Summer-Day Pasta ~ A Snob In The Kitchen

Back-Story on this adapted recipe 

I recently started another food blog ~ Cooking with A Snob In The Kitchen.  This new specialty blog is just going to be for the recipes that I make from the little known, 1967 cookbook, A Snob In The Kitchen.  It's a charming vintage cookbook written by the iconic Italian fashion designer, Simonetta.  Her life story is quite amazing and worth getting to know about.

Since her cookbook is about as scarce as hen's teeth to get a hold of, I thought I'd corral all of the posts I do on her recipes in one place.  (just in case someone wants to search for her cookbook recipes & because I thought it would be fun) I'll also share my adapted versions of Simonetta's recipes on WWIE.  I invite you to link on over to my new blog ~ Cooking with A Snob In The Kitchen to see how I became infatuated with Simonetta, and also to find some additional links to some interesting articles about her life.  Hope you enjoy these vintage recipes as much as I know I'll have cooking and eating them!

Summer-Day Pasta 
serves 2-3
adapted from the ~ A Snob In The Kitchen recipe ~ Summer-Day Spaghetti & the 1967 newspaper article on the NYC cookbook launch at Bergdorf Goodman
 
Ingredients

• 1/2 Tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
• 1/2 Tbsp butter
• 6 anchovies fillets
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• ** (keep the used, juiced lemon half for adding to the pasta cooking water)
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 6 Tbsp fat free evaporated milk
• 8 oz of dry pasta (I used a spinach & chive linguine from Trader Joe's)
• salt/pepper ~ to taste
• *Optional goodies*
• 1 Tbsp EVOO for dressing the pasta before serving
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• crushed red pepper flakes
• extra parsley for garnish 

Directions
Place olive oil, butter and anchovies in pan, cook over medium heat.  Mash anchovies with the back of a spoon until they break apart.  When hot, add the chopped onions, cook until they are soft and starting to become translucent.  Add the lemon juice and parsley, stir and continue to cook over a low heat for 5 minutes.  Stir in the evaporated milk, do not let it boil.  (when ready to toss the onion/anchovy mixture with the cooked pasta, add a little extra evaporated milk if it needs a little thinning out)

Cook the pasta according to package directions in a large pot, adding the reserved used lemon half to the boiling water.  When the pasta is al dente, drain, return to the pot, & toss with a little EVOO (if using).  Toss the onion/anchovy mixture with the pasta, add salt/pepper to taste.  Garnish with the Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes and parsley.  Enjoy!

Threaded Hot Dog & Spaghetti Bites (a.k.a. ~ Spiders or Jellyfish or Octopus or Squid Dog Spaghetti Bites)

I keep seeing versions of this Threaded Hot Dog & Spaghetti Bites recipe floating around Pinterest, and decided I finally had to try making them in my kitchen.  This simple recipe is a snap to do, and little hands make for the perfect kitchen assistant.

My son, J, was totally on board with this meal.  He had a blast stabbing the uncooked spaghetti noodles through the cut up hot dog 'bites'...

...maybe a little too much fun.  :)

He watched the entire cooking process and was amazed as this fun-to-make recipe changed appearance and texture. We couldn't decide if our weird creations looked more like spiders...or jellyfish...or maybe even a little like an octopus or squid.  Whatever they were, they sure gave us the giggles.  J gobbled down his plateful of happy food really quick, and was back for seconds in no time flat.  Actually, we all enjoyed this kid-friendly meal...sometimes you just gotta play with your food.  :)

Creamy Chicken & Veggie Pasta

I went out shopping late this afternoon, to take advantage of the Labor Day sales, and I got back home a little bit later than I thought I would.  Oops... It was just about dinnertime, we were all hungry and we were definitely ready to eat.  I threw together a quick and really delicious meal ~ Creamy Chicken & Veggie Pasta ~ using some leftovers, some pantry staples and a few frozen/fresh veggies.

