Micheal Chiarello Italian Meatballs

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground sirloin
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 cup fine dried bread crumbs
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Grey salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups water
• Red Sauce (Gravy), recipe follows

Directions

In a large bowl, mix together the meat, egg, cheese, parsley, oregano, basil, onion, bread crumbs, and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup of the water. Knead the water into the meat mixture with your hands. Knead and roll meatballs into about 1 1/2-inch balls. Place them in shallow saucepan on stove, add another 1/2 cup of water over them, and cover. Turn heat to medium, and steam for 35 minutes.
Drain the juice out of the bottom of the pan. Cover with Red Sauce sauce, and toss with a pasta of your choice before serving, or serve as is.


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/michael-chiarello/meatballs-recipe/index.html

Chicken Parmesan

This is probably my husband's favorite dish I make. I'm not a big fan of chicken parmesan, but this is pretty good. It's adapted from here.

I saw Tyler Florence make it on TV, and it always turns out perfect.


4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c. flour seasoned with salt and pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten with 1 T. of water until frothy
1 c. dried bread crumbs seasoned with salt and pepper and dried Italian seasonings (opt.)
Fresh mozzarella with the water drained off
Fresh parmesan cheese, grated
Cooked spaghetti noodles
1 jar or equivalent of favorite spaghetti sauce

Preheat oven to 450

Put chicken breasts on a cutting board side by side with plastic wrap over them. Pound them until about 1/2 inch thick. Coat each piece in flour then dip in eggs then bread crumbs. Heat 3 T. olive oil in a large, oven proof skillet.* When the oil is nice and hot, add the chicken and fry for 4 minutes on each side until crispy, only turning once.
Ladle spaghetti sauce over the chicken and place a slice of fresh mozzerella over each piece. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Serve hot over spaghetti noodles.

*If you don't have an oven-proof skillet, just use a frying pan and transfer the chicken to a 9X13 baking dish.

Pizza Crust-- Mom's

Makes 2 10-inch crusts

1 T. yeast
1 C. warm water
1 t. sugar
1 t. salt
2 T. olive oil
2 1/2 C. flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water with the sugar. Place salt, oil, and flour in the food processor. While running, slowly pour in the yeast mixture. Mix until soft dough forms into a smooth ball. Stretch out on pizza pan and add toppings as desired.

Super Healthy Lasagna Roll-Ups

I have seen recipes for lasagna roll-ups all over Pinterest lately, but my sister made them for me years ago, and somehow, I forgot about them. I LOVE lasagna, but I don't love all the calories. Here is how I cheat the calories, up the protein, and I add so many more nutrients without anyone even knowing.

Ingredients:
One box Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles
One package firm tofu
One egg
parsley, fresh or dry
Fresh Spinach
Pasta sauce, I would use two bottles
Parmesan Cheese
opt. Italian sausage, or ground beef


Cook the noodles according to package directions. Rinse in cold water. While those are cooking, place the tofu with a little of the water from the package in a blender with one egg and a dash of salt and pepper. Blend well until the consistency of thick yogurt. Add more tofu water if needed. Place in a bowl, stir in some chopped parsley.
If you want meat in the sauce, brown some italian sausage or ground beef seasoned with italian seasonings, and then pulse it in the food processor a couple of times to chop it up really small. Add it to the pasta sauce.
Preheat oven to 375. Spray a 9X13 pan with cooking spray. Pour one cup of pasta sauce in the pan, just enough to cover the bottom.
Lay the noodles on a sheet of aluminum foil. Smear one tablespoon of the tofu on each noodle. Next, cut or tear up one or two leaves of Spinach on each noodle. Roll up the noodles and place seam-side down in the 9X13 pan. Cover with sauce, sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese on top. Bake 30-35 minutes with tented foil on top. Let sit ten minutes before serving.
Trust me, no one will know it's tofu. They will think it's Ricotta cheese!

 Blended Tofu. Sometimes I like to add grated Swiss cheese or some Parmesan cheese if I have it on hand. It's certainly not necessary, but will give it more of a cheesey flavor.

