Minestrone

2 T olive oil
1 1/2 c chopped onion
5 cloves garlic
1 c diced celery
1 c cubed carrot
2 t salt
4 t black pepper
2 t oregano
1 t basil
1 c chopped green pepper
3 1/2 c stock
2 c tomato puree
2 c chick peas
1 c chopped zucchini
3 T red wine
1 c chopped tomato
1/2 c dry pasta
3/4 c parsley

In stock pot, saute onion and garlic in oil until onions are translucent. Mix in celery, carrot, and 1 t salt. Add pepper, oregano, and basil and cook covered 5-8 minutes. Add green pepper, stock, tomato puree, chick peas, red wine, and zucchini, and simmer covered 15 minutes. Add tomato and 1 t salt, and keep on low heat. 10 minutes before serving, add pasta and bring to a boil until soft. Serve topped with parsley. Optional: top with parmesan cheese.

Pasta Salad

10 oz tri-color pasta twists
1 bottle Italian salad dressing
1 small bottle McCormick's Salad Supreme Seasoning
1 tomato, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 can sliced black olives
1 can sliced mushrooms

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain, rinse in cold water to cool. Combine everything. Chill overnight, stirring occasionally.

Fettucine

2 pkg fresh fettucine (1 plain, 1 green) OR 1 lb dry mixed fettucine
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 1/2 pints light cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese
salt & pepper

Cook pasta as directed. Melt butter in a pan. Slowly add cream. Stir and heat to hot but not boiling. Add cheese, salt & pepper to taste. Stir until hot & thick. If it curdles, add more butter. Toss with fettucine and serve.

Bean Soup

This is a simple crock-pot soup that I made for Father's Day last year. We were meeting up for a winery tour in the morning, and then everyone came to my house for lunch, so I needed something that could take care of itself for a while. The times below are how our day went, but I'm sure it would be fine with cooking longer in part 1 and shorter in part 2.

2 c mixed dried bean
2 potatoes, cubed
2 quarts water
1 c uncooked macaroni
1 can Rotel tomatoes w/ green chilis
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
salt, pepper, basil, oregano

Part One: Rinse the beans. Put beans, potato pieces, and water in crock pot. Cook on High for 3 hours.
Part Two: Sauté the onion and garlic in oil until onions are soft. Add the onion and garlic, tomatoes, and macaroni noodles to the crock pot. Salt and spice to taste. (It needs more salt than I expected - canned beans have a lot of salt, while dry beans have none.) Cook on High for 1 hour.

Tofu Baked Ziti

This casserole basically substitutes tofu for ricotta cheese for way fewer calories, and you'd never notice if you didn't know what was in it.

12 oz uncooked ziti
28 oz tomato sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
10.5 oz firm silken tofu
1 egg white
10 oz frozen spinach block
1/4 t nutmeg
1/8 t pepper

Preheat oven to 350F. Boil water and cook ziti according to package. Puree together all other ingredients except ziti, sauce, and mozzarella. Mix the cooked ziti into the tofu/spinach mess. Divide the mixture into 3 parts. Pour 1/4 of the sauce (about a cup) into a casserole dish, then 1/3 of the ziti/tofu/spinach. Continue layering, ending with the rest of the sauce. Top with mozzarella. Bake covered for 45 minutes.

Green Lasagna

This is our standard lasagna. I just made it, it's really easy, I promise. Once again, Julie Jordan is to thank.

img via: what to make for dinner

1 quart tomato sauce
1 pound lasagne noodles
2 10-oz. bricks frozen chopped spinach
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
15 oz. ricotta cheese
1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
grated parmesan or romano cheese

If you're not using no-cook noodles, cook them according to the package. Thaw and squeeze the spinach. Add the eggs and nutmeg and mix well. In a glass or ceramic baking dish, make layer: tomato sauce, noodles, spinach mixture, ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan. I can usually get 3 or 4 layers, starting with a really thin layer of sauce under the first noodles. Try to finish with mozzarella or parmesan as the top layer. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Let sit at least 5 minutes before serving.

Szechuan Cold Sesame Noodles

My sister's graduation party tomorrow, so while we've got party food on the brain, here's some of our favorites. This is an excellent noodle/sauce recipe from the book "One Pot Vegetarian Dishes". It's really good & easy, and we usually make it in a double batch.

img via: foodzings

1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
3 T hot water
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 T soy sauce (tamari)
2 T sesame oil
1 t vegetable oil
1 t chili oil
2 t sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
8 oz. sesame noodles or spaghetti
2 medium carrots, shredded
2 scallions, thinly sliced

Start boiling water for the noodles. In a large bowl, whisk together peanut butter and water until well blended. Gradually whisk in vinegar, soy sauce, oils, sugar, and garlic. Cook the noodles as directed, drain and rinse. Add the noodles to the sauce, toss to mix well, and serve cold with carrots and scallions as garnish.

Marinated Tomato Sauce

Only make this in the summer when you've got really good, ripe tomatoes and fresh basil avaliable.

4 large ripe tomatoes
12-15 large basil leaves
1 large clove garlic, pressed
3 T olive oil
1/2 t salt
6 oz. mozzarella cheese
freshly ground black pepper

Cut tomato and cheese into 1 inch cubes. Mince basil. Combine all and let stand 1 hour at room temperature. Serve over pasta.

4 servings: 687 calories, 23.5 grams fat
6 servings: 458 calories, 15.6 grams fat
8 servings: 343 calories, 12 grams fat