Sesame Noodles

adapted from Good Housekeeping.com (click the title to go to the original link)

This is becoming one of our "regular" meals.  It's very easy and yummy.  If you *must* you could add some shrimp or even chicken.  I serve this with gyoza (Chinese dumplings) alongside.

I've halved the original recipe because it makes a lot.  I also limit the spicy-ness for my kiddos.
You can make the sauce earlier in the day to save some time.

Ingredients:

- salt
- 8 oz. spaghetti (whole wheat, regular or even rice noodles)
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/8 cup rice vinegar
- 1/8 low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/8 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 Tbsp Asian sesame oil
- 1/2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 tsp sugar
- pinch crushed red pepper (or more if you like it spicier)
- 2 cups carrots cut into match sticks (save yourself some time and buy the packaged kind)
- 2 small cucumbers (I used Persian cucumbers) cut into matchsticks
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds toasted (optional)
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions

1. Heat large pot of salted water to boiling over high heat. Add pasta and cook as label directs.
2. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, with wire whisk or fork, mix orange juice, vinegar, soy sauce, peanut butter, oil, ginger, sugar, and crushed red pepper until blended; set sauce aside.
3. Place carrots in colander; drain pasta over carrots. In large serving bowl, toss pasta mixture, cucumbers, and sliced green onions with sauce in bowl. If you like, sprinkle pasta with sesame seeds. Garnish with green onions and cilantro.

Chicken-Zucchini Alfredo (with yummy low-fat sauce)

I got a lot of good recipes from magazines that were donated to me while I was in the hospital. I'll only post the ones that a good. This recipe came from food network. It was a good low-fat alfredo recipe. It was also quick and easy to make. It took about 30 minutes.

 Kosher Salt                                                 12 oz fettuccine (whole wheat)

3 Tbsp olive oil                                             1 Tbsp all-purpose flour

2 cloves garlic, minced                                  1 c cold low-fat milk

2 zucchini, thinly sliced and halved                1/2 c evaporated non-fat milk
4-4oz skineless boneless checken breasts      3/4 c grated parmesan cheese

ground pepper                                              1/4 c chopped fresh parsley

1. Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 clove garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add zucchini, cover and cook until tender, stirring, about 6 minutes. Transfer to bowl.

2. Heat another Tbsp of olive oil over med-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook through. Transfer to plate.

3. Cook pasta according to directions on box. Drain but reserve 1/2 c cooking water.

4. Meanwhile, whisk flour and low-fat milk in bowl. Place remaining clove of garlic and 1 tbsp oil in skillet and cook over medium-high heat, 30 seconds. Add the flour milk mixture and bring to boil, stirring. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add evaporate milk, 1/2 tsp salt, and cheese; sit to melt.

5. Cut the chicken into strips. Toss with pasta, sauce, zucchini, and parsley, adding reserved water to loosen.

Per serving: Calories 680; Fat 18g (Sat. 5g); Cholesterol 85 mg; Sodium 820 mg; Carbs 79g; Fiber 3g; Protein 49 g

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

This came from the Rachel Ray show. She said it tastes is just like mac and cheese. It doesn't but we love it. It has become a favorite in our house. FYI: It makes a pretty big dish. I usually cook half and freeze half.

1 butternut squash (about 3 lbs)
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 box bowtie pasta
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
2 c milk
pinch nutmeg and cinnamon
5-6 sage leaves (or ground sage to your likely)
1 c cheddar cheese
1 c parmigiano-reggiano (I just used paremsan)
handful almonds (optional)

Preheat the over to 400. Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Drizzle halves with oil. Place cut side down on baking sheet and cook until tender (about an hour). Let cool. Scoop squash and puree. ***This is the worst part of this recipe for me.

Cook pasta as directed on box. Heat butter in large skillet or pan. Once melted add flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in milk. Cook until bubbles form and thickens (2-3 minutes). Add squash and seasonings. Put everything into a basking dish. Top with cheeses and almonds. Bake until cheese is brown (about 15 minutes).

Spinach Tomato Tortellini

Another great recipe off Allrecipes. IT WAS SO GOOD! Matt didn't even notice that there was no meat in this meal. The only difference between the following recipe and the Allrecipe version is more spinach(didn't want to make a side-veg) and more garlic.

1(16oz)pkg cheese tortellini(I used Bertolli four cheese)
1(14.5oz) can diced tomatoes w/garlic and onion
1(9oz)pkg fresh spinach
1/2tsp salt
1/4tsp pepper
1.5tsp dried basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4c milk
3/4c heavy cream
1/4c grated Parmesan cheese

1. Boil water, add pasta, cook until tender

2. While pasta is cooking, combine tomatoes, salt, pepper, basil, and garlic in large saucepan over medium heat. Even with a three-quart saucepan(which is my largest before we switch to stockpot) you will have to add spinach one handful at a time and let it cook down. Cook and stir mixture until it starts to bubble.

