Boil the pasta according to box. Drain well.  Add to the pasta, shrimp, parsley, pepper and artichoke hearts. Mix lemon juice with mayonnaise. Mix into the pasta evenly. Garnish with toasted Almonds.

Serves 6

Blend in in a blender or food processor and set aside.

Ingredients
1 block tempeh (cubed)
1/2 can artichoke hearts (I had to use the rest of the left overs from last night)
2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 bunch of fresh asparagus (I only use the tips)
2 large handfuls fresh spinach (or as much as you want)
1/2 pound cooked whole wheat pasta (I used thin spagetti)
1 T olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable broth

Brown tempeh in a large pan using the olive oil. Add mushrooms, artichoke hearts, asparagus and vegetable broth and saute for a few minutes before adding spinach. Now you can do the rest two ways, you can toss the pasta in the pesto and top with the veggies or you can throw the whole thing in one pot and toss with the pesto. I chose option two and added a little salt and pepper.

Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 50 min
Makes: 4-1/2 cups or 36 servings, 2 Tbsp. each

• 1-1/2 cups KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
• 1 can (1 lb. 3 oz.) asparagus spears, drained, chopped
• 1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained
• 1 can (8-1/2 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained, chopped
• 1 container (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Chive & Onion Cream Cheese Spread
• 1/2 cup KRAFT Real Mayo Mayonnaise

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Reserve 1/4 cup Parmesan; set aside.
2. Mix remaining Parmesan with remaining ingredients; spoon into 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with reserved Parmesan.
3. Bake 35 min. or until dip is heated through and top is lightly browned. Serve with WHEAT THINS Crackers or assorted cut-up fresh vegetables.

**Personal Review: No Review Yet**

1 package Perdue Short Cuts Carved Chicken Breast, Grilled Italian Style
8 ounces bow tie pasta
1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1 jar (7 ounces) roasted red peppers, drained and coarsely chopped
1/3 cup vinaigrette dressing with Parmesan cheese

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta and return to saucepan. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and let stand 5 minutes or until chicken is warmed through.

Source: perdue

I felt like a bum for skipping the gym most of last week, but I just couldn't bring myself to go on Friday, either. So I ran some errands on foot and came home to make a reasonably healthy dinner. Here's some Turkey Ragout (French = Fancy!) from Clean Eating. I think I've talked before about how much I love this magazine, even though I will always associate it with being stuck in the Kansas City airport two days before Christmas, crying because we ran off the road in snow and missed our flight, and I was convinced we weren't going to make it home for the holidays. The fact that I overcame that is a testament to my love. That love, paired with mentioning it six or eight hundred times a week, resulted in a two-year subscription as a birthday gift. Thanks, Matt!

Anyway, this was good. And, apparently, clean:

It called for turkey breast cutlets, which I've never cooked with before, but might try to do more in the future. Mostly because they were so much cheaper than chicken. And all natural! Other than that, mushrooms, tomatoes, zucchini, and lots of spices. It's thick like a stew. I did some serious internet research and found out that ragout can be paired with noodles, so I decided to throw a grain in there. I made some bulgur because, when it comes to bulgur, our cup (or grain container) runneth over.

Yesterday I went to kickboxing and then I never left the house again. It was a football Saturday and I had a good book and I just couldn't bear to go out. I know I had dinner, but it must have been really especially unremarkable, because I didn't even bother to take a picture. I do know that whatever it was, it was just a stop gap between reading and dessert. I got these cookies and cream ice cream bars at the grocery store and I couldn't wait to try them.

Today we actually did some minor labor, including laundry and spending bundles of gift card money at Target on fun things left on our registry. Then I went to yoga and came home and we made this colorful meal:

This is from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home, and I loved it. I'll definitely be trying more recipes from that gem. This was braised fish with artichoke hearts and red peppers. There's some tilapia under there, it's just hard to see. It was really rich and tasty but still healthy. Mollie Katzen is pretty much a genius.

And now, it's time for me to figure out more ways to not do anything.