While the pasta was boiling (a mix of fettuccine and spaghetti, since I didn't have enough of either) I nuked some frozen Trader Joe's tri-color bell pepper strips, fresh sliced mushrooms and chopped white onion.  Then I heated up a can of condensed Cream of Chicken Soup, added some leftover roasted chicken (from last night's dinner), a couple chopped homegrown tomatoes, a spoonful of real bacon bits, dried basil and some frozen peas.  When the nuked veggies were done, I added them to the condensed soup mixture and then thinned it with a bit of water, just until it was a nice 'sauce' consistency  When the pasta was drained, I tossed it with some EVOO, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  The Creamy Chicken & Veggie Sauce came out perfect and was ready in the time it took to boil the pasta.  I love it when a meal comes together as quickly and easily as this one did!  A sprinkling of Parmesan cheese & crushed red pepper flakes topped it all off.  Real-time cooking in my kitchen tonight. :) 

   

Pasta Puttanesca ~ The Silver Palate Cookbook

I recently bought an old, well worn paperback copy of the 1980's classic cookbook ~ The Silver Palate Cookbook ~ for $1 at a library donated book sale.  I've been reading it (yes, I read cookbooks like others read novels) and was smitten with their recipe for Pasta Puttanesca.  I can't believe that I've never made nor eaten this most classic of Italian pasta dishes before and I was determined to make it soon.  Tonight turned out to be the night...

Of course, I've seen the recipe many times before and have always snickered about why it's called by that name, (I can be such an overgrown kid sometimes) but I was never moved to make it. Tonight, I decided to create an adapted version, using what was available in my fridge.  I loosely followed their recipe ~ the changes I made were to use regular black olives instead of the Nicoise olives; chopped fresh cilantro for the Italian parsley; homemade slow-roasted dried tomatoes for the canned Italian plum tomatoes; leftover thin spaghetti for fresh cooked and a reduced amount of olive oil.   

I cooked it all in my brand new (to me), vintage 1960's Descoware enameled cast iron skillet and it worked out perfectly.  (Julia Child would have been so proud, she loved Descoware and Puttanesca Sauce was really popular in the 60's, I bet she made it even though it's not French)  I plated the richly fragrant pasta and thoroughly enjoyed my dinner.  I will definitely be making Puttanesca Sauce again, maybe next time with a low carb spin using zucchini ribbons in place of the pasta.  This recipe and the cookbook ~ they are both keepers!  

Real-time cooking in my kitchen tonight...and now it's time to do the dishes.  :)

Barilla Plus ~ Farfalle with Three Peppers ~ Meatless Monday

I've become a convert to the Barilla Plus brand of pasta.  Before now, I'd not jumped on the whole wheat/whole grain pasta bandwagon ~ I just didn't like it, no matter how hard I'd try to.  It just seemed too gummy, too chewy and not at all like how I wanted my pasta to taste.  I'd follow all the directions, hoping this time it would be different...but, still yuck!  Until this time...

All that changed when I tried Barilla Plus Farfalle pasta.  This one I like! (nope, I'm getting nothing from them - just telling like it is :)  I followed the recipe on the back of the box of Farfalle Plus (aka butterfly or bowtie pasta).  It was super quick, super easy, super simple, super tasty and was devoured super fast.  This is one bandwagon I will gladly get on!  It would make a wonderful meal for your Meatless Monday or for any day of the week.  Sometimes you just need to wait for the right one to come along ~ glad to know that my wait is now over!  Give them a try and let me know if you like them, too.  :)

 

Spinach Stuffed Pasta Shells with Mushroom White Sauce ~ Meatless Monday

It's been really busy around here for the last week or so.  We've been having new flooring installed in half of the downstairs...the half with the kitchen, dining room, laundry, entry hall and 1/2 bath.  There were problems (lots) at the beginning, but eventually the new replacement contractors got it handled, and it all turned out OK.  Needless to say, since my kitchen was torn up and the stove was parked in my garage for most of last week, not a lot of cooking (nor blogging) has been done around here as of late.  But, that's OK, for I love my new floors and will post before/after pics soon.  (but, I'm just so excited to share how pretty my new floors look...here is a sneak peak of my new pride and joy)

