Joybee, What's for Dinner? : Dinner

Showing posts with label Dinner. Show all posts

Friday, December 18, 2015

Turkey and Asparagus Skillet Pasta

A one dish meal of turkey Italian sausage and asparagus, with pasta in tomato sauce, plus cheese all cooked in only one skillet.

Both of my parents worked while I was growing up so when my sisters and I were old enough to use the stove we each had a night to prepare dinner for the family. Since we were not very experienced cooks my mom would buy easy to prepare meals like hamburger helper. This dish reminds me of hamburger helper, from my childhood, but it's so much better.

Like #HamburgerHelper but better | Turkey & Asparagus #SkilletPasta [Tweet this]

This is great for a busy night when you don't have a lot of time to spend on dinner. It's ready in about 30 minutes and it doesn't require much prep. Also, it's all cooked in the same skillet so you don't have much clean-up. My favorite thing about skillet pasta is that you don't have to move and lift a large pot of boiling water (I have balance problems so I have to use one hand to keep me balanced when I stand and I need both to lift and drain large pasta pots...hence my difficulty). I think skillet pasta tastes even better than pasta the usual way. As the pasta simmers in its sauce and water I think it picks up much more flavor than pasta just topped or tossed with sauce. This is my new favorite way to cook pasta.

#Dinnerin30: Turkey and Asparagus #SkilletPasta [Tweet this]

Turkey and Asparagus Skillet Pasta

Cook time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

1 pound turkey Italian sausage
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 28 oz can of stewed tomatoes
2 Tbsp dried basil
1 Tbsp dried minced onion
1/4-1/2 cup roasted garlic (or 2 Tbsp garlic powder)
1 bunch of asparagus, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 13 oz box of whole wheat rotini
3 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 cup parmesan (optional)
1 cup mozzarella (optional)

Brown the ground Italian sausage in a 12-inch skillet, over medium heat, until cooked through.

Meanwhile, add tomatoes, basil, onion, and garlic to blender and puree.

Once sausage is cooked pour in the olive oil and tomato puree. Add the asparagus and pasta then pour in the water (until pasta is just covered). Add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (if using) and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 15-20 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed and pasta is just a little undercooked (not quite al dente).

Turn off heat, stir in cheeses (if using), cover, and let set for about 10 minutes. The last of the liquid will absorb into the pasta, pasta will be tender, and cheese melted.

Serve immediately.

Makes about 6 servings.

Enjoy.

For more pasta recipes check out:

Sun-dried Tomato Olive and Asparagus Pasta

Clam Linguine -

Mushroom Spinach

Tomato Pasta -

Linked to: Pretty Pintastic, J&J, Lou lou girls, whimsy, wonderful, Ticklemy Tastebuds, full plate, Freedom, Best of the Weekend

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Monday, December 7, 2015

Bhindi (Okra) Masala

Yum

A vegetarian Indian dish made with okra and spices. A delicious, healthy, and filling meal.

(Re-post of original from 1/11/13. Edited for grammar, updated pictures, tweeables, pinnable image, and like posts. Had 96 views)

Okra. It's one of those vegetables I only knew one thing to do with and that is batter and fry. I grew up in North Carolina and we love our fried okra. Every spring my dad planted a garden in our yard and okra was one of the usual vegetables. By summer, we would have so much okra, but I don't remember having it any other way than fried. I'm not complaining I love fried okra it's one of those foods I look forward to whenever I go home.

There's more to #okra than frying: Bhindi (Okra) Masala #Indianfood [Tweet this]

Not long after moving to Honolulu and finding Chinatown, I found a market there that had okra. I was excited and curious. Fried okra isn't a common food here so how is it used? It took me some Googling to find an Indian recipe site that had many dishes with okra as the main ingredient. I like Indian food and I like okra so what could go wrong? Once I tried Bhindi Masala I fell in love and it's much healthier than deep fat frying okra. This is a recipe I make frequently. If you like okra I urge you to try this recipe.

Like Okra? Try this #Vegetarian #Indianrecipe: Bhindi Masala [Tweet this]

Bhindi Masala

Cook time: 20 minutes or fewer
Servings: 3-4

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp ghee, or oil of choice
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp minced ginger
1 large onion, chopped
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala powder
1/8 tsp ghost chili masala, or hot chilli powder of you choice (if you can handle more heat by all means add more)
1 pound okra, chopped (about 3 cups)
3 dashes Worcestershire sauce, or juice of 1/2 a lime
Salt to taste

Heat ghee (clarified butter) in large frying pan (I think ghee adds better flavor, but it has 9g saturated fat per tablespoon and it's not vegan so you can use any oil that withstands high heat instead).

Add cumin seeds and stir cooking until they start to sputter. Then, add the ginger and garlic. Stir until just fragrant (it won't take long) and add the onions.

Mix the onions around for a minute or two until they soften. Add the spices and let cook for a little while until fragrant then add the okra and salt.

Stir and let cook until the okra softens, add Worcestershire sauce (or lime juice) and keep stirring. I add about 1/2 cup of water to deglaze the pan and make a bit of sauce then turn off the heat (the hot pan will evaporate most of the water, but it make things a little less dry as well as helps cool the pan).

