Ma Whats For Dinner?» whole wheat pasta

Salad Week – Pesto Pasta Salad

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 11:00:43 +0000

This is one of our favorite recipes.

You can make it quickly by taking some help from the store…

In other words,

Pick up a container of pesto sauce and a rotisserie chicken.

Or make ‘em from scratch…

That’s how we roll, yo…

Pesto Pasta Salad

WHAT YOU NEED:

1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

6 cloves of garlic, divided

4 cups fresh basil leaves

1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 T divided

1 T fresh lemon juice

1 cup parmesan cheese

S&P

1 box whole wheat rotini or ziti

1 cups cooked chicken, diced

1 large zucchini, diced

1 yellow squash, diced

1/2 cup yellow green beans

WHAT TO DO:

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Season with salt when boiling and cook pasta until al dente.

Meanwhile in the bowl of a food processor combine toasted pine nuts and garlic. Pulse quickly, about 10-15 seconds. Next add in basil and a pinch of S&P.

Turn the food processor on and allow basil to be chopped. Next stream in olive oil, slowly, until well combined. Add in lemon juice. Pulse it again and add in parmesan cheese. Once it is all combined set aside until your pasta is done.

2 minutes before pasta will be finished toss in your yellow green beans. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water (I always save a cup of water in case my sauce needs to be thinned out a bit.)

In a separate skillet heat the remaining tablespoon olive oil over high heat. Chop remaining garlic clove and add it to the oil. Just before the garlic begins to brown add in your zucchini and squash. Cook for about 5 minutes, until it begins to soften up.

In a large bowl, pour half of your pesto sauce. Pour pasta and veggies on top of the sauce. Top with chicken. Pour remaining sauce on top and mix well. Season with S&P if necessary.

Quick and Easy Pasta Week – Spicy Chicken Sausage and Veggies

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 11:00:32 +0000

It’s quick pasta week…

Part Deux!

How about an organic chicken sausage and whole wheat deal for ya?

It’s delicious…

Good for you…

And quick!

How’s that for a slam dunk?

Spicy Chicken Sausage and Veggies with Whole Wheat Pasta

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 package Organic Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage, sliced (I used Bilinsky’s)

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1 large zucchini, sliced

1 large onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

S&P

1 jar Francesco Rinaldi ToBe Healthy Spicy Marinara Sauce

1 box whole wheat pasta

Chopped basil and oregano for garnish

Grated parmesan cheese for garnish

WHAT TO DO:

Set a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Cook pasta to package directions. Be sure to salt your water before you put your pasta in! Cook to al dente, then drain water and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Toss in your sausage and cook until nicely browned. About 7 minutes or so.

Once your sausage is nice and browned, add in your zucchini, onions, and garlic. Season with S&P. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes or so, until your veggies start to soften up.

After your veggies are soft add in your pasta sauce and bring mixture up to a boil. Once it boil, knock it back to a simmer and wait until your pasta is ready.

Combine your whole wheat pasta with the sauce and serve.

Top with chopped herbs and cheese.

Light n Lively Meatballs

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 14:21:44 +0000

Ever make chicken or turkey meatballs and have them end up all dry on you?

Well check this out!

These meatballs are good for you and your waistline….

They are totally juicy and delicious.

Best part is that you cook them in their own sauce.

You’ll never eat regular meatballs again!

Light n Lively Meatballs

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 pound ground chicken breast

1 small eggplant

3 T chicken stock

1/2 small onion, grated

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 egg white

1/3 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

S&P

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling

1 jar store bought spaghetti sauce (We use Francesco Rinaldi ToBe Healthy Tomato Basil Sauce)

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 box whole wheat pasta cooked to al dente

WHAT TO DO:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and set a pot of water on high for your pasta. Season your water with salt and cook pasta according to package directions.

Cut your eggplant in half and place on a baking sheet. Cook on 425 for about 10 – 15 minutes until soft. Allow to cool a bit then scrape out the yummy eggplant from it’s skin and add to a large bowl. Knock back the heat on your oven to 375.

