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.

pinterest recipe: protein snack balls

Who doesn't love the world of Pinterest and browsing it for new ideas for food, organizing, crafts, etc.?  I do.  However, I'm not great at following through on completing many of the projects/recipes I pin.  So... with the new year, I thought why not start trying to make one of those great recipes I pin once/week?  Hopefully posting the recipes I try on here will help keep me accountable to it.

I had a friend make a version of those yummy looking protein/snack balls that are floating around Pinterest.  Hers were delicious, so I thought that would be a great first recipe to try...  this is the recipe that I modified from Pinterest.  And let me just tell you that these are yum-o and dangerous.  They are just healthy enough that you don't really feel bad for eating them, but know that they are full of calories with all the almond butter, flax, and coconut oil.  They are the perfect little breakfast, after lunch dessert, afternoon snack, late night snack... ok, I eat them all day long.  My husband and son loved them too, so that helped me eat not quite all of them.  :)

protein snack balls

Ingredients:
1 c. almond butter (or peanut butter)
1 c. oats
1 c. shredded coconut
1/3 c. honey
1/4 c. ground flax seed
1/4 c. peanut butter
3-4 T. coconut oil
1 scoop protein powder (optional)
2 tsp vanilla
sprinkle of cinnamon

Instructions:
Stir together the almond butter, peanut butter, coconut oil, and vanilla.  Add remaining ingredients and stir until combined.  Add more almond butter/oil if mixture isn't sticking together, or more oats/coconut if there seems to be too much almond butter.*  Roll into 1 - 1 1/2" balls and refrigerate.

* The mixture was kind of crumbly when I made them, but once I started rolling it into balls it stuck together, so I would recommend "testing" the mixture and see if it forms balls before modifying.

Makes 2 dozen balls.

brothy chinese noodles

When I saw this recipe in my Eating Well magazine, I knew it was a must try.  And I'm thankful I did.  It was super, super delicious.  Especially with a little hot sauce to spice it up.  If you have a love for Asian flavors at all, make this recipe.  It was one of those dishes that I wanted to keep eating and eating even after my stomach was telling me it was full, because the flavor is that scrumptious.  I will definitely be making this recipe over and over, especially during the cold winter.

I was much too excited to eat it to take a picture, so below is a picture from eatingwell.com and here's the recipe.  I modified the recipe just a tad (mostly the quantities), so I included my version below.  I think next time I will add even more cabbage, just because I love it and like my veggie to carb ratio to be high.

brothy chinese noodes
picture credit: eatingwell.com

Ingredients:
2 T. sesame oil
1 lb. ground pork or turkey (I used pork)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
2 T. minced fresh ginger
4 c. chicken broth (plus more if needed)
3/4 c. water
10 oz. bag of shredded cabbage (just because I didn't have bok choy and it's cheaper)
2 large handfuls whole wheat thin spaghetti noodles, broken in half
4 T. soy sauce
2 T. rice vinegar

Instructions:
Saute ground meat in 1 T. of the sesame oil, garlic, and ginger on medium heat until cooked through.  Drain off extra grease if needed and set aside.
While the meat cooks, in a separate pot combine broth, water, cabbage, noodles, soy sauce, vinegar and remaining 1 T. sesame oil.  You want the liquid to barely cover the noodles and cabbage so that the dish will have a little broth, but not as much liquid as soup.  Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook 3-5 minutes, or until noodles are al dente.  Add the cooked meat and stir to combine.

The original recipe suggested serving with scallions and cucumbers, neither of which did I have on hand (this is what I get for not meal planning).  It was super tasty without them, but I'm thinking a little crunch from the cucumbers would be a nice addition.

Serves 4-6.

tomato soup

Ah, what better dish to make on a cold day, after a weekend of being sick... meaning no new and fresh groceries are in the house?  Tomato soup.  Simple, yet satisfying when eaten with some good bread and cheese.

This recipe was passed along to me by a friend and it's a delicious take on tomato soup.  It has a hint of sweetness from the balsamic vinegar and although it is pureed, it still has the right amount of texture and isn't overly smooth.

tomato soup

Ingredients
3 cloves minced garlic
1 small onion, chopped
2 T olive oil
1/4 c. dry white wine (optional)
1 15 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes (or plain tomatoes are fine too)
1 12 oz. jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped *
2 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. packed fresh basil, roughly chopped (or a couple large spoonfuls of pesto)
1 T. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1/4 c. plain yogurt
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cheese bread
slices of whole wheat baguette
olive oil
garlic or onion powder
freshly ground black pepper
cheese of your choice (parmesan, goat cheese, feta) ... I used goat cheese

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 (for the bread).
Saute garlic and onion with olive oil in a large pot over medium heat for a few minutes.  Add white wine, if using, and cook for a few more minutes, or until most of the wine has absorbed.  Add the tomatoes, red peppers, and chicken broth.  Simmer for 15 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, drizzle slices of bread with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic or onion powder, freshly ground black pepper, and cheese.  Bake at 400 for about 10 minutes, or until the bread is golden and the edges are crusty.