After the last week, our stress level is now back in the normal range and we have been having a nice weekend. Sunday we were getting a handle on putting things back and I started to think about cooking again.  So, for dinner last night I was trying to use up odds-and-ends and came up with this Spinach Stuffed Pasta Shells with Mushroom White Sauce.  It became a creative mix-and-match (heavy on the canned/frozen items) and I was happy with the result.  For the stuffed pasta shells ~ Since I haven't been grocery shopping for a while, I relied on frozen spinach, some leftover fat free cottage cheese and some dried Italian herbs to stuff the already-cooked jumbo pasta shells (from a 1/2 full box I found when emptying the pantry so they could put the flooring in).  I then added some canned fire roasted tomatoes over the top, along with some frozen Trader Joe's tri-colored bell peppers.  For the sauce ~ I was all out of Alfredo and spaghetti sauce, so I used a can of condensed low fat cream of mushroom soup.  I added just a little water and then pureed it with a 1/2 can of drained canned Navy beans (to up the protein count) and poured my 'white sauce' all over the stuffed shells.  I sprinkled on a bit more Italian herbs, some shredded cheese and baked it semi-covered at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. 

Our neighbors (Bill & Cheryl) were hanging out with Roy on our front porch at the same time I was getting dinner ready, so they were able to stay for a very casual dinner, dining al fresco on the porch.  Our meal was a concoction, to be sure, but with a side salad and a quick brownie dessert, it was a nice way to end our Sunday.  As we were eating, I decided this would have made a good Meatless Monday meal.  Who says you have to plan them?  Sometimes you can just scrounge around your kitchen and make a meal happen. So what if our Meatless Monday happened to be on Sunday this week ~ that's OK by me!   :)    It's finally starting to feel like spring around here and it was so nice to be able to enjoy good friends, good weather and share good meatless eats!  Hope the weather where you're at is just as nice.

 

Easy Chili Mac Soup

Easy Chili Mac Soup ~ This family favorite is easy to make and if you have leftover macaroni & cheese already made up ~ it's a great way to clean out the fridge, too.  :)

Grandma Bunni used to LOVE eating Chili Mac Soup.  It was one of her favorite soups to make & as she got older, one of her favorites to order when she went out for dinner.  Since I had sooo much left over Macaroni & Cheese from a recent meal I made (read the post on that meal here), I decided to make a big ol' pot of Chili Mac Soup with the leftovers.  J was VERY enthusiastic when I made this & he declared it his very favorite soup of all-time!  Grandma Bunni would have been so pleased ~ I can see the apple didn't fall far from the tree on that one.   :)  Enjoy!

Easy Chili Mac Soup ~ a favorite soup of Grandma Bunni :)
makes a big ol' pot

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean hamburger, cooked, drained & crumbled
• 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes, with juice
• 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, with juice
• 1 can chili beans, with/in sauce
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 packet taco seasoning mix
• 4 cups precooked elbow macaroni (or leftover macaroni & cheese, like from this recipe)
• salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

Place first 8 ingredients in a large pot, stir well & bring to a boil.  Reduce heat & simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until the onion & green pepper are tender.  Add a little extra water if it gets too thick.

Add the precooked elbow macaroni & gently stir to combine.  Simmer all together for an additional 5 minutes.  Add salt & pepper, as desired. 

Serve as-is or with your favorite toppings and/or sides.  Some of our favorite extras are ~ shredded cheese; crushed tortilla chips; sour cream; crackers; corn bread.

Creamy Macaroni and Four Cheeses ~ Meatless Monday

I was reading our Sunday paper a few weeks ago & came across a recipe for ~ Creamy Macaroni & Four Cheeses ~ that used frozen cooked winter squash to cut some of the calories & give the dish a hearty boost of veggies.  It sounded interesting & I thought it would be a good recipe to try for Meatless Monday.

