Pasta with Spinach (Arugula), Goat Cheese, Sausage & (Sundried) Tomatoes

Like most everyone, I have a few go-to pasta dishes that I probably make way too often.

I like this one because I can load it with sauteed spinach  or arugula and somehow the child will eat it without complaint. I think it's because everything else is so satisfying. The (sundried) tomatoes are in parens because I recently mentioned this recipe to a friend who says she HATES sundried tomatoes. Ok Ashley, and for you and the other haters out there, throw in fresh ones like Sweet 100s or other Cherry tomatoes after the mushrooms cook.


Pasta with Spinach, Goat Cheese, Sausage & (Sundried) Tomatoes - for 4 or so

Whatever sort of pasta you like (I like whole wheat but cook regular spirals for the family)
6 chicken basil-type sausages (any flavor you like that goes with the other ingredients will do - last night I used chicken feta, I think)
3/4 cup sundried tomatoes packed in oil
A large amount of cleaned baby spinach or arugula - I show arugula in the photos but hey, use what you've got!
8 (baby portabella or button or cremini) mushrooms, cut in half and sliced (optional)
1 small package of mild goat cheese

While water is heating to cook your pasta, slice the sausages in approximately 1/4" rounds, small enough to be bite size but not too thin.

Once pasta water is boiling, cook as directed.

While pasta is cooking, saute sausage and sundried tomatoes with their oil in a large saute pan until sausages begin to brown. Add (optional) mushrooms and continue cooking for approx three minutes.










When mushroom are beginning to look cooked, load on the spinach/arugula.

You might need to add it to your pan in a few separate additions as it begins to cook down and make room in the pan. Mix gently into sausage mixture. When all of the spinach/arugula is wilted and just cooked, spoon little globs of the goat cheese over the top of your pan and turn the heat off.

Hopefully your pasta will be about done now and you can drain it  while the goat cheese gets nice and melty on the top of your sausages, tomatoes, (mushrooms) and spinach/arugula.

Serve immediately over pasta with a shake of red pepper flakes if you like a little kick, like me.

Poaching Chicken Breasts

Ok this will be quick.  

Since I just gave you the Chicken Posole recipe, you probably want to know how to poach chicken breasts? I have spent years trying to get it right, and so often have ended up with nasty dry globs of sawdust. And I just can't bring myself to buy store-prepared rotisserie chickens pumped full of salt or that prepackaged cooked chicken. So gross.

But no more angst - here's what I've learned from all of my mistakes. Three ways to get moist, delicate chicken breasts.

1. Pretty much the best way to poach chicken breasts is in a slow cooker. **I have to say right now, that you need to follow all safe handling instructions for cooking chicken so that no one gets sick** 

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/basics_for_handling_food_safely/index.asp

Ok, that said, I usually put 4-6 small breasts (cut them in half if they are the giant kind) in my slow cooker and cover with chicken broth or water. 

Put the lid on, cook on high for approximately 3 hours.

Check in at the three hour mark, chicken should be 155-160º internal temp. Shred with two forks. Done perfectly. How easy is that?

2. Ovens work for fake poaching. Earlier this week I put four breasts in a square glass baking dish and added a little water. I covered it with parchment and baked in a preheated 400º oven for about 30 minutes. Internal temp 150º and let them rest, covered with the parchment, until the internal temp reads 160º. 

3. The stovetop works, but this can be tricky. Don't let them go even a few minutes too long. Fill a deep-ish saute pan or medium saucepan with water, enough to cover chicken. When it comes to a boil, add breasts, cover and reduce heat to low. They should take about 15 minutes depending on size and thickness. Shred asap.

Quick Chicken Posole

So I had intended to do a little research before I posted this recipe, but I just ate the leftovers for lunch and it was even better than last night's dinner, so forget the background, here's the recipe. (And yes I know this is in no way authentic. Don't hate on this San Diego girl, whose trip home isn't complete without an hour wait for a table at the Old Town Mexican Cafe for a bowl of theirs: a green chile base, pounds of Mexican oregano, amazing broth. Completely different, so awesome, and cooked by professionals. This just makes a good dinner on a cold night, and a great base for Tortilla Soup. But that's for another post.)

Chicken Posole for four (heck, double it and freeze half!)
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tbsp chili powder
3 tsp dried oregano
1 box chicken broth
2 cups water
1 28 oz can of white hominy, drained
a few sprigs of cilantro
3 cups of shredded cooked chicken (see post on Poaching Chicken Breasts)
Garnishes that you like! We use:
Crumbled Mexican cheese like Cotija or Queso Fresco
Chopped cilantro
Juicy lime wedges
Chopped onion
Sliced radishes
Tortilla chips (fry your own from corn tortillas - Yum!)

Over medium heat, add a few tablespoons of oil in a large, heavy saucepan. Add onions and cook a few minutes until translucent, being careful not to brown them. Add tomato paste, garlic, chili powder and oregano. Stir together and scrap the bottom of the pan so it starts to brown  and caramelize a bit, but watch it closely so it doesn't burn. Maybe another 3-4 minutes.

