Another Dish from the Fridge - Baked Vegetarian Pasta - Again

There is no comfort food better than pasta!  Almost any vegetable and some fruits can meld together to make a nice savory dish!

The fact that the cold wintry weather is upon us in Minnesota nudges more of us to think pasta.. Being the fact that spring will arrive, also makes me think “watch it!” 

There is nothing worse than not being able to fit into any of the spring or summer clothes.  Also, too much ‘junk in the trunk’ is not exactly pleasant to carry around.

There were vegetables in the fridge that I had not decided what to use them in.  If I see nice zucchini and eggplant, I will buy some.   Then I decide how to use them.  That is probably not a good way to buy groceries, but it works for me.  I always eat the veggies that I buy.

So often, fresh veggies aren’t the best during the winter months, so I get them when I can get good looking ones.  Of course, I can always drive over to Whole Foods about 8 miles away compared to less than a 3 mile radius for several grocers nearby.

My pasta dishes aren’t really recipes, just what is on hand and how I mix it up.

So this is the dish as prepared.


The ‘Sauce’
2 tbsp garlic infused olive oil
3 small zucchini, thinly sliced
2 large red peppers, thinly sliced, cut into half inch pieces
1/2 large green pepper, thinly sliced, cut into half inch pieces
Bottled Italian Dried herb mix
1 tsp Mrs. Dash seasoning mix
1/2 tsp cumin spice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 can chopped tomatoes
Basically, Sauté the vegetables just until peppers are just beginning to lose crispness. Stir in the can of tomatoes and heat until hot. The ‘sauce’ may be refrigerated up to 3 days prior to making the pasta dish.






After the 'Sauce' was complete

Pasta Dish


4 ounces Multigrain Penne
1/2 large eggplant cooked and cut into cubes
1 cup cooked baby bellas
1 cup 2% cottage cheese
15 ounces v8 juice
1/2 to 3/4 cup shredded real Parmesan cheese
Final Topping
about 1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Steps


Spray a large casserole dish with oil spray.  spread penne over bottom of dish.  pour half of v8 juice into dish.
Layer the dish in this order
half of pasta sauce
egg plant
cottage cheese
mushrooms
remainder of sauce
Parmesan cheese









Cover and bake at 350F for 1 hour.



Remove cover, sprinkle Mozzarella cheese over top, return to oven for about 10 minutes to melt the cheese







Remove, allow to sit about 10 minutes,

So who’s counting calories?   Not me…..

Serve








Basically add what you have, including spinach, artichoke hearts, sliced black olives.

Enjoy!

Cooking for One or Two - Quick Lunch or Dinner - in Less Than 45 Minutes

With the holidays coming up, there hasn’t been much time to think about meals.  Pizza has been in the planning for two weeks, yet no pizza!

I am beginning to hate left-overs, so I try to cook accordingly.  Today, I needed to quickly fix something to eat that would not give me that over-stuffed feeling as I am trying to eat lightly before the holidays (yes holidays! Christmas and New Years).

Don't you just love those small (8-inch)plates?



The meal today consists of the following with  shaved Parmesan cheese

Mediterranean "Style" Tomatoes


I love fresh tomatoes, but are a bit timid about eating them raw out of season.  So, I have a quick way to drop them in olive oil with basil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, etc. and sauté on high heat until the skin just begins to pop. A little spray of Balsamic vinegar finishes off the dish.

These were left a little too long as the skins are wrinkling a bit.  They are still good, even if not as pretty!




Veggie Topping


1/4 cup each: cooked baby bellas, cooked eggplant,  diced red peppers, jarred artichokes and spices sautéed in garlic-infused olive oil



Cooked Pasta
- rinsed and tossed in olive oil

There is also a similar post

World Pasta Day - Pasta topped with Tomato Sauce and a medley of vegetables, Olives and Shaved Parmesan Cheese

World Pasta Day - Pasta topped with Tomato Sauce and a medley of vegetables, Olives and Shaved Parmesan Cheese

Ever wondered what to do with lots of cherry tomatoes?  Make pasta sauce...

This is a meal that is light, yet satisfies the taste buds.  The pasta used surprisingly is delicious, even without the sauce.

