Penne Rustica Remake

Lately I cannot seem to satisfy my craving for penne pasta, until today!!!  This super yummy, super simple remake of Macaroni Grill's Penne Rustica is one you'll want to remake again and again.  This is the perfect dish for your left over grilled chicken!

Ingredients:
1lb penne pasta
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 cup finely grated good parmesan
6 ounces grilled chicken breasts, diced (1 large breast or 2 small)


Gratinata Sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 small shallot, minced
1/2 teaspoon chopped rosemary
1/2 cup marsala cooking wine
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon dill
1/8 teaspoon white pepper

Prep:
1. Mince garlic and shallot

Directions:
1.In a medium sauce pan melt 1/4 cup butter over low heat. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in milk; cook over medium heat, whisking until mixture thickens and is bubbly. Remove from heat. Add cheese, stirring until cheese melts and sauce is smooth.  Set aside.
2. Prepare Gratinata sauce - In a separate small sauce pan, saute 1 tablespoon butter, garlic, shallot and rosemary until garlic/shallot soften.  Add Marsala wine and reduce by one-third.  Add remaining ingredients, reduce by half of the original volume.  Once reduced, whisk slowly into cheese sauce.
3. Prepare pasta al dente and reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water.
4. In a large bowl, combine chicken and cheese mixture with the cooked pasta and reserved pasta water.
5. Pour into a large casserole dish.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.
6. To serve, sprinkle with more parmesan cheese and paprika.

Loosely based on the Copycat Macaroni Grill's Penne Rustica blogged by The Girl Who Eat Everything

Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Loving Pinterest recipe finds so much that I've been trying a lot more new recipes lately.. Of course I can't just follow it the recipes to the 'T' so I'm going to share the changes I made that turned out delicious!  You can follow my pinterest activity at pinterest.com/tracyinterest

This Tortilla soup is so light, refreshing and super comforting!  Perfect to share with a friend or eat on all week long...  There is only a slight spiciness that warms the back of your throat, but is cooled by the avocado and sour cream, with a bit of the crunchiness from the chips and veggies; makes this a perfect meal! Super healthy too!

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 onion, ruff dice
1 red bell pepper, ruff dice
1 box low-sodium chicken broth
2 cans Ro-Tel (I used 1 can lime & cilantro, and 1 can of original)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp dried cilantro
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

tortilla chips
fresh avocado
green onion
low-fat sour cream or greek yogurt
shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

Prep:
1. Chop onion and bell pepper

Directions:
1. Put onion, bell pepper, chicken breast, beans, rotel, corn, chicken broth, water, and spices in Crockpot and stir to mix.
2. Cook on high 6-7 hours or low 8-9 hours.
3. Before serving remove the chicken breasts from soup and shred, then return chicken to Crockpot, stir to combine.
4. To serve, put a few tortilla chips in the bottom of a bowl, ladle soup over tortilla chips. Top with diced avocado, green onion, shredded cheddar cheese, and a dollop of sour cream, and more crushed tortilla chips.

This recipe is my take on the Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe from the "Chef in Training" blog

Rigatoni De Licious

This recipe is my take on Maggiano's Rigatoni D, but with a healthy substitution of Greek yogurt in place of half the cream the original recipe called for.  The yogurt makes the sauce so creamy and helps it stick to the pasta wonderfully. I am considering excluding the cream all together next time I make it.  This dish turned out so good, I would definitely use it for entertaining or to take to a friend.  The chicken tenderloins are so tender they fall apart.  This dish reheats wonderfully too, just stir in a splash of Marsala to loosen up the sauce if needed, prior to reheating.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 small shallot, minced
1/2 teaspoon chopped rosemary

1/2 teaspoon dill
1/8 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 cup Marsala cooking wine
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 

1 yellow onion, small dice

16 ounces baby portobello mushrooms
3 garlic cloves, grated
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper 

1 lb chicken breast tenderloins, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 lb rigatoni pasta 

1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt (Fage 0%)
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped 
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated 
2 tablespoons garlic butter (butter at room temperature combined with 2 garlic cloves, grated)
grated Parmesan cheese for garnish 

