Leftover Turkey Pasta with Roasted Poblano and Avocado Tahini Sauce

Aside from the craziness of Black Friday shopping, the day after Thanksgiving begins the drudgery of what to do with the leftover turkey. Sure you could make a sandwich or eat them plain as is, I also highly recommend this Potato Cake with Champagne Mushroom Ragu, or this Turkey Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette. If you are looking for something a bit cheesier you might try this Horseradish Mac n Cheese dish.

But perhaps this year you want something a littler and healthier?  This is the dish for you. Loaded with veggies and topped with a super yummy poblano 'cream' sauce that is filled with the good fat that will keep you nourished from the inside. Toss in whatever veggies you have, from tomatoes to left over brussel sprouts.

The sauce is so creamy you won't believe that there isn't cream or cheese in it. Just healthy avocado, roasted pepper and raw pumpkin seeds. Yes, pumpkin seeds. I used them as my tahini base instead of sunflower seeds; it's a tasty way to get your zinc in. Once you make this sauce, you might start using this on your salads, as a sandwich spread or as a dip!

You'll be so excited for this pasta, you might just throw a another turkey in the oven~ who knew leftovers could taste soo good?

Thanksgiving Leftovers - Leek, Turkey and Horseradish Mac n Cheese with Cripy Speck and Potato Chips

Leftovers are hands down the best thing about a giant Thanksgiving feast. It's important to be creative so boredom between two slices of bread doesn't take away your eating enjoyment.


This macaroni and cheese recipe is the perfect place for leftover turkey. But don't stop there- use up onions, celery, peppers, even cranberries... have fun with it! The horseradish gives it a peppy zing.

Keep your holiday eating fest going with this yummy fat and happy horseradish macaroni and cheese. Just be sure to get in your workout, this one is worth it.

Mahi Mahi over Orange Glazed Swiss Chard

Dave and I have had a tradition of Friday night fish dinners for some time now. When or how this started is a faded memory, though it may have to do with deep seated roots of Friday night fish fry's in small Midwestern towns.

I love a good fish fry, though I can do without all the breading and oil these days. So the challenge is to enhance the fish with a few less calories as well as with fresh, bright flavors.

Tonight mahi mahi sits on a cloud of Swiss chard with a simple orange sauce. Fish and greens can leave a person wanting a little more, pasta fills that void. It gives the dish body and texture. Fresh ingredients shine through without using overpowering seasonings. Sure there is a little bacon grease being used in this dish, but sparingly. And pancetta sounds healthier and fancier than than bacon anyway.

This dish is not limited to Friday nights, so go crazy and try it on a Tuesday! It's a fat and happy fresh fish un-fry.

Sweet and Hot Pepper Relish Pasta - Gluten Free Optional

Summer conjures up emotions of carefree days and uncomplicated meals. Running through sprinklers and washing cars mean more than slaving in a hot kitchen. It just feels like the right time to simplify life.

At the beginning of summer, a jar of Sweet and Hot Pepper Relish came to me as a secret ingredient. Admittedly, this seemed like a challenging ingredient; most people would agree that this is an item enjoyed as is, nothing really needs to be done to it.

But my goal with secret ingredients is to make an actual recipe out of it, so I needed to pull out my thinking cap.  But summer-lovin means it had to be elementary, like tossing in a pasta dish that has the versatility of being served hot, cold or room temperature.

My love for all things pickled and relished is not a secret. I've been known to eat spoons of tangy, fiery and vinegary substances directly from the jar. I did question whether the sweet side of the relish would be too sweet for a savory pasta dish, but coupled with the chewy pasta, hot pepers and the salty cheese it worked great.

Gluten Free Pasta

Many friends and family in my life are living a gluten free lifestyle. It would be rude of me to ignore their desire for a big bowl of freshly made pasta while the rest of us sit stuffing our faces.


 Rolling by hand rather than on a pasta machine, cooking in simmering water rather than boiling- gluten free pasta requires a delicate touch and a light hand, but it really is worth it. It eats the same - absolutely wonderful tossed with simple butter, fresh herbs, black pepper and cheese.

