Cheese

A Simple Breakfast

November 24, 2012 By Fran 3 Comments

We had a team in from the US helping us with our recruiting process for a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving. Early in the morning on their way out, I ran them to the market for a chance to pick up a few souvenirs and to get a look at the Mujeres de Tortilla (Tortilla Ladies) in action.

The market was just opening at 7am and only about 50% of the hawker stalls were open, but all of the stands where the moist, tender tortillas would be made, cooked and sold during the day were heating up and flat discs of ground corn were on their way out to be consumed all over town.

This time I didn’t stop with tortillas though. I was asked to bring back la Cuajada — a fresh white cheese. I’ve had it before and like the Queso Fresco or Queso Blanco I make at home, it’s moist, crumbly and salty.

I asked Jorge — Donde esta la cuajada, por favor? Where is the cuajada, please? He lead me to a small stall where a man was stirring what looked to be milk with his hands. Off he went to package it, wrapped in a swath of banana leaf and into a plastic bag it was placed. The tortillas were steaming hot and the cheese was ready for breakfast.

We made it back to the office eager to dive in. Well, I was eager, I’m not sure about my traveling cohorts. In the office, the Admin team was all smiles when they saw what was in the bags. It didn’t take long and we were diving in.

What I didn’t expect the next morning was to run across a blog post that talked about the evils of cheese in Honduras. I knew it was risky as I tried to ignore the man’s hands stirring the milk that was most likely not pasteurized. I was skeptical about the container he fished the cheese from, thinking briefly that it was probably not hanging out in the most sanitary of conditions, but I went for it anyway.

After reading La Gringa’s post however, I think la Cuajada is going to have to be scratched from my list unless I make it from a container of Parmalat UHT (Ultra High Temperature) milk although it seems she found a more reputable cheese vendor a year later so maybe there’s hope fro this cheese I enjoy so much.

I have no idea why this duck was at the market in a box drinking milk

I’m here and getting ready to head out on a plane this afternoon and while there is a little grumble in my belly, I suspect it’s not the cheese I consumed 3 days ago. Nope, there were other episodes of Russian Roulette played with food this week, the same as all other weeks that I choose to try not to think about.

All this won’t stop me from heading to the market to watch scores of tortillas being made or having breakfast of beans and eggs at the office most mornings, but it will make me think before blindly taking a bite of “street food”.

Filed Under: All Tagged With: Cheese, Cuajada, Fresco, Market, Queso, Queso Blanco

Grilled Cheese for Breakfast

March 11, 2012 By Fran 2 Comments

Sometimes, it’s about simplicity. I woke up this morning knowing I’d have a bit of time to put breakfast together before heading to the office. Things are still busy, so 6 and 7 day work-weeks continue, but there is goodness to be seen in all of it, especially when a beautiful grilled cheese like this is on the breakfast menu.

Life is chaotic and complicated at the moment, so uncluttered, no decisions, basic and simple are things I crave and there’s nothing complicated about a good, old fashioned grilled cheese sandwich.

I found good cheddar cheese, sliced 1/4 inch thick and cut in perfect squares — just the right size for an everyday loaf of bread.

I haven’t purchased run of the mill packaged bread in … forever, but artisan bread is not the thing here. It’s all tortillas, all the time, which is fine by me, and when in Honduras … but sometimes food from home calls and a good grilled cheese sandwich on white bread was beckoning to me this morning. This sandwich is one of the ultimate comfort foods. A cup of tomato soup beside the sandwich and I’d call it lunch. And don’t think I won’t be doing that tomorrow. I’ve got a sack of tomatoes waiting for me on the counter.

I needed something to send me to work that had more than just cheese and bread. I cooked up a super-thin slice of pancetta (unsmoked Italian bacon) and cut two slices of a ripe Roma tomato and a delicious grilled cheese breakfast was born.

Grilled-Cheese-in-the-Pan

But … and this is a big but … while I’m struggling to keep the eating under control I thought it best to make a half a grilled cheese sandwich. I piled the cheese, tomato and pancetta on the bread, cut it in half and stacked the halves on top of each other and you know, it was the perfect size for breakfast. Would I have eaten more if I’d made more — ummm… seriously? And you say you know me. Of course I would have! That’s why I didn’t allow myself the temptation or the potential waste of food.

