5 Ingredient Asian Noodles

Here's a QUICK and simple meal where all the ingredients come from one store...Trader Joe's! There is no chopping of veggies involved, so everything comes together very fast with little mess and no clean-up.  I'm going to compare it to as close as you can get to chow mein without adding powdered mixes or making your own sauce with lots of weird things like fish sauce/oyster sauce.  My kids love eating at fast-food Chinese places solely for this dish, and it drives me crazy to see how enthusiastically they dig into those heavy and unhealthy noodles. This pacifies their craving and they call it "fake chow mein". The irony that it's more "real" food than the fast-food version is lost on them, but oh well.  The crunch of the brocolli slaw and carrots is just like what you'd get from the restaurant version, and leaving the veggies mainly raw retains their nutrients and saves preparation time.

I've had a hard time finding teriyaki sauce that does not include alcohol, so I was thrilled when I read the list of ingredients on the Trader Joe's version of teriyaki, called "Soyaki". I ALWAYS have a jar of this ready to be used, and I've tried it in many recipes with great success. Here is my children's favorite way to enjoy it, with plain noodles. I'm going to be honest with you, the kids like this dish prepared simply as only noodles and sauce, without the veggies. But being who I am, I'm always shoving healthy stuff wherever I can so when I've got the broccoli slaw, it goes in. And when I don't...well, the kids don't complain ;)

The exact moment I knew I needed to make my own noodles
 (these are from a local Chinese restaurant)

Tips for success:
Feel free to leave out the veggies for a 3 ingredient dish, or add your favorite protein to the noodles. Chicken and shrimp are my favorites but tofu and steak would also work great. I also frequently use whole wheat spaghetti with great results. Hot sauce or crushed red pepper flakes really elevate the flavor!

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
-------------
-1 pound spaghetti noodles (cooked al dente according to package instructions).
-2 tablespoons sesame oil
-12 ounce package Trader Joe's broccoli slaw
-10 ounce bag of shredded carrots
-1 1/2 cups Trader Joe's Soyaki sauce (3/4 of the jar)

To make
-----------
-Boil a pot of salted water. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions, al dente  (usually around 9-11 minutes on my stove). The pasta will cook for an additional few minutes later on when you add the sauce.
-Once the pasta has cooked, drain in a strainer. Do not rinse.
-In the same pot you boiled the pasta, heat the sesame oil and add the broccoli slaw, carrots, boiled spaghetti and Soyaki sauce. Cook the mixture for about 3-5 minutes, until the noodles have absorbed the sauce.
-Remove from heat and serve.
-Enjoy!

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Cheese and Parsley Pasta

Middle Eastern Mac n' Cheese!

Every culture has it, and here is ours :) Syrian cooking does not involve much pasta, and this is one of few recipes I know. Adults and children love this pasta because the ingredients are simple and unfussy, and the flavors are cheesy and yummy. This is commonly a brunch item and the leftovers taste just as good. I'll often keep the cheese and parsley mixture ready in the freezer and then just toss it with boiled pasta and pop it in the oven for a quick meal that is sure to satisfy the whole gang.  The cheese mixture is similar to my cheese pastries, but this is pasta-style for more of a main meal. Either recipe is amazing...queso blanco is a really good mild flavored white cheese that tastes good cold or melted....excuse me while I go heat a bowl of this stretchy, gooey pasta heaven!

Serves 6

Ingredients
--------------
-1 pound elbow pasta, boiled al dente
-2 cups shredded queso blanco cheese
-1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (you can leave this out if you don't want it to be too cheese-y but in this dish I think the more cheese the better the taste)
-1 cup parsley, finely chopped
-1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
-1/3 + 1/2 cup seasoned or plain bread crumbs
-1/4 Parmesan cheese (optional)

Assembly
----------
-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
-Spray a 9x13 inch casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle with 1/3 cup bread crumbs
-Mix all ingredients together (except for bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese) and spread into casserole dish.
-Sprinkle bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese on top and bake in oven for 20-25 minutes until cheese is melted and bread crumbs have browned. Sometimes I turn the oven to broil and brown the top quickly to speed up the process.
-Enjoy, or as the Syrian's say, "Sahtayn iw hanna!" :)

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P.S. How cute is my pumpkin tree?!

Asian Vegan Pasta Salad

                                    

In honor of National Pasta Day, I made this super quick, ridiculously easy pasta salad recipe...it comes together in whatever length of time it takes you to chop up some veggies, thanks to a store bought sauce from Trader Joe's. I have a more complicated version that is more Thai based, with a fresh dressing but this one is way faster and really yummy, just the way a salad should be!  Since the dressing comes from Trader Joe's Soyaki sauce, there is not need to add any oil :) Feel free to switch out the veggies to suit your taste buds.