It took me many rounds of trial and error, but with the help of the right flour, this pasta can pass for gluten eaters too.

I'll never forget the day I placed a pile of fresh, gluten free ravioli in front of my friend Amy. At the first bite she was transported to more comforting time when white flour was not the enemy. She ultimately came back to the present to tell the tale that this was her first ravioli she's had in over 15 years. I swear there was a tear in her eye at the time.

Corned Beef Stuffed Rye Ravioli's with Caraway Cream Sauce

There is nothing better than thick slices of rye bread piled high with paper thin slices of corned beef  dripping with sauerkraut. If you get it at the right deli, it's the size of a brontosaurus - a total Flintstones sandwich!

For the longest time I've wanted to stuff this flavor into a pasta creating a refined 'sandwich' that is more manageable, eaten with a fork to avoid goo running down the elbows.

Even recreated for refinement, this is not a wimpy meal. All the components are included- the corned beef, the 'kraut, a cheesy sauce and a rye-carb base.

Rye flour adds just a touch of the bread essence while the creamy caraway cheese sauce will you have you licking the plate (so much for refined!) The corned beef and sauerkraut are simply stuffed inside the ravioli.

Cheesy Turkey, Leek, Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

For most people, 3-days after Thanksgiving is about the time they can't imagine eating another bite of turkey. They clearly have not tried my white lasagna with oozing, cheesy buttermilk sauce and fresh pasta filled with layers of leeks, mushrooms, spinach and turkey.

The cheesy, garlicky buttermilk sauce is not my healthiest sauce ever, but man is it good. The perfect backdrop to the turkey and leek filling.

One bite and the last thing on your mind will be turkey leftovers - trust me! Even if you purchase the lasagna sheets rather than make the pasta from scratch, this lasagna will have everyone begging for more Fat and Happy leftovers.

Beer Mac n Cheese with Bacon Avocado Topping

Macaroni and cheese. Mac and Cheese. Mac n cheese. Cheesy mac. Doesn't matter what you call it, we are talking about pasta in a cheesy sauce. It's hard to screw up, but there are hundreds of thousands of variations.

This is a go to dish in our house and every time I make it, it ends up different based on available ingredients. In this one, beer becomes a substitute for buttermilk and gruyere gave way to blue cheese.

But without a lick of bread in the house for a crunchy topping, that's where I needed to get creative. All the makings of an avocado salad stared at me and I started to wonder how this would be in a cheesy macaroni? In a beer cheese macaroni? Bacon and tomato, sure that goes with pasta, cheese and beer. Avocado certainly works too. But could an avocado salad sit on top of mac & cheese?  There was only one way to find out.

Traditional Pasta Making Party

Making homemade ravioli with a house full of friends and family is a tradition from my upbringing. Though miles from home, this custom is alive and well in my house. The goal is to have fun, enjoy the company of friends and make a little pasta. 

Imagine a room full of people working toward a common goal - to eat pasta! Some people need a little coaxing to get their hands dirty and some have flour in their hands before wine.

Bacon and Mustard Greens Pasta

We are heading out of town which means I need to use up all the fridge food. Thankfully I have boxes of whole wheat pasta in the house for such occasions; there are few things as versatile and easy as pasta. You can pretty much pull anything out of the fridge or cupboard and pair with pasta from veggies to meat to wine.

In my fridge is a mixture of a few slices of bacon, a few mustard green leaves and a handful of snap peas along with a few onion pieces and a couple of garlic cloves. Sounds like a tasty bowl of pasta just waiting to be tossed!

This is a loose recipe that should be mixed and matched with what you have available, the amounts are just guidelines rather than hard measurements. No mustard greens?  Use Swiss chard instead. No bacon? How about pancetta or sausage? Because pasta is a basic background staple, you flavor it with what you have available- so it's a great way to use up little odds and ends of vegetables and such. Just saute, toss, top with a little cheese and voila- you have a fat and happy meal and a little cleaner fridge to boot!

Tip and Techniques:  Always save a little of the pasta water to add to your final pasta dish, the starchy water helps to create a sauce and gives it structure.


