Penne in Creamy Basil-Walnut Sauce

Now that I've moved, the front of my balcony faces East. I'm not certain, but I think if I can find a window box type pot that hangs over the edge of my balcony, I'll have full sun on the right side of my balcony. Possibly.

Full sun in the summer means I can plant a mess of basil, which is my favorite summertime herb. I tried growing it in my kitchen once, but because I didn't have any windows it died after only a month. A coworker also used to bring me large bunches whenever her basil started to grow like weeds in her garden, but now that I'm no longer at that job I have to come up with a new solution. My new apartment has the balcony and I think it might just work. If not, I can always grow it in pots on my mom's sun-filled deck. I might even grow a tomato plant this year. Tomatoes and basil.. yum.

Even though it's not the season for basil -- it snowed several inches over the weekend in fact -- I made a creamy pesto type pasta dish, Penne in Creamy Basil-Walnut Sauce. I bought the basil late last week for something, but it never got made. So, before it went completely bad, I tried this recipe.

Using a slice of bread to make it "creamy" seemed odd to me, but I thought, 'what the heck, it might turn out.' And you know, it wasn't bad. By all means, cream sauces with cream are better, and pesto sans cream with plenty of oil is preferable, but for a healthier for you swap it wasn't awful. I might make this again.

If anything, it made me crave warmer weather.

Tuna and Tomato Pasta

I’ve been so organized at work that I think by the end of the day, the last thing I want to do is organize things at home. Even though I moved in to my new place almost a month ago I still have piles of things in my bedroom that don’t have a “home.”

And, my body is still stuck in vacation mode. I’m up late and if given the opportunity, sleep late. Only, I have to be up early through the week – especially considering we’ve had several good snows and lots of frigid weather. I should be up even earlier to clear off my car and warm it up. But last week – not so much.

Oversleeping means I’m scattering and running around trying to get out the door on time. And, putting something out for dinner is usually what gets forgotten in the shuffle.

I’m pretty sure this Tomato and Tuna Pasta has been on my “to make” list for more than two weeks. But that ended up being fine. It’s made completely of pantry items and parsley – which I always have my fridge.

And if you like canned tuna, this isn’t bad. And best yet, you can feed four people for less than $10. I just needed to make a couple of changes to make it healthier. I used a lot less oil – if you’re using a nonstick pan you just don’t need that much to sauté garlic. And, I used half the butter. You could probably leave it out altogether. But I like the flavor it added.

Overall, not a bad for a cheap and easy meal.

Carrot Parmesan Risotto

It's certainly a nontraditional risotto, but it's actually really good. I haven't found a risotto I don't like and I'm adding this Carrot Parmesan Risotto to the list of my favorites. The carrots give this a sweetness that other risottos don't have, but it works anyhow. And you can't beat a risotto for a quick comforting meal.

I changed the recipe only slightly. Thankfully, the January/February issue of Everyday Food focuses on light recipes, so it didn't need to be lightened. But I used regular arborio rice instead of long grain white rice. I'm not sure if it was because of the rice I used, but I also had to use much more broth than the recipe called for. Luckily broth doesn't have many calories and shouldn't add points. I ended up running out of chicken broth and using half vegetable broth anyhow.

Best yet, the generous cup and a half serving comes out to 385 calories or 8 points.

Tortellini Soup

Right now I'm eating a bowl of Campbell's Select Harvest Healthy Request Italian Wedding Soup. But I wish I was eating Tortellini Soup, instead. This canned soup is not all it's cracked up to be. It's just missing *something*. Possibly salt. Or just flavor in general. I might as well be eating plain broth with pasta in it.

I bought it to have quick lunch in the event there are no leftovers to eat and because at 110 calories per cup, it's a points bargain. But for $2.50 a can it's not a price or taste bargain. The canned soups the serve in the cafeteria at my office are tastier (which isn't saying much) and cost about the about the same.

