Spinach Stuffed Shells

These spinach stuffed shells are almost exactly like our favorite turkey-spinach lasagna, except for the fact that they are baked shells! These are so delicious and filling. We had leftovers for days. There is nothing more comforting than pasta and cheese, so this is the perfect dish next time you want a delicious meal. It is a "lightened-up" recipe so it uses some reduced-fat options, but feel free to adapt as you prefer.

Spinach Stuffed Shells
from Gina's Skinny Recipes
Ingredients

• 27 (9 oz) Jumbo Shells
• 1 cup onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• 32 oz crushed tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups part skim ricotta cheese
• 8 oz reduced fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 egg
• 16 oz package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed 
• 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano

Instructions

1. Boil water and cook shells according to package directions, make sure to make them al dente.
2. Meanwhile, saute onions and garlic in oil. Add turkey and salt and brown until cooked, breaking up in small pieces. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and basil, then simmer on low, covered, about 15 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
4. In a large bowl, mix together the ricotta, egg, spinach, mozzarella, and parmesan.
5. Once shells are cooked and cool, fill each shell (with two heaping Tbsp) cheese mixture and place on a large baking dish covering the bottom of the dish with a little bit of sauce.
6. Top shells with half of the sauce, cover with foil and bake 40 minutes; uncover foil and bake for 5 more minutes.
7. Serve with additional sauce on top, aside a small salad. Enjoy!

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

A few years ago, Ron started demanding macaroni and cheese at holiday meals. He claims this was a "family tradition" but for the first three years we were dating, macaroni and cheese was NEVER on the table at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or for any other holiday meal. So, I don't know when this tradition started. His mom got confused when he started demanding it. My mom got confused. And I was also confused. But to shut him up, we all just started buying him frozen boxes of Stouffer's macaroni and cheese and made sure it was around for the holiday spread. Yep, that's how much we all care about his random demands.

I've never made my own macaroni and cheese before. Not sure why, but it's just never crossed my mind to make it. But for some reason, I randomly got a craving and decided I wanted to attempt it. This baked macaroni and cheese was appealing to me because it was a "lower fat" version. But I have to admit that I was not 100% happy with this recipe. That's basically because macaroni and cheese can't be "low fat" without missing serious flavor. This dish needed more cheese. It needed a variety of different cheeses! So I will definitely add Parmesan next time and maybe some white cheddar or gruyere. I guess it will no longer be "low fat" but oh well! However you make the recipe and with whatever cheese you use, it was very easy, creamy, and has the potential to be very delicious; just mix it up a bit!
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
from The Family Kitchen
Ingredients

• 12 ounces elbow macaroni
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 cups low-fat milk
• 1 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 pinch paprika
• 10 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 pinch kosher salt 
• 1 pinch cracked black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the inside of a 3 quart casserole dish.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
3. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, then add the flour and whisk well for about 1 minute. Then slowly pour in the milk, whisking continuously as you do so. Stir in the onion and paprika and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. In a large bowl, add the warm sauce, the cheddar cheese, reserving one cup of the cheese for the topping, and the warm pasta. Add salt and pepper to taste and pour everything into the buttered dish and sprinkle the reserved cheddar on top.
5. Bake for 30 minutes.

Spring Pappardelle with Spinach, Herbs and Ricotta

SPRING IS HERE! YAY! And I think it is here to stay for good. Every morning, I have been up at 6 a.m., going for my sunrise walks and just happy as can be!

With the arrival of spring, it's time to start posting some light, fresh, and flavorful spring meals on here. I still have plenty of winter posts to make so they will be mixed in. But I had to celebrate the beautiful weather by posting a recipe for a delicious, spring meal.

This meal was on the cover of this month's Cooking Light magazine and I was excited to make it when I first opened my mailbox. It is packed full of fresh herbs, it's quick and easy and just simply delightful. Some of the reviewers did not feel the same, but we totally disagreed. This was delicious! The herbs were prominent but it was a delicious blend of flavor. We enjoyed this with some Oregon Herb bread that I picked up at our nearby Great Harvest Bread Company. We spread the herb bread with fresh ricotta cheese and sprinkled some pepper and parmesan on top. It was divine! Check this recipe out the next time the sun is shining and you are craving a fresh pasta meal!

Spring Pappardelle
Cooking Light
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients

• 8 ounces uncooked pappardelle (wide ribbon pasta) (fettuccine will also work)
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1/3 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 3 cups baby-spinach leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
• 3 Tbsp grated fresh pecorino Romano cheese
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

1. Prep ingredients ahead of time so they are ready to go before beginning to cook.
2. Cook pasta with 1 Tbsp salt according to package directions, omitting additional fat. Drain in a colander over a bowl and reserve 1 cup cooking liquid.
3. Combine 1/2 cup reserved hot cooking liquid and ricotta cheese in a food processor or blender, and process until well blended.
4. Combine hot pasta, cheese mixture, spinach, and remaining ingredients in a large bowl; toss gently to coat. Add additional cooking liquid to moisten, if needed.

Pasta with Chickpeas and Charred Tomatoes

Yum! What a fantastic pasta dish. I pulled this recipe from a recent Bon Appetit magazine and was super excited with the list of ingredients. Pasta coated with hummus? Yes, please! Charred tomatoes and kalamata olives? And chickpeas? And fresh cilantro? All ingredients that I have in the kitchen at all times - and you might too!  I whipped this up for a quick weekend lunch and the meal was ready in less than 30 minutes. This recipe is also vegan and dairy-free but is substantial enough to please even your meat-eaters. Serve with some pita bread and enjoy!

