Pasta and Eggs

This was just phenomenal. Take pasta, take chicken, take frozen veggies, add egg at the end, and you have a hell of an unusual and surprisingly tasty dinner.

You might not think it if you look at it, but damn, that's one hell of a combination. Playing around in the experimental kitchen is one of my favorite things, and sometimes it even works out well! Enjoy!

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 servings cooked pasta, al dente
1 chicken breast, cubed and cooked
1 cup frozen veggies
2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Combine chicken, pasta, and veggies in a pan on medium heat.

2. Once heated, add beaten egg, salt, and pepper, and scramble.

3. Turn heat to low and let sit after a minute. Scramble again until eggs are done. Add more salt and pepper as needed.

Plethora of Roasted Vegetables

Sometimes a whole boatload (baking sheet load) of vegetables just sounds amazing. It's the right pizzazz to really take that meal to the next level. Plus, it's good for you (or so I'm told).

And what's better than a whole mess of roasted veggies? So just take whatever vegetables you want, preferably something from the rainbow of food colors, toss a little oil and salt and complimentary seasonings, and roast those suckers till tender. Add to some leftover chicken and mmm mmm. Enjoy!

Ingredients

red cabbage
carrots
garlic
green beans
radish
sweet potatoes
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cut harder vegetables into bite-size pieces. (the thinner they are, the quicker they'll cook.)

2. Toss with the oil and seasonings.

3. Place in a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven until tender (about 30-45 minutes).

4. Add any extra seasoning once done.

Thanksgiving Recipes

We made 3 dishes to take over to a friend's place for Thanksgiving - Garlicky Baked Butternut Squash, Green Bean Casserole, and Smashed Potatoes with Garlic. It took a couple hours to prepare everything, but we had a wonderful time doing it and everything turned out great. And isn't that all that really matters?

Italian 3 Bean Salad

3 Bean Salad is delicious. A staple of picnics and potlucks, it can be a satisfying side because of the high amount of protein and fiber - it's just chock full of the stuff!

It can be quick and easy too if you're using canned beans, though I like to go a more wholesome route and do it with dried beans from scratch. There's something about the aroma of a pot of beans that I love.

So pack a picnic basket full of this and a sandwich (plus maybe a bottle of wine) for a lovely day out. Enjoy!

Shrimp Fried Rice

What's your favorite kind of fried rice?

I have a thing for fried rice. I used to be able to eat an ungodly amount once upon a midnight dreary. But those days are long gone. Now I just enjoy it every now and then and in less ungodly portions.

My personal favorite kind of fried rice is Thai. There's just something about it that I can't help but love. So when we make it at home I try to add in the little flavors that I think make it Thai. Like fish sauce. MMM!

If you don't have any on hand, it's pretty cheap to pick up at your local Asian market. Be careful, some brands have a lot more sodium than others, if you're watching that kind of thing. It's all about the flavor, not the salt, with fish sauce.

What's your favorite kind of fried rice?

Mexican Rice, Spiced Black Beans, and Turmeric Corn

I really liked how simple each of these dishes are to make. If I was just making one of them, it would almost be too easy! When all three are going though, there's a lot to be done.

They're great dishes. The beauty is that each could be a side to something bigger, say enchiladas or chilaquiles. Or each could be combined with the others and then you'd have a fantastically healthy Mexican meal on your hands. You gotta love the power of beans and rice and veggies. Enjoy!

Mexican Rice, Spiced Black Beans, and Turmeric Corn

Yield: Serves 3-4
Ingredients

• Mexican Rice
• 
  
• 1 cup white rice (long grain, if possible)
• 2 cloves garlic (or 1/2-1 teaspoon garlic powder)
• 1/2 onion
• 1 can tomatoes, drained (or tomato juice)
• oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups water (none if using tomato juice, unless necessary at the end)
• 
  
• Spiced Black Beans
• 
  
• 16 oz bag dried black beans
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried celery
• 1 teaspoon dried onion
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• black pepper, to taste
• 
  
• Turmeric Corn
• 
  
• 1 can corn
• 1/5 pack assorted frozen veggies (peas, carrots, green beans)
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• splash lemon juice
• water

Cooking Directions

1. Mexican Rice
3. In a pan, toast the rice on medium heat until brown (but not burnt!) with the minimal amount of oil. Stir frequently!
4. Just before it's done, toss in the onion and garlic for one to two minutes.
5. Add everything else in the pan and stir to incorporate.
6. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes.
8. Spiced Black Beans
10. Prepare beans as directed, sifting to ensure that there are no rocks.
11. Toss in the seasonings (except the black pepper) and cook.
12. Add black pepper when finished cooking, if desired.
13. 
    
14. Turmeric Corn
16. Drain 1 can of corn and heat in a pan with the frozen veggies.
17. Add the turmeric, lemon juice, and any water as needed until thoroughly heated.

Light Turkey and Veggie Pasta in Garlic Olive Oil

This is the first dish I ever learned how to cook on my own. It's a shame that I'm only getting around to it now, though it has been a while since I made it last.

I was just starting out in the working world, going to college, and having to fend for myself out in the world. Luckily, I worked for a family friend at a small business, and she took time out of her day one afternoon to teach me how to make one the simplest pasta dishes she knew (but also something that could impress the ladies, if I remember her reasons correctly).

So this dish was thrown together in front of me in under 15 minutes. I was so shocked! Not only because it was so delicious, but because it looked great too. It's very light but packs a lot of flavor. A couple ingredients can, and have, been changed over the years (like turkey and sometimes the veggies), but the core of it remains the same.

I must stress one thing here: you MUST get freshly grated parmesan for this. It makes all the difference. Enjoy!