Creamy Taco Mac

When I think of things that are "trendy," I used to think of skinny jeans, Uggs, and the "Rachel" haircut. I never would have thought of food as trendy.

Yet there are certain recipes that are floating around my cooking forum and blog community, and they are popular enough to be considered trendy. I am certainly not minimizing their presence, and I have absolutely cooked my share of popular recipes (Avocado and Black Bean Brownies, Better-Than-Sex Cake, Penne alla Betsy...).

The latest culinary bandwagon that I've hopped aboard is Delish's Creamy Taco Mac. I've seen multiple blog posts with this recipe; some keep things the same and others put their own spin on it. I fall into the latter category, though her original sounds fantastic too.


The thing with most trends, however, is that they peak really quickly and then fizzle out, never to be heard from again. This pasta dish was so freaking fantastic, however, that I am pretty sure it won't be disappearing from my kitchen anytime soon.

I was wary about only using 1/2 pound of pasta but it was plenty; I even got two lunches out of the leftovers. I'm already planning on making it again soon.

Ingredients

• 1.25 lbs ground turkey
• 1/2 onion, chopped
  
• 8 oz dry pasta + 1 cup reserved pasta water
• 1 16oz jar of salsa
  
• 4 Tbsp mild taco seasoning
• 3 oz cream cheese
  
• 1/2 cup sour cream
  
• salt & pepper
• 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese, plus more for garnish
  

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta per directions. Reserve one cup of pasta water.

Over medium heat, brown ground turkey until no longer pink. Add onion and cook 5 minutes. Add taco seasoning and salsa. Allow to simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Add cooked pasta, reserved water, cream cheese, sour cream, and shredded cheese. Give it a good stir until cheeses are melty and incorporated. Simmer over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt & pepper, as desired. Top off with cheddar cheese for extra cheesy goodness.

Spring Green Risotto

I love risotto, but aside from the attention it needs, I don't like eating it too often since it's not exactly the healthiest meal. But with all the veggies, I figure Ina Garten's Spring Green Risotto comes with much less guilt.

I absolutely loved this dinner. The addition of marscarpone is something I never would have thought of, so I'm glad Ina did! It added a level of creaminess that just made this dish really pop, and I finished off the leftovers for lunch.


Ingredients
nocoupons

• 1 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 2/3 cup dry white wine
• 4 to 5 cups simmering chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 pound thin asparagus
• 10 ounces frozen peas, defrosted, or 1 1/2 cups shelled fresh peas
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, preferably Italian
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives, plus extra for serving

Directions

Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and fennel and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Add the rice and stir for a minute to coat with the vegetables, oil, and butter. Add the white wine and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until most of the wine has been absorbed. Add the chicken stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring almost constantly and waiting for the stock to be absorbed before adding more. This process should take 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the asparagus diagonally in 1 1/2-inch lengths and discard the tough ends. Blanch in boiling salted water for 4 to 5 minutes, until al dente. Drain and cool immediately in ice water. (If using fresh peas, blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes until the starchiness is gone.)

When the risotto has been cooking for 15 minutes, drain the asparagus and add it to the risotto with the peas, lemon zest, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Continue cooking and adding stock, stirring almost constantly, until the rice is tender but still firm.

Whisk the lemon juice and mascarpone together in a small bowl. When the risotto is done, turn off the heat and stir in the mascarpone mixture plus the Parmesan cheese and chives. Set aside, off the heat, for a few minutes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve hot with a sprinkling of chives and more Parmesan cheese.

Choco-PB-Banana Panini

I love my panini press. You can take a pretty decent sandwich, pop it on the panini grill, and BAM - you have something absolutely fabulous.

Last night I planned on making a tomato-basil-mozzarella panini, but at the last minute, I wanted something a little more indulgent. I grabbed a banana, some chocolate chips, and peanut butter and made myself a delicious little treat.


Ingredients

• 2 slices bread
• 2-3 tablespoons peanut butter (I used this delicious dark chocolate variation)
• 1/2 banana, sliced
• 1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips

I don't really need to write out directions for a sandwich, right? ;)

Enjoy!

Crockpot Roasted Chicken

Remember the commercials where people stage an intervention because their loved one has roast-aphobia? Fear of cooking a whole chicken? Yeah. That's me.

Aside from Thanksgiving, I have never ever purchased or cooked a whole bird.

That all changes now, thanks to Stephanie Cooks.

