Spinach-Walnut Pesto

If you are looking for a cheap, vegetarian meal, this Spinach-Walnut Pesto by Rachel Ray is a great recipe to try. My sister-in-law shared it with me a few years back and we enjoy it when we are home in the summer. During the season when we are abroad, we eat a basil pesto a lot. This spinach-walnut flavor has a delicious flavor that is different. I like to top it with a little extra Parmesan cheese and some fresh tomatoes.

Enjoy,

Chicken Spaghetti

I am back with another Pioneer Woman recipe this week: Chicken Spaghetti. She just plain knows how to cook and comes up with some really yummy things, so I have to share the ones I have tried and liked (I actually don’t have any of her recipes that I haven’t liked yet). This casserole is yummy and pretty easy. It makes a lot, so I often make it in two smaller pans and freeze one while we eat the other for dinner. I also have used different cheeses at times and it still tastes good.

Enjoy,

Not-so-cheesy mac-n-cheese

Emily of the Daily Garnish fame has turned me on to a new ingredient with multiple uses– Nutritional Yeast. First, let me be honest and tell you all that I have a total blog crush on Emily. Someday, I am sure we will meet, and if she is half as cool as she seems on her blog and tweets, it’ll be a blast. Emily is trained in the culinary arts and has some very healthy recipes on her blog. She also runs. Are we not a match made in heaven? Ha ha!

Ok– Nutritional Yeast…it’s good for you. It is a complete protein and full of B vitamins, so I ordered some from Amazon and dove head first in to trying to use it. When I first opened the package I thought it smelled like powdered cheese.  I thought this would be perfect considering I wanted to use it as a substitute for cheese in making mac-n-cheese. I have to admit, I made a fatal error. I told TB it would taste like mac-n-cheese. Next time, I’m going going to do that.

I used Emily’s Cheast Sauce recipe with a few modifications– I didn’t have millet flour, so I used whole wheat, and I don’t like margarine, so I used butter. If you wanted it to be completely vegan, you could use margarine. I mixed the sauce with wheat macaroni. I found the recipe to be rich, creamy, and very filling.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Hamburger Stroganoff

This dish can be made with or without sour cream. Sometimes I add it, but lately I have been avoiding it, so I wonder if it should really be called hamburger stroganoff? Maybe it’s more like hamburger with gravy? None the less, my son loves this, and it is easy to make. Double bonus is I usually have all of the ingredients at home, so if I need something quick, it is a go-to dish. Sometimes I get a little wild with the dish and add some corn, peas or beans for an all in one meal.

The Players

1 pound hamburger meat

1 medium onion

1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

1 bouillon cube

1 cup water

1-2 tablespoons flour or corn starch

1/2 cup water

16 ounces noodles (egg noodles or other)

The Fun

1. Boil water for noodles and cook noodles.

2. While water is heating and noodles cooking, brown hamburger meat and onion. Add bouillon cube, salt (optional) and 1 cup of water. Heat to boiling. While waiting for it to boil, mix 1-2 tablespoons of flour with 1/2 cup cold water. By mixing the flour separately and thoroughly, it will prevent lumps in your gravy.

3. Push meat to the side in the pan and whisk in the additional water mixture. Smile because you just made a gravy!

4. Push meat back in to the gravy and heat. If it looks too thick, add a little additional water. If it is too thin, allow it to cook a little longer.

5.  Spoon noodles on to a plate or in to a bowl (the bowl is easier for kids) and then spoon the meat mixture over it.