Creamy Pesto Penne

Oh, this is delicious! I was inspired after having something similar at The Old Spaghetti Factory. And this reheats in the microwave really nicely. Yum!

1 package (454g) penne pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
1 1/2 cups grated Romano cheese (I used a combo of Parmesan & Feta instead)
1 cup prepared basil pesto
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken pieces and cook until no longer pink. Add onion and garlic and saute until translucent. Dissolve flour in milk, then stir in. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer until sauce starts to thicken, stirring constantly. Add cheese and stir until melted. Stir in pesto, mushrooms and tomatoes. Cook 4 minutes or until heated through. Toss with pasta until evenly coated.

Butter Chickpea Curry

This is a pretty good veggie version of butter chicken, but I've had the real thing many times and I'm not sure this would replace it.

4 medium potatoes, cubed
2 tbsps canola oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsps curry powder
2 tsps garam masala (I used tandori masala)
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 can condensed tomato soup
1/2 cup cream or milk
1 can chickpeas, rinsed & drained
Cooked rice

Place potatoes in a pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil over high heat; simmer until the potatoes are tender. Drain and set aside.

Saute onions and garlic in oil over medium heat until onions are soft and translucent. Stir in curry powder, garam masala, ginger, cumin, and salt. Cook for 1 or 2 minutes, stirring. Pour in soup, cream and chickpeas. Stir in potatoes. Simmer 5 minutes. Serve over rice.

Breakfast Cookies?!?

If you put enough "healthy" ingredients in these cookies I think you can jusifiably eat them for breakfast. I will at least! This is a modified version of Kim's "Big Chewy Raisin Cookies".

1 1/2 cups cranberries (divided in two)
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup margarine
1 egg
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flax
1 1/4 cup rolled oats (not instant)
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup coconut

Pre-heat oven to 275F. Lightly grease two cookie sheets. Set aside.

In blender, combine 1/2 cup of the cranberries with the water and blend until pureed. Mix together the puree, margarine, egg, brown sugar and vanilla until smooth.

In another bowl, stir together the flours, ground flax, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the puree mixture and beat until all the ingredients are evenly mixed. Stir in remaining cranberries and the coconut. You could also add nuts, sunflower seeds, etc. Be creative!

Roll into golf ball sized balls and place on cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned on bottom, but still soft in the middle.

Cheesy Cauliflower Soup

Today is Louis Riel Day, so a long weekend for me! I decided to do a bit of cooking and have kept busy most of the day. Cheesy soup and scones. Yum!



1 large head cauliflower, cut into small florets
1 carrot, grated
1 stalk celery, chopped
3 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 cups milk
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
parsley or chives (optional)

Cook cauliflower, carrot, and celery in chicken broth until tender. Do not drain. Mash vegetables with a potato masher.

Melt butter in large saucepan. Add onion and saute until limp. Do not brown. Blend in flour, salt, and pepper. Add milk. Heat and stir until it boils and thickens. Add cheese and stir until cheese melts. Add this sauce to mashed cauliflower mixture. Remove from heat and serve. Garnish with parsley or chopped chives, if desired.

Delicious served with a buttery cheddar scone. Recipe to follow... ;-)

*From Mennonite Girls Can Cook

Savory Cheddar Scones

Mmm...cheesy, buttery goodness!

3 cups flour
2 tbsps baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1 tsp dill weed
1 tbsp chives, finely snipped

Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter to form pea-sized pieces. Add grated cheddar and herbs.

Mix eggs and buttermilk, and quickly add them to the flour mixture. Combine until just blended. Move the dough to a well-floured surface and knead a few times. Pat into a cirlce about 1-inch thick. Place dough on a parchment lined pie pan and cut into 8 wedges.

Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

Tip: The key to light and fluffy scones is to handle the dough as little as possible.

Goes well with soup!

* From Mennonite Girls Can Cook

Tortilla Lasagna

I was feeling like making a lasagna, but with a different twist. This is pretty simple to make really, no lasagna noodles to cook. And it was quite tasty!

6 tortillas (6 inches)
1 1/2 cups shredded or cubed cooked chicken breast (I used turkey)
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup salsa
1 cup sour cream
4 green onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, mozza, whatever you prefer)

In a greased 2 1/2 qt casserole (or adjust quantities slightly if making in a 9x13 baking dish), arrange two tortillas. Top with a third of each of the above ingredients, chicken, kidney beans, salsa, sour cream, green onions, green pepper and cheese. Repeat tortilla and topping two more times, ending with the cheese.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Lemon Cookies

This was a new recipe that I tried. I love lemon, and they sounded delicious. I was right! So good!

3/4 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup icing sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp coconut extract (or almond)
2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
lemon spread/jam (kind I used was kind of like a pie filling)

Beat butter and sugars with mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg, lemon zest and juice and coconut (or almond) extract. Beat until combined. Mix in baking powder and flour.

Cover and chill dough in fridge for about 45 minutes.

Shape dough into balls and place on parchment lined baking sheets. Make an indent in each cookie and fill with lemon spread.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 17 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

Cool on rack and sprinkle with icing sugar.

*From Mennonite Girls Can Cook