Pasta Alla "Not-Ka"

I first started making this dish last summer. It is absolutely delicious and so easy and quick to make. The recipe comes from a show that Lifetime aired last year called "Cook Yourself Thin" which is also available as a cook book. The purpose of the show/book is to take fattening foods and make a few changes to make them healthier while still tasting good. I've made a handful of the recipes, with this one being the best and likely only one that will make it to the blog. I made a few changes as well which further reduces the amount of calories and makes it healthier by using whole grain instead of white pasta. This meal has become a go to meal for us, in fact I'm about to heat up some leftovers for dinner. Enjoy!

Pasta Alla "Not-Ka"
Source: Cook Yourself Thin
Serves 4: 8oz
Calories per serving: 371 in the original recipe
Weight Watchers 7 points per servings (based off my changes that are in bold)

Ingredients:
1-2 teaspoons olive oil (I use extra virgin olive oil or canola oil)
3 cloves garlic (I used 1 T minced garlic)
1/2 cup chopped red onion (I use yellow or white onion)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes or whole tomatoes in juice, pureed in a food processor
Pinch red pepper flakes
8 ounces penne (I used Barilla’s whole grain)
1/4 cup heavy cream
6 tablespoons evaporated nonfat milk
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I’ve also used an equal amount of Romano cheese made with goat’s milk)
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil (I didn’t measure the basil, I think I pulled about 6 leaves off of our plant)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the penne.
2. In a large saucepan, heat the 2 teaspoons oil with the garlic over low heat until the garlic begins to brown, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt, cover, and cook until the onion is softened, about 2 more minutes.
4. Add the tomato, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the red pepper flakes.
5. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and simmer very gently 10 minutes.
6. Stir in the cream and evaporated milk and simmer 1 more minute.

7. Meanwhile, after the sauce has cooked 5 minutes, add the penne to the boiling water and cook until just shy of al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup pasta water. Add the drained penne to the saucepan and simmer until the penne is al dente, 1 to 2 minutes, adding a little of the pasta cooking water if the mixture is dry. Stir in 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, along with the basil and black pepper.

8. To serve, divide pasta among 4 serving bowls. Drizzle each serving with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. (I didn’t drizzle oil over it and I mixed all of the cheese in while cooking)

Curry Lentil Soup

I promise, this soup taste much better than it looks in this picture. This recipe is a first for two reasons, I've never made anything with lentils or eaten anything with curry in it. I'm happy to report that preparing lentils was very easy. This soup was very filling, I would even say hearty. I was surprised that the soup had a texture similar to a stew and it was thick as though it had meat in it. I served this soup with tomato basil bread, it also makes great leftovers.

Curry Lentil Soup:

adapted from SparkRecipes (http://foodallaputtanesca.blogspot.com)

Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp curry powder (I used 2 tsp.)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper (I added more)
1 tsp chili (or cayenne) powder
1 qt, vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 cup lentils
1 large carrot, chopped (I used 2 large carrots)

Directions:
1. In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.
2. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, and sauté for 2 minutes longer.
3. Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.
4. Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky. Reheat soup if necessary.

Optional: stir in 1/2 a lemon's worth of juice and 3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro. Serve soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with chili powder if desired.

Red Potato Soup

The original plan was to follow this recipe, but as it came along I ended up making several changes. Click on the link to see the original recipe. The soup came out good but after the changes it does not taste like O'Charley's soup. I think that it came out a little spicy, which can be controlled by the amount of hot sauce that you add.

