Zucchini Pasta Primavera with Creamy Basil Pesto

Yesterday it was 80 degrees in Colorado.

Tomorrow it'll be in the low 30's and snowing.  Again.

See if I care! I'm making summer meals- fresh and light- snow or not. 

Take that.

One of my favorite things to do in the summertime is make zucchini pasta.  In fact, I posted a Zucchini Spaghetti recipe last year that's pretty darn close to this one.  

But this one is tossed in a creamy basil pesto.  

Yum!

This is a 15 minute quick and easy recipe, no fuss required.

This just so happens to be a vegetarian, dairy free, gluten free, paleo recipe. 

It's so good, and so good for you.  You get some protein from the pine nuts in the pesto. I used what veggies I had on hand, though you could add pretty much anything.  I would've liked to add some spinach or kale, but it was quite filling as is.

If you want a more traditional primavera (aside from using actual pasta, lol) add parmigiana to the pesto- about 1/4 cup) and top the primavera with added parmigiana.  

I'll be honest, I didn't miss the cheese, and I thought I was going to.  

The basil pesto gives it tons of flavor.  I had extra pesto leftover- froze it in ice cube trays, and then removed to a ziploc bag in the freezer.  Now I can add basil pesto to pasta dishes in the future, or top some grilled fish or chicken with it. 

You will need a julienne peeler to make the zucchini spaghetti.  If you don't have one, they can be found at any kitchen store, or even Walmart and Target.  They're great to have, I peel carrots and other vegetables with them for a pretty look.

Zucchini Pasta Primavera with Creamy Basil Pesto

Serves 2

4 Zucchini

5 ounces grape tomatoes (about 1/2 of a 10 ounce container)

1 red pepper, seeded and chopped

1 yellow pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup coconut milk

For the pesto:

3 cups packed fresh basil

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted and cooled

2 cloves garlic, minced

2/3 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Prepare the veggies.  Peel and julienne the zucchini. Place in a colander, sprinkle with a tsp of salt, and toss.  Let sit in sink (this draws the moisture out so zucchini spaghetti stays crisp and doesn't get all soggy). 

2. Heat a few swirls of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion. Saute until the onion is beginning to soften, turn translucent. Add the peppers. Saute until peppers are almost done and soft (about 10 minutes).  Add the grape tomatoes. Cook for a minute or so, and add the zucchini. Toss to incorporate, and cook until zucchini is just barely softening, about 5 minutes. 

2. While cooking the onion and peppers, prepare the pesto. Simply add the basil, pine nuts, garlic, and about half of the oil to a food processor. Pulse to combine.  With the food processor running, drizzle in the remaining oil until the desired consistency is achieved. Add a bit of salt and pepper to taste. 

3. Add a cup of the pesto to the cooking zucchini and vegetables.  Toss to combine.  Cook about 2 minutes to get the zucchini to soak up the pesto, and add the coconut milk.  Stir, and cook another 2 or 3 minutes.  

Plate and enjoy!

A couple more posts to enjoy:
Sweet Summer Squash Pudding
Molasses Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Grilled Pineapple-Papaya Salsa
Gorgonzola Sage Popovers

Spaghetti Carbonara

This is not an every day dinner.

I made it for my birthday.  

(In case you're worried, don't be- The Boyfriend took me out for a proper birthday dinner as well!)

This is a really rich pasta dish made with an egg yolk sauce and some form of pork (traditionally it's made with guanciale- cured pork jowl, but that can be kind of hard to find!)  In this recipe I use cubed pancetta with excellent results.  You can also use thick sliced bacon.

I tried to make this as traditional as possible (even made my own spaghetti!)  Apparently it's some form of sin to add cream and/or peas to this dish, so you won't see them in this recipe. 

For such a rich, special dinner, it is absurdly easy to make.  

There's only one way to ruin it- when adding the eggs.  Pay close attention, stir constantly, and don't look away.  :)  The last thing you want is scramble egg carbonara, am I right?! 

Serve with a big green salad, and some crusty bread if desired.

