Susie Brinegar's Penne Pasta Salad

Sometimes being creative is much more fun than following a recipe. I love how Susie experimented on this Penne Pasta Salad. She writes, " I don't have an exact recipe - Several months ago I bought that Penne salad at Costco's and loved it.  It was expensive, though.  So I just read the ingredients and came home and made my own salad!  The quantity is not exact - I just put in as much as I like, so I'll give you the ingredients and you can do the same. Try it!  Hope it turns out good!"
It sounded so good, I made it too and added chopped celery, chopped sweet red pepper and chopped lettuce.

Ingredients:
16 oz of cooked (al dente) penne pasta and drained
Cooked skinless chicken breast, chopped (I usually use two)
Whole Kalamata olives
8 oz can (or more) of artichoke hearts, quartered
One or two cups of cherry tomatoes
Medium size red onion chopped
Garlic salt
Celery salt
Onion salt
Salt
Pepper
Toss with Greek salad dressing.  Caesar dressing and also Italian dressing are good.
Top with crumbled Feta cheese

Options: Top with toasted Pine Nuts.

One Pot Pasta

It's all in one dish - Pasta, Tomatoes, Veggie Broth, Olive Oil. Fast and easy.

Throw it all in the pot, INCLUDING the uncooked Pasta, and cook! - Bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. The starch leaches out of the pasta and makes a rich, warm sauce for the noodles. The other ingredients cook right along with the pasta.

Tastes & Treasures cookbook also has a delicious Penne with Basil Pesto on page 89 from historic Four Peaks Brewing company.

Ingredients:
12 ounces pasta (Linguine is a favorite)
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes with liquid (any flavor)
1 large sweet onion, cut in julienne strips
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
2 large sprigs basil, chopped
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth (regular broth and NOT low sodium)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions:
Place pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, in a large stock pot. Pour in vegetable broth. Sprinkle on top the pepper flakes and oregano. Drizzle top with oil.

Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and keep covered and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so. Cook until almost all liquid has evaporated – I left about an inch of liquid in the bottom of the pot – but you can reduce as desired .

Season to taste with salt and pepper , stirring pasta several times to distribute the liquid in the bottom of the pot. Serve garnished with Parmesan cheese.

Thanks to Simply The Best You...Healthy and Happy for the recipe.

Spaghetti Squash

Not just another trendy vegetable, this squash makes a tasty substitute for pasta in your favorite recipes.

The flesh of cooked spaghetti squash shreds easily with a fork into thin strands similar to spaghetti or vermicelli.

Use it in place of penne pasta in Tastes & Treasures recipe page 89, Halibut with Penne and Basil Pesto. Or try it with or without sauces, or perhaps in a casserole.

Served with just a bit of butter and salt, spaghetti squash also is a fine substitute for rice or potatoes.

This multi-purpose vegetable has great storage potential. Buy today, then prepare and serve when it fits into your menu plans. Stored in your kitchen, this winter squash keeps for a month, but a cool, dry basement or root cellar will keep it fresh even longer.

Fat and cholesterol-free, it’s much lower in carbohydrates than conventional spaghetti. It’s also a good source of vitamins and minerals, and a good pasta substitute for people on wheat-free diets.

Basic Cooking directions: 
Helpful hint: Microwave entire squash for a few minutes first to soften it before cutting. Cut Spaghetti Squash in half first, then bake in oven.

1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. Wash the squash, then dry thoroughly for safer handling. Cut in half lengthwise using a large, sharp knife. Use a scoop or spoon to scrape out the seeds and stringy pulpy.
3. Place the two halves cut-side down in a shallow tray or baking pan with an inch of water.
4. Bake the squash for 30 to 45 minutes. When the squash is fully cooked, the skin will give easily to the touch, and the flesh will be tender. You can use a fork to confirm that it’s done.
5. Remove squash from oven. Turn the two halves over and let cool until comfortable to handle. Use a fork to scrape out the flesh. Scrape lengthwise for best results. The squash should come out easily in long strands.
6. Add to the recipe you’re preparing, or place in a serving dish to use as a side dish.

Easy Pesto Appetizer

Great recipes are often the easiest. This simple appetizer was toasted crostini topped with Classico Tomato Pesto. Add a slice of Monterey Jack cheese and fresh basil leaf. Nice presentation.

Thanks to Sue Hinton of Port Huron, Michigan for this appetizer. We enjoyed biking all around Harbor Springs last summer, then relaxing with good food and great friends.

Tastes & Treasures cookbook has many wonderful appetizer recipes too.

Quinoa with Pesto and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Quinoa - a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the grass family. As a chenopod, quinoa is closely related to species such

as beets, spinach, and tumbleweeds.

