Sweet Peppers, Spinach and Bacon Pasta with Alfredo Sauce

Difficulty: Easy

Total Time: 45 minutes to an hour (depending on how many kid interruptions you have)

Serves: 6 to 8

Ingredients:

 Pasta
1 lb pasta, cooked and drained
8 oz bacon, cooked (bacon fat reserved)
2 cups mini sweet peppers, seeded and sliced (roughly 20 peppers, it's up to you really)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Alfredo Sauce
2 T. butter
3/4 c. heavy cream (you could use milk, but if you are going to do alfredo you might as well do it right!)
3/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
1 t. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.

In a large pan cut up the bacon in small pieces and cook until crispy.  Remove the bacon from the pan leaving the remaining bacon fat in the pan.  Add the peppers and onions to the bacon fat and sauté until soft (I know, totally not healthy, but we are going for taste over health in this recipe).  Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.  Add the spinach, it will be overflowing but it WILL cook down.  Drizzle the olive oil over the spinach and season with salt and pepper.  Let it cook down over low heat, stirring occasionally so it doesn't burn.

In the meantime, make your alfredo sauce.  If you have never attempted making your own alfredo sauce you are in for a treat!  In my opinion it is way better than any canned alfredo sauce.  Watch out Olive Garden! :)  Get a small sauce pan and put the heat on medium and melt the butter.  Slowly whisk in the heavy cream and heat for 5 minutes, stirring often, you do not want it to boil so watch it.  Once it is good and heated through add your cheese and whisk, whisk, whisk.  Keep it moving so it doesn't burn.  Once all the cheese is good and melted add your seasoning.  You want it to be a little on the "over seasoned" side.  It will balance out when you add it to your pasta.

And that is it my friends.  Mix everything together and serve it immediately.  Bon Appetite!

Recipe by: Tracy

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

I found this recipe on the Good Life Eats blog. Believe it or not, it was a delicious soup to enjoy on a hot summer day. Try it for yourself - I like this one BETTER than the one Panera offers on their menu.

INGREDIENTS:

For The Chicken:
1 lb. chicken - boneless, skinless breasts
1 stalk celery, cut into thirds
half of lemon sliced
handful of fresh parsley
1/4 t. each, salt and pepper
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs thyme
1 cup water
1/2 cup chicken broth (I added more to cover chicken)

For The Soup:
1 onion, dices
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup white wine
3 carrots, sliced into rounds
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 - 3/4 cup orzo pasta, uncooked
3 egg yolks
2 - 3 T. fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
2 T. fresh parsley, minced
1 1/4 t. fresh thyme
2 - 3 large handfuls of fresh baby spinach, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

For the chicken:
Combine all the ingredients in a medium pan. Bring to a boil and simmer until chicken is cooked. Remove from heat. Remove chicken to a plate and set aside. Shred with a fork when cool. Toss remaining ingredients. (the original recipe called for using a pressure cooker. See their website for all the directions if you choose to use one.)

For the soup:
Add 1 T. of olive oil in a large dutch oven. Saute the onion over medium-high heat until golden and tender. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute more.

Add the white wine and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the broth and carrots. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and lemon together. Add 1 cup of hot broth from the dutch oven very slowly to the egg yolk mixture, whisking as you pour. Then, transfer the mixture to the dutch oven, Stir in the orzo and chicken.

Continue cooking over medium-low until the pasta and carrots are tender. Just before serving, season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the thyme, parsley, and spinach. Serve immediately

Serve with hot fresh bread, or a handful of oyster crackers. ENJOY!

posted by Debi Walter

Spinach and Strawberry Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Salad:

2 lb Fresh spinach - lightly chopped

1 pint Strawberries - sliced

Optional:

1 Lg Cucumber - peeled and sliced

1 Lg Tomato - sliced

Crushed Almonds or Walnuts

Crumbled feta or mozzarella cheese

Crumbled cooked bacon

Dressing:

1/2 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/3 c. sugar

1/4 t. kosher salt

1 T. cider vinegar

1 T. vegetable oil

2 T. balsamic vinegar

The nice thing about this salad is you can put whatever you want in it. It would be fabulous with just the spinach and strawberries - anything extra is... well... just extra! Shake all the dressing ingredients well and lightly drizzle over salad. Enjoy!

Recipe By: Tracy

Boston Market's Creamed Spinach

I'm fixing this tonight - so I don't know how good it is, but it sounds delicious!

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons margarine or butter

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups milk

1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 to 2 tablespoons butter

2 packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry

salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Combine flour and butter in saucepan; heat and stir to make roux.

Add milk (more if necessary) and cheese.

In another pot, saute onion and garlic in butter; add spinach.

Cook 10 minutes, or until spinach is hot and onion is translucent.

Add white sauce and mix thoroughly. Add salt and pepper.

Note: You can make this ahead and reheat in a casserole (sprinkle with buttered bread crumbs).

Pasta and Greens

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Start to Finish Time: 35 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

WHEN THE AIR is crisp and the leaves begin to turn, leafy greens come into their prime. I like to buy fresh greens at my local farmers' market. Somehow, they just taste better.

I adore mustard greens. They can be as spicy hot as mustard, yet as tender as spinach. Turnip greens are great too, but if you prefer a milder green, opt for spinach, collards, or escarole. All of these greens are packed with vitamins and minerals, and they are extremely low in calories.

