What a perfect side dish — goes with any meats and or fish. I served it alongside humble turkey burgers and hamburgers and it was really delicious! I used whatever color peppers I had in the house and I used Yukon gold potatoes because that’s what I had on hand. Perfect with some sausage as well. Did I mention super easy???? and all on one pan in the oven.
Ingredients:
app. 2 lbs Potatoes — I happen to have on hand Yukon Gold Potatoes but Russet Potatoes work well as well– any potatoes will work out — cut potatoes into app. 1″ chunks –chunks should be as uniform as possible
1 medium yellow onion– cut into 1″ chunks
2 peppers — any color you like — I had orange and yellow on hand– cut into 1 ” chunks
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher Salt — app. 2 teaspoons
Freshly Ground Black Pepper– app. 1 teaspoon
Garlic Powder — 1 teaspoon — if you prefer fresh garlic — use 2 garlic cloves minced
Directions:
*important to cut chunks of vegetables fairly uniformly so they cook the same
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
In a large bowl toss potatoes, onion and peppers with oil, salt , pepper and garlic
Spread mixture on a rimmed baking sheet — I spray my baking sheet with cooking spray for an easy cleanup –spread out so peppers onions and potatoes have room to cook — don’t overcrowd as they will just steam and not slow roast
Roast for about 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender and golden brown, I stirred halfway through cooking.
It’s the end of the Summer and the Palisade Peaches are still here in Colorado along with the most beautiful heirloom tomatoes. It’s a no-brainer salad going on here made with the freshest of ingredients. Fresh Mozzarella is readily available almost everywhere now and grab some fresh basil while you’re at it. This salad worked out well with a few easy ingredients and it packed some super delicious flavor. Hurry to your farmers market or produce store to grab some of these beauties before they’re gone .
*can substitute burrata
*this recipe should serve 4 but can easily be doubled for more
Ingredients:
1 pint of cherry tomatoes ( I grabbed some heirloom cherry tomatoes)or any tomatoes you’d like the local tomatoes are beautiful this time of year
1 large peach or 2 small (Palisade Peaches here in Colorado have been amazing)
4 ounces fresh mozzarella cut up in cubes or however you’d like to cut it up
1 shallot
some fresh basil–throw in about 8 pieces and add more or less depending on your own particular taste
1 1/2 Tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or any flaky salt you like –this is approximate and use as little or as much salt as you like, tomatoes can endure a lot of salt
app. 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Rinse off tomatoes and cut in 1/2. Clean and cut the peach in half, remove the pit and cut into bite size pieces. Add tomatoes and peaches to a platter or a bowl. Cut up the mozzarella and add to bowl.
Peel and slice the shallots into thin slivers or rings whichever you prefer. Scatter over tomatoes, add the basil, drizzle the olive oil, salt and pepper and stir gently.
Presentation is beautiful on a platter as well. Whatever way you do it the taste is phenomenal.
I am always on the search for some new vegetarian recipes to try out. The inspiration for this salad came from some beautiful radishes from the farmers market and some fresh sugar snap peas. During the summer months with all the beautiful fresh vegetables available it’s super easy to throw together these salads. The fresh parmesan pieces give it the extra kick and salt it needs, use as much or as little as you like. I prefer pearled farro for this recipe. Feel free to experiment and use whatever ingredients suit your taste.
*original recipe from Jessica Seinfeld website Do it Delicious
Ingredients:
1 cup pearled farro
1 cup sugar snap peas
4 large radishes
*2 scallions -optional
*fresh mint app. 1/4 cup loosely packed –also optional
1/4 cup parmesan pieces- leave in chunks or shave whichever you prefer
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Follow directions on the box of farro or fill a saucepan to about an inch from the top. Bring to a boil, and add the farro and cook until tender but still chewy, about 10 minutes. Drain in a strainer and run under cold water to cool down. Drain out excess water and let sit while you prep the rest of the salad.
Wash the snap peas and radishes. Remove the stems from the snap peas, cut them crosswise into 1/2″ pieces and add to a medium bowl. Trim the stems off the radishes and remove the root ends. Slice the radishes in half , then slice crosswise into thin half moons. Add the radishes to the bowl. Trim the ends of the scallions, wash and then slice the white and light green parts of the scallions into small rounds. Add to the bowl. Tear the mint leaves and add to the bowl. Take the parmesan and crumble into the bowl, you can use your hands or a knife to crumble parmesan. Add the cooled farro to the bowl.
