Pumpkin Spaghetti Sauce

I added pumpkin to my sauce. It added another veggie so my kid would eat it. It worked. It's delicious, we will never go without it again.

Squirt of EVOO
1/4 chopped onions
2 tsp of minced garlic
some salt
some pepper
15 oz can of pure pumpkin
jar of spaghetti sauce


Heat your skillet at medium heat, add everything but the pumpkin and sauce. Cook till fragrant and then another 30 seconds or so. Then add the rest and stir till desired temp. YUM.

Cheesy Quinoa Bites

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked quinoa (I cook my quinoa in low sodium chicken broth)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 2 stalks green onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbs all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together quinoa, carrot, egg, green onion, garlic, cilantro, cheese, flour, salt and pepper.
3. Distribute mixture into a greased mini muffin tin, filling each cup to the top (1 heaping Tbs each).
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Adapted from soveryblessed

Energy Peanut Butter Balls

Try eating just one.


1 1/2 cup of organic rolled oats.
1 Tbsp chia seeds (I use black chia seeds)
1/2 cup of organic or all natural peanut butter (any "nut" butter will do)
1/3 cup of local honey (you can use processed honey, but the local honey has health benefits)
1/4 cup of organic semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
Mix together all ingredients until they are well incorporated.  If you like the sweet and salty taste feel free to add a pinch of salt.  Get a small cookie dough scoop and roll into balls and place in a container.  Then place in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes to firm them up.

Adapted from Amy Schmamy

HomeMade Taco Seasoning

This is good for 1 lb of ground meat. 

1/2 TBS Chili Powder
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
1/2 tsp Paprika
1.5 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper

*Add 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes if your crazy like that.

Throw in a mason jar and shake shake shake.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMM

*Adapted from All Recipes Taco Seasoning I

Broccoli Bites "Green Biscuits"

Healthy Broccoli Bites

Found these gems! I need to get Veggies into Sam! He wrinkles his nose and says "No!" when we try.

A little protein and dairy and whole grains too. Not bad eh? Well Sammy got through one alright. Me too. But our little neighbor girl who's one and I hear can be super picky (who isn't at that age!) blasted through 3.5. Mission accomplished, I know what age to start 'em.

2 cups uncooked raw broccoli
1 cup oatmeal (uncooked)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
3 eggs
Half a can of diced, cooked chicken (optional)

In a food processor, mix/chop the oatmeal until it is fine, almost like flour. Add the broccoli, and continue to chop. Add in the eggs and chicken, and pulse. Pour the mixture into a medium-sized bowl, add the cheese and stir. Form into one inch balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (or sprayed with cooking spray).


Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until slightly browned on the bottom.



*Adapted from SEW Very Blessed

Peanut Butter Bars

Our go-to. Every time.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (very finely crushed)
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 11 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions

1. Mix the crumbs and sugar (sifted is better).
2. Add the melted butter and peanut butter.
3. Mix well and press into a 9x13 inch pan.
4. Melt the chocolate chips in microwave on 70% (about a minute 15 seconds in mine.).
5. Spread chocolate over the bars.
6. Refrigerate till hard, then take out about 15 minutes before you want to cut them, so the frosting won't crack.

Grandma's Macaroni Salad

We've eaten this salad since we were kids and every few months I call Jen for the recipe. Now I won't have to anyMORE! :) Thanks Jen, thanks Grandma! This is the best go-to-lunch for three days straight. Ha!

Grandma's Macaroni Salad

Ingredients:

1 12 oz box of macaroni elbows
1 package of grapes
1 half block of cheddar cheese
1 or 2 1/2 thick slabs of ham from the deli
1/2 to 3/4 cups of Mayo
2 tbs of brown sugar

1. Cut the grapes in half
2. Boil the macaroni, drain and rinse with cool water
3. Cube the cheese
4. We like to pan cook the ham for a minute or two on each side and then cube it
5. Put all of the above in a large bowl.
6. Mix the mayo and brown sugar together and then mix all the ingredients together. Refrigerate and eat whenever you need to. Which I do. All the time.

 She at the whole thing. Well..... I helped. XOXO to Jen!

 PS We only had tiny grapes on hand so they didn't need slicing. :)

That Tortilla Chip Soup I Keep Making

I got this recipe from my best friend Jess. It's the yummiest soup. I thank her every time I eat it. Maybe not actually tooo her, but I sure think about it.

