Restaurant Style Chicken and Veg Pasta

I made this because my youngest son loves the little toddler pasta microwave meals, and thought this would be a great alternative to one. I also thought hubby and I might enjoy it. I will say that it was good, but my son was the one who loved it the most, which is good as it made quite a lot. He actually ate it the whole week for lunch, so if you have young children, you may want to consider trying this.

I`m not saying it is just for children though. It almost tasted like a restaurant style pasta you would be served at a family restaurant in the US. I know that doesn`t really explain much if you have never had something like that, but I am not quite sure how to describe it. If making it for adults, I think it would be best to pan fry the chicken instead of boiling it.

You can check out the cookbook here, the mediterrasian way

What you need:
500 g large pasta
500-600 g chicken pieces, bite size
1-2 cups broccoli, also in bite size pieces
1 package of mushrooms, sliced
7 or 8 Tbls sundried tomatoes in oil, roughly chopped
4 whole green onions, thinly sliced
4 cloves minced garlic
500 ml chicken broth
500 ml milk
6 Tbls maisstärke, mixed with 6 Tbls water for thickening
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese (or another you really enjoy) Normally I use freshly grated, but didn`t have any on hand at the time.
salt and pepper to taste


Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta, cook for a minute and then add the chicken (unless you decide to pan fry it). Add the broccoli when you have 5 minutes left on the pasta.

While the pasta cooks, heat a pan and add both the tomatoes and their oil, mushrooms, scallions and garlic. Stir for 2-3 minutes.

Add the liquid and heat until it begins to boil.

Add the cornstarch mixture and keep stirring until thickened, about 2 minutes

Add the cheese, salt and pepper and mix until combined.

Drain the pasta mixture then add the veg mixture and stir gently. Add the chicken if you pan fried it.

There you go. You can chop everything ahead of time and it will not take that long to make. Depending on your likes of the various vegetables, feel free to add more or less.

Black bean, grilled avocado, and goat cheese tacos

As my husband has forbidden me from making tacos every night for dinner (I do a variation on them most days if he has to travel), I am looking for ways to make tacos anyway, but with a twist.  Normally I do the usual seasoned beef, beans, and all the toppings.  This time I didn`t. I found yet another recipe on Pinterest (YARP) and loved how it looked, but changed it around a bit.  I bought one of the vegetable boxes from Coop last week and needed to finish using them up so added a few to this recipe.

Now the sauce may not seem like a big deal. I wasn`t even going to try it. However, you must. You don`t want to go overboard, just a tiny drizzle will do. Too much and it`s gone from good, to feeling like you`ve eaten some honey. So go sparingly, you can always add more!  (Note, I didn`t have an actual lime, so just used lime juice, the flavor may vary with the addition of the lime zest).

If you would like to see the recipe that inspired this (and got me my taco fix for the day), go here

What you need:

1 package of mini Old El Paso tortillas (or make your own)
1 avocado
1 thinly sliced onion
1 (or 2 if you want leftovers for the next day) cans of black beans, with liquid
1 sliced red bell pepper
75 to 100 g of goat cheese
3/4 of a Tbls of ground corriander
1/2 Tbls of cumin
pinch of red pepper flakes (which I omitted as apparently my judgement skills with the pepper flakes are severely lacking)
enough olive oil to brush over each half of an avocado

2 tsp of honey
juice and zest from 1/2 a lime (I used 2 tsps of lime juice)


If you would like your tortillas heated, put your oven on low and wrap them in aluminium foil. Let them sit in the warm oven until you are ready to use them.

Put a little oil in a pan big enough for your beans. When the oil is hot, add the onions and cook until they begin to soften.

Add the beans and cook over medium to medium low until the liquid starts to reduce. I used the liquid from both cans, but I think from one may be just enough. When the liquid has cooked down some, add your seasonings and stir well.  

While the beans are simmering, slice your avocado in half and carefully remove the seed. I also used an indoor grill, but you could probably use another clean, hot frying pan. 

Brush enough olive oil on the face of the avocado to coat it, to prevent sticking. Place face down and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Carefully remove the skin when the avocado is warmed through, and slice. 

Slice the goat cheese into small pieces and mix your sauce now as well.

Remove the tortillas from the oven and put them on a plate. Scoop some of the bean mixture on, then add the avocado and goat cheese. Using the sauce sparingly, add on top. Fold and serve.  Here are the tacos both with and with out the red peppers

Enjoy!