One pot- All Veggie Wonder

Gosh I don't even know how to start off this post because I have so many things to say. Should I start with telling you that I had such a wonderful day because we had a snow day- From work?! I didn't even know snow days existed in the real world. Or should I start with explaining what the title of the post is all about? Or.. should I start out commenting on how amazing Shauna's first post was? That girl can write!

Well I guess I've already pretty much said all I can say about the snow day and Shauna, so I'll explain the title. The title is a little shout-out for two of my favorite post-college friends, Emily and Chelsey Barrios. I have had the amazing opportunity to work and become friends with these two wonderful sisters in my first real, post-college job. My first year was with Emily, and then, when she went on to bigger and better things, her sister replaced her in our office. While there are many great things I could say about them, one of my favorites is the fact that like me, they both love to cook,and thus we have all cooked together many, many times! And while the three of us have cooked many a fancy meal, when it's getting late and we don't want to cook anything that requires a lot of clean-up, one of their favorite sayings is "Let's make a 'one pot, one hit wonder!'" And so- on this lazy, surprise of a relaxing day, I needed a low-maintenance sustenance dish- and so I went for a one hit wonder- Broccoli Slaw pasta. 

To be honest, I saw this recipe on food-network probably about two years ago. Since then, I've bought the ingredients twice, and twice let the broccoli slaw go bad in my refrigerator. I'm sorry, but "Broccoli Slaw Pasta" sounds good in theory, until you're hungry at night and then having a bowl full of broccoli slaw does not sound that satisfying! But, last weekend I bought the ingredients once again and since I had this day to relax, I decided to give it a try. And now, two years later, I can honestly say it is both really delicious AND satisfying- IF you add the right ingredients! 

First of all- what was I listening to? "Falling Slowly" from the Broadway play "Once." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LGavEmg6Xs I saw it about a month ago in NYC and it was so great. I'm a sucker for musicals and I listened to a lot of that today as I relaxed at home. Anyways, here's the picture break-down of my cooking:

I decided to make the slaw more appetizing by adding two of my favorite pasta additions- mushrooms and zucchini.

I don't know about you, but every time I cook mushrooms I think- "man, these are still so dry- I need to add more olive oil!" But, I've learned my lesson- don't do it! Mushrooms soak up olive oil at first and then release it- so add those 2 tablespoons and let them do their thing!

See- they eventually get soft and cooked through and delicious!

Can you believe that's boxed creamy tomato soup? It is! Just add oregano, onion powder, chili flakes, and garlic powder and you have a beautiful pasta sauce.

 Yumm.. add the mushrooms and zucchini and you're done with the sauce! My roommate even came out and said "It smells like you're cooking something delicious and creamy". And while it's true that I am, that creamy tomato soup actually only has 150 calories- for all of that sauce! 

 I moved the pasta sauce to a tupperware, rinsed the pan and added the slaw and a little olive oil.

Once it was cooked, I added the sauce and some parmesan cheese!

And there you have it- Broccoli Slaw Pasta! Actually delicious- who knew?! While I wish I could claim it tastes just like pasta- I'm not going to lie to you- it doesn't. But this dish is delicious and it's a good substitue if you're looking for a hearty and healthy meal.

One pot- one hit wonder! Look at how few dishes I had to do!!

Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp garlic paste or diced garlic
1/2 lb sliced portobello mushrooms
1 zucchini (thinly sliced)
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tsp salt
1 can (12oz) creamy tomato soup (I used 1/3 of Trader Joe's creamy tomato soup box)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 bag (12oz) broccoli slaw
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
1) Add 2 tbsp olive oil to a saute pan with 1 tbsp garlic paste or diced garlic. Saute until slightly browned.
2) Add in the sliced portobello mushrooms, zucchini, pepper and salt. Saute until vegetables are soft and cooked through. (About 4 minutes)
3) Remove veggies from pan (I put them into the tupperware I would use to store the final product!)
4) Pour can (or box) of tomato soup into the pan and simmer. Add onion powder, oregano, chili flakes and garlic powder.
5) Add cooked veggies back to the pan and cook for 3 minutes. Then return veggies and sauce to tupperware or bowl.
6) Rinse pan and add 1 tbsp of olive oil, 1/4 cup water, and package of broccoli slaw.
8) Once water has evaporated and slaw is soft, but not mushy (about 8 minutes), add sauce back to pan.
9) Toss with parmesan cheese and serve!