Vegan Stuffed Shells

As I mentioned earlier. Gary really missed stuffed shells. While I made the lasagna with the filling, he still wanted stuffed shells. I decided to make it since I wanted to try out the filling with the spinach.

I found it really weird that Gary has never mentioned anything about stuffed shells in the 6 years we've lived together. That might be one of the reasons I've never made before, but I digress.

Although the original said to scoop 2 TBSP of filling in each shell, I found that to be a bit much. I used a medium cookie scoop, which was about 1 TBSP of filling. It made it a lot easier to fill as well. Even doing that, I still have some shells left over. You can save them and serve with sauce or use them in another recipe.

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Vegan Stuffed Shells

made by cathy's kitchen journey
adapted from PBS Food




ingredients:

• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 16-oz block extra firm tofu
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 TBSP nutritional yeast
• 1 10-oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 1 box jumbo shells (about 25 shells)
• 1 24-26 oz jar marinara sauce

directions:

1. Drain the tofu and pat dry with paper towels, lightly squeeze out extra water. Crumble into the bowl of a food processor or high-speed blender along with olive oil, salt, oregano, garlic and nutritional yeast. Process on high until smooth and “ricotta-like”.
2. Transfer mixture to a bowl and mix in the defrosted spinach to the blended tofu mixture.
3. Cook shells in boiling salted water until el dente. Drain, and add cold water to so it's easier to handle.
4. Preheat oven to 350° F. Pour about ½ cup pasta sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan. Using a medium cookie scoop, stuff shells with 1-2 T of filling and place in pan, seam side down. Repeat until all shells have been stuffed. (I had leftover shells)
5. Pour remaining pasta sauce over shells, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Yield: 6-8 servings

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Vegan Zucchini Lasagna

When I first saw this recipe for the tofu ricotta, I knew it would be a winner. I've used tofu as a ricotta replacement before, and it worked very well. However, at that time, I didn't have as much knowledge I have now about tofu.

I've always been a fan of tofu, but I never really knew the difference between firm or silken or whatnot. I just ate anything my mom fed me. Now that I have to find dairy alternatives, I have to be creative in what I use. This tofu ricotta worked out beautifully and you really wouldn't believe it's vegan until I tell you.

Gary had a hankering for stuffed shells earlier in the week. Lucky for him, I had this recipe in my back pocket and I was already planning on making it. He thought the filling was perfect for shells, and of course it worked well in lasagna too, as I first thought when I saw this. Try this, and I bet you won't miss the cheese either!

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Vegan Zucchini Lasagna

made by cathy's kitchen journey
tofu "ricotta" adapted from PBS Food




ingredients:

• 9 lasagna noodles
• 1 block (16 oz) firm or extra firm tofu, drained
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 TBSP nutritional yeast
• 1 large zucchini, peeled and slice lengthwise
• 1 24 oz jar marinara sauce
• vegan cheese (optional)
• vegan parmesan (optional)

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water, then boil lasagna noodles for 10 minutes. Once done, drain and add cold water.
2. In a food processor, blend the tofu, oil, salt, oregano, garlic and nutritional yeast until smooth and the consistency of ricotta.
3. Peel and slice the zucchini lengthwise with a mandolin. 
4. In a 9x13 baking dish, add 1/2 cup of the sauce.
5. Pat dry 3 lasagna noodles and add to the pan. Spread half the tofu mixture (you might have to use your hands), then layer with half the zucchini, overlapping slightly.
6. Add 1/2 cup sauce then layer with 3 more noodles, the remaining tofu, and the remaining zucchini. Then top with another 1/2 cup sauce.
7. Top with remaining 3 noodles, then pour the remaining sauce on top.
8. Cover the pan loosely with foil, then bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.
9. During the last 5 minutes, top with cheese and sprinkle with parmesan if desired.
10. Let rest for 5 minutes. Run a knife through to cut into 9 even pieces.

Yield: 9 servings

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Basic Vegan Shells and Cheese

One of the things Gary really missed since going dairy free was his mac and cheese. Although I’ve made it once before with tofu, he still missed his blue box mac and cheese. I’ve never been a mac and cheese person, and I’ve probably had a taste of the blue box version when he made it once before.

