Spaghetti with Melt-in-Your-Mouth Meatballs

OK, so, we try to eat healthy around here; we try to monitor our red meat intake and up the veggies. But honestly, HONESTLY, sometimes you just gotta have some spaghetti and meatballs. Mm-mmm. I came up with this recipe because I didn't have an egg. Necessity truly is the mother of invention. Let me know what you think!

1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef

1 clove garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. onion, minced

2-3 Tbsp. mayonaisse

2 Tbsp. unsweetened Almond milk

salt and pepper

1 t. dried parsley, oregano, or your choice of herbs

Mix all ingredients together (this will be wetter than you're used to). Form into meatballs, and brown in olive oil over medium heat. Once browned on all sides, add your favorite tomato sauce, and simmer over low heat (if medium is 6, simmer around 2) until meatballs are cooked through (probably about 7-10 minutes). Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan (or alternative) over rice pasta.

Pasta with Spinach and Feta Cheese

Even though we are dairy-free in our house, the kids can tolerate goat milk and cheeses, which is awesome for me, especially in recipes like this. Greek feta (goat`s milk feta) is the perfect substitute for regular feta.

6 Tbsp. Olive Oil

3 medium red onions, finely sliced (you do need all of them)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 bunch fresh spinach (or one small box)

salt to sprinkle

3 c. cooked fusilli

1 c. crumbled feta cheese

freshly grated parmesan cheese

pepper

1/4 c. toasted pine nuts (optional)

1/4 c. sliced kalamata olives (optional)



Heal oil in saucepan. Add onions and garlic and sauté for 10 minutes. Add spinach and sprinkle lightly with salt. stir until spinach wilts. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Cook pasta until tender. Drain. Add feta cheese to warm pasta and cook over low heat until cheese melts. Add spinach mixture and toss. Sprinkle with parmasan cheese, pepper, pine nuts and olives if desired.

Balsamic Pasta

Every Monday I get out my cookbooks and get my inspiration (and my recipes) for the week. This week I found plenty in one cookbook, "That's Trump", by Best of Bridge. This is the cookbook in the series with fat-reduced recipes, and although I love the recipes from all the Best of Bridge  cookbooks, I do appreciate the health-consciousness of this particular volume. This recipe was a hit with the fam, and you could easily add chicken or tuna to it for some extra protein punch.

Pasta:

2 c. uncooked rotini or fusilli

1 each red, orange and green pepper, sliced in strips

1 med. red onion, thinly sliced

3 carrots, sliced diagonally

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 14 oz. jar of marinated artichokes, drained, reserve oil

Cook pasta according to directions. Meanwhile, stir-fry veggies and garlic in oil. Add drained artichokes and fold into cooked pasta.

Dressing:

2 Tbsp. fresh chopped basil or 1 Tbsp. dried

1/3 c. lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp. capers

1/2 t. nutmeg

1 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar

oil from marinated artichokes

In a  blender, combine all dressing ingredients. Toss with cooked pasta and serve. Store any leftover dressing in the fridge.

Perogie Pasta

I love perogies, but in a household where we limit our wheat and cut-out dairy, they're just not a great option for us. Hankering for them, I came up with this recipe using rice noodles and plain yogurt. You could sub in a sour cream alternative easily. *I know zucchini and tomatoes aren't normally served with perogies, but if you can fit a few more veggies in, why not?*

1 package fusilli rice pasta

1 package bacon, chopped

1 sweet or purple onion, sliced in rings
1/2 zucchini, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced

3 Roma tomatoes, chopped

1 c. Shredded chedder cheese (or alternative), optional

1 c. Plain yogurt, sour cream, sour cream alternative
2 t. Dried dill
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a frypan, cook bacon until crisp. Drain fat and remove from pan. Set aside. Carmelize onions (cook without moving around too much, so that they brown). Add zucchini and garlic to the pan. Cook until soft. Mix yogurt/sour cream with dill.

Drain pasta and toss with bacon and remaining ingredients. Add sauce and season with salt and pepper.

I served this to impromptu company. It disappeared before I could take a picture! I hope you like it too!

Chicken Tortellini Soup with Fresh Kamut Bread

This is the cheater's chicken noodle soup. Being pressed for time sometimes results in something really really good!

