Lemon Fusilli with Arugula

I have never met a pasta that I didn't like.  Honestly, I can't think of a single one.  But this pasta, this one is up there with a really good Carbonara, or a Cacio E Peppe, or a Spaghetti al Pomodoro (like this OMG).  It's made with Fusilli (but you could sub in any pasta you have on hand), a ton of fresh lemon juice and zest, cherry tomatoes, peppery arugula and a delicious cream sauce (that has 2 cups of heavy cream... just pretend you didn't read that part... FORGET IT NOW).  The recipe calls for broccoli, but I omitted that because, I don't know, I wasn't feeling it that particular night.  That's the beauty of cooking, my friends.  Do what you want!  You the boss.  

(Sorry, I've been watching too much Boss Baby.)

Recipe HERE. 

Mozzarella Panzanella

When is a celebrity going to name their kid Panzanella?  It's about time, right?  There is a human being named Reality Winner living amongst us, after all.  We could call her 'Zanella' for short.  Or him, I'm not trying to assume Panza would be a girl.    

What am I saying.  I'm so tired I don't even use question marks when I'm supposed to anymore.  I type nonsense about children being named after bread salads.  I blog once every 17 days (but don't worry, almost every day I have that moment when I'm not sure if I put on deodorant).

Let's be serious, though, and less gross, and talk about how underrated bread salads are.  A leafy green usually takes the spotlight when it comes to salads but in this case a crusty, crunchy bread is paired with sweet, juicy tomatoes, crunchy peppers and onions and a tangy, garlicky dressing.  I added loads of creamy mozzarella and some diced avocado to mine, because I win at life.  I followed Her Highness Ina's recipe, however this is a really versatile salad that's easy to throw together with a number of things in your fridge.  You can use store-boght croutons or toast up a nice sliced bread or baguette you happen to have on hand.  My favorite part of this particular recipe are the salty capers and the fresh basil - it's really the perfect summer dish or future name for your child.         

Recipe HERE.

Zucchini Noodle Shrimp Scampi

I love how zoodles (zucchini noodles) are everywhere.  Most grocery stores now carry a selection of spiraled veggies, like squash or beets.  My favorite, however, are definitely zoodles.  Mostly because they are fun to say.  Oodles and oodles of zoodles, zoodles!  I smell a children's song coming on.  

A couple of weeks ago I made a shrimp scampi dish using zoodles and it was so good, I've since made it a few more times.  I used this recipe, omitting the scallops (although I have had the dish WITH them and it's delicious).  It's the perfect light and vibrant spring dish!

I hope you all have super weekends.  I have something to share with you soon, and I can't wait :)

Spicy Chicken Rice Bowls

HELLO BLOGGING WORLD!  

Ok, how did I do this again?  This blogging thing?  I would type nonsensical thoughts, you would read them, chuckling loudly while slapping your knees, there were food photos, recipes... ok, it's all coming back, it's all coming back to me now.  There were moments of gold and there were FLASHES OF LIGHT.  

I haven't forgotten about you, it's just we were out west for eleventy days (my favorite not-a-number), and as my kids get older it seems to be taking them longer and longer to adjust back to their accustomed time zone.  My son becomes a teenager, staying up too late and playing dead in the morning (like seriously, I know you can feel that I've just ripped the blankets off your body and I know you can see the sunlight burning through your closed eyelids as I've just violently opened the shades).  My middle child decides to pick 8pm to run laps around the house, wearing three winter coats (??), until I finally decide to give her a leeeeeeeeetle Benadryl (hahahahahahahaha, kidding).  My toddler keeps waking up with night terrors... first, there was a "bird" in her bed and the next night a "crab" (I won't go there).  Needless to say, I am a walking asleep person...

...but I haven't forgotten about you.

In fact, I've made the same dinner the last 3 nights in a row in an attempt to get more photos so I can post the recipe, but somehow I just have one?  Remember how I said I was a walking asleep person? 

Alas!  It's time for me to just POST it already.  Because it's so delicious, and because you deserve it.  It's basically a chicken and rice bowl on top of arugula and topped with various yummy things, and it's based on a dish called 'Le Bowl' from a restaurant called Zinque in Los Angeles.  I toss the chicken in a little mayo and sriracha, which is why I'm calling it spicy, and if you watch "Sing" as much as I do, then you just heard Gunther the pig in your head.  Enjoy!

