Creamy Italian Chicken Pasta

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Italian Creamy Chicken

I’m feeling all Italian this week….lol! Do you ever get days or weeks where you just have certain cravings? This week it was Italian for me, with Bruschetta at the start of the week (check my classic recipe here https://cookingwithluce.wordpress.com/2021/11/08/classic-bruschetta/ ), and now this fab little pasta dish, I am feeling all Italian Inspired. I even made a cheeky Limoncello Cocktail to finish off (you can view my recipe here..https://cookingwithluce.wordpress.com/2021/07/31/limoncello-spritz-cocktail/ )

This recipe is so easy to make and is packed full of flavour, great one for the whole family, especially as you can adjust your own Chilli portions. I made it a lighter option too with the lower fat Philadelphia and it tasted delicious, you would never know it wasn’t full fat.

Serves 2

2 Chicken Breasts, diced into bite size pieces

100g Wholegrain Pasta

1 White onion, diced finely

1 400g Tin Tomatoes

1 Red pepper, diced

150g Philadelphia Cream Cheese

1 Tsp crushed red chilli flakes

1 Tsp of Italian Seasoning

Handful fresh Basil to serve.

  1. Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook your pasta until soft (about 8-10 minutes)
  2. Meanwhile, in a fry pan on medium heat, season with salt & pepper the chicken and brown, add in the onions and peppers & cook until softened (few minutes). Next add in the chilli and mix.
  3. Pour in the tin tomatoes and Italian seasoning and mix though, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes.
  4. Next add in the cream cheese and mix through until melted, then when pasta is ready, drain and add to the pan, mix through until coated and simmer for a few minutes.
  5. Serve with some fresh basil. Enjoy!
Creamy Italian Chicken Pasta

Italian Chicken Bake

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Italian Chicken Bake

A great way to use up left over chicken after your Sunday Roast. This dish is very easy to bake and healthy too.

This simple and tasty bake will keep you full as it has protein (chicken), fiber (veggies), and fat (cheese). The chicken is smothered with cherry tomatoes, onion and peppers keeping the chicken moist. I used Italian herbs and chilli spice for a wee kick. Delicious!

Prep time is only 10 minutes and 40 minutes in total to cook, so a quick meal to bake. Gluten free too.

Serves 3-4

2 Large Chicken Breasts, cooked & shredded

1 Onion, chopped

1 Red Pepper, chopped

1 Garlic Clove, chopped

Spray Oil

2 Tsp Italian Herb Mix

1 x 400g Tin Chopped Tomatoes

10-12 Cherry Tomatoes, halved

1 Tbsp Sugar

1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1 Tsp Dried Chilli Flakes

125g Mozzarella, grated or sliced

Small handful basil leaves to serve

Salt & Pepper to taste

  1. Preheat oven to 200 deg fan.
  2. In a pan heat the spray oil and fry the onions, pepper and garlic for a few minutes to soften.
  3. Add in the Italian herbs, chilli, tin tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, sugar and season, then simmer for about 20 minutes until sauce has thickened slightly. Stir in the cooked chicken then transfer to a baking dish.
  4. Tear or grate over the mozzarella evenly and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the topping is golden and bubbling. Serve with some chopped basil leaves. Plate up with a side of cooked rice, pasta or potatoes.

Italian Chicken Bake with Mozzarella

Chorizo, Chickpeas & Spinach Chilli

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Chorizo, Chickpea and Spinach Chilli with rice

I am now back to work after a long furlough period due to this Covid19 pandemic. Being back at work means that I prefer quick and easy cooking meals for mid week dining. Last thing I want is to finish a long work day and stand cooking for an hour, who’s with me?

This dish takes just 15 minutes, so its a quick throw together in one pan kinda dish, but packs flavour and spice. Good on its own or can serve with some rice. I also used freshly picked Spinach from my new veggie beds (furlough project).

Homegrown spinach

Serves 2

200g chickpeas

200g chopped tomatoes

80g chorizo – sliced or cut into bite size pieces

1 brown onion – chopped

1 yellow pepper – chopped

Handful of Spinach – chopped

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 tsp garlic granules

1 tsp basil flakes or fresh leaves to serve if you have

Salt & pepper to taste

100g Wholemeal or Basmati Rice if serving. (cooked as per packet instructions)

  1. Spray a pan with oil and heat on a medium to high heat
  2. Brown onions in pan for a few minutes
  3. Add in the pepper and chorizo with garlic and chilli flakes and cook for a few minutes
  4. Add in the tin tomatoes and chickpeas, mix through, bring to the boil then cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
  5. 1 minute before serving, add in the spinach and basil flakes, mix through. Season
  6. Serve on a bed of rice. Yum!
Plate of Chorizo & Chickpea Chilli

Grow your own

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This is something I have always wanted to do but never got round to it, so this year I decided to give myself a kick up the ass and get it sorted….lol!

