Pasta Aglio e Olio

I have been so obsessed with a new YouTube channel I found called Binging with Babish. Have you seen it? Are you also obsessed? Are you also a fan of Frasier?

Even though I'm vegetarian, and a lot of the dishes he makes are meat-centric, I can't help but watch in a trance-like state. I love watching people cook in general, but I'm especially in love with this channel. It's stylish, and funny, and everything he makes looks so good...well maybe not the Milk Steak, but everything else...okay, maybe not the Grilled Charlie...you know what? Maybe just stay away from any foods thought up by the Always Sunny team 😩.

Anyway, he recreates the Pasta Aglio e Olio from the movie Chef with John Favreau and I thought "YES!!! Something I can make!"

Was it as good as it looked?

Yes.

Should you make it?

Also yes.

I just made a couple of changes to it - adding zucchini noodles, mainly because I wanted to try out my new Veggetti (so excited!), and reduced the amount of olive oil I used, because weight loss reason. So good, and I already want to make it again.

Let's get started!

Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich on Herbed Ciabatta Bread

I don't know why, but for some reason I'm all about eggplant when I'm at the store, but then dread actually cooking it once I get home. Even though it's not that hard to cook, usually it just ends up sitting in the hospice section of my vegetable drawer, along with a couple of rooting carrots and a few wilted celery sticks, until covered with brown spots. In fact, I'd already had this eggplant in my refrigerator for several days by the time I made this recipe, because I couldn't decide what I wanted to do with it. But I was NOT going to let this one die a lonely death in the fridge, dang it! Not like the others. But what to make?? I thought about roasting it somehow, or grilling it maybe. Then I decided I wanted to do something with a kind of eggplant Parmesan vibe. I had picked up some really yummy looking ciabatta bread and a new pasta sauce I wanted to try out on another shopping trip, so I put it all together with some mozzarella cheese and fresh basil, and created this delicious brainchild.

I'm sure it's probably not the first time it's been done, but it was super delicious. I'm also very proud of myself for not letting this eggplant bite the dust. RIP previous eggplants. Hopefully you've been made into something yummy in eggplant heaven.

Roasted Veggie Lasagna with Creamy Pesto Sauce

Have you ever made something so delicious that you thought you may never be able to top it? Like you might as well hang up your apron and call it a day? This was that recipe for me. Legitimately, this might be the best thing I've ever made; and it's the kind of recipe I get really excited to share with you, because I know it's really good. My husband even said he wished people could taste it through their screen, which is high praise coming from my own little food critic.

When I first started working out this recipe, I decided that I wanted to do something a little different. I knew I wanted to use a creamy pesto sauce instead of the standard marinara, but I also didn't want to leave out tomatoes completely, plus I really wanted to have something at least a little green in there. Fast forward through several Pinterest inspiration scrollings and I decided to try adding some yummy roasted veggies to the mix. I used a recipe I've been making a lot lately (see info below), which served to really balance out all of the creamy goodness going on, and it turned out to be the perfect compliment. I'm absolutely sure you'll love it, and I hope you'll share in the comments below if you do! Let's get started.

Roasted Tomato Crostini with Pesto and Red Pepper Hummus

I'm so excited to share this recipe with you after such a long break. I've had a lot of changes in the last couple of years, including a new job and a brand new baby boy, the light of my life, who will turn 4 months old in just a couple of weeks. I've been busy, very busy, and exhausted, but finally see the dust beginning to settle a little. For the first time in ages, I actually feel inspired to make new recipes and share them. Cooking has always been a big creative outlet for me, and with the demands of being a new mom, I find it gives me a little piece of ME back...a no-makeup, spit-up covered me, but me nonetheless.

This recipe combines some of my most favorite things: bread (I could and often do just live on bread), hummus, and roasted tomatoes. I've been on a roasted veggie kick since right before having the baby. I wanted a way to keep up on eating healthy without spending a ton of time, and have taken to roasting a bunch of different veggies on the weekend and then reheating throughout the week. Roasted tomatoes are one of my favorites and are a great way to add flavor and freshness to pasta, burritos, rice, what-have-you, so when I came across THIS recipe on Recipe Runner via Pinterest I got really excited. I like to make my own hummus, and roasted my tomatoes a little differently, so here's my take on it.