I had my doubts about this tortellini soup, but I was wrong. My mom saw this recipe and asked me to make it, but I needed to go work out and it turns out.. they didn't want to wait until 8 p.m. to eat. So my parents put together the meal while I was gone and when I got back it was ready. While I love having my own place, staying at their house hasn't been so bad. A gal could get used to being cooked for more.

We used sweet Italian turkey sausage instead of regular sausage and used less than a pound, cut the amount of green pepper by half and used jarred marinara because I didn't buy enough plain tomato sauce. I think the marinara sauce was an excellent swap, it could have been too bland using plain tomato sauce.

I'm not sure that this makes 11 servings, maybe more like 8 servings? I can't imagine that given less sausage and healthier sausage.. that the nutritional info is much different from the recipe so that's what I went by.

I'm not obsessing over points or calories this week so I wasn't too concerned. My goal on all holiday weeks isn't to lose but maintain, and I'm sure I'll do just that.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

I made this spaghetti and meatballs recipe for the first time shortly after the ex and I first decided to make the leap from "just dating" to "relationship." I made it with a salad (which he hated but pretended to like) and then made these apple turnovers for dessert.

Then the date ended early because we ended up eating two apple turnovers in addition to splitting an entire bottle of red wine. Drunk + stuffed = felt like I was going to puke.

That was his first and most certainly not last introduction to “beached whale” syndrome, which is short for lying belly up on the sofa groaning in discomfort.

So when my mom requested spaghetti and meatballs for dinner last weekend, I figured this one would go over fairly well.

Making your own spaghetti sauce can be fussy and time consuming, especially this recipe. Having it simmer for 45 minutes and then adding the meatballs for another 15 minutes of simmer? Ugh. For an hour-long process, this sauce needs to be tastier, in my opinion. Don’t they know I have a short attention span?

This isn’t quite as good as my favorite marinara, but my mom liked it because it was lighter and fresher tasting than many jarred sauces. You could certainly use jarred sauce. You’ll need at least a jar if not more, basically enough to cover the meatballs for simmering.

The meatballs, though, are the shining star of this recipe. A mix of sweet Italian sausage and ground sirloin, these little babies are a snap to make and are full of flavor. The only change I made was using dried basil and whole wheat pasta. Otherwise, I made everything as written.

Next time, though, I’ll make different sauce. The meatballs are a keeper.

Garden Risotto

I am so ready for this week to be over. The week has gone by fast enough, but I'm seriously just ready for the weekend.

And because I'm in a comfort food kick, I made Garden Risotto tonight for dinner. I'll eat any vegetable if it's mixed in with creamy rice. I love risotto. It's one of my favorite foods. And this one is only 5 points per 1 cup serving, according to the Recipe Tracker (although the NI says it would be 4 points). If you opt for making the recipe four servings, it's still only 7 points, which is still a good deal, if you ask me.

This one wasn't any particularly special. I think it could have used a bit of butter stirred in at the end. But the asparagus, peas, and spinach made it nurtient rich, that's for sure! It's probably something I'll make again.

The rice doesn't really hide the vegetables, but I think the make them more palatable.

How do you like to "hide" your veggies?

Rotini with Sausage and Spinach

My pants are falling down and I need a belt desperately. To get a pair of pants fit in the behind, they’re often too big in the waist.

At least that’s the case with the pants I’m currently wearing. On the other hand, I have a pair of jeans that fit in the waist and look big everywhere else. Go figure. Shopping for pants is ridiculously difficult no matter what size or shape you are.

Tonight’s dinner: a pasta dish with spinach and sausage, kind of similar to the one I tried several months ago.

This one was adapted from Cooks Illustrated. It needed a few tweaks to make it more healthful. I reduced the amount of hot Italian turkey sausage, less cheese, and I used sun dried tomatoes NOT packed in oil, and well, that was about it. It also originally called for penne, but eh, when do I ever actually use the type of pasta the recipe calls for? Usually not often.

So it’s whole wheat rotini tonight. I was actually short on rotini, but I found a partial box in my mom’s cupboards (thanks Mom!). Otherwise it would been a mix of rotini and macaroni.