While the bread bakes, remove the soup from heat and add the basil, balsamic vinegar, and sugar.  Stir until combined.  Puree the soup with a hand immersion blender, (If you don't have one of these I highly recommend owning one.  They are fairly inexpensive and are great for smoothies, dressings, soups, etc.  It's easier than getting out the blender.) blender, or food processor.  If using a blender or food processor, you might have to puree the soup in a couple batches, depending on the size of your device.  You may also want to let the soup cool a little before handling.

After pureeing the soup, return to a low simmer and add the yogurt and black pepper.  Stir until combined and serve!

Serves 2-3.


* the jar of roasted red peppers I used also had some artichokes and eggplant in it...  the soup is good either way!

salmon dip

I love salmon, just not as much when I'm pregnant.  Knowing that it's good for me and still wanting to eat it, I created this dish which makes salmon a little more "pregnant friendly"... by adding cheese and eating it with carbs! 

The banana peppers are a little bit of a unique ingredient, but add a nice tangy contrast to the salmon and cheese.  When I made this we ate it warm out of the oven with crackers, but I found out the leftovers are good cold as well.

salmon cheese dip

Ingredients

6 oz. can of salmon (the higher the quality the better.. aka, wild Alaskan or sockeye salmon)

2 oz. softened cream cheese

1/2 c. plain greek yogurt

1/4 c. mayo

1/4 c. chopped banana peppers

2-3 T. finely chopped red onion

1 clove minced garlic

juice from 1/2 a lemon (~ 2 T.)

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp dried dill (optional)

pepper to taste

Instructions
Combine the cream cheese, yogurt, and mayo.  Stir until combined and smooth (if the cream cheese is a little chunky it's fine since it will be baked).  Add the remaining ingredients and mix together.
Spread dip in a 8x8 pan, or other small baking dish, and bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges are brown and the dip is heated through.

Enjoy with crackers, toasted bread, or on a sandwich or wrap.

Serves 6-8.

spicy mushroom bruschetta

We were having our Aunt and Uncle over for our son's birthday party, and I needed a fun appetizer.  Nothing too heavy, something on bread sounded good.  Cooking Light is one of the websites I frequently use when needing a tasty recipe that's going to be on the light side.  And it didn't disappoint. I found a recipe for spicy mushroom bruschetta that was delicious.

I made a few substitutions based on ingredients I had/didn't have:

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin instead of cumin seeds
• no fenugreek leaves (which I read could be substituted with maple syrup but I didn't use anything because I didn't want a sweet flavor)
• a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes instead of a red chile
• no garam masala

Since it had jalapeno and crushed red pepper flakes in it, it was pretty spicy overall.  Not make your nose water spicy, but too spicy to give a little kid, in my opinion...

spicy mushroom bruschetta

... find the recipe here

cilantro lime carrots

While mulling over what to do with the rest of the huge bag of carrots I had boughten from Costco, I came across this recipe that I had pinned to Pinterest and forgotten all about (something that happens to me far too often).

I'm a little picky with how I like my carrots cooked... not one that likes those cheesy carrots coated in bread crumbs, hardly able to still be called a vegetable.  These seemed like quite the opposite - light and tangy from the lime and cilantro.

I pretty much followed the recipe to a tee - just used cilantro instead of mint and green onion, as I didn't have either of those.  But I liked how the cilantro went with the lime and cumin better than I would have liked mint, so it turned out to be a good switch.  Overall they were very tasty and would definitely make them again.

cilantro lime roasted carrots

Ingredients
6 large carrots, peeled and cut into strips
1 T olive oil
juice and zest from 1 lime
1 tsp honey or agave
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions
Combine carrot strips with remaining ingredients and stir until combined (I used just 1/2 of the lime before they cooked and 1/2 after).  Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes, or until  tender crisp.
Squeeze other 1/2 of lime over carrots and drizzle with a little more olive oil if needed (mine were a little dry after coming out of the oven).  Garnish with a fresh cilantro if desired.

Serves 3-4.