Cooking

Penne with Roasted Asparagus and Balsamic Butter

Anna Blankenheim Cooking, Recipes , ,

I like to try to share new recipes as often as I’m motivated… today’s recipe is one I had to try when Mike was not home for dinner. You see, we share an aversion to stinky cheeses (discovered after the horrific Gruyère on french onion soup experience several years back). However, Parmesan cheese falls into this category for him, while it’s on my yummy list. That and he doesn’t like asparagus, which is a staple in this dish. About halfway through cooking (the part where you simmer the balsamic vinegar) I got a bit skeptical, but this turned out very nicely. It’s a fairly quick and easy meal (took me about 30 minutes, which you could trim down to about 20) and tasted delicious!

Penne with Roasted Asparagus and Balsamic Butter
Penne with Roasted Asparagus and Balsamic Butter

Ingredients

1 pound asparagus

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

1 pound penne

1/4 pound butter, cut into pieces

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions

Heat the oven to 400°. Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard them. Cut the spears into 1-inch pieces. Put the asparagus on a baking sheet and toss with the oil and 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Roast until tender, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the vinegar in a small saucepan. Simmer until 3 tablespoons remain. Stir in the brown sugar and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Remove from the heat.

Cook the penne in a large pot of boiling, salted water until just done, about 13 minutes. Drain the pasta and toss with the butter, vinegar, asparagus, Parmesan, and the remaining 1 3/4 teaspoons salt. Serve with additional Parmesan.

Pioneer Woman Bowtie Lasagna

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Last night I tried a recipe that I’ve been wanting to test out for a while… the Pioneer Woman Bowtie Lasagna. I hadn’t heard of the Pioneer Woman before, but apparently she’s a real thing. She claims this is a 16 minute meal – I would argue that it cooks pretty fast, but not that fast. I used the one pot method though – cooked the pasta then as it drained browned the meat. I suppose if I would have done both at the same time it would have been faster, but I chose less dishes over an extra 5 minutes. Also, I used ground turkey instead of ground beef… I’m finding that in sauces I can’t really taste the difference and it’s a little bit healthier. The website I found this on (Katie Cooks Dinner) recommended using Rao’s Homemade Pasta Sauce. It’s a bit pricey ($8.99 a jar), but was amazing. The next best thing to homemade! Apologies for the crummy picture. I was starving so I grabbed my cell phone instead of my camera.

Pioneer Woman Bowtie Pasta
Pioneer Woman Bowtie Lasagna

Ingredients

1 pound bowtie pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground chuck
1 jar spaghetti sauce (or 3 cups homemade)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 heaping teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 cup sour cream

Directions

Boil pasta in large pot of salted water until al dente, drain.  In large skillet, brown and crumble ground chuck until fully cooked, drain fat and return to pan.  Pour cooked pasta on top of meat, then drizzle on olive oil.  Pour on jar of sauce, salt, garlic powder and Italian seasonings.  Stir.  Add cheese and sour cream.  Stir over low heat until cheese is melted and all ingredients are combined.  Taste and add salt and pepper, if necessary.  Serve with Parmesan or additional mozzarella, if desired.

Seriously, it’s that easy. Enjoy!

Orecchiette with Roasted Fennel & Sausage

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I love a good pasta dish and I love spicy sausage, so when the opportunity arises to combine those two, I jump on it. This one was  very easy to make and absolutely delicious! Enjoy!

Orecchiette with Sausage & Fennel
Orecchiette with Sausage & Fennel

Ingredients

2 bulbs fennel, trimmed and cut into 3/4 inch pieces (I found this at Whole Foods)

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

8 ounces orecchiette pasta

8 ounces spicy Italian sausage, with casings removed

1 onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons white wine

1 jar sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions

For the fennel: Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Spray a small baking sheet with vegetable oil cooking spray.

Toss the fennel, oil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Arrange the fennel in a single layer on the baking sheet. Roast until golden and tender, about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.

