Baked lemon pasta

 1 lb spaghetti

4 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves of minced garlic 

Juice of 1 lemon

Zest of 1 lemon

2 cups sour cream

3/4 tsp salt

Grated Parmesan cheese

****

Preheat oven to 375

Cook spaghetti according to package

In a skillet, melt butter with olive oil in LOW heat. When butter is melted, add minced garlic . Squeeze lemon juice into pan. Turn off heat.

Add sour cream and stir mixture together. Add zest and salt. Add to drained spaghetti, stir, then put in oven safe dish.

Bake covered for 15 minutes, then remove cover and cook an additional 7-10 minutes (not too long or pasta will be dry). Remove from oven, squeeze a little more lemon juice over top and sprinkle with cheese.

German Red Cabbage

 This was really good. And easy.

• 1/2 large red cabbage, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• fresh chopped  peeled apple 1/2- 1 cup. Optional.

Melt the butter over medium heat, saute the cabbage and onion until soft, about 5 minutes.

Sprinkle mixture with sugar. Add balsamic vinegar and apple (if desired). Toss to coat evenly. Bring to a simmer, then reduce to medium low. Cook until soft, approx 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Salt and pepper.

Easy lentil coconut curry

https://www.theendlessmeal.com/creamy-coconut-lentil-curry/
This was simple and delicious.

Tzatziki sauce

1 c plain yogurt
1 T lemon juice
1/3 garlic clove
1/3 cucumber, peeled and diced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dill
Salt and pepper

Sprinkle salt over diced cucumber. Allow to sit for a few minutes, then dab dry with a paper towel. This pulls the moisture out of the cucumber and keeps the sauce from getting watery.
Combine all ingredients, add salt and pepper as needed at the end.

Good on pita, falafel, as a veggie dip.

Mushroom Stroganoff

Salt (1/4 tsp)
Pepper (1tsp)
Garlic salt/powder
1-2 tsp flour
2T butter
2 T olive oil
1 can crm of mushroom soup
1 med onion
8oz mushrooms
1 can (15oz?) Beef or vegetable broth
1 c sour cream

Slice mushrooms and onion. Cook in butter and oil until soft. Sprinkle flour over mixture and season with salt/pepper/garlic powder. Mix in.
Add soup and broth, cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring frequently. Allow to cool. Mix in sour cream. Serve over egg noodles.

Mexican Quinoa Chili

I made this at the beach last summer.  It is tasty and my kids will eat it, so that's a plus.
https://damndelicious.net/2014/04/09/one-pan-mexican-quinoa/

Thai Crunch Salad

This salad was my favorite at the "Favorite Foods" Christmas dinner 2016.  I add cooked quinoa and whole peanuts and sometimes cooked chicken to make it a meal salad.
Link to original blogger https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/thai-crunch-salad-with-peanut-dressing.html

For the Thai Peanut Dressing

• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from one lime
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce (use gluten-free if needed)
• 2 tablespoons honey

• 2-1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1-inch square piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves

For the Salad

• 4 cups chopped Napa cabbage or shredded coleslaw mix (I like to toss in a little shredded red cabbage for color)
• 1 cup prepared shredded carrots
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced into bite-sized pieces
• 1 small English cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded (or it makes the salad too watery) and thinly sliced
• 1 cup cooked and shelled edamame
• 2 medium scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup loosely packed chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

1. For the dressing, combine all of the ingredients except for the cilantro in a blender and process until completely smooth. Add the cilantro and blend for a few seconds until the cilantro is finely chopped. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. For the salad, combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine. If serving right away, drizzle the peanut dressing over top and toss; otherwise, serve the dressing on the side so the salad doesn't get soggy.

Lasagna Soup (vegetarian)

This seemed easier to make than lasagna, and maybe tastier too.

