Recipe for Butternut Squash and Chicken Apple Sausage Pasta

Well, we're back from a long vacation and visits to see family.  After weeks of very little cooking, it's hard to get back in to the groove but I'm trying!  I thought I had misplaced my mojo for looking at what's in the pantry/fridge and throwing something together but I was pleased with how this turned out. Even though we don't have a real "Fall" here on Maui, cooking with butternut squash always makes me feel like we do. 

I did think, after the first bite, "this would be even better with some bacon in it."  That sort of reflects where my taste buds are right now!  Actually, it was just fine without bacon.  I mean, it has the chicken apple sausage in it!  I might try next time subbing some bacon, maybe turkey bacon, for the sausage.   

Servings: 4-6

Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut in to small cubes, about 7 cups
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• ½ pound whole grain rotini pasta
• 2 chicken apple sausages, cut in to small cubes
• 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• ½ cup finely diced shallots
• Cooking spray
• 3 TBSP cumin (more or less to your taste)

Method:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Toss squash in enough olive oil to lightly coat, season with salt, pepper, and 1 ½ TBSP cumin; spread on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Bake for about 30-40 minutes, until browning, stirring 2-3 times.
• Meanwhile, apply a light coat of olive oil to a sauté pan over med/med-high heat.
• Add pecans, shallots and sausages and remaining cumin.
• Cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes until browned.
• Cook pasta according to package directions.
• While pasta cooks, let squash cool briefly then put 2/3 of the squash in a food processor.
• Process squash until smooth.
• Mix together the pureed squash, drained pasta, sausage mixture, and remaining cooked squash.
• Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and fill with mixture.
• Top with cheese and place under a broiler for 4 minutes until cheese is melting and beginning to brown. 

This was filling without being a heavy pasta dish.  It's good to be back home for a while and I hope my mojo is really with me!

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Recipe for Scallops with Creamy Pesto Pasta-Secret Recipe Club

The blog I got to snoop around on this month for the Secret Recipe Club was Lisa's Cook Lisa Cook.  Lisa and her family (husband and daughter) live in the Atlanta area, near where I used to live and where I still have family.  She's a transplant from New England, her hubby from across the Atlantic, and their daughter all the way from China.  Lisa also writes another blog about their life as an adoptive family.  But on to this recipe-it comes together pretty quickly so best to be organized.  I used a commercial pesto sauce and it was fine but I do think this would be amazing with the fresh taste of homemade pesto-next time!  Lisa also used lemon pepper pasta which I could not find so I used my favorite multi-grain and added a generous squirt of lemon to the sauce.

Yield: 2 servings

Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 8 large scallops. dried very well
• 2 servings of your favorite pasta (I used whole grain linguine)
• Peanut oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup minced shallot
• 1/2 cup minced sweet red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup basil pesto
• 1 1/2 cups fat free half and half
• Juice from 1 large lemon

Method:

• Cook pasta according to package directions.
• Generously season the scallops with salt and pepper.
• Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat, and add just enough oil to coat the bottom.  Heat until very hot.
• Heat enough oil over medium high heat to coat the bottom of another pan and add the shallots, cooking for a minute or two until softened.  Then add the red pepper and cook an additional 1-2 minutes.
• While the veggies are cooking, sear the scallops 2 minutes per side (don't overcook, they should be slightly translucent in the center).
• Stir the pesto and half and half in to the veggies and cook over medium until warmed through and gently bubbling.  Stir in the lemon juice.
• Combine the sauce and cooked pasta. 
• Serve the pasta topped with the scallops.

I think this would also be good with shrimp.  Thanks to Lisa for a creative recipe idea!


Check out all the recipes from this month's Secret Recipe Club reveal through the links below.

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Original recipe on Lisa's blog

Recipe for Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Sesame Salmon and Spinach

Here's a great recipe for when you want to get something on the table quickly but you want to stay on the healthier side of things.  In under thirty minutes you can put this dish together, serve it, and be ready to receive the accolades that will surely be sent your way!


We are doing pretty well with our goal of eating fish once or twice a week.  I've found some frozen sockeye salmon that is really good.  Flash frozen on the boat when it's caught, I can't imagine much fresher unless you catch it yourself.  I'm keeping a bag in the freezer so I have no excuse not to get those good-for-you omega fatty acids in our weekly diet.


Mr. ELEB and I both love spinach but if you don't you could substitute another green, leafy veg or even some asparagus, broccoli, or peas.  It's worth  paying for some good quality whole wheat or whole grain pasta.


