Tomato and Basil Pasta with Goat Cheese

  

Sometimes simple really is best. My original plans had been for grilled pizza with a pesto sauce, but as it reached the time to get dinner started, I found myself lacking in motivation. The idea of hauling out both the mixer, for the dough, and the food processor, for the pesto, suddenly seemed much less appealing than hanging out on the back deck in the sunshine and drinking a cold beer.

I remembered a recipe I'd torn out of Living magazine last summer, that was simply hot pasta tossed in a garlicy olive oil, with hand-torn tomatoes, soft cheese and basil leaves scattered on top. It's no more difficult than boiling water, but in its simplicity, the handful of fresh ingredients get their chance to really shine. The recipe originally calls for burrata cheese or fresh mozzarella, but I thought my use of goat cheese instead was perfect. I was lucky enough to have pretty decent tomatoes, but I know this would be even more awesome later this summer when they at their peak.  

Tomato and Basil Pasta with Goat Cheese
adapted from Living, August 2010
serves 2-4, depending on portion size (We had ours along with chicken sausage on the side)

4 cups uncooked short pasta (I used multigrain rotini)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 fat cloves garlic, pressed
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
2 medium-large ripe tomatoes
2 oz goat cheese
1/2 cup small basil leaves or if large, cut into ribbons or torn

Cook pasta in salted water, according to package directions. While pasta cooks, mix together oil and garlic in a measuring cup. Add about 1/4 teaspoon salt and several good grinds of pepper and set aside. Over a medium bowl, tear tomatoes into pieces using your hands, catching juices. Sprinkle lightly with salt and set aside.

When pasta is finished cooking, drain well and transfer to serving bowl. Pour garlic and oil mixture over top and toss to combine. Scatter tomatoes over pasta, crumble goat cheese and top with basil. Finish with additional freshly ground pepper.

Bulgur with Chickpeas, Tomato and Goat Cheese

This was one of those spur of the moment meals that wound up being quite lovely. There were limited fresh vegetables in the house but a well stocked pantry of a variety grains and beans. We've been enjoying bulgur lately, so I wanted to make something with that and our ever favorite chickpeas.

I tried quickly to find a recipe using both, but most seemed to be a summery warm/room temperature salad where the bulgur was cooked separately and then tossed with the other ingredients, or the heartier ones were flavored with spices I wasn't in the mood for that day. I just wanted something simple and comforting, and I wanted to cook the bulgur with the other ingredients so it would really absorb those flavors. I decided to wing it, and it came out exactly like I was imagining.

I didn't buy parsley this week at the market, because I've hardly been using it the past few weeks and I feel guilty tossing out a basically untouched bunch. (Naturally though, I could've used it often this week.) I used some dried, but I can only imagine fresh would make this even better. Goat cheese finished this off wonderfully (and I think feta would be nice too) but it would also be good just by itself. This is an easy, healthy weeknight meal, that reheated nicely for lunch the next day.

Bulgur with Chickpeas, Tomato and Goat Cheese

serves 3-4 as a meal

1 T olive oil

1/2 large chopped yellow onion (about 1 cup)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup red bulgur

1 1/4 cup vegetable stock

1 (14.5 oz) can of diced petite tomatoes

1 (15.5 oz) can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 tsp dried parsley (or 2 tbsp fresh)

kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

goat cheese, for serving

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Add onion and cook until becoming soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in bulgur and toast for several minutes, stirring frequently.

Add stock, tomatoes, dried parsley, chickpeas and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine and bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until bulgur is soft and liquid is absorbed.

Stir in lemon juice and top each serving with desired amount of crumbled goat cheese.

Symon Sundays: Mac and Cheese with Roasted Chicken, Goat Cheese and Rosemary

Procrastination has always seemed to work in my favor. Or at least that's what I tell myself. (I like to believe I work well under pressure, but I'm pretty sure my husband would say other wise.) On any rate, you won't catch me doing things ahead very often. That hospital bag you are supposed to have packed weeks before your due date? I packed mine through my contractions right before we left to go to the hospital. (And my pregnancy went full term.) Shopping for a birthday or shower gift? I'm most likely to hit Target on the way to the party. And preparing my dishes for Symon Sundays? Despite my thinking ahead, they always seem to get done last minute.