This was so good. Simple and delicious, just the way I like it.

Rotini with Sausage and Spinach
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 hot Italian turkey sausage links
3 cloves minced garlic
2 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 1/4 cups water
8 ounce rotini (2 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (soak them in water until they plump first.. then measure them)
salt and pepper
A 6-ounce bag baby spinach
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage,breaking it up as it cooks, until no longer pink. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in broth, water, rotini, tomatoes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Increase heat to high and cook, stirring often, until rotini is tender and liquid has thickened, 15 to 18 minutes.

Stir in spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan and nuts. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4.

Pomodoro Pasta with White Beans

First of all, for all my readers who've left comments and e-mailed me about my recent break-up, thanks so much for the kind comments. I appreciate the support.

I’ve been in a funk lately. October was a rough month for me. I know some day I'll look back and probably wonder what the big deal was, but for the time being, I’m just glad it’s over.

And last night I worked out for the first time in at least a month. According to my heart rate monitor I burned 350 calories.. then I promptly undid that with halloween candy and a glass of red wine. Oops.

Tonight I meant to restart the couch to 5k plan tonight since I’ve let it lapse. But the YMCA was a voting place, and it was a zoo. I'll definitely go tomorrow. I'll make a runner out of myself, yet.

For dinner last night, which I enjoyed after I ate a couple of tortilla chips with salsa, but before I dug into the m&m’s, I had the Pomodoro Pasta with White Beans from Eating Well magazine.

I made my version with twice the tomatoes and whole wheat rotini. I forgot the cheese, but I’m not sure it could have saved this. Maybe I'm being critical of these recipes, but I just didn't see anything special about this meal, either.

I really liked the olives in this, but the rest was just OK. I used cooking spray instead of the oil, which cut the recipes points from 11 to 9 per serving. Still too much in my opinion. I can think of a dozen pasta recipes for 9 points or less that I like much better.

I think I’m just not a huge fan of fresh tomato "sauces." Do you have one you like? Maybe if I try a tried and true recipe it'll go over much better.

Butternut Squash Risotto with Pancetta

I have the worst crick in my neck. I think I pulled a muscle in my neck/shoulder before I fell asleep. I remember turning funny, feeling something pop with a rush of pain, then thinking "Crap, I'm not going to be able to turn my head."

It's not as bad as the last time I did this a year or so ago. Then, when someone asked me to look left, I'd have to turn my whole body to the left. I couldn't even sit at my desk and type. Even though it's not that bad this time, it did keep me from working out last night and it meant I was on the couch nursing my neck with a heating pad.

Thankfully, it feels better today.

But whenever I don't work out I end up making poor eating choices. I actually snacked continuously while cooking, downed a couple of glasses of white wine, and then ate dinner. My stomach definitely does not like me this morning. Note to self: don't gorge on tortilla chips and salsa, random bites of cheese, and a ton of wine unless you are wishing for gastrointestinal distress.

I woke up feeling so ick today I downed a good 36 ounces of water before I even left for work. It helped, but I'm still not feeling less than stellar.

So about dinner... it took forever to make. Seriously. This butternut squash tutorial makes it look so easy. But a four-pound squash is not that easy to peel. Or cube. Or cook for that matter.

What was good about this butternut squash risotto is that it goes go in the oven — no stirring makes me happy inside. The bad part? I had to have the squash done in time for the oven to cool off to 325 degrees. So the whole meal took F-O-R-E-V-E-R. It was good, but I'm not sure I'll make this again for the same reason I don't make most squash dishes. I'm just not sure it's worth the hassle.

Herbed Rotini with Grilled Vegetables

Last night my kitchen was covered with pots, pans, dirty dishes and things were burning while I frantically decided what my next step would be. I'm hardly ever this disorganized. I plan ahead.

But I'm also scattered. I planned to make penne with roasted vegetables and goat cheese, but when I looked at the recipe I noticed I forgot to buy the ingredients for more than half the recipe. So I had to do some quick thinking.

