Pastina in Brodo

This is a favorite from my childhood.
I hated soup as a child.
I loved this soup.

I don't know if I made it the way my Mom made it but I loved this.
Alia requested it for her night ...

I started with a 2L box of salt reduced chicken stock. Added to that 4 cups of water (next time I think I'll add about 6 or 8 cups ) and 3 tsp of chicken stock powder (you could use boullion/stock cubes too). Threw in a carrot, 3 big cloves of garlic and a quartered red onion. Salt and Pepper too. Brought that to the boil and then let it simmer til I had finished the other parts of dinner ... 30 minutes ? an hour ? I then removed the veggies, added the pastina (tiny star shaped pasta that I've found in whole wheat !) and boiled til the pastina was cooked. Served in bowls, topped with parmesan cheese.

Garlic Chicken Pasta

So ... this recipe starts out as a crock pot recipe. The original recipe that I found called for Lawry's Mesquite Marinade with Lime Juice. I can't get that so I made my own marinade.

My marinade ~ mix in a bowl :
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup brown rice vinegar
1/8 cup red wine
garlic ~ to taste
lime juice and rind ~ one or two limes
honey
salt and pepper
paprika
liquid smoke
onion powder

I have no idea how much of each thing I used. When I make it again, I'll let you know exact measurements ...

Add to crock pot :
3 or 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Marinade from above

Cook on low for 6 hours.

Other ingredients :
Whole wheat spirals pasta
1 cup thickened (heavy) whipping cream
2 or 3 garlic cloves, crushed
pepper, to taste
1/2 cup butter
500g bacon, chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Shred chicken, and set aside. When ready to prepare dinner, cook pasta. In large fry pan, cook bacon. Add butter and melt. Ad garlic, cream, pepper and parmesan cheese. Whisk together on low heat for 3-4 minutes. Add cooked pasta and shredded chicken. Stir. Top with extra parmesan.

Creamy Parmesan Mustard Chicken Pasta

Ok, so you all know that we are eating no preservatives, no additives, no white flour, sugar etc this year. Well, when I don't have leftovers, and I've run out of bread, I have to cook something for lunches the next day. I could probably MAKE more bread but I'd rather cook ! I whipped this little beauty up at the beginning of the week and it lasted the four of us 3 lunches ! I'll tell you ... whole wheat pasta fills you up quicker and therefore stretches a lot longer than regular pasta !

Here's what I used ...
1 chicken breast
2 big handfuls of baby spinach
1 red onion, sliced thinly
3 cloves of garlic, I think I slivered them
1.5 tablespoons whole grain seed mustard
3/4 cup thickened cream
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tablespoon whole wheat flour
1 bag of whole wheat penne pasta

Here's what I did ...

Boil the pasta.

While that's boiling, sautee your onion and garlic, til onion is not raw and the garlic smells yum. Add chicken (and salt/pepper to taste) and cook til no longer pink. Add flour. Stir to coat chicken. Add cream, mustard, parmesan cheese and spinach. Stir to mix it up and cook for a few minutes while the cream thickens, cheese melts and spinach wilts.

Drain pasta and add to fry pan ... or if your frying pan isn't a really cool, really big, electric one that your brother in law gave you for Christmas, add your chicken sauce to your pasta !

I'm submitting this to Cooking Thursday ... hosted by Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. For more great recipes, check her Cooking Thursday posts each week !!

Asparagus and Whole Wheat Pasta

I made this the other night when Rory's Mum was staying with us.
It was a hit ! So yummy ... such an interesting mix of flavors.
I got the original recipe out of a Rachael Ray cookbook that my cousin, Jill, gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago. I modified it a bit ... here's what I did ... if you want to do what
Rachel did you'll have to go buy her cookbook ...

2 bunches of asparagus, chopped into one inch pieces
1 bag of whole wheat penne pasta
1 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
garlic ... minced ... i used about 4 cloves ... but do what you like
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
3/4 cup veggie stock
3/4 cup thickened cream
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
juice and zest of one lemon
a couple twists of the pepper grinder
sea salt flakes ... or whatever salt you like
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, finely chopped
fresh parmesan cheese, grated

Boil your water for the pasta. Then cook it ...

In my cast iron skillet, I used a bit of olive oil and sauteed the asparagus and set aside.

In my electric fry pan, I added the (1 tbls) olive oil and the butter ... then the garlic and cooked for a couple minutes, til it smells like you'd like to stop there and just eat that. But don't. Sprinkle your flour into the pan and stir. Add the stock, cream, mustard and lemon zest. Stir. Add salt, pepper and tarragon. Cook for a couple minutes, til it thickens. Add the lemon juice, asparagus and cooked pasta.

Grate your cheese on top and you're done.

Stress Free Pasta

Stress Free Pasta
Sara Snow

1 lb whole-wheat pasta
4 cloves garlic - diced
1 28oz can of whole or quartered tomatoes
1 jar Greek olives
1/8 cup capers
1 pound fresh organic spinach
Fresh oregano – chopped
Fresh basil – chopped

Cook pasta according to directions. Sauté garlic.
Add tomatoes, olives, capers and spices.
Toss in spinach at the last minute so that it wilts, but doesn’t cook through.
Toss in pasta.
Serve w/ spinach salad drizzled w/ flax seed oil (omega 3 for brain and heart health) and soy sauce.

The yummiest thing you'll put in your face

The famous Spicy Chicken Upside-down Whole Wheat G. St. Lasagna:

Whole wheat lasagna noodles (uncooked)
1/4 lb chicken breast, chopped into little pieces (the size you'd use for Thai Chicken Soup)
2 T pesto
1-2 squeezes of chili pepper paste (to taste)
1/2 cup Romano (or Parmesan), finely shredded
1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Cook chicken with chili paste, when chicken is cooked through, stir in pesto. Set aside.

Stir together spinach and cottage cheese. Set aside.

In a meatloaf pan, spray non-stick spray. Layer one of the noodles, spread on chicken and pesto, sprinkle Romano cheese on top. Layer 1 or 2 more noodles, to cover chicken, spread on spinach mixture. Layer 1 or 2 more noodles, to cover, then sprinkle on mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 375 for 35-45 min. (I could be making that temperature up...so check it often) until the cheese is browned on the edges and noodles are al dente.

Flip pan upside-down onto a plate and let sit for 5-10 min. Remove from pan and enjoy!

Makes 3 Servings.