Red Bean & Vegetable Rigatoni

6 servings

Ingredients:
4 ounces uncooked dried rigatoni* or your favorite uncooked dried pasta
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves** or 2 teaspoons dried basil leaves.
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh garlic
2 cups broccoli florets
1 medium (1cup) red pepper, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 (15-ounce) can red or black beans, rinsed, drained
1 (11-ounce) can whole kernel corn with green and red peppers, drained
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired

COOK rigatoni according to package directions. Drain. Toss pasta with 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon basil. Keep warm.
MELT remaining butter in 10-inch skillet until sizzling; add green onions and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened (1 to 2 minutes).
ADD broccoli and red pepper. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until peppers are crisply tender (3 to 4 minutes). Add remaining basil and all remaining ingredients except Parmesan cheese. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until heated through (2 to 3 minutes).
TOSS together hot vegetable mixture and hot cooked rigatoni; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Deviled Eggs Florentine

3 servings

Ingredients:
4 ounces fine noodles
10-ounce package frozen creamed spinach, thawed

1 1/3 tablespoons tarragon wine vinegar

3 hard-cooked eggs

1 tablespoon finely chopped green onion with top, optional

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 1/2 teaspoons milk

salt, optional

Diced red pepper, optional

COOK noodles according to package directions. Drain.

STIR together cooked noodles, spinach, and vinegar in shallow 1 1/2 quart casserole. Spread evenly across bottom of casserole.
CUT eggs in half lengthwise. Remove yolks and set whites aside. In small bowl, mash yolks with fork. Stir in onion, if desired, mayonnaise, milk, and salt, if desired, until well blended.

REFILL whites, using about 1 tablespoon yolk mixture for each egg half. Gently press egg halves into spinach mixture. Cover with lid or aluminum foil.
BAKE in preheated 350°F oven until hot throughout, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Penne Pasta with Lemon Infused Vegetables and Ricotta Salata

6 servings

Ingredients:
1 pound penne pasta
2 tablespoons salt
4 to 6 ounces virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 to 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1 pound Shiitake mushrooms, quartered
1 cup red peppers, diced
1 pound broccoli, florets
1 each large fennel, cut into strips
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/4 cup parsley, coarsely chopped
1 pound ricotta salata cheese

COOK the broccoli and fennel by boiling for 3 to 4 minutes in salted water, drain and
reserve.
COOK pasta and stir frequently to prevent the pasta from sticking together. Cook until the pasta is almost tender, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve some of the cooking liquid.
SAUTE the garlic, lemon zest, and the red pepper flakes in the olive oil for 3 to 4 minutes, being very careful not to brown the garlic. Add the red peppers and Shiitakes and continue to cook until the mushrooms are tender. Add the cooked broccoli, fennel and fresh thyme and continue to cook without browning. Add the cooked pasta, half of the parsley and season with salt and pepper. If the pasta seems too dry, add some of the reserved pasta cooking liquid. Portion the pasta into heated bowls and garnish the tops with grated ricotta salata and the chopped parsley.

Note: Ricotta salata is a dry salted ricotta cheese that has a sharp, almost tangy flavor;
it is available in most Italian grocery stores. This is a vegetarian dish with large pieces
of Shiitake mushrooms that help give this dish a hearty, meaty flavor.

Spaghettini & Teriyaki Chicken Toss

6 servings

Ingredients:
1 tspn olive oil
3 chicken breast halves
1/2 tspn Mrs. Dash Original Seasoning
1/2 to 1 tspn crushed chilies or red pepper
1 small onion
1 small zucchini
1/2 green pepper
1/2 red pepper
10 mushrooms
12 ounces spaghettini
1 tblspn cornstarch
2 tblspn soy sauce
1/3 cup honey garlic sauce
1 10 ounce can chicken broth, divided
2 tspns curry powder
1 tblspn honey
1/2 tspn basil

HEAT oil in a pan at medium high heat. Cut chicken into bite size pieces and add to the pan. Season with seasoning and chilies; stir until the meat is cooked.
CHOP onion, zucchini and peppers. Add to pan. Wash and slice mushrooms, add to pan.
PLACE pasta in boiling water, stir and cook uncovered. Add cornstarch to a small bowl or measuring cup. Add soy sauce. Mix the honey garlic sauce and 1/4 cup chicken broth. Add to chicken and vegetables. Stir and leave to simmer.
RINSE the pasta and drain. Mix the following in a pasta pot at medium low heat: remaining 1 cup chicken broth, curry powder, honey, and basil. Stir together and return pasta to pot. Toss the pasta to coat in the spice broth.
Remove from heat. Serve over pasta.

Linguine with Clams, Green Tomatoes and Saffron

2 servings

Ingredients:
1/2 pound imported dried thin linguine or spaghetti
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced lengthwise
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Small pinch of saffron threads
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 small green tomatoes, about 3/4 pounds, cored, seeded and chopped, juices reserved
18 littleneck clams, scrubbed
Salt

Fill a stockpot with 6 quarts of water, cover and bring to a boil. Add 3 1/2 tablespoons salt to the water and add the linguine. Cover partially just until the water returns to a boil, then uncover, stir the pasta and cook until almost al dente. Drain the linguine, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large nonreactive skillet. Add the onion and garlic and cook over high heat until the garlic is barely golden, about 2 minutes. Add the saffron, red pepper, green tomatoes and their juices and the clams. Cover tightly and cook over moderately low heat until the clams have opened fully, about 7 minutes. Discard any clams that don't open. Add the linguine to the skillet and cook for 1 minute, tossing well. If the pasta seems dry, add some of the pasta water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Serve immediately.

Angel Hair with Lemon Shrimp and Asparagus

20 minutes to prepare
12 minutes to cook

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 pound asparagus spears, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 cup half & half
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 box (16 ounces) Angel Hair pasta
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano cheese

BOIL asparagus for 30 seconds in a small saucepan. Drain; rinse under cold water and set aside.

BRING a large pot of water to a boil.

HEAT oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus, shrimp, red pepper and red pepper flakes; cook 5 to 7 minutes or until shrimp is cooked and vegetables are tender, stirrring occasionally.

REDUCE heat to medium low. Stir in half & half and salt. Heat thoroughly, stirring occasionally.

COOK Angel Hair according to package directions; drain and return to pot.

ADD shrimp mixture to hot pasta; toss. Add lemon juice and lemon zest; toss. Transfer to serving platter; sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Tips:
You can substitute yellow or green pepper for red.
I like this recepie with white wine.