The Incas, who held the crop to be sacred, referred to quinoa as chisaya mama or 'mother of all grains', and it was the Inca emperor who would traditionally sow the first seeds of the season using 'golden implements'. During the European conquest of South America, the Spanish colonists scorned quinoa as 'food for Indians', and even actively suppressed its cultivation, due to its status within indigenous non-Christian ceremonies. In fact, the conquistadores forbade quinoa cultivation for a time and the Incas were forced to grow wheat instead. (From Wikipedia)

A tasty pesto sauce with very nutritious ingredients, this recipe is a twist on classic Italian cuisine.

Quinoa with Pesto and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Ingredients:

• ½ cup (packed) sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 cups (packed) chopped fresh basil
• ½ cup hemp seeds
• 2⁄3 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon freeze-dried wheatgrass powder (optional)
• 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
• ¾ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 4 cups cooked quinoa
• 2 cups (packed) baby spinach, cut into chiffonade (aka extra thin)

Directions:

1. Soak the sun-dried tomatoes in some hot water for 30 minutes or until soft. Slice thinly.
2. Use a food processor to blend the basil, hemp seeds, both oils, wheatgrass powder, nutritional yeast, sea salt and garlic into a pesto sauce. In a large bowl, toss some of the pesto (use as much as desired) with the quinoa, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. Serve cold or gently heat.

Recipe modified from Julie Morris, Superfood Cuisine: Cooking with Nature’s Most Amazing Food

Makes 4-6 servings

Four Peaks Brewery offers refreshing drinks

The recipe for Stout Shake on page 92 is impressive and a cool drink for a hot summer day. Andy Ingram, owner of of Four Peaks Brewery in Tempe has some wonderful offerings in Tastes & Treasures. Try the Halibut with Penne and Basil Pesto at the restaurant or make it yourself from page 89. Fresh basil from the garden makes this very flavorful.

The brewery itself resides in the old Borden's Creamery building built in 1892. No additions were added after 1927 so you can see the old brick, wooden ceilings and 35-foot-high glass clerestory.

You can learn other suggestions from Andy's specials in The Arizona Republic called "Beer Buzz".

Stuffed Mushrooms with Summer Squash

The Cottage Place Restaurant in Flagstaff has some great recipes for a Cocktail Party in the Tastes & Treasures cookbook. The stuffed mushrooms are easy to make and taste wonderful as an appetizer. Try them on page. 27.

But, I just found a new Stuffed Mushroom recipe that is very good as a side dish from hungry-girl.com. Tried it for dinner last night and it was a hit. Love the low calorie count too.

Stuffed Mushroom With Summer Squash in Foil Pack


2 large portabella mushrooms

1 summer squash (yellow or green), ends removed, finely diced

2 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese, room temperature

1/2 tbsp. reduced-fat Parmesan-style grated topping

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 tsp. dried minced onion

1/8 tsp. salt, or more to taste

Dash ground thyme or more to taste (I used chopped Basil from my garden instead)

Olive oil or nonstick spray
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. (I used the BBQ with only the outside burners on)
In a bowl, combine cheese wedges, garlic, onion, salt, and thyme. Mix until smooth. Set aside.
Remove mushroom stems and finely chop. Add chopped stems to the bowl, and set mushroom caps aside. Add squash to the bowl and stir well, until veggies are coated in the cheese mixture. Lay a large piece of heavy-duty foil on a baking sheet. Lightly mist mushroom caps with olive oil nonstick spray, and place next to each other on the foil with the rounded sides down. Spoon veggie-cheese mixture into the mushroom caps -- there will be a lot, so pack it in! Sprinkle with Parm-style topping.
Place another large piece of foil over the caps. Fold together and seal all four edges of the two foil pieces, forming a well-sealed packet. Place baking sheet in the oven and bake for 23 - 25 minutes, until mushrooms are soft and tender.
Allow packet to cool for a few minutes, and then cut to release steam before opening it entirely. (Careful -- steam will be hot.) If you like, season to taste with additional salt and thyme. MAKES 2 large servings.

PER SERVING (1 large stuffed mushroom): 92 calories, 2.75g fat, 447mg sodium, 11.5g carbs, 3.25g fiber, 4g sugars, 6.5g protein -- POINTS® value 1*

Fish dinner in Eleuthera, Bahamas

Preparing Four Peaks Brewing Company's Halibut with Penne and Basil Pesto, pg 89, was my idea. We would substitute the Strawberry Grouper we caught that day, but Lisa at Cape Eleuthera in the Bahamas had another idea. She put the individual filets in an aluminum sheet with onion, green pepper, spices, butter and parsley and wrapped them tight before grilling. They were delicious served with traditional brown rice and beans, corn on the cob and fresh hydroponic lettuce grown at "The Island School." We dined at the Marina at sunset. Wonderful evening.