Spring Pasta with Fresh Arugula Walnut Pesto

Posted on April 14, 2010 by kitchenbelle

My husband is running the Boston Marathon on Monday and I could not be more proud! He has worked so hard training over the past several months and as great of a runner he was when he started training he has improved quite a bit and shown serious promise for race day.

I know how important diet is for athletic performance so I was sure to stock up on loads of lean proteins, fresh fruits and fresh vegetables at the grocery store this weekend. For this meal I decided to give him his fill of nutrients (as well as a few carbs!) to keep him healthy for race day.  He loves red peppers, peas, and mushrooms so I created this meal around those. I LOVE arugula and what could be better or more nutritious than combining it with omega-laden walnuts?! 

This meal was very delicious and enjoyable. The freshness of the arugula, vegetables, and chives was what stood out for me. I know it sounds dorky (but I’ll say it anyway): I have been cooking for years, yet still I continue to be amazed by the PUNCH and ZEST of the flavors in fresh vegetables and herbs.  Mother Nature is pretty incredible if you ask me. 🙂

Spring Pasta with Fresh Arugula Walnut Pesto:

  • 12 ounces of fresh pasta (I used Capone Foods Fresh Pasta  Spinach Linguine from the Whole Foods refrigerated section)
  • a few tablespoons of olive oil
  • 6 ounces of sliced portabella mushrooms
  • 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
  • 2 scallions, sliced
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 2 cups frozen peas
  • 1/2 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half
  • fresh chives, roughly chopped

Pesto

  • 2-3 cups fresh baby arugula
  • 2 cloves fresh garlic
  • 2/3 cup walnuts
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/3 cup shredded cheese (you could use fresh parmesan for a strong flavor, mozzarella for a mild flavor or anything in between)
  • salt to taste

Make the pesto:

In a food processor combine the arugula, garlic, and walnuts. Pulse until combined. Slowly pour in the oil while continuing to pulse. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula if necessary. Add the cheese and continue to pulse until desired texture is reached.  Add salt to taste.  Set aside.

Prepare vegetables:

Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to a medium pan over medium heat. Add the mushroom and a few pinches of salt. Cook stirring frequently until browned. Add the garlic, scallions, and chopped pepper. Continue to cook until peppers are tender but still crunchy.

Meanwhile boil pasta in salted water according to package directions.

Add peas to sauce pan and cook until warmed through. Then add  tomatoes. Stir to combine and let the heat soften the tomatoes, about 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper.

Drain pasta and return to pot. Add pesto to pasta and toss gently. Then add vegetables and gently toss again to fully disperse vegetables and sauce.  Garnish with fresh chives. Serve immediately.

A Kitchenbelle.com original!

Filed under: arugula, chives, Main Dish, mushroom, pasta, peppers, tomato, VEGETARIAN | 10 Comments »

Mushroom and Wild Rice Casserole

Posted on April 12, 2010 by kitchenbelle

I am crazy about wild rice and I always have my eye out for recipes that incorporate it. I was reading this recipe over at 101 Cookbooks where Heidi suggests trying any of your favorite grains in her mushroom casserole recipe. I saw it as great opportunity to use some wild rice! 

This recipe calls for three cups of cooked rice–I replaced that with two cups of cooked wild rice plus one cup of cooked brown rice. (For added flavor cook your rice in chicken or vegetable broth instead of water.) 

One mistake I made that I will warn you against is this: When I was making the rice to use for this recipe I was not thinking straight and I measured out two cups of DRY wild rice plus one cup of DRY brown rice and then cooked them in two separate pans according to their respective package directions.  Well, DUH.   Rice expands while cooking and nearly triples its volume! So, unless you want to have lots of leftover rice, only prepare enough dry rice to yield a total of three cups cooked!  (I see some new wild rice recipes in my immediate future!)

I intended to serve this as an accompaniment to some flank steaks I purchased from Whole Foods, however, as I was about to put the steak onto the grill pan I realized I wasn’t that hungry. My husband wasn’t that hungry either so we decided to eat this as a main dish.  We both really liked it! It is a very lightened-up version of the old school cream of mushroom soup recipes that we all love so much.  (Don’t expect that canned-soup level of moistness, though.)  The flavors were great and I plan to eat the reheated leftovers for lunch this week!

