Spicy Sausage Pasta Skillet

Spicy Sausage Pasta Skillet

YOU NEED TO PUT THIS ON YOUR MENU THIS WEEK.

NOW.

Why don't you hop in your car now?

I am serious.

I think this is one of my top favourite recipes this year.Wait, I don't think, I KNOW. Not only does it taste delicious, but it was very easy and QUICK to make....and it all cooks in one pan!!! This recipe will be put on a frequent rotation in our house. I HIGHLY recommend.

I was supposed to make steak, roasted potatoes and sweet potatoes, however on our first day of spring, we got dumped with snow. I didn't feel like BBQing, so I used this recipe as a back up plan and I am so happy that I did.

I made a few adjustments, but not many. I stayed pretty true to the original recipe.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

12 oz smoked turkey sausage (kielbasa), sliced **I removed casings and next time I would chop them up smaller to get a little in every bite**

2 large shallots or 1 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

3-4 green onions, chopped

2 cups chicken broth

10 oz can of stewed/diced tomatoes

1/2 cup whipping cream

1-2 bell peppers, chopped *I added this**

1 tsp of red pepper flakes **I added this**

8 oz cut pasta (I used whole wheat rotini) **UNCOOKED**

4 cups baby spinach

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, for topping

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage, peppers, onions and red pepper flakes, then saute for about 5 minutes (do not over cook or sausage will become rubbery.) Add garlic then cook for 30 more seconds, stirring constantly.
2. Turn heat up to high then add chicken broth, tomatoes, whipping cream, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then add pasta and stir to combine. Place a lid on top then simmer for 10 minutes, or until pasta is al dente, stirring once or twice. Add green onion and spinach, then stir to combine and cook until the spinach becomes wilted, about 1 minute. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.

Meal plan for Mar 18 - 22

Update on my 1 month pledge - I suck. Not sure how else to describe it. Basically if I don't have leftovers, I run to Sobeys for a salad or fruit by my work, or I get some subs. At least I'm not eating grease....but still....I suck. I am too busy taking care of everyone and everything else in the evening and when I do stop, all I want to do is sit my arse on the couch and have some quality time with my man.

My son on the other hand is doing great. He's reaching for more fruit and veggies and has been having leftovers for lunch. We still have not had time to make the taco muffin tins. They may have to wait until the next week when he is with me. In a few weeks, I will dedicate a post to healthy lunch ideas for kids.

Here is my meal plan for is week:

Meatless Monday - Pad Thai that I made back in January. I was craving it and it made my son very happy.

Tuesday - nothing since my man and I are going out to eat and then to a Brit Floyd concert. We are big Pink Floyd fans and are looking forward to seeing this cover band.

Wednesday - steak on the BBQ, roasted potatoes and sweet potatoes and asparagus.

Thursday - nothing since it is my sons piano and our karate night. We are eating on the road again that night. I suppose I could pack something, but why when someone else can cook, serve us and do the dishes? Well worth it on our busy schedule. Sometimes I feel like a crazy person.

Friday - Thai Basil Pork. We didn't get to make this last week because we ended up having a date night while my parents took the kids.

Chicken Parmesan with Basil Garlic Pasta

Chicken Parmesan and Basil Garlic Pasta

This was my favourite dish from last weeks meal plan. We didn't get to make it until tonight because we ended up going to my parents for supper the night we originally planned to make this. I am glad that we waited because it is not a week night meal. It was very time consuming, but it was sooooo worth it. Best Chicken Parmesan I ever had. The ones I have had at restaurants have always been too soggy. This was crispy and cheesy.

If you click on the title, it will take you to the original recipe, but I am posting the recipe with the adjustments we made.

The pasta went perfectly with this meal and it was kid approved. The pasta was very easy to make and I think it can go as a side to many meat dishes.

