Sun-dried Tomato Fettuccine

Here's a new twist on a tomato pasta sauce. Really good! The sun-dried tomatoes give it a different twist.

3/4 lb fettuccine
3 tbsp olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup sun-dried tomato halves, sliced
1 (19 oz) can diced tomatoes
3 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups fresh baby spinach
salt & pepper, to taste

In a large pot, cook fettuccine according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking, mix together the Greek yogurt and sour cream in a bowl, set aside.

Add olive oil to large skillet and heat over medium high heat. Add garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and saute until fragrant. About 2-3 minutes.

Turn heat down to medium low and add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste and sugar. Stir until well-incorporated.

Swiftly whisk in the yogurt and sour cream mixture. Add it slowly, but mix quickly so it doesn't curdle. After it has all been added and mixed well, turn heat up to medium high and let simmer and thicken for 5-7 minutes.

Season the sauce with salt & pepper and then add the spinach. Once the spinach is wilted you can turn off the heat and add the pasta. Toss to coat the pasta. Enjoy!

*from http://www.tablefortwoblog.com/2013/02/18/cheesecake-factory-copycat-lightened-up-sundried-tomato-fettuccine/

Cheesy Bacon Mushroom Chicken

Now this recipe is apparently a copycat of a dish at Outback Steakhouse (US chain restaurant) called Alice Springs Chicken. But I've been to Alice Springs and nothing about this dish makes me think "Australia". So I had to change the name. That being said, it is still very tasty, how can it not be with bacon, cheese and mushrooms??

1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp lemon juice
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp butter
2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
salt
pepper
paprika
8 slices bacon, cooked
2 cups cheese

In a small bowl whisk together Dijon mustard, honey, 1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil and lemon juice. Add the chicken breasts to a large container and pour about 2/3 of the marinade over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate chicken for 2 hours (or however long you have). Refrigerate the remaining marinade for later.

In a small frying pan, melt the butter and saute mushrooms until desired tenderness. Remove from heat. Spray a 9x13 pan or line with foil. Heat 1 Tbsp vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Remove chicken from marinade (discard the marinade) and season with salt, pepper and paprika. Sear chicken in hot pan (3-4 minutes per side). Place chicken in 9x13 pan. Bake in oven at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Add the mushrooms, bacon and cheese and return to oven for a few minutes to melt cheese. Serve with the remaining honey mustard sauce.

* From http://blogchef.net/outback-steakhouse-alice-springs-chicken-recipe/

Citrus Strawberry Spinach Salad

I'm not always a huge fan of green salads, but this one was good. Fruit in a salad is always a good idea!

For the salad:

Spinach - however much you need (depending on your salad bowl)
Strawberries (at least 8-10), rinsed and sliced
Oranges (about 2 or 3), peeled and cut up
1/2 - 3/4 cup roasted pine nuts

For the dressing:
1/2 stick butter
zest of 1 orange
1/4 cup olive oil
2-3 Tbsp brown sugar
4 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar

Melt butter in a pot, add orange zest and garlic and saute. Then add olive oil, brown sugar and balsamic vinegar. Heat until almost boiling, reduce heat and then set aside.

Toss together salad ingredients and drizzle with dressing. Enjoy! You'll want seconds of this salad.

* From http://www.nestofposies-blog.com/2013/04/citrus-spinach-salad-with-orange-balsamic-dressing-and-a-big-giveaway/

Creamy Avocado Alfredo Pasta

Avocados are one of most favourite fruit (or is it a veggie? I'm not sure). All I know is that it is delicious (and so good for you!). I'm always looking for new ways to eat it. Here's a recipe I found that passed the test and I will make it again.

8-10 Roma tomatoes
3-4 tbsp olive oil
2 ripe avocados, seed & skin removed
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup pine nuts
grated fresh Parmesan
salt & pepper to taste
fettuccine noodles

Preheat oven to 300F.

Wash and quarter the tomatoes. Place on baking sheet and drizzle with 1-2 tbsp olive oil. Bake for 1 hour.

Ten minutes before the tomatoes are done, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the fettuccine according to package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, add 2 tbsp olive oil, avocado, garlic, salt and lemon juice to a food processor or blender. Pulse until the ingredients are smooth and creamy.

Strain the pasta, and combine with the sauce in a large bowl until all the noodles are covered. Add the roasted tomatoes, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and pine nuts. Add some salt and pepper to taste.

Adapted from www.flourishingfoodie.com

Mocha Scones

Oh these are tasty! This is one of my latest finds on Pinterest. What a delicious way to start a Saturday.

For the scones:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, frozen
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup strong coffee, room temperature
1 egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prepare pans (line with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray).

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in frozen butter. Works really well to grate frozen butter using a cheese grater. Add chocolate chips.

In a small bowl whisk together the sour cream, coffee and egg until smooth. Then stir into the flour mixture. Mix together until dough forms (dough will be quite sticky).

Place dough on floured surface and shape into a rectangle. Using a sharp knife, cut rectangle into 8 smaller rectangles and then cut each rectangle diagonally to create 16 triangles.

Place scones on prepared pans and bake for 15 minutes.


For the glaze:

1/4 cup strong coffee
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, melted

When the scones have cooled its time to put the glaze on. In a small bowl combine the icing sugar and coffee and whisk until smooth. Stir in the melted chocolate until combined.

Drizzle the mocha glaze over the scones and let set for about an hour.

From http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/mocha-scones-recipe/

Lasagna Roll-ups

Here's a great pasta dish for meatless Mondays!

10 lasagna noodles, cooked
2 1/2 cups marinara sauce
5 cups kale, stems removed, chopped fine
1 cup mushrooms, chopped fine
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
500 g container ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
salt & pepper
mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread about 1 cup of marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.

Place kale in a food processor or blender and pulse a few times until finely chopped.

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until golden, about a minute. Add kale, salt and pepper and saute about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until soft, an additional 5-6 minutes.

Mix ricotta, Parmesan, egg and salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the kale/mushroom mixture. Stir to combine.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out cooked lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take about 1/3 cup of mushroom kale mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Ladle more marinara sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top with mozzarella cheese. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, until cheese melts.

From www.skinnytaste.com

Veggie Rice

1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 bell pepper, chopped (I used 1/2 red and 1/2 green)
1 cup raw rice
3 tsps chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 can black beans
1 cup corn
1 can diced/stewed tomatoes
1 1/2 tomato cans of water

Saute onion, garlic, and bell pepper in 1 tbsp oil until onion is transparent. Stir in raw rice and saute until it becomes opaque. Add the diced tomatoes, water, black beans, corn and spices. Cover the pan and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes (do not lift lid). After 20 minutes the rice should be cooked and veggies tender. This is a good dish on its own, but is also good in a wrap with some sour cream and cheese.