NOT A HEALTHY RECIPE (but a great one!): Ziti a la Vodka

I have made this recipe several times recently for friends and it always kills.  I've seen people go back for - not kidding - 4th helpings.  I cautiously get asked for Tupperware so folks can take some home.  I get told I should open a restaurant.  I hate to say it, but it's better than the Italian recipes I got from my Italian Grandma (love you, Grandma, and your lasagna rocks!)  Like all Italian food, it reheats marvelously, though it is slightly better on the night it's cooked.  It may look like you have too much sauce vs. pasta, but you should absolutely err on that side of the equation because the sauce is AMAZING.  Serve it with a little bread (because you needed more carbs, I know) to sop up the extra.  

A few tips I do to zazz this up a bit.  I usually end up adding more vodka and more red pepper flakes than this recipe calls for, because I like the extra flavor.  If I want to lighten it up, I sometimes use just a quarter cup of heavy cream and substitute the other quarter cup with almond milk / coconut milk unsweetened creamer or fat free half and half.  Regardless, with both a pasta carbo bomb and some cream in there, it's not going to end up being THAT healthy.  So, pair it with a lean protein and a hefty serving of vegetables, to keep the portion sizes light.  I like either sautéed broccoli or roasted cauliflower with this dish, and a grilled chicken thigh.

Ingredients:

2 ounces Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup store-bought grated), plus more for serving, if desired

1 medium sweet onion

3 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup double concentrated tomato paste (from a tube)

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more for serving

1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, preferably San Marzano

1/2 cup vodka

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

1 pound dried penne rigate or penne pasta

4 sprigs fresh basil

1/2 cup heavy cream

Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, finely grate 2 ounces Parmesan cheese (1/2 packed cup), or measure out 1/2 cup store-bought grated. Finely chop 1 medium yellow onion (1 1/2 cups) and 3 garlic cloves. Start cooking the sauce.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large high-sided skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until just starting to turn golden-brown, about 4 minutes. Add 1/3 cup tomato paste and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes and cook, stirring often, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes.

Add 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes and its juices, 1/2 cup vodka, and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Using a wooden spoon or potato masher, break up the tomatoes into small bits. Bring to a simmer.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, add 1 pound penne pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the package directions until just al dente, 9 to 11 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain. Meanwhile, pick the leaves from 4 fresh basil sprigs and thinly slice.

Scrape the sauce into a blender. Blend until smooth, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup heavy cream and pulse until just combined, about 10 (1-second) pulses. (Alternatively, blend the sauce directly in the skillet with an immersion blender, then add the cream and stir until just combined.)

Return the sauce to the skillet. Add the pasta, Parmesan, and 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Cook over high heat, tossing constantly, until the penne is coated with sauce, about 4 minutes. Add more pasta water 1 tablespoon at a time as needed if the sauce is too thick.

Turn off the heat. Taste and season with more kosher salt and black pepper as needed. Serve topped with the basil, more grated Parmesan cheese, and a few grinds of black pepper or red pepper flakes if desired.

Makes 6 Servings, 505 calories, 15g fat, 70 g carbs, 6g fiber, 15 g protein

One Pot Chicken Meatballs With Greens

 I was trolling around NY Times Cooking's recipe app this week, looking for a new healthy recipe and boy, did this one deliver!  I zazzed it up from the base recipe, using some of the suggestions in the comments and I'm glad that I did.  Some of the extra stuff I added really gave it extra flavor.  My recommendations are included here in italics as well as the original recipe.  This was not that hard to make, is extremely healthy and, in this day and age of high price groceries, doesn't cost very much.  A pound of ground chicken is $5-6 at my local grocery store, one of the least expensive proteins you can buy right now.  Also, it reheats pretty darned well, too.  All around, a winner, winner chicken dinner.  (you see what I did there?)

Ingredients

• 1cup panko bread crumbs
• 2/3 cup full-fat thick yogurt (preferably Greek or Icelandic)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced or grated
• 4 scallions, white and light green parts thinly sliced
• 4 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper - I added more
• Salt
• 2 pound ground chicken
• ¼cup olive oil, plus more as needed
• 1pound rainbow or Swiss chard (1 large or 2 small bunches), tender stalks sliced and leaves cut into 1-inch ribbons
• 1lemon, thinly sliced
• 1teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 egg - I added to meatballs for stickiness and moisture
• 1/4 cup white wine - I used this to deglaze the pan and give the sauce some bite
• 1/8 cup Frank's Red Hot Wing Sauce - I added this to the meatballs to give them some additional flavor
• 1 can cannelini or butter beans - I added this to the pot for additional protein and heartiness

Directions:

1. Step 1

   In a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs, yogurt, garlic, scallions, oregano, crushed red pepper and 1 teaspoon salt and eggs and wing sauce. Add the chicken and gently mix until fully combined.

2. Step 2

   Coat your palms in olive oil, then shape the meat into medium meatballs (about 2 inches each), making sure each is lightly coated with oil by refreshing the coating on your hands. Set the meatballs directly on a sheet pan or on parchment paper.

