Roasted Red Pepper Carrot Pesto {MagNoodles Pasta Giveaway}

 

Whole Grain Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Carrot Pesto, Roasted Broccoli and Cherry Tomatoes

A while back, I wrote a post called "Super Sauces" that included a recipe for Spinach Basil Pesto and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce.  Since then, I've made a few other sauces that deserve to be included in this category of Super Sauces -- Basil Garlic Scape Pesto, Swiss Chard Garlic Scape Pesto, and Warm Roasted Garlic and Artichoke Spread.  Today, I have a new Super Sauce to add to this collection -- Roasted Red Pepper Carrot Pesto.

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Hot Black Bean Salsa Dip {Dr. Kracker Giveaway}

Hot Black Bean Salsa Dip 

With football season starting up, I will be making "football snacks" every weekend, a tradition in our house since my boys were young. Although football snacks are notoriously greasy and unhealthy, I've been trying to "healthify" our weekend snack fare the past several seasons while keeping them tasty and satisfying.

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Warm Roasted Corn Salsa Recipe

Warm Roasted Corn Salsa

I just got back from our summer family vacation and have missed all the fresh produce from the weekly CSA Boxes (fortunately, I was able to find some vegetable loving friends who were more than happy to pick up my shares while I was gone). Although my family enjoyed some amazing tropical fruits while we were away, I missed my East Coast vegetables. Before we left for vacation, I was wondering how I would get through all the zucchini, corn and cucumber that had been showing up in my weekly CSA Boxes, but having been away for several weeks, it was a welcome sight.

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CSA Box #3: Basil Garlic Scape Pesto and Broccoli with Toasted Garlic Olive Oil

Whole Grain Pasta with Basil Garlic Scape Pesto

This week, when I picked up CSA Box #3, I noticed the box was considerably fuller than the first two boxes. It's always a fun surprise each week to see what's inside.

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Recipe for Hummus Dip with Kalamata Olives and Capers

Hummus with Kalamata Olives and Capers

At a recent visit to the Farmer's Market, I sampled some hummus with olives and capers and loved the Mediterranean flavors in this bean dip. I've made hummus many times, adding sun-dried tomatoes and sometimes, roasted garlic, but not this combination of Kalamata Olives and Capers.The briny flavors from the combination of Kalamata Olives and Capers appealed to me in this bean dip.

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Easy Homemade Pasta Sauce - Pasta Al Pomodoro

Pasta Al Pomodoro

Now that my boys are done with school, there will be days when I will be making an extra meal, namely lunch. Although it might be easier just to make a sandwich, pasta with a simple spaghetti sauce takes just a little bit more effort, and can turn lunch into a special meal.

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Summer Pesto - Garlic Scape Pesto and Swiss Chard Garlic Scape Pesto

Toasted Gluten-Free Baguette Slices Topped with Swiss Chard Garlic Scape Pesto and Fresh Tomatoes

Although I joined a CSA this summer, my first box was a bit light due to poor weather conditions this spring and contained mostly lettuce greens, and no swiss chard or other dark leafy greens.

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Seven-Layer Dip {Secret Recipe Club}

Seven-Layer Dip, a Crowd-Pleaser

This is my second month joining in on the fun with the Secret Recipe Club, created by Amanda of Amanda's Cookin. This month there are over 100 food bloggers participating in the Secret Recipe Club. The idea behind this club is to give bloggers the chance to try each other's recipes without the other bloggers knowing it until everyone posts their results.

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Joining a CSA and Two Recipes for Arugula Salad

Fresh, local strawberries picked the same day were the jewel in this week's CSA box.

This summer, I decided to join a Community Supported Agriculture group ("CSA"). A CSA allows consumers to buy local, seasonal produce directly from a farm.

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Roasted Corn, Avocado and Black Bean Salsa

Roasted Corn, Avocado and Black Bean Salsa

Salsas are a favorite during the hot summer months. I always look forward to the first harvest of local corn at our farmer's market. Although I love corn on the cob, simply cooked in a bit of water and eaten right off the cob, I also saute fresh corn, make corn salad, and use it in fresh salsas. I've found that roasting corn adds a nice chewy texture while enhancing the sweetness of the corn.

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Two Easy Recipes for Salsa: Fresh Strawberry Salsa and Mango Avocado Pepper Salsa

Fresh Strawberry Salsa Served on top of Simply Baked Salmon and Sauteed Spinach

With the weather finally turning warming and the farmer's market opening right around the corner, I can't wait for the casual dinners that the coming months will bring.

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Warm Roasted Garlic and Artichoke Dip/Spread

Warm Roasted Garlic and Artichoke Spread on Whole Grain Toast with Roasted Red Pepper and Scallions

I've been dreaming of making an garlic and artichoke dip like the one that I bought a while back from a specialty store. Imported from Italy, this little jar cost a bundle, but I was desperate to find a dairy/egg free dip or spread that my son with allergies could eat as a snack or on sandwiches.