However, this week is the exception. I'm a floral desinger, and with Mother's Day coming, I'm going to be pretty busy. But I wanted to make sure I didn't miss out on this mac and cheese, since I love using goat cheese as a base for pasta. Joanne picked this one, and of all the things we've made from Live to Cook, I found this one to be the most simple, in terms of ingredients, and the least complicated to prepare. Sage said it was perhaps his favorite of Symon Sunday recipe so far, and I think Beckett agreed. For once we didn't have to to bribe him to finish his dinner.

Since this isn't the healthiest of dishes, I halved it and made a few changes. My grocery doesn't carry a whole wheat or multi-grain rigatoni, so I went with a penne instead. I also used half and half instead of the heavy cream. I know when reducing it, you should use heavy cream, but I couldn't justify the extra fat. It worked fine, I just had to alter the cooking times a bit. It was a little dry after I stirred in the penne, but a few tablespoons pasta water did the trick.

The only thing I wished we'd done differently was to have bigger pieces of chicken. I picked up a rotisserie chicken for this, and since handling chicken on the bone is something that creeps me out, Sage did it for me. I was picturing bigger shreds, but he finely shredded it. Texture wise, I think it would be better in slightly larger chunks. It was still yummy though, and made for a nice dinner when paired with roasted broccoli.

Mac and Cheese with Roasted Chicken, Goat Cheese and Rosemary

adapted from Live to Eat, Michael Symons, 3-4 servings

1 pint (2 cups) half and half

1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

kosher salt

1/2 lb dried multi-grain pasta (such as penne, rigatoni, etc.)

4 oz goat cheese

1 cup shredded roast chicken

In a saucepan over high heat, add the half and half, rosemary and 1/4 tsp salt. Bring just to a simmer, then lower to medium and reduce the mixture by half.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, add pasta, and cook until al dente. Drain.

Add goat cheese and chicken to half and half, once reduced, and bring the mixture back to a simmer. Continue cooking until it coats back of spoon, about 15 minutes.

Toss cooked pasta with sauce.

Penne with Goat Cheese-Tomato Sauce

The funny thing about this recipe is that it took seeing it a second time to capture my interest. I was checking out a blog I'd never visited before, Pleasure Cooker, when I saw this pasta dish she'd dubbed "Heaven on a Plate." It was originally from Elly Says Opa, a blog I frequent often, and I wondered how I could've missed such a delicious looking recipe. I realized I'd seen it before, but I can't understand why I didn't jump to make it immediately. I mean it has so many of my favorite things- chicken sausage, goat cheese, pasta, mushrooms, and peas.

This was soooo yummy. Sage, who would rather have feta or blue cheese anyday over goat cheese, loved it as a creamy base to this pasta. A little while after dinner, he came up and thanked me again for such a delicious dinner. And my little guy, who is a very light eater, asked for seconds. This made enough for the three of us for dinner with well as a lunch sized portion left over.

I made some changes, mostly tweaking of quanities and slight substitutions. I scaled back the amount of pasta and the sauce ingredients, but left the vegetables pretty much the same, which worked perfectly. Instead of hot Italian chicken sausage, I subbed spinach & asaigo ones (which I sliced instead of crumbled,) used petite diced tomatoes instead of crushed, and dried basil instead of fresh. I also sped up the cook time since we were hungry. It was easy to make, and adapted well to my changes.

adapted from Elly Says Opa
7 oz. whole wheat penne pasta
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 links chicken sausage, sliced
1/2 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/4 tsp. (or to taste) crushed red pepper flakes (omitted and used at the table)
1 (14.5 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes, with juice
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
2 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until browned. Add the onion and saute for about 2 minutes before adding the mushrooms and garlic. Once the mushrooms and onions are tender, add the tomato paste and red pepper flakes. (If needed, deglaze pan using a few splashes of wine or broth. I didn't need to do this.)

