Squash & Fresh Basil Pasta

Sometimes I make concoctions and they are just that... concoctions that fill our belly for the evening and are never repeated again. But sometimes I make concoctions are so good that they get jotted down and find their way on here to become favorites, once-in-a-while treats, or weekly dishes. This was one of those lucky dishes that got jotted down because it was so tasty & fresh. It will definitely be making it's way back to our table this summer, especially if our garden produces us a good harvest of summer squash!

So, I was so tempted to keep adding to this recipe, I wanted to add white wine and I contemplated adding a "dressing", but it was so light and simple the way it was, I just left it alone. It's a simple, light, low-maintence pasta that could be whipped up with a few ingredients, ones that you could easily have on hand like I did tonight. I was too tired to go to the store, so I found a bag of pasta, defrosted a package of chicken, and joyfully took out the bunch of basil and yummy squash that we got in our CSA box this morning. And here's what we came up with:

Ingredients:

1 lb. brown rice penne pasta

2 chicken breasts, cubed

3-4 large squash

1 cup chopped sweet onion

1 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup fresh chopped basil

3 cloves garlic

1/2 lemon, juiced

*** optional: a large handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

Grape Seed Oil

s & p

** If you have any cherry tomatoes on hand that need to be eaten, you could toss those in too- that was a yummy addition the following day!

Directions:

Boil your water and cook your penne pasta per directions on the bag. Drain and set aside in a large bowl. Chop a sweet onion and add it to a hot pan that has a drizzle of grape seed oil in it and saute the onion for a few minutes, adding 2 cloves of garlic. After sauteing your onion for 2- 3 minutes, add your cubed chicken and cook it until it's brown (you may need to add another splash of oil once your chicken is in the pan). Season your chicken with s & p. When your chicken is nicely browned, add it to the large bowl with the cooked pasta. Next, add another drizzle of oil to the same pan and add your chopped squash (I used one large yellow crooked-neck squash, one huge green zucchini, and one big yellow patty pan squash). Add another clove of garlic and some s & p to your squash while it cooks. Cook that for 3 minutes or so then add the squash along with it's juices left in the pan to your bowl of pasta along with your parmesan cheese (mine was a heaping 1 cup) and your 1/2 cup fresh, chopped basil. Then squeeze your half of a lemon right over the top, toss, check the seasoning (s & p), and serve!

** This will make a lot of pasta, perfect for left overs or large groups! Add a little more oil or lemon juice when re-serving if it seems too dry.

FYI: here's a picture of "Patty Pan Squash" ... I didn't know it's official name.... I always refer to it as UFO Squash... but I guess it has a real name it would like to be known as!

Apricot Chicken

I found this dish on a fun site, Simply Recipes, and I followed it almost to a tee, making just a few of my own tweaks. It was a little bit of an adventurous dish for me, I didn't know if I (or my family!) would be a fan of fruity chicken... but to my surprise it was a real treat- a really different dish, really unique and exotic flavors. I will definitely keep this recipe on hand for apricot season, a fun way to incorporate fresh, seasonal fruit into dinner time!

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs. of fresh apricots (6-8 apricots depending on the size)

2 lbs. of chicken tenders or breasts

1 TBSP honey

2 TBSP apple cider vinegar

3 TBSP expeller pressed coconut oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cups chicken broth

1 TBSP fresh rosemary, chopped

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp curry

s & p

Directions:

First chop your apricots and set them in a bowl adding the honey and vinegar, stir well and let them sit while you brown your chicken.

Next, warm 2 TBSP oil in your skillet and add your chicken, seasoning it with s & p and cooking it until it's browned on both sides. Then remove your chicken to a separate dish and set aside.

Next, chop your onion and add another TBSP of oil to your pan, sauteing your onion until it's browned. Once your onion is browned, turn down your heat to medium and add your chicken broth, cinnamon, rosemary, and curry. Take 2/3 of your apricots and put them in the blender or food processor and blend them to a thick, chunky consistancy and add them to the simmering sauce and let them simmer for 10 minutes. Lastly, add your chicken and remaining apricots back and let simmer for another 5 minutes until it thickens up.

Serve over a bed of brown rice or Trader Joe's Brown Rice Medley.

Note: I used apriums because I had them from my CSA box and they worked wonderfully, had a little bit more of a tangy flavor (because an aprium is a cross between an apricot and plum) so either would work well!

Asparagus & Spinach Pesto Pasta...

OK, here's one for the recipe book.... a really fun twist on a traditional dish. Now, instead of making your pesto sauce with basil, you will subsititute it for spinach and asparagus. It makes the creamiest pesto ever, so delicious! Here's how...