Spicy Chicken Rice Bowls

Servings: 2 bowls

Printable Recipe

2 cups arugula

2 cups cooked brown rice

2 cups roasted chicken, shredded

Sriracha sauce

Mayonaise 

Shaved Manchego cheese (or Parmesan)

1/2 avocado, diced

Cherry tomatoes, diced

Corn shredded off the cob

Divide the arugula and brown rice among two bowls.  In another small bowl, add chicken and desired amounts of mayo and sriracha (I do about 1 Tbsp mayo and 1 heaping tsp sriracha), stir together.  Top each bowl with chicken, cheese, avocado, tomatoes and corn.  Drizzle some more olive oil and more hot sauce (if desired) on top.  Season to taste with salt and pepper!   

Leprechaun Bait

Top 'o the morning to ya, lads and lassies!  I read that in my mind with a really lame Irish accent as I wrote it.  I also had a weird daydream this morning about a leprechaun running in the room and pinching my butt as I brushed my teeth.  Probably didn't need to tell you that, huh?  I've obviously eaten too much of this sweet and savory Leprechaun Bait that I saw on Pinterest.  Basically you throw a bunch of stuff you probably already have in your house - popcorn, rice cereal, pretzels - and add Lucky Charms (I found the St. Patrick's day limited edition box), green M&M's (I used a bag of mint ones), and drizzle green candy melts over the whole thing!  Kind of gross?  Yes.  Fun for the kids to make?  Yes.  Will it really trap leprechauns?  DUH!  Happy St. Patrick's Day!  

Similar recipes here and here.    

Also... more St. Patrick's Day dishes and treats HERE!

Baked Spaghetti Squash Carbonara

What would be your last meal on earth?  I hate that question, so I apologize for asking you.  But now you have to answer, so do it.  The question stresses me out, because I love too much food!  Would it be an indulgent short rib dish?  Something Mexican?  An entire chocolate cake??  I can't decide!!  Pasta is definitely high on the list, and specifically Spaghetti Carbonara.  Pasta in a creamy egg sauce with bacon, I mean, come ON!  It's always my go-to order at a nice Italian restaurant.  However, since I can't eat like there will be no tomorrow EVERY night, I like to modify my favorites to make them slightly healthier.  Like this carbonara dish made with spaghetti squash!  

I followed this recipe and modified it by using whole milk instead of ricotta (because it's what I had on hand).  It was so tasty, and a fun variation of the classic dish.  Of course if it really WAS my last night alive, I would throw the squash straight out the window and go for the real stuff.     

Roasted Carrots and Asparagus w/ Avocado

I've made dishes similar to this one before (seen here) but I just can't get enough of the carrot/avocado combination.  I can't, I tell you, I can't!  Even though our weather is seventy degrees one day and snowing the next, I'm channeling springtime with these vegetables: sweet carrots and crisp asparagus, roasted in garlic, red pepper flakes and cumin, and then topped with a zesty greek yogurt, creamy avocado and crunchy pumpkin seeds.   It's a delicious blend of flavors and textures, and I think you'll love it as much as I do.    

Roasted Carrots and Asparagus w/ Avocado 

Adapted from here

(Serves 4)

Printable Recipe

1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed off

1 bunch small carrots, stems removed

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp cumin

Salt and pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

1 cup greek yogurt

Zest of one lime

1 avocado, sliced

Handful of pumpkins seeds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Coat a rimmed baking sheet with foil.  Place carrots and asparagus in a large bowl, and add garlic, cumin, red pepper flakes and a couple tablespoons of olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat.  Pick the carrots out of the bowl and place on baking sheet.  Roast for 10 minutes, then add asparagus and roast for another 20.  Remove from oven and place on a serving dish.  While the carrots are roasting, add the lime zest to the yogurt and stir.  Top veggies with sliced avocado, dollops of yogurt and pumpkin seeds.  Season to taste.  

Buddha Bowls

I'm still not exactly sure what a Buddha Bowl is.  I saw this article on Buzzfeed and became intrigued.  I think they are supposed to be hearty bowls full of raw or roasted veggies and healthy grains that make our bellies so full we end up looking like little buddhas.  Does that sound right?  While I'm not sure I want to look pregnant when I'm not, I am on board with hearty and delicious bowls of goodness, aren't you?  So I made my own with brown wild rice, roasted kale, broccolini and sweet potato, crunchy seasoned garbanzo beans and avocado.  While a lot of these bowls have a tahini-based sauce, for this I simply drizzled some good olive oil and sriracha on top of the finished dish and it, was, sublime.      

