I’m going straight into some recipes today. Two of them are Cookie and Kate and one from Joy Bauer.
First up is Sun-Dried Tomato Fettuccine Alfredo with Spinach. This one is from the Love Real Food Cookbook page 154. I thought that the recipe was featured on the website as well, but the link to the actual recipe is no longer there. It’s a very interesting take on Alfredo Sauce that seems a little weird but is very good. She uses cashews and lemon juice to make the “Alfredo” sauce, and it works! I didn’t have any sun-dried tomatoes on hand, so I used a couple of teaspoons of the sun-dried tomato pesto that I love. It tasted good, but it made the sauce kind of a pink color which really wasn’t super attractive! Next time I will definitely use the chopped sun-dried tomatoes instead of the pesto. I think it would be delicious with some added sauteed mushrooms and/or artichoke hearts as well.
The second recipe is also from the Love Real Food Cookbook on page 180. This one would be super easy and quick if you make it with canned beans which is according to the recipe. I had a bag of dried pinto beans, so I used those which of course, took longer. The addition of the Mexican beer (I used Pacifico) really added to the flavor. In THIS recipe for Beer-bean Stuffed Poblano Peppers, she basically cooks the beans the same way substituting black beans for the pintos. Either would be great in a bowl with roasted veggies and a little sprinkle of your favorite cheese.
If you have never roasted vegetables in your oven, it is something that you should really do—like NOW!!! Sweet or regular potatoes, any sweet or hot peppers, onions, asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, squash, zucchini…….basically ANY veggie tastes amazing roasted. Simply place bite sized pieces of veggies on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle on your favorite spices, and bake until tender and caramelizing on the edges in a 425 degree oven. Chili powder, cayenne, and cinnamon are a personal favorite spice mix, but there are endless possibilities. These veggies are great to eat in a bowl with beans and/or rice like in the previous recipe, but they are also delicious as snack.
Since I had leftover roasted potatoes, onion, and sweet peppers, this morning I simply threw the veggies in my iron skillet, added a couple of eggs, and a sprinkle of goat cheese. Super easy protein packed breakfast!
Tonight was Cream of Mushroom Soup from Joy Bauer. Mushrooms are known for their immune boosting anti-viral powers which, since I really happen to like them a lot, sounds like a good reason to eat even more! Any assortment of mushrooms would work for this recipe; I had a combination of white, cremini, and portobello. Because I can’t just leave a recipe alone, I added a dash of cayenne pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. The white beans to add creaminess without tons of calories and fat is my new favorite trick!
Enjoy!