Prosciutto and Olive Linguine

I actually compiled this recipe accidently - I was looking for a way to use up some leftover prosciutto (I know, right? First World Problems) from the Tomato Basil Asparagus Prosciutto Rolls I made recently. I wound up just putting a few recipes together and the end result was fantastic! I had most things already in my pantry or garden and just needed to pick up some fancy olives from the grocery store.

If you're like me and hate doing dishes this recipe uses only one pot! This is the type of meal that looks like you've been slaving over it for hours but is actually really simple to make. I also have to admit that this is the first time I've made my own red sauce (gasp). I've done pestos and alfredos but never a red sauce before... peculiar. But add this one to the recipe books because it is absolutely mouthwatering! With such rich ingredients as black olives and prosciutto this really is a fantastic dish to showoff.

INGREDIENTS 

1 pound Linguine

3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

6 Garlic Cloves, finely minced
2 Shallots, finely minced
1 cup Black Olives, pitted
3 to 4 Tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup Dry White Wine
6 ounces Tomato Paste
3 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, cut up
6 ounces Parmesan Cheese, finely grated
a handful of Flat-Leaf Parsley, finely chopped
3 ounces Prosciutto, at room temperature

Fresh Ground Pepper, to taste

*Warning: between the olives and prosciutto this meal has plenty of salt, so you really don't need to add any more to your pasta water, etc.

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot, bring 8 cups of cold water to a boil. When it boils, add pasta and cook according to package instructions, stirring often to loosen up the sticky strands. Drain the cooked pasta.

Wipe clean the same pot and set over medium heat with olive oil. When oil is hot, lower heat to medium-low and sauté garlic and shallots until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Increase heat to medium again, add olives, and cook for 1 minute.

Add the diced tomatoes and cook until soft, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the wine and stir until the alcohol has evaporated, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in tomato paste and butter until dissolved.

Put the pasta back in the pot and gently mix until each strand is coated in the sauce.

Toss with Parmesan cheese and sprinkle with chopped parsley and black pepper. Garnish with prosciutto slices.

Serve with some crusty bread and you have a fancy meal and hardly any dishes to do! I LOVE olives, Aaron doesn't and still really liked this dish (Bonus: I got to eat double olives). This is another one of those meals that makes even better leftovers which we had plenty of! 

Thai Chicken Enchiladas

I promise I've been doing a lot of cooking, crafting and DIYing this month but I've definitely been a slacker in the blogging department...oops! I made this dish for dinner the other night and it was sooooo good... I'm a sucker for a good enchilada and this is a fun twist on the classic. They also make for really tasty leftovers - I think they actually tasted better after being reheated - the coconut sauce gets thickened and nicely incorporated into the tortillas as it sits - YUM!

This is the type of dish you make on a day off or weekend when you have some extra of time on your hands and someone you can trick into doing the dishes! What I did like about cooking these enchiladas is that in between steps I had some time to clean up after myself. Even though this dish is time consuming it's very rewarding... this is a lot of food, especially for 2 people and we enjoyed the leftovers for days.

INGREDIENTS

8 flour tortillas
2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts,

    grilled and shredded
2 tablespoons Crunchy Peanut Butter
1/2 Sweet Onion, chopped
1 cup Shredded Coleslaw Mix (with cabbage and carrots)
6 garlic cloves, minced
Sea Salt, to taste
Black Pepper, to taste
4 Green Onions, sliced, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped, plus more for garnish
2 3/4 cups Light Coconut Milk

3/4 cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce

Sriracha Sauce, to taste for spicier enchiladas
2 cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Add 2 cups of the coconut milk to a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes to reduce.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add peanut butter. Add onions, slaw mix, and garlic. Cook until vegetables are soft, about 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in chicken, green onions, cilantro, and salt & pepper, tossing to coat, and let cook for 1-2 minutes.

When coconut milk has reduced, stir in remaining coconut milk, along with sweet chili sauce and Sriracha (if desired).

Add about 1 cup of the coconut milk mixture to the pan of veggies and chicken and mix to coat evenly.

Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Evenly spread 1/2 cup of the coconut milk mixture on the bottom of the dish. 

Place a sprinkle of cheese and few spoonfuls of the chicken mixture in each tortilla (reserve about 1/2 cup of cheese for top), rolling them tightly, and place in the dish. 

Cover with remaining coconut milk mix and cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and top with additional green onions, peanuts and cilantro.

VOILA! Yummy Thai Chicken Enchiladas!

We elected to stray from the original recipe from How Sweet It Is due to convenience and the need to spice things up a bit! I added extra garlic and Sriracha sauce because.... well, why not? Also, I thought I had peanuts at home but instead there was just an empty peanut cannister in the pantry (go figure) so I got creative and substituted super crunchy peanut butter for the canola oil in the original recipe. Bags of coleslaw mix were on sale and and saved me some money as well as time chopping carrots and cabbage - and I had no idea what to do with leftover cabbage so it worked out really well! 

We found that 2 enchiladas was quite a hearty dinner and 1 was the perfect amount for lunch leftovers! The coconut sauce is sweet and creamy, a perfect contrast to the crisp and tart veggies in the coleslaw mix.