Peppers Stuffed with Couscous & Veggie Sausage

Lately it seems like I’ve had zero energy when I get home. I feel all kinds of motivated on my drive home, thinking about all the cleaning, cooking, and general productiveness I’m going to accomplish; but the second I kick off my shoes and put on my comfy clothes, all of that is pretty much out the lounge-loving, internet-surfing window. But today I found the solution…caffeine! Ha ha

I’ve been excited to make these peppers for a while now, so I took advantage of my sudden burst of energy and decided to finally give it a try. I used flavored couscous and Italian veggie sausages to make it easy, and even used baking time to do the dishes AND a load of laundry. That means I don’t have to be productive for the rest of the week, right?

By the way, I apologize for the bad pictures – I was hungry and impatient!

Pasta Malafemmina

Although fall is just around the corner, inspiring visions of the pumpkin pies, simmering soups, and steaming cups of hot chocolate to come, summer is still very much clinging on, outside as well as inside my kitchen. Usually I am ready for fall within the first couple of weeks of the sweltering Central Valley summer, but this time I'm holding on a bit - mainly because I'm still enjoying the myriad of produce the summer brings.

Indeed, I'm not quite ready to give up my favorites, such as the beautiful red, yellow, and orange tomatoes I used for this dish. But, luckily, I still have a few more weeks to get my fill before jumping headfirst into fall!

This recipe was inspired by a pasta dish I had while in Italy (Check it out here!). The original dish I had was literally one of the best things I've ever eaten in my life. I didn't know exactly what went into it, but I of course wanted to try it out as soon as I got home. I knew the original had a very light tomato sauce, which was probably more olive oil than tomato, so I started there. Then I added in a healthy helping of capers, some kalamata olives, and a few other ingredients I discerned from taste and picture. It turned out very yummy!

Breaded Eggplant Mini Pizzas with Homemade Sauce

What a wonderful few days this has been! It’s amazing what just a week’s time can do to change the seasons of our lives. Not only has the actual season turned from summer to fall (my favorite time of year!), but I also got a new job that I know I will love, after months of searching and hoping. As I write this blog post with a purring cat curled up on my lap, an oversized sweater keeping me cozy, and a bright outlook for the near future, I feel content (now someone knock on wood, so I don’t jinx it!).

And in honor of my contentment, I present to you: Eggplant Mini Pizzas! Because they are sure to make your bellies content…okay, not the best segue, I admit; but they are really tasty, and they did make my belly quite happy! 

Pesto Cheese Stuffed Shells with Mushrooms & Spinach

This recipe definitely has me wondering why I have never tried making stuffed shells before. I’ve had them previously in the form of those frozen, low fat/low calorie/low taste meals meant to torture dieters (if you are not familiar with these, then I am sincerely happy for you), but never anything like this. Just thinking about the deliciousness I’ve missed out on gives me pangs of remorse, but I digress. 

I had several ideas for the filling, but was inspired by a pesto chicken version I saw recently on What's Cookin, Chicago?; plus I still had plenty of pesto left over from those Monster Veggie Sandwiches I just made, so that pretty much sealed the deal. On a side note, the pesto turns the filling a fun shade of green, which makes them look like little stuffed ninja turtles…I’m not sure if this is bad or awesome.

Veggie Lasagna with Roasted Tomato Sauce

I’ve wanted to make vegetarian lasagna for quite a while now and finally found the time and, somehow, had all of the ingredients in my kitchen at the same time! Crazy! Really the idea for this came in stages. I often peruse different sites, magazines and cookbooks for potential recipes that I can modify to my liking and style of cooking, and when I came across this Roasted Tomato Sauce recipe, the ideas started flowing. I’ve also been in a serious casseroly/leftovery mood lately, so lasagna was a great fit.