Right, there would have been no waste. That whole sandwich would have been destined to be demolished. It was that good. The right amount of cheese, the saltiness of the pancetta and a little bit of warm, juicy tomato and I had just the breakfast I was craving when I woke up this morning.

Would you eat this for breakfast or are you inclined to save a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch?

Filed Under: All Tagged With: Bimbo, Bread, Breakfast, Cheddar, Cheese, Cook, Food, Grilled Cheese, Group, Mary Elizabeth, New York, Pancetta, Tomato

A Recipe for Baleadas; a Soon-to-Be Expat’s Perspective

November 20, 2011 By Fran 1 Comment

My mind is a bit scrambled right now with this big move looming over my head. Getting food on the table is tough to negotiate during a day filled with work, worrying about getting everything packed up for the move and wondering where I’ll be living.

It’s all good though. This is something I’ve wanted since I returned from Argentina 5 years ago.

I’m working on cleaning out the kitchen and have little left in the freezer and fridge. If you need a bowl of clear chicken broth, I’m your woman. If a big, huge, humongous, enormous, container of chopped garlic is your speed, do I have garlic for you! But making one of my usual dinners is not happening right now.

For those of you that don’t follow me on Facebook or Twitter and may have missed my last post, I’m moving to Honduras in FIVE DAYS! Yep, I’ll probably still be digesting Thanksgiving dinner when I peel myself out of bed at 3:30 in the morning on Friday and getting ready to head to the airport for the trip to San Pedro Sula.

I flew to Honduras just a few weeks ago to get a feel for what it would be like if I were to live there and a few days after returning found out I’d be moving. Just like that. It’s a two week and a half week turnaround, so as you can imagine, my head is spinning.

This may lead you to be sitting there scratching your head asking WTF?! Why are you writing a blog post when you are scheduled to board a plane in 4 days! Fran, you have closets to clear out, boxes to pack, a refrigerator to empty and clean, laundry to do, suitcases to pack, old clothing donations to make … and the list goes on. What are you doing here behind the computer?!

My only answer is this — I’m OBSESSED with this blog so today I bring you a Honduran Specialty — the Baleada. Check out this post for an interesting take on Honduran food and the Baleada.

I happened to have flour tortillas and beans in the fridge today, but I was missing a critical component of the dish — Queso Fresco. Ah, all was not lost … I had a quart of milk in the fridge!

In minutes a round of queso fresco was chilling in the refrigerator and lunch was right around the corner. All it takes is some milk and lemon juice or vinegar and voila! Cheese is made.

In a small saucepan heat 1 quart of milk (I used 2% but you can use whole is you like — just be sure to add the appropriate points.
The juice of one lemon
Salt

I used a lot of salt this time. It needs a lot of salt. I used about 1/4 cup of large chunk sea salt, but you can taste as you go. The lemon juice gives it the flavor of salt as well.

Heat the milk in a saucepan until just boiling. Add the salt and lemon juice or vinegar and stir. You will see the milk solids separate from the whey. Taste the solids to make sure you’ve added enough salt.

Pour the pan of solids and whey into a cheesecloth-lined fine mesh strainer and let it drain.

Wrap the remaining milk solids in the cheesecloth and carefully twist to form a ball. Be careful! This was boiling just a minute ago! Let it drain — I usually tie the ball to one of my kitchen cabinets with a bowl beneath it to catch the liquid.

When it cools enough to handle and most of the liquid has drained off, take it to the sink and squeeze it. Then run it under cold water.

I like to press it, so I use either a kitchen towel or paper towels and place a plat on top and a heavy cast iron skillet on top of the plate to add weight.

Press for about 30 minutes and then use or chill. It will keep in the fridge for about 3 days.

Voilå! Cheese!! See how easy that was?!

I’m not an expert and you know how I’m always embellishing recipes, changing them to make them my own, this is no different. The traditional baleada is a tortilla, beans and cheese. I added olives. Nothing major, but I’ve got a fridge to clear out and why throw away good olives, right?