Red Potato Soup: adapted from:

http://www.recipezaar.com/OCharleys-Loaded-Potato-Soup-18599

Ingredients:
24 oz red potatoes, cubed unpeeled)
2 tbsp butter
2tbsp flour
3 cups whole milk
1 cup buttermilk
8 oz package Velveeta cheese, melted (I used reduced-fat)
½ tsp. white pepper
½ tsp. garlic powder
several shakes of hot pepper sauce
pinch of salt
pinch of onion powder

Directions:
1. Dice unpeeled red potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes.
2. Place in large saucepan; cover with water and bring to a boil.
3. Let boil for 10 minutes or until 3/4 cooked.
4. In a separate pan, combine melted butter and flour, mixing until smooth.
5. Place over low heat and gradually add milk & buttermilk, stirring constantly.
6. Continue to stir until smooth and liquid begins to thicken.
7. Add melted Velveeta.
8. Stir well.
9. Drain potatoes and add to cream mixture.
10. Stir in pepper, garlic powder and hot pepper sauce.
11. Cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
12. Blend soup with either a stand or immersion blender. (Be sure to leave some chunks)
13. Cook vegetarian bacon in a non-stick skillet, cook each side for about 3 minutes, “bacon” will be crispy.
14. Chop “bacon” and top the soup with it.

Stuffed Shells

I make these shells in large batches because they freeze and reheat well. In the past I have added soy beef crumbles to this recipe, (1 bag Morning Star Farms)

Stuffed Shells:

My Original Recipe

Filling:

7 oz spinach

1/4 c diced white onion

1 T garlic

1/2 tsp. white pepper

1 tsp. basil

2 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 T Parmesan cheese

1 T Romano cheese

8 oz mozzarella cheese

1 lb ricotta cheese

28-30 jumbo shells cooked to slightly firmer than al dente

1 jar pasta sauce (or homemade)

extra cheese to top pasta

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil

2. Saute onion and garlic

3. Add spinach, basil, oregano, and Italian seasoning, cook thoroughly over medium heat

4. Cook shells to slightly firmer than al dente

5. Transfer cooked spinach to a large mixing bowl

6. Add cheeses to the spinach mixture

7. Stuff shells and place in a lightly greased 13x9 glass pan

8. Cover shells with tomato sauce

9. Top with mozzarella, Parmesan and Romano cheeses

10. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes

Butternut Squash Bisque

Yet another recipe that I made for Thanksgiving. For weeks I searched for a butternut squash soup/bisque before I finally found this one. This recipe needs a lot of tweaking to the seasoning, because without it the soup is very bland. I am not sure of the quantity of the spices that I added because Dan and I just threw things in until we decided that it had enough flavor. I plan on making this soup again and will update this post to reflect the extra spices.

Butternut Squash Bisque:
(All Recipes)

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup diced onion
3/4 cup diced carrots
4 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
3 cups vegetable stock
salt and ground black pepper to taste
ground nutmeg to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat the oil and melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir the onion in the butter and oil under tender.
2. Mix the carrots and squash into the pot. Pour in vegetable stock, and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until vegetables are tender.
3. In a blender or food processor, puree the soup mixture until smooth. Return to the pot, and stir in the heavy cream. Heat through, but do not boil. Serve warm with a dash of nutmeg.
Serves: 4

Cream of Mushroom Soup

I also made this for Thanksgiving this year (what can I say, I'm a blog slacker). Coming from someone who does not normally like mushrooms this soup is pretty good. I made the soup to replace the cream of mushroom soup (can) that my mom's broccoli casserole calls for. Unfortunately my family does not like change when it comes with there "favorites" therefore if I make this soup again it will only be for myself and Dan. Oh well, at least I tried to get them to eat outside of the box (or in this case, the can).

Cream of Mushroom Soup:
http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/006133cream_of_mushroom_soup.php

Ingredients:
1 pound regular white mushrooms, cleaned, quartered or sliced
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp minced shallots
1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups chicken stock (I used vegetable)
1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tbsp water
Minced parsley for garnish

1 In a food processor, coarsely chop mushrooms and lemon juice.
2 Melt butter in (4-5 quart) sauce pan and lightly sauté shallots on medium heat. Add mushrooms, thyme and bay leaf, sauté over moderate heat for 10-15 minutes, or until the liquid that is released from the mushrooms disappears.
3 Add salt, pepper, cream and chicken stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
4 Add cornstarch and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Correct seasoning and add more lemon juice to taste.
Serves 4

Calzone

I decided to make Calzones after having awesome calzones on our honeymoon last month in Venice. They were the biggest calzones that Dan and I have ever had. Sadly I was not able to finish mine and had to leave behind the leftovers (our room did not have an empty mini fridge). Anyways I think the ones that I made turned out pretty good. The best part is that they are so large that they are two meals in one. Which is always a plus for nights that I have class.