I considered making the grilled vegetable pitas with goat cheese I had planned for later in the week, but then I realized I didn't have time to make the coleslaw, and oh yeah, I was going to buy some corn to grill with that. Oops. Luckily, I flipped the page in the magazine and saw that Cooking Light used those same vegetables in a separate dish. Herbed Penne with Simple Grilled Vegetables. So I made that — sans the basil, which I had also conveniently forgot to purchase.

But dinner was already disorganized at this point and my rhythm was off. I added garlic to the pan to increase the flavor, and then burnt it while I not-so-patiently waited for the boyfriend to bring the vegetables in from the grill. Then I cut pinkie while chopping parsley. What my pinkie was doing in the way of the blade I'm not sure.

These things tend to happen when I haven't prepped dinner before I start cooking. But in the end, dinner somehow came together. And it was a happy accident. And it's even a make again. The vegetables were perfect grilled, they wouldn't have worked any other way.

Best yet, it was only 8 points for a 2 cup serving, so it was filling and didn't break the points bank.

Ravioli with Roasted Zucchini

Because we got our power back before a lot of the area did, open grocery stores weren't the easiest to find. And the ones that were open probably were without power and some point and I think even with generators they lost some food in the blackout.

So the pickings were slim. I usually keep a hunk of parmesan ready to grate, but we were out. And apparently, so were the stores. All I could find was a tub of shaved parmesan. And as you can see, it melted in the oven in one big clump.

Otherwise, the Ravioli with Roasted Zucchini was great. As soon as the zucchini hit the oven the house filled with the smell of garlic. And cheese ravioli? My favorite. A one-cup serving is 7 points, which really isn't that bad in my opinion.

We ended up having it with grilled corn on the cob drizzled with olive oil on the side because we didn't have anything else to make. It was a slightly odd pairing, but delicious all the same.

Pasta with Pesto, Potatoes and Green Beans

When someone has good news and bad news to share, which do you prefer to hear first? I always choose good news first. So first, the good news.. I'm well on my way to my goal of three workouts a week.

The bad news, this isn't the healthiest meal on the block. Good news again -- it's a tasty one. Although the pesto doesn't make it a low calorie or even a low fat meal, it's mostly healthy fats. So it's not that bad for you. Or at least it's not the worst thing you can eat. It's not a deep-fried twinkie. See? I can justify any splurge.

Plus, I couldn't let good pesto go to waste. A true dieter would say -- better to go to waste than my waist. Bah. When it's just two of you, you have to repurpose ingredients otherwise you're just hemorraging money.

So I made the Pasta with Pesto, Potatoes and Green Beans. And served it with an arugala salad with red onion and a simple balsamic vinaigrette -- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 2 tsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, salt, pepper, and a 1/2 tsp of dijon mustard. Just enough vinagrette to dress four salads.

And given that this meal was pre-resolutions.. we had a nice big glass of white wine.

Eggplant Bolognese

Food can be expensive, there's not doubt about that. It used to be that the whole chickens would go on sale at the grocery store for 69 cents a pound. And for a few dollars, you could get a large chicken that would make two entire meals. Not so much anymore.

With the boyfriend still finishing up school, I've been paying the lion's share of the bills — including the food bill. I shop grocery store sales, clip coupons, and buy what I can at the local discount grocery store.

A week or so ago there was a great sale on eggplants (77 cents a pound) plus, they were local. Score. Browsing the meat case, I found extra lean ground beef was discounted because the sell by date was the next day. At nearly $4 for a pound.. ground beef is really an occaisonal food. Any more though, all meat and fish are becoming more occaisonal foods. I'm finding more and more meatless meals showing up in my menu plans to keep costs down.

Anyhow, I had ground beef and eggplants, which means it was the perfect time to make eggplant bolognese. I liked this recipe but didn't love it. I assume it's because it's a dish where fat adds all the flavor. I bet it would have completely different if I had used ground chuck instead of extra lean beef. And, if I had used all the oil the recipe called for.