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 c. chopped carrots

1 c. chopped celery

1/2 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. minced ginger

4 c. chicken broth

splash of lemon juice

1 package of roasted chicken tortellini

salt and pepper

Saute the carrots, celery, and onion in olive oil until soft. Add garlic and ginger. Saute until fragrant. Pour in chicken broth, and toss in tortellini. Cook until pasta is done. Give a splash of lemon, and season with salt and pepper. Super fast and super easy. Pretty tasty too!

Chicken Spaghettini

This recipe calls for Spaghettini, but I use whatever pasta I have on hand.

2 chicken breast halves

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 onion, finely chopped

3 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 Tbsp. dried Tarragon or Basil

3 Tbsp. white wine (but who's counting?)

1/4. c. chicken broth

1 c. almond milk or cream

1/4 t. each salt and pepper

1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley

Parmesan Cheese or substitute

Pasta, enough to feed your crew

Saute chicken in olive oil. Add onion, and garlic. Cook until soft. Add tomatoes and Basil. Pour wine and stock into skillet and reduce by two-thirds. Stir in almond milk, salt and pepper and cook until slightly thickened.

Serve over pasta and top with parmasan.

Adapted from ACES: More Recipes From the Best of Bridge

Not Quite Tuna Casserole

We love tuna, but because I've been either pregnant or breastfeeding for the last 3 years, tuna has been something we have reluctantly given up.  Tuna absorbs mercury, and although tuna once in awhile is probably fine, one can of tuna can be low in mercury, while another can be super high. You just don't know what you're going to get.  But here's the problem... I love tuna casserole!! This recipe was adapted for that purpose, and we like it just fine!

1 package of brown rice pasta, cook according to directions

1 zucchini, sliced

1/2 c. celery, chopped

1/2 a red pepper, chopped (optional)

2/3 c. plain yogurt

1/2 c. mayonnaise (you can use fat-reduced)

1/2 tsp. thyme

1-2 tsp. dried mustard

1/4 tsp. salt 

1 can of white meat chicken, drained and flaked

1/3 c. green onions, sliced

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 c. grated cheese or cheese substitute

Put pasta on to cook. In a frypan, saute zucchini, celery and (optional) red pepper. Mix together yogurt, mayo, thyme, mustard, and salt. Drain cooked pasta, and stir in sauce and can of chicken. Add tomatoes and green onions. Top with grated cheese or cheese substitute.

This recipe was adapted from Layered Tuna Casserole, from That's Trump, by the Best of Bridge

Roasted Garlic Cream Pasta with Chicken

I LOVE roasted garlic. I will do 3 heads at once (they bake down) and use it in recipes, spread it on bread, and simply enjoy the smell of it.

It's super easy to roast garlic. Just peel away a few layers of the outer paper (don't pull the cloves apart), cut the head of garlic in half, put it cut-side up on some tin foil, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, close the foil around it (to make a little package), and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or so. It should be soft.

Remove the tin foil and let it cool. then just use your fingsers to squish the cloves out of the paper. When you've done that, try it in this super yummy recipe. I sub out the milk for almond milk, so feel free to do that if you limit dairy. Cheers!

Pasta Scramble

Today has been a comfort food day. It is grey and pouring rain outside, but the house is cozy and warm and full of my 3 kids... wanting to eat constantly. So, we started the day with kamut waffles, and the comfort food has gone on from there. Currently we are all enjoying some popcorn and a cup of tea. For lunch though, I had some leftover spaghetti rice noodles, and made a pasta scramble. It's easy, it's tasty, and it's healthy (enough). Here's the recipe!

1 t. butter

1/2 a small onion

3 eggs

1 T. water

1 t. pasta seasoning

1 1/2 c. cooked pasta (your choice)

cheese to top

Saute onion in the butter over medium heat until soft. Beat eggs with water, and add to pan. Cook until almost done (they should be scrambled, but still look wet). Add the seasining, toss in the pasta and cook until heated through. Remove from heat and onto the plates. Top with cheese of your choice. Today I did cheddar, and the kids did goat feta. (You can also add any other vegetables, sausage, or other omelette ingredients to make this even more delicious!)