Potato Enchiladas

Ingredients

3-4 pound potatoes, peeled and diced

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 pound fresh tomatillos, husks removed

1 large onion, chopped

1 bunch fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped, divided

12-15 tortillas

2 (15.5 ounce) cans pinto beans, drained

4 cups Pepper Jack cheese,

 Olive oil for frying

Directions

1.     Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). In a bowl, toss diced potatoes together with cumin, chili powder, and place in an oiled baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until tender.

2.     Meanwhile, boil tomatillos and chopped onion in water to cover for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Once cooled, puree with half of the cilantro until smooth.

3.     Mix potatoes together with pinto beans, 1/2 cheese, and 1/2 cilantro. Fill tortillas with potato mixture, and roll up. Place seam side down in an oiled 9x13 inch baking dish. Spoon tomatillo sauce over enchiladas, and spread remaining cheese over sauce.

4.      Bake for 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

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Orzo Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients

5-6 Tomatoes, chopped
2 zucchini, grated
1 onion, chopped
1 cup shredded pecorino romano, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
4 cups chicken broth
1/1/2 cups orzo
8 Sweet bell peppers (red, yellow, orange)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400*.  Combine tomatoes, zucchini, onion, cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper, in a large bowl.

Meanwhile, bring the chicken broth to boil, and add the orzo.  Cook for 4 min, the orzo will only be partially cooked.

Drain the orzo, reserving the broth and add the orzo to the large bowl with the vegetables.  Stir to combine.

Slice the tops off the peppers and remove all seeds.  Fill the bottom of a 9x13 pan with the remaining broth.  Fill the peppers with the vegetable mix and place them into the 9x13 pan.  Cover the dish and bake for 40 minutes.  Remove the foil sprinkle the top with cheese and bake until brown and bubbly, about another five minutes.  

Buon appetito!!

Shrimp Alfredo

For the Sauce:

2 lb fresh shrimp, cleaned and deveined, and butterflied
1 lb angel hair pasta

2 fresh diced tomato

6 -8 whole garlic cloves

1 shallot, diced

1 pint heavy cream

1 cup dry white wine

olive oil

5 -7 leaves fresh basil

1 cup parmesan cheese, finely shaved

For the coating for the shrimp:

milk

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, finely shaved

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

14 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

Pour enough olive oil in a large sauce pan to cover the bottom, turn to medium high heat. This is the only pot you'll need for the sauce so it should be big. Soak the shrimp in milk and combine the dry ingredients (flour,  cheese, salt, pepper, paprika). Coat the shrimp with the dry ingredients and let them fry in the olive oil, About 2 minutes per side until golden brown. The Flour that falls off the shrimp will add great flavor and consistency to the sauce. Add more oil as necessary, between batches of shrimp. Dab the shrimp with a paper towel, cover and set aside to keep warm.

Add the garlic to the oil, stir for a few minutes, then turn the heat to medium low. Now add the wine and bring it to a boil. Then turn the heat to low and cover, let the wine reduce, about 10-15 minutes.

In a separate pot, bring water to simmer. (for pasta later).

Add the cream, and bring it back to a boil, turn heat to low and simmer for 10 more minutes. While it is simmering dice your shallot and tomato, and chiffonade your basil. Now add the Basil, diced tomato, and remaining  Parmesan cheese. Stir for a moment then add the fried shrimp, and remove the pan from heat. The sauce will thicken as it cools.

Bring pasta pot to a boil and add angel hair and cook.

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Gnocchi with Zucchini Ribbons

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh gnocchi

2 tablespoons butter

2 medium shallots, chopped

1 pound zucchini, (about 3 small), very thinly sliced lengthwise

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Cook gnocchi until they float, 3 to 5 minutes or according to package directions. Drain. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until the butter is beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add shallots and zucchini and cook, stirring often, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, salt, nutmeg and pepper and continue cooking, stirring often, until the tomatoes are just starting to break down, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in Parmesan and parsley. Add the gnocchi and toss to coat.

Based on ...

