Sausage Broccoli Tomato Rotini

My husband gave me the Flavor Bible this past year for Christmas. And, sadly it hasn't been something I've consulted too often.  Instead I tend to just peruse recipe blogs for culinary inspirations.  But, when I was contemplating my veggie bin on Sunday afternoon I found myself debating what to pair with broccoli. My initial thought was to grill some chicken with it, it would be healthy, maybe add some bbq sauce, but somehow that still just didn't sound right.  It sounded almost depressing, like I was on a diet or something: chicken with steamed broccoli.  So I opened up the Flavor Bible and looked up broccoli to see what flavors paired best with it.  Eureka!  Low and behold - chicken wasn't listed - no wonder it hadn't sounded good. Instead sausage was listed. Chicken or Sausage?  Yes, italian sausage with lots of flavor would be great.  Some tomatoes, fresh basil and garlic.  This was sounding even better.

On Tuesday night I needed a quick meal, and this combo worked great.  Chop, dice mince,...pause to welcome husband home, ...15 minutes...,"Honey, its time for dinner." The pasta is so fully of yummy veggies I decided to forgo a salad. I topped the pasta with some fresh Parmesan cheese and paired it with a slice of fresh baked whole wheat artisan bread. Oh so delicious.  I'm so glad I chose to reference the Bible and opted for the italian sausage.  I'm just wondering if next time I might just have to make it with chicken italian sausage?

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

2 small heads broccoli, cut into pieces

4 roma tomatoes, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 basil leaves, chopped

.5 lb ground italian sausage

salt to taste

8 oz rotini cooked accordingto package.

Steam the broccoli (microwave/stovetop). Meanwhile brown the sausage in medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the tomatoes and garlic to the sausage.  Cook an additional 3 minutes, pressing on the tomatoes to help them release their juices. Add basil and salt, cook an additional minute.  

Add the broccoli to skillet to mix flavors. Add broccoli, sausage, tomato mix to pasta and toss. 

Bon Appetit.

Mediterranean Lemon Cumin Chicken Pita

Happy to be back in my kitchen after a fun and busy weekend.  Tonight was an experiment with Mediterranean flavors which isn't something I do much.  But, after rave reviews from my husband I'm thinking maybe I should.  Tonight's inspiration started with me finding an great little kebab recipe and then deciding, that oregano and dill just didn't sound yummy and since it was raining outside grilling kebabs was out.  So off I went to the cupbard to see what I could discover.  In the end I opted for a lemon + cumin + garlic + chicken combo and it was worth it. The lightness of the salad was refreshing with the warm flavors in the chicken.  Almost like the rain we were having on that warm summer day.  The salad really made for a great topping to the chicken in the pita and refreshing side.  I'm thinking I might remake this weekend and use it as  lunch entree when my parents visit. 

Ingredients:

1 lb skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes

4 Pitas

Marinade:

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons lemon juice

5 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Salad:

1 1/4 cups cucumber

1 cup diced tomato

1/4 cup diced bell pepper

1/4 cup black olives

1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar

1 1/2  teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2  teaspoons olive oil

1  teaspoon parsley

salt and black pepper to taste

Toppings:

2 cups lettuce

1/2 cup feta cheese

Directions:

Marinate the chicken at least 2-3 hours or overnight. 

Combine the first 12 salad ingredients (cucumbers through salt and black pepper, not the lettuce) and set aside in the refrigerator to let the flavors set.

Cook chicken over medium heat for ~ 10 minutes.

Serve with Pita, lettuce, cheeese, chicken, and salad.

Peach Pie Pleasantries

On a cloudy drizzly day, what better thing to do is there but to bake?  Some yummy comfort food? Peach pie?  Oh so yummy! And this recipe seemed so easy.  All I needed was 3 peaches, well maybe 4 by the time you account for all the snacking my daughters did while mommy cut up the fruit.  Opted not to peel the peaches to preserve some of the additional fiber, plus it helps provide some more structure and color in the final pie.  Actually, after an hour of baking you don't even notice the peel onthe peach, it was so soft I could cut my peaches with my fork.  I used martha stewarts recipe as a basis, but I always cheat and use a store bought crust.  Being a working mom, I can have the girls help me arrange peach slices and sprinkle topping.  Bonding with kids + getting my baking on yields a very happy mommy.

1 pie crust 

5 TBSPs creme fraiche

Filling

3 peaches (pitted and sliced)

4 TBSPs granulated sugar

Prepare the filling by slicing the peaches, stir in the sugar, and let sit for at least 10 minutes.

Streusel

1/4 cup cold butter

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4 tsp baking powder

dash salt

Prepare the streusel  by mixing the dry ingredients together and creamingin the cold butter until it becomes crumbly.

Heat oven to 375.  Spread 2 TBSPs of creme fraiche on the pie crust, sprinkle with 1/3 of the streusel. Spread the peaches slices evenly over the crust. Spoon the remaining 3TBSPs of creme fraiche between the peach slices. Sprinkle with the rest of the streusel. Bake for 50 minutes or until the streusel is golden.  

Let cool and enjoy.

And just because I'm feeling silly - a poem:
Time flies by, evening is nigh
Where has the day gone?
Baking peach pies, singing lullabyes, and
now time to cuddle with my sweetie pie.
Bye bye.

Eggplant Ragu

Decided to experiment with some eggplant tonight and found an interesting recipe for a beef and eggplant ragu on eatingwell.com.  It made my husband happy since it included beef and provided a great excuse to use my herbs growing outside my door.  They seem to be the only plants thriving at this point in time in my yard.

All in all this turned out well.  I did forget to add oil when I added the eggplant, but quickly figured out I needed to add some when things got a bit sticky.  This small mishap didn't seem to affect the flavor.   This dish really features the red wine - so be sure to open up your favorite red to enjoy while cooking and in the recipe. We chose the Kenwood Reserve Sonoma County 2007  Cabernet Sauvignon.  An ode to Sonoma where we just spent the past weekend.

I loved the dish, the eggplant plays a vital role as well by absorbing all the flavors to enhance the dish.  And, overall it didn't take long to make, less than 30 minutes in total, so it makes for a nice week night dinner.

8 ounces whole grain rotini

.5 pound 92%-lean ground beef

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 teaspoon fennel seed

3 cups diced eggplant 

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

14 oz can tomato sauce

.5 cup red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano from the garden

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil from the garden

.5 teaspoon salt

.5 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

garlic powder + Italian seasoning to taste

Cook Pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, cook beef, garlic, and fennel seeds in a large skillet over medium heat, until the beef is browned, about 3 minutes. Add eggplant and oil; cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant browns, about 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce, water, wine, oregano, basil, salt and pepper - I decided to add a dash of garlic powder and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning.  Stir occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Drain the pasta; serve topped with the sauce. - Inspired by Rigatoni with Beef & Eggplant Ragu at eatingwell.com