To the bowl with the eggplant add in your chicken, chicken stock, grated onion, chopped garlic, egg white, bread crumbs, parsley, parmesan cheese, and S&P. Mix well to combine.

Grab a muffin pan. Yes a muffin pan! Place a healthy spoonful of sauce into each muffin well.

Next, form your meat mixture into golf sized meatballs and place on top of the sauce in the muffin wells. The boys each took a row for themselves and made their share.

Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. I like to flip the meatballs mid cooking process so they get all covered with sauce.

Serve on top of pasta and with a side salad and you’ve got a meal everyone will love and feel good about!

CSA Special – Pasta with turkey bacon, peas, and dandelion greens

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 11:00:25 +0000

I was so excited to see dandelion greens in our Stone Gardens Farm CSA box this week.

I love to pair them up with a pasta.

Then my aunt mentioned her quick go to pasta was with turkey bacon and peas….

Hmmm, sounds like a match made in heaven!

This is a delicious and quick dish that’s good for you and tastes great!

The boys loved the sweetness of the peas and I love the smoky turkey bacon and whole wheat pasta.

Make a big batch and keep it in the fridge…

Makes a great quick lunch with a salad!

Super easy…

Super quick…

Super delicious!

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 box whole wheat pasta (I like fusilli)

1 t extra virgin olive oil

4 slices organic turkey bacon (We use Applewood Farms)

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup english peas (you could use frozen, I had fresh on hand)

1 bunch dandelion greens

S&P

1 cup of pasta water (if necessary)

parmesan cheese

WHAT TO DO:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with salt. Add your pasta and cook to al dente according to package instructions. When you have about 2 minutes left to cook grab a cup of the cooking water and set aside.

While the pasta cooks, heat a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add in your olive oil and then toss in your bacon. Cook til crisp, about 7-8 minutes. Toss in your garlic and let cook for another minute. Add in peas and dandelion greens, and season with S&P. Let the sauce simmer for a few minutes and then add in your pasta water.

Drain your pasta and toss in the sauce. Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese and serve.

YUM!!!

Get Healthy Week – Chicken with whole wheat penne and veggies

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Tue, 17 May 2011 11:00:29 +0000

It’s spring time!

That means summer is coming.

You know what that gets me thinking of?

Bathing suits.

I’m so not ready to start slipping into a bikini!

So we’re getting healthy this week.

And eating delicious at the same time.

Check out this quick and healthy meal….

CHICKEN WITH WHOLE WHEAT PENNE AND VEGGIES

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 box whole wheat penne

2 T olive oil

2 zucchini, halved and sliced thin

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic

4 scallions, diced

2 chicken breasts, pounded thin and sliced into bite sized pieces

1/2 t red pepper flakes

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts

1/2 cup chicken stock

10 basil leaves, torn

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

S&P

WHAT TO DO:

Bring a large pasta pot of water to boil. Add the penne and cook to al dente.

While the pasta cooks heat a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add 1 T of your olive oil.

Toss in your zucchini, mushrooms, garlic, scallions, lemon zest and red pepper flakes. Season with a bit of S&P and let your veggies soften up.

After about 5 minutes, remove veggies to a plate and set aside.

Add remaining oil to the pot.

Season your chicken with S&P and add it to the hot pan. Cook chicken on both sides until brown and cooked through, about 8 minutes or so. Squeeze lemon juice over the chicken and add the veggies back in. Add in your artichoke hearts and chicken stock scraping up any brown bits left on the bottom of the pan.

Drain your pasta (reserve a cup of the pasta liquid in case you’d like to add more to your sauce) and toss pasta with the chicken/veggie sauce. Sprinkle on your parmesan cheese, basil, and pine nuts.

Viola! Quick easy healthy meal!

Our New York Minutes

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 11:00:42 +0000

If you Don’t live in the New York area don’t fret…you can still check us out on New York Nonstop’s Moms and the City and a Dad named David.

Check out our NY debut here…

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/video.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the Connecticut Style piece.

