The Simplicity of a Pasta Bake

Baking is one of the healthiest ways to cook any kind of food. Dietary fiber, on the other hand, is one of the healthiest things one can ingest. If there is anything healthier than these two, it's combining these two together. A pasta bake is a health buff's perfect meal, with goodness and health together in one. But the many baked pasta recipes available not only serve the health conscious market, but everyone else as well.

Pasta that can be baked is called pasta al forno. This type of pasta is the most ideal for baking. The most popular of al forno pastas are rigatoni and ziti. Al forno is actually the Italian term that means "from the oven". It is a very common cooking term and applies to other food like pizza and bread that were cooked by oven baking. This is in contrast to the usual way of cooking pasta, al dente.

It is relatively easier to bake pasta than to cook it conventionally. This is because after mixing in all the ingredients and leaving the pasta in the oven, all you have to do is wait. Of course, it is only right to check on the baking every few minutes to make sure dish doesn't burn. But aside from that, your hands are pretty much free.

Pasta bake recipes are everywhere. And surely, there is one for everyone. Whatever your preference, you can use either white or red sauce on your baked pasta. They can have all sorts of ingredients. Seafood like shrimps, clams and tuna are no stranger to baked pastas. Meat, like ground beef, is also a favorite ingredient. Vegetables can also be part of the mix, as you can put in mushrooms and beans on your pasta.

A baked pasta dish that can be a treat for vegetarians is the Baked Spinach Cannelloni, with its pasta tubes stuffed with ricotta cheese and spinach. For a good protein refueling, athletic ones can go for a Baked Ziti with Tuna before a session at the gym. And for regular food lovers, only the tomato-enveloped, beef-sprinkled and mozzarella-topped Baked Meat Lasagna will be good enough.

One of the best things about Oven baked pasta is that it has longer shelf life than regularly cooked pasta. Regular pasta can easily spoil a day or two after being cooked. It is a great left over dish and can last longer, if stored properly.

Learn to Cook a Fantastic Italian Recipe

Cooking has appear a very long way from when our ancestors roasted wild game and local vegetation over an open fire. We've discovered an infinite number of ways to prepare and season food, but the nature of cooking remains the same. Apply heat to make food taste better. When you become more experienced, you'll have a better idea for predicting how introducing a different ingredient will affect the cooking process and the final flavor. The practice of getting all of your tools and ingredients together, prepared, and measured is called "mise en place" by professional chefs, and is considered essential to efficient cooking. Any number of herbs or spices can be used to increase the flavor of whatever you are cooking. These may need to be added before or after cooking. Start cooking with water boiling, poaching, simmering, and stewing, to name an approachable few. Stick with water-based cooking until you get a feel for judging when various types of food are done. Now that you know what certain foods feel like when they're cooked, you need to be able to control the cooking process with your application of heat. When you arrange the food in relation to the heat source, center it so that all the food gets cooked evenly; rotate it in the middle of the cooking process if you must. Try to minimize opening the oven door or grill cover, as this lets heat escape and will make the cooking take longer and may

also interfere with the cooking process in other ways. Learn to cook with online lessons and recipes. Learn to cook with online cooking lessons, recipes, instruction. Experienced cooks looking for new methods and recipes will be delighted with some of the dishes and recipes presented here. Learn To Cook Info contains easy to cook and delicious meal cooking recipes. Search Recipe Learn To Cook many tasty and delicious cooking recipe lists with information on ingredients and food preparation. If you love to cook, or want to learn more about cooking, this cooking recipe site is the place for you. Below are some featured cooking recipies, with links to even more recipes. Improve your skills in the kitchen, use this mini cooking school to learn to cook and use the most important cooking techniques and example recipe!. Gain satisfaction from cooking a meal your friends and family will love. A Cooking Note: Baking is chemistry and requires you to stick to the recipe. For all other cooking, be creative and make changes & additions to fit your taste.Cooking is an essential skill for longevity. It is only by cooking that you can truly know what is going in your food and maximize your eating so that you live long and healthy life. Use these simple tips to take the mystery, If you are new to cooking or have limited time, do not begin your cooking experiments with complicated dishes or with recipes that include ingredients that you are unfamiliar with. Cook What You Like You will have more fun cooking if you are looking forward to eating the finished product. Learning how to cook is a fantastic way not only to save money especially if you have a family but also to manage your weight, eat healthier, better food! Plus, if you learn to cook, you get to eat what you want, when you want, are you in the mood for Japanese food? If you learn to cook you won't have to worry if there's not a restaurant nearby, you can make your own!.

