Fettuccine with Tuna and Garlic

Although I'm usually really good about meal planning and grocery shopping because I love shopping the farmers' market and searching for recipes, every once in a while there's an evening where I get home with absolutely no plan for dinner and a relatively empty fridge because we've gone through most of my farmers' market bounty from the night before. This recipe was my answer to that predicament one Friday night. I always have dried pasta and tuna in the cabinet and with a bit of good olive oil and garlic, it became a quick and healthy dinner. This recipe is a variation on a traditional Italian dish, and no doubt recipes for dishes similar to this abound. I love both garlic and parsley so I quite generous with those ingredients and would be even more liberal with the roasted red pepper flakes if I was cooking it only for myself. Quick to prepare and highly satisfying, this is a great recipe to keep on file when you're starving and need a quick and healthy meal. To round out the meal, add a nice side salad or other vegetable (I chose peas, a delightful pairing), and a glass of wine to treat yourself if it has been a long day (or week). Buon Appetito!

Fettuccine with Tuna and Garlic
serves 2

4 ounces whole wheat fettuccine 
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press

One 5-ounce can tuna, drained and flaked 

1/2 cup minced flat-leaf parsley 

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Cook the fettuccine in a pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes . Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot.

2. Meanwhile, in a small pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is lightly browned and fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water and the tuna, parsley and crushed red pepper and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes until sauce is slightly thickened.

3. Pour the sauce into the pot with the fettuccine, adding enough of the remaining reserved pasta cooking water to coat the pasta with the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Chicken, Roasted Broccoli, and Bacon Salad

Since we're due for a bit of summer-like weather this week, I thought I'd sneak in another salad recipe, though this one is decidedly hearty and a bit too heavy for the hottest days of summer. Carnivores will appreciate the moist grilled chicken and crispy, smoky bacon, while vegetable enthusiasts will delight in the fresh greens and the sumptuous caramelized broccoli.This salad has the flavors of a decadent baked potato without turning into a complete gut bomb, filling you up without requiring an immediate post-meal nap. This meal toes the line between healthy and indulgent, sneaking in some healthy ingredients for those who would otherwise turn their nose up at salad and allowing salad enthusiasts to spoil themselves a bit. For those of you in households with both the meat and potatoes and vegetable-lover camps, try out this delicious middle ground recipe and make everyone happy.

Chicken, Roasted Broccoli, and Bacon Salad
serves 2

8 ounces broccoli florets
1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast
4 slices bacon
1/2 small red onion, sliced
8 ounces mixed salad greens
2 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Salad dressing, for serving (I suggest ranch or honey mustard dressing)

1. Preheat an oven to 450 degrees. Toss broccoli florets with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet. Cook until broccoli is caramelized and tender, tossing occasionally, for about 20 minutes (depending on the size of the florets).

2. Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium heat. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Cook chicken breast until internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F, remove from heat, and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Shred or slice into small pieces.

3. While the chicken is cooking, preheat a pan over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook, flipping regularly, until bacon is crisp. Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towels. Once cool, break bacon into small pieces.

4. Meanwhile, wash and dry greens and chop, if necessary. Distribute greens evenly between two large plates, topping each with half of the onion, broccoli, bacon and cheese. Add the sliced chicken to the top, drizzle with dressing, and enjoy!

Fresh Corn Muffins

The cooler temperatures of fall and winter call for soups, stews, and chilis, and when I have soup, stew, or chili I require some sort of bread product for dipping, be it crusty bread or rolls, crackers, or even a grilled cheese. When I made Three Sisters Stew, my thoughts immediately turned to cornbread, which I'd been craving for weeks. While even the simplest corn muffins make from Jiffy mix are delicious, I like to put extras into my corn muffins, like fresh corn, peppers, cheese, or bacon (or any combination of those ingredients). This corn muffin recipe is a great basic recipe, with just a bit of sweet fresh corn and spicy jalapeno pepper to punch up the flavor. The whole wheat pastry flour keeps the muffin light and airy and contributes just a touch of nutty flavor, instead of the traditional all-purpose flour that disappears completely behind the flavor of the cornmeal. These muffins take just a few minutes to whip up and any extras can be frozen and reheated quite successfully, so keep a batch in the freezer to make even a meager meal of canned soup a little bit special.

