Veggie Skillet Pasta

This was super easy and yummy!  It's actually a good base for a camping dinner recipe!

You can also own and vary this recipe however you want.  This made about 6 servings


Veggie Skillet Pasta
1 box of pasta (I had 1/2 a box of Dreamfield's penne and threw in come whole wheat elbows)
1 jar of sauce (I used Bertolli Rustic Cut pasta sauce with garden vegetables - Roasted Garlic)
1 pepper (I had an orange one on hand) - coarsely chopped
1 small sweet onion - coarsely chopped
1 zucchini - sliced
2 cups of water
1 tbsp EVOO
1 tsp minced garlic
salt and pepper (optional)


You could save time and dishes and maybe cook your veggies in with the pasta, but I used my good ole frying pan and sauteed my veggies in EVOO and garlic.

• In a deep skillet, empty your jar of sauce and 2 cups of water and put on medium to heat sauce to a simmer.

• While the sauce heats, place your EVOO and garlic in your frying pan, heat up for a minute or so and then add your chopped veggies.  Sautee to your liking.  

• Your sauce will be a good heat while your veggies are cooking.  As it lightly bubbles, turn heat down to medium low and add your pasta.  Time 10 minutes.

• Finish your veggies and remove from heat.

• After 10 minutes, reduce heat on the pasta to low, add your veggies, then wait another 5 minutes.

• The pasta will be wonderful, the veggies re-heated, and the sauce thickened and absorbed into the pasta. 

Enjoy!

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Veggie Enchilada Lasagna Recipe

Veggie Enchilada Lasagna

Say that 3 times fast!

You know I'm always on this better health journey!  I've made better overall health a lifestyle.  We have cheat moments, as we are not perfect.  But I am pleased that 95% or more of my diet is healthful.

Before I got sick with the flu, I made this dish.  This was after seeing a documentary on a plant based diet and I got a "bug up my butt" about trying to eat more plant based.  Not vegan and I will partake in the occasional burger  or steak because they taste amazing to me (no judgement zone, okay?).

At any rate, I look at my diet.  I ate a small handful of M & M's yesterday.  I am pretty sure I eat sugar or chocolate 3 times a year max!  I hardly eat carbs and when I do, it's whole wheat or whole grain of some sort.  I eat lean chicken but I will admit, if bacon is on the table, I'll eat it.  I don't eat much fish as it sometimes makes me feel puny, but I love a good shrimp cocktail now and then.  I try to eat lots of veggies and hardly any fruit b/c I'm afraid of sugar.  I also have a texture thing and struggle to get a banana down sometimes but I love strawberries.

I got a treadmill in mid November and prior to getting sick, I have been on that thing or my mini elliptical 5 or 6 days a week!

So there's my boring diet.  I lost 16lbs last year with supplementation and trying to improve my health but I'm still pre-diabetic and my cholesterol is creeping up.  All of this making me high risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease.  NO!

Long story short (too late!)... there's not much else to eliminate from my diet or add to with the time available that I have.  It never occurred to me to try a vegetarian or mostly vegetarian diet.

We're in the experimentation stage.  Translated, that means I need to come up with some yummy ways to disguise veggies so hubby will eat them and make sure the meals are satisfying and filling for him so later snacks aren't "needed".  I love veggies.  Almost all of them.

Here was the first trial run.  It was delicious, filling, and not disturbing to our tummies as veggies sometimes can be.  This was fairly easy.  The most time consuming was the veggie chopping, but once everything was mixed together, assembly took no time.

This made 8 servings.  It's fairly low in calories but it is not low carb (but not all carbs are created equal).  On a plus side it has a decent amount of protein and fiber!  I will alter this recipe on the next go.  I will use more like 6 tortillas and no salt.  There's plenty of salt in the cheese and salsa.

So here you go!

Veggie Enchilada Lasagna
Printable version

Ingredients
1 Red Pepper - chopped
1 medium sweet onion - chopped
1 can no salt added black beans - rinsed and drained
1 cup of additional veggie of choice ( I would have liked to have added chopped sweet potato but hubby doesn't like them so I chopped up some very lightly steamed fresh cauliflower.  I also added fresh spinach to my portion)
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt ( I used pink salt but if I make this dish again, I will not use salt)
1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese (optional)
2 16 oz jars of salsa (per choice).  We didn't have salsa but a large jar of picante sauce (same thing?)
about 15 corn tortillas

Chop your red pepper, onion, and additional veggie(s) and place in a medium or large mixing bowl.  Add the black beans, seasonings, and 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese.  

Mix them together.

Begin lasagna assembly

Add about 1 cup of salsa to the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish and spread a thin layer on the bottom.

cut your tortillas in half and line the pan on top of the salsa.  ( I had about 5 rows)

Scoop about 1/3 of a cup of the veggie mixture on top of each row of tortillas, then spread it around more evenly.

add 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese

add another layer of tortillas and then add salsa on top of the tortillas

add the remainder of the veggie mixture on top (this is where I put spinach on my 1/3 of the lasagna)

add 1 more layer of tortillas and then more salsa on top of the tortillas

Bake on 400 degrees for 20 minutes (tent foil over the top while baking)

After 20 minutes, add your last 1/2 cup of shredded cheese and put back in the oven, uncovered, for 10 more minutes.

after 20 minutes

cheese added and ready for 10 more minutes

Enjoy!

cheesy out of the oven

my piece with spinach

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Pesto Pasta Recipe

Still on a pasta kick...tonight was Pesto Pasta

The simple version...
Cook pasta of choice (I used whole wheat penne)
While pasta is cooking I sliced fresh veggies on hand (peppers and onions) then cooked them in the frying pan with olive oil until warm but still crisp.
While stirring the pasta and veggies occasionally, I prepared a Knorr pesto packet. (Takes about 6 minutes)

I drained the pasta and then placed the cooked veggies in a bowl and used the "seasoned" pan to warm some Tyson frozen oven roasted tenderloin pieces. This takes about 5 minutes

I tossed everything in my pasta and topped it with some feta crumbles (because I had some...ha!)

Enjoy with a fresh veggie side like grape tomatoes.

It was really easy and good. Dinner was ready in about 20 minutes, give or take.

photo by Tracy Hilbun

Easy Summer Salad Recipe

Eating a hot and heavy meal in the summer just makes me feel...hot and heavy!

I made this pretty and colorful salad for dinner instead  and I felt...pretty and colorful. Ha!

Super easy summer pasta salad
Boil pasta of choice,  set aside cooked pasta to cool.
Chop up as many lovely and colorful veggies that you can.
I used red onion, red pepper, orange pepper, yellow pepper, celery, peeled and seeded cucumber, radish, grape tomato
I cut some leftover ham slices into small pieces and pan cooked them until browned.

After the pasta cooled, I mixed half of everything together with kraft Tuscan italian dressing and a small amount of season salt.  Then I added the rest and mixed with a little more dressing and season. (Go light on dressing and seasoning as the veggies and ham add a wonderful flavor on their own)

I served with reduced fat parmisan cheese sprinkled on top and chopped black olives for those that like them (not me)

If you can, make ahead to marinate the salad flavors.

Taste the rainbow (thanks Chrissy) and enjoy.

photo by Tracy Hilbun

photo by Tracy Hilbun