Ratatouille

I searched high and low for a meatless meal that I know my husband would eat. It's really starting to become a real challenge. I stumbled across this recipe and it looked really good. Then I discovered that it had a lot of cheese on it, and I recently discovered I'm lactose intolerant. No meat and no cheese in a meal. What can you eat? None the less I went a head and made the meal. Half with a lot of cheese, half with a sprinkle of cheese. I really enjoyed this meal. So did said husband, for being meatless.

1 T olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 chopped onion
2 c peeled and chopped eggplant
2 c chopped zucchini
1 chopped green bell pepper
1 can diced tomatoes
1 T basil
1 T parsley
1/2 t salt
1/8 t black pepper
8 0z frozen cheese ravioli (I didn't use frozen but a bag and followed the directions on the bag)
3/4 c shredded mozzarella cheese


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 2 1/2 quart baking dish with cooking spray. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir garlic, onion and eggplant until vegetables are soft. Stir in zucchini, bell pepper, tomatoes, basil, parsley, salt and black pepper, bring to a boil and stir frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until vegetables are tender. Cook ravioli according to directions on package. Spread cooked ravioli in a layer on the bottom of the baking dish. Spoon vegetables over the ravioli and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in oven for about 20 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling. Serves 6

Lasgana Cassarole

When I had my little boy back in February we got this delicious meal from a friend one evening. It was really good and what I think of comfort food. Just what I needed after having a baby. I got the recipe a while back but never got around to making it, as you can see it makes a lot of food for just two people. The only problem I ran into is no grocery store in the area sells provolone cheese in block form. So I bought deli slices and used my magic bullet blender to shred the cheese. It's really simple to make and it's great for left overs, which we'll be having all week. Warning: it's definitely not low on fat! But high on taste. 1 lb ground beef
onion flakes (to taste)
8 oz shredded provolone
8 oz shredded mozzarella
4 oz shredded Parmesan
1 c sour cream
1 lb rotini noodles
jar of marinara sauce (I used Trader Joe's)
parsley

Cook noodles. Cook beef and onion until done then add marinara sauce and simmer for 20 minutes. Mix noodles with beef and marinara. Take 1/2 of noodle/beef mixture and spread in a 9x13 pan. Spread 1/2 c sour cream, then 1/2 provolone, mozzarella and Parmesan. Sprinkle with parsley.. Repeat steps one more time. Cover and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Uncover the last 10 minutes to make a little crispy. Serves 6-8.

tip: you can half the recipe for smaller servings

Chicken Florentine & Pasta

This was a delicious and easy meal to make. I was able to do most of the work ahead of time and then just pop it into the oven when I was ready for dinner. I served it with some rotini pasta but any type of pasta would work great with it.

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast
1/4 c butter
3 t minced garlic
1 T lemon juice
2 c fresh spinach
1 T Italian seasoning
1/2 c half and half
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 can cream of mushroom
2/3 c bacon bits
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Place the chicken breast on a baking sheet, bake of 25 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove from heat and set aside. Increase oven to 400 degrees. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic, lemon juice, cream of mushroom, Italian seasoning, half and half and Parmesan cheese. Stir constantly. Arrange spinach over bottom a 9x9 baking dish. Cover the spinach with half of the mixture. Arrange chicken in pan and cover with remaining sauce and mozzarella cheese. Bake 20-25 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned.

Angel's Pasta

It's getting to be a challenge to find vegetarian meals that I know my husband will eat. I try to focus on a lot of vegetables and usually pasta because those are pretty basic and enjoyable. This one turned out really good. I had some left over sliced olives in the fridge so I added that to the mix and it was great. Instead of mozzarella I would try feta cheese. I really enjoy cooking without meat some times because the meals take very little time to make.

8 oz angel hair pasta (I used thin spaghetti)
1 T crushed garlic
1 T olive oil
2 zucchini, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
3 tomatoes, chopped
12 leaves fresh basil
4 oz shredded mozzarella

Bring a larger pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain. Meanwhile, heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Pour in oil and saute garlic until golden. Stir in zucchini, salt and pepper. Saute 2 minutes, then mix in tomatoes and cook a few minutes more. Chop basil and add to vegetables right before mixing with pasta. Combine pasta and vegetables. Serve topped with mozzarella. Serves 6.

