What's for Dinner this Wednesday is another original recipe that reminds me of fall but really makes a tasty dinner any time of year- Fall Harvest Pasta.
Ingredients: 4 oz chicken breast, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground nutmeg, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1/2 an apple, 1/2 cup of grapes, 1/4 cup of pecans, 1 Tbs olive oil (not pictured), pasta.
Dice the chicken, fruit, and nuts, then saute in olive oil with all the spices on med-high heat until the chicken is cooked and the fruit is soft (15-20 minutes).
Serve over your favorite pasta (Note: I would recommend a thicker noodle than angel-hair), and enjoy!
It's another What's for Dinner Wednesday, and since it's the holiday season, tonight I'd like to share with you my original, Elf inspired dessert- Maple Syrup Pasta.
Ingredients: 1/2 an apple, 1/2 cup grapes, 2 tablespoons pecans, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 teaspoon ginger, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 tablespoon butter, 1/4 cup maple syrup, cooked pasta.
Chop up the fruit and nuts, and saute in butter and spices till the fruit is soft:
Stir in the syrup to warm it. Poor the sauce over cooked pasta, and enjoy!
This may sound a bit odd, but trust me- Buddy the Elf knew what he was doing when he combined maple syrup and pasta!
It's time for our What's for Dinner Wednesday post. Tonight's dish works well cold, hot, or room temperature...as a side or the main course: Pasta Salad.
Ingredients: 1 box of hearty pasta noodles (Rotini, Penne, etc.), 2 Roma tomatoes, 1/4 of a medium onion, 1 green bell pepper, 1-2 cups of Italian dressing.
Chop the tomatoes, pepper, and onion up finely and place in a gallon-sized zipper storage bag with 1/2 - 3/4 cup of the dressing. Seal the bag and shake it up to coat the veggies with the dressing. Place the bag in the fridge while you make the pasta (or longer; I let mine marinade overnight):
Cook the pasta and allow to cool. Put the pasta in the bag with the veggies and add the remaining desired amount of dressing (1/2 to 1 1/2 cups). Seal the bag again and gently shake/massage to evenly distribute the veggies and coat the pasta with dressing. Refrigerate, serve, or reheats as desired. Enjoy!
The colors in this dish make it a great candidate for a holiday side-dish!
It's Wednesday once again, and tonight I'd like to share with you my Garden's Bounty Pasta. This dish is a quick vegetarian meal that works well with whatever veggies you have on-hand.
Ingredients: pasta (go healthy with wheat!), 1 zucchini, a handful of green beans, 1/4 of a medium onion, 1/2 - 1 cup of pasta sauce, 2 tablespoons olive oil (not pictured), 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (not pictured), mozzarella cheese (not pictured), and salt and pepper (not pictured).
While the pasta is cooking, chop up the veggies and toss them in a large skillet with the oil and seasonings:
Cook the veggies until just tender, then add the pasta sauce. Serve the veggie sauce over the noodles with some mozzarella cheese:
Enjoy!
It's that time again, folks: What's for Dinner Wednesday! Today we'll look at a very lite pasta dish for two that we absolutely love: Lemon Pepper Chicken Pasta.
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons olive oil (lemon infused is fantastic), 1 tomato (diced), 6-8 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast (chopped), 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning, pasta (cooked), 1 teaspoon salt (not pictured), 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (not pictured).
Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to a medium skillet on medium-high. Add the chicken, garlic powder, lemon pepper seasoning, Italian seasoning, and salt. Cook until the chicken is done (approximately 15 minutes), stirring occasionally. Turn the heat down to low-medium, and add the tomato and the remaining olive oil; allow the mixture to cook for 2-5 more minutes until the tomato softens a bit:
Add cooked, drained noodles to the skillet, and toss in the mixture, coating the noodles in the oil and mixing in the chicken and tomatoes. Then enjoy!
When I say "macaroni and cheese," Mr. Poe does not typically think "meal"...but I think I've developed a pretty monstrous Macaroni and Cheese dish. Again, I don't measure very much, so taste as you go and make this your own!
Ingredients: 1 box macaroni noodles, 1/4 cup diced onion, 8 oz diced chicken (not shown), 1 can petite diced tomatoes (drained, not shown), 3 Tbs olive oil (divided), 3 cups milk, 2 Tbs flour (not shown), 2 tbs pepper (not shown), 2 tbs salt (not shown), 2 tbs garlic powder (not shown), 1/2 tsp nutmeg (not shown), 2-3 cups cheese (divided, any kind).
While boiling the noodles, add 1 Tbs of the olive oil, chicken and onion in a 10" skillet. Cook over med heat until the chicken is fully cooked and the onions are transparent.
Remove the chicken and onions from the skillet, and add the remaining 2 Tbs of olive oil and 2 Tbs of flour. Whisk together to make a roux, and cook for 1-2 min. Add milk and seasonings, whisking occasionally on med-high until thickened slightly.
Add all but 1/2 cup of the cheese, whisking frequently until well combined. Remove from the heat, and add the drained tomatoes, cooked chicken and onions. Toss with tongs. Pour pasta in a large casserole dish; dump cheese mixture over the noodles and toss again until well coated. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly. Then serve...mmm mmm good!