Cook up 2-3 chicken breasts beforehand unless you want to throw this all in the crockpot then you can cook all this together all day or on high for a few hours or whatever.

In a pot:

1-2 cans of black beans
1 24 oz can of crushed tomatoes
16 oz of tomato juice (you can use the little V8-ish sized tomato juice cans)
1 can of chopped green chilis
1 can of corn or an equivalent of frozen corn
2 cloves of minced garlic
8 oz of beef broth
1 cup of water
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp chili powder

When all is said and done add some chips and cheese, maybe some avocado, sour cream etc! YUM!

Cake-In-A-Mug

I haven't posted in a loooong time.

Without any fanfare, I present a MICROWAVED cake-in-a-mug. I have played with the recipe a lot, so I have eaten it a lot. I like this ratio the best:

Add ingredients as listed to a mug.

4 tbls of flour
4 tbls of sugar
3 tbls of oil
3 tbls of milk
2 tbls of beaten egg
1 tbls of cocoa powder
1/8 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp of vanilla
10-15 chocolate chips if desired

Stir like crazy, get it all mixed good!
Pop in the microwave for 2 minutes and 10 seconds
 It may look like it will overflow, but it won't!

Turn the mug upside down and drop out the cake, slather on the ice cream, drizzle some *chocolate and caramel on top and enjoy your chocolate cake that you made in 5 ish minutes.

*sigh* this has really come in handy. :)

*Homemade QUICK chocolate icing. I seriously mix 1/2 cup powdered sugar with 1 tbls of milk and about a tsp of cocoa. It's really sweet. I like it.

PS No need to spray the mug, but if you do it might make clean-up faster. Bonus.

Butternut Squash Ravioli With Brown Butter Sage

This IS HEAVEN. Just ask France.

12 oz of pureed butternut squash
1/2 cup walnuts
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg
24 wonton wrappers (found in the Asian aisle or the refrigerator section)
1 tbs butter
2 tbs of EVOO
1 tbs fresh sage (I only had dried and it worked lovely)
1 tbs lemon juice

Prepare butternut squash to a warm and pureed state*.

Place walnuts in medium skillet and cook over medium high heat, shaking the pan often for 3-5 minutes or until lightly toasted. Transfer to a cutting board to cool, then finely chop. Transfer the nuts to the bowl with the pureed butternut squash and stir in the egg yolk, 1/4 c of cheese, 1/4 tsp of salt, 1/8 tsp of pepper and the nutmeg, mix well (I did this in a food processor).

Arrange 12 wonton wrappers on a work surface and drop 2 slightly rounded tsp of filling into the the center of each. Wet the edge of the wrapper with a finger dipped in water. Fold 1 corner of the wrapper diagonally over the filling to form a triangle. gently press out any air and squeeze the edges to seal. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers. This part may seem frustrating and you may just want to use 2 wrappers per ravioli.

Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium high heat. Cook shaking the pan occasionally until the butter begins to brown and smell nutty. Add the olive oil and sage and cook for about a minute. Turn the heat low and add the lemon juice and remaining salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil. Add the ravioli a few at a time and cook for 2 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl and immediately pour in the butter mixture. Toss well to coat and sprinkle remaining cheese and serve.

DI-VINE and SO WORTH A TRY!

*If you are new to butternut squash, this is what I do. I buy one. I peel it like a potatoe. I scrap out the seeds. I chop it up. I boil it for about 20 min. Then I blend it till smooth. You can also skip the boiling and put in it a plastic bag, cut off the corner and cook on high for 5 minutes then blend. Butternut squash is my favorite. The end.

+Adapted from the Flat Belly Diet

Crunchy Crust Mac and Cheese

I really like the Fat Belly Diet recipes mostly because Diet really doesn't ring true here. It's REAL food and you have to follow portion sizes or the calories ADD up! That being said...I HATE mac n cheese....but this is an exception...it was awesome and the MUFA is Olive Oil. PS France LOVED it and I actually ate the leftovers the next day :).

