Penne with Artichokes

1 lb. penne rigate
1 small onion, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
8 artichoke hearts, quartered
1 1/4 cups canned diced tomatoes
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

In a skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the onion and the garlic in the olive oil. Add the artichoke hearts. Cook to a pale gold color over high heat, then add the tomatoes, seasoning to taste. Simmer 15-20 minutes over medium heat.

Cook the penne rigate until al dente according to package directions in boiling, salted water. Drain and add to the artichoke sauce. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and grated Parmesan.

From: Chicho's Kitchen

Pot Roast

Ingredients

• 1 whole (4 To 5 Pounds) Chuck Roast
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 whole Onions
• 6 whole Carrots (Up To 8 Carrots)
• Salt To Taste
• Pepper To Taste
• 1 cup Red Wine (optional, You Can Use Beef Broth Instead)
• 2 cups To 3 Cups Beef Stock
• 3 sprigs Fresh Thyme, or more to taste
• 3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary, or more to taste

Preparation Instructions

First and foremost, choose a nicely marbled piece of meat. This will enhance the flavor of your pot roast like nothing else. Generously salt and pepper your chuck roast.
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or you can do a butter/olive oil split).
Cut two onions in half and cut 6 to 8 carrots into 2-inch slices (you can peel them, but you don’t have to). When the oil in the pot is very hot (but not smoking), add in the halved onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate.
Throw the carrots into the same very hot pan and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so.
If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pan. Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate.
With the burner still on high, use either red wine or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of that wonderful flavor up.
When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway (about 2 to 3 cups). Add in the onion and the carrots, as well as 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and about 3 sprigs of fresh thyme.
Put the lid on, then roast in a 275F oven for 3 hours (for a 3-pound roast). For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours.

From: Pioneer Woman

Shrimp Scampi

1/2 lb linguine
1 T. butter
4 cloves garlic
¾ lb shrimp
1 tsp Kosher salt
A few grinds of pepper
1 T. dried parsley flakes
½ lemon, zested
¼ c. lemon juice
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
Parmesan cheese
Cook linguine, following instructions on the package.
Meanwhile, melt butter in large skillet and add the garlic.  Sauté for 1 minute, being careful not to burn it.  Add shrimp, salt, and pepper and sauté until the shrimp just turns pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often.  Remove from heat, add parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice and red pepper flakes.  Toss with the linguine and serve with parmesan cheese.

From: Sisters Cafe

Authentic Italian Red Sauce

3-4 TBsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4-8 fresh garlic cloves (Karen says she uses 8 or more- I used 6)

1 (29oz) can of tomatoes (for a milder sauce add more)

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/4 cup fresh basil, or as much as you like (I left this out because I didn’t have any)

1 tsp Better than Bouillon, beef flavor, or 1 bouillon cube

Mild cayenne pepper (optional)

Blend up tomatoes until fairly smooth.  Put olive oil in the pan with the minced garlic, just until the garlic starts to really sizzle.  Do not over cook the garlic.  Add tomatoes to the garlic and oil  and bring to a simmer.  Add tomato paste, bouillon, fresh basil, and cayenne.  Bring to a simmer.  Let cook a minute or two.  This does not need a long time to cook.  It will actually lose it’s pungent flavor if you do.

ENJOY!!

From: Sisters' Cafe

Dairy Free Stuffed Shells

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1.5 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 16 ounces extra firm tofu
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 10 ounces frozen spinach, defrosted
• 1 box jumbo shells
• 1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce

Instructions

1. Drain the tofu and pat dry with paper towels. Crumble into the bowl of a food processor or high-speed blender along with olive oil, salt, oregano, garlic and nutritional yeast. Process on high until smooth and “ricotta-like”.
2. Add the defrosted spinach to the blended tofu mixture.
3. Cook shells in boiling salted water until el dente. Drain
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour about ½ cup pasta sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan. Stuff shells with 2 T of filling and place in pan, seam side down. Repeat until all shells have been stuffed.
5. Pour remaining pasta sauce over shells, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Serve!