I had heard about Daiya while ago, long before Oprah talked about it, but never tried it. Gary was a little hesitant because he didn’t like how some vegan cheeses added certain products he didn’t like (even though he thought it was great before). As usual when I first showed it to him, I was all excited, but he brushed it aside, and said he’ll take a look.

Fast forward months (or a year+) later, after I told him Oprah talked about it on her show, he decided to look at the ingredients. His normal routine is to look up every ingredient to see what it is, and how it’s made. He really read up on it, and the fact that it’s made with non-GMO products made it a winner. After reviewing, he decided it was time to go to Whole Foods and pick it up!

We picked up both the cheddar style and the mozzarella style. I told him I was going to make shells and cheese, since he missed it so much. I found a recipe from Alton Brown that I was going to adapt. I ended up working late, and when I told him I was on my way home to make it, he couldn’t wait and ended up making it himself. I came home to the obvious pungent smell of cheese. He had already eaten. As I ate mine, he grabbed another bowl. Needless to say, this was a big hit with him, and he thought it tastes almost exactly like the blue box version!

I called this a basic mac and cheese since there are definitely ways to jazz this up with veggies and meat. If you’re dairy free or vegan, definitely try this out!

Basic Vegan Shells and Cheese
a Gary original, inspired by Alton Brown

 printable recipe

ingredients:
1/2 lb pasta shells
1 cup original soy milk
1 (8 oz) package Daiya Cheddar Shreds
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper

directions:
In a large pot of salted water, boil pasta per package directions. Drain.

Meanwhile, add milk and cheese into a separate pot. At low heat, bring to a boil stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.

Mix cheese mixture and pasta until well combined.

Serves 3-4

Chicken Pesto Pasta

A few weeks ago, I had this pesto at Souen, and I loved it. I was craving pesto even more so afterwards. The restaurant doesn’t use any dairy, but I didn’t give it a second though at that time. It wasn’t until afterwards that I would need to find a pesto recipe that didn’t have cheese in it. I did see a few sites that used different types of nuts as well as a 1:1 ratio of nutritional yeast instead of cheese, but most recipes used pine nuts…something I usually didn’t have on hand, and something I didn’t want to buy just for pesto.

I saw Branny’s recipe for vegan pesto, and knew it was the one I had to try. It tasted a lot like the one I had at the restaurant, except a little saltier. I think it was because I didn’t use quite as much basil as the recipe called for…more like 2.5 cups, but the consistency, taste, and texture was all there!

Then I first showed Gary the picture from the restaurant, he thought pesto looked kind of gross, but once he tried it, he thought it was great too!

Chicken Pesto Pasta
printable recipe

ingredients:
2 in bone leg quarters (or any cooked chicken part will work)
salt
olive oil
8 oz pasta (I used linguini)

for the pesto: recipe adapted from Branny Boils Over, originally form Vegan with a Vengeance
1/4 cup toasted nuts (pecans, walnuts, or pine nuts) I used walnuts
3 cups packed basil leaves
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp coarse salt
1/4-1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup nutritional yeast (or substitute grated parmesan or Romano cheese)
2 tsp lemon juice (about half a lemon)

directions:

Trim fat and remove skin from chicken. Separate leg and thigh parts. You should have 4 pieces now. Pat dry with paper towels. Rub salt liberally onto chicken pieces. Steam for 20-30 minutes or until fully cooked through. (You can also bake or grill or whatever.)

Meanwhile, combine all the ingredients for the pesto in a food processor and pulse until desired consistency.

During last 10 minutes of cooking the chicken, boil the pasta.

Let chicken cool for a few minutes. Cut into pieces, save the bones for stock or soup.

Drain pasta, drizzle a little olive oil to coat the pasta. Add in chicken and pesto, toss to coat evenly.

Serve and enjoy!

Garlic Herb Grilled Chicken and Pasta

During the weeknights (or lazy weekends), I try to make something simple, so I don’t spend hours in the kitchen. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy being in the kitchen, but not when it’s yucky and hot outside.

One of my favorite spices to use is Mrs. Dash. I love it because all the herbs and spices have been mixed into a convenient bottle for me. Of course, I can mix a bunch of herbs together to make this, but this is a great shortcut to take once in a while. I used the garlic and herb spice mix. I also used my George Foreman grill for this.

I had some leftover chicken while making this, so I used the leftover chicken for a salad for lunch.