Yield: 2 servings
Time: 25 minutes


Ingredients:

• 8 ounces salmon filet
• 1 cup white wine or chicken or vegetable broth
• 4 ounces whole wheat (or whole grain) thin spaghetti pasta
• 4 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 TBSP soy sauce
• 3 TBSP sesame seeds, plus more for garnish
• 1 1/2 TBSP sesame oil
• Salt and pepper

Method:

• Cook pasta per box instructions for al dente.
• Heat wine or broth over med-high heat.  When simmering, add salmon and cover.  Cook for 5-7 minutes until still slightly translucent in center, just beginning to flake when pressed with spatula. When cooked, remove from wine/broth and flake into bite sized pieces.  Reserve liquid for serving if needed.
• While salmon and pasta cook, add sesame oil to skillet over med-high heat.  When hot, add garlic and sesame seeds and cook for 1 minute, being sure not to burn garlic. 
• Add soy sauce and spinach and wilt for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Drain pasta and add back to pan.  Add spinach, salmon, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper.  
• Stir and add some reserved wine/broth if needed.
• Serve sprinkled with additional sesame seeds.

This has lovely soft Asian flavors, which we both love.  Hope you do too!



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Adapted from this Mark Bittman recipe


Here are a few more of our favorite salmon recipes:

Lemony Salmon and Dill Toss

Poached Eggs with Spinach, Salmon and Roasted Red Peppers

Recipe for Salsa Turkey Pasta

Mr. ELEB is training for a half marathon and wanted a bit more carbs in some of our meals.  We both like whole grain pasta so I created another baked pasta recipe inspired by my December Secret Recipe Club recipe.

This time, the flavor palette is more in the Mexican/Latin realm and I added in some spinach and black beans to really make it a one pot meal.  This is another really easy, no fail recipe.  I hope you will try it and let me know what you think.


Yield: 6 hearty servings
Time: 30 minutes


Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ lb. ground turkey breast
• 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 10 oz. pkg frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed in paper towels to remove extra moisture
• 1 ½ cup shredded pepper jack cheese, divided
• 8 oz. whole grain rotini pasta
• 32 oz. thick and chunky salsa
• 3 TBSP taco seasoning
• 2 tsp olive oil
• Cooking spray

Method:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente.
• Season turkey with taco seasoning and heat olive oil in skillet.
• Cook turkey in hot oil until no longer pink. 
• Stir in the black beans, spinach, and salsa and heat until bubbling.
• Stir in the cooked, drained pasta and ½ of the the cheese.
• Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray and pour in the pasta/meat mixture.
• Top with remaining cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until bubbling and cheese is melted.

I hope you have a safe and happy New Year-be safe!

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Recipe for Lemony Salmon and Dill Toss

I've been determined not to gain weight over the holidays and so far so good (**I've actually lost a couple of lbs**). We've been eating a lot of meals like this one with the occasional treat/big meal thrown in. I've stayed away from most of the baking and treats that are prevalent in the cooking/blogging/magazine/recipe world right now. Honestly, we haven't missed them and if we have to have a little bit of a treat, I still have some of the Sans Rival cake in the freezer!


I've been instructed to tell you first off that this gets the Mr. ELEB seal of approval.  OK, done, now I'll share the recipe with you!  I was inspired by a recipe from Prevention Magazine to make this dish.  They used canned salmon though and I wanted to use fresh. I also used whole wheat pasta where their recipe called for regular white pasta.


I think this would be fine with canned salmon but if you can get fresh, why not?  My grocery store had some beautiful sockeye salmon so that's what I used.

I love putting tasty healthy food on the table in under thirty minutes!

Yield: 4 servings

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• ¾ lb. fresh salmon (I used sockeye)
• 1 ½ cups white wine (or broth)
• 1 ½ cup chopped fresh asparagus pieces
• 3 TBSP lemon juice
• 3 TBSP chopped dried dill
• 1 ½ TBSP olive oil
• 2 TBSP capers
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 8 oz. whole wheat penne pasta
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Lemon slices for serving.

Method:

• Cook pasta according to directions on package.
• While pasta cooks, poach salmon in white wine for 4-5 minutes until just cooked and beginning to flake.  Remove from wine and cut in to bite size pieces.
• In a separate pan, steam asparagus until slightly tender, about 4-5 minutes.
• Combine lemon juice and zest, dill, olive oil, capers, drained pasta, salmon, cheese, salt and pepper.
• Serve with lemon slices.