Pasta with Chickpeas and Charred Tomatoes
Bon Appetit
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients

• 8 ounces penne pasta
• 1/2 cup purchased plain hummus
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 12-ounce containers of cherry tomatoes
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 cup halved pitted Kalamata olives
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

1. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Whisk hummus into liquid.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in large heavy skillet over high heat. Add cherry tomatoes; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until blackened in spots, shaking skillet occasionally, about 8 minutes.
3. Mix in chickpeas, garlic, and smoked paprika. Crush some of the tomatoes to release the juices. Add pasta and enough hummus mixture to coat. Mix in olives and cilantro; season with salt and pepper.

Pesto Romano Linguine

Some time ago, I was waltzing around the grocery store trying to come up with a quick meal idea.  Normally, I make my menu a few days ahead of time.  Then, I sub and swap as the week goes on.  On this particular night, I was thrown for a loop while at the grocery store because Ron told me he would be home for dinner!  You see, he had been traveling that week.  So, when Ron travels, I go on a major vegetable and fish splurge.  On that particular evening, I was at the grocery store planning on baking some salmon for dinner.  Obviously Ron is a big boy and can fend for himself, but given the fact that I hadn't seen him for several days, I thought it would be nice to eat dinner together.  So, I paced back and forth until a package of Bilinski's Pesto Romano chicken sausage caught my eye.  Pasta, it would be!

The end result was absolutely delicious.  I purchased some fresh pasta (on my to do list: make my own pasta!), some ingredients to make fresh pesto (naturally, I ended up using prepared pesto to save time), and a beautiful wild rice loaf from the Kowalski's bakery.  We had a very quick, fresh, and flavorful dinner.  I ended up adding sliced cherry tomatoes to my plate and sauteed some fresh spinach to toss throughout.  The meal took less than 10 minutes to prepare, but may take longer if you decide to make your own pesto.  I kept referring to this as the "Popeye" meal... and Popeye meal will make a showing in our kitchen again!
Pesto Romano Linquine
inspired by Bilinski's Chicken Sausage
Yield: 3-4 servings
Ingredients

• 1 (10-ounce) package fresh Spinach linguine
• 1 package Bilinski's Pesto Romano chicken sausage, or chicken sausage of your choosing, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
• 1/4 c - 1/2 c basil pesto, prepared or home-made
• 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 cups fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup grated asiago cheese

Instructions  

1. Lightly coat a nonstick cooking pan with olive oil spray and preheat pan over low heat.  Add chicken sausage. Heat chicken sausage, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, cook the fresh pasta according to package instructions. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.
3. In the pasta pot, add 1/2 Tbsp olive oil. Saute 3 cups fresh spinach until wilted. Toss cherry tomatoes with spinach.
4. Toss pasta with spinach and tomatoes. Add sliced, heated sausage. Add pasta cooking water and pesto, adding more as desired. Mix thoroughly.
5. Season to taste, sprinkle individual servings with asiago cheese, and enjoy!

Crab Linguine with Lemon and Basil

Friday nights have become pasta nights in our house.  I absolutely love being able pick up some fresh bread at the bakery, then come home and wind down the week with a quick and easy pasta meal.  This pasta dish took less than 30 minutes to make - basically just the time it took to cook the pasta.  But, the meal is delicious!  This is a dish to make now to beat some winter blues AND one to make in the summer when basil and cherry tomatoes are plentiful.  Enjoy!

Crab Linguine
from Annie's Eats
Yield:  4 servings
Ingredients

• 1 lb pasta, such as linguine or spaghetti
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 8 oz. fresh crab meat, cooked
• 1 lemon, quartered

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain well; set aside.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, combine the olive oil and butter, heating until the butter is completely melted.  Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant and bubbling.  Remove the pan from the heat.
3. Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss well until the pasta is well coated with the garlic-oil sauce.  Add the basil and cherry tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  
4. Divide portions and top with the fresh crab meat, about 2 ounces each.  Squeeze one quarter of lemon over each serving.  Serve immediately.

Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Penne

I saw this pasta recipe on one of my favorite blogs the other day and knew I had to put it on the weekly menu.  It quickly replaced Thursday's dinner plans and I ran out to the store and bought all of the ingredients that I needed.  It does take some planning and coordinating time (you'll need to cook your chicken, roast your red peppers, and make the pesto sauce) but it took about an hour from start to finish with all of the steps involved.  Each step was fairly easy.  Alternatively, you could buy jarred roasted red peppers, but as I learned with this recipe, it is ridiculously easy to make your own at home!

I highly recommend serving this with a fresh loaf of bread from your local grocer or bakery.  I bought a asiago-peppercorn baguette from Lunds and it was delicious with this pasta!  There was enough for leftovers the next day and I swore it tasted even better than the night we ate it.  Enjoy!
Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Penne
from Closet Cooking
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients

• For Red Pepper Pesto
• 2 large roasted red peppers (see instructions)
• 1 Tbsp fresh oregano
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 Tbsp pine nuts
• 2 Tbsp feta (crumbled)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste
• For Penne
• 1 lb chicken breasts, cooked and diced (or shredded)
• 1 pound pasta (I used whole wheat penne)
• 1/2 cup - 3/4 cup greek style roasted red pepper pesto
• 1/4 cup kalamata olives (pitted and coarsely chopped)
• 1 handful parsley (chopped)
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• pine nuts, for serving

Instructions

1. For Roasted Red Peppers:  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, then change to broil before placing peppers in the oven.  Cut the red peppers in half, remove the stem and the seeds.  Place the red peppers on the baking sheet with the cut side facing down.  Place the baking sheet on the top shelf in the oven and broil until the outer layer of the skin has blackened, about 10-20 minutes.  (Note: It need not blacken the entire pepper.)  Place the peppers in a zip-lock bag or other sealable container, seal and let the peppers cool until you can handle them, about 20 minutes.  Remove the skins from the peppers.  (The skins should easily "pinch" off.)
2. For Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Sauce:  Place all ingredients into a food processor and puree until smooth.
3. For Penne: Cook the pasta according to package instructions.  Drain the pasta and reserve about 1/3-1/2 cup of the pasta water.  Add in the cooked chicken breasts.  Then, toss the pasta with the pesto (you should use all of the pesto you have made), pasta water, olives and parsley.
4. Serve garnished with crumbled feta and pine nuts, if desired.