Mushroom and Wild Rice Casserole:

  • 2 cups of cooked wild rice
  • 1 cup of cooked brown rice
  • 8-10 ounces of mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup cottage cheese
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup of grated cheese (you could use Parmesan, mozzarella, or a combination of the two)
  • a few tablespoons of fresh chives, roughly chopped
  • 2 scallions, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Coat a 9 x 13 glass baking dish or casserole with olive oil and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat saute the mushrooms in a tablespoon or two of olive oil.  Sprinkle with some salt. Stir every few minutes and cook until the mushrooms have browned a bit and released their liquid. Add the onions and cook for 4-5 minutes or until they are transluscent.  Add the garlic, cook for another minute then remove from the heat.

Add the brown rice and wild rice to the skillet. Stir until combined.

In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream and salt.

Combine in the rice/mushroom mixture with the cottage cheese mixture. Stir until well combined and pour into the prepared 9×13 dish. Sprinkle with 2/3 of the grated cheese. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 20 more minutes or until bubbly and golden around the edges. Sprinkle with chives, scallions, remaining cheese.  (Add some chicken or vegetable broth if you’d like some additional moisture.)

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks.

Filed under: cheese, chives, Main Dish, mushroom, rice, Side, VEGETARIAN | 8 Comments »

Oatmeal Birthday Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Posted on April 10, 2010 by kitchenbelle

Remember last year when I made this cake for the first time for my father-in-law’s birthday? It was a huge hit and has been the most requested cake ever since. My husband’s family especially LOVES this cake! They request it for most occasions and I am always happy to oblige! I love making it!  I made it for my brother-in-law’s 30th birthday, I have made it in cupcake form multiple times and I even demonstrated the recipe for How2Heroes!

My father-in-law’s birthday is this week and for the celebration the family requested that I make this cake again this year and  I was very happy to!  This time I decided to jazz it up by adding some crushed candied pecans to the sides of the cake. As usual, it received the typical moans, “ooos,” and “ahhhs” but there was one new quote by a family member who shall remain nameless:

 “I could SWIM in it!”

Yes, my friends, the frosting is THAT good!

Oatmeal Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Pecans:

  • 1 tablespoon  all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/3  cups  boiling water
  • 1  cup  quick-cooking oats
  • 3/4  cup  granulated sugar
  • 3/4  cup  packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/3  cup  vegetable shortening
  • 2  teaspoons  vanilla extract
  • 3  large eggs
  • 1 1/2  cups  all-purpose flour
  • 1  teaspoon  baking soda
  • 1  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
  • 1/2  teaspoon  salt
  • 1/2  teaspoon  ground nutmeg
  • 1/2  cup  buttermilk
  • Cream Cheese Frosting
  • pecans for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Coat bottoms and sides of 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with shortening and dust well with flour.

Combine boiling water and oats in a medium bowl; let stand 20 minutes. Beat granulated sugar, brown sugar, shortening, and vanilla at medium speed of a mixer for 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add oatmeal, beating until blended.

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350 F for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack.

Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread layer with frosting (recipe below), and top with the remaining layer. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of cake.   Decorate with pecan halves. Store the cake loosely covered in refrigerator.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • Two 8-ounce package of cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter using an electric mixer, until smooth.  Slowly sift the confectioners’ sugar into the butter/cream cheese, about one cup at a time.  Continue to beat until all lumps are gone.  Add the vanilla and mix until fully combined. 

Filed under: cake, cream cheese, Dessert, frosting, icing | 9 Comments »

Easy and Light Weeknight Corn and Chicken Chowder

Posted on April 8, 2010 by kitchenbelle

I don’t usually make rich meals on weeknights, however, for some reason this recipe caught my eye.  And, as it turns out, it isn’t actually all that rich! It wasn’t super heavy the way chowders typically are. I used 1 % milk and not an ounce of cream and this was still so wonderfully flavorful and filling.  I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this meal!  

The original recipe does not call for potatoes but I decided to add them for some texture and color.  (I am really digging red bliss these days!) And rather than use thyme (a spice I am a little iffy about) I garnished the dish with some fresh chives, which are a little more subtle and add a freshness that I have really been seeking these days.  I also bumped up the amount of corn. 

