Tuscan Slow Cooker Pasta

There is nothing better than a good Crock Pot recipe on a fall day. I've been able to complete almost everything on my to-do list while this hearty pasta simmered away...

I experimented with some brown rice cork screw noodles in the recipe thinking they would maybe hold up a little bit better since I didn't have to stir this meal much. Alas, I was wrong. I don't know what it is about brown rice pasta in the fun shapes. They kind of just crumble. I am not disappointed though. Oh no! This hearty fall meal contains a powerful punch of antioxidants and vitamins. Carrots, onion, celery, garlic, kale, mushrooms, and diced tomatoes simmer away in a thick tomato sauce. In the final hours, I added a can of rinsed and drained great norther beans for additional protein and the pasta noodles so there is no need for any additional boiling. You only need your knife, cutting board, a can opener, spoon, and a slow cooker for this easy Italian meal.

Tuscan Slow Cooker Pasta
inspired by Weight Watchers

1 yellow or white onion, diced
1 rib celery, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
1 8 oz. box sliced mushrooms
4 cups clean and cut kale
1 29 oz. can tomato sauce
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon herbs de Provence or dried Italian herbs
1 15 oz. can great norther beans
2 cups dried brown rice noodles (penne works best)
Salt & pepper to taste

Place all ingredients to the beans in your slow cooker. Cover and cook on low, stirring occasionally for 3-4 hours or until the vegetables are tender. Turn your slow cooker to high heat. Stir in the beans and pasta. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Stir the pasta. Cover and cook an additional 15-20 minutes or until the pasta is tender. Makes 6 1 1/2 cup servings.

Duree Family Cheese Bread

For those of you close to the family, you might find it a little awkward that I am mentioning Chris (my Dad) and Julie (my Mom) in the same recipe post. Yes readers, they are divorced. However, dear friends and family know that they were married for a wholesome 20 years before getting said divorce and still have maintained as positive of a relationship as a divorced couple can. I'm not trying to sound damaged, I just have to give props to both of my parents when it comes to this cheese bread. They both have a love for culinary endeavors and they both were together and have made this recipe many, many times. As a matter of fact, you know you have it in with our family when you get to eat this cheese bread. You are lucky I am sharing this with you dear friends:)

When my sister, Erin and then fiance, Todd where getting ready for their wedding, we joked that we should make t-shirts regarding the family cheese bread stating that the following: "We came for the daughters. We stay for the cheese bread." It's serious stuff.

This is a "healthier" gluten-free version of our family's favorite cheese bread. I could not shy away from the butter, but it is totally worth it as it adds more of a golden crust and crunch to the outside encompassing the cream cheese center. Trust me, this bread will become a staple to anytime you are struggling to find the perfect side or something different because it goes with about anything. It is so good!

Duree Family Cheese Bread

1 loaf of gluten free or regular French bread (I like Shar's brand)
8 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups shredded 2% cheddar cheese

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Cut your bread in half length wise and lay both halves on your baking sheet. In a medium sized dish, beat together the cream cheese, butter, mayonnaise, garlic powder, and 1 cup of the cheddar cheese until incorporated. Spread the mixture over both halves of bread. Place in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the spread begins to bubble. Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Top both loaves with the remaining cheddar cheese. Place back in the oven and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and beginning to turn golden brown around the edges. Let the cheese cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving.

Many Thanks Menu Post

Today I just have to thank every single person for stopping by A Nickel's Worth of News. I was so ecstatic when my stats appeared after logging in; I have now reached over 10,000 page views! And, it is all thanks to you who come by and read my humble little blog. Thank you so much for your viewership and occasional comments. It makes this little hobby so enjoyable.

In giving my thanks to you, I took some time today to really think about the menu for this week. While I am not overly critical of myself when it comes to my recipes, I do take careful consideration to any suggestions. One suggestion in particular was to offer more simplistic recipes with fewer steps and ingredients. I find this a little difficult only because most of my recipes I try to create are intended to be healthy, wholesome, and gluten-free. I try to offer shortcuts when possible, but sometimes there are no substitutions when it comes to gluten-free cooking due to the care one has to put into insuring ingredients truly are "gluten-free." This week, however, I decided to take on the challenge. My Tuscan Slow Cooker Pasta will hopefully save you some time in the kitchen via the Crock Pot. I also am cooking a super simple French Onion Soup that has a mere five ingredients. Finally, I took the Nickel household favorite Tanner's Chicken Nacho topping and recreate a whole new recipe with my Tanner's Chicken Enchiladas. Good wholesome food that can be simple to prepare.