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. dried rosemary

dash red pepper

salt

pepper

lemon juice

10-12 small artichoke hearts

1/2 head of broccoli

2 medium carrots

1 small red bell pepper

Mix olive oil with oregano, rosemary, red pepper, and salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. Pour into a small serving bowl and set in the middle of a platter.  Prepare the vegetables. Cut the broccoli into small florets and set aside. Peel the carrots and cut lengthwise into sticks. Set aside. Remove the stem from the pepper and cut in half. Remove the seeds and membrane from the pepper and cut each half lengthwise into strips. Arrange the artichoke hearts, broccoli florets, carrot sticks and pepper strips in groups around the olive oil. Enjoy by dipping vegetables into the seasoned olive oil, either with your fingers, toothpicks, or small forks. If you don't gobble up all of the pinzimonio, try sauteing the leftover vegetables in the remaining oil. Serve hot as a side dish, cold as an antipasto, or mix with pasta and top with grated cheese and serve as an entree.

More pinzimonio ideas from the web:

Big Oven

Cooking with Patty

Italian Food at About.com

I made this antipasto salad for our potluck because it’s a simple dish and a real crowd pleaser. My mom found the recipe in the Giada De Laurentiis “Everyday Pasta” cookbook.  I modified the recipe by using whole wheat pasta and adding marinated artichoke hearts and sundried tomatoes in place of the roasted red peppers.  This antipasto salad is great on those summer nights when it’s too hot to use the oven!

Antipasto Salad
Copyright, 2007, Everyday Pasta, All Rights Reserved

Red Wine Vinaigrette:
1 bunch fresh basil, stemmed and leaves chopped (about 2 cups)
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Antipasto Salad:
1 pound fusilli pasta (I used whole wheat rotelle pasta)
½ cup hard salami, cut into strips (about 3 ounces)
¼ cup provolone cheese, cut into strips
¼ cup grated Asiago cheese
2 tablespoons green olives, halved and pitted
2 tablespoons roasted red peppers, cut into strips (I used sun dried tomatoes and marinated artichoke hearts)
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Vinaigrette:
In a blender, add the basil, vinegar, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper.  Blend until the herbs are finely chopped.  With the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil until the dressing is smooth.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.  Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Drain pasta.

In a large bowl, toss together the cooked pasta with the remaining salad ingredients.  Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat.  Serve.

Posted by Ashley Paul

I found this recipe stashed in the recipe box from my secret sister. It looks so yummy. With a can of artichoke's in the pantry it seems the easy answer to tonights what-to-cook-for-supper dilemma.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (15 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped or 14 oz jar

• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 3/4 cup of real mayonnaise

• 2 Cloves of Crushed (I used Minced) Garlic

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions:

If time permits marinate the chicken in the artichoke juice for several hours.

Preheat oven to�425 degrees F

In a medium bowl, mix together the artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, and garlic.

Place chicken in a greased baking dish, and cover evenly with artichoke mixture.

Bake, uncovered, for�20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink in the center and juices run clear, or until brown and bubbly.

Try it. Let me know what you think!

Photo by Corey Ann

Artichoke and Roasted Red Pepper Stuffed Chicken Breasts

4 chicken breast halves
1/2 cup canned artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/3 cup roasted red peppers, chopped*
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 T chopped fresh Italian parsley and more for garnish if desired
fresh garlic cloves (to taste preference)
Olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Combine artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and 2T parsley in a small bowl.
3. Cut a lengthwise pocket into each chicken breast
4. Stuff chicken breasts with the filling and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper
5. Coat the surface of a large ovenproof** saute pan with olive oil and heat on medium-high.
6. Place chicken breasts in the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes. Turn gently and cook other side for 3-4 minutes.
7. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.
8. Transfer chicken and pan juices to plates and garnish with chopped parsley.

*if you're buying the canned variety, take a look at what they're packed in, some are packed in oil and some are in water - I strongly prefer the water packed ones)
**If your pan isn't oven proof, just be sure to cover any plastic handles with tinfoil before placing in the oven.

 This recipe is also delicious with a little bit of chopped or shredded cheese added to the artichoke and pepper mixture! Be sure not to overcook the chicken in the oven, if you do the cheese will just melt into the pan.

We're trying to watch our wallets and our weight here, so I buy a lot of produce at the farmers market so we have good healthy vegetables, and today I was shopping at Sam's and came across a huge batch of boneless pork back ribs and thought, "hm, I bet I can do something with that." I'd been planning some marinating and some braising, but by the time I got home, it was time to find something quick to do for dinner. It wound up taking an hour, but it was worth it.