Off to the garden centre I went, so much to choose from but I had to consider our weather climate too, after all I do live in Scotland where we’re not known for our sunny warm weather….lol!

To start me off I went with potatoes in a grow bag and some Tumbling tomatoes in a hanging basket. My garden is small and covered with slabs and stones so this was the easiest option for me.

These grow bags are brilliant idea for potatoes, especially as I’m just starting out. I went with Charlotte potatoes as these are one of my favourites.

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Above was mine all finished, just a few months to wait and I hope it ends up looking like this…….                                                                          download1

 

I have to admit, I really hope my tomatoes grow, I decided to go with red and yellow tumbling toms for extra colour in my garden. I also planted some basil with them, perfect partner for tomatoes. I’m so excited about these. Fingers crossed.

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Think I’d like to plant some spinach and lettuce leaves next………..oh the list is endless.

Happy planting.!

Pesto Potatoes

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If you have read my last few posts, you will know I got a massive 2.5kg bag of potatoes for 29p last week……I know right….so cheap!  So my task this week was to use them all…lol!  Today I had to use up some leftover vegetables so I decided on pesto Potatoes……this was so delicious, nutritious and a filling meal.

 

Serves 2

4 Maris piper potatoes – cut into bite size pieces (I left skin on, more flavour)

Handful or Broccoli

Baby Spinach

Salt & pepper

Green Pesto – 3 tbsps (see recipe below)

 

Pesto Recipe

clove of garlic crushed

Fresh Basil – large bunch

handful of pine nuts – about 100g

Parmesan Cheese – grated

Olive oil

Lemon juice

  1. Place garlic and basil leaves in a blender and pulse until chopped
  2. Add in the pine nuts (toasted) and parmesan and pulse to blend
  3. Slowly add in some olive oil, just enough to bring it all together, then squeeze in the lemon juice. Serve.

 

Potatoes

  1. Cook potatoes through until soft, you can either boil or steam cook, 4 minutes before you think they are ready, pour in some peas to the potatoes and simmer.
  2. Meanwhile, Steam cook your broccoli and spinach for 3 minutes.
  3. Drain potatoes and put into a large bowl, add in the spinach and broccoli
  4. Spoon 3 heaped tbsp of pesto and mix through, season
  5. Serve into a bowl or plate and top with some pine nuts for extra crunch.

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Tomato & Basil Focaccia

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Inspired by a post I seen on KitchenAid London’s Facebook and having recently invested in my own KitchenAid Stand Mixer it was a must that I had to bake. I adjusted some of the ingredients to my liking. For me it was a little bit too crispy on top but my partner loved it. Practise makes perfect as they say…..watch this space.

 

Makes 1 loaf

1 packet of 7g dried active yeast

200ml lukewarm water

pinch of sugar

400g strong white bread flour

1/2 tsp salt

50ml olive oil

1 tbsp honey

1/2 bunch of basil – finely chopped

1-12 Cherry tomatoes (of your choice) I used piccolo and sunblush

1 tbsp Tomato puree

Sea Salt flakes to garnish

 

  1. Empty the yeast into the lukewarm water with the pinch of sugar and leave for about 10 minutes until foamy.
  2. Stir in the olive oil to the yeast
  3. Mix the flour and salt in a bowl, gradually add in the yeast mixture and tomato puree, using the dough hook, knead until a soft dough. Speed 1 for about 5 minutes.
  4. Select proving on your oven (if you have one), if not, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1.5 hours.                                                                                       20170401_114602
  5. Knock back the dough and knead on speed 1 mixing in the basil for about 2 mins.
  6. Roll out the dough on a floured surface about 1.5-2cm thick
  7. Place on a greased baking sheet on a tray and make 12 indentations with a damp fingertip, push your cherry tomatoes into each hole, prove again for about 30 mins. 20170401_131727       20170401_141814
  8. Preheat your oven to 200deg, drizzle a little oil over bread and garnish with sea salt. Bake in the oven for about 25 mins or until bread sounds hollow on bottom.

I served with some balsamic vinegar and olive oil dip, but it is also really nice on its own.

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Pesto Chicken Spaghetti

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Always wanted to make my own pesto sauce, so today was that day! Decided to pair with some chicken and pasta for dinner, very tasty if I do say so myself! lol!

