Michelle Dudash, RDN, registered dietitian, chef and author of the upcoming The Low-Carb Mediterranean Cookbook: Quick and Easy High-Protein, Low-Sugar, Healthy-Fat Recipes for Lifelong Health, is here with her favorite ways to use the delicious Indiana tomatoes that are now bursting off the vines at a garden or farmers market near you.
Quick Fresh Cherry Tomato Pasta
This is a popular dish in Southern Italy’s Amalfi coast, highlighting the amazing tomatoes of the region, plus, garlic, basil, and extra-virgin olive oil. Season with Michelle’s Dash Dinners Marinara Spice Kit.
Tip: Avoid refrigerating tomatoes until you have cut into them or unless they are about to go bad. Refrigerating tomatoes changes the texture and flavor.
Homemade Marinara Sauce
First blanch the tomatoes to easily remove the skins.
Then puree, season, and simmer down on low heat in a skillet to thicken the sauce. Season with Michelle’s Dash Dinners Marinara Spice Kit.
Use in your favorite recipes, like in lasagna, in meat sauce, or on pizza.
Stir into your favorite recipes that use canned tomatoes
Just keep in mind that fresh tomatoes will release a lot of water when cooking, so you may need to reduce the amount of liquid ingredients or simmer longer to thicken. Add to paprikash, tacos, chili, and curry.
Also, canned tomatoes contain added salt, so you may need to add more salt to your recipes when replacing canned tomatoes with fresh tomatoes. Season at the end of cooking.
Sheet pan chicken with bell peppers and pecans
I love the ease of sheet pan dinners, where you place the protein and vegetables on one pan with the seasonings and cook it at the same time. This recipe is a go-to in our house.
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds (910 g) chicken legs (about 6)
- 1 medium red bell pepper, cored and diced 1⁄4-inch (6 mm)
- 1 medium green bell pepper, cored and diced 1⁄4-inch (6 mm)
- 1⁄2 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup [160 g])
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1⁄2 cup (56 g) pecan halves
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) balsamic vinegar
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C, or gas mark 6) convection. Line a large baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
Place the chicken in a single layer on one side of the prepared pan and the peppers, onion, and garlic on the other side of the pan. Drizzle the oil and sprinkle the thyme, basil, salt, and pepper all over. Place the pecans in one section of the pan. Bake until the chicken is browned and cooked through, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle the vinegar on the chicken, peppers, and onions. Transfer chicken to a plate and stir the vegetables and pecans. Roast the vegetables a few minutes longer if they need it to become fork tender.
Suggestions and Variations: Feel free to swap the bell pepper with diced carrots, Brussels sprouts, or other vegetables you may have on hand. Just try to keep the amount the same.
Make It for the Whole Family: My kids love eating chicken legs, but they don’t care for the sight of the mystery “green things” on it, so I skip the herbs on theirs and just season with salt. Everybody’s happy!
TOTAL PREP AND COOK TIME: 1 HOUR • YIELD: 4 SERVINGS, ABOUT 2 LEGS EACH WITH 1⁄2 CUP (115 G) VEGETABLES
PER SERVING: 391 CALORIES, 11 G CARBOHYDRATE (3 G FIBER, 0 G ADDED SUGARS, 8 G NET CARBS), 27 G PROTEIN, 28 G FAT, 428 MG SODIUM.
By Michelle Dudash, RDN, from the book Clean Eating Kitchen: The Low-Carb Mediterranean Cookbook: Quick and Easy High-Protein, Low-Sugar, Healthy-Fat Recipes for Lifelong Health
For more from Michelle, visit:
There’s a pasta recipe that’s going viral on Tik Tok, so of course Lori Taylor, The Produce Mom, had to try it and throw in some extra veggies! She also shared some great recipes using one of her favorite citrus fruits, oranges!
For the Love of Citrus
- Big Honeys® Over Night Oats – theproducemoms.com/2021/02/04/mandarin-pomegranate-overnight-oats/
- Basketball Fruit Pizza
One Dish Wonders
- Dinner: Baked Feta Pasta – theproducemoms.com/2021/02/11/tiktok-inspired-baked-feta-pasta/
- Dessert: Smitten Apple Crumble Mug Cake
Today on Indy Style, Chef Paul Dickens of Paul’s Kitchen joined us with some of his simple family favorite meals! He shared his recipe for Ground Turkey Ragu Pasta (which can also be served over spaghetti squash) and some meal prep inspiration for when you’re eating healthy.
Ground Turkey Ragu Pasta
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbs Oil
- 1 Small Onion
- 1 Carrot (diced)
- 1 Celery (diced)
- 3 Cloves Garlice (diced)
- 1 Tsp Dry Thyme
- 1 Tbs All Purpose Seasoning
- 1 Lb Ground Turkey
- 1/2 Cup of Dry Red Wine
- 28 oz Jar of Marinara
- 1 Lb Pasta
Private|Personal Chef
Enjoy a delicious meal in your own home. You and your guest(s) are able to enjoy an intimate private dinner while being catered to in the comfort of your home. When Chef Paul is done you’ll have a sparkling kitchen and home filled with the aroma of freshly prepared foods.
Corporate & Small Catering
Relax and enjoy your next gathering or party. Instead of being in the kitchen cooking and cleaning, Paul’s Kitchen will handle it all. Includes: menu planning, shop, prepare, serve, and clean up included.
Chef Paul will be live on Instagram Live tonight at 7:30pm EST with Adrianne Wagoner from BetterBites discussing the relationship between a chef and dietitian, as well as the benefits of working together. To watch visit, his Instagram.
Also tomorrow, January 23rd, he will perform a cooking demonstration with his wife and creator of All Things MOMMIE at The Wellness Escape event.
All Things MOMMIE is a brand created by Erien Dickens to empower, encourage, and inspire moms to embrace their own desires and needs throughout their motherhood journey. As moms, we often take care of everyone and ourselves last!
To book Chef Paul and for more information visit, chefpaulskitchen.com.
Cortona’s Italian Cuisine & Wine Bar has brought a taste of Italy to Indiana, and today he brought it to our own Indy Style studio!
Simone Lucarini, owner of the restaurant, made a couple authentic Italian dishes in our kitchen including: Bugatini Pasta with Fresh Pesto and their most popular dish, Tortellini Cortona.
He also informed us of their continued COVID-19 regulations and how they are using technology like touch-less payment and touch-less menus to insure less contact.
He will also be talking about the new menu and upcoming events. Thursday night live Jazz.
To place an order call, 317-747- 4242 or click here.
To learn more about Cortona’s and to take a look at their full menu, visit their website, Facebook and Instagram.
THIS SEGMENT IS SPONSORED BY CORTONA’S ITALIAN CUISINE & WINE BAR.