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Hi- I've been awful about posting to this blog in the last month. I've been doing a lot of raw food eating and preparing (can't say cooking) and have a blog set up for that:

www.rawhousewife.wordpress.com

I eat a cooked dinner most nights. Here are a few of the things I've made recently.

Tomato Basil Soup with fresh tomatoes instead of canned

Steak and Pepper Noodles - this is one of my husband's top 5 favorite dishes

Peanut Noodles. These were phenomenal!

Roasted Green Beans with Toasted Pine Nuts

This was the first time I had ever roasted green beans and OH MY, I will be doing it again. So good! Why have I been steaming them all this time when roasting gives them a slightly caramelized, smoky flavor? My 4 year old had about 4 helpings.

I put it over whole grain penne to make it a meal and topped with

Parmesan cheese. It would also be great as a side.

Ingredients:

1 lb green beans, trimmed

1/2 c diced onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tbsp olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Toasted Pine Nuts and 1/2 tsp lemon zest for topping

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425

2. Toss green beans, onions, garlic, olive oil and salt/pepper in a large bowl and transfer to a roasting pan (I used a large jelly roll/cookie sheet).

3. Roast ~10 min, or until tender and lightly browned.

4. Toss with pine nuts and lemon zest.

Bacon Mac with Green Onions

Modified from CookingLight.

This is a good example of a recipe where just a little meat goes a long way. The bacon adds such a delicious, smoky flavor. My kids found the green onions to be a little too strong, but my husband and I loved it.

Ingredients:

3 tsp salt

1 pkg whole grain penne

4 tsp flour

1.5 cups 2% milk

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar (works best if you shred your own)

1/4 c sliced green onions

Pepper to taste

3 slices bacon

Directions:

1. Cook bacon, drain, cool and crumble.

2. Cook pasta - slightly undercook (by a min or so)

3. Mix flour and 1/2 c milk in saucepan over medium heat. Slowly add 1 cup milk and bring to a gentle boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

4. Remove from heat and let stand about 4 minutes, or until it cools to 155 (I used a candy thermometer to gauge).

5. Stir in 1.5 cup cheese, a dash of salt, green onions, pepper and bacon.

6. Add pasta and stir gently until coated.

7. Spoon into a 2 qt broiler safe dish coated with cooking spray.

8. Broil about 6-7 minutes, or until bubbly.

2 grown up thumbs up, 2 kid thumbs down. I'll make it again for adults, but maybe make a second batch with no green onions for the kids.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Swiss Chard

I modified this recipe from FoodNetwork.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, trimmed and chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper
• 8 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 8 minutes.

2. Add the chard and saute until it wilts, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.

3. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, wine, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer until the tomatoes begin to break down and the chard is very tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Season the chard mixture, to taste, with salt and pepper.

4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the spaghetti.

5. Add the spaghetti to the chard mixture and toss to combine.

Transfer the pasta to serving bowls. Sprinkle the cheese and pine nuts and serve.

Peanut Ginger Noodles

Sauce:
6 Tbsp peanut butter
4 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sugar
2-3 Tbsp warm water (add as needed for consistency)
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp ginger (or use fresh)
3 cloves garlic, chopped

Noodles:
1/2 lb thin spaghetti
3/4 cup matchstick carrots
1 cup steamed broccoli
1/2 cup thinly diced red peppers

1. Put all sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Cook spaghetti, adding carrots for last 2 minutes.
3. Toss spaghetti with sauce, broccoli and red peppers.

Rating:
3/4 thumbs up (2 adult thumbs, 1 kid thumb)

Bowtie Pasta with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

I just made this (modified from Cooking Light) and everyone in my family loved it. Pretty quick too.

Ingredients
0.5-1 pound uncooked farfalle (bow tie pasta) - I used 3/4 a box
1 Tbsp butter
1 8oz pkg baby portabello mushroom, sliced
1/2 8 oz pkg sliced button mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine
2/3 cup whipping cream
1/4 c shredded parmesan or romano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley


Preparation
1. Cook pasta and drain.
2. While pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper; cook 12 minutes or until liquid evaporates and mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally.
3. Add wine; cook 2 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove from heat. Add the cooked pasta, whipping cream, cheese, and parsley, tossing gently to coat

Roasted Vegetable Lasanga

I made this tonight. It took eleventy-seven hours, but it was quite good. I followed the recipe, except that I used whole grain lasagna.

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=640301

Baked Pasta with Tomato Sauce and Vegetables

Also posted here....





This isn't a gourmet meal, but it makes a little meat go a long way and is kid friendly.

1/2 lb cooked and drained 90/10 ground beef - $1.50
1 16 oz box WW Rotini - $1.25
1 jar spaghetti sauce - $1.00
1 c diced carrot - $0.25
1/2 c diced onion - $0.25
1 diced red bell pepper - $0.50
1 c shredded mozzarella cheese - $0.75
1 small loaf french bread from Costco - $1.00

1. Saute carrot, onion and bell pepper in olive oil until soft and fragrant. Add ground beef and jar of spaghetti sauce, bring to a boil. Simmer 10 minutes or more.
2. Cook pasta.
3. Combine pasta and sauce in large casserole dish.
4. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
5. Top with cheese and bake another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.
Total: $6.50 (and we got two nights worth of meals out of it)

Penne with Rosemary Tomato Cream Sauce

Not too healthy, but oh so yummy!

Ingredients:
1 28oz can whole tomatoes
2 Tb olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 c heavy cream
1/4 c shredded Parmesan cheese
1 Tb butter
1 sprig rosemary, chopped finely

1 lb penne, cooked

Directions:
1. Slightly puree tomatoes and juice (I use my immersion blender)
2. Heat oil and saute garlic and rosemary for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes and cook until thickened.
4. Add cream and cook over low heat until sauce is thick enough to coat pasta.
5. Add cooked pasta to sauce and stir in butter and cheese.

Chicken with Orzo

Ingredients:

4 skinned, boned chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons butter
1.5 cup chopped green onions
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup diced ham
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 cup Chardonnay or other dry white wine
2/3 cup whipping cream
3 cups hot cooked orzo (about 1 1/2 cups uncooked)

Preparation
1. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan.
3. Add onions, carrot, ham, and garlic to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in broth and wine, scraping to loosen browned bits. Return chicken to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until chicken is done.
4. Remove chicken from pan with a slotted spoon; keep warm. Add whipping cream; cook, uncovered, over medium heat 8 minutes.

Mushroom Orzo

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp white wine
3-4 Tbsp vegetable broth (low sodium)
1 Tbsp soy sauce (low sodium)
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 8oz carton of mushrooms, quartered
2c hot cooked orzo (1 c uncooked)

1. Cook orzo.
2. While orzo is cooking, saute garlic in olive oil for 1-2 minutes over medium heat. Add parsley through mushrooms and cook 6-8 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.
3. Mix orzo with mushroom mixture.
4. Enjoy!