ssssssssss.....Saucy!

The more I cook the more I realize how hard it is to keep buying fresh ingredients and using ALL of it up for my dishes.  More often than not I always have leftovers, like half an onion or an odd tomato or two etc.  Perhaps it's because of the household I grew up in, but I feel extremely guilty when I have to throw out unused produce that sat in the fridge too long.  So I'm trying as much as possible to use what I have in the fridge and buy the rest as needed.  I had tomatoes, half a rather gigantic red onion, frozen chicken tenderloins and leftover white wine .  So I googled and found some pretty tasty recipes and decided to try two (1 | 2) in particular that caught my eye.  Of course I changed the recipe to accommodate ingredients I didn't have or wanted to add.  With a few additional purchases and the help of my bf, we whipped up a pretty delicious meal.  *The wine sauce fell a bit short for the pasta (which I later corrected by making another portion of sauce and adding it to the leftover pasta dish). I adjusted the recipe accordingly for today's post!

Veggie Pasta in White Wine Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1/2 a box of thin spaghetti pasta (1/2 of a 1 lb. box)
• 2 medium tomatoes- diced
• 1 can of artichokes- diced large
• 1 12/ cups of sliced mushrooms
• 1 tbsp of chopped fresh basil
• 1 tsp of dried oregano
• 6 cloves of garlic- minced
• 3/4 cup of dry white wine (do not use sweet wines)
• 3/4 cup of vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 tbsp of tomato paste
• 1 tbsp flour for thickening (mixed with 1/8 cup of the broth to remove clumps)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
• Black and crushed red pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp of salt (adjust to taste)

Directions:

1. In a large pot, boil water with a few spoons of salt and cook the spaghetti as directed on the box.  We cooked until the pasta was tender (not al dente).  Drain water and save the spaghetti.
2. In a large skillet on medium heat,  heat olive oil and sautee the minced garlic until they brown slightly.
3. Add the mushrooms, artichokes, basil, oregano, black and crushed red pepper and stir until mushrooms have softened a little for about 5 minutes.
4. Add the dry white wine and simmer for 5 minutes until the wine has reduced/evaporated a bit.
5. Add the broth, flour, tomato paste, tomatoes and salt, and simmer for another 3 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and add the sauce and a splash of balsamic vinegar to the pasta, mix well and serve.

Chicken in Balsamic, Red Onion and Tomato Sauce


Ingredients:

• 6-8 chicken tenderloins (thawed if frozen)
• 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar (save 3 tbsp for sauce)
• 2 cups of red onion sliced
• 1 cup of diced tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of chicken broth
• 1-2 tbsp of olive oil

Directions:

1. This isn't necessary but if like me you want more flavor infused into chicken, marinate the chicken in a ziploc bag with 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar, some salt and pepper overnight. 
2. In a skillet on medium heat, heat oil and cook the chicken through until juices run clear (save the marinade in the ziploc for later).
3. Place the chicken in a plate/bowl and in the same skillet, add the onions and cook for 7-8 minutes or until onions have caramelized.
4. Add the tomatoes and sautee for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add 3 tbsp of the marinade, tomato paste, chicken broth and brown sugar and stir well so no clumps remain.
6. Add salt and pepper as preferred, mix well and turn off heat.
7. Add the chicken to the sauce and serve after 10 minutes.