Asiago Cheese Fusilli with Roasted Red Pepper Chicken Sausage

Have you ever noticed that a quick run to pick up milk from the grocery store normally costs around $50?  This is a huge problem for me.  I head to the grocery store several times a week to pick up fresh produce and items for a few night's worth of meals.  Naturally, I forget something and I must return.  While there, I spot 15 things that I think I might need, or probably should have, and in the cart they go.  It's always depressing when I go to check-out and I watch the items get rung up.  I always leave with some sick feeling in my stomach and vow to never do it again.  Then I get home and realize I forgot the one thing that I specifically went to the store to buy.

This roasted red pepper sausage from Bilinski's was one of my impulse buys the other day while I was shopping for *insert random product here*.  One of the workers had a bunch out to try so I sampled and I fell in love.  We've had Bilinski's sausage before, but this one was new and was delicious!  The product wasn't even on the website yet (it's still not!), so I searched for a decent recipe to make.  (Note:  Any sun dried tomato chicken sausage or mild sausage would taste wonderful with this pasta recipe.)  I've always had success with quick pasta meals so I found one by Giada and knew I had to make it.  The recipe was incredibly easy and as Giada's recipes always do, turned out delicious.  It made a ton for two people so we shared for leftovers the next day.  I also made up a rosemary and sea salt bread to pair alongside and even though my bread didn't rise properly, it still tasted wonderful.  Bread recipe to follow.

Asiago Cheese Fusilli with Roasted Red Pepper Chicken Sausage
from Giada
Yield:  4-6 servings
Ingredients

• 12 - 16 ounces chicken sausage (roasted red pepper, sun dried tomato, asiago cheese, or any mild flavored chicken sausage), sliced and warmed through per package instructions
• 1 pound whole wheat fusilli pasta
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 (9-ounce) bag fresh spinach, roughly chopped
• 8 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup (about 3.5 ounces) grated Asiago cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat.  Cook fusilli pasta according to package instructions until tender but still firm to the bite.  Drain pasta and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.
2. Meanwhile, warm olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Add the spinach and tomatoes and cook until the spinach wilts, about 2 more minutes.  Add the cooked pasta and toss.  Add the warmed chicken sausage, cheeses, salt, pepper, and the pasta cooking liquid and stir to combine.
3. Transfer to serving plates and enjoy!

Butternut Squash Orzo

Fun news:  Ron recently purchased the domain name for me so I now officially own "PB and Graham."  That's pretty cool.  Thanks Ron!  Loves!

Finals are here so that means that I haven't been spending a lot of time in the kitchen.  Most of my time has been sitting in front of my computer with a book in front of me.  I guess it's good that I'm not spending time in the kitchen because I'm certainly not getting any exercise!  I've been using up things that I've had in the kitchen to avoid going outside in the frigid temperatures and I had some leftover butternut squash from the wild rice salad.  I found a recipe to puree the squash and mix it with orzo.  It turned out to be pretty good and a fun lunch idea.  It did remind me of macaroni and cheese, but without all of the cheese.  You can easily adapt it to whatever you like.  Add more cheese after the pasta is done.  Substitute different spices.  Season more as you go.  I added some green beans and cherry tomatoes to mine to incorporate some additional textures.  The original recipe included bacon but I didn't have any on hand.  Maybe Ron would've eaten it had I left the bacon in.

Butternut Squash Orzo
adapted from We are Not Martha
Ingredients

• 1/2 butternut squash
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 small white onion
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 C chicken broth
• 1 C orzo, fully cooked
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Cut your squash in half and clean the seeds and membrane out of the half you are using.  Put the squash, onion, and garlic on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast at 425 degrees for about 45 minutes, until veggies are tender.
3. While veggies are roasting, cook orzo according to package directions.  After draining orzo, stir in 1/2 cup parmesan cheese until evenly distributed and melted.
4. Remove veggies from oven and let cool for a few minutes.  Remove skin from squash and add squash, onion, garlic and 1/2 C of chicken broth to food processor.  Puree, add more chicken broth if you want a thinner puree.
5. Mix the puree in with the orzo.  Stir in additional ingredients as desired, including extra seasoning.  Serve with some pine nuts and extra parmesan cheese!

Sausage and Pepper Penne

As mentioned previously, I've been making a few recipes from a cookbook my mom got me some time ago titled The Pampered Chef: It's good for You.  With the exception of a soup that turned out to taste quite disgusting (a greek soup with lemon), the recipes have worked out quite nicely.  They are all fairly easy to make and like the title suggests, they are good for you!  This recipe took about 30 minutes to make and it worked pretty nicely.  I wouldn't exactly call this a recipe to prepare if you are trying to impress guests, but it certainly works for a quick weeknight meal.  The spicy sausage added a kick to the pasta.  One thing worth noting is that it did not keep really well because the sauce was on the pasta (you can easily save that step and keep them separate).  By the next day, the pasta was a bit mushy but it was still edible.  :)  Serve this up with some bread and a side salad.  Dinner will be ready in 30 minutes or less!

