Fettuccine with Sausage, Tomato, and Arugula

Fettuccine with Sausage, Tomato, and Arugula

I’m sucked in to the Olympics.  Even though I admit that I like the Summer Olympic games more, I’m still all about getting my fill of curling, skiing, bobsledding, and of course hockey.

So far what I’ve watched has me entertained, but because of the time difference, I’m struggling to not know the outcome ahead of time.  If I truly want to be surprised, I would have to go completely dark (ie no Facebook, Twitter, or ANY Internet).  I’m sorry, but in this fully connected 24/7 world, that’s impossible.

That is why this weekends hockey was awesome.  7:30 am Eastern Time starts? Yes please. I could get used to that.  Maybe not full time but the occasional morning sporting event would be wonderful.

I woke up, made a pot a coffee and watched a spectacular hockey game in my pajama’s, in bed.  When it was over, I grabbed breakfast, a shower, and started my day.  Most of all, since I was able to watch live, no spoilers.

Seriously, what’s not to love?

So, NHL, NCAA, and NBA…throw us a bone every now and then and start a weekend game bright and early.  I’ll watch, and I’m sure lots of other people will too…..unless of course they have tickets to attend.  If that happened to be the case, that would just suck.

GO USA!!!!

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There are about a million, maybe a trillion ways to make pasta, so what’s one more?

I found this healthy recipe via Cooking Light.  It’s made with whole wheat pasta, fresh tomatoes, peppery arugula, and turkey sausage.

It’s tasty.  It’s quick.  It’s healthy. So feel do yourself a favor and add this to your repertoire. You’ll love it.

Enjoy!

Ingredients: 1 box of whole wheat fettuccine 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 Italian-style turkey sausage links (turkey removed from casing) 1 large clove garlic, minced (approximately 1 tablespoon) 1 pint cherry tomatoes 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 3 cups baby arugula Pecorino Romano Cheese, shaved Directions: Prepare fettuccine according to directions. Drain, reserving 2/3 cup of pasta water. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over over medium high heat. When heated add olive oil and sausage, heat until cooked through and golden brown ensuring to break up the sausage in to pieces. Once turkey is cooked, add garlic and stir (30 seconds). Add tomatoes and pepper. Cook approximately 2-4 minutes and begin to gently smash to tomatoes with back of wooden spoon to open and release juices. Cover pan and reduce heat. Cook additional 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add pasta, the pasta water.  Stir. Add arugula and toss with pasta until slightly wilted. Finish the dish by sprinkling the shaved cheese on top.

Granola

Granola

It’s snowing again as I write this and I though maybe I would write about the weather (again) but I think at this point, if you’re in the states, especially the Midwest, you get it.  So lets just move on.

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I love granola.  Problem is that store bought granola is often loaded with calories.  Even if you buy the healthy versions they typically cost a small fortune.

So I scoured the world wide web to see if I could find a good recipe that would be both economical and waist line friendly. The results were overwhelming.

So what does any experimental cook do?  I experimented by taking bits and pieces from a few recipes I researched.

The first batch I tried was too sweet.  The second was too sticky.  The third was not sweet enough. Finally, after some tweaking I ultimately settled  on the one below and just like Goldilocks, this one was just right.

While the upfront cost is probably more than a box of store bought granola, I was able to make 4 or 5 batches for under $10.  Most of all, I controlled the ingredients making it as healthy as I possibly could.

Enjoy!

Ingredients: 2 cups Rolled Oats (such as Bob’s Red Mill) (do not use quick cooking oats) 1/2 cup of chopped nuts (use any kind – pecans, almonds etc) 1/4 cup of coconut flakes (optional) 2 tablespoons honey (wildflower if possible but any good quality honey will do) 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (no Mrs. Butterworth) 1 teaspoon of canola oil Pinch of kosher salt 1/4 cup of dried fruit, chopped (I use blend of cranberries, cherries, blueberries) Directions: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients (except fruit), mix well. Add in all wet ingredients and gently stir to combine. Pour contents of bowl on to a rimmed sheet pan lined with parchment paper (or silicon baking mat) Bake 15 minutes. Stir gently with a spatula and bake additional 15 minutes until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle the dried fruit on the cooked oats. Cool completely and transfer to an airtight container. Serve with Greek Yogurt and Berries, or milk, or just snack right from the jar. The best part is you can add anything you want to the granola. Be adventurous.