Pasta Princess’s Homemade Lemon Fettuccine Noodles with Chicken and Kale in Pesto Sauce

I hadn’t made pasta in a little while and had been hungry for my lemon fettuccine. I also had an overabundance of homemade pesto in the freezer from last summer’s crop of basil.  I came up with the following recipe with ingredients I had on hand and I must say, I was quite pleased with the outcome!  Delicious.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups chopped kale
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 boneless chicken breasts, grilled and cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup homemade pesto
• 1 lb. lemon fettuccine
• 1 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 cup reserved pasta water

Directions:

Grill chicken breasts and cut into small pieces.

Heat butter in frying pan and saute red bell pepper for approximately 6 minutes.  Add chopped kale to the pan and cook until wilted, approximately 5-6 minutes.

While heating the pasta water, put pesto in a small pan and heat on low.  Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to directions (or if using fresh homemade pasta, cook approximately 3 minutes until pasta floats to the top).  Reserve 1 cup of pasta water to add to pesto.

Add water to pesto to desired sauce consistency (I used the entire cup) and add freshly shredded parmesan.  Toss with pasta and add chicken, red bell peppers and kale.

Lemon Fettuccine Noodles

Purple Potato Pizza with Sausage and Kale – Yes, I am a Purple Potato Eater

I came home from the grocery store with my bag of purple potatoes in hand and Tim took one look at the bag and out of his mouth came “I’m not eating purple potatoes”.  I smiled and said ok, I’m eating them!  Why do I love purple potatoes?   

1. They are unusual – I like things outside the “norm”
2. They are a pretty purple color (it’s a girl thing)
3. They are healthier than white potatoes and rich in the antioxidant, anthocyanin. This flavonoid is most often found in blue, red and purple produce such as berries and pomegranates and has been shown to be an immune system booster.
4. They taste good.

Yes, I am a purple potato eater and now I have officially eaten my first purple potato pizza.  Enjoy!

Pizza Dough (Makes 2 large pizzas)

Ingredients:

• 1 package dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1-1/4 cups warm water (105-115 degrees F)
• 3-1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

In a 2-cup liquid measure, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water.  Let stand until foamy, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Insert dough blade and add flour, salt and 2 teaspoons olive oil.

With machine running on dough speed, pour liquid through small feed tube as fast as flour will absorb it.  Process until dough cleans sides of work bowl and forms a ball.  Then process for 30 seconds to knead dough.  Dough may be slightly sticky.  Coat dough evenly with 2 teaspoons olive oil; transfer to a plastic food storage bag and seal the top.  Let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes.  While dough is rising, prepare any pizza toppings.

Place dough on lightly floured surface and punch down (this is the fun part).  Roll into desired crust size and follow pizza recipe.  Look how pretty the potatoes are before baking!

To Make the Pizza:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped kale
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
• 1/2 lb. browned sausage
• 6-8 small purple potatoes
• 1-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 teaspoons Black Truffle Oil (or olive oil) 

Preheat oven to 425.

Brown sausage with garlic and drain excess fat, reserving a small amount of fat in the pan.  To the pan add chopped kale and saute until wilted.  Wash purple potatoes and put in a pot, covered with cold water.  Bring to a boil and boil for 8-10 minutes until tender.  Drain, and allow to cool.  Thinly slice the purple potatoes once cooled.

Once dough has risen and is shaped, prepare your pizza.  Using a pastry brush, brush the Black Truffle Oil (or olive oil) over the dough.  Add the mozzarella cheese, sausage, kale and thinly sliced purple potatoes.  Place in a preheated 425 oven for approximately 20 minutes. 

