Bowtie Pasta with Sausage and Sage

I'm so excited that most of our herbs are really taking off in our garden.  I saw this dish on the WholeFoods app and decided to try it.  As you know, I don't really eat a lot of pork but I can handle it in sausage every once in a while. This dish called for Sweet Italian Sausage which actually sounded kind of good to me. However, when I went to the store  (the one closest to my house that doesn't really have a huge selection), I couldn't find a single package of Italian Sausage without a bunch of fillers, preservatives, and chemicals. Not to mention that some of the brands included a combination of meats, not just pork. I have used Italian Sausage before, but never really stopped and looked at what is actually in it. So, I opted for some Chicken Sausage. It still had a few preservatives in it, but had a lot less ingredients and no BHA in it like the pork versions. Plus, it has less fat.

I decided to make the whole recipe, and we had a TON left over but we ate it for lunch for a few days. It was really good! Definitely something easy to make for a pot luck or a large family dinner or get-together.

Ingredients
1 pound of dry bowtie pasta (whole wheat if you can find it)
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 yellow or white onion, chopped
1 (12 oz) package chicken sausage (or Sweet Italian Sausage), cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 (15 oz can) garbonzo beans (or cannellini beans) rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp chopped fresh Sage
Salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup Asiago Cheese (or Parmesan Cheese)

Directions
1. Cook pasta, drain and set aside.
2. Heat oil in large skillet then add onion and sausage and cook until onions are softened and sausage is browned

3. Pour in wine and stir
4. Add tomatoes and simmer for about 5 minutes
5. Reduce heat to medium and stir in the beans, sage, salt and pepper
6.Cover and cook for a few minutes or until the beans are heated through
7.Combine mixture with the pasta then top with cheese.



Recipe Source: Adapted from Whole Foods

Whole Wheat Pasta with Guacamole Sauce

If I could take one food item to a deserted island, I would take a bunch of avacados. They're full of healthy fat, easy to eat, and just plain good. Anyways, I always like finding new ways to use avacaods, but I still think I could eat guacamole every day for the rest of my life and never get sick of it. I saw an idea for this dish awhile back (on Pinterest I think) and decided I wanted to try it. Plus, Bi-Lo had avacados on sale for $1 a piece which is a really good price so I totally stocked up. I don't remember exactly where the recipe came from and I didn't look for it when I made this. I just came up with my own version.  It's literally just a really creamy guacamole served with pasta. 

Ingredients
1 medium avacado
1 Tbsp of lime juice (use a little less if you don't like a strong lime flavor)
small handful of fresh cilantro, plus a little for topping
1/4 tsp of black pepper
1/4 tsp of kosher salt
1/2 medium jalapeno (with or without seeds, depending on how spicy you want it)
chopped tomatoes for topping
Favorite whole wheat pasta (about 6 ounces or more depending on how many you're serving. Make a double batch of the sauce if you are cooking for a group).

Directions
Blend all ingredients except tomatoes in food processor until smooth and creamy.  Serve over favorite whole wheat pasta (I used eggstyle noodles) and top with tomatoes and a little more cilantro.

Vegetable Lasagna

I've made this dish multiple times and it always turns out really good. The best part of this is that you don't have to pre-cook the noodles. They cook right in the sauce. It might seem complicated but it's really easy and quick to put together. If you are a lasagna lover like me and want some variety, I highly recommend this.

Ingredients:
9 whole wheat lasagna noodles
29 ounces of Alfredo Sauce (about 3/12 cups or a little less than 2 jars)
1/4 cup of skim milk
10 oz of frozen chopped spinach
1 pint (16 oz) of low fat cottage cheese (ricotta cheese if fine too, but I like using cottage cheese here-less fat. Buy the Daisy brand if your grocery store has it because there are just a few simple ingredients and no preservatives)
1 egg, lightly beaten
8 ounces shredded carrots
8 ounces of mushrooms, sliced
1/2 Tbsp of dried parsley, plus more for topping if desired
1/4 tsp of pepper
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 and coat pan with cooking spray (recipe I adapted this from said to use a 10x15 but I only had 9x13 and that worked fine). Place spinach in medium microwavable safe bowl and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Mix in ricotta and egg.

In another bowl, combine alfredo sauce with milk and whisk together. Spread about 1/2 cup of sauce to cover bottom of pan (I used a little more since my pan was bigger). Place 3 uncooked noodles into pan on top of the sauce. Spread about half of the spinach mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle with half of the mushrooms and half of the carrots.

Place 3 more noodles on top of vegetables. Pour about 1 1/2 cups sauce over the noodles. Spread the remaining spinach mixture over the sauce, followed by layers of the remaining mushrooms and carrots. .Place 3 more noodles over the vegetables. Pour remaining sauce evenly on top. Sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese.

Spray a sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil, spray side down. Bake for approximately 45 minutes. Remove from oven, uncover, and spoon some sauce over any exposed top noodles. Sprinkle with additional dried parsley. Tip: it will come out easier if you let it sit a few minutes before cutting.




Recipe source: adapted from Juanita Peek via allrecipes.com http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-spinach-lasagna-with-white-sauce/detail.aspx

Hungarian Goulash

This recipe comes from my awesome grandma on my mom's side (I'm so lucky to have 2 amazing grandmas!).  I've heard my mom talk about it before and how it was one of the recipes they ate a lot growing up.  By "they" I mean my mom, grandma, grandpa, and 7 other kids.  I really don't know how they did it. Eight kids? I can't even imagine. But they've always been there for our family and I am greatful for all they do. 

