Thai Noodle and Vegetable Stir-Fry

I chose this recipe because I tend to like Thai food, but regrettably I used soy sauce with I really dislike, so it didn't turn out so well. My dad liked it however so I consider it a win. This recipe also came from Anne Lindsay's New Lighting Cooking cookbook.

Ingredients:
4 oz rice vermicelli noodles (or spaghetti)
4 cups chopped stir-fry vegetables or 1 pkg frozen mixed Chinese vegetables thawed
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 fresh red chili pepper seeded and chopped, or 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp oyster sauce
2 Tbsp fresh lime or lemon juice
1 Tbsp each of fish sauce (or soy sauce) and minced gingerroot
1 tsp granulated sugar
3 green onions chopped
2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Directions: Soak noodles in hot water for 15 minutes; drain. In a large pot of boiling water cook vegetables for 2 minutes. Add noodles; cook for 1 minutes or until tender. Drain. In a large nonstick skillet. heat oil over medium heat; stir-fry garlic for 1 minute. Stir in chili pepper, oyster sauce, lime juice, ginger and sugar; cook for 1 minutes. Mix noodle mixture in skillet; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds.

Changes: I used spaghetti noodles, frozen regular vegetables, olive oil, pepper flakes, lemon juice, soy sauce as the alternatives. Furthermore, I decided to veto oyster sauce, gingerroot, green onions, and the sesame seeds. As an extra I put celery seed into the stir-fry to make the flavor stronger, as I was hoping to cancel out the soy taste.

Update!!! The rest of my family came home and enjoyed this thoroughly even after cooling and reheating. Only my taste buds disagreed.

Lasagna

Lasagna

I found this recipes in one of my Mom's cookbook.
1 Small Onion
1 1/4 lb hamburger
28 oz can tomatoes
6 oz can tomato paste
15 oz can tomato sauce
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp chili powder and salt
1 Tbsp parsely flacks
9 lasagna noodles ( oven ready)
1/2 lb cheese shredded
500 g cottage cheese
parmesan cheese, optional

Brown hamburger with chopped onion, Add all of the tomatoes and sauces also add all the species. Let is simmer for a 1/2 hour. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions, if not oven ready. layer sauce, cottage cheese, noodles and cheese, continue until finished  Sprinkle with parmesan
 cheese. Bake for 1/2 hour at 350 F 

Alfredo Pasta

Alfredo Sauce

1/4 cup butter

1 cup heavy cream

1 clove garlic

1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes, then add garlic and cheese and whisk quickly, heating through. Stir in parsley and serve.

For this meal, I used bowtie noodles and added chicken, but you can use any type of pasta and add shrimp as well 

Easy&Fast Gluten Free Spaghetti

I normally just make my own pasta sauce when I make spaghetti because organic pasta sauce can be pretty pricey. Here's my recipe of things I just threw together the other day.

Easy&Fast Gluten Free Spaghetti

Ingredients:

1 medium size package of rice noodles
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
salt & pepper



Directions:

Fill a pot of water and eave it to boil on the stove. Slice up 2 cups of mushrooms and saute them in a deep pan or pot. Put the noodles in the boiling water. Add (to the mushrooms) the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir the sauce and let it cook until it simmers. When the noodles are finished cooking, drain them. Enjoy!

Buttered Pasta

This pasta was easy and quick to make.  I found this recipe here.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. linguine or spaghetti pasta
• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley, if desired

Preparation:

Cook noodles as directed on package in boiling salted water until just barely tender (al dente). Drain in a colander, shake the colander well, then return the pasta to the hot pot along with the butter. Gently stir and toss the pasta with the butter until coated. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. 4 servings

I didn't change anything in the recipe, though I sprinkled salt and pepper.

Sichuan noodles with peppery sauce

http://www.meishij.net/zuofa/dandanmian_13.html

It is a Chinese noodle . I  just know the Chinese recipes. But all the processes are shown obviously.