Despite being a pasta dish, and whole wheat at that, this turned out nice and light.  The lemon and capers really made the dish.  I wish I could have found some fresh dill as the dill flavor didn't come through as much as I would have liked but it was still good. I'd just up the amount next time if using dried dill.

Hope you'll give this a try and let me know what you think.

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Original recipe

Recipe for Simply Baked Pasta-Secret Recipe Club

Mmmm.  Little pillows of ricotta cheese (no not mashed potatoes!) on top of whole grain pasta, sauce, pepper jack cheese, beef - what's not to like?  That's what I thought when I was browsing through Stacy's blog Every Little Thing and saw her "wing it" recipe for baked pasta.  She was in the midst of an exercise to eat on $60/week and threw this together based on what she had on hand.  Perfect-I do that a lot too, probably why I was drawn to this recipe.  It's Secret Recipe Club time!  

Stacy is a Social Worker who lives in Missouri and specializes in the areas of autism and developmental disabilities.   She has adapted a local, natural lifestyle and hopes to help others become closer to their community and our Earth.  Here's Stacy's recipe, with a few adaptations:


Yield: 6 servings
Time: 30 minutes


Ingredients: 

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 tsp ancho pepper powder
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 8 oz. multi grain rotini pasta, cooked al dente
• 2 oz. pepper jack cheese, grated
• 12 oz. part skim ricotta cheese
• 12 oz. marinara sauce
• Salt and pepper
• Cooking spray

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Brown the beef and onions together.
• Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.
• Combine the beef/onion mixture with the other ingredients except ricotta in the casserole dish.
• Drop 6 dollops of ricotta on the top of the mixture.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly.  Serve with sprinkle of salt and pepper.

So simple and just the right level of heat for me.  If you like things really spicy, add more ancho pepper powder. This keeps well and reheats like a dream.  Check out Stacy's blog when you have a chance!  To see the other Secret Recipe Club participants, check out all the links below.

Original recipe

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Recipe for Cheesy Chicken Penne Pasta. Secret Recipe Club!

It's that time again!  I'm really enjoying the opportunity to participate in the Secret Recipe Club.  It is a collection of bloggers who secretly pick a recipe from another's blog and cook and post about it.  Not only is it fun to spook around on someone else's blog but it is also a treat to see who had your blog for the month and what they picked to cook.

This month my assigned blog was The Life & Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch authored by Shelby, a wife and a mom to two grown boys, Justin and Christopher. Now, coincidence or what?  I'm a wife and a mom to two grown boys, Justin and Christopher.  Okay, Shelby lives in NY and I live in Maui, so not everything is spookily the same but, I'm just sayin'! 


Shelby has some awesome recipes on her site.  Like I've been into an Indian kick lately, she's been into an Asian one.  I definitely have plans to try her honey and sesame chicken some time soon but for today I chose her cheesy chicken penne pasta.

Time: 55 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

·         8 oz. whole wheat penne pasta

·         1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces

·         1 TBSP olive oil

·         Salt and pepper

·         1 shallot, chopped

·         1 clove garlic, chopped

·         1 cup organic vegetable broth

·         ¾ cup fat free half and half

·         6 oz. gruyere cheese, shredded, divided

·         1 cup frozen English peas

·         1/3 cup homemade breadcrumbs

·         Cooking spray

Method:

·         Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente.

·         Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

·         Heat olive oil over medium-high heat and when hot, add chicken that has been seasoned with salt and pepper.

·         Cook chicken for about 4-5 minutes, until browned.

·         Add in shallot and garlic and lower heat to medium and cook 5 additional minutes.

·         Add broth and bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

·         Add half and half and simmer an additional 5 minutes.

·         Stir in 5 oz. of the cheese and cook until melted.

·         Stir in peas and drained pasta.

·         Spray casserole dish with cooking spray and add pasta/chicken mixture.

·         Top with breadcrumbs and then remaining cheese.

·         Bake for 25 minutes or until top has browned and casserole is bubbly.

I made very few changes to the original recipe, which Shelby adapted from another blogger (isn't recipe blogging great!), the main one being using fat free half and half instead of heavy cream.  We really enjoyed this casserole!  I used 365 Organic Whole Wheat Penne which we find to be very tasty and with none of that cardboard taste some whole wheat pasta has (unsponsored). 


If you wanted to make this a bit more decadent, I think adding in some bacon would be amazing and make it reminiscent of a carbonara.  Enjoy!


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