Mexican Pasta Vegetable Bake

Pretty good – but could be better (probably because we only had one 16-oz. jar of salsa – such a travesty!).  We also didn’t have rotini, so I used macaroni – the rotini would definitely hold the salsa more, but that’s okay.  Instead of using frozen corn, I used canned – which I don’t think makes a bit of difference (and is easier than thawing).  I also used Mexican Taco cheese (about ½ of the package), which gave the meal an extra little kick.  Finally, no cilantro – not a huge fan and didn’t have any fresh on hand.

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/mexican-pasta-vegetable-bake-50182.aspx

The flavor was good, not too spicy and I added some green bell pepper for a crunch factor.  I like that you can make this healthier by reducing the amount of cheese, and it has a good amount of fiber and protein because of the black beans (two cans would probably work, too!).  My recommendation – definitely make this recipe, but be sure to have all of the salsa at the ready!

Cheesy Mac Casserole

I wasn’t as much a fan of this as my fiancée was – but it is a good base for enhancements.  I used regular Kraft Mac & Cheese as the topper and Morningstar Farms burger crumbles instead of the other items.  The taste was a little bland overall, but adding Italian seasoning helped it along.  Next time I make it, I’ll use cumin, red pepper, diced tomatoes w/ green chiles, and Mexican cheese.  Also good to Mexi-it-up a little J 

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/cheesy-mac-topped-casserole-75975.aspx

Cottage Cheese Chik'n Enchiladas

This dish has an excellent spice to it (due to the green chiles) and is very tasty.  I was a little skeptical because of the cottage cheese (not a huge fan), but it really works!  I used Trader Joe’s Chickenless Strips (only one box, but should have used 2 or 3) and cut them up really small.  We didn’t have any onions, so I nixed that.  Since I only used one pack of Chickenless Strips, I only had to use ½ of the cottage cheese filling (unfortunately, I learned that out after I made it!).  Finally, instead of using Monterey Jack cheese, I used a Cheddar and Monterey mix – and probably only 1 cup worth.  I did use the whole can of Enchilada sauce! 

 http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cottage-cheese-chicken-enchiladas/detail.aspx

I filled about 8 tortillas (we ran out – oops!), 6 were corn and 2 wheat.  They all were very tasty.  A little too spicy for the fiancée (even though I used mild enchilada sauce), but pretty good for me J

Parmesan Zucchini with Garlic Knots

This dish was a nice take on Italian without the pasta.  I made a casserole of zucchini, spaghetti sauce (Spicy Red Pepper) and Trader Joe’s Italian Sausage (2 of them).  Instead of mixing it together, I tried to layer everything.  We didn’t have a lot of mushrooms, so I bypassed those.  We also did not have 1 cup of Mozzarella, so I added what we had (less than ¼ cup) and a good bit of Parmesan (maybe ¼ - ½ cup).  I think that it worked well – tasty and a tad spicy. 
http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/parmesan-zucchini-64886.aspx

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/great-garlic-knots/detail.aspx

 I served with Garlic Knots – and they were pretty good.  We had Pillsbury biscuits in the refrigerator, so I used those instead of breadsticks.  They didn’t “knot” very well, but I think it worked just fine.  I used the egg wash and just sprinkled out the garlic powder and rosemary.  It was quite tasty!