When first going gluten-free, I ate so much starchy rice pasta that I removed all from the pantry.  Now I add it back in small amounts because I honestly do love all kinds of pasta!

The complete meal is listed as each part is prepared

Pasta topped with Tomato Sauce and a medley of vegetables, Olives and Shaved Parmesan Cheese

Ingredients

Cherry Tomato Pasta Sauce

16 oz cherry tomatoes

1 cup chopped green peppers

1 cup chopped sweet peppers

1/2 cup sliced baby bellas, cooked

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup water

1 Tbsp dried herb mix (mixture of thyme, marjoram, basil, chives or tarragon)

2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp dried basil or 2 tbsp crushed fresh basil (frozen basil)

Pasta

6 ounces Tinkyada Fettuccini Style PAD THAI, cooked according to package, drained and tossed with oil

1 tsp olive oil (for pasta)

Vegetable Medley

1/2 small eggplant, unpeeled, cubed, cooked in olive oil

1/2 cup chopped green pepper, diced

½ cup chopped sweet peppers, diced

1 cup baby bellas, diced

6 oz artichoke hearts, drained, chopped

Additional Toppings

3 ounces Black olives

4 tbsp shaved Parmesan Cheese

Procedures

Sauce

1. Place tomatoes in skillet with olive oil, garlic, peppers and sauté until skins begin to slip off tomatoes. Stir and cover for about 2 minutes.

 

2. Add cooked mushrooms, water and stir.  Turn heat to medium, cook for about 2 minutes.  Turn heat off and allow cooling.

 

3. Pour mixture into a food processor and pulse until smooth.

Makes about 3 cups thick sauce

Pasta

Cook pasta according to package.  Drain and toss 1 teaspoon olive oil into it.

Vegetable Medley

Place 1 tbsp olive oil in iron skillet, turn heat to high, then add eggplant, peppers and bellas. Sauté until all are tender. 

 

Reduce heat to low, add artichoke hearts with basil and allow to simmer to heat the artichoke

 

Serve it up!

Place pasta on plate, place a serving of sauce in center of pasta, Top with the vegetable medley, sprinkle about a tablespoon of shaved Parmesan cheese and place a few slices of black olives on top.

 

And of course there is still room for dessert!

Servings: 4

Nutrition Facts  for 4  (minus the dessert)

Nutrition (per serving): 454 calories, 14.7g total fat, 5.4g monounsaturated fat, 1.1g polyunsaturated fat, 2.6g saturated fat, 4.4mg cholesterol, 67.9g carbohydrates, 11.8g fiber, 56.1g net carbohydrates, 11.8g sugar, 1.4g fructose, <1g galactose, 1.3g glucose, <1g sucrose, <1g maltose, 573.8mg sodium, 2390.3mg potassium, 16.4g protein, 137.2mg calcium, 2098.6IU vitamin a, <1mg vitamin b6, 18.3mcg vitamin b12, 133.6mg vitamin c, 0IU vitamin d, 1.9mg vitamin e, 11.7mcg vitamin k, 3.7mg iron, <1g lysine, 38.8mcg selenium, <1mg thiamin, 2.5mg zinc.

Pasta Dish - from the Fridge

This is a great way to make a pasta dish without all of the extra starch. When vegetables and low-fat cheeses are added, the need for that pasta gets satisfied without the carb overload. Next to chocolate, pasta is my favorite food.
This is a way to use those small amounts of food from the refrigerator. Left-over make-overs usually taste better than the original dish as the flavors have merged. This dish has a good dose of protein, potassium and iron.
The amounts do not have to be exact; just give it your best shot. A gluten-free brown rice penne was used in this dish. Any pasta in bite sizes will work for this dish. The idea is to not overload the dish with starches, thus the small amount of pasta. Any type of legume (bean) can be used; the taste will vary according to the bean. Black, pinto, brown or red kidney beans work best in this dish.

