Pasta with Goat Cheese and Basil Oil

Pasta with Goat Cheese and Basil Oil (Total Time: 15 minutes, Servings: 6-8)

Ingredients:

·         12 oz. cooked short pasta (gemelli)

·         2 cups fresh basil leaves + 1 cup additional (optional)

·         ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

·         4 oz. crumbled goat cheese

·         ½ tsp. kosher salt

·         ¼ tsp. black pepper

Directions:

1.     Cook pasta according to package directions.

2.      In a blender, puree olive oil and 2 cups basil leaves until smooth; pour through fine mesh sieve and discard solids.

3.      Toss pasta with basil oil, goat cheese, additional basil leaves (if using), salt and pepper.

First, I cannot take credit for creating this recipe; however, I cannot remember where I found it and I did not write it down.  That said, here’s my review.

I really enjoyed this dish and it is so simple to make.  I used penne instead of gemelli and it held the sauce.  I did not use the additional 1 cup of basil leaves, in fact, I think that 2 cups of basil is a bit much (maybe because my cups were somewhat tightly packed.  I recommend slightly less, maybe 2 cups lightly packed or 1 ½ cups.  My husband and I found that it needed a little garlic, so I also recommend adding 2 garlic cloves to blender when making the puree.  The goat cheese melts when you mix it in and it almost appears to look like grated parmesan on the noodles!  This recipe is an easy family meal  and pretty health, too.

Butternut Squash Lasagna

 Butternut Squash Lasagna (adapted from Better Homes & Gardens, Total Time: 2 hours, Servings: 8-10)

Ingredients

·         3 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch-thick slices

·         ¼ cup margarine

·         6 cloves garlic, minced

·         ¼ cup all-purpose flour

·         ½ teaspoon salt

·         4 cups skim milk

·         1 Tbsp. snipped fresh rosemary

·         6-9 no-boil lasagna noodles

·         1 cup shredded Italian pizza cheese

·         1 cup half and half

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with Pam. Place squash in the prepared baking pan. Spread in an even layer. Roast, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes or until squash is tender, stirring once. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F.

For sauce:

1.      Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat margarine over medium heat. Add garlic; cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir in flour and ½ tsp. salt. Gradually stir in milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Stir in squash and rosemary.

2.      Spray a 13x9x2-inch baking dish or 3-quart rectangular casserole with Pam.

3.      To assemble, spread about 1 cup of the sauce in the prepared baking dish.

           A.) If using 9 noodles:

                       1.) Layer three of the noodles in dish. Spread with one-third of the remaining sauce. Sprinkle      

                             with 1/3 cup of the shredded cheese. Repeat layering noodles, sauce, and Parmesan cheese 

                              two more times. Pour half and half evenly over layers in dish. Sprinkle with the remaining 

                              shredded cheese.

            B.) If using 6 noodles:

                       1.) Layer three of the noodles in the dish.  Spread half of the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with half 

                             of the shredded cheese. Repeat layering noodles, sauce, and Parmesan cheese one more 

                              time. Pour half and half evenly over layers in dish. Sprinkle with the remaining shredded 

                              cheese.

4.      Cover dish with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake about 10 minutes more or until edges are bubbly and top is lightly browned. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

I don’t like cutting whole butternut squash, so I bought the pre-chunked kind.  It worked just fine!  The butternut squash comes out soft, so there isn't much of a texture combination in this dish.  I only used 6 noodles, so my lasagna had a little bit of excess liquid.  However, I liked it and will keep on eating the leftovers.  The changes above take out a lot of the calories and fat from the original recipe.

As for changes, I recommend adding some pepper to the sauce. I think that would go a long way to enhancing the flavor of the dish.  It does fill up your tummy though!  Be careful with the garlic, a few days later, my house still smells of it!