Bacon and Mustard Greens Pasta

1/2 box of whole wheat pasta
4 slices of bacon
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup white wine
4 mustard greens (leaves)
handful of snap peas
handful of cherry tomatoes
2 Tbls fresh thyme
1/4 cup fresh parsley
Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper


Cook whole wheat pasta according to package directions.

In the meantime, cook bacon in a large saute pan until desired crispiness is reached. Remove The bacon from pan and set aside. Add the chopped onions to the bacon pan, cook over medium heat until the onion begins to soften and turn translucent. Add in the chopped garlic, pinch of red pepper flakes and the snap peas, toss well. Continuing to cook over medium heat, add in mustard greens and allow them to wilt. Add the tomatoes last along with salt and pepper and thyme, toss well.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Add the pasta, half of the pasta water and the white wine to the mustard green mixture. Simmer for about 5 minutes to meld all the flavors, add in a little more pasta water if needed for a little sauce. Toss in the bacon and parsley. Dress with a good drizzle of olive oil and the Parmesan cheese, serve with a crusty bread.

Porcini Mushroom Risotto Cakes

You may have heard about meatless Monday's either on this blog or elsewhere. It's a movement that is healthy for your body and the planet.

These risotto cakes are a great meatless Monday option. Serve them with a simple side salad drizzled with olive oil and fresh lemon. You'll feel Fat and Happy about yourself in more ways than one.

Tips and techniques:  Make the patties, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then tin foil and freeze for up to one month for an easy meal.


Porcini Mushroom Risotto Cakes

1/2 cup white onion, diced fine
2 Tbls olive oil
1 cup aborio rice
3 cups of chicken, beef  or vegetable broth
4 oz dried porcini mushrooms
1 egg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper

Heat the stock, and add in the dried mushrooms letting the broth simmer lightly, it will take roughly 20 minutes for them the rehydrate. Once they reach about 10 minutes, start the onions. Saute the onions in the olive oil, until they begin to soften. Add the rice in with the onions and let the rice cook for just a minute.  Now add in one cup of the hot broth, try to scoop out mostly broth, leaving the mushrooms until the final cup of broth is added.

Cover the risotto and let it simmer on low. Stir often, and when the liquid is nearly completely absorbed by the rice, add another cup of broth. Cover and repeat until you use all the broth, adding the mushrooms in during the last broth addition.  Remove the risotto from the heat and add in 1/4 cup of the grated Parmesan cheese. Allow the risotto to cool to room temperature. This step can be done a day ahead of time, simply hold the risotto in the fridge.

Add the remaining cheese, egg and bread crumbs to risotto and mix. Finish with a little salt and pepper to taste.  Form the risotto into patties. Cook over medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil until golden brown on each side. Enjoy immediately.

Ginger Soba Noodle Soup

I'm still toying with the idea of going gluten free, which means if I ever really do commit to this- I'm going to need an arsenal of recipes. Even the simplest of soups can seem daunting to create as gluten free. It seems to me that the real key to GF is reading and doing your research

Soba noodles are great 'pasta' option, but you need to read the label and be sure they are made 100% from buckwheat and are truly GF. You also need to double check your soy sauce, not all are GF...see where all the reading comes into play?

This soup is simple, easy and deceivingly filling thanks to the soba noodles. Use the ginger to flavor the broth without overpowering it. The sriracha sauce gives the soup a final kick, it's okay without it, but it's really better with it.

Tips and Techniques:  You can just cook the soba noodles in the broth right before serving, but I like to keep them separate so I have more control over the the noodles and they don't become overcooked and soggy.

Ginger Soba Noodle Soup

1 small bundle of soba noodles, making approximately 3-4 cups of cooked noodles
Fresh ginger, about the size of your thumb
1 large garlic clove
4 cups stock (vegetable or chicken)
1 Tbls rice wine or red wine vinegar
1 Tbls soy sauce
1 large carrot
4 button or porcini mushrooms, sliced
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp red pepper flakes
3 radishes, thinly sliced
1 Tbls sriracha sauce
fresh chives


Bring about 6 cups of salted water to a boil, add the soba noodles and cook for about 3 minutes. Drain and run under cold water, set aside.