If you toss your food in before the oil has heated sufficiently, it'll soak up the oil rather than cook in it. If you cook the food for a little too long, the result is usually still edible, whereas if you miss that narrow window of opportunity with other techniques frying, roasting, baking you could end up with a ruined, burnt piece of food perhaps raw in the middle that's inedible. Stick with water-based cooking until you get a feel for judging when various types of food are done. Now that you know what certain foods feel like when they're cooked, you need to be able to control the cooking process with your application of heat. When you arrange the food in relation to the heat source, center it so that all the food gets cooked evenly; rotate it in the middle of the cooking process if you must.

 If you don't have a recipe, start off with a low amount of heat and see how long the food takes to cook. Search Italian Dishes Recipe Learn To Cook infooffers many tasty and delicious cooking recipe lists with information on ingredients and food preparation. Learning how to cook is a fantastic way not only to save money especially if you have a family but also to manage your weight, eat healthier, better food! Plus, if you learn to cook, you get to eat what you want, when you want, are you in the mood for Japanese food? If you learn to cook you won't have to worry if there's not a restaurant nearby, you can make your own!. It is only by cooking that you can truly know what is going in your food and maximize your eating so that you live long and healthy. Topics include basic cooking techniques and eating food you make yourself costs less and if you learn well, your dishes will taste great and sport a good nutritional profile. Foods that are peeled should be washed before peeling to decrease chance of transferring chemicals and dirt from unpeeled area to peeled area.

 Poaching is very gentle, reserved for delicate foods like eggs, fish, and fruit. After you add the oil and cover the entire pan, wait for it to start smoking before adding the food. It's easier because you have a greater window of opportunity as to when the food is "done". If you apply too much heat, the food will burn. If you apply too little, the food will be raw. It is very difficult to get control over what we eat if we rely on food that is already prepared for us, whether from the frozen foods aisle at the grocery store or from fast food restaurants. Know when you will eat each meal, based on when you have the time to prepare them for instance, more complicated dishes can be served on the weekends, with more simple food or leftovers served on weekday evenings. Not only will they taste better, but fresh food contains more vitamins. Enjoy Each Step Try to change your thinking about each part of the food preparation process and enjoy each step along the way. Exploring Foods Ingredients and Preparations. The introduction provides an excellent guide on food preparation and hygiene.

Find recipes This is optional, of course, but is the recommended route if you're learning how to cook. When you become more experienced, you'll have a better idea for predicting how introducing a different ingredient will affect the cooking process and the final flavor. Fermentation e g leavening is a complicated technique that can result in wonderful baked goods, but it's the domain of experienced or at least intermediate cooks who understand how to control and direct this biological process. If you don't have a recipe, start off with a low amount of heat and see how long the food takes to cook. 

Next time, add a little more heat and see how long it takes to cook. Learn Step By Step. Learn how to cook recipes in all food courses. Looking for recipes? Want to learn how to cook? Learning How To Cook will give you the confidence to conquer the kitchen and unleash your inner chef. How to Learn to Love Cooking - Love Cooking for Healthy Aging and Lonvevity. Lessons include how to cook meat, vegetables and pasta; working with herbs; wine; desserts; and more. models will beep or make a noise when the temperature is reached; otherwise, you might need to calibrate your oven to determine how long it takes for it to preheat to a certain temperature.

Microwave Carrot Cake in a Mug

Easy and ready in minutes, this is a Home Style Cooking cake you can enjoy whenever you're in the mood!

Minutes to Prepare: 5

Number of Servings: 2

Ingredients

Cake:
1 egg
2 tablespoons mashed banana
1 baby carrot, shredded
2 tablespoons almond flour
2 teaspoons stevia
1 tablespoon Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
a pinch of baking powder

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/8 cup tofu
1/4 cup Tofutti cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon stevia

Directions

1. Mix all cake ingredients in a mug
2. Microwave for 1-2 minutes
3. Remove cake from mug and chill in freezer while you make the frosting
4. Blend all of the frosting ingredients together until smooth
5. Slice cake in half, add frosting inside, on top and garnish with extra carrot shreds, walnuts and cinnamon


Serving Size: Makes 2 servings of cake

Teaching your children how to cook ?