To get a nice crunch on the garbanzo beans, it helps to remove there outer skin.  This is tedious, I won't lie.  I'm weird, however, and enjoyed it... but I also enjoy pulling every single last hair out of a hairbrush.  I'd even enjoy it if it was your hairbrush.  Yeah, I'm weird AND disgusting.  Anyway, it helps to rinse the chickpeas (garbanzos, is their a difference?) under water while removing the outer layer with your fingers and discarding in the sink.  Trust me, make a double batch of these for snacking... they are delicious and much healthier than playing with stranger's hairbrushes. 

Buddha Bowls 

Makes 2 bowls

Printable Recipe

1 bunch kale (I used black kale), stems removed and chopped

2 cups diced sweet potato

1 bunch broccolini, stems removed

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 can garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed and outer skins removed

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 cups cooked wild rice or brown rice

1 avocado, halved and sliced

Olive oil and hot sauce for drizzling (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  On a large rimmed baking sheet, place sweet potatoes, kale and broccolini.  Drizzle everything with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast in oven for 20 minutes, flipping veggies halfway through.  Remove, cover with foil and set aside.  In the meantime, place garbanzo beans in a bowl and add cumin, chili powder, salt and minced garlic.  Toss to coat.  In a skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium heat.  Add beans and saut� for 10-15 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes, until beans have a nice crunch.  To assemble bowls, add rice first, then roasted veggies, beans and avocado.  Sprinkle with olive oil, hot sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper.  

Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Taco Tuesday used to be such a thing in our house.  When we moved to New York, it seemed we kept the tradition alive for awhile but it has slowly faded and now, it's not a thing.  I want it to be a thing!  I like having "things"... sigh.  I think part of the problem is that we start to get bored of the same old tacos, so in search of something new the other day I made this Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Casserole!  That's a mouthful, in more ways than one (chuckle, chuckle, knee slap).    

I followed this recipe but threw in some butternut squash when I added the chicken (that I first diced into cubes and saut�ed with some finely chopped onions in butter for 8-10 minutes).  I will make this again and again and by the way, it's even better the next day.  Make it a THING in your house!

CPK Chopped Salad

When I moved to California after college, my roommates and I went to California Pizza Kitchen, a lot.  We were creatures of habit, and went to the same places (that we could afford) over, and over.  If I wasn't with my roommates, I was picking up food for all of the writers at the TV show Frasier, where I worked as a production assistant.  It was always fun stumbling out of there with 8 giant bag cutting off the circulation in my arms.  

I really don't miss the pizza (especially now that I live near some of the greatest pizza in the world), but there was a salad that we would ALWAYS get.  It was a basic chopped, with uniform-sized strips of crunchy lettuce, sweet basil, salty salami, creamy mozzarella, buttery garbanzo beans and THE most perfect, tangy dressing.  My friend (and old roommate) found a copycat recipe so I made it at home and it was a PERFECT match to the real thing.  I will make it again, and again (because I am still a creature of habit).    

Recipe HERE.

Spaghetti Aglio E Olio with Kale

Anyone else feel like comfort eating today?  Make this for dinner and don't look back.  It's simple, hearty and delicious.  Plus, it's full of kale, so it's practically like eating a green smoothie.  One bummer when I made it last night: I forgot to reserve some pasta water that would have aided in making the sauce all thick and creamy.  In fact, I almost threw myself down the garbage disposal to retrieve the starchy water.  But then I didn't do that, and I moved on with my life.  It was still superb, and I highly recommend it.  Happy, healthy, SAFE weekends, my friends.

Recipe HERE

Crispy Quinoa Broccoli Fritters

This week was all about balance.  One day I ate a healthy green sandwich for lunch, the next day I was at McDonald's.  One day I took a barre class, the next day I canceled my Soul Cycle bike hours before I was supposed to be there (which, by the way, would have been my second time ever and I'm still terrified of it all).  Living a life of balance is the only way I know how to live.  A healthy dinner, dessert after, yogurt and fruit for breakfast one day, a giant bagel the next, and so on and so forth.  Of course, I find it much easier to be lazy and indulgent than healthy, so it helps when I make a large batch of something to freeze like these Crispy Quinoa Broccoli Fritters for nutritious lunches.  I sound like a commercial.  Anyway, they were delicious and perfect on their own, on top of a salad, tucked in a pita, etc.  Carson and I loved!  But if you're wondering if my kids ate them, I will laugh manically in your face.