Chicken Parmesan:

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs and 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or more to coat all chicken
• 1/2 cup olive oil for frying

• 1 1/3 cup prepared marinara sauce **used PC brand found but the fresh pasta**
• 1/4 cup fresh mozzarella, cut into small cubes
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (didn't have this)
• 1/2 cup grated provolone cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. Place chicken breasts between two sheets of heavy plastic  (resealable freezer bags work well) on a solid, level surface. Firmly pound chicken with the smooth side of a meat mallet to a thickness of 1/2-inch. Season chicken thoroughly with salt and pepper.
3. Beat eggs in a shallow bowl and set aside.
4. Mix bread crumbs and 1/4 cup Parmesan in a separate bowl, set aside.
5. Place flour in a sifter or strainer; sprinkle over chicken breasts, evenly coating both sides.
6. Dip flour coated chicken breast in beaten eggs. Transfer breast to breadcrumb mixture, pressing the crumbs into both sides. Repeat for each breast. Set aside breaded chicken breasts for about 15 minutes.
7. Heat 1/2 cup olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer. Cook chicken until golden, about 2 minutes on each side. The chicken will finish cooking in the oven.
8. Place chicken in a baking dish **used a 9x13** and top each breast with about 1/3 cup of marinara sauce. Layer each chicken breast with equal amounts of mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, and provolone cheese. Sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese on top and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
9. Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is browned and bubbly, and chicken breasts are no longer pink in the center, 15 to 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

Basil Garlic Pasta

Ingredients:

• 1 package of fresh linguine
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• Directions:

• 1 cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped **didn't have this so used 5 cubes of frozen basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 
  

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place spaghetti in the pot, cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente, and drain.
2. In a large bowl, toss the spaghetti with the olive oil, butter, garlic, basil, salt, and pepper until evenly coated. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Quinoa Mac and Cheese

Quinoa Mac and Cheese

This was my first time making and eating Quinoa. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it because smell is a big component to whether I will like a food or not. Quinoa is not the best smelling food, but I was relying on the cheese to do its thing in this recipe.

Honestly, if Quinoa wasn't a super food, I probably wouldn't eat it again. Maybe it was just this recipe, but I have a few more that I want to try before I truly say if I like Quinoa or not.

This recipe was so-so.....it was better once I added sour cream and Sriracha sauce on top to give it some flavour. If I made this recipe again, I would add more garlic, cheese and milk. This turned out a little dry and not very cheesy, which I was expecting since it was supposed to be Mac and cheese. I also added onions and peas to this recipe, but next time I would add more. Also, I will be adding BACON to this recipe next time....bacon makes everything better.

Serving Size: 8

Ingredients: (I might even cut the whole recipe in half next time, it made a lot)

• 1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
• Veggies of your choice (optional) **I used peas and onions**
• good pinch of salt and pepper
• a few grinds of seasoning salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced **I will use 4 next time**
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup soy milk or non-fat milk ** I used 2%, but I will add some cream next time as well**
• 1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese, more for sprinkling **I will use 2 - 2 1/2 cups next time**
• 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese ** I added this to the recipe**
• Optional- Crushed Red Pepper, Panko Bread crumbs for topping
• Toppings (optional)- salsa, hot sauce, sour cream, scallions
• Bacon **I didn't add bacon this time, but I will next time for sure**

Directions:

·  Lightly saute any veggies you would like in this dish. ** the original recipe did not say where to add the garlic. I added it here. Next time I will use 4 garlic cloves and I would add some red pepper flakes too**

·  Cook quinoa to packaged instructions until fully cooked. (About 15 minutes)

·  Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat 13x9 inch dish( or 8 individual ramekins) with cooking spray.

·  Whisk together eggs and milk in large bowl. Fold in quinoa mixture and cheese. Stir very well and let some of the cheese melt. Add some salt and pepper or some seasoning salt.