1 yellow onion, diced
1/4 tsp salt
4 garlic cloves, diced
1 tbsp oregano
1 zucchini, cubed
5-10 mushrooms, sliced
28 oz of diced tomatoes and/or pasta sauce (I used 1 can of tomatoes and about 1/2 jar of pasta sauce)
5 c. chicken broth
 4 lasagna noodles, broken into 2 inch pieces
2 c.  shredded mozzarella cheese
 ground turkey or beef (optional)

Spray the bottom of a soup pot with cooking oil. Saute onion and salt in pan until soft. Add garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes. Add zucchini and mushrooms and drizzle with 2 T of olive oil. Add oregano and cook on medium heat until vegetables are soft. Add tomato products and broth, bring to a simmer. Add pieces of pasta, cook 10 minutes until soft. Mix in cheese until melted. Serve.

If you want to add meat, I'd add it with the garlic and cook until browned, before you add the vegetables.

Gordon's Balsamic Glaze for vegetables

~1/3 to 1/2 bottle of balsamic vinegar

2 or 3 tablespoons sugar or honey or both

~1/2 t salt

~2 T orange juice (or maybe lemon w/ more sugar)

Mix together and cook on the stove until it's reduced to about 1/2 the starting volume. Taste as you go and adjust ratios until you like it. There's a good chance I underestimated how much sugar I put in. 

Sage:

Lightly brown a little butter (~1/2 T), then add a handful of whole fresh sage leaves, fry until they're crisp

Vegetables:

I used brussels sprouts and special selection baby sweet potatoes. Chop into roughly equal sized pieces, spread on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and a little salt, stir so they're coated, and roast at 350 for 30-40 min until done, turning once midway through. Pour balsamic glaze on top, add the sage, and stir it all together. 

Greek Panzanella

Delicious. Something about the way the toasted bread absorbs the dressing...We'll make it for you this summer sometime.

3/4 c. good olive oil
6 c diced rustic bread
kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 cucumber, unpeeled, halved, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 yellow bell pepper, same
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced in half rounds
1/4 c red wine vinegar
2 tsp minced garlic (2 cloves)
1 tsp dried oregano, crushed
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 pound feta cheese, cut into 3/4 inch squares
1/2 cup kalamata olives

Heat 1/4 c of the olive oil in a large saute pan until hot. Add the bread and sprinkle with salt and pepper; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently for 5-10 minutes, until nicely browned. Set aside.

Toss the cucumber, bell peppers, tomatoes and onion in a large bowl, mix.

Vinaigrette: whisk together vinegar, garlic, oregano, mustard, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper together in a small bowl. Stirring constantly, add the remaining 1/2 c of olive oil to make an emulsion.

Add the feta, olives and bread to the vegetables in the bowl, add the dressing and toss lightly. Set aside 30 minutes for flavors to develop. Serve at room temperature.

Spinach Mushroom Feta Quiche (crustless)

Gordon, Hal and I were fighting over the leftovers.

• 8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced thinly
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 (10 oz.) box frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 2 oz. feta cheese
• ¼ cup grated parmesan
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella
• salt & pepper

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

In a skillet coated with non-stick spray, saute the mushrooms, garlic, a little salt and pepper on medium-high heat until they release all of their moisture and no more water remains on the bottom of the skillet (5-7 minutes).

Meanwhile, In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs until fairly smooth. Add the milk, parmesan, and another small sprinkle of salt and pepper. Whisk to combine.

Spray a pie dish with non-stick spray. Spread out the spinach on the bottom of the pie dish. 

Add the cooked mushrooms, then the crumbled feta.

Pour the egg/milk mixture into the pie dish over the spinach, mushrooms, and feta.

Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over top. Top with a bit more salt and pepper

Place the quiche into the preheated oven and bake until it is golden brown on top and the center is solid. This could take between 40-55 minutes.

Fast Sunday Soup

This is mostly a record for my own benefit, because I made up this soup, and it ended up being delicious. But it's similar enough to Beth's Harvest Soup recipe, that I imagine most people will use that one. But this one happens to be vegetarian, and it includes what I had in the kitchen on a Sunday.

