GLUTEN FREE CHICKEN FETTUCCINE ALFREDO

This recipe can be gluten free or not depending on the type of pasta you use.  If you use gluten free pasta, then it is.

One caution is the amount of Alfredo sauce you use once you are ready.  Not everyone likes a lot of sauce so, make the sauce but mix it in small amounts until you find what you like instead of mixing it all through at once.

3 chicken breasts

2 cups frozen broccoli 

2 tablespoons oil

225 gr Fettuccin

Alfredo sauce

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup butter

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1.5 cups Parmesan

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper (optional)

Top: 

2 tablespoons Oregeno

• Cut up chicken breasts into chunks
• Stir fry in a little olive oil
• Add frozen broccoli
• Cook until broccoli is soft and set aside
• Make the Alfredo sauce: 
• melt butter, add cream, garlic, salt and pepper and bring to boil. 
•  Simmer in medium heat 8-10 minutes.  
• Remove from heat
• Add cheese and mix until soft
• Return to heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes
• Remove from heat and set aside
• Make the pasta according to box instructions and drain
• Mix chicken and pasta
• Add sauce a little at a time to your liking
• Serve topped with Oregano

CHEESE AND SPANICH PASTA BAKE

This recipe is light and delicious.  It is made with cottage cheese so it has less calories. 

2 cups ziti

1 bunch or package baby spanich (1/2 kg)

1 cup mushrooms

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

1 cup cottage cheese

1 large chopped tomatos with Italian seasoning or spicy pasta sauce

1 cup grated marble cheese

2 tablespoons cooking oil

1 tablespoon thyme

salt and blackpepper

• Wash the baby spanich, and mushrooms and chop them
• Saute spanich, chopped onions, garlic and mushrooms.  If you like, you can drain.  I usually leave the juices in because we like dipping our garlic bread in it.
• Cook pasta normally in salted water and drain
• Mix together vegetables, pasta, cottage cheese, tomatos (or the sauce) and the seasoning
• Spray a glass pan with pam
• Add your pasta mixture
• Sprinkle grated cheese
• Preheat oven at 350
• Cook for 45 to 50 minutes
• Leave for 15 minutes before serving
• Serve with Garlic bread for dipping in juice and ceaser salad

VEGETARIAN LASAGNA

Last few weeks, we have been on a high protein diet.  Now we are starting to get pretty sick of meat.  So, for dinner tonight, we switched to a vegetarian lasagna.   This is an excellent recipe.  Lower in calories because of the cottage cheese.  Very easy to make because both the noodles and vegetables are used from raw.  Even if you are using the kind of noodles that normally require to be cooked first.  We used a spicy spaghetti sauce.  It was delicious!

3 cups pasta sauce

(I used Classico spicy tomato red pepper sauce.  I also used the whole jar of 650 ml rather than stick to 3 cups like the original recipe)

2 cups cottage cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup mozzarella cheese
9 whole wheat lasagna noodles

4 cups mixed vegetables (I used spinach, mushrooms, and broccoli)
1/2 cup water (if required)

• Mix all the cheeses together.
• Spray 11 X 8 glass pan.
• Place 3 noodles side by side in the pan (no need to cook them)
• Cover them with 1 cup pasta sauce
• Add 1/3 cheese mixture first then 1/3 vegetables
•  Repeat 2 more times.
• Add a bit of water (1/2 cup)
•  Cover tightly with aluminum foil
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Bake one hour.
• Makes 8 servings

PASTA SALAD

This recipe is best with a Pasta type called Peperini.  Peperini looks like large sized couscous.  They are small and round, sold in the pasta section at the grocery store in small bags.  I think other small type pasta, like Orzo, would also work for this recipe. 

I made this salad a couple of weeks ago for an end-of summer barbeque party.  It received so many compliments that I made it again last weekend for a dinner party at my house.  It is very easy to make. delicious and pleasing to the eye because it is so colourful.  It doesn't have to accompany meals either, it makes for a great lunch.

1 cup peperini
1/4 cup oil

2.5 cup water

salt

5-6 pickles (with garlic)

5-6 tablespoon peas (from canned)

5-6 tablespoon corn kernels (from canned)

1 Red pepper roasted

5-6 tablespoons chopped parsley

3 green onions chopped

1 lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

2 teaspoon pomegranate concentrate (optional)

salt

• In a medium sized pot, fry the pasta in 1/4 cup oil until they turn light brown
• Add in water and salt
• Reduce heat and cook until pasta is soft.  Be sure to stir occassionally to make sure it does not stick to the bottom.
• Set the cooked pasta aside to cool while you prepare the remaining ingredients. 
• Roast a red pepper.  I do this in my toaster oven.  Wash and cut the pepper in half.  Cook at 350 for 45 minutes.  Let it cool.  Once cooled, take off the skin and chop into small pieces
• Wash and chop the green onion
• Take the corn and green beans out of the cans and rinse in cold water
• Once everything is ready, mix them all together. 
• Add in lemon juice, pomegranate concentrate and olive oil.  Depending on your liking, you can add in more lemon juice and olive oil. 
• Salt to your tast
• Serve

EASY PASTA & FETA BOREK WITH PHYLLO PASTRY (BAKLAVA HAMURUNDAN MAKARNA BOREGI)

I posted this recipe before but it was made with home made dough.  This version is made with Phyllo dough to reduce cooking time.   My family preferred this version because the dough was softer. 

