Linguine with Asparagus, Parmesan, and Bacon

Another quick and healthy one :)

3 cups (1 inch) sliced asparagus (about 1 pound)
1 (9oz) package refrigerated linguine
4bacon slices (uncooked)
1 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes
3/4 cup fat/free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup (2oz) preshredded Parmesan cheese

Cook asparagus and pasta according to pasta package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; set aside.

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crisp; cool slightly. Remove bacon from the pan, reserving the 2 teaspoons drippings in pan. Crumble bacon. Add onion, garlic and oregano to drippings in the pan; saute 4 minutes or until onion is lightly browned. Add tomatoes; cook 2 minutes. Add broth; bring to a boil. Stir in butter, salt, and pepper; remove from heat. Place asparagus mixture in a large bowl; add tomato mixture and juice, tossing well. Top with bacon and shredded cheese. Garnish with shaved Parmesan, if desired.

4 servings

Smoked Gouda Macaroni and Cheese...oh yeah its healthy too!

So I made this Mac N' Cheese the other night and it was soooo quick and easy :)

1 (1oz) slice whole wheat bread
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups fat-free milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup (2oz) shredded smoked Gouda cheese
1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 oz) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
5 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach
4 cups hot cooked elbow macaroni (about 2 cups uncooked)

Preheat oven to 350

Place bread in a food processor, and pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure 1/2 cup.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk, salt, and pepper, stirring constantly with a whisk until blended. Bring to a boil; cook until thick (about 2 minutes). Add cheeses; stir until melted.

Add spinach and macaroni to cheese sauce, stirring until well blended. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bade at 350 for 15 minutes or until bubbly.

4 servings

Easy Salmon Dinner to Wow Someone Special

Keely's incredible salmon dinner....

Asher's favorite Keely creation and my go-to for impressing dinner guests.

Fillet of salmon

1/2 c balsamic vinegar

1/2 c grade b maple syrup

wild rice

Cook rice according to directions.

Boil vinegar and syrup, reducing until it thickens. (about 20-25 minutes for me...) I'm not the master however. 

Grill or bake salmon - however you want. 

Serve the salmon over the bed of wild rice, topping with the vinegar-syrup reduction. Typically I serve with steamed broccoli. I've always wanted to add dried cherries to the wild rice. 

Side note: I made this for my in-laws tonight, and it seemed sweeter than normal. I did use grade a maple syrup b/c it was all I had on hand, and that definitely could've been the culprit. I'm not sure  if I should've added a bit more balsamic or what...

Barattasta :) I don't know what to call it Chicken Zucchini Mushroom Pasta

3 chicken breasts
1 large zucchini, cut into half moons
8oz white mushrooms, sliced
1-15oz can of diced tomatoes, mostly drained (the juice becomes sauce)
2cups Rotini Pasta
1 "handful" of shredded mild cheese (Provalone is good)
white wine or cooking wine
olive oil
feta (for sprinkling)
crushed red pepper
garlic salt
marjoram
black pepper

HEAT up the olive oil (once around the pan) in a deep skillet. Add the chicken (chopped cooks faster). Sprinkle black pepper and marjoram over the chicken and let it cook for a few minutes.
ADD the wine to taste (once around the pan), set the heat at medium and add the mushrooms and the zucchini half moons. Stir frequently to prevent sticking to the pan.

Begin cooking the pasta.

While the pasta cooks, add the drained tomatoes to the veggie/chicken mixture and turn the heat to low and cover. Let simmer for 5 minutes and then add garlic, crushed red pepper and salt and pepper to taste. The shredded cheese just makes the sauce a little creamier, it is optional, but add it while the mixture is on low so that it doesn't burn or crisp.

Drain the pasta and add to the mixture in the skillet, turn off the heat. Toss pasta with the mixture so it is thoroughly jumbled up to a delicious mix! :) Add the feta, toss, remove from heat and serve.

