Broccoli Pesto

Want to know a secret?

Good. Because I'm going to tell you anyways.

This pesto is better than the real pesto...for real.

And it's healthier. So you can eat,like, the whole thing instead of two teaspoons.

Broccoli Pesto
Adapted from Everyday Food

1 bunch of broccoli cut into pieces (about 4 cups)
1/2 c. packed parsley or basil
1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
the juice of 1 lemon juice
1/4 c. olive oil
1 clove of garlic
Salt and pepper
1 can (15.5) Cannelloni beans
10 oz. of cooked pasta


In a large pot of boiling water cook broccoli until very tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a food processor. Refill pan with water and return to stove to cook the pasta.


Meanwhile, add the remaining ingredients and half of the beans to the processor. Puree until smooth. 


Mix the pesto along with the remaining beans into the pasta or serve it on top of the pasta and top it off with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

The Cooking Couple-Stuffed Acorn Squash

One of my absolute favorite things to do is to cook with Mr. Runway Chef. We both find it to be so enjoyable and relaxing.

For that reason, I decided to start a new section on the blog, appropriately titled the "The Cooking Couple". It will include recipes that are just enough for two and are more fun to make as a couple then they are alone....aka you give directions and make him do all the work :)

We had bought a turkey around Thanksgiving  and last night we finally got around to cooking it (only 3 months too late...oops!).

To make it more fun we decided to recreate a mini thanksgiving meal but with simpler and healthier side dishes (trying to remember those new years resolutions....emphasis on trying!). 

Acorn squash is not only incredibly healthy but it just so happens to be the perfect amount for two people. Combining it with a few other ingredients helped make it extra special for our Sunday night dinner.

Stuffed Acorn Squash
1 acorn squash
1/4 c. onion,chopped
4 slices of (turkey) bacon,chopped
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. of maple syrup
Olive oil
Italian Bread crumbs

Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut the acorn squash in half and place each half face down in a glass baking dish. Fill with about an inch of water, then baking until soft, about 30-45 minutes.

In a medium skillet, heat a splash of olive oil then saute the bacon and onions. Scoop out the insides of the squash and add that to the pan along with the cheese and syrup. Stir to combine.

Stuff each shell with the filling and top with a sprinkling of bread crumbs. Bake for 10 more minutes.

Pumpkin Bacon Asparagus Lasagna

It's been a while since I've posted a recipe with bacon.

This needs to be fixed immediately.

Heaven forbid you, or even me for that matter, forget my strong affection with those yummy crunchy buttery crispy strips.

I'm drooling just talking about it.

Soooo does anyone have some bacon I go inhale right now??

Pumpkin Bacon Asparagus Lasagna

1/2 a box of lasagna noodles (9 noodles)

2 c. of asparagus,chopped

1/3 package of turkey bacon,chopped

1/2 an onion, chopped

1 c. pumpkin puree

3 c. ricotta cheese

1 egg

3/4 c. Parmesan cheese, grated

2 c. mozzarella grated

1 tbsp. Italian seasoning

1 tbsp. basil

Salt and Pepper

Olive oil

Cook noodles in boiling water until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a medium sized skillet saute bacon and onions together over medium heat, until crisped and cooked through (you can add a splash of oil if you need to). Once those are cooked, remove from the pan and set aside. In the same pan put about 1 teaspoon of olive oil and then saute the asparagus for a just a few minutes (you want them to be tender but still crunchy). 

In a small mixing bowl, mix together the pumpkin and 1 cup of the ricotta. Set aside. In another bowl, mix together remaining ricotta, 1/4 cup of Parmesan, 1/2 cup of mozzarella, the egg and the seasonings (To ensure I get the right amount of flavor, I like to mix everything except the egg together, then taste it to make sure the seasonings are how I like them to be, before mixing in the egg). 

Begin layering your ingredients in a greased 13" x 9" pan. First put a very small amount of the pumpkin mixture, then 3 noodles, ricotta mixture, pumpkin mixture, bacon, asparagus and mozzarella. Repeat and then finish the top off with the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or just until cheese starts to brown and bubble. Serve warm with a salad and garlic bread.