Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

I don't know about you but when I'm sick all I want is a big bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup. A few weeks ago I wasn't feeling all that great and craved just this. Luckily I had leftover rotisserie chicken in the fridge and knew I could whip up a flavorful homemade chicken soup in less than a half hour!

This soup has the same flavors you achieve when simmering for hours on end--yet just for a fraction of the time. The key is slicing the carrots thin (to cook them quickly) and using all the leftover "gelatin-like" juices from the rotisserie pan in your soup for flavoring. Combining the leftover chicken juice with  a box chicken stock will intensify the chicken flavor and trick your mind in thinking that the soup has been simmering for hours. 

I love to whip up a quick chicken soup when I'm not feeling good. I hope you'll remember this recipe the next time you aren't feeling good and treat your self to a tasty bowl of homemade chicken soup. 


Source: Katie Original
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6 bowls


Ingredients: 
2 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
1/2 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 box chicken stock
1/2 leftover rotisserie chicken + juices
1/2 cup thin egg noodles
1 tsp maggie seasoning
salt and pepper to taste


Directions: 
1. In a large stock pot on high add 1/4 cup chicken stock, carrots, onions, and celery. Place a lid on top of the pot and let the vegetables sweat out for 5 minutes. Stir vegetables and add chicken juices (will most likely resemble gelatin). Stir and mix well. *You will instantly start smelling the slow cooked flavors. Reduce the heat down to medium and let the vegetables cook for 5 more minutes *add additional broth if needed. You do not want your vegetables to burn more or less boil. 


2. Add chicken stock, and let the soup boil for 10 minutes. While soup is boiling begin pulling the chicken off the bone. 


3. Add chicken and half of the parlsey. Mix well and then add thin egg noodles. Cook for an additional 10 minutes or until noodles are done. Serve immediately and accompany with Roasted Garlic Butter and whole wheat bread.

Mexican Roast Chicken & Carrots

I'm always looking for a new way to jazz up chicken. When I saw this recipe I knew I wanted to give it a try. The garlic-chili rub for the chicken is what intrigued me. I knew this dish would be full of flavor. I served a side of couscous and pinenuts with this dish and it accompanied the meal extremely well. 

This is not a spicy dish. Although there is chili powder in the dish it more or less flavors the chicken then actually makes it spicy. If you are looking for a bold week night meal and love garlic and chili powder then this chicken dish is for you. 


Source: Everyday with Rachael Ray, December 2011
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4


Ingredients: 
1/3 cup olive oil 
1 lemon, juiced
4-1/2 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
16 cloves of garlic
1 bag baby carrots, halved lengthwise
4 skin-on, bone-in chicken breast


Directions:
1. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon chili powder and salt. Whisk well until incorporated. 


2. In a 9 x13 inch baking pan, toss the carrots and 12 cloves garlic with 1/4 cup of lemon-chili mixture.Place the pan in a cold oven and heat to 400 degrees. 


3. Meanwhile, peel and grate the remaining 4 cloves of garlic in a small bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and the remaining 4 tsp of chili powder. Rub the garlic-chili paste evenly onto the chicken flush under the skin and over the skin. Let the chicken sit until the oven and pan are preheated. 


4. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the chicken, skin side up, over the vegetables in the baking pan. Roast until cooked through but still juicy, about 40 minutes or until internal temperatures reaches 165 degrees. Serve immediately. 

Roasted Garlic Butter

I remember the first time I made homemade butter. I believe I was in pre-school and it was around Thanksgiving. My teacher, Mrs Maghinity, poured heavy cream into a well sealed Tupperware. All of my classmates and I sat in a circle in her classroom and we each took turns, one by one, "churning the butter". We shook the butter until we could not shake it any longer. I would imagine that this was a teachable moment about how the pilgrims made their feast for Thanksgiving, and at the same time a great way to waste the bountifulness of energy coming from 20+ four year olds. 

 Fast forward 22 years and I'm back to making butter. Thankfully, I'm not shaking the butter in a container until it's hard. Instead I roast garlic in the oven and pour heavy cream into my KitchenAid mixer. I let the mixer do the work--a labor of love for a good 15-20 minutes. 

