Cheese Tortellini Vegetable Stir-fry!!

Pasta is not taboo. Large portions and unhealthy cooking techniques are taboo! I like pasta. I LOVE cheese. I believe in portion control and all foods in moderation. There is really no other way to be!! :)

I went to the grocery store and just started plopping items into my basket. This usually is a bad idea, yes; however, I was in an experimental mood. AND let's be honest- my cart will never be filled with chocolate, fried chicken, candy, cream, ice cream, cookies, cheez-its and other junk! ;) The following recipe is the product of my experimental mood and my plopping of random items into my basket! Enjoy!!

Tortellini Vegetable Goodness Recipe

Serves: about 2 people

Preparation and Cook Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

1 tbsp canola oil

1/2 chopped white onion

4 thinly sliced garlic cloves

4 peeled and sliced carrots

2 peeled and sliced parsnips

1 small zucchini sliced

1 small summer squash sliced

1/8 tsp slat

1 deseeded and chopped ripe tomato

1 small box of cheese tortellini

1 tbsp shredded parmesan/romano cheese

Directions:

1. Poor 1 tbsp canola oil into cast iron pan and heat AND boil a pot of water.

2. Chop onion and slice garlic. Toss into heated pan.

3. Wash, peel, and slice carrots and parsnips. Toss into heated pan. Stir occasionally.

4. Wash and slice zucchini and winter squash. Add to pan. Stir occasionally.

5. Mix salt with vegetables!

6. When pot of water is boiling, add tortellini and cook for 8-10 minutes. (At this point, the vegetables have been cooking for about 20-25 minutes.)

7. Slice, deseed, and then dice tomato.

8. Be sure the vegetables are tender before adding tomato. Tomatoes only need to be heated; within a few minutes remove entire pan of vegetables from heat.

9. Remove tortellini from heat and drain.

10. Mix tortellini and vegetables in a large dish.

11. Serve in individual bowls!

12. Sprinkle a tbsp of parmesan/romano cheese over individual dish!

13. Enjoy!

Sweet Breakfast Millet and Oat Biscuits (Variety Two!)

I was having a craving for these tasty breakfast treats, so I ran into my kitchen to begin baking up a storm. Suddenly, I stopped in my tracks. What is the first thing you should ALWAYS do before cooking or baking?? Obviously, it's check your cabinets for all the ingredients! Well- obviously- I did not do that!! The good thing, however, is that I am creative enough to be able to substitute ingredients. (Or maybe I'm just lucky enough to have a cabinet full of ingredients to substitute with! Who knows?! ;)) Either way, in the end, I created a slight variety to my breakfast treat, which are (thankfully!!) just as tasty!!

Sweet Breakfast Millet and Oat Biscuits (Variety Two)

Serves: 3-4 (2 small biscuits each)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cooked millet

1/2 cup uncooked quick oats

1/4 cup chopped walnuts*

1 tbsp brown sugar

4 tbsp raisins**

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

3 tbsp water

canola oil

Directions:

1. Cook millet. Let cool.

2. In a large bowl mix together- with your hands- millet, oats, and walnuts.

3. Mix in brown sugar, raisins, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

4. Add 1 tbsp of water at a time to the mixture until the ingredients stick together and you can successfully form patties.

5. Lightly oil the cookie sheet.

6. Place patties a few inches apart on cookie sheet.

7. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

8. Enjoy!

The one difference between this recipe and the original one is the texture of the ingredients when you are mixing it together. The bran cereal, I think, helps to soak up the liquid. Without the bran cereal, the mixture is much more mushy in your hands! (It made me feel like a four year playing in the mud honestly! :)) In the end, the final product was still as tasty- if not even better!

*I substituted bran cereal or Nature's Path Organic Heritage Heritage Heirloom whole grains cereal for chopped walnuts because that is the ingredient I had unknowingly ran out of!!

**I like raisins. I decided to increase the portion! Makes the biscuit much better! Yes indeed! :)

Uncooked.

Baked and ready to devour!!

(For all you calorie counters out there, each biscuit is only 130 calories and full of tasty nutrition!!! :))

Sweet Breakfast Millet and Oat Biscuits

This is a tale of a lesson learned.

I was shopping in a local spice store and my eye caught a bag of millet. Of course my dietitian mind goes crazy '...I... HAVE... TO... HAVE... IT...' And although this is a must-have ingredient, I have no idea how to prepare millet. I should clarify, I have no idea how to make millet taste good. In the bag goes the millet.

I searched a little bit on the internet and came across this recipe for millet patties. I'm going to spare you the details, but these did NOT taste great at all. Unfortunately, they simply tasted gross. Of (very important) note, I did not even closely follow the recipe. Maybe if I had done so, the outcome would have been much better and I wouldn't have been forced to eat disgusting patties for days. (I try not to be wasteful!)

While eating these not-so-yummy patties, I was intrigued by the millet. The final product was gross, but the taste of millet was nutty and delicious. I thought to myself- '...this would make a fabulous breakfast muffin...'! Indeed it did!! This is probably my first true creation. No recipe in hand. Just ideas in my mind! Here goes...

Sweet Breakfast Millet and Oat Biscuits

Serves: 3-4 (2 small biscuits each)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cooked millet

1/2 cup uncooked quick oats

1/4 cup bran cereal*

1 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp raisins

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

3 tbsp water

canola oil

Directions:

1. Cook millet. Let cool.

2. In a large bowl mix together- with your hands- millet, oats, and bran cereal. Be sure to crush and crumble the cereal.

3. Mix in brown sugar, raisins, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

4. Add 1 tbsp of water at a time to the mixture until the ingredients stick together and you can successfully form patties.

5. Lightly oil the cookie sheet.

6. Place patties a few inches apart on cookie sheet.

7. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

8. Enjoy!

Make your breakfast complete and serve with reduced fat cottage cheese and a bowl of fresh fruit!

*I used Nature's Path Organic Heritage Heritage Heirloom whole grains cereal

Ginger Soy Dressing

A couple of weeks ago I attended a fabulous knife skills/cooking class sponsored by the MDA (Massachusetts Dietetic Association) and taught by ArtEpicure!

I had a refresher on how to properly hold a knife as well as refresher in some basic knife skills. (The last time I had formal teaching was during undergrad! YIKES!!) I learned that you should never smash garlic. It ruins the flavor; slicing is the way to go. I also learned how to take the top layer off of a red pepper; it was VERY cool! If you have any interest in cooking, I highly recommend taking a cooking class (at least once!) and I also highly recommend ArtEpicure!!

Anyway, after all of our slicing and dicing, we had the opportunity and great pleasure to indulge in a tasty meal. The chef made a salad with a delicious dressing; however, as with most cooks, he just created the dressing and did not have a formal recipe. He, however, did reveal the ingredients. Below is how I combined the ingredients to make a savory dressing!!

Ginger Soy Dressing

Serves: about 6 people 1-2 tbsp each

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp brown sugar

2 bunches pickled ginger, chopped

4 cloves garlic, diced

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and voila!

Of note:

-There were definitely other ingredients used in the dressing we had at the class, but I just don't know what they were!! :)

-The original recipe used agave nectar; I had run out. Brown sugar works just as well (as also recommended by the chef.)

-I probably had the most fun perusing through my local Asian grocery store to find and buy pickled ginger! I will definitely be frequenting there more often!!

-I let this dressing sit for a day or two before using; It really brought out the various flavors.

-Also, I would recommend straining out the chunks of garlic and ginger before serving.

Enjoy!!