Stracciatella Soup This is the quintessential Italian Soup recipe I grew up eating - solely on special occasions. Only at Christmas and Easter. I guess that's why I decided to try it last week; Easter was around the corner. When I was little we'd have Christmas dinner at my aunt's then my mother would host Easter. My poor mother was ...
italian
Penne alla Vodka
Penne alla Vodka I have a confession to make, this was the first time I had this pasta. Every time I thought about it, I would think about how much cream, fat and calories were in it and then I’d talk myself out of it. Here, there’s my compromise; there’s cream but it’s half & half, and it’s also half the amount other recipes call ...
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Spaghetti and Meatballs So I think I have stressed how much I love taking fatty food and making it low fat and healthy but have I stressed my other passion? I love getting this done in under an hour! That’s right; spaghetti and meatballs that are low fat and done in under an hour. I’m the modern day nonna except I’m 34 … and blond! Besides ...
Chicken Francese
Chicken Francese This was another dish inspired by the need for speed! Working full time and having a family has made me more efficient in the ‘getting things done quickly’ department for sure! That doesn’t mean I’m going to let my healthy eating go by the “weigh”-side!!! This dish is fast, fast, fast and can be prepared based on a well-stocked ...
Spicy Green Beans
Spicy Green Beans This is a great way to dress up green beans but really it could be used on any veggie you’d like. I made this for Mike and his family and it was well received. With that said, I added too much of the chili flakes (see notes) and needless to say, we drank a lot of water that night! Really though, I choose to believe I was doing ...
Shrimp Scampi
Shrimp Scampi This is my rendition of the classic Italian dish. This comes together in minutes and easily impresses. Don’t skip the butter at the end in the interest in saving calories because at 40 calories (or 10 calories per person) you can’t beat the richness and flavour it adds. ...
Pan Pizza
Pan Pizza Sadly, even though I have learned a lot about cooking from my mother, I don’t have any family cooking keepsakes. My mother did however buy me this cast iron skillet which I plan to hand down to my children one day! So I thought this would be a fun recipe to highlight this great kitchen tool. This recipe is more about the method, ...
Pesto Sauce
Pesto Sauce So this recipe was difficult for me to write because so much of it is to taste. Below you will find a basic pesto recipe that I use on pasta, pizza, sandwiches, gnocchi, chicken, you name it! I actually made this the other day and wow did my kitchen smell like summer. This is a good amount of sauce for any of the recipes that are ...
Chicago-Style Pizza
Chicago-Style Pizza My friend’s stepmother is American and she made my friend Chicago-Style pizza, I was intrigued, I had to know more. It’s the same ingredients as a traditional pizza but it’s a completely different experience; you have to try it to know what I’m talking about. Serves 4 ½ Batch of my whole wheat pizza dough 1 tbsp extra ...
Lasagna Rolls
Lasagna Rolls This is a sophisticated alternative to traditional lasagna. I don’t want to say simpler because there are still many components to it but many can be done ahead of time. Also, allowing the sauce to cook as it bakes with the lasagna is a great time (and dish) saver! Might I suggest this as an option to your Easter table this ...
Roasted Vegetable Tomato Sauce
Roasted Vegetable Tomato Sauce This is a different approach to an Italian classic; the depth of flavour from the roasted vegetables is insane. It’s so hard to wrap my mind around the fact that this is healthy and low fat! ...
Spinach and Cheese Skillet Lasagna
Spinach and Cheese Skillet Lasagna Yes, one more skillet lasagna but I’m doing this for a few reasons; first, they’re delicious. Second, they’re so easy and third you get home made lasagna in 30 minutes! Yes, you read that right, 30 minutes! At this time of year I can’t get things done fast enough (I’m sure you know exactly what I’m talking ...