Quinoa Pasta with Spinach-Avocado "Pesto"

Have you heard of quinoa pasta?!? If not, then let me tell you a story.

In January, I was sitting at a brunch with new people after we all just finished a yoga class. One of the girls was talking about this pasta and I found myself very intrigued! After nearly 30 minutes of talking about that, kale smoothies, kombucha drinks and yoga inversions, we realized we had just made perfect sound bytes for a Sh*t Yogis Say video parody. While I do not fancy myself as "a yogi" I did have to agree that just happened and we sounded ridiculous. But I learned about a fantastic little secret nugget and I couldn't wait to try it for myself!

 

The next day when Mr. Max and I were doing our weekly grocery shopping, I decided to find it and put it on the meal plan for the week. Since then, we have made it probably a dozen times and let me tell you, this stuff is legit! It tastes like any other given pasta but it contains less fat and much higher in fiber and protein than even whole wheat/grain pasta. You can find it in any grocery store, it is located with the gluten-free and special dietary needs. My one complaint? They don't have a penne version.

Now, onto sharing a recipe for it. I've made a few that are noteworthy and ones I do plan to share, I thought I'd start with this one. It's like, a super food party on a plate. You've got avocado, spinach, and a quinoa based pasta; pair that with a nice, lean protein and that's a delicious and nutritious dish my friends. Okay, I guess I have one more complaint, but that's all, I promise. I do feel the need to provide warning that this cooks much faster than regular pasta, especially the smaller shapes. Pay attention to it and don't let it overcook because it will get mushy.

Nutritional facts were calculated at SparkRecipes.com and can be found here (includes 4 oz. grilled chicken breast). 

Grocery List:
Recipe Yields 4 servings

• 1 ripe avocado, cut in cubes
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 tsp. + 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 box of Ancient Grains spiral quinoa pasta 

To start, take a pot and will with water. The box tells you to use 4 QUARTS of water, but that is just wasteful when 1 quart (4 cups) of water is more than enough. Add just a little olive oil (about 1 tsp.) into the water to keep the noodles from sticking together. Bring the water to a boil and add the pasta, turning down the heat on the stove to about medium-low. Watch it closely, it will cook in about 4-6 minutes depending on the size and shape. Once al dente, drain and set aside in a bowl.

In a food processor, take the avocado cubes, add spinach, olive oil (3 tbsp.) and garlic cloves. Process until creamy and smooth. If it is too thick for your liking, you can think out with additional olive oil.

Toss the "pesto" with the pasta and serve! It is great on its own or pairs wonderfully with a simple grilled herb chicken breast.

Tastefully yours,

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

After months of seeing this circulate the Pinterest blogosphere, I decided maybe we needed to try it. Max Man enjoys making a homemade pizza. We haven't done this in a long time but I could tell he had a hankering for it. I decided to beat him to the punch and let him know that I had a special crust to try from Recipe Girl.

To be honest, this was really easy to do. However, I don't know if it is a testament of the cauliflower recipe, my oven, or lack of a proper pizza stone/crisper but the crust didn't crisp the way a pizza crust should have. I give the taste a B+, I never once had the thought that I wasn't eating a conventional pizza crust, it was only lacking the even crisp throughout the pie, namely the middle area. Since the days of braces, I've always eaten pizza with a fork so that was an easy remedy when it came to eating. Max Max, on the other hand, well he was having a hard time trying to pick it up and shovel in his mouth, finally conceding to my fork method.  

Regardless of the crust, the taste was great and I would definitely recommend trying this. I am looking forward to making it again and working on ways to improve the crisp factor using a pizza stone, grilling it, broiling longer, who knows! Because I was so skeptical to begin with, I did not change this crust recipe at all from the source. We used it to make a half goat cheese-pesto pizza, half japapeno-pepperoni pizza, our favorites!

Nutritional facts can be found in Recipe Girl's post.

Grocery List:

• 1 large head of cauliflower
• 1 egg
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, finely shredded
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder

To start, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Next, use a cheese grater to grate the cauliflower head until you've reached the stems. Should equate to about 2 cups.

 

Cauliflower produces a lot of water so you will want to take a few paper towels to help squeeze the moisture out of the grated veggie.

 

The blogger whose recipe I followed also recommended nuking it in the microwave to help dry out the moisture. I did this for about 6 minutes and then removed. Then, I placed in the freezer to help with the time of cooling down so I could add the egg without it cooking into the cauliflower flakes. Once cooled, you may add the egg, cheese, oregano, garlic and onion powder. Stir well to combine.

