Caprese Pasta Salad with Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette

There are many things I love about summer in Nashville.  (The heat is not one of them.)  I love going to the drive-in and seeing two new-release movies for $7.00.  I love driving downtown to get milkshakes on weeknights.  I love Friday night happy hour on the patio at our favorite Mexican restaurant.  I love seeing sunshine past 5 pm.  And I LOVE the Amish produce sold at the farm stand a few blocks away from our house.

The farm stand is the primary source my summer culinary inspiration.  It’s where I purchase squash and eggplant and peppers and tomatoes.  And oh, let me tell you about the tomatoes.  They are insanely good.  There are many varieties, but I like the heirlooms the best.  They come in colors I never saw growing up.  Last weekend I bought orange tomatoes, purple and green swirl tomatoes, and I even got one that was yellow with green and red swirls.  Not only are they beautiful, the heirlooms taste amazing – sweet and juicy and nothing like the tomatoes found in supermarkets in the middle of winter.  Needless to say, I’ve been buying and eating a lot of tomatoes.  The season doesn’t last long, so I’m taking full advantage while I can.

Since I have a lot of tomatoes to use up, I’ve been trying out all kinds of new recipes.  Last night, I made this Caprese Pasta Salad with Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette.  In it, campanelle pasta (or whatever kind you like) is coated with a thick, rich, and tangy dressing flavored with sundried tomatoes, capers, and garlic.  The pasta is then tossed with cubes of fresh mozzarella, juicy fresh tomatoes, salty olives, and ribbons of basil (or arugula, if like me, your basil isn’t looking so hot).  It looks and sounds like a lot, but the whole recipe comes together in barely more time than it takes to cook the pasta.  And it is good – rich and savory, but still light and fresh.  We ate the pasta salad as a light entrée, but I couldn’t help thinking it would make a great side dish alongside some grilled chicken.  Either way, it’s certainly a dish I will be making again and again – as long as I have my farm-fresh tomatoes at the ready.

Queso Chicken Pasta

Let’s talk guilty pleasures.  We all have them.  Those embarrassing little things that we secretly love and crave even though we know we shouldn’t.  Maybe it’s rich desserts, trashy reality shows, or teeny bopper pop music.  Maybe it’s all three.  (And if it is, don’t be embarrassed.  I’m with you on two of the three.  Which two, though, I’m keeping secret.) 

I am, however, willing to tell you about my new guilty pleasure.  Its name is queso.  Yup, queso, as in the melty, cheesy, gooey dip you get at Mexican restaurants and consume with obscene amounts of tortilla chips.  The one I never craved or desired before a new Mexican restaurant opened nearby.  A restaurant that has a great happy hour with delicious, cheap margaritas.  And what are you supposed to eat with those margaritas?  Chips and queso, of course. 

The problem here is that we like this restaurant a lot.  It’s in one of our favorite neighborhoods, it has a nice patio, and like I said before, they have good, cheap margaritas.  Needless to say, we go there fairly often.  And I eat an unreasonable amount of chips dipped in queso.  And then I feel guilty.  But I still crave more.  See?  Guilty pleasure.

Today’s recipe got me all fired up because it combines my all-time love, pasta, with my new-found love, queso.  It tastes just like it sounds: pasta mixed with queso.  And if that doesn’t sound good to you, just trust me.  Imagine tender pasta baked with a creamy (yet still somehow light-tasting) cheese sauce flecked with onion and chile.  The addition of shredded chicken ups the protein and makes the dish a complete meal.  Served up with some veggies (cause a little green is a good thing), this Queso Chicken Pasta is a winner – and one that I feel slightly less guilty about since it doesn’t involve multiple baskets of chips. That being said, I gotta know, what are your guilty pleasures??

Artichoke Heart Stuffed Shells with Lemon Ricotta Sauce

When I went back to work full-time a little over a month ago, I had no energy to cook.  For the first few weeks, we ate takeout, frozen meals, cereal, and the most basic homemade food possible.  Stan was okay with it, but I was less than thrilled with the lackluster options gracing our table.  Fortunately, after a few weeks, I got my energy and my cooking mojo back.  I’m still all about easy, quick-cooking meals during the week, but on the weekends, I like to take the time to have a little fun in the kitchen. 