Now all that’s left in my fridge are a few more corn and flour tortillas and a container of olives. I think it’s time to give this stuff to the neighbors.

There’s not much of a recipe for this dish and you should feel free to alter or adjust it in any way you like. To me, a tortilla is just a foundation for countless building blocks to go on top of it. It’s a “south of the border” take on pizza.

And with that, I leave you until I am in my new life, south of the border in less than a week.

Hasta Luego, mi amigos!!

Baleadas

5 minutes

10 minutes

Yield: 2 servings

1 wedge

5 Weight Watchers Points Plus

Ingredients

1 spray of Olive Oil

1 Medium Flour Tortilla

2 ounces shredded Mexican Cheese

1/3 cup Black Beans

2 ounces Queso Blanco

2 tablespoons Salsa Verde

6 Green Olives, sliced

Instructions

Have all of your ingredients ready

Heat a skillet with the olive oil spray

Add the tortilla and heat on both sides until brown, but not until crunchy

Add the shredded cheese and beans

Cook until the cheese begins to melt

Spoon salsa verde on top

Fold, cut into 2 wedges and serve.

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Filed Under: All, All Posts Tagged With: Baleadas, Beans, Cheese, Cook, Cuisine, Food, Honduras, Peppers, Poppers, Queso Fresco, Recipe, Spanish, Taco Meat, Tortilla

A Delicious Vegetable Frittata with Video

October 3, 2011 By Fran 5 Comments

Making a frittata is an easy weekend treat and the beauty of this dish is that you can use whatever vegetables and cheese you have in the house. There’s nothing that says you have to fill your frittata with the ingredients I used. Frittatas are perfect for those days you don’t want to make a big production of dinner.

This dish is one of those “Everything in the Fridge” deals. You can get all of the major food groups on one plate and use up some of the produce you have in the vegetable drawer that’s begging for your attention. Adding chicken sausage to this frittata would add a couple of points, but would add delicious flavor and texture.

Next time (maybe tomorrow!) I’m going to give it a South of the Border twist with corn tortillas, Jalapeño peppers and Salsa.

So, go ahead and whip up your own frittata. With a beautiful salad on the side and just 7 points you have a fabulous dinner you can throw together in just 30 minutes.

My friend Stephanie of CopyKat.com has been on a mad video-making frenzy and she’s producing some great content. She’s inspired me to start making my own recipe videos and this is the first one. I’ve got my work cut out for me with the poor lighting in my kitchen, but I’ll get that worked out and will begin posting more video recipes soon. Check out this video for step-by-step instructions for this Frittata recipe and please … Eat Well, Be Healthy, and Enjoy!

Quick and Easy Frittata

10 minutes

23 minutes

33 minutes

Yield: 1

1 Frittata

Calories per serving: 179.4

This Frittata will cost you just 7 Weight Watchers Plus Points.

If you like a more "melty" cheesy top, add the cheese during the last 1 minute before removing from the oven.

Ingredients

8 spray(s) olive oil cooking spray

1/4 cup(s) cauliflower, Roughly Chopped

1/2 medium shallot(s), Thinly Sliced

1/4 cup(s) zucchini, Diced

1 slice(s) Canadian-style bacon, Diced

2 leaf/leaves basil, Chiffonade

1 oz low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

1 tsp plain fat-free yogurt

2 item(s) egg

4 small cherry tomato(es), Sliced

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350º

Roughly chop the cauliflower, taking care not to dice too small

Thinly slice the Shallots

Spray a small skillet with olive oil -- 4 pumps

Add the cauliflower and cook for about 5 minutes, until some pieces are turning brown

Add the shallots and cook another minute before adding the zucchini

Add another 4 pumps of olive oil spray

Add the zucchini and cook for 1 minute

Add the tomatoes and basil and top with the cheese

Place skillet on a baking sheet and place in the oven

Cook for 10 - 15 minutes or until the eggs are cooked to the desired doneness

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Filed Under: All, All Posts Tagged With: Basil, Breakfast, Cauliflower, Cheese, Diet, Easy, Eggs, Frittata, Low Fat, Points Plus, Tomatoes, Weight Watchers, Zucchini

I’m Not Perfect, I’m Not Thin…

August 10, 2011 By Fran 4 Comments

It’s not easy to be in the skin we’re in. Oh my. Did I really just type that? I think this is good ground work for a country song — or maybe a song for children. Yep, that’s good. We need to do something to help children grow up to learn good eating habits, to get away from processed food and to know more about food than the package it may come in and this post is not it.