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Gluten Free Recipe for Chinese Dumplings

Gluten-Free Chinese Dumplings with Soy Sesame Dipping Sauce

One of my kid's favorite foods are Chinese dumplings. Growing up, my mom would roll out her own dumpling dough using a hand crank pasta machine; we would form an assembly line of cutting the dough into circles using an empty juice can, and then hand wrap all the dumplings.

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Super Sauces - Spinach Basil Pesto and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

My two "Super Sauces" are Spinach Basil Pesto and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce 

Since my youngest is currently allergic to tomatoes, I've had to come up with alternative sauces to stand in for the tomato sauce I used to serve over his pasta and meatballs. Also, now that he's on a gluten-free diet, I've been making personal pizzas at home using gluten-free crusts and a few "Super Sauces."

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Fresh Berry Salad and a Creamy Raspberry Dressing Recipe

Fresh Berry Salad with Creamy Raspberry Dressing

With Thanksgiving behind us, and the holiday season continuing, I thought it would be nice to post a lighter recipe, for a Fresh Berry Salad with Creamy Raspberry Dressing, to start off the week.

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Red Curry Meatballs with Vietnamese Dipping Sauce

Red Curry Meatballs with Vietnamese Dipping Sauce

I was inspired to make Red Curry Meatballs with a Vietnamese Dipping Sauce after trying a spicy meatball recipe from Monica Bhide's Everything Indian cookbook, and seeing Kalyn's Kitchen's Thai-Inspired meatball recipe. I've been on a Southeast Asian kick lately, and have been experimenting with Thai red curry, so why not try them in meatballs.

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How To Poach Chicken - Chinese Poached Chicken with Soy Ginger Sauce

Chinese Poached Chicken with Soy Ginger Sauce

Poaching is a virtually fat-free way of cooking chicken and fish.  Although seldom used in American kitchens, poaching is a popular way of cooking in China. Growing up, I remember watching Titus Chan’s cooking show, “Cooking the Chanese Way,” (yes, I know, very corny, but the recipes were really good!) and making his Chinese Poached Chicken for dinner.  I was fascinated by how soft and silky the chicken was, using such a simple cooking method.

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How To Dress Up a Roasted Chicken - Chimichurri Recipe



Roasted Chicken with Chimichurri Sauce

This week, I was super busy, shuttling kids around, going to what felt like a slew of meetings and more, so I picked up a roasted chicken for dinner.  I knew it would need to be "dressed up" to pass muster with my picky eaters at home, so I resorted to one of my favorite standby sauces, a version of chimichurri, a South American sauce originating from Argentina and Uruguay, which at its very basic, consists of parsley, garlic, vinegar, olive oil and red pepper flakes.

Here's a quick and easy way to dress up a roasted chicken on a busy night.  This Chimichurri Sauce is delicious on fish, grilled vegetables, and just about anything you can think of.

Sometimes oregano, cumin, cilantro, paprika or lemon are also added.  This sauce transformed one of my kid's "yuck" expression to "yum!"

Chimichurri Sauce

4 tablespoons minced parsley
4 tablespoons minced onion
1 minced garlic clove
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
a dash or two of ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together.


More Chimichurri Recipes:
Closet Cooking's Chimichurri Sauce (with cilantro, oregano, smoked paprika)
Baking with Basil's Avocado Chimichurri Bruschetta

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Fireworks Black Bean Salsa Recipe

I posted my recipe for Fireworks Black Bean Salsa as part of the Top Anticancer Chef challenge.  

It contains lots of anticancer foods: black beans (high in fiber, protein), cherry tomatoes (vitamin A and lycopene), mango (beta carotene), turmeric (curcumin) and black pepper, ginger, onions, orange and lime juice (flavonoids) , and olive oil (healthy fat).  

Please vote for me!  Thanks to all your votes, I will be receiving a copy of Dr. David Servan-Schreiber's Anticancer A New Way of Life book. 

Fireworks Black Bean Salsa

1 can Black Beans

1/2 cup frozen Corn Kernels
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut into 1/4" pieces
1 medium Mango, cut into 1/4" cubes
1/4 cup Cilantro, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Red Onion, finely chopped

Dressing Ingredients:
1 teaspoon fresh Ginger, minced
2 tablespoons fresh Lime Juice
2 tablespoons fresh Orange Juice
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Mix black beans, corn, tomatoes, mango, cilantro and red onion together in medium size bowl.  In a small bowl, mix dressing ingredients together. Pour dressing over bean mixture and toss.  Chill before serving.  Serve over whole grain pilaf or with baked tortilla chips.

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