Add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to the bowl. Taste for seasonings. Mix and allow to sit for a bit before serving. I made ahead and stored in fridge. I removed before serving for a while to bring to room temperature.
This is a most delicious delightful easy way to make fresh tomato sauce. Very light served over angel hair pasta and summertime easy. No fuss no muss. I like to make tomato sauce and let it sit for about 4 hours so that’s all the planning you really have to do. Very little prep with very few ingredients and you have a delicious dinner. Summer in a bowl. Enjoy!
Can make tomato sauce in the morning let it sit in fridge all day –take out bring to room temperature -cook past and there you go – delicious light dinner.
Ingredients:
4 pints small cherry or grape tomatoes — you can use different colors or all the same color–halved
1/2 cup Good Olive Oil
6 cloves garlic minced — app. 2 Tablespoons
Fresh Basil — I used a small package from grocery store but probably 15 Basil leaves — this is approximate — I use a kitchen scissor and snip it up into small pieces– you can roughly chop as well
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes — more or less depending on your own individual relationship with crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon kosher salt — and more to taste if necessary
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound angel hair pasta
Grated Parmesan cheese — for serving
Directions:
In a large bowl combine the tomatoes, 1/2 cup Olive Oil, garlic, basil, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit out at room temperature for about 4 hours. After 4 hours taste for Salt and Pepper.
When you’re ready to serve, cook up pasta according to box directions for al dente and be careful because angel hair cooks up very fast. Drain the pasta well and add to the bowl with the tomatoes. If you’d like you can add more basil and if you’d like you can add cheese to the bowl . I like to add cheese at the table individually. Use tongs to mix and get oil all over the pasta you’ll need a rather large bowl.
Enjoy! and this recipe can easily be cut in 1/2 but we like cold pasta for lunch so it makes for great leftovers.
Nothing but beautiful tomatoes out there begging to be eaten in a million different ways. Perfect for a “Meatless Monday” dish or any night of the week . There are tons of local tomatoes out there now. At any local farmers market you can pick up pints of these beautiful babies. This is a lovely light pasta.
I had bought 2 pints of those beautiful little cherry tomatoes and right now there are those gorgeous yellow sunburst tomatoes also available. I wasn’t sure what I would do with them. They varied in size so I knew if I made a sauce some were getting cut and some would stay whole. Nothing ever sounds better than a plate of pasta to me, nothing. These beautiful tomatoes are only out for such a limited time you have to get them while the getting is good. Some of the tomatoes were super small and I left them whole while I halved the larger ones. There are so many variations of this sauce and feel free to improvise. We love it this way. So simple and so delicious.
1 lb. spaghetti , any kind of long spaghetti is good for this — sometimes I use bucatini type and sometimes I use thin type long spaghetti– use whatever you’d like
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more as needed
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced.
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper* we like it spicy so if you don’t want it that spicy cut to 1/4, I actually used 1 whole teaspoon and it packed a lot of kick.
2 pints of cherry tomatoes or little plum tomatoes or you can use about 3 cups of chopped fresh tomatoes of any type. I cut the larger tomatoes in 1/2 and I left the little ones whole– last night I used 2 packages of sugar bomb tomatoes they were 12 oz. each and it was perfect
app. 20 leaves of fresh basil, I just cut them up into small slivers–this is totally optional if your kids don’t like green stuff– but it looks pretty
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste –I used app. 1 teaspoon on tomatoes and added towards the end as needed
freshly grated parmesan at your discretion
Directions:
Cook pasta according to directions on box for al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta water in the event you may need a little more liquid in your sauce. Add 2 tablespoons of salt to cooking water for pasta. The Italians like to say that their pasta water should be like sea water good and salty. After finished cooking pasta — reserve 1 cup of pasta water and set aside before you drain pasta.