Last weekend, my culinary project was these Artichoke Heart Stuffed Shells with Lemon Ricotta Sauce.  This recipe is a great one for the weekend because it has a few more steps than I imagine most of us have time for during the week – you have to cook the pasta, make the filling, and make the sauce.  However, the steps are easy, and the end result is so worth the effort.  Tender pasta shells are stuffed with a flavorful mixture of artichoke hearts, onions and two kinds of cheese.  They are bathed in a light and creamy white sauce made with ricotta cheese and fresh lemon.  The final product is incredibly delicious – and is a much lighter take on stuffed shells than the more traditional red sauce-smothered, cheese-laden variety. 

To be honest with you, I was afraid these shells would be a little too light for Stan.  They are meatless and full of (in his opinion) girly ingredients.  However, much to my surprise, Stan loved these stuffed shells.  Seriously, I had to take the pan and hide it in the kitchen so he wouldn’t eat the entire batch in one night.  And he actually pouted a little.  Over girly food.  If that doesn’t convince you to try this recipe, I don’t know what will.

Buffalo Chicken Chili Mac

There is nothing I didn’t like the sound of in today’s recipe. Buffalo chicken? Oh yeah. Chili? Of course. Macaroni? Yeah, I’m a total carb-addict. So when I first came across this recipe for Buffalo Chicken Chili Mac, all I could think was bring it on! The fact that it is actually ridiculously healthy too? I might have swooned. Or not, I tend to reserve swooning for ridiculously rich and decadent desserts. Or surprise flowers from my hubby. Or a good foot rub. But I digress.

This baked chili mac is a great, family-friendly, weeknight dinner. It is easy to make and uses easy to find ingredients. Plus, as I said, it’s healthy too. The chili mac is made with whole wheat macaroni (or regular if you just aren’t into the whole wheat pasta thing), chicken breast or ground turkey, carrots and celery – the veggies you’d have alongside your buffalo wings, and just a little cheese on top. Or a lot – I won’t tell. All in all, this Buffalo Chicken Chili Mac is a winner.

It also makes enough to feed an army – or six hungry adults. If you’re feeding kids, you might be able to eat for a week. Just make sure you keep an eye on it when you pop the pan under the broiler to melt the cheese. I thought about pretending that I intentionally browned my cheese to the point of being, well, brown… but that wouldn’t exactly be the case. I got distracted for a minute and let the broiler do its thing just a tad too long. Granted, crispy cheese is still delicious, but it is slightly less visually appealing. Keep an eye on yours, and your chili mac will look just as good as it tastes.

Skillet Lasagna

I love this recipe. I really do. I love it because it’s easy. I love it because, like the Chili Mac I told you about recently, the entire meal cooks in one skillet. Most of all, I love it because it brought lasagna back into my kitchen. And that is a glorious thing.

I grew up eating lasagna on a fairly regular basis. My mom would make it all the time for company and often just for our family, too. Stan, however, did not grow up eating pasta. When we first met, he had very little interest in my carb of choice. Being the pasta-lover that I am, I sort of beat him into submission through years of pasta dinners. Seven years later, he likes a good bowl of pasta. What he doesn’t like, however, is lasagna. No matter whether it came from a restaurant, my mom, or us making it together, Stan has never met a lasagna that he genuinely liked.

This Skillet Lasagna changed everything. Stan loved it. He went back for seconds. I had to stop him from eating thirds so that he’d have enough left for lunch the next day. In other words, for the two of us, this recipe is a winner. It’s a perfect dinner – a skillet full of broken lasagna noodles, cooked until al dente, in a flavorful meat sauce. There’s cheese in this version too, but it accents the pasta rather than taking a starring role. Dollops of creamy ricotta and a light sprinkling of mozzarella and Parmesan decorate the top of the pasta. Topped off with some fresh basil confetti, this skillet lasagna looks as good as it tastes.

Chili Mac with Corn and Green Chiles

Okay, I held out as long as I could. I know it’s January, the month of healthy eating and dieting resolutions. I tried to give you as many healthy recipes as I could. I haven’t even mentioned dessert so far this month. But the time has come for me to cave. I just have too many delicious (slightly fattening) recipes to tell you about. I hope you’ll forgive me.

