pasta Archives - Page 6 of 7 - Lovin' From the Oven

Creamy Avocado Pesto Pasta

March 28, 2013 by kim 4 Comments

I’m so excited that it’s spring. That means we’re one step closer to avocado and watermelon season. Avocado truly is a food of the gods. It tastes great in so many ways! Remember the avocado smoothie I made a while back? Who would have thought that avocados go well in drinks?

It’s a pretty creamy fruit, so I figured mashing it into a pasta sauce would work. It tasted a little bland on its own, but throw in some pesto and you’ve got yourself a winner.

Heck, I even tricked my non-vegetable-or-anything-green-eating-DB into having a couple of bites! He just figured it was plain pesto pasta and gobbled it right up. It wasn’t until he saw the avocado peel sitting on the counter that he realized this wasn’t just pesto pasta and immediately spat out his bite.

Oh well, at least I got one step further than anyone else ever has. My DB ate avocados for the first time in his life!

I don’t understand how anyone can hate avocados. They’re just too good. My DB won’t eat them because they’re green, making them fall into the “vegetable” category even though it’s technically a fruit. What a sad, sad, life he lives.

This pasta is best served immediately, as avocados have the tendency to brown. Just because they’re mashed doesn’t mean that they won’t brown as a sauce. This sauce isn’t meant to be reheated, either (But don’t worry, I’ve tried it and it’s fine. It just browns a bit when you do, which might not be the best served for guests). Shhh… we’ll save the reheating for eating alone in our kitchens.

I could eat this for every meal and be content. Avocado, pesto, and pasta? That’s the secret to happiness!

Creamy Avocado Pesto Pasta

Ingredients

1 avocado, pitted and ripened
1/2 lemon
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon pesto
8 oz pasta of your choice
water to boil the pasta

Directions

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.
While the pasta is cooking, make your sauce by mixing all of the other ingredients in a bowl and mashing it with a fork until smooth. You could also throw everything in a food processor for quicker results.
Drain the pasta. Toss with the sauce and serve immediately.

https://lovintheoven.com/creamy-avocado-pesto-pasta/

Crockpot Beef Stew Marinara Sauce and a Giveaway

January 29, 2013 by kim 65 Comments

I have a problem… I’m addicted to microwave popcorn and I can’t give it up. I know how it’s supposed to be really bad for you and all about “popcorn lung,” but it’s so. so. addicting. It’s the perfect snack that you can eat when you want something salty. It’s light, buttery, and never ending. I don’t feel as bad finishing a whole bag of popcorn as I do finishing a can of Pringles.

I’ve tried the healthier versions that don’t require the microwave bags lined in butter, but it’s not the same. Why would you eat fat free popcorn when movie theater butter is sitting right next to it? I’ve even tried popping my own kernels and adding seasonings to it later: butter seasoning, salt, sugar.. you name it, I’ve tried it.

To no avail. I bought the Costco sized pack of Orville Redenbacher’s movie theater style and that box calls out to me every night. What do I do when I’m catching up on my shows, when the DB is playing video games, or when we watch a movie on Netflix? Eat popcorn. It’s terrible.

I did a little more research and I found out microwave popcorn’s really bad for you. Especially the kind I like. When I asked my DB if consuming 30% of my saturated fat in popcorn a day, his jaw dropped.

He then replied, “That’s for people that consume 2,000 calories a day and I doubt you eat that much…. soooo… it’s probably more like 40-50% for you. Saturated fat isn’t the kind of fat that makes you fat, though. It clogs your arteries.”

How wonderful. I’m going to have a heart attack when I’m 28. Starting today, I’ve decided to give up my favorite snack for a while. Not cut it out completely, but maybe something more like once a week rather than six times a week. I’m sure that’ll be less harmful to my body.

Little do we know how bad the food we eat is. If you don’t know how to read nutrition labels properly, then you could really be misguided. That means I should probably make my own food more, so I know exactly what goes into it.

Throughout this whole “cooking more” stage of my life, I’ve learned that cooking is only as hard as you make it. There’s no need to stress about it, like I have been doing for too long. It’s really not that hard. The rules are a lot more flexible in cooking than baking. There are no precise measurements and it’s very forgiving.

Still, as I get more comfortable cooking, I will never let the crockpot go to waste. I will use that thing until I die. Just look at all the beautiful and taste meals that can come from it!

