Mad Hungry- Arrabiata Sauce

I was looking for some yummy vegetarian recipes for this week's menu when I decided to check over my half-forgotten "To-Cook" list. Most of the recipes left to try are meaty, which I'm not opposed to, but haven't really been in search of lately. However, the entry "Arrabiata Sauce" remained unchecked and I decided that it was finally time to cross it off. I snatched this recipe from Poco-Cocoa long ago. And then proceeded to not make it until now. But now that I have I will definitely be making it again. I still have a little left in the fridge, which I can't wait to reheat because when I made this earlier in the week I was dealing with some sinus stuff and I don't think I was capable of taking in the full flavor. But, even with sinuses, I could tell that it was good stuff, spicy stuff. I followed Crystal's tips for making it and it came out great.

Arrabiata Sauce
Recipe from Poco-Cocoa; Makes 3 cups

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry red wine or 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• Heat oil in a saucepan or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute 5 minutes. Stir in wine and next 8 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, uncovered, about 15 minutes. Stir in parsley.

My notes: Crystal used the balsamic vinegar, and used 1/2 teaspoon of oregano in place of the Italian seasoning, both of which I did because that's what I had on hand. She mentioned wishing the sauce was thicker, so I tossed one of my cans of tomatoes into the blender before adding it in. Sort of resulted in the really seedy appearance of my sauce, but it coated the pasta a little better. Think next time I'll try crushed tomatoes. I only used about a tablespoon of fresh parsley, and it was a bit overpowering to me. But again, my taste buds weren't 100%, so that might be part of it. I used just under a tablespoon of fresh basil, and tossed in about 1/4 teaspoon of dry, just for good measure. I really like basil. :)

Fettuccine with Mustard Greens

Again guys, sorry about the longer time between posts. I've been trying to make sure I get something up at the start of the week, but I seemed incapable of remembering to upload my recipe pics. Finally accomplished that last night so I can share something new! Here's another recipe that had been on my to-cook list for quite some time. I found the recipe on Everybody Likes Sandwiches, and she got it from the long gone and sorely missed Poco-Cocoa blog *EDIT*: I'm a super dummy and just found out that Crystal started blogging again, and not that long after she had actually stopped. At least I know now and can pillage through her recipes once again!* It seemed like a really nice simple recipe for a weeknight (which it was), and an opportunity to cook with a new-to-me ingredient, mustard greens. So, it made the jump from "to-cook" to "eaten" status. I served it with a salad and some roasted carrots.

Fettuccine with Mustard Greens
Recipe from Everybody Likes Sandwiches; Serves 4














250g fettuccine
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 lb mustard greens, washed & trimmed
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
pepper

• Prepare pasta according to package directions. Make sure to salt the water because that's the only salt you'll find in this recipe.
• In a large skillet, heat up olive oil and butter. Add garlic and saute until fragrant and slightly golden. Add mustard greens, tearing them into bite sized pieces. Saute until bright green. Add drained pasta to skillet along with the lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of Parmesan and a few grinds of fresh pepper. Toss and serve with remaining Parmesan cheese.

My notes: I wanted to use whole wheat pasta and there wasn't any whole wheat fettuccine at the store when doing my shopping, so I grabbed some linguine instead. And as you can tell, I may have added a little more cheese than was called for on top. ;) Fresh Parmesan, can you blame me?

Dinner Rerun

Another reason there haven't been as many posts is that I've been doing a lot of repeat recipes. Monday night I made one of my more common repeat recipes, Penne with Zucchini and Feta. It's such an easy dinner to make, coming together really quickly with minimal prep work. Definitely a Monday kind of meal. I originally got the recipe from poco-cocoa, which has unfortunately been laid to rest. I wish I had had the time to print off all her recipes before that happened. Oh well. This is a dish that she got from Cooking Light, but with her adjustments. I don't have a picture for two reasons- It's one of those meals that really doesn't photograph that well, and I was so hungry I didn't even think about taking a picture. I just wanted to dive right in! Obviously it's not peak zucchini time right now, but it's one of my favorite veggies to work with so as long as I can find decent ones in the store I'm going to keep cooking with them.

Penne with Zucchini & Feta
Recipe adapted from Cooking Light; Serves 4 (although we ate it all Monday night, ha)

8 ounces uncooked penne
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise an sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2/3 cup (about 2 1/2 ounces) crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oregano, zucchini, and garlic; saute 3 minutes. Stir in broth, rind, juice, and pepper. Add drained pasta and cheese; toss well.

Playing Catch Up

Oh, woe is me. I'm not doing very well at keeping up with my resolution. I am not having much success with the food photography. I need a better camera, although Josh seems to disagree with me. We'll have to get a better camera eventually cause I want to be able to take real pictures on all the vacations I keep planning. That is assuming we will ever actually get to go on them. I digress. One of the biggest issues, I think, with my food pictures is that everything I seem to read says one of the keys to great food pics is natural light. And by the time I have dinner done the sun is far away. And while dinner by moonlight is romantic, it doesn't create the best pictures. Oh well, hopefully as winter turns to spring and summer I will have more opportunities to catch my food basking in the warm glow of the evening sun. Anyway, last week, after the great Red Beans & Rice on Monday I made:

Parmesan Pork Chops w/ Roasted Zucchini & Thyme
Salmon Burgers
Penne with Zucchini & Feta

Most things came out great. The pork chops had issues, mainly because I used pork chops instead of the pork tenderloin cutlets the recipe called for. I happened to have some very thin pork chops in the freezer, so that's what I used. They have more fat than a pork cutlet would, and I think the fat prevented the breading from sticking too well. Also, I probably could have used more flour. It tasted good, but the breading would just sort of release while you were cutting your chop. I'll try the recipe once more with the proper ingredients before I write it off.

The salmon burgers were delicious as always. I enjoyed the one I had for dinner, and the one I had for lunch the next day.

The Penne with Zucchini & Feta is a prime example of how easily I can create food biases. While making it I was a bit iffy. Especially when I measured out the vegetable broth I needed. That stuff smelled absolutely horrible to me! But I dredged on through the recipe. As I was getting the last of the ingredients in it started to smell pretty good, aside from the vegetable broth I could still detect. When I sat down at the table to eat I was nervous. I had my first bite and thought, "Hey, this isn't totally vomit-inducing." By the time I had reached the bottom of my bowl I was quite pleased with what I had just inhaled. It reminds me of another pasta dish w/ lemon & feta that first time around I didn't think I liked that much. Lo and behold just a month or so down the line I found myself craving it, as did Josh. It's always nice when I can tell my tastebuds are growing. Anyway, I got the recipe from Poco-Cocoa who recently just called a time-out on her blog, which is a damn shame, it was one of my favorites. And she got the recipe from Cooking Light magazine. So, here is the recipe, and if you want to see a pic of it, I suggest you click here because my pics were pretty crap.

Penne with Zucchini and Feta

8 ounces uncooked penne
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise an sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2/3 cup (about 2 1/2 ounces) crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oregano, zucchini, and garlic; saute 3 minutes. Stir in broth, rind, juice, and pepper. Add drained pasta and cheese; toss well.

Makes 4 servings.