Last Minute Lemon Noodles

Sometimes its hard when you get home late to throw something together for dinner, especially if you haven't been to the market in a while. I found myself in a similar situation the other night with many odds and ends left in the ice box and this is what came together for me. It took about 14 minutes (or the time needed to boil water and soften noodles. For bariatric patients, you probably won't be able to tolerate the Kami Japanese noodles so I would recommend the Shirataki noodles that can be found in the produce section of your local grocer as they do not expand.

Serves 2 people or 3-4 bariatric patients

1-8oz package Kame noodles (or 2 packs Shirataki noodles)
3/4 cup leftover butternut squash (or frozen butternut squash cubes or puree)
1 tomato diced
1 cup lettuce (or spinach) cut to desired size
1/2 cup cucumber chunks
juice and pulp from half a lemon
1/2 cup grated/shredded Parmesan cheese
fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon mushroom-sage infused olive oil + 3 tablespoons regular extra virgin olive oil (you can use all plain EVOO if you don't have a stash of infused oils at home)

1. Boil water and cook noodles. NOTE: if using Shirataki noodles they are already cooked you are putting them in boiling water to heat and get rid of the smell this takes 1 minute only
2. Meanwhile put all vegetables in bowl (make sure you have microwaved the squash so that it is warm)
3. Strain noodles and put in bowl on top of vegetables. Top with oil, cheese, lemon, black pepper. Stir to combine.

ENJOY!!!

Ricotta Gnocchi

Gnocchi are little dumplings served more like an Italian pasta with sauce then like a Polish dumpling which would be stuffed. Well made gnocchi are soft, light in texture, but rich in flavor from the egg used to make them. More times then not, you will see them made from potato, but ones made from ricotta cheese are my favorites and might be the most favorite thing that I make for my friend Leia. This one's for you Lady Leia! (My bari friends, this is probably not appropriate for you, as they are a bit chewy and can come out heavy.)

1 pound ricotta cheese
1 cup (approx) all purpose flour
1 egg
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. Place a fine grain strainer in a bowl (be sure the strainer doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl). Dump the ricotta into strainer. Cover and let sit in ice box for 1 hour to remove any excess liquid from cheese. Discard any excess liquid.
2. Put ricotta in bowl, add 1/2 cup flour and all other ingredients. Mix dough (be sure to use only one hand so that you keep the other hand clean/dry. Add more flour as you mix dough until you can form it into a ball that holds its shape, but that is still sticky. I frequently will use more then the 1 cup of flour to do this. Once dough is formed. Cover it in the bowl and chill in ice box another 30 minutes.
3. Remove from ice box. Divide dough into 4 equal sized portions. Starting with one portion, roll it into a log shape that is about the size of penny in diameter (you will need to dust the counter top with flour to be able to do this). Once you have it rolled into a dowel looking like object, cut the gnocchi about 1/2" wide. Place each little gnocchi in rows on a cookie sheet dusted with flour. Repeat until all gnocchi are cut. Cover and place in ice box until ready to cook (up to 24 hours).
4. To cook - boil a pot of water (like you would for pasta). On the burner next to the water set up your next cooking station which is a saute pan with about 1 tablespoon of butter in it. Working in batches, place some of the gnocchi into the boiling water, DO NOT STIR (when you do this, turn on the heat under saute pan to medium and let butter melt and heat up). Let gnocchi cook for about 4 minutes, if you do not see them starting to rise to surface take a spoon and carefully scrape it across the bottom of pan to release the gnocchi. As they start to rise to the surface, remove them from water with a strainer or slotted spoon and place into melted butter. You will let them brown in the butter on all sides and then they are ready to be put into ta serving dish. Now put more gnocchi into water as the first batch is browning, repeat these two steps, adding more butter to the pan for each browning session until all gnocchi are cooed. (I like to have a helper at this point to brown the gnocchi - this is usually Leia's job! so that the browning gnocchi don't burn and so that the boiling ones don't overcook).

Serve with a sauce like a meat ragu or with roasted vegetables
ENJOY!

Pasta Taste Test

As part of a recent cooking demo, I decided I would do a taste test of of the so-called ‘better for you pastas’. Now in all honesty, I do not believe that pasta, or carbohydrates in general, is what is making Americans fat, so it is hard for me to sit around and berate pasta as the end-all enemy. However, people do eat far to much pasta far to often and so one can speculate that they are consuming a huge number of calories which aren’t nutrient dense, and that this is where the problem truly lies. Never fear Americans, our savvy Capitalist companies have found the answer with value added pastas. Now of course it depends on what you are looking for; high fiber, high protein, high vitamins, whole wheat taste, whole wheat without the whole taste - the options seem endless, so we put 3 different kinds to the test: Barilla Plus, Ronzoni Smart Taste, Barilla White Fiber. Experiment Disclaimer: I bought each brand in a different shape so it was easy for me to identify what was being taste tested – there may be people in the tasting pool who are discriminatory towards certain shapes.