3. In bowl, whisk together flour, milk, and cream. Stir this mixture into saucepan. Add parmesan and heat through, then reduce heat to low, and simmer until thick. The original recipe says two minutes, but I think the extra spinach added more moisture, so it took a few more minutes than that.

4. Drain pasta, do not rinse, and add to saucepan with the sauce or serve alongside. Bubba and Bella both got sauced pasta, Claire got hers separately. :)

This was a huge hit. We served it up with garlic bread. Hope y'all enjoy it too.

Tanya's Five Cheese Casserole

1 lb. noodles of your choice (I usually use penne or fussili)
16 oz. cheese of your choice
1 onion, chopped (optional)
1/4 c. white cooking wine (optional)
1 tblsp. oregano
1 tblsp. basil
1-2 tsp. pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
1 tblsp. sugar (you can definitely use less or none at all)

Mix everything except the noodles and cheese together in a pot and bring to a boil; stir occasionally. Once it boils, turn heat off and remove pot from burner.
Cook noodles until almost done; drain water and pour into a 9 by 13 inch casserole dish. Pour spaghetti sauce mix over noodles and then top with whatever cheeses you desire. I use mozzarella,five cheese blend and parmesan cheese. Bake in oven on 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until lightly brown on top and bubbly!

Tex Mex Lasagna (meat free)

1/4 cup bottled salsa
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 (14.5 oz) can no salt-added diced tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can no salt-added tomato sauce
Cooking spray
6 precooked lasagna noodles (such as Barilla or Vigo)
1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups (8 oz) preshredded 4 cheese Mexican blend cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions

1. Preheat oven to 450
2. Combine first 4 ingredients; spread 2/3 cup sauce in bottom of an 8 inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 2 noodles over sauce; top with 1/2 cup corn and half of beans. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese; top with 2/3 cup sauce. Repeat layers once, top with remaining 2 noodles. Spread remaining sauce over noodles. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese. Cover and bake at 450 for 30 minutes or until noodles are tender and sauce is bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes. Sprinkle with onions. Yield: 4 servings.

Tomato-Cream Sauce for Pasta (All Recipes)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
• 3/4 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon butter

• 
  

DIRECTIONS

1. In a saucepan, saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Make sure it doesn't burn. Add tomatoes, basil, sugar, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to boil and continue to boil 5 minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates. Remove from heat; stir in whipping cream and butter. Reduce heat and simmer 5 more minutes.

Tip: This dish probably would taste really good with some meatballs, italian sausage or even proscuitto for those of you who are meat lovers!

Tabouli

This recipe is stolen from a place in Fort Worth call "Jazz Cafe"

1 box plain cous cous (It's called Far East or Near East)
1/2 a small bottle of olive oil
4 roma tomatoes
1 yellow onion
1 bundle cilantro (I leave this out)
1 garlic clove
3 jalapeno peppers (I leave this out)
juice from 1 lime


Put cous cous in a bowl. Fill the bowl with cool water until it covers the cous cous about 1/4 inch. Chop all vegetables and herbs intovery small pieces. Mix vegetables together and squeeze in lime juice to make a pico de gallo. After the cous cous has soaked up the water, mix it with the pico de gallo and add the olive oil. *The olive oil should just coat everything.

Can be served as tacos in warm white corn tortillas with black beans (canned) and cheese.

Creamy Tortellini

1 6 oz. pkg. of cooked ham, cut into small pieces
1 16 oz. heavy whipping cream container
1 small can sliced mushrooms (or fresh ones if you prefer that)
2 tsp. pepper
a dash of salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 pkg. of frozen tortellini or packaged dried tortellini (either works great)

Melt the butter in saucepan(medium heat), add onions and saute until the onions are silvery. Add the pepper and and cooked chopped ham. Stir a couple of times. Add the heavy whipping cream and turn to medium-high heat until the sauce starts to boil. Stir and remove from stove.

Boil water in pot (note: if you try to boil water, it goes quicker if you add the salt right before it starts boiling instead of at the beginning; it takes much longer to boil if you add the salt earlier than later!) and add the tortellini to the water once water is boiling. Cook for roughly 10 minutes.

Serve tortellini sauce over tortellini! Tastes great with bread and salad as side dishes!

Note: This dish can be cooked very quickly!