3. Step 3

   Heat a 12-inch Dutch oven (or other heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid) over medium heat for 2 minutes until hot. Pour in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, tilting the pot to coat the surface, then add the meatballs. Let cook until they are golden halfway up the sides, occasionally turning them when they easily release, adding extra oil if needed, about 7 minutes.

4. Step 4

   Meanwhile, to another large bowl, add the greens, lemon slices, cumin and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and season with salt; toss to coat the leaves, scrunching them up as needed.

5. Step 5

   Deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping up the browned bits. Smother the meatballs with the beans first then the greens and lemon slices. Cover, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the meatballs are cooked through and the greens tender, 12 to 13 minutes.

6. Step 6

   Use a soup ladle to scoop up the meatballs, resting them on the greens, browned-side up and ladling any juices on top of the meatballs and greens. Cut the remaining lemon into wedges for serving, if desired.

7. Makes 4 servings

8. Calories: 527, Fat: 28.4g, Carbs 28.7 g, Protein 56.2g

Instant Pot Saag Chicken

I go through a process when I contemplate buying a new appliance for the kitchen - I ask myself whether I will use it at least once a month.  If not, I won't make the purchase.  With my Instant Pot, I've had to make a bit of an effort to make that stick, but I do find myself using it pretty regularly, especially for Indian curries.  There's something about the way it cooks the food that really does well with Indian flavors, and I've struggled to make great curries without the Instant Pot.

I've seen a lot of incredibly complex recipes for my favorite curry, Saag Chicken, which involve making some kind of extra second mixture ahead of time, or pre-boiling the spinach, etc.  This recipe is healthy, delicious, and relatively simple - it only involves one pot.  I do tend to go on the lighter side with the chiles (wimp!) and I like to sear the chicken on the Instant Pot's Saute setting briefly before cooking, but otherwise, I follow this recipe pretty much to the letter.  A note on Garam Masala - it sounds mysterious and you can't buy a bottle of it in the grocery store usually.  But, you can buy it on Amazon or from an Indian grocery store or - in a pinch - you can make your own.  There are loads of recipes out on the internet and it doesn't contain anything unusual - it's just a particular mix of common spices that is often used in Indian food.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound chicken thighs or breasts, cut into cubes.  You may also add paneer.
• 1 pound spinach
• 2 tablespoon ghee
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 inch ginger piece or pre-minced ginger
• 1 white onion chopped
• 1-3 green chilies - you can use thai chiles (spicier!), but I usually use jalapenos and only use one or two
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander powder
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• Salt to taste
• 2 teaspoons garam masala powder
• Water
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt

Instructions:

• Heat up Instant Pot in saute mode and add ghee.
• Saute cumin seeds, ginger & garlic pieces, onions and green chilies.  (I also saute the chicken / paneer briefly at this point to brown the outside a bit.)
• Sprinkle in coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt.
• Pour about ½ cup water.
• Add alternating loads of spinach and chicken pieces into the pot. Make sure to separate the chicken pieces, they will stick to each other when you pressure cook.
• Close lid and cook for 8 minutes in “pressure cook” setting.
• Once cooking time is over, manually release the pressure in the pot with a kitchen towel in your hand. Be careful, the liquids may splutter out while releasing pressure.
• Remove chicken pieces out in a bowl. Blend rest of the ingredients using stick blender into a smooth sauce.
• Add chicken pieces back.
• Sprinkle garam masala and yogurt.
• Simmer for 2-3 minutes with a glass lid to cover (curry sauce will splutter).
• Serve hot with basmati rice or naan.

Nutritional Information (for chicken only, additional calories if you add paneer): 4 servings

Calories: 328, Fat: 19g, Carbs 13g, Fiber 6g, Sugars 3g, Protein 29g

Beef Tenderloin with Rosemary, Tomatoes, Shallots and Polenta

I made this Ellie Krieger recipe for my son and myself this week and DAMN.  It is good.  And, easy for cleanup, as a single sheet-pan meal.  The herbs with the beef are truly kick-butt and, since my son ate all the meat immediately, I’ve been loving the veggies & polenta as a standalone leftover.  I will say the polenta was even better after I pan sautéed it to put a slight crust on it.  Good tenderloin isn’t cheap, but this is a good way to use it if you feel like investing a bit in a great dinner.

Ingredients:

• 1 large clove of garlic, finely minced
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ¼ pound beef tenderloin roast
• 2 pints grape tomatoes
• 4 medium shallots, peeled and quartered lengthwise
• One 1-pound tube of prepared polenta, sliced into 8 slices about ¾-inch thick
• 1 teaspoon aged balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Preheat the broiler to high. Take the garlic and chop extra finely. Place the garlic paste into a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the rosemary and ½ teaspoon of the pepper and stir to combine. Rub the mixture all over the meat.

Place a metal rack on top of a sheet pan; place the meat on the rack and broil about 2 inches from the flame until the top of the meat is browned, about 3 minutes. Turn off the broiler and preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Transfer the meat to a plate and remove the rack.

