Thursday, January 21, 2010

Sun-dried tomato pesto and Beef kidney Penne

Today's recipe is pasta dish involving one of my favorites - a bottled sauce. Nothing beats the ease that comes with using these. Plus, you don't have to worry about compromising on taste (if you buy a good brand). I stumbled on a jar of sun-dried tomato pesto sauce at the dollar store (yes!) and couldn't resist it.
I love the traditional 'green pesto', that is usually compromised of basil, pine nuts, olive oil, parmesan cheese, etc... and I also love sun-dried tomatoes. I could only imagine how great this sauce would taste.

So... today, I set out on another cooking adventure. I looked in my sparsely stocked refrigerator (I blame it on you - 3 days of non-stop rain) and came up with this.

Ingredients
1/2 cup of sun-dried tomato pesto
4 cups of cooked whole grain penne pasta
Mixed veggies (I used a green beans, onion, mushroom and broccoli mix)
Cooking spray
1 cup of chopped beef kidneys (bite size pieces)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation
1) Heat a pan and cover the bottom with cooking spray
2) Add beef kidneys and season with salt and pepper (to taste) - sautee until almost cooked
3) Add mixed veggies - season and sautee with the kidneys
4) Add penne pasta and 1/2 cup of pesto - mix in properly, making sure that pasta is coated properly with the sauce
5) Simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning

Serve on its own or as a side dish with your favorite protein.

Boun Appetito!




* WW companion - 1 cup = 5 points
** Add another cup of the pesto if you prefer a saucier pasta (it only adds 4 more points to the pot making it a 6 point meal)

Monday, January 11, 2010

Teriyaki Salmon with French-Cut Green Beans

Salmon is a delicious and healthy fish, which makes it a go to choice of fish for me.

Ever so often, I find single serving portion packed Salmon at the grocery store selling for a dollar each. At an excellent price like that, I usually leave the store with about 5 packs each run. I love all the different ways that this fish can be cooked (one of my favorites being Teriyaki Salmon), and on a lazy day when I have only a few minutes to prepare my meal, I am so glad to have these at home.

Like most fish (and seafood in general), Salmon does not need to stay on the heat for long before it is done. A minute or two too long equals 'overdone rubbery fish'.

Pretty much any vegetable or carb (rice, couscous, etc) is a perfect accompaniment for Salmon. In this particular case I chose green beans - specifically the french cut style, because the julienne style cut of the green makes you feel like you are eating rice or orzo pasta, rather than a vegetable.

Teriyaki Salmon
- Defrost the Salmon - if used from frozen
- Sprinkle salt and pepper (to taste) on both sides
- Rub teriyaki sauce or marinade all over the fish (store bought bottled sauces are perfect)
- Let sit for at least 10 minutes
- Heat a pan, add cooking spray, then cook fish on each side for 2-3 minutes (until fish turns golden brown)

French-cut Green Beans
- Defrost green beans (if frozen)
- Toss with teriyaki sauce (soy sauce works great too)
- Heat a pan, spray with cooking spray, add green beans
- Add red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper to taste
- Sautee for about 2 - 3 minutes

Serve Salmon on a bed of green beans. Great presentation, great taste and great for your health.

* WW friends - this meal is only worth 2 points (can't beat that!)

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

Never really been much of a baker. However, I never forgot the basic 'cream butter and sugar, add eggs, add flour, and the optional milk and vanilla essence' cake recipe I learned many years ago.

On those days when I get a craving for something sweet and don't feel like, or can't get to the store; the recipe above always comes to the rescue (I almost always have the ingredients at home).

Yesterday night, slightly upset and needing a sugar fix, I decided to mix things up a little. I found a very easy oatmeal cookie recipe, which I am glad to share with you.

Ingredients
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of butter (low fat vegetable spread works great too)
1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
1 cup of quick oats
1 egg

What to do
Cream butter and sugar
Stir in egg
Mix in flour and quick oats
Spoon onto an ungreased cookie pan/sheet
Bake in 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes

Enjoy the chewy and delicious cookie on its own or with a chilled glass of milk.

* recipe makes 12 cookies
** WW friend... each cookie is 3 points.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Shrimp Linguine

It recently came to my attention (thanks mom), that I have developed the bad habit of 'hoarding' groceries.

Blessed with the dangerous combination of loving to cook, and a good sale - especially on frozen meats, I buy food items that I don't intend to cook right away (but know I'll eventually get round to preparing).

When I do get round to cooking, on most occasions, I crave the one ingredient that I don't have at home. This warrants a trip to the grocery store, and the cycle continues.

Resolution for 2010... break the habit! Evidence that I am holding strong on day 2 of the new year - shrimp linguine!

Today, I decided to try out an angel hair chicken pasta recipe that I had been meaning to for a few weeks. However, I did not have a few of the key ingredients required, such as chicken breast, angel hair pasta and basil. Being the creative cook I like to think of myself as, I amended the recipe as follows and came up with a simple but refreshing pasta dish that I will definitely be repeating in the future.

Ingredients



1 box of whole grain linguine (cooked according to box instructions)
4 asparagus spears cut into 1-2 inch pieces
1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes (halved)
2 tbsps olive oil
2/3 cup of chicken broth
1 tbsp parsley
10 oz extra large (31-40) uncooked shrimp
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and black pepper to taste


Instructions
Heat up a large skillet, add 1 tbsp olive oil and shrimp. Cook shrimp on each side until pink - remove from the pan.



Add remaining olive oil, tomatoes and asparagus to the pan and sautee for about 2 minutes.



Add garlic, parsley and chicken broth - reduce heat and simmer for about 4 minutes.



Add cooked shrimp, stir and simmer an additional 1 - 2 minutes.



Finally, add the cooked linguine (and salt and pepper if needed). Simmer for 2-3 minutes to allow pasta soak up most of the sauce.



Remove from heat, serve and enjoy!

WW friends... 1 cup of this dish with about 5 shrimp = 4 points