7 cups vegetable broth
1 can tomato soup
1 can water
1 can tomatoes, with liquid

Get boiling in a large pot, then add:

1 package pasta

While that's cooking, heat some olive oil in a large frying pan, and saute (adding in order, so you don't overcook):

1 large onion, chopped
1-2 cups mushrooms, roughly chopped
fresh kernels cut off of 2 ears of corn
4 Morningstar breakfast sausage patties, chopped up

Then season the vegetables with:

Salt, pepper, garlic, italian seasoning, dash of nutmeg, (and a little milk if you want) to taste.

Combine the vegetables into the soup base, then throw a can of drained potatoes (use fresh if you have them) into the emptied frying pan, to brown them up a bit, before you toss them in the soup as well.

Enjoy with breadsticks, or garlic bread.

No Straining Necessary Tomato Basil Pasta

A friend of mine linked to this recipe on Facebook (Debbie's Skinny Friends). I've made just a few adjustments.

It's very easy, very tasty, and cuts waaaay down on the dishes, which was my favorite part, I think.

12 ounces pasta (spaghetti, linguine, fettucine, etc)
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes with liquid (I didn't have a can handy, so I just chopped up some fresh tomato, and salted and herbed it)
1 large sweet onion, cut in thin strips
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
2 large sprigs basil, chopped
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Place pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, in a large stock pot. Pour in vegetable broth. Top with oregano and oil.

Cover pot and bring to a boil (stirring periodically to get al the pasta in the broth). Reduce to a low simmer and keep covered and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Season to taste with salt and pepper , stirring pasta several times to distribute the liquid in the bottom of the pot. Serve garnished with Parmesan cheese.

Scones

These are the breakfast type scones, not the frybread type scones. And they're delicious.

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1.5 cups dried fruit/chocolate chips/cinnamon chips/nuts/whatever combination you want (don't use fresh fruit (especially if it's really juicy))

2 cups cold whipping cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Grease baking sheets.

2. Combine dry ingredients, then mix in fillings. 

3. Whip the cream, so it's good and frothy. 

4. Fold the cream into the dry mix, and form the dough into two balls. Pat down to a thickness of about one inch and cut into 8 wedges (this can be done in different combinations, based on the size you want. One ball, or three balls, or 6 wedges. But remember, they grow). You may need a flour-dusted surface to do this, but be careful not to add too much flour.

4. Bake until just a bit golden on top, 18-20 minutes.

OLD-TIME SQUASH CASSEROLE with PASTA

Modified from COOKS.COM

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2 lbs. (give or take) winter squash cut into small pieces
1 clove garlic

1 chopped onion
1 tsp. salt

~1/2 c. water, plus some as needed

¼ c. apple juice (optional)
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 c. milk

2 eggs
½ package of cooked pasta
1 c. grated Cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 c. cracker crumbs, divided

1 tbsp butter (melted)

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Butter a 2 or 3 quart casserole dish.

In saucepan sauté squash, garlic, onion, and salt for a couple minutes in a little butter. Add water (and apple juice, if you have it on hand). Bring to simmer; cover and cook, adding small amounts of water if needed as liquid cooks away, until squash is tender and mashable, mashing with the spoon as you go, 20 to 30 minutes. Be careful not to add too much water toward the end of cooking, so that there’s no liquid left to drain. Remove from heat, and finish mashing hot squash mixture with 2 tablespoons of butter.

Beat together milk, eggs and beat into squash. Add pasta, all but 3 tablespoons of cheese and enough of cracker crumbs (1/4 cup) to thicken mixture. Combine remaining cracker crumbs with 1 tablespoon of butter and reserved 3 tablespoons of cheese. Sprinkle on top of casserole and bake until bubbly and browned, 30 to 35 minutes. Serves 6 to 8

Kale, Mushroom and Cheddar Bake

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 bunch kale, center ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 5 ounces mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 loaf ciabatta bread, cut into 1/8-inch thick slices (Don't make these too thick)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 4 ounces grated cheddar cheese

METHOD

1 Grease an 8-inch square baking dish with a little olive oil and set aside.

2 Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the thinly sliced kale and cook until just wilted, about 2 to 3 minutes.

