Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad with Crunchy Panko Topping

This salad was super yummy - thumbs up from the hubby and kids!! I actually made it the day before to save myself the hassle the night of and was so glad I did!!! The veggies and tortellini marinated all night and had great flavor - and I was also so happy after a day of work to not have to make a big dinner! Win-Win! What was everyone's favorite part of the meal? The crunchy panko topping!!! The kids went wild over the topping - I'm so glad I added it last minute. Also, if you make the salad the day before, do not add the topping until just before serving or it will get soggy.

Hope you all enjoy this as much as my family did!

 Blistered Garlic Cherry Tomatoes:

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 Tbl olive oil
• 1 tsp dried basil or 3 Tbl fresh basil 
• 1/4 tsp salt

 Dressing & Tortellini Salad:

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 Tbl red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp maple syrup or honey
• 1 Tbl Dijon mustard
• 16 ounces (2 cups) cheese tortellini
• 2 bell peppers, chopped (preferably one orange and one red)
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly torn
• 3/4 cup fresh "pearl" mozzarella balls (the little tiny balls)
• 3-4 ounces salami, roughly chopped, optional
• 2 cups of fresh arugula
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

 Crunchy Panko Topping:

• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 Tbl olive oil
• 1 Tbl dried parsely
• 1/8 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400F 

Toss the halved cherry tomatoes, minced garlic, olive oil, basil and salt in a medium bowl.  Spread on to a foil lined baking sheet and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until the tomatoes are blistered and bursting. Stir with a spatula and set aside to cool. Don't worry that they fall apart - that will happen. Just make sure you don't lose any of the seeds and juice- all that yummy-ness adds lots of flavor to the salad.

While the tomatoes are roasting boil a large pot of water and cook tortellini to al dente. Drain water, place tortellini back into pot and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil to prevent sticking. Set aside.

To make the dressing combine 1/2 cup olive oil, red wine vinegar, syrup or honey and Dijon mustard. Whisk until smooth.

To make the panko topping, turn the oven down to 350F. In a small bowl add panko bread crumbs, olive oil, parsley and salt. Mix with your fingers. Evenly spread the bread crumb mixture onto a foil lined baking sheet. Bake for only 3 - 4 minutes - don't go anywhere because this cooks quickly and you do not want it to burn. Remove from oven, stir the cooked panko with a spoon and set aside. 

To assemble the salad add the cooked tortellini, chopped bell peppers, blistered tomatoes and their juice, dressing, mozzerella balls, chopped basil and salami (if using) into a large bowl. Toss until everything is nicely coated. Taste for salt and pepper. 

To serve, place a handful of arugula at the bottom of each serving bowl. Spoon on the tortellini salad. Evenly divide the shredded Parmesan and baked panko crumbs to the top of each salad. Enjoy!!

**This is a great salad to make ahead of time! However,  add the arugula and the panko topping JUST before eating or the arugula and panko will get soggy. The rest of the ingredients will marinate together in the fridge overnight! Easy Peasy!

Three Bean Chocolate Chili

I have been following this blog, Vegetarian Ventures, for awhile now.....this gal makes really delicious meals, often with surprise ingredients (like the cocoa powder in this chili) that really intrigue me as a cook and get me excited about experimenting with new flavors. I treated myself to her cookbook when it came out this year and I have been enjoying her recipes quite a bit!! Her photos (on her blog and in her cookbook) are gorgeous, by the way - they definitely make me hungry!!!

Here is the recipe word for word from Shelly Westerhausen's beautiful cookbook Vegetarian Heartland:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded, de-ribbed and chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbl chili powder
1 Tbl Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 - 15oz can black beans, drained
1 - 15oz can kidney beans, drained
1 - 15oz can pinto beans, drained
1 - 14oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup frozen corn <I omitted this because I don't care for corn in chili>
1 Tbl maple syrup* <this was my own addition - I think it balanced out the flavors>

sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese or nutritional yeast, chopped fresh cilantro or chopped avocado for serving, all optional

Directions:
In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and saute until the vegetables soften and the garlic is fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the chili powder, cocoa powder, oregano, cumin, and cayenne, stirring to coat, and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds more. Add the beans, tomatoes with juice, stock, *maple syrup <if using> and corn.

Turn the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, and then turn the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the vegetables and beans are completely soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer until the chili thickens and most of the liquid has cooked off, about 5 minutes more. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Ladle into bowls or mugs. Serve warm and pass sour cream, cheese, cilantro and/or avocado (if using) around the table. Leftovers will last up to 3 days refrigerated in an airtight container or up to 3 months in the freezer.

The Very Best Pumpkin Bread Ever

This bread is OUT OF CONTROL AMAZING!!! So so so yummy! Pumpkin, cream cheese, buttermilk and a cinnamon topping?! The answer is YES to all! I have made this bread twice in the past two weeks. Yep, two times! It is so delicious I do not think I will ever make another pumpkin bread....I don't think it can be topped!!

This recipe is from America's Test Kitchen. If you aren't familiar with this blog/cookbook then you should check it out! They try each recipe many many times using different ingredients and cooking methods before they decide on the perfect one - and they always get it right. This one is certainly no different. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Here is the recipe verbatim (and follow all the steps including cooking the pumpkin down on the stove top):

Topping:
5 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt

Bread:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 (15‑ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon salt
1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
1 cup packed (7 ounces) light brown sugar
1/2  cup vegetable oil
4 ounces cream cheese, cut into 12 pieces
4 large eggs
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped fine

1. For the topping: Using fingers, mix all ingredients together in bowl until well combined and mixture resembles wet sand.