Ingredients
--------------
-8 ounces boiled pasta (I used a shiratake pasta that is essentially all fiber and no other carb)
-1 cup chopped kale (I used the mix from Trader Joe's that includes brussel sprouts and red cabbage)
-1 cup chopped carrots
-1 red pepper, diced
-4 green onions (scallion), finely diced
-1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
-1 cup chopped sugar snap peas
-1 teaspoon ground ginger
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
-3-4 tablespoons Trader Joes Soyaki sauce (similar to a sesame teriyaki)
-1/2 cup chopped cilantro or basil leaves

To make
-----------
-Once your veggies are chopped, toss together and serve!
-Enjoy!

*If making this in advance, mix the pasta with the Soyaki sauce and then layer the rest of the ingredients. Cover and place in refrigerator and toss right before serving.

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Tomato Pomegranate Soup

I was having a craving for soup AND pasta, so I decided to rummage around my pantry and fridge and see what I could come up with.  The result was pretty good and passed the child taste test, which is a mark of a truly good recipe :)

I liked this soup because of the unique sour taste of the pomegranate molasses and pasta.  Best of all, prep time is only 5 minutes and it comes together very fast! Feel free to substitute another small pasta in place of the penne, in fact I think next time I make it I will use elbow macaroni because the penne was a bit long and I cut them in half in my bowl.

Serves 4

Ingredients
------------
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-1 small white onion, chopped into thin strips
-1 large Italian squash, diced into small cubes
-1 cup small pasta (penne or elbow)
-1 can tomato paste
-6 cups broth (or 1 bouillon cube and water)
-2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
-salt to taste
-1/4 cup diced fresh cilantro

To make
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-Heat olive oil on high heat in a pot and saute onions until semi soft, about 3-5 minutes.
-Add the water, pomegranate molasses, salt and tomato paste and stir until blended.
-When the mixture boils, add the pasta and squash. Cover and let soup simmer for 10-15 minutes or until pasta is cooked. If the pasta absorbs too much water, add a little more water and tomato paste.
-Stir in diced cilantro and enjoy :)

Caprese and Meatball Orecchiette Pasta

The name of this pasta is SO difficult to pronounce: "oh-reck-ee-et-tay." It means "little ears" in Italian, which I thought was cute :)  I was intrigued to make it because everything that goes into it is small and round, which sounded so adorable. I didn't realize that I would set out on a year long search in order to find this pasta. Funny how when I didn't have an interest in using it, I always saw it at the markets, but when I sought it out, suddenly it disappeared. If it is difficult to locate where you live, please be more mature than I was and replace it for pasta shells or bow-tie pasta :)

I love anything well seasoned and with plenty of sauce, two things this recipe does not include. However, it is --much to my surprise-- still very tasty because of the freshness of the ingredients and the enjoyable flavors of the fresh mozzarella and basil. It would have been a shame to disguise their flavor with a sauce. The meatballs provide a lot of flavor, so take care to season them well. The chicken broth is also well seasoned and adds a bit of salt, so be careful not to over salt this.

This is loosely based on a Giada recipe and it serves 4 adults.

Ingredients
------------
-1 1/2cups boccini, halved (mini sized fresh mozzarella balls)
-I 1/2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved (I used half yellow and half red tomatoes)
-1 pound orecchiette pasta (or shell shaped pasta)
-1 pound meatballs (ready or homemade)
-2 cups chicken broth
-1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
-3/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
-1/2 cup fresh parmesan shavings

Assembly
----------
-Boil the pasta according to package instructions, al dente.
-Prepare the meatballs. A tip for cooking these is to bake them in the oven instead of in batches over the stove. Although I haven't included these ingredients above, I make my meatballs using 1 pound ground beef and throw random things in like marinara sauce, pesto and crushed red pepper.
-Simmer the cooked meatballs with the tomatoes, red pepper flakes and chicken broth for 10-15 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced to half.
-Toss the meatballs, tomatoes and sauce with the pasta, fresh mozzarella and basil. Serve hot with parmesan shavings on top.
-Enjoy and leave a comment :)

Creamy Spinach Lasagna Rolls

I love this recipe. It looks so pretty, and each bite is a burst of flavor. Rolling the lasagna is even easier than layering a traditional lasagna dish! I made this up years ago when I was looking for a creative twist on pasta in red sauce. It was a hit and I make it pretty frequently for dinner parties. Its a vegetarian dish, loaded with spinach, but still creamy and cheesy!

