Penne Pasta with Tomatoes and Olives

This is an all time favorite of ours, tested and eaten now for about 10 years. It delights our taste buds each time. Great dish to take to a party or picnic too.

I made Greek style ficken using quorn patties as a protein to go along with the pasta.. Just heat olive oil and salt/ pepper in a skillet. Add some minced garlic and sun dried tomatoes. Cook ficken until browned. Yummy!

Penne Pasta with Tomatoes and Olives

12 oz penne pasta

1 pint cherry tomatoes OR 2-3 large tomatoes chopped

1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

1/4 - 1/2 cup halved black olives

1 clove garlic, minced

3 TBS olive oil

2 TBS balsamic vinegar (or more if you like vinegar like me!)

salt and pepper

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1. Cook pasta and drain, run under cool water

2. Combined tomatoes through salt/pepper, cover and let stand for 15 minutes.

3. Combine tomato mixture with pasta, sprinkle with feta.

Ficken Cashew and Red Pepper Stir-fry

The newest Cooking Light arrived in the mail a week or so ago and I eagerly scanned the pages for new dishes to try. It has been awhile since I've made any kind of asian inspired dish, so I gave "Ficken" Cashew and Red Pepper Stir-fry and shot, and it was very tasty. Easy and pretty quick too. This dish would be nice with a side or Edamame, which I did not think of until just now. Bummer.

"Ficken" Cashew and Red Pepper Stir-fry modified from April 2009 Cooking Light

3 3/4 teaspoon cornstarch, divided

2 TBS low-sodium soy sauce, divided

2 tsp cooking sherry

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

3/4 tsp sugar (I think I omitted this)

1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce (like Tabasco)

1 pkg Veggie Delight patties, cut into strips

1/2 cup coarsely chopped cashews

2 TBS olive oil

1 large red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 clove minced garlic

1/2 tsp fresh minced peeled ginger

3 TBS thinly sliced green onion

1. Combine 1 tsp cornstarch, 1 TBS soy sauce and next 4 ingredients through hot sauce, into a small bowl and stir with a whisk.

2. Combine remaining 2 3/4 tsp cornstarch, 1 TBS soysauce and ficken in a medium bowl. Toss to coat.

3. Heat large non-stick skillet over med-high heat and add cashews to pan. Cook 3 minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove from pan.

4. Add oil to the hot skillet and swirl to coat. Add ficken to pan and saute 2 minutes. Add bell pepper and cook another couple minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and ginger, cook 30 seconds. Add green onions and cornstarch mixture. Cook until sauce in slightly thickened. Sprinkle with cashews.

Rice

1 cup white Jasmine or Basmati rice

1 1/2 cups water

2 TBS drained, chopped water chestnuts

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

salt and pepper

Cook rice and add the water chestnuts and seasoning at the end, allowing about 5 minutes to before serving.

Santa Fe Meatless Meatloaf

Yes, I am a vegetarian that misses meals like meatloaf and shepherds pie. I do not crave or want to eat red meat, but I do miss those home-style dishes. Luckily for people like myself there is a pretty decent product that lends well to making fake meatloaf or burgers. This veggie ground beef is called "Gimmie-Lean" and is wrapped in a "Jimmy-Dean" style case and can be found in the refrigerated section of Whole Foods or stores like that. There are two flavors of Gimmie-Lean: Hamburger and Sausage. Use the burger flavor for making meatloaf.

Santa Fe Meatless Meatloaf

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/3 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced

1 TBS (2 peppers) canned minced chipolte chili's in adobe sauce

2 pkg Gimmie-Lean

3/4 cup dried bread crumbs

2/3 cup bottled salsa, divided

1 tsp dried oregano

2 lg eggs

3/4 cups Pepper-Jack cheese, shredded (or more if you like!)

1. Pre-heat oven to 350

2. Saute onion, bell pepper, chili powder, cumin and garlic about 5 minutes.

3. Stir in chipolte chilies and saute another minute or so.

4. Combine with Gimmie-Lean in a large bowl. (TAKE OFF YOUR RINGS!!!) Add breadcrumbs, 1/3 cup salsa, oregano and eggs. Mush and mix with your hands.

5. Place 1/2 the mixture in an 8 X 4 inch loaf pan coated with oil. Arrange the cheese over the top, leaving a slight boarder around the outside edge. Arrange the remaining mixture over the top, pressing edges to pack.

6. Spread remaining 1/3 cup salsa on top and bake 45 minutes.

This was dinner last Tuesday and I served this with homemade mac and cheese which was awesome! That recipe will be a later post, sorry. Frozen peas for a veggie. Delicious!