 

Grease your surface of choice, whether you use a cookie sheet or pizza stone. Pat the dough into a thin and even layer on the sheet, about 9 inches in diameter. This does not stretch like a regular dough so be gentle and pat it out to stay connected. Spray the crust lightly with nonstick spray, this will help it brown. Place in the oven and cook for 15 minutes. If your edges are browned but your middle still feels doughy, I would in hindsight cover the edges with foil, only exposing the middle, and allow the pizza to cook for another 3 minutes to help firm up that middle area.

Next, remove the crust from the oven and it should be a firmer, golden brown.

 

Turn the oven up to broil. Top with your sauce and pizza toppings of choice, then place back into the oven and let broil on high for 5 minutes.

When ready, let cool for a few minutes, slice and serve!

Tastefully yours,

Chicken Caprese Wrap

Mr. Max and I have been on a wrap kick lately, this kind of lighter meal is just perfect for the summer. At our weekly grocery trip routine, I grabbed a package of lavash bread and set out to make daily wraps for the week, with this one loosely based on the beloved Caprese salad. I love to get a whole rotisserie chicken and shred it on Sunday, using the shreds for wraps and salads all week. Instead of basil, I used spinach leaves to add the green also giving it a more nutritious and full base. Does anyone else ever have the problem when you bite into a sandwich or wrap and the whole tomato slice slides out with that one bite? This is why I chop the tomato up into small bite-size chunks to avert that issue. Lunch or dinner, this dish is a winner :-)

Nutritional facts can be found here; one wrap is 7 WW points. If the chicken is already shredded, this takes all of 8 minutes to make.

Grocery List:
Recipe yields 1 wrap

• 1 piece lavash or whole wheat tortilla
• 1/2 cup fresh baby spinach leaves
• 1/4 cup chicken, shredded
• 1-2 tbsp. part-skim mozzarella cheese (depends how much cheese you want to add)
• 2 tbsp. tomato, diced
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
• Italian seasoning
• Balsamic glaze or vinegar

Take your tomatoes and let them soak in the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with some Italian seasoning and let sit for 5 minutes to really absorb the flavor.

For the best wrap technique, leave about an inch from both ends and begin to layer the filling 2 inches into the wrap. Layer the lavash as follows: spinach, tomatoes, chicken, cheese. Take the balsamic glaze and drizzle a light layer across the top. To wrap, fold the ends inward and try to tightly roll, starting with the end where the filling is. Set seam side down. Cut in half on a diagonal bias and enjoy!

Tastefully yours,

Twice Baked Spaghetti Squash

The beginning of June means it's Mr. Max's CFA time again. I'm so proud of him for all the hard work and dedication he puts into studying and preparing for this exam, it's truly beyond what I would be able to do. As I sit her recapping last night's dinner, he has just started the 6 hour test - wow. This year, he requested chicken parm again for his "last supper" - our affectionate term for his dinner the night before this test - but I decided to revamp just a bit. While I still made him some chicken parm, this featured recipe was the star of the night.

I started to think this up a few weeks ago when we did a very simple turkey meatball dish with spaghetti squash. We typically grab a spaghetti squash each grocery run to make once a week on the busiest night in our schedule. However, this time we made it on a Sunday and I had time on my hands so I had decided to roast it in the oven rather than nuke it. This takes quadruple the amount of time, but the result was worth it. Like spinach, spaghetti squash will emit liquids as it heats and cooks. This can sometimes make for a watery dish when combined with sauce, but when I roasted it, I did not seem to have this problem as much. I already knew that roasting will seal in and lock the nutrients of any vegetable, but the watery consistency was greatly decreased with this method as well. After scraping the spaghetti strands from each half, I looked at the hollowed out shells and I thought about twice baked potatoes. I had other plans for that dinner, so I decided to remake this again in the near future, creating a tasty filling with the strands, then re-baking in the shells.

That brings us to this recipe! I wanted to make the red sauce a little creamy and add thickness, just to help with some of the natural moisture that is inevitable with the spaghetti squash. I had some Neuftchatel cheese in the fridge and used it to help make a thicker, creamier consistency without adding in too many additional calories or grams of fat (like using a cream or cream cheese would do). To give some green and more veggie value, I added in some chopped broccoli, then topped the final product with just a little mozzarella and Parm Reggiano. In the end, we both agreed this was our favorite spaghetti squash dish to date!