Ingredients:

Pesto Sauce

1 bunch asparagus, blanched

3 handfuls spinach, raw

2 cloves garlic

1 cup parmesan cheese

3/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 of a lemon, juiced

1/2 tsp sea salt

Pasta Dish Ingredients:

1/4 cup pine nuts, roasted

1 lb. brown rice pasta

6-8 basil leaves*** optional

1 package of chicken*** optional

sprinkle of parmesan for garnish

Directions:

Bring a pot of water to boil to begin cooking your pasta. Also you need to blanch your asparagus, so bring some water to boil (in a skillet is fine) and cook the asparagus for 3 minutes, until they are bright green, then rinse them under cool water to stop the cooking process. Once your asparagus is cooked, cut the tips off and set them aside, they will be the garnish for your dish. In a small skillet, brown 1 cup of pine nuts for a minute or two to give them a toasted flavor (your pine nuts will be divided, 3/4 of a cup for the pesto sauce, 1/4 of a cup for the pasta dish). Next dump the bottom half of your asparagus stems plus everything else on your "pesto sauce ingredients" list into your Vitamix or blender and blend until it's creamy. In a seperate skillet, brown your chicken breasts or tenders, sprinkling with a little s & p and some garlic powder. Once your chicken is cooked all the way through, chop it up into bite size pieces. Now combine everything. Drain your pasta and put it in a large serving bowl, add your sauce, put in your chopped chicken, sprinkle in your toasted pine nuts and a little extra parmesan, and top with the asparagus tips and serve hot! Enjoy, it's sooooooo tasty!

** If you do opt to use basil, you can either add it to your pesto sauce, or chop it finely and sprinkle it throughout the dish, either way it's a fun way to add more flavors!

Chicken & Lentils...

Umm... helloooooo goodness! Loved this new recipe I tried- VERY tasty, full of flavors, and something fun to change things up a bit. I know you will love it too! You could easily make this recipe without the chicken if you are vegetarian or if you want to serve it as a side dish, but it's also delicious and filling as the main course... give it a whirl!

Ingredients:

1 TBSP expeller pressed coconut oil

2 cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped

1 sweet onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 cup lentils

1.5 cups chicken broth

2 chicken breasts

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

10 oz. tomato sauce

1 TBSP fresh lemon juice

s & p

Soak your lentils for at least a 1/2 hour (up to 2 hours)

Sautee your onion, carrots, and garlic

Brown your chicken breast pieces

Everything cooking together!

Directions:

Soak your lentils in a bowl of water for 1/2 hour prior to the meal (which means you can start soaking and then do all your chopping and they will be ready to go). Add a little oil to your pan and brown your chicken breasts for 3-4 minutes per side. I cut my chicken breasts in half lengthwise, then in quarters (so 8 pieces total) and season it with s & p. Once the pieces are browned, but not completely cooked, remove them on a plate and set aside. Then add another drizzle of oil and your chopped onion, carrots, and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes. Drain your lentils and add them to the pan, along with your chicken broth and seasoning. Cover and cook that for 10 minutes, then add your chicken breasts back along with your tomato sauce & lemon juice and cover & cook for another 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add up to 1/2 cup of water to it if it seems to thick for your preference, or leave it as is. Serve by itself or with a crips, green salad. Enjoy!

Spice it up?? For a different flair, replace the 1/2 tsp dried rosemary with 1/2 tsp of cumin.

Lemon Honey Chicken.....

Oh MY goodness... this is DELICIOUS! Honestly, I have been on the hunt for some yummy new chicken dishes, and this one is a CHART TOPPER!! I am thinking it might be my new go-to, last minute meal, maybe incorporated on a weekly basis... it was SUPER good and SUPER simple!

Ingredients:

4 TBSP fresh lemon juice

2 TBSP honey

1/8 cup expeller pressed coconut oil

1 tsp dried Oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

chicken browning in the skillet

before going into the oven

finished product after the oven!

Directions:

I used 2 large chicken breasts and sliced them in half and then in half again then I put them in a large ziplock bag and mixed the marinate together and let it refrigerate for an hour (you can do 1-2 hours, but chicken really shouldn't marinate for longer than that). Then I poured the whole bag into my skillet and browned the chicken by letting cook for about 4 minutes on each side. After that I scooped it up and put it into a pyrex dish and popped it in the oven for 20 minutes on 400. It was flavorful, moist, juicy... just wonderful!

I served it with Parmesan Parsnips (fabulous!) and Sauteed Squash (another staple in our house!)

Santa Fe Salad (Revised)

This is a great recipe that was in desperate need of some update photos... so the salad is not revised, just the blog post! Yet another delicious, nutritious salad for your dinner table!

