I got this Cavatelli and Broccoli recipe from a friend of mine whose Italian cooking is second to none. It’s one of my favorite vegetarian dinners. It is very easy to make, and the only tip I have is to make sure to use fresh broccoli! It really just isn’t the same without that crisp texture that frozen broccoli lacks. This serves about 4 people as a main dish, more if you serve it as a side.

Cavatelli and Broccoli

Ingredients -

• 2 average-size broccoli crowns, cut into bite-size florets
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 bag of frozen ricotta cavatelli (located the frozen pasta section of the grocery store)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

In the mean time, put the olive oil into a medium sized skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic when the oil is heated and saute until lightly browned. Add the broccoli florets to the skillet and saute until the broccoli becomes a brighter shade of green, about 5 minutes.

When the pot of water comes to a boil, add the frozen cavatelli straight from the freezer to the water. These cook really fast – once water returns to a boil, let cook for 1-2 minutes then drain.

Mix the cavatelli into the skillet with the broccoli. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the cavatelli and broccoli and serve!

When I married my husband, he told me that he did not like pork chops. This Spinach & Feta Stuffed Pork Chops recipe changed his mind! I found it perusing the Cooking Light magazine website a few months ago, and I’ve made it many times since. The addition of feta, sun dried tomatoes and lemon give the dish a lovely Mediterranean flavor, and the spinach keeps it full of veggies. It looks special enough to serve to company or on a special occasion, but start to finish it takes me about 30 minutes to make.

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 4 garlic cloves, minced and divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 5 sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil, diced
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
• 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) block-style fat-free cream cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Preparation

Preheat broiler.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add 2 garlic cloves; saut? 1 minute. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, tomatoes, and spinach; saut? until moisture evaporates. Remove from heat; stir in cheeses and rind.

Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each pork chop to form a pocket. Stuff about 1/4 cup spinach mixture into each pocket. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper over pork. Arrange pork on the rack of a broiler pan or roasting pan coated with cooking spray; place rack in pan. Combine remaining 2 garlic cloves, juice, mustard, and oregano in a bowl; stir well. Brush half of mustard mixture over pork. Broil 6 minutes; turn pork. Brush remaining mixture over pork; broil 2 minutes or until done. (Broiling usually takes me more like 8 minutes on each side.)

I’ve been making this recipe for Dijon Alfredo Sauce for years. My husband and I stumbled across this on allrecipes.com when we were searching for a cream sauce to go along with a bottle of Gew?rztraminer that we had picked up.

The Dijon mustard adds an interesting bite to the creamy Alfredo sauce and complements the asparagus quite nicely. In fact, this dish made me fall in love with asparagus. The sauce is rather rich, but it’s a fun treat. This dish has always gotten rave reviews from guests.

I love making this dish for company because of its’ unique flavor combinations and impressive presentation. It does require around 30 minutes of hands-on preparation, but the steps aren’t too complicated. I typically work on dinner while casually visiting with guests in the kitchen.

Based upon reader reviews, I have lightened up a the recipe by reducing the amount of butter and using light cream in place of whipping cream. I also use far less mustard than the original recipe. The resulting sauce is rich, smooth and flavorful.

Asparagus and Ravioli with Dijon Alfredo Sauce

Yields 4 servings

2 (9 ounce) packages refrigerated chicken- or cheese-filled ravioli
1 pound fresh asparagus
6 tbsp butter, divided
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1-2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 cups light cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon pepper

1. Cook ravioli in a large saucepan according to package directions; drain and keep warm.
2. Snap off tough ends of asparagus; cut asparagus into 2-inch-long pieces.
3. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add asparagus, and saute 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Spoon over ravioli.
4. Melt remaining 5 tablespoons butter in skillet over medium heat; add garlic, and saute 1 minute. Whisk in mustard. Gradually whisk in light cream until smooth.
5. Bring cream mixture to a boil; reduce heat, and cook, stirring often, 5 minutes. Stir in cheese and remaining ingredients. Cook, stirring constantly, until cheese melts. Pour over asparagus and ravioli, and toss. Serve immediately.

