Creamy Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes & Asparagus

 

YOU NEED:

1 cup boiled pasta

1 handful chopped sundried tomatoes. olives and bacon bits welcome

1 tbs butter

1/4 cup milk or sour cream

salt, pepper, garlic

a bunch cooked asparagus

1 shallot if needed

finely chopped parsley or basil

1. blanch asparagus for 5 mins

2, boil pasta

3. melt butter in a pan, add garllic, shallots, then asparagus.

4. add milk or cream, pasta, herbs. let simmer

5. serve with parmesan

Sausage Spaghetti

STEPS:

fry up sausage

remove, fry mushrooms, peppers, and onion in rendered fat

boil pasta

add tomato sauce to fried mushrooms onions and sausage

garlic, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, etc. seasoning

add pasta. serve. with CHEESE

Merguez Linguine

No time for spaghetti. Try this amazing dish. 

YOU NEED:

2 Merguez [spicy lamb sausage]

2/3 cup linguine

a handful fresh chopped basil

a handful chopped sun dried tomatoes or fresh tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt, pepper, 2 cloves minced garlic

goat cheese or feta to garnish. 

 

Creamy Lemon & Crab Pasta

This is a great sauce for pasta and crab meat.

YOU NEED:

1 package crab or imitation.

a handful frozen peas.

1 cup boiled pasta

1 clove minced garlic

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup milk

salt, pepper, fresh parsley

juice of 1 lemon plus more for garnish

butter

1. boil pasta.

2. in a saucepan, heat up some butter. add milk and sour cream and simmer. add lemon juice. once warm, add crab and peas and simmer some more. season. 

3. serve on pasta!

Arugula Pesto & Tomato Pasta Salad

SLOPPY ARUGULA PESTO:

1 cup roughly chopped arugula

1.4 cup olive oil

4 tbs lemon juice

2 cloves minced garlic

salt

pepper

a handful parmesan cheese, grated

1. boil pasta, drain, cool

2. add cherry tomatoes [roasted, or not] to cold pasta, mix with arugula pesto

Curried Lamb Meatballs

These are great meatballs.

YOU NEED
500 grams ground lamb

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

2 egg yolks

1 tbs curry paste [tandoori, masala, vindaloo, etc]

chopped mint and or cilantro

MAKE BALLS. 

in the meantime, you can either make raita, or a simple curry sauce to serve on the meatballs.

pick your favourite curry, mix in 2 tbs with 1 cup fat-free plain yogurt and some indian spices. feel free to fry up some onion and veg too. 

1. fry meatballs until done. add curry sauce over and heat until done. garnish with some fresh herbs, serve on rice, with raita.

Chimichurri Sauce

This is great as a dip, side, or topping, Classic, from Argentina. 

YOU NEED:

• 1 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup (packed) fresh cilantro
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• OPTIONAL: a bit of lime juice, a bit of hot sauce. 

either all chopped SUPER finely, or put in a food processor. 

TRY IT ON STEAK!

Sweet Potato, Tofu Curry

A delicious and vegan! curry. 

YOU NEED:

sweet potato, cubed

firm tofu, cubed

2 green onions, chopped

2 tbs red curry paste

1/2 can coconut milk

fresh basil, chopped

chili pepper, minced

garlic,minced

ginger, minced

sesame oil

1. fry sweet potato and onion in sesame oil. add garlic and ginger.

2. add in tofu, curry paste, chili.

3. add in coconut milk, simmer. 

4. finally add in basil. serve on rice or noodles.

Canned Salmon Spaghetti

A can of salmon never looked so good. 

YOU NEED:

1 can salmon, drained. 

1 cup spaghetti, boiled

1/4 cup sour cream

1 tbs flour

1 tablespoon butter

garlic

onion

 pepper

fresh parsley if needed

1. boil spaghetti, drain

2. melt butter, add  flour, whisk till thick on low heat

3. add in garlic, onion, sautee till fragrant, add sour cream, salmon, pepper and parsley before serving.

4. serve on pasta.

Easy Garlic Tomato Paste Seafood Spaghetti

A lighter spaghetti.

YOU NEED:

seafood: shrimp, scallops, crab, lobster, or fish or a mix. 

1 cup boiled spaghetti or pasta

olive oil

3 cloves minced garlic

2 tablespoons tomato paste

some broth or water

salt, pepper

garnish with fresh herbs and cheese

1. sautee seafood in olive oil with minced garlic. 

2. toss in any veg you want, optional.

3. add in tomato paste and broth or water.

4. serve on boiled pasta, with cheese and parsley and salt, pepper

Vegan Spaghetti Sauce

This is actually delicious. Sorry vegans, most of your food....not so much.

BUUUUT. here it is.

MUSHROOMS!

BELL PEPPERS!

EGGPLANT? NO!

ZUCCHINI!

OLIVES!

RAPINI?

BROCCOLI?

dude, go crazy on the veg. it all works. 

THE SAUCE:

sautee the veg in garlic and olive oil.

add a can of canned tomatoes or your favourite tomato sauce. 

season with herbs! fresh basil, dry oregano, parsley, hot sauce, whatever.

Spicy Merguez Pasta Casserole

Very tasty pasta dish! Merguez is a tasty north-african spicy lamb sausage. 

YOU NEED:

1 cup al dente pasta

a bunch of cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup tomato sauce [add some red pepper flakes and garlic, maybe some fried onions, seasonings for extra yummy]

feta or goat cheese

fresh basil

2 fried merguez sausages

toss together and bake for 30 mins or until cheese has melted and browned,  at 375

Pico De Gallo

SOOOO EASY. Compliments  everything.

