Sun-Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Pasta

Earlier today I was looking through some old recipes that I had saved and I came across this recipe for rigatoni with sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese.  Being a member of the Badger Cheese Club with my fellow blogger, April, goat cheese has definitely become one of my favorites so I decided to adapt the recipe I found and try to make it a little bit healthier.

I learned something from cooking this meal, and that is I do not really care for sun-dried tomatoes.  The pasta is still very good though.  The red pepper flakes give the pasta a nice little kick, while the sun-dried tomatoes balance it with sweetness.  The pasta is topped with homemade whole wheat bread crumbs that add some crunch to the creamy pasta.  If I make this recipe again, I will add a little more pasta as the sauce was a little too dense for my taste, but some people may like it that way.

Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs

Ingredients

• 4 slices whole wheat bread

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Put bread slices into a food processor and run for about 25 seconds so that crumbs are fine.
3. Spread crumbs onto a baking sheet evenly and cook for about 10 minutes.  Bread crumbs should be golden brown.

(Store unused bread crumbs for future use.)

Recipe from Comfort Food Fix by Ellie Krieger

Sun-Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Pasta

Ingredients

• 8 ounces whole wheat penne noodles
• 1/3 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, cut into strips
• 1 cup skim milk
• 4 teaspoons corn starch
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 4 ounces goat cheese
• Salt to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Prepare whole wheat noodles according to package directions.
3. In a small bowl, mix whole wheat bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and pepper.  Set aside.
4. In a separate small bowl, whisk together skim milk and corn starch.  Set aside.
5. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan.
6. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and sun-dried tomatoes.  Stir for 1 minute.
7. Add milk mixture and nutmeg.  Let simmer for 2 minutes.
8. Toss in cooked noodles and goat cheese.  Add salt to taste.
9. Spread noodle mixture in a baking dish.  Sprinkle bread crumb mixture on top.
10. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.  Serve and enjoy!

Quick Sourdough Baguettes

Another recipe that was a staple in my house growing up. It is amazingly easy and quick. Unlike normal bread making, the measurements don't have to be perfect. My moms turns out wonderfully every time, and believe me she roughly measures everything.

I make this in a bread machine. Never bake your bread in one though, that is my philosophy anyways. The bread machine mixes it all up for you and provides the perfect conditions to rise in. Make sure you select the dough setting. I have found out why it wasn't rising the hard way, no fun. In its first few minutes of mixing, if it looks to dry or wet add more water or flour.

I have never tried it, but I am sure it would work just as well in a stand mixer with a dough hook. You would let it rise, covered with a damp towel, in a warm place. I find that a good place is in the oven, when it is off, with the oven light on. Let it rise for about an hour to an hour and a half. During baking, a pan with water in the oven during baking creates steam. The steam keeps the outside of the bread moist, allowing it to rise more in the first few minutes of baking. It makes a world of difference.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups warm water (microwave for 75 seconds)
1 tablespoon yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 overflowing/mounded cups of bread flour
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1. Combine ingredients in the order listed in a bread machine. Using your bread machines "dough" setting, mix and let the bread rise.
2. Preheat oven to 500F, with a small pan or ramekin with water on the bottom shelf. Remove dough from bread machine, onto a floured surface. Divide the dough into half and shape into two long cylinders. Place on a greased baking sheet or baguette pan, letting them rise until oven is heated. Bake for 15 minutes or golden. Let rest for 10 minutes before cutting.

Cinnamon Roasted Almonds

One day (like many days) I was browsing random food websites and I started coming across homemade cinnamon roasted almond recipes. I instantly thought of my dad. He loves them! Conveniently, Christmas was coming up and it would be a perfect gift for him. Especially because this year I got my parents cutting boards and oven mitts (both of which were on their list), and I feel both were a little on the girly side. Don't get me wrong though, my dad cooks, and he cooks really well! I'll have to blog his bread pork tenderloin sometime in the future.

Cinnamon Roasted Almonds
adapted from Instructables

Ingredients
1 lb raw almonds (about 3 1/2 cups)
1 egg white
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 Tbsp. butter

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees
2. Separate egg white from yoke and put in bowl. Melt butter and add to the same bowl. Add vanilla extract to the bowl as well
3. Whisk mixture with fork
4. Add the almonds. Toss until all the almonds are coated.

5. In a small bowl, add the brown sugar, white sugar, salt, and cinnamon and mix until well blended.

6. Pour the cinnamon/sugar mixture over the almonds. Stir well until the almonds are fully and evenly coated.

7. Lightly grease a cookie with oil, butter, or Pam. Spread the almonds evenly and shake gently to create one layer. 

8. Place the cookie sheet in the oven for a total of 1 hour. 

9. Stir the almonds every 20 minutes (you'll do this twice) with a large spatula. Do not worry if the coating looks melty or is coming off the almonds. The coating will harden and the stirring will help re-coat them.

10. Let cool on stovetop. Store in an airtight container.

11. Enjoy!

Chicken Fajita Pasta

Earlier this week I was trying to decide something to cook for dinner, and I came across this recipe that I had saved a couple of months ago to make at some point.  It's a pretty healthy meal to make which is great since I'm trying to eat healthier.  It ended up being pretty easy and quick to make once all of the vegetables were cut up and tasted delicious as well!

Ingredients

• 6 oz whole wheat penne noodles
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• Half of a large white onion cut into strips
• 1 green pepper cut into strips
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large chicken breast, cut into strips
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons corn starch
• 1 tomato seeded and chopped
• Reduced fat Mexican cheese

Directions

1. Start cooking pasta according to package directions.
2. In a large pan over medium heat, warm oil.
3. Add onion and pepper and sauté.
4. Once onion and pepper are softened, add minced garlic and chicken.
5. Sprinkle spices onto chicken and vegetables once chicken is almost fully cooked.
6. Whisk together chicken broth and cornstarch in a bowl and pour over chicken and vegetables.
7. Once sauce has thickened, chicken is fully cooked, and noodles are done, toss contents of the sauté pan with the noodles and tomato.
8. Top with cheese as desired.  Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Mama Grubbs Grub

Fettuccine Alfredo

This was a staple in my house when I was growing up. It was always expected at my swim team pasta parties. My friends would come over and we would make it together. Everyone would fight over getting to grate the Parmesan cheese, which I will never understand. I still make it with friends; a true comfort food for me.

This is an incredibly fast and simple pasta. It can be a one pot meal, mixing it in the same pot you cooked the noodles. The longest part of making it is cooking the noodles. Be sure you split the cream up. I almost always forget to do it, but it is not the end of the world if you forget.

Naturally, I had a friend over when I made this. We decided to increase the amount of cheese from the amount traditionally used. Excellent decision because we always end up dousing it with more anyways. I didn't feel the need to do it though, with the increase in cheese. Make sure you use freshly grated Parmesan, not the fake kind. If you don't use Parmesan regularly, it is still a good investment because it takes forever to go bad.

Ingredients:
1 pound fettuccine noodles
1 cup heavy cream, separated into 2/3 and 1/3
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg or scant 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package.
2. Combine 2/3 cream and butter in a microwavable measuring cup. Microwave on high for 1 minute, making sure it does not boil over. 
3. Drain pasta and return to same pot, pouring the cream and butter mixture over the noodles, mixing to coat the noodles. Add the remaining 1/3 cup cream, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Mix to combine and serve with additional Parmesan cheese.