 Sadly, it took us all but 4-5 days to use a cup of roasted garlic butter. I used it on bread (as pictured), I used it for eggs in the morning, in mashed potatoes, on top of chicken and steak, in a shrimp pasta dish, and on more bread. I am thankful that I can purchase one half gallon of heavy whipping cream at Costco for only $3.50 which makes making butter so much more economical for me. If you are a butter connoisseur like me and have yet to venture into butter making I highly suggest you get off the computer NOW and go make some homemade butter!

Source: Katie Original

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 1 cup

Ingredients: 

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 tsp salt

2 bulbs garlic, roasted

Directions:

1. Before you start your butter making you'll want to roast your garlic for 30-45 minutes at 400 degrees.    *Cut the top off the garlic so the garlic can breathe and so it will be easier to remove the roasted garlic. Once the garlic is finished roasting take it out to cool. 

2. Using a KitchenAid mixer and a whisk attachement place 1 cup of heavy whipping cream and salt in your mixer. Start on medium speed and as it begins to thicken gradually increase the speed. *I like to place a tea towel over my mixer to reduce splashes outside of the bowl. You will want to mix on high until you have one large ball of "butter" and liquid on the bottom of the bowl. They will separate over time. 

3. Once your butter has separated place the butter in a strainer and dump the water like mixture (aka buttermilk) from the bowl. Do not push the butter through the strainer. Gently move the butter ball around so that additional buttermilk releases from the butter ball. 

4. Place the butterball back in the mixer and begin mixing again. You may notice over a minute or two time span that you have more buttermilk. Repeat the step from above if needed. Your butter should start "whipping" and becoming a softer consistancy. When this happens you'll want to add your two garlic bulbs of garlic. I simply squeeze the garlic out of the bulb. I know its wasteful and you won't yield as much garlic but this is what I find most easiest. Mix until well incorporated and then place your butter in a crock. Serve immediately and/or refrigerate covered for up to 5 days. 

Check Your Choice - 8 Weekly Challenges

I don't know about you but I love Wholly Guacamole! It's my go-to guac when I don't have time to whip up a batch of my own, and best of all everyone I always thinks that I made the guac (even when I didn't)! And I always feel good about serving it since it's better than traditional fattening dips. 


Wholly Guacamole is having an 8-week challenge helping you make healthier food choices. 


“Challenge,” doesn’t have to be an intimidating and ugly word. It can be empowering, inspirational and even fun! These challenges are small things you can do in your life to better your overall well-being AND you have a chance to win some really ‘guawesome!’ prizes. So put on your best booty-shakin’ playlist, do your best and have fun.

See what happens when you make a few small changes in your daily routings and see how these choices can make a big difference. Wholly Guacamole will give your one challenge per week for the next eight weeks. Weekly prizes will be given! Also find recipes, tips, fun facts and games. 

Here are a few recipes to help you start out on the week 1 challenge:

(Photo & Recipe from Wholly Guacamole)

I always love substituting mayonnaise for guacamole on my turkey sandwiches. 

(Photo & Recipe from Wholly Guacamole)

I want to try this soup ASAP! I had no idea I could make a chilled avocado soup using Wholly Guacamole!

(Photo & Recipe from Wholly Guacamole)

Of course who could go wrong with Grilled Chicken Fettuccine? 

Make sure you head over to the Wholly Guacamole Facebook page and sign up for the challenge!

Disclaimer: I was not compensated to write this post. However, by posting this content I am in the running to win a guac prize pack for myself and one lucky blogger to be given away along with coupons. 

Baked Red Velvet {Heart Shaped} Donuts

Happy Valentine's Day! Today I'm sharing with my family and friends these amazing baked (cake) red velvet donuts that are in the shape of hearts! These are a perfect Valentine's morning breakfast treat. I mean who doesn't like cake for breakfast? 

I'm well aware that all things red velvet are cliche for Valentine's Day, and the heart pan may have just brought these donuts over the top, but its all in the name of love and the holiday! 

When I first spotted this recipe from Taste & Tell blog during her week of Red Velvet madness I knew I had to make these, and then as I browsed through the aisles of Target I spotted the heart shape donut pan and knew it was meant to be. I also knew my husband was not going to be happy with me bringing home another baking dish. Hence another reason why I knew I need to make red velvet flavored donuts. It's his favorite cake flavor.

