Rigatoni alla Norma

I’m happy to report that I actually ate a salad for lunch (not just bread and cheese).

Baby spinach topped with goat cheese, walnuts, cranberries, croutons, balsamic, olive oil, and salt and pepper.

However, the toast I originally planned on was replaced by a delicious slice of leftover pizza from this weekend. (I took a few bites when it was still cold before heating it up)

 

Anyhow, back to the original point of this post. Rigatoni alla Norma!

 

When traveling through Sicily a few years ago with my family we were introduced to a pasta dish called Penne alla Norma. From what I understand, the dish is named for Sicilian composer Vincenzo Bellini who wrote the opera "Norma".

 

It’s not anything too crazy, it’s a very simple dish in fact. Yet at least once a day one of us ordered it when were out. You may have even seen this dish on menus of Italian restaurants here in the US. I don’t see it that often, but if I do, chances are I’m ordering it.

 

Penne alla Norma is basically pasta, sauce, eggplant, and basil or mint. Sometimes when we ate it in Sicily there was mozzarella in it, sometimes there wasn’t.

 

Last night I had a craving for a warm and comforting pasta meal. I was also in the mood specifically for rigatoni. I quickly did a search for rigatoni alla norma recipes and found a real winner on Epicurious. I used this recipe, and followed it pretty closely except for a few modifications.

 

Rigatoni alla Norma (adapted from this recipe)

• 2 pounds eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 cup olive oil (I didn’t use a cup, I basically just coated the bottom of the pan as needed)
• 1 medium onion, chopped (I also added 2 large garlic cloves)
• 2 1/2 cups marinara sauce (homemade or use 24 to 26 ounce bottled sauce)
• 1 pound dried rigatoni
• 1 pound cold mozzarella (preferably salted fresh), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• About 1/2 cup of fresh basil, chopped

Toss eggplant with 2 teaspoon salt in a colander. Drain 30 minutes. Rinse, then squeeze out excess liquid and pat dry.

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Fry eggplant in 3 batches, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. (I did use the 3 batch method, but it took forever and next time I’d probably just cook it all at once in a big enough skillet making sure not to crowd the pan)

Discard all but 2 tablespoons oil from skillet, then sauté onion (and garlic) with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper until golden, about 8 minutes. Stir in sauce and eggplant and simmer 5 minutes (I also added about 1/3-1/2 cup of pasta water to make the mixture a bit looser- the sauce was very thick)

Meanwhile, cook rigatoni in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (2 tablespoons salt for 6 quart water) until al dente, then drain. Stir together pasta, sauce, most of the basil, and half of mozzarella in pot.  Transfer to a 3-quart baking dish and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and basil. Bake until cheese is melted and golden in spots, about 45 minutes. (I baked this for about 20 minutes and it was perfect). Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

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Roasted Tomato Bruschetta and a quick catch up

I’m very excited to share this recipe with you because it is so good and really easy too. I can’t take credit for it because my mother-in-law gave it to me, and she actually got it from Joe’s aunt (who may have gotten it from somewhere else).

I’ve eaten this dish a few times but this is the first time I made it myself. I brought it in for my office holiday party and everyone seemed to enjoy it. I hope you enjoy it too!

Ingredients:

2-28 oz. cans of Redpack whole tomatoes (this brand is the best, the tomatoes are large and plump)
1 cup of olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons of dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt.
fresh garlic minced
basil
goat cheese
1-2 baguettes sliced crosswise and toasted

How To:

Preheat oven 250 degrees.  Pour 1/2 cup of olive oil into 9×13 baking dish.  Cut the tomatoes in half and arrange them in the dish cut side up.

Drizzle with remaining 1/2 cup olive oil, dried oregano, sugar and salt.

Bake for 1 hour then turn tomatoes over and bake 1 more hour or until soft. (Mine took about 2.5 hours total)

This is what they look like when done- very soft and pruny

Transfer tomatoes to a new dish and drain out the oil into a bowl/measuring cup. (I served them in this same pan so I cleaned it and then put the tomatoes back in the same dish)

Drizzle some of the olive oil from the baking dish on the tomatoes.  Add garlic (I used about 4 small cloves diced very small) and let them sit on the tomatoes while they were still warm to melt into the tomatoes and get mild and sweet.

After cooling a little, add ribbons of basil and goat cheese to taste.   (Sorry this picture is so dark, I actually took it when it was already in my bag on my way to work.)

 

Serve with the toasted bread in a basket on the side.

 

Oh and in other news:

I got a manicure for the first time in….I have no idea how long. I also got a pedicure and it was amazing. OH and the most exciting part of my day….I got jury duty! Happy Holidays from Montgomery County, PA.