Cheesy Tortilla Pie

Cheesy Tortilla Pie (slightly adapted from Kraft Recipes, Total Time: 30 minutes, Servings: 6)

Ingredients

·         1 pkg. Morningstar Farm MealStarters Burger Crumbles

·         1 tsp. garlic powder

·         1 tsp. ground cumin

·         ½ tsp. ground red pepper (cayenne)

·         1 can (16 oz.) refried beans (vegetarian or fat-free)

·         1 burrito-size flour tortilla (11 inch)

·         ½ cup Mexican shredded cheese

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat Burger Crumbles in large skillet. Stir in garlic powder, cumin and red pepper. Add beans; cook an additional 5 min., stirring occasionally.

2.      Place tortilla in 9-inch pie pan sprayed with cooking spray, with edge of tortilla coming up side of pan. Fill with the Crumble mixture.

3.      Bake 10 min. or until heated through; top with cheese.

4.      Continue baking 2 min. or until cheese begin to melt.

My husband and I both loved this delicious and low-calorie meal.  It may not seem like it, but it was a complete meal (along with a salad to get in some veggies).  The tortilla crisped nicely and added a little bit of crunch to the crumble/bean mixture (although the bottom was soggy).  I topped it with salsa, my husband used sour cream.  If you  have leftovers, you definitely need to use something liquidy like salsa, guacamole, or sour cream – else it’s too dry.  Great right out of the oven or reheated!  A definite keeper.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Citrus Cream

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Citrus Cream (slightly adapted from Kraft Recipes, Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes; Servings: 8)

Ingredients

·         2 lb. sweet potatoes (about 4 large)

·         ½ cup  Part-Skim Ricotta Cheese

·         ½ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided

·         1 tsp. salt

·         3 cups flour

·         1 pkg.  (8 oz.) 1/3 Less Fat or Fat-Free Cream Cheese, cubed

·         1-3/4 cups skim milk

·         2 Tbsp. margarine

·         ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

·         1 tsp. orange zest

Directions

1.      Heat oven to 400ºF.

2.      Prick potatoes several times with fork; place on foil-covered baking sheet. Bake 45 min. to 1 hour or just until tender. Cool slightly. Scoop potato flesh into large bowl; mash until almost smooth. Layer paper towels on baking sheet; spoon potatoes onto towels to drain. Replace paper towels as necessary until potatoes are stiff but not dry. Spoon into large bowl.

3.      Add ricotta, ¼ cup Parmesan and salt; mix well. Stir in flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until mixture forms soft dough. Place on lightly floured surface; knead in additional flour if necessary until dough is no longer sticky.

4.      Cut dough into 8 equal portions. Roll each portion on floured surface into 3/4-inch-thick rope. Cut into 3/4-inch pieces. Roll each piece into ball, dusting with additional flour if needed. Press each dough ball onto back of fork tines to form ridges on one side, pressing with thumb so that dough piece becomes indented with thumb on other side. Place in single layer on waxed paper-covered baking sheets.

5.      Add half the gnocchi to large pot of boiling water; stir. Cook 4 min. or until gnocchi float to surface. Remove with slotted spoon to colander; drain. Repeat with remaining gnocchi.

6.      Cook cream cheese, milk, margarine, nutmeg and remaining Parmesan in saucepan on low heat 10 to 15 min. or until cream cheese is melted and sauce is well blended, stirring occasionally. Stir in zest.

The gnocchi takes a while to make, but it is very tasty. Soft and chewy, but not too chewy.  I definitely think that it is worth the time it takes to make, but if you don’t like sweet potatoes, I would not recommend it! The sauce is a different story for me (and my husband), we did not like it – because of the orange zest.  It was just a little too far outside of our comfort zone.  I think that when I make this again, I will leave that ingredient out, but add some garlic or Italian seasoning.   The dish as a whole is very filling and I am excited to try it again.  Don’t be scared about adding too much flour – I had to add a lot in order to get the dough from being sticky (and, in the end, it was STILL sticky).