Tortellini Artichoke Salad

Spring is here! And it's time for salad and outdoor gatherings. Now I love potato and macaroni salads, but I'm not a huge mayonnaise fan, especially at an afternoon backyard barbeque when its over 80 degrees. So you will notice most of my salads are a vinegar base.

Here is one of my favorite salads to bring with me that is quick and easy to make. You can basically add or substitute any vegetables you like to make this your own. You can also serve the leftovers over lettuce for an instant green salad!

Tortellini Artichoke Salad

• 1 lb. cheese tortellini
• 8 oz. marinated artichokes, chopped (reserve marinade)
• 1 small green pepper, chopped
• 1 small red or yellow pepper, chopped
• 8 oz. grape tomatoes, cut in half
• 1/2 c.shredded carrots
• pepper (to taste)
• 3 Tbsp. red wine or balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 c. shredded or shaved Parmesan cheese

Cook tortellini according to instructions. In the meantime, drain the artichoke and reserve the marinade in a small bowl and chop artichoke into bite size pieces. Prepare remaining vegetables and put in a large bowl.

Add the vinegar to the artichoke marinate and whisk to make a dressing and pour over the salad. Add pepper to taste and stir.

Put the salad in the fridge to cool completely. Then stir 1/3 c. Parmesan cheese and sprinkle the remaining on top. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Crunchy Asian Cole Slaw

This one is always a hit. There are tons of versions of cole slaw with ramen noodles, but this is my favorite. The toasted nuts and seeds give it an extra crunch and combined with the sesame oil, it has a real rich toasted flavor. My family thinks the recipe is a secret since I'm always forgetting to email it when they ask. So, here it is for the whole world. Enjoy!

Crunchy Asian Cole Slaw

• 1 lb. shredded cabbage or a bag coleslaw mix
• 3-4 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 c. toasted almonds
  
• 1/3 c. sunflower seeds
• 1 pkg. Top Ramen noodles (Oriental flavor), crunch into sm. pieces
  
• 1/4 c. sesame oil 
• 1/4 c. vegetable oil
• 3 tbsp. rice vinegar (do not substitute)
• Top Ramen season packet
• 3 tbsp. sugar

Place sunflower seeds and almond slivers in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes until a light golden brown. Be careful not to over toast.

In a small bowl whisk together the oils, rice vinegar, seasoning packet and sugar. 

In a large bowl, combine cabbage and green onions. Add crushed ramen noodles, sunflower seed, and almonds and toss with dressing.

Serve immediately.  

Note:
Top Ramen brand ramen noodles are vegan, Manuchan brand have beef flavoring are NOT vegetarian. If you don't care, I know people that use Chicken flavor and it tastes yummy too.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

These are not the Brussels Sprouts you were made to eat as a kid, sitting in your chair until it was time for bed because you refused to eat them... Now, these are also certainly not the steamed veggies your nutritionist recommends but they aren't all bad at about 120 calories and 4g of fat per serving. Added bonus, every time I cook bacon my fire alarm gets tested. Safety first in the kitchen, I say! This is also a pretty dish since the sprouts turn a lovely brilliant green that glistens in the bacon... mmm... bacon! Oh, and please don't judge my dirty stove top, I just cooked bacon... mmm... bacon!

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

• 2 lbs. Brussels Sprouts
• 4 slices bacon
• 1/3 c. chopped onion
• 1 cup chicken broth
• black pepper

Remove the stem part of the Brussels sprouts, rinse in cold water and drain. In a large frying pan, cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon and drain on paper towel. Drain the bacon grease from the pan, but don't wipe out the pan, you'll want some fat to fry the onions. Add the onions and saute for about 2 minutes, then add chicken broth and Brussels Sprouts and season with black pepper. Cover and simmer on low to medium heat for about 10 minutes until sprouts are tender. If there is any remaining broth, remove from pan with slotted spoon. Sprinkle with bacon and serve.

Meat Lasagna

It was my friend's birthday tonight and she had family coming into town, so for her present I cooked dinner for her and her family. She asked for a meat lasagna, served with my herbed garlic bread and a salad. Her cake was my carrot cake (I'll eventually part with that recipe, but for now, I'm holding that one close to home).

Meat Lasagna
Sauce:

• 1 lb. ground beef (or a mixture of beef and pork, if you prefer. Sometimes called meatball or meatloaf mix in the butcher section).
• 3 large cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 cup diced onions
• 1 cup diced green pepper
• 1 Tbsp. dried basil
• 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. ground red pepper
• 2 cans crushed tomatoes (28 oz.)
• 1 can tomato sauce (8 oz.)
• 1 can tomato paste (4 oz.)

