Thai Noodles

Tasty dinner that comes together quickly.  Adjust the Siratcha and Ginger to adjust the heat to your taste.  Double the recipe... it's a safe bet that it will all get eaten.

8 oz Liguine Noodles, Cooked

Sauce:
1/2 cup Chicken Broth
3 Tbs Creamy Peanut Butter
Drops Siratcha Sauce (adjust to taste)
1 1/2 Tbs Honey
3 Tbs Soy Sauce
1 1/2 Tbs Ginger (or less)
2-3 cloves Garlic, minced
Chicken, Cooked and Chopped (optional)
Vegetables: optional i.e. Red Pepper

Mix everything together in a saucepan over medium heat until you get a creamy sauce.  Mix sauce with cooked noodles.  Serve with suggested toppings.

Toppings:
Chopped Green Onion
Cilantro
Limes, wedged
Crushed Peanuts

Joyce's Homemade Noodle Dough

Here is the no-fail recipe for homemade noodles that we use to make Chicken Noodle Soup. Joyce is my aunt and this is her recipe. So now I have to put a plug in for her blog: http://www.chefdoughty.com/ This is not your ordinary cooking blog. It is not full of recipes. She has taken the approach to train the next generation of cooks by teaching you how to cook, rather than what to cook. It's pretty cool - check it out! There is even a question and answer page that can be very helpful.

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
3 tbsp. oil
1/4 cup water

Mix flour and salt with fork. Put remaining ingredients in center and mix, then shape into ball. Let rise for 20 minutes in fridge. Does not have to be totally mixed.

Chicken Noodle Soup (Asian Style)

Wok & Stir Fry Cookbook
Yields 4-6 servings

9 oz. dried egg noodles or equivalent amount of
freshly made noodles
1 tbsp. oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, diced
1 bunch scallions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh root ginger
3 1/2 cups chicken bouillon
1 cup scant coconut milk
3 tsp. red curry paste
3 tbsp. peanut butter
2 tbsp. light soy sauce
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas
Salt
Pepper

Put the noodles in a shallow dish and soak in boiling water as instructed on the package.

Heat the oil in a large preheated wok or pan. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes, stirring until lightly browned. Add the white part of the scallions, garlic, and ginger, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Stir in the chicken bouillon, coconut milk, curry paste, peanut butter, and soy sauce.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, stirring, then simmer for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the red bell pepper, peas, and green scallion tops and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the drained noodles and heat through. Spoon the chicken noodle soup into warmed bowls and serve with a spoon and fork.

Tara's Notes:
We always make homemade noodles and add curry paste to the dough, but usually end up doubling or tripling the bouillon water. We always add one whole can of coconut milk and use chunky peanut butter, extra bell peppers and frozen peas. With our revisions this soup easily serves 6-10, depending on how many noodles you make.

Cilantro Pesto

Another cilantro-intense recipe. Yummy, Yummy! Sorry, we've been watching a lot of Wiggles lately. Another allrecipes. View the original here.

INGREDIENTS
1 (16 ounce) package farfalle pasta
1 bunch fresh cilantro
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans
salt to taste
1/2 cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and return water to a boil. Cook pasta for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain well.
In an electric food processor or blender, blend cilantro, garlic, vinegar, Parmesan cheese, cayenne pepper, nuts, and salt. Add 1/4 cup of the olive oil, and blend the pesto. Add more olive oil until the pesto reaches your desired consistency.
Pour pesto in a small saucepan and warm over low heat, stirring constantly, until pesto begins to simmer. Pour over cooked pasta and toss.

Eggplant Parmigiana

I would always see eggplants on sale at the grocery store but wouldn't know what to do with them, until I found this recipe by Mario Batali. It's simple enough but looks rather fancy and tastes yummy. I use one eggplant to feed my family and adjust recipe from there.

1/4 cup olive oil
2 large eggplants-about 1 lb each
salt and pepper
3 cups basic tomato sauce (I use jared pasta sauce)
1 bunch fresh basil, leaves removed and cut
1 pound mozzarella, cut into 1/4 inch think slices-you will need 12 slices
1/2 cup fresh grated parmigiano
1/4 cup lightly toasted bread crumbs
1 pkg spaghetti noodles

Preheat the oven to 450. Oil a baking sheet with olive oil.

Cut each eggplant into 6 slices. Lightly season each disk with salk and pepper and place on oiled sheet.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until deep brown on top. Transfer to a large plate and let cool. Lower oven temperature to 350.

Arange the 4 largest disks in a 9x13 baking pan, spacing them evenly. Spread 1/4 cup of tomato sauce over each disk, and sprinkle each with a teaspoon of basil. Place one slice of mozzarella over each and sprinkle with 1 ts of parmigiano. Top with 4 more slices of eggplant and repeat layers. Sprinkle with toasted bread crumbs over the top.

Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and tops are lightly browned. Cook noodles and warm remaining sauce.

Serve eggplant with noodles and sauce.

Shells with Crispy Pancetta and Spinach

This isn't the healthiest dish in the world. For the sauce, instead of using 1 cup cream, I do half cream and half 2% milk...to make it JUST a bit less fatty. I also use the part skim ricotta cheese, instead of whole milk. I love asiago cheese, but if you don't have any, a good quality parmesan also works well.

p.s....the only place that I've found in Longmont that sells pancetta is the King Soopers in south Longmont.

Shells:
1 (12-ounce) package jumbo shells pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound thick-cut pancetta, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 pounds frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta
1 cup grated asiago cheese
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup cream
2 cups grated asiago cheese, plus 1/4 cup
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

For the shells: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Remove the pancetta from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large bowl. Add the spinach, ricotta cheese, asiago cheese, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Stuff the shells with about 2 tablespoons of the spinach mixture each and place the stuffed shells in a large, buttered baking dish.

For the sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to very low and add the 2 cups asiago cheese, parsley, and pepper. Stir until the cheese is dissolved. Pour the sauce over the shells. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup asiago cheese. Bake until golden on top, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Tortellini Soup

Another one of our favorite pantry meals. You can jazz it up as much or as little as you want. It is also very good second day. The parmesan cheese makes it extra yummy, so don't skimp on that.

1 med onion, chopped
1 Tbs oil
4 cups chicken broth (I use 4 cups water and boullion)
2 cans diced tomatoes or chopped stewed tomatoes
1 Tbs Italian seasoning (I eyeball this so I'm not sure how much exactly)
*1 pkg of dried tortellini
fresh mushrooms (you can use jarred or canned)
shredded parmesan cheese

Brown the onion in the butter until soft (if I have celery I like to cook it with the onion). Add chicken broth, tomatoes and italian seasoning. Bring to boil. Add tortellini and sliced mushrooms. Cook for time directed on tortellini package. Serve sprinkled with cheese.

(This recipe is easily adjusted to feed more. Just make sure you have enough chicken broth to cover and cook the tortellini.)

*You can buy tortellini dried, frozen, or refrigerated. I either buy a large bag of the frozen and make multiple meals out of it or buy the small bags of dried tortellini ($1.50 at Walmart) and keep them in my pantry. One small bag feeds my family (2 adults and 2 toddlers) dinner with some leftovers.

Pasta with Shrimp and Asparagus

This is a recipe we use for special occasions (like Valentine's Day) or whenever asparagus is on sale and we feel like splurging on shrimp. I'm a lover of shrimp and this recipe is simple and fresh.


The original recipe can be found on the Better Homes and Gardens website. Below is my interpretation.


Ingredients
1 pound fresh or frozen shrimp in shells or 8 oz chilled cooked shrimp
1 pound thin stalks fresh asparagus
1 pkg dried linguini
3 cloves garlic, minced (I keep a jar of this in the refridgerator and use it for all my recipes)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cans diced tomatoes, drained (original uses fresh romas)
2 tablespoon tomato paste
1/3 cup white grape juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons finely shredded fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1. Thaw shrimp, if frozen. Peel and devein shrimp, leaving tails intact, if desired. Rinse shrimp; pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.
2. Trim woody ends off asparagus. Remove tips and set aside. Bias-slice the stalks into 1- to 1-1/2-inch pieces. Set aside. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Return pasta to pan; cover and keep warm.
3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook and stir garlic in hot oil over medium heat for 15 seconds. Add tomato and tomato paste; cook and stir for 3 minutes.
4. Add asparagus stalks, juice, salt, and pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cook, uncovered, for 3 minutes. Stir in shrimp and asparagus tips. Cook, uncovered, for 2 to 3 minutes more or until shrimp turn opaque. Stir in butter until melted.
5. To serve, add the shrimp mixture and basil to pasta; toss gently to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper

Italian Stir Fry

This is one of our summer favorites that is also good all year round. The amounts of ingredients are suggestions. I usually just add what I have and eyeball it. I definatly add more italian seasoning than it suggests.

1 pkg Linguine
2 med tomatoes, chopped (canned diced tomatos work too)
1 med onion, chopped
2 med zucchini, sliced (yellow and green)
1 Tb olive oil
1 tsp garlic
1 Tb Italian seasoning
Salt/pepper
Cooked, cubed chicken
½ cup fresh parmesan cheese (mozzarella works as well)

Chop vegetables. Cook linguine. (Cook chicken if desired.)
Heat oil in skillet and had onion, zucchini, and garlic. Stir fry for 3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and heat until tomato starts to break down. Mix in noodles and remove from heat. Serve with cheese.