Sunday 9/30          Tuscan Slow Cooker Pasta with Salad

Monday 10/1         Left-overs

Tuesday 10/2         French Onion Soup with Sandwiches

Wednesday 10/3    Left-Overs

Thursday 10/4        Tanner's Chicken Enchiladas with Salad

Friday 10/5             Left-overs

Saturday 10/6         Our 5th Wedding Anniversary!!

Here is what you will need:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 container deli roast beef or other deli meat
2 white or yellow onions
1 bulb garlic
1 bag shredded lettuce
1 bag already cut and cleaned kale
1 bunch celery
1 bunch green onions
3-4 roma tomatoes
1 already sliced mushrooms
1 loaf gluten-free French bread or regular French bread
1 bag or box brown rice penne noodles
1 bag corn tortillas
1 jar jalapeno peppers
1 jar salsa
1 16 oz. can great northern beans
1 29 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 16 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 boxes organic beef broth
1 bag shredded Parmesan cheese
1 bag shredded 2% cheddar cheese
1 brick 2% Velveeta cheese
1 pint skim milk
1 container light or fat free sour cream

Pantry items you will need:

Worcestershire sauce
Sherry cooking wine
Herbs de Provence or dried Italian herbs
Garlic powder
Olive oil
Salt & pepper

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!! Thanks again for stopping by:)





 

No Boiling Butternut Squash Lasagna

When I first started cooking, I thought lasagna was something that supposedly was pretty simple to make. I found out I was wrong. First you have to brown the meat, boil the noodles, mix your ricotta, and finally layer the whole thing together before baking it in the oven. Grant it, you can make it ahead of time. But really people, there is some work involved. Plus, I don't really enjoy runny lasagna. You know the kind where the sauce never thickened and the tomato juices just drip and form a funky puddle on your plate? The first time I made lasagna, it ended up tasting fairly bland and unexciting. Of course my skills have sharpened significantly over the last ten years and I've learned a few tricks. Here is what I assembled over the weekend and will be enjoying this evening when the Bear comes home.

When I make lasagna, I never boil the noodles. This is because the noodles absorb a lot of the additional moisture from the sauce and other ingredients. In this lovely gluten-free, vegetarian tribute to fall I've layered creamy pureed butternut squash, ricotta mixed with a little spinach and Parmesan cheese, and mozzarella. The sauce you ask? A little milk thickened with a softened brick of 1/3 less fat cream cheese. I also suggest taking a few shortcuts by purchasing a couple of boxes of frozen pureed butternut squash so you are not having to peel, chop, cook, and puree your own from scratch. If you cannot find your squash already pureed, buy the frozen chopped kind, thaw, and puree yourself in a blender or food processor. This recipe is so worth it!

No Boiling Butternut Squash Lasagna

1 box brown rice lasagna noodles (or regular lasagna noodles if you are not GF)
2 boxes frozen cooked winter squash, thawed
1 yellow or white onion, finely diced
1 10 oz. box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 15 oz. container part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup egg substitute or 1 beaten egg
2 cups shredded 2% mozzarella
1 cup 2% milk
8 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened

Spray a casserole dish or lasagna pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. In a bowl, mix together the thawed squash and onion until incorporated and set aside. In another bowl, mix together the spinach, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, garlic poser, and egg until incorporated and set aside. In another bowl, whisk the milk and cream cheese until smooth and set aside. In the casserole dish or lasagna pan, ladle 1/4 cup of the milk mixture into the bottom of the dish or pan. Arrange 3-4 of the noodles (depending on the size of your pan) on top of the milk mixture. Spread 1/2 of the squash mixture on top of the noodles, followed by 1/2 of the ricotta cheese and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Arrange your second layer of noodles over the mozzarella followed by the remaining squash layer, ricotta layer, and remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Pour the rest of the milk mixture over the lasagna. Cover and store in the refrigerator overnight or until you are ready to bake and serve. When you are ready to bake and serve, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and set the lasagna out at room temperature while the oven is preheating. Place in the oven after your oven is finished preheating and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the top is beginning to turn bubbly and golden brown. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Fortunately, this has made a lot of lasagna! This is great because we will be enjoying this all week due to Justin's slow pitch softball and our big appointment with our specialist on Thursday. We will be finding out some more results and our plan to making a family. I'm a little overwhelmed and nervous, but very excited. I'll keep you all posted on our journey:)

