Main Dish Archives - Page 6 of 20 -

April 28, 2016

Swiss Chard, Fennel, and Sausage Pasta

Pasta makes an appearance at our dinner table usually about once a week, mostly because it’s simple and also because my kids make me feel like a hero whenever I announce pasta for dinner. I still remember the time when I served pasta tossed with a plain old jar of store-bought marinara sauce and my son declared it “my best meal EVER”. (Oh why do I even bother sometimes?!)

This pasta, while not quite as easy as opening a jar, has minimal preparation and comes together quickly on busy weeknights . I used some homemade tomato sauce that I still had frozen from last summer’s tomatoes, but you could easily substitute any purchased canned or jarred tomato sauce. Ricotta and parmesan mellow out the acidity of the tomatoes and the seasonings from the chicken sausage help to further flavor the sauce. I like my pasta heavy with vegetables so there are two whole bunches of swiss chard along with a large fennel bulb, although in the end I probably could have used even more after the vegetables cooked down. It’s a simple dinner, I know, but delicious just the same and it’s these one-pot meals that get me through the week.

April 7, 2016

Spring Hummus Toasts

One thing I look forward to with the arrival of Spring are the carefree meals with more simple assembling rather than time-consuming preparation– meals that require no more than just beautiful platters of ingredients so everyone can arrange their own plates or bowls. Hummus toast is a common springtime lunch for us and much like avocado toast, we never seem to tire of it. After a generous smear of hummus on a toasted pita, we pile on all sorts of fresh vegetables and seeds and finish it off with a drizzle of good olive oil. There are so many possibilities and it’s so much fun to play around. Perfect for leisurely picnics and also great for a quick lunch at home.

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February 11, 2016

Kale Pesto Spelt Ravioli

I assure you that one year ago ravioli was at the very bottom on my list of recipes to prioritize. With all of the countless supermarket varieties out there, why bother? Lately though as I’ve been feeling rather disappointed with the store bought versions, determination suddenly welled up to make my own. I admit it had been a while since I used my pasta maker, even though after learning how to make my own spelt pasta I promised myself that I would make fresh pasta more frequently. But as I started using my hands to gently knead the dough together, molding it into a smooth round, and then rolling it through the machine, I was reminded of how satisfying and meditative the whole process can be. It’s slow and deliberate and so calming to the soul.