I added a little red food coloring to the frosting to give it an additional Valentine's feel, but if you feel like you've already consumed enough food coloring in the cake you can omit the food coloring in the frosting. These look like donuts but taste like red velvet cake and the glaze suits for a perfect "frosting". 

Source: Taste & Tell Blog
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes (each batch of donuts)
Servings: 18 Donuts


Ingredients for Cake Donuts:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 tbsp red food coloring

Directions for Cake Donuts:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.  Spray a donut pan with cooking spray. Melt the butter and chocolate in intervals in the microwave and in separate bowls.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. In another bowl, mix together the sugar and egg. Add the melted butter and melted chocolate to the egg-sugar mixture.  Add the vanilla, buttermilk, and red food coloring.

4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing just until combined.  Fill the donut pan with the batter, filling each about 1/3 full if using heart pan. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes.

Ingredients for Cake Donuts:

4 tbsp hot water

2 cups confectioners sugar

1 tbsp half & half

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 drops red food coloring

Directions for Vanilla Glaze: 

1. In small bowl, stir together all ingredients until sugar is completely dissolved. Use immediately to glaze the donuts; dipping the tops of each donut in the glaze. Then let the glaze harden on a wire rack. *If the glaze starts to harden you can add more hot water.

{Carrabba's} Pasta Rambo

I love finding restaurant recipes, and then making them at home. This is one of my favorite pasta dishes at Carrabba's and when I spotted this recipe in the newspaper I could not be happier. Shrimp, linguine, and vegetables in a lemon butter sauce. What could be better? The lemon butter sauce is the star in this dish, and without it, well... it would be just any other pasta dish. 

This is a quick entree to make your loved one and screams romance all over! Since Valentine's day is on a Tuesday this year this makes for a satisfying yet romantic dinner that will sure to wow your partner in crime. Top it with fresh parmesan and basil and you'll feel like you are dining at a restaurant! 

Source: Orlando Sentinel, 1/18/2012
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4


Pasta Ingredients:
1lb linguine
2 tbsp olive oil
10 oz sliced white mushrooms
1lb medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 cup spinach leaves, stemmed, washed, chopped
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan Cheese


Lemon Butter Sauce Ingredients:
12 tbsp cold unsalted butter
2 tbsp yellow onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup dry white wine
3 tbsp lemon juice


Directions:
1. For lemon sauce, melt one tablespoon butter in nonreactive skillet on medium. Stir in onion and garlic and let it cook for about 3 minutes. Add wine and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Cook until liquid reduces to two tablespoons, 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Whisk in remaining butter one piece at a time. The butter should soften into an emulsified sauce in 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. *Sauce can be stored at room temperature for up to two hours.
2. Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente.
3. Heat one tablespoon oil in skillet on medium-high. Stir in mushrooms, 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Heat remaining oil in skillet. Stir shrimp until barely opaque around edges, 1-1/2 minutes. Stir in chopped spinach, 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, 1 minute. Return mushrooms to pan. Stir in lemon sauce and basil. Reduce heat to low. Stir sauce 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Drain pasta; return to pot. Stir in sauce. Serve with parmesan and fresh basil.

Oreo Truffles

Skip the store bought candies this year for Valentine's day and make your own oreo truffles. Your loved one will definitely go head over heals for these truffles! These are simple to make and are probably the most decadent dessert I've had in a long while. I love that you can coat these in just about anything and place toppings on the chocolate before it hardens. My favorite is the white chocolate with a drizzle of milk chocolate on top. It gives a good balance of chocolate flavors. However, you could easily dip these in dark chocolate and top with a little additional oreo crumbs. Even if you aren't an oreo fan (like me) you will surely swoon over these little delights!


Source: My Fabulous Recipes
Prep Time: 30 minutes + 1.5 hours cooling
Cook Time: 1 minute (chocolate)
Servings: 24


Ingredients:
1 16oz package of oreo's
1 8oz package of cream cheese, softened
1/2 bag (each) of white chocolate and milk chocolate
1 cup chocolate chips
2 cups white chocolate chips + 1 tbsp butter


Directions:
1. Place half the oreo cookies in a large food processor and puree until fine crumbs. Remove the crumbs and place in large mixing bowl. Repeat with the last half of oreos until the entire package of oreos have been made into fine crumbs. 


2. In a stand mixer begin whipping cream cheese. Gradually add the oreo crumbs to the mixture. Mix well until both cream cheese all oreo crumbs are well combined. The filling will be dark in color. 


