Pasta Puteneggsca ;)

I apologize for the lack of photo but this disappeared WAY too fast to photograph and when creating it I had no clue it was going to be so stinking amazing. But I can't not document this creation.

• cavatappi noodles
• pesto sauce (i cheated and used a jar)
• half eggplant peeled sliced and diced (i cubed them)
• half a bag of sweet peppers sliced
• 1 can diced tomatoes

1. Saute eggplant and peppers in olive oil
2. Spice with salt pepper and garlic if desired for some flavor
3. After the eggplant has softened and changed color add the diced tomatoes
4. Continue cooking over low heat as the sauce thickens
5. Boil pasta
6. Drain pasta and mix pesto into pasta
7. Add eggplant mixture to pasta
8. Serve and enjoy!

Spinach Pesto Tofu

I had this for the second time today and combined it with the balsamic roasted brussel sprouts for a yummy and very filling dinner for the family. Last time, Josiah and I were licking our bowls. This time I put a tad too much evoo so we weren't licking anything, but noone left a drop on their plate... that is for sure. So I share with you to enjoy. :)

• extra firm tofu
• 2 cups spinach
• 1/2 cup peanuts
• a handful of pine nuts
• 2 cups parmesan cheese
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1.5 cups of evoo

1. drizzle tofu with evoo and broil for 15-20 minutes or until its the crunch that you prefer 
   
   
2. dry tofu on towels
3. mix the remaining ingredients in the blender until smooth
4. drizzle the pesto over the tofu until properly saturated (you should have enough pesto to store for two or three more tofu blocks in freezer or fridge depending on how long until you use it again)
5. Enjoy!

Balsamic Roasted Brussel Sprouts

I made this again tonight and realized that I never posted it on the blog. It is way too good not to share and super super easy. I have been growing brussel sprouts in my vegetable garden in the back yard so have been able to have plenty of roasted brussel sprouts lately and my hubby and lil boy love them too!

• brussel sprouts
• evoo
• balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper (and any additional seasonings you enjoy)
• shredded parmesan cheese

1. lightly oil a glass dish
2. spread out brussel sprouts so none of them are touching
3. drizzle evoo, plenty of balsamic vinegar, spices, and parmesan cheese over the sprouts
4. broil for 10 minutes or until browned and soft
5. Enjoy!

Eggplant Rollitini

A traditional food in my family for Christmas Eve has always been Eggplant Rollitini. My grandma used to make them with prosciutto and everyone would line up and eat them just as fast as she could serve them. Everyone would feign calm but was really waiting until the next plate of rollitini would come out and to make sure they were in good position to grab one before they disappeared.

My grandmother passed a couple years ago and this year when we had Christmas Eve (since I have been typecast as the Eggplant Chef) it was requested that I make rollitini. I believe it was a success, at least I think thats what it means when there were lies and thievery involved in the snatching and hiding of rolls and people were guarding them with their lives. While these were meatfree, noone complained about the absence of the italian sausage. So here is the recipe to share:

• 2 large eggplants
• eggs
• panko breadcrumbs
• evoo
• ricotta
• marinara sauce
• mozarella cheese
• parmesan cheese
• italian spices (basil, parsley, pepper, etc)
• garlic

1. preheat oven to 350
2. mix 1 large container of ricotta, 1 egg,  and 2 cups of mozarella in a bowl with spices and at least 3 cloves of garlic, a few tablespoons of parmesan cheese
3. mix a few tablespoons of parmesan with the panko and some pepper and spread in a plate for coating the eggplant
4. mix egg and water into a wide tray to soak the eggplant in
5. peel the eggplant and then slice it into long thin strips
6. soak eggplant in egg solution and then coat each one with the panko and parm
7. allow the coated eggplant to dry a bit before frying
8. fry the coated eggplant in evoo
9. dry on paper towels
10. coat the bottom of a baking dish with marinara sauce
11. smooth the ricotta mixture along the length of the eggplant strip. if you were to add meat you would put it in the center here
12. roll each strip up tightley, place seam side down, place a toothpick in it if need be to hold it together
13. line them up in the baking dish
14. bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese bubbles
15. serve and ENJOY!

Vegetarian Mexican Stuffed Shells

I found this recipe for a meat version on Pinterest a long time ago and finally got around to cooking it tonight. With the taste still in my mouth and trying to keep up the willpower to leave the leftovers in the fridge... I will hereby record this amazing mouthwatering, cheese flowing, flavor popping recipe below... as my husband said "you made both your boys happy tonight".