No, this post is about the fact that I make mistakes. That sometimes I fall. That I get up. That I’m human.

You know my story. After 23 Sunday morning weigh-ins at Weight Watchers, I cook fresh food. I don’t fry anything anymore. I’ve used just ONE stick of butter, less than a bottle of olive oil and so little canola oil I can’t measure it in SIX MONTHS.

The amount of heavy cream I’ve consumed is less than a quarter of a cup, there hasn’t been a fried anything, and nary a potato chip or chocolate chip cookie has crossed my lips. But as saintly as this all may sound in a world of weight loss, hear this ——> I. Am. Not. Perfect.

Two things happened on Sunday to remind me of this fact and while humbled, it’s really no surprise. Why would I admit this on my blog? Why would I expose my foibles, faux pas and vulnerabilities? Because you come here to find recipes to help you on your journey to a better eating lifestyle and maybe, possibly, you like to follow my journey in the stories I can’t seem to help but share.

And now you need an explanation.

So…there I was in the bathroom, getting ready to shower and head to my Sunday morning weigh-in, but first I stepped on the scale and as I knew, in 20 minutes when I hit the scale at my local Weight Watchers, I wasn’t going to like what I saw.

I’ve lost some amount of weight in 19 of the previous 22 weigh-ins. The other three weeks amounted to a paltry sum of less than 2 lbs. gained. It was minimal. Almost negligible in the world of weight loss plans. It was something to be happy with — to be proud of. I could be in one of the Weight Watchers commercials as one of those, “This weight loss is not typical” stories. Well, at an average of just over 1 lb. a week, perhaps not, but in the television commercial that plays in my head, with me being the star, this is the little disclaimer that runs at the bottom of the screen.

I showered, got dressed, got on the elevator to head down to the lobby to wait for my friend to pick me up to make our weekly pilgrimage to the Temple of Weight Watchers. And I say this, my friends, as a term of endearment. Really.

So, we head off and I am thinking in my head … oh, this is going to be the worst week I’ve had during this program. But I’m not terribly upset. Those weeks when I gained were not devastating, because I knew I could do better the next week, but this was going to be more than a half pound gain. My analog scale is tough to read, even with my bifocals, so I was nervous about seeing what the “official” scale had to say.

We roll out of the car, head into the storefront and get in line. I head to the scale where my friend and fabulous Weight Watchers leader, Sue sits, waiting to weigh me and I close my eyes. I don’t know why. It’s not that I can see the scale. Things have changed at the Temple of Weight Watchers and there is no exclaiming your weight out loud. There is no number for you or any onlookers to peek at when you step on the platform. It’s a silent kind of thing, with the person weighing you looking at a computer screen and waiting for the electronic sticker to print out to be put into your weight loss log, but you know. I can’t imagine there are many people that get on the scale each week not knowing whether they will lose or gain, although I never know how much it will be.

I let Sue know that I was expecting a gain as though she could make it not happen. And I told her it would be an increase that would be more than a measly few tenths of a pound. And it was. I gained 1.6 lbs. No exclamation points here. I don’t want to make this worse than it is. I don’t want it to invade my brain. The amount I gained this week was exactly what I lost the week prior. That was disappointing. All that work for naught. But on the other side of that scale was a new week, one in which I have full control over how things will go. Just as I can choose my attitude each morning when I wake up, I can choose how my eating and weight loss will go.