Linguini with Mushroom Cheese Sauce

I am making up for lost time and posting two dinners from last week. They are totally out of order, I apologize. I really need to start posting on time again!

This is a creamy pasta dish that is really yummy and totally unhealthy! Lots of butter, cheese and pasta, so make this dish one for occasional eating rather than regular dinner time fare. I served an arugula salad with this for some greens and it was pretty tasty too. That recipe may come another time though.

Linguini with Mushroom Cheese Sauce

1/4 cup butter

2 TBS olive oil

1 lg package white mushrooms, sliced

2 TBS flour

3/4 cup light cream

1 cup 2 % milk

1/4 cup white wine or sherry (cooking wine or cooking sherry would be fine to use)

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup onion, finely chopped

12 oz linguine

1. Heat butter and oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and saute about 5 minutes or longer until tender.

2. Sprinkle flour into skillet and stir with a whisk until a thick paste forms.

3. Slowly stir in mile and cream, stirring constantly.

4. Reduce heat and simmer about 3 minutes.

5. Stir in wine and cheese. Serve over cooked pasta.

Traditional Lasagna veggie style

I found this recipe in a Junior Welfare League cookbook out of Enid Oklahoma. With that said it should be clear any dish from this cookbook is traditional country fare. Nothin' fancy and certainly not vegetarian. I always loved traditional meat lasagna, and most of the veggie lasagnas fell short of meeting my expectations. Then I found this recipe and modified it only by using soy crumbles in place of the ground beef. It is delicious!!! Meat eaters and vegetarians both delight when tasting this dish. Great with a salad and garlic bread. Enjoy!

Lasagna

1 small onion, chopped

1 pkg morning star burger style crumbles

2 - 3 cloves garlic, mashed

salt and pepper

2 TBS fresh parsley

1 tsp fennel seed

2 tsp dried basil

1 TBS dried oregano

2 cans (28 oz) chopped tomatoes

1 (8 oz) can tomato paste

12 lasagna noodles

1/2 lb shredded mozzarella cheese

1 1/2 cups low fat cottage cheese (original recipe probably uses full fat, but low fat works great)

1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook lasagna noodles according to package description

2. Saute onion in a large pot for about 3 minutes. Add crumbles, garlic and spices. Cook until crumbles are thawed and beginning to brown.

3. Add tomatoes and tomato paste. Add a touch of salt and some pepper to taste. Simmer about 20 minutes.

4. Spoon 1/3 sauce in bottom of 9 X 13 baking dish. Layer with noodles, mozzarella cheese, cottage cheese and Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers 3 times and end with noodles. Top with cheese and bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

Madrid Beans and Rice

Oh boy, I have fallen way behind on documenting and sharing our dinners from the week. Yikes! I really don't even know if this is the next dish following the last one posted, but it is my best guess. I know we ate it last week, maybe Tuesday or Wednesday? It is yummy and easy all the same, no matter which day we consumed it.

I served this with a side of flavored tofu for a bit more protein.

Madrid Beans and Rice

olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, mashed

1 3/4 cup veggie broth

14.5 oz chopped tomatoes, undrained

1 cup white rice (Jasmine or Basmati)

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper

15oz can kidney beans

1/2 cup (or more) frozen peas

small jar or pimiento (I've skipped this before, so don't worry if you can't find them)

1. Heat oil in a large pan and saute onions for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook a couple more minutes, until onion begins to brown and soften.

2. Add broth and bring to a boil.

3. Add tomatoes, return to a boil.

4. Add rice, thyme, cumin, red pepper. Gently stir to mix ingredients. Return to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered 15 minutes.

5. Add remaining ingredients and simmer, covered, another 10 minutes until most liquid is absorbed and beans & peas are heated.

Broccoli and Cheddar Pasta

Looking for a quick simple dinner tonight? This is it. A one dish wonder if you want it to be. If offers a veggie, carb and protein all in one! I love that. As far as fake chicken, I think veggie delight or quorn work best for this dish.

Broccoli and Cheddar Pasta

olive oil

1/4 cup pine nuts OR walnut halves

1 pkg veggie delight chicken OR 1 box quorn naked patties, cubed

1 bunch broccoli, chopped

2 cloves garlic, mashed

1/2 cup veggie broth

1 TBS fresh basil, chopped

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded (Cabot white cheddar is excellent for this!)

12 oz. small pasta like penne or shells

1. Heat small amount of oil over medium heat in a skillet, add nuts and cook a couple minutes until just turning brown.

2. Remove nuts. Add "ficken" to the skillet and cook a few minutes until just browning.

3. Add broccoli and garlic, cook 3 - 5 minutes. Add broth and red pepper flakes.

4. Bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce heat and simmer 1 minute.

5. Stir in cheddar and nuts. Serve.