Sausage and Pepper Penne
Pampered Chef:  It's Good for You
Yield:  4-6 servings
Ingredients

• 8 ounces uncooked penne pasta
• 1 pound hot italian turkey sausage (about 4 links) (You can also use a spicy chicken sausage that is precooked and simply reheat it in the skillet per the directions in Step 2.)
• 1 each:  medium green, red and yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/4 inch strips
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes in sauce, undrained
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 2 tsp italian season
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, cook sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat 14-16 minutes or until sausage is lightly browned and no longer pink, turning occasionally.  Remove sausages from skillet; cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces and set aside.  
3. In same skillet, cook bell peppers, onion and garlic over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until peppers are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally.  Add sausage, tomatoes, tomato sauce and seasoning mix.  Cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until heated through.
4. Place pasta in large bowl; pour sauce mixture over pasta, tossing to coat.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Olive Oil Tomato Basil Fettuccine

I love feeling connected to an enormous community knowing that I share a common bond with millions of other people in the world.  I love being involved in an activity that clears my brain and helps me feel accomplished every single time I place one foot in front of another.  I just love to run.  I love planning out routes.  I love researching new shoes.  I love meeting new running friends.  I love perusing running race expos.  I love thanking the volunteers and race organizers for their amazing help.  But, most of all, I love sitting inside on a beautiful day, looking out at the sun, and counting down the minutes until I can go out for my almost-daily run.  In my life, a day without running is like a day without air.

Some people find this weird.  "You're not even fast."  "You're a middle of the packer."  "You're constantly injured."  "You're going to need a hip or knee replacement."  "What benefit does running give you?"

The truth is: (1) No, I am not fast.  I am comfortably paced.  (2) Indeed I am a middle of the packer, sometimes even a back of the packer.  (3)  I am constantly injured, but I can manage my injuries.  (4)  No comment.  (5)  I cannot think of anything that running doesn't do for me.  And really, #5 is the only one that matters.

Running is my therapy.  It gives me, a slow middle of the packer with relentless injuries, a sense of purpose.  There are so many people out there in this world that can't run; that can't be active for one reason or another, so every single time I am out there, I am reminded of this.  I run because I can run.  But more importantly, I run because I smile when I run.  Well, most days.

Running endurance events has become increasingly popular over the past decade.  When I signed up for my first marathon back in 2006, I had absolutely no idea about the running community that existed out there.  Hundreds of thousands of people run half-marathons and full marathons each year.  Millions more are accomplishing shorter 5k and 10k races.  And, I find it pretty damn awesome that some of those folks are famous chefs.  Did you know that Gordon Ramsay is an avid marathoner and has finished the south Africa 54-mile Comrades ultramarathon 3 times?  That, is impressive.

Runners obsess over carbs during their training regime and before the big event.  It's fitting because running burns nearly 100 calories (this is an approximate number for the average person, your specific number will vary for age, sex & size) for each mile.  If you're out there for 26.2 miles, that's nearly 2,600 some calories burned, at a minimum, just for the race alone.  You better be eating right, and you better be refueling/rehydrating right, or you're not going to be going anywhere.

I'm at about week 4 now for my training for the upcoming Twin Cities marathon.  At the same time, I'm training parallel for the upcoming Disneyland Half-Marathon in September.  The whole family is heading out to participate.  Mom and I will be completing the 5k on Saturday.  Then Dad, Erica, Erica's boyfriend Bo, Ron, and I will be completing the half-marathon on Sunday.  It's Ron's first endurance running event, so we're celebrating our weekly weekend long runs with carb-filled pasta dinners.  This one is incredible.  I'm going to toot my own horn here about 6 times because I basically prepped the recipe all by myself.  Granted, I had help from some athletic chefs from a cookbook titled, The Athlete's Palate Cookbook.  But, the recipe I ultimately came up with was kind of my own measurements and ingredients.

The pasta was purchased at the farmers market this past weekend.  Holy buckets, it's amazing.  I highly recommend checking out your specialty section of the grocery store to find some kind of fresh, unique pasta.  Please, PLEASE, PLEASE do not use boxed pasta for this meal.

Olive Oil Tomato Basil Fettuccine
adapted from a number of places
Ingredients

• 8-10 oz. cooked chicken, chopped into bite sized pieces
• 2/3 cup sun-dried tomato halves
• 1 cup hot water
• 8 oz. fresh pasta (We use the Sunrise Creative Gourmet Tomato Basil Fettuccine)
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 3 T olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 t dried basil
• 1 t minced onion
• 1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
• salt
• 1/8 t red pepper flakes
• 1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
• 2 T pine nuts

Instructions

1. Cook chicken (I used a boil method, but you can prep however you wish).  Chop and set aside.
2. Place sun dried tomato halves in bowl and pour hot water over tomatoes.  Cover and let sit for about an hour, or until tomatoes are soft.
3. In the last few minutes of the chicken, cook pasta according to package directions, to al dente.
4. While pasta is cooking, whisk chicken broth, olive oil, garlic, and seasonings in a large bowl.
5. Drain tomato halves and mix in bowl broth/oil blend.
6. Stir chicken in broth/oil blend.
7. Once pasta is cooked, drain and transfer to bowl with tomatoes, chicken and broth/oil.
8. Immediately stir in 1/4 c grated cheese, stirring to coat all ingredients.
9. Serve in bowls and sprinkle with pine nuts.

Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes and Arugula

Here's another light, quick, and easy recipe. I've been trying to use up some random ingredients in the kitchen and stumbled upon this recipe that would take care of that pint of cherry tomatoes and wilting arugula. When mom was visiting, she asked what arugula was. I didn't have a good answer. It's been mixed in lettuce blends I've had before, but I could never really pinpoint the taste. This recipe really brings out the flavor of arugula. I'll describe it as how I described it to Ron, "A peppery spinach taste." He likes spinach, so now he likes arugula. It definitely does taste like a peppery spinach. It's pretty potent on its own. I discovered this when I tried to make an entire salad out of it (never again), so it's normally mixed with a milder lettuce to enhance the flavor.

This recipe was very good. We both went back for seconds. I added pine nuts. I can't seem to eat pasta without pine nuts. I also added a bit more cheese. With some alterations to the tomato-dressing mixture, it could probably be made with chicken if you're looking for a protein to be mixed in. Time to table was 20-25 minutes. Well worth it.

Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes and Arugula
adapted from Eating for England
Yield: 4-5 hearty servings
Ingredients

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved if small, quartered if large
• 1 plump garlic clove, minced or put through a press (more to taste)
• Salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (optional)
• 1 cup arugula leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon slivered or chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 3/4 pound fusille, farfalle, or orecchiette
• 1/4 cup freshly grated ricotta salata or Parmesan (more to taste)

Instructions

1. Combine the cherry tomatoes, garlic, salt, balsamic vinegar, arugula, basil, pine nuts, and olive oil in a wide bowl. Let sit for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add a generous amount of salt and the pasta. Cook al dente, until the pasta is firm to the bite. Drain, toss with the tomatoes, sprinkle on the cheese, and serve,

WW Linguine with Sun Dried Tomato Pesto and Chicken

Sigh.  I wish I could make decisions with ease.  I struggle when it comes to figuring out what to do.  Especially if I've already committed to something and need to decide if to back out.  I'm not a big fan of saying I am going to do something and then not doing it.  So, when I had to make a difficult decision the other day, it was not an easy one.


The end result?  I cancelled our upcoming hotel reservations for the  Lawrence 70.3 and decided to postpone the race.  The ultimate reason:  I am not prepared to participate in the event at this point in time; not prepared physically, emotionally or mentally.  In hindsight, it was completely ridiculous to sign up for it w/o having more knowledge and base training under my belt.  Also, for some reason, I thought it was only a 5 hour drive away (it's 8!).  I also thought that my new bike saddle would miraculously clear away all of my old saddle issues.  To date, it hasn't; I've only biked 35 miles so far without serious pain, far from the 56 needed for the race.


Truthfully, driving to Lawrence for the weekend would've been a serious pain in the butt (pun intended).  Basically, the weekend's schedule would've come down to 48 hours of pure anarchy.  We would leave around 6pm on Friday to drive 8 hours to hotel.  At some point, we'd sleep because we'd have to arrive to set up my bike around 10am the next day.  Then, I'd spend the day familiarizing myself with the course and at the expo.  Then, we'd head back to hotel to sit there, not even seeing KU.  5am Sunday, I'd wake up for the event.  7+ or so hours later, we'd climb back in the car (after swimming 1.2 miles in dirty lake, biking 56 miles through Kansas hills and running 13.1 miles, presumably w/o a tornado touching down) and drive 8 hours back to MN.  My butt would have been on fire and I highly doubt I would have been able to shower.  It would have been an absolute disaster.  


Sigh.  It was still a difficult decision to make.  I have a mixed amount of emotion right now.  I don't like throwing in the towel, but I also don't like wreaking havoc on my body and suffering the consequences.  If anything, I've learned that I need to be smart about my training and patient with my body.  I'm not an endurance athlete, I never will be and I need to remember that.  Onto the next goal, but for now, I'm going to take some time to enjoy exercise w/o "having to do X amount of miles."  I need a break from structure, schedules and lists!


So, to drown my disappointment in myself, I decided to make a quick and yummy meal.  I made it relatively healthy (which is a good thing, because I've gained weight, so expect to see "healthy" meals on here for the next few weeks) and it turned out to be delicious.  I'm a big fan of artichokes.  Artichokes are an amazing source of antioxidants and they have tons of nutritional benefits.  (Side note:  Ron also enjoyed the artichokes.  Granted, I think he would've preferred to see them mixed with spinach, smothered in cream cheese and sour cream, and in the form of a dip, but he ate them and he liked them!) I had cooked and shredded my chicken earlier in the day, so the total meal time for me was about 20 minutes (including boiling water time).  Buy some pre-cooked chicken at the grocery store counter and this will be on your table in no time!

WW Linguine with Sun Dried Tomato Pesto and Chicken
adapted from Perrys' Plate
Yield:  4 servings
Ingredients

• 8 oz WW linguine
• 1.5 c cooked, shredded (or cubed) chicken breast
• 1 c artichoke hearts (chopped)
• 2 c chopped spinach (about 3 big handfuls)
• 1/3 c sun-dried tomato pesto (I just used store-bought)
• 1 green onion, sliced
• 2 oz feta cheese (I used a FF blend with sun dried tomato flavoring, goat cheese can also be used)
• salt and pepper
• pine nuts, optional

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions to al dente.
2. Drain pasta; reserve 1 C of pasta water.
3. Place pasta in bowl.
4. Add remaining ingredients and stir until the pasta is coated evenly with the sauce and the spinach has wilted.  
5. If needed, add reserved pasta water by the tablespoon.  (Note:  Only add if needed.  Pasta should not be watery.)
6. Sprinkle with some additional feta cheese and pine nuts.  Serve warm!  