Basic Pizza Dough:

3 1/2 c. all purpose flour

1 c warm water (110 degrees F)

1 tsp yeast

2 T honey

1/4 c olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

Add all ingredients to bread machine according to it's directions.

Vegetarian Calzone:

1/4 c Quorn vegetarian chicken cubes

1 T diced onion

2 T large dice green bell pepper

1/2 part skim ricotta cheese

fresh black pepper to taste

Oregano to taste

1/3 c mozzarella cheese

1/2 c fresh spinach

Pepperoni Calzone:

20 pepperoni slices

1 T diced onion

2 T large dice green bell pepper

1/2 part skim ricotta cheese
fresh black pepper to taste
Oregano to taste
1/3 c mozzarella cheese
1/2 c fresh spinach

1 T sliced black olives

1 T sliced mushrooms

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Divide dough in half and roll out to about 1/4 inch thickness

3. Mix ricotta and mozzarella cheeses with pepper and oregano and set aside

4. Layer ingredients, I started with spinach and ended with the cheese mixture, be sure to keep the filling to one side. Also leave a small space around the edges.

5. Fold dough in half and seal calzone with a fork.

6. Place calzones on prepared cookie sheet (I use foil and cooking spray for faster clean up)

7. Bake Calzones in Preheated oven for 20 minutes (crust will be golden brown)

Arroz con gandules

Arroz con gandules (Rice with pigeon peas)

This dish has become a staple in our house and was a staple for Dan when he was growing up. I'm suprised that I have not blogged about it before. I'm also suprised that we have not made it for my parents yet, so I jumped on the chance to make it for the 4th when my mom said she wanted pork for dinner. We always make enough to have leftovers, and I often eat it as a meal itself because its so good.

Ingredients:
1 ½ c White rice
half a can garbanzo beans (chickpeas) and/or
half a can gandules (pigeon peas)
Sazon Seasoning (half packet, found in the Latin section)
½ c. diced ham (optional)
2 TB- 3TB. sofritio/recaito found in the Latin freezer section
Adobo to taste (a Latin seasoning salt)
1 TB. olive oil

Directions:
Rinse rice 2-3 times to remove some of the starch
Add 2 ¾ c. water assuming the rice retained app. ¼ c
Add Adobo, sofritio/recaito, sazon, and oil
Heat at ¾ power, bring to a boil, wait about 12 mins. For water level to just dip below level of rice, the surface will bubble and the rice will have dimples
Immediately remove from heat, turn heat to low, turn rice 2-3 times after adding the remaining ingredients,
Cover and allow to cook for 15- 20 mins (until rice is tender)

Skyline Chili

I use to eat something similar when I was a waitress in college minus the meat sauce. So when I found this recipe on Delicious Meliscious blog I knew I had to make it. I made it vegetarian and to half the recipe. Also even though I halved the recipe it still makes a ton, thankfully it freezes well. To see the orginal recipe and to check out Melissa's great blog click this link: http://deliciousmeliscious.blogspot.com/.

Ingredients:

24 oz vegetarian beef crumbles (2 bags of Morning Star Crumbles)

2 c. water

1 lg. onions, chopped (leave small amount aside to top chili before eating)

2 (16 oz.) kidney beans

16 oz. can tomato sauce

1/4 tsp. allspice

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

2 tbsp. chili powder or more

1 tbsp. vinegar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate squares

3/4 tsp. salt

2 drops Tabasco sauce

Directions:

In an 8 quart kettle combine hamburger, water and onions; simmer for 30 minutes. Then add remaining ingredients. Simmer for 2 or 3 hours, uncovered. Serve with steamed buns, hot dogs, onions and cheese or serve over spaghetti noodles, onions and cheese.