Avocado Pesto

For at least 8 months I have been suffering from terrible stomach pains, cramping, nausea and a whole slew of other symptoms that make me not so happy.  Originally, I thought it was because of wheat, due to a soft pretzel experience I had. Then I had a very similar experience with a cup of Dairy Queen ice cream.  I have started to make my rounds to every type of doctor out there.  In the meantime, I decided to cut out the two things that I have found to give me my worst pain.  So far it has been going well and I feel a lot better (until I slip and eat butter toffee peanuts).  I am not saying this for a pity party; I am just explaining why a lot of my recent entries have been geared the way that they are. 

This recipe is no different!  It is gluten and dairy free.  I got part of this recipe from detoxinista, part from our family recipe for pesto and then I changed it up to add a few more elements that I thought would be good!

What you need:

• 2 c. Basil
• 2 c. Parsley
• 3 Cloves of Garlic
• 1/3 c. Pine Nuts
• 1 Avocado 
• 1/4 c. Olive Oil
•  1 tbs. Lemon Juice
• Salt & Pepper to taste

In a food processor, combine all the ingredients.

 

One thing I forgot to do is toast the pine nuts before adding them into the mix.  DUMMY!  Walnuts would also be really yummy in here.

 

Adjust the flavors to what you would like.  I love the freshness of lemon, but I know some people aren't fans, do what makes you happy!  The one positive I will say is that your avocado won't get brown and icky looking the next day if you use it.

A lot of other recipes for pesto call for a lot more olive oil than I used.  I don't like my pesto overly oily, plus I like to cut out fat where I can.

Start by pulsing to get everything going and then turn it on until all the ingredients are incorporated into an almost smooth sauce.  It'll still be a little "gritty".

 

Your sauce is now complete!  Do a taste test and see if you would like to add anything.  During my taste test, I wanted more salt and a bit more pepper.  I made gluten-free pasta to go with my sauce.

I cooked the pasta according to the directions on the bag.  Before I drained the pasta I reserved a coffee cup of the starchy cooking water to add back in later.

Add your sauce to your drained pasta and give it a good stir to combine.

Add some of the starchy cooking water to thin out the pesto.  I added back in about 1/4 cup.

Give it one more good stir and you are ready to serve!

The avocado adds a nice creaminess since there is no cheese.  I am used to pesto that has a TON of cheese in it!  It is my families way is to add more cheese then a recipe actually calls for.  I do have to admit that I miss the cheese.  Mike added parmesan to the top and he said it was really good!  

You could also use this sauce on meats or stir it into roasted veggies.

 

Enjoy!

Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna Roll-ups with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

I didn't start to LOVE to cook until college.  For whatever reason (I still haven't figured it out), I started watching Food Network non-stop.  My favorite personality at the time was Rachael Ray; she still holds a spot in my cooking heart.  She made these lasagna roll-ups and I have been hooked ever since.  It is still my mom's favorite meal that I have ever made for her.  Since she was coming over, I decided to resurrect this old favorite! 

What You Need:

• 9 lasagna noodles
• 2-3 tbs olive oil
• crushed red pepper (a couple of shakes)
• 1 medium onion
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• 1 pint cremini mushrooms (baby portabella)
• 16 oz frozen spinach (defrosted)
• 15 oz of part skim ricotta
• 1 c chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 8 oz gorgonzola
• 1/2 c half and half
• 2 c mozzarella
• salt and pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the lasagna noodles as directed on the box (al dente).  When done, drain the water and rinse the noodles under cold water to stop the cooking process.

Dice up the onion and the garlic.

Dice up the mushroom. 

In a skillet, over medium-high head, add the olive oil and a couple shakes of the red pepper flakes.  When the oil is heated, add in the onions and garlic.  Saute for 3 minutes.

Add in the mushrooms and cook for another 7 minutes.  The mushrooms will brown and the onions will become nice and soft.

Add in the defrosted spinach and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add in ricotta

Stir to incorporate and heat through (about a minute).  Salt and pepper to taste.

In a separate pot add in chicken broth and bring to a boil.

When it boils, add in the gorgonzola.  Stir occasionally to work out all the clumps.

When the cheese is incorporated well, add in the half and half.  Cook for about 3 minutes to thicken.

Lay the lasagna noodles out on a clean work surface.  Try to divide the spinach mixture in 9ths while still in the skillet.  This will guarantee that each noodle gets the right amount!  Spread the spinach mixture on to the lasagna noodle.  