Peel the ginger and cut into large chunks, do the same with the garlic. Add a drizzle of olive oil to the bottom of a soup pot and saute the ginger and garlic to release their flavors, about 3 minutes.

Add in the broth and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain out the garlic and ginger. Grate the carrot and add to the stock along with the sliced mushrooms, the vinegar, the sesame oil and the pepper flakes. Continue to simmer just 5- 10 minutes, depending on how soft you want the carrots to be.

Place a scoop of the soba noodles in the bottom of each bowl, add a scoop of the the ginger carrot broth. Top with fresh snipped chives, radishes and a squeeze of the sriracha sauce.  Enjoy!

Chipotle Risotto

It's officially January and time for warm, hearty dishes. This chipotle risotto resembles the creaminess of traditional risotto but gets a pop of spiciness from the chipotle pepper.

These cold weather dishes can become a bit unhealthy with too much cheese and cream; using a risotto cooking method helps to keep the dish creamy and allows to keep the amount of cheese needed to a minimum. My secret add to this dish is red lentils, they tend to disappear and are hardly noticeable yet they offer a huge boost of protein and nutritional value.
 
Finding ways to be creative with hearty and creamy dishes with out losing flavor is key to helping stay on track with any New Years Resolutions. Stay out of the cold, turn on the fireplace and eat fat and happy without all the fat!

Tips and techniques:  To make this dish vegetarian, simply leave out the pork and use a vegetarian broth in place of the beef broth.

Chipotle Risotto

1/2 cup diced red onion
1 Tbls olive oil
1 cup diced celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup red lentils
3/4 cup aborio rice
2 cups beef broth
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground paprika
1 -2 large chipotle peppers with sauce, chopped
1 cup chopped or shredded cooked pork (optional)
2 Tbls fresh oregano, chopped
2 Tbls fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 cup chihuahua cheese,shredded
3 Tbls fresh parsley, chopped

Add the olive oil, celery and onions to a soup-like pan, cook about 5 minutes over medium heat until they begin to just soften.

While that is cooking, place the beef broth and tomato sauce in a pan and heat. 
Add in the lentils, the aborio rice, the cumin and the paprika to the onion pan, stir often to avoid burning the rice, saute for about 2 minutes.

Add a cup of the hot broth to the rice mixture and stir. Cover with a lid and set the heat to medium low and allow to simmer until the liquid has been absorbed by the rice, about 5 minutes.  Repeat with another cup of the hot broth, and then again with the final cup of broth, adding the chipotle peppers and the pork with the final cup of broth. .

Taste the rice, it should be al dente rather than hard and definately not soft. If needed, add another 1/2 cup of broth, you don't want the risotto to be dry.


Remove the pan from the heat; toss the cheese with the fresh oregano, thyme and parsley and add to the risotto. Cover and let the heat of the rice melt the cheese for about 3 minutes. Serve immediately with warm tortillas.

Tomato Sausage Ragu over Campanelle Pasta

 Pasta comes in more shapes and sizes than people!  And for a good reason; each shape is meant to hold various sauces. Smaller, thin, lighter pastas are best with simple oil based sauces while bigger shapes, which often have a bowl to them, are meant for heartier, chunky sauces.  And whimsical shapes amuses kids while enticing them to eat.

As much as I enjoy making fresh pasta at home, there are shapes that just cannot be created at home. Campanelle pasta is a super fun, funnel-like shape with ruffled edges, like little chewy flowers in your bowl.

Ragu is really just a meat sauce, today it's a sausage meat sauce.  A tomato, wine and sausage meat sauce packed with flavor from just a handful of ingredients. A simple sauce that does most of the work just by simmering for a couple of hours.  Fun pasta and one meaty sauce makes one fat and happy-shaped eater.

Tips and Techniques: If you can't find campanelle pasta, simply substitute another fun shape like fusilli or ziti or farfalle.


