Creamy Pumpkin Pasta

Here's a quick weeknight dinner that's creamy, delicious and vegetarian. Oh, and ready in under 30 minutes!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tbsps butter

3 tsps minced garlic

1 1/2 cups pumpkin purée (keep packets frozen in freezer for these kind of recipes)

1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 tbsp tomato paste

1/4 tsp chili powder

pinch cayenne

1/8 tsp turmeric

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp dry basil

1 tbsp cold water

1 tbsp cornstarch

3 tbsp 10% cream (half and half coffee cream)

2 cups or about 10 oz ditali pasta

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Start to cook the pasta as per package directions. Then in a large saucepan melt the butter and add the garlic, heating for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Pour in the pumpkin purée, broth, tomato paste and seasonings. Whisk the cold water and cornstarch together and stir into the pot. Stir together, bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer the sauce 10 minutes, whisking occasionally, until it begins to thicken. You may want to add a tablespoon or 2 of pasta water, but that's optional. Once the sauce has simmered add the cream and heat through. Toss in the cooked and drained ditali. Finally mix in the mozzarella cheese until it's melted.

Serve with more cracked black pepper and basil or parsley.

Serves 3-4

Find more hotandcoldrunningmom on Pinterest. You can scan the pincode below with your phone if you're on a desktop. If you're on a phone just screenshot it, go to the Pinterest app, click camera. Then instead of taking a pic use the option to use one of your photos. Click on the screenshot you just took and go right to my Pinterest profile where you can follow me 🙂

Cod en Papillote

Perfectly tender steamed fish everytime! Don't have cod? You can always substitute with salmon or halibut.

Ingredients:

5 cod fillets

1 lemon, sliced

5 pieces of pineapple bark (or more lemon)

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsps olive oil

2-3 tsps capers

Old Bay seasoning to taste

First, line a baking sheet with parchment and/or foil. If you are using a large enough piece of parchment to completely enclose and seal the fish in then that is fine. Otherwise place a sheet of foil on the pan, then the parchment packet, then another sheet of foil large enough to pinch all the edges together. Usually en papillote would have you making an individual packet for each piece of fish but I figured one big packet would do the trick!

About pineapple bark, I always keep the bark sliced off of fresh pineapple in the freezer for just this use. However, you can use more lemon slices if you don't have pineapple bark. Either way the fish is kept moist and tasty.

Lay pineapple bark or lemon on the parchment, top with the cod fillets. Whisk the lemon juice and olive oil together and pour over each fillet, sprinkle capers and Old Bay to taste then top with lemon slices. Cover with parchment/foil and fold all the edges to seal. Bake in a 400°F oven for 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes easily. The thickness of your fish will impact the cooking time.

Then unwrap and carefully lift the steamed cod onto serving plates for a nice light meal with steamed veggies on the side.

Find more hotandcoldrunningmom on Pinterest. You can scan the pincode below with your phone if you're on a desktop. If you're on a phone just screenshot it, go to the Pinterest app, click camera. Then instead of taking a pic use the option to use one of your photos. Click on the screenshot you just took and go right to my Pinterest profile where you can follow me 🙂

Balsamic Chicken and Tomatoes

Balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, honey and worcestershire sauce combine with tomato juices for a delicious sweet-tart pan gravy elevating plain old chicken breasts to a meal worthy of the weekend!  But easy enough for a weeknight.

Ingredients:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp cracked black pepper

2 tbsps olive oil 

sprinkle of garlic powder

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tsps dijon mustard

2 tsps honey

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel then cut into even portions. I cut mine in thirds. Mix the thyme, smoked paprika, salt and pepper together and toss in a bag with the chicken to coat. Rub it in then refrigerate for 2 hours.

In a large skillet heat the olive oil and cook the chicken 4-5 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with garlic powder to taste, then pour the balsamic in and deglaze the pan. Cook 1 minute then remove from heat. Stir the dijon, honey and worcestershire sauce together and pour over the chicken. Cover the pan and bake in a 400°F oven for 15 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, cover and return the pan to the oven for 5 minutes. Finally, uncover and broil 3-4 minutes.

Plate and serve sprinkled with fresh parsley.

Makes 6 servings

Find more hotandcoldrunningmom on Pinterest. You can scan the pincode below with your phone if you're on a desktop. If you're on a phone just screenshot it, go to the Pinterest app, click camera. Then instead of taking a pic use the option to use one of your photos. Click on the screenshot you just took and go right to my Pinterest profile where you can follow me 🙂

                        

Creamy Rice Pudding with Orange

Nothing beats a creamy, stove top old-fashioned rice pudding with vanilla. Adding hints of orange and almond makes this one the cream of the crop! (Adapted from a recipe I found on a Facebook recipe group but I don't remember who to credit for it.) 