1/2 package phyllo pastry

     (about 8 sheets for the top and 8 sheets at the bottom)

250 gr. Farfalle (bow tie pasta)

300 gr. Feta cheese

4-5 tablespoons parsley

Sauce:

4 eggs (save one of the egg yolks for the top)

1.5 cups milk

3/4 cup cooking oil

Large size pan (10.5 inch x 14.75 inch x 2.25 inch)

• I found not every bow tie pasta is the same in thickness.  Thinner versions are better for this recipe. Cook pasta according to package instructions.  Drain and let it cool.
• Separate 1 yolk from the eggs.  Mix all of the sauce ingredients in a bowl until they are blended together. 
• Divide the sauce in half.  One half will be used to wet the dough the other half will be mixed into the pasta.
• Crumple the feta cheese and mix with cleaned but dry chopped parsley
• Mix pasta, 1/2 the sauce, feta and parsley all together in a big bowl.
• Divide the package of phyllo pastry in half.  Only use the half for this recipe.  If you wrap it well, you can freeze the rest for another time.  So, you need 1/4 package phyllo pastry for the bottom and 1/4 for the top.
• Spray the bottom of the pan so it does not stick to the bottom. 
• Line the bottom of the pan with 2 sheets of phyllo pastry.   If it is too big for the pan, just squeeze it in.  Put 4-5 tablespoon of the sauce.  Make sure the pastry is soaked well.  Continue until the bottom half of the dough is used.  You should use 1/4 of the sauce for this.
• You'll need to do the same for the top half so save 1/4 of the sauce. 
• Pour the Pasta and Feta mix in the pan 
• Top with the remaining dough 2 sheets at a time pouring some of the sauce in between to soak the pastry.  Save about 5 tablespoons of the sauce for the very top layer and mix with previously saved egg yolk.
• Cook at 350 until the top is golden brown.  Aprox. 35 to 45 minutes

PASTA WITH BASIL PESTO

This is my first year growing Basil in my backyard.  We had a lot of rain this year and I now have more Basil than I can use so I started searching for recipes with Basil.  This one seemed like one my family would enjoy and I was right!!!  This is an ideal recipe for garlic lovers.  I too like garlic a lot but garlic does not love me back because it upsets my stomach especially when it is used raw in recipes.  For those in the same situation, I would recommend adding garlic last and saving pesto without the garlic first for themselves.

Apparently this pesto is perfectly good for freezing.  I will be making lots of it and freeze for the winter.  I also learned lots of people grow Basil in the house through the winter or dry them.  I am thinking I may try those options too.

Pesto:
2 tablespoons of toasted pine nuts (walnuts or cashews would work too.  Make sure they are unsalted)
2 cloves of crushed garlic (optional)
2 cups of basil leaves
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper

2.5 cups pasta of your choice

• Toast pine nuts at low heat (250 degrees) until they are crispy.  Toasting is optional.  You can use them as they are or you can use unsalted walnuts or cashews.  If you are not fond of nuts, you can omit them altogether
• Crush the garlic
• Put basil leaves in the food processor and chop them coarsely
• Add in garlic, cheese, olive oil, salt and pepper to get a creamy pesto.  Be sure to scrape the sides once for better consistency
• Cook pasta according to package instructions
• Mix pesto and and pasta together
• You can serve this with fish or chicken.  Pesto is good for grilled vegetables as well
• Pesto can be made ahead and will stay fresh in the fridge for 3-4 days.  You can freeze in a sealed jar for 6 months

You can use this recipe with a few modifications of course to make mint pesto for lamb recipes.  For Mint Pesto, omit Parmesan, replace basil with mint and optionally replace olive oil with canola oil.

CHICKEN CACCIATORE

There are many Chicken Cacciatore recipes around some in the oven with whole chicken breasts, others with Zuchini which is not a favorite with my girls. This is one everyone in the family likes. Original recipe had 3/4 cup wine but I omitted.

1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 can (28 ounces) stewed tomatoes with Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
3 chicken breasts, cut up

• Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.


• Brown chicken on all sides in hot oil, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken and drain off excess grease, leaving a tablespoon or two.


• Add chopped onion, green pepper, and minced garlic to hot skillet; sauté until onion is tender.


• Stir in tomatoes, oregano, salt, and pepper.


• Add chicken back to sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 45 minutes, or until chicken is tender.


• Serve with hot cooked spaghetti or other pasta.