Pasta Dish - from the fridge
Ingredients
• 1 cup sautéed spinach
• 1/2 cup sautéed sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup sautéed sweet peppers
• 1 cup canned beans (equal amounts of black and garbanzo), rinsed, drained and crushed
• 2 ounces uncooked pasta (penne, macaroni, etc)
• 1 15 1/2 oz can stewed tomatoes with peppers, onions, etc
• 1 Tbsp freeze dried salad or Italian Herb mix
• 1 Tbsp dried salt-free Italian spices
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic or dried onion flakes
• 1/2 cup small-curd cottage cheese(2%)
• 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup mozzarella, shredded, optional
do not add additional salt

Procedures
• Spray a baking dish with oil spray.
• Mash the beans, just to crush them, not pureed.
• Open the stewed tomatoes and drain the liquid into the crushed beans.
• Puree the tomatoes in a food processor with the spices. (A small food processor works fine here)
• Spread the pasta over the bottom of the dish
• Place about half of the spinach over the pasta.
• Dollop the cottage cheese over the dish
• Place about half of the peppers and mushrooms over the dish
• Stir the beans and spread it over the dish
• Place the remainder of the spinach over the dish
• Sprinkle the Feta cheese over the dish
• Place the remaining ingredients (mushrooms, peppers) over the dish
• Cover with the pureed tomatoes
• Using a fork or spoon, Push down on the edges to move the sauce down into the dish.
• Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350F for about 45 minutes covered and 15 minutes uncovered. You may need to push down the contents of the dish if the liquids are on top.
• Remove from oven and top with the mozzarella, if desired. Allow to cool about 1/2 hour before serving, so the dish will absorb most of the remaining juices.

Great for make-ahead dishes. Refrigerate and re-heat in serving size amounts.

Servings: 4
Yield: 4 meals suitable for lunch.

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition (per serving): 276 calories, 9.6g total fat, 1.8g monounsaturated fat, 2.4g polyunsaturated fat, 3.2g saturated fat, 14.8mg cholesterol, 519.9mg sodium, 770.2mg potassium, 37.9g carbohydrates, 8.4g fiber, 29.5g net carbohydrates,  8.9g sugar, 13.9g protein, 4.8mg iron.

Ricotta or additional Feta can be substituted for the cottage cheese.

Salt and Pepper to Taste - and awards

Everyone has seen the instructions in a recipe ‘season to taste’ or ‘salt and pepper to taste’. Well today, I made a pasta dish that I have made numerous times. I do not know where the recipe is or if I have ever had a recipe.

I had plans to make the dish that has a vinaigrette type sauce. It always has artichokes, sweet peppers, fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic and olives.

I took the cherry tomatoes out and sliced them in half, also sliced the small sweet peppers in rings. I added some Balsamic vinegar, olive oil, spices and a small amount of cider vinegar. I microwaved it for about 4 minutes.
This was about 2 cups of peppers and 3 cups of tomatoes with olive oil, Balsamic vinegar, Italian spice, fresh basil and freeze dried herb mix

Next, I measured out 2 servings (4 ounces) of pasta and added it to the boiling water to cook just to al dente.

I used a 6 ounce jar of artichokes  in olive oil. I drained and chopped them a bit.

After the pasta was cooked to perfection and drained, the artichokes were added to the pot and combined.

Next, added in the tomatoes and peppers.

After I mixed it all up - This makes about 4 servings.

Well a couple of days earlier, I tried my hands at baking a loaf of packaged Italian Bread in the bread machine. It wasn’t quite the texture I liked, so I decided to make garlic cheese bread with it.

I added garlic butter (real garlic in olive oil), basil parmesan cheese and a little crumbled Feta cheese.

Baked it in the oven on 375F until browned.

Well, now that I have a meal, time to serve it up.

As I have said, season to taste!

And now a




Shout Out

to my fellow bloggers

I want to thank Cathy from The Dutch Baker’s Daughter (great food--give it a click) for giving me this:

I received this Blogger Award from Cathy – The Dutch Baker’s Daughter.
In order to accept I must:
1. Thank the person who presented the award, and link to their blog in this post--thanks, again, Cathy!
2. Copy and paste the award image (see above).
3. Share seven things about yourself (below);
4. Pass on the award to fifteen other fabulous blogs, and let them know that they have received the award (below).

