Chicken Pesto Pasta

Pesto is such a versatile ingredient. You can use it on sadwiches, pastas, sauces, and many other things. The best part about it, is pesto makes any meal taste like you took hours to prepare it. Here's a short and quick recipe for a pesto meal, that if you have the pesto pre-made, can be whipped up in 15 minutes.

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts
1 box pasta
Basil pesto (I buy mine at Costco)
Parmesan cheese to top (optional)

Directions:

Boil the pasta in a medium sauce pan. Meanwhile, cut the chicken into strips and fry with some olive oil.

When the pasta is finished and the chicken is cooked through, mix the pasta, chicken, and pesto together. You can easily eye how much pesto you'll need. Put a little pesto in and mix. If needed, add more.

You can serve the pasta with some sourdough bread, and a vegetable to make a complete meal.

Roma Tomatoes and Pasta with a Cream Cheese Sauce

Roma tomatoes and pasta is one of my most favorite recipes. I love anything with pasta in it, and adding tomatoes and cheese makes it heavenly. I also favor this meal because I can whip it out in 15 minutes or less. If you cook something enough you will become so good at it that you won't have to hang over the cook book anymore. When you've perfected a recipe you can usually cut the time it takes to prepare in half.

Anyways, here's the recipe for a very easy, and simple pasta dish:

Oven: 400 | Servings: 4

Ingredients:
1 box of farfalle (or bow tie) pasta

4 roma tomatoes diced
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. basil flakes
1 tsp. sugar
salt and pepper to taste

1, 8 oz box of cream cheese
1 C. milk
1/4 C. freshly grated parmesan cheese.

2 chicken breasts cut into strips

Bring a medium size sauce pan full of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook about 5-6 minutes until aldante. You want this pasta to be more on the firm side because it will soften in the oven.

While the pasta is cooking heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the tomatoes and fry for about 2 minutes. Add the basil, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste (usually about 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper). Let simmer for 5 minutes until most (but not all) of the moisture is gone.

While the tomatoes are cooking, in a blender or food processor, blend the cream cheese, milk, and parmesan. You want it to the consistency of a a melted Wendy's frosty. If it is too thick add more milk. If it is too thin add more cream cheese.

If you'd like to add chicken you can stir fry the strips in a little bit of olive oil with salt and pepper.

Put the pasta in a casserole dish. Cover with cream cheese sauce. Mix half of the tomatoes in with the pasta and use the other half to top the pasta. Sprinkle dish with basil and Parmesan.

Cook in the oven for 8 minutes or until the top just starts to dry out.

Chicken Quesadillas

This is one of my most favorite meals. These quesadillas are tasty and pretty easy to make. They don't require a lot of spices, and you can use the leftovers for quite a few days. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 C. rice
2 C. water
1 tsp. salt

2 large chicken breasts
1 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs. chile powder
2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (Optional. Add more or less depending on how spicy you like it.)
salt and pepper to taste

shredded cheddar cheese
flour tortillas
salsa (optional)

Bring water to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Add the salt and the rice. Let the rice simmer covered for about 20 minutes or until it has absorbed all the water and is soft to eat.

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan. Add chicken and cook stirring often. Once chicken is cooked all the way through add chile powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Fry for about 2 minutes until spices are fragrant.

Top tortialls with rice, chicken, cheese. Cook quesadilla on a skillet. Add salsa if desired.

How to Cut an Onion

Chopping onions can be hard. They make you cry so you can't see, and sometimes it takes a long time to chop it into lots of small finite pieces.

I found this video the other day that does a great job demonstrating how to correctly chop an onion. Once you do it this way you'll never go back.

Broccoli Quesadillas

I love these broccoli quesadillas. Not only because they taste great, but also because they are so easy to make. Anytime I'm short on time but need to eat something, this is a great go-to. They're healthy, tasty, and quick. Whenever I make these I use uncooked tortillas. They can be found at most any grocery store. These tortillas are delicious. Once I started using them I couldn't go back to the pre-cooked. They taste fresher and better than any tortillas I've had (unless you're using homemade). They have corn, flour, and whole-wheat flour tortillas that come in this style. I've used the whole-wheat and although it would give you the necessary grains the tortilla didn't taste nearly as good, and they all stuck together and ripped when pulled apart, so I spent a lot of time pinching them back together. I would recommend the usual white flour for this recipe.

Ingredients:

Uncooked tortillas

Mozzarella cheese

Broccoli

Spinach

Directions:

Prepare your tortilla with the mozzarella on the bottom. Add the broccoli and spinach. Cook on a non-stick skillet. Serve while hot.

