Chicken Pesto Lasagna

I love making my usual lasagna with sausage and ground beef.  It's made in our household at least once a month and the leftovers are gone within days!  I decided to press my good luck with lasagna and try something a little different.  This recipe really was delicious, but if you're looking for something healthy to make, this probably isn't the recipe to use.  The pesto and provolone cheese really made this dish stand out and the leftovers were just as fabulous.



Source:  What's Cookin', Chicago?

Ingredients:

1/2 package dried lasagna pasta sheets

2 cups cooked rotisserie chicken, shredded
1/2 cup pesto sauce (homemade or store bought)
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried italian seasoning
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded provolone cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Cook the pasta sheets as directed on the package and allow to cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the chicken, pesto, cream cheese, and spices until fully incorporated.

Place a layer of cooked and cooled pasta on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Top with a light sprinkling of cheeses enough to coat.

Layer half of the chicken mixture over the cheese and top with a layer of more pasta.

Repeat layering with a sprinkling of cheese, chicken mixture and pasta.

Cover the top of the pasta with the remaining cheese and bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until cheese is melted and browned. Since everything is already cooked, baking will just meld the flavors and warm everything up. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Restaurant Style Salsa

I am officially never buying store-bought salsa again!  This was absolutely the easiest and most delicious salsa recipe I have ever tried!  It reminded me of the salsa that some of my favorite Mexican restaurants serve.  Definitely try this recipe today!  Serve it at a dinner party and listen to everyone remark how fantastic it is!



Source:  Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:

1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice

2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)
¼ cups Chopped Onion
1 clove Garlic, Minced
1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
¼ teaspoons Sugar
¼ teaspoons Salt
¼ teaspoons Ground Cumin
½ cups Cilantro (more To Taste!)
½ whole Lime Juice

Directions:
 
Note: this is a very large batch. Recommend using a 12-cup food processor, or you can process the ingredients in batches and then mix everything together in a large mixing bowl.

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like—I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.

Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips or cheese nachos.

Roasted Vegetable Minestrone Soup

Yes, I know it's almost the middle of May, but if you're from the Chicago area, you know how freezing cold it has been!  I decided it was the perfect time to make a soup.  Looking at the ingredient list, there really is a lot of ingredients, but you practically just throw it all together and there isn't much else to do.  This was really yummy with some bread and beef manicotti!  Try it this summer! (If you're from Chicago)



Source:  Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:

2 whole Zucchini, Halved, Cut Into Strips, Then Cubed
2 whole Summer Squash, Halved, Cut Into Strips, Then Cubed
8 ounces, weight White Mushrooms, Stems Removed And Quartered
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Kosher Salt To Taste
2 Tablespoons (additional) Olive Oil
2 whole Carrots, Washed And Sliced (not Peeled)
1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
3 stalks Celery, Sliced (leaves Included)
8 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
2 cans Cannelini Beans, Rinsed
1 cup (heaping) Cut Green Beans, Fresh Or Frozen
1-½ cup Medium Or Small Pasta Shells, Uncooked
1 can (14.5) Diced Tomatoes With Juice
Salt And Pepper, to taste
¼ teaspoons Turmeric (optional)
Parmesan Cheese, Shaved

Directions:
 
Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Toss cubed zucchini, squash, and mushrooms in a bowl with olive oil and a sprinkling of kosher salt. Arrange onto two sheet pans (to avoid crowding) and roast in the hot oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until brown and black parts begin to show. Remove from oven and set aside.

In a heavy pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots, onions, and celery and stir to cook for 3 minutes. Pour in broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for ten minutes.

Add cannelini beans and green beans. Cook on low for five minutes. Add pasta and cook for an additional five minutes. Add canned tomatoes, stir, and cook for an additional five minutes on low heat. Check for seasonings, adding salt, pepper, and turmeric.

Add roasted vegetables at the very end. Stir and allow to simmer and heat for a few minutes before serving. Be sure to check seasoning! Add more broth if necessary to increase liquid amount.

Serve with Parmesan shavings and crusty Italian bread.

White Fish Tacos

For my first time ever trying fish tacos, these were really good!  I made these in celebration for Cinco de Mayo.  I loved the cilantro cream sauce that I made with Greek yogurt.  I think next time I will try making it with sour cream to see which one I like best. 

Source:  Annie's Eats, adapted from The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Ingredients:

For the fish:
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
3 tbsp. minced cilantro
¼ tsp. cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 lb. white fish (halibut, cod, tilapia, etc.)
Salt

For the cilantro cream sauce:
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp. cilantro, minced
6 oz. nonfat greek yogurt (sour cream is fine too)
1 clove garlic, minced
Pepper, to taste

For serving:
Cherry tomatoes, quartered
Green onions, chopped
Red cabbage, shredded
(Or whatever sounds good to you!)