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Quick Veggie Quesadillas

Ingredients:

6 large tortillas
1 can black beans, drained
1 can white corn, drained
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped, or substitute scallions
1 tbs garlic, minced
2 tbs lime juice
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar


Directions:

In a small glass bowl; microwave garlic and olive oil together for one min.  Ensure that you cover the bowl with a paper towel, it will splash! Combine beans, corn, peppers, and onions. Sprinkle with lime juice and olive oil, mix well.  Fill tortillas with bean mixture and sprinkle with cheese.  Fold in half and grill in pan or George Foreman grill, or Panini machine.  Serve with salsa or sour cream!


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Zucchini Soup

I normally love zucchini and sour cream in any sort of combination, but this just didn't do it for me.  But let me know what you think!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/4 pounds zucchini, roughly chopped

1 large onion, chopped

6 cups Summer Vegetable Stock

1/2 cup julienned basil

1 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Juice of 1 lemon

Sour cream or plain yogurt to top

Directions

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or stockpot, add zucchini and onion. Saute for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent and zucchini is crisp and tender. Then add stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat and partially cover and cook for 25 minutes. Add basil during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Mix the butter and flour together into a paste. Remove 1 cup of simmering stock and whisk in butter mixture until smooth. Add back into soup, stir until thickened. Remove soup from heat to a blender and puree until smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add lemon juice and serve with a dollop of sour cream or greek yogurt.

Buon appetito!!


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Eggplant Parmsean

Ingredients

• 2 medium eggplant (about 2 1/4 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch-thick round slices
• 5 cups fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Olive Oil for frying
• Flour for dredging
• 6 large eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 7 cups or two jars of your favorite marinara sauce
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan, divided
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

Directions

Arrange the eggplant slices on several baking sheets and sprinkle generously all over with kosher salt. Set aside to let the juices weep from the eggplant, about 1 hour.

Transfer the eggplant to a colander in the sink, and rinse well under cold running water. Transfer eggplant to a work surface and blot very dry with paper towels.  The more water you get out the better they will fry
In a large bowl, mix together the, breadcrumbs, oregano, and season with pepper.
In another medium bowl, whisk the egg and milk together. Dip it in the egg, and finally dredge it in the breadcrumb mixture. Shake off any excess breading and transfer the eggplant to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant. In a large straight-sided skillet, pour the oil to a depth of 1/2 inch. Heat the oil over medium heat until it registers 400 degrees F on a deep frying thermometer. (The oil must be heated to 400 degrees F. so that the breaded eggplant, when added, will drop the temperature of the oil to the proper frying temperature of 375 degrees F.)
Working in small batches, fry the eggplant slices, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and season with salt to taste. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly brush a 15 x 10- x 2-inch-baking dish with olive oil.  We are going to layer it like a lasagna.  Cover the bottom of the baking dish with 1/3 of the marinara sauce and arrange half of the eggplant over the sauce. Cover the eggplant with another 1/3 of the sauce. Scatter half of the Parmesan and half of the mozzarella over the sauced eggplant. Repeat with the remaining eggplant, sauce, Parmesan, and mozzarella. Bake until hot and just beginning to brown, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.  Buon appetito!!



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Radish Salsa

4-5 Medium Radishes, Chopped

1/2 Cup Cilantro, Chopped

1 English (seedless) Cumcumber, Chopped

6-7 Green Onions, Chopped

Lime Juice, Salt, Olive Oil to taste

Mix all and enjoy with some chips or mix it into hummus and dip with carrots!  Buon appetito!!



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Zucchini Pizza

Did you know August 4th is National -Leave Zucchini on your Neighbor's Porch- Day?  I didn't either, but I can see why it is!  I am overflowing with zucchini and tomatoes.... But I can't complain because it's all delicious!  While I cheated and bought the dough from a local Italian Bakery, it was whole wheat dough and delicious!

1 Lb Pizza Dough

3-4 Zucchinis, sliced

1 small onion, chopped

Olive Oil for Sauteing

2 Cups Pizza Cheese Mix (Mozzarella, Prove lone, Romano, Parmesan)

Italian Seasoning.

