Garlicky Spaghetti with Beans and Greens

What a simple and tasty summer time pasta! I made this last night and we both loved it's simplicity and flavor.

Garlicky Spaghetti with Beans and Greens (From Cooking Light August 2009)

12 oz uncooked spaghetti

1/4 tsp salt, divided

3 TBS olive oil

2 TBS minced fresh garlic (I only used 4 cloves)

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

1 (16 oz) can cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained

5 oz fresh arugula leaves (I used more, maybe 6 - 7 oz)

2 TBS fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Scoop out 1/2 cup pasta water before draining. Place drained pasta in a bowl, add 1/4 tsp of salt, and set aside.

2. Return pot to medium heat and add oil and garlic. Cook 1 - 2 minutes until garlic is lightly browned, stirring often. Stir in remaining salt, tomatoes, and beans. Cook about 2 minutes.

3. Add pasta, reserved pasta water and arugula, tossing gently to combine. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice and cheese.

Avocado and Veggie Soup

I love this soup in the summer time! It is actually a hot soup, as strange as it may sound with avocado. This is an easy soup to make and does not take much time to cook. Trust me, it is delicious! This is not a main course style soup, so plan to serve it with some other dish so bellies leave the table full and satisfied! A mexican style salad would be a great match with this soup. You can either blend half the soup, all the soup or none of the soup ... your choice!

Avocado and Veggie Soup

2 large avocado

2 TBS lemon or lime juice

1 TBS olive oil

1 can of corn, drained

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 - 2 leeks, chopped (rinsed well before and after chopping)

1 red chili, chopped

1/2 tsp dried cumin

2 cups veggie broth

2/3 cup 2% milk

1. Peel and mash avocado using a fork. Stir in lemon or lime juice, set aside.

2. Heat oil in a pan over med-high heat and saute the corn, tomato, garlic, leek, chili and cumin for about 3 - 5 minutes until veggies are softened.

3. Add avocado, broth and milk and cook over medium heat 5 - 10 minutes until heated, stirring gently.

Pantry Organization

My pantry was out of control and I finally found motivation to clean it up and organize a couple weeks ago. No more stuffing, pushing and holding my breath that things will not just fall out and on my toes when I reach into the pantry!

Before Organization

After Organization

So, it is still crowded ( I need a bigger pantry!!!!) but I think it is a vast improvement thank you very much!

Grilled Veggies with Vinaigrette

This is a great summer time dish using all the colorful produce the season offers. I served this with home made mac-n-cheese, tofu and dinner bread.

Grilled Veggies with Vinaigrette (from cooking light)

Vinaigrette:

2 TBS white wine OR red wine vinegar

2 TBS extravirgin olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Salad:

1 bundle asparagus, trimmed

2 portobello mushroom caps, washed

1 - 2 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise

1 - 2 yellow squash, cut in half lengthwise

1 small red onion, cut in half

1 red OR orange bell pepper, halved and seeded

2 TBS fresh chopped basil 

1 TBS fresh chopped chives or green onion 

1 TBS fresh chopped parsley

crumbled farmers cheese or queso fresco

1. Prepare grill to medium - high heat

2. To prepare vinaigrette, combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl, set aside.

3. To prepare salad, coat veggies with cooking spray or olive oil. Place Veggies on grill rack, grill about 4 minutes on each side until slightly blackened. Remove veggies from grill and let cool slightly. Cut veggies into 1 inch pieces.

4. Add veggies, basil, chives, parsley to vinaigrette. Toss to coat and add cheese. 

Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich

It has been a while since I've updated this blog, sorry. We had this sandwich a few weeks ago and it was really yummy and not to difficult to make. The recipe called for store bought pesto, but I decided to make my own and have included a rough sketch of the ingredients if you choose to make your own as well.

1/4 cup sun-dried tomato pesto

1 package veggie delight chicken patties

1/4 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp olive oil

1 loaf ciabatta

3/4 cup fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced

1/2 cup sliced bottled roasted red bell peppers

1 large tomato, sliced

Pesto:

fresh basil - maybe 1/4 to 1/2 cup

1/4 cup marinated sun dried tomato

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup walnuts

2 TBS low fat mayonaise

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

Place ingredients in food processor and process until combined well (play with the ingredients as this is from my memory and I did not actually measure anything)

Sandwich:

1. Saute veggie chicken in olive oil, salt and pepper until browned. Remove from heat, slice.

2. Preheat broiler.

3. Cut ciabatta in half horizontally. Place bread, cut sides up, on a baking sheet. Broil 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove bread from pan. 

4. Spread pesto mixture evenly over cut sides of bread. Arrange the chicken slices evenly over bottom half. Top chicken evenly with cheese. Place bottom half on baking sheet, broil 2 minutes until cheese melts. Arrange bell pepper and tomato over cheese, and cover with top half of bread. Cut into 4 sections and eat!

Ravioli with Creamy Curried Spinach Sauce

I worked with a woman several years ago from Europe and she cooked wonderful, interesting foods. This dish is one she shared with me and has been a favorite ever since. It sounds weird, but tastes delicious! My hubby does not like curry at all, but he really likes this dish. He also dislikes cream cheese, I mean really hates the stuff, but seems to like it in this recipe. This dish cooks up quickly, so it is a good one for a busy night.

Ravioli with Creamy Curried Spinach Sauce

1 family size package cheese ravioli

2 X 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

4 oz reduced fat cream cheese

1 can coconut milk (reduced fat works well too)

2 tsp veggie bullion

1 TBS curry powder

1/3 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

Salt to taste

1. Cook ravioli, drain

2. Add coconut milk, curry and bullion to a sauce pan. Heat over medium heat until simmering. Add cream cheese and stir until melted. Add cooked spinach and keep warm.

3. Pour sauce over the pasta, gently stir to combine.

4. Serve and sprinkle with green onions and peanuts.

Tortellini Summer Salad

This recipe captures summer time at it's freshest. The past 90 degree weather got me in the summer time mood a little early, but it was still tasty. My sister in law made this years ago and I had to get the recipe from her. Simple and Delicious. If you can wait until summer is actually here, the flavors will be even fresher. Even better, visit your local farmers market for most of the ingredients!

I love the smell of fresh basil and lemon! This dish not only looks pretty, but fills the kitchen with the aroma of summer time!

I served this tonight with a side of peas, Italian flavored tofu and dinner bread.

Tortellini Summer Salad

Family size cheese tortellini

11 oz can corn

1 TBS grated lemon peel

1/8 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup fresh chopped basil

1 cup chopped tomato

salt/pepper

1. Cook tortellini, rinse with cold water

2. Mix together lemon juice and olive oil

3. Mix together remaining ingredients, add tortellini and lemon juice mixture. Salt/ pepper to taste. Gently stir to combine.