Throwing the chicken into the crockpot yields perfect, tender, juicy, delicious chicken that lasts for-eeeeeeeeeever. I make the chicken in the beginning of the week, and then use the leftovers for at least one, if not two more meals (soup, chicken salad, enchiladas, quesadillas, sandwiches, pasta tosses...). Fantastic! I do this at least twice a month, if not more.

Fellow roast-aphobians, fear no more.


Ingredients

• Whole chicken (4-5 pounds)
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• Olive oil
• Seasonings (I used garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and Mrs. Dash's tomato/basil blend)

Prep the chicken- remove the bag from the inside, thoroughly washing out the cavity and outside of the chicken. Pat dry.

Roll 3 pieces of tin foil into balls, about 2 inches in diameter. Place them in a triangle shape on the bottom of the crockpot.

Pour the chicken broth into the bottom of the crockpot. Toss the garlic cloves, whole, into the broth.

Place the chicken on top of the tin foil. Rub a small amount of olive oil over the skin (about 1-2 teaspoons).

Season heavily with the seasonings of your choice, gently rubbing them into the skin.

Cook on low 8 hours. The meat will literally fall off the bones.

Cheesecake Brownies

I was looking for something easy and delicious to take to a picnic this past weekend and thought that these little Cheesecake Brownies (courtesy of What's Cooking in the Orange Kitchen) were perfect. I cheated and used boxed brownies because I was short on time, but they were still fantastic.


Ingredients

• 1 batch of brownie batter (boxed or homemade) with 1 cup of chocolate chips added
• 1 block (8 oz) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease two muffin tins (for a total of 24 brownies).

Combine the cream cheese, vanilla, egg, and sugar in the bowl of a mixer and beat until well combined.

Fill each well half way with brownie batter. Then add 2-3 tbsp of cheesecake filling to each. Top that with a dollop of brownie batter.

Swirl the brownie batter and cheesecake filling with a toothpick. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Black Bean and Avocado Brownies

I assure you - this is not an April Fool's joke!

Cara's Cravings published this recipe on Valentine's Day, and it took me up until now to actually make it. It looked interesting... and I know it's healthy... but there was just something mental that wouldn't let me try them.

Even after making them, it took me a good day and a half to work up the nerve to take a bite. Although most of the ladies on my cooking message board love these, there was still something holding me back.

But... I did it. I ate one. And they are GOOD!

Don't get me wrong - you won't be confusing these with a Ghiradelli brownie or anything. But they are definitely chocolatey and brownie-like enough that I can see myself making them again. The nutritional info works in their favor as well - each brownie has more than 4g of protein and less than 2 grams of fat. Cha-ching!

They aren't bad at all on their own, and I imagine they would be even yummier with a scoop of ice cream on top.


Ingredients

• 1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 cup egg substitute
• 1/4 cup agave syrup
• 1/2 of a ripe avocado (60gm)
• 6 tbsp cocoa powder (30gm)
• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons white sugar (75gm)
• 2 teaspoons instant espresso

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8" pan with parchment paper.

Combine black beans, egg substitute, agave syrup, and avocado in food processor. Blend for a few minutes, until completely smooth. Add remaining ingredients and continue blending until fully combined, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Spread into parchment-lined baking dish. Bake for 30-33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the brownies comes out clean.

These are best if you let them sit overnight before slicing and enjoying!

Risotto Marsala

I used to make risotto somewhat frequently, but always as a side dish. Lately, however, I've found it more difficult to prepare it as well as a main dish (this would be thanks to two active but very adorable little boys), so when I do put risotto on my menu, it's a solo act. For that reason, I don't make it as often as I'd like.

I found this on Pink Parsley, a blog which I only recently discovered. I adore the title of her blog, but that's nothing compared to the goodies inside. I have saved several of her recipes and I can't wait to try them out.

I adjusted this slightly to fit my needs and just overall how it was turning out as I cooked. It's not too far off, though, but you can certainly check out her original.


Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  
• 1 medium shallot, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 1 cup Marsala wine
  
• 3-4 cups low-sodium broth (chicken, beef, or vegetable)
• 2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 Tablespoons fresh basil, minced
• kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
  

Melt 2 tablespoon of butter in a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat until foaming subsides. Add shallots and saute until soft, 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cook until fragrant, 1 minute.

Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a medium saucepan until simmering.