Cheese Filling:

• 32 oz. container ricotta cheese
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese2 eggs
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed 
• 2 tsp. dried basil
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• ground black pepper, optional

• 4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

• 1 lb. lasagna noodles
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• salt

In a skillet, brown the ground beef. Add the garlic, onions, and peppers and saute 2 to 3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 1 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally (you can also put it in a slow cooker for 4 to 6 hours on HIGH or 8 to 10 hours on low).

Combine the ricotta Parmesan, eggs, garlic,and spices. Refrigerate until sauce is done and you are ready to assemble the lasagna.

Fill a large pot with water, add olive oil and salt, and bring to a boil. Cook the lasagna noodles for 8-10 minutes until soft, drain.

Reserve 1/2 the mozzarella cheese for the topping.

Preheat over to 350 degrees. In a 13x9 in. pan, ladle 1-2 cups of sauce in bottom of the pan, spread evenly. Arrange 4 noodles lengthwise in the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, sprinkle with 1/3 of the remaining mozzarella. Ladle 1-2 cups of the sauce evenly over cheese. Repeat noodle, cheese and sauce layers two more times. Finish with one final layer of noodles. Ladle 1-2 cups of sauce over the noodles. Top with the 2 cups of mozzarella cheese.

Cover loosely with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove tin foil and bake for another 30 minutes.

Let stand for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Sweet Potato Kale Soup

My body was craving something fresh and hearty and healthy. So I came up with this. It's a Maria original and I'm quite pleased with the results. I love me some kale and it's soooooo good for you, low in calories and high of antioxidant vitamins, and phytonutrients, as well as tons of fiber.

Sweet Potato and Kale Soup
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 cups chopped kale
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 quarts stock, vegetable or chicken
1 can garbazo beans, drained
2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. red pepper (optional)

Put all the ingredients in a crockpot for 4-6 hours on HIGH or 8 to 10 hours on LOW.

On the stove, put all the ingredients in a stock pot, bring to a boil and simmer 30 minutes or until potatoes are cooked.

Vegetable Lasagna

Last night, I had about 20 people over to hang out. Generally, everyone brings something and I make an entree. One of my guest was bringing a rotisserie chicken so I thought I'd make something vegetarian. Ah feeding the masses, it is not easy to please everyone, so I made Vegetable Lasagna. I, unfortunately, don't have a picture because these people tore it up. They dug in before I could get a picture and finished it OFF!

Vegetable Lasagna
1 lb. box of Lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
3 or 4 cups marinara sauce
16 oz. container ricotta cheese
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1 egg
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp. dried basil
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. salt
1-2 cups shredded mozzerella cheese
3 cups diced veggies, such as:
-shredded carrots
-mushrooms
-broccoli
-peppers
-diced onions
-zucchini

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Boil and drain the lasagna noodles. In the meantime, dice the veggies into small bite-sized pieces, about 1/2 inch cubes. Then, in a separate bowl, mix the ricotta and parmesan cheese, egg, garlic basil, and oregano.

In the bottom of a 9x13 pan, label and even distribute a layer of marinara sauce.

Then place one layer of lasagna noodles, evenly spread 1/3 of the cheese mixture, then 1/3 of the veggies, and a layer of sauce. Repeat two more times. Finish with a layer of noodles, and a layer of sauce and then top with the mozzarella cheese.

Bake for about 1 hour.

If you have leftover sauce you can serve it on the side for those of us who like it saucy ;-)

Kielbasa Soup

This is one of my favorite soups. It's really hearty and has a LOT of flavor. If you like kielbasa and sauerkraut, you'll love it.I make this in a crock pot, but you could very easily make it on the stove in about an hour.

Kielbasa Soup

1 pound kielbasa, 1/2 inch cubes

2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock (or water and bouillon equivalent)

1 bag or 1 large can sauerkraut (drained)

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1/2 cup carrots, chopped

1 large potato, peeled and cubed

1 rib of celery, chopped (optional)

pepper to taste

Put all the ingredients in a crockpot for 4-6 hours on HIGH or 8 to 10 hours on LOW.

On the stove, put all the ingredients in a stock pot, bring to a boil and simmer 30 minutes. Basically, it's done with the potatoes are cooked.