From: PBS Food

Crockpot Falafel

- 1 15oz can garbanzo beans (chick peas)
- 1/2 onion, chopped
-1 T dried parsley
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 egg
- 1 t kosher salt
- 1/4 t black pepper
- 2 t ground cumin
- 1 t ground coriander
- 1/4 t cayenne pepper
- juice from 1 lemon (that's a lemon. a weird looking lemon, but a lemon nonetheless)
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup bread crumbs (I have bread crumbs made from a loaf of Trader Joe's brown rice bread that I keep in the freezer)
- 2 T olive oil (for the bottom of your crock)

The Directions.

Take a deep breath. It looks like there are a lot of ingredients, but this comes together awfully quick. I seriously only spent 25 minutes from start to finish. The hardest part was getting all the spice bottles arranged for the photo.

Drain garbanzo beans. Dump them into a mixing bowl and smash them with a fork. Set aside.

Get out your blender or food processor (I used our vitamix. I love that thing!). Blend together all of the spices, the onion, the garlic, the egg, and the lemon juice.

Pour on top of your smashed garbanzo beans. Use your fork to mix together, and add the breadcrumbs slowly until the mixture is wet and sticky but can be formed into balls nicely. I needed 3/4 of a cup of breadcrumbs.

Pour 2 T of olive oil into the bottom of your crockpot stoneware insert.

Form squished golf-ball sized patties of falafel. Dip each side into the olive oil and then nestle into your crockpot. It's okay if they overlap or are on top of each other.

Cook on high for 2-5 hours. Ours cooked on high for 3.5 hours--you will know that the falafels are done when they turn brownish-golden. You can flip them halfway through the cooking time if you feel like it, but they will brown on top even without flipping. (I know. I don't get it either.)

Serve with yogurt sauce or mayonnaise. I made a quick yogurt sauce with Greek yogurt, celery seed, dill, salt and pepper and lemon juice.

From: A Year of Slow Cooking

The BEST Beef Tenderloin

This recipe sounds a little weird, but it's the BEST! Beef tenderloin is expensive, but it's great for a special occasion.

1. Take beef tenderloin and place on a jelly roll pan or a cookie sheet.
2. Rub liberally with Montreal seasoning- liberally
3. Put the tenderloin in the oven at 500 degrees for 15 minutes.
4. Without opening the oven, turn the oven off and leave for 1 hour.

That's it! It's delish! Sometimes it needs a little more time, but it's one of my favorite Santini family dishes.

West Indies Pepperpot Soup

This recipe is from City Tavern Restaurant. They claim that Pepperpot Soup was the soup General George Washington fed his troops during the Revolutionary War. It has been adapted to today's busy lifestyle, but when I tasted it, I could imagine myself sitting in a cozy cabin next to the fireplace. Its a savory, spicy experience and fits the bill for comfort food in my book. The ingredients may be a little different, but it's worth it.

Ingredients:
2 lb cubed roast beef
2 T vegetable oil
1 medium white onion
4 garlic cloves chopped
1/4 habanero pepper, seeded and chopped (this is a hot one so be careful!)
1 c chopped green onion
1 lb taro root, peeled and diced (a little slimy raw, but it doesn't cook that way. It is the texture of a potato with a mild flavor)
1 gallon beef stock
2 bay leaves
1 t chopped fresh thyme (1/3 t dried)
1 T fresh ground allspice (1 t dried- though I think it could have used a touch more)
1 T freshly ground black pepper, plus more
1 lb collard greens rinsed and chopped
salt

Directions:
In a large stock pot, saute the onion and garlic in oil over high heat for 3-5 minutes, until onion is translucent. Add green onions and taro root. Saute 3-5 minutes until translucent. Add the stock, bay leaves, thyme, allspice, and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add beef. Reduce heat to medium and cook until beef and taro root are tender.