Add box of broth, the cilantro sprigs, the 2 cups of water and the drained hominy. Bring this to a boil and reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes. Check the hominy at 15 minutes to make sure they aren't getting mushy. Yuck.

While the soup base is simmering, prep your garnishes. Last night I served this with quesadillas on those thick, handmade corn tortillas. I was too lazy to open a can of black beans, but a black bean quesadilla here would be great!

At the 15-20 minute point, fish out the cilantro (or at least I do so the family doesn't complain about the limp, stringy invaders) and stir in the shredded chicken. Season with salt (2 tsps?) and pepper (1/2 tsp?).

Serve in large shallow bowls with lots of room for the garnishes.

When cool, you can divide extra into containers and freeze for Saturday lunch in a few weeks.
**Just be sure to thaw in the refrigerator and reheat on the stove. those hominy could become hot little bombs and explode in the microwave.**

Hot and cheesy Stuffed Peppers (Winter version)

So it started earlier this week. It's been cold and as you know from my previous post, I am chubby and uninspired by food, and I can only make my family eat soup/salad/sandwiches for dinner so many nights in a row. At the grocery store I started in the produce section (equally uninspiring in January) and hoping to see something interesting and seasonal. Well, seasonal in Mexico anyway. Green peppers looked good, and so it occurred to me that should jump to a Summer favorite which may work better in the Winter since it is hot and cheesy.

So I made them for dinner last night, the fam chowed them, and now I am watching my husband eat the only one left for his lunch, while the delicious smell wafts across to me. Jerk.


Stuffed Peppers, as a main or side dish

Any kind of peppers you like, this time I used green and red peppers, but you can use orange, yellow or even in Summer, those long, yummy yellow Banana peppers like we ate in Greece (I'll add the real name some day). My friends Christine and Paul grow them on their ranch and I am so psyched when they leave a bag on my doorstep! Plan on one half per person as a side, or at least one full pepper per adult as a main dish.
Assorted vegetables, diced small to the same size...last night was mushrooms, onions, broccoli, carrots, asparagus, edamame, zucchini...whatever you've got on hand, about three cups total when combined. Same goes for fresh herbs, if you have some, chop them up. Oregano, Rosemary, parsley are ones that I have used.
Garlic or garlic powder if you are feeling lazy like I was last night. Hey, don't judge.
A cup or so of cooked ricer or other grain. This time I used brown rice because I had it on hand, but healthy options include pre-cooked quinoa, barley, hell even leftover take out rice or fried rice would be great.
About a pound of ground meat: chicken or turkey is what I typically use, but even Italian sausage would be awesome, yet defeat the point of trying to make this healthy.
A can of tomato sauce or diced tomatoes. Although I love them (family and tomatoes), my family has chunky tomato issues so I usually just use sauce to keep the complaints down.
Other seasoning, like a pre-blended Italian or low/no sodium herb seasoning blend. And a few big shakes of Emeril's seasoning (topic for whole other blog!), salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 375º, lightly oil a shallow baking dish to fit how many peppers you plan to make. Open can of tomatoes and put a few large spoonfuls into dish to cover bottom
Set a pot of water to boil. Wash and cut around the stem of each pepper, pull it out and discard. Slice in half horizontally, pull/trim out ribs. Put peppers into boiling water until a bit soft, maybe 5 mins. Remove with tongs, and arrange peppers in dish on top of sauce, cut half open like a cup.

Meanwhile add a few slugs of olive oil to a large sauté pan and cook ground meat of choice until cooked through, add in diced vegetables and herbs, and cook all together another several minutes, 10 maybe, until cooked but not soft/mushy. Season with the dried herb mix, salt and pepper. Pretty generous seasoning here.

In a large bowl, put your cooked grain and heat a few minutes in microwave if it's cold.
Transfer meat/veggie sauté to this bowl and add several spoons of your tomatoes. Mix together, taste for seasoning, and add more tomatoes if mixture is dry. Should be moist but not saucy or drippy. Spoon this into your blanched pepper shells and top with another spoon of tomato sauce.

Cover with foil and bake about 30-40 mins until sauce in pan is bubbling.

Remove the foil, top with grated cheese and return to oven (under broiler if you like) for another 5-8 mins until melted. Keep a close eye on it if you broil it so that it doesn't burn (like the countless garlic breads I have incinerated).

I served this last night as a side dish with some baked chicken breasts covered in herbs (baked at the same time!) and everyone was satisfied...I felt relatively healthy, no complaints from the husb who insists most meals include meat, bacon or are smothered with cheese, or my daughter who didn't even notice I had snuck in brown rice.
Nice.

What's for dinner?

Yeah it is usually my family asking this question, but more often these days it is my friends asking me what to make for dinner. And this week, it has been me asking around...do you feel this way too? It's the first week in January, I am feeling fat and unhealthy after eating and cooking my way through the last three holiday weeks, and pretty much uninspired by food. Shocking for me, I know. So here goes my attempt to inspire my friends and re-inspire myself.