So, I came home after the requisite stop at Trader Joe’s for fresh produce and a couple of other things and stepped into my kitchen to make a Sunday morning breakfast. I knew I wanted to use my favorite — Corn tortillas. I thought I’d make chilaquiles for a fabulous breakfast. The Trader Joe’s stop was the Ah-ha! moment. As I stopped at the cheese aisle and reach in for a package of Queso Blanco, my brain stoped and said — Wait! You just bought a package last week! That was EIGHT OUNCES of cheese and there was nothing but 1/2 an ounce left in the fridge at home!! Ah-ha! No need to question where that gain came from. Those BLTs — Bites, Licks, Tastes really do add up and now I know. I pulled back and did not put the cheese in my cart. I will do without Queso Blanco this week.

As I said above, I make mistakes. I’m human. I fall down. This was the worst breakfast I’ve had in 23 weeks. Really. It was awful. I’m not 100% sure, but I have a feeling I did this on purpose. I suspect it was a form of punishment for the gain. It was a pan of mush and it was hardly worth eating. It certainly wasn’t worth photographing and hated that I wasted a corn tortilla and that my breakfast wasn’t fabulous. But I had six more breakfasts in front of me for the week, so I ate, did the dishes and moved on. And that’s how it goes for me with this long weight loss journey. I just keep at it and for this, I’m proud of myself. I am able to pat myself on the back, tell myself it is just a bump in the road and tomorrow will be better.

And it is.

Rather than leaving you without a recipe, feast your eyes on this redux of a truly delicious breakfast.

Breakfast Tortilla

Recipe Type: Breakfast

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 15 mins

Serves: 1

A French-inspired Taco with Aji Verde

Ingredients

1 6″ Corn Tortilla
1 Trader Joe’s Mini Brie Bites, cut in slices
1/4 ripe medium Avocado, chunked
3 Cherry Tomatoes, diced
1 tablespoon diced Onions
1.5 tablespoons teaspoons Aji Verde Sauce, divided

Instructions

Toast the tortilla until slightly charred. You can do this over an open flame, on a grill, or under a broiler pan. Keep your eye on it to make sure you don’t torch the entire tortilla.
When the tortilla has toasted, heat a small skillet with 5 pumps of light olive oil spray.
When hot, place the tortilla on the pan.
Add the brie to 1/2 of the tortilla and let melt slightly.
Add the avocado, the onions and tomatoes and cook until the avocado is warm to hot.
Add a tablespoon of the Aji Verde on top of the tomato and onion mixture
Fold the tortilla and hold down with the spatula
Slide a remaining Aji Verde on top, remove from the pan and serve.

Serving size: 1 Tortilla Calories: 201 Fat: 12.4g Carbohydrates: 19.1g Fiber: 4.9g Protein: 6.8g

Notes

This 7 point tortilla is good any time of day. It’s a decadent breakfast, but also makes a wonderful appetizer. Cut into halves for a passed finger food.

Filed Under: All, Breakfast, Internationally Inspired Tagged With: Aji Verde, Brakfast, Cheese, Chilaquiles, Corn Tortilla, Jalapeño, Mexican, Onions, Queso, Thin, Tomatoes, Weight Watchers

A Right Recipe for Palak Paneer

April 29, 2011 By Fran 2 Comments

The Spinach Shines

Can you imagine spinach so creamy without a hint of cream? Take a look at this and you’ll see the creamiest, smoothest, greenest spinach you’ll ever put your eyes on — at least today. This is the Indian dish called Palak Paneer.

I made the Paneer (Indian Cheese) last night, cut it up and posted the photos and information here and knew that I was going to dine on the spinach goodness of Palak Paneer tonight.

I used Manisha, of Indian Food Rocks’ recipe for tonight’s dish. I used 1 tablespoon of oil for the spinach and pan fried the cheese with a few pumps of olive oil spray until golden brown. I’m linking to the recipe here because I want to give credit where credit’s due. I chose the recipe because of how vibrant and verdant it looked and I really can’t claim to have adapted this simple recipe.

It was the first time I made it, so I decided to follow it to the letter. Manisha says it’s not about adding flavors, that it’s about the ginger and lemon and while I was yearning for onion and garlic, I decided to stay true to the recipe — a feat for me. I’m happy I did. The ginger shone through and I added a little more lemon because my cheese wasn’t quite tart enough, but it’s one of those things you can taste as you go.

