Nana's Chicken Pastina Soup

Courtesy of Cooking Light

OK, this is not "my Nana's" soup - this is just the name out of Cooking Light and I felt guilty changing it. Don't get me wrong though - my family makes some amazing food, including great soups! However, I had been wanting to try something new and had the motivation to try a new soup tonight. I gotta say - I was impressed with this soup. It is super easy to make, and the flavor is really delicious. My goal is to have it for lunch a day or so and then freeze the rest. Check it out! Oh, and there are a few pictures just because I couldn't resist the cute pasta:

and fresh pesto that was SO yummy:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup water
• 2 (14-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2 1/4 cups pre-chopped celery, onion, and carrot mix
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound cooked chicken breast (cut into 1-inch cubes or shredded)
• 1/4 cup (1 1/2 ounces) uncooked pastina (I used Stellina)
• 3 tablespoons commercial pesto (Whole Foods has delicious fresh pesto)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) fresh Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Note: I boiled the chicken. Bring water and broth to a boil in a large saucepan/Dutch oven. Stir in celery mix, pepper, salt, and chicken; bring to a boil. Add pasta; cook 4 minutes. Be sure to stir immediately so the pasta does not stick to the bottom. Stir in pesto and juice, and simmer 1 minute. Sprinkle with cheese. I preserved the cheese for each serving, personally.

Italian Frittata

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

I think I've become obsessed with the frittata concept and experimenting with different flavors! They're just so easy and fast, and pretty delicious! I tend to have a lot of Italian-ish ingredients in my fridge, so I used whatever I could find that sounded good together :) This is great for a group too since it makes a decent amount! As Duncan put it, who was over for the frittata, this is a yummy egg pizza!

• package of sliced prosciutto (about 3 ounces)
• diced pepperoni (about 2 ounces)
• approx. 1/2 teaspoon rosemary (I had dried on hand)
• approx. 4 leaves fresh basil, chopped
• approx. 1/4 cup chopped roasted red peppers
• approx. 2 tb capers, chopped
• 8 large eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• pinch of pepper
• 1-2 tb fresh grated Parmesan
• approx. 6-8 thin slices fresh mozzarella
• approx. 6-8 tb pesto

In an ovenproof skillet, brown the prosciutto, pepperoni, and rosemary. Preheat the broiler. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, red peppers, capers, pepper, parmesan cheese, and basil and pour into the skillet. Cook, until almost set; top with the mozzarella cheese and pesto sauce. Broil until set in the center, about 5-7 minutes. 

Chicken Parmesan Roll Ups & Pesto Pasta

Courtesy of Plated Perfection
This started because I wanted to make something on my own (without following a recipe) and I wanted it to be somewhat healthy (ok, so I added the pasta last minute -- oops). It just seemed like the right thing to do. This dish is pretty quick to assemble, and then you just bake it off! You can boil the pasta while that's going on, so it's really pretty stress free! Who can say no to fresh mozzarella, basil, tomatoes, and pesto? Not this girl. You can either scale this down or up, very easily, but this is just the route I took so that I'd have leftovers tomorrow :)

4 thin sliced chicken breasts
4 slices of fresh mozzarella (I buy the balls and slice myself)
4 pieces of fresh basil (can use more if you so desire)
1 can (14.5 oz) fire roasted crushed tomatoes (I used Muir Glen®)
1 cup pasta (I used Ditalini)
2 tb pesto sauce (or more if desired)
1 tb olive oil
salt + pepper
1 tb Italian seasoning
grated Parmesan cheese (I usually have fresh, but didn't this go around)

Spray baking dish with non-stick cooking spray (or olive oil). Top each piece of chicken with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread enough crushed tomatoes to cover the chicken. Top with a slice of fresh mozzarella and a piece of basil (at the wider end of the chicken breast). Roll the chicken starting at this end, until it's secured. I was lucky enough to not need twine or tooth picks. I simply rolled them and laid them in the dish. Top with Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 for approximately 25 -30 minutes. **Note: next go around, I would add more crushed tomatoes on the top of the chicken roll before baking.

While the chicken is baking, boil the water for pasta (amount depends on the amount of pasta). Throw in some salt, and a dash of olive oil. Bring to a rapid boil and throw in the pasta. Once the pasta is al dente, drain, leaving about 1 tb of pasta water, and mix the pesto in with the pasta. Serve the chicken over the pasta.

Roasted Garlic Pesto Linguine with Sausage

I saw this made on the Food Network (since I am obsessed with that channel, as anyone that's been at my place can tell you) and have been really wanting to make it. After Nick and I got our rears kicked at CrossFit, I decided that tonight was the night! This recipe was adapted from Sonny Anderson, I just replaced the shrimp with sausage this go around.

Ingredients:

• 15 garlic cloves, peeled (about 1 head)
• 1 cup olive oil, plus extra for tomatoes
• 1 pound cherry tomatoes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 cup packed basil leaves
• 1 pound linguine
• 2 Italian sausages
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place garlic cloves in a single layer in a small baking dish. Add 1/2 cup olive oil to cover cloves, cover with foil, and bake 30-45 minutes, until golden brown and fork-tender. Meanwhile, in another baking dish, toss tomatoes with enough oil to coat. Lightly season with salt and pepper and roast at same temperature until tomatoes blister, about 25 minutes. This is what they should look like :)

Strain garlic cloves and set aside in a small bowl, reserving infused oil separately (to use later if desired). In a blender, add the roasted tomatoes, roasted garlic, Parmesan, and basil. Pulse until combined. While machine is running, drizzle in 1/2 cup olive oil until pesto comes together. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Remove to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and reserve. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add the linguine and cook until al dente. Drain. Meanwhile, heat a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the garlic oil (or olive oil if desired). Saute the Italian sausage until it is cooked through. In a large bowl add the linguine and some of the pesto. Toss to coat and top with the sausage and parmesan cheese if desired. Garnish with toasted pine nuts and serve. I did not end up using the toasted pine nuts this go around, but may try them next time (OK, I actually toasted them a bit too much and was too hungry to try again).