One of my favorite quick go-to pastas has been a beef and arugula pasta with a dijon vinaigrette dressing that I posted a few years back. The first time I made this pasta, I remember my husband saying, “This would be really good with portobellos!”. I was so sure it would that, at the time, I wrote the recipe up with that suggestion for vegetarian-izing (and, incidentally, veganizing) the recipe. A week ago, I had some leftover arugula, so I decided to give this version a go, and what do you know, it was a hit! Still as quick and easy as the original, and still as flavorful. (more…)

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Dairy free, Dinner, Lunch, Quick and Easy, Vegan, Vegetarian by Courtney

Last week I made an amazingly tasty salad from arugula, butternut squash, and roquefort cheese. While the meal was missing just a little bit of crunch, there was no denying that the flavors were a great combination of sweet, pungent, peppery, and creamy. Since I had only used half the butternut squash and a little of the roquefort and arugula, I set out to make something else from this medley of flavors. Given the cold weather, I was really craving something warm and comforting. I was debating between a polenta dish or a pizza dish. Since the grocery store I stopped by on my way home didn’t have polenta or pizza crust, I was forced to improvise. (more…)

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Dinner, Pizza, Quick and Easy by Courtney

This is one of those recipes that was born of what was on hand. A while back I began to get super excited that my first batch of greens was ready in the garden, and it happened to be one of my favorites — arugula! Ever since I first had arugula and proscuitto on a pizza, I’ve been enamored with the idea of ever-so-slightly wilted greens on top of my pizza. I happened to have mozzarella on hand, but no proscuitto.

What did have on hand? (more…)

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Dinner, Italian, Lunch, Pizza by Courtney

A couple of years back I saw this recipe on an episode of Everyday Italian. The theme of the show was Picnic Planner, as Giada was packing a lunch to surprise her hubby with at work. The show was a bit cheesy, but the recipes had stuck in my mind for a while, especially the pasta. I love arugula and had wanted to make this for quite a while.

Earlier this year when arugula came in in the garden, I knew just what to use it for. I had always kind of thought this recipe was odd for a picnic, but after making it, I decided it was more like a pasta salad — perfect warm or at room temperature. The sauce you pour over it is basically a dijon vinaigrette, which is very quick and easy to make. Thus me making it this week with what I could find in the refrigerator and pantry. (more…)

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Dairy free, Dinner, Lunch, Quick and Easy by Courtney