Rotini with Spinach Sauce and Roasted Red Peppers

Yay for post #2 in November!  It's been a busy month... not that I haven't been cooking, but I've had no time to write up a post.  I don't really have time to write one tonight... but I don't want to work.  So procrastination wins. :)

Jeremy and I bought a bag of spinach at the grocery store this past weekend and I wanted to use some.  I don't like the texture of cooked spinach but didn't want a salad tonight - hence spinach sauce!  It had great flavor and was a lovely green color.  Made me think I was eating the Grinch or something... with the addition of the roasted red peppers, maybe I should call this Christmas pasta.  But since it's still November, I won't.

This took me only about half an hour to make.  It would have been even quicker if I'd made the pasta while making the sauce.  But since I had started dinner a bit before we wanted to eat, I had the sauce completely made before I put the pasta water on.  It would probably take only about 20 minutes if everything was started together.

This had a lot of veggies in it and was an overall healthy meal.  I will certainly be making it again.  I have one serving left in the pot so one of us will have some great leftovers tomorrow.  (And since I leave earlier, I'll probably get to them first.  Yay!)

When I first asked Jeremy how he felt about it he said, "I'm not sure."  After two minutes he said, "I like it."  I just looked over at him and I don't see any food in his bowl and he was licking his fork... I call that a success. :)

You could adapt this to your tastes - tomatoes in addition to or in place of the roasted red peppers, or other veggies altogether.  It would also probably be great with some grilled chicken.  Overall a very easy and tasty meal. And now that I don't really have any excuse not to work, back to the grind.

Recipe:
1 box (13.25 oz.) rotini
1 onion, diced
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flake
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1 tbs. dried parsley flakes
5 oz. fresh spinach
1 jar (15.5 oz) roasted red peppers, drained and diced
1/4 c. chicken stock
1/2 c. milk (I used skim)
2 tbs. grated parmesan (plus more for serving)
1 tbs. olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Heat a large saute pan (w/ a lid) over medium heat.  Add olive oil.  Add crushed red pepper flakes and swirl to heat for 20 seconds.  Add onions and saute for 5-6 minutes until translucent.  Add garlic, basil, and parsley.  Cook for 1-2 minutes to heat through.  Add chicken stock and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any bits.  Add spinach and mix.  Cover with lid to allow spinach to wilt.  When wilted turn off heat.
2. Place spinach mixture in a blender and add milk and parmesan cheese.  Blend until smooth.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside until pasta is done.
3. Heat a large pot of water over high heat.  When boiling, add salt (to taste, you don't need to add it... I added about 1 tsp.)  Add rotini and cook until al dente, 9-10 minutes.  Drain and return to pan. (You could do this step while making the sauce if you wanted.)
5. Combine pasta, sauce, and roasted red peppers and heat over low heat until hot through.  Serve topped with extra parmesan cheese.

Lemon-Garlic Roast Pork with Sauteed Cabbage and Oven-Roasted Carrots

A couple weeks ago, pork was on sale at the grocery store, so I bought a roast even though I didn't have time to cook it then.  I froze it and thawed it out this weekend for tonight.  I decided to marinate it in garlic, thyme, and lemon and serve it with a lot of veggies.  It was awesome.  The lemon gave it a really fresh, bright flavor.

Since most of the time it took to make dinner tonight was roasting the pork, I got some work done while it sat in the oven.  The cabbage and carrots didn't take too long so it was a fairly easy meal.  I gave the pork roast about a 40 minute head-start before I started the sides. The sides were still done a little early but they stayed hot so it wasn't a problem.

The cabbage had a great (slightly sweet) flavor and the roasted carrots were almost succulent.  There's almost nothing I like better than roasted vegetables. The caramelized edges they get are delicious.  And they're so easy since you just stick them in the oven until they're tender.

The pork was tender yet crunchy on the outside. I used a probe thermometer to monitor the temp while it was cooking.  That has probably been one of the best investments I've made.  It only cost about $20 but it makes all the difference when roasting a large cut of meat or a whole bird.

Overall a very successful meal. And one that was fairly healthy with all the veggies.  I know we'll enjoy eating up all the leftovers. :)

Pork:
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme
1.5-2 lb. pork roast (mine was 1.76 lbs.)

1. Mix lemon zest and juice, salt, pepper, and thyme together in a large ziploc bag, add pork roast and zip closed.  Massage the marinade into the meat.  Refrigerate overnight (or a few hours if that isn't possible).
2. Preheat oven to 325.  Place pork roast on a rack over a roasting pan.  Roast for 1-1 1/4 hours until the temperature inside is 160 degrees.
3. Remove from oven and cover loosely with foil.  Allow the meat to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Cabbage:
1 medium onion, diced
1 lb. (about 1/2 head) cabbage, sliced thinly
1 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. margarine
1 tbs. cider vinegar
1 tsp. chipotle tobasco (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat a large frying pan over medium high heat.  Add 1 tbs. olive oil.
2. Add onion and saute until mostly carmelized, 10-12 minutes. Remove from pan.
3. Add 1 tbs. margarine, cabbage, and salt and pepper to taste.  Saute until cabbage is to desired tenderness, approximately 10 minutes. (I like mine slightly firm so if you want it softer, keep cooking.)
4. Add the onions back to the pan.  Add cider vinegar.  Mix to combine and cook for 1-2 more minutes until liquid is gone. Add chipotle tobasco if using (if you don't want it spicy, leave it out... but it's delicious) and mix to combine.
5. Serve.

Carrots: (I had them mixed and then cranked the heat on the oven up as soon as the pork came out. The carrots were done just about when I finished slicing the pork.)
4 medium carrots, quartered and then cut into 2" sticks
1 tbs. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix everything together on a baking sheet.
2. Bake for approximately 10-15 minutes (turn/stir the carrots once halfway through) until tender and slightly browned on the edges.
3. Serve.

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

I've been trying to make whole wheat buttermilk pancakes for a while now. This recipe finally turned out how I wanted it - nice and fluffy. :) The recipes I'd been following were either too runny or without enough flavor.

Jeremy ate these as is.  I added maple syrup to mine. :) These were really easy to make (just a few more steps than a boxed mix...) and they're healthier since they're made with white whole wheat flour. 

You could use actual buttermilk rather than the powder and water.  You might need to decrease the flour slightly depending on how thick your buttermilk is.  Buttermilk thickens as it sits so the longer it's been in the fridge, the thicker it will be.  Just eyeball the batter and see if it looks to thick.   

And now back to work... 

Recipe:

1 c. plus 2 tbs. white whole wheat flour

1 egg

1/4 c. buttermilk powder

1 c. water

2 tbs. margarine, melted

1 tbs. sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1. Crack egg into a medium bowl.  Beat lightly.  Add the rest of the ingredients and beat until just mixed (don't over-mix. lumps are ok.)

2. Heat a griddle over medium heat.  Use a 1/4 c. measuring cup to portion out the batter. (I got 8 pancakes out of it.) Flip the pancakes when bubbles form and the edges start to appear dry. 

3. Serve. :)