I did doctor the original recipe up a bit, you know me, I just can't help myself.  :)   To the original recipe I included some extra ~ Worcestershire sauce; onion powder & garlic powder.  The winter squash really surprised me, it truly had the color of one of those packets of  'powdered cheddar cheese' & it helped to give the mac and cheese the traditional 'Kraft Macaroni & Cheese' day-glo orange color we all know & (some) love.  The winter squash changed the texture of the final dish somewhat, but I didn't mind it.  I do think the cheese/winter squash combo has some real potential for other recipes...  

All in all, this made for an interesting & tasty meal that could be either a main dish or a side dish.  It's not a dead-ringer for the tradition stuff ~ but it does have a good amount of cheese in it & it has the right look about it.  When I served it to my son without telling him about the abundant veggie hiding in plain sight, he ate about half of his big bowl before he came to me & said something was different about his mac and cheese.  I fessed up, he said 'Oh.' and then he finished his bowl.  This recipe makes A LOT of mac and cheese, so unless you have an army to feed, a die-hard healthy-version mac & cheese lover or are looking to have A LOT of leftovers ~ I'd suggest cutting the recipe in half.  Now that autumn's cooler weather is here, it's the perfect time to try this healthier version of the traditional family favorite ~ Macaroni & Cheese, but this time with a leaner, veggie-packed spin.

Come see more dinner ideas over on the Meatless Monday site...

Spinach Stuffed Pasta Shells with Meat Sauce

Spinach Stuffed Pasta Shells with Meat Sauce

I had some jumbo pasta shells languishing in my pantry, just dying to come out of the darkness & be part of the kitchen limelight...  OK, I had an old box of pasta shells, sitting on the shelf that needed using up. :)  I wandered around the 'net & found this recipe from SkinnyTaste for ~ Spinach Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce ~ that sounded good, so I made it. 

Since we have a local butcher that has great, fresh extra-lean ground sirloin (they grind it several times a day) I used that instead of the ground turkey.  I reserved 1/2 of the cooked ground beef & added that to the spinach stuffing mixture, gave it all a good stir & then proceeded with the recipe.  I like to have a meaty filling in my pasta shells & we didn't notice having a bit less meat in the meat sauce.  I think it makes it feel like an even heartier dish that way.  Who says eating light has to be boring... certainly not me.  So, if you have an old, sad & lonely box of jumbo pasta shells hanging around your kitchen, why not take them out & ask them to dance?  They'll love you for it!  

Spaghetti Pie Casserole ~ getting creative with leftovers

I had a bunch of spaghetti left over one night & knew I had to spruce it up for the next go-around.  I remembered Grandma Bunni used to make something she called her special ~ Spaghetti Pie Casserole ~ whenever she had an abundance of leftover pasta, so I decided to follow suit.  She always threw things in in layers ~ like shredded cheese, cooked spinach or veggies, ricotta or Parmesan cheeses, or maybe even some sour cream mixed with chopped green onions & then she topped it all with another layer of cheese.  Of course, back then she used all full-fat ingredients, I don't think they knew what reduced calorie or low-fat was back then. (ah, the good old days ~ heehee)  Looking back, I never knew I was enjoying leftovers, to me it was just having her special ~ Spaghetti Pie Casserole.  And as I remember it, there were never any leftovers.  :)

For my rendition, I layered the already spaghetti sauced-tossed pasta (I dare you to say that, fast, 3 times :) with some low fat shredded mozzarella & low fat ricotta, threw in some cooked zucchini, along with some fresh basil, chopped green onions & some extra Italian spices.  I topped it all with grated Parmesan & low fat shredded cheese blend ~ then baked it in the oven until it was all hot & bubbly. I added a salad & garlic bread and dinner was served.

It really is a tasty enough dish to make it on purpose, not just to be used as a vehicle for leftover spaghetti.  So, if you want to try making it from scratch, here is a recipe that sounds like it would be really good & popular with both grownups, as well as with kids.  Buon Appetito! 

