Hi there friends. Last week was pasta week at our house. Nicholas had (bike) team camp over the weekend and wanted to build up his carbs, so here is what we ate....
MONDAY -
Creamy Kale & Mushroom Chicken Pasta
I had kale I needed to use and then I came across
this tasty recipe from Iowa Girl Eats. I stopped at the store for the bowtie pasta, shallots and mushrooms and headed home to cook. IGE calls for chopped chicken, I cooked mine first and then chopped it. The only other change I made was using creme fraiche instead of mascarpone. I had the creme fraiche left over from another recipe and a quick google search told me it could be used as a substitute for the mascarpone. This turned out really good. It was nice and creamy which was a switch from our normal pasta dinners (I lean towards tomato sauce or olive oil). This was a good start to pasta week.
TUESDAY -
Left-Over Pasta Mash-Up with Chicken Sausage
My carbo loading husband went out with the boys and I stayed home with pasta still on the brain. I used some of the bow-ties left from Monday and cooked it up with some sausage and veggies. It went like this:
Boil water.
While water is boiling saute one sliced chicken sausage, about 1/4 cup sliced yellow onion and 1/4 cup sliced bell pepper in about 1 tbs of olive oil.
Once the onion becomes translucent add 2 chopped Swiss chard leafs and continue to saute until wilted.
Your water should be boiling some time around now. Add in your pre-cooked bow-tie pasta (about 1 cup) and blanch it - just throw it in for a minute so it gets hot without over cooking it.
Drain the pasta and add it to the saute mixture.
Add olive oil if necessary.
Top with shredded Parmesan.
Enjoy.
WEDNESDAY -
Dad's Fair Oaks
We had a bike to pick up at the parentals and we worked late, so we stopped at
Dad's for some grub. I had a portabella sandwich and salad, which sounds healthy until I tell you we also shared habenero fries. Good thing I'm doing
CrossFit.
THURSDAY -
Kitchen Sink Pesto Pasta with Broiled Salmon
Continuing our pasta kick and trying to make a quick dish, I threw everything but kitchen sink into our pasta and called it good. Here is how it went:
Boil water. Once water is boiling ad 2/3 of a (12 oz) package of linguine noodles.
Rub some olive oil on your salmon filet (we used one) and add salt and pepper to your liking.
Broil on low while you're doing everything else. Once the fat starts to come out, its done.
While the noodles are cooking saute 1/4 white onion, 1/4 bell pepper and whatever other veggies you have in about 1 tbsp olive oil.
Once noodles are al dente drain them.
Before adding the noodles to your saute pan, first mix in about 1/2 cup of pesto and saute until warm.
Add noodles.
Top with salmon.
Sprinkle some Parmesan.
Enjoy.
FRIDAY -
Mom's Power Soup
My mom cooked for us on Friday (thanks mom!) and made this delicious soup. Here is the recipe, I'm not sure where she got it. She served it with crusty bread and salad and it was SO good. Even the Munchkin devoured his whole bowl.
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 med yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup farro (wheat berries)
6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cups peeled butternut squash cubes (1/2 inch)
1 (28 oz) can Italian plum tomatoes with juice (I used a can of crushed tomatoes cause I had them)
1 (2-inch) piece of Parm/Reggiano cheese rind
1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 T fresh thyme
1/2 t salt
2-3 cups coarsely chopped green kale
grated parm/regg cheese for top
1. Heat oil in soup pot over med heat, add ontion and saute until soft (2-3 min). Add garlic and saute 1 min. Add farro and stir to coat. Add broth, squash, tomatoes, cheese rind, thyme and salt. Bring to boil, breaking up tomatoes with a wooden spoon.
2. Reduce heat, partially cover and simmer until squash is tender and farro is cooked, (about 30 min). Stir in kale and simmer 2 minutes. Discard cheese rind. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle grated cheese on top.
Serves 6.
So that was dinner last week! Also, my CrossFit adventure continues. I'll post up last weeks CrossFit diary tomorrow!
TCW
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