This Chicken Taco salad has become one of my new favorite lunches. As you may have gathered from my previous postings, I’m a big fan of Mexican flavors. This isn’t so much of a recipe as it is a quick and easy meal idea.

The chicken taco salad is simple, tasty and filling. I use baked chicken that’s been seasoned with cumin, chili powder and garlic powder and drizzled with a small amount of fat-free Italian dressing. The salad can be served hot or cold. Since I usually use frozen corn, I like to lightly saute the corn, beans and onion before plating the salad. Any salsa will work, but I prefer to use one that’s not very chunky. My current favorite is Archer Farms’ Organic Chipotle Picante-Style Salsa, available at Target.

Chicken Taco Salad

Yields 1 salad

2 cups shredded Romaine lettuce
1/4 cup corn
1/4 black beans, drained and rinsed
chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped cooked chicken breast
1 tbsp shredded Mexican cheese
salsa

1. Shred lettuce.
2. Saute beans, corn and onion in small amount of olive oil or cooking spray.
3. Top lettuce with vegetables, chicken, salsa and cheese.

I pulled this recipe for Black Bean, Corn and Zucchini Enchiladas from a Cooking Light magazine. The vegetable filling provides a nice change from some of the more typical meat-heavy Mexican dishes.

This is a relatively time consuming recipe, but the resulting meal is well worth the effort. The enchilada sauce requires 30 minutes of simmer time, but it’s possible to save some time by preparing the vegetable filling concurrently. The magazine’s copy of the recipe suggests preparing the enchilada sauce a few days in advance and then refrigerating it. I’ve never planned far enough ahead to do this, but it would certainly be a time saver!

I have made very few changes to the original enchilada recipe. In order to reduce total calories and fat, I halved the amount of cheese used. I also sprinkle a small amount of cumin and chili powder on the vegetable filling before assembling the enchiladas. I find that this gives the filling a little more flavor, and complements the seasonings in the enchilada sauce quite nicely. It’s also worth noting that typically end up with only six enchiladas, while Cooking Light states that the recipe yields eight.

Black Bean, Corn and Zucchini Enchilada Recipe

Yields 6 servings (1 enchilada each)

1 teaspoon canola oil
2 cups diced zucchini
1 (10-ounce) package frozen whole-kernel corn
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups Enchilada Sauce, divided (see recipe below)
Cooking spray
8 (8-inch) whole wheat tortillas
1 cup (8 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese, divided

1 ) Preheat oven to 350?.
2 ) Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 cups zucchini and corn; saut? for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
3 ) Remove from heat, and stir in beans.
4 ) Spread 1 cup Enchilada Sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
5 ) Spoon about 1/2 cup zucchini mixture down center of 1 tortilla; sprinkle with 1 tablespoons cheese, and roll up. Place seam-side down in baking dish.
6 ) Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, zucchini mixture, and 5 tablespoons cheese. Spread remaining 2 cups sauce evenly over enchiladas.
7 ) Cover with foil; bake at 350? for 30 minutes.
8 ) Uncover; top with remaining cheese (10 tbsp) . Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until cheese melts.

Enchilada Sauce

Yields 3 cups

1 teaspoon canola oil
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained

1) Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
2) Add onion and garlic; saut? 5 minutes or until onion is tender.
3) Stir in broth and remaining ingredients.
4) Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.

Preparation for this dish requires a great deal of chopping, but the results are well worth it. Ratatouille is an interesting way to incorporate many different kinds of vegetables into a meal.

This is yet another meal that I found inspiration for on allrecipes.com. My finished product is somewhat saucier than the original. I have made a number of modifications to the original ratatouille recipe, including reducing the amount of cheese used and switching out some vegetables. Since mushrooms are a favorite in my house, I opted to use a full 10 oz package, as opposed to only 2 cups of sliced mushrooms. Given my aversion to fresh tomatoes, I substituted a 28 oz container of crushed, seasoned tomatoes. Finally, the original ratatouille recipe calls for eggplant, but I had more than enough vegetables without it.