I also realized I’m at that ridiculously large pregnant stage. The manicure lady asked if I was having twins. No. I’m not. But if I did have twins, I would ask them both to help me paint my hideous blue bathroom.

Not much else to report, hence the lack of posting lately. Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the holiday season!

Does your company have a holiday party? What’s it like?

When’s the last time you had your nails done?
Ever served jury duty? I haven’t- I was summoned once but didn’t have to report.

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Victory over the Weeknight Recipe Rut

Have you ever had one of those weeks where you just can’t figure out what to make for dinner? As I’ve said before, I like to let the store circulars and coupons inspire some meal choices and that often helps me build a weekly menu. This week though, I just kept striking out. None of the proteins on sale sounded good, and none of my usual recipes we’re calling to me. It was time to try something new.

Yet…experimenting with a new recipe on a weeknight can be somewhat of a struggle. It can be awfully time consuming to come up with a recipe idea, grocery shop, and cook after a long work day. So I did what any girl would do…I went to google and typed in “easy weeknight dinners”.

I feared that I would find the usual list of fatty casseroles, unappetizing pasta bakes, or other recipes with canned soups that I personally can’t stomach. To my surprise, one of the first links in my search was for the site Eating Well.

After reading their recipe for Southwestern Corn & Black Bean Salad I was totally inspired! The ingredient list was short and simple. Additionally, I made a few other swaps based on ingredient availability and personal preferences. My changes are in red.

Ingredients:
• 3 large ears of corn, husked (1.5 cups of frozen corn)
• 1/3 cup pine nuts (1/4 cup of roasted sunflower seeds)
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (omit or lessen if your sunflower seeds are salted)
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed
• 2 cups shredded red cabbage (I used green and it was pre-shredded, and more than 2 cups, probably 3 or 3.5)
• 1 large tomato, diced (I used a handful or two of grape tomatoes sliced in half)
• 1/2 cup minced red onion (I used 4 medium scallions diced, I prefer the milder flavor)
• I added diced avocado on top!

How To:
• Juice the limes, chop the cilantro, and add both to a large bowl with the salt. Whisk in the 2 Tbsp. of olive oil

• Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to coat in the dressing.

• Cover and let sit in the fridge until ready to serve

With the salad I also made chicken quesadillas. These were very easy too, and my own recipe.

I sautéed diced chicken breast in olive oil until no-longer pink (about 6-7 min).

I added 1 diced bell pepper, 1 seeded jalapeno, and 3 chopped scallions. I seasoned with a few dashes of salt and pepper, and a sprinkle of cumin and chili powder.

Once the veggies were tender but still crisp, I mixed in about 1/3 cup of salsa.

To assemble the quesadillas, toast a tortilla in a pan, add some filling and cheese on top and then another tortilla.  (I made myself an assembly line before starting)

Flip over and brown the other side of the tortilla and allow the cheese to fully melt.

Serve with more salsa and sour cream or Greek yogurt.

This meal was really a hit and it was very easy for a weeknight. The leftovers were also wonderful!

How do you escape your recipe rut?
What are your favorite quick weeknight meals?

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A day late, a dollar short

Recently I’ve noticed a trend. I buy something, try to get the best deal I can, and then a day later I get a better coupon for the same item/store.

This happened the other day when I purchased a few new maternity items from Old Navy.

I had been waiting to buy all three items and I finally got a 25% off coupon so I went for it. A day or two later I get a 30% off coupon and subsequently every item I bought is marked down. See those red prices? Yeah, I didn’t get those.

Then yesterday I made a trip to Whole Foods for the first time in over a year. They built a new one near my house and I finally went over there to check it out. And of course what pops up in my email this morning from Living Social?

I don’t make this stuff up, people. Whatever.

Back to the fun. So before my coupon-free shopping started yesterday, I treated myself to lunch at the salad/hot bar

Cabbage slaw, corn, edamame, bean salad, peanut noodles and some General Tso’s and balsamic tofu.

Honestly, I only really liked the General Tso’s tofu and the peanut noodles. Both of which were the least healthy of everything I picked out. Go figure. I still ate up my whole plate. $7  of food ain’t going to waste around this pregnant lady.

After lunch, I took a long time browsing around and reading labels. It was quite a fun experience! I spent an extra long time in the Larabar section trying to pick which flavors to buy.

Cinnamon Roll, Chocolate Chip Cherry Torte, and Carrot Cake made the cut.

I also finally got to buy a small amount of something I’ve been wanting to test out for a while. Nutritional Yeast (or nooch).

I don’t know guys, this stuff seriously smelled like fish food. I tasted it, and it wasn’t terrible, but the smell was unbearable so it went in the garbage. Good thing I only bought 50 cents worth.