2. For the bread: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two
8 1/2 by 4 1/2‑inch loaf pans. Whisk flour, baking powder, and baking soda together in bowl.

3. Cook pumpkin puree, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in large saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, 6 to 8 minutes. Off heat, stir in granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, and cream cheese until combined. Let mixture stand for 5 minutes. Whisk until no visible pieces of cream cheese remain and mixture is homogeneous.

4. Whisk eggs and buttermilk together in separate bowl, then whisk into pumpkin mixture. Gently fold in flour mixture until combined (some small lumps of flour are OK). Fold in walnuts. Scrape batter into prepared pans, smooth tops, and sprinkle evenly with topping. Bake until skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking.

5. Let loaves cool in pans for 20 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack and let cool for 1 1/2 hours before serving.

Cinnamon Apple & Banana Bread with Walnuts

Every weekend my husband makes our family pancakes and waffles from scratch - it's his thing. He takes his sweet, sweet time making them and they are always a highlight of our weekend!! This past Saturday he gave us a surprise by also making his cinnamon apples cooked in brown sugar and butter to spoon on top - when he does this, we know we are all getting an extra dose of love. They are so delicious and smell amazing!!!!

My husband's cinnamon apples inspired this banana bread. You all know how much I love to bake banana bread. When I see those spotted black and brown bananas on the counter I just can't wait to mash 'em up!! This time I thought I would take my husband's cinnamon apples and add them.....well, it was a fabulous idea because this bread is just pure yummy-ness! I hope you enjoy!

Apples:
1 Tbl butter
2 Tbl brown sugar
2 crisp apples, cored, and diced (I do not peel my apples, but you can)
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt

Bread: 
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour*
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick of butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped, optional

*If you do not have this, you can just use 2 cups of all-purpose flour

To make the apples:
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter and brown sugar and heat until bubbling. Add the apples and cinnamon and sauté about 5 or 6 minutes. Add the 1/8 tsp salt, stir. Set aside.

To make the bread:
Preheat oven to 350F

In a medium bowl combine flours, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger and salt.

In a separate bowl cream the soften butter and sugar together until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add the sour cream and vanilla. Mix well. Add the mashed bananas and stir until all combined.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, stir. Fold in the cinnamon apples. Fold in the walnuts, if using. 

Pour the batter into a greased and floured loaf pan. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and let cool for about an hour. Turn bread out onto a clean cutting board. Slice and serve. It won't last longer than 3 days, I'll tell you that! But that's about how long you can leave it sitting out on the counter.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

It's that time of year again - pumpkin spice everything! I thought I would put a healthy spin on the pumpkin spice trend and whip up a fiber filled smoothie that is great for your skin, gives your immunity a boost and tastes delicious, too!  Enjoy!

This makes enough for one smoothie:

1 apple (I used a honeycrisp because yes, I'm worth it!)
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup of almond milk or regular low-fat milk
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 small nub of fresh ginger (or 1/4 tsp ground if you don't have fresh)
1/2 tsp to 1 tsp pure maple syrup or honey (optional, but yummy!)
5-6 ice cubes
1 Tbl hemp seed (optional)

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth. Drink immediately.

Greek Buddah Bowl

I know this Buddah Bowl has a lot of ingredients and dressings in it.....but I promise you, it isn't a hard salad to put together. Let my ingredient list be your guide.....you don't have to put it all in and you can add any of your favorite veggies that I didn't include here. Just have fun with it!

I made enough for two giant dinner sized salads. I made roasted tofu and baked chicken and my husband wanted the tofu! What can I say, I make the best tofu! Haha! Honestly, though, my husband said this was one of the best salads I have ever made! I agree - it was super yum!!

I didn't do this, but thought of it after - pita bread slices would have been a great addition! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

romaine lettuce, washed, dried and chopped
cooked brown rice, seasoned with salt & pepper (you could also use quinoa instead)
cucumbers, chopped
cherry tomatoes, halved
hemp seed
roasted chickpeas (recipe below)
avocado, perfectly ripe and sliced
bell pepper (red, yellow or orange) chopped
green or black olives or capers
pita bread slices for serving

Choose one of the following for added protein:
marinated and roasted tofu (which is what is pictured above), cubed
marinated and baked chicken, cut into cubes
falafel (you can get some killer falafels in the frozen food section or make your own)

Sauces (I used a combination of ALL of these in the salad - so glad I did - YUM!)
hummus (store bought)
tzatziki sauce (I made my own, recipe below - but you can use store bought)
tahini sauce (recipe below - this took all of three minutes to put together- don't skimp. In case you don't know, tahini is made from seasame seeds)

Roasted Chickpeas Recipe:

1 can of chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp of any or all of these spices (I used them all! YUM!)

• cumin
• cinnamon
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• paprika
• brown sugar
• salt

Heat the oven to 400F

Place chickpeas in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with spices and spread on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes and then stir. Bake for another 10 minutes (until desired softness or crispness) and remove from oven and let cool.

Tzatziki Sauce:

Greek yogurt
lemon juice to taste
small drizzle of maple syrup
salt to taste
dill or parsley, optional
finely chopped cucumber

Mix the first four ingredients together. Fold in the chopped cucumber. Done!

Tahini Dressing:

2 Tbl tahini paste
lemon juice to taste
small drizzle of maple syrup
water - enough to make it smooth

Mix all ingredients together. Add water as needed to make it smooth.

Assemble the Salad:

Put all the ingredients in a large bowl. Make it look pretty by sorting the colors and layering each veggie and protein side by side. Don't forget they say you eat with your eyes first!! Add a dollop of hummus, tzatziki sauce and tahini sauce.  You can serve this salad with some pita bread slices if you like! Enjoy!