Prep:

1. Diced onion and clean mushroom caps with damp paper towel.  

2. Cut chicken into 1 inch pieces.  

3. Make garlic butter and put back in refrigerator to harden.

Directions:

In separate small Sauce Pan: Melt 1tsp butter; saute shallot and garlic over med-low heat until soft.  Add rosemary, dill, 1/2tsp kosher salt, white pepper; then stir as you add Marsala and Djion mustard.  Bring to boil and reduce to simmer over med-low heat.  Meanwhile in large sauce pan: Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat.  Add onion, butter and a pinch of salt.  Stirring to combine, let onions soften, about 2 mins.  Then add mushrooms and garlic, let cook for 2 mins. Then reduce heat to medium-low, add salt and pepper and cook for additional 2-3 mins until mushrooms have softened and let out their juices.

Add chicken and stir to combine. Then add Marsala mixture, chicken stock and white wine. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to simmer over medium-low heat and cook until liquid is reduced, 8-10 mins.  In a large pot, cook rigatoni until al dente in heavily salted water, per package instructions, and add into chicken mixture.  Remove chicken mixture from heat and stir in heavy cream, yogurt, Parmesan cheese, garlic butter and 2 tablespoons of Marsala wine.  Top with Fresh Basil.

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Super easy and fast go to meal for a weeknight and perfect for entertaining too!  These stuffed portobella's are lighter and healthier than some of the other recipes out there that call for meat/sausage, but they are so filling you will not miss the meat!  


Ingredients:

4 tablespoons classic Italian dressing

2 large portobello mushroom caps

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 whole roasted red pepper, diced

1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning blend

2 cups baby arugula

2 tablespoons italian style bread crumbs 

Prep:
Chop roasted red pepper.  Wipe off mushroom caps with damp paper towel and remove stem.

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  
2. On baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, drizzle italian dressing on baking sheet under each mushroom cap (placed top down).  Then drizzle 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar inside each mushroom cap and set aside.  
3.  In small mixing bowl combine red peppers, panko, gorgonzola, olive oil, italian seasoning and arugula, stir well to combine.  

4. Spoon filling into each mushroom cap and press down.  Sprinkle a tablespoon of italian bread crumbs over the top of each mushroom cap and drizzle with a little olive oil.
5. Bake for 20 minutes

Sweet and Spicy Turkey Chili

This is a mild Chili with a slight sweetness (perfect to serve my toddler, too).  Super easy and healthy!  You will not miss the beef!  All the yummy veggies and the tender turkey breast make a super hardy Chili, good enough to feed your biggest meat lover.   I've made this recipe on the stove top, as well as the crockpot with great results.  You can kick-up the heat by adding a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce or adding a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, to your liking.

Make sure to buy the Turkey Breast or the all white meat ground turkey.  The non-breast package has significantly higher cholesterol, which should be avoided or else you will not benefit from this non-beef substitute.

This recipe also calls for several canned ingredients.  When selecting can goods I always read the label and I try to buy reduced sodium options.  To further reduce the sodium and wash off the preservatives, make sure to rinse the beans and corn in a colander under cold water and drain well, before adding to the Chili.  Also,especially when selecting canned soups or sauces, make sure there are no Hydrogenated ingredients or High Fructose Corn Syrup.  Look in the natural food section for soups that are made with "All Natural" or "Organic" ingredients; or at least stuff you recognize.

Ingredients:
1 red onion, coarsely chopped
1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 lb ground turkey breast
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon Ground Clove
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (10.75-oz) can condensed tomato soup (all natural or organic, if available)
1 (14.5-oz) can fire roasted diced tomatoes (undrained)
1 (10-oz) can mild "Ro-tel" diced tomatoes/green chile's (undrained)
1 (15-oz) can dark red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 (15-oz) can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 (15-oz) can sweet corn kernels (drained and rinsed)
1/2 lb whole wheat dumpling style noodles, for serving

Toppings may include, reduced fat shredded mexican cheese, reduced fat sour cream, diced green onion, sliced avocado, crushed tortilla chips, or whatever you like...