• 1 package veggie crumbles (can be replaced with ground beef)
• 1 T taco seasoning
• 1 cup water
• 4 oz creamcheese
• 16 jumpo pasta shells
• 1 jar salsa
• taco sauce
• 2 cups mexican cheese
• 2 green onions
• sour cream
• black olives

1. preheat to 350
2. cook crumbles in a pan with taco seasoning and water
3. once it is cooked well, add creamcheese and simmer until it melts
4. set meat aside to cool
5. cook pasta and drain
6. coat bottom of glass baking dish with salsa
7. take each shell in your hand, fill with meat mixture and line up in baking dish
8. pour taco sauce over shells
9. cover dish with aluminum foil
10. bake for 30 minutes
11. remove from oven
12. fill shells with cheese
13. return to oven uncovered and bake for 10-15 more minutes
14. remove from oven and cover with green onions and black olives
15. place a few on a plate with some sour cream and shredded cheese
16. enjoy and try not to eat the whole pan

Cheesy Biscuit Bombs

I have seen some variations of this on Pinterest and just had to try it. Being that I love cheese - I figured we couldn't go wrong. It was fantastic. I gave my son one for lunch with some salami and he was crying for more.

• biscuit dough
• shredded mozarella
• evoo
• italian seasoning
• parmesan

1. Preheat to 350
2. Take your dough slice and flatten it out in a glass baking dish
3. Generously top with cheese
4. Wrap dough back around cheese and close it firmly
5. Carefully spray the pan with evoo spray and replace the doughballs spaced evenly
6. Brush with evoo
7. Top with parmesan
8. Top with italian seasoning
9. Bake for 15-20 minutes
10. Cool and enjoy!

  

BLT Burrito - A twist on a bacon lettuce tomato sandwich

So this morning my handsome son ate 1 bowl of oatmeal, 1 banana, 3 pieces of bacon, half an apple and was still hungry. So, I decided to get creative. I wanted to make sure this last meal filled him up but wanted also to do something different for him. He was in his seat asking for a sandwich or more bacon. So instantly I thought BLT - but this boy is not crazy about sandwiches with lettuce or tomatoes. However, he does love cheese roll ups, so I decided to get a little fun and make him a BLT burrito. He is in his seat slurping away and licking his fingers so I think I was successful. And I think if I ate bacon I would probably be loving it as well.

• whole wheat tortilla
• shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 slices bacon
• a handful of baby spinach
• hot sauce - or tomato sauce if you will if your kid can't handle the spice :)

1. First I microwaves the bacon for two minutes, though I probably could have gone a little lower since I was cooking it again anyhow
2. I filled a row of cheese on the bottom of the tortilla
3. covered it with spinach
4. place the two pieces of bacon on top
5. added a little more cheese to hold it all in
6. rolled up the tortilla (i usually put a tiny smidge of cheese in the last bit of the roll to "glue" it together
7. Microwave for 45 seconds
8. watch your son inhale it

Good stuff - I hope you bacon lovers enjoy :)

Cheesy Garlicy Biscuitys - in Red Lobster Cheesy Biscuits Style

This has always been the only thing attracting me to Red Lobster, not being a big fish fan and all. So when I found this recipe I had to do it.

• 1.5 cups bisquick mix
• 1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 0.5 cups light vanilla soymilk (or milk)
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 0.5 Tablespoons oregano
• .25 Tablespoons basil
• couple shakes of salt
• 4 garlic cloves chopped

1. preheat oven to 400
2. mix bisquick, cheese, and milk in a bowl until it is properly mixed and sticky doughy
3. scoop spoonfuls onto glass baking dish
4. bake doughballs for 10 minutes
5. while dough is baking mix spices, garlic, and butter in a bowl and microwave until it is all liquid melted
6. remove biscuits from oven after 10 minutes and just when its getting less gooey
7. pour or brush buttery mixture over biscuits
8. return biscuits to oven for 5 minutes
9. lower oven to 350 and bake another 5 minutes
10. At any point that your biscuits start getting crispier you can remove them, otherwise bring to completion
11. Serve, enjoy, and try not to eat them all at once :)

TEAR Marinara

So, a couple months ago I was going through my cabinets trying to find something to make for dinner and decided to just throw some things together that I liked and see how it turned out. Well, Bry and I were uber impressed with this concoction and since I hadn't written it down - we havent had it since. But I found some photos of it and decided to get it down so that I can remember to make it again. :) So here goes. Tofu Eggplant Artichoke Risotto (TEAR)