About 3/5 of the audience liked the Barilla Plus (yellow box) the best. They commented that it had a nice texture and wasn’t overly ‘wheaty’ or ‘grainy’ but that it did have a slightly different taste from regular pasta which wouldn’t compromise the taste of sauces.

The rest of the audience liked the Ronzoni Smart Taste (which is my favorite of the 3 as well). It is the same color and texture as regular pasta, though it can be overcooked more easily then regular pasta can be. The people who did not like the Smart Taste, said that it was to soft, thus they must be true aldente pasta lovers!

No one (except 1 staff member) liked the Barilla White Fiber. They found to soft, mushy, and without texture. The White Fiber is the newest of the three products and it definitely has some tweaking to go before it becomes a consumer favorite. It easily breaks down in the pot and in your mouth, probably because the added fiber makes the shape of the pasta very delicate once it has started absorbing water, and the nature of granulated fiber (think Metamucil) is to absorb water and dissolve - not something that is super sexy for pasta.

What’s the moral of my story? If you are going to eat pasta less then 1x/week and not a lot of it, just buy the regular/real stuff. If you are concerned that you will go overkill with your portions, buy the fresh pasta, it is a little denser and people tend to eat a smaller portion of it because it sits heavier in the stomach.

Happy Cheesing!

White Bean and Cauliflower Alfredo

We made this recipe at support group the other night and put it over spaghetti squash - BIG HIT! So I thought I would share it for all those who could not make it that night. Thanks to Paul for the demo (I did soup-up your recipe a bit, hehe)!

1 sweet onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, copped
1 15oz can cannellini beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup skim milk
1 cup cauliflower florets
½ cup marscapone cheese
Salt and pepper as needed

1. Put on a small pot of water at high heat until water reaches a boil, add cauliflower and cook until very tender
2. Heat olive oil in sauté pan, add onion and garlic and cook until translucent.
3. While onions are cooking, strain and rinse beans. When onions are cooked add beans to pan for 2-3 minutes to heat.
4. Remove cauliflower from water and place in blender. Add onion and beans. Pulse the blades a few times, then add milk and blend until smooth. Then add marscapone and blend until incorporated. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Spoon over pasta or spaghetti squash

ENJOY!!

Pesto Sauce - Big Ter's Famous Recipe

Big Ter's pesto is always a hit due to its bright green color, cheesy-garlic flavor and lack of oiliness that plagues store bought varieties. Like any other housewife recipe, there leaves room for interpretation (IE she says to me "well if I don't like the taste I will add more garlic" or "I use more then 1/2 a cup of pine nuts but never fill it to 2/3 full"). Never fear though, I have made it off of her directions and it comes out just fine! Try to get the basil from a farmers' market, you will get more for your money and it will be fresher and more flavorful!

Enjoy on pasta or spread on sandwiches!

You will need a food processor with at least a 4 cup bowl.

3 cups packed, washed, basil leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (she actually just uses the Kraft)
1/2 - 2/3 cup pine nuts
7-8 grinds of black pepper
pinch of salt (no more then 1/8 teaspoon)
4 cloves of garlic
1 cup of olive oil (we don't use the extra virgin for this recipe)

1. Add all ingredients into the food processor except the oil.
2. Turn on food processor, and as it is grinding, stream in all the oil.
3. Allow processor to run until pesto is completely pureed (you will actually hear the processor change gears, when this happens, pesto is done!)
4. Store in pint or half-pint containers, with some olive oil drizzled on top. You can freeze the extra containers of pesto to use later, as this recipe will yield more then 1 pint sized container.

ENJOY!!

Agnolotti? Don't mind if I do!

On a recent trip to NYC I had promised my host that I would make us dinner one of the nights I stayed with her. Though busy at work all week, I had plenty of time to figure out what I was craving as I sat in Friday rush hour traffic infront of the GW bridge, which if you have ever frequented, is a huge pain in the ass.

I wanted something creamy and cheesy but no overwhelmingly heavy. What I decided on was a knockoff (yes I'll proudly admit it) of a dish I had many years ago at Fahrenheit.

