Chicken Pasta Salad

Sometimes I like to have a quick lunch. No fuss, something to just scoop on a plate and be done with. That's when a nice pasta salad comes in! I like mine with a nice amount of veggies with a bit of sweetness and tang. Hope you enjoy this salad as much as I did!

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Chicken Pasta Salad 

(Makes 12 servings)

Dresssing:

1.5 cup Duke's mayonnaise

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp sweet relish

1 tsp dill relish

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp everything seasoning 

Salad:

2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast 

1 box Cavatappi pasta, cooked al dente

3 ribs celery, chopped

1 medium red onion, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped 

1 cup broccoli, chopped into small florets 

1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed

1/4 cup matchstick carrots 

Mix dressing and adjust to where you want it (should be savory, slightly tangy, a little sweet). Combine salad ingredients together then add dressing. Mix well and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

ghoulish goulash

I really love easy dinners and there's nothing easier than pasta! Sometimes I do have to change things up a bit and doing Italian for every pasta dish gets a little boring. Alternative? Hungarian! American-Hungarian, that is. ^_^

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Old-Fashioned American Goulash
(Adapted from I Heart Recipes)

1.5 lbs lean ground beef
2 cups uncooked spiral macaroni
1 medium onion, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

1 tomato, chopped

1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots

1 can mushroom, chopped

1 tbsp minced bottled garlic

1 tbsp Italian seasoning 

1 tbsp adobo seasoning 

1 tsp paprika 

3 bay leaves

2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce 

2 1/2 cup chicken broth

2 cans tomato sauce

1 small can tomato paste

1 can diced tomatoes in tomato sauce

1/2 cup shredded Italian blend cheese

1/2 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese

parsley for garnish

Brown the ground meat with seasonings and and bay leaf over medium heat.  Drain any excess fat.

Add in vegetables and cook for a few minutes. Add in the tomato paste, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and tomatoes. Cook for 10 another minutes then add chicken broth and macaroni. Reduce heat and let simmer until pasta is just tender.

Stir in cheese then cover for 10 more minutes, garnish with parsley as needed before serving.

for cozy winter days...

So, after a little bit of hiatus, I'm back!

Since it's been a while, I figured that I'd post with something warm and cozy for the winter months . . . a hearty turkey meatball soup! I found this recipe off Pinterest while I was looking for something to do with kale. Kale is one of those random ingredients that I occasionally buy but never really know what to do with. That's when looking for recipes come in handy. ^_^;

For the soup, I decided to add my own twist to it by including some dried pasta. Again, I wanted a really hearty soup and this was going to be used for more of a lunch/dinner type of entree. I also changed the taste profile...the cumin and the star anise seemed really weird to me so I omitted them in my soup.

All in all, the ending result was nice...savory and lemony, hearty and filling like I wanted it. Add a couple slices of toasted and buttered sourdough and his was the perfect good eats for a cold day. This does make a big pot of soup, so be prepared to have leftover for a couple of days! Enjoy!

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Lemony-Garlic Turkey Meatball Soup with Pasta and Kale
(adapted from The Holisitc Ingredient)

For the Meatballs:
1 lbs. ground turkey
2 tbsp bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped leeks, white part only
handful fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp dried mint leaves, crumbled
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp bottled minced garlic
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp olive oil
additional oil for cooking

For the Soup:
1 medium onion, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
1 large carrot, diced
5 peels of lemon
1 tbsp minced bottled garlic
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
12 cups (3 quarts) low sodium chicken broth
2 tsp fish sauce
1 (6.5oz) pkg dry cheese tortellini pasta
10-12 kale leaves, stems removes and torn into smaller pieces
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper, to taste
olive oil for cooking

 
Make the Meatballs:
Combine all ingredients for meatballs and mix well until well incorporated.

Heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Roll mixture into small meatballs, size smaller than a ping-pong ball. Fry meatballs for 7-8 minutes, turning them throughout so they are golden-brown on all sides. Set aside on some paper towels to drain any excess oil.