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat add 4 tablespoons of olive oil and garlic, cook until garlic is golden about 2 minutes. Be careful you don’t want to burn this garlic. Add the crushed red pepper now and the tomatoes, and cook over medium low heat. I also added some kosher salt (about 1/2 teaspoon to start, you can always add more) and a little freshly ground black pepper. Stir for a while to make sure garlic doesn’t burn and tomatoes start to burst and deflate about 5 minutes and if you think you need a little more olive oil add it now . I let the tomatoes simmer in the pan for about 15 minutes to 1/2 hour for the best consistency. I smashed down stubborn little tomatoes at the end with the back of a wooden spoon or a masher if you have one. A very low simmer at the end. Taste for Salt and Pepper. The longer the tomatoes sit in the oil and cook down on a low simmer the better the sauce will be so if you have a little time let it sit. I think my tomatoes sat for at least 2 hours like this. Once tomatoes were cooked down I just turned off heat covered it and let it sit. Before eating while making the pasta I heated up on a low simmer.
Once the spaghetti is cooked and you’ve drained it ( remember to reserve a cup of pasta water). Add the pasta water a little at a time to the pan with tomatoes and over medium-low heat toss the pasta with the tomatoes well. Add the basil . I let everyone add their own cheese at the table.
It’s Summer (well almost) and the living is easy –and the corn is delicious. There are times I buy fresh corn but don’t feel like serving it on the cob even though it is perfectly delicious this way. This corn salad is a suggestion for you as a side dish with very little ingredients and pretty much all corn. I like to serve as a side dish in the summer because it can be made ahead and served at room temperature. It’s a most perfect side dish. It doesn’t get more basic or easier than this recipe. My absolute go-to summer side dish. Super Easy.
Enjoy the rest of the summer and keep on Cooking with Candi.
Ingredients:
5-6 ears of corn , shucked
1/2 cup small diced red onion
3 Tablespoons cider vinegar
3 Tablespoons good olive oil
1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt – you can always add more salt after you finish and taste for salt
1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper the same applies for the pepper as for the salt
app. 1/2 cup cut up fresh basil leaves–use as much or as little as you like –it adds wonderful flavor
*add a few small cut up grape tomatoes for another variety on this
Directions:
In a large pot of boiling water, cook the corn for app. 3 minutes (just to let go of the starchiness) Drain and immerse in ice water to stop the cooking and set the color. When the corn cools down , cut the kernels off the cob , cutting close to the cob to get the whole kernel. I use a bundt pan to catch all the kernels.
Toss the corn kernels in a large bowl with the red onions, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Just before serving, toss in the fresh basil. Taste for seasonings and serve cold or at room temperature.
What a perfect side dish — goes with any meats and or fish. I served it alongside humble turkey burgers and hamburgers and it was really delicious! I used whatever color peppers I had in the house and I used Yukon gold potatoes because that’s what I had on hand. Perfect with some sausage as well. Did I mention super easy???? and all on one pan in the oven.
Ingredients:
app. 2 lbs Potatoes — I happen to have on hand Yukon Gold Potatoes but Russet Potatoes work well as well– any potatoes will work out — cut potatoes into app. 1″ chunks
1 medium yellow onion– cut into 1″ chunks
2 peppers — any color you like — I had orange and yellow on hand– cut into 1 ” chunks
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher Salt — app. 2 teaspoons
Freshly Ground Black Pepper– app. 1 teaspoon
Garlic Powder — 1 teaspoon — if you prefer fresh garlic — use 2 garlic cloves minced
Directions:
*important to cut chunks of vegetables fairly uniformly so they cook the same
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
In a large bowl toss potatoes, onion and peppers with oil, salt , pepper and garlic
Spread mixture on a rimmed baking sheet — I spray my baking sheet with cooking spray for an easy cleanup –spread out so peppers onions and potatoes have room to cook — don’t overcrowd as they will just steam and not slow roast
Roast for about 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender and golden brown, I stirred halfway through cooking.
I call this summer bolognese because it’s lighter than my regular bolognese recipe . It’s made with fresh tomatoes which makes all the difference. I made this sauce the other night and I have to say it was just perfect . It cooked up in no time ( about 1/2 hour) and tasted fresh and delicious. Of course if you would like it vegetarian just omit the chicken. I wanted the protein so added a pound of ground chicken you can also use turkey and if you want ground beef. This time I kept it fairly light and used ground chicken. And you know what? this pasta works all year round. It’s delicious.