This dish takes about 45 minutes from start to finish, largely due to the roasting time, not the prep time. Click here for the nutritional facts calculated at SparkRecipes.com; this meal is a total of 7 WW points per serving.

Grocery List:
Recipe yields 2 servings

• 1 small-medium spaghetti squash, cut into 2 halves
• 2 cups tomato sauce (I used a roasted garlic sauce)
• 2 oz. Neufchatel cheese
• 1.5 cup broccoli florets, chopped very small 
• 1/4 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 2 pinches of Parm Reggiano 
• Roasted red pepper seasoning (optional)

To begin, pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees. Lightly spray a piece of aluminum foil and set on a baking sheet. Set the 2 halves of the spaghetti squash face up on the foil and place in the oven for 35 minutes.

In a sauce pan, begin to melt the Neufchatel chunk on low heat. This will assist when combining with the sauce. Add the sauce and continue to stir until well combined.

 

To help pre-cook your broccoli just a bit, add the florets into the sauce on medium-low heat and let simmer for about 8 minutes. 

Remove the squash from the oven and you can do one of two things. You can let it cool for about 10 minutes so that won't hurt yourself trying to manage the squash - or, you can be too eager and impatient like me. I did not hurt myself, but I did make it more cumbersome by trying to maneuver with 2 cooking mitts on my hands. It worked, but I should have just listened to Mr. Max's advice to me: "patience darlin, patience." He's been telling me that for at least 3 years now, I think he is patient that one day I will listen :-) When you have the seeds removed, now you can start combing the fork through from top side to bottom side to create the strands, then place them in a bowl and repeat with the second squash half.

  

 

Set the hollowed shells to the side for now.

 

 Add the sauce to the bowl of spaghetti squash strands and mix well.

Now, scoop the strand/sauce/broccoli filling into each hollowed shell until full.

 

Top with the cheeses and place in the oven to bake for another 10 minutes, or until cheese is slightly browned, bubbling.

 

Remove from oven and place in bowls or dishes that will easily hold the squash bowl.

 

 For a little kick, top with crushed red pepper flakes. Enjoy!

 

Tastefully yours, 

Smoked Mozzarella Baked Penne

 

For Lent last year, I gave up pasta and during that time, I discovered I could replace my pasta cravings with spaghetti squash. However, every now and then, a penne cannot be substituted and when I came across this recipe, I caved. I found this on Pinterest and slightly adapted to thin it out a little - ignoring the bread crumb and butter topping, replacing the heavy cream with Half & Half, and using whole wheat pasta rather than regular penne noodles. This was a great weekend meal, making plenty of leftovers for a few lunches to begin the week with. I do think I could have used 2 crowns of broccoli, next time, I will include more green in there! Could also try it out and substitute spinach or asparagus spears.

Click here for the nutritional facts calculated at SparkRecipes.com.

Grocery List:

• 1 crown broccoli, florets cut small
• 12 oz. whole wheat penne pasta
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup onion, minced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme, leaves removed from stem
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup Half & Half
• 2 chicken breasts, chopped into small half-inch chunks
• 3 oz smoked-mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 8 oz. jar sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained and chopped

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. In a shallow pan, or skillet, add the broccoli florets with 1.5 cups of water to steam on medium-high heat. Once bright green, remove from heat, drain and set aside.

In a pot, throw in your noodles and I typically fill with water until about 1-2 inches above the pasta line, then add a hearty amount of salt to the water. Bring to a boil and cook until al dente, drain and set aside.

In a skillet, add the olive oil and onion to saute over medium-high heat until translucent, about 3 minutes.

Add the garlic and thyme. Saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Add the flour and whisk in with the olive oil, garlic, onion and thyme, then start pouring in the Half & Half, a little at a time, whisking to help break up clumps before adding more.

Add the chicken chunks and cook until no pink remains in the center.

Add the broccoli florets and sun-dried tomatoes.

Now add about 2/3 of the shredded mozzarella and stir until melted in.

See those noodles you drained and set aside?

Throw them in! Toss well to coat in the sauce.

In a greased baking dish, pour the contents of your skillet in and top with any additional mozzarella cheese.

Bake in the oven for 18 minutes, uncovered. Remove when browned and bubbling.

Scoop and serve! For dinner, this pairs well with a light side salad and a crisp Viognier or Sauvignon Blanc.

