Healthy Pasta Bake

Sorry for the late blog post-- work has been hectic lately. However, I managed to try a new recipe last week. This pretty inexpensive and fairly easy to make. This pasta bake was delicious. I recommend making this for a large group of people, unless you don't mind having a lot of leftovers.

**I used two bunches of Asparagus, which was probably a little over a pound. I cut the asparagus in halves after I steamed it in order to make it easier to eat and dish out. For the chicken, I cooked 3 chicken breast, which equaled a pound, in 4 tablespoons of Olive Oil in a Deep Frying Pan. However, I'm sure you could buy a cooked chicken and cut it up, if you needed to save some time. Feel free to add more cheese, if needed.

Ingredients:
1 lb Asparagus- Steamed
1 1b of pasta (penne, zitti, or rigatoni)
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 lb Chicken Breast- Cubed and Cooked
1/2 Cup Sargento 6 cheese Italian Blend
1 tablespoon of garlic, minced (feel free to add more if you like garlic)

Materials:
Large casserole pan
Measuring cup
Serrated knife
Serving spoon
Large, deep frying pan (to cook the chicken)
Tablespoon



Add all ingredients into a 9 x13 pan (or large casserole pan) and stir to combine. 
Top with Cheese and Broil for 10-12 minutes at 400°F or until cheese is golden

Killer Tomatoes

Sorry for the late blog update y'all! I have some good news. I will be posting two other recipes this week. 

The other week, I decided to make a recipe I saw on Pinterest with tomatoes that was originally intended for peppers. However, I kind of tweaked the recipe! Y'all know I get bored following exact recipes unless it's for baking, which is a different story. I used feta cheese, but goat cheese or mozzarella would work well too! I only cooked them until the cheese was golden brown and the tomatoes were soft, but I would recommend cooking them for a little bit longer until the cheese starts to melt. This would be a great item for a tailgate or football party because each person gets their own individual tomato to eat. Adjust the number of tomatoes you need to make based on the size of your party. 

**Please note that the measurements below are for each tomato, and NOT for all 3 as a whole.

Servings: 3

Ingredients:
3 medium sized heirloom tomatoes 
1 tablespoon of feta per tomato, or to taste
1-1/2 teaspoons per tomato of mixed bell pepper, diced (use 1 yellow, 1 green, and 1 red)
1-1/2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) per tomato to coat inside and outside
Pepper, to taste per tomato
Pinch of salt per tomato

Materials:
Cutting board
Serrated knife
Sharp knife
Cookie sheet
Tin Foil
Parchment Paper

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Line a cookie sheet with tin foil and parchment paper placing the parchment paper on the top.

Wash the Tomatoes, and cut off the small bit at the bottom and a circle around the bad bit at the top. Make sure that you cut a hole deep enough at the top to fill the tomato(es) up with cheese and peppers.

Place the tomatoes on the cookie sheet lined with parchment and tin foil and pour the EVOO inside and out, coating the tomato.

Next, put half of the feta measurement on the bottom. Add the mixed bell pepper on top of the cheese.

Add the rest of the feta on top (or enough to cover the bell pepper). Top with salt and pepper.

Cook for 20 mins or until tomatoes are soft and cheese is cooked.

Salmon Salad

I have to say that Salmon is one of my favorite dishes. I was telling my boyfriend how I wanted to make some recipes that would be perfect for tailgating for Football (American Football) Season. This recipe is by Barefoot Contessa. I will have to say that the recipe takes a long time if you  cook the salmon yourself, which is what I did (you're looking at about 3 and a half hours because you have to cook, cool, and chill the salmon).  However, it is completely worth the wait. The best part is there is no mayo in this recipe, so it's really healthy.  You can eat it either on top of a salad or make it more of a gourmet sandwich using baguette bread or a nice roll.

How to cook the Salmon: 

I baked the salmon, which I coated in Extra Virgin Olive Oil and topped with sea salt and ground black pepper, in the oven at 400 °F  for 35 mins. I let it cool for 30 minutes before I cut it up into chunks (removing any skin and bones) and placed it into a large mixing bowl, which I refrigerated for an hour. 

Ingredients:

2 pounds of salmon, chilled

1 cup small- diced celery (3 stalks)

1/2 cup small- diced red onion (1 small red onion)

2 tablespoons minced fresh dill

2 tablespoons capers, drained

2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar

2 tablespoons good olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Materials:

Large mixing Bowl

Tablespoons/teaspoons

Measuring Cup

Large Wooden spoon to mix everything together

Cutting board

Serrated knife

Sharp Knife

Break the salmon into very large flakes, removing any skin and bones, and place the salmon in a bowl. Add the celery, red onion, dill, capers, raspberry vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Season, to taste.  Mix well and serve cold or at room temperature. 

Caramelized Brussel Sprouts

Last week, I decided to try something new. I was sick of eating my usual vegetables, so I thought outside the box a little bit. I was at the grocery store and saw some local brussel sprouts that were just delivered to the store that day. Of course, I bought them. After all, buying fresh and local produce is very important to me. 

Since I've been so busy lately, I've decided to update my blog weekly. If I have more time during certain weeks, I will upload more recipes.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

6-8 brussel sprouts, cleaned, cut in half, and steamed in microwave for 2 minutes

2-3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

Materials:

Large, deep frying pan

Large microwavable dish

Wooden spoon or Tongs 

Tablespoon

Clean brussel sprouts. Before cutting them in half, chop off most of the hard bit at the end. Slice brussel sprouts in half, and steam in a large microwavable dish with a little bit of water on the bottom for 2 mins on high in the microwave.

While the brussel sprouts are steaming, place EVOO in a large, deep frying pan on the stove cooking on medium heat. Let oil get really hot before putting brussel sprouts in.  

When Brussel sprouts are done cooking in microwave, drain water, and place brussel sprouts in frying pan. Pour Balsalmic vinegar over brussel sprouts and stir. Flip after 7 minutes and continue cooking for another 7 minutes. Brussel sprouts are done when almost black in color on both sides. Balsamic should be thick and stick to the brussel sprouts.  Enjoy!