Apologies and disclaimers aside, today’s recipe is one I’ve been waiting to tell you about for the last few weeks. It’s a new, fresh, kicked up take on the family-friendly classic chili mac. In this version, lean ground beef and macaroni are cooked up with a delicious mix of onions, garlic, and spices. Corn and green chiles are thrown into the mix to jazz things up a little. Oh, and did I mention the whole thing is topped with gooey cheese and fresh cilantro? Just telling you about it is making my stomach growl.

In addition to the fabulous flavors, let me give you three more reasons why you will love this chili mac. Number One: The entire meal is cooked in one skillet. That means you only have one thing to wash after dinner. Can I get a hallelujah? Number Two: The entire meal can be prepped and ready to hit the table in under 30 minutes. How often does that really happen? Number Three: Leftovers (if you have any) taste just as good as they did the first night. Honestly, I’m a little bummed I don’t have any ground beef in the house so I could make this for dinner tonight!

Healthy Recipes to Kick Off the New Year

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful New Year’s Eve with friends and family and have kicked off 2011 with a bang. We stayed in to ring in the New Year this year, and celebrated with friends, an enormous meal, and a whole lot of celebratory libations. After all of that revelry, Stan and I are feeling the need for some healthier meals and a little more exercise in our lives. While neither of us are big on New Year’s resolutions, eating better and moving more are certainly tops on many people’s lists for this time of year. So, in honor of those, like us, who need some holiday detox, or are trying to make good on healthy resolutions, today’s post features recipes that can help you cook your way to a healthier new year.

Soups and stews are always good in January, heating you up without filling you out. Here are some delicious, belly-warming options... (Just click on the recipe titles to link to the original posts!)

Coconut Curry Noodle Soup

Island Kale and Sweet Potato Soup

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

 Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Soup

Tortellini Soup

Shrimp and Corn Chowder

Chickpea and Kale Stew

Chicken Posole

Chipotle Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon

Friends, I am in trouble. Big, calorie-laden, gut-busting trouble. You see, I have learned how to make baked macaroni and cheese in a whole new way. A you don’t have to cook the noodles, you don’t have to make a cheese sauce kind of way. And best of all, it is crazy delicious.

All you need for this miraculous mac and cheese is a blender – and your oven, of course. You take some milk and cottage cheese (weird I know, but trust me), whirl them up in a blender with some seasonings, and pour the mixture over dry pasta. All that’s left to do is stir in some cheese and bake it in the oven. That’s pretty much it.

Before trying this recipe, I’ll admit I was skeptical about how the finished product would turn out. Would the pasta be cooked all the way through? Would it be overcooked and mushy? Would the cheese sauce thicken up the way a proper baked macaroni and cheese sauce should? Yes, no, and yes. I don’t know how it happens, but this process, quick and easy as it is, results in some rockin’ macaroni and cheese.

You can use this basic method to make pretty much any kind of macaroni and cheese you desire. Stick with basic sharp cheddar cheese and standard seasonings for classic mac. Switch up the cheeses and spices for a French or Italian twist. Or try it out this way, with a little garlic and a smoky chipotle kick. The bacon on top is purely optional. I used turkey bacon because real bacon grease kind of freaks me out. All together, the flavor combination is so good I have had to force myself not to make it every week. Try it yourself and see what I mean. You may never make traditional baked macaroni and cheese again.

Coconut Curry Noodle Soup

Most times, when I try a new recipe for the first time, I follow it pretty close to the letter. I might add a little more garlic, a little less hot pepper, or salt it at different times, but overall, I try to stay true to the original recipe. Sometimes, however, I’ll find an interesting (or not so interesting) looking recipe and use it as a jumping off point for a somewhat different creation. That’s what I did with today’s recipe - a warm, richly flavored soup with great color and texture.

