vegetable Archives - Page 4 of 5

Garlicky Spaghetti with Roasted Broccoli #WeekdaySupper

October 1, 2013 ·

With 10 cloves of garlic, Garlicky Spaghetti with Roasted Broccoli is garlic lovers dream! This easy recipe is quick to make, healthy and perfect for a weeknight.

When pressed for time, pasta one of our go-tos for a quick and easy dinner. While it can be simple, pasta is also versatile enough to allow for creativity…or at least some variety. Whenever I try a new recipe, I look at the garlic amount and typically double it. Not necessary with Garlicky Spaghetti with Roasted Broccoli. It has 10 cloves of garlic! I wondered if the garlic might be overwhelming, but it is tempered when sauteed and nicely balanced with the cheese and crushed red pepper. Roasted broccoli adds a wonderful little crunch as well. …

Filed Under: healthy, main dishes, Recipes, vegetarian Tagged With: broccoli, cheese, dinner, easy, garlic, pasta, quick, vegetable

Tortellini Primavera - a quick and healthy pasta dish made on the lighter side!

Tortellini Primavera #WeekdaySupper

September 24, 2013 ·

Tortellini Primavera is a creamy, cheesy pasta dish made with with lots of vegetables. It is quick, easy and healthy ~ perfect for a weeknight!

Like most people, we are always looking for quick and easy recipes for weeknight dinners. While frozen pizza or takeout seem like a quick fix for those busy nights, we always prefer something healthier, tastier, and homemade. But like I said, it has to be easy, right? This Tortellini Primavera is all that, plus it’s super tasty! With all the vegetables, the cheese, the creaminess, the cheese-filled tortellini, and being easy to make, you really can’t go wrong. …

Filed Under: healthy, main dishes, Recipes, vegetarian Tagged With: cheese, cream cheese, easy, light, low fat, mushrooms, pasta, quick, spinach, tomatoes, vegetable

Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup #SundaySupper

September 22, 2013 ·

Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup is smooth, creamy and a little spicy! This delicious and health soup is easy to make and pure comfort food.

Since today is officially the first day of Fall, the Sunday Supper theme for this week is “Fall Foods.” I had several ideas for this one, but after making Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup, it was the obvious choice to celebrate the season. A warm soup made with sweet potatoes, that is smooth and creamy, is perfect comfort food for when the temperatures start to get cooler. A little spice from the chipotle chile adds just enough heat and depth to make it interesting. Made as-is, this Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup is vegan and gluten free….

Filed Under: gluten free, healthy, kid-friendly, Recipes, soup, vegan, vegetarian Tagged With: chipotle, dinner, easy, fall, sweet potato, vegetable

Baked Pumpkin Pasta #WeekdaySupper

September 4, 2013 ·

Baked Pumpkin Pasta is a quick, healthy pasta dish made with pumpkin, zucchini and ricotta cheese. This simple comfort food is perfect for a weeknight dinner.

I’ve said it many times before, and I’ll say it again: Fall is my favorite time of year for cooking and baking. Mainly because I love pumpkin recipes! While I typically prefer to use pumpkin in baked goods, this Baked Pumpkin Pasta made for a delightful, easy and healthy weeknight dinner. …

Filed Under: healthy, kid-friendly, main dishes, Recipes, vegetarian Tagged With: baked, cheese, easy, pasta, pumpkin, quick, vegetable, zucchini

Cheesy Broccoli Penne Pasta

August 8, 2013 ·

Cheesy Broccoli Penne Pasta dish is made on the lighter side with a light cheddar and Parmesan sauce and fresh broccoli. A quick and healthy stove top meal, this is a great weeknight dinner!

We love cheesy pasta dishes, and generally the more cheese the better, right? In summer months we tend to gravitate to lighter meals, leaving our beloved cheesy baked pasta dishes by the wayside. They can be a bit heavy, and while I love baked pasta, I don’t always love to turn on the oven when the temperatures rise. That’s where this Cheesy Broccoli Penne Pasta dish is perfect. It has a light cheddar and Parmesan cheese sauce ~ just enough to coat the pasta and broccoli. And it’s all made on the stove top in under 30 minutes. You can’t beat that!…

Filed Under: kid-friendly, main dishes, Recipes, vegetarian Tagged With: cheese, cooking light, cream cheese, easy, pasta, quick, vegetable

Easy Vegetable Frittata

May 9, 2013 ·

Thank you I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! for sponsoring this post. Visit www.icantbelieveitsnotbutter.com for more information about Breakfast After Dark.

We love breakfast for dinner (or “brinner” as it’s often called), whether it’s waffles, pancakes, egg scrambles or frittatas. This Easy Vegetable Frittata is a frequent “go-to” dinner because it’s quick, easy, and we can easily use up whatever vegetables or cheeses we have on hand. Mike can make it too, which is another plus!