Spinach Chicken Parmesan

1/2c Parmesan Cheese
1/2c bread crumbs(italian seasoned, or add seasoning)
1 large egg
4 bnlss/sknlss chicken breasts
1/4c diced onions
4tsp flour
4tsp butter
2/3c milk
2(10oz)pkg frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
6 slices mozzarella cheese
pasta and sauce of choice

*Preheat oven to 350F
*Rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts, place them between plastic wrap on a cutting board or counter and pound them to about 1/4 inch. They will look like they doubled in size, it was cool.
*Dip breasts in beaten egg, then in a mixture of the breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese, and place in large casserole dish. I used my round baker from PC. Whitney's right, the bottom gets just as crisp as the tops in those things, no soggy chicken.
*In skillet, melt butter, add onions and brown, then stir in flour. Add milk all at once and continue to simmer and stir until bubbly. Stir in spinach and then spoon mixture onto each chicken breast. Place slices of mozzarella over chicken to cover(doesn't have to completely cover) the spinach mixture.
*Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes until chicken is cooked through. I found I only needed the 30mins.
*Cook your pasta and warm sauce while chicken is in oven. Place a small mound of pasta on one side and slightly overlap with chicken breast, then spoon sauce across both. Pretty and pretty tasty!

This was a combo of several different Chicken Parm recipes from Allrecipes.com. I couldn't find one I really loved, so I mixed ingredients and techniques from about four of them. I served this with a mixed green salad and even Bubba was loving this chicken.

FYI: The Italian seasoning is to taste. I used the seasoned breadcrumbs and I thought it was perfect, but Matthew said he would like a little more kick. :)

Pesto Pasta Salad

This is a light Italian style pasta salad, which, in my opinion, is better at room temperature than chilled, but it is tasty either way!

8 oz. uncooked rotelle or spiral pasta
4 cups broccoli florets (I used frozen)
1 pkg. Knorr pesto pasta sauce mix
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese (4 oz)

Cook pasta w/ package directions; add broccoli in the last 5 minutes. (I gradually added the frozen broccoli so that the water still boiled.) Drain and rinse with cold water until cool.

In bowl, combine sauce mix, oil and vinegar. Add pasta with broccoli, tomoatoes, cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Toss.

Suggestions: add 1-1/2 c diced cooked chicken or 6 oz. cooked shrimp or 1 cup diced cooked ham.

**The hardest part of this recipe was finding th Knorr package. It is probably next to the pasta and pasta sauces.

Not your traditional pasta salad ...

This is my first reference to this woman's cooking, but she is quite possibly a genius(check out her own recipe for an all natural THIN MINT!) This pasta salad is light, delicious, and utterly non-scary as I have always found pasta salads to be. :)

Ravioli Pasta Salad

I used a ricotta-stuffed buckwheat pasta, but any standard cheese-stuffed ravioli will also work if that is what your store offers. Many of you might be able to locate a spinach pasta ravioli - this would be a good alternative as well. I came across some bright red spinach at the market this weekend (red orach German Mt. spinach), so I used 1/2 red and 1/2 standard baby spinach. Use whatever is available to you. I love the color the red spinach adds to the bowl, but the downside is it tends to stain the ravioli a bit (in the way rainbow chard or beets can).

1/2 pound ricotta-stuffed ravioli
1 bunch thin asparagus, cut on deep bias (angle)
10 ounce bag organic peas, thawed overnight in refrigerator
3 - 4 big handfuls baby spinach, washed (any stems removed - optional)
a couple splashes of extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
fine grain sea salt
Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Prep all of your ingredients ahead of time - cut asparaus, wash spinach, etc.
Into an extra-large pot of well-salted boiling water add the raviolis. After a few minutes, when a couple of the raviolis begin to float, add the asparagus and peas. Because the asparagus is thin and the peas aren't frozen, you'll need to cook them only for about a minute - really quick, just enough to brighten up the peas and give the asparagus a touch of tenderness.

Drain everything into a large colander. Immediately transfer to a large bowl, add the spinach and pine nuts, and gently toss with a couple big splashes of olive oil and a pinch or two of salt. Serve in a big bowl or on a simple platter with a bit shaved Parmesan crumbled on top.

Serves 4 to 6.

Thank you Heidi!

Baked Ziti

Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 pound dry ziti pasta
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/2 pound lean ground beef
• 1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
• 3 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 3 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.
2. In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x9 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
4. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.

Tips: For 8 servings, double recipe and bake in a 9x13 pan. You can also do steps 1-3 ahead of time and refrigerate until you're ready to bake it. Another thing I've done is double the recipe but put it in two 9x9 pans so I can take one to someone else and share. So far I haven't had any complaints!