Garlic and Herb Grilled Chicken and Pasta

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken breast (mine was a little under a lb.)
Mrs. Dash garlic and herb spice
8 oz. thin spaghetti
salt
1 head broccoli florets
olive oil

Directions:
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add salt to water, and boil pasta until al dente. Add broccoli during last 4 minutes of boiling.

Meanwhile, butterfly the chicken breast, cover with saran wrap, and pound thin. Coat both sides of the chicken with the spice mix.

Grill on the George Foreman grill for 7 minutes. Cut into slices.

Drain the pasta. Drizzle with 2 TBSP olive oil and toss to coat. Transfer pasta to bowl, add chicken, and serve.

Spaghetti Pie

When I first saw this post come up, I knew I had to try it. It seemed like a nice change from regular old pasta. I had to find a way to make it dairy free, so aside from using tofu instead of ricotta, I omitted the cheeses, and adapted it with ingredients we had on hand. Her original recipe was meatless, but since Gary was already defrosting the ground turkey, I decided to add that in.

It turned out very well. A little runny because I didn’t have tomato paste. I started reading the recipe and saw that she mentioned marinara sauce, and I took out both the can of tomatoes and the marinara, not realizing she was making her own sauce. I ended up using the can of tomatoes minus the tomato paste. I will try using marinara sauce next time since I usually don’t have tomato paste on hand.

Dairy Free Spaghetti Pie
Loosely adapted from: REC(ession)IPES

Ingredients:
8 ounces thin spaghetti
salt
1/2 lb ground turkey
olive oil
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
1 28 oz can whole stewed tomatoes, broken up
1 tsp oregano
1 medium zucchini, shredded
1 package extra firm Mori-nu tofu
splash of lemon juice
salt and pepper
2 large eggs
1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add salt to water, boil the pasta until al dente per package instructions. Lightly grease a 9x9 glass pan with olive oil or cooking spray and set aside.

Meanwhile, brown the ground turkey in a pan. Set aside. Dice onion and mince garlic. Cook in 1 tbsp olive oil until onions are just translucent, approx. 5-8 minutes. Add ground turkey back in, add tomatoes with their juice, along with oregano. Simmer on stovetop for 10 minutes.

Using the s-blade on your food processor, pulse the tofu and lemon juice a few times until the consistency of ricotta cheese. Swap out the blade for the shredding attachment, shred zucchini in a food processor (or use your grater). Place tofu mixture in bowl and mix thoroughly with salt and pepper to taste.

Drain the pasta and toss in large bowl with one tsp olive oil. Whisk eggs with a fork in a small bowl with nutritional yeast. Toss with spaghetti. Add spaghetti to prepared pan. Shape into crust shape by using fingers to flatten center and press up the sides of the plate.

Add tofu mixture to indentation in center. Top with tomato sauce and bake, uncovered, 25-30 minutes.

Remove from oven, let cool 10 minutes, then cut into 9 even squares and serve.

Gary loved this. He thought the tofu tasted a lot like cheese!

Veggie Stir-fry and Linguine

So when I went to the market, there were various vegetables on sale that were too good a deal to pass up. Towards the middle of the week, we still had a few things left over, so why not mix everything together and create a stir fry. I love this because it’s pretty light and filling at the same time. This is also very versatile because you can pretty much add any vegetables you want.

Ingredients:
olive oil
8 oz linguine
2 cloves garlic, sliced
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and sliced
half bunch asparagus spears, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 cup baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt to taste
oregano
basil

Directions:
1. Prepare pasta as directed on the package.

2. Meanwhile, in a pan, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Sauté garlic in pan for a minute. Add celery, bell pepper, and asparagus and sauté until celery tender. Add mushrooms and cook for 2-3 more minutes.

3. Add seasonings to taste. Add wine and allow it to cook off.

4. Drain the pasta. Drizzle with olive oil and toss in the veggies to combine. Plate and serve.

Ground Turkey and Zucchini Pasta

This is one of the staples and quick dishes that we like to make when we’re pressed for time. Before I started exploring different recipes, we had a pasta night at least once a week. It was something simple and easy that even Gary could make. It was great for when I had to work late or when we just didn’t feel like cooking.