Tomato Sausage Ragu over Campanelle Pasta

3 spicy turkey sausages
1 tbls garlic powder
Canola oil
1 medium sized onion, diced small
2 carrots, diced small
4 cloves of garlic
1 cup broth
1/2 bottle of dry red wine (about 3 cups)

1 can fire roasted tomatoes, with juice (16 oz)
1 can whole tomatoes, with juice (16 oz)
Salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese, for topping

Begin by removing the casings from the sausage, crumble them into a cast iron pan with fresh ground pepper, garlic powder, and a little salt. Cook until just done; add a little canola oil to the bottom of the pan to help get them started. Remove the crumbled sausage from the pan and set aside.


Add the onions to the pan, cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often.  Add in the carrots and continue to cook until both the onions and the carrots begin turn a caramelized brown on the edges. Add in the garlic and a few grinds of fresh black pepper and continue to cook another  2 -3 minutes. By this point you should have a deep colored onions and carrots and the flavor should be filling the house; and some of the onions and carrots may be sticking to the bottom of the pan, this is ok!  The next step is to deglaze the pan which removes all those super tasty, browned little morsels from the bottom.

To deglaze, you simply add in a little liquid and move it around the pan using a wooden spoon, easily scraping off the deeply caramelized pieces from the bottom.  To do this add in only 1 cup of wine.  Once you feel the spoon move freely across the bottom, add in another cup of wine and the broth. Simmer this for about 1 hour or until the liquids reduce by half.

Add in the remaining wine, tomatoes (smash the whole tomatoes by squeezing with your hand or with the back of the spoon) and the sausage, cover, simmer on low for about 2 hours. Remove the lid, add in salt and pepper and simmer about 20 minutes or until ragu is reaches desired thickness. Add salt and pepper if needed.

The pasta will take about 10 minutes to cook, start a large pan of water about the time you uncover the ragu.  Always use cold water, it is the cleanest and will taste the best.  Once the water is boiling, add in a good sprinkling of salt as this is your only chance to salt the pasta.  Add in the pasta, stir immediately and test often.  The pasta should be al dente, still firm to the the bite.  Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.  Toss the pasta back in the same pan and add in scoops of the ragu and a drizzle of the pasta water, toss.
Serve immediately with a fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

Soba Salad with Peanut Sauce

There are times when our meals call for something lighter, something milder on the body.  For those of us who are meat eaters, it's important to enjoy a few meals/days of meatless entrees.  Let the internal system have some time of rest.

The tricky part is will you be left hungry and wanting more after the meal?  I think part of this is a mindset, so first set your mind right.  You don't need meat with every meal- you just don't.  Second, be sure the meatless meal you are making is hearty and flavorful.

This cold soba salad covers the ask.  Soba noodles are from buckwheat flour - they resemble spaghetti noodles in size except that they are brown in color with a nuttier taste. Since it is a Japanese noodle, it seems only fitting to mix this with a soy peanut sauce.  The use of peanut butter helps to make this a 'stick-to-your-ribs' meal and offers protein to boot.  The soba noodles themselves offer a great amount of protein as well.  The veggies are interchangeable - throw in what you on hand or what is in season.  This dish can stand on it's own or serve with a light side salad tossed with an oriental dressing.  You and your body will feel fat and happy!

Tips and Techniques:  Try creamy or crunch peanut butter, or get really crazy and use almond or even sunflower butter.  Serve by tossing all the ingredients together and serve the sauce on the side. Make and serve the day of, the flavors do not deepen if left overnight.  The flavors are best at room temperature rather than chilled.

Soba Salad with Peanut Sauce

2 bundles of soba noodles
1 heaping cup carrots
1 cup cucumber
1 heaping cup red pepper

2 Tbls sesame flavored chili oil or (sesame oil)
2 Tbls grated ginger
2 Tbls grated garlic
1 Tbls soy sauce
1 Tbls red wine vinegar
3 heaping spoons of peanut butter
1/4 hot water

Begin by bringing 6 cups of water to a boil in a large pot While that is heating, chop the veggies- cut the carrots, cucumbers and red pepper into matchstick size pieces (long and thin).  Add the soba noodles to the boiling water, cook until just before al-dente (refer to the package for timing.)  Just before you drain the noodles, add the carrots and peppers to the boiling water ( I like adding the veggies to the water just to ease the crunchiness slightly.)  Drain everything, rinse really well with cold water, set aside.