I wanted to try this recipe because one, it was from my grandma and two, it was something different. I love pasta and I love tomatoes but sometimes regular old spaghetti can be boring. And being that I don't eat or make red meat too often, I thought Nathan might like it too. The paprika in the sauce gives it a distinct flavor.  And although my meat definitely could have been more tender, it was pretty good too. I'm going to need to try it a few times to perfect it.

Ingredients

1 lb of beef  ( I just bought a pound of the pre-cut stew meat. To save money and get more meat you can buy a roast and cut it yourself)

1/4 Cup of Oil (I used Olive oil, Vegetable oil is fine too)

1 cup of chopped onion

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/4 tsp of dried thyme

1/4 cup all purpose flour (I use unbleached)

3 tsp of paprika

1 tsp of salt

1/4 tsp of pepper

1 lb 12 oz can of tomatoes (it's the large can-I bought crushed tomatoes)

2 Bay leaves

Hot buttered noodles (I bought whole wheat egg style noodles)

Directions

In large skillet, brown beef that has been cut into 1/2 cubes in hot oil. Reduce heat and add onion and garlic. Cook until onion is tender, but not brown. 

Blend in the flour, paprika, salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaves.

Add tomatoes.

Cover and simmer stirring occasionally until meat is tender 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  Stir often toward end of cooking.  Stir in 1 cup of sour cream if desired.  Serve at once over hot buttered noodles.

*As a side note, I should have cut the meat into smaller pieces.  And I also screwed up on the oil.  I thought I added too much, so I drained it off a little but when I added the flour and spices I had to add a little more back in.  And I should have cooked it longer.  I also didn't add the sour cream this time (as much as I love it) because I wanted to see how it tasted without it. I'll probably try it in there next time. For the 1st time making it, I'd say it turned out pretty good.  Nathan said he really liked it too, so I'll definitely try this again!

Restaurant Knockoff- Friday Pasta

It's definitely not Friday (although I really wish it was and it's only Monday), and it's definitely not what you think of when you hear pasta.  I had this dish awhile back when I went to lunch one Friday with some co-workers at a restaurant downtown called Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe. It. is. awesome.  And I must say our knockoff version is just as good if not better. The restaurant version has chicken and we've made it that way too, but if you want an easy vegetarian dish, just nix it. I don't remember ever having a salad with pasta mixed in it, but it really works. Even though it has a bunch of stuff on it, it's a pretty healthy dish.  And it's super easy, not to mention cheaper to make it at home. Leftovers for lunch at work the next day is always a plus too!

Ingredients

Mixed greens (we usually buy a box of organic mixed baby greens-sometimes more expensive, but they do put it on sale a lot and I like to eat organic)
Couple of tomatos-whatever kind you like on your salad
Onion-we've used more than one kind, but used red here
Feta Cheese
Balsamic Vinegarette (same recipe we used for the veggie paninis)
Basil (unfortunately we didn't have any this time, but it's really yummy on this!
Penne Pasta (we buy whole wheat-it's better for you!)

Directions
1. Cook pasta according to package directions (just make enough for how ever many people you'll be serving)
2. Once pasta is done, drain and let cool for just a minute or two
3. Add pasta and couple of large handfuls of mixed greens to bowl and drizzle in balsamic dressing (don't over do it, or it will be soggy)
4. Toss lettuce and pasta until evenly covered

5. Divide evenly onto plates and top with rest of ingredients



Recipe source: Adapted from Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe's "Friday Pasta"

Manicotti

I'm a carboholic. Next to Mexican, Italian is at the top of my list.  I really love a good hearty pasta. And this definitely does the job. The only thing I don't like about this is that I couldn't find whole wheat manicotti shells. I always try and buy whole wheat whenever possible. It tastes pretty much the same and is at least a little healthier for you-even if it is covered in tons of cheese and sauce :).  

Ingredients
1/2 Box of Manicotti shells (use whole box if serving a bunch of people)
1 16 oz container of  low cottage cheese (or ricotta)- I always buy Daisy brand because it doesn't have preservatives or a lot of other unecessary junk like other brands
1 15 oz can of regular tomato sauce
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
1/2-1 cup of shredded mozarella
Salt
Pepper
fresh or dried herbs (basil, garlic, oregano, etc.)
1 Tbsp of homemade pesto sauce (storebought is ok too!)
1/2 cup of Italian bread crumbs
1/2 lb of Ground beef (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1.Prepare a large pot of water with a little salt and olive oil and bring to boil
2. While water is heating up, cook ground beef with a little onion and drain off any grease (the manicotti is good with or without meat).
3. Stir together the tomato sauce, tomato paste, and fresh or dried herbs and salt/pepper to taste
4. If using ground beef, add to sauce
5.Add shells to boiling water for about 7 minutes or until done
6. Mix together cottage cheese, approximately 1/2 cup mozarella (depending on how cheesy you want it),pesto sauce, and bread crumbs.
7. Drain shells and let cool for a few minutes
8. Fill pastry bag fitted with large tip with cottage cheese mixture (I found this works pretty well and keeps it neat.  A spoon or spatula works fine too).

                                                            

9. Spread a little sauce over bottom of 9x13 pan and lay all shells on top
10.Top shells with more sauce and mozarella cheese
11. Bake for about 30 mins or until cheese is melted



Recipe source: Harper's original