Italian Sausage Penne and Spinach Prosciutto Salad

First off, I apologize in advance for not having pictures up as they got deleted from my phone however, this meal was so good it must be put up on the blog!
Last weekend I made dinner for some friends; spicy italian sausage with penne and a creamy tomato sauce and a spinach salad with prosciutto and an orange vinaigrette.  The pasta recipe is another that my mom used to make all the time when I was in high school as I love it and it is easy and makes for a lot so there are usually leftovers.
The salad is from Giada, my favorite food network chef for obvious reasons...she cooks amazing Italian food.  I did make some changes in the dressing though as I originally thought it was too sweet.  Anyway the recipes follow, maybe not having pictures will motivate you guys more to make these recipes!


Penne Recipe: (serves 4-6)                                                    Salad Recipe:

16 oz of Italian sausage (I prefer spicy)                                 9 oz of fresh spinach
12 oz of whole wheat penne pasta                                        3 oz prosciutto
1 medium onion (I used purple but white is fine)                  2 oranges zested and juiced
3 cloves of garlic (minced)                                                    1 garlic clove
1/2 cup half and half                                                             2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup white wine                                                               2 tbsp honey or 1 tbsp sugar
14 oz can of chopped tomatoes (I used no salt added)          1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp red pepper flakes                                                          salt and pepper
1 tbsp oregano                                                                      1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper


Directions:

First get a large high walled skillet and mix in the butter and olive oil.  Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic cloves and lightly brown them with the oil and mix in the spices.  Once the onions are browned mix in the ground sausage and break into small pieces.  Meanwhile start boiling some water for the penne pasta and cook the pasta with a little olive oil to prevent sticking once the water is boiling.
Once the meat is fully cooked mix in the wine and let sit at a lower heat until it almost all evaporated, then mixed in the can of chopped tomatoes and let simmer.  After a minute or so mix in the cream and let sit for a few minutes so the sauce thickens.  Add the parmesan cheese and then pour over the pasta and mix together.
Sprinkle additional parmesan over and oregano over the pasta and some fresh parsley if you want to make it pretty (Make it Italian and serve with wine!)

Salad:

First, turn the oven at 350 and lay the slices of prosciutto on a baking pan and cook for about 3 minutes (so it is crispy like bacon but not burnt).  Rinse the spinach and place in a large bowl and break apart the crispy prosciutto.
Next, we'll make the dressing.  Hopefully you have a blender or food processor to make the dressing.  Cut a clove of garlic up and mince in the food processor, zest the oranges and squeeze the juice into the processor.  Blend together and add the honey, balsamic, salt pepper, and olive oil.  Mix in the cayenne (this is what I added to reduce the sweetness and add a flair).  Pour the dressing over the spinach (Most likely won't need it all) and mix together.  Serve and eat Just Good Food.

Blue Cheese Mozzarella and Walnut Pizza

I was in Lincoln, Nebraska in June for work and one of the nights we went to place called Yia Yia's that is famous for their unique style of pizza and beer selection (over 400 types, most of which are foreign).  I had a chocolate beer that was well interesting to say the least.  Anyway the slice I ordered was called the "Frenchie," it had mozzarella and blue cheeses on it with walnuts and olive oil.  Though it sounded a little weird I thought ok I love cheese I love walnuts and I love olive oil so it has to be good, and boy was it!  I decided I would find a way to make it at home otherwise I was going to have to make a trip back to Lincoln to see my buddy Kirk and get a slice at Yia Yia's.  The recipe follows below, enjoy this Just Good Food!


Recipe:

For the pizza dough click here
There are some changes however to the dough (the first picture is what the yeast should look like when mixed with the warm water)
I used whole wheat flour for the crust
I added 1/2 tbsp of red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp of garlic powder
1 tbsp oregano
and 2 tbsp parmesan cheese

1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup blue cheese
1/2 cup walnuts
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp oregano
2 tbsp parmesan cheese


Directions:

Follow the pizza dough recipe exactly from the link (add the extra ingredients once you have kneaded the dough and before you wait for it to rise).
Once you have let the dough sit for 30-45 minutes, place some flour on a countertop and role out the pizza dough.  Once it is rolled to your thickness (I prefer thinner for this type of pizza) take your pan (grease it up even if it is non-stick because they LIE) and fit the dough in the pan.
First, brush olive oil lightly on the crust then generously evenly spread the mozzarella and blue cheese on the crust (it might not look like this is enough cheese but it will melt and be more than plenty.  Add the walnuts and oregano and I usually grate parmesan on the edge of the crust!
Place in an oven at 400 for about 10 minutes and it should be ready to go.  Be careful here as the cheese will melt quickly but you want to make sure the crust is done so "tooth-pick" it to make sure it is done (if dough sticks to the pick it isn't done yet).