Add the Arborio rice to the butter and shallots and toast until opaque around the edges, 3-5 minutes. Add the Marsala wine and cook, stirring often, until absorbed, 5 minutes or so.

Stir in 1 cup of the chicken broth, and stir occasionally until almost absorbed, 5-8 minutes. Working 1 ladle of broth at at time, continue to add broth, stirring constantly. Add the next ladle when the broth is almost completely absorbed.

When you have added about half of the broth, stir in the mushrooms. Continue to cook risotto, stirring constantly and adding broth 1 cup at a time until it is al dente, for a total of 20-25 minutes.

Remove from heat, and stir in basil and remaining butter. Add salt and pepper if necessary and season to taste. Serve immediately.

French's Fried Onion Chicken Nuggets

My friend Kelly from Running Mama Cooks posted this yummy kid-friendly chicken recipe about a week ago, and I wasted no time adding them to my weekly menu and preparing them for Ryan.

I cut the tenders into thirds to make chicken nuggets, but that's just because I know Ryan would be more likely to eat them that way. They were absolutely delicious! I halved her recipe thinking that 2lbs would be too much, but I wish I kept her ratio (listed below). There were no leftovers, and it would have been nice to have some on hand for lunch for the next couple of days.

The only problem I ran into was that the onions got soggy from the egg. I think in the future I would work with a small amount of onions at a time and just continue replenishing. But I kept pressing the crumbs on, and while messy, it worked out just fine.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs chicken tenders
• 3 eggs
• 2 cans French's Fried Onions

Preheat the oven to 400.

Beat eggs and place in a shallow bowl. Place fried onions in a ziplock bag and crush (I used a rolling pin). Put broken up onions in another shallow bowl.

Coat tenders in egg, then the onions. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 mins.

Serve with honey mustard.

Macaroni Grill's Carmella's Chicken Rigatoni

I haven't been to the Macaroni Grill in years, so I have no idea how this dish compares to the original. But when I saw it on A Spoonful of Sugar, I had to test it out.

This made enough for lots of leftovers, which I always appreciate! The caramelized onions and the mushrooms set this apart from an average pasta dinner, and even my three-year-old taste-tester gave it his seal of approval. The fact that it was fast and easy is, of course, a huge bonus.


Ingredients

• Butter
• 8oz baby bella mushrooms
  
• 1/2 sweet onion carmelized (cook down with butter until soft and mushy... I use marsala to de-glaze the pan)
• 8 oz grilled chicken breasts (chunked)
• salt and pepper
• 2t dried basil
• 4oz of Marsala wine
• 10 oz heavy cream
• 12oz rigatoni (cooked)
• 2oz shredded parmesan

Melt butter in pan. Saute mushrooms, chicken, basil, carmelized onions salt and pepper. Saute for 2-3 minutes.

Add Marsala wine and cook for 1 minute.

Add heavy cream and bring to a boil for 2 minutes.

Dump cooked rigatoni in pan (if you have room in your pan. If not dump mixture over bowl of cooked rigatoni and mix.

Sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese.

Crockpot Minestrone

I use my crockpot often, and perhaps the only thing better than having a nice dinner made for me without much effort is the meal itself. I equate crockpots with delicious, warm, comfort-food type meals, especially soups and stews, and this Crockpot Minestrone from SweatTea in Texas was just right for a chilly evening.

The only change I made to this was my vegetables. I knew I wasn't going to be using celery for anything else that week, so I was hesitant to buy a whole bag. I actually found a package of veggies and seasons in the produce department that was specifically sold together for soups. It contained celery, onions, carrots, parsnips, and other various items that I no longer remember. It was perfect; I used that instead of what is listed below.


Ingredients

• 4 Cups of Tomato Juice (I used Spicy V-8)
• 1 Tbs Dried basil
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp each Dried Oregano & Black Pepper
• 1 1/2 Cups of sliced Baby Carrots
• 2 Celery Stalks, chopped
• 1 8oz pkg of fresh/sliced Mushrooms
• 3 Garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 small Onion, chopped
• 2 14oz cans of Diced Tomatoes
  
• 1 14oz can of Northern Beans
• 1 1/2 Cups of uncooked pasta
• Shredded Parmesan

Mix all ingredients except pasta & cheese in a 4-5 quart Crockpot. Cover & cook on low for about 7-8 hours or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the pasta. Cover & cook on high for about 15-20 minutes or until the pasta is tender. Sprinkle each serving with Parmesan.