Spaghetti Tacos & Spaghetti Nachos ~ iKidding around in the kitchen...

Spaghetti Tacos & Spaghetti Nachos ~ Yeah, right, a meal made from spaghetti & tacos shells ~ t.o.g.e.t.h.e.r??  Who knew there was such a thing?  Turns out, A TON of people know about this dish, especially if you're a Tween & watch iCarley.  Since I have a son, ((who is not a Tween)), who has never seen that show ((me neither)) I had no idea such a thing existed.  I just learned about it while surfing the Internet, innocently looking for new recipes using leftover spaghetti.  ((I had some leftover spaghetti, from when I made my brother's recipe, Mike's Homemade Spaghetti Sauce))  I was shocked to read so many compliments for the Spaghetti Taco recipe.  The NY Times has even written quite the article to explain the phenomenon...AND there are TONS of videos on YouTube of this crazy dinner dish.  As I said before...Who knew??   This is what I found on YouTube from the actual show...

There is even a recipe for a lower calorie version from the Hungry Girl site...  Well, if she can make them, I guess they can't be too bad...

I was skeptical, to say the least, but I do like to get creative with my leftovers, so I decided to give this dish a try.  Happy to report, they really do make a perfect match.  Spaghetti  + Tacos = 1 Happy Kid/Mom!  It's a cheap & cheerful meal, especially if you are using up leftovers.  Another great thing about them is you get Cool Mom Bonus Points for making them.  Alright!  J loved them & actually, so did I.  In a pinch you could even used canned spaghetti & heat the tacos in the microwave.  Dinner on the table in 5 minutes, too cool!

We even came up with our own spin, we made Spaghetti Nachos.  Some of the taco shells were cracked, so we just topped them with spaghetti, shredded cheese & heated them in the oven until the cheese melted.  I think we even liked it better that way.  After all of this, maybe we'll even catch a rerun of the show or maybe next time we make Spaghetti Tacos or Spaghetti Nachos we'll even save some for Dad to try....just maybe.  :)

Mike's Homemade Spaghetti Sauce ~ an old family recipe, seeing the light of day once again...

Mike's Homemade Spaghetti Sauce ~ Here is an old  Arnold Family Recipe, from my big brother, Mike.  Below is the scanned version of his original typed copy ((that I just found in one of Grandma Bunni's old cookbooks)) from way, way, back when.  ((I'm guessing at least 25+ years ago?))   How the time flies for us diners...but for the recipes, their time remains constant.  They are the same now as they were on the day they were created.  It's so nice that the taste memories of being invited over to his house, for a big spaghetti dinner, full of the rich, meaty Italian flavors of Mike's Homemade Spaghetti Sauce are still the same today, as they were the very first time I ate it.

Time marches on for all of us ~ but the tastes & flavors of family recipes can & do live on forever.  To me, that is their own special magic ~ to be rediscovered & enjoyed by the next generation & then the next...  That's one of the things I enjoy most about cooking ~ keeping, rediscovering, sharing & making new food memories.    Buon Appetito!


Mike's Homemade Spaghetti Sauce                       
~ Serve over your favorite cooked pasta ~

Chicken, Broccoli & Mushroom Alfredo

Chicken, Broccoli & Mushroom Alfredo ~ Sometimes following the recipe on the back of the Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup can is a good thing. I was uninspired for dinner & had all the ingredients to make this.  It's a quick dinner that was no fuss.  J liked it, so it's kid approved.  :)

Simple Chinese Meals ~ So easy to cook Asian food at home...

Sometimes, I feel like having some Chinese food.  Sometimes, I want to go out to the local Chinese restaurant & enjoy their vast lunch buffet.  Sometimes, I just want to stay home & have some quick & easy Chinese food that I make myself.  On those days, this is what you might find cooking in my kitchen.  Not having a certain ingredient will ever stop me from making a dish, I just improvise with what I have on hand.  It's the only way to cook when you have a craving.  :)

Hot and Sour Soup ~ When Roy is sick, I like to made him some homemade soup.  He really enjoys Hot & Sour Soup at the Chinese restaurant ~ whether he has a cold, or not.  Last time he was ill, I found a recipe for the soup in The Joy of Cooking cookbook & improvised with what I had on hand. It turned out really good!