Pasta Carbonara 

Serves 3

1 lb spaghetti (boxed or homemade)

1/2 lb pre-cubed pancetta (about 8 oz) or thick sliced quality bacon

6 eggs

2 egg yolks

1 cup freshly grated parmigiana, plus extra for serving

extra virgin olive oil

fresh pepper

parsley (for garnish) 

In a bowl, add the eggs, egg yolks, parmigiana, and about 1 tsp black pepper.  Whisk together until completely combined. Set aside.

Cook the spaghetti al dente and set aside.  In a saute pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium  heat. Add the pancetta and saute until crispy.  Once crispy, add the al dente spaghetti and stir to distribute the pancetta thouroughly (and to coat the spaghetti with pancetta fat).  Turn off the heat.  With pan still on hot stovetop, add the egg mixture and quickly begin vigorously mixing.  This is your crucial step.  Continue mixing, not allowing the egg to sit on the bottom of the pan untouched for too long.  Cook about 2 minutes, the eggs will thicken a bit and it will look like a cream sauce.  

Serve immediately, with a bit of parsley sprinkled on top and extra parmegiana cheese. 

Butternut Squash Gnocchi in Saffron Cream Sauce, Crispy Pancetta & Crumbled Pecans

I've been on quite the butternut squash kick lately.  

I've used it in lasagna, quinoa, and now gnocchi. 

(and to be honest- several other recipes I haven't listed here, I can't list everything! :)

I wanted the gnocchi to be light and fluffy.  Nothing is worse than a dense, heavy plump of gnocchi.  So I added a good amount of parmigiana cheese, and as little flour as possible. 

**Note that this is a two-step recipe, requiring time to freeze the gnocchi. (This is due to them being light and fluffy, they would fall apart in a pot of boiling water without being frozen first.)

I notice everything butternut squash-related is served in a brown butter sage sauce, which sounds absolutely delicious.  But I wanted to do something different.  I came up with a decadent saffron cream sauce that gets soaked into the little gnocchis, and garnished it with pancetta for a little complementary fat, and crumbled pecans for added crunch.

It's just to die for.  

Be careful on cooking times- do NOT make the mistake I did and walk away from the boiling gnocchi.  I overcooked mine by just a minute or so.  The trick is to have the saffron cream sauce, pancetta, and pecans ready when the gnocchi is cooking.  

Butternut Squash Gnocchi in 

Saffron Cream Sauce with Crispy Pancetta 

and Crumbled Pecans

Step one- make the gnocchi

1 butternut squash, halved, seeds removed 
2 eggs
1 cup freshly grated parmigiana cheese
1 cup all purpose flour
1 generous tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Roast squash for 40 minutes, or until soft and tender. Let cool completely.

2. Peel skin from squash.  Place squash into a large mixing bowl, and mix until very soft.  You can use a food processor too.

3. Add the eggs and salt, mix thoroughly.  Add in the flour and blend.  The dough will be soft and pretty sticky.  Cover and refrigerate dough for at least a half hour, it will be easier to handle.

4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Take dough out of fridge.  It will still be very sticky and hard to manage.  Form nickel sized balls (or dollops I should say, it is impossible to form the dough into a ball right now).  Place on baking sheet.  You can keep them very close together, they will not be actually baking on these sheets.  Once all are formed into little dollops, place in freezer.  Freeze for about a half hour.

5. Remove from freezer.  NOW you can shape them much easier!  Form into ovals. You can press a fork into the batter at this point to give them some nice ridges. Return to freezer.

These will keep in the freezer for up to a month.  Just remove the gnocchis from baking sheet and store in ziploc bags.  

Step two- prepare the meal.

Frozen gnocchi
6 thin slices pancetta 
1/2 cup toasted pecans
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Saffron Cream Sauce:
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
2 shallots, minced
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp saffron threads 

Cook pancetta.  In a large skillet, heat a small drizzle of olive oil over medium heat.  Add the pancetta, and cook until it starts to crisp.  Flip, and cook until pancetta rounds are nice and crispy. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.

Make saffron cream sauce. In another large skillet, heat a few drizzles of olive oil over medium heat.  Add the shallots, and saute until starting to soften.  Deglaze the pan with white wine, and let cook another 2-3 minutes.  Add the heavy cream and saffron threads. Bring to a light simmer.  Turn heat down to med low while you boil the gnocchi.