For the Mac'n'Cheese:
4 oz of multigrain elbow macaroni (I used Quinoa Elbows)
3 Tbs of Panko bread crumbs
4 Tbs of olive oil
2 Tbs of of all-purpose flour
1/2 Tsp paprika
1/2 Tsp salt
1/2 Tsp of pepper
2 cups of fat-free milk
1/2 cup shredded reduced fat cheese

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Coat and 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray.
2.Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Add the macaroni and cook according to package to directions.
3. Combine the bread crumbs and 2 tsps of the oil and stir with a fork evenly to coat.
4. Add the remaining 3 tbs + 1 tsp oil to a large saucepan. Set over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour, paprika, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. Cook, whisking for 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in the cheese until it melts. Stir in the macaroni. Pour in the baking dish. Top evenly with the crumb mixture.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until bubbly and golden. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Yum!

It's BEEN Awhile!

So since my last post we have moved from VA to CA. Played in Utah for about 3 weeks. Hung out in Spokane while France was at COT for 5 LOooooong Weeks and
then settled in to our new life here in CA.

SOoo. The reason I have this blog is when I am away from home I can find the recipes I like quickly (with my own notes...). It's also to keep track of brands and other randomness. It's open to whoever. So enjoy :).

Here are some random things about well...me.
Feel free to not read...I just felt like posting! :)

France and I have decided that if you take about 30 more seconds when preparing salad to chop the spinach (0r other greens) before you eat,
then it's MUCH EASIER to eat, and a LOT less messy. :)

Ok so I have had random people ask me what vitamins I take. I know it may seem like a lot, but considering modern diets, we are missing out on some essentials.

1. A Multivitamin. (Not pictured, I take different ones almost every time the jar runs out).
2. Probiotics. This specific brand (PB8) is Dr. approved and provides 14billion per dose.
3. Vitamin D3. I take this EVERY DAY. We don't get the sun we need. I have read that we need about 15 min of sunscreen-less sun EVERY DAY. But, most people don't get enough and that my friends is one reason why we all can get especially sick in the winter. I will give anyone who wants a testimonial of how well this works for fighting off colds and infections. No joke. One a day people. PS it helps you absorb wayyy more calcium if you take it with a calcium supplement or gulp it down with milk, no kidding!

4. Omega 3. Ok so I HATE fish. And no one can really afford to eat salmon etc. 3 days a week. This stuff tastes like Lemon Starbursts! You can get it at Costco for about $19. PLease look up the benefits of Omega 3, it's too much to list here.

*I would make sure that whatever multivitamin you take has B6 and B12 as well as folic acid. The B's really are the Bee's knees! Hehe.

And there you are. :)

Ok. SO Stevia is approved as a natural sweetener that doesn't have the same horrible affects as aspartame and it's many twins. Yes, put that Diet SOda down. It's giving you osteoporosis, stains on your teeth and too many other things to list. Okay, off my soap box (I know that Diet Dr. P's are good ok? I have them once in a while at Bajio.) :)

At last! Coconut milk! I am lactose intolerant, and so are all of YOU to a point (I am totally serious, look it up). I do drink Lactaid, which I highly recommended for cereal, but for everything else, this stuff is pure heaven and sooo good for you.

Healthy Stir Fry

This is SIMPLE the flavors are in the veggies and a bit of salt.

Ingredients

Extra Virgin Olive oil
Frozen stir fry mix (There's a BIG bag of this at Costco!)
Buckwheat Soba noodles

Directions

Cook noodles according to directions on package. Pour just a small glug of EVOO in a pan (or wok) and cook frozen veggies until tender. Throw noodles and veggies together and add a bit of sea salt. Yum!

Curry Chicken Soup

I love coconut and curry so this was delicious. That's all. :)

Ingredients

1 10-ounce package frozen pureed winter squash (I found some in the frozen 'organic' section)
1/2 cup lite coconut milk
1/2 cup water
8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced (I used just a roasted chicken...Mmm)
1 6-ounce bag baby spinach
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2-1 teaspoon Thai red curry paste
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Heat squash, coconut milk and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash defrosts, about 10 minutes. Add chicken, reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Stir in spinach, lime juice, sugar, curry paste to taste and salt and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes longer.

*Adapted from Eat Well

Banana Cake with Honey Cinnamon Frosting

This is our GO-To dessert! DIVINE and pretty easy :) Start saving those old bananas!For the Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 ripe bananas), plus 1 whole banana, for garnish (optional)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Make a well in center of flour mixture. In well, mix together butter, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Stir to incorporate flour mixture (do not overmix). Pour into pan.
3. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of the cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove cake from pan; cool completely on a wire rack. Spread top with Honey-Cinnamon Frosting.