Make the Soup:
Over medium-high heat, add some oil to a large soup pot. Once hot, add the onion, celery, carrot, and lemon peels. Saute for a few minutes, then add garlic, thyme, chicken broth, and fish sauce. Season with salt and pepper then bring to a boil.

Once boiling, add the dried tortellini. Continue cooking until tortellini is al-dente. Reduce heat to medium, add the meatballs, cover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Prepare the kale and add to the soup, stirring through, then cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat then add the lemon juice. Stir and season with additional salt and pepper as needed. Let sit for 5 minutes off heat before serving.

Makes about 8 to 10 servings.

recipe in pictures: crab pancit

Today I decided to do something Filipino: my mom's pancit. Pancit is a Filipino stir-fried noodle dish that's popular during celebrations and holidays (although that never stopped her from making it at least once a month). It's a relatively easy dish to do and sometimes my mom would change up the protiens. Normally, though, she would make it with pork, chicken, and shrimp. Since I had a package of imitation crab leftover from my previous recipe, I thought that I would treat myself to a crab version of her dish. I'm not posting a recipe for this since it's not really made properly. Note to self: get powdered annato next time. Picking through my pancit for annato seeds is not good eats. :/

mom-inspired tuna pasta.

My favorite breakfast that my mom makes is ginisang sardinas, which is basically sautéed mackerel sardines in tomato sauce that's served with a side of hot, steamy rice. Her version, though, is slightly different in that she adds additional tomatoes, adds one or two bay leaves, and is heavy on the onion. Finished with a few squeezes of calamansi, and you have a great hefty meal to start the day.

I didn't really fully appreciate her cooking until I got married and started living with my husband. To date, I've only made a handful of Filipino dishes that were either a hit or miss with the hubby. I miss her cooking and I guess that nostalgia (and the fact that the husband is iffy on Filipino food in general) makes me shy away from making Filipino dishes on my own.

Today I was feeling a little homesick. Eating at the table with my mom's generous cooking and having a conversation about the day's events were the norm during dinner time. This was family time and I was missing my family. So to ease that, I decided to make her sardines, but in a more "inspired" version and with an Italian twist.

I started with using an almost 2 to 1 ratio of tomatoes to onions. Adding a good amount of garlic and olive oil followed, then finished it with some lemon juice for acidity and lots of parsley for herbacious freshness. Since sardines in tomato sauce isn't something that we regularly keep in the house, I used chunk light tuna that's always a staple in our pantry. Toss that together with some hearty rigatoni, and dinner was served.

While it's a far cry from my mother's sardines, the flavors were there and the bite from the rigatoni added a pleasant counterpart to the fish. Fusion pasta . . . mmmmmm. As an added bonus, this made for a quick and tasty meal that was ready in less than half an hour. Mom, here's to you!
 

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Tangy Tuna Pasta
(makes about 4 servings)

2 cups dry rigatoni pasta
2 cans chunk light tuna, lightly drained
1 clamshell grape tomatoes, halved (or 2 large tomatoes, roughly chopped)
1 large onion (about 1 cup), thinly sliced
2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 large dried bay leaves
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley, divided
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper, to taste
olive oil

 
Prepare pasta as directed then reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 2 to 3 tbsp of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add tomatoes, onions, garlic, and bay leaves to the pan. Cook until the tomatoes have softened then add the tuna and a third of the parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

Sautée for 5 minutes, stirring lightly, then add the drained pasta. Cook for another few minutes. If the mixture is too dry, add some of the reserved pasta liquid as needed.

Remove pasta from heat, discard bay leaves, then stir in lemon juice. Toss in the remaining parsley then adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper to taste. To serve, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and additional parsley for garnish.

leftover remix: asian turkey noodle soup!

I wanted to do something interesting with our leftover turkey but I'm torn. We're getting down to the last of it and I'm undecided whether or not to make it into some kind of casserole. It'll be easy to do and I'm sure there are billions of casserole recipes out there to try. Heck, even I've got a casserole recipe in my repertoire!

But I want to make something interesting out of it!

