July 28, 2008
· Filed under Soups, Traditional, pasta · Tagged camping, dutch oven, Elkmont, Great Smoky Mountains, hiking, minestrone, soup, squash, zucchini
I took my cousin hiking and camping in Elkmont this weekend. Thankfully, some of the old vacation cabins are being repaired and preserved. I’m not certain if it’s happened yet, but some groups in the area are fighting to have them zoned as an historical landmark. The history of Elkmont and the logging community is interesting and I would be happy to see these places saved from demolition by neglect.
We had an absolute blast…even through all the rain. This was our dinner Saturday night over the campfire. It was simple and DELICIOUS! If you are going for the campfire version, pre-chop and ziploc the ingredients so all you have to do is put it in the pot.
Minestrone Soup
1 1/2 cubes vegetable bouillon
3/4 cup pasta (elbow or shells)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 zucchini, chopped
1/2 yellow squash, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1 tsp oregano
3/4 tsp basil
1 bay leaf
3-4 cups water (I used about a bottle and a half)
salt, pepper, garlic, cayenne (to taste)
Place the bouillon and water in a dutch oven and heat until dissolved. Add tomatoes, vegetables & spices. Let simmer until the vegetables are soft. Add the pasta and cook until pasta is tender. Voila!
We had the soup with baked potatoes that we cooked wrapped in foil in the fire embers.
June 18, 2008
· Filed under Italian, Traditional, pasta · Tagged baked, mushroom, portobello, sauce, spaghetti
Quick and easy. After I cooked them, I layered the pasta with the sauce in an oven safe bowl and topped with some parm and cheddar. Baked at 300 for about 10 minutes. Baked spaghetti!
June 1, 2008
· Filed under Asian, Quick Lunches, pasta · Tagged Asian, cabbage, chicken, lo mein, mushroom, noodles, onion, wok
This has Morningstar chicken strips, red cabbage, mushrooms, carrots & green onion. I boiled the noodles while I sauteed some of the vegetables in the wok. Tossed them all together with some soy and finished with poppy seeds. I’m ashamed to say that Kristen and I finished the whole batch.
May 20, 2008
· Filed under Quick Lunches, Traditional, pasta · Tagged artichoke, asparagus, Italian, pasta, pepper, salad
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 jar of marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
1/2 cup blanched asparagus, chopped
1/2 cup shredded beets
1/3 cup green onion, chopped
1/4 cup ‘parmesan’
Who knows how much light zesty italian dressing
bag of tri color pasta
The pasta was an organic/natural mix of carrot, spinach and beet, I believe. The colors in this stuff were beautiful and it was a perfect blend of sweet, tangy & crunchy. I’m in love.
Update: This pic is not of the original recipe but had better quality. This version is missing asparagus and red pepper. Instead, it has tomatoes and green pepper!
May 18, 2008
· Filed under Italian, pasta
I wrapped different combinations of fillings made with ’cheese’, spinach wilted with garlic, Gimme Lean beef & portobello. I used wonton wrappers to roll them. Bake covered at 350 for 40 minutes, remove from oven and sprinkle with rice mozzarella. Put back in the oven until the cheese melts.
April 28, 2008
· Filed under Italian, Quick Lunches, pasta · Tagged gnocci, ragout, spinach, tomato
1 pkg potato gnocci
1 can stewed, diced tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 green onions, sliced thinly
3/4 cup chopped fresh spinach
Dashes of basil, thyme & oregano
1/2 tsp chili paste (optional)
Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil and add rest of ingredients. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
Boil gnocci according to package directions and toss with sauce!
April 12, 2008
· Filed under Italian, pasta
Kristen and I whipped this up lastnight for a late dinner. Whole-wheat linguini tossed with tomatoes, basil, scallion, garlic and portabella. The tomato mix was sauteed and reduced with olive oil, so the mushrooms really carried the olive oil flavor. It was absolutely delicious! Served with a little sourdough garlic bread.
March 26, 2008
· Filed under Italian, pasta
These are huge, about the size of a Post-It note. They turned out more like potstickers than ravioli because the wrappers are so thin and they’re not very sexy, but the taste was all there! They’re stuffed with portobello, scallion, garlic, basil and a bit of soy milk.
March 19, 2008
· Filed under Quick Lunches, Soups, pasta · Tagged amy's, lunch, pasta salad
I woke up this morning with a throat too sore to swallow. Stupid sinuses! So it was hot tea for breakfast and my twist on comfort food for lunch. When I was little, mom did the classic soup and a sandwich for her ailing child. Tomato and grilled cheese is my personal favorite combination. Today, it’s Amy’s Tom Kha Phak soup and a pasta salad I put together lastnight from goveg.com. For canned soup, it’s pretty tasty but a little greasy and not spicy enough for my taste. It felt good on the throat and that’s all that matters to me!
March 17, 2008
· Filed under Italian, pasta
I suppose I got on a bit of an eggplant kick this weekend. This time, the eggplant was in a store bought sauce and I only chose it accidentally because I was looking for vegan AND low sodium. This sauce won out. I added Gimme Lean sausage and meatless ground to it to make it meaty and served it over whole-wheat penne. Sprinkle with a little oregano.
