Creamy Penne Pasta with Turkey Andouille Sausage

This is a creamy pasta dish with a little kick of spice from Turkey Andouille Sausage. The Turkey Andouille has some heat to it and I thought it would be good in a creamy pasta dish to balance out the spice. This pasta dish is quick and easy and can be made any night or day of the week!

For this Creamy Penne Pasta with Turkey Andouille Sausage Recipe visit us at our New Food Blog at CCRecipe.com

Eggplant Parmesan

I like this Eggplant Parmesan more than any other that I have tried, including some top Italian Restaurant Chains. This recipe is a bit time consuming but I do think it is worth it. My husband also agrees that this dish is better than any restaurant’s that he has tried Eggplant Parmesan.

To see the recipe visit our new FOOD RECIPE BLOG at www.ccrecipe.com

*Camala*

Brown Rice with Kale and Blackeye Peas

This Brown Rice with Kale and Blackeye Peas dish is full of flavor and delicious. This would be a wonderful side dish to any main dish or you can eat it as a main dish as I typically do.

Blackeye peas are a good source of fiber and iron and they are also rich in magnesium, a mineral needed for strong bones and an active metabolism. Once you have soaked your Blackeye Peas, this dish is quickly thrown together and easy to whip up. I love making up stuff like this for my family to eat. It is kinda like okay this is what I have in the fridge to get rid of and I throw it together and see what I get, in the case of this dish it is definitely a keeper!

To see more recipes visit our new Awesome Recipe Blog at www.ccrecipe.com

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Not the typical Tuna Noodle Casserole, this is made with Broccoli and a Crushed Potato Chip Topping.

Ingredients:
12 ounces whole wheat wide egg noodles
1 Tbsp salt
2 cups broccoli florets (about 1/2 lb)
2 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cans tuna, drained
1 (10 3/4 oz)can cream of mushroom soup
2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup crushed kettle-cooked potato chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add a tablespoon of salt. Return to a boil. Add noodles. Cook uncovered on high heat on a rolling boil. Just before pasta is al dente, (firm but cooked through, earliest cooking time minus 2 minutes)about 5 minutes, add the broccoli to the pasta, return to boil and cook for 2 more minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside.
2. After the pasta is done and is draining in a colander, heat a large oven-proof pan on medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the onions and cook them until translucent. Add the pasta and broccoli mixture back into the pot. Stir in the tuna, can of cream of mushroom soup, grated cheese and milk. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Spread crushed potato chips over the top of the mixture and cook for 20 minutes at 400°F in the oven, until the topping has browned.

I got the inspiration for this recipe from Simply Recipes. I really like this meal because it is simple, quick and easy and heck you just bake this casserole right in the skillet you prepared everything in…How is that for easy? I went with this recipe because, I liked the different twist on the traditional tuna noodle casserole, I liked the addition of adding broccoli, and I thought the potato chip topping sounded like a yummy topping alternative to crackers or bread crumbs, which adds a wonderful crunch to the dish. This is a wonderful weeknight meal, serve it with a salad and there you go, your food is served, Now EAT!

*Camala*

Green Veggie Risotto–vegetarian

This recipe used green veggies; green beans, asparagus, peas. 
I also used a mixture of wild rice, brown rice and red Bhutanese Red Rice.  This made the risotto really nutty and flavorful. 
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup peas
1  1/2 cup cut green beans about 1 1/2 inch
1 cup cut asparagus
1 cup rice (mixture of anykind you like)
1 can vegetable stock
water
fresh cut basil
2 T olive oil

Saute onion in olive oil for about 2 minutes.  Add green vegies and saute until tender–about 5 minutes.   Measure vegetable stock and add enough water to equal 2 cups of liquid.   Add this to veggies.  Chop up fress basil to equal about 1 tsp.  Cover and simmer until rice is fully cooked.  Continue to cook until creamy adding water to keep from sticking.
Cook about 10 to 15 minutes until rice is creamy.  Season with salt and pepper and Parmesan cheese.  This can be served as a side dish or main course.  I absolutely loved the wild rice in this dish.  Of course, if you are trying to go Vegan leave out the Parmesan cheese and substitute veggie cheese. 
   *Christine*

Honey Chicken Breasts

Lightly Sweet Glazed, Slow Cooked, Chicken Breasts.

Ingredients:
1/4 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup onion, diced
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup orange juice (preferably fresh squeezed)
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts

Directions:

1. In a large bowl combine all the ingredients except for the chicken breasts, mix well.
2. Add the chicken breast to the bowl and toss well to coat the chicken breast with the marinade.
3. Place into a slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

This is a easy chicken recipe and can be paired with a numerous number of side dishes such as veggies, rice or orzo pasta. Cooking chicken in the crock pot makes for a tender piece of meat and makes for an easy weeknight meal. The marinade for this chicken makes the chicken only slightly sweet with a nice flavor.