I had some zucchini left over, so I added that into the pasta. I don’t think I’ve ever made anything with zucchini before. I don’t think it tastes like much though. I guess that’s why it’s used in brownies and bread.

Ground Turkey and Zucchini Pasta

Ingredients:
olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 lb ground turkey
1 zucchini, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 lb whole wheat pasta
salt & pepper to taste
1 jar spaghetti sauce (or homemade)

Directions:
1. In a big pot of water, boil the pasta in salted water as directed on the package. Drain the pasta.

2. Meanwhile, heat up a pan on medium high heat. Add olive oil, onion, garlic and zucchini. Sauté until onion is clear, about 5 minutes.

3. Add ground turkey and brown until cooked thoroughly. Add s&p to taste. Add the sauce, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in the pasta. Plate and serve.

Makes enough for 2 plus leftovers (based on what Gary eats!)

Vegan Eggplant and Spinach Lasagna

One of the dishes I used to make all the time with dairy was lasagna. Gary would be able to eat probably half the pan in one sitting. His portions have gotten better now. He can still almost eat half the pan, but he can’t have the dairy anymore. When I saw this eggplant spinach lasagna, I knew I had to try it, especially since I had all the ingredients on hand.

This turned out great. Using tofu instead of ricotta makes this dish lighter and much healthier than a lasagna with meat and cheese. It almost makes it ok that Gary eats half the pan…*almost*.

Vegan Eggplant and Spinach Lasagna
Adapted from: Go Dairy Free

Ingredients:
12 ounces lasagna noodles (9 noodles. I used the leftovers from previous boxes of noodles.)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium-size eggplant, peeled and chopped (I used 2 Chinese eggplant)
3 cups tomato sauce, homemade or store-bought (I used the whole can of 26oz Hunts tomato sauce)
2 16-oz packages firm tofu, drained and crumbled (I used 2 packages of Mori Nu firm tofu – 12.3 oz each)
1 10-oz package frozen chopped spinach, cooked according to package directions and well drained (I used frozen leaf spinach)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded vegan mozzarella cheese (optional)

Directions: 
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Cook the lasagna noodles in a large pot of salted boiling water, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain the noodles and spread out on a work surface to keep them from sticking together. (I found it helpful to rinse with cold water, so it’s easier to handle. Place 3 noodles on a paper towel, layer with another paper towel, repeat to separate the noodles. You can also use a clean kitchen towel.)

2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine the tofu and the spinach, blending well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

4. Spread a thin layer of the sauce over the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Add a layer of noodles and top with half of the tofu mixture, spreading it out evenly. Top with another layer of noodles, a layer of sauce, and the remaining tofu mixture. Finish with a layer of noodles and the remaining sauce.

5. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the vegan cheese, if using. Continue to bake until hot and bubbly, about 15 minutes more. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

I didn’t use the cheese. I covered and baked uninterrupted for about 42 minutes. This was a great alternative to meat and cheese lasagnas.

Shrimp Scampi

When our diet consists of chicken, chicken, and more chicken (ugh!), there’s a limit to my creativity. Once in a while we’ll have beef, we don’t eat pork, so this limits our diet somewhat. We were in a rut, so we decide to have some shrimp instead. I’ve had shrimp scampi in the back of my mind for a while, and this recipe was pretty easy and quick.

I (meaning Gary) messed up while making this. I don’t think it altered the flavor too much though. I asked Gary how much butter I needed, and he told me 4 Tbsp. So, instead of dividing up the 4 Tbsp into 2 sections, I ended up sautéing the shrimp in the butter, then adding only the 4 Tbsp olive oil only when it called for butter and olive oil again.

This was a pretty quick and tasty meal. I think the hardest part of the whole thing was peeling the shrimp.

 Shrimp Scampi
Adapted from: Tyler Florence/Food Network

Ingredients:
1 pound linguini (I used thin spaghetti)
4 tablespoons butter, divided (I used margarine)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
1 large shallot, finely diced (I used 1 tsp dried)
5 cloves garlic, sliced
Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
20 large shrimp, about 1 pound, peeled and deveined, tail on
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves (I used about a Tbsp dried)

Directions:

For the pasta, put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. When it has come to the boil, add a couple of tablespoons of salt and the linguini. Stir to make sure the pasta separates; cover. When the water returns to a boil, cook for about 6 to 8 minutes or until the pasta is not quite done. Drain the pasta reserving 1 cup of water.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat.