Key to the recipe for me was taking it off the stove as soon as the spinach was wilted and letting it whirl around in the VitaMix until it was silky smooth. I considered shocking the spinach in an ice water bath, but the recipe didn’t direct me to take that step and as you can see, it wasn’t necessary. Often, I’ll shock a green vegetable like green beans after cooking to retain that incredible green color, but that wasn’t an issue here. It took less than a minute to get to this consistency and while I could have let it spin in the blender until it became serving hot again, I put it back in the pot to simmer for just a few mintes before adding a few cubes of Paneer and serving as the recipe directed.

I can’t wait to hear what my Bangalore friends have to say about this effort. I’m sure it’s a surprise to all that I have this thing about cooking. In a year in India, I never allowed my cooking habit show. and that if I added up all the posts in my various blogs these past 4 years, Indian food appears most often. I’m happy to add another untried dish to my repertoire.

This Palak Paneer will cost you a Weight Watchers Points Plus value of 9 with the following breakdown:

Fat 27 g
Protein 21 g
Fiber 4 g
Carbs 7 g

Filed Under: All Posts, From India, From the Cow, From the Ground, Internationally Inspired, Side Dishes Tagged With: Cheese, India, Palak Paneer, Spinach, Vegetable

Indian Paneer Recipe

April 28, 2011 By Fran 3 Comments

MAKING PANEER

Making Paneer is so easy you can make it before heading to bed. I had 4 cups of whole milk in the fridge, knew I’d never drink it and had it in my mind that I wanted to make cheese. I’m just not the milk-drinking type and I couldn’t let it go, so that Paneer recipe I’ve been thinking about making turned into reality about an hour before bed time.

I love that I can create something from start to finish in my own kitchen and in such a short period of time.

I found countless paneer recipes online and while the results are good, it’s not knock your socks off. I’d like it to be more tart, like Queso Fresco or Queso Blanco. Next time I am going to either up the yogurt or the lemon or possibly both. And it definitely needs more salt — and that’s coming from someone who usually under salts everything.

I’m going to make it again and will post the recipe for you so that you know how to make it with just the right flavor profile. But this isn’t the last you’ll see of this first edition Paneer from my kitchen.

My love of Indian food usually results in very basic offerings from my kitchen, some of which you’ve seen on my other blog — FRANtasticFood — Butter Chicken, Rogan Josh, Dosa, Peas Pilau and Chicken Tikka Masala, to name a few. I am going to step outside of that comfort zone and make Palak Paneer tomorrow night and show you just what this cheese can do. Thanks to a wonderful blogger I’ve been following for a very long time — Manisha of Indian Food Rocks – I’m going to try her Palak Paneer recipe. Have you ever seen anything so green and slurp-worthy come to your table? I can’t wait to dive into the recipe.

In the meantime, take a look at these photos of my last minute, late night foray into cheese-making below:

Bring the milk to a boil, stirring constantly

Add yogurt and lemon and stir until the curds and whey separate

Rinse and drain for 20 minutes and then wring and drain for 30

When it’s been drained twice, press under a heavy cast iron pan or other heavy object and then unwrap and refrigerate or — eat!

Next up … Palak Paneer. I’ll post the nutritional details with the recipe, but for now, know that Paneer will cost you a Weight Watchers Points Plus value of 3 points per ounce. I used whole milk, but some make it with skim, so you can count on me trying a reduced fat version next. Why waste points or calories if you don’t have to, right?

Have you ever made cheese?

Filed Under: From India, From the Cow, Internationally Inspired, Side Dishes Tagged With: Cheese, Indian, Paneer, Recipe

Al Fresco Tomato Sausage and Spinach Pasta Recipe

April 14, 2011 By Fran 2 Comments

Coming home after work and making dinner has become a fun adventure since I started this healthier eating (read Weight
Watchers) lifestyle. Rather than coming home and “winging it,” randomly pulling out a variety of ingredients and throwing together dinner, I’m actually planning.