Cheap and quick, perfect for Monda post-work dinner. And AWESOME for next-day lunches.

Grandma’s Chocolate Sheet Cake

This is a delicious, old fashioned family recipe. Very fattening, but so yummy. Feeds a lot of people - so make sure you don't make it just for yourself. Because you will eat it all! Invite over some friends. Also a great BBQ potluck contribution...

Mix: 2 cups of flour and 2 cups of sugar in big bowl

Bring to boil: 1 stick of butter, 3.5 tablespoons of cocoa, ½ cup of crisco, 1 cup of water

Pour over dry ingredients. Add: 2 eggs, ½ cup of buttermilk, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix well.

Bake in a greased and floured bar pan (approx. 10x14 in size). Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Frost immediately with the following frosting:

Bring to boil: 1 stick of butter, 3.5 tablespoons cocoa, 1/3 cup of milk

Add: 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 box of powdered sugar, 1 cup of pecans

Spread frosting to the edges, let cool and serve alone or with vanilla ice cream!

Mujadara (moo-jha-dra)

Moms, don't be afraid to make this yummy, healthy dish for your kiddos. They will like it. Add a few carrots and maybe a few other veggies into the mix if you want!

The key to this dish is the onions: they must be browned well, and with patience. Caramelize them to within an inch of their lives. Heck, burn them a little, even. In cases like this, it’s almost impossible to overcook them. Their intense, deeply toasty flavor is the main player here, so don’t rush it.

As for serving, mujadara is often presented with a green salad. I like mine with a chopped romaine salad, something similar to this one. It would also be nice with some labneh on the side, and flatbread.

¼ cup olive oil
2 medium yellow onions (about 1 ½ lb.), finely chopped
1 cup brown or green lentils, picked over for stones and other debris
½ cup basmati rice
Water
1 tsp. salt, plus more for serving

In a large (12-inch) sauté pan or skillet or a Dutch oven, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are deeply caramelized, a rich shade of amber. If they’re burnt and blackened in spots, even better. This is a fairly slow process. Depending on your pan and your stove, this could take between 30 minutes and 1 hour in total. On my stove, it takes about 50 minutes.

While the onions are cooking, place the lentils in a medium saucepan, add water to cover by an inch, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Reduce to a simmer and cook, undisturbed, for 20 minutes. Drain the lentils, and set them aside.

When the onions are ready, stir in the rice. Then add the cooked lentils, along with 2 cups of water and the salt. Stir to mix well, and bring the pan to a boil. Reduce the heat to keep the pan at a slow simmer, cover, and cook. Depending on the size and shape of your pan, this last stage – cooking the onions, rice, and lentils together – could take from 20 to 40 minutes. Basically, the dish is done when the rice is done. I use a 5-quart sauté pan, which is wide and flat, so the rice cooks pretty quickly, in about 25 minutes. I used to use a Dutch oven, however, which was narrower, and the rice took 30-40 minutes to cook.

After about 20 minutes, remove the lid, and give the pot a gentle stir. If there is still some liquid visible, replace the lid and keep cooking until it is fully absorbed. On the other hand, if there is no obvious liquid, take a taste. If the rice is tender, the mujadara is ready. If the rice is not yet ready, add another splash of water, replace the lid, and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked. The mujadara is ready to eat when the rice is tender and there is no liquid left in the pan.

Serve, with additional salt, if needed.

Easy Beef Stroganoff

This is an easy, inexpensive recipe that can feed a crowd!

1 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 ounces sliced mushrooms

1 can mushroom soup (can use reduced fat if desired)

1 cup sour cream (can use reduced fat if desired)

¼ cup Worchester sauce

¼ cup ketchup

Salt and pepper

1 pound egg noodles

Cook egg noodles al dente. Meanwhile, brown beef, onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Drain fat. Add mushroom soup, Worcester sauce, ketchup and sour cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to simmer for 10 minutes. Serve over noodles.