Recipe: “BLOW YOUR MIND” Healthy, No-Strain Tomato Basil Pasta!
I’ve seen this recipe floating around my Facebook page for a while, but I couldn’t ignore it anymore. It’s amazing! You just add all the ingredients into one big pot, stir and simmer until it’s fully cooked. No straining, no waste, and only takes FIFTEEN MINUTES! It’s called “Summer Pasta” because it doesn’t take a lot of work to make, but it absolutely could be made year-round (and should because it’s so healthy!). Here’s the great recipe from MyFridgeFood (check the link for calories and in the comments section for what others added for recipe ideas).
Ingredients:
- 12 oz pasta
- 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatos with liquid (You can use fresh if you would rather)
- 1 large sweet onion, cut in julienne strips
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
- 2 large sprigs basil, chopped
- 4 1/2 cups vegetable broth (regular broth and NOT low sodium)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Parmesan cheese for garnish
Directions:
- Place pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, in a large stock pot. Pour in vegetable broth. Sprinkle on top the pepper flakes and oregano. Drizzle top with oil.
- Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and keep covered and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so.
- Cook until almost all liquid has evaporated (an inch or less, as desired).
- Season to taste with salt and pepper, stirring pasta several times to distribute the liquid in the bottom of the pot.
- Serve garnished with parmesan cheese.
Baked Mini Pumpkins
Many places across the country are getting storms for Halloween! The kids (and parents!) are going to be soaked and cold after Trick-or-Treating, so make this delicious recipe for Baked Mini Pumpkins to warm up! This recipe serves 4.
Ingredients:
- 4 mini pumpkins
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1 cup diced, unpeeled apple
- 3 tablespoons chopped pecans
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- pinch nutmeg
- pinch ginger
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350`. Carefully cut off top 1/2-inch of pumpkins with a serrated knife. Scoop out seeds and membranes in pumpkins; discard. Sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon salt evenly among cavities of pumpkins.
2. Combine apple and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl; sprinkle with remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt. Stir well to combine. Fill pumpkin cavities with apple mixture. Replace tops of pumpkin on top of apple mixture.
3. Place pumpkins on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350` for 55 minutes or until pumpkins are tender when pierced with a fork.
Recipe: Copycat P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef
P.F. Chang’s is known for their delicious take on Chinese food, and their Mongolian Beef is one of their most popular dishes. Serve the Mongolian Beef with steamed broccoli and rice for a complete meal! Note: If you use a gluten-free soy sauce in this recipe, then the beef, served with broccoli and rice will be all gluten-free!
Ingredients (Serves 2):
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- vegetable oil for frying (about 1 cup)
- 1 lb flank steak
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 large green onions, sliced on the diagonal into one-inch lengths
Directions:
- Make the sauce by heating 2 tsp of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over med/low heat. Don’t let the oil get too hot.
- Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches.
- Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to about medium and boil the sauce for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Once thickened, remove sauce from heat.
- Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4″ thick bite-size slices (Note:Tilt the blade of your knife at about a forty five degree angle to the top of the steak so that you get wider cuts).
- Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef, then place on a plate. Let the beef sit for about 10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks.
- As the beef sits, heat up 1 cup of oil in a wok (Using a skillet is fine as long as the beef will be mostly covered with oil).
- Heat the oil over medium heat until it’s hot, but not smoking.
- Add the beef to the oil and sauté for just two minutes, or until the beef just begins to darken on the edges. (Note: The meat will be heated once again after this step, so it doesn’t need to be cooked thoroughly.)
- Stir the meat around a little so that it cooks evenly.
- After a couple minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels, then pour the oil out of the wok or skillet.
- Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it and simmer for one minute.
- Add the sauce, cook for one minute while stirring, then add all the green onions.
- Cook for one more minute, then remove the beef and onions with tongs or a slotted spoon to a serving plate or bowl and eave the excess sauce behind in the pan.
Recipe: Copycat Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole
One of my favorite restaurants for breakfast is Cracker Barrel, and I mean beyond the giant checker board and triangle peg games. Cracker Barrel’s Hash Brown Casserole is my favorite restaurant breakfast food. I am thrilled to have found how to make it at home!
- 8 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, divided
- 4 Tbsp all-purpose flour, divided
- ¼ tsp poultry seasoning
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
- ½ cup milk
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth, divided
- ½ cup chopped onions
- 1 (26 oz) package frozen shredded hash browns
- 1 (8 oz) package shredded colby cheese
Note: You can cut the casserole in half and bake into two 8×8″ casserole dishes, then freeze or save for later use.
- Preheat oven to 375 °F.
- In medium saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Once butter is melted, add 2 tablespoons of flour and all listed seasonings. Whisk to create a paste. Add milk, whisking as you pour. Whisk until completely combined.
- In a quart sized mason jar combine 2 tablespoons flour and chicken broth. Seal tightly and shake the living tar out of your mixture. You will create a smooth flour mixture for thickening your sauce called a slurry.
- Slowly pour slurry into mixture, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Pour soup into 9×13 casserole dish. Add remaining 6 tablespoons butter and onions. Stir until butter is melted. This will also start to cool your soup. Add cheese and frozen hash browns. Mix well with a spoon.
- Bake 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Note: You can add more cheese to the top of the casserole in the last 10 minutes of baking if desired.
- Let cool slightly, cut into 12 pieces, serve and enjoy!
Recipe: Crock Pot Veggie Pizza
Skip pickup or delivery pizza tonight. Make your own pizza at home using your crock pot. It’s true! The recipe by Simple Nourished Living (who has a huge variety of slow cooker meals, by the way) is healthy and couldn’t be easier!
Ingredients:
- 1 refrigerated pizza dough (11 to 14 ounces)
- 1 cup pizza sauce or marinara sauce
- 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
- Any sliced veggies of your choice!
Directions:
- Spray your slow cooker with cooking spray to make sure the pizza crust doesn’t stick.
- Place the dough into the crock pot and spread out onto the sides about an inch using your fingers.
- Evenly spread sauce onto the crust then put 3/4 cup of the cheese over the sauce.
- Toss in the vegetables and spread them out all over the pizza, covering it. Then put the rest of the 1/4 cup of cheese on top of the veggies.
- Cover your crock pot and cook on HIGH for 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until the crust begins to brown around the edges.
- Uncover and move lid quickly to make sure the condensation doesn’t drip onto your pizza.
- Turn off crock pot and let stand for 15 minutes.
- Using 2 spatulas, you should be able to lift it right out of the cooker.
- Cut into 8 pizza slices and enjoy!