For the Honey Cinnamon Frosting:

• 1 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat confectioners' sugar, unsalted butter, honey, and ground cinnamon until smooth, 4 to 5 minutes

Adapted from MarthaStewert.com

Asparagus Soup-Yummiest EVER

This is Fresh Asparagus Soup-Yummiest Ever

It has a creamy lemony taste to it, I bet broccoli could be easily substituted.
-Even France had 2nd's and 3rd's-

For The Soup

• 1 pound fresh asparagus
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth (I used chicken, its all I had)
  
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth (again with chicken)
  
• 1 cup soy milk (I use Lactaid)
  
• 1/2 cup yogurt (Fage! You can get cheaper tubs of it at Costco)
  
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese *Optional-we didn't
  

Directions

1. Place asparagus and onion in a saucepan with 1/2 cup vegetable broth. Bring the broth to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer until the vegetables are tender.
2. Reserve a few asparagus tips for garnish. Place remaining vegetable mixture in an electric blender and puree until smooth.
3. Melt butter in the pan that was used for simmering the asparagus and onions. Stir while sprinkling flour, salt, and pepper into the butter. Do not let the flour brown. Allow the mixture to cook only 2 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth and increase the heat. Continue stirring until the mixture comes to a boil.
4. Stir the vegetable puree and milk into the saucepan. Whisk yogurt into the mixture, followed by lemon juice. Stir until heated through, then ladle into bowls. Garnish with reserved asparagus tips. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 134 | Total Fat: 5.7g | Cholesterol: 15mg

*PS That's half and half drizzled on top-makes it prettier.

Focaccia-Style Flax Bread

*Note from About.com: "I call this "focaccia" because it is baked in that style -- flat on a sheet pan, and then cut up into whatever sized pieces you want. It works for toast, sandwiches, and other bready uses. It is "rough" in texture like heavy whole grain breads. Since it isn't made with wheat, it doesn't have the same kind of grain as wheat breads, but the carb in flax is almost all fiber. Flax is very useful on a low carb diet, as well as being amazingly good for you.

So we made it on my mom's recommendation, and guess who asked for more?! France! Yeah! We kept it in the fridge in an airtight container and toasted it. Pretty good bread for being carb-less wouldn't you say! :)

For the Flax Bread:

• 2 cups flax seed meal
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1-2 Tablespoons sugar equivalent from artificial sweetener
• 5 beaten eggs
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup oil

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare pan (a 10X15 pan with sides works best) with oiled parchment paper or a silicon mat. (I use silpats now, I can no longer live with out them!).

1) Mix dry ingredients well -- a whisk works well.
2) Add wet to dry, and combine well. Make sure there aren't obvious strings of egg white hanging out in the batter.
3) Let batter set for 2 to 3 minutes to thicken up some (leave it too long and it gets past the point where it's easy to spread.)
4) Pour batter onto pan. Because it's going to tend to mound in the middle, you'll get a more even thickness if you spread it away from the center somewhat, in roughly a rectangle an inch or two from the sides of the pan (you can go all the way to the edge, but it will be thinner).
5) Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until it springs back when you touch the top and/or is visibly browning even more than flax already is.
6) Cool and cut into whatever size slices you want. You don't need a sharp knife; I usually just cut it with a spatula.

Nutritional Information: Each of 12 servings has less than a gram of effective carbohydrate (.7 grams to be exact) plus 5 grams fiber, 6 grams protein, and 185 calories.

Hot Cross Buns!

SO I have always wanted to make these...and since they are very "Eastery" it seemed it was my chance to jump on this yummy recipe! Happy Easter Ya'll!

PS Sorry everything is so 'bakey' lately. I've had quite the addiction to baking.

For the Hot Cross Buns

• 2 cups Whole Milk (I used Lactaid 'cuz that's all we have :)
  
• ½ cups Canola Oil
• ½ cups Sugar
• 1 package (2 1/4 Teaspoons) Active Dry Yeast
• 4 cups All-purpose Flour
• ½ cups (additional) Flour
• ½ teaspoons (heaping) Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoons (scant) Baking Soda
• 2 teaspoons Salt (I would use only 1 tsp next time)
  
• ¼ cups Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• Spices: Cardamom, Nutmeg, Allspice (optional)

GLAZE

• 1 whole Egg White
• Splash Of Milk

Icing

• 1 whole Egg White
• Powdered Sugar
• Splash Of Milk

BUNS

Combine 2 cups milk, canola oil, and 1/2 cup sugar in a saucepan. Stir and heat until very warm but not boiling. Turn off the heat and allow to cool until mixture is still warm, but not hot–about 30 minutes.