I made quite a few changes to the original recipe, some dictated by necessity (an empty fridge), some by personal taste. For instance, the original recipe called for using already cooked, shredded chicken, snow peas, and spinach. I didn’t have any of those things on hand (and I wasn’t about to go out to get them at 8 pm – we were hungry!) so I decided to substitute cubed firm tofu for the chicken, matchstick carrots for the snow peas, and arugula for the spinach. All worked very well. In fact, I don’t know that I would have liked the chicken as much as I liked the tofu. Same goes for the snow peas and carrots. I think spinach and arugula would work equally well though. I also swapped out chow mein noodles for linguine, cause that’s what I had!

Those were the changes of necessity. The changes of personal choice included the addition of soy sauce for a little salt and lime juice for acidity and a little tang. The soy sauce was a nice, subtle touch, but I found that I still needed to add a little (sea) salt at the end. I added the lime juice after tasting the soup and finding it a bit bland. The juice punched up the flavor, but I kept thinking I would have liked it better with a little more. (Unfortunately I couldn’t add more because I was out of limes.)

All this goes to show that it’s possible to take a recipe and twist it into something that fits your taste – and the contents of your pantry. I am certain my mom is rolling her eyes right now and preparing to call me out for calling curry paste and fish sauce pantry staples. (I’m right aren’t I, Mom?) I understand that these ingredients are not staples for everyone. I don’t have a clue how they became staples for me considering I didn’t even try Thai food until I was seventeen. Regardless, you get what I’m trying to say, right? Don’t be afraid to try a recipe just because you don’t have every ingredient. Tweak it a little and you might just end up with something you’ll like even more. Unless you are baking, in which case specificity is important. Nobody likes a flat cake or burnt cookies.

Peppery Monterey Jack Pasta Salad

I don’t know what the weather’s like where you live, but down here in Nashville, it is beautiful outside. Gone are the days of 100 degree weather and extreme humidity. In their place are clear blue skies and lovely 80 degree days and 60 degree nights. Basically, the weather right now is perfect. And perfect weather demands spending lots of time outside. We’ve been hiking, playing tennis, and selecting restaurants based on their patios. (If you live in the area, the patio at Rosepepper Cantina in East Nashville is one of our warm weather favorites!)

Weather like this is also perfect for cookouts and picnics. Today’s recipe for Peppery Monterey Jack Pasta Salad would be a great addition to any outdoor meal. It’s colorful, flavorful, and easy to put together. You can use any small pasta shape you happen to have in your pantry. I used Israeli couscous because it’s what I had on hand. The little pearls were a fun change from the more commonly used salad pastas. Juicy fresh tomatoes, tangy banana peppers, creamy Monterey Jack cheese, and salty salami and capers round out the dish and make it a fun, different on traditional pasta salad.

Baked Ziti

Baked ziti is one of my long-standing go-to dishes. I’ve been making variations of it for years. Sometimes it’s the old cheesey standby. Sometimes I add chicken sausage. Sometimes vegetables. Sometimes I leave out the ricotta, which basically turns it into something else all together. However you make it, it’s pretty much a guarantee that baked ziti will be delicious.

Besides its taste, one of the things I like best about baked ziti is how quickly it comes together. Boil some noodles, stir in some cheesey goodness, and pop it in the oven. It needs a little time to cook, but the active prep work is practically non-existent. You can have dinner on the table without breaking a sweat – which I love, because making dinner causes me to break a sweat far more often than I’d like!

Baked ziti is also a perfect dish for those times when you’d like to bring dinner to someone. I made this particular version for my dear friends on the night they brought their beautiful baby girl home from the hospital. I split the recipe into two pans, giving half to them, and reserving the other half for when I go out of town in a few days. Yep, that’s one more thing that’s great about baked ziti – it freezes like a dream. It’s the perfect dish to make ahead and store in the freezer. You know, just in case you happen to have a significant other who begs you not to leave… at least not without leaving a fully stocked fridge behind.

Pasta with Artichokes, Sundried Tomatoes, and Spinach

Today I have a confession to make. My name is Katie, and I am a pasta addict. A true, crave-it-all-the-time, pasta fanatic. Any shape, any size, I’m all about it. I’m not really sure where my deep love of all things pasta comes from. Sure, we ate spaghetti and lasagna growing up, but it did not make up the bulk of our meals. I’m also not remotely Italian (though I sometimes wish I was), so that’s not it either. Whatever the reason, pasta has its hooks in me but good.