Seven random things about me:

1. I was born in Arkansas and consider myself to be a permanent Minnesota transplant.
2. My first job that paid a regular paycheck was as a long-distance operator. Remember Ernestine, the telephone operator character of Lily Tomlin: Have I Reached the Party to Whom I Am Speaking?
3. My major in college was Business admin. Couldn’t get a job that paid much in the 70’s in Finance so I went back to U of MN – Twin cities for System Analysis and Design, from there into the title of Software Engineer for the next 25 years!
4. Between high school and college, I took 4 years of French. At the time, I could read it, understand it, and conjugate the verbs better than I could in English. Now, I remember very little of it.
5. A few years ago, while visiting a friend and driving up the winding road to Mt Rainier, classical music was playing the entire time. I jokingly said ‘elevator music’. Well, Linda said it’s very relaxing in traffic. After returning home, decided to try it. I am now a classical freak. I love all Italian Tenors, especially Pavarotti.
6. I have travelled over the US on business and vacation. One of the lesser reasons for leaving one job and moving back to Minnesota was the constant travel. After not doing it, I began to miss it.
7. I have only travelled out of the USA to one country: Canada – many times – love the Country!

Now to thank the Academy!
1. To Cathy from The Dutch Baker’s Daughter , I met you over on Mixing Bowl and you inspired me to write my blog. Finally got a chance to meet a fellow Minnesotan who CAN COOK!
2. To Danielle from Cooking for my Peace of Mind ---Great recipes. Great Facebook Fan page.
3. Sheryle over at Cookie Baker’s Corner - Great site – I am the cookie monster and I love seeing new recipes that I can snag to try to convert.
4. Like Cathy, I believe Shane’s blog belongs in the "sisterhood", he has so many great recipes that I have tried to duplicate at Culinary Alchemy . The latest was his Zucchini Cookies –yum!
5. Another great site (a fellow MBer) is Homesteading in Maine. This is written about a family doing what they call ‘living on the grid. Lots of tips, recipes, overall very good blog
6. Serendipity is another blog that I follow for the food and stories. Great food and great stories.

I have to start following more blogs, couldn’t come up with 15 blogging Sisters!

How to Use Leftover Pasta Sauce

How to use left over Kicking Vegetarian Pasta Sauce: 

Make Lasagna!

Finally got around to posting this one!

Mexican Inspired 'Lasagna'

4 1/2 cups Kicking Vegetarian Pasta Sauce

1 15 / 16 ounce can black beans, rinsed, drained

1 15 / 16 ounce can refried black beans

1  small can Rotel Tomatoes

1 16 ounce low fat cottage cheese

1 box Boles Gluten free no boil lasagna noodles

1 cup nacho flavored cheese, divided

1 tbs dehydrated onion

1 tsp cajun style spice

1 tsp  chipotle pepper

1 small eggplant, thinly sliced

Procedures

Cut the ends off the eggplant, cut in half lengthwise, then slice into thin slices
Saute the eggplant in an iron skillet with about 2 tablespoons of oil. Cook on high, turning frequently. Reduce the head to low and place top on skillet to finish cooking. Turn off heat.
Pour refried beans in a pot with half of the Rotel tomatoes, heat on low heat stirring to combine
Place drained black beans in a small pot or dish, add a tablespoon of Rotel, stir, set aside
Pour the pasta sauce in another pot, add remainder of Rotel tomatoes,onions, spice and pepper, heat on low heat
Spray a large baking dish with non stick spray. Preheat oven to 350 F.
Spread a thin layer of pasta sauce over the bottom of the baking dish. Start with placing slices of lasagna noodles in the bottom of the dish.

Continue layering, alternating with ingredients. Finish up with lasagna noodles and pasta sauce.

 Sprinkle with cheese.

Cover with non-stick aluminum foil or foil sprayed with oil.

Bake for 45 minutes. Remove cover.
Sprinkle mixed cheese evenly over top and return to oven.

Reduce oven to 250 F.
Bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Let it set for 10 minutes before serving.

Servings: 8

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/8 of a recipe (10.6 ounces).
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients.
Amount Per Serving
Calories 408.01
Total Fat 7.07g
Saturated Fat 3.87g
Cholesterol 19.37mg
Sodium 801.18mg
Potassium 433.58mg
Total Carbohydrates 61.84g
Fiber 7.18g
Sugar 3.98g
Protein 23.98g