3. Roll the oreo cream cheese mixture into small balls, placing on a parchment paper lined tray. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes until chilled and firm. 


4. In a microwave safe bowl, place 1 cup chocolate chips in bowl and microwave in 20 second intervals until liquified. *If you prefer to use white chocolate, microwave 2 cups white chocolate chips plus one tablespoon butter. Be careful do not over cook the white chocolate as it will harden quickly. 


5. Once the chocolate is melted, pull out the oreo cream cheese balls and begin dipping them in the chocolate. I found the best method to be using a spoon and dunking the ball into the chocolate. Place chocolate covered oreo cream cheese mixture back on parchment paper. Repeat until all oreo cream cheese balls have been covered with chocolate. Refrigerate for one hour or until hardened. 


*Store for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. 

Buffalo Chicken Stromboli

Every now and then I get in the mood for buffalo style chicken. The other night I was trying to think of what I could do with the remainder of my rotisserie chicken. I knew at this point it would taste best if it was shredded. That's when I remembered I had one sheet of puff pastry in the freezer. I instantly thought about making a Stromboli of sorts out of puff pastry, and then the light bulb turned on. Why not a buffalo chicken Stromboli? I knew my husband would approve of it and I could essentially take the same concept as my Buffalo Chicken Dip except make it in the form of a Stromboli. Oh, and make it heavier on the chicken and less on the dip.

Typically, I'd use a mixture of cream cheese and bleu cheese for the dip, but on this particular evening I didn't have either on hand. What I did have is my favorite soft spreading cheese around, Alouette® Soft Spreadable Cheese in Garlic and Herb. 

In a large bowl I mixed all the ingredients together and placed it in the middle of the puff pastry. Wrapped it tightly, brushed it with butter and let the oven do its magic! This came out flaky and full of buffalo chicken goodness. I served carrot and celery sticks and ranch with our stromboli. You could easily make this as an appetizer or serve it as a main meal like I did! 

Source: Katie Original

Prep Time: 10  minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients: 

1 container Alouette® Soft Spreadable Cheese, Garlic & Herb

2 cups shredded chicken

2 tbsp diced celery 

1/4 cup Franks Buffalo Hot Sauce

1 sheet puff pastry

1/4 stick of butter, melted

Directions:

1. Thaw 1 sheet of puff pastry according to package. 

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

3. In a large bowl mix shredded chicken, soft cheese, celery and buffalo sauce until well combined. 

4. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet then lay the puff pastry on top of the parchment paper. Add filling to the middle of the of the puff pastry, then carefully fold until all edges are sealed. Seal each side; folding pastry together like a package. Using a silicone brush -- brush puff pastry top with melted butter. Take a knife and make a few 1 inch slits on the top of the puff pastry. 

5. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Serve immediately with carrot and celery sticks and bleu cheese or ranch dressing.

Loaded Potato Skins

I don't know about you, but I love this time of year when the Super Bowl is quickly approaching, party invites go out and menu planning begins. I love all the greasy fattening food. In my mind it's ok to indulge in these types of food for one day. Everything in moderation, right? 

One of my favorite, bar style foods is the loaded potato skin. Words can not express how much I adore the potato, and then to broil it and make the skin crispy and load it with cheese, bacon, and green onions in my mind completes it! Potato skins can be a labor of love, but I've come up with a much quicker alternative. I microwave my potatoes and then throw them under the broiler. I know... gasp. This could be considered a crime in some people's book, but it's not in mine. I don't want to wait hours to indulge in a few potato skins! So in my book--you  get the best of both worlds. It takes half the amount of time to cook these spuds and you still get the crispy flavors like it's been baked for an hour plus. 

I also like using red potatoes which is steering away from the traditional large russet potato. Honestly, use what you have on hand. I always have red potatoes on hand, so that's what I use. If you always have russet potatoes on hand--use those. The same goes with cheese. If you have Mexican blend shredded cheese on hand and not sharp cheddar--don't go out to the store just to buy the shredded cheddar for the recipe. Adapt, adapt, adapt! Don't be scared to do so. Typically, if I have fresh bacon on hand, I will cook up some fresh bacon, and crumble it for this recipe; however, if you don't and all you have is bacon bits on hand don't be afraid to use them ( I use them). It's all about making cooking simple, and this is especially true if you are entertaining.  And remember, don't be afraid to indulge in these spuds! 