For those of you that have been FRANtasticFood readers or Justin.tv viewers here and here these past 4 years, you’ll be familiar with my disregard for meal planning and while that was great, and fun and decadent, it wasn’t so smart or healthy. Oh sure, it all tasted darn good, but I never really felt “darn good” in the morning. The quick dishes I put together were laden with fat and calories and the amount of carbs I was downing would have made King Arthur and his team of sales people very happy. Now that I want to be sure that I optimize my meals for satisfaction and flavor, planning is something I welcome.

So this day, I pulled a couple of links of Chicken Sausage out of the freezer, put them in the fridge and and thought about how I’d use them while relaxing during the commute to work in the pre-dawn darkness. I could grill them and serve them with creamy polenta, but my allotment of polenta would be meager. I could panfry them and serve them with miso mashed potatoes, but it’s become a staple and I wanted something a bit different. I could put them in a pan and turn them into a pasta with sausage, tomatoes, spinach and cheese dish. Voila! A dinner plan is born.

I was inspired by Mark Bittman’s Chick Peas with Chorizo and Spinach dish. I’m a Bittman fan and caught his new show on my favorite cooking channel, aptly names — The Cooking Channel — on the Weekend. He made an Andalusian Chickpea dish with spinach.

I decided to take the idea and make this dish instead, but with the leftover spinach I headed back into the kitchen tonight and stayed a little closer to the original, although I put my own twist on it. I’ll post it at FRANtasticfood in a few days. Scroll down for a sneak peek preview.

This is one of “those” recipes. A recipe that’s quick, easy and delicious. A recipe that you can whip up for a satisfying dinner on a night when you walk in the door exhausted and say, “I just don’t want to do anything but take my coat off and put my feet up.”

Not only will you be able to put your feet up after a quick 20 minutes in the kitchen, but you’ll be sitting down, feet propped — or not — to a flavorful and savory pasta dish that will only cost you 317 calories or, if you’re counting, 8 Weight Watchers Points Plus.

Do you need to serve anything with this dish? No, but if you want something more, a salad or grilled or steamed vegetable would be a good addition.

Spanish Chickpeas with Sausage, Spinach and Tomatoes

Do you plan your meals, or a you a “just wing it” type cook?

Pasta with Sausage and Al Fresco Tomato Sauce

Recipe Type: Main

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 4

Creating an al fresco sauce is quick and fresh. The sausage lends a balance of flavor that’s just right.

Ingredients

8 ounces Barilla Gemelli Pasta or other small, thick pasta
4 links fresh Chicken Sausage, sliced
3 cups Fresh Baby Spinach, washed
1.5 cups Cherry Tomatoes, washed
2 ounces Italian Truffle Cheese or other melting cheese, grated

Instructions

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. When the water has come to a full rolling boil, add the pasta. I don’t add salt to my water. I am of the school of thought that the sauce should flavor the pasta and that the pasta in its most natural state should taste like, well… pasta, without salt hiding its flavor.
Heat a 10″ nonstick skillet and add the sausage slices, cooking to brown on all sides.
Add the tomatoes and cook until they become “weepy” or soft and wrinkled. They do not need to be cooked through. This should take about 5 – 10 minutes. This is an Al Fresco style sauce, so you’ll want a few of them in an almost uncooked state.
The tomatoes will continue to soften and a sauce will be created imparting the flavors of the sausage. When all of the sausage pieces are brown add the cheese and stir to combine.
Add the spinach and cook until wilted.
Drain the pasta, saving 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta and reserved water to the skillet and stir to combine for another minute to cook off most of the pasta water.
Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl for serving.

Calories: 317 Fat: 8 Carbohydrates: 46 Fiber: 3.1 Protein: 16.6

Notes

This is a hearty main course that goes well with a salad. If you want to bulk up the dish, add mushrooms when cooking the sausage.

Filed Under: All Posts, From the Silo, Internationally Inspired, Main Dishes Tagged With: Cheese, Easy, Food, Pasta, Sausage, Spinach, Tomatoes

May 2013
M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« Mar
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30	31