Creamy Pumpkin Penne

Creamy Pumpkin Penne

8 oz penne pasta

4 tsp olive oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

about 4T chopped fresh sage, or 1/2 to 1 T dried sage (to taste)

4 links cooked chicken sausage, sliced, or 1 turkey kielbasa, sliced

1 cup low fat cottage cheese (1% milk fat)

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 cup nonfat milk

pinch of nutmeg

10oz torn spinach, thick stems removed

grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese, optional

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook gently for about 10-15minutes, until softened and beginning to caramelize. Add garlic, sage, and chicken sausage; continue to saute.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.

In a blender, combine combine pumpkin, cottage cheese, and milk. Blend until no lumps are present. Add to sausage mixture in skillet and continue to cook over low heat. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.

Drain pasta and return to pot over low heat. Add sausage mixture and baby spinach, and toss together. Cover for a few minutes to let the spinach wilt. Serve with parmesan cheese, if desired.

Pumpkin Oats

I love the change of seasons from Summer into Fall. I love all of the fall foods, warm bowls of chili, roasted vegetables, soups, and in the mornings, a big bowl of oatmeal. I had a can of pumpkin that I've been looking forward to digging into, so I thought I'd make some Pumpkin Oats.

Pumpkin Oats
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/4 cup steel cut oats
1/3 cup pure pumpkin, pureed
nutmeg
cinnamon
sliced almonds
unsweetened shaved coconut

Bring water and almond milk to a boil, stir in oats and cover, cooking for 7-10 minutes, until done. Remove from heat and stir in pumpkin. Pour into a bowl and top with nutmeg, cinnamon, almonds and coconut. Enjoy!

Turkey Taco Stuffed Shells

In the mood for Mexican, or maybe a little Italian? How about a little of both! I decided to try these shells I had heard about from a friend...however, I always have to do things my own way, so I started by making my own taco seasoning again. Here's what I used for the shells:

Taco Seasoning

1 Tbsp. Chili powder 
1 tsp. Garlic powder 
1/4 tsp. Onion powder 
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes 
1/4 tsp. Oregano, dried 
1/2 tsp. Paprika 
1 1/2 tsp. ground Cumin 
1 tsp. Salt 
1 tsp. black Pepper

Combine all spices together, use 1 tbsp. for each pound of meat.

Turkey Taco Stuffed Shells

1 lb. Extra Lean Ground Turkey 

19 Jumbo Pasta Shells

1 cup of water

1 (16oz. can) fat free Refried Beans 

3/4 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded

1/4 cup Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded (I mixed them together)

1 tbsp. taco seasoning

1 16oz. jar of Salsa, divided

1 small green pepper, chopped 

1/4 cup green onions, sliced 

1/2 cup Sour Cream, reduced fat

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Stir in the shell pasta, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, until just slightly firm to the bite, about 13 minutes. Drain well.

Brown the ground turkey in a large skillet; drain fat. Mix all spices together and then stir in with water; cook over low heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir the pepper, refried beans and 3/4 cup cheese into the taco meat. 

Spoon meat mixture into prepared pasta shells. Spoon 1/4 cup salsa over the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange filled shells over salsa. Spoon remaining salsa over shells.

 

Bake in preheated 350 oven for 40 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with sliced green onion and 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese. Serve with sour cream.

Grilled Apricot Chicken

Summertime means grilling...I'm always on the lookout for great grilling recipes. Yesterday I tweaked an apricot chicken recipe I'd found online and really liked the outcome. I know using thighs isn't the healthiest option, but it's what we had in the freezer and you could just as easily do this with breasts, or any other parts of the chicken! The indirect grilling process keeps it nice and moist, if you haven't tried it before, do it, it takes more time, but is totally worth it.


Apricot Chicken

• 4 Tbsp. lower sugar Apricot preserves

• 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil

• 1 garlic cloved, minced

8 boneless chicken thighs

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper
cooking spray


1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well.
2. Prepare grill for indirect grilling (heat one side to medium-high and leave one side with no heat.)
3. Let chicken stand at room temperature for 30 min. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and pepper. Place chicken, meaty sides down, on grill rack coated with cooking spray over direct heat; grill 5 minutes or until browned.
4. Turn chicken over; baste with apricot mixture. Grill 5 minutes over direct heat or until browned. Turn chicken over, moving it over indirect heat; baste with apricot mixture.Cover and cook 15 minutes. Turn chicken over; baste with apricot mixture. Cook 20 minutes or until done.

Kale and Apple Sausage Pizza

This is one of those recipes passed on by a friend who got it from a friend's blog, etc. It was tasty and would be super easy to "improvise" depending on what ingredients you had in the fridge.


Kale and Apple Sausage Pizza


1 bunch kale, cleaned, coarsely chopped, and sauteed in olive oil
2 chicken and apple sausages, cut into thin rings

1/4 C chopped walnuts (or pecans...that's what I used, because that's what I had!)

2 C grated gouda

1 package pizza crust (I just use Trader Joe's, it's so convenient, and good...)

Preheat oven to 425. Roll out dough as thin as possible. Top with all other ingredients, and bake for 18 minutes.

Asian Beef Kabobs

When trying to figure out what to do with a tri-tip roast for our Memorial Day BBQ yesterday, I found this random recipe on the back of the label of the roast. It turned out great and it's ridiculously easy.

Asian Beef Kabobs

2 lbs. beef roast, cut into cubes

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

1/4 cup dry sherry

2 tsp. sesame oil

4 tsp. brown sugar

green onions

Mix everything together in a bowl and let sit for at least 4 hours. Slid onto skewers, interspersing green onion between the beef cubes. Grill 4 minutes on each side.

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

I know, it sounds weird...but I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome, so go ahead and give it a try!

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

1 avocado

1/2 banana

4 Tbsp. cocoa powder

1-2 Tbsp. agave nectar (or liquid sweetener of choice)

1/4 cup milk (originally recipe called for coconut milk, which I'd like to try, but didn't have any at the time...)

Plop all of the ingredients in a food processor, whiz away...you'll know when it's done by the consistency. I put mine in the refrigerator for a while to chill, but you could enjoy right out of the processor bowl if you'd like!