Fettuccine Cacciatore (Kandis)

Ingredients: 8 oz fettuccine, 2 tsp oil, 1 cup each sliced peppers and sliced mushrooms, 1 can (14 ½ oz) diced tomatoes—undrained, 1/2 cup chopped onion, ¼ cup Italian dressing, ½ cup shredded mozzarella or parmesan, ½ cup chopped fresh basil leaves. Preparation: Cook pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet on med-high. Add peppers and mushrooms, onion and basil; cook 3 min. stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes with their liquid and the dressing. Reduce heat to med-low; simmer 5 min. Toss pasta with veggie mixture. Sprinkle with cheese . Serves 4

Ceviche! (Kandis)

Ingredients: shrimp (any size of shrimp and size of bag--buy the pre-cooked, frozen kind. Then just thaw in fridge and rinse under cold water), imitation crab, 3-4 limes (or lime juice equivalent), 2 medium tomatoes, ½ medium onion, cilantro (if desired), large cucumber(peeled),avacado, salt to taste. Preparation: Mix shrimp, crab, lime juice. Finely chop all veggies and add to mixture add desired amount of salt. Mix 2T ketchup, 1T mustard, 1 T oil, and 1 cup orange juice and toss with above. Serve over tostadas—delicious! Great with side of rice and beans. (Colby loves it topped with 'corn nuts' --you can buy them in the bulk section at Winco).

Trail Mix Treats

Prep Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes Servings: 20
Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter or butter (I used smart balance)
2 cups miniature marshmallows or 20 regular marshmallows
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups Kellogg's® Rice Krispies® cereal
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup raisins or dried tart cherries
1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds
Directions
1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla until peanut butter melts.2. Add KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES cereal, oats, raisins and sunflower seeds. Stir until well coated.3. Portion evenly into twenty 2 1/2-inch muffin-pan cups coated with cooking spray. Firmly press cereal mixture down into cups. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until firm. Use fork to lift treats out of cups.Note:For best results, use fresh marshmallows.1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow crème can be substituted for marshmallows. Diet, reduced calorie or tub margarine is not recommended.

(My variations: substitute mini chips for fruit and seeds. My kids loved these both ways!)

Tomato Basil cream pasta (Kandis)

Super Quick Tomato Basil Cream Pasta

Serves Two
1 Large, ripe tomato (2 cups roughly chopped, 1 1/2 cups blended)

1/2 Cup Raw Cashews

1 Tbs Tomato Paste

1/4 Cup Water
2 Tbs Olive Oil

2-4 Cloves Garlic, minced, optional

6 Ounces (ish) Whole Wheat Spaghetti

1 tsp Salt (edit: upped from 3/4!)

2-3 Tbs Wine or Water, optional

1-2 tsp Freshly Cracked, Coarse Black Pepper

1 Large Handful Fresh Basil Leaves, chopped

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil.

Core the tomato, then roughly chop it. Add it to your blender, seeds, skin and all. Add cashews, tomato paste, and water. Blend until very smooth.

Add olive oil to a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute until golden, being careful not to burn. Once water is boiling, add pasta. Pour sauce from the blender into the saute pan and bring to a simmer. Add salt and let cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
If desired add wine/water to thin out the sauce. Taste and season more if necessary. Let simmer until pasta is finished cooking. Once pasta is cooked, drain. Add pasta to the saute pan with black pepper and freshly chopped basil leaves. Toss to coat. Serve immediately, garnishing with more pepper and basil.

Enjoy!

Vegan Blueberry Muffins (kandis)

Ingredients:
flour 2 cups (I used wheat)
baking soda 1 1/2 tsp
salt 1/2 tsp
zest from 2 lemons (I didn't do this)
milk (soy or rice) 1 cup
canola oil 1/3 cup
lemon extract 1 tsp (I didn't do this)
white vinegar 1 T
blueberries 1 1/2 cups (fresh or frozen)
yields 12 muffins
Heat oven to 375 and lightly grease muffin paper cups (don't skip this step!). Combine all ingredients but blueberries and mix until just combined (don't over stir). Then gently fold in blueberries. Fill cups to 2/3 full. Bake 22 minutes and remove and let cool 5 minutes. These were a hit!

Craving Fried? (Kandis)

This week Colby made us 'fish sticks' using a tempura batter mix from the store. We bought whatever frozen fish was on sale, thawed it in the fridge, cut it into fish sticks and fried--yum! The best part of the meal? Tempura Asparagus! Even the kids loved it! Definitely fit the bill for curbing my craving for fried food:) Just be sure to have some yummy dipping sauces on hand!

rustic bread and eggplant lasagna (Kandis)

Another vegan yumyum recipe that I made this for Joe and Robyn the other night with the blueberry grunts for dessert.

http://veganyumyum.com/2009/05/rustic-bread-eggplant-lasagna

The flavors with delicious and I modified a few things:
I added fresh romano cheese to the bread crumb topping
I used all wheat flour for the grunts...
serving with balalmic vinegar is a must--but don't over-do it!)
If I make it again I will make sure I toast the breat to a crisp so it's not so soggy... (I hate soggy)
But it was way easier to make than conventional lasagna!