Call it vanity, but I kind of wanted to make something that was totally opposite of what the thanksgiving turkey originally tasted like. I wanted to change it's taste profile so that it would turn into some kind of wonderful. Lo, and behold, I got my inspiration!

Enter "Year of the Fish". I was in the mood for a fairytale and this movie intrigued me. So I settled in and watched it on Amazon (besides, who doesn't love a Cinderella story?). Well, there was a scene in the movie where they were eating soup and suddenly it hit me . . . let's make a turkey ramen!!

That got my juices flowing so right after the movie, I got to searching for a basic asian soup. I didn't want it to be too complicated; just simple and classic ingredients. I ended up using a recipe from Martha Stewart, of all people. I'm not really a big fan of hers, but I found that this was exactly the kind of soup I was looking for.

This turned out exactly how I wanted it to. It was your basic broth, heavy on the ginger, and with the unmistakable hint of turkey. I wanted this to primarily be a ramen-esque type of soup so there's more noodle than meat. Why rice noodles? Because that's what I had on hand. Next time, I would probably go with an egg noodle since i prefer that to the taste of the rice ones. Other than that, I thought this experiment turned out pretty good!

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Scallion-Ginger Broth with Turkey and Rice Noodles
(slightly adapted from Martha Stewart)

1 tsp vegetable oil
4 scallions, chopped with white and green parts divided
1-inch piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minched
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 (4.5oz) ramen-size block of rice noodles
1/4 cup matchstick carrots
1/4 cup lightly shredded turkey

 
In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high. Add scallion whites, ginger, and garlic; cook, stirring, until scallions begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add broth and fish sauce. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook until flavors are blended, about 5 minutes. Add carrots, rice noodles, and turkey then continue simmering until noodles are done. Garnish with additional carrots and scallion greens.

needing a quickie.

The hubby's been working super late lately and every time he calls to come home, he's requested nicely if dinner could be ready when he comes home. Not an unreasonable request. I tend to take my time in the kitchen experimenting so I sometimes forget that there's another person who's waiting to eat.

Tonight was one of those nights where something quick needed to happen in the kitchen.

So what to do? Pasta, of course. Saw this recipe a couple of weeks ago and decided that it would be perfect for a weeknight kind of meal. Handful of ingredients that didn't need anything fancy. Tasty... simple... quick. And, most importantly, something to fill my husband's tummy after a hard day at work. Huzzah and hip-hooray!

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Pasta with Italian Sausage and Peas in Cream Sauce
(adapted from Beantown Belly)

1 pound pasta
1/2 pound Spicy Italian Sausage, casing removed
1/2 pound Sweet Italian Sausage, casing removed
12oz frozen green peas
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, minced
1 1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
Salt and Pepper

Bring a pot of salted water to boil and add pasta.

In the meantime, sauté garlic and onion in olive oil over medium heat for 2 minutes in a large pan. Add Italian sausage meat and cook until brown. Drain fat then add frozen peas and cook for 5 minutes.

Add flour and stir to incorporate. Add milk and butter. After mixture boils, bring to a simmer and add Parmesan cheese.

When pasta is al dente, drain and add to sauce. Mix and season with additional salt and pepper as needed. If sauce is too thick, add additional milk and adjust taste accordingly. Makes approximately 5 to 6 servings.

jazzing it up.

This sad, sad, sad picture of pasta stabbed with a fork is actually tastier than it looks. Today was one of those "need to get food on the table, quick!" kind of days. When the hubby called to say he was coming home from work, he sounded so tired...I wanted to make sure that he got some food in him quick that wasn't only fast, but also nice and comforting. What better way to say that than pasta?

I originally based this off the way that my mom would make it for us when we were growing up. In her version, she'd add a can of Manwich in it. Well, at the time I was playing around with her recipe, I didn't have that on hand so I looked for alternatives. I found this recipe and decided to take some elements from that instead. Essentially, this fusion of recipes has got a loooooot more extra add-ins that I think makes it more well rounded and a little bit more complex. Served with a side salad, this made one, feel-good meal for my work-tired hubby. Mission accomplished!