For the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the sausage and break into 1/2-inch pieces using a wooden spoon. Cook until golden and cooked through, about 6 minutes. Add the onion, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and wine and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Cook until all of the wine has evaporated, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook for 30 seconds. Add the pasta, fennel and cheese. Toss until all ingredients are coated, adding the reserved pasta water as needed, to loosen the pasta.

Tortellini with Broccoli Pesto

Anna Blankenheim Cooking, Recipes , , ,

Tonight I made the most delicious dinner and it was super fast! At first I wasn’t sure what I thought of it, but I think that’s because in my first bite I was expecting a standard pesto taste/consistency and was surprised by the broccoli (I know, I know).  This was a beautiful dish… I had some amazing broccoli and it was healthy!

Tortellini with Broccoli Pesto
Tortellini with Broccoli Pesto

Ingredients

1 bunch broccoli, trimmed and cut into florets

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 pound cheese tortellini

Directions

Cook the broccoli in a large pot of boiling water until crisp-tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool slightly; reserve the water for cooking the tortellini.

Pulse the broccoli, oil, pine nuts, Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a food processor until finely chopped, 15-20 seconds.

Cook the tortellini according to the package directions, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Drain and return the tortellini to the pot. Add the broccoli pesto and 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking water and toss to combine. Add more water as needed to loosen the sauce.

Serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Potato Bacon Soup

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I honestly don’t know where I got the recipe for this one from… I think it was somewhere on the Internet, but I never wrote it down. It was absolutely delish!

Potato Bacon Soup
Potato Bacon Soup

Ingredients

4-6 medium Russet potatoes, unpeeled & scrubbed (note: next time I make this I’m peeling them)

1/2 pound bacon, cut into 3/4 inch

1 cup chopped yellow onion

3-4 tablespoons flour

1 can evaporated milk

1-2 cups milk

1 tablespoon hot sauce

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender. Drain and set aside.

While potatoes are cooking, in a large Dutch oven or pot, brown bacon over medium or medium-high heat. Transfer bacon to paper towel to drain. Empty all but 3 tablespoons of bacon grease from Dutch oven.

Add onion to Dutch oven and sauté until softened and browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in flour until well mixed with onion, creating a paste. Slowly stir in evaporated milk, until entirely incorporated. (If it becomes too thick, add a little milk.) Once a light sauce-like consistency is reached (3 or 4 minutes), add cooked potatoes, hot sauce, and salt and pepper, to taste. Stir to combine. Add milk until soup reaches desired consistency, stirring constantly. (You may have leftover milk.)

Simmer 30 minutes over low heat, adding more milk if mixture becomes too thick.

Remove soup from heat. Stir in grated Cheddar and three-fourths of the cooked bacon. Ladle into bowls, topping with Cheddar and remaining bacon. Serve hot.

Farfalle with Mint Walnut Pesto

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Tonight I tried another clean eating recipe and this one was really yummy! It’s another Clean Eating Magazine recipe. It was absolutely delicious! Mike added in some sautéed mushrooms and love it as well! I even liked the wheat pasta, which to date I have hated. Enjoy!

Farfalle with Mint Walnut Pesto
Farfalle with Mint Walnut Pesto

Ingredients

1/2 packed cup fresh basil (with stems)

1/2 packed cup fresh mint (with stems)

1/4 cup toasted unsalted walnuts

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper, plus additional to taste

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

8 ounces whole-wheat farfalle

2 cups grape tomatoes, halved

9 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and quartered

Sea salt, to taste

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, prepare pesto: To a food processor, add basil, mint, walnuts, Parmesan and 1/4 tsp pepper. Pulse until roughly chopped, five to seven times, scraping down bowl as needed. Add oil and lemon juice and process for 10 to 15 seconds or until a thick, slightly chunky pesto forms. (NOTE: Try to not process to a smooth paste, keep it slightly chunky.)