Make the dressing next- add the oil, ginger, garlic and soy sauce to a small fry pan.  Simmer for about 2 minutes just to help soften and release the flavors of the garlic and ginger. Turn off the heat and add the vinegar and peanut butter.  Whisk together while drizzling in the hot water.  Add just enough water to make the sauce thin enough to toss.

Toss the sauce with the noodles, veggies and cucumbers.  Top with toasted sesame seeds or crushed peanuts if desired. Serve.

Quinoa Pepper Salad with Parsley Vinaigrette

Keen-wa.  Let's just admit it- none of us would have ever pronounced this word (Quinoa) in this manner.  I know the correct pronunciation and I still struggle with it.  Does it matter?  Depends on who you are.

What does matter to me is this powerful little seed-like grain packs more protein per cup than any other.  It's light, fluffy, nutty tasting and easy to digest.  Great for summer salads, but try it in place of heartier grains (like rice and barley) in winter soups and stews.  And it cooks in 15 minutes!

So whether you call it keen-wa or queeno, its a little super food with super antioxidants.  Pick it up at Whole Foods, or check Costco; I just found a really great bag of Quinoa there last month. It's becoming more popular, so it should be getting easier to find.  It's a great staple addition for your pantry.

Tips and Techniques:  I often use canned beans for ease, but cooking your own does yield a better bean. Remember to plan a day head so your beans can soak overnight.


Quinoa Pepper Salad with Parsley Vinaigrette

1 cup uncooked quinoa, cook according to package instructions
1 can white beans, rinsed (navy, kidney or great northern)
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
1 yellow pepper, seeded and chopped
1 orange pepper, seeded and chopped

Toss the above ingredients in a large bowl and set aside

Mix the Parsley Vinaigrette

3 cups parsley, cleaned and stemmed
1 cup Orange juice, fresh squeezed
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tbls mustard
1/2 - 1 cup olive oil (may take more or less, add as needed while blender is running)

salt and pepper to taste

Place all the ingredients into a blender, except for the olive oil.  Begin to blend on high, slowly add the olive oil.  You may or may not need a full cup.  It may seem like a lot of dressing, but the quinoa soaks it up.

Pour the vinaigrette over the reserved salad, toss.  Enjoy.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Chorizo Lasagna

 There is nothing like a hot, gooey pan of lasagna.  Nothing!  Sometimes though, you want that guilty pleasure without all the guilt.  I created this recipe to satisfy Dave's cheesy needs and my urge to be healthy and low carb, it worked great both of us.  Success!

Like any lasagna, it takes a few steps to put together but it's completely worth it.  I'm most excited about the leek yogurt sauce- so tasty I'll be using this over and over again. Bottom line is you can have hot and gooey indulgence and maintain your bottom line.  Go ahead, indulge and be fat and happy!

Tips and techniques:  Leave out the chorizo if you are looking or a vegetarian option.  Use whatever veggies you have on hand.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Chorizo Lasagna with Leek Yogurt Sauce

2 cups each of fresh cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, cleaned and cut into large-bite size pieces
1 large sweet potato- sliced about 1/2inch thick
2 large leeks, cleaned and sliced into 1 inch pieces
3 cloves garlic
1 shallot, sliced
dry white wine or broth
1/2 cup greek yogurt
2 cups cottage cheese
2-4 oz goat cheese
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded cheese (mixture of cheddar, mozzarella,)
1/2 cup of chorizo (sauteed)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper

Toss the cauliflower, broccoli and green beans with olive oil, salt and pepper, lay on a sheet pan covered with tin foil. Roast in a 450 degree over until crisp-tender.  You want the veggies to have some browned-roasted areas to them, but don't over roast or they will be too mushy.  Roast the sliced sweet potatoes on a separate pan and the leeks on a separate pan.   Set aside

Leek Yogurt Sauce:
Once the leeks are roasted, add them to a sautee pan with a drizzle of olive oil.
Add in the chopped shallots and garlic, fresh ground black pepper and a little seasoning salt- sautee until garlic and shallots are tender.   Add 2-3 cups broth or white wine (or broth) and simmer about 10 minutes.
Place all the ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth.  Add the yogurt.  If your sauce is too thick, simply add more wine or broth.  Return to pan and keep warm

Choose your baking dish, I used 4 individual ramekins, but you can easily make one larger dish.  Spray the dish with pam,  Begin by layering the dish with the roasted sweet potatoes to cover the bottom like you would with lasagna noodles.  Add a layer of roasted veggies (use up all of your veggies), sprinkle with cooked chorizo.  Spread a  layer of cottage cheese, crumble a little goat cheese and  a thin layer if shredded cheese.  Pour about 1/4 of the leek sauce over the layers. 