WW Linguine with Garlic Steamed Asparagus and Pine Nuts

I haven't posted anything lately.  I've been making stuff, but not everything has been turning out so well.  I think I've finally learned my lesson.  Despite how much I love cooking and baking, I simply can't do anything that involves a lot of brain activity around finals.  It's pointless.  My mind is on other things and it almost always ends up bad.  In the past few days, I have burnt a banana bread, burnt chocolate chip cookies and nearly burnt my house down with a pizza disaster gone awry.  So, I've decided to keep it to easy things.  Despite my simple recipe attempts, this did not stop the asparagus in this meal from smoking up the place!  It's my fault, I had the burner on super high.  Oops.


Ron's been in Seattle for business, so it's just been me at the house.  I've been trying to make some healthy dinners, but ones that are individual servings.  During finals, I also find that I have a problem with leftovers.  A few weeks ago, I ordered the Perfetto Pasta Cooker.  I saw it in the Clean Eating magazine and did some research.  It came highly recommended, so I did some searching and found one for $10.  I ordered it, it arrived, it sat until I decided I finally wanted pasta.  Wow, it is pretty damn nifty!!

Granted, I probably didn't need to spend $10 on this little tube, but it's pretty damn incredible.  I don't have to dirty dishes.  I don't have to bring out a separate strainer.  I don't have to keep stirring.  What I do have to do is boil some water, pour it in the tube, stick in the pasta and let it sit for about 16 minutes (it takes a bit longer than conventional pasta).  I left my WW linguine in the cooker for about 17 minutes and it was cooked perfectly!  Even better?  It comes with this tiny little measuring thing so I could ensure that I was only eating one serving of pasta.


I decided to serve this up with some pan fried asparagus and pine nuts.  Overall, the meal was really good.  The asparagus got burnt, but I actually kind of like that crunchy taste.

WW Linguine with Garlic Steamed Asparagus and Pine Nuts
Yield:  1 serving
Ingredients

• 1 serving (2 oz) of linguine or spaghetti noodles
• Water & salt for pasta
• Asparagus (as much as you want)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and cut in half
• 2 tbsp pine nuts
• 2 tbsp chopped red onion
• shredded parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. For Pasta:  Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.
2. For Asparagus:  Heat olive oil, water, garlic and asparagus in saute pan over medium-high heat.  Cook for about 2 minutes or until most of the liquid is gone.  Stir.  Cover with lid and cook for another minute.  Remove lid and stir.  Cover and repeat until asparagus are crisp tender, about 5 minutes.
3. For Assembly:  Place pasta on serving dish.  Add asparagus; toss to combine.  Sprinkle pine nuts, onion and cheese over dish.  Season with salt and pepper.

Pasta Bean Toss

This recipe might not appeal to some, but it definitely appealed to me.  After several weeks of complaining about being sick and feeling fatigue, I've started to wonder if I am anemic.  Many other symptoms are showing and I'm ready to head to the doctor again.  I've been told that I was "slightly anemic" but I'm not sure if something else is going on.  So, hopefully the doctor can straighten me out and not just send me away with the standard "you are too stressed and need to take better care of yourself" diagnosis.  In the meantime, I've been trying to eat healthier and eat foods that I know are good for me.


This recipe appealed to me because of all of the nutrients that are packed in.  It was created by a nutrition professor at Boston University.  I originally clipped it from a Runner's World magazine as a good meal to eat to refuel postrun/postride.  It is packed with vegetables, carbs and protein.  It turned out so good!  The only problem is the amount that it makes.  I will be eating this stuff for an entire week!  Here's to hoping it restores whatever is wrong in my body :)
Pasta Bean Toss
adapted from Runner's World
Yield:  6 servings
Ingredients

• 1 lb whole-grain penne
• 2 medium red onions, thinly sliced
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp canola oil
• 5 carrots, cut julienne-style
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 C raw broccoli florets
• 12 ripe plum (roma) tomatoes, diced
• 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 4 tbsp fresh basil or parsley, chopped
• 1 15-ounce can red kidney beans
• 1 15-ounce can white kidney beans
• 1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to package.
2. Meanwhile, saute onions and garlic in oil until tender in large frying pan (about 2 minutes).
3. Add remaining veggies, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, and basil or parsley.  Simmer for 4 minutes.
4. Add beans and simmer for 2 minutes or until veggies are tender.
5. Add pasta and cheese, and toss.

Peanut Noodles with Chicken

I staged an intervention this week.  On myself.  I had to put myself on a spending diet because I have become obsessed with grocery stores.  This blog has encouraged me to spend more time buying fresh produce and healthy vegetables, but it has also encouraged me to run to the store nearly 4 or 5 times a week.  Grocery shopping is one of my favorite things to do.  I love browsing the aisles and looking at the new products.  MN grocery stores are like nothing I've ever seen.  Byerly's makes me feel comfortable.  I look forward to a Saturday evening spent at the grocery store with a stop at the bookstore.  Wow.  I sound old.  Although I haven't checked out Pittsburgh's new Market District (which is a must stop on my visit home in May - this place comes complete with traffic cops because it's the mother-load of grocery stores), I think that Byerly's is one of the best grocery stores ever!!


But, even though I love grocery shopping, unfortunately for my wallet, I lack restraint.  So, if I run to the store to pick up "just some bell peppers" I end up leaving with the milk that I kind of needed, the bread that I am almost out of and the 12 cartons of single serve ice cream that I was suddenly craving.  Like many people, what should be $10 trips turn into $50 trips.  And, those add up.


So, this week is restricted to what is in the cabinets, fridge and freezer.  Aside from the vegetables I already have, I won't be buying fresh vegetables, but I have plenty of frozen vegetables.  Though not ideal, they will work just fine and I'll end up saving them a life sentence of freezer burn.


