Parmesan Basil Chicken

It's snowing today so it's a great day to make a creamy, comforty, delicious dinner. And this one fits the bill perfectly. (Thankfully the snow isn't sticking and it will be 60 degrees on Saturday!) 

This one pot wonder of a dinner has perfectly sauteed chicken nestled in a cream sauce laden with spinach, roasted red peppers, and basil. It's comfort food at its finest, but also has fresh, bright flavors thanks to those peppers and the basil.

We loved this served over spaghetti to soak up all that creamy good sauce. Green beans were a perfect side dish, but a salad and garlic bread would be equally fitting. 

However you serve it, I hope your family will love it as much as mine did. 

Parmesan Basil Chicken
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
4 ounces roasted red peppers, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup white wine or chicken broth
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan

Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise and then pound out to a uniform thickness. In a large non stick pan on medium-medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then sear, 4-5 minutes on each side, until just cooked. Remove from the pan and set aside.

In the same skillet add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Add onion, garlic, peppers, paprika, red chili pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste. Saute for about five minutes, until onions and peppers are softened. 

Add wine to deglaze the skillet and bring to a gentle simmer until reduced by half.

Reduce heat to medium low. Add cream to the skillet and stir until a creamy sauce forms. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Add spinach, and stir until it wilts. Add Parmesan, and stir until it's melted into sauce. Stir in half the basil, simmer until wilted.

Add chicken back to the skillet,  allow to warm up if needed.  Serve over rice or noodles.

Gochujang Pork and Ramen

Ooh, these noodles. So easy, so delicious, so fast, so good for leftovers. Also completely versatile - I've added broccoli, bok choy, mushrooms, etc. 

This amazing dinner comes together so quickly - just saute the pork and cook the noodles, add spinach, 

sauce,

 toss it all up, 

done. 

You can use the "regular" ramen noodles, but I especially like the brown rice ramen noodles - I find these at Costco.

That's it, really! So fantastic all around.

Gochujang Pork and Ramen
1 pound ground pork
2 cups spinach, chopped
2 packages ramen (or two blocks)
1/4 cup sliced green onions
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. gochujang sauce
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 Tbsp. peanut butter
2 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 clove garlic, minced
cilantro and sesame seeds for garnish

Cook the ground pork in a large skillet; season with salt and pepper. 

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the ramen and cook for 2-3 minutes. Set aside when soft, but do not drain.

Combine the soy sauce, gochujang sauce, tomato paste, peanut butter, water, brown sugar, sesame oil, and garlic. Stir well. 

Add the spinach to the pork in the skillet, and toss and cook until it wilts. Use tongs to transfer the noodles to the skilllet, leaving the water in the saucepan. Add the sauce to the pork and spinach and toss around. Use some of the ramen water to thin the sauce, if necessary. 

Top the noodles and pork with sliced green onions and garnish with cilantro and sesame seeds.

Recipe Source: adapted from Pinch of Yum

Cauiflower Gnocchi with Bacon, Mushrooms, and Spinach

Tonight, I had this dinner on the table in 20 minutes flat. I wasn't planning on making this tonight, but my other meal wasn't going to work (ripen up already, avocados!) and so I punted since I had all these ingredients. This dinner was on my meal plan last week but we didn't get to to it. 

All of that to say, I am super glad I had all the ingredients and that I remembered that I wanted to make this. It is GOOD. And 20 minutes for a restaurant quality meal from scratch? YES please. This would be wonderful with a big green salad and some crusty garlic bread. But even just on its own, scarfing it down from a bowl, was super satisfying and delicious. 

Gnocchi doesn't take a long time to cook - it actually takes a lot longer to get the water to boil. But you can saute and bacon and veggies while you wait for the water to boil - that's how you can do it so quickly.

Cook up the bacon, add the veggies, and then the sauce makes itself in the pan. Add back in the gnocchi and voila!!

Cauliflower Gnocchi with Bacon, Mushrooms, and Spinach

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4 slices thick cut bacon

8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced▢

1 package cauliflower gnocchi

4 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 cup milk
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 cups spinach

Bring water to boil in a large saucepan. 

Meanwhile, cut the bacon into bite sized pieces and begin to cook over medium heat in a large skillet. When the bacon is about half way done, add the mushrooms and garlic. Continue to stir and cook til the bacon is done and the mushrooms are soft.

Once the water starts boiling, add the gnocchi to the saucepan and reduce heat. Boil for 2-3 minutes or until the gnocchi floats to the top. Drain. 

Add the cream cheese and Italian seasoning to the skillet and stir well to incorporate everything. Add the milk and parmesan, and whisk until the cream cheese is incorporated.

Chop the spinach, then add to the skillet. Stir until slightly wilted, then add the gnocchi and cook and stir a few minutes until the sauce begins to slightly thicken. 
Serves 4.

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