Double Mushroom Miso Soup & Sesame Broccoli ~ I saw this post (for these two recipes, making one meal) on Facebook, ~ from the blog,  Fat Free Vegan.  I had all the ingredients, so I made it for my lunch that same day. Very tasty.  I wonder sometimes if I have too many items/ingredients in my pantry/fridge...Nah. :) ~ 

  Udon Noodles ~ I know these are Japanese noodles, but they have similar noodles in China, so I'm taking the liberty to include them in this post.  (I hope no one minds :)  I love cooking with these noodles, they are so quick & easy. They make a fantastic presentation & are a great way to use up any leftovers you might have in the fridge.  I make both  hot & cold dishes with these tasty noodles. So versatile!

Sweet & Sour Pork ~ Roy & I had the munchies late one night & he decided to cook.  I had some leftover pork chops/rice & he made this REALLY good meal in no time flat. Bottled Sweet & Sour Sauce is such a quick way to make this meal.  He threw in some canned tropical fruit & frozen bell pepper strips.  Literally, 15 minutes from start to finish.  I love it when we have just the right ingredients all ready to go in the fridge.

Chinese Chicken Salad with Almonds, Ramen Noodles & Oranges ~ I love making this dish with shredded cabbage or even using coleslaw mix (to make it faster to create).  It travels well, keeps a perfect crunch & is great for potlucks & family get togethers.  I have been making it for years!

Just change up the presentation a little bit & the Chinese Chicken Salad can look elegant.  Who knew ramen noodles could look so sophisticated? 

Asian food

Homemade Seitan Sausages ~ Meatless Monday

Homemade Vegetarian Hot Dog ~ made from seitan

When I first started taking food pictures last year, I was learning how to make the vegetarian meat substitute ~ seitan.  I learned how to made it into 'cutlets' (by simmering it in broth) & I also made it into 'sausages' (by steaming it).  I've already shared photos on how I turned some of the seitan sausages into the dish Dublin Coddle & into the favorite Southern dish, Red Beans & Rice.  I also made it into a few more dishes ~ so here are the rest of photos from that first batch of seitan sausages.  They would be perfect for a Meatless Monday meal.

The basic recipe for the seitan sausages came from the blog ~ Vegan Dad.  His is a good recipe & it would be easy to tweak it if you wanted a different flavor, like for an Italian sausage or for a breakfast sausage.  I think these seitan sausages turn out way better than anything I can get over at Whole Foods.  They are so much cheaper when you make them yourself, you know exactly what is going inside your 'sausages' & they're pretty easy to make, too.  Very cool!

Seitan Sausage & Pasta ~ tossed with mushrooms, white beans & spinach

For this dish, I added the seitan sausages to wide pasta noodles & served it with mushrooms, white beans and spinach.  It was the last of the sausages, so this time I decided to keep it simple.  I just tossed it all with some Parmesan cheese, olive oil & spices.  After eating the dish, I realized the 'sausages' really need to have some sort of sauce or condiment on it, or to be in some sort of broth/soup, for the best over-all taste.  (at least for my taste buds)   The next time I made them, I served them with a spaghetti sauce & another time with an Alfredo sauce ~ then the dish/sausages were great.  Live & learn.  :)

Homemade Nut Milk ~ Almond, Cashew, Soy & Vegan Cashew Alfredo

Homemade Nut Milks ~ Almond, Cashew & Soy

I have had fun making different Homemade Nut Milks.  The Cashew Milk is AWESOME!  It tastes great, so creamy & rich.  It is wonderful as a cream substitute, both in hot or cold dishes. Cooking with it is my new passion. I've made a wonderful Vegan Cashew Alfredo that was to die for!  Making Cashew Milk is super easy, you just blend raw cashews (soaked or not) with water & blend. To see the 'how to',  go visit  ~   http://vegetarian.about.com/od/rawfoodsrecipes/r/cashewmilk.htm