As we get older and cooking becomes second nature, it’s easy to forget all of the skills that it takes to cook: a cook must be creative, understand math fundamentals, science, nature, have excellent hand-eye coordination and be constantly attentive to reading and writing. Getting children involved in preparing their own meals is also a wonderful opportunity to instill the import of eating nutritious meals. Later on, older kids may need to help out with family food shopping, meal preparation, and cleanup. Becoming skilled in the kitchen is more than fun–it is necessary for survival!

How to get started

To begin with, it’s important to consider the nutritional needs of most school-age children. Cooking should center around creative foods that meet their growth needs. Most children need 1800 to 2200 calories per day. This translates into about 6 to 9 servings from the bread and cereal group, 3 to 4 servings from the vegetable group, 2 to 3 servings from fruit, 2 to 3 servings from dairy, and 2 to 3 (about 5 to 6 ounces) servings of meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts. When choosing recipes, try to select those that span at least one or two of these groups.

Kid-kitchen guidelines

• Choose illustrated children’s cookbooks that show the foods, measurements and steps along the way.
• Ask the child what he or she would like to prepare and try to steer them in the healthy direction.
• Foods and recipes should match the abilities of your child. When dealing with foods a child might prepare alone, prepare them together at least once first.
• Turn the event into a total experience by shopping for the ingredients together.
• Supervise children as they work with knives, the stove, and other potentially dangerous equipment.
• Have children help you store the food and leftovers. Use this chance to teach them how to handle food to avoid spoilage and food-borne illnesses.
• If you are just getting started, consider using “no cook” recipes that give your child a feel for cooking and the kitchen without the stress of frying or baking.

A few no-bake ideas
Make banana pops.Peel a banana, dip it into melted chocolate or low-fat yogurt, roll in crushed nuts and freeze on cookie sheets.
Fun sandwiches. Use interesting cookie cutters to cut shapes from whole-grain bread. Spread the shapes with peanut butter or add turkey or cheese to make sandwiches.
Make yogurt shakes. Using a plastic blender container, combine yogurt, fruit, ice, and milk or juice in the blender and blend until smooth.
Assemble fun kabobs. Skewer pieces of fruit or vegetables onto thin pretzels sticks.

Preparing food with kids offers and ideal opportunity to help them explore a wide variety of foods at the same time they learn how to handle and prepare foods in a healthy way. Pull up that kitchen counter seat and start cookin’!

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The Best Way to Learn About New Cooking Procedures

Sauces and Stocks

Broth or stocks from cooking meats, bones or vegetable are the base of most elements cooked in the kitchen area. They are used to develop sauces. Red wine is an individual universal sauce paired with stocks. It does wonder on a grilled slice of fish or meat.

No 2nd Guesses!

As they say, strategy love and cooking in reckless abandon. Do not be scared of these procedures. If you're an aficionado of this style of cooking, dare to be daring and give them a check out!

The best way to learn about new cooking procedures on the internet is to use video clip portals like YouTube or MetaCafe which present numerous episodes of recorded cooking reveals. These videos can be downloaded for later on viewing or can be bookmarked and viewed on the internet as you desire. This facility allows you to agenda your cooking time, as you may see it match, not having becoming bound by suitable courses and timely schedules.

One more pretty great concept to find out on the web recipes would be to use cookbooks shared by quite a few customers absolutely free of expense. These cookbooks generally include images and specific procedure for cooking, and so are really beneficial for folks who have just begun understanding how to cook. Most of these books are in PDF format which means that they are unedited and contain the unique recipes as the author meant to publish them.

There are also numerous on the internet cooking courses accessible on the world-wide-web which can be bought at a pretty fair expense. These on-line cooking programs would be best for newbies as they start off from the incredibly fundamentals and then move on advanced cooking recipes. These on line cooking courses can also deliver reading materials as well as visual help to help beginners master the art of cooking.