The following recipe can be prepared with pantry staples, greens, and a little Parmesan cheese. It's also highly adaptable. You can use prewashed or frozen greens. If you like, stir in a little cream just before serving. And remember: greens cook down to less than half their original volume. Enjoy!
-- Judy Feagin

Pasta and Greens

* 1 8-ounce package pasta
* 1/2 cup chopped onion
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 14.5-ounce can vegetable broth
* 1 pound fresh greens (mustard, turnip, spinach, kale, escarole, or collard)
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.

In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, saute onion and garlic in oil 2 minutes. Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Gradually add fresh greens, stirring constantly. Cover and cook 3 to 10 minutes, depending on the greens selected. Stir in cooked pasta, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve immediately.

Choosing Your Greens

Collard greens are dark, leafy greens in the cabbage family. Unlike cabbages, they don't form a head. Closely related to kale, collards taste like a cross between kale and cabbage.

Escarole is a variety of endive with broad, pale-green leaves with slightly curved edges. Milder in flavor than either Belgium endive or curly endive, escarole can be eaten raw or cooked. Peak season is June to October.

Kale has a mild cabbage-like flavor. The leaves are frilly and deep green with shades of blues and purple. Available year-round.

Mustard greens are the peppery leaves of the mustard plant. They are dark green and have a pungent flavor.

Spinach leaves are dark green and spear-shaped, and are either curled or smooth depending on the variety. Because the leaves grow so close to the ground, they need a thorough cleaning to avoid grittiness.

Turnip greens are slightly sweet when young. However, they develop a strong, sharp, slightly bitter flavor as they age. Available year-round.

- Adapted from The New Food Lover's Companion (third edition)

Cleaning Your Greens

To prepare greens, remove tough stems and discolored spots, then wash the greens at least three times in lots of cold water. Drain and roughly chop. Store greens in heavy-duty zip-top bags lined with damp paper towels up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Posted by Debi

Easy Chicken-Mushroom Quesadillas

I just tried this out tonight and my mom and I loved them! I didn't have any cumin, however, so I can imagine adding it would make it even better.

Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 12
Cook Time: 16
Yield: 4 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)

8 ounces white button mushrooms (about 3 cups)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups cooked chopped skinless, boneless chicken breast

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 cups baby spinach leaves, sliced into ribbons

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

4 (10-inch) flour tortillas

1 cup shredded Mexican or Cheddar cheese

Topping:

1/2 cup salsa

1/4 sour cream

Heat the oil in a large skillet over a medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook until the mushroom water is evaporated and they begin to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add chicken, cumin, chili powder and oregano and stir until all spices are incorporated. Add spinach, salt and pepper and cook until spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes.

Lay 1 tortilla on a flat work surface and sprinkle with 1/4 cup shredded cheese. Spoon 1/4 chicken and vegetable mixture on top of cheese, then top with an additional 1/4 cup cheese. Top with another flour tortilla. Heat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray over medium heat. Carefully place 1 quesadilla in a pan and cook a few minutes. Using a large spatula, flip the quesadilla and cook a few more minutes (just like grill cheese sandwiches :)

Tomato - Feta Pasta

This is a fairly simple recipe that Chris and I whipped up one night when we weren't sure what we wanted for dinner. It's best with fresh ingredients, although I'm sure you could use frozen or canned veggies if that's all you have on hand. Our family gives this recipe five stars!

1 box whole wheat fettucini, prepared per manufacturer's instructions

Extra virgin olive oil

2-3 cloves fresh garlic, chopped

1/2 large purple onion, diced

3 cups fresh spinach leaves

1 red bell pepper chopped

1/4 - 1/2 cup Marsala cooking wine or Balsamic Vinegar  

2-3 roma tomatoes, chopped

1/2 to 1 container tomato basil feta cheese

1/2 cup grated romano or parmesan cheese

mediterranean sea/kosher Salt and pepper

Prepare pasta, place in large serving bowl, set aside. In medium pan, heat olive oil to medium heat, saute chopped garlic and diced onion until golden brown and tender. Add spinach leaves, saute until wilted. Add red pepper, heat to desired tenderness (we like ours a little crunchy). Remove from heat and add cooking wine or vinegar to taste. Pour garlic, onion, spinach, pepper mixture over pasta - be sure to get all excess oil/wine/vinegar into bowl.  Add feta cheese and toss well. Sprinkle romano/parmesan cheese, salt and pepper over top, serve warm with fresh french bread. Enjoy!

A few additions you could try are: chopped prosciutto, crumbled bacon, fresh mozzarella cheese, cubed, grilled chopped chicken breast, etc. My husband loves meat and he said he didn't even miss it in this flavorful dish! 

Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas
You can layer this instead of rolling it, similar to the burrito casserole below.
20 large gluten-free tortillas (I bake about 8 enchiladas and freeze the rest)
chicken mixture:
breast meat from one roasted chicken, or two large chicken breasts
1 large onion
4 c spinach, chopped
Yogurt mixture:
32 oz whole milk plain yogurt (or use sour cream)
2 c salsa (your heat preference)
dash pepper
dash salt
1 1/2 tsp chili powder (more or less, to taste)
20 + oz shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack
Tomato Sauce Topping:
8 oz tomato sauce
8 oz salsa
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
dash salt
Spread the chicken mixture (make sure you divide it up into about 20 portions) on the tortillas; spoon some yogurt sauce over the chicken; sprinkle on some cheese (or you can cut the cheese into 1 oz slices and lay it on top); roll up and put in baking dish; pour sauce over top and sprinkle on more cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes
You can also freeze these individually (without sauce on top) on a cookie sheet. Then wrap them individually and put in a freezer bag. Thaw, top and bake.