Salmon Pesto Pasta

Salmon Pesto Pasta

source The Way the Cookie Crumbles

• 8 ounces pasta (I used penne)
• 12 ounces salmon
• salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 5 ounces evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup pesto (recipe below)
• grated Parmesan, for serving

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. When water is boiling, add a teaspoon of salt and the pasta; stir to separate. Cook pasta until al dente; drain. Pour evaporated milk into empty pot and simmer over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/4 cup. Add cooked pasta to pot and stir to combine.
2. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat broiler. Line a baking sheet or pan with aluminum foil. Season skinless side of salmon liberally with salt and pepper, sprinkle with zest, then rub with olive oil. Broil until salmon is no longer translucent and if firm when pressed, about 10 minutes. Remove from broiler and sprinkle with lemon juice. Use fork to flake into bite-sized pieces. Skin will stick to foil and can be discarded.
3. Add salmon to pasta mixture and stir over medium heat until hot. Remove from heat and stir in pesto. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Pesto

For my recipe I used prepared pesto. However, if you want to make your own the recipe is below.

Makes 1/2 cup

• 1/4 cup pine nuts toasted
• 5 medium cloves garlic, unpeeled
• 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves, rinsed thoroughly
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, Italian (optional)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup (1/2 ounce) finely grated Parmesan cheese

1. Toast pine nuts in a small, heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until just golden and fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the nuts to bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade.
2. Add the unpeeled garlic to empty skillet and toast until fragrant, shaking the pan occasionally, and the color of the cloves deepens slightly, about 7 minutes. Let the garlic cool, then peel and add to food processor bowl.
3. Place basil and parsley in heavy-duty, quart-size, zipper-lock bag; pound with flat side of meat pounder until all leaves are bruised.
4. Process nuts and garlic until finely chopped. Add remaining ingredients except cheese; process until smooth, stopping as necessary to scrape down with flexible spatula.
5. Transfer mixture to small bowl, stir in cheese and adjust salt. (Can be covered with a sheet of plastic wrap and placed directly over the surface or filmed with oil and refrigerated up to 5 days.)

Notes: I used a pound of salmon. We really like salmon, so the more the better. As mentioned above, I used prepared pesto. Oh, and I always add more cheese than the recipe says. I just can't get enough of it.

Evelyn's Favorite Pasta

Taken from Proceed with Caution

I made this last week for DH and myself. It was so good. It is taken from a Cheesecake Factory entree. I am also trying to incorporated Clean Eating recipes into our diet. Find out more about Clean Eating here.

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced, pressed or grated
salt and pepper
2 chinese eggplant
1 large head broccoli
1 can artichoke hearts, halved or quartered
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (choose low fat to make it clean)
1/3 cup prepared pesto8-12 ounces penne pasta (choose whole wheat or multigrain (we like Barilla Plus) to make it clean)
handful of fresh basil, cut into a chiffonade

Directions:Remove the ends from the eggplant. Slice the long way, in thirds, and lay on a cutting board. Salt cut sides of eggplant very well, cover with paper towel and then another cutting board. Place a weight on top of the board. Let stand for 30 minutes, then rinse the eggplant well and cut into 2 inch long pieces.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. When the eggplant is ready and chopped, place in a large bowl. Add chopped broccoli, artichokes, and tomatoes. Combine garlic and olive oil in a small bowl with about 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; mix well. Add olive oil mixture to the vegetables and toss to coat. Spread on a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with olive oil. Roast vegetables for about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, start heating water for the pasta in a large stock pot. Heat a small saute pan over medium heat, and add the pine nuts. Heat for a few minutes, tossing frequently, until nuts are lightly toasted, then set aside the nuts. When the pasta water has come to a boil, salt generously and add the pasta. Cook according the time instructed on the box.

When pasta is done, drain and add to a large bowl. Add roasted vegetables, kalamatas, cheese, pesto, and toss to combine. Serve and garnish with toasted pine nuts and basil.