In this frittata, for the veggies, I used sliced red pepper, chopped broccoli florets, chopped red onion, and some garlic, and I used cheddar for the cheese. It was such a delicious combination and so colorful! I paired my frittata with a mixed green side salad, because that’s generally what I have with any dinner. Mike skipped the salad and enjoyed his with a beer ~ it is dinner after all!

With Mother’s Day just a few days away, this frittata would be an excellent dish to enjoy at your celebratory breakfast/brunch or for a breakfast for dinner. Tomorrow I will be sharing another great brunch recipe…and it’s even easier to make!

Easy Vegetable Frittata

Yields: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! spread, divided
4½ cups sliced/chopped vegetables (I used red pepper, broccoli, onions)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
8 eggs (or 4 eggs and 8 egg whites)
1 cup shredded cheese, divided (I used cheddar)

Instructions

In a large oven-proof nonstick skillet, melt 1 tablespoon I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! over medium heat. Add your vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender (about 5 minutes). During the last minute, add minced garlic and Italian seasoning, stirring to combine.
Meanwhile, melt the remaining tablespoon of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, melted I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! and 3 tablespoons water for about 1 minute, or until frothy. Stir in ½ cup cheese.
Pour egg mixture over vegetables, stirring gently, and cook over medium heat until eggs begin to set. (Occasionally lift the edges of frittata to allow uncooked mixture to go to the bottom)
Top with remaining cheese and broil for 2 minutes, or until cheese is melted and golden brown and eggs are set. Cut into wedges and serve.

Source: I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!

For more tips about making this delicious frittata, check out the Breakfast After Dark Episode “Fabulous Frittata with Lisa Vanderpump“

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Filed Under: Admin, breakfast, healthy, Recipes, vegetarian Tagged With: brunch, clever girls collective, dinner, easy, frittata, quick, vegetable

easy vegetarian spinach manicotti with no boil noodles

Easy Meatless Manicotti

September 5, 2012 ·

I don’t know about you, but I am very excited for Fall. It is my favorite time of year for cooking and baking, plus I love the cooler temperatures. Even though the season has not technically changed, Labor Day is kind of an unofficial kick off to the Fall season. At least that’s what I’m telling myself. I have already made a pumpkin pie, pumpkin pancakes, chili and cornbread, beef stew, and a few other Fall-inspired goodies to be posted soon. (Ok, confession…I may have done some of this before Labor Day).

In any case, this Easy Meatless Manicotti is one of my favorite dishes and is a perfect comfort food for the cooler temperatures. There are a couple time-saving steps in this recipe to help make it “easy.” First, no boiling of the noodles is required. Not having to boil the noodles is not only a time-saver, but filling firm shells is a whole lot easier than flimsy cooked shells. This recipe also uses a jarred pasta sauce, though if you want to make your own, go for it! The filling is very flexible – I’ve used cottage cheese or ricotta, and either works fine. I have used frozen broccoli in place of the spinach; I have added onions, shredded zucchini, whatever extra vegetables that needs to be used up. Leftovers heat up beautifully, which make for great lunches or quick dinners. Easy Meatless Manicotti is healthy and delicious and a regular in our dinner rotation.

Easy Meatless Manicotti

Yields: 7 servings

Ingredients

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella, divided
¼ cup (1 ounce) grated parmesan cheese
16 ounces nonfat cottage cheese
10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
3 garlic cloves, grated or minced
1½ teaspoons dried Italian herb seasoning (or dried oregano)
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Cooking Spray
3 cups marinara sauce (or 24-28 ounce jar pasta sauce)
1 package (14 noodles) manicotti noodles - uncooked
½ cup water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine 1½ cups mozzarella, Parmesan, and cottage cheese, along with the spinach, garlic, Italian herb seasoning, red pepper and salt/pepper to taste.
Spray 13 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray. Pour ½ of the sauce in the baking dish.
Fill the manicotti noodles* with filling mixture until full, about 3 tablespoons.
Pour the remaining sauce over the noodles, making sure the noodles are covered.
Slowly pour ½ cup water around the perimeter of baking dish. Sprinkle remaining ½ cup mozzarella cheese on top. Cover with nonstick foil (or spray foil with cooking spray) and bake for 1 hour. Let sit uncovered for 10 minutes and serve.

Notes

Filling tips: Put filling in a ziploc bag, cut off a corner and fill shells OR I have found an iced tea spoon is the perfect size for spooning the filling in the shells.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 2 shells

Adapted from Cooking Light

Filed Under: Featured, healthy, main dishes, Recipes, vegetarian Tagged With: dinner, easy, make ahead, manicotti, pasta, quick, spinach, vegetable

Carrot Zucchini Bread

August 23, 2012 ·

Carrot Zucchini Bread is a moist, delicious twist on zucchini bread. If you have extra zucchini, this is definitely a must-make!

The end of summer is one of my favorite times of year because it means zucchini is everywhere. Zucchini is such a versatile vegetable that gets turned into delicious dishes, both savory and sweet, with so many possibilities! I found myself with some zucchini and some leftover carrots from making Carrot Cake Pancakes. My first instinct was to make pancakes (which might come later), but Carrot Zucchini Bread has been on my list for quite a while. A quick bread with double veggies has got to be a good thing. Carrot Zucchini Bread is a super tasty, fun twist on zucchini bread!

