Favorite Recipe: Spinach & Feta Rotini

We all know that we can save a lot of money by cooking a meatless entree, but all too often, those meals tend to be less than filling. By incorporating beans into the dish, you may find that they can be just as filling and flavorful without breaking the bank. This is one that the kids might like as well...and it sneaks in a few servings of veggies too. This is a recipe that even the beginner cook will find to be quick and simple...perfect for a weeknight meal. Enjoy!

Yields 4-6 servings.

Spinach & Feta Rotini

Ingredients:

8 ounces rotini pasta

1 bag fresh spinach

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

3 teaspoons minced garlic

1 can Northern beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup olive oil + 1 tablespoon

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1) Cook rotini according to package directions.

2) While pasta is cooking, saute garlic and red onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat for 3 minutes or until onion softens. Add spinach to mixture and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until spinach wilts and softens.

3) Add Northern beans to spinach mixture and continue cooking until heated through.

4) In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

5) Drain cooked pasta and add to spinach mixture. Add feta cheese and pour olive oil dressing over top. Toss well to combine.

Favorite Recipe: Hog-Tied Sushi Roll

Bacon, cream cheese, smoked salmon, sweet chile sauce, and fried onions...'nuff said. Enjoy!

Hog-Tied Sushi Roll

Ingredients:
nori, one sheet
cooked sushi rice, handful
1 strip of bacon, cooked
1 ounce smoked salmon
1 ounce cream cheese

Sriracha sauce

sweet chile sauce (recipe follows)

1 green onion stalk, minced

1 tablespoon fried onions

Directions:
1) Lay nori sheet on bamboo rolling mat with the rough side facing up.
2) Get your hands wet, and grab a handful of rice. Place the rice in the middle of the nori sheet, and spread it into an even layer on the nori, covering all but the top inch of the sheet.
3) Place your bacon on the bottom edge of the nori sheet and top with cream cheese and smoked salmon. Drizzle with small amount of Sriracha (optional).
4) Roll sushi tightly with the bamboo mat and cut with a sharp knife into 6-8 pieces.
5) Lay the pieces on a plate facing up and drizzle with sweet chile sauce. Top pieces with green onion and fried onion.

6) Serve with sweet chile sauce and soy sauce.

Sweet Chile Sauce

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

3 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon fish sauce (this stuff stinks...hold your breath : )

2 teaspoons Sriracha

Directions:

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together until sugar dissolves.

Favorite Recipe: Taste of India

I have been dying to try my hand at some Indian cuisine for quite some time now, but from countless hours of reading recipes, all that I gathered was that it was quite complicated. I finally came to the conclusion that if I couldn't put the time and effort into preparing my favorite Indian entrees, I could at least try to capture the flavors that make them special. Not only are the following recipes extremely simple, they are also quick to prepare, low cost, and very filling. If you like Indian, these recipes are a must. If you aren't sure, give them a try. You might be pleasantly surprised. Enjoy!

Vegetable Curried Couscous

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked plain couscous

1 and 3/4 cups water

1- 15 ounce can chickpeas, rinsed

1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped

1 and 1/2 cups broccoli florets, steamed

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil + 2 teaspoons olive oil

1 and 1/2 tablespoons sugar

2 and 1/2 teaspoons red curry powder

1 teaspoon ginger

1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt

Directions:

1) Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. When water boils, stir in coucous. Remove from heat and cover with a lid. Let stand for 6 minutes.

2) While couscous is cooking, steam broccoli for 6 minutes.

3) In a large saucepan, saute onion with 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add chickpeas and heat an additional 3 minutes.

4) In a small bowl, whisk together remaining olive oil, vinegar, sugar, curry, ginger, and salt.

5) Add steamed broccoli and couscous to chickpea mixture, remove from heat, and mix well. Pour curry sauce over mixture and toss well to combine.

Cucumber Yogurt Raita Dip with Pita Slices

Ingredients:

2 cups plain, unsweetened yogurt

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

1) Puree cucumber in a food processor until smooth. Add remaining ingredients to food processor and pulse to combine.

2) Let stand in refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving.

3) Serve with sliced pita triangles for dipping.

Favorite KIDS' Recipe: Cotton Candy Shirley Temple

We had a lot of fun ordering this for the kids at O'Charley's a few weeks ago, but since it came with a $3.99 price tag, I thought I would give it a go at home. The kids will love this, and it is really easy for a fun summer treat. Let the kids swirl some cotton candy into the glass to change the color and flavor or just eat it off of the straw. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Sprite, 7Up, or Sierra Mist
Cotton Candy (any color)
Ice cubes
Clear glass
Straw

Directions:
1) Fill a clear glass with ice. Pour in Sprite until it fills about 3/4 of the glass.
2) Put a chunk of cotton candy, slightly bigger than the glass rim, onto the straw.
3) Place the straw into the glass without letting the cotton candy touch the liquid. (Once the cotton candy gets wet, it will dissolve. Just an FYI.)


Thank you to SimplyRed for the picture from her post about the Cotton Candy Shirley Temple!