Stir in collard greens. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the collard greens are thouroughly cooked. Add habanero pepper. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

From: City Tavern Restuarant, Philadelphia, PA

Vietnamese Spring Roll Salad

Glazed Pork
1/4 c sugar
1/2 c water
2 t fish sauce
2 t soy sauce
2 T oil

Heat water and sugar over medium high heat until carmelized (about 15 minutes). Remove from heat. Slowly drizzle in 4 T or so of hot water and whisk until smooth and coats the back of spoon. Add fish sauce, soy sauce, and oil. Brush onto meat. Let sit 20 minutes and grill:

1 lb. pork loin, sliced into large 1/4 in thick pieces

Let sit for 10 minutes, then slice thinly. (Note: Don't dip the yucky raw pork brush into your glaze, just drizzle it on and then brush. Reserve left over marinade to pour over your salad because it is sooooooo good!)

Meanwhile, whisk or blend together:

Hoisin Sauce
1/4 c. hoisin sauce
1/4 c. peanut butter
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 T rice vinegar
Water until consistency desired

And chop up:

Lettuce
Basil
Cilantro
Chives/Green Onions
Carrots (shredded)
Cucumbers (very long, thin slices)
Noodles (thin, rice, whatever)

This can be made as a salad, as lettuce wraps, or in traditional rice-paper wrappers. I love the idea of wraps, but the truth is they are so messy we always end up eating it as a jumbled up salad, anyway! This is our new family favorite, and pork is so cheap that when you add herbs from the garden it is a very inexpensive but tasty meal that satisfies the meat lovers, veggie lovers, and pasta lovers alike in our family.

From: nessaandmichael.blogspot.com

Fiesta Chicken Pasta Salad

1 pkg Hidden Valley Fiesta Ranch dip mix
½ c. oil
½ c. vinegar

1 lb cooked, shredded or cubed chicken (about 1 ½ to 2 breasts)
3/4 box garden rotini
1 can black beans
1 can black olives, halved
2 -3 tomatoes, chopped
Frozen corn

Mix dressing mix, oil, and vinegar in small bowl and set aside. Combine chicken, cooked pasta, beans, olives, and tomatoes in large bowl. Add dressing and frozen corn about 20 minutes before serving. Be sure to toss again just before serving, as the dressing will seep to the bottom.

From: sisters cafe

Faux-tisserie Chicken

1 whole chicken, small enough to fit in your slow cooker

Salt-based seasoning (Seasoning salt, Cajun seasoning, lemon pepper with salt in it, etc. Just make sure salt is one of the first ingredients on the label.)

OPTIONAL:

Whole garlic cloves, peeled
Fresh herbs

Make 3 balls of aluminum foil and place them in the bottom of your slow cooker. These hold the chicken off the bottom so the hot air can circulate all around the chicken and so it's not stewing in its own juices.


Rinse chicken, including the cavity, and pat dry with paper towels. Place the chicken on its back so the breast is facing up and the legs are on the plate. If you want (and I actually strongly recommend that you do UNLESS you're looking for a neutral flavor), pull the skin up all around the chicken. This does involve sticking your hand between the skin and the breast. Oooh, sounds dirty. Slice a few garlic cloves in half lengthwise and stick them under the skin. You can also arrange a couple sprigs of fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, and/or sage under the skin. This makes a very pretty chicken when it's all cooked and adds a lot of flavor.

Rub salt-based seasoning VERY liberally onto the skin of the chicken. Place chicken breast-up on the foil in the slow cooker, cover, turn heat to low, and leave it alone for 7-8 hours.

From: ourbestbites.com

Ricotta Cheese Seasoning

Season your ricotta cheese when making lasagna to add a sweet touch that is divine.

To be mixed with 32 oz ricotta cheese:
1 egg
2 T Parmesan cheese
sprinkle parsley flakes
1/4 c sugar
sprinkle of cinnamon

Shrimp Pasta in a Foil Package

UPDATE: Obviously I didn't use white wine. (I hope it's obvious!) I used 1/4 c water and 1/4 c apple cider vinegar. Enjoy!