The Ingredients are:
white noodles  400g

Ground  pork) 
green onion
sprout     as you like
salt         as you like
spinach  80g
a little bit vinegar and soy sauce
garlic
red pepper
chicken soup

The direction is
cook the pork first
and then cook the noodles  in chicken soup.
mix all the other ingredients together for the sauce.
and then put the sauce on top of the noodles.
You can boil the spinach in the water as well if you like.
 

Not-So-Beefy Bean Macaroni (gluten free)

Most of the time, I usually cook out of a whim. So, this recipe came straight out of my imagination. Don't get me wrong though, it was absolutely delicious.

Ingredients:

- 1 bag gluten free macaroni noodles

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 1 green bell pepper

- 1 medium carrot

- 2 cloves of garlic

- 1 small onion

- 1 medium celery stalk 

- 3 tbsp tomato paste

- 2 cups water

- 2 cups vegetarian ground beef crumble (optional)

- 1 (16 ounce) can navy beans 

- salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Chop the green bell pepper, carrot, garlic, onion and celery stalk and add to a medium sauce pan. Add the olive oil and cook on medium heat for 4-5 minutes (or until onions are clear and carrots are semi-soft).

2. Add the tomato paste and heat for 1 more minute. Add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. 

3. Heat the vegetarian ground crumble in the microwave (as directed to do so on the bag) and add to vegetable mixture. Drain navy beans and add to the pot as well. Add remaining cup of water and simmer for 8-10 minutes (or until the majority of the liquid is gone).

4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the macaroni noodles. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until noodles are soft. Drain and rinse, return noodles back to the pot. 

5. Transfer sauce to the noodles and mix well until all the pasta is coated. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Serve immediately and enjoy!

If you don't have tomato paste, a 1/4 of salsa works just as well and gives it an extra kick! Also, feel free to experiment with different spices. Try adding cayenne pepper if you like your food spicy!

Creamy Tomato Shrimp Linguine

I made this pasta on saturday night. We always make it with linguine noodles but the recipe calls for rice. My mom got this recipe from a newspaper years ago, and we've been enjoying it ever since.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. package of large frozen uncooked shrimp, shelled and de-veined
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 large tomato
• 1 tbsp. butter
  
• a splash of white wine(can also use water)
• A large pinch of dried basil, or three or four leaves of chopped fresh basil
• 1 jar Tomato Alfredo Sauce
• Salt and Pepper
• Linguine noodles

Directions

      Start boiling water for noodles.

      Heat butter in a large frying pan. Chop Garlic and tomato and simmer over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. Make sure garlic doesn't burn or it will become bitter. 

      Add a splash of wine and stir until any brown sediment is loosened from the pan. Add the dried basil if using it, and cook a few minutes more. Add the Alfredo sauce.

      Start cooking noodles according to package. 

      When sauce is bubbling, add the shrimp. Stir to coat shrimp with sauce, simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes to turn shrimp over, until all the shrimp are pink and cooked through. 

      When shrimp is done, turn off heat and season with salt and pepper. If using fresh basil, add it now. Mix with linguine noodles and serve. 

Farfalle with Sausage

I found this recipe on this website. It was really good and really easy to make.

Ingredients

- 5 1/2 cups farfalle (bowtie) pasta
- 5 sausages
- 4 liters baby spinach
- 1 1/2 onions
- 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp Parmesan cheese
- salt and ground pepper to taste

Directions

1. Coarsely chop the onions. Clean the baby spinach.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté 2-3 minutes with stirring.
3. Remove the skin from the sausage, then add the meat to the pan. Break the meat up using a wooden spoon, and cook 4-5 minutes until it looses its pink colour.
4. Cook the pasta
5. Pour the warm broth into the frying pan. Reduce 5 minutes until the broth is almost completely absorbed but the sauce is still moist.
6. Pour the drained pasta into the frying pan, then add the baby spinach. Add salt and pepper to taste, then sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Toss well and serve.

Changes
I didn't really change too much, but I did use a spicy Italian sausage instead of regular sausages and I also added a bit of half and half cream for a bit more in the sauce. I served it with garlic bread and salad, overall the dish was really good, but the next time I'll make it I may add more to the recipe as the servings weren't as big as was hoped to be.

