Update: Over the past year or two I have been learning a lot about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on our food supply that is concerning to me. Therefore, I can no longer support companies such as Morningstar that openly admit to using GMO ingredients in their products. I am currently looking for suitable substitutes to use in recipes like the one below. For more information on GMOs and alternatives to purchase, please check out Non-GMO Project.
My fridge is getting bare. I'm trying to hold to go to the store until next week but not so sure I'm going to make it...This dish is the result of trying to come up with a decent meal from the random contents of the kitchen.
And yes, those are two different pasta shapes you see.
I told you it was bad.
I'm actually not a big fan of alfredo sauce. I usually find it too bland. To add a little flavor, I combined a few tablespoons of pesto and it seemed to do the trick. I also threw in some cauliflower - I've been low on the veggie in-take lately.
Ingredients:
- 1 package pasta of whatever shape you like
- 1 package meatless chicken strips
- 1 jar good alfredo sauce
- about 3-4 tbsp pesto (home-made or jarred)
- sun-dried tomatoes to sprinkle over the top (optional, but it really added a lot)
- cauliflower, broccoli, or whatever other steamed veggie you like
- salt, pepper, and some cajun and/or Greek seasoning
While the pasta is cooking, combine the alfredo with the pesto in a sauce pan over low heat. I threw the chicken strips in with the sauces and heated them that way. Season the sauce with a little cajun seasoning, black pepper, and a tiny bit more salt. Cook whatever veggies you choose separately making sure to not let them get mushy. When the pasta is done and drained, combine with the sauce and veggies. After the pasta is plated, add some sun-dried tomatoes over the top. This makes it yummy and pretty. Add more seasoning as needed. I like a little sprinkle of Greek seasoning over the top.
All in all, not bad for alfredo sauce!
Oh and this makes a lot, so you might want to half the recipe if you are only feeding a couple people and don't want left-overs.
Yesterday, we had some good friends over after church. Of course, anytime I'm serving a meal after church, I want something relatively quick to put together. Especially since I can never seem to eat breakfast before going to church (why???) and am ravenous by the time it's over. This time around, I made something I've been wanting to make for awhile now - taco pizza! Though it looks like a long list of ingredients, it's really just topping possibilities - it's very easy and simple to make.
Ingredients: (for two pizzas)
- 2 pizza doughs of your choice (to make it quick, I just used the refrigerated roll-out kind) cooked according to package directions
- 1 package/can of meatless burger (optional and preferably non GMO)
- 1 can vegetarian re-fried beans
- 1 package taco seasoning
- a little water
- 1 package queso fresco
- half head lettuce, chopped fine
- a couple tomatoes, chopped
- half bunch cilantro, chopped
- 1 can sliced olives
- sour cream
- hotsauce
- salsa
- jalapenos
In a skillet, combine the burger, beans, and taco seasoning, adding a little water to thin it out a bit. Simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes. Spread mixture evenly onto to each prepared pizza crust. Halve the wedge of cheese and crumble one half onto each pizza. Then add the other toppings as you desire. I mixed the sour cream and hot sauce together and used a plastic bag with a small hole in the bottom to dot the mixture over the tops. I just put the salsa in a bowl on the side for self-serving. Cut and serve immediately.
Oh and some guacamole would have been awesome on this as well. But then again, when is it not awesome?
Note: If you think you'll have left-overs, it might be a good idea to have your guests top each piece individually with the lettuce and other non-re-heatable items as they wish. That way, you can save and reheat the slices with just the bean mixture and top them later.
Today while taking my students to the downtown library and browsing around, I came across a cookbook that I have been curious about for some time now. After checking it out and taking it home, I discovered something surprising and fantastic. While Molto Gusto is not, nor does it claim to be, a vegetarian cookbook, it is full of meatless, vegetable-based recipes! I was so excited about this, it gave me a new idea for the blog: cookbook reviews!
As vegetarians we end up passing over pages and pages of most cookbooks that use meat as the main ingredient. And while nowadays there are shelves of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, I find that many of them are either a little too hardcore for me or (and this is my problem with all kinds of cookbooks) feature recipes with a million ingredients. So as I run across cookbooks, I'll share what I think are some of the pros and cons of the more interesting ones.
If you have read my blog at all, you will know that I am a huge fan of Italian food. Pizza, pasta, bruschetta, tiramisu - these things make me giddy. The week I spent in Italy was the culinary highlight of my life (and responsible for about 10 of the 15 pounds I gained while living in Europe).
As you can see on the title, Molto Gusto claims to be "easy Italian cooking" and while I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, I believe it will deliver. The recipes call for relatively few ingredients and the focus is on freshness and quality - nothing too fussy. There are beautiful color pictures of almost every dish - something I always look for in a cookbook.