Fresh Corn Muffins
adapted from Food and Wine
makes 12 muffins

6 tablespoons canola oil 
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels (from 1 ear)

2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped 
Salt 
1 cup yellow cornmeal 
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour 
1/4 cup sugar 
1 tablespoon baking powder 
1 cup buttermilk 
1 large egg, lightly beaten 

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a medium skillet. Add the corn and jalapeños, season with salt and cook over moderately high heat until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape onto a plate to cool slightly.

2. In a bowl, whisk the cornmeal with the flour, sugar, baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add the buttermilk, egg and the remaining oil and stir until blended. Quickly stir in the corn mixture and pour the batter into the muffin cups.

3. Bake the muffins for about 16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cheddar Chicken Salad with Fresh Corn and Red Onion

Did you treat yourself to some Italian Burgers with the game this weekend? If so, you may be looking for some lighter fare and for that I offer up yet another salad creation. This salad has a Southwester bent to it, and thus is perhaps a bit more appropriate on a steamy summer day, but is still packed full of flavors that can be happily enjoyed on a fall day. If you're lucky enough to get some of the very last of this year's sweet corn I would definitely use it here, although high-quality frozen sweet corn will do just fine in this recipe. Typically I would make this salad with grilled chicken, but the photo features this salad made with baked tofu because at the time I came up with this recipe I had just discovered how to make my own baked tofu and was going through a bit of a culinary obsession with it, as I so often do with ingredients. Whichever way you decide to go, either protein is beautifully complemented by sweet corn, slightly assertive red onion, and rich, sharp cheddar cheese. (And if you're craving a bit of extra saltiness and crunch, crumble some tortilla chips over the top). I keep thinking my desire to share new salad recipes is going to wane with the falling temperatures, but I'm still not ready to give up on this summer mainstay of my diet. Although fully embracing the wonderful ingredients of fall (apples, pumpkin, and squash, just to name a few) I intend to enjoy copious amounts of fresh greens for as long as the farmers' market supply allows.

Cheddar Chicken Salad with Fresh Corn and Red Onion
serves 1

4 ounces mixed salad greens
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced*
1/2 cup fresh corn (or frozen corn, thawed)
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1 ounce shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 ounces cooked boneless skinless chicken breast or half recipe baked tofu, sliced
Cilantro, for garnish (optional)
Broken tortilla chips, for garnish (optional)
Salad dressing (honey mustard, ranch, or thinned barbecue sauce all work well)

*If raw red onion is too strong for your taste, wash the onion in cold water and dry before adding to the salad.

1. Rinse and dry salad greens, chop if necessary, place on a large plate, topping with red onion, corn, and scallions. Add chicken or baked tofu, sprinkle cheese over the top, and drizzle with dressing.

Italian Burgers

Like so many people born and raised in Wisconsin, for a few months every year, Sundays mean Packer football, and for me, Packer games also necessitate Packer snacks. Since I was just a little girl watching the games with my dad, the ritual of Packer football always included some kind of special (junk) food. I insisted that the first bite of the Packer snack be taken at the exact moment that the kicker's foot hit the ball at kickoff, a ritual I try (unsuccessfully) to enforce with my husband when I make Packer snacks today. Despite a cloudy sky and heavy mist in the air, I decided to grill up some burgers for the game, eager to seize the opportunity to grill one more time before the grilling season completely abandons us. These burgers are rich, savory, and full of delicious spices, almost a meatball sub in the burger form. Truth be told, I made these to use up odds and ends of ingredients I had around, but are truly worthy of purchasing the ingredients to make them for a special Packer (or Badger) snack. Serve them up with some fries seasoned with Italian spices and Parmesan cheese for a really decadent meal or some roasted vegetables to keep it on the lighter side, and if you're watching some Wisconsin athletics, a cold Wisconsin microbrew.