To boiling water, add pasta and cook al dente according to package directions. Before draining pasta, ladle about 1/2 cup cooking water into a heat-proof measuring cup and set aside. Return drained pasta to pot and add tomatoes, artichokes and pesto. Place on low heat and stir to combine. If more moisture is desired, add reserved pasta cooking water 1 tbsp at a time to achieve desired texture. Heat until vegetables are heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and additional pepper.

Orange Chicken Stir Fry with Crispy Garlic Dressing

Anna Blankenheim Cooking, Recipes , , , , , ,

I’ve decided to give clean eating a try… I’ve heard a lot of people talking about it lately and one of my friends has posted pictures of some of the most beautiful food I’ve ever seen in my life. I’m not going all clean (after all, I had In-N-Out for lunch today and there’s no way in hell I could give up pasta), but am going to try to incorporate it into three or four dinners a week. I like the general idea – consuming food in as close to its natural state as possible. Here’s the general guidelines to clean eating – I like it because it’s not a diet plan, you can still treat yourself (seriously, I’m not giving up pasta), and it makes you think about what you’re putting into your body:

Eat the foods made by nature, not man.
Plan to eat five or six meals and snacks throughout the day.
Avoid processed foods (in other words, anything in a box with a label).
Use healthy cooking methods.
Eat before you become super hungry.
Stop eating when you’re satisfied, not stuffed.
Don’t count your calories, fat grams, or points.
Enjoy and appreciate its flavor.

That said, I made a trip to my local Whole Foods and got lots of yummy stuff to cook “clean” dinners over the next few nights. The first up was Orange Chicken Stir Fry, from Clean Eating Magazine’s online recipe bank. The one thing that I did not include was the chickpeas – I bought them dry, not realizing that they needed to be rehydrated and that process takes like twelve hours. So we’re having chickpeas in our salad tomorrow night. This whole healthy cooking thing is harder than it looks!

Mike and I both really liked this meal – brown rice and all. I normally don’t like it because it tastes chewy, but I barely undercooked it and it was delicious! This is definitely going into my recipe book! Enjoy!

Orange Chicken Stir Fry with Crispy Garlic Dressing
Orange Chicken Stir Fry with Crispy Garlic Dressing

Ingredients

2/3 cup brown rice

1 tablespoon olive oil

7 1/2 oz BPA-free canned chickpeas, drained, rinsed and dried

1/4 tsp sea salt

Pinch ground cayenne pepper

1 bunch broccoli, trimmed

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 tbsp rice wine or apple cider vinegar

16 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise

1 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari

1 tsp ground ginger

1 orange, peeled, segmented and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 green onions, sliced

Directions

Cook rice according to package directions.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tsp oil on medium. Add chickpeas and cook, shaking pan occasionally, until golden, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and cayenne. Transfer to a bowl and cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a steamer basket set over a pot of gently simmering water, cook broccoli until tender-crisp, 3 to 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare dressing: In a small saucepan, heat 1 tsp oil on medium. Add garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, crisp and golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and add vinegar. Set aside.

In a clean skillet, heat remaining 1 tsp oil on medium. Add chicken and sauté for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and add zucchini, soy sauce and ginger. Sauté until chicken is cooked through and zucchini is tender, 5 to 7 more minutes. Stir in broccoli, orange, onions and dressing and heat through. Serve over rice and top with chickpeas.

Cowboy Flank Steak with Sweet & Smoky Beans with Garlic-Roasted Broccoli

Anna Blankenheim Cooking, Recipes , , ,

This is another Cooking Light recipe that I decided to give a try – Mike actually did the cooking on this one and it was delicious! He said this is possibly his favorite way to cook broccoli!

Cowboy Flank Steak
Cowboy Flank Steak

Ingredients

1 tablespoon  olive oil

1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper

3/4 cup lower-sodium tomato puree

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon molasses

1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 (16-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, undrained

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1 pound flank steak, trimmed

Directions

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil; swirl to coat. Add onion and red bell pepper; sauté 4 minutes or until slightly tender. Stir in tomato puree and next 6 ingredients (through green chiles). Cover and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Heat a grill pan over high heat. Combine paprika and next 3 ingredients (through salt) in a small bowl; rub spice mixture evenly over steak. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add steak to pan; grill 6 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices. Serve with beans.