Be generous!  It ends up being a thick layer.

Starting at one end of the noodle, start to roll towards the other.

Be gentle, you don't want to squeeze all of the filling our of the end.

Roll until the seam is completely closed.

Place, standing upright, in a 9x9 baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

You can see all the layers of yumminess circling around in there!

Pour the gorgonzola cream sauce all over the top, dumping right into each roll.

The cream sauce will puddle in each roll-up and gather around the foot of the roll-ups.

Top with all of the mozzarella

and bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and browned.

The sauce at the bottom will be come hot and bubbly!

Scoop out the roll-ups and spoon some of the gorgonzola sauce over top.

Mom had to have two roll-ups!

and she is UBER happy right now!

Mike has never had this meal before and he loved it!

We finished every bite!  This is such a great change from traditional meat lasagna.  The gorgonzola isn't overpowering.  All the flavors go really well together!

One last picture to leave you with...

Ya gotta love him!

Tex Mex Mac and Cheese

Mike played in a softball tournament all day on Saturday.  He must have had a Colie moment blond moment and didn't take anything with him to eat...all day!  So, around 3 I get a phone call "What are we having for dinner?".  Bugger...I didn't think that far, I was too wrapped up in the marathon of "Kourtney and Kim take New York".  I asked him what he would want but, he said "whatever you want babe".  Well that drives me nuts because then I go frantic.  But, after looking through the cabinets and seeing a small can of green chilies, I was inspired.  It was a cold day and with Mike being in the elements all day, I felt a warm comfort meal was in order.  I decided to make Tex-Mex Mac and Cheese.  This was going to be a "wing-it" recipe, shoot from the hip.  I am happy to announce that this was not a flop!  It actually turned out really well.  It was nice and spicy to warm Mike from the inside out!

What you need:

• 1 box of your favorite macaroni pasta (I used whole wheat shells)
• 2 lbs ground beef (roughly two lbs, mine was a little less)
• 1onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 pack of taco seasoning
• 1 c water
• 2 tbs butter (or margarine)
• 2 tbs flour
• 2 c milk
• 2 1/2 c grated colby jack cheese (cheddar would be yummy too)
• 1/3 c jalapenos (if you don't like it spicy use less or admit all together)
• 1 sm can green chilies
• tortilla chips

Boil water in a large pot for the pasta.  Get it started now because it takes SO long to get up to a boil!

Dice up the onion and garlic (try not to cry...it'll be okay)

Put into a greased (I just used PAM but, you can use oil) large skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook for roughly 4 minutes or until slightly soften.

Add the ground beef to the party and cook until you see no more pink.

kinda looks like dog food...

Drain any excess fat and put back on the stove.  Add the taco seasoning and the water.  Turn the heat onto low and stir occasionally.  Now it is time for the cheese sauce!

Melt the butter in a med/large pot.

Add the flour and stir to mix.

The mixture will turn the consistency of play-doh.  Cook for two minutes, stirring often.

Slowly add the milk as you whisk.  Do it in stages, if you add the milk all at once you will have a lumpy roux (that would be no beuno!)

Add the cheese 1/2 cup at a time, don't add the next cup until the cheese is completely blended in. 

Doing figure 8's in your sauce pan helps prevent lumps and gives you a really nice consistency.

When the pasta is cooked to al dente, drain and put back into the large pot.

Now it gets messy!  Add the cheese and the beef into the pasta pot...

Dice the jalapenos 

Add the green chilies and the jalapenos to the messy mix.  Stir well to combine.

That is a delicious looking slop pot!

Put into a casserole dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.

Top with 1/2 c of cheese (or go wild and use more, cheese never hurt anyone!). 

crumble about 15 tortilla chips and place on top

Put into a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes or until all the cheese is melted and bubbly!

This is a good spin on an old classic.  Mac and Cheese is one of those recipes that are really fun to play with the ingredients.  Once you have the basic steps down, the possibilities are endless!

The tortilla chips add a really nice crunch to the dish.  I like the different textures and flavors going on here.

My hungry man was very happy with this meal!  We ate a LOT of it too!  But, we couldn't finish it so, we had it for leftovers a few days later.  I just stuck it back in the oven for about 25-30 minutes and it was delicious!  The tortilla chips stayed crunch too!  I thought they were going to be a soggy mess but, they proved me wrong!

Enjoy!