Let stand and cool for a few minutes cut into triangles, squares, circles or whatever shape your heart desires and eat away!  Share this delicious pizza and your friends will love you!  Let me know what you think!!  Love, Peace, and Just Good Food!

Bruschetta

The wonderfully delicious bruschetta is so so so yummy and the best part very easy (you just need to be patient).  My first experience with bruschetta was at a young age, my mom loves it and would always order it at any Italian restaurant; and I, just like her, learned to love it.
I figured bruschetta must be really difficult to make and that was why we never made it however, last summer my mom made a delicious batch using all fresh ingredients including tomatoes from our garden.
Last week, my buddy, who is very talented in the kitchen, made some carbonara for a group of us.  I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for me to try out a bruschetta recipe and get feedback from a large audience of taste testers.  It turned out to be very good  so enjoy this Just Good Food and let me know what you think!

Recipe:  Makes 20 bruschetta pieces

4 beef steak tomatoes (really any big tomatoes will work)
4 cloves of garlic (yum)
1 tbsp olive oil (too much will make it runny and soften the tomatoes too much)
1 1/2 tbsp basil (dried) or 1 oz of fresh basil (preferred)
pinch of salt
loaf of french baguette


Directions:

Fill a pot of water and boil the water (we will be dunking the tomatoes in the water to peel the skin).  Once the water is boiling dunk the tomatoes in for about 30 seconds, take them out and rinse under cold water and the skin should peel off.  Then cut the tomatoes into small pieces and place in a dish.  Once this is done, mince the garlic cloves extra fine and mix in with the tomatoes.  Add the olive oil, basil, and salt and you are good to go.  I would recommend letting this sit for at least 2 hours, but no more than 12, to earn peek taste point.  Right before serving bake the bread, cut into small pieces and place a generous amount of bruschetta on each piece.  Serve on a platter (decorate with basil leaves for fanciness).  Halve this recipe and you will easily have enough for you family (I made it for a group of 18).  Enjoy!

Chicken Pita with Hummus

This is a yummy recipe and literally takes 10 minutes to make!  You don't need an abundance of ingredients and can make a bunch and save it for lunch the following day.  This is a good way to get in a variety of vitamins from a bunch of veggies as well, it is one of my new favorites and so so so easy.
You can us any veggies you want I used cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and lettuce (all these colors make it pretty too!)  You could use some yellow peppers too, I didn't because I thought I had enough kick in it already.
This would also be a perfect picnic, I was going to bring them to Lake Calhoun but that trip fell through and we played sand volleyball and grilled out instead.  Try and share with friends and family this recipe truly is Just Good Food!


Recipe:  (serves 2)
 
2 pocketless pitas
1/4-1/3 lb chicken breast
2/3 cup cut cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup sliced cucumber
1/3 cup sliced carrots
1/4 cup hummus (I recommend chipotle)
2 garlic cloves
1 cup chopped lettuce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp red pepper flakes
freshly ground pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin


Directions:

Marinate the chicken breast with red pepper flakes, 1/2 tbsp olive oil and red wine vinegar, cumin, paprika, and oregano for a few minutes.  Warm a grill to cook the chicken breast and cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side.  Meanwhile, halve the cherry tomatoes, slice the cucumbers and carrots and mix together in a dish with remaining olive oil and red wine vinegar with minced garlic and freshly ground pepper.  When the chicken is done, cut into bite size pieces and mix in with the veggies.  Warm the pitas on the grill and spread the hummus on them, shred the lettuce, and top with the chicken salad for a delicious and healthy meal.



Hope everyone's summer is going well, if there are any requests for food, anyone who would like a lesson or maybe a night-time crepe with nutella please feel free to comment!  Also follow my blog on Twitter to stay updated and type in your e-mail to get updates so you're always in the loop!

Caprese Salad

A traditional yummy salad for the summer months than can also be placed on crackers and used as a "party favor" whoop whoop!  They were sampling this at Trader Joe's a few weeks ago and (ok first of all you haven't been to a TJ's in your life you NEED to go because they are awesome and the people are so helpful and friendly and they are all about value so you can get great food for so inexpensive) I remembered how easy this is plus it's a great excuse to eat mozzarella.  All you need is 5 ingredients and you will create a fan favorite in about 5 minutes!  Enjoy this Just Good Food!


Recipe:  (Serves 4-6)

4 large beef steak tomatoes (fresh and ripe)
12 oz mozzarella cheese (also fresh) make sure it's a block of cheese
2 tbsp basil (fresh if accessible)
1 tbsp olive oil
salt


Directions:

First rinse the tomatoes under cold water and slice them then cut into small pieces (but be careful not to smash them).  Place the tomato pieces in a serving bowl and gently mix in the herbs, salt, and olive oil.  
Cut the mozzarella into small square pieces and mix in with the tomatoes gently.
That is it, literally that easy and fast but full of flavor.  Love this summer favorite, serve with grilled chicken breasts or together on a crouton
as an appetizer.