Makes for 2

For the chicken pan:-

1 1/2 large chicken breast – cut into small chunks

80g Spinach spaghetti pasta

Handful pancetta

10 cherry tomatoes

1 red & 1 yellow pepper – sliced finely

1 onion – chopped finely

Salt & pepper

Italian seasoning

1 tsp chilli flakes

For the pest sauce:- 

Large handfuls of basil

80-100g toasted pine nuts

1 garlic clove

Salt & pepper

Lemon Juice (1 lemon)

50g Parmesean cheese (Parmigiano-Reggiano)

Olive oil (very important to use a very good quality oil)

 

  1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, add the chicken, season with salt & pepper & Italian seasoning, brown all over.
  2. Meanwhile bring a large pan of salted water to boil for your pasta, add pasta and reduce to simmer for 10 mins.
  3. Add onion, pancetta and peppers to pan with chicken and cook until soft and slightly browned.  20161008_174620
  4. Add cherry tomatoes and chilli flakes cook for a few mins, stir through
  5. To make the sauce, put everything into a food processor and blend until smooth, gently add the oil a little at a time until desired smoothness.                                                                                                        20161008_174630 20161008_180034
  6. Drain pasta and add to the chicken pan, mixing through with the other ingredients. Tip in the sauce, mix and heat through for about 1 min.                                                                          20161008_180027

Serve – Yummy!

 

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Wee Italian toast snacks

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I purchased some Soya Based Mozzarella from Muckle Coo Ltd at my local Glasgow Food Assembly https://thefoodassembly.com/en/assemblies/7907 this week.  Jill (the owner) at Muckle Coo Ltd makes handmade Soya based Meltable Mozzarella style balls that are Dairy/Gluten free & Vegan friendly. The two day process uses 83% organic ingredients (however, as its not 95% I can’t list any of the components as organic).
They are: Soya beans, water extra virgin rapeseed oil, tapioca flour, Carrageenan, sea salt, bifidus & acidophilus.

It was absolutely delicious! I decided to melt them onto Olive bread topped with cherry tomatoes and fresh chopped basil, such a tasty wee snack.

 

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Potato, Spinach and Quinoa Bites

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Makes 6

2 Medium potatoes – peeled, chopped and cooked (boiled)

1/2 cup of quinoa – cooked (normally 20mins simmer and 10 mins rest)

1 large handful of Spinach – chopped very finely

4 basil leaves – chopped finely (or 1 tbsp dried)

1 tbsp Lemon Juice

1/2 tsp sesame seeds

1/2 tsp Thyme

Salt & Pepper to taste

2 tbsp Plain Flour

Spray oil

 

  1. Preheat oven to 200 deg.
  2. Mash up potatoes finely  DSC_0367.jpg (2).
  3. Mix up Spinach, Basil, Thyme, Sesame Seeds, Lemon Juice into a paste. DSC_0366.jpg (2)
  4. Then Mix in the potatoes and quinoa with 1 tbsp of plain flour and season, mix until you can form a ball shape with the mixture without sticking to your hands, add more flour if you need to.
  5. Roll the balls in some flour and place on an oiled baking sheet.  DSC_0370 (2)
  6. Bake for approx 30-40 mins. (You may need to turn over half way through cooking)
  7. They will be slightly crunchy on outside and soft in the middle….serve on a bed of Steamed Spinach for extra healthyness! Yum!

My Italian Spicy Chicken with Vermicelli

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I really fancied something Italian tonight, already had most of these Ingredients in my kitchen, so a little of this and a little of that, and voila a tasty and still healthy little Italian Dish.

Serves 2

2 x Chicken Breast cut into chunks

4 tbsp of Paprika

2 nests of Wholegrain Vermicelli

1 Red and 1 Green Pepper – chopped

1 white onion – chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

10-12 Piccolo Tomatoes – halved

250ml tomato passata

1 tbsp chilli

1 tbsp oregano

1 tbsp coriander

1 tbsp basil

1 tsp garlic

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

 

1. Coat the chicken chunks with the paprika and brown in a saucepan or wok with the olive oil

2. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside

3. Put onion, peppers and all spices in pan and cook under slightly tender

4. Add back to the pan the chicken and mix.

5. Then add the tomato passata and red wine vinegar, stir and reduce to a simmer for 5 mins.

6. Meanwhile place the vermicelli in a bowl and cover with boiling water for 4 mins, then add to the pan and stir through for 2 mins.

7. Serve. Yum! Goes well with a lovely glass of Chardonnay. You can also add some parmesan on top for extra flavour.

Spicy Tomato and Basil Seafood Stir Fry

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I do love Seafood Dishes, they are my favourite. Living in Scotland we have amazing Fresh Seafood delivered every day.  We have a lovely local fish delivery once a week too. Perfect.

 

Serves 1

Handful of King Prawns

Handful of Mussels

Handful of Crayfish

100g Tin tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato passata

1 Chilli – diced

1 clove garlic – chopped

1 tsp Brown Sugar

1 splash of white wine (approx 30ml)

Handful of Basil – chopped

Wholegrain Rice Vermicelli

 

1. Heat some oil in a pan and heat through the prawns, crayfish and mussels for a few minutes along with the chilli and garlic.

2. Add in the tomatoes, tomato passata, white wine and Brown sugar reduce the heat to a simmer, and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile place Vermicelli in a bowl and cover with boiling water, let sit for 4 minutes.

4. Drain the vermicelli and add to the seafood tomato mix then add the basil, cook for a further minute.

5. Serve with a lovely glass a Chardonnay.