Add the tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.Add the peas and heat through for a minute or two. Stir in the basil and the goat cheese. Remove from the heat and continue stirring until the goat cheese has melted into the sauce. Season to taste if necessary and combine with the cooked pasta.

Apple-Walnut Salad with Cranberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

Sometimes I will have dinner all figured out, and then right before I start making it, change my mind completely. This was one from one of those nights. I wasn't feeling too good and didn't really feel like cooking- or eating- a big dinner, and suddenly a salad just sounded wonderful.

A half bag of cranberries in the crisper drawer inspired me make a dressing, and then walnuts and apples just seemed like a logical addition. The outcome was a very tasty salad. It reminded me somewhat of a Martha's Vineyard salad, which from our favorite New York style pizza place has the most amazing homemade whipped raspberry dressing. I tend to think of that salad as summery, but using apples instead of pears and cranberry dressing for the raspberry gave a decidedly Fall feeling.

I loved the earthiness of the greens and walnuts, paired with the sweet apples and the very tart dressing. I do think this would've been better with goat cheese instead of the reduced-fat feta. Not that flavor was wrong, I just think the creaminess of the goat cheese would've added so much.

Cranberry Balsamic Vinaigrette (yeilds 1 cup)
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp honey
3 tbsp basalmic dressing
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp apple juice
pinch or two of kosher salt

Bring cranberries and water to boil in small saucepan. Boil 5 minutes, reduce heat and simmer another 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. (Or cool, and blend in a mini processor.) Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the salad assembly: I used several handfuls of spring mix, about a 1/4 of a apple (sliced thin,) a handful of toasted, chopped walnuts, and a sprinkle of crumbled feta (but suggest goat cheese) per individual dinner sized serving. Drizzle with Cranberry Balsamic Dressing.

Sausage Mushroom Pizza with Carmelized Onions & Goat Cheese

Contrary to what this lousy photo would lead you to believe, this was an absolutely fantastic pizza. I actually shot this picture of the one remaining slice the next day, since the sun had set by the time we ate and the pictures came out dark. This one isn't much better, but I loved this pizza and wanted to share it anyways.

I probably should be calling this Carmelized Onion-Goat Cheese Pizza with Sausage and Mushrooms, because the onions and cheese are definitely the primary flavors, which is fine with me! Sage (who's favorite pizza toppings are mushrooms and sausage) wasn't quite as thrilled- because as he puts it: he likes goat cheese, he does not love goat cheese. So of course, he liked this, but did not love it. Beckett however really enjoyed it. I have to admit, it makes me happy to see my child eating a pizza with carmelized onions and goat cheese on a homemade whole wheat crust. When I was a kid, we either had delivery from somewhere like Dominoes or Dinos, or probably more often, those frozen Totino's Party Pizzas, which I remember was like eating like a cardboard frisbee. Hopefully, my kid will never had to eat one of those, or if he does at a friend's house, he will think they are dreadful compared to Mom's homemade ones.

2 tbsp butter
1 large sweet onion, sliced
1 pizza dough ball (I used half of this recipe and froze the other half)
1/2 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1/4 cup shredded mozarella cheese (I used an Italian blend)
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 link turkey sweet Italian sausage
2 oz. goat cheese

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Saute onions for 25-30 minutes or until beginning to carmelize. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Roll out pizza dough on lightly floured surface, and transfer to pizza pan or baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove crust from oven, top with thin layer of tomato paste, shredded cheese and mushrooms.

Open casing of sausage at one end, and carefully pinch the ground meat in very small pieces evenly over other toppings. (If you prefer to have the sausage in slices, it will need to be fully cook it first.) Top with onions and crumbled goat cheese.

Bake for 10 minutes or until sausage is cooked through.