I just goes to show sometimes you can lighten up a recipe without ill effects, and sometimes you can't.

Orzo with Zucchini, Tomatoes, and Goat Cheese

My weekend eating is very unstructured. I wake up whenever my body naturally wakes up and I either make a big brunch or I eat a gigantic bowl of cereal with sliced fruit. That usually fills me up until after 2 p.m., when the boyfriend and I might grab a bite out while running errands.

I might have a snack a few hours later, but then am not hungry until 8 p.m. At that point, I don't want something heavy that's going to weigh me down and make it tough to sleep. So, this past Saturday I made us Orzo with Zucchini, Tomatoes, and Goat Cheese (Note: I added the cheese after the photo). I bought a gigundous log of goat cheese at Costco, and this recipe hardly made a dent in it. Anyone have some good uses for a giant log of goat cheese?

For being as simple as the recipe was, I expected less flavor — especially since I didn't have canned tomatoes.. just fresh ones. But it was pretty good, and it was the light dinner we needed. We opened up the windows in the apartment and sat at the table and enjoyed a glass of wine. It was a nice cap to a mild summer day.

Chicken Parmesan

I'm not a huge fan of most fried foods. They've always been an occaisonal type of food for me, even at my heaviest. I've always been more likely to indulge in a pint of my favorite ice cream rather than a plate of fried chicken.

And most of the time, if I'm going to make comfort food, like macaroni and cheese, I'll just save the points and make the real deal rather than trying to make a low fat version. But because I'm not a big fan of fried foods in the first place, I actually like lighter versions of chicken parmesan.

When you order it at a restaurant the chicken is usually fried, topped in sauce and tons of cheese. But, this version is much less fattening and even incorporates whole grains. First, you make your own bread crumbs from whole wheat bread. Instead of using the recipe's instructions, though, I toasted the bread in the toaster and then ran it through the food processor. And instead of buying marinara, I used my favorite homemade marinara. I always keep it on hand in the freezer for quick meals.

Hands down, this is the best low fat chicken parmesan recipe I've tried. The crust stays crispy and there's plenty of gooey cheese on top. Perfect.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

Despite my need to plan every detail, I usually miss something. When it comes to making dinner — it’s common for me to forget to pick up an ingredient or two.

Sometimes this missing ingredient is a dealbreaker, other times I can work around it. Take a couple of recent meals, Fettuccine with Shrimp and Portobellos and Szechuan Braised Meatballs.

Last night, when I attempted to make the meatballs, I noticed it called for napa cabbage, which I had conveniently forgot to add to my list. It was just a little veg as an accent. I didn’t think it would ultimately ruin the dish to leave it out.

The meal was awful — almost toss it out and order pizza awful — I doubt the cabbage would have helped. The first clue should have been that the only binder (or moisture) in those super lean meatballs were water chestnuts. Ugh.

Last week, I forgot to buy an ingredient, but instead obstinately making the dish anyway, I scrapped it and started over.I started to make the fettuccine with shrimp and portobellos when I realized I didn’t have the white wine. The recipe had so few ingredients, that if I had swapped chicken broth for the wine, I was afraid it would be bland and tasteless.

But because I generally have a well-stocked pantry, I turned into Shrimp Fra Diavolo instead. I didn’t have the ingredients for their basic marinara, but I did have a pint of homemade marinara in the freezer. It was a lifesaver.

And this time, dinner worked out just fine. And it’s possible that the end result was better than the fettuccine dish I planned to make in the first place — even if I did have the wine.

Pork Chops Marsala

I'm constantly surfing the Web, reading food magazines and blogs, and flipping through cookbooks to get inspiration on what to eat. I love that many of the magazines are driving traffic to their websites by providing daily dinner ideas.

Recently, Cooking Light's Dinner Tonight featured Pork Chops Marsala. It was like the editors of the magazine had seen inside my fridge and thought, "Geez, I see a package of cremini's about to go, some leftover chicken stock in a box that's got a few days left, and those potatoes she bought last week and forgot about.. she should probably use those before they start sprouting."