Basmati Rice

Basmati Rice goes perfectly with the Indian curry in the post before. There are so many ways that you can prepare it that you'll never get bored either. You can cook rice in water (and only water) just fine. It will come out tasting just like rice. But, you can also cook rice in various (easy) ways that will make it taste much, much better than if you had done water alone. Here is what I recommend for basmati rice:

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. butter
1/4 C. finely chopped onions
1 C. basmati rice
1 1/2 C. chicken (or vegetable) broth
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

In a sauce pan with a lid, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the onions and saute until translucent or soft.

Add the rice and cook stirring for about 30 seconds. Add the broth, zest, bay leaf, Tabasco sauce, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.

Simmer over low heat covered for 17 minutes. Be careful that it doesn't boil over. Uncover, remove bay leaf. Add remaining butter and stir until melted. Enjoy!

Chicken Tikka Masala

I'll be honest, this recipe is more complex than any of my other ones. It will probably require a couple of new items at the grocery store, and it will take time. But, it is so delicious that it's worth it. Also, it's one of those meals that you get better and quicker at making the more you do it. If you want to impress somebody, make an Indian curry. It looks, smells, and tastes beautifully. So, here's the how:

Time prep: 45 minutes | Time cook: 45 minutes | Serves 4 easily

Ingredients

Marinade:
1 cup plain yogurt, whisked until smooth
3 tablespoons Ginger-Garlic Paste, recipe follows (or 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger and 3 cloves garlic put through a garlic press or finely minced)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, poked with a fork, and cut into large bite-sized chunks

Sauce:
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup Ginger-Garlic Paste, recipe follows (or 6 cloves garlic and 2-inch thumb ginger minced)
2 serrano peppers, minced (seeds removed if you don't want it spicy)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 teaspoons paprika
8 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 to 2 cups water
Oil, for grilling
1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves (optional)
1/2 cup heavy cream
Minced fresh cilantro, for garnish
Cooked rice (I like to use basmati)

Naan or pita bread butter and warmed in a frying pan.

Directions

For the marinade: In a large bowl, mix together the marinade ingredients. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Marinate at least 30 minutes, or in the refrigerator up to overnight.

For the sauce: When you're ready to make the curry, place a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil and butter. When the butter has melted, add the Ginger-Garlic Paste and serrano peppers. Sauté until lightly browned around the edges. Add the tomato paste and cook until the tomato has darkened in color, about 3 minutes. Add the garam masala and the paprika and sauté for about 1 minute to draw out their flavors.

Add the tomatoes, salt, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, and cook until thickened, about 20 minutes. You may need more water depending on how much liquid the tomatoes give off.

Meanwhile, fire up your grill (if you don't have a grill you can just fry it in a frying pan). When it is nice and hot, lightly brush it with oil. Place the chicken on the grill, shaking off some of the excess marinade. Cook until it's charred, about 2 minutes on each side. (Don't worry that the chicken will still be a little uncooked, it finishes cooking in the sauce).

Pour the sauce into a blender or food processor, or use an immersion blender, and process until smooth. Pour back into the skillet and bring back up to a boil. Add the chicken and fenugreek leaves, if using. Take the heat down to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the cream and stir through. Garnish with minced fresh cilantro, and serve over rice, with naan, or a crusty piece of bread!

Ginger-Garlic Paste:
Throw the garlic, ginger, and canola oil in a mini-food processor and let it go until it forms a semi-smooth paste. There will still be tiny little pieces in there, but overall, it should resemble a paste.

You can save any that you have left over in a jar. IT should keep for about 2 weeks.

Garlic Hands?

While garlic may smell good in the frying pan, it doesn't smell too great when it's on your hands. The worst part about garlic hands? The smell seems to never go away. No matter how many times  you wash and wash your hands, that garlic sticks to them.

My mom taught me this trick a few years back, and I've used it ever since. After cutting up the garlic, or onion, go and wash your hands. Rub your hands with a stainless steel spoon and the smell will leave. I'm not sure why or how, but it works.

The other day I was at the store and saw a magic spoon for sell. You rubbed it on your hands while washing them, and the garlic smell "magically disappeared." It was just a stainless steel spoon. So, no need to go and spend $8 on a magic spoon. Just pull one from the drawer. As long as it's stainless steel it'll do the magic for you!