Italian Cheeseburger Macaroni

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 14:00:28 +0000

As many of you know, the hubs favorite food on the planet is Hamburger Helper. Seriously, he loves it. His favorite of all time is the Cheeseburger Macaroni. And when I cook up a meal for him and he really loves it he always asks me with love sparkling in those beautiful green eyes of his, if this is in fact, Hamburger Helper. It’s his equivalent of a 5 star rating. Isn’t he cute? Anyway, since all my boys love that creepy oversized white glove so much I thought I’d toss together an italian version of their favorite meal. Give it a go, it’ll be your favorite too!

Best thing about this dish is you can make it in advance and leave it in the fridge to take out and make when you get home after a long day at the playground and everyone is hungry and tired and you don’t feel like cooking because the dog pulled out the trash can and now you have to clean the kitchen and still give everyone a bath and dinner and all you want to do is pour a big glass of wine and watch who Ali chooses on The Bachelorette and dinner is the last thing on your mind…not that I would know anything about that. This is totally hypothetical, I’m just saying.

Italian Cheeseburger Macaroni

Serves: 6 Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes

2 T olive oil

1 lb ground beef

½ large onion, chopped

1 can diced tomato

1 clove garlic, chopped

8 oz mushrooms sliced thin

½ T dried oregano

1 t dried red pepper flakes

1 lb whole wheat penne pasta

3 T butter unsalted

3 T all purpose flour

3 cups whole milk

1/2 t fresh grated nutmeg

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Set a large pot of water over high heat to boil for your pasta. In large skillet heat olive oil over medium high heat. When oil is hot add in onions and mushroom and sautee until soft. About 6 minutes or so. When they are soft add in garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook for anadditional minutes. Add in your ground beef and cook until brown, about 5 minutes. Once meat has browned toss in the tomato, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Season again with S&P and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan melt butter over medium high heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk, and bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly. Once the milk has thickened add in nutmeg and season with S&P. Reduce to medium low heat and melt in cheddar and swiss cheeses. Allow to cook on low for a few minutes.

When water is boiling season water with salt and add pasta. Note package cooking time and reduce by 2 minutes, the macaroni will continue cooking in the oven later. Once pasta is cooked, drain and return to pot. Toss the penne with cheese mixture.

Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and pour half of the pasta mixture into the bottom of the dish. Spoon the Italian burger mixture over the top in an even layer. Then cover with remaining pasta. Top with additional cheddar cheese if desired. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes and enjoy!

Kickin’ Chicken Stroganoff

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:05:11 +0000

This recipe is a sure fire hit. I gave this one to my friend Shelbi to try on her family chock full o’ picky eaters. Her four year old not only finished his plate for the first time he asked for seconds. She cried. Then I cried. Try it and let me know if you cry! Little story for ya. The hubs is a real meat and potatoes kind of guy. He’s not into fancy cooking and doesn’t get excited much about food. The first time I served up this puppy and he quickly polished off his first plate and looked at me with big eyes and a silly grin and said, “is this hamburger helper?” Now, some may consider that an insult but I know my guy…that was the biggest compliment he could ever give me. Don’t get between that man and his cheeseburger macaroni!

Serves: 4 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 25 minutes

1 lb ground chicken

2 T butter, divided

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, sliced

1 c mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 10 oz can low sodium cream of mushroom soup

½ c chicken stock

1 T Worcestershire Sauce

¾ c sour cream

S&P

¼ c chopped parsley

1 bag whole wheat egg noodles

Set a large pot of water to boil for your noodles. In a large skillet heat 1 T butter and olive oil over medium high heat. Add in ground chicken and allow to brown. Once chicken is browned toss in your onions, mushrooms and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes or until your vegetables begin to soften. Next add in the soup, chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, and season with S&P. Bring to a boil then turn the heat down to low and allow to simmer while your pasta cooks.

When water is boiling, flavor your water with a handful of salt then add in pasta. Cook to package directions, usually about 8 minutes. Drain and toss with remaining T butter.

Remove stroganoff from heat and stir in sour cream and parsley. Top noodles with stroganoff sauce and serve with roasted veggies.