Like I said, this is not a vegetarian cookbook. There is a section on meat antipasta and of course there are recipes in which seafood or meat is the main attraction. That said, the first section in the book is devoted to vegetables! There are delicious, flavorful looking dishes featuring a variety of vegetables. And in every other section, there are several options that contain no meat at all. How about some Pennette with Swiss Chard Ragu? Or maybe a Winter Caprese Salad (yes!!)? The book also offers tips on pasta cooking and a guide to cheeses.
If you are feeling particularly frisky, there is even a chapter on gelato. Now, I love gelato as much as the next person, maybe more. However, I am not a fan of making my own desserts. For me, it takes the pleasure out of the "guilty pleasure". Especially when it leads to the throwing of baking pans and the screaming at batter that won't rise. I feel that there are some things that I should just let someone else do for me. Making gelato is one of them.
It's hard to find a con in this book, but if I had to, it would be that some of the vegetable recipes call to be cooked with pancetta. However, I think one could just leave that step out in most cases.
Bottom line - this is one of the best all-round Italian cookbooks I've ever come across. I wonder if the library wants it back...
I wore socks today for the first time in about 5 months.
I had a moment of silence for my sandals.
I hate, HATE cold weather. In fact, this summer when we were experiencing our 289th day of one hundred plus temperatures, I was very careful to not let myself complain. When tempted, I would say to myself,
Self, Remember last winter?! Now keep your mouth shut and you be thankful for that sweat pouring down your back and the scalding leather sticking to your skin!
Today, September 16th, it is not even 60 degrees outside. I am really hoping this is some sort of fluke and that we still have some lovely, mild late summer/early fall weather coming. It is only fair to make up for the ridiculous winter of last year and the oppressive heat of the summer. I don't know if my sanity will hold if we dive right into miserable, dreary, soul-sucking winter. Source
There is, however, at least one good thing about this upcoming season - the food. I love so many cold weather comfort foods, but when you are miserable and cold, nothing is better than a nice, hot bowl of soup. I plan on posting lots of soups this fall and winter. I have a few staples that I make, but I would love to experiment with some new recipes.
So what I want to know from all you out there is: what are some of your favorite soups? And if you feel so inclined, leave a recipe! Many thanks.
P.S. Here are a couple of my favorites previously posted:
Aunt Judi's White Bean and Kale Soup
Tortilla Soup
Minestrone
Since Frazier dropped into our lives, I've noticed that while the cats finally seemed to have accepted his presence, Nacho seemed to have lost a little of his spunk. If you have met Nacho, you probably think this is a great thing and I should have been counting my blessings. But Nacho's spunk (a.k.a psychotic episodes) are what make him so special and entertaining.
After last night, I am no longer concerned. While I was in the office on the computer, I heard a bit of a ruckus coming from the dining room area. All set to scold Frazier for pestering the cats, I stopped short at the sight before me. There was poor Frazier, head hanging low, a confused look in his big brown eyes, trying to escape the corner in which he was blocked by a lunging, swatting, hissing, little orange kitty blocking his every move. Shaking with laughter at the sight before me, I helped my poor puppy past the big, bad kitty.
Yep, he's still got it.
Many apologies for the pause in recipe posting. Or any posting for that matter. Now that I have a lighter week, it has been a little easier to make time to cook. This month is just going to be a little touch and go.
Ok, so on to the pasta salad. Really, I have never been a fan of pasta salads. Though I LOVE pasta, cold noodles have just not been so appealing to me. But this dish may be changing my mind. It actually came about about a week or two ago when my mom was asking me what I thought she should bring to pot-luck at church. Though I'd never made it before, it sounded like a good idea. I thought I'd better try it myself to make sure.
Ingredients:
- about half a package bow-tie (or other short pasta)
- a handful of fresh spinach leaves
- 1 4oz package (or more) of feta cheese
- 1 small container cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/3 cup halved kalamata olives
- 1 jar marinated artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup deli-sliced pepperoncini peppers
- light balsamic vinaigrette to taste (about 1/3 cup)
- salt, black pepper, and Greek seasoning (optional) to taste
(serves about 5-6)
Cook the pasta according to the package. While it's cooking, prepare a large bowl of ice water. When the pasta is done cooking, drain and immediately add to the ice water. Drain really well and return to bowl. Doing this will stop the cooking and keep the pasta from cooking all the other ingredients.
Next, add all the other ingredients to the bowl and gently toss with the pasta. Add the dressing gradually until everything is lightly coated but not drowning. You could also add some sliced red onion (or cucumber) for a little crunch, but I'm not really so I left them out.
This is a nice, light dish that's quick and easy to make. And best of all, it really delivers on flavor.