I also grabbed a new dinner item. I had read about these vegetarian hot dogs by Field Roast on Emily‘s blog and I was so excited since I haven’t had a hot dog since getting pregnant.

First I boiled them and then I seared the dog in a pan for a few minutes to give it a little crust. Then, I loaded the dog into a whole wheat bun and topped with sauerkraut and lots of mustard. So much kraut you can’t really see the dog. (The mustard is under the kraut- that’s the best way).

On the side was baked fries and baked beans. Double baked goodness!

These hot dogs were SO tasty and I absolutely loved the texture and flavor! Not to mention the nutritional facts. They boast 21 grams of protein and none of the other funky stuff you get in regular hot dogs. I highly recommend them and can’t wait to try out the other flavors.

Right now I’m just relaxing and sipping on my first pumpkin spice latte of the season. It’s really just a decaf skim latte and I asked for 2 pumps of pumpkin spice. She didn’t even charge me for the syrup and was more than happy to add the pumpkin spice on top. Score!

I just better not get a coupon for free Starbucks tomorrow…(well I guess that one is okay).

Do you seem to miss sales like me or are you more likely to get the deal at the right time?

Do you enjoy pumpkin spice lattes? What about Whole Foods, yay or nay?

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Easy Couscous Salad

I’m excited to share this super easy and delicious salad recipe with you! It’s not only simple, but it’s also the kind of recipe that can be customized to your tastes. Basically this is a method, and you can add or remove whatever ingredients you like!

 

Ingredients:

1 cup dry whole wheat couscous (prepare according to directions)

1 container crumbled feta cheese

Kalamata olives (about 10-15)

1/2 can of garbanzo beans (not pictured)

Grape tomatoes (about 10)

1/4 cup fresh parsley

1/8 cup red onion

1/2 of a seedless cucumber

1/4 cup vinaigrette (or 1/4 cup olive oil and the juice of 1/2 a lemon)

salt/pepper to taste

 

How To:

Put the couscous on the stove and get it ready while you dice up the veggies. I peel the cucumber, but you don’t have to.

Once the couscous is done, fluff it with a fork and let it cool for a few minutes.

Then add the veggies on top

Add the feta  and the dressing as well- (I use about 3/4 of the container of the feta.)

At this point I realized I wanted to add some beans for protein.

I rinsed the beans and added those on top as well- along with 1/4 cup of dressing and a little extra cucumber.

Mix everything together and that’s it! I like to let the flavors "make a marriage" (as my mom says) in the fridge for a little while before serving.

 

This is great cold or at room temperature.

ENJOY!!

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Burgers & Fries

Happy Sunday evening folks.

 

Anyone else have a case of the Sundays?

 

I’ve been so spoiled the last few months being a full time student so gearing up to wake up early and start the work week is hanging over my head like a big fat cloud.

 

I spent most of my day writing lesson plans for next week- and despite sounding easy, they are really time consuming. I won’t bore you with the details.

 

When dinner rolled around I was taking it easy. I recently bought some Boca Burgers for quick meals, and I knew tonight they would come in handy.

 

I microwaved 2 and melted a piece of American cheese in the middle. I wrapped the whole thing in lettuce in lieu of a bun.

On the side were some delicious zucchini fries.

 

I’m not sure if some of you saw this tweet today:

 

Lately I do think about it. I just hesitate because I find it so much easier to cook the same meals for Joe and I do enjoy meat to a certain extent. I also hate the idea of labeling myself so I don’t know if I would ever make anything "official".

 

I might try a meat free week soon. Would anyone interested in joining me?

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Day 1

Woohoo! I survived my first day on the "job"!

 

Despite an early morning water main break at the school, a substitute who didn’t really know what to do with me, and a classroom that barely reached 50 degrees, it was all good!

Seriously, it was!

 

I’m so tired now though- I really forgot what it feels like to be on the go from around 5am until 7:30 when my class ended.  Back in my corporate days this was my normal schedule.

 

Guess I better toughen up!

 

Dinner tonight came together late, but it hit the spot.

 

A simple bulgur bowl with the grain on the bottom, roasted broccoli and cauliflower and baked buffalo tofu on top.

I probably could have eaten the whole block of tofu, but I decided to use the rest to make buffalo tofu salad for lunch tomorrow.

Trying to plan ahead!

 

Do you make your lunch the night before?

Tofu eaters, how much of the block do you usually eat in one serving?

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4 mile high and QSC Casserole

Hey guys!

Taking a break from studying and getting out a bit this afternoon was just what the doctor ordered. I feel like a new woman!

Around 4 I went to the gym with low expectations for what I would be able to accomplish with my tailbone pain. I hopped on the treadmill to test things out, and although I felt tightness, I felt no pain.

