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

LEEK AND POTATO SOUP

First time I had this soup was when my husband and I went to Quebec City for the winter carnival. It was a very cold day. We found a small restaurant for lunch and went in to get something to eat and warm up. The soup of the day was this soup and we tried and really liked it. Later when we spoke with the chef, he told us that in summer months this soup is served cold. We tried it cold but we prefer it warm.

3 medium sized leeks
1 medium sized onion

3 tablespoon butter

4 medium sized potatoes

4 cups chicken stock

1 to 2 cups cream (or milk)

salt and black pepper

chopped watercress or chives for decorations

•  Clean and mince the leeks
• Clean and mince the onions
• Saute leeks and onions in butter until soft
• Clean and chop potatoes
• Add everything together with chicken stock in a big pot and simmer until all the vegetables are soft
• Put in the blender until smooth
• Add in cream, salt and pepper
• Warm to serve
•  Add chives for decorations

OVEN BAKED FILET OF SOLE

This is a basic recipe.  Nice thing about Sole is that it is easy to roll so, you can fill it with all kinds of things.  My favorite fillings are swiss cheese and asparagus or spanich and cheese.  This is a good healthy recipe especially if you are counting calories like me

Filet of Sole (if frozen thawed)

2 tablespoons olive oil per filet

1 tablespoon lemon juice per filet

Salt

Fish seasoning.  I used one from the grocery store but you can mix your own.  All it has in it is garlic powder, dried dill and blackpepper.

• Take the filet of sole.  Wash with salt water and let it dry
• Brush both sides with 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• Lay on the lined pan flat.  Sprinkle salt and seasoning
• Roll and secure with toothpicks (see the picture below)
• Continue until all the fish is ready
• Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil on top and sprinkle more fish seasoning
• Preheat oven to 400
• Cook for 10-15 minutes
• Take the toothpicks out before serving
• Serve with cesar salad