Honestly. I had everything on hand except for the asparagus.

I can't say I really tasted the marsala bit of it -- possibly because that bottle of wine has been sitting in my fridge for 8 months I think. I would mostly describe this as pork chops with mushroom gravy.

I think I'd skip the flouring of the meat, though. I guess I don't understand the purpose of it in this instance. Flour goes into the gravy, so it's not necessarily used to thicken the sauce. And the flour "crust" just ends up peeling off in an unattractive glop. Plus, because you're only cooking the meat with cooking spray, it burned in the pan.

Overall, it was delicious. It would even be fantastic with chicken. In fact, if I make it again, I'll make it with chicken, sans the flour coating.

Gnocchi with Pancetta, Tomatoes and Wilted Spinach

Even though work and a new exercise routine has been keeping me busy, I've still managed to put a homemade dinner on the table each night. This gnocchi, taken from an Eating Well recipe is great for a busy night.

I'm fascinated with gnocchi. And if I could make my own, I probably would. Here, I used the storebought kind. I've tried frozen and the shelf-stable vaccum sealed. I find the vacuum seals to be a little less dense than the frozen ones, so I prefer those. Others will say the frozen is better. It's up to you which you prefer, or can even find in the grocery stores, I guess.

They cook up in 3 to 5 minutes, which is one reason I like them. The other reason, of course, is that they are potato dumpling. I haven't met a potato or version of one I didn't like.

The garlic and tomato also make this meal. The tomatoes really cook down to create a thick, garlicky sauce. If you didn't want to use the gnocchi a short pasta like a penne or rotini would probably also work -- though, if you can find them.. I'd definitely go for the gnocchi. I also swapped the watercress for spinach.. but a leafy green like swiss chard would probably also work... just as long as it wilts down.

Pasta with Spicy Red Clam Sauce

I continue my series on tomatoes today with a spicy red clam sauce.

I heard a discussion the other day about getting kids to eat better. On theory offered was the one bite rule. If I remember right, that was my mom's point of view -- mostly. And she wasn't a short order cook. We ate what was there, or we didn't eat at all.

On the other hand, I remember my mom forcing me to eat just one more bite of broccoli when I was maybe three or four. I gagged. And didn't eat broccoli for nearly 20 years. I've now learned to tolerate it, but if given a choice between broccoli and another green veggie.. I'll most likely skip on the broccoli.

I guess being asked to try new things is one reason I've become an adventerous eater. And this recipe is an example of how I'm willing to try anything once. I've actually never had clams. Ever.
I'm fairly sure canned clams aren't the best way to enjoy them. But they didn't taste like much, really.

If you're not as adventurous or know you don't like clams you could probably leave them out. Although maybe clams have some kind of antioxidant power that makes them worth including them. I haven't brushed up on my super foods lately, so I can't really say either way.

What I did taste were the fresh herbs, garlic and onion. You can't go wrong there. I might make this again. I like the basic idea of the sauce and can see myself adapting this in many different ways.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Fresh Cherry Tomato Sauce

It was scorching hot yesterday. And when it's that hot the last thing I want to do is run the oven. And that's why recipes like this tomato sauce is great. The pasta cooks in about 10 minutes, then you brown the garlic in a pan with olive oil, and add the rest of the ingredients and stir.

The most tedious part of it is quartering 5 cups of cherry tomatoes.

I really liked this meal, but the boyfriend wasn't as thrilled. I thought it was fresh and light. Perfect for such a hot day. But the boyfriend said it lacked flavor. I personally don't feel a fresh tomato sauce should have a lot going on. You should be tasting the tomatoes -- not hiding them with herbs and spices.

The recipe includes a recipe for whole wheat pasta, it's not Core and looks pretty time consuming so I skipped it. Instead, I made regular 100% whole wheat pasta from a box. Not as fancy, but it was good enough for a weeknight.

What's your favorite no-cook meal?