Pork Chipotle Tacos

I found this great recipe for tacos on one of my favorite cooking blogs: alexandracooks.com
So I decided to make it, but I changed just a couple of things. First, I used pork not chicken. Second, I simplified it. No making your own tortillas or chicken stock. (If you'd like to look at her version-which really isn't too different-just click here.)

One great thing about Tacos is they are so versatile. Unlike baked goods, you can changed ingredients, add whatever you choose and it will probably still taste good. To top off the tacos I used avocado, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese. Anything else you like on a taco? Add it.

Ingredients:

1 lb. of pork shoulder shredded
2 tbs. olive oil
1/2 white onion, sliced
1/2 small can of chipotles in adobo sauce
1 1/2 C. crushed tomatoes (I used diced and then pureed them in a blender)
2 C. pork  stock (you can use chicken, beef, or vegetable here too.)
1 bunch cilantro chopped

Flour or corn tortillas to serve
To Top:
cheese: cheddar, mozzarella, monterey jack, etc.
1 head of lettuce
1 avocado sliced
1 tomato sliced
1 lime sliced into wedges

Directions:

Place pork shoulder in a large pot and add water about half-way up the shoulder. Cover and bring to a low boil. Allow the pork to cook all the way through. Remove from water (saving the water for the stock) and shred. Set aside.

While the pork is cooking make the sauce. In a large saute pan heat the oil. Add the onion along with some salt to flavor. Saute until it is translucent and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 the can of chipotles. Include 3-4 chiles or more if you like it spicy. Stir and let simmer for about 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and stock.

Add the shredded pork to the sauce and allow the sauce to simmer boiling off most of the moisture. Once it has reached your desired thickness it is ready to serve. Make your tacos with the toppings of your choice.

Guacamole

Guacamole is such an easy to make, and easy to eat side dish. I love having it in the fridge to pull out as a healthy snack; and putting it along with a meal makes the meal feel much more complete. The downside to Guacamole is that it quickly goes bad. I love it, but it's hard to eat it all in time. Luckily, there are a few tips to making it last just a day or two longer.

First, Guacamole and air do not mix. So make sure you have it in a tightly sealed container. I will even take plastic wrap and press it down against the guacamole and out over the sides of the dish. It works as a double protection. Secondly, leaving the pit in the guacamole will also help it stay better for longer. You can double or even triple this recipe. I made it small enough to feed one or two people as this blog is centered around those living on their own.

Prep time 15 minutes | Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 Avocado
1 Tomato
1/4 of an onion
1 1/2 tsp. of Lemon of Lime Juice (or to taste)
1 dash of Tabasco Sauce or Cayenne Pepper (more if you like it a little spicy)
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Directions:

Cut the avocado in half and then using a knife get the pit out. I will hit the blade of the knife into the avocado and twist. Sometimes this doesn't work if the avocado isn't quite ripe. Be careful not to cut yourself, I've done it plenty of times and it is not fun. If the knife doesn't work, work around it with the spoon. Once you've got the avocado out of the shell smash it with a fork in a medium bowl.

Chop the tomato. Chop the onion into small pieces. Add to the avocado. Add the lemon or lime juice (I like lime best) Tabasco sauce, and salt and pepper. Mix. Now you're ready to eat it with chips or serve along side that taco salad!

Taco Salad

If there's one thing I love, it's Mexican food. Anything with beans, rice, and deliciously marinated meat is my kind of meal. One of the best parts about living in Utah is there are plenty of absolutely, wonderful Mexican restaurants. But, as a college student eating out isn't always an option. So why not make it? This taco salad recipe is easy, healthy, and yummy. I also love how you don't need all kinds of crazy spices, and random ingredients to make this. All in all, it's a great recipe.

Cook time: 10 min. | Prep time: 20 | Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lb. Ground Beef (preferably lean)
1/2 large onion
1 pkg. of Taco Seasoning
2 cans Black or Kidney Beans (I used one of each)
1 can whole corn kernels
Toppings:
Tortilla Chips
1 head of Romaine Lettuce (washed and cut)
1 head of Red Leaf Lettuce (washed and cut)
2 Tomatoes
2 Avocados
Grated Cheddar Cheese (to garnish)

Directions:

Saute the onion with the raw ground beef at medium high heat. Cook until the ground beef is thoroughly cooked through. You can drain the oil from the ground beef in a colander, though I will sometimes keep it for flavor.

Put the ground beef back into the pan and on the stove on medium heat. Add the taco seasoning and mix (Sometimes I will only add half a package if it looks like it will be too much). Add the beans, draining only one can. Drain the corn then add to ground beef and beans. Let the ground beef mixture simmer for about 10 minutes before serving.