This dish is very hearty and is definitely made for meat lovers. There’s practically more meat than sauce in this pasta topping. I love adding spinach at the end because I don’t feel as bad eating all that red meat. Ah, the things I do to make up for my bad eating habits…

Crockpot Beef Stew Marinara Sauce

Ingredients

1 pound beef stew
1/2 jar of Trader Joe's Marinara Sauce (13 oz)
1 green bell pepper
1/4 of an onion
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp red pepper
dash of tabasco
handful of spinach

Directions

Put all of the ingredients except for the spinach into a crockpot. Give it a stir.
Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours. Just before serving, stir in a the handful of spinach until it completely withers. Serve over pasta.

https://lovintheoven.com/crockpot-beef-stew-marinara-sauce/

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And now for the giveaway! I’ll be giving away:

This Wilton Baking Sensations 5 Piece Bakeware Set! I know how it was starting to bake… things are expensive! There are so many pans that are “essential” in your kitchen that you can’t do without. This Wilton set will cover your basics. Or, if you already have baking pans, consider this the time for an upgrade.

You’ll be getting two 8 inch round cake pans.

A medium loaf pan.

A 6 cup muffin pan.

and a medium cookie pan.

(Those aren’t the exact links, but they’re the closest I could find online.)

Now for the rules! How to enter:

Leave a comment on the About Me page with a tidbit about yourself. I want to get to know my readers!

For additional entries, you can:

“Pin” this giveaway and come back leaving a separate comment saying you did so.
Become a fan of Lovin’ From the Oven on Facebook (if you aren’t already) and post a separate comment saying you’re a fan.
Tweet this giveaway and post a comment with the link.
Post a Facebook status about this giveaway and link back to this page. Then leave a separate comment with the link.

That’s a grand total of five entries that you can get. This contest will end a week from today, February 5th at 11:59 PM PST, and is only open to US residents. The winner will be chosen at random by random.org. I’ll be combining the comments on the About Me page plus this one to choose the winner from. Don’t forget to leave an email that I can reach you at in case you win. Good luck!!

*This giveaway is solely sponsored by yours truly. Wilton has no idea who I am.*

Skinny Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

January 21, 2013 by kim 11 Comments

Are there a lot of football fans out there? Over the past couple of years, I’ve tried (and I mean really tried) to understand the sport of football. I sat down and watched games with multiple people, all of whom have tried to explain the sport to me. I just don’t get all the first down, second down, gibberish. How many plays can you really run?

Don’t even get me started on the scoring system. You’re telling me that if you can kick the ball into the the fork thing at the end, you can get three points no matter what? Why not just get a really good kicker and kick that thing from far away? Rack up those three points. It’s not like football games are high scoring.

As you can tell, I’m not very into football verbiage. I don’t know what anything means. You’d think that since I played volleyball for ten years, I’d be less inept when it comes to learning other sports. Why is football so hard for me to understand?

I have a point to this topic. I promise.

You see, yesterday, I actually sat through two whole games of football. Not just one… two! That’s really hard for me to do since all I see is people run two feet, stop, and then take a time out. Repeat that whole process numerous times and that’s what I’m envisioning in my head during a game.

Boring, right? But yesterday, the games were amazing! Here you are, thinking one team was going to blow another out of the water and then the complete opposite happens. There were eventful things happening at every minute: people getting physically aggressive, amazing plays, and points were actually being scored.

I even got a little emotionally attached to Ray Lewis. Just a smidgen. He’s one heck of an athlete to watch play.

Who are you rooting for in the Superbowl? I’m rooting for Ray Lewis. Not the Ravens.. just Ray Lewis. I can do that, right?

This recipe is a lighter version of alfredo and uses greek yogurt and skim milk in place of the usual heavy cream. As in every “lighter” plate, you can definitely taste the difference. There’s no heart stopping ingredients. I’m a lover for the full fat dish, but I guess since we’re starting out the new year, we should probably cut back on the fat. Here’s a good way to do it.

Recipe from Celebrations.

Skinny Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

Ingredients

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled and cut into chunks (about 2 cups)
2 cups roasted broccoli florets
8 ounces fettuccine
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup fat-free, low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup plain FAGE Total 0% greek yogurt
1/4 cup skim milk
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Once that is warm, add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, until golden.
Whisk in the flour until smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth, greek yogurt, milk, and pepper.
Bring the mixture to a low boil, stirring constantly. Turn the heat down to low and gently stir until thick, about 3 minutes.
Add in 3/4 cup parmesan, cooked chicken and broccoli to sauce mixture, followed by the cooked pasta. Toss until evenly coated.

https://lovintheoven.com/skinny-chicken-broccoli-alfredo/

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