Easy Fall Dinner - Ravioli with a Pumpkin Cream Sauce

This is a great easy meal that comes together really quick, but still tastes decadent and homemade. I'm not one to shy away from prepared freezer meals (particularly from Trader Joe's, my favorite for freezer meals), but this comes together just as quickly and just feels like it was made with more love than a meal that is poured into a pan and heated up. I based this on a recipe from a restaurant here in town that is no longer around (Zaffiro, which was originally Pascucci's, which still exists in their downtown location). Our absolute favorite dish at this restaurant, which both the husband and I would order nearly every time, was the Spicy Sausage Ravioli with Butternut Squash sauce. The way the spicy and sweet would play off each other was just fabulous. I wanted to recreate this at home, so I picked up some Italian Sausage stuffed prepared ravioli (not spicy, but I think there are some spicy brands on the market these days). For the sauce, I had heard that Trader Joe's carries a seasonal pumpkin butter that can be made into savory soups & sauces. I combined about a 1/4 cup of the pumpkin butter with about a 1/2 cup of heavy cream (I said it was decadent! You can use lighter dairy products) and spiced it up with about a 1/4 tsp ground sage (I'm afraid of ground sage, so I didn't use much. The store was out of fresh) and 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg. I served this sauce over the cooked raviolis and topped with finely chopped candied walnuts, also from Trader Joe's. I finally topped everything with grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. The entire meal takes about 15 minutes, is really filling and just plain makes us happy!

Fire Drill Food Day 2 - Cajun Grilled Fish

As I said in the last post, I had to make quick stovetop meals last week due to the heat, threat of lost electricity and need to be plastered to the TV for news on the Jesusita fire. One of my favorite easy meals as a kid was fish sticks and macaroni & cheese (the blue box, baby!). I decided to make grilled fish and the blue box to achieve a slightly more mature level to the dinner. Because I didn't have time to go to my usual fresh fish market, I ended up getting orange roughy from the regular store, which is really tasty, but unfortunately, not a sustainable fish. I really try and eat sustainable fish most of the time (fish that is caught in ways that do not deplete the seafood supply), but this was a special circumstance. I coated the fish in cajun seasoning and grilled it up. The fish was very good. Oddly enough, the Kraft Mac & Cheese tasted a little off. Maybe that was the world's way of telling me that I need to be making that from scratch these days, I have the skills and shouldn't be using the shortcut. Maybe next time when it isn't so hot! This is another one that doesn't have nutrition info. Just use a light textured white fish coated in cajun spices and grill until fish is done.

Kicked Up Ramen

Early in my days of cooking real meals for my husband and me, I came across a recipe in a Pampered Chef pamphlet that I was surprised to see there. It was a ramen noodle stir fry. As a child, I adored Top Ramen and would eat it daily whenever I was home from school (seriously, it's scary how much of this stuff I ate!). I couldn't believe that Pampered Chef had a grown up recipe that I could make that would still count as cooking dinner! I promptly cooked it up, and when a guy from my office wanted to know what I had for dinner the night before, I told him "Ramen." Then I described it and he said, "Wow, that's not just ramen, that's kicked up ramen!" Since then, that is what I've called this dish. If you don't like ramen or are watching your sodium intake, this isn't for you. But it is so easy and really, really good, and brings back memories of all those summer days when I was eating hot soup!

Kicked Up Ramen (adapted a lot from a very old Pampered Chef booklet)

1 package beef flavored ramen noodles

3/4 lbs sirloin steak, sliced very thin

1/4 Cup Light Soy Sauce

2 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 package frozen vegetable mix, thawed

1 cup water (1/2 of what the package calls for)

1 Tbs olive oil

Marinate beef in Soy, ginger and garlic for at least 20 minutes. Stir fry in oil in wok over medium high heat. Remove from pan. Add 1 cup water, ramen noodles & seasoning (add the seasonings now, not at the end). Cook for 3 minutes or until noodles are soft. Add the vegetables and simmer for about 1 minute until just softened. Add the beef back in and toss well to incorporate all ingredients. Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition Info: Calories: 638.8, Fat: 27.9g (9.5 Sat, 1.7Poly, 12.75 Mono), Carbs: 37.1g, Fiber: 2.8g

Baked Breaded Chicken

This is a staple for us. It is like Shake-N-Bake, but it is more homemade and it is probably my favorite way to have chicken. I especially like that I can customize the underlying flavors to my husband's likings (lemon pepper) and my own (garlic powder). It is a great trick I learned from Paula Dean that if you season the chicken before egging and breading, it locks in the flavor.

Breaded Baked Chicken

4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 4-6 oz each

1 cup bread crumbs

1 egg

Preferred seasoning (try cajun seasoning, garlic pepper, lemon pepper, etc.)

cooking spray

Season chicken breasts with preferred seasoning. Dip in egg and then in bread crumbs and place in a shallow baking pan, coated with cooking spray (or "Misto'd" with olive oil). Bake uncovered at 350 for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and spray top of chicken with additional spray. Return to oven for 5-10 more minutes or until chicken is crispy and golden.

