Running Mama Cooks

Cecily and I had company for lunch today, so it was a good opportunity to try out a salad I saw on Juliann's Easy Eats. I like salads, but do not eat them as often as I should, mostly because they are usually not enough to satisfy me. This was definitely an exception. I changed it around a bit to suit my tastes, adding turkey bacon and roasted red peppers, and found the dressing to be really delicious and the tortellini to great for filling me up.

I will probably eat the leftovers for dinner tonight, that's how much I liked it.

Tortellini Spinach Salad with Balsamic-Tomato Vinaigrette
Adapted from My Kitchen Cafe by way of Juliann's Easy Eats

Ingredients:

Salad -

20 oz package three cheese tortellini
6 oz turkey bacon, cut into chunks
6 oz bag baby spinach
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
3 roasted red peppers, thinly sliced

Dressing -

9 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 ½ tablespoon tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste (about 1/8 teaspoon each)
3/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

Cook tortellini in boiling water until al dente. Drain and toss with a teaspoon of olive oil to keep from sticking. Let cool in colander.

Cook turkey bacon until crisp. Remove with slotted spoon onto paper towel. Allow to cool.

In a large bowl, toss all the salad ingredients together after the pasta and bacon has cooled.

In a blender add all of the dressing ingredients except for the olive oil and process until smooth. Then, while the blender is running, slowly add the olive oil and blend until completely combined. If serving the salad right away, immediately pour the dressing over the salad and toss well (you may not need all the dressing). Serve.

Sometimes good recipes come from the most random places. I got this one off the back of the Success Boil in a Bag Brown Rice box. I've never made anything Thai before, so I was looking forward to trying out some new ingredients.

Overall this was a tasty dish. I wish it had a little more sauce, so I might increase the measurements next time. And it was really quick to prepare, since I had my chicken cooking all day in the crockpot. I cooked a pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts with a little chicken broth on low for 6 hours. All I had to do was shred it.

Thai Chicken and Brown Rice

Ingredients:

2 bags Boil in a bag Brown Rice
1 cup coconut milk
1 tbs thai red curry paste
2 tsp brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
1 16oz bag Asian style mixed vegetables
1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Directions:

Prepare rice according to package directions

In a small bowl, combine coconut milk, curry paste, brown sugar, lime juice and salt. In medium non-stick pan over medium heat, combine chicken and vegetables, then add curry sauce. Cook until vegetables are tender.

ZACH'S RATING - *** 1/2

Almost every week lately I have been making a big batch of Steel Cut Oats to have for breakfast every morning. I have been getting a little tired of my usual apple craison combination. I saw this recipe on Apple A Day and used it for my inspiration. Of course I had to have a little sample this afternoon and it was great! Good fuel for my workout classes tonight!

Cherry Vanilla Steel Cut Oats
Recipe inspired by from Apple A Day

Makes approx 4 cups of oatmeal

4 cups water
1 cup steel cut oats
1/2 cup dried cherries
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbs ground cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
Splash milk per serving
1 tsp Rhubarb Strawberry preserves per serving

Directions:

Bring water to a boil. Stir in oats and cherries. Reduce heat to low and simmer,stirring often. After about 20 minutes (and oatmeal starting to come together), stir in cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Continue to simmer until water is absorbed, approx 30 minutes total.

When serving, add a splash of milk and stir in Tastefully Simple Rhubarb Strawberry preserves.

Get Tastefully Simple Rhubarb Strawberry and other great products here

It is a comfort food kind of day. It has been rainy, cold and dark all day long. This meal was inspired by our friend Ryan's mom's Mac and Beef. She always sends a big pot of it down with him when he comes to visit. I have to say my version was pretty close. It was creamy with a good kick to it.

I almost always sub ground turkey for ground beef, but this dish felt like it needed the real deal.

Baked Mac and Beef
A Running Mama Cooks Original Recipe

Ingredients:

1.25 lbs 95% lean ground beef
1 lbs elbow macaroni (I used Dreamfields)
1 onion, chopped
1 cup chopped carrots
1 6oz can tomato paste
2 14.5 oz cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
1/4 cup white wine (would have used red if I had it)
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried basil
bay leaf
salt and pepper
8 oz cheddar cheese, cubed (I had 2% Velveeta on hand)

Directions:

Boil water in a large pot and cook elbows until al dente.

Meanwhile, brown beef in a large skillet. Drain fat. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and red pepper flakes. Add onion and carrots and saute until tender, about 5-7 mins.

Add tomato paste and combine with beef. Stir in diced tomatoes and wine. Add dried basil and a bay leaf. Simmer.

Remove bay leaf. Mix cooked elbows with sauce and pour into a large baking dish. Stir in cheese. Bake on 350 for 20 minutes.

ZACH'S RATING - ****

I made this quick pasta as a side dish to tilapia tonight. It was a nice, light sauce and the fresh tomatoes and zucchini were really yummy.

Fresh tomato and zucchini bow tie pasta
A Running Mama Cooks Original Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 lb bowtie pasta ( I used Barilla Plus)
8 cloves garlic
Olive oil
16 baby roma tomatoes, cut into half
2 zucchini, cut into chunks
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper
Handful Parmesan cheese, plus more for the table


Directions:

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Salt water and add bow tie pasta.

Coat bottom of a medium sized pan generously with Olive oil. Heat over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, be careful not to burn. Add zucchini and cook for a few minutes, until tender. Add tomatoes, white wine, red pepper flakes, basil, parsley, salt and pepper. Simmer until pasta is cooked. Stir in bow ties and toss with Parmesan cheese.

I don't have a single good reason why I needed to bake cookies this afternoon except that everyone has been raving about this recipe and I had to try it. That and maybe I can play the pregnancy card :)

I think Leslie said it best, "Hot Damn! These cookies are INSANE!!" You must make them too.

Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe by The Brown Eyed Baker

Makes about 16 cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
½ cup rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

3. On medium speed, cream together the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat to combine. On low speed, gradually add the flour until just combined. Stir in the oats, and then the chocolate chips.

4. Use a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) and drop dough onto prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden. Cool completely on the baking sheet and then store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Tonight my mom hosted my cousin Ali's baby shower. It was a really nice event! She is due a month before me, its been a blast being pregnant together. We were born exactly a week apart, so it is really special that our sons will be so close in age as well.

Here is the recipe for the spinach dip I made for the occasion.

Spinach Dip

Ingredients:

1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 envelope dry vegetable soup mix
1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
3 green onions, chopped

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mix together spinach, sour cream, mayonnaise, dry vegetable soup mix, water chestnuts and green onions. Cover and chill in the refrigerator approximately 2 hours before serving.



Ali and I