My first attempt at using up household ingredients was a Thai inspired meal that I've been wanting to try.  I crave peanuts and Ron's been excited to eat this meal.  Overall, it turned out pretty good.  The original recipe called for Soba noodles but I used about 10 oz of WW linguine that I had on hand.  I can imagine Soba noodles tasting very good with this recipe.  I used 1 tsp of red pepper flakes and boy did it add a kick to the sauce!  If you want something mild, I'd suggest adding .5 tsp or leaving it out completely.  I'd also suggest pairing this with a side salad.  I ate my noodles on some spinach leaves.  The sauce is so thick that I needed something green to balance it out!


I think the only downfall to this recipe was that it made me realize that I am out of honey and soy sauce! Argh!!  Must exercise restraint not to run to store to buy these items.

Peanut Noodles with Chicken
adapted from Cooking Light
Yield:  6 servings, 1 cup each
Ingredients

• 1 carrot, peeled (I used about 1 c of matchstick carrots)
• 1/3 c FF, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 c peanut butter
• 1 tbsp chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 - 2 tsp crushed red pepper (added too much kick.  Use 0-.5 tsp for milder flavor)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast (cooked and shredded or cooked and cut into 2-inch pieces)
• 5 c cooked soba noodles (about 10 ounces - I used WW linguine)
• 6 tbsp sliced green onions
• 6 tbsp chopped, unsalted, dry roasted peanuts

Preparation

1. Cook chicken and shred/cut as desired.  Set aside.
2. Cook noodles according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.
3. Combine 1/3 c broth, peanut butter, ginger, soy sauce, honey, pepper, and garlic in a large bowl.  Stir with a whisk until smooth.
4. Add cooked chicken, carrots and noodles to peanut sauce.  Toss to coat.
5. Sprinkle individual servings with onions and peanuts.

Garlic Shrimp Pasta

I wanted to make something simple, yet delicious for Valentine's Day.  This garlic shrimp pasta meal was a success.  As mentioned before, I am not a huge fan of pasta with marinara.  However, pasta tossed with olive oil will make me happy on any day.


This entire meal took about 20 minutes to make from start to finish.  Most of the time was spent waiting for the water to boil for the pasta.  Had I been feeling incredibly domestic, I would have prepared my own garlic bread.  However, I chose to use my favorite frozen garlic bread and it worked out just fine.

The original recipe (reflected below) called for green peas and mushrooms.  I omitted these ingredients from my preparation because I did not want to watch Ron pick them out individually.  Instead, I cooked up an individual serving of green beans for myself and mixed green beans in my pasta.  It was great.  This meal is so quick and easy to prepare.  It was delicious and I highly recommend serving with a nice glass of Pinot Grigio!  (I had 3 sips and had a headache.  Wow, can you tell my tolerance is non-existent?) 

For dessert, we had some cupcakes.  They were guilt-free cupcakes and absolutely fabulous!  Ron didn't even balk when I told him the nutritional content.  I will post the recipe tomorrow :) 

Garlic Shrimp Pasta
adapted from My Baking Addiction
Yield:  3-4 servings
Ingredients

• Vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt plus 1 1/2 teaspoons
• 3/4 pound linguine
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
• 1 pound large shrimp (about 16 shrimp), peeled and deveined
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1/2 lemon, zest grated
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• the fresh lemon juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1/3 cup peas
• 1/4 cup canned mushrooms 
• Original recipe reflected that sauteed would taste good.  Agreed!
• 1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the linguine, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or according to the directions on the package.
2. Meanwhile, in another large (12-inch), heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. 
3. Add the garlic; Saute for 1 minute.  
4. Add the shrimp, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and the pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often. 
5. Add wine and cook for about 30 seconds. 
6. Remove from the heat; add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, peas, mushrooms and red pepper flakes.
7. Toss to combine.
8. When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and then put it back in the pot.
9. Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well, and serve!

Spaghetti and Meatball Sandwiches

Ron and I love watching the Food Network.  For a while, I became obsessed with the channel and began DVR'ing everything that would possibly be interesting.  Eventually, I realized that I did not have the time to catch up with the hours of shows that stayed on our DVR.  Plus, after an impulse purchase ($50 worth of brownies from Vermont) at 3am, I decided to cut my tv watching back and settled on a Food Network magazine subscription.

However, we still watch a fair amount from the Food Network.  We are big fans of the challenges and always tune in when they air.  A few months ago, we watched a Sandwich Challenge called "Super Heroes."  The chefs had so many hours to make 3 different types of sandwiches.  If I recall, this Spaghetti and Meatball sandwich was Jason's "hot" sandwich.  It impressed the judges and with good reason!  It looked intriguing and sounded delicious so I thought it would be perfect for a Superbowl meal!

This sandwich was very good.  The addition of the spaghetti turns a meatball sandwich into a party!  Like normal, I needed some veggies so I made up a small salad and some sweet potato fries.  I'm so used to my sandwiches being jam packed full of veggies.  But, this sandwich was pretty dang good.

Jason is the head chef at Gemini Bistro in Chicago.  We're planning on making a stop there for my birthday dinner when we're in town next month.  There's an incredible 3 course deal w/ wine pairings.  The restaurant has received very good ratings and well... he's been featured on the Food Network :)

You can find the full recipe by clicking on the link below.  However, I cut the recipe for 2 people and reflected the changes in the recipe below.  Also, I "cheated" to save some time.  I pre-purchased some meatballs and spaghetti sauce from Kowalski's.

