I’ve made some pretty delicious things over the last few weeks that I can’t wait to share with you! I got two gorgeous cookbooks for Christmas (along with a sick blender) that have left me feeling super inspired and I’ve been having so much fun in the kitchen.
One of the cookbooks is Back Pocket Pasta by Colu Henry which means I have been on a bit of a pasta bender and honestly I think I need to take a little break after this week before it starts affecting my health LOL.
It’s my favorite food so naturally, those are the types of recipes I’m attracted to but everything in moderation, right? Thankfully I also was gifted the lovely Dining In by Alison Roman which has a variety of tasty and healthy recipes to choose from.
Although I am making one last pasta dish for my cousin tonight for our Tuesdate! It shall be my pasta finale.
Here is what I made and loved over the last few weeks:
CREAMY PESTO CHICKEN
This recipe was super easy and so delicious! I personally love dark meat so I almost always trade out chicken breasts for thighs but that’s just my preference! I used the vegan kale pesto for this but you can use any you like or of course make your own (honestly, the way to go). I served it with some mashed white sweet potato and roasted broccoli.
Get it here!
CAJUN SHRIMP AND CAULI RICE WITH ROASTED BROCCOLI
This was NOT a pretty meal but wow, it was f*cking delicious you guys.
I used a recipe for creamy cajun shrimp pasta but swapped out the pasta for cauliflower rice to make it lighter. I used Cajun seasoning I found at the grocery store but this recipe shows you how to make it with spices you probably already have in your pantry.
Pouring the shrimp and the sauce over the cauliflower rice and roasted broccoli was the mooooove! It was so tasty and made for great leftovers.
Get it here!
BAKED MUSHROOM & SPINACH QUESADILLA
Who doesn’t love a quesadilla? It’s definitely up there in my favorite drunk foods for sure. I was super excited when I saw this recipe on Pinterest because it never occurred to me that a healthier version could exist. But duuuh, just bake it!
All you do is lightly coat the tortillas in olive oil, add your ingredients and bake for 6 minutes on each side. So good and so much less grease! I mixed vegan mozzarella with regular to make it a little lighter on the dairy.
PARMESAN CHICKEN
This is a family recipe from my aunt who is a fabulous chef and it’s super easy! My mom used to make it all the time growing up and it was my favorite. I made it for my parents when they cam to visit a few weeks ago and it was a real treat!
This is another you’re supposed to use chicken breasts but I prefer thighs situation but either way, you just slice your chicken into small pieces, dip them in olive oil and then the bread crumb mix. I blended parmesan, panko bread crumbs, garlic and cheese croutons, and unsalted roasted almonds together. I made too much so I put half in Tupperware (before I started dealing with the raw chicken lololol) and am keeping it in the freezer.
Pop those bad boys in the oven on 350 for 20 minutes, flip em over for another 20 or until they’re crispy and browned.
This is pretty much the first step of chicken parmesan, you just stop before the sauce and the cheese for a lighter option. Plus you can put the chicken on top of salads or with a lot of other dishes too.
They’re a true delight! So crispy and flavorful and juicy.
BUTTERY PESTO LINGUINE
This was the first (of many) pasta recipes I made from Back Pocket Pasta and it also was the first time I used my new blender! Woohoo!
Now that I’ve made fresh pesto I truly don’t know how I’ll ever go back. It took all of 3 minutes and it was divine. I guess I’m a chef now. Who knew?
The thing that makes this pesto have a little extra umph is folding in pecorino, parmesan, and room temp butter in a large mixing bowl afterward. Then you add your al dente linguine to the mixing bowl and toss that shizz. Viola!
So easy, takes like 15 minutes and tastes fresh af.
Get Back Pocket Pasta here for the full recipe!
PARMESAN BROCCOLINI
This is my new favorite veggie side, hands down. Alison Roman is a genius. I almost always toss some broccoli in olive oil with salt and pep and roast them in the oven for my meals BUT now I realize what a boring bitch I’ve been and I can’t go back! The picture above with the buttery pesto features these beauties.
Toss your cute broccolini in olive oil with salt, pep, crushed garlic cloves and lemon slices. Sprinkle (a lot of) parmesan over the top and roast in the oven for 10-12 minutes. A green dream.
Get Dining In here!
CREAMY ZUCCHINI & SAUSAGE PASTA
Oh my god. This. You guys. It was INSANITY!!!
Another Back Pocket Pasta beauty! Get it here for the full recipe.
First of all, Gigli pasta is hands down the cutest pasta BUT I will say it did seem to cook faster than other pastas I’ve made so it was a touch overcooked, wah. But just a hair. Not mushy, just not the perfect al dente texture, ya know?
But it was okay because the other ingredients were pure beauty and grace. Sweet Italian sausage (which apparently isn’t actually sweet, it’s just not spicy?), tomatoes, fresh rosemary and parsley, garlic and the ZUCCHINI! You slice those puppies long ways and scoop out the pulp which added this yummy almost creamy texture to the dish and then you slice the zucchini shells (???) in thin slices and you add those to the hot pasta water 30 seconds before the pasta is done so they stay super crisp and don’t get all wet and mushy.
Add heavy cream and pecorino and live your best life my dudes. It is truly unreal.
STEAMED ARTICHOKE & GARLIC BUTTER
If you’ve been following my recipe recaps for awhile then you may have seen my artichoke fail with the rosemary/lemon/garlic oven debacle. They were dry af and flavorless. Sad.
But I have had my artichoke redemption, my friends. This Alison Roman recipe is so easy and tasty. You steam your chokes in two inches of water for 40-50 minutes and you’re done! They’re soft and tender and fab. Ready for dippin!
The garlic butter was also super easy, just smashed garlic cloves in melted butter with salt!
Get Dining In here!
TRADER JOES HACK: CHICKEN SOUP DUMPLINGS & CHILLI ONION CRUNCH
Not a real recipe but if you’re a Trader Joe’s fan you need to be eating their Chicken Soup Dumplings. As a huge soup dump fan, I was blown away by how legitimately delicious they are! They are in my cart every time.
Take things up a notch by drizzling the to die for Chilli Onion Crunch oil all over. I’m actually drooling. You’re welcome. Find them in the frozen aisle!
What recipes have you been trying and loving lately? Tell me in the comments below!
Xo,
She