Carrot Zucchini Bread

Yields: 1 loaf (12 servings)

Ingredients

1½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 eggs
½ cup canola oil
¾ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1¾ cup grated zucchini (squeeze out some excess moisture)
½ cup grated carrot

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 8x4 loaf pan (or spray with baking spray) and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs and oil until well blended. Add sugar and vanilla, and whisk until combined. Add zucchini and carrot, stirring until combined.
Add flour mixture to zucchini mixture, gently folding until just combined.
Pour mixture into prepared loaf pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 5 to 10 minutes and then move to wire rack to cool completely.

Adapted from Food.com

Filed Under: bread, breakfast, Recipes, vegetarian Tagged With: baby/toddler, brunch, carrots, easy, quick, snack, vegetable, zucchini

Lighter Cajun Chicken Pasta

May 15, 2012 ·

Lighter Cajun Chicken Pasta is a one-pot, easy recipe with a cajun twist made healthier!

Lighter Cajun Chicken Pasta | alidaskitchen.com

This Cajun Chicken Pasta is an easy, one-pot stovetop dinner made with lots of vegetables and spicy chicken in a creamy sauce. The hands-on cooking time is around 20 minutes, which means with a little advance prep (chopping vegetables and chicken), this can easily be a weeknight dinner, or a quick dinner any time. The recipe is also easily halved to make dinner for 2.

I used this recipe from Southern Living for my inspiration, but made several modifications to lighten up the dish. For the cream sauce, I used fat free evaporated milk instead of half-and-half, and the result was great. It had a creamy texture without being heavy. I also eliminated the butter in favor of cooking spray and a small amount of olive oil for the vegetables. I reduced the amount of pasta and added more vegetables. There is a lot of flexibility with the vegetables to add more or change it up to use up what you have on hand. The result is a lighter version of Cajun Chicken Pasta that is simply delicious!

Lighter Cajun Chicken Pasta

Author: Alida Fischbach

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

8 ounces whole wheat linguine or fettucine
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into small strips
1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (divided), adjust to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 red onion, thinly sliced
3 large bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 (8 ounce) package sliced mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (12 ounces) fat free evaporated milk
chopped green onions, for garnish

Instructions

Prepare pasta according to package directions.
Meanwhile, sprinkle chicken evenly with 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning and salt.
Spray a large saute pan with cooking spray and heat oven medium-high heat. Add chicken, and saute for 5 to 6 minutes or until done. Remove chicken to a plate, tented with foil.
In the same saute pan, add olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add red onion, peppers, mushrooms and garlic to pan and saute for 9 to 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and liquid evaporates.
Return chicken to skillet and mix with vegetables. Add evaporated milk and 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 3 minutes. Add linquine, toss to coat
Garnish with green onions, as desired, and serve immediately.

Filed Under: healthy, main dishes, Recipes Tagged With: cajun, chicken, dinner, low fat, mushrooms, onion, pasta, peppers, vegetable

Smoked Gouda Baked Pasta with Broccoli

May 10, 2012 ·

smoked gouda macaroni and cheese with broccoli

I recently made an old favorite frittata recipe using smoked Gouda cheese. The good thing about smoked Gouda is that it is so flavorful, a little goes a long way. That also means that whenever I purchase a block for a specific recipe, there is usually some leftover. Not a bad problem to have, that’s for sure. This time I decided to put it to use with a fun twist on a classic ~ Smoked Gouda Baked Pasta with Broccoli. Who doesn’t love fancy, new versions of macaroni and cheese!

The first time I made macaroni and cheese with smoked Gouda, it was really tasty, but there was something missing. The smoked Gouda wasn’t as pronunced as I had hoped. So after experimenting with some seasoning, I found a little paprika was the key. It really brought out the smoked Gouda flavor. The broccoli was also a nice addition to this dish, giving a nutrition boost while adding some texture and color. One can never have too many mac ‘n cheese recipes, and this version is definitely a keeper!

Smoked Gouda Baked Pasta with Broccoli

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

8 ounces short pasta (such as elbows, penne, rotini)
½ cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups skim milk
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon ground dry mustard
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup (2 ounces) smoked Gouda cheese, shredded
⅓ cup (about 1½ ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
12 ounces frozen broccoli florets, thawed and lightly chopped
Cooking spray

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Set aside.
In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened (about 5 to 7 minutes). Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly toasted (about 1 minute).
Gradually add milk, paprika, mustard, salt and pepper, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil, and then cook until thickened (about 2 to 3 minutes).
Add cheeses to milk mixture, stirring until melted and then remove from heat.
Add broccoli and cooked pasta to the cheese sauce, stirring until well-blended.
Pour into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
Bake uncovered for 15 minutes, or until bubbly.

Adapted from Cooking Light