Serve immediately over rice garnished with cilantro and with naan on the side. Makes 3-4 servings.

Enjoy.

For more vegetarian Indian recipes check out:

Arhar Dal -

Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry

Patta Gobhi Mattar (Cabbage and Peas)

Linked to: 2 Cup, Lou Lou Girls, Tickle my Tastebuds, Wonderful, Full Plate, Foodie Friends, Pretty Pintastic

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Friday, July 24, 2015

Sun-dried Tomato, Olive, and Asparagus Pasta

Yum

Sun-dried tomatoes, olives, asparagus and Italian sausage in a chunky pasta sauce served over whole wheat pasta and topped with parmesan.

Pasta. I love making my own pasta sauce. It's actually pretty simple and you can add just about anything you like to it. I always keep diced tomatoes in my pantry for homemade pasta sauce (they are useful in many other recipes too). So if I have nothing in the house to eat I can usually throw together some kind of pasta dish.

Diced tomatoes are a useful pantry staple. [Tweet this]

I love sun-dried tomatoes. They are super flavorful and have a great chewiness. I'll eat them by themselves, as a spread, in sauces, they are very versatile and enhance any dish to which they're added. When I thought about making a pasta sauce they were a natural choice.

Sundried tomatoes are super flavorful and versatile. [Tweet this]

Everything else in this pasta was added on a whim, I knew I wanted a sun-dried tomato pasta sauce, but that was all I planned. I had some thawed Italian sausage so that seemed like an obvious addition. The jar of olives was beside the tomatoes so I figured it wouldn't hurt to add some. Then, I didn't feel like cooking the asparagus separately for a side vegetable so in the sauce it went. Everything together made an absolutely delicious, flavorful, and filling meal. Sometimes the most unplanned concoctions turn out to be the most delicious.

Unplanned concoctions can turn into delicious meals. [Tweet this]

Sun-dried Tomato, Olive, and Asparagus Pasta

Cook time: 30-45 minutes
Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

1/2 -3/4-pound spicy Italian sausage
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
15 sundried tomatoes, sliced
10 olives, sliced
1 bunch asparagus cut bite-sized

In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, brown the sausage. When sausage is mostly cooked, drain away excess grease.

Lower heat to about low to medium-low and add the oil, garlic and shallots. Cook and stir until just tender and fragrant then add everything but the asparagus. Cover and let simmer for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile cook pasta.

Uncover the skillet and add the asparagus and a little wine or pasta water if needed for more liquid. Cook until asparagus is tender to your liking (I like my asparagus somewhat crisp but if you like it pretty soft feel free to add it with all of the other ingredients).

Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

Remove from heat and serve over pasta of your choice. Makes 4-6 servings.

Top with parmesan if you like.

Enjoy.

For more pasta recipes check out:

Very Veggie Pasta -	Mushroom Spinach Tomato Pasta	Chicken Parmesan -
Blue Cheese Alredo	Shrimp Scampi	Clam Linguine

Linked to: Best of the weekend, Pretty Pintastic, 2 Cup, Treasure Box, Lou Lou Girs, Talk, Wake Up, Whimsy, Full Plate, Freedom, Food Friends

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Friday, April 10, 2015

Garlic Butter Gnocchi

Yum

Soft fluffy pillows of warm potato gnocchi tossed in a garlic butter sauce and topped with Parmesan cheese.

This was one of my first couple of times making homemade gnocchi. I used a simple sauce so I could really taste the flavor of the gnocchi. It's incredibly quick and delicious, but it's also filling enough for an entree (maybe with a side salad).

I used a simple sauce so I could really taste the flavor of the gnocchi. [Tweet this]

I love garlic. It's probably my favorite ingredient and I add it to just about everything (except sweets...but I'll figure out a recipe someday ;)). Have no fear of garlic it not only keeps vampires away it's healthy in many other ways too; just google it. I minced up a bunch of garlic for this recipe, but you can use more or less depending on your taste preferences. The trick is to just soften the garlic when cooking it. You don't want to brown or burn it just heat it enough to flavor the butter and cook off that raw garlic bite.

Garlic not only keeps vampires away it's healthy in many other ways too. [Tweet this]

Garlic Butter Gnocchi

Ingredients:

Potato Gnocchi
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup minced garlic
Fresh cracked pepper
Parmesan cheese

Bring about 4-5 quarts of lightly salted water to a boil in a large stockpot.

Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. add the olive oil and garlic. Gently cook and stir the garlic until it's fragrant and tender. Remove from the heat.

Place frozen or fresh gnocchi in the boiling water and let boil until it floats. Fish the floating gnocchi out of the water with a slotted spoon or spider (skimmer) and drop into the garlic butter. Stir and toss until the gnocchi is coated with the oil.

You can optionally turn the heat back on and cook the gnocchi in the sauce for a little just don't burn the garlic.

Place the gnocchi in bowls and top with fresh cracked pepper and Parmesan.

Makes about 2 servings depending on how much gnocchi you use. Serve alongside a salad if you like.

Enjoy.