When I made this dish tonight, I ended up using 1 zucchini and 1 yellow squash. Since yellow squash tends to have thicker skin, I sliced it very thin. Out of laziness, I skipped the fresh garlic cloves, opting to shake a little garlic powder on each layer of vegetables. While the resulting dish was flavorful, it was lacking that garlic zing. Next time, I’ll make the effort to mince and saute a few garlic cloves. Finally, make sure bake the Ratatouille in a dish that is large enough. I used a 2.5 qt casserole dish, and the vegetables were a little firmer than I would prefer, even with additional time. In the past, I have used a 9×13 baking dish that has allowed the vegetables to cook more quickly.

Ratatouille Recipe

Yields 4-6 servings

olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced (or garlic powder)
2 tsp dried parsley
salt to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 zucchini, sliced
1/2 large onion, sliced into rings
10 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
28 oz can crushed tomatoes with Italian spices

1) Preheat oven to 350. Coat bottom of 13×9 baking dish with a small amount of crushed tomatoes.
2) Heat oil in skillet over medium heat and saute garlic until lightly browned.
3) Spread zucchini over bottom of prepared casserole dish, mixing in the sauteed garlic. Lightly salt and sprinkle this layer with cheese. Cover with a thin layer of crushed tomato.
4) Continue layering with the onion, mushroom and bell pepper, covering each layer with a sprinkling of salt, cheese and crushed tomato. Cover the top layer completely with crushed tomato.
5) Bake uncovered for 45 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Since I have concluded my baking marathon, I’ve decided to return my focus to regularly cooking filling, flavorful, wholesome meals.

I found this Black Bean Chili recipe on allrecipes.com a few years ago. My husband was initially skeptical about trying a chili recipe with no meat. His fears were allayed when he found that this chili is hearty and tasty. The combination of beans and other vegetable result in a rich, flavorful chili. Pureeing some of the chili lends thickness to the finished product.

The only modification I have made to the chili recipe is to substitute 28 oz. of canned diced tomatoes for the fresh diced tomatoes. I’m not a fan of the consistency of fresh tomatoes, so I usually substitute some sort of canned tomato product or sauce.

Using some canned or frozen products and employing a food processor to chop the vegetables greatly reduces prep time. It was only recently that my husband and I realized how much time we could save by using our food processor (took awhile, I know). What started off as my husband prepping the ingredients for me, turned into a full-on cooking session. He was pleased at how easily the chili came together. It’s worth noting that this black bean chili does not need to simmer for a long time, making it suitable for weeknight meals.

As with most chilis and soups, this chili tastes even better the next day. It also freezes well.

Colorful, tasty sauteed vegetables

Black Bean Chili Recipe

Yields 6 servings

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
10 fresh mushrooms, quartered
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 cup corn kernels
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
2 15 oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups fat free, reduced sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 tsp salt.

1) Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Saute the onion, red bell peppers, jalapeno, mushrooms and corn for 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
2) Season with black pepper, cumin and chili powder.
3) Stir in diced tomatoes, black beans, chicken broth and salt.
4) Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15-20 minutes.
5) Place 1 1/2 cups of chili in food processor and process until smooth. Stir the pureed bean mixture back into the stock pot.

I maintain a “recipe to try” binder that contains recipes I’ve pulled from magazines or found online. Since I’ve had good luck with many other Cooking Light recipes, I decided to give this low fat light alfredo sauce a try. I served it with herb-seasoned baked chicken and steamed broccoli on cellentani pasta.

The Alfredo sauce is easy to make and comes together quite quickly – more quickly that I had anticipated! I was lucky enough to have someone willing to stir the sauce while I drained the pasta and sliced the chicken.

The resulting alfredo sauce had a nice flavor, but the consistency was not what I expected. After blending in the Parmesan cheese, the sauce had a thick fondue-like consistency. I added two additional tablespoons of milk and two tablespoons of chicken broth to thin it to a sauce-like thickness. After tossing the pasta with the Alfredo sauce, the sauce remained smooth but clung quite thickly to the pasta. I was glad that I hadn’t used fettuccine, as it would have been difficult to separate the noodles.