For Garlic-Roasted Broccoli

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place 6 cups broccoli florets and 3 minced garlic cloves in a large bowl. Coat generously with cooking spray; toss to coat. Arrange mixture in a single layer on a jelly roll pan. Roast at 400 degrees for 12 minutes, stirring once.

Orange-Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Tabbouleh with Snap Pea Sauté

Anna Blankenheim Cooking, Recipes , , , , ,

Now that my marathon has passed, I’ve been trying to be a little more mindful about what I’m eating. I’m still starving, but am trying to be careful to eat a little more balanced. I subscribe to Cooking Light magazine and while I don’t always love their recipes, I sometimes find a gem. This was definitely one of those… it was flavorful and Mike loved it! I’m not a huge fan of the tabbouleh… the consistency was a little chewy for my taste, but I might play around with different recipes using bulgur to see if that’s just how it is or it was just how it was prepared here.

Orange-Glazed Pork Tenderloin
Orange-Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients

1/3 cup orange marmalade

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon lower-sodium soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 tablespoon peanut oil

1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin

1 1/4 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup  dried cranberries

1/4 teaspoon five-spice powder (I substituted cinnamon and ground ginger)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup bulgur

2 tablespoons minced green onions

2 cups sugar snap peas

2 cups snow peas

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add pork; cook 6 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Brush pork with half of marmalade mixture. Place pan in oven; bake at 350° for 18 minutes or until a thermometer registers 145°, turning and basting with remaining marmalade after 10 minutes. Place pork on a cutting board; reserve sauce in pan. Let pork rest 5 minutes; cut into 12 slices.

While pork cooks, bring broth and next 3 ingredients (through salt) to a boil in a saucepan; stir in bulgur. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Stir in green onions.

Place 3 pork slices on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 2 tablespoons reserved sauce. Serve each with 3/4 cup bulgur mixture.

Snap Pea Sauté:

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon sesame oil; swirl to coat. Add 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger to the pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add 2 cups trimmed sugar snap peas and 2 cups tripped snow peas. Add 1 tablespoon rice vinegar and 1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce to pan; cook 30 seconds.

Meatball Stroganoff

Anna Blankenheim Cooking, Recipes ,

Today I tried a new recipe for dinner – meatball stroganoff (sans mushrooms, of course). I found this recipe in a magazine and it sounded good – it’s a lighter version of the traditional stroganoffs. Enjoy!

Meatball Stroganoff
Meatball Stroganoff

Ingredients

Egg noodles

4 teaspoons canola oil

1 1/4 cups diced yellow onion

12 ounces ground sirloin

3 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs

3 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

12 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon flour

1 cup beef stock

1/3 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

dash of nutmeg

Directions

Place a foil lined jelly roll pan in the oven on the middle rack. Preheat to 450 degrees (leave pan in the oven). Cook the noodles according to package. Drain and keep warm.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add onion and saute for six minutes or until tender. Place the cooked onion in a small bowl. Combine beef, bread crumbs, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Stir in 1/3 cup cooked onion. Shape beef mixture into 16 meatballs (1 1/2 inches each). Place meatballs on preheated pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450 degrees for 12 minutes, turning after 6.

Return the skillet to medium heat and add remaining 2 teaspoons oil. Add mushrooms, garlic, and paprika to pan – saute for eight minutes or until mushrooms are lightly browned. Add wine to the pan and cook until liquid almost evaporates. Sprinkle flour over the mushroom mixture and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add stock, bring to a boil scraping the browned bits. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes or until sauce slightly thickens. Stir in the remaining cooked onion and remove pan from heat.

Stir in remaining salt & pepper, sour cream, mustard, and nutmeg. Add the meatballs to the sauce and toss to coat. Spoon sauce and meatballs over the noodles and enjoy!