Sunday Chicken

Hello my dear readers! How is your weekend? My weekend has been superb. While I did not drag the Bear out to the Plaza Art Fair, we did clean the house, buy some pumpkins and mums, and I made it to yoga class for the first time in almost a month. I normally do not go on Sundays; but due to scheduling and needing to make it to the gym right after I get off work during the week, I made the time to attend the restorative yoga class this afternoon. It was pretty amazing. The class was not as rigorous as the other vinyasa type classes they offer throughout the week. It was more hatha based. The poses were all tied to the ground or poses that primarily are in the seated position with longer stretches. We held some of the poses for what seemed like hours, but I feel all loosened up and much more relaxed than when I stepped in. Exactly what I needed.

Now on to sharing my lovely, relaxing, yet elegant dinner for you tonight. You can think of this as Sunday chicken, but with an extra bit of class. I've taken ordinary chicken breast and sauteed them until cooked through in a pan. After I removed the chicken to rest, I made this lovely chardonnay sauce...

Making a sauce for chicken is the easiest way to elevate and utilize its natural flavor. All you need are the left-over bits in the pan from cooking the chicken, a little white wine, garlic, and Dijon to tie everything together without adding additional calories.

Chicken with Chardonnay Sauce

2 4 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup chardonnay
1 clove garlic, pressed or finely minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt & pepper to taste

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Season both chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray and add the chicken. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until lightly brown and flip. Cook an additional 4-5 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees. Remove the chicken from the pan. Place on a plate and cover with a piece of aluminum foil. Set aside.

In the same pan you cooked the chicken, deglaze the pan with the wine, stirring to pick up any browned bits that have stuck to the pan. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the wine to a simmer. Continue simmering and stirring occasionally until the wine has cooked down or reduced in half. Whisk in the garlic and Dijon. Continue whisking until combined. Remove the foil from the chicken and pour the sauce over the chicken before serving. Everyone will think you are a master chef!

To make the acorn squash that is pictured, I pierced the squash with a knife in several places. Then I microwaved the squash on high for 5 minutes to soften it before cutting. I carefully removed the squash from the microwave wearing oven mits. Cut the squash in half, scraped the seeds with a spoon, and placed on a baking sheet. Next, I added 1/2 tablespoon butter to each half and sprinkled with a little brown sugar. I popped them in the oven while I was cooking the chicken and sauce and voila! It is my favorite way to enjoy acorn squash. A little butter never hurt anyone;)

GF Chicken 'n' Biscuits

When I first started working in Kansas City, I had the opportunity to work on the Early Reading First grant project through KU Juniper Gardens Children Project, Project Eagle, and Head Start. For anyone who is unfamiliar with the teaching profession, several of the poverty studies that have been conducted in the country have been in Kansas City, Kansas. Being a young woman from Iowa who grew up in several small Iowa towns, my most urban teaching experiences were in the not so urban Des Moines, Iowa area. My eyes were opened and my horizons were expanded when I first started working on this grant project as I was placed in an inner-city Head Start preschool program in Kansas City, Kansas. It was rough. For the first time in my life, besides being a woman, I was in the racial minority. I was called several names, hit, spit on, urinated on, insert your own racial slur, etc. astonishingly to me by kids who were only the ripe of ages three to five years old. There were days in the beginning where I questioned what I had gotten myself into. There were a lot of tears shed in the bathroom because I hate to cry in front of people, where I would have to mentally and physically pull myself together just to make it through the day. But, over those three years, it did get easier. I learned how to manage my classroom with the toughest kids. I learned how to remain calm, shape behaviors, work with families, and above all how to handle, appreciate, and respect cultural differences. It was truly the most amazing experience in my teaching career. I have fallen in love with teaching in an urban setting and still teach for a school district in the area.

Some of the most fascinating experiences, were tied to the different foods I got to try. Nutrition is a large component to the Head Start philosophy. All meals served were family style. We practiced setting the table with the kids, passing the food around our tables, and modeled appropriate meal time behavior. This was always one of the favorite parts of my day and the food was relatively good. Although, I never did try the liver and onions they coyly disguised as "Cowboy Strips." Through Head Start, I gained an appreciation for many things including chicken served on a biscuit. Originally thinking the starchy combination was somewhat "wrong," I gave it a try. You know what? I was wrong and I am not afraid to admit that.