Spaghetti and Meatball Sandwiches
adapted from Food Network.com courtesy of Jason Paskewitz, Chicago, Illinois
Ingredients  

• Spaghetti sauce
• Meatballs
• Cooked spaghetti
• Italian Bread 
• We used sliced wheat toast for individual sandwiches.
• Parmesan cheese (or whatever italian cheese you prefer)
• Fresh basil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp onion salt or garlic powder
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Prepare spaghetti as directed on box.  Make enough for 2-4 sandwiches (depending on how much you want).
2. Cut meatballs to lay on bread and set aside.
3. In a small saucepan, combine butter, onion salt or garlic powder, minced garlic and salt and pepper. 
4. Heat until butter is melted. 
5. Slice Italian bread lengthwise and remove any excess dough. 
6. Brush butter mixture evenly all over both sides of Italian bread. 
7. Alternate layers of spaghetti, sauce and meatballs throughout the bread. 
8. Top with basil and cheese and close the sandwich. 
9. Grill the sandwich for 3 minutes on each side on either a griddle or a panini press.

WW Pasta with Sundried Tomato Sausage and Feta

I've learned that I like pasta.  Before this blog, I used to hate pasta.  I'm afraid to admit that part of the reason I did not like pasta was because I could not cook the pasta.  I always failed.

I'm serious.  Every single time I tried to make spaghetti or any kind of boxed noodle, it somehow turned out like crap.  I had issues with stovetop ramen for a while in college.  It's pretty pathetic to think about how excited I was on the night that I "mastered" the 3 minute preparation for stovetop ramen.

Anyway, I've learned that I like pasta.  However, I do not like your typical pasta with marinara and meatballs.  That is where I run into a problem.  I prefer to have a "fancy pasta" meal.  This is how I will describe my pasta dishes from here on.  Fancy pasta.

For some reason, fancy pasta appeals to me.  When I think of a good pasta meal, I think of olive oil, oregano, basil, shrimp, chicken...  Yummy ingredients that pair really well with a nice glass of white wine.  I think of Italy.  Sadly, I've never been to Italy.  So, when I envision my happy "italian restaurant experience," I picture myself sitting in "France" in Epcot.  ????  I don't get it either.  It's strange, but whatever.  It keeps me happy.

Add this recipe to the fancy pasta top-ten list.  This stuff was incredible!  I made some variations to the recipe because I did not want to make a whole pound of pasta for 2 people.  The original recipe also called for some zucchini but I left that out.  You can check out the original recipe from the site by clicking the link below.

This meal only took about 20 minutes to make.  And, this meal is a must try.

Pasta with Sundried Tomato Sausage

adapted from the Aidells site
Yield:  4-6 servings
Ingredients

• 1 pound dried pasta (penne, gemelli, rotini - I used WW linguine) 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 links Aidells Sun-Dried Tomato Sausage, sliced ¼ inch thick (I used 3)
  
• 1 roasted red pepper, sliced (I used about 1 cup of jarred roasted sweet red peppers)
  
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped (or minced)
  
• 1 cup white wine (I used about 3/4 c of white cooking wine)
  
• 1 cup chicken stock (I used about 3/4 c of chicken broth)
  
• 2 tablespoons basil, chopped
• ½ cup Feta Cheese (or grated Parmesan) (I used the Atheno's Basil and Sundried Tomato crumbles)
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 
• Kalamata olives, if desired.
  

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted boiling water until al dente. Drain well. 
2. Add the sausage and cook for 2-3 minutes until beginning to brown. 
3. Add the zucchini, roasted pepper and garlic. 
1. This smells amazing!!
   
4. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes. 
5. Stir in the wine and stock and bring to a boil. 
6. Lower heat to medium and simmer until slightly reduced. 
1. I grew impatient for the sauce to reduce.  It wasn't and this might've had something to do with too much liquid/not enough ingredients.  I drained most of the liquid but reserved about 1/4 cup before I proceeded to step #8.  It still tasted delicious!
   
7. Toss in the cooked pasta, basil and cheese. 
8. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
9. Sprinkle with kalamata olives, if desired.
   

Lemon Chickpea Pasta w/ Chicken

Contrary to my food blog, I do cook and make healthy meals.  I just enjoy a little bit of sugar every now and then :)

This was such an easy recipe to make up and turned out so well.  However, I do plan to make it in the future and add some changes to boost the flavor.  In my dish, I did not include the capers that were in the original recipe.  I think these would have added a really good flavor.  I kept sprinkling hot pepper flakes on my pasta (which worked just fine) but I had a light-bulb go off while eating it.  Next time, I plan to add some cooked spinach & substitute roasted red pepper feta cheese for the Parmesan cheese.  I'll report back with details (though I've included where I'd make the changes) because I think this would taste incredible.  Otherwise, this recipe is good as it is with some bread and a side salad.  I laid my pasta on some spinach leaves and it worked well.

Lemony Chickpea Pasta w/ Chicken
adapted from eat.repeat
Ingredients

• 1/2 lb small pasta like orecchiette or mini penne (I used 1/2 a box of whole wheat pasta shells)
• 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
• 1/2 lemon juiced and zested (I used 1 whole lemon)
  
• 4 tablespoons good quality olive oil
• 3 tablespoons hot pasta water
  
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce or red pepper flakes
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut up into small cubes (I bought from prepared food section to save time)
  
• 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese, grated plus extra for serving
• salt + pepper to taste
  

Directions

1. Cook the pasta in salted, boiling water according to manufacturer directions. 
2. In a large bowl mix lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, capers (if using), hot sauce/peppers and chicken.  (Add the cooked spinach - probably 1/2 of a small box of frozen/thawed/drained.)
   
3. Add the chickpeas and stir to coat. 
4. Drain the pasta, reserving some of the hot water.
5. Add the pasta to the chickpeas mixture, stir in the cheese (would probably add about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the feta), while adding the pasta water as you mix. 
6. Season with salt and pepper. 
7. Add more lemon juice/hot sauce to your liking.
8. Serve with extra Cheese.