I ran at about a 10 min/mile pace for the first mile (my first mile in 2011) and the rush of running felt so good, I thought I might cry (i might be a tad hormonal). But honestly, it was an incredible feeling.

Even though I was inside, I pictured myself running the streets of Philly during my half marathon. I know, I’m a weirdo, but whatever gets you through, right?

Four miles went by really fast, and I was even able to pick up the pace quite a bit after the first mile and a half.

Now on to fuel…

Tonight for dinner I was feeling adventurous.  Earlier this week I saw this casserole on Meghann’s blog, and thought I would try something similar and incorporate some other leftovers I had in the house.

Quinoa Squash Cauliflower (QSC) Casserole – serves 3-4

I first started by cooking 1/2 cup of quinoa in 1 cup of chicken stock

Once it was done, I mixed it with the rest of the spaghetti squash I had in the fridge, and 2 Garlic and Herb laughing cow wedges.

I pressed this all into the baking dish and put it in the oven for about 6-7 minutes on 400.

After that, I topped the quinoa “crust” with some roasted cauliflower, and covered the whole thing in 2% milk shredded cheese and a sprinkle of parmesan.

Bake in the oven for 15 min on 350 until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

And there you have it! A delicious casserole that was super easy (and cheesy)

I served mine with 1/2 a whole grain roll, and some cucumber for a little crunch.

Did you get in a workout today? If so, whaddya do?

Any favorite casserole recipes to share? Go ahead, link away!

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Change in Plans

A lot of things that I had planned on today ended up changing- and hey, change is good right?

Change #1

I ended up buying actual gifts instead of gift cards (as I mentioned earlier)  because I had a good time shopping and picking things out at the stores where I was going to get gift cards. I was already there, so hey, why not!

 

Change #2

I  decided to go to the gym today instead of running. I’ve got the sniffles and I think running in the cold is going to be a challenge. Plus, I think I’m doing a long run with my running group in the morning.

 

Change #3

Instead of wearing a dress to NYE, I think I’m just going to wear jeans. We’re going to a sports bar anyway and it’s just one night. Plus my one pair of designer jeans are fitting very nicely these days and they need a night out.

 

One thing that didn’t change was what I was planning to eat for lunch. A mix plate of tofu, bulgur, tabbouleh, parsnip fries, and roasted eggplant. I wolfed this down. I was starving!

 

I know I had also promised to show you guys the good stuff I got at TJMaxx yesterday, so here ya go:

My favorite items are this cross shoulder bag, a pair of Joe’s Jeans jeggings and warm shell jacket for snowboarding.

TJ Maxx left the tag on the jacket and I can see that it’s MSRP is $120. I got it for $29! I’m heading to Vail next week (where it is currently 5 degrees) so the more layers, the better!

I ended up getting the Joe’s Jeans for $39 and I looked up the style number and it turns out they go for $128 at Saks!

The bag was another great find because it was exactly what I’ve been looking for for months!  I really wanted a lightweight bag that I can wear cross shoulder. I love my current bag, but it is so heavy and becomes a burden on my shoulder if I’m out and about for too long. This had a $65 price tag, but was only $20. Never heard of the brand before.

I’m a total Maxxinista!

 

Have you worn jeggings yet?

What items are you in need of right now?

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Normalcy

Ahh..the sweet sweet feeling of a normal day.

 

It was great to be back home when I woke up this morning. I got an early start and headed to the gym for Bootcamp.

 

Unfortunately, the instructor was sick so she cancelled class. Both Joe and I have colds too and I’m hoping that they stay dormant and just go away soon.

 

I ended up doing 45 min on the elliptical and some weights. Yep, I did weights on my own!

 

I did 2 sets of 12 of some full body stuff

Assisted Pullups

Incline Bench Pushups

Tricep Rope Pulls

Walking Lunges

Deadlifts

Situps

 

After the gym I did some cleaning and laundry and then headed to Trader Joe’s and TJ Maxx.

 

I hit the goldmine at TJMaxx! I’ll give you recap tomorrow when the lighting in my house is better for pictures.

 

In order to keep my budget in tact, I decided to return two things I got at H&M the other day.

 

GOING BACK!

YEP, YOU TOO!

As much as I like both things I don’t need them and I have other things that I can use instead of them.

 

Lunch was a delicious combo of things I bought at Trader Joe’s. It felt so great to get some fresh food (that I cooked) in my body.

 

Roasted eggplant, bulgur mixed with TJ’s Tabouleh, and baked tofu.

Dinner was Stuffed Chicken with Ricotta.

Now I’m about to curl up with a cup of hot cocoa and a few frozen Andes mints.

These are my new favorite treat!

 

 

 

 

Are you a routine freak like me or can you go with the flow for a long time?

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