Ingredients:

Head of Romaine

chicken breast (I use 1/2 per person)

1 can black beans

1 ear of cooked corn (frozen/can will work)

1 avocado

1 tomato

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup jack cheese

1/4 cup cheddar cheese

1/4 small jicama, diced * optional

crushed tortilla strips

Dressing: You can make your own by mixing ranch dressing with some heaping spoonfuls of salsa or use your own favorite, a lot of times I revert to my staple balsamic which, of course, works well on this too!

Seasoned and Shredded Chicken from the Crock pot

(see "Time Saving Tips" below)

BBQ sauce added to the shredded chicken

Adding the veggies, beans, and chicken

All mixed up!

Directions:

*If you are going to cook your own corn, start boiling your water. Then brown your chopped chicken breasts with a little bit of lemon pepper seasoning OR salt & pepper and a little BBQ sauce (my fav). Set that aside. Drain and rinse a can of black beans. Chop your salad, tomato, and red onion. Pull your corn out and cut off the kernels. Shred your cheese, use what you have if you don't have or won't both, do what works for you! Dice some jicama and avocado last, then top with crushed tortilla chips and dressing and enjoy!

TIME SAVING TIP: I also use shredded chicken in this recipe which I cook in my crock pot. I will put 4 breasts in the crock pot, add a splash of water (and usually s & p & garlic powder) and then cook them for 6 hours. When they are done, I shred them and separate it for different meals that week. Ideally I store it in the fridge if I am going to use it in the next 2-3 days, but if not you can freeze it and use it later. I find when freezing it, it's better to have some "liquid" on the chicken to prevent drying out- so add your salsa or BBQ sauce BEFORE freezing- but use it fresh if you can. I For instance, might use 1/3 of it for this Santa Fe Salad, 1/3 for Chicken noodle soup, and the other 1/3 for BBQ Chicken Pizza or Tostada Pizza.... always thinking ahead on ways to save some time in the kitchen!

Vegetarian- Simply remove the shredded chicken and double the beans!

Chicken, Basil, & Bell Pepper Quinoa

So for those of you lucky enough to live by a Trader Joe's you can take a peek at the back of their Quinoa Box for this recipe that I have slightly modified... for the rest of you- here is a scrumptious meal, quick to make, and great for leftovers! Thanks Lisa for reminding me of this simple and scrumptious meal that takes only 15-20 minutes to prepare!

Ingredients:
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup Quinoa
2 chicken breasts, washed and chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup sweet onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely diced or minced
1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
1/4 cup parmesan
s & p to taste

Directions:
Get your chicken broth boiling, then add your Quinoa and cook per instructions. In a large skillet, add a drizzle of grape seed oil, then your chopped chicken breasts- season those with your s & p. Once they are browned on one side, flip them and let them begin to brown on the other, in the mean time, add your onion and bell peppers and let them cook for 2 minutes. Add your garlic and give that a good stir and let it cook for another minute. Once your quinoa is done, add that to the pan, toss well, and at the last minute add your parmesan and your basil. Serve this as the main dish and enjoy!

** This is a gluten free meal!

NOTE: If you want to stretch this meal even farther or if you prefer more quinoa to the mix, add an extra cup of broth, and another half a cup of Quinoa when cooking. I think I will make it that way next time- it could definitely be stretched in that way for larger families or to get more leftovers out of it!

Personal Tortilla Pizzas...

Here's a QUICK fix for dinner, kid friendly, and great when there's not a lot left in the fridge. Super perfect for lunches, it makes a great personal pizza, and its fabulous if you have a leftover chicken breast from the day before... here we go!

Ingredients:

** There are no measurements because it is a matter of personal preference (as to how "loaded" you like your pizzas--- as well as how many you are making!***

Brown Rice Tortillas (I get mine at Trader Joe's)

BBQ sauce

grated cheese

cilantro, chopped

red pepper, chopped

red onion, chopped

cooked chicken, chopped

Directions:

Warm up your oven to about 400. Lay your tortillas on a cookie sheet, spread some BBQ sauce on top. Then add your toppings, I used red onion, red pepper, some cilantro, a left over chicken breast, and topped it off with some cheese I had on hand- Monterey Jack, but you could also use Mozerella or your favorite. Then cook them for about 10-12 minutes until the edges of your tortilla are crispy and the tops of your pizzas are golden brown. If you have two cookie sheets in the oven at the same time, switch their placement half way through the cooking time. Cool them for a minute, cut, and serve! I made these for dinner one night and the adults ate between 1 to 1 and a half tortilla pizzas per person- just to give you an idea! You could really get creative with your toppings, I think I am going to try a mushroom, zucchini, chicken pizza next! Stay tuned!