Vegan Cashew Alfredo ~ made with Cashew Milk & Veggies ~ YUMMY!! Cashew Milk is my new favorite thing!! I am tweaking a bunch of recipes to see how it tastes as a dairy substitute. I'm using it in ~ cream soups, desserts, entrees, etc.  So far, so good.  It thickens great & really has the 'cream' mouth feel. Go visit this great cooking video on how to make this Vegan Cashew Alfredo  ~   http://www.youtube.com/user/miyokoskitchen?blend=2&ob=5#p/a/u/0/Yu7_z96RKCw

Cookies & Milk ~ Sprouted Raw Almond Milk & Chocolate Soy Milk

Got Milk? ~ Sprouted Raw Almond Milk, Chocolate Soy Milk & McVittie's Hobnob Cookies...what a late night treat! I like the Sprouted Almond Milk better than the first Almond Milk I made the other day. You soak the raw nuts (which starts the germination process), slip off the skins, add water, blend & strain it.  To see how to make Sprouted Raw Almond Milk go visit ~  http://goneraw.com/recipe/basic-sprouted-almond-milk 

I just couldn't let all that almond pulp left over from making the almond milk go to waste, so I used the strained almond 'pulp' in making an olive tapenade, I just replaced some of the olives with the almond pulp, it was really tasty.  Here are some other interesting recipes for using leftover almond pulp ~ http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?12805-I-need-an-appetizing-ALMOND-PULP-recipe-PLEASE!  

Soy Milk is MUCH better with cocoa powder added. Add cocoa powder to taste & some of your favorite sweetener. I just noticed the glass on the left is the same one Mad Men, Don Draper, has in his office. Way Cool!! :)     If you want to see how to make Soy Milk, go visit ~ http://www.ehow.com/how_2042557_make-soy-milk.html

Meatless Monday ~ Vegetarian Lasagna

Low Fat Vegetarian Lasagna

Vegetarian Lasagna is a perfect fit for a Meatless Monday meal.  It is so full of possibilities.  You can keep it simple & just have a variety of cheeses.  Maybe you'll want to include some of your favorite veggies in one of the layers, just to make it a bit more interesting, or maybe... 

I like to add zucchini & extra onion/bell peppers to mine. Sometimes eggplant makes an appearance. I like to use a Marinara sauce with those veggies.

If I use a Bechamel or Alfredo sauce, it begs for me to include spinach, mushrooms, some smashed Great Northern beans (I love their taste/texture), a bit of nutmeg & basil.

If you just have to have the 'taste of meat' in your lasagna, then add some vegetarian 'meat crumbles' to the layers or to the sauce.  I bet no one would know it was meatless - unless you told them. 

For this Low Fat Veggie Lasagna  ~ I kinda, sorta, followed the recipe on the back of the 'oven ready' lasagna box. (I only use 1/2 a box when I make this, so I cut all the ingredients in half)  To this lasagna I added a thin sliced zucchini/spinach layer and replaced 1/2 of the Ricotta & Mozzarella cheeses with rinsed & drained Cottage Cheese.  (I always use lowfat versions of all the cheeses)  Roy likes a 'meaty' lasagna, so I like to make Vegetarian Sausage Crumbles  to use in place of the hamburger.

This is a favorite of ours & has the seal of approval from my guys. Two thumbs up!   Helloooo Monday!  :)

Try this trick to make the 'oven ready' noodles even better - Soak them in boiling water for 10 minutes, dry them off, then assemble the dish, following your 'oven ready' lasagna recipe.  I think that the noodles have a better texture & the dish holds together so much nicer.

