Lemon Orzo Salad with Asparagus, spinach and feta

I made this for dinner tonight and it was SO good. So very good. And easy. Walmart (yuck) was out of spinach (what!? I know) so I added a cup of frozen peas instead. It was amazing.

1 cup orzo
Salt-about 1/2 tsp. for boiling water

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
8 asparagus spears, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup packed fresh spinach
Juice of 1 large lemon
1/3 cup feta cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a medium sauce pan, bring 4 cups of water to boil. Add the salt. Stir in orzo. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain orzo and set aside.

2. In a small sauce pan, saute garlic in olive oil. Add in asparagus pieces. Saute for 3-4 minutes. Stir in spinach. Cook until asparagus is tender and the spinach shrinks down.

3. Put the orzo in a medium bowl and add in the vegetables. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the orzo and vegetables. Stir. Season with salt and pepper. Taste-add more lemon juice if you wish. The lemon I used was huge, so I only needed to use one lemon. If you need more juice, go ahead.

4. Sprinkle feta cheese over the top of the salad. Serve warm.

Serves 4

Mac & Cheese with Cauliflower Puree

My baby doesn't like to eat her veggies, so I have to get creative. Sometimes I hide peas in her apple sauce, and sometimes I make this mac and cheese with cauliflower. Both work, but this tastes better.

1 head of cauliflower, separated into florets
1 onion, sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 package shredded cheddar/jack
1 16 oz. package of elbow macaroni ( I used the multigrain Barilla Plus with protein and Omega-3)
salt and nutmeg to taste
bread crumbs (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Cook the macaroni in salted water till al dente (err on the undercooked side as the pasta will cook some more in the oven).

Melt the butter over medium low in a deep skillet or shallow pot. Add cauliflower and onion and stew, covered, for 15 minutes (stir occasionally but do not let it brown). Barely cover with water and simmer for about 20 minutes, till vegetables are tender. Puree vegetables in a blender or food processor (you may need to drain off some of the water). Pour puree back into the pot, and add most of the package of cheese, reserving some to sprinkle over the top of the pasta. Season with salt and nutmeg.

(At this point, you could serve the "sauce" as soup. Think about that for another meal.)

Mix sauce with pasta, pour into a baking dish and top with the rest of the shredded cheese. A sprinkle of bread crumbs would be nice as well. Cover with foil and bake till heated through. I didn't time mine, but I think it took at least 30 minutes. Finish in the broiler if you like crunchy goodness on top. YUM.

ALFREDO VARIATION: Instead of the cheddar/jack mixture, use parmesan, and add a bit of fresh garlic to the cauliflower/onion saute. Mix with cooked fettuccine and garnish with chopped parsley.

Next: I intend to throw cauliflower in with the potatoes for mashing. No one will suspect a thing.

With all my heart

I endorse the Betty Crocker Big Red Cookbook.

Some of you may have advanced beyond this level; I have not. I love the "prep time" and "cook time" notes; the calorie counts and low fat suggestions; the slow cooker instructions; the underdone, well done, overdone pictures; and the non-snotty approach to "Know nothing about cooking? Here you go, step-by-step!"

Seriously my favorite.

Tomato Basil Soup

I got this recipe from an Enrichment night dinner. It's super easy and it tastes like it was made from scratch!

2- 15 oz. cans tomato soup
15 oz. Half & Half or Cream (one soup can full & a splash is about right)
4-6 Tbsp. Pesto sauce

Blend all of the above ingredients and bring to a simmer.

Spaghetti with Artichoke Hearts and Tomatoes

Pioneer Woman does it again! I don't think I've tried one of her recipes and not liked it. Every time I make something from her Web site, it's always a hit. And a good thing too, because I've been striking out on meals lately. Jason was so delighted when I made something that was actually eatable.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
1 14.5 ounce can artichoke hearts (quartered or whole), drained
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken broth, more as needed
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
salt & pepper to taste
1 pound thin spaghetti
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped chives or other herbs


Cook spaghetti till al dente. Drain and set aside.Melt olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add artichoke hearts and tomatoes. Stir and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Stir in cream and chicken broth. Add salt and pepper to taste (do not under salt!) Cook over low heat until heated through, then turn off heat.Place drained pasta in a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1 cup Parmesan. Pour sauce over the top. Add chopped chives. Toss lightly to combine and coat; add a tiny bit of reserved pasta water if sauce seems too thick.


**I also added asparagus to the dish and it was perfect. I chopped up 1/2 pound (and I only used the top couple inches of each stalk) and added them in when sauteing the garlic and onions.

Soup

Last night I made a soup that was supposed to be close to Cafe Zupa's Wisconsin Cauliflower soup (my all-time favorite!). The blogger that posted it said it wasn't spot-on, but that it was close and she enjoyed it. Me, I hated it. So much that I threw away the rest. I never do that! But I did last night. And this is why I am not sharing the recipe. You're welcome.

Roasted-Vegetable Tacos

*So, I'm not sure what it is...but I really love this meal!

Roasted-Vegetable Tacos

Olive oil flavored cooking spray
1 Medium onion, cut into wedges
1 Medium bell-pepper, cut lengthwise into eighths
1 Medium zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 Cup sliced mushrooms (3 oz)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 Cup shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (4 oz)
8 taco shells (I use soft corn tortillas or flour tortillas)
3/4 Cup salsa
Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

1 Heat oven to 425. Spray cookie sheet pan with cooking spray.

2. Place onion, bell pepper, zucchini and mushrooms in single layer in pan. Spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and red pepper. Bake uncovered 20-25 minutes, turning vegetables once, until vegetables are tender.

3. Sprinkle cheese into taco shells or tortillas. Top with vegetables and salsa. Sprinkle with cilantro.