Also known as “mommy pasta” in our house, Fusilli with Broccoli is one of the best one dish meals I know. It is even better if you find pleasure and comfort from carbs and vegetarian oriented main courses, but it is delicious and satisfying regardless of the lack of appeal to carnivores. Broccoli is the perfect vegetable. It is loaded with Calcium, Vitamin C, antioxidants, and is fiber rich. If there is one vegetable to love, this is the one.
I have a very strong belief that we should cook and eat food that is seasonal, local, and sustainable. It is a great wonder and at the same time a shame that in our contemporary lives, stores provide us with watermelon and tomatoes grown in chile during December. They just don’t taste the same. This is a crisp, delicious, and seasonal salad for winter time.
A good friend of my husband’s and mine, Cristina, would always whip up risotto for us when we were guests in her home. She’s Italian, so making risotto was something of a second nature to her. Cristina is a wonderful cook of all things, but her risotto has always been the standout. Years ago we went to stay with Cristina and her family at their home in Cape Cod during the winter holidays. I was 4 months pregnant, it was bone-chilling cold outside, and nothing was more satisfying than a piping hot bowl of her risotto. So satisfying that I asked for a tutorial. Five years later I am still following her instructions. I make it for my children all the time. They like it made with peas and it is, hands down, one of their favorite meals. We had a little kiddie pajama dinner party one evening for our kids and their friends. My children requested Risotto with Peas to be served forth. Surprisingly, it was well received by the group. They all had a funny look on their faces when the steamy bowls of rice were placed in front of them. In the end, each kid gave it a try and some of them even liked it.
It’s not a fancy recipe made with fresh pumpkin. I’ve tried that a few times and its not worth the effort. This recipe made with plain canned pumpkin rules above them all. Trust me, it’s the best. All of the ingredients for the filling get mixed together in a bowl without any real order or method so its fool proof too. Its about as simple as can be. A child can make it. I encourage those of you with young children to let them help with the measuring, mixing, and filling of the pie before it goes into the oven. My 6 year old son made a pumpkin pie at school last week. His recipe is here too…
It’s always a challenge to come up with a simple and healthy dinner that I can make for my family. It is even more of an obstacle to find something that can be made ahead of time. Sometimes it just is easier to make dinner in the morning. Late in the day, we all hit a lull in energy and enthusiasm. It is a blessing to have dinner prepared and ready to go into the oven. It can be baked ahead of time and reheated in the oven, makes excellent leftovers or sandwiches, and freezes quite nicely.
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