Top with a final layer of potatoes, pour more of the leek sauce over the potatoes. Toss the bread crumbs with the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.  Sprinkle over the potatoes.  Bake in the oven at 400 degrees until the edges are bubbly (about 20 minutes).  Remove from the oven and let it the lasagna rest before serving.  Serve the remaining sauce on the side.

Pumpkin Ravioli

Pumpkin ravioli is not new, it's not earth shattering, but It's almost a requirement for the Fall season - and it's sooo good.  The recipe I created below gets a helping of flavor from the fresh ginger.

This is a hearty dish, so serve with something light (a simple salad) or make your ravioli small so as not to overwhelm. You can make these ahead of time and freeze them too.

Tips and techniques:  Browning butter can be a super tricky process, it's easy to burn the butter.  But there is a simple method to follow.  Make this the last thing you do before you serve the ravioli.  Heat a sautee pan, add a pat of butter, do not touch the pan.  Let the butter melt and sizzle on the edges for a minute, the edges will start to brown.  Drop in a few sage leaves, pick up the pan and swirl the butter so that the rest of the butter pat melts.  Return to the burner (medium to low heat) for a minute.  Add in the ravioli and toss, or just drizzle over the ravioli on a platter.

Pumpkin Ravioli
1 small roasted pumpkin with brown sugar
4 oz of mascarpone
1 tbls fresh ginger, grated
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
salt and pepper
1 tbls each of fresh thyme and sage, chopped
 1/2 cup shredded Midnight Moon Goats Milk Cheese + a little for topping (this is a semi-soft cheese, regular goat cheese will work or try fontina cheese)
4-8 whole sage leaves
1 slice of pancetta, diced small
1 shallot, finely sliced


Roast the pumpkin by carefully chopping in half.  Drizzle with a little olive oil and rub with 1-2 tbls of brown sugar.  Place cut side down on a baking sheet.  Bake until pumpkin flesh is fork tender.

Scoop out the pumpkin flesh into a large mixing bowl.  Using a whisk, smash the pumpkin until smooth and whisk in the mascarpone, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, egg, chopped thyme, sage cheese and salt and pepper. 

Scoop the pumpkin filling in to fresh pasta dough sheets (or wonton wrappers if you don't want to make the dough.)  See my posting on fresh pasta for recipes and ravioli instructions. 


Brown Butter Sage Sauce

Warm a sautee pan, add 2 tbls butter.  Let the butter melt until it begins to brown on the edges (do not touch the pan). Add in 4-5 fresh sage leaves.  Pick up the pan and swirl the butter, replace over heat for 1 minute.  Toss with the ravioli.

Cook the pancetta until crispy, remove from pan and add in the shallots.  Fry the shallots until crispy.  Set aside.

Cook the ravioli. Serve the ravioli with the brown butter sage sauce, topped with fried shallots, crispy pancetta (optional), fried sage and shredded goats milk cheese.

Chili Linguine with Pumpkin Chocolate Sauce

"Any ideas for chili linguine?" my brother Marty wrote to me.  There is nothing more I like than to make up a recipe ... so, yes, yes I do have ideas.  I sent him two ideas- off the top of my head I wrote the basic recipes for him and hoped for the best.  When the weekend hit, I promptly made both ideas to test them out (I had a busy week, testing a new recipe was not an option until the weekend.)

Jenni sent me a text today to say the one they made was awesome (the Chili Linguine with Lemon Shrimp).  They even sent me photo- go check it out. 