 I hate lasagna with a BIG GLOB of spinach in it. Gross! I tell my kids that the green is "spices" like what Remy puts in the food in Ratatouille. They think that's awesome.

The finished product! Yum!! I guess that each roll has between 120-150 calories depending on if you added cheese or meat.

Broccoli Shrimp Pasta Toss

I used this recipe that I found online, with a few minor changes:

1 package whole wheat linguine pasta
5 minced garlic cloves
2 T. butter
1/4 c. olive oil
One large head of broccoli cut into small florets
salt and pepper
16 oz package cooked, deveined shrimp
1 c. chopped, fresh spinach
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a shallow pan, arrange broccoli in a single layer and add just enough water to cover the bottom of pan and broccoli halfway, cover. Bring water to a boil and simmer broccoli for 6 minutes and drain. Meanwhile, remove tails from shrimp and rinse. When pasta is done cooking, drain in a colander. In the pasta pot, add olive oil and butter and heat slowly. When butter is melted, add garlic and cook for about one minute. Toss in broccoli and shrimp and fresh spinach, stir to heat up shrimp and wilt spinach, this only takes a minute. Add pasta, salt and pepper and toss. Remove from heat, add cheese, and toss.

A 1-1/4 c. serving is about 200 calories.

My son, who doesn't eat anything, had three plates full!!!

Angel Hair Pasta with Chicken

This is from "Easy Everyday Cooking".

2 T. olive oil
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch cubes.
1 carrot, sliced diagonally into 1/4 inch pieces
Broccoli florets, steamed until just tender
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz. angel hair pasta
2/3 c. chicken broth
1 t. dried basil
1/4 c. shredded Parmesan Cheese

Heat 1 T. oil in a medium skillet over medium heat; add chicken. Cook, stirring.,until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels. Heat remaining oil in same skillet. Begin heating water for pasta. Add carrot to skillet; cook stirring, for 4 minutes. Add broccoli and garlic to skillet; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes longer. Cook pasta according to directions. While pasta is cooking, add chicken broth, basil, and Parmesan to skillet. Stir to combine. Return chicken to skillet. Reduce heat and simmer for 4 minutes. Drain pasta. Place in a large serving bowl. Top with chicken and vegetable mixtrue. Serve immediately.

Perfect Pan Pizza

Another great recipe from my favorite magazine, Cook's Illustrated! This pizza is so easy and yummy. The crust is chewy and buttery and comes out perfect every time!

Dough:

2 T. Olive Oil plus 4 T. for the pans

3/4 C. plus 2 T. skim milk warmed

2 t. sugar

2 1/2 c. flour

2 1/4 t. yeast

1/2 t. Table salt

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 200 degrees. When oven reaches 200 degrees, turn it off. Lightly grease a large bowl with cooking spray. Coat two cake pans (or pie pans) with 2 Tablespoons of oil.

Mix milk, sugar, and 2 T. of oil in measuring cup. Mix flour, yeast, and salt in a stand mixer (or if mixing by hand, mix together and make a well for the wet ingredients) Turn machine to low and slowly add milk mixture, after dough comes together, increase speed to medium and mix about five minutes or until shiny and smooth (or if by hand, stir until the dough becomes shaggy, turn onto floured surface and knead about 10 minutes). Place in greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the warmed oven for 30 minutes or until doubled in size.

Transfer dough to lightly floured surface and divide in half. Roll each half into a ball and with a rolling pin, shape each ball into a 9 inch round. Place in oiled pan using knuckles to push the dough to the edges. Cover with plastic wrap and set in warm spot until puffy and slightly risen, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees.

Sauce:

1 T olive oil

2 medium garlic cloves pressed or minced

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

salt and pepper

Cook oil and garlic in medium saucepan over low heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, increase heat to medium and cook until slightly thickened, 10-15 minutes.

*I like to add fresh basil to my sauce*

Topping:

1 3.5 oz package sliced pepperoni

3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

any other toppings you prefer

Put half the pepperoni in a single layer on a paper towel on a microwave-safe plate. Cover with paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds. Pat the grease off the pepperoni. Repeat with remaining pepperoni. This keeps the pizza from getting too greasy.