Yummmmm!!!!!

Ingredients

• ½ cups Olive Oil
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 3 whole 14.5 Ounce Cans Diced (or Whole) Tomatoes
• 1/4 c water
• 1/4 c apple cider vinegar
  
• 2 pounds Jumbo Or Large Shrimp, Peeled And Deveined
• Salt And Pepper (to Taste)
• Fresh Parsley, Minced
• 1 pound Linguine, Uncooked
• Red Pepper Flakes (to Taste)

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta for 1/2 the recommended cooking time. Pasta should still be very firm.

In a large skillet or pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for a minute. Dump in the tomatoes and wine. Stir the mixture together, season with salt and pepper, and allow to cook for ten minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare a large parcel of heavy duty aluminum foil. It should be large enough to hold the entire pasta dish.

Throw the shrimp on the top of the pasta sauce. Throw the drained pasta over the top, then pour the whole dish onto the foil. Tightly wrap the foil into a parcel.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and keep warm until serving.

Open the foil parcel right before serving. Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil over the top. Squeeze on lemon juice, if desired.

From: The Pioneer Woman

Market Street Grill Clam Chowder

1 cup potatoes, diced ½ inch
1 cup celery, diced ½ inch
1 cup onion, diced ½ inch
1 cup green pepper, diced ½ inch
1 cup leeks, diced ½ inch
¾ cup chopped clams (canned or fresh)
¾ tablespoon coarse ground black pepper
1 ½ tablespoon salt
¾ tablespoon whole thyme
6 bay leaves
1 teaspoon Tabasco
2 cups water
¾ cup clam juice (drained from canned clams or purchased separately in can)
¾ cup butter, melted
1 cup flour
2 quarts half-and-half

Directions:Combine melted butter and flour in oven-proof container and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. In large saucepan, combine remaining ingredients except half-and-half. Simmer until potatoes are thoroughly cooked. Stir butter-flour mixture into chowder and stir until thick. Mixture will be slightly less thick than cookie dough. Remove chowder from heat. Stir in half-and-half until blended. Heat to serving temperature, stirring occasionally. Serve immediately.

From: Amanda Wilkinson

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

These are my current obsession. I ADORE them. I tagged the recipe as a main dish because that's how I've been eating them lately!

2 medium-sized sweet potatoes
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t oregano
1/2 t coriander
1 t kosher salt
1 t parsley
fresh ground pepper (about 10 turns of a pepper mill

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet lightly with cooking spray. Don't use a silpat, or parchment, or anything like that. You want them right on the cookie sheet. Slice your sweet potatoes into french fry shape and size. I like mine to be 1/4", or maybe a tad bit bigger.

It's important that all of the pieces are evenly sized to ensure even cooking. So toss any irregular pieces aside (or eat them in another dish). When you're ready you'll have something that looks like a pile of carrots.

Put the sweet potatoes in a bowl and drizzle the olive oil over them. Use your hands to make sure each one is coated. If you've got more than a pound of sweet potatoes, add a little extra olive oil. They should all be glistening, just eyeball it. Then sprinkle on all of the herbs and spices and continue to toss until well coated. Place the fries on the baking sheet. It's very important that they are not touching, but can place them pretty close together.

Place cookie sheet in pre-heated oven and set the timer for 15 minutes. Don't open the oven door, not even for a peak! Let them do their thing. After 15 minutes take pan of oven and flip the fries. If you try to do it one at a time it will take forever, I take a long spatula and get a bunch at at time. It's super quick. Just flip, and then make sure they're spaced out again. Be careful because at this point they're quite soft.

Put the pan in the oven and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Just keep an eye on them. They should be nice and golden brown.