Sun-dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Spread

I'm not much of a snacker (or daytime eater for that matter- and yes, I know its horrible for my metabolism, but I just don't get hungry until late afternoon) but the other day I found myself really wanting a snack. And something that felt like a splurge, so my only real choice, a rice cake with peanut butter, wasn't going to cut it. I started scrounging the fridge and this is what I came up with.

It was so good that I am going to have to make it the next time we have friends over. This only made a small amount so I'll probably double or triple it. The first time I ate it with crisps I made with sun-dried polenta from a tube, but I also had it on stoned wheat crackers. Both were good but I'd probably say it went better on crackers and since that's less work, that's how I'll serve it for guests. I also won't eat the entire thing myself over the matter of days...

2 oz. goat cheese
1 tbsp lite cream cheese
1 tbsp good quality olive oil
1/8 tsp garlic powder
pinch of kosher salt
several grinds of pepper
3 sundried tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 basil leaves, torn

1. Combine all ingredients in a small processor. Chill until ready to serve.

Sun-dried Tomato, Goat Cheese and Chicken Sausage Calzone

To use up the other half of the pizza dough I made the other night, I wanted to try making a calzone. Not surprisingly, my inspiration for this came from A Year in the Kitchen. (Yes, I realize I cite this blog for a lot of the recipes I've been trying out, but with well over 700 posts of food I really love, its hard not to!) She had a calzone with ricotta, goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. Oddly enough, I had all of these things on hand. It sounded wonderful!

I did choose to substitute chicken sausage for the chicken, just because I thought it would be really good. I was right; Sage loved this. I think his words were: This is flippin' delicious! In fact, he said he liked it even better than the pizza the other night. It was toddler approved as well. I did use half the amount of goat cheese since I was also having some on our salad and a little less ricotta and tomatoes because I thought my dough ball seemed a little small. Since the sausage is fully cooked, I didn't bother browning it first. This was easy to make and oh so good! I will be experimenting with my own calzone fillings in the future!

adapted from Chicken Bada Bing Calzone, A Year in the Kitchen

1/2 batch of pizza dough (I used this one)

2 chicken sausage, diced (I used sun-dried tomato)

1 cup part-skim ricotta
1 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
8 sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

Marinara for dipping

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Combine goat cheese, ricotta and mozzarella in a bowl. Fold in tomatoes, spices, and diced sausage.

3. Roll out pizza dough on a floured surface. (I don't have a rolling pin, so I just used my fingers to gently push it into a round shape.) Place on a pizza pan or baking sheet, spread ricotta mixture over half, fold the other half over. Crimp edges to seal. Brush with olive oil and place in the oven.
4. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden and puffed. Serve with marinara for dipping.

Pear, Avocado and Goat Cheese Salad with Honey Basalmic Vinaigrette

This salad came out of the need to use up some things. I knew I needed to make a salad because I had lettuce than needed to be eaten. Then I found a pear in the bottom of the crisper and I had an avocado getting close to being past its prime. So I come up with a dressing, and I thought it was really nice on this simple salad.

I liked the combination of pear and avocado with the goat cheese- definitely not components I would typically put together, but they worked wonderfully! I realize romaine is not the ideal choice for this, but it was what I had and was just fine. There are all kinds of greens which would be great in this. I was going to top this with toasted walnuts, but I was multi-tasking in the kitchen and forgot about them and burned them. And by that, I mean completely blackened them! Oh well, the salad was still delicious without!

3-4 cups of your choice of salad greens

1 pear, sliced

1 avocado, diced

1 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

dressing:

3 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp basalmic vinegar

1 tbsp plus 2 tsps honey

2 tsp finely chopped fresh parsely

sea salt and fresh ground pepper

1. Wisk all dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Place in a container with a tight fitting lid, and refrigerate until ready to use. Shake before using.

2. In a serving bowl, arrange salad ingredients. Drizzle with desire amount of dressing when ready to serve.

Spinach Stuffed Salmon

I made the decision that we will no longer be eating farm raised fish in our household. At the grocery, there weren't many options for wild fish available so I went with salmon. I've only began eating it in the past year or so, and it needs to have some kind of sauce for me.