Crispy Quinoa Broccoli Fritters

Serves 12-15 (depending on size)

Printable Recipe

3 cups cooked quinoa

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3/4 cup breadcrumbs or panko

1/2 cup broccoli, finely chopped or processed

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Olive oil 

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients (except for the olive oil) and stir until combined.  The mixture will be moist, but if you aren't able to form patties, you can add more breadcrumbs.  Form 12-15 small patties, depending on your preference in size, and place on a platter.  In a large skillet, heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil over medium-low heat.  Place 6 or so patties into pan, cover, and saut� for 7-8 minutes.  Uncover, carefully flip, and saut� for another few minutes, until both sides are golden brown.  Enjoy!  Note: You can freeze these patties for up to 2 months.

Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

Traditional Latkes with Caramel Applesauce

Hello friends!  How are we all doing on this Monday before the holiday weekend?  Has the panic set in yet?  Is your computer making fun of you for how much online shopping you're doing?  If your answers are yes, then we are friends.  If you finished your Christmas shopping in June, then please go away.  (Just kidding I love everyone you can stay)

It's full-on Christmas Vacation/Home Alone mode at our house, and this weekend would have gone viral had it been captured on video.  There was a snowstorm, a crying Santa visit and family galore.  All the things that make the holidays merry and insane at the same time!  My son is learning about Hanukkah at school and asked if we could make latkes, and this weekend felt like the perfect time to do it.  My mom and my sister-in-law took charge with this Martha Stewart recipe, and they came together perfectly.  Did I mention the caramel applesauce?  Served with that and a dollop of sour cream made these the hit of our chaotic weekend :)

Recipe for Traditional Latkes here.

Recipe for Caramel Applesauce here.

Slow Cooker Vegetable Curry

I occasionally take barre classes, and there is one particular instructor that ends each class by saying, "make healthy food choices, don't ruin all of this hard work!"  Every time she says it my face turns red because I'm afraid it's obvious how much I've been thinking about food the entire time I was tucking and burning.  And not exactly "healthy" food.  I can't help it!  I was born this way!  I've said it before but it's like an obese German man from olden times sits in my brain and directs my thoughts towards brownies and burritos and bacon.  Thankfully, I'm able to control this man (most of the time), but it doesn't quiet exactly him.  We should probably name him, don't you think?  Gus?

So the other day, I wanted to make something in the crock pot with brisket or short ribs and wine and super rich flavors but then I heard my instructor's voice in my head.  It's like she's on one shoulder and Gus in on the other.  (I really hope she doesn't read this.)  Instead I made this Slow Cooker Vegetable Curry that was delicious and still tasted like comfort food!  And don't worry, Gus, I WILL be making something with short ribs later in the week...     

Recipe here!

Roasted Cauliflower with Brown Butter

For 3 days now I've tried to write this post, and every morning I am interrupted by these tiny humans who call me Mom.  They need so much - I find it extremely rude.  They're like, mom can I have my vitamins and some breakfast and some milk - NO not in that cup - and WAIT I can't find my vitamin can I have another and I have poop in my diaper and I'm going to touch it and I'm coooold and need a blanket and so on and so forth.  Rude, right?  I'M TRYING TO WRITE A BLOG POST HERE.

  So today I woke up early to tell you about this roasted cauliflower that is finished with a nutty, brown butter, toasted pine nuts and zesty lime juice.  It's worth waking up early for and it's definitely worth making!  The original recipe called for pumpkin seeds, which I didn't have, so I used pine nuts and loved it.  I also added some lime zest before serving.  Cauliflower is my JAM, so I'm always excited to find a new way to prepare it (more favs here, here and here).  

Now if you'll excuse me, somebody just said mom 77 times in a row so I must go.

Recipe here.

Silky Zucchini Soup

Remember that one time I was on the Today Show making soup, and I used my favorite tool (the immersion blender), and I sprayed soup all over the cameras and Matt Lauer?  It feels just like yesterday, oh, because it was (you can view the recipes and segment here).  You might not believe me, but I really DO know how to use that thing... I just like to give the national TV people something to slo-mo once in awhile.  Anyway, this silky smooth zucchini soup was a result of my PROFESSIONAL immersion blending, and it was delicious.  Dairy-free, vegan (if you don't use the butter... I used the butter) and superb.  

Recipe here.