Gluten Free: These pizzas are gluten free because of the tortilla choice, the brown rice tortillas crisp up really well and are sturdy enough to hold the toppings. I haven't tried these with any other kind of tortilla, but if YOU do, let us know how they turn out! Thanks!!

Chicken Fried Rice

This is a great "all-in-one" meal that has a healthy grain (brown rice), some protein (eggs & chicken) and TONS of Veggies!! My favorite recipe I've tried so far for Fried Rice... I think you'll like it too!

Ingredients:

2 cups brown rice

4 cups water

2 TBSP Grape Seed oil

3 eggs, beaten

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp ginger

1 cup carrots, shredded

1 red bell pepper, diced

4 scallions, thinly sliced

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/3 cup tamari soy sauce

1 TBSP sesame seeds

1-2 chicken breasts, diced

s & p

Directions:

There are s few different steps going on in this dish- Step 1: you need to cook your rice, so get your 4 cups water boiling and then add your brown rice letting it cook per directions on package. Step 2: While that's going, wash and dice your chicken breasts and throw them in a skillet with a drizzle of Grape Seed Oil and give them a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Let them cook up until they are nice and browned. Step 3: in a large skillet or a wok, add your 2 TBSP Grape Seed Oil and your scrambled eggs. Cook them like you would scrambled eggs, then push them to the outside edges of your pan and add your chopped bell pepper, carrots, garlic, and ginger to the middle of the pan and let them cook that for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Last step it so put it all together. So, when your rice is done, add your rice, frozen peas, cooked chicken from your other skillet, your soy sauce, and sesame seeds and keep turning it over until all the ingredients are well mixed. I serve this for dinner. It makes a ton- enough for 4 people to eat as a meal with some left overs! It's a perfect combination or a healthy grain, veggies, and some chicken for protein! Enjoy!!!

Gluten Free: This meal can easily be made Gluten Free by using Tamari Sauce and Brown rice.

Vegan: This is also an easy Vegan Recipe by omitting the chicken and eggs.

Shredded Chicken

Here's a quick post that I wanted to get make sure to add... it's perfect for busy days or seasons of life, so with the holidays nearing (and a new baby at our house!) we've been using it a lot! It's easy enough- thanks to the Crock pot!- to make it once a week and incorporate it into many different recipes. Take a look:

What to do... put 4 chicken breasts in the crock pot, add 1/4 cup water or chicken broth and cook on low for 8 hours. When it's done cooking, shred it and add some salt, pepper, and garlic powder and mix it well. Then I have a few staple meals I use this with, but feel free to get creative because the possibilities are endless! Here's a few examples to get you going:

Chicken Avocado Melts:

Cibata Rolls (I buy par-baked ones at Trader Joe's so that I can warm them up in the oven and they are toasted and crunchy.

Avocado, thinly sliced

Monterey Jack Cheese, thinly sliced

BBQ sauce

Shredded chicken

Simply toast your rolls, add some BBQ sauce, pile on the chicken and a few sliced of cheese, pop them back in your oven if you desire them thoroughly melted, then add the avocado and serve with a side salad. Makes for a simple dinner or a great left over lunch the next day.

Veggie Chop Salad with Shredded Chicken:

I go through just about every veggie in the drawer for this one. I chop romaine, brocholi, carrots, bell pepper, red cabbage or radicchio, cucumbers and avocado. Then I add some roasted slivered almonds, dried cranberries, a large scoop of shredded chicken and balsamic dressing. There is something extra flavorful about using the shredded chicken verses chopped- maybe because the shredded absorbs more of the dressing and disperses more evenly throughout the salad??? I don't know, but it sure is good- and GREEN! If you want to make it even hardier- add some kidney beans and hard boiled egg or serve it with a baked sweet potato... my personal favorite!

A few other recipes you could use it in, but there are tons out there:

• Salsa Crock Pot Burritos
• Tostada Pizza
• BBQ chicken Pizza
• Taco Salad: try it with chicken instead of beef!

Add a comment if there is something else you use it in!

Crock Pot Salsa Chicken...

Here's an updated post, an old faithful that we have been using a lot as this baby is getting near and my cooking days are are wanting to be done! My trusty Crock Pot has come to the rescue again!

Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breasts

1 jar salsa

1 can black beans, drained

Directions:

So simple... take your package of chicken breasts, wash them, put them in the crock pot, pour in a jar of salsa. I use Trader Joe's Chunky Salsa and cook it on low for 8 hours or until done (mine was sooner than that, so peek in on it to see). When it's done take 2 forks and shred it in the crock pot, stir it around to soak up a little more salsa goodness and add a can of drained black beans to add some extra hardiness and flavor. Leave it on warm until you are ready to serve it. How's that for easy???

