what's cooking at the dash?

Do you remember way back when I used to blog about all of the delicious meals I was cooking?  Yeah, me too.  While I have been cooking pretty regularly, I haven't necessarily been sharing all of the recipes.  Many are from pinterest so I'm assuming you see those, and luckily I haven't had a bad recipe from pinterest (though I understand they are are out there) as I tend to try to click the links and read comments/reviews.

Since today is a snow day and I have completely scrubbed down my kitchen (the only clean room in the house currently), I thought I'd share two recipes that I made this week and we both really enjoyed. Spaghetti with Cilantro Pesto & Pumpkin Seeds (from Fitness Magazine January 2013) and Thai-Style Red Curry with Chicken (from America's Test Kitchen Light & Healthy 2012).

Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of either, but they both are fairly easy to make & pretty delicious, thought it helps that I have my evenings back thanks to early morning gym sessions :)

Spaghetti with Cilantro Pesto & Pumpkin Seeds
4 servings
Nutrition per serving: 399 cal, 13g protein, 46g carb, 20g fat (3.4 sat), 6g fiber, 199mg sodium.
less than 25 minutes to make

Ingredients:
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lime
- 1.5 bunches cilantro leaves and stems (I just used 1)
- 1 garlic clove sliced
- 2 tablespoons grated pecorino Romano (I used Grana Padano but very similar)
- 8 oz whole-wheat spaghetti
- 3 tablespoons roasted, shelled pumpkin seeds (I used pine nuts because I couldn't find)

Directions:

1. Make pesto: zest lime and then juice it to yield 1.5 tablespoons juice.  Pulse zest, juice, cilantro, garlic, cheese, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper in a food processor until smooth. 
2. Cook spaghetti according to direction until al dente. Drain, return to pot and toss with pesto. Top with pumpkin seeds and additional cheese if desired. 

I served with slices of grilled chicken on top and it was a nice, refreshing change to basil pesto.  Enjoy!

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Thai-Style Red Curry with Chicken
serves 4
Nutrition: per 1.5 cup - 290 cal, 9g fat, 4g sat fat, 65 mg chol, 21g carb, 30 g protein, 4g fiber, 580 mg sodium.
about 35 minutes cook time (for me at least)

Ingredients:
- 1.5 tsp canola oil
- 1-2 tsp red curry paste (I used 1.5 and definitely could have used 2-3 for our spice preference)
- 1 (14oz) can light coconut milk
- 2 tbsp fish sauce (I used soy sauce instead because didn't have)
- 1 tbsp packed light brown sugar
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast (I used tenders)
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 2 red bell peppers cut in 1/4 inch strips (I used green it's what I had)
- 8 oz snap peas (I used frozen)
- 1 onion, halved and sliced 1/2 inch thick
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (used less than 1/4 cup dried)
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- salt

Directions:

1. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering.  Add curry paste and cook until fragrant, about 30 sec. Whisk in coconut milk, fish sauce (soy sauce), and sugar. 
2. Add chicken and bring to simmer.  Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until chicken registers 160 degrees (12-18 minutes), flipping breasts over halfway through cooking.  Transfer chicken to plate and let cool slightly. Using 2 forks, shred chicken into bite-sized pieces. 
3. Return sauce in pot to simmer over medium heat.  Whisk broth and cornstarch together, then whisk mixture into pot.  Stir in bell peppers, snow peas, and onion and simmer until vegetables are crisp-tender and sauce has thickened slightly (8-10 minutes). 
4. Return shredded chicken and any accumulated juice to pot and simmer until heated through, about 2 minutes.  Off heat, stir in basil, and lime juice.  Season with salt to taste and serve. 

I served over rice, and even though not as spicy as we would like (easily fixed next time with more paste), it had great flavor. 

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