Source: Katie Original

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 4 (2 per person)

Ingredients:

4 red skin potatoes (medium-size)

1/2 cup shredded cheddar, divided

8 tsp bacon bits

4 green onions, diced

salt & pepper to taste

Sour Cream for dipping

Directions:

1. Scrub potatoes clean, pierce with a fork and ramp each individual potato in a damp paper towel. Microwave on high for 5-8 minutes until tender but not soft. *Preheat oven at this time to 400. 


2. Slice each potato in half. Using a spoon, carefully scrape the potato filling out of each skin. I like to keep about a half inch of potato in each skin. 


3. Place your oven on broil mode. Then place each potato skin facing up on a baking sheet and broil on low for 5 minutes. Flip (potato side up), and broil on high for 1-2 minutes (do not allow them to burn and watch them very closely). 


4. Remove potato skins from oven and top each skin with one tablespoon shredded cheddar cheese, 1 teaspoon bacon bits, and sprinkle with green onions. 


5. Broil on high for 1-2 minutes, until skins are browned and cheese has melted. Serve immediately, sprinkle salt and pepper on skins and top with sour cream. 

{Giveaway Winner} OXO Good Grips Egg Beater

Thank you to everyone who participated in the OXO Good Grips Egg Beater giveaway! We had 83 entries! A few facts about the OXO Good Grips Egg Beater:

• Smoothly rotating gears are enclosed for protection and easy clean-up
• Soft, comfortable, non-slip grips on turning knob and contoured handle
• Sturdy stainless steel Beaters can be removed for cleaning or for tasting
• Beaters are elevated and continue to work while device rests on bottom of bowl
• Perfect for eggs, light batters, whipped cream and more
• Base detaches from top and is dishwasher safe

And our winner is.... Melinda! She left a comment telling us how she loves to cook her eggs for herself and for her daughter! 

Homemade Chicken Chimichangas

Are you ready to have a homemade take-out night in your home? I can guarantee if you make these you will feel like your sitting at a Mexican restaurant except the only difference is that your cooking, serving, and doing the dishes! I'm working on eating out less and making more home take-out favorites. I was in the mood for Mexican food the other weekend, and didn't want to spend $30+ for dinner. I browsed the internet and found a recipe for homemade chicken chimichangas. Chimichangas are my absolute favorite and I almost always order a one when we go out to eat. 

I read the recipe--re-read the recipe and was ready to tackle this take-out favorite! I had almost all the ingredients on hand which made this dish even better. I sliced and diced the recipe to tailor my wants and needs in a chimichanga. The chimi's (that's what I call them for short) that I eat do not include rice or olives in them, so I omitted that part of the recipe. If I had olives on hand I would have most certainly topped mine with them. I can not rave enough about these chimichangas. My husband was concerned about me after the first few bites. I wouldn't stop making noises because I was so delighted on how amazing dinner turned out. Now I am even more intrigued to get a larger bigger and better deep fryer with a basket, so I can whole-heartedly fry these babies at once (instead of using multiple spatulas and panicking that the seams were going to open and the filling was going to come out). For the love of chimichangas--if you love them. Make them! 

Adapted from: BlogChef
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 3


Ingredients:
1 ½ cups chicken broth
½ cup red enchilada sauce
1 ½ onion (diced, divided)
3 (12 inch) flour tortillas
2 boneless skinless chicken breast
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 can refried beans
¼ cup vegetable oilWholly Guacamole & Sour Cream for topping


Directions: 
1.  In a medium saucepan place 2 boneless skinless chicken breast in the pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil (about 20 minutes). Once the chicken is cooked and soft remove from pan, and carefully shred. 


2. In the same saucepan as you boiled the chicken, dump water and bring back to the stove top. Combine chicken broth, enchilada sauce, and diced onion. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low and let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Stir in shredded cooked chicken and mix well. Then add 1/4 cup of shredded mexican blend cheese.