You can use these for chicken soft tacos, tostada pizza, burritos, or enchiladas.... and much more! Enjoy!!!

Onion Chicken in Balsamic Sauce

This is not a new recipe, in fact- it is an old faithful one that I had previously posted, but with poor pictures- it didn't do it justice. If you have't tried this yet- you are missing out BIG time- get on it, add it to this weeks meal plan- it's SOOOO good!

Ingredients:

1 TBSP olive oil

1 sweet onion, chopped

4 chicken breasts

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes

S & P to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350. In a large skillet over the stove, heat your oil and add your chopped onion and garlic and saute over med.-high heat for a few minutes until the onions are tender. Put washed chicken breasts in skillet and brown for a few minutes on each side. (NOTE: I cut my chicken breasts into about 6 big chunks, so that they soak up more of the goodness.) After it is browned on the stove, place the chicken & onions in a 9x13 baking dish. Heat the balsamic and chicken broth in the same skillet until it boils, let is simmer for a few, it will thicken some. Pour this mixture in your baking dish over your chicken, cut up your sun dried tomatoes and put them in (if they are whole, I cut then in half or thirds with kitchen scissors), then cover it with foil and pop it in the oven for 20- 30 minutes.

Serve with: it is almost a MUST to serve this dish with some sort of pasta/rice because it has so much wonderful juice, it really is great over a bed of pasta. I use the whole wheat or brown rice pasta from Trader Joe's and I make a green to go along side. ** This dish has been known to be a big hit with company- great to make for guests!

End of the Week Pasta

My sister came up with this little recipe a long time ago- it's simple and easy, yet so tasty and light. We call it the "End-of-the-Week Pasta" because we usually make it at the end of the week with whatever leftover veggies we haven't used up. There is no "must have" veggies that must be included, I just use any thing that's going to go to waste... here are some ideas that I used in my dish, feel free to vary it up! For those of you who like specifics, this recipe might drive you a little batty- bare with me!

Ingredients:

1 bell pepper (I had 1/2 orange and 1/2 red)

3 squash (I had 3 small yellow ones)

1/4 red onion (again, it's what was left over)

a large handful of green beans, chopped

a handful of mushrooms, sliced

MUST HAVES:

2 TBSP butter

3 cloves garlic

sundried tomatoes (I used about 1/4 of an 8 oz jar), sliced

1 TBSP grapeseed oil

1 lb. chicken, browned and diced

approximately 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan cheese (again, it's.... what I had left!)

1/2 cup white wine (I used sherry because it was already open!)

s & p

Directions:

Boil water for your pasta (I use brown rice cork screw pasta from Trader Joe's). Then, in a large skillet, add your 3 cloves garlic, 2 TBSP butter and chopped onion and let it saute until it starts turning brown. Add all of your chopped veggies & your 1/2 cup white wine and let them saute for a 4-5 minutes, sprinkling them with a little s & p. Remove them from the heat and add them to you serving bowl, sprinkling your parmesan over top so they melt together. Then in your same large skillet, add your TBSP of oil and your washed chicken (I used whole tenders, if you use breasts, chop it up before hand for quicker cooking). Season your chicken with some s & p and let them brown on one side before flipping them over. Once you flip them over, add another splash of white wine (mine was a BIG splash!) and let them finish cooking. Remove them from the pan and let them cool for a quick minute before cutting them into bite size pieces. Add your sundried tomatoes to your serving bowl, then your diced chicken, maybe a little more parmesan and toss well. Serve as the entree... you will enjoy it's light and crispy flavor from all the veggies and the zest from the wine!

Chili Lime Chicken Kabobs

Sometimes I feel like I get stuck in a "flavor rut", so I am trying to branch out to things I wouldn't automatically gravitate towards... here's my newest find, it was really tasty and out of the box for me. Let me know if you give it a thumbs up or down....

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken breasts

3 TBSP olive oil

1.5 TBSP red wine vinegar

1 lime, juiced

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/8 tsp pepper

shake of cayenne pepper (if you like it spicy!)

Skewers

Directions:

Wash and cut your chicken into cubes. Put them in a large ziplock bag (or shallow dish). Whisk ingredients for marinate together in a bowl and pour over the chicken. Let marinate in the fridge for 2-3 hours. Skewer them on a kabob sticks and BBQ over med- high heat for 10- 15 minutes. I served this with Black Bean and Corn Salad and the flavors blended perfectly together!