I love a tasty dish that comes together in just a few minutes with just a few ingredients. This pumpkin seed pesto is a wonderful diversion from a normal basil pesto, its perfect for fall - and a great way to use all those pumpkin seeds you'll have laying around after you carve your Jack-O-Lanterns! The fact that you brown the gnocchi in the pan with the mushrooms at the end, it just makes this dish much more magical than normal boiled gnocchi. I'm betting you and your family will really enjoy it. 

Ingredients for Pesto:
1 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 
1 tablespoon water
1 garlic clove
salt & pepper to taste

Ingredients for gnocchi:
1 sixteen ounce pkg gnocchi
16 ounces baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
2 cups arugula

Directions: 
In a food processor pulse your seeds, cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, water, and garlic until a smooth paste forms. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Cook your gnocchi for 2-3 minutes in a pot of boiling water until they float to the top. While your gnocchi boil, heat your butter in a large skillet. Add your mushrooms and saute them. Once the gnocchi is done cooking, drain them and add them to your skillet of mushrooms. Add your pesto to the pan and cook everything on medium high heat until your mushrooms are sauteed and your gnocchi are golden brown. Add basil and arugula at the end and cook for another 60 seconds. 

Full of protein, greens, and a wonderful texture and flavor. What more could you want from a quick easy 15 minute meal? Enjoy!

Chicken Parmesan is a great meal to whip up when you haven't had a chance to run to the grocery store. It uses mostly pantry and fridge items that most of us keep on hand. This dish has a great crunch from the breading but the inside of the chicken is tender and moist. It has a nice salty bite from the mozzarella as well. Its a wonderful way to please your family's palets with not a ton of work. You can make this dish in under 30 minutes! 

Ingredients: 
1 1/2 pounds of chicken breasts
1/4 cup whole wheat flour 
1 tablespoon italian seasoning 
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cups crushed cornflakes
1/3 cup grated parmesan 
Salt and pepper 
2 tbs olive oil
16 ounces marinara sauce
1 lb fresh mozzarella 
3 leaves fresh basil 

Directions: 

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut your chicken into 8 cutlet type pieces. Pat each piece with a paper towel and then salt and pepper the chicken on each side. 

Make 3 shallow bowls to bread your chicken in. In bowl #1 place your flour. In bowl #2 place your eggs and beat them. In bowl #3 place your parmesan, cornflakes, and italian seasoning. 

 In a large skillet, heat your oil over medium high heat. When your oil starts to bubble, place your chicken in the skillet. Cook for 3 minutes on each side until its nice and golden. 

Pour your marinara into a large baking dish. Nestle the chicken on top of the marinara. Cut up your mozzarella log into thin slices and top your chicken with the cheese. Bake until the cheese is bubbly and golden, about 25 minutes. Top with fresh basil leaves. 

This is a satisfying meal if Ive ever had one. The sauce and cheese make this chicken taste decadent. Its salty and creamy, and will certainly have you going back for seconds! 

Enjoy!

Caesar Salads are one of our easy go to meals. We aren't big on bottled dressings around here. In fact, I don't think I've bought a bottle of salad dressing in years! Why would you want to when you can whip up a homemade version that tastes better, is less expensive, and just as easy? This salad is so good. A garlicy dressing with a savory bite to it, the salty parmesan  and don't get me started on these crunchy on the outside chewy on the inside herbalicious croutons. So so good. 

Dressing: 
1 tsp salt
1 garlic clove (minced in a garlic press)
3 tsp anchovy paste
2 egg yolks (no whites!) 
1 tbs dijon mustard
Juice of 2 lemons
2 tbs water
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup grated parmesan 
1/2 tsp pepper 
Mix all of your dressing ingredients in a mini prep food processor as you add them so that the olive oil can emulsify. If you don't have a mini prep, you can use a whisk, just beat it super hard until it all mixes together.)

Salad: 
2 heads romaine lettuce, washed, spun in salad spinner, and cut up into bite sized pieces
Homemade croutons (see recipe below)
1/3 cup grated parmesan
1-2 breasts cooked chicken, cut up into bite sized pieces and cooled

Croutons: 
Cut 1/2 of an Italian loaf bread into large squares. 
Spray the bread with your olive oil mister. (Or just drizzle if you don't have a mister).
Sprinkle liberally with Italian seasoning.
Season with salt and pepper. 
Bake in oven at 425 for 10 minutes. 
These are flavorful, crunchy on the outside yet a little tender on the inside. They are much healthier and yummier than any type of crouton you can get in the store. Look at these beauties!

Once you have your dressing and croutons made, you can simply assemble your salad and serve it immediately  This will make about 4 meal sized salads. This is the type of caesar salad you would expect to be served at a lovely restaurant, only now you can enjoy it at home in just minutes. 

Bon Appetite! 

Another easy 20 minute dish for you today! This creamy rice is reminiscent of a risotto, only much easier and much healthier too! 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1 cup arborio rice

1 cup white wine

salt and pepper

1 pound shrimp, peeled

1 pint grape tomatoes

1 clove garlic, minced

8 springs fresh thyme 

1/4 cup fresh parmesan shavings

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat 1/2 your oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, cook your onion until translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the wine and rice and cook on medium high heat until the wine is absorbed, this should take about 2 minutes. Add your water and 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper to your pan. Cover and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, should take just under 20 minutes. While your rice is cooking, toss your shrimp with oil, salt, pepper, the tomatoes, thyme, and garlic. Roast them on a baking sheet in the oven until the shrimp are pink and cooked through, about 15 minutes. When your rice is done, mix in a little parm or sprinkle it on top as a garnish, serve your shrimp on top of the rice. 

Lovely, easy, with nice flavor combinations. What more could you want for a great weeknight meal?