Spaghetti with Artichokes

{Meatless Monday}

I promised to post this about a month ago....   This has become an absolute favorite!  It is so simple and easy and is such a great spin on traditional spaghetti with red sauce.  It probably ends up on my menu about every other week.  I just love it because it is simple and cheap and really good!

This is another recipe from The Pioneer Woman...if you have never been to her blog, click on over!  She is amazingly talented and her pictures are gorgeous.  But make sure you have some free time, because you can get lost in all the splendor! ; )

Here's what you need for this super easy meal...

]2 Tablespoons olive oil 
2 Tablespoons butter 
3 cloves garlic, minced 
½ whole medium onion, diced
1 can Artichoke Hearts (14.5 Oz.) drained 
1 can diced tomatoes with juice (14.5 Oz.) 
1 cup heavy cream 
½ cups chicken broth (more as needed) 
½ teaspoons nutmeg 
Salt and Pepper, to taste 
1 pound Thin Spaghetti 
1 cup Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated 
2 Tablespoons fresh chives, chopped


Cook spaghetti as desired.  Drain and set aside.
Melt olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes.

Add artichoke hearts and tomatoes. Stir and cook for 8-10 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Stir in cream and chicken broth. Add salt and pepper to taste.  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 chives. Toss lightly to combine.  Enjoy!

Creamy Tortellini Soup

{Meatless Monday}

We really loved this soup!  It turned out a little too spicy for my younger kids because I couldn't find a white sauce mix in the store, so I grabbed a White Gravy mix that turned out to be very peppery.  AND without thinking, I still added the cayenne pepper.  Probably should leave that out next time!  ; )

 

I know that the title says Tortellini...but when I dug in my freezer, all I came up with was some frozen Ravioli...so that's what I used! They are completely interchangeable in this recipe!

1  1.8-ounce envelope  white sauce mix   ( I used a 2.4 oz. of Gravy Mix)
6  cups  water 
2  14-ounce cans  vegetable broth 
2-3  cups  sliced fresh mushrooms 
1  cup  chopped onion 
6  cloves garlic, minced 
1  teaspoon  dried basil, crushed 
1/2  teaspoon  salt 
1/2  teaspoon  dried oregano, crushed 
1/8  teaspoon  cayenne pepper (If you use a Gravy mix, omit this because it gets a little spicy!)
2  7- to 8-ounce package dried cheese tortellini  ( I used two bags frozen Ravioli--that's all I had!)
1  12-ounce can  evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups milk
6  cups  fresh baby spinach leaves or torn spinach
Finely shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)
 Note:  I did end up adding some flour and water mix to thicken it up a little!

Regular Stove-top Instructions:

Mix sauce/gravy mix with water and broth using a whisk.  Add in mushrooms, onion, garlic, basil, salt, oregano, and cayenne pepper, if desired.
Bring to boil.  Reduce heat slightly and continue boiling for 20 minutes, or until onions are tender.  Add dry or frozen tortellini.  Cook at a low-med. boil for 5-10 more minutes until those are cooked.  (The frozen ones generally float on the surface when they are done.)
Reduce heat to low and stir in evaporated milk, milk, and fresh spinach.  Cook just a few minutes more.  Then serve immediately topped with Parmesan cheese.  Makes 8-10 servings.

We had it with Quick Oatmeal Bread and it was a delicious combination!



Crock pot instructions:

Place dry white sauce mix (or gravy mix) in a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker. Gradually add the water to the white sauce mix, stirring until smooth. Stir in broth, mushrooms, onion, garlic, basil, salt, oregano, and cayenne pepper(?).
 Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2-1/2 to 3 hours.
 Stir in dried or frozen tortellini. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 1 hour more or high-heat setting for 45 minutes more.
Stir in evaporated milk, milk, and fresh spinach. If desired, sprinkle individual servings with Parmesan cheese. Makes 8-10 servings.

Southern-Style Veggie Sliders

{Meatless Monday}

I love it when I find a recipe that is a total KEEPER!!  These look kind of strange at first glance!  I had the hardest time finding canned Black Eyed Peas at Walmart...and I think I've maybe used one recipe in my life that called for them.

This recipe was the 2nd place winner in BH&G for Veggie burgers.  It was so good, I can't wait to try the 1st place winner: Greek Spinach Veggie Burgers.  Mmmm.  Anything with feta is my friend!

My family loved these.  EVERYONE ate them and wanted more!  To actually get through dinner without any complaints is such a miracle...I might make these on a weekly basis!  I served them on my own homemade rolls that I had toasted in the oven...so I think that made them extra yummy!