Place the tomatoes and the shallots on the pan. Drizzle them with 1 tablespoon of the oil and the remaining ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Toss them with tongs, then push them over to one half of the pan. Place the meat, browned side up, in the center of the pan. Brush the polenta slices with the remaining tablespoon of oil and place them on the other side of the meat on the pan.

Cook for 15 minutes, then stir the tomatoes and shallots and flip the polenta slices. Return to the oven and continue to cook until the meat is reaches an internal temperature of 130 degrees for medium rare, 10-15 minutes more. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing against the grain into ¼-inch thick slices. While the meat is resting, drizzle the tomatoes and shallots with the balsamic vinegar.

Makes 4 servings

Serving size: 3 slices of meat, 2 polenta rounds and 2/3 cup tomatoes and shallot

Per serving: Calories 420, Total Fat 22 g; (Sat Fat 6 g, Mono Fat 11 g, Poly Fat 2 g); Protein 33 g; Carb 23 g; Fiber 3 g; Cholesterol 75 mg; Sodium 610 mg, Total Sugar 7 g (Added Sugar 0 g)

Blue Cheese Lemon Green Beans

 Now, I like green beans, don’t get me wrong, but it can be really hard to make them anything more than “pretty good.”  Sometimes, a large pat of butter, salt, and pepper is just not enough to make veggies awesome.  This is one of the first recipes that makes the vegetable course the absolute standout of the meal.  I have made this a dozen times now, and it is a beautiful thing every time I make it.  I do use Frank’s Wing Sauce instead of sriracha sometimes, and that is just as good, so feel free to experiment.  Big fan of Cholula or Crystal hot sauces?  See if they work just as well.  Anyway, thanks Ree Drummond, you know how to zazz up green beans pretty darned well.

Ingredients:

• 1 TB Olive Oil
• 8 oz green beans trimmed
• 1 TB Worcestershire sauce
• 1 TB sriracha or other hot sauce (I maaaay have used more)
• Fresh lemon juice as needed
• 2 oz crumbled blue cheese

Instructions:

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil. When hot, add the green beans in one layer. When the beans are just beginning to color, stir them around and add the Worcestershire, sriracha and lemon juice. Cook until the beans are crisp-tender, a few more minutes. Transfer them to a plate, crumble over the blue cheese and serve.

Serves 4

Calories: 152

Carbs: 13.7 g

Protein: 5 g

Grape Jelly Crock Pot Meatballs

 This was another appetizer I made for a party I held last night and people were raving about these meatballs.  They kept saying the flavor was so unusual, like nothing they'd had before.  What I did not tell them was that this was 1000% the easiest recipe I've made in forever, because it did not taste "easy."  That's my favorite kind of fancy food!  These soak up more sauce overnight and reheat extremely well.  

Ingredients:

• 2 packages, about 32 oz, pre-cooked frozen turkey meatballs (yes, you can make your own meatballs if you're feeling fancy, but these are really good and a whole lot easier!)
• 1 jar, 15 oz, grape jelly
• 1 jar, 12 oz, Heinz chili sauce

Instructions:

• Put the meatballs, grape jelly, and chili sauce in your crock pot.
• Cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 2 hours.  Stir every so often.

That is literally, it. 🤩

Serves 10 - 235 calories, 6 g fat, 733 mg sodium, 33g carbs, 1g fiber, 22g sugar, 10g protein

Crab & Cheese Stuffed Mini-Peppers

I made these for a party last night, and MAN, were they good!  Not that hard to make either - the toughest part was slicing & de-seeding all the little peppers.  I did these with dairy-free Boursin cheese, which was kind to my lactose-intolerant guests and had the bonus of giving the peppers a nice roasted garlic flavor.  I might add either a little tabasco to the filling or top the peppers with parmesan before cooking them next time - those feel like they could be fun experiments.  I suspect these will not reheat well, but I'll letcha know because they will be part of dinner tonight.  I'll make these appetizers again for sure.

Ingredients:

• 12-14 sweet mini-peppers
• 1 TB olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 5 oz scallion or garden flavored cream cheese
• 8 oz lump or jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over for shells

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
• Cut the peppers lengthwise and remove the stems, seeds and ribs. If needed, trim a small amount off the bottom of each pepper half so that it will lie flat when cut-side up (making them steady is important so the filling stays intact during baking). Chop the trimmings into small pieces and set aside.  
• Toss the pepper halves in a medium bowl with the olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper. Set aside. 
• Stir together the softened cream cheese and reserved pepper trimmings in another medium bowl until smooth. Gently fold in the crabmeat and season with salt and pepper.
• Fill each pepper half with about 1 tablespoon of the crab mixture so it comes over the top of the pepper slightly. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake until the filling is beginning to brown, about 18 minutes. Serve warm.  

Serves 6 - 173 cal, 13g fat, 600 mg sodium, 6 g carbs, 2g fiber, 3g sugar, 9g protein