Wonton Ravioli with Garbanzo Spaghetti Sauce

If I had to write a love letter to a specific type of food, it would probably be pasta.  It's the one thing that I could eat almost everyday, and never get sick of it.  So when I looked at the label on my wonton wrappers, and saw that I could make them into ravioli, I decided to give it a go.

Wonton Ravioli:

 Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups part skim/part whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 8-9 large basil leaves- chopped
• salt and pepper
• 1 egg
• 40-50 wonton wrappers
• 1 cup water

Instructions:

• In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, basil leaves, salt, pepper, and egg. 
• Mix well.
• On a clean surface, line up all of your wonton wrappers.
• Using a spoon, or melon baller, scoop the mixture onto half of the wontons.
• Dip your finger in the water.  Run your wet finger along the edges of the wonton wrapper. 
• Top the scooped wonton wrapper with a plain wonton that has also been lined in water.
• Pinch the wontons together so that they won't open when you boil them.
• Boil them in salted water.
• When they float to the top, they're done.
• This is what they'll look like:

Garbanzo Spaghetti Sauce:

Ingredients:

• my super easy pasta sauce
• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed.
• 5-6 large basil leaves, chopped
• 1tsp crushed garlic
• 1tsp olive oil
• 4 oz frozen spinach, defrosted and drained

Instructions:

• In a medium pan, on medium heat, combine the spinach, garbanzo beans, garlic, and oil.
• Cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the pasta sauce and basil.
• Cook until it becomes one cohesive, well mixed sauce.

Top your pasta and enjoy!

Leftovers Pasta!

After going to the grocery store three times in one week, I made a decision.  With the exception of milk, eggs and bread, I'm not going to go grocery shopping until the fridge is empty.  I want to find out what I can do with the things in my pantry, fridge, freezer and cabinet, and how long I (well, and Kyle and Laela too) can get by without getting crazy bored or just plain stuck with the food that we already have.

You might be thinking that I'm a total weirdo, but think about it for a second.  How much food do we all waste in a week?  A month?  A year?  This isn't about carbon footprints or piles of waste that we have to deal with.  It's about the food.   First, it's recognizing that you can make delicious food out of pretty much nothing (I learned this from my great-grandmother who used to be able to make the most amazing biscuits for ten people with the very minimal ingredients in her pantry).  If mamas and grandmas could make amazing meals with scant supplies during the Depression, can't we try it out?  During these trying and unstable financial times, is it really such a wild food risk to learn to make do with what you've got now and then?  You might be surprised with what you will learn about yourself and your cooking ability.

Second, one of the biggest problems that a lot of us have is laziness.  We get in food ruts.  I say we because everyone does it.  I've done it!  When I lived alone, I went through a phase where I'd make a roast, live on it for a week or two, then make pasta, live on that for another week.  It was easy.  But damn if it didn't get boring from time to time.  So I learned to make lots of different things with the leftovers, or with the extra things in my pantry.  Give yourself a chance to make a little more effort for your dinner.  I'm not saying bust out the French cookbook and spend hours cooking, but try something new with the same old ingredients.  You may surprise yourself!

Let's call this "Leftovers Pasta".

I'm not going to give you the specific ingredients list for this pasta.  Just try using whatever you have on hand.  (If you do want to try out this exact recipe, combine some cooked ground beef, spaghetti sauce, garlic, chopped basil, cannellini beans and pasta.)

I was exhausted when I made this pasta.  We had some leftover spaghetti noodles, some leftover homemade pasta sauce, and some leftover cannellini beans that I had cooked in chicken broth and garlic.  We had some ground beef in the fridge, so I cooked it on medium heat with some salt and pepper.  Once the ground beef was done, I drained the grease, tossed it back in the pan, added the sauce and beans with some of the broth that the cannellini beans were in, and I added some fresh basil (I just ripped it up with my hands, but you can chop it if you'd like).  I let the sauce simmer with the beef and beans for five or ten minutes (the longer it simmers, the better it is, but if you don't have time, it'll still be delicious.)  Once I was ready for it, I added the cooked pasta and topped it with fresh basil.  If you have any parmesan shaker cheese or fresh parmesan, feel freed to add that as well!