 

3 Add the onions and mushrooms, and add salt and pepper to taste. Increase the heat to medium high and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms have released their moisture and the onions are translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

4 In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs.

 

5 Line the bottom of the casserole pan with one third of the thinly sliced bread. Spread one half of the kale mushroom onion mixture over the bread.  Sprinkle one third of the cheddar cheese over the top. Lay down the second third of the bread slices. Top again with the remaining kale mixture, and then with a third of the cheese.  Lay the remaining slices of bread over the top.

 

6 Pour the milk egg mixture over the bread, pressing down with a spatula so that the milk is absorbed by the casserole layers. Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheddar cheese. (At this point you can chill overnight for making ahead, or continue.)

7 Let the casserole sit for about 15 minutes to further absorb the milk while you preheat the oven to 350°F.  Cover with foil. Bake covered for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake an additional 25 to 30 minutes, until the cheese is golden and bubbly.  Let the casserole sit for a few minutes before serving.

Curried Egg Salad Sandwiches

Use those leftover hard boiled eggs! These are great-

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 6 hard-boiled eggs, shells removed and chopped
• 1 cup diced Granny Smith apple (about 1 apple)
• 1/3 cup red onion, diced very small
• Fresh spinach
• 8 slices of bread

1. Pour 3 quarts of water into a medium-sized pot. Bring the water to a boil, and then reduce heat to a barely simmering. Carefully add the 6 eggs to the pot. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove the eggs and then dump into an ice bath until cool enough to handle. Remove the shells and chop the eggs.
2. Combine and whisk the mayonnaise, lime juice, curry powder, Dijon, salt and cayenne in a bowl.
3. Fold in the eggs, apple, and onion.
4. Use the filling and spinach in sandwiches made with lightly toasted bread.

apple bread

i love this bread/cake.  it is wonderful.  they call it  "the teddy bear of cakes".  i don't have the fancy pan with the hole in it, but it worked just fine in a loaf pan.  and mini loaves too, if you cut the cooking time in half.
here is the official version, with cool pictures:
http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-food/genius-apple-cake-182500453.html


OK.  here you go..

mix 1 1/2 c oil
2 c sugar

add and mix till creamy
3 eggs

then add
3 c flour
1tsp salt
1 tsp cinnimon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

then mix in 3 c of BIG chunks of apples
1c raisens
1c walnuts

pour into a greased loaf pan or 4 mini loaves.
cook at 350* for 1 hour (minis for 40 min or so..) then check with a toothpick.
it says 1hour 15 min, but mine got too brown on top so i added a sheet of tin foil and cooked it for a little longer.

so good.

Vegetarian Pot Pie

• 2-3 carrots, sliced
• 6.5 T butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cups chopped mushrooms
• 
  
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon celery salt/seed
• 
  
• 1 3/4 cups vegetable broth
• 2/3 cup milk
• 
  
• 1 can sliced potatoes, drained (use fresh, if you want, and cook with carrots)
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
2. Put carrots in a saucepan (with potatoes IF using fresh), add water to cover and boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside. Go ahead and throw the can of potatoes in with the carrots at this point.
3. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, over medium heat, cook onions and mushrooms in butter until onions are soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery salt/seed (Carrie strongly suggests adding copious amounts of sage at this step). Slowly stir in vegetable broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat. Mix in carrot/potato mixture, and frozen peas.
4. Pour the mixture into bottom pie crust. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape. Brush with milk.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Ricotta Rolls

3 sandwich rolls, cut in half, and hollowed out

MIX TOGETHER:
1 cup shredded mozarella cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
basil to taste (~2 tsp. fresh, chopped)

1 tomato, sliced and lightly salted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place some tomato in each bread half, then fill with cheese mixture.
Put two halves back together, and wrap in foil.
Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and let sit for 3-4 minutes.