The slightly spicy mayonnaise adds a yummy twist...but it wasn't even too hot for my little ones.

So if you've never tried a veggie burger...you really should try this one!!  BUT,  you have to know that they in NO way taste like a burger in flavor or texture.  But they are super yummy in their own right.  My husband liked them so much he suggested that I make up a huge batch, shape them into patties and then freeze them for him...instead of buying those expensive Boca burgers.  I think when I go to Walmart today, I will snag a few cans of Black Eyed Peas and try it out!!



So, here's what you need: 
2  15- to 16-oz. cans  black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained 
1    egg, lightly beaten 
1/2  cup  finely chopped red sweet pepper 
1/4  cup  fine dry bread crumbs 
1/4  cup  finely chopped celery
3    green onions, finely chopped 
1/2  tsp.  garlic salt 
2  Tbsp.  olive oil 
1/2  cup  mayonnaise 
1  tsp.  Cajun seasoning ****See recipe below****
12-16   soft dinner rolls, split and toasted
    Lettuce leaves

  In large bowl mash black-eyed peas with a potato masher.

Add egg, sweet pepper, bread crumbs, celery, green onions, and garlic salt; mix well.

Shape bean mixture into twelve to sixteen  1/2-inch-thick patties about 3 inches in diameter. (One tip I have read is to refrigerate these for 30-60 minutes...she said it helped them not fall apart as much when you cook them.)

   In large skillet heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil over medium heat. Add half of the patties to the hot oil. Cook 8 minutes or until lightly browned and heated through, turning once. (I did mine all at once in my HUGE skillet.) Remove and keep warm. Repeat with remaining oil and patties.  (I cooked them until they were well browned and a little crispy on each side...just to give them a little more "bite".)

   In small bowl stir together mayonnaise and Cajun seasoning.

Spread cut side of each roll with the mayonnaise mixture. Place a burger on bottom half of each roll; top with lettuce and add roll top. Makes 12-16 sliders (6 servings).

***Cajun Seasoning Recipe***
I am not about to go to the store and spend $5 on some special mix of spices, so I simply googled Cajun seasoning and then mixed up some of my own.  Here is a link if you want to make a larger portion of it to keep in your cupboard:  Cajun Seasoning

I just basically made a small batch of it...here's what I used:
3/4 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. ground thyme (I just chopped up my regular thyme)
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp. dried basil
1/8 tsp. dried oregano

Mix all up in a bowl.  This made enough for at least 2 or 3 recipes of the burgers.


I hope you will be adventurous and try these!!  They really are yummy and easy to put together.  I love having a new recipe that is so different from our normal fare.  We eat a lot of pasta...and lots of the new recipes I try are pastas, so I am happy to add a yummy veggie burger into the mix!

Greek Chopped Salad

{Meatless Monday}

This is a recipe that I have had FOREVER on a torn out magazine page from Family Circle.  It has been at least 2 years since I even had a subscription to that magazine!  I am so glad I finally decided to try it.  It is a lovely, simple, fresh salad for this coming summertime.

Here's what you'll need:

For the dressing:
3 T lemon juice
2 T chopped red onion
3 tsp. chopped oregano
1 minced garlic clove
1/8 tsp EACH sugar, salt, and pepper

Whisk all together and then slowly whisk in 4 T olive oil.

For the salad:
2 hearts (or 1 whole) romaine, chopped into 1/2" pieces
1 med. cucumber, cut into 1/2 " pieces
2 cups diced tomatoes (or quartered cherry tomatoes)
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 c. chopped parsley
1/3 c. chopped kalamata olives
4-5 oz. feta

Toss together in large bowl and mix with dressing JUST before serving.  The recipe says this only makes 4 servings, but it made more like 6-8.  I actually only mixed half the dressing with half the salad for the first night, and then we had the rest the next day...and it was still fresh.  It wilts really quickly, so only put the dressing on the amount you know you will eat right then.

The Kalamata olives are very strong (which I love) but very expensive (which I don't love!), so you could use regular black olives and it would still be yummy.  When I pointed out to my hubby that he better enjoy those Kalamata olives because they were very expensive, he offered a solution:  he said I could save money by not buying the chickpeas.  ; )  He is not a fan of them, but they are the protein source (along with the feta) in this salad.  If you don't like chickpeas, I am sure you could substitute any small white bean and it would work.
I am almost always too cheap to buy cherry or grape tomatoes, so I just dice up a couple roma tomatoes to substitute.  We ate this as our main dish with some toasted English Muffins on the side.  (And in the spirit of complete disclosure...only my husband, myself, and my 13 year old ate this salad for dinner.  The other kids had egg McMuffins.... ; )  It seemed like a good compromise and it left all the yummy salad to those of us who appreciated it!