2 cups tomatoes (seeded and chopped)
1/4 cup red or green onion (chopped)
1 jalapeno (seeded and chopped)
1 clove garlic (chopped)
1 lime (juice)
1 handful cilantro (chopped)
salt and pepper to taste 

VARIATIONS?

add feta

add queso fresco

use habanero instead of jalapeno [HOT!!!]

add artichokes, cucumbers, or pickles

add some mango

add some black beans or refried beans

creamy: add sour cream

italian: add salami chunks and  cured meat

Low-Fat Shrimp & Broccoli Alfredo

Alfredo can be.... healthy? OMG!

yes, i've mastered the recipe for low cal alfredo. 

YOU NEED:

fettuccine or other noodles
2 tbsp butter, divided
3 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp flour
3/4 cup skim milk

1/4 cup sour cream [low-fat]

1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
broccoli florets
shrimp, peeled, raw
juice of 1 lemon

nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
ground pepper, to taste 

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. boil pasta.
2. Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a large, nonstick pan. Sautee garlic until fragrant. mix in flour, slowly and cook for a minute. Add milk and sour cream and cook until slightly thickened, stirring constantly.
3. When there is about 4 minutes left before the pasta reaches al dente, add broccoli florets to the pasta water with the pasta.
4. In a separate pan, cook shrimp in 1 tbsp of butter until pink, about 5 minutes. sautee with a bit of garlic, it's ok.
5. When sauce begins to thicken, add salt, lemon juice, pepper, nutmeg.
6. Drain pasta and broccoli and reserve some of the cooking water.
7. Add pasta, broccoli and shrimp to the sauce and stir to coat. Add pasta water, as necessary, to thin out the sauce.
8. top with extra cheese and black pepper! 

Shrimp Penne with Creamy Parmesan Sauce

GARLIC CHEESE AND SEAFOOD? ill take it. 

SAUTEE:

heat olive oil, add in 3 cloves minced garlic, mushrooms, peas, onion, and shrimp. cook until shrimp are pink. 

BOIL:

pasta, al dente, about 7 mins.

PARMESAN CREAM SAUCE: 

on low heat, simmer:

1/2 cup white wine, 1/4 cup sour cream, 3.4 cup parmesan, juice of 1 lemon, until melted and thick. STIR CONSTANTLY. DO NOT BURN.

ADD ALL TOGETHER:

in a saucepan. simmer. season with salt, pepper, chives, fresh parsley.

Southern Parsley Rub for Fish

A beautiful rub to bake or broil fish. Might work for chicken, I dunno.

YOU NEED:

• 1/2 cup fresh parsle, chopped finely
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon cayenne peppers spice, or a pepper if using food processor
• juice and zest of 1 lemon or lime
• salt and pepper.
• a food processor will make life easier. 

Croque Madame

YUM BEST BREAKFAST EVER.

YOU NEED:

2 slices bread

bechamel sauce

1/2 cup gruyere or emmental or swiss

2 large slices ham

1 egg

chives, salt, pepper

1. preheat oven to 400 F.

2. bread should be topped with prepared bechamel, ham, and cheese.

3. put another bread on and do the same. 

4. add more cheese, ham, and egg, and bake for 20 mins. 

5. add a fried egg and chives, salt and pepper.

 

Extra Gooey Mac n Cheese

ohhh boy.

METHOD FOR CHEESE SAUCE:

• Measure out equal amounts of butter and flour. [a roux]
• Dice the butter into small cubes and melt it in a saucepan over low heat.
• Once the butter is melted, begin whisking in the flour.
• When all the flour is incorporated, continue stirring and cooking for a few minutes
• If you're making a white or light-colored cheese sauce, keep the heat low so the roux doesn't brown.
• If the roux is hot, the milk should be cool, but if the roux is cool, the milk should be hot.
• Whisk the mixture until smooth, then add seasonings if you wish.maybe some nutmeg, maybe some garlic, maybe some pepper, but lay off the salt! cheese is salty enough,
• Allow the sauce to simmer until it gets to the consistency you want, then strain out any seasonings.
• Remove the pan from the heat and gently blend in the cheese. If the cheese doesn't seem to be melting, return the pan to very low heat, but watch it carefully and remove as soon as the cheese is melted.

WHAT KIND OF CHEESE?
all kinds, any kind, but keep in mind, some melt faster, some slower. 

IF TOO THICK, OR RICH: you can add milk, and reduce.

Thousand Island Dressing

NO MORE STORE BOUGHT CRAP!

YOU NEED [for a rather huge portion]

1 cup Mayo [hellman's, light is good]

1 large tablespoon chili sauce

chopped parsley

1 or 2 green onions, finely chopped

a few dill pickles, finely chopped

a few chopped capers

1 egg, hard boiled

a squeeze of lemon juice

[alternately... just throw it in a blender or food processor]

OPTIONAL

garlic

olives

bell peppers

tomato paste

season with salt and pepper.

Sweet Maple Salad

Great for summer, or if you are craving summer [like me]

YOU NEED:

Sliced avocado

sliced strawberries

rocket or arugula or spinach

slivered red onion

OPTIONAL: feta, croutons,  pecans or walnuts

MAPLE DRESSING: 

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large clove minced garlic

salt, pepper

a bit of lemon zest