*this will probably serve 4
Ingredients:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 garlic cloves– minced– I use a mini food processor always for mincing garlic — just makes it easy
1 lb. ground chicken, turkey or beef
Kosher Salt to taste
1/4 cup dry white wine
4 Tbsp. tomato paste if you use double concentrate use 2
1 lb. cherry tomatoes or little grape tomatoes
12 oz. Bucatini or any spaghtetti you like or rigatoni or penne would work here as well
about 1 cup of Pasta Water — which you may or not need
Finely Grated Parmesan for serving
Directions:
In a large skillet or pot heat oil then add garlic and cook till softened ( a few minutes) don’t brown it just soften it — sometimes you’ll need to turn off stove and let it just cook for a couple of minutes to soften.
With pan at medium high add chicken and cook, breaking up chicken for about 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and fully cooked.
Add wine and reduce heat to medium low. Continue breaking up meat till it’s small pieces until wine is evaporated– another 5 minutes or so. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring till absorbed into chicken and cook for another few minutes.
Add tomatoes and let it cook down, stir to coat the tomatoes with the mixture — allow the tomatoes to cook till they are ready to burst — about 5 minutes. I used a masher ( see photo) and I smashed down on the tomatoes and burst all of them. You can leave some whole if you like but I didn’t because this is where the sauce will come from. Stir occasionally on medium low but don’t allow to burn. Allow sauce to thicken for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water until very al dente ( at least that’s how we like it)
Reserve about 1 cup of cooked pasta water because you may need it if sauce is too thick.
Taste sauce for salt and add accordingly. I probably added a teaspoon or more of Kosher Salt — and some crushed red pepper but that’s totally optional everyone’s taste is different for salt so add to your liking.
Drain pasta and I used tongs and transferred pasta to pan with sauce. Tossing it in and cooking at a low simmer the pasta and the sauce thickened and I added a little pasta water at a time till I reached a perfect consistency . I probably used about 1/2 cup of pasta water. ( which also contains salt so consider this and don’t over-salt sauce — you can always add salt but it’s tough to take away if you make it too salty. The sauce was creamy and delicious .
Remove from heat and if you’d like add fresh basil.
Since it’s truly Springtime here in NY I think about lightening up the menu. Asparagus is so very beautiful this time of year and shrimp is always my go-to. This recipe is a variation on my Summertime Tomato Pasta. I wanted to use some of those beautiful asparagus out there. Even though I knew Joel would pick them out I still made this dish. The asparagus are large enough for him to easily pick out and put on my plate. This dish is light and delicious and pretty quick to prepare. It is like springtime in a bowl! There are so very many things to do with asparagus but this just appealed to me and if you leave the shrimp out you have a lovely vegetarian pasta dish and if you leave the pasta out you have a super light dish! I also used linguine in this recipe because it just seems to hold on to the flavors nicely. Happy Spring and Enjoy.
Ingredients:
1 lb. box linguine ( I used Fini Linguine , it was lighter than regular linguine and was just perfect) but any spaghetti will work here.
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 pint size containers of little grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, or any small tomato ( app. 16-20 oz. of tomatoes) I cut tomatoes in 1/2.
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
* crushed red pepper ( we like the heat) use your own discretion depending on how you like it, totally optional
3 large cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1/2 cup dry white wine ( I use whatever I have open)
1 lb. Asparagus , trimmed, stalks cut on a diagonal into app. 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
fresh basil chopped ( app. 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Directions:
Cook the pasta according to box directions.( Fini Linguine cooks in 6 minutes perfectly) scoop out a little pasta water after cooking about 1/2 cup to 1 cup and keep it handy if pasta is too dry, you can add water to it a little bit at a time.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the tomatoes, app. 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and app. 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are soft , it takes at least 5 minutes . You want the tomatoes to start to burst so they make a delicious sauce. Add the crushed red pepper and garlic. Cook for another few minutes ( don’t burn the garlic)keep on low heat and stir around. Add the wine and the asparagus. Bring to a low boil and simmer for at least 5 minutes . Taste for Salt and Pepper, if it needs more this is when I would add it, and I did. I added a bit more salt here, pepper was fine. You need to use your own discretion about the salt .
