Sweet Love and Ginger

Quick & Easy

Evelyn’s Favorite Pasta Recipe

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This is a copy cat recipe for Evelyn’s Favorite Pasta from The
Cheesecake Factory.

I’m not really a huge fan of cheese cake, or really cake for that matter. Weird I know, but it’s the reason I haven’t been to The Cheesecake Factory, like ever. Recently I met a very good friend of mine at the mall for some much needed chatting and she suggested we go there for dinner. The other options not being all that thrilling I said sure and was actually rather surprised to find a varied menu fill of things I actually wouldn’t mind eating.

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Easy Tuscan Bean Soup

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Tuscan Bean Soup

These are the months where soup is king. It’s loaded down with nourishing vegetables and holds the warmth and comfort we all need this time of year.

There is something about it that is just so healing.
This soup was especially well received in our house. I think the craziness of the summer and the gazillion fall weddings that are happening have both Chuck and I craving a slower pace. We need something home cooked, rustic, and hearty. It just has to happen.
Honestly I didn’t hold any hope that this would be a soup that chuck would fall for, usually he shy’s away from these light flavors, and complains about the lack of meat, but he seemed really into it. He liked the flavor that the kale absorbed from the broth, and had several bowls. The whole wheat oat bread (that I totally bought pre-made) was also a nod to a hearty rustic meal, adding some grit and texture that was a perfect match.
It was the perfect thing to usher in fall as the temperatures begin to drop, and we begin to re-establish ourselves in a new season.
Tuscan Bean Soup

 

Easy Tuscan Bean Soup
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: Serves 4
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 2 medium to large carrots, chopped
  • 2 stalks of celery, chopped
  • 4 cups of low sodium vegetable broth
  • 2 sprigs of thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 cans of cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
  • 4 cups chopped kale
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • Fresh grated Parmesan Cheese for Garnish
Instructions
  1. In a large thick bottomed sauce pan heat oil over medium high heat and sauté onion until it becomes translucent (about 1-2 minutes).
  2. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute before adding carrot and celery.
  3. Cook for another minute before adding broth, thyme, and bay leaf.
  4. Bring to a simmer and add beans and kale.
  5. Cook stirring regularly until the kale turns dark green and beans are soft.
  6. Adjust seasoning and serve warm, with a sprinkle of cheese on top.

 

Orange Marinated Chicken

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This recipe is a quickie. It’s about as basic as it gets.
Toss the chicken in some marinade then broil or grill it until cooked through.
Fenito.

It’s great because it’s quick and easy like a side dish,
which means I can spend more time preparing veggies. If you read yesterdays
post you can see how this ties in with goals right now. Another bonus is that
is super easy to make a huge amount of wings, or legs to feed a crowd, and it’s
not a plain old hot dog. All things I can get behind, especially for the summer
season.

I like this recipe not only for its ease, but because it has
a different flavor than my usual chicken leg marinades, you know like Garlic & Herb Chicken Legs, Asian Glazed Chicken, or one of the 80 million lemon versions I have
tried.


Orange Marinated Chicken Legs
Zest of 1 orange
1 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic crushed
1 lb chicken legs

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Wisk together the first 7 ingredients
until well combined. Add chicken tossing to cover in marinade, cover and let
stand for 10-15 minutes. Place the chicken on a prepared baking sheet with ¼ inch
slices of orange and bake for 15-20 minutes, basting with remaining marinade
1-2 times. Once the chicken is cooked through remove from heat and let cool for
5 minutes before serving. 
Since this recipe is so easy let’s talk about some awesome
veggie dishes to go with it. Plain old grilled asparagus is always a favorite
of mine, Spring Couscous would be pretty fabulous, Loaded Greek Salad is probably
a bit more summery, but if we were making this in the fall or winter, RoastedVegetable Salad is a great choice too. 

Penne Con Finochietto: Fennel Sausage & Sun dried Tomato Pasta

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Fennel Sausage & Sun dried Tomato Pasta

This is from one of my many favorite restaurants in Downtown Saratoga Springs. This is where Chuck took me for my Birthday Dinner, the sweetie.

