Pasta Primavera

I have been making this delicious recipe for so many years, I can't remember where I first found it!  I might have seen Giada De Laurentiis make it on her show.  But then again, I might have found it in one of her cookbooks.

This is a very pretty dish, with all the colors of the vegetables, so it's perfect for a late summer or early fall dinner party.  It's perfect the way it is, but I do roast the veggies longer than it says to, so they caramelize a little bit more.  I still chop everything by hand, and it WILL take you longer than the 25 minute prep time she lists!

You can click here for the link to the recipe.

One tray of veggies before roasting

 Pasta Primavera

3 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips
2 medium zucchini or 1 large zucchini, cut into thin strips
2 yellow squash, cut into thin strips
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs or herbes de Provence
1 pound farfalle (bowtie pasta)
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

On a large heavy baking sheet, toss all of the vegetables with the oil, salt, pepper, and dried herbs to coat. Transfer half of the vegetable mixture to another heavy large baking sheet and arrange evenly over the baking sheets. Bake until the carrots are tender and the vegetables begin to brown, stirring after the first 10 minutes, about 20 minutes total.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Toss the pasta with the vegetable mixtures in a large bowl to combine. Toss with the cherry tomatoes and enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve immediately.

Kale Brussels Sprout Salad

Found this salad about a year ago and have made it probably 15 times since then!  Absolutely amazing!  Don't let the ingredient list fool you!

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Kale-Brussels-Sprout-Salad-368295

Spaghetti Squash Salad

Killer spaghetti squash salad!

http://m.skinnyms.com/spaghetti-squash-pasta-salad-recipe/

Thymed Zucchini Saute

This simple side is fresh and yummy!  The recipe comes from the August/September 2014 issue of Simple & Delicious.

Thymed Zucchini Saute

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and halved (cut like you see above)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 vegetable boullion cube, crushed (I didn't have this so I used salt instead)
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley (I used dried, about 3/4 tsp)
1 tsp minced fresh thyme (I used dried, about 1/3 tsp)

In large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add zucchini, onion and bouillon. (If you're using dried herbs, add them now so they can cook and soften.)  Cook and stir 5-6 minutes or until zucchini is crisp tender.  Sprinkle with herbs.

This recipe was perfect with Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken:

Grilled Green Beans

I recently saw this recipe in my Facebook news feed.  We eat a lot of green beans, and although they are delicious steamed with some butter and garlic, this sounded like a lovely summer variation.

The beans have a caramelized flavor that is almost sweet.  And the recipe is super simple.  It is written for one serving, so you can easily multiply for your family or for a crowd.

We ate them with grilled steaks and baked potatoes with sour cream and fresh chives.

Click here for the link to the original recipe on Myfridgefood.com.

Grilled Green Beans

8 oz fresh green beans
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice (I used fresh squeezed)
1 tsp garlic powder (this seemed like a lot but it was perfect!)
1/2 tsp salt (optional, I used a generous pinch)
pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese

Mix all ingredients except cheese in a large Ziploc bag.  Let marinate for 10 minutes.

Grill over medium heat, turning often until crisp tender, about 10 minutes.  We used to have a grill pan but apparently it did not move to our new house with us.  Fortunately we had a box of disposable grill sheets instead.  It would be impossible to grill these on the grate without losing them!

Remove beans from grill and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Zucchini Tomato Casserole

I got this recipe from a friend.  It is extremely vague, so use your own judgement about how much you want of each thing!

This was a great side dish for Homemade Rotisserie Chicken.

Zucchini Tomato Casserole

Layer the following:

sliced zucchini
sliced tomatoes, peeled (I used quartered cherry tomatoes, not peeled)
sliced onion
grated cheese (I used extra sharp cheddar)
salt & pepper

Top with croutons (I used garlic cheese -- you can put them in the layers too, if you want -- but the layers inside the casserole will get soft)

Bake, covered, for one hour at 350 degrees.  Remove cover, top with more cheese, and bake uncovered until cheese melts.

Broiled Parmesean Tomatoes

This is an excellent side dish, but would also make a wonderful vegetarian main dish.  If you made it with cherry tomatoes, they would make great appetizers too!

This recipe comes from the June/July 2011 issue of Simple & Delicious.

Broiled Parmesean Tomatoes

2 medium tomatoes, halved
2 Tbsp, plus 1/4 cup butter, divided
4 green onions, chopped
3 Tbsp dry bread crumbs
1 Tbsp grated Parmesean
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese (I used sharp cheddar)

Place tomatoes, cut side up, in an ungreased 15x10x1 baking pan.  Dot with 2 Tbsp butter (split it over the 4 halves).  Broil 4 inches from the heat for 4-6 minutes or until butter is melted.

Meanwhile, in a small microwave safe bowl, combine the remaining butter and onions.  Microwave, uncovered (I used a paper towel anyway -- otherwise it will make a huge mess!!), on high 2-3 minutes or until onions are tender.  Stir in bread crumbs, Parmesean, salt and garlic powder.  Spoon over tomatoes.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Broil 1-2 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Pasta Primavera

This recipe is fresh and delicous!  HOWEVER, it takes tons of time to chop the vegetables into thin strips.  But it is definitely worth the effort!

