creamy mushroom pasta

Ah... this dish combines all my favorite flavors - outside of pregnancy, but especially during pregnancy.  Mushrooms.  White wine.  Parmesan.  Pine nuts.  Arugula.  It's creamy, in a fairly healthy sort of way, but the arugula adds a nice lightness that cuts the richness of the dish.

I made it for myself and didn't even try to share it with the rest of my family!  They probably would have eaten it and liked it, but I figured I would enjoy it the most, so I might as well eat it all. :)  It made for a nice lunch several days and was delicious every time I ate it.

creamy mushroom pasta

Ingredients:
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 c. dry white wine
whole wheat penne (I used about 1/3 of a box)
1 container sliced portobello mushrooms
2 laughing cow cheese triangles, any flavor (or 2 T. cream cheese)
3 T. plain yogurt
1/3 c. parmesan cheese
2 c. roughly chopped arugula
handful of pine nuts (optional)
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:
Caramelize the onions by cooking them over medium heat for a couple minutes (I like to use a nonstick skillet without any oil so that the onions start to brown), then add the white wine and minced garlic.  Simmer until all the wine is absorbed.  If you want to caramelize the onions even more, add a little water and cook until it is absorbed.  Repeat adding water until they are caramelized to your liking.

While the onions cook, in another pot, heat water to a boil and cook penne to al dente, ~ 8 minutes.  Drain, and reserve 1 c. of the pasta water.

In a skillet, saute the mushrooms in 1 T. olive oil and a little salt & pepper until tender.  Add the cheeses and yogurt and stir until creamy.  Add pasta and stir until combined.  Add pasta water, a little at a time, until desired creaminess.  Stir in chopped arugula, salt & pepper to taste, and sprinkle with pine nuts.

Serves 2-4.

ricotta veggie wraps

These wraps make for a nice light meal - with or without meat.  The original recipe doesn't have meat in it, but chicken is a good addition.  Sometimes I make them with meat and sometimes I don't, just depends on my mood and how much time I have!

veggie ricotta wraps

Ingredients:

Sauce:

1/3 c. sour cream or plain yogurt (if using plain yogurt add in 1/2 tsp. or more of sugar)

1/4 c. finely chopped chives

3 T milk

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

2 tsp. basil pesto (optional)

1/4 tsp salt

pepper to taste

Filling:

2 c. chopped zucchini

1 1/4 c. chopped green beans (into ~1/2" pieces)

1 c. corn 

1 c. part-skim ricotta cheese

1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 c. finely chopped chives

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

pepper to taste

+ shredded or cubed cooked chicken (optional)

4-6 whole wheat tortillas

Instructions:

Stir together sauce ingredients until smooth and set aside.

Saute zucchini, grean beans in 1 T. olive oil on medium heat for 3-5 minutes, then add in corn and cook another 2-3 minutes or until veggies are tender crisp.  Reduce heat to low and stir in chicken (if using) ricotta, mozzarella, chives, salt, and pepper.  Cook until cheese is melted, 1-2 more minutes.  You might have to use a little extra ricotta if using chicken, just make sure veggies and chicken are coated with cheese.

Fill warmed tortillas with veggie mixture, roll up, and serve with sauce on the top.  Sprinkle with more chives if desired.  It's good served with a little side salad to help lighten up the cheese.

quinoa patties

I found this recipe on pinterest and decided it would be a fun new way to eat quinoa.  With just a few modifications and a quick beet salad to go with the patties, we had ourselves a simple and yummy meal.  I will say that these were definitely best right after they were made and were just ok as leftovers.

quinoa patties with beet salad

Quinoa patties:

3 c. cooked quinoa (1 c. dry)

3 eggs

3/4 c. breadcrumbs

1/2 c. shredded parmesan cheese

1/4 c. chopped basil

2 T chopped parsley

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp paprika

fresh ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients and stir until mixed.  Heat 2 T canola oil in saute pan at medium heat.  Once hot, place large spoonfuls of quinoa in oil (oil should sizzle).  I didn't worry about molding the quinoa mixture in my hands at all before putting it in the pan, just pressed the spoonful of quinoa into a 2" round patty.  If your oil is hot and it starts cooking right away, it will keep the patty together.

Cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.  Remove and place on a plate covered with paper towel to absorb extra oil.  Sprinkle with more shredded parmesan cheese and a little more salt & freshly ground black pepper. 

Add more oil to the pan and cook more patties, until quinoa mixture is gone.

Makes about 15 patties.  Since they're small, I would figure 3-4/person.

Beet salad:

1 c. chopped beets (can either roast yourself, or just go with the canned version :)) *

1/2 c. corn

drizzle of olive oil

drizzle of balsamic vinegar

salt & pepper

To serve, place a few patties over a bed of spinach or arugula and top with beet salad and a little chopped basil.  Drizzle with a little more olive oil or balsamic vinegar if desired.

* if beets aren't your thing, tomatoes would be a good substitute

leftovers

Some people don't care for leftovers... I like them.  They are easy to eat for lunch, they get more flavorful, and I like the challenge of creating something new with leftovers to use them up. 

This leftover story started with salmon, a side of chickpeas & kale, and a side of rice pilaf (a great item I found at costco that has lentils and all sorts of yummy things in it) as the original dinner.  The leftovers were kale & chickpeas and rice pilaf.  The new dish created was a tomato, eggplant, rice mixture I found quite delicious.  It was pretty heavy on the eggplant, so you must be a fan of eggplant to like this one (Chad is not so I ate it all :)).  The moral of the story is that it is very easy to turn a couple leftover items into a fun, new dish!

Eggplant with tomatoes, rice, and chickpeas

Ingredients:

(this is a very flexible dish, so the amount of all the veggies can be adjusted!):

2 small or 1 medium/large eggplant cubed

2 cloves garlic

1 onion chopped

1/2 tsp cumin *

1/2 tsp corriander *

1/2 tsp paprika *

1 c. marinara

1 c. chickpeas with sauted kale

1 - 1 1/2 c. cooked rice pilaf

1/4 c. chopped cilantro

Instructions:

Saute eggplant with garlic and onions in olive oil with salt & pepper and other seasonings for a few minutes until just slightly tender. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until eggplant is desired tenderness.  Add hot sauce if you like things spicey.  Garnish with cilantro.

* approximates - might want to use a little less at first and add more until you like the taste, or you might end up wanting more than 1/2 tsp of each seasoning