You can pick your handy time to consider element in the online cooking classes. If you are a man or a girl, these courses are merely excellent for you to learn about how to cook mouth watering recipes. They say that the route to a man's heart is through his abdomen, consequently, these on the net cooking classes would undoubtedly enable ladies cook delicious meals for their guys.

Most of the on the web video clips and products readily available about cooking are fully free of charge of expense. There are even a handful of free cooking channels which can be viewed on-line devoid of spending any payment. As a result, these channels are very beneficial for individuals who want to learn about how to cook, but do not have the time or income to pay for cooking courses.

If you have a laptop computer or netbook then you can consider it along with you to the kitchen area and practice cooking although observing cooking displays on your portable computer system. The greatest way to discover on the net cooking courses, video clips or publications is to research for them on the internet employing preferred research engines these as Google or Yahoo.

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Easy cooking is a choice for your lifestyle

Cooking is generally as hard as we make it. Easy cooking or hard cooking becomes a choice if you think the process through. Yes, we may want hard cooking for special occasions such as holidays. Most times, however, what works best are those easy cooking recipes that we can put together in little time but with a big taste.

Why does this become important? Either the schedule is tight, the money is tight, or both. When you get home from work, you are scrambling to get something together to put on the table. You could do take out or fast food - again! There has to be some cooking ideas that offer easy recipes for dinner. You are left staring at the open refrigerator wondering what to cook.

End your kitchen frustration. Here are four easy cooking ideas the will help you get healthy easy recipes from the refrigerator to the table.

1) Plan in advance.
Cooking is like anything else. Plan your work and work your plan. This is the best way to stay on time and on budget. Put yourself together a weekly, or even monthly cooking book that you can use. Break each page down into two sections - first, what you need to buy, second, how to put it together. You can get everything on the counter in the morning and put the meal together in minutes when you get home. If you use quick and easy recipes, you have even more time available.

2) Use your crock pot. 
You know the one. You got it as a wedding gift all those years ago. It's on the shelf gathering dust. Wash it up and use it. Crock pot cooking has dinner ready when you walk in the door. There is no after work prep time. You can cook almost any meat, soup, or vegetable (or any combination thereof) in a crock pot. The words crock pot and easy cooking should be side by side in the dictionary. The only thing you have left to do in the evening is set the table. Cleanup becomes easy. 1-2-3 and easy dinner recipes become culinary delights for your family.

3) Prepare dinner at breakfast. 
Yes, this is not what most people think of as normal. Yes, this will save you time. You know when you have to leave for work. You have the most control over your schedule before you close the car door in the morning. Leverage the morning time to gain the afternoon time. Schedule time to get supper ready and use easy dinner recipes. By using some easy cooking recipes, you keep your ingredients to a minimum and take up the least amount of prep time. All that is left when you get home is to heat it up.

4) Prepare many meals at one time.

If you cook an entire month of easy dinner recipes in two days, all you have left on the day to day basis is about 20 minutes to heat the meal. Open the freezer in the morning. Choose what looks good. Put it together in under 30 minutes that afternoon. The hard part has already been done. Some people get overwhelmed at the thought of cooking 30 meals at one time, but it really isn't that hard if you are organized about it. We do it about six times a year. Start with a week at a time if you want to take a slow start, but this is a great time saver on a daily basis and budget conscious on a monthly basis.

Cooking is usually as hard as we make it. Easy to cook is a choice for your lifestyle if you think the process through. We just have to get the hang of wha

Olive Oil Chocolate Cake With Sagrantino Wine

Sagrantino di Montefalco Wine DOCG is a typical red Umbrian wine obtained from the grapes of the Sagrantino wineyard, and is Umbria’s most famous red wine. You can use any full bodied dry red wine instead however, and get great results. The wine cannot be tasted in the final product, and simply adds a depth of flavor to the overall cake. The olive oil really keeps the cake moist, and the final product was one very delicious, moist, light textured cake.

I do not care for icing as a rule, so I elected to dust my cake with cocoa powder and served it with a dollop of whipped cream and fresh berries. You could dust your cake with powdered sugar, or glaze it with a dark chocolate ganache, it is completely up to you. Because I cannot buy buttermilk here in Italy, I simply added a spoonful of lemon juice to a cup of milk and let it curdle as my substitution which worked out just fine. I enjoyed this cake so much that I will certainly be making it much more often in the future and it will be a great option for me to bake for our farmhouse guests as well.