Tastefully yours,

Chicken "Caprese"

I've made variations of this recipe for years now - from a slice of tomato to diced tomato, from thick slices of mozzarella to shredded mozzarella, from stuffing the chicken to ingredients layered on top - it's always changing! This time I decided to nix the basil strips and sneak in some greens using spinach, saving dried basil as a simple garnish. It only takes 10 minutes to prepare, and you will have it on the table in 20 minutes from prep start to fork finish.

According to SparkRecipes.com, I calculated that each serving is 200 calories, 7g fat, 75mg sodium, 3g carbs, 1g fiber, 2g sugar, and 28g protein.

Grocery List

• 4 chicken cutlets (already pounded 1/4 inch thick)
• 1 cup de-stemmed spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup part skim mozzarella, shredded
• 1 Roma tomato, diced
• Olive oil
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• Dried basil, to taste
• Balsamic Glaze (it is so versatile, I highly recommend purchasing some!)

Start by pre-heating your oven to 425 degrees and coat a baking dish with no-stick spray. Put your diced tomatoes in a bowl with a dash of olive oil and Italian seasoning, mix well.

Place the chicken cutlets in the baking dish, layer with spinach and tomatoes.

Bake the chicken for 8 minutes on the middle/lower rack. When the timer goes off, sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over top each and continue baking for another 2 minutes. Once the cheese is melted and slightly golden, remove from oven, top with a shake of basil and drizzle balsamic glaze over top to serve.

Paired with simple spaghetti squash and roasted garlic tomato sauce

Tastefully yours, 

Caramelized Onion, Goat Cheese and Pancetta Pizza with Truffle Oil

For our Friday date-night-in, we decided to make pizza influenced by some pretty amazing slices we tasted recently at Mr. Max's work party. We sampled tasty combinations including bacon-bleu cheese, pepperoni-jalapeno, and my favorite, the caramelized onion with goat cheese. Mr. Max wanted to make his favorite, the pepperoni-jalapeno, while I decided to get some pancetta, crisp it up and use that on the my version inspired by their caramelized onion and goat cheese version. Then...we used the ultimate finishing touch: we topped the whole pie with a drizzle of truffle oil. The result? Incredible - see below!

Grocery List:

• 1 ball pizza dough (we picked up our favorite in Dallas from Jimmy's Food Store in East Dallas)
• 1/4 cup red pizza sauce
• 1/4 cup low fat-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 onion, chopped into rings
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 2 strips pancetta
• 1/4 cup goat cheese crumbles
• 1/4 cup fontina cheese
• 1 tbsp. truffle oil 

*Measurements are based on our approximations during the cooking process.
 
Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. In a skillet, add the olive oil and the onion slices over low-medium heat. Let cook for 5 minutes, covered. 

After 5 minutes, add the brown sugar, stirring around in the skillet to help coat the onions. Cover and check back periodically, stirring to keep from over-cooking. For best results, saute for at least 25-35 minutes on low heat. The slow cook process on a lower heat will extract the natural sweetness of the onions and caramelize them perfectly.

Remove onions from pan and set aside. Add pancetta to the skillet to begin to crisp over medium-high heat. Cook for about 8 minutes, then remove from skillet. When it is crisped and cooled, chop up into bite-sized bits.

On a pizza stone or large baking sheet, grease the surface, then roll out your crust with a baking pin to about 1/4 inch thick. Top with your preferred amount of sauce. I used a very little amount to provide an adhesive layer between the crust and cheeses, (right side) but not enough to overpower the main ingredient toppings. Mr. Max, however, loves his sauce and coated his side in it (left side).

Next, add your first layer of mozzarella cheese, followed by the caramelized onions and pancetta. Sprinkle the goat cheese and fontina, filling empty space. Once you have all you toppings set, carefully drizzle a light zig-zag of truffle oil from left to right, starting from the top to the bottom. Should not exceed more than 1 tbsp. of the oil.

Place in the oven on a lower oven rack to keep the top from browning too much. Cook for 15 minutes or until dough is golden brown and cheese is bubbling.

This is a break in your regularly scheduled programming for some holiday warmth.

I love having a fireplace and mantle now!

Sitting by the fire and watching a movie as the pizza cooked in the oven...

Back to food. When your pizza is ready, remove from oven and let cool for about 2 minutes.

Cut it up, dish it out and enjoy! We absolutely loved this pizza, it was fun to be creative in our topping choices and the truffle oil was the perfect addition. Mr. Max's verdict: we are never ordering out for pizza again.

My version

Mr. Max's version

Same preparation with more sauce, mozzarella and fontina cheese only, topped with 

pepperoni, minced jalepeno and drizzle of truffle oil

Tastefully yours,