Homemade Pasta with Sausage and Kale

Usually when I’m making up my menu for the weekend I have to go to the store and get quite a few ingredients.  Not for this recipe!!  I had some fresh kale in the fridge (my new-found love).  I had sausage, home-made pasta, and home-made chicken stock in the freezer so I was good to go!  Not only was this easy and fairly quick .. but it was incredibly good.  Sometimes recipes with the simplest of ingredients turn out surprisingly full of flavor.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves of garlic chopped
1 lb turkey or pork sausage, casings discarded and sausage crumbled
3/4 lb kale, tough stems and center ribs discarded and leaves coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
1 lb bowtie pasta, or pasta of your choice
3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
zest of 1 lemon
1 oz finely grated Pecorino Romano (1/2 cup) plus additional for serving

Preparation:

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, add chopped garlic, then cook sausage, breaking up any lumps with a spoon, until browned, 5 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, blanch kale in a 6-quart pot of boiling salted water , uncovered, 5 minutes. Remove kale with a large sieve and drain. Return cooking water in pot to a boil, then cook pasta in boiling water, uncovered, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain pasta in a colander.

While pasta cooks, add kale to sausage in skillet and sauté, stirring frequently, until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add hot pepper flakes, and broth, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from bottom of skillet, then add pasta and 1/2 cup reserved cooking water to skillet, tossing until combined. Stir in cheese and lemon zest and thin with additional cooking water if desired.

Serve immediately, with additional cheese on the side.

Kale, Butternut Squash & Sausage

I had kale, butternut squash and sausage in the fridge and came up with this recipe.  This recipe is 5 ingredients, super easy, and packed full of flavor.  I love garlic, but I must admit I overdid the garlic with 5 cloves of garlic!  Yikes … I feel sorry for the people who came anywhere near me after all the garlic I had!  The taste sensations are ridiculously crazy good – and as an added bonus Kale has so many super health benefits! 

Ingredients:

• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups cubed and peeled butternut squash
• 4 cups chopped kale, stems included
• 2 links of sausage hot and sweet, removed from casings

Saute chopped garlic in olive oil until lightly browned, add sausage and brown.  Add cubed butternut squash and saute for approximately 10 minutes until cooked.  Add Kale and continue cooking.  Serve and enjoy!

Super-Delicious Zuppa Toscana Soup

I had been looking for a new soup recipe to make this past Sunday for dinner.  I knew I’d be busy most of the weekend and didn’t want anything that would be complicated and time consuming.  Besides, I absolutely love homemade soup in the winter!  I always make extra so we can freeze the leftover soup and can enjoy it again for a quick weeknight meal.  I looked through Allrecipes.com and discovered this soup.  It received fabulous reviews and the recipe was easy.  I wasn’t sure how Tim would like it because one of the ingredients is Kale and he had the perception that Kale was bitter even though he had never tried it.  I decided to make it anyway and not tell him what was in it!  After making this soup all I have to say is KALE – WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE!!!  I have tried a wide variety of foods and I cannot believe I had never tried Kale.  I loved, loved, loved it!  It’s great in soup, it doesn’t wilt like escarole or spinach would and is absolutely wonderful!  Call me silly … but I love vegetables, especially green veggies, and I get to a point, especially if I’ve been eating sweets where I crave green vegetables.  Kale hit the spot and won my heart and is now forever in my repertoire of veggies!  All ravings about Kale aside, this soup is incredibly good!  I ate it 3 nights in a row and would probably eat it again tonight but I’m anxious to use the rest of my Kale and butternut squash tonight!  By the way, Tim even liked the Kale and the soup!  Enjoy!

Super-Delicious Zuppa Toscana (Source:  Allrecipes.com)

 Ingredients:

1 pound bulk mild Italian sausage1 1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepperflakes 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces 1 large onion, diced 1 tablespoon minced garlic                           1 bunch fresh kale

5 (13.75 ounce) cans chicken broth6 potato, thinly sliced1 cup heavy cream 1/4 bunch fresh spinach, tough stems removed

Directions:

1.	Cook the Italian sausage and red pepper flakes in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crumbly, browned, and no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2.	Cook the bacon in the same Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain, leaving a few tablespoons of drippings with the bacon in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Stir in the onions and garlic; cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
3.	Pour the chicken broth into the Dutch oven with the bacon and onion mixture; bring to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes, and boil until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the heavy cream and the cooked sausage; heat through. Mix the spinach kale into the soup just before serving