Olive Oil Chocolate Cake With Sagrantino Wine

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups of Sugar
• 1 3/4 Cups All-purpose Flour
• 3/4 Cup Unsweetened Dark Cocoa
• 2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Cup Buttermilk (see my notes above)
• 1 Cup Sagrantino (or Other Dry Red Wine)
• 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
• 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• To Finish:
• Cocoa Powder or Powdered Sugar

Directions:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. and lightly grease a 10-inch Bundt pan.
• In one bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, and salt, and stir to mix well.
• In another bowl, add the eggs, buttermilk, wine, olive oil and vanilla, and use a hand mixer to blend well.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and continue to beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. (The batter will be very thin)
• Pour the batter into your prepared Bundt pan, and bake for about 35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Cool for 15 minutes, then remove from the pan.
• Cool to room temperature, then dust with either the cocoa powder or powdered sugar.

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Lavender Panna Cotta With Raspberry Cream

Panna Cotta translates as “cooked cream,” although you can use milk, yogurt, and even buttermilk to create a Panna Cotta. The heated cream is sweetened with sugar, mixed with gelatin, then allowed to set. You can flavor your Panna Cotta with just about anything, and your choices are only as limited as your imagination. Check out some of my other Panna Cotta ideas below!

Here in Italy, folks use gelatin sheets, and I have learned to prefer using them as well and feel they keep the Panna Cotta a little looser. For me, a great Panna Cotta has a subtle sweetness and flavor, and retains a little wobble when lightly shaken. To substitute powdered gelatin for gelatin sheets, it is said that 3 gelatin sheets equals 1 tablespoon of powdered gelatin, or 1 (0.25oz) envelope of granulated gelatin. Gelatin sheets do come in different strengths however, so you may have to experiment a bit to get the right substitution.

You can use ramekins to make your Panna Cotta, and then un-mold them onto plates before serving, but I prefer using small 4 ounce clear glasses which always look really pretty when you layer flavors like I did in this version. I simply kept some of the prepared Panna Cotta liquid aside and pureed it with fresh raspberries until light and foamy and once the lavender Panna Cotta had partially set, poured it on top.

Lavender Panna Cotta With Raspberry Foam

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Heavy Cream
• 
2 Cups Milk

• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 
1Teaspoon Kitchen Grade Lavender Buds
• 
3 Gelatin Sheets
• 1 Pint Fresh Raspberries

Directions:

• Heat the cream, milk, sugar, and lavender until steaming, then reduce the heat to very low and let steep 10 minutes.
• Strain the milk mixture and return to the pot and keep warm.
• Soak the gelatin leaves in cold water for 5 minutes, squeeze out the water and add to the pot.
• Stir until the gelatin has dissolved.
• Place two raspberries in each ramekin or glass.
• Pour the panna cotta into 6 ramekins or small glasses, reserving 1/2 cup, and refrigerate.
• Place the reserved liquid in a bowl with 6 raspberries and using a hand blender puree until light and frothy, then set aside at room temperature.
• After about 90 minutes, or once the refrigerated panna cotta has developed a skin on top, pour a little of the raspberry foam on top of each.
• Return to the refrigerator and leave until set.
• Serve, garnished with a couple of fresh raspberries on top.

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Limoncello Tiramisu

Limoncello is a lemon liqueur that originated from the Almafi coast area although it is now available worldwide and can be found in most stores that sell alcohol. If you cannot find it, you can always make it at home by using my recipe for Limoncello.  To insure my tiramisu had enough of a lemon flavor, I also added some lemon curd into my mascarpone cream.

 Do not worry about the alcohol in the Limoncello, as it will evaporate when cooked. This dessert is great for entertaining, as it actually is better if prepared the day before and allowed to rest in the refrigerator overnight. This Traditional Italian Food recipes makes a large 13 x 9 inch pan, that will serve 10 unless you have very hungry guests! If you really do not want to include the Limoncello, you could simply increase the ingredients for the lemon syrup and use that to dip the cookies instead.

