Sausage and Broccoli Rabe and Pistachio Pesto Pizza

This recipe was inspired by two things: a pizza seen on a newly discovered (to me) blog, Healthy Food For Living, and my favorite pasta dishes at a restaurant that I love outside of Boston called Tre Monte. I love the flavors of broccoli rabe and sausage together, and I learned tonight that it doesn’t have to involve pasta for it to be awesome. Enter the weeknight pizza. A rich pesto made out of blanched broccoli rabe, pistachio nuts, pecorino and ricotta cheeses, spread atop whole wheat pizza dough and covered in browned chicken sausage and shredded cheese. I learned from Lauren at Healthy Food for Living that the frozen whole wheat pizza at whole foods is the bomb. It really is. I may never make pizza dough myself ever again. Hooray for that!

Cornmeal Crusted Salmon in Basil Mussel Broth

I wanted something that was relatively healthy but still felt like somewhat of a treat suitable for the oh-so-coveted weekend. This was the perfect thing.

Shrimp Pizza with Pesto and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Hey, friends — sorry for my little hiatus. I was lucky enough to get away to the Cape for an extra long weekend and have not been in the kitchen much. Cape Cod is seriously one of my favorite parts of living in Massachusetts, and I try to go as often as I can throughout the summer. Next time we go (probably in a few weeks), I promise to remember my camera to share some of the loveliness.

This pizza was pulled together using what random ingredients in the fridge that were waiting for us when we returned home. I’m not sure why we got such major(ly awesome!) air bubbles in the crust, but I love it when that happens. This pizza is somewhat of a go-to, since we always have pesto and cheese in the fridge and shrimp in the freezer. I dolloped some boursin cheese over the top for fun, and omgsoyummy. I used a store-bought dough (picked up a whole wheat dough at Hannaford’s that was actually made wholly of whole wheat and not a blend of whole wheat and white flour, which is actually pretty rare), which was delicious. You can also whip up your own dough if you’re feeling ambitious — I will share a recipe soon for my favorite whole whole wheat pizza dough.

Salmon with Creamy Pesto Sauce

Given my new-found obsession with pesto, and my long-time love affair with salmon, this recipe was was a no brainer. Can be on the table in under 15 minutes, to boot.  Delicious.

Easy Baked Pesto Chicken

I am having a love affair with pesto. Strangely, up until recently, I never cared much for it. I think it was the thyme pesto that really made me turn a corner into full on love.

This chicken is fabulous. Low carb (except for the crusty bread we used to sop up all of the pesto-y juices, of course), cheesy, tender, juicy. Seriously, so good — and couldn’t be easier.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberry Pistachio Pesto

This recipe is why I quit weight watchers. After one day. I had been looking forward to making this dish for about a week, wherein I foolishly joined that fat-hating regime.  One serving of this dish, which is decidedly wholesome, would be half of my daily allotted food because of the [healthy] fat found in the nuts and olive oil. Funk that. I just can’t give up real food and replace it with food-like-substances like fat-free cheese, so I quit. And this was delicious!

Open-Faced Egg Sandwich with Thyme Pesto and Lemon Cream

Brian and I have a new Friday night tradition: Breakfast for Dinner. Come Friday, we’re usually both so pooped and it’s a strained effort whenever we plan anything social. So, instead, we typically snug on the couch, watch Mad Men reruns, and eat amazing comfort food like this. If this makes us lame, I’m ok with it.

This meal is perfect after a long week. Not only is it delicious, much of it can be made in advance. I made the pesto earlier in the week (I made another batch after the first one I mentioned as it was a wee too garlicky. This one was delectable), and the lemon cream takes seconds to put together (although 30 minutes for the flavors to “mesh”), so it’s pretty much toasting bread and frying eggs. I can handle that, even after a long day/week.

Basil Pesto Red Bliss Mashed Potatoes

Basil Pesto Red Bliss Mashed Potatoes
serves 4 / 3 ww pts

Here’s what I used:

• 1 1/4 pounds baby red potatoes
• 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tbsp store-bought pesto (I bought Classico)
• 4-5 leaves of fresh basil, sliced thin
• S&P

Here’s what I did:

• Cut potatoes into similar sizes (leave the really small ones whole) and put in a large pot of cold water. Cover the pot, put over high heat, and bring to a boil. Boil for 12 minutes or so until the potatoes are fork tender (not knife, fork).
• Drain and mash with the chicken stock and pesto. Toss in the fresh basil and season with S&P to taste.