Sauté the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes (if using) until the shallots are translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Season the shrimp with salt and pepper; add them to the pan and cook until they have turned pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan; set aside and keep warm.

Add wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil.

Add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil. When the butter has melted, return the shrimp to the pan along with the parsley and cooked pasta and reserved pasta water.

Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over a bit more olive oil and serve immediately.

Dairy Free Mac and Cheese

One of Gary’s favorite’s is mac and cheese. Since he can’t have dairy anymore, this is one of the foods he has missed. I found lots of recipes for melty cheese sauces, but this one seemed fairly simple to follow, and I had most of the ingredients on hand.

I found it very tasty for dairy free. Though it didn’t taste as rich as real mac and cheese would be, but I find that a good thing. I don’t like feeling yucky after I eat. Gary loved this because his guilty food was no longer so guilty! This reheated very well. I thought it tasted better the next day.

I added broccoli to this recipe to add more greens. I also used the full box of tofu so I wouldn’t have any leftovers. Since the whole box of tofu, I ended up adding 1.25x the amount of ingredients of recipe. The original recipe was vegan, but I used chicken broth to de-veganize it. Obviously, don’t do that if you want to keep it vegan.

Dairy Free Mac and Cheese
Adapted from: Branny Boils Over, originally from Veganomicon

Ingredients:

Cheesy Sauce: *I used heaping measurements
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth (I used chicken stock)
1/4 cup AP flour*
1 Tbsp olive oil*
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp salt*
freshly ground pepper
1/8 tsp turmeric*
3/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes*
1 Tbsp lemon juice*
1 tsp prepared yellow mustard* (I used spicy brown mustard)

Pasta:
1/2 pound elbow macaroni (I used shells)
1/2 pound extra firm tofu (I used the entire 12.3 oz of Mori-Nu)
1/2 tsp salt*
1/2 Tbsp olive oil*
1 Tbsp lemon juice*
1 head broccoli florets

Directions:
Boil pasta as directed on box, adding broccoli in the last 5 minutes of boiling.

Preheat oven to 325°.

Crumble tofu into an 8×8 inch baking dish until it resembles ricotta cheese. Add salt, olive oil, lemon juice, and stir.

Prepare the cheese sauce:
In a bowl combine the broth and the flour, whisking to dissolve the flour.

Preheat a small sauce pan over medium heat add oil and gently sauté the minced garlic for about 2 minutes. Add thyme, s&p, and cook a few seconds longer.

Add broth, turmeric, and nutritional yeast. Slightly increase heat and whisk constantly, about 3 minutes.

The mixture will begin to bubble and thicken. After about 2 minutes, add the mustard and lemon juice. Now the mixture should resemble melty cheese. If it does not, continue to simmer.

Combine pasta:
Add 1/4 cup of the cheese sauce to the tofu and stir. Add pasta to the tofu, reserve 1/2 cup of the cheese sauce and add the rest to the tofu+macaroni mixture. Stir well. Top with remaining sauce. (I found it easier to combine everything in the pot, transfer to the dish, then top with remaining sauce.)

Bake for 30 minutes. Allow the baked macaroni and cheese to rest outside of the oven before serving (about 10 minutes).

This was great for a first timer using nutritional yeast. I’m going to experiment with other cheese sauces to see which one we like better.

Highlights of a Dinner Party

Our friend Jason will be leaving for culinary school in Italy next week. He came over to join me in the kitchen to cook for our friends. Here’s some highlights of what we made:

Mango Guacamole
(made by Jason)

4 avocados
1 mango, cubed
cilantro
1 red onion, finely diced
lime juice
salt to taste

I think those were all the ingredients. I liked this even though I’m not a huge fan of mangos.

 

Spinach Artichoke Dip
click here for link to post

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bowtie Pasta with Asparagus Pesto
(made by Jason)

Sorry, I don’t know what the ingredients are. It was very tasty though.

The leftover pesto also made a great dip.

 

 

 

 

 

Mac and Cheese
(made by Jason)

Again, I don’t know what’s in it. All I know is that he added lots of cheese!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beef Stew
click here for link to post

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fried Chicken Wings
(made by Jason)

Season wings with salt and pepper. Fry in about 2 inches of oil.

