Chobani Cho-ventive winner announced!!!

Posted on March 22, 2012 by robinr

Okay the winner of the Chobani giveaway is….

Skylar Loy

Chobani will be sending you the following right to your door!

1 – 32 oz container of 0% fat Plain
1- 32 oz container of 2% plain
1 -32 oz container of 0% Vanilla

That’s a whole lotta cooking & baking creativity that can happen! Now all you have to do is email me at [email protected] with your mailing address within 48 hours so that I can forward it to Chobani. Thanks and congrats!!!!!!!!!! If I don’t hear from Skylar, another winner will be chosen on Saturday, 24th of March.

Taco pasta.

Posted on March 14, 2012 by robinr

Mexico meets Italy in this fun dish! Great way to use up you taco or noodle leftovers. My husband requested pasta and my sweet young daughter requested tacos. I morphed the two requests into this dish to make everyone happy

Ingredients:

1 tbl olive oil
1 lb of lean ground turkey
1 tbl chili powder
2 tbl ground cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 bell peppers, chopped
2 scallions, diced
1 can (14-15 oz) of low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
Cilantro (for garnish- optional)
Jalapeño, sliced (for garnish- optional)
Cheese of your choice (optional)
In a large skillet over medium flame, heat up the olive oil. Add the meat and cook until no longer pink. Add all of the spices and turn the heat to low.

In a separate stock pot, cook the pasta (I used orecchiette) according to package directions. Drain and then toss with the meat mixture. Stir to combine and then serve.

Top with cilantro leaves, cheese (I used a spicy jalapeño jack cheese), onions, olives etc.

Ricotta gnocchi.

Posted on March 9, 2012 by robinr

These tender little dumplings are my favorite! In fact, most of my family adores these garlicky little bites. I’ve been using this recipe, a bit of a deviation from my grandmother’s potato gnocchi, for years. These are super easy to make and in no time, you have the most delicious dinner ready to impress! They also freeze beautifully if you double the batch.

Ingredients:

8 oz part skim ricotta cheese
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 c freshly grated parmesan
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 3/4 -2 c all-purpose flour

In your stand mixer with the paddle attachment on, combine all of the ingredients through the garlic powder. Then you will add 1 3/4 cups of all purpose flour. If the mixture is still too sticky, add the additional 1/4 cup.

Then remove the dough and place on a floured surface. Divide it into 4ths. Take the first ball of dough and work it into a snake shape about 1/2 inch thick. Slice into 1/2 inch pieces. If you have a gnocchi board, run the dough down the board to achieve the gnocchi shape with the groves. If not, roll the dough down the tines of a fork. You will get the hang of it the more you do it.

I place the rolled out gnocchi on a cookie sheet. You can either freeze (then after about an hour bag them to freeze for a longer duration), store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook and cook immediately. In a large Dutch oven, fill about 3/4th of the way filled (you should always boil pasta in a large amount of salted water) and gently place the gnocchi in the boiling water. Don’t overcrowd and work in batches. When they float to the top, they are done. See picture below.

Then top with you favorite sauce. Pesto is also wonderful with these

My sauce recipe can be found here:

https://kneadtocook.com/?p=768

Veggie overloaded pasta.

Posted on February 28, 2012 by robinr

Oh how I love Meatless Mondays… This recipe is just fun to me. I get to use up whats in my vegetable bin before my trip to the Farmer’s Market tomorrow. Tonight I used fun Italian pasta I purchased in NYC. I topped with with vegetables I sautéed in garlic and olive oil. I used green beans, red peppers & zucchini slices. Top the pasta with the veggies and then garnish with pea shoots. I also added sesame seeds and freshly ground pepper. Easy and oh so good! And you won’t feel guilty after eating this dinner Bon Appetit.

Pucker Up! Meyer Lemon Chobani Spinach Smoothie.

Posted on February 23, 2012 by robinr

I adore a good smoothie!! I decided to use up some of my many Meyer lemons that I have on hand and I’m so glad I did. The result is a tart, yet vitamin-packed smoothie that will curb your hunger for hours.

Into the blender, add…

4 ozs of freshly squeezed Meyer Lemon juice
1 individual cup of Chobani lemon yogurt
1 handful of baby spinach leaves
2 kiwis, peeled
1 tsp of flax seed meal
3 ice cubes
Blend on your smoothie setting and let it works it magic. Pour into your glass and enjoy! It is tart but so refreshing!

Lean ground beef & spinach lasagna roll ups.

Posted on February 22, 2012 by robinr

These lasagna rolls are so delicious! You can make these ahead of time and just pop them in the oven for 30 minutes before you wish to serve dinner. Doesn’t get any easier than that And for a vegetarian option, just omit the beef and add cooked spinach to the ricotta mixture.

Ingredients for filling:

15 oz of low fat, part skim ricotta cheese
1 c of low fat mozzarella, shredded
1/4 c of grated parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste
1 egg, lightly beaten

Mix all of the ingredients together and set aside.

Beef & spinach mixture:

1 lb of 92% lean ground beef
2 handfuls of organic baby spinach
5 cloves of garlic, minced
Olive oil for the bottom of the pan

Directions: Add the olive oil to the pan over a medium flame. Then add the beef. Cook until no longer pink. Add salt and pepper to taste. Then add garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Then add the spinach leaves and stir. The leaves will wilt and the mixture will be complete. Set aside to cool.

Pasta:

Boil the lasagna noodles according to the package directions until al dente. Then lay out pieces of parchment or tin foil and lay each noodle, when cooked, out to cool. Don’t overlap b/c they will stick together.