Prep:
Chop onion and bell pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat olive oil in large saucepan on medium-high, add onions, bell pepper and a pinch of salt. Saute for 3 mins, stirring occasionally.

2. Add ground turkey and stir to crumble meat, cook 4–5 minutes or until no pink remains.

3. Stir in chili powder, cumin, salt, oregano, and garlic powder.

4. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring often.

5. Reduce heat to low; cook 15-20 more minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally.
6. Serve over whole wheat noodles.  Add toppings, as desired.

To make in the crockpot, brown the meat first. Then combine with all the other ingredients in the crockpot and cook on high for 4 - 6 hours.

First Post - Getting Started

On my way to Ellis Island

Hello,  I've decided to start this blog at the suggestion of my husband who is my biggest food fan.  He is always raving about my food so he's convinced me to share it.  I love cooking mostly because I find it very relaxing.  I know this sounds crazy to most of you, but it takes my mind and my focus off of the ciaos and allows me to be creative.  I am a stay-at-home mom of two beautiful baby girls under the age of two.  So believe me when I say finding time to shop, plan and cook is hard enough without throwing blogging on top.  So bare with me, this may be a project that falls through the cracks but I thought I'd give it a try.

My husband and I are not picky eaters, however he does have a heart defect that encourages us to eat healthy.  We try to stay away from red meat and recipes that require a lot of butter/cream (however we believe everything is healthy in moderation), and I try to substitute creatively to get the same effect where it makes sense.  I mostly cook based on cravings and what I have in my pantry/refrigerator, or if I'm planning a meal I cook what is on sale at the store.  I do not typically follow a recipe to the 'T'.  I like to add and subtract from various recipes to make my own version.  Hence a lot of what I make, I never make the same twice, but it always taste really good.  This blog will force me to take better measurements of my ingredients (something I don't typically do) and help me document some yummy stuff for future reference.


Getting Started:

I try to keep a stock of items in my pantry and frig that allow me to make a variety of recipes. That way when I'm preparing a meal all I typically need to pick up at the store is my protein and a few veggies/herbs. Whenever any of these items run out, I immediately replace it but I mostly just buy it up whenever it goes on sale so that we don't run out.  It's amazing how many dishes I can come up with using these standard stock ingredients.

Here is the start of my pantry/frig standard stock list that I try to keep on hand:


Pasta - Whole Wheat and White - Linguine, Spaghetti, Penne, Rotini, No Yoke Egg Noodles, Couscous
Rice - Jasmine, Whole Wheat, Yellow, Black Bean & Rice
Quinoa
Bread Crumbs - Italian w/Romano and Panko
Canned Tomatoes- San Marzano Whole Tomatoes, Fired Roasted Diced, Tomatoes Sauce, Tomato Paste
Soup - Chicken Stock, Vegetable Stock, Cream of Chicken, Cream of Mushroom - Low Sodium variety
Canned Beans - Green Beans (French and Cut), Black Beans, Kidney Beans, Black Eyes Peas, Cannelloni
Canned Corn
Enchilada Sauce
Roasted Red Peppers
Olives - Black Sliced, Kalamata Whole pitted
Capers
Oils - Olive Oil Extra Virgin, Olive Oil Classic (for dipping), Canola, Vegetable
Vinegar - Red Wine, Balsamic, Apple Cider, White Vinegar, White Balsamic, White Wine
Wines - White, Red, Marsala
Flour - All Purpose and Whole Wheat
Red Onions
Garlic
Shallot
Lemons
Dijon Mustard

Worcestershire Sauce
Soy Sauce
Teriyaki Sauce
Cheese - Grated Parm, Shredded Mozz and Mexican blend, Crumbled Feta, Blue and Gorgonzola
Eggs
Butter

Milk
Sour Cream
Nuts - Walnuts, Sliced Almonds, Peacans
Spices - too many to name them all but here are the most used - Kosher Salt, Black Pepper, Red Pepper flakes, Chili Powder, Cumin, Garlic Powder, Italian Seasoning, Whole Oregano, Curry Powder, Cinnamon, White Pepper