But back to the pumpkin mole sauce;  this is definitely not a true mole in any sense of the word mole, the only real similarity is chocolate ingredient, but it just sounds cool!  And it works well, it's a great fall recipe and a nice change to regular tomato spaghetti sauce.  I'm pretty happy with this creation.  The goat cheese is key, do not substitute Parmesan or anything else for that matter.  The goat cheese complete softens the bite and brings all the flavors to life.  Give it try and let me know if it makes you fat and happy!

Tips and tricks:  I always say to make your own pasta when possible.  This recipe was based on the Chili Linguine (boxed variety) that my brother had- so I added the cayenne and chili powder to make up for using regular pasta.  If you happened to have the chili linguine- you may want to taste this without the cayenne first, as it may not be needed.

Chili Linguine with Pumpkin Chocolate Sauce

Roast 1 small pumpkin  (carefully cut the pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds (roast them with salt until crispy), drizzle with olive oil and about 2 tbls of brown sugar.  Place cut side down on a baking sheet, bake at 400 degrees until fork tender.)

Sautee in olive oil until caramelized:
1 large shallot. thinly sliced
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Dash of chili powder
Fresh black pepper

Scoop the roasted pumpkin out of its shell, and add to the shallots.  Mash the pumpkin with a wooden spoon.

Add
1/2 cup heavy cream (or use white wine)

Blend with an immersion blender (or place in an upright blender).
Add broth to thin out
....about 1 cup of broth** (chicken or vegetarian) Or white wine
   **may need more or less depending on desired consistency

Add 1-3 Tbls of chopped bittersweet chocolate (try it with 1 tbls first- you can always add more but you can't add less) and 1 tbls butter.  Stir until melted.  Keep warm over the lowest flame.

In the meantime, cook the  linguine until al dente.  Warm a drizzle of olive oil in a medium -size fry pan.  Drain, toss the linguine lightly with the olive oil and then add a few scoops of the pumpkin sauce.  Toss.

To plate:  Use a pair of tongs to pinch a scoop of pasta from the pan, and place in the middle of the plate.  Drizzle with more pumpkin sauce and a little olive oil- crumble goat cheese and few shavings of  chocolate on top a d roasted pumpkin seeds (optional).
Enjoy immediately.

Turkey and Beet Manicotti

I have a new-found love for beets; I can't even remember why I didn't care for them in my younger years.  They are sweet and flavorful and versatile!

With one lone beet in my fridge, a bit of ground turkey and some cheese, dinner was going to be another home addition of Chopped.  It's the show where chefs are given three ingredients and have 30 minutes to turn them into something wonderful.  Luckily I had no real time limit.

This mix worked quite well, I'm actually quite happy with the beet and turkey stuffing, and the tomato topping separately.  However, when I make this again, I do plan on creating a smooth, creamy beet sauce rather than the chunky tomato.  I had left over beet filling, so had it just warmed with a piece of bread for lunch the next day- it was wonderful!  The tomato sauce as is, is super good and hearty and would make any pasta fat and happy!

Turkey and Beet Manicotti

Beet and Turkey Filling
Begin by covering one beet with tin foil and roasting in the oven until soft
In the meantime, sautee:
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped red pepper (optional)

add 2 cloves of chopped garlic
1/2 lb of ground turkey
Sautee until turkey is cooked through
Add 2 TBLS chopped sundried tomatoes- set aside to cool

Once the turkey mixture is cool, add to it:

1 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 cup chopped roasted beet

Tomato Olive Sauce:

Sautee until caramelized,  in olive oil:
1/2 cup finely diced onions
1/2 cup finely diced celery
2 cloves finely diced garlic

Deglaze the pan with :
1 cup dry red wine
add:
1 can of diced tomatoes
Remaining roasted beet, about 1 cup, finely diced
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup chopped sundried tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced green olives
2 TBLS capers
pepper to taste

Let that simmer together about 20 minutes. 

In the meantime, cook about 8 manicotti shells according to package directions- but do try to leave them al dente since they will cook in the oven for a few minutes.  Cool.

Carefully stuff the shellls with the beet and turkey mixture.  Lay each shell in a glass baking dish, cover with the sauce.  Bake in an oven (375 degree) for about 30 minutes to reward the beet mixture.  Enjoy!