If you have not ever tried the chicken 'n' biscuits combo before, think of it as a chicken sandwich. I used gluten-free Bisquick mix as a shortcut. I always have a box in my pantry because it can be utilized in making pizza crust, pancakes, and as a muffin mix. In honor of my time served with Head Start here is my healthier, gluten-free version of Chicken 'n' Biscuits.

GF Chicken 'n' Biscuits

For the biscuits:
1 1/2 cup gluten-free Bisquick mix
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/4 cup egg substitute

For the chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup gluten-free Bisquick mix
2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper

For the gravy:
1/2 lb. breakfast style chicken sausage (I used Isernio's)
2 cups 2% milk
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

To make the biscuits: Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the Bisquick, buttermilk, and egg substitute. Stir until just combined. Scoop the mixture into the muffin tin. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.

To make the chicken: Pour the buttermilk into a small dish. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Set aside. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the Bisquick, paprika, salt, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and black pepper. Seal and shake until mixed together. Open the bag and add the chicken. Seal and shake again until the chicken is coated in the breading mixture. Set aside. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray. Add the chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook another 3-4 minutes. Turn off the stove top. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Place the chicken onto the baking sheet. Bake in the oven for another 10-15 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees when inserted into the chicken breast.

To make the gravy: Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken sausage and stir to loosen the meat. Cook and stir until the sausage begins to brown. Scrape the sausage into a small bowl and set aside. In a small dish, whisk together the milk, corn starch, pepper, and salt. Pour the liquid into the same skillet you cooked the meat in and lower the heat to medium-low. Continually stir the gravy until it begins to thicken. Add the sausage into the gravy and continue stirring until the gravy is to you desired consistency.

To assemble the sandwich, cut the biscuits in half. Place one have on a plate and top each biscuit with one chicken breast, gravy, and the other half of the biscuit.

Fall Favorites Menu Post

Saturday we can all officially welcome fall! I'm hoping maybe I can drag my husband out to the Plaza Art Fair to enjoy the amazing weather this weekend. It has been a couple of years since I took him on a cultural tour and normally I can get him to enjoy an art fair once we are there. It's the getting him there part that is difficult. We rarely go downtown due to traffic and parking. I've managed many a shopping excursion to H & M on several girly outings with no problems. Except the one time I attempted to park in a compact car parking spot and scratched my driver's side mirror. My car maybe compact, but my parking skills are not. Really though, Kansas City is a pretty manageable city to get around. I think it must have to do with parking in a parking ramp or something. The Bear just seems to freak out a little when we venture out of the suburbs. Such is life:)

I've been seeing a lot lately on blogs asking about what people enjoy most about fall. I, for starters, love the cooler weather. Then I love all of the following in no particular hierarchy of importance- sweaters, pumpkins, candy corn mixed with peanuts and M & M's, Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin candles from White Barn Candle Company, apple cider, Thanksgiving, and butternut squash. These are all things that make me love fall. This week's menu is a second tribute to easing into fall menu planning. I plan to start the week off with a lovely chicken with white wine sauce. Midweek we will cozy up to a light and healthy butternut squash lasagna which for a family of two will take us through most of the work week. Later, I hope to share a personal family favorite- my dad's cheese bread. It's all cozy and family in the Nickel house. Here is the rundown:

Sunday 9/23          Chicken with Chardonnay Sauce, Mashed Potatoes, & Acorn Squash

Monday 9/24         Left-overs

Tuesday 9/25         Butternut Squash Lasagna with Salad

Wednesday 9/26    Left-overs

Thursday 9/27        Left-overs (it's just me unless I venture out to the slow pitch fields:))

Friday 9/28 or        Steak, Papa Chris Cheese Bread, & Spinach Salad
Saturday 9/29

Here is what you will need:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 lb. flank steak (or other lean cut you enjoy)
1 bag spinach
1 yellow or white onion
1 lb. potatoes
2 lemons
1 box brown rice lasagna noodles
1 bag gluten free rolls &/or regular rolls
1 box frozen spinach
2 boxes frozen winter squash (butternut squash that has already been pureed)
1 container grated Parmesan cheese
2 8 oz. boxes of 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 container part skim ricotta cheese
1 bag shredded 2% mozzarella cheese
1 bag shredded 2% cheddar cheese
1 pint 2% milk
1 box butter
1 bottle chardonnay

Pantry items you will need:

Fresh garlic
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper
Mayonnaise
Dijon mustard
White wine vinegar