Pizza Pasta

Pizza Pasta has become a household tradition when we have not had a chance to grocery shop.
We always keep the ingredients in the house, and DH loves Pizza Pasta nights.

Ingredients:
Slightly undercooked spaghettini Pasta ( I suggest to break it before cooking for easier sesrving)
Canned/Homemade Pizza sauce
Pre-made / Homemade meat balls
Tex-Mex cheese
1 Tbsp Oregano
Your favorite Pizza Toppings

How to make:
1) Place the slightly undercooked pasta and the meat balls, and half the Oregano in an oven-proof dish, mix them.
2) Spread the pizza sauce on top, and be generous!
3) sprinkle the cheese on top
4) Add your favorite pizza toppings
5) place in the oven at 395 degrees, until the cheese starts bubbling.

Bon Apetite!

Baked Mac and Cheese

My mom used to make this for me all the time growing up. It's definitely my favorite comfort food!
This version is taken from Cottage Living 2004

Prep: 15 minutes, Cook: 40 minutes.
Yield
Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
1 (8-ounce) package dried elbow macaroni or favorite pasta (about 2 1/4 cups, uncooked)
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
1 (8-ounce) package shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (about 2 cups)
2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (optional)
Toppings (optional):
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Melt butter in a large heavy saucepan over low heat; add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Turn heat to medium; gradually whisk in milk, and cook over medium heat, stirring or whisking constantly until thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in pasta, mustard, and next 4 ingredients, stirring just until cheese begins to melt.
3. Pour pasta mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano or more Cheddar. If desired, top with fresh breadcrumbs, and drizzle evenly with melted butter.
4. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!!

Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad

My favorite part about this recipe is you can really customize it to your liking by adding more or less of the ingredients, mixing up the seasonings, or adding other ingredients.

This recipe can easily be halved or made in the larger quantity so you can have it for leftovers

Also, I keep experimenting with the chicken seasonings, but I'm including my favorite so far. Sometimes if I'm in a hurry I'll omit the chicken, although if you buy the tenderloins it really doesn't take too much extra time.

Lastly, this is a dish that is best cold... it actually is better the next day (although I still devour it right after I've made it!)

Ingredients:
1 box farfalle (bow-tie) pasta (you can use ziti or rotini, but I like farfalle the best!)
Your favorite pesto
Parmesan cheese
Sea-Salt, fresh ground pepper, and onion powder
1 bag craisins
1lb chicken tenderloins (give or take a little, I usually get about 1.25lbs)
1 container grape or cherry tomatoes (I prefer grape)

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350
Trim the chicken, place on a pan and season with salt, pepper, and onion powder
Bake approximately 20 minutes or until chicken is done
Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces

While chicken is baking, put a large pot of water on to boil
Boil whole box of farfalle until done
Drain pasta, throw a couple of ice cubes in the pot, and throw the pasta in the freezer or fridge for a couple of minutes to cool the pasta off.


While chicken is baking and pasta is boiling, cut tomatoes in half for grape tomatoes and in quarters for cherry tomatoes.

When pasta is cool, mix together all the ingredients in the following order:
Chicken
Craisins
Pesto
Parmesan cheese
Tomatoes

Enjoy!!

Citrus Garlic Shrimp Pasta

This is my favorite pasta recipe. Its a great meal when you are looking for a pasta dish that doesn't feel to "heavy."

Citrus Garlic Shrimp Pasta

1 pound linguine
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup orange juice*
1/3 cup lemon juice*
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled
5 teaspoons grated lemon peel*
4 teaspoons grated orange peel*
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
Shredded Parmesan cheese
Fresh parsley, scallions, or chives to garnish
*I use 2 lemons and 2 oranges which is about the right amount for the zest and juice needed

Cook linguine according to package directions. Meanwhile in a food processor combine the next 8 ingredients; cover and process until well blended.

Pour this mixture into a large skillet; heat through. Add shrimp. Cook or 5 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Drain linguine; toss with shrimp mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and garnish if desired.