Sun Dried Tomato & Artichoke Bowtie Pasta

Posted: March 15, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | 2 Comments

We are proud Texans in this household….

Hook 'Em Horns

Jackson cowboyed up for his first Halloween

…but if I weren’t Texan, I’d be Italian.

My mom would say the same about herself. In fact, I think she may be Italian at heart. She lives on Italian time meandering through the day, disregarding clocks and schedules, stopping for a daily afternoon siesta when she gets the yawns. Like a typical Italian mama, she cooks great big delicious meals for family and friends for any occasion that pops up.

I, on the other hand, may more accurately fit the description of the strong willed Italian. Just now as I was browsing for Italian quotes, I stopped on a t-shirt slogan that said “Always right, never wrong…I’m Italian.” Jared peaked over, and quicker than a stallion shot off, “Hey honey, maybe you are Italian!”

Italian food is as diverse as the people from there (or who wish they were). It can be crazy indulgent or mad healthy. Most dishes can be modified to satisfy a meat lover, vegetarian, or even vegan. A dish can have bright and fresh flavors from lemon and rosemary, deep rustic flavors from tomatoes and olives, or rich creamy flavors from cheeses and cream. Kids love it, adults love it. What’s not to love?

This bowtie pasta dish would be great to serve at your next big family gathering. Feel free to mix up the veggies with whatever you have on hand or toss in some chicken or Parmesan for the meat and cheese lovers at the table.

Rachel’s
Sun Dried Tomato Bowtie Pasta

Ingredients

16 oz of Whole Wheat Bowtie Pasta (The Delallo line of whole wheat pastas are my favorite)
1 can of quartered artichoke hearts
1 6oz  jar of Sun Dried Tomatoes packed in olive oil and herbs
1 small onion, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 yellow squash, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
A couple handful of spinach
3 tbs of white cooking wine
Salt & Pepper
Chopped parsley (optional)

Directions

While prepping the veggies, boil the water and cook the pasta as directed on the box, salting the water liberally.

Chop the veggies and mince the garlic. Julienne cut the sun dried tomatoes, reserving the oil in the jar.

In a large pan, heat about a tbs of oil on med-high heat, add onions and a sprinkle of salt. Sautee until the onions are golden. Add zucchini, squash, and garlic and sautee until soft. Add artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, spinach, and white cooking wine and sautee until spinach is just wilted. Gently toss the drained pasta in with the veggies. Pour in just enough of the oil and herbs from the sun dried tomatoes to lightly coat everything. Season with salt & pepper to taste and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

This was printed from: We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook
The site URL: http://welaughwecrywecook.com
The Title: Sun Dried Tomato & Artichoke Bowtie Pasta
The URL: https://welaughwecrywecook.wordpress.com/2012/03/15/sun-dried-tomato-artichoke-bowtie-pasta
© Copyright 2012 – All Rights Reserved

Smoky Garlic Lemon Kale

Posted: March 14, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized, Veggies | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The first time I tasted kale, I must admit, I spit it out and threw it away.

But my vegan daughter continued to wax eloquent about the virtues of kale: its texture, its taste, its nutrition!   Then one day I tasted a bite of kale, cooked right. I was an instant Kale Convert.  Now I also say, “All hail to kale!” It keeps a nice, un-mushy texture in soups and stews and I love the little bit of chewiness.  Like spinach that never turns to slime.

Recently Rachel snapped this picture of her baby, Jackson, overjoyed with his fist full of kale. If this face doesn’t convince you to try it,  I’m pretty sure nothing will.

Kale Baby! "Mmmmm...."

This recipe is a wonderful side dish that I like so much, I could honestly eat the whole bunch for lunch.  (And in fact, I just did.)  It reminds me of the southern-style greens from my childhood that were cooked all day with bacon.  But this recipe adds smoky flavor without bacon, richness without added fat, and only takes about ten minutes to whip up.

Image

Becky’s
Smokey Garlic Lemon Kale

Ingredients:

1/2 c. water
1 1/2 t. vinegar
1 bunch kale
2 cloves garlic
1/4 t. smoked paprika (see picture below)
1 t. olive oil
1/2 t. brown sugar
1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Tear stems from kale, then rinse and rough chop into about one inch pieces.  “Massage” these pieces with your hands for about five seconds to tenderize them.

Into a skillet put: water, vinegar and 2 peeled cloves of garlic, chopped into about four to six slices each. Boil this mixture and then add the kale.  Turn heat down to medium and simmer for about 7 minutes.  Check it about 1/2 through cooking to make sure there is enough liquid in the pot to keep the kale from burning.  The tricky part is to babysit the kale so that the kale itself absorbs as much liquid as possible, without going dry and burning.

When kale is tender, add olive oil, juice from one half a lemon, and brown sugar.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.  Serves about 4 people, unless you are me, and ravenous, then it only serves one.

Rachel introduced me to smoked paprika, essential for this dish. Adds a wonderful smoked flavor to veggies, beans or meats.

This was printed from: We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook
The site URL: http://welaughwecrywecook.com
The Title: Smokey Garlic Lemon Kale
The URL: https://welaughwecrywecook.wordpress.com/2012/03/14/smokey-garlic-lemon-kale/
© Copyright 2012 – All Rights Reserved

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