-1 pound Agnolotti (the half moon shaped ravioli - I got ones filled with Pesto and cheese, you could choose most any filling)
-Marscapone Cheese (truth be told, I don't know how much it was, the store had a big container and a small container, I used the big one which was about 1.5 cups)
-1/2 cup fat free, low sodium chicken broth
-1 tablespoon fresh thyme
-salt and pepper
-1 cup cherry tomatoes
-teaspoon olive oil

1. Boil the water - add about 1 tablespoon salt - dump in agnolloti and cook until done about 6 minutes
2. Heat over medium heat, olive oil in pan, add thyme leaves, cook about 30 second to 1 minute
3. Add marscapone cheese and stir until it all melts and spreads thin, then add chicken broth, stirring to combine.
4. Season with salt and pepper
5. Add tomatoes and then when agnolloti are tender, drain them and add to sauce.
6. Cook together another 6 minutes stirring regularly so that sauce does not burn and all items are heated throughout. You would like for the tomatoes to pop open a little bit also.

I served with a hearty loaf of bread and a platter of roasted vegetables (porchini mushrooms, red & yellow bell peppers, asparagus) and a soft, slightly acidic Chardonnay to cut the fat from the cheese.

Forget the Tomato sauce....

Lasagna is a favorite winter dish for many people. It is warm, with gooey melted cheese and it fills you right up after a long day of shoveling out your life post-winter storm in the great state of Taxachussets. This veggie lasagna has been quite a hit recently. Forget the typical spinach and broccoli, this one has a new twist on the vegetable component. Leave the tomato sauce behind too, it does nothing but stain your clothes anyway. Creating a pesto-ricotta mix as a filling layer gives this lasagna a memorable flavor profile.

Give it a shot! Cut up what remains and freeze in Tupperware for an easy nuke-to-table lunch or dinner!

1 - 16 oz box lasagna noodles
1 pint part-skim ricotta
1 pint fat free cottage cheese
1 pound part skim mozzarella cheese, sliced (set aside 6 slices for top)
1 medium butter nut squash
1 cup pesto sauce
4 portabella mushroom caps + stems
2 large cloves garlic
1 cup fine diced red onion
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 cup fat free chicken broth
2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Boil water. Add 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Add noodles to water and stir. Cook about 8 minutes until tender. Strain and rinse with cold water. Lay noodles out in a checker board fashion so they don't stick together.
2. Peel and deseed the butternut squash. Cut up squash and place in pan with steamer lift on bottom. Fill bottom of pot with water, cover with lid. Place on stove and turn onto high. When water boils turn heat down to med-low and let steam until squash is soft. When squash is soft, remove steamer lift from pot and dump squash into food processor. Puree - add salt and pepper and mix again. Then set aside in a bowl.
3. Chop up garlic and onions.
4. Heat oil in large sauté pan over medium heat. Drop garlic and onions into oil and let sweat until translucent. Meanwhile chop up mushrooms. When onions are translucent add mushrooms and stir. Sprinkle with ground black pepper and salt and sage - mix. Cook until mushrooms have released most of their moisture and turned deep brown on all sides (volume will be reduced by at least 1/2).
5. In the food processor, mix the ricotta, pesto, and cottage cheese together. Set aside.
6. Get an 11x13 Pyrex baking dish. Spray with Pam. Sprinkle the chicken broth over the bottom. Lay 3 noodles down, side by side, across the bottom. Top with pesto cheese mixture, then some squash puree, then some of the mushroom mixture. Lay down another three noodles like before. Layer pesto-cheese, squash and mushrooms like before. Then add mozzarella slices. Top with noodles - continue until you have filled the pan. The last layer of noodles should only be topped with pesto-cheese mix and then with 6 slices of mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 50-60 minutes.
ENJOY!!!!

Creamy Fettuccine with Sea Scallops

You want the scallops good and seared on the outside like the ones in this photo. Done under very high heat the inside will stay moist and they will crisp up outside quickly!

8 oz spaghetti (Barilla Plus has good flavor and lots of fiber and protein)
1 pound, large sea scallops
salt & pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 8oz bottle of vegetable or chicken stock
1 cup skim milk
3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
3 cups asparagus (cut into 1" pieces)
3/4 cup finely shredded manchengo cheese
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

1. Cook pasta as normal in boiling water. When there is about 1 min left until pasta is done, drop asparagus into water to blanch. Drain when done.
2. Meanwhile, pat scallops dry, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Heat oil in saute pan over high heat - you want the pretty darn hot.
4. Whisk flour, milk and some salt and pepper in a bowl until smooth.
5. Heat stock in a sauce pan. Whisk milk mixture into warm stock, continue stirring constantly at a simmer for 1-2 minutes until thickened.
6. Oil should be hot, place scallops into hot oil (be careful oil will splatter) flat side down. Let cook 1-2 min, flip cook 1 min more.
7. Mix pasta, sauce, and scallops together with lemon juice, lemon zest, cheese and thyme. Toss to combine.
ENJOY!1

Penne with Bok Choy and Spicy Sausage

Bok Choy, or Asian Cabbage, is high in potassium and Vitamins A & C and it tastes pretty darn good too (with out the super gaseous effects of regular cabbage)!!