Italian Burgers
serves 2

4 ounces ground pork
4 ounces ground Italian sausage
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 small or 1 large roasted red pepper, cut open and patted dry (halved if large)
1/2 small onion, roasted or grilled (if you have time), and thinly sliced
2 slices provolone cheese
2 hamburger buns, split and toasted
2 tablespoons marinara, plus more for serving (if desired)
Spinach or lettuce leaves, for serving (optional)

1. Preheat a grill pan or gas grill over medium to medium-high heat or prepare a charcoal grill (my personal preference). Combine ground pork and sausage, divide into two patties and season each side with salt and freshly ground black pepper, if necessary (your Italian sausage may already have enough seasoning to carry the burger). Add burgers to the grill and cook until internal temperature reach 160 degrees F.

2. While the burgers are cooking, spread 1 tablespoon marinara on each of the top halves of the toasted buns and place spinach leaves or greens on the bottom halves. Once the burgers are cooked through, top each burger with roasted red pepper, half of the sliced onion, and one slice provolone cheese, cooking until the cheese is melted and the vegetables are warmed through. Transfer to the bottom halves of the hamburger buns, top with the other half, and serve hot with additional marinara for dipping, if desired.

Fig, Almond, and Feta Salad

This salad is a perfect example of the kind of lunch or dinner I'll make for myself when I'm not feeding my husband as well. Combinations of dried fruit, nuts, and cheese on a pile of fresh, crunchy greens are a staple of my diet, which I round out with a roll or piece of crusty bread with butter and a piece of fresh fruit for a complete meal. The sweet and chewy figs are complemented by the salty and slightly pungent feta and rich, crunchy almonds, with all the ingredients melding together wonderfully on a bed of crunchy greens. I like to dress this simple salad lightly with balsamic vinaigrette, with the sharp taste of the dressing adding another distinct element to the flavor profile of the salad. This salad is enough for a fully satisfying dinner, but also a great meal to pack for lunch at work (or school), especially when you're getting tired of the same old sandwiches or trying to incorporate more vegetarian meals into your diet. With the cooler weather slowly creeping in most people's desire for salads as meals is likely to wane, so take the opportunity now to try out this recipe before the days are dark and cold.

Fig, Almond, and Feta Salad
serves 1

4 ounces mixed baby greens
1/4 cup sliced, toasted almonds
1/3 cup chopped dried figs, stems removed and quartered
1 ounce crumbled feta cheese
Salad dressing, for serving

1. Divide the lettuce mix between two plates and top each with half of the almonds, figs, and  feta cheese. Place sliced chicken on top and drizzle with your favorite dressing. Enjoy!

Smoky Chipotle Salsa with Pan-Roasted Tomatillos

Since the season for tomatillos at the farmers' market is nearly at an end, I'll take the opportunity to share one last stellar salsa recipe, from the genius mind of the inimitable Rick Bayless. This is not a salsa for the faint of heart, packed with smokiness and lots of heat courtesy of the chipotles en adobo. Unless you really love spice, you can't dig into this in like fresh or roasted tomatillo salsa, but just a small amount adds a ton of flavor to tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, or quesadillas. It also blends beautifully with sour cream as a dip for tortilla chips, tempering the heat of the chipotles with creamy, rich sour cream. And if you're stuffed from allergies or your first cold of the season, make up a batch of this spicy salsa to clear your sinuses right up!

Smoky Chipotle Salsa with Pan-Roasted Tomatillos
from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless
makes about 1 1/4 cups

3 garlic cloves, peeled
4 medium (about 8 ounces total) tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and cut in half
2 canned chipotle chiles en adobo (or more, if you like really spicy salsa)
Salt

1. Set a large (10-inch) nonstick skillet over medium-high heat (if you don't have a nonstick skillet, lay in a piece of foil). Lay in the garlic and tomatillos (cut side down). When the tomatillos are well-browned, 3 or 4 minutes, turn everything over and brown the other side. (The tomatillos should be completely soft).

2. Scoop the garlic and tomatillos into a blender jar or food processor, along with the chiles and 1/4 cup water. Process to a coarse puree. Pour into a salsa dish and cool.

3. Thin with a little additional water if necessary to give the salsa an easily spoonable consistency. Taste and season with salt, usually a generous 1/2 teaspoon.