3.  Heat refried beans in a saucepan over low heat until they stir easily. Preheat oil in a large skillet on medium. 

4. Right before you are about to assemble the chimichangas heat tortillas in a damp paper towel in the microwave for 30 seconds. Carefully remove one hot tortilla and begin spooning equal amounts of refried beans onto each tortillas followed by equal amounts of the chicken mixture, followed by shredded Mexican cheese (however much you desire). Roll up the tortillas, making sure no filling is exposed. *I found that these were super easy to roll when the tortilla was very hot--making the tortilla flexible and easy to work with!


5. Carefully place the the filled tortillas (one-by-one) in the frying pan seam side down *I used a large spatula to place them in the pan , turning once, until browned on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately; top with guacamole and sour cream if desired. 

Salt-and-Pepper Shrimp with Snow Peas

I was reading my digital version of Everyday Food when this recipe caught my eye. It was featured as a recipe for one, but I knew with doing a little math I could easily adapt it to make more than just one serving. The night I made this I happened to invite my neighbor over for an impromptu dinner. I was hoping that this was going to be a winning recipe. I hit it spot on. This recipe is awesome, healthy, and full of flavor. Best of all it super simple to make and only requires a few ingredients! I made the mistake of putting the snow peas and onions in at the same time as the shrimp *as suggested in the magazine. My snow-peas and onions were mush by the time my shrimp were opaque. For crisp vegetables put them in the skillet during the last 30 seconds to 1 minute of cooking! The pepper is what gives a big kick to this meal. If you don't want it as spicy don't add the full amount of black pepper.

Adapted from: Everyday Food, Jan/Feb 2012
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5-8 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp five-spice powder
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
3 tbsp chicken broth
6 scallions (white and light-green parts only), trimmed and cut into 2-inch peices
1 lb snow peas, trimmed
1 cup basmati rice (uncooked)

Directions:
1. Cook basmati rice according to package.

2. In a large bowl, toss shrimp with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1 tsp five-spice powder.  Mix well and let it sit for 5 minutes.

3. Heat a large skillet over high. Add peanut oil, minced garlic, and grated ginger, toss for 15 seconds. Add shrimp and chicken broth; toss for 2-3 minutes until opaque. Add snow peas and scallions, and toss until shrimp are pink and snow peas are still crisp. Serve immediately over white rice.

*To add more to this meal serve with a ginger salad and a spring roll!

Cavatappi and White Beans with Broccoli Pesto

By now, you know I love cooking vegetarian meals. I'm so lucky that my husband doesn't mind eating at least one vegetarian meal a week. Sometimes 2-3 if I catch him on a good week! I knew that this might be pushing it on the vegetarian meal level, so I set aside a chicken breast to grill. When I told my husband what we were having that evening he responded "I don't need any chicken tonight", and then I showed him the photo (because I think at times I know his eating habits better than he knows his eating habits)! Once I showed him the photo he replied... "ok I need chicken this looks too vegetarian for me!" So I cooked the main dish and he grilled his chicken breast. We both loved this dish, and of course my husband piped in and told me that this dish is best paired with a chicken breast. So, if you aren't quite ready to take as deep of a vegetarian recipe dive I suggest you serve it with a grilled chicken breast. 

I have a few friends who have come to me recently for vegetarian recipes. They want to start cooking at least 1 vegetarian meal a week. One of my friends even wants to start having 3 vegetarian meals a week. My advice to her was to start off slow. Start by making one meal a week. After a few weeks then start cutting back on your meat portions. The suggested servings size of meat is a palm full. Most Americans eat 2-3 times the suggested serving amount. With a dish like this I would suggest to serve  half a chicken breast; sliced so it looks like you're getting more. After all, we eat with our eyes, so illusions can help! Slowly ease yourself into eating a vegetarian meal a week if you aren't already doing so. Not only is it great for our environment, it helps your health, and your bank account! 


Source: Everyday Food, Jan/Feb 2012
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 25 Minutes
Servings: 4


Ingredients:
4 cups, broccoli, chopped
1-1/2 cups of corkscrew pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup parmesan, grated
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup parsley
1 garlic clove
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained


Directions: 
1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook broccoli until tender and bright green, about 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer broccoli to a food processor. Return water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 2 cups pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.


2. To food processor, add oil, Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, parsley, and garlic. Puree until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down side as needed. Transfer pesto to pot with pasta. Stir to coat, adding enough reserved pasta water to make a creamy sauce. Stir in beans and heat over medium until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper. To serve, sprinkle with Parmesan, if desired.