Ingredients:

1 tbsp butter

1/4 tsp sea salt

4 cups milk

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

zest of 1 orange

3/4 cup arborio rice

1 egg

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup milk

cinnamon (optional)

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add sea salt, 4 cups of milk, water, orange juice and zest. Cook on medium to medium high heat until a thermometer reads 170-180°F. Then add the rice, bring back to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally for 20-30 minutes until the rice is tender.

In a bowl beat the egg and mix in the sugar, 1/2 cup milk, vanilla extract and almond extract. Then slowly pour this egg mixture into the saucepan, stirring as you pour.

Bring back to a simmer and cook 3-4 minutes. Cool 10 minutes then stir.

Pour into serving dishes and cover with waxed paper. Leave on the counter if serving in a couple of hours. 

Or pour into a container and refrigerate until later then spoon into serving dishes and eat as is (delicious!), or sprinkle some cinnamon on top. If you have whipped cream, top it with that too!

Makes 6 servings

Find more hotandcoldrunningmom on Pinterest

Hearty Turkey Soup

At a cold -25°C thought it would be a good turkey soup kind of day. So I hauled the turkey carcass saved from Christmas out of the freezer and got to work.

Ingredients:

Turkey carcass

3 bay leaves

4 or 5 quarts of water

2 carrots 

2 onions

1 - 28 oz can diced tomatoes

a handful of fresh parsley, chopped 

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp fresh minced ginger

1/2 tsp ground cumin 

1 tsp celery seed

1 tsp Mrs Dash Original

Black pepper to taste 

3/4 cup ditali pasta or other small pasta

Put the turkey bones in a stock pot with enough water to cover them. Add 2 bay leaves and bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to simmer for 2 1/2 hours. Remove the larger bones to a plate. Place a piece of cheesecloth over a large bowl, secured to the rim with clothespins or tie string around. Then ladle or pour the rest of the broth into the bowl. Once you have all the small bones, pieces of gristle and bay leaves strained out put the clear broth back in the stock pot. When the bones are cold enough to handle remove the remaining turkey meat and add  that back to the broth. Discard the bones (they've done their work!) Now add diced carrots and onions to the soup, along with another bay leaf, canned tomatoes, parsley and all the seasonings. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer 1 hour or until the carrots are tender. Taste to adjust seasonings. In a small pot cook the ditali pasta. Once the soup is ready add the cooked and drained pasta to the pot of soup.

Ready to serve with a good crusty bread. You can even freeze some for another time since this makes a really big pot of hearty turkey soup.

NOTE: You can also freeze plain turkey broth in containers or ziplok bags for use in other recipes.

Find more Hot and Cold Running Mom on Pinterest

Mascarpone Pudding

Simple yet delicious ... a regular egg custard pudding enhanced with creamy mascarpone cheese. Serve on it's own or use in trifles or fruit parfaits.

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1/2 cup cornstarch

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla

2 3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature 

Graham cracker crumbs (optional to garnish)

Whisk the eggs, cornstarch, sugar and vanilla together in a saucepan. Add milk and heat over low/medium low heat, whisking constantly for about 10 minutes or until it starts to thicken. Pour into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Take the mascarpone out of the fridge for the last 30 minutes. Then beat the mascarpone until smooth, remove the custard from the fridge and incorporate it into the cheese. Pour into serving bowls or one big bowl to serve from later. Cover and set for 4 hours.

Makes 6 servings

Find more Hot and Cold Running Mom on Pinterest

Rice and Italian Sausage

You can customize this versatile rice and sausage dish using any sausage you like. Change up the rice and red pepper too. It's a whatever's-in-your-fridge kind of one pot meal!

Ingredients:

6 medium sized Italian sausages (375 g)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 sweet red pepper, diced

1 cup long grain rice

3 1/4 cups beef broth

1 1/2 tbsps fresh chopped chives

3 tbsps fresh chopped parsley

2 tbsps mixed seeds (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Cut the sausages in 1 - 1 1/2" slices and add to the skillet. Brown until just cooked through then add the red pepper and cook 3-4 minutes. Add the beef broth and bring to a boil then add the rice, and seeds if using. I had a mix of flaxseed, chia and hemp.

Bring back to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until rice is tender. Add most of the chives and parsley and add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with the rest of the chives and parsley.

Makes 4 servings

Find more Hot and Cold Running Mom on Pinterest