Sauteed Pork (serves 3; we provide leftovers for an injured friend on Mondays, and I always want them to be good leftovers) (original recipe from Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything"... it was for pork chops)

8 boneless back pork ribs
fresh ground sea salt and mixed peppercorns
2 T olive oil
1/2 c vermouth (original recipe called for dry white wine; this was as close as I could get)
1 tsp minced garlic (original says "or 2 T minced shallot, onion, or scallion)
1/2 c water (original says "or chicken, beef, or vegetable stock)
1 T wine vinegar (original says "or freshly squeezed lemon juice, which I might try next time)
a handful of fresh sage leaves, chopped

1 small eggplant
1 red bell pepper
1/4 corno di toro pepper
1 15-oz can broad beans (butter beans or limas)
1 15-oz can cannelini beans

Sprinkle the ribs with salt and pepper. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat for 2 or 3 minute.s Add 2 T olive oil; as soon as the first wisps of smoke rise from the oil, add the chops and turn the heat to high. Brown the ribs on all sides, moving them around to develop good color all over. The entire browning process should take no longer than 4 minutes, and preferably less.

Reduce heat to medium. Add vermouth and garlic and cook, turning meat once or twice until wine is all but evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 c water, turn to low, and cover. Cook 10 to 15 minutes, turning meat once or twice, until meat is tender but not dry. When done, they will be firm to the touch, juices will run just slightly pink, and when you cut into them (which you should do if you're at all unsure of their doneness), the color will be rosy at first glance but quickly turn pale.

(this is where I switch to one of the Eight Ways provided by Mark Bittman, Sauteed With Onions and Peppers, which I change quite a bit)

Leaving everything else in the pan, remove the meat to a preheated oven to warm. Sprinkle chopped sage over before closing oven.

To pan juices, add 1 small eggplant, diced; 1 red bell pepper, diced, and 1/4 corno di toro pepper, minced. Stir, re-cover pan, and cook 5 minutes over medium heat. Remove cover and cook, stirring, until vegs are softened and beginning to brown, about 5 more minutes. Add 1 can broad beans and 1 can cannelini beans, both drained. Moisten with 1/2 c water (or stock), then cook til most liquid is absorbed. Splash wine vinegar over; taste and correct for salt if need be. Keep warm over lowest heat, stirring occasionally.

If you wind up waiting for salad or pasta to be finished, add pork to pan for final warming on low.

Cucumber Tomato Artichoke Salad:
2 medium to large pickling cucumbers (large relative to other pickling cucumbers)
1 medium to large tomato
1/2 can quartered artichoke hearts packed in water
fresh basil
feta cheese
Steen's cane vinegar

Chop cucumbers; chop tomato. Halve quartered artichoke hearts to make eighthed hearts. Combine in bowl; sprinkle lightly with fresh ground sea salt and cane vinegar. Chiffonade basil; sprinkle over, them add feta cheese to taste (we always add rather a lot). Mix.

Pasta
How wonderful it would be to use fresh noodles, or almost-fresh noodles, but instead we assayed "al denteTM All-Natural Carba-Nada Lemon Pepper Fettucine Noodles" ... which were not that bad. Cook your favorite pasta as you like; serve.

We were going to have fresh blueberries and vanilla yogurt for dessert, but life intervened in the form of someone coming by to buy a bed we'd listed on Craigslist and it got too late.

Chef's sustenance
Cherry tomatoes out of the bowl... diet tonic water with lime

Chef's soundtrack
Donovan, "Jersey Thursday" * Doc Watson, "Cotton Eyed Joe" * Joan Osborne, "Make You Feel My Love" * Stevie Ray Vaughan, "Love Struck Baby" * Joe Henry, "Angels" * Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grappelli, "Tiger Rag" * Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Maps" * David Bowie, "Heroes" (Live at The Bridge School Concert) * Jimi Hendrix, "May This Be Love" * The Smiths, "Back to the Old House" * Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd, "Desafinado" * Sparklehorse, "Don't Take My Sunshine Away" * The Smiths, "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby" * Sting, "I Burn For You" * Fleetwood Mac, "Oh Well, Part 1" * Royskopp, "Remind Me" * Suzy Bogguss, "Comes Love" * Stereolab, "Percolator"

How did it turn out?
I really liked it. It wound up being more work than I'd anticipated, and I always resist "remove from the pan you just got all dirty by cooking into a whole new pan that will get all dirty, just to sit and keep warm in," but I'm glad I did. I really really wish I'd been able to have fresh noodles. And I will spend the rest of my cooking life trying to make sure I can replicate that salad. Not a drop of oil, just the slight maceration from salting the cukes and tomatoes, and a few shakes of cane vinegar, mixing with the feta cheese, and it was wonderful.