6-inch flour tortillas

Directions:

Combine the lime juice, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, cilantro, cumin, and garlic in a pie plate or shallow dish. Whisk together until well blended. Place the fish in the mixture, turning to coat. Let marinate 15-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the cilantro cream sauce. Combine the lime juice, cilantro, greek yogurt, garlic and pepper in a small bowl. Mix until well blended. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place the fish in the pan and cook without disturbing, 3 minutes. Flip the fish and cook on the second side 2-3 minutes more. Remove to a plate, season with salt as desired, and let rest for a few minutes. Shred the fish into bite-sized pieces with two forks.

Assemble tacos on flour tortillas with shredded fish, cilantro cream sauce and toppings as desired.

Beef Stew with Potato Dumplings

I have to admit, I didn't try this recipe, but my husband loved it!  I was on a diet and not supposed to eat the potato so I stayed strong even though this smelled amazing as it cooked.  Considering I had never tried making potato dumplings before, I thought they turned out really well!  I actually shredded the potatoes myself with my food processor, but if you don't have that capability, shredded hashbrown mix will do just fine.  

Source:  The Taste of Home Cookbook 2007

Ingredients: 

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 lbs beef stew meat
2 medium onions, chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cans (10 1/2 oz each) beef broth, undiluted
3/4 cup water
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
6 medium carrots, cut into 2 in. chunks
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp garlic powder

DUMPLINGS:
1 egg
3/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 tbsp minced onion
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 1/2 cups fine shredded raw potatoes

Additional all-purpose flour

Directions:

In a plastic bag, combine the flour, salt, and pepper.  Add meat; toss to coat.  In a Dutch oven, cook meat along with onions in oil until the meat is browned on all sides and onions are tender.

Stir in the broth, water, vinegar, carrots and seasonings; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1-1/2 hours or until meat is almost tender.  Discard bay leaves.

In a large bowl, beat egg; add the crumbs, flour, parsley, onion, and seasonings.  Stir in potatoes; mix well.  With floured hands, shape into 1-1/2 in. balls.  Dust with flour.

Bring stew to a boil; drop dumplings onto stew.  Cover and simmer for 30 minutes (do not lift cover while simmering).  Serve immediately.

Beef Burgundy over Noodles

Looking for some yummy comfort food for Sunday night dinner?  This was a great choice.  It's a bit similar to a few beef/wine recipes that I have made in the past, but I never pass up a chance to cook with red wine.  Or beef.  Or egg noodles.  This was a very tasty meal and is great for a meal for two.  My only issue with the recipe is that there wasn't enough of it!

Source:  The Taste of Home Cookbook 2007

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. boneless sirloin steak, cut into 1/4-inch strips
2 tbsp diced onion
2 tsp butter
1 1/2 cups quartered fresh mushrooms
3/4 cup dry red wine or beef broth
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp water, divided
3 tbsp minced fresh parley, divided
1 bay leaf
1 whole clove
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp browning sauce, optional (I omitted)
1 1/2 cups hot cooked egg noodles

Directions:

In a Dutch oven or nonstick skillet, brown beef and onions in butter over medium heat.  Add the mushrooms, wine or broth, 1/4 cup water, 2 tablespoons parsley, bay leaf, clove, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour or until beef is tender.

Combine flour and remaining water until smooth; stir into beef mixture.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Discard bay leaf and clove.  Stir in browning sauce if desired.  Serve over noodles.  Sprinkle with remaining parsley.

Weeknight Bolognese

The title of this post is definitely the truth.  This dish came together very quickly and tasted great!  We'll eat anything that is cooked in red wine, so choosing this meal was definitely an easy decision.  If you're looking for a quick, easy pasta dish, but want something a little bit different, give this a try!



Source:  Annie's Eats, from How Easy is That? by Ina Garten

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. lean ground sirloin (or ground turkey)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. dried oregano
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
1¼ cups dry red wine, divided
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tbsp. kosher salt
1½ tsp. ground black pepper
1 lb. dried pasta, such as shells
Pinch of ground nutmeg
¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
¼ cup heavy cream
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground meat into the pan. Cook until no longer pink and starting to brown, 5-7 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup of the wine to the pan and stir, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water according to the package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, finish the sauce. Stir in the nutmeg, basil, cream, and remaining ¼ cup wine. Simmer for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. When the pasta is cooked and drained, toss with the warm sauce and grated Parmesan until well coated. Serve with additional Parmesan if desired.