Saute the zucchinis and onions with olive oil in a large pan, until caramelized.  In the mean time let the dough come to room temperature (if it was in the fridge), and spread onto pizza pan/stone.  Lightly put some olive oil on top and cover with Italian spices.  Take the zucchini pan  and liberally spread veggies over pizza.  Top with cheese and bake on the top rack of the oven (so the cheese browns slightly) at 375* for 20 min, or until dough is firm and cheese is the right color brown.  Slice and Serve!  Buon appetito!! 

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Aaron's Corn Salsa

Ingredients:


1 package frozen sweet white corn, thawed
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup olive oil

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup fresh cilantro , chopped

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 cup celery, chopped
1/2 c Parmesan shredded

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Corn/Tortilla Chips for dipping

Directions:

Combine corn, black beans, peppers, onions and cilantro in medium size bowl, set aside.  Place garlic in microwave safe bowl, cover with olive oil and microwave for 20-40 seconds until almost hot (you are infusing the oil with the garlic flavor).  Sprinkle seasoning (salt, cumin, pepper) into the bowl, stir.  Pour olive oil and lime juice into the bowl, mix throughly.  Serve with chips.  Buon appetito!!

  

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Vegetable Marinara

So hearty and sweet even the meat lovers will be asking for more!

Ingredients

One large onion
1 1/2 cups carrots
1 ½ cups celery
¾ cup Italian parsley
4 cups crushed tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt (to your taste)
Extra virgin olive oil

Technique

Finely chop the onion, carrots, celery and parsley. In a large pot (I suggest a stock pot) sautè the chopped vegetables in olive oil for about 5-10 minutes until tender on a medium flame, without browning. Add tomatoes and salt. Simmer for 1 hour on low. Serve over your favorite pasta with ridiculously huge quantities of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Tips

§  About 10 minutes before the sauce is finished cooking, add a couple spoonfuls of red wine…Mamma mia, che buono!!!

§  Don’t have time to chop up carrots or want to add more veggies? Add in a few jars of stage 2 organic baby food. The more carrots the sweeter your sauce, try adding sweet potato puree!

§  Use for lasagnas, a minestrone soup base, or on your next homemade pizza!

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Scallops and Greens

Ingredients

1 lb large scallops, patted dry
1 container spring mix letuce
2 tbs butter
Salt
Pepper

Dressing:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup whole milk or cream
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbs Italian spices

Technique

In a saucepan melt the butter, meanwhile salt and lightly pepper the scallops on both sides.  Add the scallops to the pan once all the butter is melted.  Brown for 2-3 min each side.

While the scallops are browning whisk all the ingredients for the dressing and spoon over the lettuce mix.  Remove scallops from pan and place ontop of lettuce.  Serve with your favorite wine.  May I suggest a dry Riesling.
Buon appetito!


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Lemon Tarragon Peas

This is a really nice flavor combination.  The tarragon isn't too strong and the lemon adds a little brightness to it.  Yum!

Serves 4 adults as a side dish.  Takes about 15 minutes to cook from start to finish.

Ingredients:

16 oz. bag of frozen peas

1 t. sugar

1/2 t. salt

2 T. butter (I recommend using 1 1/2 T.)

1 t. minced fresh tarragon (or 1/2 t. dried)

1/2 t. grated lemon peel

1 t. lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

How:

Place peas, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan and add just enough water to cover.  Boil, then reduce and simmer for 6 minutes.  Drain

Return the peas to the saucepan and add all the remaining ingredients.  Stir until the butter is melted.  

Enjoy!

~Original recipe found on food.com

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Reggio Express

Ingredients

2 eggs
1 Morningstar Farms Veggie Sausage Patty heated and crumbled up.
1 tsp salsa
1 tsp sour cream
1 tsp chopped onions
cheese optional

Technique

Lightly grease a small saute or omlette pan and put on med-high heat.  In a small bowl combine the eggs, sausage patty and onion.  Cook your omlette to desired doneness, adding the cheese at the very end.  Remove from heat and fold over onto plate.  Top with salsa and sour cream.  Buon appetito!


This was loosely based on the Acapulco Express at First Watch, but my large Italian family is from Reggio Calabria, Italy :)

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Tomato Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

One Red Onion, thinly sliced
One English (seedless) cucumber, cut into strips
5-6 Roma Tomatoes, seeded and cut into wedges
Olive Oil and Red Wine Vinegar for drizzling
Salt and Pepper to taste

Technique:

Combine all ingredients, serve.  Like I said easy!!