It’s one of those sultry, dark little places that’s always has light jazzy music in the background and is full of the sounds of clinking glasses. It’s perfectly romantic and the food is to die for. Every time we go there is something different on the menu or in the specials that makes our little hearts just flutter, whether it be a braised rabbit, hydroponic lettuce, homemade pasta, quail stuffed with sausage & herbs, a bowl of pasta piled high with seafood or even just the bread they put on every table. It’s all so good.
Also if it happens to be your birthday, be prepared for one of those impeccably dressed waiters to feed you your first bite of desert after a whole group of them sings to you in Italian. It’s totally embarrassing, you’ll be red, but it’s ok even the free lemon gelato they give you if you don’t order desert is amazing, so just go with it.
This dish is my own take/imitation on one of their dishes, the one in fact that I had on my birthday. It was pretty amazing, and seemed so simple I had to give it a try in my own kitchen.
I did in fact buy a full pound of sausage, but the rest was popped into some breakfast burritos for us to finish out the week, since I’m trying really, really hard to actually eat a full healthy breakfast, and something more than a granola bar and tea.

Fennel Sausage & Sun dried Tomato Pasta

 

All in all I think I was able to successfully recreate their dish, it was as easy as I thought, and absolutely delicious. I think it may become another one of those staple meals I make around these parts.
Penne Con Finochietto: Fennel Sausage & Sun dried Tomato Pasta
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2 Servings
Ingredients
  • ½ lb mild Italian sausage
  • 1 small fennel bulb, chopped
  • 1/3 cup diced oil packed sun dried tomatoes
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 2 ½ cups cooked pasta (aldente)
  • Fresh grated Parmesan cheese (for garnish)
Instructions
  1. In a large skillet cook the sausage until browned.
  2. Drain well and add fennel. You may need to add a touch of oil to stop the fennel from
  3. sticking. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the fennel begins to brown, stirring and
  4. breaking up the sausage.
  5. Add the sun dried tomatoes, rosemary, and cook for an additional minute.
  6. Add the wine and cook for another 2-3 minutes until it has reduced to half.
  7. Adjust seasoning and add pasta to the pan; cooking for just a few seconds, while tossing all the ingredients together.
  8. Serve immediately topped with Parmesan cheese. (Serves 2)

Loaded Greek Salad

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Loaded Greek Salad
It’s Tuesday, and I’m posting because I was too busy recovering from bachelorette party shenanigans to put anything together for yesterday. I’m pretty sure that none of you noticed, but I still feel guilty enough to explain my reasons why.
So ok now that that is out of the way let get on with today’s post.
I was flipping through my previous posts, you know wondering at my own genius and taking note of a few things, when I realized that I never covered a recipe I meant to cover right after I did this post. It’s fitting because this is a great salad to help bounce back after a long weekend of champagne, rocking out, and too rich food.
This is one of my favorite salads to make at home. I love the bold colors, and different textures. If you want to up the protein add an egg, or some grilled chicken, but they aren’t necessary this is a super hearty salad that stands on its own for an awesome and easy summer meal.
Loaded Greek Salad
I think it’s pretty obvious that this one is clean and healthy, but it’s also packed with antioxidants and tons of nutrients. I paired it down to serve one, for ease, but it’s super easy to double.
Loaded Greek Salad
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: Serves 1
Ingredients
  • 1 cup mixed baby lettuce
  • ½ cup baby arugula
  • A handful of cherry tomatoes
  • ½ a cucumber, sliced
  • 1 tbsp of red onion, chopped
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
  • ½ cup of low sodium chickpeas, canned, drained
  • ¼ cup of kalamata olive, halved
  • 1 tbsp of low fat crumbled feta cheese
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • Light drizzle of balsamic vinegar
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl toss all ingredients together and serve
  2. immediately.

Since we are on the topic what’s your favorite hang over cure? I sure could have used some good ones this weekend.