Limoncello Tiramisu

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Limoncello Liqueur
• 1 Cup Water
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 3/4 Cup Lemon Juice
• 40 Savoiardi or Lady Finger Cookies (2 Packages)

For The Mascarpone Cream:

• 1 1/2 Cups Heavy Cream
• 1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
• 16 Ounces Mascarpone Cream, Room Temperature
• 1 (10 Ounce) Jar Lemon Curd, divided

Garnish:

• Remaining Lemon Curd
• Lightly Toasted Sliced Almonds

Directions:

• In a small pan, heat the limoncello, water, sugar and lemon juice to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, until the sugar has completely disolved.
• Set the syrup aside to cool to room temperature.
• In one bowl beat the cream with an electric mixer on high until soft peaks form.
• Begin to add 1/2 cup of the sugar until blended.
• In a separate bowl, beat the mascarpone with 3/4 of the jar of lemon curd until smooth, reserving the rest of the curd for the garnish.
• Fold the cream mixture into the mascarpone mixture until blended.
• Pour the syrup into a shallow bowl, and quickly dip each of the cookies into the mixture and lay them side by side in a 13 x 9 inch casserole dish.
• If necessary, cut the cookies to fill in any spaces.
• Once you have one layer of cookies completed, spoon over half the mascarpone mixture.
• Make another layer of dipped savoiardi cookies on top of the mascarpone cream layer, then finish by topping this layer with the rest of the cream mixture.
• Use a knife to smooth the top of the cream, and garnish with the toasted almonds.
• Mix the remaining lemon curd with a spoon, then drizzle it across the top of the tiramisu.
• Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight.

Low-Fat Kitchen - Fill Your Kitchen With Healthy Options

Summer is almost here. You are making progress with your dietary goals. One sure way to support your goals is to have all the healthy options you need at your fingertips. Fill you freezer, refrigerator and pantry with the right stuff. And don't forget to keep your body in motion. Enjoy eating and lose weight!

Here's a quick shopping list for some basics that will keep your weeknights healthy and simple.

On the counter, the cupboard or in the refrigerator:

•  Fresh fruit- keep bananas, berries, apples and melons in the house at all times
•  Keep some canned fruit on the shelf for the times you didn't get to the market
•  Whole grain breads, oat bran English muffins, small (versus gigantic Kaiser rolls) whole wheat buns
•  Whole grain cereals- try Wheat Chex, Quaker Oat Squares, Kashi, Cheerios, Oatmeal

In the vegetable drawer:

•  Some type of salad greens, tomato, a bag of baby carrots
•  Pre-washed green beans
•  Bell peppers, onion, potatoes (take any summer vegetable, slice it thinly or cube it, mix in a bowl with a pinch of salt, pepper and 2 TB of olive oil. Wrap tightly in aluminum foil and place on grill. Grill until tender.)
•  Zucchini (Heat skillet with 1 TB olive oil. Wash, then slice, zucchini. Add to pan, then add half a sliced onion; cook on range-top until tender. Your delicious side dish is ready in less than 15 minutes)
•  Ready-for-the-oven (or grill) potatoes (found in the bag salad section of produce)

On the door:

•  Low fat (1% or less) or non fat milk. Add chocolate syrup for those chocolate cravings- 2-3 teaspoons to a glass of non fat milk
•  Orange juice
•  Eggs or egg substitute (egg whites)
•  Reduced fat salad dressings, reduced fat mayonnaise, light sour cream

In the Freezer:

•  Frozen vegetables for when you are out of fresh or pressed for time
•  Frozen veggie burgers or veggie sausage patties for a protein alternative
•  Portioned skinless chicken breasts or skinless legs (portion out 2-4 pieces in a freezer bag- whatever you need for your household); portioned salmon filets; portioned pork loin cutlets; portioned lean beef strips for stir fry, fajitas, or lean beef cubes for kabobs

On the pantry shelf

•  Whole grain reduced fat crackers
•  Brown rice, barley, couscous, Arborio rice (risotto), whole wheat and regular pasta in a variety of shapes
•  Pouch tuna
•  Canned tomatoes (for sauces, Tex-Mex, or stews), tomato sauce
•  Brownie mix- substituting 1/3 cup applesauce in place of the oil will reduce the total fat content and the brownies will still disappear at your picnic! No complaints.

