Creamy Pasta Dinner

Ingredients:
1 lb of pasta  (any shape) cooked to al dente
1lb of ground meat (ie.. beef, turkey, chicken, pork)
1 medium onion chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped into a dice (or frozen is fine)
8oz of frozen chopped spinach
1 Tbs of dried oregeno
1 Tbs of dried basil
1 Tbs of granulated garlic (or to taste)
red chili flakes (to taste)
1 tsp of brown sugar
1 jar of favorite spaghetti sauce
salt and pepper to taste
4oz (or half a brick) of cream cheese (reduced fat is fine)
1 cup of water (or 1 cup of starchy pasta water from boiling the pasta)

Directions:
Brown your desired meat.   Then add chopped onion and fry   Next add green bell peppers and fry.  Now add half a bag (about 8oz) of frozen chopped spinach.

Now add one tbs each of dried oregano, dried basil and granulated garlic (or to taste). Salt and pepper the dish to taste.  Add jar of your favorite pasta sauce. Add 1 cup of water into the jar and get all the sauce out of the bottle. Add the red chili flakes and  brown sugar.  Now add 4oz (half a package) of cream cheese.   Mix and bring to a simmer for 2-3 minutes. Taste the sauce here and make sure you have enough salt.

Add the cooked pasta now.  Allow to simmer for a few minutes.   Enjoy. This will serve 6-8 people.

Dinosaur Pesto Pasta

 Ingredients: 
 
The Pesto Sauce:
1/2 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup of walnuts
1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese
3 cloves of grated garlic
2 cups of Italian Basil
1/2 cup of Italian Parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste

Notes:  I use walnuts in this pesto because they are frankly a lot less expensive than pine nuts.  I always have walnuts in my freezer.  If you prefer, you can substitute pine nuts.


Directions:  Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor until it forms a thick sauce.

To make the Dinosaur Pasta: 

Ingredients:  

1lb of any shape pasta

1 cup of starchy pasta water (reserved from boiling the pasta)

red pepper flakes (to taste)

1/2 frozen spinach

salt and pepper (to taste)

1/2 cup of cream or half and half 

Pesto sauce from above recipe (as much as you like, I used all of it)

Directions:

Boil pasta until el dente in salted water.  I used Rigatoni. Save 1 cup of the starchy pasta water to help make your Pesto Sauce.   In a large pan, heat the pesto on medium heat.  Then add some red pepper flakes (to taste).   Next add 1/2lb of frozen spinach and cook until heated well.  Finally add your cup of starchy cooking water (I used it to rinse out the food processor that I made the Pesto in first) and 1/2 cup of cream or half and half.  Make the sauce and taste for seasoning. Toss with the pasta.

Serve 4-6 people.  Enjoy

Curried Macaroni Salad

Ingredients:

Pasta:
1 pound of pasta (elbow macaroni)


The vegetables 
3 carrots grated
bunch of spring onions chopped (both green and white part)
2-3 serrano chilies seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper diced

The Spices and Aromatics:
1 tsp of cumin seed (slightly crushed) * see note 1
1 tsp of mustard seed (slightly crushed) *see note 1
1 tsp of red chili flakes (or to taste)
1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
1 Tbs of grated fresh ginger
1 Tbs of grated fresh garlic
2 tsp of curry powder * see note 2

Note 1:  I put the seeds in a mortar and pestle and pounded it for a few seconds to break some of the seeds up.

Note 2: I used an American version of curry powder by McCormick: 

Directions: 

Heat a large pan or skillet on medium-high heat with 1 Tbs of olive oil.  Then add the crushed seeds and fry for 30-45 seconds or until they become fragrant. Next add your ground spices and fry for another 30 seconds.  Careful not to burn.  Next add your vegetables, grated ginger, garlic and some salt to season.  Fry well for a few minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.  Finally add your pre-cooked macaroni and 1 cup of frozen peas.  Toss well.  Allow macaroni too cool before adding dressing.


To make the dressing:
1/2 cup of mayonnaise(regular or reduced fat is fine)
1/2 cup of yogurt (any fat level is fine)
1 tsp of sugar
1 Tbs of rice wine vinegar

Directions:  Mix well.  Once the macaroni is cooled, add the dressing.  Mix well.  Taste for salt and seasoning.  Chill in fridge until ready to serve.

Note: If you keep overnight and the macaroni looks dry, add a little more mayo before serving.

Serves 8-10 people as a side dish.  Garnish with chopped parsley or cilantro.  Enjoy.

Asian Spaghetti and Meatballs

Ingredients:

For Meatballs:
1lb of lean ground meat ( I used pork)
1Tbs of Chinese rice wine (not vinegar)
1Tbs of Soy Sauce
1 Tbs of Hoisin Sauce
1 Tbs each of grated ginger and garlic
1 Tbs of cornstarch

Directions:  Mix all ingredients well and form into meatballs (about walnut size).  Shallow fry in a wok with about 1 Tbs of canola oil until cooked through and browned. 

For Sauce:
1 medium onion chopped
1 large carrot grated or diced
1 green pepper diced (frozen is fine)
1 Tbs of grated garlic
2 Tbs of grated ginger
1 tsp of curry powder ( I used American Curry powder by McCormick)
1 Tbs of Hoisin Sauce
1 Tbs of Fish Sauce
1 Tbs of Soy Sauce
1 tsp of red chili flakes (or to taste)
1/4 cup of coconut milk
1/4 cup of water


Directions:  Stir fry onion, pepper, ginger, garlic and carrots for a few minutes.  Then add the curry powder, red chili flakes, hoisin, fish and soy sauces and stir fry for a few minutes.  Finally add the coconut milk, water and  meatballs back into pan and simmer for 3-5 minutes. 

Pasta:
Cook Pasta according to package instructions.  You can use any type of spaghetti (I used thin spaghetti).  You can also use vermicelli or glass noodles often used in Asian noodle dishes.

Final Directions: 
Toss the sauce/meatballs with the spaghetti and serve.