spicy rigatoni with broccoli & sausage

We made this for dinner last week while B's bestie was in town... you know I love to encourage the boys to eat their vegetables. It was a hit!

ingredients:

1 package whole wheat rigatoni

2 heads of broccoli, cut into florets

1 lb chorizo sausage

1T evoo

1t lemon juice

3cloves of garlic, minced

pepper, cumin & paprika

1/8c grated Parmesan per person

 

Cook rigatoni according to package. With 2 minutes left, add broccoli. Strain in a large colander. Cook sausage in the pasta pot. Once cooked, add pasta & broccoli back in and mix thoroughly. Wisk together evoo, lemon juice, garlic, and spices. Add evoo mixture to pasta and toss. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan.

 

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LSU baseball

It's not what you know, its who you know. This was definitely the case for Friday night. We went to the LSU baseball game and were provided with Champion's Club tickets 5 rows behind home plate!

It was a great game with a great view.

InstaFriday

Happy Friday! This week has been filled with work, homework, and food. That's it! A change of schedule means less blogging, sorry! All those exciting things I wanted to do got put to the back burner... but that's okay, sometimes life does not go as planned. Here's my week... And since I do not have any photos from work or homework, there's lots of food.

1. Tulips from B since I had to work do much this week.

2. We discovered a new sandwich shop, Wich Which. I loved the customized sandwich options. I got hummus with lots of veggies on whole wheat.

3. A turkey sandwich on chia seed bread with strawberries and grapes. Yum!

4. We made Emeril's rigatoni with broccoli and sausage. This was delicious!

 

This weekend: more work, a LSU baseball game, homework, and more delicious but healthy food of course. Now that spring break is over we only have 4 weeks left of class. I have lots of work to do but the weather is getting better... so that means the homework location may soon transition to next to the pool.

Off to tackle my Friday to-do list! Have a good weekend.

 

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dress code

I have been loving my volunteer position this semester. I have signed up to continue to volunteer all summer because of the great experiences I have been given. One of my biggest challenges... the dress code. Here's what I can wear:

khakis & a polo or black scrubs

I own one pair of khakis, one pair of cords in khaki colors... and no scrubs. Oh, and I only own one polo. Getting dressed to volunteer is a challenge. I am contemplating buying some khaki colored Lulus to add to my repertoire. I asked my mentor and she said they would be fine. 

studio crop - street to studio crop

I have a feeling I will be buying the studio crop. I like that it is more relaxed and will work well in the heat of the summer when I make multiple trips between buildings. 

I emailed my local Lulu and they have them in store. Hopefully I will be able to pick them up before my size sells out!

cheesy polenta & egg casserole

I love to share great recipes. This one was a must share. Why? Because it was delicious, quick, and healthy! I cannot take any credit for this one. B found it... then emailed it to me... since he does not use Pinterest. Emailing recipes seems so "old school". This recipe comes from Eating Well and we followed it exactly. Again, I get no credit, I am only here to share.

cheesy polenta & egg casserole

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons  extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

4 cups water, plus more as needed

1 cup yellow cornmeal, (see Shopping Tip)

1/2 teaspoon  salt

6 ounces  Italian turkey sausage, casing removed

1/2 cup shredded fontina, or mozzarella

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided

6 large eggs

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, but not browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 4 cups water and bring to a boil. Gradually whisk cornmeal into the boiling water. Add salt and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the polenta bubbles, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook, whisking frequently, until very thick, 10 to 15 minutes. (Alternatively, once the polenta comes to a boil, transfer it to the top of a double boiler, cover, and place over barely simmering water for 25 minutes. This is convenient, because you don't need to stir it as it cooks.)

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add sausage. Cook, stirring and breaking the sausage into small pieces with a spoon, until lightly browned and no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Drain if necessary and transfer to a cutting board; let cool. Finely chop when cool enough to handle.

Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

When the polenta is done, stir in fontina (or mozzarella) and 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano. If the polenta seems too stiff, add small amounts of water to thin it to a thick but not stiff consistency. Spread the polenta in the prepared pan.

Make six 2-inch-wide indentations in the polenta with the back of a tablespoon. Break eggs, one at a time, into a custard cup and slip one into each indentation. Scatter the sausage on the polenta and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano evenly on top of the eggs.

Bake the casserole for 15 minutes. Then broil until the egg whites are set, 2 to 4 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

 

Go make it! At only 295 calories for 1/6th of the recipe you can guarantee it will be made again at our house.