Nutrition Info for one breast: Calories: 303.1, Fat: 4.6g (.9 Sat, .6 Poly, .9 Mono), Carbs: 24.2g, Fiber: 1.6g

Weeknight Beef & Broccoli

Let’s face it – sometimes it isn’t about cooking a gourmet meal, it's more about just getting dinner on the table. I got the beef for this recipe marinating before we left for gym night, so all I had to do when we got home was heat up the stir fry pan and cook everything up – less than 10 minutes. We don’t eat beef very often, but this stir fry is easy and tasty. I steer away from the precut strips in the store. They aren’t as tender, so I just look for a sirloin piece that is the right size. The trick to really tender stir fried meat is to cut the beef into really thin slices, and the trick to that is to use partially frozen beef (either freeze for 20 minutes or so when you get home if you are cooking that night, or time your defrost in the fridge to be a little less time than normal). This recipe was originally from the back of a Campbell’s can from so long ago that it isn’t even on Campbell’s Kitchen website. As long as you are fans of Tomato Soup and don’t mind the extra sweet sauce, this is a great, quick weeknight option for just getting dinner done.

Beef and Broccoli
12 oz Lean Top Sirloin, sliced into very thin strips, fat removed
2 cups broccoli florets, steamed
4 Tbs Soy Sauce
1 Clove Garlic
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 tsp olive oil
1 10.5 oz can Campbell's Tomato Soup
2 cups steamed rice (white or brown)

Marinade beef in soy and garlic for at least 10 minutes. Stir Fry with oil on medium high until cooked, about 5 minutes. Remove. Mix Tomato Soup into the remaining juices in the pan, cook until bubbly. Add beef & lightly steamed broccoli to the pan. Mix well. Serve over hot steamed rice. Makes 3 servings.

Nutrition Info for entire meal: Calories: 503, Fat: 13.1g (4.3 Sat, 1.2 Poly, 6.5 Mono), Carbs: 54.1g, Fiber: 3.1g

Billy Beans

This is a historic recipe in my family, which came to us via my step-brother-in-law's college roommate, Billy (that is probably the longest source for a recipe ever). My family has made it vegetarian, but it tastes great with browned ground beef or turkey added in as well, for those of you meatatarians out there. A traditional "Guest Dinner" in my childhood was Billy Beans, rice and grilled tri-tip (a specialty out here in Central CA), but just the beans and rice are a very filling meal. It is ridiculously simple and cheap to prepare.

Billy Beans

2 16 oz jars of your favorite salsa (we use Ortega, one mild, one medium)

2 15 oz cans of pinto beans, drained and rinsed

(this ratio makes about 6 servings, but can be adjusted as needed)

Put the above ingredients into a crockpot and mix well. Cook on low for 8 hours. Serve with hot rice and top with cheddar cheese, if desired. Also good served over a baked potato.

Nutrition Info for Billy Beans: Calories: 195, Fat: .4g (.1 Sat, .3 Poly, 0 Mono), Carbs: 36.1 g, Fiber: 10.1 g

Turkey Chili Pasta

This is an interesting blend between a chili and pasta. It isn't like Chili-Mac, since the pasta is pretty saucy and there are no beans, but you definitely get the chili flavors shining through. I think I'm finally zeroing in on the exact ratio of flavors. Trust me on the weird chili powder/sugar/vinegar combo, it really works. This is a very quick meal if you use prechopped peppers and/or onions from the grocery.

Turkey Chili Pasta (adapted from allrecipes here)

1/2 lb extra lean turkey breast

2 tsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

2 cups uncooked short whole wheat pasta (like rotini or bowties)

1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes

1 Tbs white vinegar

3/4 tsp granulated sugar

1/2 to 1 tsp chili powder

Saute peppers, onions and garlic in oil until soft in a non-stick pan. Remove from pan and saute turkey until no longer pink. Return veggies to pan and add tomatoes, vinegar, sugar and chili powder. Simmer, covered, until sauce becomes one consistency (turkey should blend in with the rest of the sauce and won't stand out as much, see picture). Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return pasta to cooking pot. Add sauce to pasta and mix well. Makes 4 large one dish servings

Nutrition Info per serving: Calories: 292.8, Fat: 4.3g (.6 Sat, .3 Poly, 1.7 Mono), Carbs: 49.5g, Fiber: 7.4g

Broiled Halibut (adapted from WW recipe)

This is a good standby for any type of light textured whitefish (tilapia, halibut, sole) that you would like to cook in a way that doesn't include a ton of butter (my favorite fish preparation is guilty of pretty much boiling fish in butter, not so healthy). So, for my first blog of the year and my first home cooked meal of the year, I tried this with halibut from Costco. Unfortunately, it has been a while since I cooked this recipe and forgot it needed lemon juice. I added white wine instead and the pyro in me was highly entertained by watching the alcohol go up in flames in the toaster/broiler. I served this with wheat pilaf from a box (like couscous but I have a tendency of eating an entire box of couscous when I'm not thinking straight, and this stuff is way too filling for that) and some steamed broccoli. Good healthy start to the year, though I do recommend the lemon juice over the wine.

Broiled Halibut

2 Halibut filets, about 5 oz each

1 spray cooking spray (I prefer butter flavored)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 Tbs lemon juice (I used wine, but lemon juice is better. Don't use OJ, the sugar will burn)

2 tsp garlic herb seasoning (or lemon pepper, or your preference)

Preheat broiler. Coat shallow baking dish or broiler pan with cooking spray. Season both sides of fish with salt & pepper. Transfer to broiler pan. Drizzle with lemon juice and top with seasoning. Broil until fish is fork tender (about 5 minutes for thin fish pieces, the size shown here took about 10 minutes).

Nutrition info per serving of fish: 199 calories, 4.2 g fat (.6 Sat, 1.3 Poly, 1.4 Mono), 37.8 g protein, .5 g Carbs, 0 g fiber.