Pasta With Vegetables

I made a regular pasta with some veggies in it this week for dinner, it was super tasty, and healthy! I found the recipe here.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup of olive oil
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups broccoli, lightly steamed or blanched
• 4 cups uncooked rotini pasta

Instructions:

1. Mix together the oil, vinegar, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil; add rotini and bring to a boil again. Cook until rotini is soft; drain well. Return the rotini to the pot.
3. While rotini is cooking heat oil in a frying pan and saute red bell pepper, green bell pepper, garlic and carrots. Cook until vegetables are softened. Place the broccoli in the frying pan and cook another 2 minutes.
4. Pour the cooked vegetables into the pot with the pasta. Pour the vinaigrette over the pasta and vegetables. Toss to distribute vegetables and vinaigrette evenly.

Changes:

I used a different type of noodle but other than that I didn't make any changes to this recipe, it tasted super yummy the way it was, although I could have added some more vegetables just to change it up a bit.

Three-Cheese Manicotti

I found the recipe here. This recipe tasted pretty good! The only changes I made was using cheddar cheese instead of mozzarella (because there was none left at my house).

Ingredients

8 

dried manicotti shells

Nonstick cooking spray

1 

cup chopped fresh mushrooms

3/4 

cup purchased shredded carrots

3 

or 4 cloves garlic, minced

1 

cup light ricotta cheese or low-fat cream-style cottage cheese

3/4 

cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese (3 ounces)

2 

eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 

cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 

teaspoons dried Italian seasoning, crushed

1 

(14.5 ounce) can Muir Glen® no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained

1 

cup bottled roasted red sweet peppers, drained and chopped

Directions

• Step1Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook manicotti shells according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water and drain again. Set aside.
• Step2Meanwhile, for filling, coat an unheated large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat over medium heat. Add mushrooms, carrots, and garlic to hot skillet. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or just until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Stir in ricotta cheese, ½ cup of the mozzarella cheese, the eggs, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning. Spoon filling into cooked manicotti shells.
• Step3For sauce, place undrained tomatoes in a blender or food processor. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Stir in roasted red peppers. Spread about 1/3 cup of the sauce into the bottoms of four 12- to 16-ounce ungreased individual baking dishes or a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Arrange stuffed manicotti shells in individual baking dishes or large baking dish, overlapping shells slightly if necessary. Pour remaining sauce over manicotti.
• Step4Bake, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes for individual baking dishes or 35 to 40 minutes for large baking dish or until heated through. Uncover and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Bake for 5 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
  

Post 8: Pasta!

Boil it, bake it, substitute it for something healthier!  This week you're cooking with pasta.

Baked Pasta with Spinach, Lemon, and Cheese

I found the recipe here. It was okay, but tated a little bland. The only chages I made was using penne noodles instead. I also just used parmasean cheese, and regular bread crumbs.

Ingredients

• 
  10 ounce casarecce pasta or fusilli (short twisted spaghetti)
• 1 (5-ounce) package fresh baby spinach
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cups chopped onion 
• 1.1 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/4 cup) 
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk 
• 1/2 cup dry white wine 
• 1 cup (4 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 
• Cooking spray 
• 3/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), divided
• Preparation
•  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
• 2. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 minutes or until almost al dente, omitting salt and fat. Remove from heat; stir in spinach. Let stand for 2 minutes or until spinach wilts. Drain pasta mixture well.
• 3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion; cook 15 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Add flour and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly with a whisk. Gradually add milk and wine; cook 8 minutes or until sauce boils and thickens, stirring constantly. Stir in 3/4 cup cheese, salt, and rind. Remove from heat; stir in pepper. Add pasta mixture to onion mixture, and toss gently to coat.
• 4. Spoon the pasta mixture into a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle half of panko breadcrumbs over pasta, and top evenly with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Sprinkle the remaining half of panko breadcrumbs over cheese. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

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