Bowties with Broccoli Pesto

Serves 4
Prep time & cooking time: 45 minutes (It was hard to separate the prep time and cooking time, because you are sort of constantly working on this meal. From pulling ingredients out of the pantry to having the meal on the table was 45 minutes, BUT, if you have a larger food processor (mine is so tiny and I had to work in three batches) this will come together much faster for you.)

8 ounces whole wheat farfalle
2 cups broccoli florets
3 tablespoons water
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 garlic cloves, halved
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup reduced-sodium vegetable broth
2 teaspoons olive oil
Grated zest of 1 lemon
6 dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced

1. Cook farfalle according to package directions, drain and keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, place broccoli and water in medium microwaveable dish. Cover and microwave on high until tender, 2-3 minutes; drain. Rinse under cold running water; drain again.

3. To make pesto, place broccoli, basil, Parmesan 1 tablespoon of the pine nuts, the garlic, salt, and pepper flakes in food processor; pulse until coarsely chopped. Add broth and oil; process until smooth.

4. Combine pasta, pesto, and lemon zest in large serving bowl; toss to coat. Sprinkle with sun-dried tomatoes and remaining 1 tablespoon pine nuts.

Served with garlic-cheese toast.

Results: I was all prepared to hate this dish. I'm a huge fan of pesto, and I just knew that I would think "Nice try, Weight Watchers, but FAIL!" Nope, this dish was delicious! The broccoli pesto was so fresh and tasty. I loved it! I put half the pesto mixture in the freezer to use another day (I knew the boys wouldn't eat anything GREEN.) We had some leftovers and they were delicious cold for lunch the next day. Takes some effort to make, but this is a new favorite!

Pasta with Broccoli and Sausage (and a Ricotta Surprise!!!!!!!) SURPRISE!!!!

Serves 4 (with yummy, delicious leftovers for lunch)

OK, let me remind my four readers of how insane, bat-shit crazy Rachael Ray is. This cookbook, Express Lane Meals, is divided into three sections: Meals for the Exhausted (for the nights when you are most likely to call in take-out), Meals for the Not Too Tired (that involve some chopping, but little attention) and "Bring It On!" (for the days you are really in the mood to cook.) This meal was in the "Meals for the Exhausted" section. Rachael Ray is CRAZY! It seriously took about an hour and a half to prepare. Thankfully, I had handed this recipe over to my mother-in-law, Barb, who cooked dinner while Chris and I painted.

Salt
1 lb penne pasta (we used 1/2 of this, and still had leftovers)
1 cup ricotta cheese
zest and juice of 1 lemon
freshly ground black pepper
1 pound sweet Italian sausage (I think you could use ground sausage just as easily)
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 & 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1. Place a large pot of water with a tight-fitting lid over high heat and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, add some salt and the pasta. Cook according to package directions until al dente. (Note: you will need to use about 1/2 cup of the pasta water later.)

2. In a small mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, lemon zest, salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste). Let sit, and come to room temperature.

3. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and break up with a spoon into bite-sized pieces. Cook the meat until brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate. Return the skillet to heat and add the broccoli and chopped onion to the pan. Season with salt and pepper, and let the broccoli brown a bit before stirring, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 2 minutes more. Add the sausage back to the skillet along with the chicken stock.

4. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of pasta water. Ladle in some cooking water from the pasta and bring up to a simmer. Cook until the broccoli is tender and the liquids have reduced slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice, parsley and pasta to the sausage mixture. Toss to combine and simmer 1 minute. Turn the heat off, add the grated cheese, tossing to combine.

5. To serve, place a large dollop of the pepper-lemon-ricotta mixture into each of four shallow bowls and bury it with hot pasta. Serve with extra grated cheese.

Results: I appreciated the effort from Barb, because this was De-freaking-licious. It was so good. The ricotta "surprise!!!" was really tasty. Henry wolfed his down, and requested seconds. Steven choked down one piece of pasta. At least I know it not just me and my cooking. He truly doesn't eat anything. Try this on a Sunday when you have more time to cook, you won't regret it!

Orange Beef and Broccoli

Serves 4

1 navel orange
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 large egg white
1 lb beef sirloin, trimmed of fat, cut into 2-inch slices (1/2-inch thick)
1 (16-oz) bad broccoli florets
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup Asian orange sauce or citrus stir-fry sauce
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup shredded carrots

1. Remove the peel from orange (colored part only) using a vegetable peeler and reserve; juice orange and reserve.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk 1 tablespoon of the orange juice, 2 tablespoons of the cornstarch, and egg white until blended; add beef strips; toss to coat.

3. Cook broccoli in microwave with 2 tablespoons water in a microwave-safe bowl covered with vented plastic wrap 2 to 3 minutes on high, or until crisp-tender. Drain; refresh under cold water; reserve.

4. Combine the remaining orange juice and cornstarch, broth, orange sauce, soy sauce, ginger and garlic.

5. Drain beef; heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large, deep non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Cook beef, in batches, 1 to 2 minutes per side until golden brown. Remove to a plate.

6. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet; add orange peel and red pepper flakes and stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes, until peel begins to darken and smell fragrant. Pour reserved orange sauce mixture into skillet and cook, stirring, until bubbly and sauce starts to thicken. Add broccoli, beef, and carrot; continue to cook 2 minutes, stirring, until hot and coated with sauce.

Served with jasmine rice and orange slices

Results: This was kind of fun to make, since I typically don't make "Asian" food at home. I leave that up to the experts at Cherry Village. This was a beautiful dish, and very delicious, but the sirloin was a little tough. Next time, I think I may marinade the beef in orange juice to tenderize it. As for the boys, Henry surprisingly ate all of the beef, but didn't like the sauce on the broccoli. Do I even need to tell you what Steven didn't do?