·  Transfer to prepared baking dish. Add some cheese on top and if using Panko Crumbs or Bread crumbs add now and bake 30-35 mins, until bread crumbs are browned. **I cooked mine for 30 minutes, I think it would have been even more dried out if I cooked it longer. I may cook it less next time**

Meal plan for Mar 11 - 15

Meatless Monday - I am making Quinoa for the first time! Quinoa Mac and Cheese

Tuesday - Thai Peanut Chicken Wrap

Wednesday - Chicken Parmesan and Pasta with Garlic and Basil

Thursday - Pasta and meat sauce (freezer meal from this weekend)

Friday - Thai Basil Pork and Rice

Massaman Curry

This Massaman Curry recipe is if not as good, but better then any Thai restaurant. If you love Thai curry dishes, then this one will be your new favorite. Plus, it is very easy and quick to make. I made this as a freezer meal last weekend. I made the sauce, but left out the sweet potato until the night we actually ate it. 

Ingredients:

2 Chicken Breasts
1 large Yam
Bottle of Fish Sauce
Package/can of red curry paste 
2 cans of coconut milk
1/2 lemon
handfull of peanuts
clove of garlic

Jasmine rice

Preparation:

1. Wrap the yam in paper towel and nuke it until it is soft (5-6 minutes, depending on size). Afterwards just peel and cube it and set aside. 

2. Open both cans of coconut milk. Take a thick layer off the top of the coconut milk (enough to cover the bottom of a pot; just a thin layer is needed) bring to a simmer and reduce it to a thicker consistency. There's natural oils in there that will cook and season the chicken. This will take 2-3 minutes.

3. When it has reduced a bit, add 1 minced clove of garlic, then half a tin/package of red curry paste. This is also good time to give the mixture a couple shots of fish sauce and half the juice of a lemon. Cook until paste breaks up and dissolves into the milk.

4. I usually start to cook the jasmine rice at this point. 

5. Once the paste has dissolved, add the chicken. 

6. When the chicken is cooked, add the remaining 2 cans of coconut milk. Uncovered, reduce sauce for a bit (5-8 min), then add handful of peanuts. Let the sauce reduce till it's a nice consistency (to your liking really). I find it looks a little soupy, but will thicken up a bit when you add the yams.

7. At the very end, add the nuked cube Yam. (If you add it too soon it will just break apart in the sauce) 

8. Spoon over some nice Jasmine rice. Add some more crushed peanuts on top.

Chicken Enchiladas (great freezer meal)

This is the BEST recipe you will ever find for enchiladas. These enchiladas were made for me by one of my closest friends. She actually made Massaman Curry for me for the first time as well and I will also be posting that recipe this week. Yeah, she rocks.

This recipe is time consuming and messy, but it is so freaking worth it. We made 2 batches and froze them.

All I had to do today was defrost them, roll the chicken mixture in tortillas, poor the sauce on top, grate some cheese and then bake them. This is a very good freezer meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped fine
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 1 15-oz can tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1 large beefsteak tomato, seeded and chopped
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 large breasts)
• 1 cup extra sharp white cheddar, shredded
• 1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas (mine made 8 large tortillas)
• cooking spray
• salt and ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425.

1. Combine the onion, jalapeno, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and oil in a large saucepan. cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onions and peppers have softened, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar, and cook until fragrant, less than 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce, water, and chopped tomato. Bring to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, 5 minutes.

2. Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through (thickest part reaches 160 degrees), about 12-20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and set aside to cool.

3. Strain the sauce through a strainer into a medium bowl, pressing the onion mixture to extract as much liquid as possible. Transfer the onions to a large bowl and set aside. 

Season sauce with additional salt and pepper to taste. (sorry, this pic looks like I had an accident with a knife)

4. Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add to the onion mixture, and add 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce, 1 cup cheese, and the cilantro. Toss to combine.

5. Stack the tortillas on a plate and cover with plastic wrap; Microwave on high until warm and pliable, 30 seconds. Spread the tortillas on a clean work surface, and spoon 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of each. Tightly roll each tortilla and lay seam-side down in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish.

6. Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with cooking spray. Place in the oven, uncovered, for about 7 minutes, or until the tortillas start to brown slightly (skip this step if you don't like the crunch).

7. Reduce heat to 400. Remove enchiladas and pour sauce evenly on top. Top with the remaining cheese. Cover dish with foil, and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until heated through.

Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes, until cheese browns. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, additional cilantro, etc.