Chicken Pizzaiola {only six ingredients!}


chicken pizzaiola 41 682x1024 Chicken Pizzaiola {only six ingredients!}
This. Is. So. Good. Oh-this-is-so-good.  Check the title right now if you want to know how many ingredients it takes to make one batch of Chicken Pizzaiola. Oh, that’s right. I said six. As in onetwothreefourfivesix and poof: dinner is done.
Ingredients
  • 3 cups of your favorite spaghetti sauce
  • 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 6 ounces each)
  • 1 cup shredded Mozzarella
  • 2 ounces sliced pepperoni
  • 8 ounces spaghetti
Instructions
  1. Chicken: Heat the oven to 450 degress. Spread tomato sauce into a 9×13 baking dish. Spread Parmesan in a shallow dish. Trim chicken pat dry with paper towels, season with salt and pepper, and coat with Parmesan. Lay chicken on top of tomato sauce. Bake for 15 minutes.
  2. Chicken: Sprinkle Mozzarella and pepperoni over the chicken. Increase oven temperature to 475 and continue to bake until cheese melts, about 5 minutes.
  3. Spaghetti: Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts of water to boil in a large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking water, then drain and return to pot.
  4. Spoon some sauce from the baking dish into the pasta and toss to combine. Add reserved cooking water as needed. Serve with chicken and remaining sauce.
Notes
I found that I only needed about 1/4 cup of the crumbly Kraft Parmesan to coat the chicken. I could also only fit about 1 tablespoon of Mozzarella and a few slices of pepperoni on top of each chicken breast as well. The nutrition facts below reflect my slight cut backs on the cheeses and the pepperoni.

Creamy Chicken Caesar Lasagna

creamy chicken caesar lasagna1 Creamy Chicken Caesar Lasagna
Guess what? I love veggie lasagna, so this did not come away without a few handfuls of fresh baby kale sneak-ed in there (spinach would work, too!) and sun dried tomatoes. I think the somewhere between the creamy sauce and the cheese and the chicken, the veggies became a little more tasty for the man of the house because Bjork told me today: “I thought it was going to be a veggie lasagna, but YES! CHICKEN!” Apparently he didn’t notice the layer of green and red vegs in the 2.43 seconds it took him to inhale the first piece.
Ingredients
For the sauce
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1½ cups milk
  • 4 ounces light cream cheese
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ground black pepper to taste
  • ½ cup Marzetti Simply Dressed Caesar Dressing
  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese
For the lasagna
  • 9 lasagna noodles
  • 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
  • 3 cups Mozzarella cheese
  • 3 cups chopped spinach or kale
  • ½ cup sun dried tomatoes packed in oil
Instructions
  1. Melt the butter over medium high heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the milk, a little bit at a time, until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Whisk in the cream cheese, Parmesan, and Caesar dressing until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust as necessary.
  2. Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions. Add the chicken to the sauce mixture and keep over medium low heat.
  3. Grease a 9×13 pan and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cover with 3 lasagna noodles. Top with ½ the chicken mixture, 1½ cups kale, ¼ cup sundried tomatoes, and 1 cup mozzarella. Cover with 3 more noodles. Repeat layers, ending with another layer of noodles and the remaining 1 cup cheese.
  4. Bake for 30 minutes covered with greased foil. Remove the foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes to brown the cheese. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.
Notes
You can also divide this into more layers – just cook a few extra noodles and spread the filling out a bit more over 3 or 4 layers instead of just 2. You can also use the oven-ready noodles that don’t require boiling. However, I found it helpful to add a few tablespoons of water to the dish before baking if you do use them.

Kale Salad with Warm Cranberry Vinaigrette


Kale Cranberry Salad 1 Kale Salad with Warm Cranberry Vinaigrette
I’ve been on a kale and cranberry kick lately, so I went the “warm” route and sauted up some shallots and garlic and cranberries for a sweet and savory vinaigrette, then topped it all with some sliced almonds. I meant to also crumble on some cheese, but it turned out that the salad was great (and arguably a little healthier) without it. Soooo good, friends!!

Kale Cranberry Salad 2 Kale Salad with Warm Cranberry Vinaigrette

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
  • 1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
  • juice and zest of half a lemon
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 1/8 tsp. black pepper
  • 1 bunch kale, very thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds
  • (optional) 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese or goat cheese

Method

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add shallot and saute for at least 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Then add cranberries, red wine vinegar and lemon juice and zest, and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, toss the kale with olive oil and an extra pinch of salt, and massage kale with your fingers for 1 minute until tender. Add in the cranberry/shallot mixture and almonds, and toss to combine. Serve topped with crumbled cheese if desired.

Simple San Marzano Pasta e Fagioli


pasta e fagioli 32 Simple San Marzano Pasta e Fagioli
Pasta e Fagioli just means pasta with beans, at least as I understand it after two seconds of Wiki reading. I added chicken sausage because, well, meat. So I claim no authenticity here, just a recipe that tastes great and takes very little time.
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. chicken sausages in casing. GO SPICY if u dare.
  • 1½ cups mirepoix – chopped celery, carrot, and onion*
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1½ teaspoons ground oregano
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes
  • 1 14-ounce can cannellini beans
  • 28 ounces chicken broth
  • 1 lb. small pasta – I used orchiette
  • 8 ounces fresh baby spinach
  • shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese for topping
Instructions
  1. Remove the chicken from its casing. In a large pot, brown the chicken sausage over medium high heat and drain the excess grease. Set aside.
  2. Crush the San Marzano tomatoes and sauce in a food processor and set aside. Drain the cannellini beans. Place in a food processor. Refill the can with water, add to the food processor, and puree until very smooth.
  3. In the same large pot as step one, saute the mirepoix, garlic, oregano, salt, and bay leaf (with a little olive oil if needed) until soft and fragrant. Add the tomatoes, pureed beans, and broth. Simmer for 20 minutes. Saucy.
  4. Add the pasta and simmer for another 20 minutes until pasta is cooked through as sauce is reduced. Throw in the baby spinach and the chicken sausage from step one. If needed, add water or broth to adjust the consistency of the pasta before serving. Top with cheese.
  5. Save some for lunch tomorrow. It makes awesome leftovers.
Notes
*You don’t have to, but it really does save time to buy prechopped mirepoix (just carrots, celery, and onion). I bought some at Trader Joe’s in the produce section and it was super fresh and cut down on prep time and number of ingredients I needed to buy on a busy weeknight! Thumbs up to that.