Hot sauce (optional):
Add melted butter and hot sauce in a zip top bag. Add chicken and toss to coat.

I have a deep fryer, however when I opened the box, the cord was missing. It was left at my parent’s place. We had to make do with the pot on the oven.

Linguine in Clam Sauce
(made by Jason)

1 lb of linguine
2 15 oz cans of clams with juice
olive oil
red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare pasta as directed. Transfer to a pan. Add 2 cans clams with juice. Toss to coat. Add seasonings and olive oil to taste.
Jason, let me know if I forgot anything!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes
(made by me)

I made these the night before using an existing recipe. I let it cool overnight and let my guests have fun frosting their own designs. Some of them got a little carried away, so I can’t show those ;).

To make this, pour a scant 1/4 cup of batter into cupcake liners (about 3/4 full). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

 

Espresso Chip Walnut Brownies
click here for link to post

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other dishes that were made but were camera shy:
Ragu – Homemade meat sauce (made by Jason)

Thanks to Allen for the photos!

Thanks to everyone who came over to eat!

Thanks to Jason for coming over and showing me new techniques. I’ll definitely work on my knife skills!

Can’t wait until next time!

Scallops with Thai Peanut Noodles

We bought a bag of frozen scallops the last time we went to BJs. We try to get some kind of seafood every time we’re there. I’ve never made scallops before, although I love eating them at restaurants.

I saw a couple of recipes for scallops that I wanted to try, but I didn’t have all the ingredients. This recipe called out to me because I’m a big fan of peanut butter, AND I had all the ingredients on hand. I also didn’t want to make a huge fuss with dinner, so I decided to make this.

Scallops with Thai Peanut Noodles
Adapted from: Eat Better America

Ingredients:
1 package (7 oz) spaghetti, broken in half (I used half a package of Thai style rice noodles)
5 cups fresh broccoli pieces or 1 bag (12 oz) frozen broccoli cuts, thawed
3/4 lb fresh or frozen (thawed) bay scallops or quartered sea scallops
1/2 cup reduced-fat peanut butter spread (I used Lee Kum Kee Peanut Sauce)
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon red pepper sauce (I used chili garlic sauce)
2 tablespoons unsalted dry-roasted peanuts, finely chopped (I omitted since I didn’t have any on hand)

Directions:
1. Cook spaghetti as directed on package—except add broccoli and scallops during last 4 minutes of cooking. Scallops are done when they turn white and opaque.

2. Meanwhile, in small bowl, beat peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar and red pepper sauce with wire whisk until smooth.

3. Drain spaghetti mixture; return to saucepan. Add peanut butter mixture; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with peanuts. Serve immediately.

Final verdict: I will try this again with crunchy peanut butter instead of the peanut sauce. The peanut sauce had vinegar in it already, so it made the entire dish more tart than usual. There wasn’t enough peanut butter flavor for my taste.

Minestrone Soup, no wait, Just Pasta

Made by: Cathy

I started to call this Minestrone soup, but after it was done, it was more like a hearty pasta with tons of veges. It was still good of course, but I can't really call it a soup if there's not much broth to it in the end.

All ingredients were estimated.

Ingredients:
3 quarts water
5 teaspoon chicken bouillon
3-4 stalks of celery, sliced
4-5 carrots, sliced
3 potatoes, chopped
1 cup string beans, cut into 3/4 pieces
1 onion, halved and sliced
1 can, 28 oz crushed chunky tomatoes
1 bay leaf
3/4 ground turkey
2 cups elbow macaroni (uncooked) (or pasta of choice)
ground thyme, to taste
ground Italian seasoning, to taste

Directions:
1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add chicken bouillon to water and mix well.
2. Add the celery, carrots, potatoes, string beans, onion, bay leaf, and crushed tomatoes to the pot. Cover, bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 30-40 minutes or until vegetables are semi tender.
3. Spray a pan with nonstick spray and brown the ground turkey.
4. Add the turkey, macaroni, and seasoning to the pot and stir. Cover, turn up the heat to medium-high and cook for another 8-10 minutes, or until pasta is done.
5. Remove bay leaf and serve.

None the less, it was yummy and easy. There was enough for leftovers for the next day.