*Camala*

Chicken Meatloaf with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Chicken Meatloaf with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Fresh Baby Spinach and Feta Cheese.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 ounces fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup herb-marinated sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp whole milk
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 pound ground chicken

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
2. Saute onion and spinach in hot oil in a skillet over medium heat until onion is tender and spinach is wilted, set aside.
3. In a large bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, eggs, milk, feta cheese, salt, and pepper. Add the ground chicken, and cooked spinach and onion mixture and gently stir to combine, being careful not to overwork the meat.
4. Carefully place the meat mixture into the prepared pan and bake in preheated 375F for 45 minute to 1 hour or until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.
5. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5  to 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and slice. Put on a serving platter and serve.

This meatloaf is very flavorful and delicious. It is a nice change to the traditional meatloaf, I usually make my meatloaf’s with ground turkey or ground chicken. Serve this with any of your favorite side dishes and a salad for a great meal.

*Camala*

Asparagus Spaghetti Carbonara

Asparagus Spaghetti Carbonara made with Turkey Bacon.

Ingredients:
1 bunch of asparagus spears, cut in 1 inch pieces
13 ounces spaghetti
2 Tbsp olive oil
5 slices turkey bacon, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 – 1 1/2 cup pasta cooking water
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the bacon to the skillet and cook until crisp. Wash and chop the asparagus spears into 1 inch pieces.  Add to boiling water in large pot and boil for about 5 minutes or until tender.
2. Once the asparagus is tender remove from boiling water with slotted spoon and add to skillet, once all asparagus is in skillet, stir the garlic into the skillet. Add spaghetti noodles to already boiling water that had asparagus in it, add some salt to the water and cook until al dente while preparing sauce.  Do not allow noodles to cool since their heat is needed to cook the egg sauce.
3. While noodles are cooking, In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cheese, and 1/2 cup of water from your pasta pot while stirring constantly to temper (warm up) the eggs without cooking them.
4. Drain noodles, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Add 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water to skillet (the same skillet the bacon and asparagus is in) and cook until slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Add hot noodles to skillet, stirring quickly to coat, add egg mixture to skillet. The eggs and cheese will thin and create a velvety sauce that coats the noodles.  Stir in more pasta water if you want it saucier.
5. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste, serve immediately and hot.

This is my take on Carbonara, I don’t eat regular bacon because I don’t eat Pork at all, ever (it has been seven years since I had some of that “other white meat”). Sometimes I eat Beef Bacon but mostly stick to Turkey Bacon if I get into a bacon kick and decide to get some, I do enjoy turkey bacon when I decide to eat it. I had some turkey bacon and asparagus in the fridge I needed to use, so I decided to make Carbonara with Spaghetti and throw in some Asparagus. This dish is quite delish, some people get freaked out because of the thought of consuming raw eggs with Carbonara but the way I make this sauce the eggs aren’t quite raw. By the time this dish is done the eggs are pretty well heated and cooked:) This also is a lower fat version of traditional Carbonara sauce because of the use of the Turkey Bacon, Other than that I love the nice creaminess of the sauce and I tried to make it as simple and quick as I could, Enjoy!

*Camala*

Eggs Baked in Tomato Sauce

Eggs baked in the oven with Tomato Sauce and Cheese.

Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
6 whole unbeaten eggs (or 12 egg whites)
1/2 cup monterey  jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. Grease an 8×8 baking dish with olive oil. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Pour half of the tomato sauce evenly across the bottom of the baking dish.
3. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper evenly over the tomato sauce.
4. Carefully place the eggs on the tomato sauce so they are covering the sauce.
5. Pour the other half of the sauce over the eggs. Sprinkle the cheese over the sauce.
6. Bake at 350F for 20 – 25 minutes, or until the egg whites are cooked thoroughly.

I got this recipe out of a cookbook called Miserly Meals, I decided to try this recipe because it is not something I would normally want to try. I am trying to stretch a little and try some more things. Now I really don’t have anything particularly bad to say that’s why I included the recipe on this blog, however it is not something I really liked. I am sure I would like to maybe experiment with this recipe more by adding things and maybe it will taste better to my palate. I don’t like runny eggs and even though I cooked this for 25 minutes some of the whites where still runny. This meal can be made for breakfast, lunch or dinner and I think it is good to serve with a nice crusty bread.

*Camala*

Spinach Artichoke Pasta

This is a light, fresh pasta dish with added creaminess but not as heavy as a traditional Alfredo sauce.

Ingredients:
6 ounces of noodles (Linguine, Spaghetti, Angel Hair, etc…whatever you want)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups spinach leaves, packed
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts in water
1/2 cup milk (I use whole milk)
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tomato, chopped

Directions:

1. Cook your desired noodles of choice according to package directions.
2. Put olive oil in large skillet pan. Add the onions and cook 3 minutes. Add the garlic and spinach, saute until spinach is wilted.
3. Chop artichoke hearts and add to skillet with juice. Thicken with flour and milk to desired consistency.
4. Add the chopped tomato. Cook for a short time, leaving the tomato somewhat firm.
5. Toss sauce with cooked pasta.

This is a nice light pasta dish, the sauce adds creaminess but isn’t as rich as a traditional Alfredo sauce. This is a quick and easy dish and for protein you could add some chicken, which is also very delicious.

*Camala*