This is another pasta but it was another hit in our household. I made it with spaghetti noodles like the original recipe did but I think it would be better with a swirly egg noodle or fettuccine noodle.
Ingredients:
2 tsp. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced (I actually used garlic powder instead of garlic. If you do this, use 1 tsp. garlic powder and nix the olive oil.)
2 Tbsp. butter (can use oil for dairy free)
¼ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
3 cups plus a little chicken stock (watch ingredients)
½ lb. pasta (use gluten free if needed)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese (leave out for dairy and corn free; add to individual bowls later if desired)
1 cup canned coconut cream
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (I only had dried parsley on hand so I used dried)
Directions:
In a pot, bring the olive oil to medium-low heat. Add the garlic and stir for 1-2 minutes. (I skipped these first two steps because I used garlic powder) Pour in chicken stock. Stir in salt, butter (garlic powder if you use it) and pepper. Raise the heat until the butter is melted and mixture is boiling.
Once it is boiling, add pasta and cook to desired consistency. This is when I had to add chicken stock because I like my pasta cooked softer than the typical al dente. Reduce heat to medium and stir in the parmesan until it is melted. Then stir in milk and parsley. Turn off heat. Serve.
The original recipe is HERE.
Ingredients:
2 tsp. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced (I actually used garlic powder instead of garlic. If you do this, use 1 tsp. garlic powder and nix the olive oil.)
2 Tbsp. butter (can use oil for dairy free)
¼ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
3 cups plus a little chicken stock (watch ingredients)
½ lb. pasta (use gluten free if needed)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese (leave out for dairy and corn free; add to individual bowls later if desired)
1 cup canned coconut cream
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (I only had dried parsley on hand so I used dried)
Directions:
In a pot, bring the olive oil to medium-low heat. Add the garlic and stir for 1-2 minutes. (I skipped these first two steps because I used garlic powder) Pour in chicken stock. Stir in salt, butter (garlic powder if you use it) and pepper. Raise the heat until the butter is melted and mixture is boiling.
Once it is boiling, add pasta and cook to desired consistency. This is when I had to add chicken stock because I like my pasta cooked softer than the typical al dente. Reduce heat to medium and stir in the parmesan until it is melted. Then stir in milk and parsley. Turn off heat. Serve.
The original recipe is HERE.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
I've been busy today. This is my second new recipe in one day. It's good though. I've always gotten raves for my alfredo but I've made improvements over the years and made even more improvements today in order to make the recipe corn free. I used to include Season Salt. Well, all of the season salts I have found so far have corn ingredients. I will be working to make my own season salt so stay tuned for that. This was a hit with the family tonight so I will share.
Ingredients:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1-16oz. package fettuccine noodles (this can be gluten free with gluten free noodles)
¼ cup butter (an oil can be used instead of butter but use a little less or the sauce will be oily)
¼ cup chicken stock (watch ingredients)
1 can coconut milk
½ tsp. paprika
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. dried thyme
1 cup grated parmesan cheese (more can be added to taste; leave out for corn and dairy free)
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Season the three chicken breasts with salt and pepper and a little bit of olive oil. Grill until finished. Slice into thin slices.
While the chicken is grilling, boil the noodles to desired firmness. The top chefs always say al dente. Well, I like mine softer than that.
While the noodles are boiling and the chicken is grilling, make the alfredo sauce. In large pan, melt butter. Pour in chicken stock. Gradually stir in the heavy cream. Bring to a simmer while stirring almost constantly. Add in paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, salt and pepper. Taste at this point to check salt and pepper. Stir in the parmesan cheese. Taste now and add any salt, pepper or extra parmesan cheese to your taste.
Now toss noodles, chicken and sauce all together. Serve. This easily makes 5 servings and can make up to 10 servings when served with other side dishes. This goes great with a small salad.
Of course you want to see a picture right? Well, here you go:
Are you drooling yet? I know it looks a little difficult and involved but it really isn't. If I can make it, anyone can. And my husband and I worked together to make this meal. I love cooking together to make something so good. Not to mention, we have plenty leftover to take to work for lunch a couple of days this week.
Ingredients:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1-16oz. package fettuccine noodles (this can be gluten free with gluten free noodles)
¼ cup butter (an oil can be used instead of butter but use a little less or the sauce will be oily)
¼ cup chicken stock (watch ingredients)
1 can coconut milk
½ tsp. paprika
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. dried thyme
1 cup grated parmesan cheese (more can be added to taste; leave out for corn and dairy free)
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Season the three chicken breasts with salt and pepper and a little bit of olive oil. Grill until finished. Slice into thin slices.
While the chicken is grilling, boil the noodles to desired firmness. The top chefs always say al dente. Well, I like mine softer than that.
While the noodles are boiling and the chicken is grilling, make the alfredo sauce. In large pan, melt butter. Pour in chicken stock. Gradually stir in the heavy cream. Bring to a simmer while stirring almost constantly. Add in paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, salt and pepper. Taste at this point to check salt and pepper. Stir in the parmesan cheese. Taste now and add any salt, pepper or extra parmesan cheese to your taste.
Now toss noodles, chicken and sauce all together. Serve. This easily makes 5 servings and can make up to 10 servings when served with other side dishes. This goes great with a small salad.
Of course you want to see a picture right? Well, here you go:
Are you drooling yet? I know it looks a little difficult and involved but it really isn't. If I can make it, anyone can. And my husband and I worked together to make this meal. I love cooking together to make something so good. Not to mention, we have plenty leftover to take to work for lunch a couple of days this week.
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