While the ground beef mixture is simmering cut and wash the lettuce. Chop the tomato and avocado and grate the cheese. Serve everything separately with the lettuce, tomato, avocado, and cheese as toppings.

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts are often viewed as a as the scum of the vegetable world. As a kid I remember reading in children’s books about other kids who hated to eat two things: lima beans and Brussels sprouts. Consequently I just thought that I would naturally hate those two vegetables.

Little did I know, that the bitter, nasty mini cabbages I had read about did not need to be bitter and nasty after all. Brussels sprouts can be made in so many different ways, each of which leaves you with a delicious (and sometimes sweet) deep green vegetable that you can add to any classic American meal.

 I've made Brussels sprouts a couple of different ways (and there are so many more ways than just these two). The first time I roasted them it was with a balsamic vinegar glaze and Parmesan cheese to top . But this time I decided to caramelize them to add a little more sweetness. Though the balsamic was good, I think caramelizing wins. It's quick, and it's easy. Here's the deets:

Oven 400° F | Makes 5-6 servings

Prep time: 10 min | Cook Time: 30 min.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. Brussels sprouts

1 large onion

1/4 C. olive or canola oil (canola oil cooks better at higher temperatures, so I would recommend canola)

2 Tbs. brown sugar

2 tsp. Salt

1/2 t. Black pepper 

Directions:

Trim and wash the Brussels sprouts, then cut into halves, set aside. Cut the onion into large wedges by (1) cutting it in half (2) cut the halves in half (3) cut those halves into long strips.

Next, mix the oil, sugar, salt and pepper. Combine this mixture with the Brussels sprouts and the onion in a large boil. Coat well.

Cover a baking pan with tin foil to place the Brussels sprouts on. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes (maybe 40 if your oven cooks at a lower temperature) stirring every 10 minutes. Brussels sprouts should be a dark green, with parts golden brown or brown. Serve when hot.

Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing

It's hot, it's sunny, and it's summer. One of my most favorite foods during the summer is Pasta Salad. One of the best things about pasta salad is there are so many different ways it can be prepared. My favorite way is the simplest way. It was my brother Jon who gave me this recipe about a year ago and I haven't stopped making it since.

It's a simple pasta salad that includes the standard vegetables with a simple Italian Dressing. I prefer to use a pre-made Italian dressing because of the flavor, but if you want to go traditional you can do olive oil and red wine vinegar instead.

Ingredients:

1 box of Pasta (You can use whatever kind you choose, I prefer Farfalle or Penne) 

Italian Dressing

1 Cucumber

3 Tomatoes

1 Red Bell Pepper

1 small can of pre-sliced olives (you can slice your own here too)

Shredded Parmigiano Reggiano to taste

Ham - optional

First cook your pasta. For an entire box I'll use a medium or large size sauce pan. Fill it a little more than 2/3 full with water. Salt your water to add flavor to the pasta. Once the water is boiling put in your pasta and let it cook (stirring occasionally) for about 7 minutes, or until aldante.

While the pasta is cooking chop up the cucumber, tomatoes, and pepper into small bite-size pieces. Set aside. If you're using ham slice it up into bite sized pieces and mix it with the pasta along with the other vegetables.

When the pasta is done drain it in a colander and rinse under cold water until the pasta is no longer hot, but instead cold. Transfer the pasta into a medium size mixing bowl. Combine all of the vegetables with the pasta. Add the Italian dressing (or oil and vinegar if you're using it) and mix. I will usually add about 1/3-1/2 cup of the dressing and then add more if it seems a little dry.

As a finishing touch you can add some shredded Parmigiano Reggiano (or any parmesan cheese) to add a little more flavor. If you won't be eating the salad right away you can put it in the fridge to cool even more.

Why Food?

I love food. I also love to cook, but more than that I love to eat really great food. That is why, when one of my professors said that we would be keeping a blog for one of my college courses I knew that mine would have something to do with food.

As a college student, I realize that cooking good and healthy meals can be almost impossible. It's hard when feeding yourself is your only motivator to cooking. Being single, young, and busy is not a good recipe for healthy eating.

Nam Tok (beef waterfall) - A delicious and spicy Thai dish

This blog is dedicated to helping students like myself eat delicious and wholesome meals. These will be meals that don't have 25, hard-to-find ingredients; or instructions so complicated and long that it takes up your whole evening to prepare. Here you can find simple, easy-to-make, meals that will help you to keep going through those papers, midterms, and finals.

So here's to eating healthy, and even more importantly, eating great tasting food. Bon appetit!