Since I enjoyed the flavor, I will give this sauce another try. If I can’t get the alfredo sauce to be thinner and less sticky, I’ll move onto another recipe. This one has potential. Stay turned for future updates.

Cooking Light: Light Alfredo Sauce

Yields 4 Servings

1 tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups skim milk
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
2 tbsp reduced fat cream cheese
1/2 tsp salt
4 cups hot cooked pasta of your choice (8 ounces uncooked pasta)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Cracked black pepper
Optional: Extra milk or chicken broth to thin sauce to desired consistency

1) Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
2) Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently.
3) Stir in flour. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk. Cook 6 minutes or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly.
4) Add 1 cup Parmesan , cream cheese, and salt, stirring with a whisk until cheeses melt. If needed, add extra milk or broth 1 tbsp at a time to achieve desired consistency.
5) Toss sauce with hot pasta. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. Garnish with black pepper, if desired. Serve immediately.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my husband and I really enjoy Mexican food. This turkey taco recipe is a favorite of ours! It comes from Rachel Ray’s 365: No Repeats cookbook. While I am not a fan of her show, some of Rachel’s recipes are quite tasty and easy to whip up in a short amount of time. This meal can actually be prepared within 30 minutes, making it a perfect weeknight meal. These turkey tacos are delicious on their own, or with beans and rice. Of course, a margarita is always a welcome addition.

I have changed very little from the original recipe. In fact, my only modification is that I omit raisins. According to a site note in the cookbook, the raisins “help keep the meat moist and balance the spice,” but I’ve never bothered with them. The resulting turkey taco meat, seasoned according to the original recipe, is flavorful and moist. I like using ground turkey when I cook for two reasons: 1) It’s much cheaper than ground beef and 2) It’s a healthier option. My guests are usually surprised to find that this tasty recipe contains turkey and not the standard ground beef.

Enjoy!

Turkey Tacos

Yields 4 servings (2 tacos per serving)

1 package super-size taco shells (I like the Ortega Stand ‘n Stuff)
1 package (approx 1 1/3 lbs) ground turkey
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tsp poultry seasoning
3 garlic cloves, chopped or pressed
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 cup tomato sauce (I use a single 8 oz. can of plain sauce)

Shredded cheese, shredded romaine lettuce, diced tomatoes and salsa for garnish.

1) Heat taco shells in oven according to package directions.
2) Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the turkey and break up the meat.
3) Season the meat with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning.
4) When the meat is nearly browned, add the garlic, onions, chili powder and cumin.
5) Cook for 5 minutes, or until the onions are soft, then stir in the stick.
6) Stir in the tomato sauce and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.
7) Fill taco shells with meat sauce and top with desired garnish.

I made my first quiche on Sunday! Not only was it remarkably easy to make, but it got rave reviews from our company.

I first perused my cookbook collection, but was disappointed that the recipes called for large amounts of cream or milk. Since I have an intolerance to milk, I try to limit the amount that I use when cooking. Convinced that I could find a tasty recipe that had far less milk, I hit up allrecipes.com.

I settled on a heavily modified version of Easy Broccoli Quiche. While reviewers loved the general idea of the recipe, most said that the mix was too wet. My changes are detailed in the recipe below. As a time-saver, I used a refrigerated Pillsbury pie crust and frozen baby broccoli florets. If you’re looking to save even more time, frozen chopped onion could be used in a pinch.

I will likely add another egg next time, as the egg mixture didn’t rise to completely fill the crust. Aside from that minor criticism, I have no complaints. The egg mixture baked up nicely and was quite flavorful.

I took this photo right before everyone went back for seconds – there were no leftovers!

Broccoli Quiche

Yields 6 servings

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 cup chopped broccoli (fresh or frozen)
1 9-inch unbaked pie crust
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar Jack Cheese
3 eggs, well beaten
3/4 cup skim milk
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. If using frozen broccoli, thaw before chopping.
3. Melt butter in large saute pan over medium-low heat.
4. Add onions, garlic and broccoli. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft.
5. Whisk together beaten eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in vegetable mixture and cheese.
6. Place unbaked pie crust in pie pan.
7. Pour egg mixture into crust, and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until center has set.