Greek Pasta with Tomatoes and Beans

Here is a healthy pasta dish. It contains whole grain pasta, tomatoes, spinach and black beans. The last two are "super foods." Remember when I mentioned super foods? Seriously you should eat them more because I'm guessing most people don't get enough. Since my dear husband can't handle more than one meatless meal a week I made this pasta a side to the Greek Style Rib-Eye Steaks. It was a great combination. But the pasta would have been good on it's own too.

1 can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
10 oz chopped fresh spinach
8 oz whole grain penne pasta
1/2 c crumbled feta cheese

Cook pasta in a large pot until al dente. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes and beans in a skillet. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add spinach to the sauce, cook for 2 minutes or until spinach wilts, stirring constantly. Serve sauce over pasta and sprinkle with cheese. Serves 4.

Chicken Broccoli Pasta

This recipe I made up from stealing ideas from different other recipes to create this. It turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself. It's very simple, quick to do and has lots of flavor to it. And it's really nice and light.


2 boneless, skinless chicken breast
12 oz penne pasta (you really could use any kind you like)
1/2 lb broccoli
kosher salt
garlic salt
garlic powder
olive oil
1/2 pint grape tomatoes
1 can black olives
3 T Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 425. In tin foil place chicken breast seasoned with kosher salt and garlic powder. Lightly drizzle with olive oil. Wrap chicken in tin foil then bake in oven for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, cook pasta and steam broccoli. Drain pasta and mix with broccoli. When chicken is done cut into cubes and combine with pasta. Add olives and tomatoes. Drizzle about 1-2 T olive oil over pasta mixture. Season with garlic salt, to taste and add Parmesan cheese. Serve. Serves about 4.

Shrimp Scampi

Even on a budget we are still able to eat shrimp almost once a week. It's delicious and high in protein. This is a very simple recipe and can be made under 30 minutes. I usually buy shrimp fresh from the the store but last time I bought a two pound frozen bag of deveined and peeled shrimp and it's allowed me to have shrimp on hand.



1 pkg angel hair pasta
1/2 cup butter
4 cloves minced garlic
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup dry white wine*
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

*I don't keep any kind of white wine on hand. I found that you can substitute by using half white wine vinegar and half water but I didn't even have white wine vinegar so I used vinegar and water and it was still delicious.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Stir in pasta and return pot to boil. Cook until al dente. Drain well. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic and shrimp. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3-5 minutes. Stir in wine and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 seconds while stirring constantly. Mix shrimp with pasta in a serving bowl. Sprinkle with cheese and parsley. Serve.

Serves 4

To make it a healthier option you can use whole grain pasta and cut back half of the butter and use olive oil. Also add a spinach salad to the meal to make it complete.

Penne With Chicken and Asparagus

In my family we love asparagus. love it! Except I was getting sick of the same way we were having it. I found this recipe and I love it, plus it's healthy! Not fattening. It's got enough flavor and it's delicious warm or cold. Plus it makes great leftovers for the husband.Penne With Chicken and Asparagus

• 1 (16 ounce) package dried penne pasta
• 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into cubes
• salt and pepper to taste
• garlic powder to taste
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 bunch slender asparagus spears, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces
• 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and set aside.Warm 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in chicken, and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook until chicken is cooked through and browned, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken to paper towels.Pour chicken broth into the skillet. Then stir in asparagus, garlic, and a pinch more garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cover, and steam until the asparagus is just tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. Return chicken to the skillet, and warm through. Stir chicken mixture into pasta, and mix well. Let sit about 5 minutes. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, stir again, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serves 8.

Calories Per Serving: 321
Total Fat: 10.2 g
Cholesterol: 17 mg
Sodium: 77 mg
Carbs: 43.2 g
Dietary Fiber: 3.1 g
Protein: 15.7 g