This recipe is something I put together using elements of lots of different salmon recipes I've come across. I wasn't sure if it would be a trainwreck of competing flavors, but it was absolutely delicious! With the cheese and butter it's not the healthiest meal I could've fixed, especially since the fish is naturally high in cholesterol, but its occasionally okay to indulge a little! We even splurged with a little white rice.

Serves two

1/2 lb. Wild Sockeye Salmon Filet

filling:

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp garlic, minced

1 cup fresh spinach leaves

1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled

1/2 tbsp seasoned breadcrumbs

1/4 tsp lemon pepper

sea salt and fresh ground pepper

topping

1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp shredded parmesan

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cut a slit in the piece of salmon about 2/3 through, being carefully not to cut all of the way through. Place fish in a glass baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.

3. In a saute pan, heat oil. Add garlic, saute 1 minute, then add spinach, saute for another minute or two until spinach is wilted.

4. In a small bowl, combine spinach with goat cheese, breadcrumbs and seasonings. Mix well and stuff inside of salmon.

5. In a seperate small bowl, blend butter, mustard and parmesan. Brush on top of fish.

6. Bake for about 14 minutes, or until fish flakes with a fork and spinach mixture is heated through.

Artichoke, Mushroom & Goat Cheese Pizza

The other night was a rarity- Sage and I actually went out on a Saturday night. For a quick and easy dinner, that wouldn't make us feel too full, I made a pizza. I used a Boboli crust, but next time we have pizza, I am going to attempt making my own.

This was delicious, light yet full of flavor. I would've put fresh basil on it, but I didn't go my usual grocery store and they were out. I also realized after it was in the oven, that I had fresh spinach that would've been great on this as well. Next time I will probably use a little heavier hand with the toppings, but I wasn't sure if it would be overwelming. I sauteed the mushrooms and garlic in wine, but I don't think it added much, and the mushrooms don't need to be pre-cooked, so I'd most likely skip it next time.

Whole Wheat Boboli Crust
olive oil
4 Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp white wine
1 Roma tomato, sliced very thin
1/2 of a 6 oz. jar of marinated artichoke hearts, drained and halved
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
basalmic vinegar
1/2 tsp dried basil (or use fresh)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Brush crust with a light coat of olive oil.
2. Sautee mushrooms and garlic in wine, until liquid is cooked out, about 5 minutes.
3. Arrange tomato slices evenly over pizza crust. Next top with mushrooms and garlic, then artichoke pieces, then goat cheese. Drizzle basalmic vinegar all over pizza and spinkle with basil
4. Cook for 10 minutes.

Tortellini Pasta Salad

I don't have a picture of this recipe because I forgot to take one. I was in a hurry, and then there wasn't any left over from the cookout I went to, but honestly it wasn't that beautiful anyhow. But it was really good! I didn't give myself proper time to make it, so it didn't get the chance to chill all the way. My goat cheese melted instead of staying crumbly, making it look messy, and the basalmic I used made it a little dingy. Who cares though?

It was so tasty and well received despite its aesthetic flaws. I will make this again for sure, but probably not all the time, because I think spending around $25 for a side dish (and I even had some ingredients already) is a bit too much. I've adapted a recipe I found on the terrific blog A Year in the Kitchen just a little. I think I may add a few dashes of hot sauce next time, and reduce the amount of bell peppers or leave out the green completely.


2 bags (1 lb. ea) frozen tri-colored tortellini
1 english cucumber, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
3/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
1 15 oz. can artichoke hearts, quartered
1 small (2.25 oz.) black olives
4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

dressing:
1/2 c. balsamic vinegar
1/4 c. olive oil
1 tsp. dried parsley
2 tbsp. fresh chopped oregano leaves
2 tbsp fresh chopped basil leaves
salt and pepper
1 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

1. Cook tortellini according to package directions.
2. Blend dressing ingredients, pour over tortellini while still warm. Refrigerate until chilled.
3. Add diced vegetables, olives and artichokes, toss, top with goat cheese and gently stir to combine. Serve chilled.