Making Zucchini Into 'Fettuccine Noodles' ~ my low carb stand-in for quick pasta dishes

Zucchini 'Fettuccine' with Mushrooms ~ I made 'fettuccine ribbons' from a medium zucchini, using my veggie peeler. I nuked the 'ribbons' for a minute, drained off the liquid, added some I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray, Parmesan cheese, canned mushrooms, Italian spices & then gave it all another quick turn in the microwave. It turned out really good.  It satisfied the pasta craving I was having & it was on the table in under 15 minutes.

When I'm feeling the need for pasta, but want to keep it low carb, I turn to zucchini.  I've tried those Tofu Shirataki Noodles & I am not a fan of them, at all.  To me they have a funny smell & really odd texture/taste, not to mention the cost.

But, I have found that zucchini, when peeled into thin strips using a veggie peeler & then microwaved, will give me a 'noodle' that will satisfy my pasta craving.  I've tried using both a veggie peeler & a mandolin slicer; I like using a veggie peeler much better.  It takes a little longer, but I can create a better 'fettuccine' ribbon that way.  That being said, I do prefer the mandolin slicer for making zucchini 'lasagna noodles' for my low carb Veggie Lasagna. 

Zucchini 'Fettuccine' Marinara with Mushrooms ~ I made 'fettuccine ribbons' from a medium zucchini, using my veggie peeler. I nuked the 'ribbons' for a minute, drained off the liquid, added some canned mushrooms, Trader Joe's Basil Marinara Sauce, Parmesan cheese & dried basil. I than gave it all another minute & a half in the microwave. Another 'pasta' dinner on the table in under 15 minutes. I will be making both of these meals again.

I love it when craving & inspiration collide & create something really tasty and healthy!  Add a little chicken or maybe Trader Joe's Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Sausages & it just keeps getting better.  No guilt with these meals, at all.  :)


                         

Pumpkin Latkes ~ Cinnamon Walnut Noodle Kugel ~ Kasha Varnishkes

Pumpkin Latkes ~ I tweeked the recipe I found over at Big Girls, Small Kitchen - I used pumpkin instead of butternut squash & didn't cook it first. I cooked it slower, at a lower temp & with Pam. I'd cut back on the flour to 1/4 cup next time & add some onion.They where really good. A  unique way to cook pumpkins. ~ http://www.biggirlssmallkitchen.com/2010/12/meatless-monday-butternut-squash-latkes.html

I have tried my hand at cooking some Jewish recipes the last few days, just in time for Hanukkah. Recently, J has been learning about different cultures/regions & how they celebrate their holidays. So, to keep him interested in learning about different foods & cultures, I decided to cook some dishes made in the places they studied last week.

Cinnamon Walnut Noodle Kugel ~ This was a big hit!  I added walnut pieces, in place of the corn flakes, to the topping, butter & cinnamon. J was begging for more, so it is kid approved ~ http://whatjewwannaeat.com/2010/12/26/noodle-kugel/

I have made three Jewish specialities, and they all turned out SOOO good. The Noodle Kugel has already been requested again, I see limitless possibilities with this dish.  It can be made sweet or savory & will be. The same goes for the Latkes, I used pumpkin - an unusual choice I know, but I wanted to try something different from the usual potato version.

Kasha Varnishkes ~ I had some buckwheat around & was looking for new ways to enjoy this earthy grain. I found this recipe on a great blog site, Tea & Cookies. She says it comes from a friends, mom's, Russian Bubbeh (Grandma) & is authentic. It is so simple, but so good. Jewish comfort food, at it's best. ~ http://www.teaandcookiesblog.com/2011/05/kasha-varnishkes-for-comfort.html ~ http://ohheygreat.tumblr.com/post/297511468/things-you-should-make-to-eat-no-1

The Kasha Varnishkes was a tasty dish that was fragrant with sauteed onion.  Such a cool way to cook with buckwheat.  This really is simple, comfort food.

J is enjoying having food from all the places he has just learned about. I'm really happy that J is so open to trying new foods, it sure makes dinner time so much easier. :)