• extra firm Tofu
• Eggplant
• Artichokes
• Risotto
• Marinara Sauce

1. Brown the eggplant in a frying pan with just a few drops of evoo 
2. Put the risotto on the bottom of a baking pan with enough water to make it almost drowned
3.  Cover with the browned eggplants
4. Saute the sliced tofu until it browns on the edges
5. Cover the eggplant and risotto with browned tou and artichokes
6. Cover baking dish and concoction with marinara sauce
7. Bake on 375 until the sauce bubbles and the risotto is cooked.
8. Serve and enjoy :)

Spaghetti with Red Lentil Sauce

• 1 package whole wheat spaghetti
• 2t brown mustard seeds
• 1C veggie broth
• 1/2 red onion
• 3/4 cup red lentil beans
• 4 Garlic cloves
• 6T lemon juice
• 1/2 bag fresh spinach
• 2 cans of artichoke hearts quartered

1. cook pasta and set aside to drain
2. heat mustard seeds over medium heat until they pop
3. add water, broth, onion, lentils, garlic carefully to pot
4. bring to boil
5. lower heat to simmer at low-med heat until lentils separate and turn mushy (15mins)
6. remove from heat
7. add lemon juice and stir until it is well blended
8. add artichokes to sauce and stir
9. add pasta to sauce and stir well
10. add spinach
11. serve and enjoy :)

Spicy Pepper Tofu Pasta

This was a dish that we were not ready for. Though I am told I have a mouth of steel, this was too much for me. Though I will share with you, if you can handle it, though I advise less black pepper. Note to self, next time use less black pepper.

• tofu
• spray butter
• shallots
• onions
• fresh red chiles
• garlic cloves
• fresh ginger
• soy sauce
• sweet soy sauce
• splenda
• crushed black pepper
• green onions
• Feta
• whole wheat pasta

1. cut tofu into cubes
2. saute the tofu in 1T evoo, turning until all sides are cooked
3. take them out and sit them in a bowl with papertowel at the bottom
4. coat pan with spray cholesterol free butter, or pam
5. cook the shallots, onions, chiles, garlic and ginger for about 15 minutes until the shallots are shiny
6. add the soy sauces and splenda and stir
7. add the crushed black pepper and stir
8. add tofu back to warm it for a bit
9. stir in green peppers
10. Serve over pasta, crumble feta over the top

Eggplant Parmesan Recipe

As a longtime vegetarian I have long enjoyed a good eggplant parm. This year I decided to try my hand at making my own parms. Working out good so far. A number of people have tried it and oogled... the key is the splenda and red pepper ;)

• 2 large eggplant
• evoo
• breadcrumbs
• eggbeaters
• marinara sauce
• mozarella
• ricotta
• parmesan
• basil
• red pepper
• salt and pepper
• splenda

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Cut the ends off the eggplants, use a vegetable peeler to skin the eggplant, and then slice it into thin rounds.
3. Make an eggwash with eggbeaters and a splash of water in one bowl
4. Make a bowl with breadcrumbs
5. Coat pan with evoo and turn on med-high
6. One by one coat eggplant slices with egg (allowing extra to drop off first), dipping in breadcrumbs, placing in pan to brown
7. As they brown remove them and place them into a baking dish layered with paper towels to soak up evoo
8. Get a large baking disk, layer with sauce, eggplant slices, mozarella, red pepper spice, sauce, eggplant slice, ricotta, sprinkle of splenda, sauce, eggplant slices, sauce, mozarella, salt and pepper, red pepper spice, parmesan, basil
9. Place into oven and bake until sauce bubbles - about 15-20min

Roasted Butternut Squash Ravioli in Pink Sauce

Oh new love of my life, butternut ravioli. I can almost still taste you. Yum. I can't wait til lunchtime when I can demolish the rest of you. I have been waiting for a while to make this but ohhh it was worth it. Did it really take 3 hours to cook... almost... but totally worth it. And I have a plan for next time, make puree in batches and freeze them, make dough in batches and freeze them, makes for a quick installation time of less than an hour for this recipe. Plus it will likely take much less time now that I have a handle on it. Plus the Rays game was on, so there were moments I was leaning over the kitchen counter to watch a play. Anyhow - enough for excuses lets get to the instructions and pictures. Click the links in the ingredients to get the recipes for the components.