Boil the gnocchi.  Have a slotted spoon and a colander ready. Fill a saucepot with water.  Bring to a boil, and once boiling add the gnocchi.  They will only take a minute or two to cook.  They are done the very second they float to the top of the pan.  With the slotted spoon, carefully remove the done gnocchi to a colander. 

Assemble and eat!  Portion the gnocchi on plates, drizzle with saffron cream sauce, crumble toasted pecans over top, and garnish with crispy pancetta rounds.  Serve with fresh grated parmigiana. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Lasagna with Italian Sausage, Spinach, and Sage

 I asked The Boyfriend to describe this dish for me, and he said it was good.  I pressed him for more details, and he said 'I dunno.. it was cheesy?'

In his defense I'm asking him while he's half asleep on the couch.

I pressed him a bit further... he said it didn't feel like he 'rubbed it all over his face.' 

Yes, that's a direct quote.  

'It wasn't greasy and overly heavy, it was lighter and healthier than traditional lasagna. Therefore I did not feel like I rubbed it all over my face.' 

I get what he's saying.  It wasn't so loaded with cheese that I felt like I gained 110 lbs just by eating it.  The butternut squash and sage combination gave it a really delicate flavor, and sausage pairs beautifully with the squash, complementing it's sweetness.  

The white sauce made with mascarpone, parmigiana, mozzarella, and ricotta was not heavy or overbearing.  It really lets the flavors shine through. 

This recipe is a winner, and a really nice option for a make-ahead meal.  I made this for an upcoming ski weekend and froze it.  

Then I just took it out of the freezer, let it thaw all day while skiing, and popped it in the oven at night.  

Also a nice vegetarian option- simply skip the sausage and replace chicken stock with vegetable stock.  Don't skip the stock though, it thins out the cheese a bit so you don't feel like you 'rubbed it on your face.'

Savory Sausage and Spinach Cannelloni

With fall approaching, I can't stop thinking about winter comfort foods. I may be jumping the gun, but I've already made Honey Spice Bread (which is similar to a gingerbread), and have been craving anything that has mounds of melted cheese (brought on by the best macaroni and cheese ever at Casellula in NYC).

So while looking to satisfy that hearty comfort food craving, but in a healthier way, I made this Sausage and Spinach Stuffed Cannelloni.  

This was so good, so warm and filling, and pretty healthy!

  The cannelloni filling is part spicy sausage and part turkey sausage that was sauteed and cooked down with onions and thyme.  The meat then was combined with sauteed garlicky spinach for a hearty, flavorful filling.  The cannelloni's were then placed on a bed of  a very quick raw tomato 'sauce', and topped with bechamel and parmesean cheese.

The cannelloni could easily be made ahead if you're planning on making it for guests or will be short on time.  You could also use jarred tomato sauce to save time.nThe whole thing can be assembled and refrigerated overnight, and then just popped it the oven when your ready!

The best part is the variations are endless! Have leftover chicken? Or even turkey?  Cut into cubes, add some broccoli, and you've got a variation of chicken and broccoli alfredo.  

             You could do sundried tomato, artichokes, and chicken.  Add a little ricotta if you desire..

You could do a caprese style cannelloni- fresh diced tomato, basil, and mozzarella.. maybe add some sauteed pancetta...  and top the whole think with more mozzarella.

I could go on..... but I think you get it ;)

Turkey Piccata with Charred Aglio e Olio Penne

I bought all these healthy things at the supermarket with no big plans on what to do with them.  One of them I wasn't very excited about was turkey breast cutlets.  They look just like boneless chicken breasts.

But it's hot, and who wants to eat turkey?!?

I figured I'd make some simple plain dish that wasn't very exciting just so I can fell healthier and good about myself for eating a healthier meat. 

But guess what......?!

I made this turkey piccata that is TO DIE FOR!  I mean, it's good.  It's healthy.  

And the Boyfriend put it in the Top 5 Meals I Ever Made.

Just ever-so-lightly breaded, in a savory lemony caper sauce.

So easy and fast to make.  And you couldn't even tell it was turkey!