‘Cucina Antica’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Recipe: Moist Turkey Meatloaf {Cucina Antica & Whole30}

July 14, 2018 · Narrative

Crazy simple turkey meatloaf that is so tender and delicious, you’ll find yourself making it again and again.

Hi! Remember me? I’m trying to be a better blogger, I swear. And perhaps you haven’t given my absence a second thought. But I have, and I’m working on it. I’m juggling two businesses, two kids, a freelancing career and … well … some days I just don’t know where the time goes! But I’m a work in progress, just like everyone else.

So how about a new recipe?

I’m the first to admit I’m not a fan of ground turkey. I just find it so tasteless, and honestly rarely use it in recipes.

I also really hate the word moist.

BUT.

There is just no other way to describe this turkey meatloaf.

Like so freaking crazy moist.

And even though I don’t really like ground turkey, I’ve made this recipe four times in the last six weeks or so.

And both my kids love it.

Yes, yes, pigs are now flying…

And it could not be simpler to make. Mix a few standard ingredients together, form a meatloaf shape, and bake.

SO GOOD.

My last shipment of sauces from the folks at Cucina Antica featured their Puttanesca one, and that’s what I used for this recipe, and for those that are following Whole30, this recipe is compliant! Their line of sauces are sugar free and have real tomatoes in them (not paste) and nothing unpronounceable. Heck to the yes!

Whether you’re eating clean, are looking for a family-approved recipe, or just want to learn to love ground turkey (or all of the above, like me!), give this one a whirl. I think you’ll love it as much as we do!

Hungry for more of the recipes I’ve developed for Team Cucina Antica? You can find them right here.

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Recipe: Sausages and Peppers with Red Wine Marinara {Cucina Antica}

April 26, 2018 · Clean Eating, Narrative

A hearty and easy version of Sausages and Peppers, with a little help from my friends at Cucina Antica.

Last week, a friend texted me that her son had a craving for sausages and peppers. She sent me a screenshot of their conversation and it literally cracked me up. And it was one of those days where she was going in ten different directions and dinner was looking like nothing more than a banana … and one of those rare afternoons where I would be home long enough to make some sausages and peppers to satisfy a teenager’s craving.

I also had a recipe due for my friends at Cucina Antica, so it was total kismet with the timing.

I don’t make sausages and peppers that often, because neither of my kids will eat peppers or onions, so then it’s just … sausages.

This recipe isn’t any exception, but they both inhaled the sausages, and my friend’s son (and the rest of her family) got fed too, and I got my recipe in for Cucina Antica, so win/win.

Did you know that April is National Garlic Month? Yea, me neither. I’m firmly entrenched in the “more garlic, more better” camp, and this recipe with six cloves of garlic is a prime example. Did you know that garlic is in the onion family? Besides the flavor punch it can bring to a dish, it also has great medicinal attributes as well. It promotes a healthy heart and immune system with its antioxidant properties and helps maintain healthy blood flow. Some people believe it also wards off acne, warts, toothaches, and evil spirits.

Sausages and Peppers are one of those recipes that can take a little while to make because you want that “cooked all day” flavor. But I turned this into a busy weeknight version with a little help from a jar of Cucina Antica‘s Garlic Marinara. You may have heard me mention their sauces last month — I’m a new fan because they’re all natural and even Whole30 compliant (*just a sidebar: while the sauce used in this recipe is Whole30 compliant, the recipe isn’t. To make it Whole30, use ghee instead of butter, and skip the red wine).

Satisfying cravings and keeping our eating clean, one bite at a time.

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Recipe: Turkey Bolognese {Cucina Antica}

March 27, 2018 · Narrative

A light take on the traditional heartier Bolognese sauce, this Turkey Bolognese, served over Zucchini Noodles, is filling, guilt-free, and quick to table. Let’s get started!

I’ll be honest. When Cucina Antica first reached out and asked if I wanted to be a Brand Ambassador for them this year, even though I was currently on Whole30 (and have now morphed into Food Freedom Forever), I didn’t inspect their ingredient list too carefully.

Because, well, I’m Italian and they said sauce, and I was there.

So imagine my pleasant surprise when the first shipment arrived of sauce and I turned the jar around so I could read the ingredients and found out that it was, in fact, Whole30-complaint.

Whoop!

When it comes to developing new recipes for clients, I tend to keep my own family’s needs close to heart … in that, I usually create recipes that would actually appeal to us and would hit our everyday dinner table. As an on-the-go family with young children, but one that still places a great deal of importance on family dinner time, that means healthy recipes that are easy to make, delicious, quick to table, and use commonly sourced ingredients, and I think this is something that appeals to a lot of people.

And this Turkey Bolognese recipe hits those notes easily.

My daughter will eat pasta seven days a week if I let her, and my son, well, much less. As for me? Since I’m following most of Whole30’s core principles, I’m not eating pasta at all. So for my first recipe with Cucina Antica, I focused on a meal that I could make but adapt so we could all enjoy it … but not keep me in the kitchen feeling like a short order cook. That means spaghetti for my daughter, zucchini noodles for me, and half and half for my son … and bolognese sauce all around!

Because the Cucina Antica sauce line is all natural, it has no added sugar, no preservatives, and is gluten-free. It uses imported tomatoes (no tomato paste here!), and the ingredients are all completely pronounceable and clean, and a jar of their Tomato Basil made a delicious simmer-all-day flavor for my bolognese.

I started by cooking onion, celery, carrot, and garlic, and then the ground turkey. Once that was done, I added a jar of the Tomato Basil sauce, warmed it through and served it over the noodles.

Which means a healthy dinner that we all loved was on the table in under thirty minutes.

Take that, Rachael Ray!

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