Because of all of my additions, the actual amount of chowder was less than some might like, which was fine with me because I love all things chunky as opposed to liquidy.  If you would like more actual liquid (soup) I suggest bumping up the amount of milk to 4 cups.

 I meant to make some corn muffins to accompany this, but I forgot.  Plus, baking AND cooking on a school night? I think that would shift this from an easy and light weeknight meal to a plan ahead savory Sunday supper. 😉

P.S. I am in the market for a new camera. I would welcome any and all suggestions!  (I cannot sort out how to get the white balance where I need it to be with this little point and shoot!)

Easy and Light Weeknight Corn and Chicken Chowder:

  • 1 pound small red potatoes (red bliss)
  • about 1 pound chicken breast
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 3 ribs of celery, finely chopped
  • 1/2 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups milk (I used 1%)
  • 2 cups frozen sweet yellow corn kernels
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • a few shakes of red pepper flakes
  • lots of salt and pepper to taste
  • 3-4 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender. When done strain away water and let potatoes cool in a colander.

Meanwhile, cook chicken breast on grill pan or in saute pan.  Once cooked, remove from heat, use two forks to shred and set aside.

In a large Dutch over melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and jalepeno and cook for at least three minutes, or until tender.   Stir frequently. Note: Let these ingredients cook for as much time as you have. This will be the base of the flavor of the chowder so the longer you let these cook the more flavorful the final product will be.  (I try to “melt” the onions and celery as long as possible to hide them from my husband!)

Add flour and cook for one minute, stirring constantly.

Stir in milk, chicken, corn, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.  Cook until thick, about 5-10 minutes. Stir in potatoes and cook until potatoes are heated through. Serve in bowls and garnish with freshly chopped chives.

Adapted from Quick Chicken-Corn Chowder on MyRecipes.com.

Filed under: chicken, chives, corn, Main Dish, soup | 3 Comments »

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Posted on April 6, 2010 by kitchenbelle

After an indulgent holiday weekend, I was flipping through America’s Test Kitchen Light & Healthy 2010 in search of something fresh and light to get us back on track.  These Asian Chicken lettuce wraps caught my eye.  A little over a year ago now, I made lettuce wraps using a recipe from the Biggest Loser. They were absolutely delicious and so much fun to eat!  I figured it couldn’t hurt to try a new recipe with a bit of a different spin.  One word for these lettuce wraps: FRESH!  I am in love with the combination of lime juice, fresh basil, scallions, and cilantro! Each bite was bursting with the flavors of nature!   I added some minced carrot for additional color, bulk and nutrition.  I must say this was a very satisfying and filling meal.  And to quote my husband, “I feel full but I don’t feel gross.” Perfectly articulated if you ask me!

*Notes:

  • These can be made gluten free by eliminating the soy sauce or subbing gluten-free soy sauce.
  • I doubled the recipe below and there was enough to feed three for dinner and two for lunch.

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps:

  • 1 cup cooked brown rice
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • fresh squeezed juice of one lime
  • fresh grated zest of one lime
  • 1.5 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon corn starch
  • 1 pound ground chicken or turkey (or a combination of both)
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 jalepeno chile, stemmed, seeded and minced
  • 1 carrot peeled and minced
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
  • 4 scallions, sliced thin
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • 12 Boston lettuce leaves (about one head) washed and spun dry

Prepare rice according to package instructions and set aside.

Whisk the soy sauce, lime juice, lime zest, and cornstarch together in a small bowl.  Set aside.

In a skillet over medium heat warm oil.  Add carrots and cook a few minutes,  or until soft. 

Meanwhile, in a small bowl mash ground meat with the back of a spoon until smooth.   Add the ground meat and jalepeno to the skillet containing carrots. Break up meat with a wooden spoon. Cook until meat is no longer pink.

Add the soy sauce mixture to the skillet and cook stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in basil, scallions, and cilantro.

Transfer meat to a serving bowl and serve with rice and lettuce. To serve, scoop some rice on top of each leaf and top with scoops of meat.

Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Light & Healthy 2010.

Filed under: basil, carrot, chicken, gluten free, ground meat, Main Dish, rice, turkey | 2 Comments »

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