Zucchini Alfredo with (or without) Chicken

We were skeptical but this was reallllly good!  Adapted from allrecipes.com.

The recipe as provided was vegetarian and can easily be kept that way, but I had leftover chicken from the rotisserie earlier in the week that I added in.  My adaptations to the original added below-

Half of a 12 ounce package uncooked egg noodles
Vegetable oil for sauteeing
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 zucchini, sliced w/mandolin to matchsticks

1 summer squash, sliced w/mandolin to matchsticks

8-10 oz chopped chicken breast (optional)
1/2 cup milk
4 ounces reduced fat cream cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

Cook egg noodles according to package instructions.
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic, and cook 2 minutes. Mix in zucchini/squash, and cook 8-10 minutes, until some of the moisture has evaporated.
Pour the milk into the skillet, and stir in cream cheese until melted. 

Make sure hungry dog does not steal skillet

Mix in basil. Season with salt and pepper, serve over the cooked pasta.

Asparagus & Artichoke Pasta

We mixed up a great dinner with just a few random ingredients - the result of poor planning turned out to be a great and easy dinner!

1 bunch fresh asparagus
1 can artichokes, rinsed & quartered
1 medium onion, sliced
light olive oil
1/2 bag whole wheat pasta
salt and pepper
garlic powder or fresh
fresh grated parm to taste

Cook pasta as per package instructions.
Snap the ends of the asparagus off and break each spear into 3-4 pieces.  Add asparagus and onion to a med-hi saute pan containing ~2 tbsp olive oil.  Add salt and stir frequently.
Add quartered artichokes to pan once the asparagus is bright green and onions are almost cooked through.  Cook for a few minutes.
Toss pasta in with veggies, add more oil to have a light coating.
Serve with fresh grated parm cheese

Vegetable Udon Stir-fry

A great quick & easy meal prepared with any veggies you have!

Ingredients:
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups sugar snap peas
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup green peppers, chopped
1 small can bamboo shoots
(I also included leftover broccoli slaw)

1 package refrigerated Udon noodles (in vegetable section in my grocery)
1 tbsp House of Tsang, Hunan Smokehut Spicy Grill Sauce (This stuff is great and pretty spicy!!)

Heat sesame oil and veg oil over high heat.

Add the veggs that take longer to cook first (gr pepper, carrots, celery, onion, broccoli) and saute for about 2 minutes.  Then add peas, mushrooms, and bamboo shoots.

Warm noodles according to package and then mix in to the pan.  Add seasoning packet and water (I use less than they say, not to make it too watery).  Mix in and finally, add the Spicy Grill Sauce.  Mix thoroughly and enjoy!

Baked Eggplant Parm

A much healthier and still delicious version of the classic.

Ingredients:
1 medium - large or 2 small eggplants
Seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg, whisked
drizzle of EV Olive Oil
1/2 package pasta
pasta sauce

Rinse & cut up eggplant into large slices.
Dip each slice in the whisked egg and then coat with bread crumbs.  Place eggplant slices on greased cookie sheet.  Drizzle lightly with EV Olive Oil - this will help them brown.
Prepare pasta as per package instructions.  Heat sauce in separate pot.
Bake eggplant at 350 for approximately 45 minutes, turn up to 400 for a final 15 minutes.

Cavatelli with Broccoli & Crushed Red Pepper

This is a great quick dinner with few ingredients that you can whip together in no time!

Ingredients:
1 package frozen cavatelli pasta
1 large head broccoli or 1 pkg. frozen broccoli
~2 cloves garlic, crushed
EV olive oil
Parmesan cheese
crushed red pepper to taste

Cook cavatelli according to package instructions.
While pasta is boiling, heat oil and garlic in large saucepan and saute broccoli until cooked but still firm, stirring frequently.
When pasta & broccoli are done, mix together and add some more oil to coat.  Add Parmesan and crushed red pepper to taste (be generous w.the pepper!) and serve w/large salad.

Spinach & Mushroom Stuffed Shells

Stuffed shells were my favorite dinner as a kid, and it was what I always requested for my birthday dinner from my mom.  Come to find, it was Chris' childhood bday special request as well!  Therefore I can't believe that in the 2+ years we have lived here, I had not made them yet.  The time has come :)

I wanted to make them a little different; the plain ricotta & mozz shells are too boring for me these days!  I also like to get the nutrition of extra veggies in there.  I found this recipe on Allrecipes and made some changes but did not stray too far.  We eliminated the ground turkey because one of our dinner guests is a vegetarian.  These shells were a big hit!  They were really delicious, this recipe is definitely a keeper!

You will need:

1 box of jumbo shells

1 large jar pasta sauce.  I like :

(We used the larger, "Family Size" jar)
8 oz organic mushrooms, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
3-4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (**This is important, get fresh!!)
1 and 1/2 - 15 oz containers of Ricotta cheese
1 (8 ounce) package mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.  *Try to time it that they are not sitting waiting to be stuffed long, they can get stuck together and therefore get hard to work with.  Keeping cold water slowly running on them in the strainer helps.
In a large heavy skillet saute mushrooms, garlic and onions. 

Season with salt and pepper. 

Remove from heat, and stir in spinach, parsley, ricotta cheese, and mozzarella cheese.

Stuff the cooked shells with the mixture, and place in a 9x13 inch baking dish. 

Cover with tomato sauce, and sprinkle top with mozzarella cheese.
Cover with foil, and bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.

Remove foil and cook for another 10-15 minutes.