I had never saved pasta water before to use in a recipe.  It is an interesting concept, and perfect for this dish.

This recipe comes from Giada De Laurentiis's cookbook Everyday Italian. 

Pasta Primavera

3 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips

2 medium zucchini or 1 large zucchini, cut into thin strips

2 yellow squash, cut into thin strips

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1/4 cup olive oil

salt freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs

1 pound farfalle 

15 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup grated parmesan

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

On a large heavy baking sheet, toss all of the vegetables with the oil, salt, pepper, and dried herbs to coat. Transfer half of the vegetable mixture to another heavy large baking sheet and arrange evenly over the baking sheets. Bake until the carrots are tender and the vegetables begin to brown, stirring after the first 10 minutes, about 20 minutes total.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain,reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Toss the pasta with the vegetable mixtures in a large bowl to combine. Toss with the cherry tomatoes and enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve immediately.

Vegetables roasting in the oven

One tray of roasted veggies

Steamed Broccoli with Chile Lime Butter

Steamed broccoli shown with Black Bean Enchiladas, Easy Taco Casserole, and Potato Dippers.

This delicious sauce makes broccoli the perfect side dish for a Mexican meal!
This recipe comes from Make it Easy Mexican from Pillsbury (January 1998)

Steamed Broccoli with Chile Lime Butter

2 Tbsp butter
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 tsp finely grated lime peel
1 tsp finely chopped serrano or jalapeno chile (I usually skip this)
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 cups cut-up fresh broccoli

1.  Melt butter in small saucepan over low heat.  Add garlic, cook and stir about 20 seconds.  Add lime peel, chile and lime juice, mix well.  Set aside.

2.  Place steamer basket in large saucepan.  Add 1 cup water and bring to a boil.  Add broccoli to basket and cook 4-5 minutes or until crisp-tender.

3.  To serve, place vegetable in serving bowl.  Add butter mixture and toss gently to coat.

Mexican Fiesta Menu!

Easy Taco Casserole

Black Bean Enchiladas

Chili Potato Dippers with Cheddar Jalapeno Dip

Mini Corn Muffins with Chile Spread

Broccoli with Garlic Lemon Butter Sauce

This is a super easy side dish you can throw together in minutes.  If you don't over microwave frozen broccoli, it tastes just as good as fresh!

Broccoli with Garlic Lemon Butter Sauce

2-3 cups broccoli florets, steamed if fresh or microwaved 2 minutes if frozen

1 Tbsp butter, melted
1/8 tsp minced garlic (I buy the kind in a small glass jar that you refrigerate)

6-7 drops of lemon juice or to taste

Mix butter, garlic and lemon together and pour over broccoli just before serving.  And that's IT!  Adjust the proportions of the sauce to make it buttery, garlicky or lemony.  This sauce is also excellent over green beans (I ALWAYS use fresh green beans steamed rather than frozen, however!).

Green Bean Casserole

Never Enough Green Bean Casserole
from Allrecipes.com

We had ham steaks with pineapple as the entree tonight, and the green bean casserole as the side. The ham was grilled on the combination grill / panini press, as was the pineapple for a few seconds.



Ingredients:

1 (10 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

3 ounces processed cheese (i.e. Velveeta®), cubed

1 tablespoon real bacon bits

1 (4 ounce) can mushroom stems and pieces, drained

2 (15 ounce) cans cut green beans, drained

1 (2.8 ounce) can French-fried onions

Directions:

1.	Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2.	Heat the undiluted cream of mushroom soup in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the processed cheese and bacon, and continue stirring until completely melted. Remove from the heat, stir in the mushrooms, then the green beans until evenly coated. Pour the mixture into a casserole dish, and top with the fried onions, leaving a 1 inch margin around the sides.
3.	Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until heated through and bubbly. Check near the end of cooking to make sure the onions aren't getting too brown.

Chicken with Tomatoes and Mushrooms & Sweet Peas

Chicken with Tomatoes and Mushrooms
Sweet Peas
crusty bread with butter

My notes: the chicken breasts I found at the store were rather large. Next time I'd butterfly them or just cut them in half crosswise. The sweet peas turned out tasty enough, but not very green after a 4+ hours in the crock pot. I would try the shorter, higher temperature another time. Plus, if the chicken didn't take longer, as it did because of the size, maybe they would've been greener. Probably any crockpot would work for the peas.

Chicken with Tomatoes and Mushrooms
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/chicken-with-tomatoes-and-mushrooms

Ingredients
Serves 4.

* 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, about 1 1/2 pounds
* Coarse salt and ground pepper
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 pound mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 can (14.5 ounces) stewed tomatoes
* 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large (5-quart) saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, heat oil over medium-high heat; swirl to coat bottom of pan. Cook chicken, turning when it easily releases from the pan, until golden, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
2. Add mushrooms; cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, and oregano. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered, until tomatoes have broken down, 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pan; cover, and cook until chicken is opaque throughout, 4 to 6 minutes. Turn chicken to coat with sauce, and serve.



Sweet-Peas
from Hamilton Beach Party Crock

1 package (16 oz) frozen green peas
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

1. Place all ingredients in cast iron dish.
2. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours or MEDIUM for 4 hours.
6-8 servings