Would I make it again?
Yes, even with low-carb pasta.

Ingredients:

Frozen artichoke hears

Cherry tomatoes

 Vegetable broth

Egg whites

Crumbled goat cheese

Basil

Salt/pepper/herbs to taste

How you do it:

Put some frozen artichokes and cherry tomatoes in a pan.  Cook at a medium heat with the vegetable broth, until the artichokes are mostly unfrozen and the broth has evaporated.  Add egg whites and basil, and seasoning.  Cook it all up, and at the last minute put the goat cheese on top. Lower the heat and put the lid on for a while until the cheese gets melty.  Serve in a bowl with bread. Top with salsa or whatever you like on omelettes.

Source: Bumblebee.com

Ingredients:
1 can (6 oz.) BUMBLE BEE Chunk Light or Chunk White Tuna in water
3 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
1 jar (12 oz.) marinated artichoke hearts, quartered
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 package (9 oz.) refrigerated cheese or spinach tortellini
1 can ( 2 1/2 oz.) sliced black olives, drained

Directions:
Drain and flake tuna. In a small bowl, sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon lemon juice; toss gently. To make lemon dressing, in separate bowl, drain liquid from artichoke hearts, reserving hearts. Whisk 2 Tablespoons lemon juice and parsley into liquid; set aside. Cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain in colander, rinse with cold water; drain thoroughly. Combine tortellini, olives, tuna and artichoke hearts in serving bowl. Add enough lemon dressing to coat ingredients. Toss gently; cover and chill.

Other Tidbits:
Makes 4-6 Servings

Ingredients:

• 2 Pillsbury Pie Crusts (though i would have topped it with 2 more and I'll make my own next time?)
• 3/4 lb. ground beef (i like it organic & really lean - at least 90/10)
• 4-5 small red potatoes (cut in small squares so they cook faster)
• 1 small/med onion -finely chopped
• 1-2 garlic cloves -smashed and finely diced
• 1 cup [frozen or fresh] peas
• 1 cup [frozen or fresh] green peppers (I would have loved to have yellow and/or orange)
• 1/2 cup [frozen or fresh] corn
• 1 cup [frozen or in a jar] artichoke hearts
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup shredded cheese (I use a Mexican blend for more flavorful cheese) + 1-1.5 cups (yes, i looove cheese) for topping (or skip it and top with crusts)
• 1/4 cup Parmesan
• salt, pepper, other seasoning salts to taste (i.e. celery salt, garlic salt, etc. - i dash a little of it all!)
• enough oil to brown meat and sautée vegetables

Preparation:

• Pre-heat oven to 375°F
• Brown meat in med-high heat, add seasoning salt & pepper
• Line your Pyrex or butter it, then place your crusts
• Add onions and garlic - mix around till fragrant
• Add potatoes (and I'd add carrots and broccoli now if I had them) and turn heat down to med-low
• Keep adding veggies to the pan (peppers, corn, artichokes and peas in my case)
• Mix and continue to season (I season every time I add something else, pretty much :P) letting them cook a little by covering them with a lid for about 10 more minutes or so, then turn off
• In a bowl, combine cheeses & sour cream
• Fold mixture into meat & veggies once the meat mix has cooled off a little bit
• Happy dumping into the pyrex! Spread evenly
• Since I had no other crusts to top it, I added a whole layer of cheese as its topping. :P (If topping with crusts, don't forget to brush them with some egg to make them shiny and poke them with a fork to let them breathe)
• Bake at 375°F for about 20-25 minutes? I broiled at the end to gratinize (or to get the crust golden. Clearly, i achieved a darker tone, more like charcoal!:-O )

I'm hesitant to post the photograph (as I just think my food photographing skills just plain suck)...

But just to let it be a learning opp for someone else - it don't have to be purty to be reeeeal tasty!  Also, it's pretty versatile. You can use any veggie combo and even add cranberries or raisins (I just forgot them). Listed under vegetarian b/c you can easily replace the beef with TVP, seitan, or whatever you may fancy. As far as being soy-free, just be sure the [commercial] pie crusts and seasonings don't have it hidden?

Hope you enjoy!! :)

Emma, Bill & I did!  Max said he doesn't like "meat pie" and won't even go near it this time around, but funny how I remember him eating 2 bowlfuls of it the last time I made it!