Potato Kielbasa Skillet

Based on the Recipe from Taste of Homes.

4 servings
According to MyFitnessPal, each serving is 307 calories.

Ingredients

• 1 pound red potatoes, cubed
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 Hillshire Farms Lite Polska Kielbasa (sliced)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1.5 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 4 cups fresh baby spinach

Directions

1. Place potatoes and water in a microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave on high until tender; drain. It took my microwave somewhere between 5-8 minutes for these little guys to get tender.
2. In a large skillet, saute kielbasa, garlic, and onion in oil until onion is tender. Add potatoes; saute 3-5 minutes longer or until kielbasa and potatoes are lightly browned.
3. Combine the brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, and pepper; stir into skillet. 
4. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. 
5. Add spinach; cook and stir until spinach is wilted.

Cheesy Tortellini and Chicken Bake

Cheesy Tortellini and Chicken Bake
Serves 8

Ingredients

• two 9-ounce packages refrigerated cheese tortellini
• 1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
• 1-1/2 cups sugar snap peas, halved crosswise
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 small red or green sweet pepper, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Progresso Starters Cheese Sauce
• Laughing Cow Lite Swiss Cheese 5 Triangles
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 TBSP minced garlic (1 in the cheese sauce, one in the chicken)
• 1 TBSP McCormick Lemon Pepper seasoning

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook tortellini in boiling salted water according to package directions, adding the carrot during the last 5 minutes of cooking and the sugar snap peas during the last 1 minute of cooking; drain.
3. Meanwhile, 1 TBSP olive oil in a pan and add the diced onion, red pepper, and 1 TBSP garlic.
4. Once they are starting to soften, add chicken and mushrooms, and cook about 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from skillet.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. In a small sauce pan, add 1 TBSP minced garlic, 1 TBSP lemon juice, lemon pepper seasoning, and the Pregresso Starters Cheese Sauce. Once it has warmed through (on medium), add in the laughing cow cheese triangles and whisk together.
6. In an ungreased 13x9x2-inch baking dish or shallow 3-quart casserole., add the drained pasta and carrots, the chicken and vegetable mixture, and the cheese sauce. Mix together until coated evenly.
7. Bake, covered, in a 350 degrees F oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until heated through.
8. Take out, stir mixture, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve!

Another Beef and Broccoli

Another Beef and Broccoli

Once again, inspired by a Rachael Ray recipe, but sadly it was not orangy enough for my taste. But it was a delicious Beef and Broccoli recipe. So I've adjusted the recipe to make it a bit less misleading about the orange flavor. This also provided great leftovers for a good portioned lunch the next day. We made some homemade fried rice, but this would also go well with some plain rice, because the sauce is so flavorful. It served two of us with a third leftover comfortably.

Ingredients

• 4 cups broccoli
• 1 1/4 cups beef broth
• 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons plum sauce
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 1 3/4 pound flank steak sliced thin
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions

1. In a pot, bring water to a boil.
2. Cut the broccoli into 1-inch florets.
3. Boil the broccoli until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes, then drain the broccoli and rinse under cold water. Save the pot.
4. In the pot, stir together the broth, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, plum sauce and 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Simmer on medium, whisking occasionally.
5. Slice the steak 1/4 inch thick, then cut the slices crosswise into thirds; toss with the remaining 3 tablespoons cornstarch.
6. In a pan or skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the steak and  cook, turning, until the meat is barely pink, about 2 minutes. Transfer the meat to a paper-towel-lined plate.
7. Stir in the meat, broccoli and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Slow Cooker Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Redux)

Slow Cooker Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Redux)
Serves 4-6

When I first started this blog, I was living in Scotland and I was just really stepping into cooking. I was looking for recipes to try to help build my background in food. I remember cooking this recipe back then and I thought it was actually quite delicious. Now, with a few years behind me and many, many recipes, I thought I would retry the recipe. It doesn't hurt that a week or so ago, the episode of Top Chef had a quickfire using lettuce (some as a wrap) and it made me think of these rolls. So I reworked certain parts of it and I'm hoping it turns out just as delicious!

This original recipe I got from Liz's cooking Blog. But now that I've made some changes, I have to say I'm claiming it as a little bit more of my own recipe.

Ingredients:

• 12 Large Cabbage leaves
• 1 lb Ground Turkey
• 1/2 cup egg whites
• 2 cups plain greek yogurt
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 TBSP Salt
• 2 TBSP pepper (1 for the turkey, 1 for the mixture)
• 1 TBSP paprika
• 1 TBSP cumin
• 1 C uncooked Brown Rice
• 1 29oz can of Tomato Sauce
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 cup Lemon Juice (1/2 cup for the turkey, 1/2 cup for the sauce)
• 1 cup Worcestershire

Instructions:

1. Get out the slow cooker.
2. Start by browning your ground turkey. Season your ground turkey as it browns with garlic, salt, pepper and lemon. When this is done, set aside.
3. Start water boiling in a large pot for your cabbage. Cut the bottom of the cabbage off and slowly wiggle the leaves apart. Then boil as many as will submerge in the pot at a time until tender and flexible. If you still have trouble getting leaves off without ripping them, submerge the whole head of cabbage in the pot and then pull of leaves, re-submerging when needed. Do this until you have about 12 whole leaves.
4. In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, egg, greek yogurt, onion, spices, and rice. Mix well. 
5. Take about 1/4 C of this mix and put into the center of a leaf. Fold in the sides, then fold up the bottom until it looks like a little burrito. Place them seam side down in the slow cooker until you have gone through your leaves or ran out of mix.
6. In another bowl, combine the tomato sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, and Worcestershire. Pour this over the cabbage.
7. Set to cook for 6 hours. 
8. Make sure the cabbage is tender.  Serve.

Lemony Asparagus Gnocchi

Lemony Asparagus Gnocchi
Serves 4

Necessity is the mother of invention. I know that I have cod. I know that I have gnocchi. What can I do with cod and gnocchi? I found a recipe on Life Takes Lemons and I was excited to try it. In all honestly, my husband was dubious at best. Fish AND gnocchi are not a winning combination for him. But I went ahead with it anyways. I have split up the two recipes into two different entries, making my own adjustments to what we cooked based on the original recipes, but they link to each other. Paired, they are Spicy Panko Cod with Lemony Asparagus Gnocchi. This meal was so delicious and filling! Even my cod and gnocchi disliking husband demanded we cook it again.

Ingredients

• 1 pkg gnocchi
• 1 bunch asparagus
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• Bacon Bits (real bacon preferred)
• pepper to taste
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 TBSP Tarragon
• 6 TBSP butter

Instructions

1. Boil water and cook gnocchi for 2-3 minutes or as directed. 
2. Meanwhile, break off the asparagus by snapping it in the place where it gives the most. 
3. In a frying pan, add the asparagus, butter, bacon bits, garlic and tarragon. Cook asparagus to preferred doneness.  
4. In a bowl, toss lemon juice, pepper, and asparagus.
5. Add gnocchi and toss again. Serve.