Sprinkle yeast over mixture. Add 4 cups of flour and stir to combine. Mixture will be very sticky. Cover with a towel and set aside for 1 hour.

Add 1/2 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir till combined.

Combine 1/4 cup sugar with cinnamon and whatever other spices you want to use.

Lightly flour surface. Press to slightly flatten dough. Sprinkle a couple tablespoons of the sugar/cinnamon mixture then fold the dough over on itself and flatten again so the dough is “plain” again. Repeat the process, then fold the dough again. Repeat a third time. (You won’t use all the sugar/cinnamon mixture.)

Pinch off ping pong or golf ball-size bunches of dough. With floured hands, quickly roll it into a ball, then turn the edges under themselves slightly. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place for at least 30 minutes…an hour-plus is better.

PREHEAT OVEN TO 400 degrees

GLAZE: Mix 1 egg white with a splash of milk. Brush onto each roll.

Bake for 10 minutes, give or take, or until tops of buns have turned nice and golden brown.

Remove from pan and allow to cool on a cooling rack.

ICING

Mix 1 egg white with enough powdered sugar for icing to be very thick. Splash in milk as needed for consistency.

Add icing to a small Ziploc bag and snip the corner. Make icing crosses on each roll, making sure they’re completely cooled first.

Adapted from: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/

THE Chocolate Chip Cookie

I did it!

The one item of my mother's that I was afraid to make: The Chocolate Chip Cookie.
These chocolate chip cookies were the highlight of the week whenever my mom made them for us. They are perfect. They are light & fluffy & moist! To make them, directions have to be followed exactly or one will get lifeless, dried-out imitations. France loved them and was glad that I finally had the guts to make them. As usual, thanks for the amazing advice mom, they turned out perfect!

*For the Cookies:

2 cups softened butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups of white sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp of vanilla
6 cups flour
2-3 cups of chocolate chips (I use milk chocolate!)
*Nuts can be added if you are crazy like that

Directions:

1. Cream butter and sugar JUST until blended and not a second more!

2. Add the eggs and mix EVER so LIGHTLY (this is the key!).

3. Add the rest of the ingredients except the chips. Mix until JUST blended, never over-mix!

4. Stir in the chocolate chips.

5. Cool in fridge for 30 minutes, you want the butter to start to solidify.

6. Drop about the size of a tablespoon of dough onto cookie sheets and bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes.

7. Take out of oven and let sit for another minute on cookie sheet before transferring to another surface (do not transfer to cooling rack, it can dry out the cookies).

8. ENJOY!


*I half the recipe, the yield is huge if you make the full one!

Steak & Penne Pasta with Caramelized Onions

Opps! I forgot to take a picture so here is a stock photo! Next time. ;)

Ok so this is a GREAT dinner for diabetics or hypoglycemics or ANYONE! It covers the main food groups for health and sugar stabilizatoin and it is DELiCIOUS!

For the Steak & Pasta:

¾ lb flank steak
2 Tbsp cracked black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced (I use the jarred minced garlic...easy!)
1 Tbsp oil
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 c reduced-sodium beef broth
8 oz penne pasta ( I use Barilla Plus)
6 oz baby arugula
shaved Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the broiler. Place the flank steak on a pan (or cookie sheet) and coat all sides with the pepper and garlic. Let soak in for about 10 minutes. I like to place it on foil to help with the clean-up!

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onions for 8 minutes, or until lightly browned. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the vinegar to deglaze. Stir in the broth, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, or until the onions are very soft and browned. Remove from the heat.

3. Prepare the pasta according to package directions, drain, and place in a large bowl.

4. Meanwhile, broil the steak, 4 inches from the heat, for 12 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the center registers 145°F for medium rare, 160°F for medium, or 165°F for well done. Let stand for 10 minutes, then slice into thin strips.

5. Stir the arugula into the onions. Add the pasta and toss to coat. Add the steak strips and top with the cheese.

MMmmmm: Adapted from DTOUR