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

{Meatless Monday}

The other day I was going through some old recipes I had pulled out of magazines, but never gotten around to making.  I had actually saved one page for a French Onion soup recipe, but then I saw the recipe for this soup and it looked really yummy and it said it was "Low Cal"...so I put it on my menu and I'm so glad I did.

I just have to say that roasting vegetables is amazing!!  It completely transforms the flavor.  In fact, I am thinking I am going to have to roast me up some Brussel sprouts because then they might actually taste good!!  ; )

I also loved this recipe because it is very simple.  There are not a lot of ingredients and I actually used Fat-Free Half and Half, so it was even MORE Low-Cal and also low-fat, since the only fat was from a little olive oil...and that's the good kind, anyway, right??

Here's what you'll need:

1 large head cauliflower (3 pounds) cut into florets
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, each halved (I just used 2 tsp. minced garlic from my fridge)
2 T olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth (I just used about 3 1/2 cups of bouillon)
1 cup water
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. chopped thyme
1 cup half and half (I used Fat-Free, though I wish they just sold a reduced fat...maybe mixing the regular with the Fat-free would be perfect for me!)

Heat oven to 400*.  In a large bowl, toss cauliflower, onion slices, and garlic with olive oil.  Sprinkle on salt and pepper.  Roast for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through.

In large saucepan, combine veggies with chicken broth, water, bay leaf, and thyme.  Cover and bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

Discard bay leaf and using blender, puree soup in batches.  Return to pan and stir in half and half.  Cook over medium heat until heated through...about 5 minutes.  Serve with fresh chives on top.

I served this with some homemade rolls.  Everybody ate the soup...not everyone LOVED it, but with the help of a roll everybody ate their portion.  My daughter and I both loved it.  In fact, when she left for school this morning, I made sure she was OK with me eating the leftovers for my lunch.
I made a double batch of rolls, because tonight we are trying another new recipe for Southern-Style Vegetable Sliders.  We'll see how they turn out and I'll let you know next week! ; )

What I love about the soup is how much flavor came from the roasted cauliflower and onions and also how CREAMY it is with VERY little fat and cream in there!

For your information:  using regular Half and Half, it says that there are 98 calories per serving (this makes 8 servings) and 9 g fat.  But I figured out using Fat Free, you would save about 20 calories and 4 g fat per serving.  That makes it an extremely healthy soup...and it is SO yummy.

My husband doesn't even like cauliflower...actually, he dislikes it...and he still liked the soup.


Hope you love it as much as I do!!

Spring Break

We are on a little vacation for the rest of the week...not too far from home, but it's still a break.  The kids are loving the TV...and the pool. 
Tomorrow we head off for a day in SLC...looking forward to some great FREE things to do! 
Tonight I made Spaghetti with Artichokes and Tomatoes.  This has become my new absolute favorite recipe!    It is so yummy and you can throw it all together in the time it takes to boil the noodles.  Yum!  Easy and yet something new for our family to enjoy.  I will be posting it soon! 

Have a good week.

Smoky Split Pea Soup

{Meatless Monday}...cheater version ; )


OK...I made this soup the other night and took all my own photos...but NONE of them look anywhere near as good as the photo from the magazine!
This is theirs:

And this is how mine ended up looking:
(But I don't have a profession food designer working at my house, right?)

They don't even look like the same soup!!  ; )  Oh well....

So I just thought I would give you the link to this recipe:  Smoky Split Pea Soup 
I found it in Vegetarian Times...I think a friend had given me a couple of her old issues.

 It is a VERY healthy soup.   I have always loved split peas...so if you don't, this might not be for you!  I had a hard time getting my split peas as soft as I wanted, so I would recommend letting them soak all day and overnight and then use them the next evening for your soup.  Next time I make it, I am going to try blending a little bit of the soup and then stirring it back in for a more creamy texture.  My blender was all taken apart for cleaning yesterday, so I didn't want to bother.

This soup is very easy...you just have to remember to start your peas soaking the DAY BEFORE you want to use them.  I just put them in a bowl, covered them with water, and then left them alone!

One more note:  I would recommend topping with parmesan cheese (that's what we did).  It just gives it a little extra flavor.  Oh...and DON'T lick the spoon that you use to scoop up your chopped chipotles 'cuz those things are HOT!  ; )