• roasted butternut squash puree
• whole wheat pasta dough
• pink sauce
• 1T butter
• 1/2 sweet vidalia onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3T heavy cream
• 3T parmigiana romano shredded cheese
• pinch of nutmeg

1. Start out by throwing the butter, onion and garlic to sautee in a pan over medium heat
2. After a few minutes and the onion is translucent throw in the puree and mix well
3. Once the puree has dried up a bit, after 3-5 minutes go ahead and add the cream
4. Mix the cream in well and cook for about 3 more minutes.
5. Remove from heat.
6. Add in the cheese and nutmeg to taste and continue mixing well
7. Cool completely
8. Once the filling has cooled, scoopy it into your pasta dough cuts and seal the edges completely 
9. Once your raviolis have been filled and sealed, let it sit about 5 minutes before boiling
10. Carefully place your raviolis into boiling salted water
11. Within 3-4 minutes the raviolis will pop up indicating that they have completed cooking, remove and drain completely.
12. Heat up your pink sauce and serve over the raviolis.
13. Enjoy :)
    

Whole Wheat Pasta Dough from scratch

My name is Kim and I am a pastaholic. Growing up in an italian family always has this common thread: pasta. As an adult I have been surprised to learn that not everyone has pasta with every meal, and can sometimes go a whole week without pasta at all. Perhaps this is why us italian girls keep a little chunk on.

Anyhow, as an adult I have also found that it is important to keep cholesterol low and carbs low, which also means switching from the white smooth pasta to whole wheat pasta. I am embracing this wholeheartedly and have even enjoyed the added flavor of a whole wheat pasta and am looking forward to more ways to get creative with it.

I surprised myself this week when I realized that I had never made pasta from scratch before. Sure I have helped my mom/relatives make some but never on my own. Well this has officially come to pass. And while easier than I thought it would was also a bit of a chore. Will I do it again? Heck yea!

• 1C whole wheat flour
• 2.5 egg whites
• splash of salt
• 1T milk (if you are making a stuffed pasta, of course I use skim organic)
• If you are feeling creative you can add completely drained spinach to make it green

Making the Dough Balls

1. Work on your counter-top or another nonporous location 
2. Pour the flour as a mountain on the counter
3. Create an inner volcano area to place the eggs
4. Careful not to let it all run off, smoosh it together and let the flour start soaking it in
5. Throw in your splash of salt to add some flavor, and certainly the spinach here if doing so
6. Start kneading and working the dough here, adding the milk carefully if using it
7. Spend at least 10 minutes working and kneading the dough with the palm of your hands to ensure a proper blend
8. When you are getting towards the end the dough should become elasticy. You can bounce it off the counter if you're not careful. However throwing it and kneading should continue until it is smooth, elastic, and a proper dough consistency.
9. Place the dough in a plastic wrap/bag and lock airtight for 30-60 minutes. This process will release the glutin and it should become softer and easier to work with. You will likely want to separate these dough balls into workable sizes perhaps the size of a tennis ball.

Cutting into Pasta

1. Once you can more easily depress the doughballs you will want to get ready for pasta prep
2. If you have a pasta machine you can use that at this point otherwise follow the instructions here
3. Remove a doughball, keeping the rest tightly wrapped until you are ready to work with it.
4. Use a wooden rolling pin well caked with flour to roll it out until it is almost paper thin. It is a balance here because if it is too thin you will have trouble holding the filling if you are making a stuffed pasta. 
5. Go here for nonstuffed pasta
1. For nonstuffed pasta leave it to dry on a kitchen towel for 15 minutes before making your cuts
2. After about 15 minutes you can start your cuts using a sharp knife
3. After cutting let it sit at least 5 minutes before boiling. Or if you would like uncooked pasta can sit in a pantry for over a month if you sit it in an uncovered bowl mixed up like a birdnest, just make sure its completely dry before storing like this.
6. Go here for stuffed pasta
1. Once it is flattened to your desired thickness start cutting your pasta pieces. So many options here. For raviolis you can cut into squares to prepare for folded triangles, you can make circles for more of a tortelini experience... Regardless if you are working with stuffed pasta you want to do this quickly while the milk is still keeping it sticky enough to close.
2. For stuffed pasta as soon as you cut, spoon your filling, fold it over, and completely seal the edges, place it on a plate to prepare for boiling

Cheesy Artichokes

Ok this is our favorite side dish by far. In fact I am certain that we are having it again tonight with our wholewheat pasta.

• can of artichoke hearts (preferribly whole)
• evoo
• parmesan
• italian spices

1. Lay the artichokes out in a baking dish
2. Spritz over the top of them with evoo or butterspray
3. sprinkle parmesan and spices all over the top
4. put in oven and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until they brown