1 pound Bok Chok (baby Bok Choy preferred)
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
8 oz penne pasta (I like Barilla Plus-it has good flavor and more protein & fiber!!)
2 spicy Italian chicken sausages or high quality andouille sausage
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper
1 cup reserved pasta water

1. In small sauce pan cover sausages with water and boil until cooked - about 7 minutes - remove from pan and let cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile bring water to boil for pasta. Once water is boiling, drop bok choy in to cook for 1 minute. Remove Bok Choy from pot, rinse in cold water to preserve color, and then dump pasta in to cook.
3. Heat oil in saute pan over medium heat. Add garlic, red pepper, salt and pepper. Let cook until fragrant - tops of 5 minutes - you don't want garlic to burn!
4. While garlic is sauteing, roughly chop up sausages and bok choy into large chunks.
5. When pasta is almost cooked, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.
6. Mix vinegar, sausage and bok choy in with the garlic oil.
7. Drain pasta and combine with bok choy in saute pan. Add about 1/2 cup of the reserved water. Toss to coat pasta and mix well with other ingredients.
ENJOY!!

Craving Lasagna??

I have been craving lasagna for probably a whole week at this point and so I only see it fit to share a recipe with you for this unrelenting craving.

This was a favorite lasagna recipe with the group of mums who attended my cooking class through Share our Strength. I hope you will enjoy it as well!

8 servings - cost approximately $1.40-$2.00 per serving (depending on brands and size of items bought)

1 - 8oz package whole wheat lasagna noodles
3 cups fresh spinach
1/2 pound button mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large zucchini, cut into half moon shapes
1 - 28oz can crushed tomatoes, no added salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
8 oz block mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese
pinch of nutmeg (take the 1/8 teaspoon and fill it about 1/3 full)
1 large egg
Cooking spray

Heat oven to 350

1. Cook noodles in boiling water until al dente - strain and spray with cold water to cool
2. Saute mushrooms, zucchini and garlic together until vegetables are soft but not mushy
3. In a food processor combine (or can be mixed in bowl by hand) cottage cheese, ricotta, nutmeg, basil, oregano, salt and pepper, and the egg until well mixed and creamy
4. Shred the block of mozzarella into a bowl
5. Coat a baking dish with cooking spray (I do appreciate a good Pyrex dish)
6. Spread a 1/3 - 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes on the bottom of dish
7. Place 3 noodles across the bottom of the dish
8. Coat noodles with 1/2 cup ricotta cheese mixture, 1/3 of the shredded mozzarella, 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes, half of the spinach, and half of the mushroom/zucchini mix
9. Place 3 more noodles down, on top of the noodles finish the ricotta mix, finish the vegetables and spinach, use 1/3 of shredded cheese, and 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
10. Place down 3 more noodles, top with remaining crushed tomatoes and remaining shredded cheese
11. Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes to 1 hour
12. Remove from oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving

ENJOY!!! with a mixed greens salad or fresh sliced pineapple perhaps :)

Nutritional Breakdown (approximate per serving):
32o calories, 13 grams fat (saturated 6 grams), 7 grams fiber, 19 grams protein, 34 grams total carbohydrates

New Day, New Way - Tortellini Salad

This is a great summer alternative to those oily pasta salads that usually surface at the family/friend BBQs :)

1 package dried tortellini (I use Barilla Cheese Filled)
2 cups quartered crimini mushrooms
2 slices bacon
2 cups fresh arugula
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard
salt and pepper
grated Romano cheese

1. Heat oven to 375
2. Cook bacon in saute pan over medium heat until VERY crispy (about 30 min), once cooked let drain on paper towel
3. Cook tortellini according to package directions (about 8 minutes)
4. Place quartered mushrooms on a foil-lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, roast in oven until tender and juices start to show on foil (about 15 minutes)
5. In a cup whisk together olive oil, vinegar, mustard, dried basil, salt and pepper
6. When tortellini is al dente, strain
7. Mix together tortellini, mushrooms (and the emitted juices), chopped parsley, arugula, bacon (crumble it into the bowl) and dressing
8. Serve with grated Romano cheese
ENJOY!