Linguine in Lemon Cream Sauce

serves 4

8 oz. dry linguine
1/2 cup light cream cheese
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lemon juiced and 1 Tbsp. grated zest
1/2 cup chopped parsley

1. Cook linguine in a pot of boiling, salted water.
2. Warm cream cheese, oil and lemon juice in saucepan over low heat.
3. Drain pasta reserving 1/2 cup cooking water. Stir reserved water into cream cheese mixture. Add pasta, lemon zest and parsley. Toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

per 1 cup serving: 343 calories, 11 grams protein, 14 grams total fat, 2 grams fiber.

This recipe is from Vegetarian Times, September 2010 issue.

Vegan Chocolate-Mint Tofu Mousse

I got this recipe from the actress Carolyn Hennessy's Twitter. It is super yummy and a great way to prove to someone that tofu is tasty!

2 blocks tofu
1 bag melted vegan chocolate chips (you can find them at Whole Foods)
1/2 cup almond milk
several drops peppermint extract

Melt the vegan chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Blend all the ingredients in a blender and chill

That's it!!

This recipe works with regular chocolate chips too, if you are not vegan.

Easy Chicken Marsala

This is super duper easy and good too! 

4 thin sliced chicken breasts seasoned with sea salt and cracked black pepper
1/4 cup marsala wine
1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
2 cups of mushrooms - mixture
2 teaspoons flour
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

Heat oil in pan on high.  Place seasoned chicken breasts in pan.  Heat about 3 minutes per side.  Remove from heat and keep warm.  Add mushrooms to pan and cook about 3 minutes.  Add flour stirring until well blended.  Then add wine and broth.  Stir until you see it thicken.  Once thick spoon over top of breasts.


A nice side to this is roasted red bliss potatoes.  Cut potatoes into quarters.  Season with sea salt, cracked black pepper, Italian seasoning, and olive oil.  Toss all together and bake in oven 400 degrees for 30 minutes.  

Rice with Beans, chicken, and sausage

We love rice and beans in this house (well the adults do, anyway).   A nice change is using Yellow Rice.  So here goes.
1 box yellow rice (Goya)
4 oz. cooked chicken
1 andouille sausage
1 can black beans (Goya)

Cook rice according to package directions.  Heat beans, sausage, and chicken in microwave safe dish.  Mix all together and enjoy!!!  (Completely forgot that I added some pre-cooked shrimp too!)

Crock Pot Roast Beef

Okay this is super easy to make.

1-2 pounds of deli roast beef  (blood red)
1 can of beef broth
2-3 jars of Heinz savory beef gravy
(The gravy can be altered to your taste and to your consistency.  We tend to like a thicker gravy.  Feel free to experiment.)

Put all these ingredients into the crockpot and cook on high for 3-4 hours.

We tend to eat ours on some rolls with cheese.  

Like I said very easy but very tasty!!!!!

Lemon Spaghetti

Recipe by Giada De Laurentiis

Prep Time:10 min Inactive Prep Time:--Cook Time:8 min
Level:
Easy
Serves:
6 servings

Ingredients
1 pound spaghetti
2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
Directions
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the oil, Parmesan, and lemon juice in a large bowl to blend.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the lemon sauce, and the reserved cooking liquid, adding 1/4 cup at a time as needed to moisten. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with lemon zest and chopped basil.

French Toast Casserole

Here is a favorite of my family:

French Toast Casserole

1 loaf of bread (texas toast works well) cut up and remove crusts

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1/4 cup white sugar, divided

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 TBL butter, softened

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees. Spray bottom of 9x13 pan.

2. Place bread cubes in dish. Beat together eggs, milk, salt, vanilla extract, and 2 TBL of sugar. Pour mixture over bread cubes. Dot with butter; let stand 10 minutes.

3. Combine remaining sugar with cinnamon and sprinkle over the top.

4. Bake 40-50 minutes. Golden brown on top and mixture is not runny.