Sauce:

1/2 c olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 (28 oz) can of Cento or Furmano’s diced tomatoes
1 (28 oz) can of Cento or Furmano’s chopped tomatoes
1 can of tomato paste
2 bay leaves
2 pinches of red pepper flakes
2 tsp of Italian Seasoning
1 tsp of Oregano

In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over a medium flame. Once hot, add the onions and stir for about 8 minutes. Add garlic for 30 seconds. Add salt and pepper, both cans of tomatoes, paste, bay leaves, and the remaining seasonings. Turn the flame down as low as it goes, cover and simmer. Stirring occasionally.

Assembly time! Once everything is prepared you can begin…

Ladle some sauce onto the bottom of your roasting pan. This will serve as a bed for the noodles. Then take your long lasagna noodle and lay it out on a cutting board. Spread your ricotta cheese filling very thinly along the entire noodle. Then add about a tablespoon of the meat/spinach mixture to one side of the noodle (first 3 inches of it) on top of the ricotta mixture. Begin to roll up the noodle and then place it seam side down in the sauce. Repeat until you’ve used up all of your ingredients. Then top with the remaining sauce. You can add fresh parsley to the top if you like. You can either bake at this point or refrigerate.

In a 375 degree preheated oven, place your lasagna roll up tray. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until hot. Enjoy!

Pasta Primavera with spicy turkey sausage.

Posted on January 31, 2012 by robinr

This is such a wonderfully versatile recipe. After being away for a long weekend, I didn’t have a chance to run to the grocery store but did make my weekly pilgrimage to the farmer’s market. I purchased everything for dinner there and it was wonderful. My kids love turkey sausage and it is a great way to pack a meal with some colorful vegetables.

Bring a large stock pot or Dutch oven filled with water to a boil. Add some salt to season the water.

I used 1.36 lbs of spicy turkey sausage and grilled it till cooked and then sliced it and placed it in a sauté pan.

While that was cooking, I chopped up all of the veggies that I had purchased. 1 bunch of asparagus chopped in half, 1/2 c of sugar snap peas, 1/4 of an onion, 2 red bell peppers and one zucchini, sliced. I added them to the pan with the sausage and covered to steam. This took about 7 minutes. While this is cooking, boil your pasta according to package directions.

Once everything is cooked, toss together and I sprinkle with some spicy red pepper flakes. Drizzle each plate with a tiny bit of olive oil and serve. Bon Appetit!

Turkey Sausage with Garlic & Orecchiette.

Posted on January 23, 2012 by robinr

My girls LOVE this dish! They both asked for it so I had to indulge them. I always purchase fresh turkey sausage from the Farmer’s Market and it is so good. This recipe is super easy. I cook the sausage on the stove or grill – cut it up into bite size pieces. While cooking, cook your pasta according to package direction. When the pasta has 4-5 minutes remaining, toss in the cut up asparagus to cook. Drain it all and set aside. In your serving bowl, I chop up 3 cloves of garlic – and add about 1/4 c of olive oil. Add the pasta and the sausage. Toss to coat. Top with parsley, red pepper flakes and fresh ground pepper. Serve and enjoy!

A task for the day…

Posted on January 6, 2012 by robinr

I shared this on my FB KTC page but just in case, I wanted to post it here too.

A task for the day: Take a stack of post it it notes that will be nearby you throughout the day. Yes, keep them in your purse, on your desk –wherever! Write the world “Liar” on the top note in bold. Any time during the day when you..

~Feel you aren’t good enough.
~Feel you aren’t strong enough.
~Don’t have the willpower to make the better food choice.
~You can’t avoid junkfood.
~Can’t get motivated.
~Don’t have the time to workout because you’re too busy.
~Feel like being overweight is the only option for you.
~Can’t get enough sleep.

Peel that post it not off look at it and know that the little voice inside of your head is a LIAR and that you can do ANYTHING! Hold that note in your hand… believe it – crumble it up and toss it and repeat!

Red sauce with garlicky turkey meatballs.

Posted on January 5, 2012 by robinr

I’m very much an Italian girl. Grew up eating pasta, sauce & meatballs my entire life. It is, without a doubt, one of my comfort foods. Memories of my family gathering around the table, fighting for more meatballs (I remember one time someone “accidentally” getting stabbed with a fork, are part of my fondest memories.) Being a Gambino – you can understand why.

But as I got older, and adopted healthier eating habits, I revamped the old school recipe to be a bit healthier. The sauce has remained the same… the meatballs have undergone a huge change & white pasta has been replaced with whole wheat. All in all, still very tasty and comforting. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

Sauce:

1/2 c olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 (28 oz) can of Furmano’s diced tomatoes
1 (28 oz) can of Furmano’s chopped tomatoes
1 can of tomato paste
2 bay leaves
2 pinches of red pepper flakes
2 tsp of Italian Seasoning
1 tsp of Oregano

Meatballs:

1/2 c of Panko breadcrumbs
1/4 c of parsley, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 c of Parmesan Reggiano cheese, grated
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 lb of 85/15 ground turkey
1/4 c of olive oil

Combine all ingredients (except for the olive oil) in your mixing bowl. Mix by hand until incorporated, avoid over mixing. Roll into balls and place on a plate or cookie sheet. Your going to work in batches browning them. Once complete. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium flame. Once the oil is hot, add several meatballs to the pan. Allow for room to roll them around for growing. Avoid overcrowding. This process will take about 10-12 minutes Once browned on the outside, gently place the meatballs into the sauce. Be careful when adding and stirring the sauce as you can break up the meatballs. Work in batches until all of the meatballs are browned and added to the sauce.

I let the sauce simmer on the stove for about 4 hours or more. Keep a watchful eye and stir occasionally. Serve over your favorite pasta and enjoy!

Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Category Archives: Pasta