---- o o o o ---- Meaty Spaghetti Pasta Sauce
(loosely adapted from Table for Two and my mom's recipe)

3 tbsp olive oil
1.5 to 2 lbs lean ground beef
2 pcs Italian sausage, casing removed (optional)
3 tbsp minced bottled garlic
1 large red onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped*
2 4oz. canned mushroom, stem and pieces

1 medium squash, diced small (optional)

1 medium zucchini, diced small (optional)
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley, divided
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 24oz. Prego or Ragu Chunky Vegetable pasta sauce
1 cup beef or chicken broth
1 6oz. tomato paste**
1 8oz. tomato sauce*
2 tbsp ketchup

1/2 cup pesto sauce

salt and pepper to taste
2 lbs pkg pasta of choice
water as needed

*Sometimes I like to substitute one 15oz can diced fire-roasted tomatoes or diced tomatoes in tomato sauce to skip a step.

**For extra oomph, try finding a tomato paste with pesto!

Start pasta by boiling a pot of salted water on high heat. Once it comes to a rolling boil, add some olive oil and drop pasta. Cook until al dente.

Meanwhile, in a separate pan, add olive oil and saute the garlic and onion until fragrant on high heat. Crumble in the ground beef, season with salt and pepper, and then add the rest of the seasonings.

When the beef has browned, drain any fat cooked out and add vegetables, and half the parsley. Cook for a few minutes until peppers are tender then add the sauce, broth, tomato paste, tomato sauce, pesto, and ketchup.

Reduce heat and let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Add the remaining parsley and simmer an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until thickened. Season with additional salt, pepper, and spices as needed. If sauce is too thick, add water to liking and let simmer an additional 10 minutes after adjusting.

Serves roughly about six to ten people.

If desired, you can freeze half the sauce for later use. Keeps in the freezer up to six months.

at-home take-out.

yesterday was a stay-at-home kind of day. after spending the weekend with the parents, i just wanted to relax and do nothing. unfortunately, we didn't have any ready-made food at the house so i decided to delve into my cook books and see if i could make anything tasty.

this recipe caught my eye.

it looked quick and easy and i had mostly all the ingredients. some substitutions had to be made as i didn't have the chili paste but surprisingly the ketchup, chili flake, and garlic paste method didn't turn out too bad. i had to fiddle with the recipe a little, though, because it was initially kind of bland when i finished making it. after tinkering around with it for a minute, i ended up with something that's a little bit more flavorful with the added chinese five-spice blend and help from boosting the spices and seasonings. also, since i didn't have any rice, i decided to use the rest of my squid ink pasta to make it a noodle stir-fry. yay for add-ins! :D

 

Stir-Fried Ginger Shrimp Noodles
(barely adapted from Cooking Light)

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 teaspoon chopped peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for pasta
Dash of white pepper
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon mirin (sweet rice wine)
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon chile paste with garlic (such as sambal oelek or make a substitute)
1 tablespoon canola oil, divided plus more for pasta
1 cup thinly vertically sliced onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup diagonally cut celery
1/4 tsp chinese five-spice blend (or make your own)
4 portions squid ink spaghetti
sliced green onions for garnish

1. In a large pot, heat salted water to boiling (water should taste like the sea). Add canola oil to the water to prevent pasta from sticking then add the pasta. Let cook until al dente, drain, then set aside.

2. Place shrimp in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with ginger, salt, and pepper; toss well. Let stand 5 minutes.

3. Combine 1/2 cup water and next 6 ingredients (through chile paste) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.

4. Heat 1 teaspoon canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp mixture to pan; stir-fry 2 minutes. Remove shrimp mixture from pan; set aside. Wipe pan dry with a paper towel. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons canola oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; stir-fry 1 minute. Add celery; stir-fry 1 minute. Return shrimp mixture to pan; stir-fry 1 minute or until shrimp are done.

5. Add water mixture to pan along with chinese five spice. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly. Add the pasta to the pan and stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and top with sliced green onions. Serve immediately.

Makes four servings.