Don't be afraid to raid your fridge and re-invent leftovers or old stand-bys.  Toss your leftover spaghetti and sauce in some olive oil with some broccoli for a fun twist, and bake your leftover spaghetti for a change!  You don't always need to run out to the store, rush around like a maniac to get a healthy, delicious meal on the table.  Try something new!  Go for a new food experience!

*My homemade pasta sauce

Super Simple Chicken and Pasta

One of my most favorite meals growing up was chicken parmesan and spaghetti.  There's something comforting about the smell of homemade spaghetti sauce filling the house.  Since it's summertime, I decided to play with my childhood favorite and keep it light with a yummy grilled garlic chicken, rather than fried breaded chicken, and I paired it with homemade spaghetti sauce and thin spaghetti.

Laela really enjoyed her first chicken and spaghetti dinner...

After Kyle called me on his way home from work to tell me it'd been a really long day, I topped his pasta with a ton of shredded parmesan cheese.  I thought this was the perfect time to utilize my brulee torch (yay!), so I lit that sucker up to amp up the "goo factor" of the cheese.  I tried to catch a picture of Kyle eating it, but he ate it so fast I didn't get a chance.  Luckily I snapped a pic before he walked in the door!

I have a feeling spaghetti is going to be one of Laela's favorites too...she didn't seem to get as much of her dinner on her as she normally does! She scarfed it right up!

For the chicken:

1 whole boneless skinless chicken breast

1 tsp chopped garlic (or 2 chopped cloves of garlic)

1/2 tsp onion salt

salt and pepper to taste

2 Tb olive oil

Slice the chicken into 1/4 inch strips.  This will help the chicken cook quickly and evenly, and will also help to keep the portions of the chicken more even.  If you aren't kitchen knife friendly, the absolute easiest way to butcher boneless chicken is to get a pair of really clean, sharp scissors and just cut the chicken into even strips.  Scissors make it easier to trim fat without losing any of the good meat.  In a medium skillet (I prefer cast iron, as it distributes heat more evenly), heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the garlic to the skillet.  Dry the chicken and sprinkle the seasoning on each side.  The typical rule of thumb for chicken strips is three minutes per side, but if they seem to be cooking quicker (the chicken will start turnign a white "cooked color" up the sides), flip them and when you can touch it and it's firm to the touch or bounces back at you, it's done.

I like to make my own pasta sauce, but if you don't feel up to it, that's more of a personal choice.  This recipe yields quite a bit, and is extremely easy to freeze.  I love to put it in individual containers in the freezer, so I always have extra on hand!

Super Easy Tomato Sauce

(1) 29 can tomato puree

(1) 29 oz can tomato sauce

(1) 6 oz can tomato paste

2 tsp garlic, finely chopped (4 cloves)

1 Tb olive oil

2 Tb Italian seasoning (if you like it very seasoned, feel free to add more)

1 Tb sugar

2 Tb onion powder

Water

Salt and Pepper to taste

Place a medium sized pot on medium-low heat, and add the oil and garlic.  When you can see that the pot is beginning to heat up, stir in the italian seasoning, onion powder, and tomato paste with the garlic and oil.  Next add the sauce and puree.  After they have been added, fill each can with water and add to the pot.  Stir all of the remaining ingredients in the pot.  If you have any fresh herbs, such as basil, thyme, italian parsley, or rosemary, add them to taste.  This is one of those things that the longer it cooks, the better it tastes, but it still tastes pretty great if you only cook it for ten-twenty minutes.

I've got to be honest, this is the SUPER easy version.  The version I make for my family is a bit of a secret that a girlfriend of mine gave me, and I'm pretty sure Carly would chop off my head if I gave it to the general public.  So all of my Italian friends out there, stop slapping me with your culinary dirty looks, this version is still a heck of a lot better than jarred sauce (and let's be honest, a lot easier than Grandma's recipe)!

All you need now is some pasta.  I'm a sucker for angel hair and thin spaghetti, but you can use just about any kind of pasta you can think of.  It's not even bad with rice, but I'm one of those people that would eat just about anything with rice.

Lastly, if you're feeling cheesy, slap some on top of your chicken and pasta and bust out the blow torch!  (or pop it in the microwave until the cheese melts).

Happy eating!  And as usual, if you have any questions, just ask!  I promise this recipe is easy enough for ANYONE  to make!!