You would think that this blog would be filled with countless pasta recipes. A quick look through the archive shows that this is hardly the case. Upon reflection, I think this is because I tend to throw together pasta dishes in an impromptu or hurried fashion. I often coble together whatever I have lying around that looks good. Sometimes the results are less than stellar, but often, the final product is so delicious I kick myself for not writing down exact ingredient amounts or taking pictures along the way.

Today’s recipe started out as one of those impromptu meals I threw together one night when I needed dinner on the table in a hurry. The first version was pretty awesome, so I wrote down what I did, and decided to try it again in the future with pictures and detailed directions. I also tweaked the recipe a bit to amp up the flavor. What you see here is the result.

Al dente pasta is tossed together with a healthy, colorful mix of marinated artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, bright green spinach. Salty feta cheese and fresh green onions add a final burst of flavor. The recipe is super quick and super easy – perfect for weeknight dinners or anytime you need a meal in a hurry. Even better, this pasta is fabulous served warm, but it is also good at room temperature or even cold out of the fridge. (Good to know for those of us who get late night munchies!)

Fusilli with Cauliflower, Olives, and Herbs

Well folks, we did it. We moved into our new place, and we’re slowly settling into it. Thank you for your patience over the past week while we unpacked the kitchen and waited (and waited and waited) for our internet to be turned on. I’m looking forward to many new exciting recipes and posts in the coming weeks… as soon as I find where I stashed my camera.

In the meantime, here is a recipe I made awhile back. I’ve been meaning to tell you about it for quite awhile, but new recipes kept jumping the line. I feel a little weird telling you about it right now, seeing as how it is a pasta recipe, and I’m currently observing Passover. However, I’m pretty sure there’s no prohibition against talking about pasta, and besides, if you’re like me, a big bowl of pasta is a great way to end eight days of matzah.

This pasta recipe was a departure from all of my trusty red sauce pasta dishes and made a perfect weeknight dinner. I came across the recipe while looking for a way to use up a cauliflower that had been hanging out in the back of the fridge for several days. I was a little skeptical about how well the cauliflower would blend with the pasta, but it was great, adding lots of texture and mellow flavor. The salty olives, spicy red pepper flakes, and bright herbs punched up the flavor even more.

Ricotta salata is the finishing touch for the dish. This was my first experience using the cheese, and I must admit, I’ve been looking for excuses to buy it ever since. Ricotta salata is a pressed, drier, more crumbly version of ricotta cheese. It has a very fresh, milky, slightly salty flavor. You can find it at the cheese counter or the imported cheese section of your supermarket. While you can certainly use other cheeses, ricotta salata is worth seeking out.

Tex-Mex Stuffed Shells

Sometimes I think my kitchen could double as an international foods emporium. On any given day, you are more likely to find Thai fish sauce or Indian curry powder than potato chips or hamburger patties. Despite a childhood spent in a suburb teeming with numerous chain restaurants but few authentic ethnic-food options, I am now something of an international foods magnet. I am drawn to trying new foods, spices, flavors, restaurants, and home recipes. In recent years I have developed a deep and abiding love of Japanese, Thai, Indian, Turkish, Greek, and Moroccan cuisines… just to name a few.

And while Mexican and Italian cuisines may not be the most exotic (since you can typically find them in most areas, suburbs and small towns included), they are two of the favorites in this newlywed household, at least when it comes to home cooking. Between me being a pasta addict (seriously, I need help) and Stan loving south of the border flavors, we prepare a lot of Italian and Mexican dishes, some more authentic than others.

This dish is a fusion of our favorites – traditional Mexican spices and flavors stuffed into warm, al dente pasta. When I came across the recipe at elly says opa! I knew it was one we had to try. While it clearly not an authentic Italian or Mexican recipe, it brings together many of the most delicious aspects of the two cuisines. Stan could not stop raving about the subtly spiced sauce, the rich but not heavy filling, and the overall combination of flavors. I agreed with him wholeheartedly, while also appreciating the recipe’s ease of preparation and the fact that it made more than enough for several meals’ worth of leftovers.