Sprinkle shrimp in a bowl with a little salt and pepper. Add the shrimp to the pan and continue to simmer until the shrimp is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Shrimp needs to be firm to the touch, and opaque if cut into. Stir in the chopped basil and the oregano.
Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss well to combine. You can always add more crushed red pepper when finished.
This was really delicious and light. Joel of course picked out every piece of asparagus, and put them in my bowl. That was fine with me because I love asparagus.
*this dish will easily serve 4, if you like you can always add another 1/2 lb. of shrimp for 4 people.
During the winter and the cold months this has become one of my “go to meals” for many years. When I need something to make that’s very easy, healthy and comforting. Food for the soul I like to say. I serve this with crusty bread, and a green salad. It’s very filling and makes a beautiful presentation for 2 or 6. Hope you enjoy, it’s really very easy , just chop up a few vegetables (carrots, onions, and celery, a basic *mirepoix) open a few cans and buy the chicken, don’t be intimidated by ingredients! This recipe inspired from Giada de Laurentis’s chicken stew. I have made a few changes to suit my taste. Perfect weeknight meal.
*should serve 4-6 nicely with 4 nice size chicken breasts
*Basic Mirepoix is a combination of chopped carrots, celery and onions used to add flavor and aroma to stocks, sauces, soups and other foods. Usually comprised of 50% onions, 25% carrots, and 25% celery.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 stalks celery, small bite size pieces
1 carrot, peeled, cut into small bite size pieces
1 small white onion chopped
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 can chopped tomatoes ( I use San Marzano diced) large 28 oz. can with juice
16 oz. chicken broth (1/2 box) but you may need a bit more so hold on to rest of the box.
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dry thyme
I use 4 chicken breasts with ribs ( I usually go to butcher order 2 chicken breasts with bone in, split in two) if you go to supermarket, either buy 2 large breasts, or 4 smaller ones. Skin on and Bones in! app. 1 1/2 – 2 lbs. total weight. You will be removing the skin, it will add to the flavor of the stew.
1 can red kidney beans drained ( if using organic, do not need to rinse) 15 oz.
1 can black beans drained ( if using organic , do not need to rinse either) 15 oz.
nice crusty whole grain bread
*hot sauce like Cholula is great served on the table so people can adjust seasonings on their own
*last night I served over rice as I didn’t have any bread in the house
Directions:
Heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy 5 1/2 quart. pot. ( Le Creuset again) heat over medium heat. When oil is hot add the onions, celery , and carrot (Mirepoix mixture). Saute the vegetables until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. You will taste again towards the end, so if you want to hold off on this step you can. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, chicken broth, tomato paste, bay leaf and thyme. Then add the chicken breasts , press to submerge in the sauce.
Bring the liquid to a slow simmer. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer gently uncovered until the chicken is almost cooked through, turning the chicken breasts over and stirring mixture occasionally, app. 30 minutes. Using tongs if you have them, if you don’t , buy them, remove the chicken to a plate and allow to cool ( about 15 minutes) Discard the bay leaf, add the beans to the pot ( remember to drain) and bring to a simmer until the liquid is reduced to a stew-like consistency, probably another 15 minutes or so.
Discard the chicken skin and bones from the chicken breasts. Shred or cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Return the chicken meat to the stew. Bring the stew back to a slow simmer. Season again with salt and pepper to taste.
I usually cook , then turn off heat, and bring it back to simmer right before serving.
This should serve 6 well. I serve with a nice crusty whole grain bread. Everything is in the pot, veggies, and protein. Enjoy! it’s delicious. Don’t be put off, it’s really easy to prepare, can be made ahead of time. If it’s made a few days ahead you may want to add the chicken broth to thin out.
What a perfect side dish — goes with any meats and or fish. I served it alongside humble turkey burgers and hamburgers and it was really delicious! I used whatever color peppers I had in the house and I used Yukon gold potatoes because that’s what I had on hand. Perfect with some sausage as well. Did I mention super easy???? and all on one pan in the oven.
During the winter and the cold months this has become one of my “go to meals” for many years.
Cooking with Candi 