15-Minute Skinny Shrimp Scampi


Shrimp Scampi 3 15 Minute Skinny Shrimp Scampi
15-Minute Skinny Shrimp Scampi Recipe | gimmesomeoven.com Shrimp scampi is traditionally a dish made with shrimp in a lemon-garlic-butter sauce served over pasta — heavy on the pasta, and heavy on the butter. But when I make shrimp scampi, I like to flip that equation and go heavier on the lemon and heavier on the garlic. You totally don’t need tons of butter to have tons of flavor! Nor do you need an enormous portion of pasta. In fact, if you really want to go healthy with this dish, try serving it over quinoa or spaghetti squash for a change. Or my favorite — mix in some extra spinach and veggies in place of more pasta.

Skinny Shrimp Scampi

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces whole-wheat pasta noodles (I used linguine)
  • 1 Tbsp. butter
  • 1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound raw shrimp, peeled with tails removed and patted dry
  • 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • 1/4 cup chicken stock
  • 3 Tbsp. white wine
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon zest
  • toppings: chopped fresh parsley and (optional) freshly-grated Parmesan cheese

Method

Cook pasta al dente according to package instructions.
Meanwhile, heat butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add shallot and garlic and saute for 2 minutes, or until fragrant, stirring occasionally. Add shrimp and immediately season (sprinkle) with crushed red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Continue sauteing the shrimp with the garlic for about 3-4 minutes, or until pink on both sides and no longer opaque.
Add in the chicken stock, wine, lemon juice and lemon zest, and stir to combine. Let the mixture continue cooking for an additional minute to boil down, then remove from heat.
Drain the pasta, and serve topped with the shrimp scampi. Sprinkle with desired toppings.

ITALIAN BEEF STEW


Italian Beef Stew 3 426x640 ITALIAN BEEF STEW
I got this from the Cooking Classy blog.  I like it as a crockpot recipe.  Here is what she has to say about making it in the crock pot: “toss it all in the slow cooker (skip the browning), then walk away and come back to dinner.” Ingredients:
  • 4 medium carrots, chopped into 1/2-inch thick pieces (2 cups)
  • 3 stalks celery, chopped into 1/2-inch thick pieces (1 1/2 cups)
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 2 1/2 lbs rump roast, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 cups low-sodium beef broth
  • 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 3/4 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
  • 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 1/2 lbs Russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces
  • 8 oz cremini mushroom, sliced
  • 3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
  • 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
  • Parmesan or Romano cheese, for serving (optional)
 How to:
Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large enameled cast iron pot over medium-high heat. Once hot add carrots, celery and onion and saute until lightly golden, about 5 – 6 minutes. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds longer. Pour mixture into a heat proof bowl and set aside.Place beef in a large resealable bag, add flour and season lightly with salt and pepper. Seal bag and toss well to evenly coat beef in flour. Return pot to medium-high heat, add remaining 3 Tbsp olive oil. Once oil is hot add beef and cook stirring occasionally until beef has browned. Add 1 cup broth and red wine vinegar and cook, stirring frequently while scraping bottom of pan to loosen browned bits on bottom, until sauce has thickened. Add remaining 3 cups beef broth, diced tomatoes, oregano, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, bay leaves, potatoes, mushrooms and sauteed veggie mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste and bring mixture just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, cover pot and simmer 3 – 4 hours, stirring occasionally, until beef is very tender.Stir in fresh basil and parsley. Serve warm sprinkled with Parmesan or Romano cheese if desired.

Spinach and Quinoa Salad with Tangelos and Avocado


Spinach and Quinoa Salad with Avocado and Grapefruit Spinach and Quinoa Salad with Tangelos and Avocado
I originally made this as a dish to take to dear family friends who are recovering from surgery and to amp up the protein I added my lemon pepper chicken to it. There is no real recipe for the chicken, I just take boneless, skinless chicken tenders and rub them down with some olive oil and loads of lemon pepper and then grill them on my indoor grill pan. Let them rest for a wee bit and then slice them up!
Ingredients:
  • 4 oz baby spinach
  • 1 tangelo, reserving 3 slices
  • 1 haas avocados, diced
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa (1/3 cup dry) (I used a small plastic container of already prepared red quinoa from Central Market, GREAT shortcut!)
For the Citrus Vinaigrette:
  • 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tbsp champagne vinegar
  • 2 tbsp chopped shallots (I would mince more finely next time)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • tangelo juice from 3 reserved slices
Directions:Rinse quinoa well under cold water and cook according to package directions. Drain and let it cool.
Peel the skin and white membrane off the tangleo and separate the pieces.Reserve three tangelo slices for the vinaigrette and squeeze the juice; set aside.Cut up the remaining tangelo slices into small pieces for the salad.In a medium bowl whisk the olive oil, tangelo juice (from 3 slices of tangelo), vinegar, chopped shallots, salt and pepper. In a large bowl toss spinach, quinoa, avocado, tangelo and vinaigrette.
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