Ingredients

------------

-1 tablespoon olive oil

-1 red onion, diced into small cubes

-5 garlic cloves, finely minced

-1 pound frozen chopped spinach

-8 ounce package cream cheese (go with the light version)

-1/2 cup milk

-2 tablespoons pesto sauce

-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

-1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

-1 cup chopped artichoke hearts (optional)

-1/2 cup chopped mushrooms (optional)

-salt and pepper to taste

-12 lasagna noodles, boiled al-dente

-1 jar prepared marinara sauce

-Parmesan cheese for garnish (or mozzarella)

Assembly

-----------

-Boil the lasagna noodles in hot water until al-dente. Drain and keep aside.

-Heat olive oil and cook onions and garlic until caramelized. Add the spinach and optional artichokes and mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning.

-Add cream cheese, milk and pesto sauce and stir until cream cheese is melted.

-Pour the marinara sauce into a 9x13 baking dish. Add 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning and stir into sauce.

-To roll the noodles, lay them out flat and spread 1/2 cup spinach mixture on each noodle. Roll the noodles and place seam side down into the marinara sauce. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and additional Italian seasoning, then bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

Southwestern Chicken Pasta

The picture is terrible but the recipe rocks!

This started as a copycat version of Red Robin's southwestern pasta, but as it evolved over time it has turned into a completely different recipe! Several of my friends and I make this regularly, and whoever gets to try it always loves the flavors. Just like everything else on this blog: its deceptively easy!!!

For a vegetarian version replace the chicken with 1 1/2 cups frozen spinach. It tastes great!

Ingredients

------------

-2 tablespoons olive oil

-1 pound chicken breast, diced into small chunks

-1 large red onion, chopped into strips

-1 each: red, yellow and green bell peppers, julienned. OR use 1 pound bag of frozen bell pepper mix.

-1 tablespoon paprika

-1 tablespoon coriander

-1 tablespoon cumin

-1 package taco seasoning 

-3 cups half and half

-1 pound tri-colored pasta

-salt to taste

Assembly

----------

-Boil water in a pot and add pasta. Cook al-dente according to package instructions.

-Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pot and add chicken. Once it is cooked halfway, add the paprika, coriander, cumin and some salt. Once chicken is fully cooked, remove from pot and place in a bowl.

-Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pot and add onions and bell peppers. Cook until slightly blackened.

-Return chicken to pot and toss with cooked pasta.

-Heat a small saucepan and add the half and half. Stir in taco seasoning. Cook until well heated and just about to start bubbling. Toss the sauce with pasta and serve immediately.

Chicken and White Sauce Lasagna

This is not your traditional lasagna recipe. No red sauce, no meat. Lots of chicken, cheese and yummy veggies instead! The sauce came about by me opening my fridge and adding whatever I felt would taste relevant. I think you can leave out or substitute some of the ingredients for this because it isn't one specific flavor that makes it taste good, but rather the combination of smooth creaminess. My home girl Nora made an amazing similar version of this and it reminded me of my recipe, so thank you!

For a vegetarian dish, leave out the chicken and increase the vegetable quantities.

This isn't one of my low calorie/low fat recipes, but soooo worth it...

Ingredients
---------------
-1 lb chicken breast, cut into small cubes
-2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese (or olive oil)
-1/2-1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
-2 cups fresh mushrooms, roughly chopped
-2 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped (frozen is ok)
-1 1/2 cups artichoke hearts (I used the frozen bag, not the marinated), roughly chopped
-1/2 cup roasted red peppers, chopped

-1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped

-garlic salt and black pepper
-9 lasagna noodles, boiled 2 minutes under al dente
-1 1/2 cups Italian cheese (mozzarella, parmesan, or a mix)
-1/2-1 cup fresh basil (optional)

Sauce

--------
-1 jar alfredo sauce
-8 ounce package of cream cheese
-3/4 cup half and half
-3 tablespoons pesto sauce
-3 tablespoons fresh oregano (optional)
-3 tablespoons Italian seasoning

Assembly

-------------
-Cook the chicken in a pot on high heat with mascarpone cheese. Once it is cooked halfway through, add the mushrooms. After 3 minutes add the spinach, artichoke hearts, roasted red pepper and sun dried tomatoes. Continue cooking for an additional 3 minutes. Season the chicken mixture with garlic salt and black pepper.
-Add the alfredo sauce to the chicken mixture. Stir in the cream cheese, half and half, pesto, oregano and Italian seasoning. Stir mixture and cook on medium heat until it boils. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
-Using a 9x13 inch baking dish, ladle some sauce on the bottom of the dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles and spoon 1/3 of the chicken mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of cheese. Arrange another 3 lasagna noodles and 1/3 of the chicken mixture. Sprinkle with another 1/2 cup of cheese. Repeat the process one last time (noodles, chicken mixture, cheese). Decorate the top of the lasagna with additional sliced red peppers and sun dried tomatoes. Add the 1 cup fresh basil or you can sprinkle some additional Italian seasoning.
-Cover with foil and bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 5-10 minutes.