Other pantry staples:

•  A variety of herbs and spices: salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cilantro, basil, rosemary leaves, ground thyme, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice. Try an herb garden this summer with fresh chives, basil, rosemary and thyme.
•  Soy sauce, grilling sauces, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauces, mustards
•  Olive oil, Garlic cloves

Keep it fad-free: Stock your kitchen with healthy choices so you can plan quick and delicious easy to cook.

Being Creative in the Kitchen With Zucchini

Gardeners love zucchini for numerous reasons. Once planted, this species of summer squash requires little maintenance to deliver a generous harvest.

Young bright green or yellow zucchini of about 6 to 8 inches long and 2 inches in diameter contain few seeds and are perfect for most recipes. Larger zucchinis are tougher and develop more and bigger seeds. The squash can still be used to make bread or soup after removing the pulp and seeds.

During the harvest period, keep unwashed zucchini in cold storage or the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. Use your vegetables within three to four days. Don't forget to wash your squash just before meal preparations. Zucchini does not need to be peeled.

An abundant harvest is great when you have lots of farm animals to feed, however, that is not the case for most gardeners. So, what to do when you have tried every recipe in your cookbooks and the neighbors start avoiding you because they have had enough zucchini?

Zucchini Tricks and Suggestions

Tired of zucchini bread and muffins? Try to think beyond the box, because this vegetable goes with just about anything.

• Grill zucchini slices with a wide variety of vegetables, such as eggplant, onions, asparagus, and mushrooms.
• Add it to stir fries with green onions, carrots, green or yellow beans, and potatoes.
• Look for that perfect warm or cold soup recipe.
• Cut down on the carbs by using zucchini slices instead of lasagna noodles.
• Dice zucchini for pasta and lettuce salads.
• Serve squash sticks with dip.
• Make grain-free noodles. Serve with a marinara sauce.
• Ever tried zucchini marmalade or butter? Delicious! Additional ingredients are olive oil or butter, minced shallots and garlic, salt and pepper. Enjoy on toast or bagels.
• Use it instead of cucumber in a Greek salad.
• Stuff giant squashes with sausage, mushrooms, and sage. Bake in the oven. Top it with shredded pecorino cheese and a dash of paprika. Return to the oven until the cheese has melted, and then enjoy!
• Diced zucchini, chopped onion, eggs, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper are key ingredients for a scrumptious frittata.
• Brownies made with finely shredded zucchini, applesauce, bananas, and walnuts are to die for!

Preserving Zucchini

• Wash, grate, and freeze young, tender zucchini for cooking and baking during cold seasons. Steam-blanch (scalding vegetables in steam for a short time) small portions until translucent. It takes about 1 to 2 minutes. Freeze in containers once the zucchini has cooled. Leave 1/2-inch of headspace. Discard liquid after thawing the squash.


• Dehydrating zucchini either in pieces or chips is an excellent preserving method. Lay the pieces or slices in a single layer on dehydrator trays. Sprinkle with your favorite seasoning. Store dehydrated foods in airtight containers.


• Soup, relish, and pickled zucchini can be canned.

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Campanelle with Cabbage and Oven-Roasted Pork Ribs

"Marinated ribs are roasted until tender with wine. The meat is served in a reduced sauce with sliced cabbage, campanelle pasta, and served with butter and grated cheese."

Ingredients

• ·        1 (16 ounce) box Barilla® Campanelle
• ·        1 pound pork spareribs
• ·        4 cloves garlic, minced, divided
• ·        1 sprig fresh rosemary
• ·        4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• ·        1/2 cup dry white wine
• ·        3 cups thinly sliced cabbage
• ·        1 cup chicken broth
• ·        1 tablespoon butter
• ·        Market Pantry Salted Sweet Cream Butter 4 Sticks 
• ·        1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions

1.     Marinate pork ribs overnight with 3 of the minced garlic cloves, rosemary, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and black pepper, to taste.

2.     Place ribs in a shallow roasting pan, cover with aluminum foil, and bake in a 425 degrees F oven for 20 minutes; remove from oven, add wine, and bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes.