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Vegetarian Tacos

These turned out yum!

Ingredients
1 package small corn tortillas
1 package Morning Star Crumbles
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 avacado sliced
1 can vegetarian re-fried beans
1 cup shredded cheese

Technique

I like to let the MS crumbles defrost a little before I heat them up with the taco seasoning.  In a small pan heat the beans.  After adding water to the mix according to package directions, heat the seasoning thru with the crumbles, in a saute pan.  Create your perfect taco and enjoy!  Buon appetito!


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Veggie Lasagna with Cream Sauce

This turned out MUCH better than previous veggie lasagnas!!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup melted butter
1/3 cup flour
3 cups milk
12 lasagna noodles
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1, 10 ounce package frozen spinach, thawed
16 oz ricotta
2 eggs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 - 2 tablespoons light Olive oil
8 ounces sliced or chopped mushrooms
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 cup finely chopped bell peppers
2 cups broccoli florets


Technique:
Preheat oven at 350.

For the white sauce:
Use a 1 quart saucepan to melt the butter with a low heat.
Stir in the flour and salt.
Cook over a low heat, stirring constantly, until bubbly.
Remove from heat and stir in the milk.
Heat to boiling. Boil and stir 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Cover and keep warm.

For the filling:
Combine spinach, cottage cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese,
basil, oregano, garlic powder and pepper together in a bowl
and set aside.

For the vegetables:
Cook the mushrooms, carrots, onions, bell peppers, and broccoli in a
frying pan with a little Olive oil until soft and tender. Set aside.

To assemble lasagna:
Place 4 noodles in the bottom of the pan.
Top with half of the cheese filling, 1 cup of the Mozzarella
cheese and then 4 more noodles.
Spread cooked vegetables on top of the noodles.
Then pour and spread half of the white sauce over top of the
vegetables. Place the remaining noodles over that.
Then spread the remaining cheese mixture on top of the noodles.
Sprinkle with the other 1 cup Mozzarella cheese.
Bake for 45 minutes.
Let stand 10 minutes before cutting to set.
Buon appetito!


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Pasta Primavera

This is one of my dinner stand-bys.  My wonderful and talented mother-in-law made it for me after I had baby #1 (or was it #2...hmmm!)

Adapted from: Giada De Laurentiis


Ingredients

3 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips
2 medium zucchini or 1 large zucchini, cut into thin strips
2 yellow squash, cut into thin strips
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs or herbes de Provence
1 pound farfalle (or choo-choo wheels if  you have toddlers)
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Technique

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

On a large heavy baking sheet, toss all of the vegetables with the oil, salt, pepper, and dried herbs to coat.  Bake until the carrots are tender and the vegetables begin to brown, stirring after the first 10 minutes, about 20 minutes total.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, about 8 minutes.  Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Toss the pasta with the vegetable mixtures in a large bowl to combine. Toss with the cherry tomatoes and enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve immediately.  Buon appetito!


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Shrimp Fried Rice

This is one of everyone's favorites!  Mine too because it takes minutes to prepare!


Ingredients
2 cups rice (cooked)
½ lbs shrimp (uncooked)
4 eggs
4 green onions (chopped)
3 tbs Olive or Sesame oil
1 tsp salt
1 tbs soy sauce

Technique
Saute the onions in oil, add shrimp and cook for two minutes, add salt. Beat eggs and add to shrimp, cook for one minute. Slide everything over to one side of the pan add some more oil to the empty side and add rice. Add salt and soy sauce until you have the taste you prefer. Buon appetito!


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Tortellini Salad

A delicious quick lunch!

Ingredients

2 lbs frozen cheese tortellini
1 lb broccoli florets
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 small red onion, chopped

Sauce:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup milk
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbs Italian spices


Technique

In a large pot boil water and cook tortellini according to package directions. Add broccoli when the tortellini has 3 more minutes to cook. Drain pasta and broccoli and run under cold water until cold. Pour into bowl and add tomatoes. Whisk all other ingredients together until thoroughly mixed and gently stir into pasta. Best served chilled. Buon appetito!







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