Assemble:

Remove plastic wrap from dough, put sauce on leaving a border around the edges, sprinkle with cheese and top with pepperoni. Bake until cheese is melted, about 20 minutes. Let pizzas rest in the pan for 2 minutes. Using a spatula, remove from pans onto a cutting board and cut into slices.

Creamy Pesto Chicken

This recipe is my Aunt Melanie's, and it is a family favorite! I usually half it for my family and cook it in a dutch oven pan, and we have plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day. Mmmmm!

(This has a 3 hour cook time, turn oven off after second hour, but leave in for the third hour.)

10 FROZEN boneless/skinless chicken breasts

1 large (I think she means a family size) can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream (not the light or fat free)
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 package alfredo sauce mix
2 tablespoons pesto
1/2 cup flour

Cooked egg noodles

Mix all together and then layer around the frozen breasts in a deep roaster/casserole pan.

(Something bigger than a 9x13 pan so it won't boil over.)

Mel says, "Yes, it's really thick and lumpy bit it thins way out with all the chicken juices!"

Cover with foil. Cook 2 hours at 375. TURN OVEN OFF, let it sit in oven for the next hour.

Mel says, "This is perfect for Sunday dinner if you can program your oven to cook 2 hours and then automatically turn off. Let it sit the final hour of church block and it's done right when you get home." I have found that the chicken often has a pinkish hue. Don't worry about this, if the chicken falls apart easily, it is done.

Serve with pasta and veggies.

FYI: sauce thickens as it cools

Chicken Parmesan

Here is a recipe I've adapted from Tyler Florence of the food network. It's one of Matt's favorites.
A couple bottles of your favorite spaghetti sauce (I put my sauce on a previous blog)
4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts
1/2 cup flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon water
1 cup dried bread crumbs
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 (8-ounce) ball fresh mozzarella, water drained, or a few thick slices of regular mozzerella Freshly grated Parmesan
1 pound spaghetti pasta, cooked al dente

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Get the ingredients together for the chicken so you have a little assembly line. Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them. Pound the chicken breasts with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/2-inch thick. Put the flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, combine the eggs and water, beat until frothy. Put the bread crumbs on a plate, season with salt and pepper and dried basil. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high flame in a large frying pan. Lightly dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off, then dredge in the bread crumbs. When the oil is nice and hot, add the cutlets and fry for 4 minutes on each side until golden and crusty, turning once. Transfer the chicken to an oven-proof dish (if your frying pan isn't oven proof). Ladle the tomato sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with mozzarella, Parmesan, and basil. Bake the Chicken Parmesan for 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Serve hot with spaghetti.

Sausage Tortellini Soup

My friend Aunna made this soup for me after I got home from the hospital with Elise. It was so heavenly! I've been wanting to make it myself for awhile, and tonight, I did. Mmmmm. I thought I'd share the recipe with you.
1/2-1 lb Italian sausage (I bet some well-seasoned ground turkey would be good too)
4 cloves pressed garlic
1 onion diced
1/2 c. water
2 cans low-sodium chicken broth (I ended up having to use 3)
1/2 c. apple cider- don't leave this out or it won't taste the same!
16 oz can diced tomatoes
8 oz can tomato sauce
1 c. sliced carrots
1 t. dried basil
1 t. dried oregano
1 medium zucchini grated or chopped (I didn't have zucchini, so I used yellow squash and added fresh spinach for color!)
8-10oz package cheese tortellini- use frozen as it is usually less. I like Buitoni three-cheese whole wheat tortellini
2 T. dried parsley

Brown and crumble the sausage, drain if necessary. Add onions and garlic, cook until onions are translucent. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, juice, water, chicken broth, carrots, oregano, and basil. Cover and simmer 1/2 hour. Add parsley and zucchini and simmer another 10-15 minutes. Add the tortellini and cook until tender (check package directions), then serve with bread and freshly-grated parmesan.