3.     Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook Campanelle according to package directions.

4.     Meanwhile, saute in a medium skillet the remaining garlic in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until garlic turns slightly golden in color. Add cabbage, chicken broth, salt, and pepper to taste; simmer until the cabbage is tender and thoroughly cooked.

5.     Remove meat from the ribs and add to the sauce; simmer for 5 minutes. Drain Campanelle and toss with the sauce.

6.     Stir in butter and cheese and toss before serving.

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Chicken and Chorizo Pasta Bake

"Not a recipe for people on a diet - chicken, sausage, and penne is baked in a creamy tomato sauce. I cook the meats, pasta, and sauce all at the same time, but it can be done individually and refrigerated before baking it in the oven."

Ingredients

• ·        3 1/2 cups penne pasta
• ·        1 tablespoon olive oil
• ·        4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• ·        1 red bell pepper, chopped
• ·        1 chorizo sausage, cut into chunks
• ·        1 1/2 cups tomato puree
• ·        1 cup light cream
• ·        1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• ·        1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• ·        Kraft Foods 7- to 8-oz. shredded, block and deli-sliced cheese 
• ·        1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• ·        1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1.     Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2.     Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and set aside.

3.     Heat the oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, and cook until firm and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the bell pepper and chorizo and cook for 5 minutes until the chorizo is hot and the chicken is no longer pink in the center. Remove from heat.

4.     Pour the tomato puree, cream, and red pepper flakes into a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened.

5.     Add drained pasta and sauce to the skillet containing the chicken and mix well. Spoon the mixture into an oven proof dish. Sprinkle the Cheddar, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese over the top. Bake 30 minutes, or until the top is golden and bubbly.

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Quick and Easy Salad Meals

Simply choose something from each category and you can create a salad meal in minutes. The wide variety of combinations you can create will always give you something new at lunchtime.

Greens:

Choose the greens for your salad. There are a variety of pre-packaged salad greens in the grocery stores these days from spring mixes, romaine, arugula, baby spinach and more. You can choose these products and even make combinations of them for an interesting salad base.

You can also simply buy the fresh variety in heads by themselves and make your own combinations. This route is cheaper than the packaged variety but if time is short you can't beat the pre-packaged greens.

Vegetables and Fruit:

Choose a variety of vegetables and/or fruit to put in the salad with a rainbow of colors for the most nutrition. Some flavorful combinations are:

- cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, celery or

- red bell peppers, artichoke hearts, scallions or

- grape tomatoes, avocado, hearts of palm or

- shredded carrots, shredded cabbage, mandarin oranges or

- diced apples, blueberries, strawberries

Fillings:

Here are some suggestions for fillings that will make a salad a meal.

- cooked chicken (cubed) - either grilled, baked, or broiled or

- cooked seafood (cut into bite-sized pieces) - tuna, salmon, shrimp, crab, or lobster or

- cooked grains - brown rice, basmati rice, quinoa, buckwheat, or wild rice or

- cooked beans - black beans, garbanzo beans, butter beans, lima beans, kidney beans, azuki beans, cannellini beans, or edamame or

- cooked meat (cut into bite-sized pieces) - steak, ham, pork chops, or roast beef or

- eggs - chopped hard-boiled eggs, cooked omelet cut into pieces, or cooked scrambled eggs or

- cooked pasta - (the smaller varieties work best like rotini, elbow macaroni, couscous or farfalle)

Dressing:

Choose an all natural, organic and low-fat variety. Making your own dressing is always an option and you can control all the ingredients that way but if time is too short, there are so many varieties available today that you will always be able to find something delicious.

Toppers:

These simple topping accents will add an extra layer of flavor to salad meals. Use as many or as few as you like.

- croutons: plain or flavored varieties

- crumbled cooked bacon: use turkey bacon to cut down on fat or try the vegetarian variety

- nuts: use a sprinkling of chopped nuts like walnuts, pecans, almonds or pine nuts

- shelled seeds are also a good addition like: pumpkin seeds, sunflower kernels or sesame seeds

- baked tortilla chips: crumble them up and sprinkle over your salad

- shredded cheese: use a low-fat variety and sprinkle over the salad

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