From: ourbestbites.com

Fall Harvest Alfredo

2/3 C. Magic Mix
1 C. Water
1/4 C. Shredded Parmesan Cheese (If you use canned parmesan cheese it will be thicker)
1/2 C. Cooked and Pureed Pumpkin
1/2 t. Cinnamon
Dash of Nutmeg
1/4 C. Sour Cream or Cream Cheese
1 C. chopped Chicken
4 C. favorite pasta
Chopped Apple (to garnish, 1/2 an apple per person)

Instructions
1. Get you noodles boiling and chicken cooking.
2. Make a white sauce from magic mix by combine magic mix and water in sauce pan over medium high heat, stirring constantly until it boils and thickens. Once the sauce is thickened, turn heat to low and add parmesan cheese, pumpkin, spices, and sour cream.
3. Combine noodles, chicken, and sauce and serve immediately.
4. Garnish with chopped apples.

From: everydayfoodstorage.net

Spaghetti with Artichoke Hearts and Tomatoes

NOTE: I tried to make this recipe according to my dietary restrictions and so I replaced the heavy cream with coconut milk. Holy. Stinkin'. Goodness. I can't imagine it tasting better with cream. Even if I were eating dairy, I'd make this with coconut milk. I'm stuffed.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
1 14.5 ounce can artichoke hearts (quartered or whole), drained
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken broth, more as needed
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
salt & pepper to taste
1 pound thin spaghetti
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped chives or other herbs

Cook spaghetti till al dente. Drain and set aside.
Melt olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add artichoke hearts and tomatoes. Stir and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Stir in cream and chicken broth. Add salt and pepper to taste (do not undersalt!) Cook over low heat until heated through, then turn off heat.
Place drained pasta in a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1 cup Parmesan. Pour sauce over the top. Add chopped chives. Toss lightly to combine and coat; add a tiny bit of reserved pasta water if sauce seems too thick.

From: thepioneerwoman.com

Gluten Free 10 Minute Flat Bread

1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup water
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp oil

Combine all ingredients except oil. Heat a 6" NONSTICK skillet (must be nonstick) fairly hot. Spread 1 tsp oil into skillet, then add the thin batter. Cover and cook 2 minutes. Uncover, spread with 1 tsp oil and cook uncovered 5 minutes. Flip the bread and cook another 5 minutes uncovered and serve. You can keep cooking/flipping to get it as crispy as you want. Any flour will work, but some may need more water to get a thin batter. Can be used as a tortilla, sandwich 'bread', crispy bread, pizza crust, etc.

Note: I don't use as much oil. I add just enough to the pan so that the bread doesn't stick and then I skip the step of adding more oil before flipping. I then use the bread as a tortilla for open faced tacos.

Extra-Crusty Baked Rigatoni with Beef Ragu

1 lb rigatoni
2 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1.5 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 large can (28 oz) peeled and chopped tomatoes
1 cup heavy cream
8 oz mozarella, shredded
1 cup grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 350. Cook rigatoni to al dente, drain, and toss in a large bowl with a little olive oil. In same large pot you cooked the noodles in, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, about 5 minutes. Add beef, and cook, stirring, until no pink remains, about 10 minutes. drain off any fat. Add the parsley, oregano, and tomatoes and stir well. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes. Stir in cream, raise the heat, and return to a boil. remove the pan from the heat, and season with salt and pepper. Add rigatoni and toss to coat. Oil a 3 qt baking dish. Spread half the pasta mixture in the bottom. Top with half the mozarella. Top with remaining pasta mixture. Top with remaining mozarella. Top with the grated parmesan. Bake until sauce is bubbly and top is crusty and golden, about 35 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. :)

From: Amanda Wilkinson

Funky Spaghetti

Ingredients:Serves 3–4


1 pound spaghetti or linguine
11 to 14 ounces cherry tomatoes , red and yellow
2 handfuls of fresh marjoram and basil , leaves picked
6 to 8 glugs extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic (peeled and finely chopped)
Splash of red wine vinegar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put pasta in large pot of boiling water and cook until al dente. Halve tomatoes, put in bowl and add herbs, olive oil, garlic and vinegar.

Season to taste, then scrunch tomatoes until slightly mushed. Drain pasta, and while still steaming, mix with tomatoes.

Separate onto plates and serve.

From: oprah.com