Spaghetti Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 package (16 oz) spaghetti
1/2 lb pork sausage
1 small onion chopped
1 jar (24 oz) spaghetti sauce*
1 cup peas, canned or frozen
1 cup corn, canned or frozen
1 cup chopped broccoli
3 roasted red peppers chopped (optional)
2 cloves garlic minced
2 eggs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 TB butter softened
2 cups cottage cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Cook spaghetti to al dente. Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook pork sausage and onion over medium heat until meat is brown; drain. Add the vegetables and cook another 5 minutes. Stir in spaghetti sauce and garlic, and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, Parmesan cheese and butter. Drain spaghetti; add to egg mixture and toss to coat.
Place half of the spaghetti mixture in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Top with half of the cottage cheese, meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.
Makes 10 servings.

*Araksya's Tip: I made my own spaghetti sauce by blending fresh tomatoes and other vegetables (celery, beets, carrots, onion, garlic).

Quote of the week

Cookery is not chemistry. It is an art.
It requires instinct and taste rather than exact measurements.

Marcel Boulestin

Cracked Wheat with veggies

Ingredients

2 cups cracked wheat*
4 cups water
1 cup chopped green peppers
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 onion halved and sliced
1 cup shredded butternut squash or hubbard squash
1 can shredded chicken or turkey
1 cup tomato sauce
1-2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
2 TB olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Put cracked wheat into a big pot with water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and cover to cook until the water is mostly absorbed and the wheat is soft. Add some salt to taste. Turn off the heat but keep the pot covered with the steam inside to continue softening the wheat.

While the wheat is cooking heat oil in a skillet and saute onions until they turn golden brown. Take the onions out and add mushrooms and peppers and squash to the hot skillet. You can add more oil if needed. Once the veggies are soft bring the onions back to the skillet and add chicken or turkey, tomato sauce, garlic, salt and pepper and parsley. Bring it to a boil and pour the veggie sauce over the cooked wheat and let it cook for 5 minutes or so.

Makes 6 servings

*Araksya's Tip: I crack my own wheat with a blender by pulsing small batches at a time for 4-5 seconds!

Hubbard Squash Salad

Ingredients

4 cups raw shredded hubbard squash
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2/3 cup orange juice
1 TB orange zest
1 TB honey

Directions:

Combine cranberries, orange juice, orange zest and honey in a small saucepan and cook for 5 minutes. Pour it warm over the squash and mix well.


Makes 6-8 servings

Healthy Pasta Salad

Ingredients

1 lb pasta
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup fire-roasted red peppers* chopped
1 cup chopped Swiss chard or spinach
1 cup chopped zucchini
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (optional)
1 cup homemade Italian dressing (recipe below)

Italian dressing recipe
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dry basil
1 tsp dry Italian parsley
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup oil (any kind)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar


Directions

Cook pasta according to the instructions on the package. Drain and rinse with cold water.
Mix all the vegetables and herbs in a big bowl and add pasta to the bowl. Add the dressing and mix well and chill everything in a fridge for an hour or so.

Makes 10 servings

* Araksya's Tip: If you don't have fire-roasted red peppers you can use fresh red or green bell peppers.
Cucumbers and/or radishes are also good additions to this salad.

Minestrone Soup

Ingredients

1/2 cup minced white onions (about 1 small onion)
1/2 cup chopped zucchini
1/2 cup frozen cut Italian green beans or canned
1/2 cup minced celery (about 1/2 stalk)
2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
4 cups vegetable broth
2 TB olive oil

2 cups dry red beans
1 cups dry broad beans*
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup carrots shredded
1 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 TB fresh basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil2 TB minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/2 cups hot water
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1 cup small shell pasta or any kind you have

Directions

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.

Saute onion, celery, garlic, green beans, and zucchini in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent.

Add vegetable broth to the pot, plus drained tomatoes, beans, carrot, hot water, herbs, and spices. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.

Add spinach leaves and pasta and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until desired consistency.
Makes 8 servings

Araksya's Tip: You can add cooked shredded chicken to the soup. I like it with ground turkey sausage with no spices in it.
* You can use any kind of beans you have or like. You can also use canned beans.

Borscht (Cabbage and Beet soup)

Ingredients

1 medium cabbage shredded
1 small beet peeled and diced
2 carrots diced
1 bell pepper coarsely chopped
3-4 potatoes diced
1 onion chopped
1 cup tomato sauce
2 TB tomato paste
1/4 cup Italian parsley chopped
2 TB olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dry basil or 2 TB fresh
1-quart broth (beef or chicken) or water
salt and pepper


Directions

Heat oil in a big pan, add onions and cook until transparent. Add tomato paste and sauce, basil, paprika, and stir well. Then add the rest of the vegetables to the pan, the broth, salt, and pepper and let it cook for 30-40 minutes or longer until the vegetables are cooked well but still a little crunchy. Add parsley and turn the heat off.

Makes 8 servings

Araksya's Tip: You can add beef (ground or chunks) to this dish. If adding ground beef then cook the meat with onions. Or you can cook any beef pieces in water with bay leaf and use that broth for the soup with the meat.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Veggie Soup

Ingredients

1-2 pounds butternut squash peeled, seeded and chopped
2 carrots cut into big chunks
1 celery stalk cut into big chunks
1 big bell pepper cut into chunks
2-3 cups chicken or beef stock
2 TB olive oil
1/4 cup Italian parsley
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 425F. Prepare a big cookie sheet with a foil and put all of the veggies on the sheet. Drizzle them with olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Roast them in the oven for 30 minutes or until the veggies get browned slightly.
Take them out and let them cool for a few minutes, and then blend them in the blender with parsley and the chicken or beef stock.

Pour the mix into a pot and warm it up on the stove.

Makes 4 servings

Savory Muffins

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/3 cups buttermilk*
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup chopped onions or scallions
• 3/4 cup diced bacon
• 1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped mushroom
• 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray.
2. Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, pepper and salt in a large bowl.
3. Whisk eggs, buttermilk, oil and butter in a medium bowl. Fold in scallions, bacon, cheese and bell pepper. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula until just moistened. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan (the cups will be very full).
4. Bake the muffins until the tops are golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges and turn the muffins out onto a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.

Makes 12-13 muffins

*Araksya's tip: You can substituted the buttermilk with milk.