Monica's Pasta Salad

This is a super pasta salad recipe that I got from a church friend. What's unique about it is the dressing - it's slightly sweet like the classic cucumber stuff, but it has way more seasoning. I'm sharing my tweaked version because the original had far too much dressing (and sugar) for the amount of salad.

Salad (mix together):
1 pkg tri-color rotini pasta, cooked and drained
desired vegetable ingredients, suggested:
diced cucumber
grape tomatoes
green/red peppers
sliced black olives

Dressing (whisk together):
1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp each: parsley, seasoned salt, garlic powder
1/2 tsp each: pepper, salt

Pour dressing over salad mixture and refrigerate several hours or overnight before serving.

Serves: 10-12

Southwest Eggrolls & Cool Avocado Dip

Source: Taste of Home, Dec/Jan 09

I LOVE these southwest egg rolls. The are very similar to the ones that Chili's had (has?). This is intended as a party appetizer so it makes a lot. I usually make a full recipe of the filling, make enough egg rolls for supper, then freeze the remaining filling for future use. Last week I morphed some leftover filling into an excellent variation on jambalaya by adding rice and smoked sausage. Bonus: one-year-old son eats it!

2-1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1-1/2 cups Mexican cheese blend
2/3 cup frozen corn, thawed
2/3 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
5 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp grated lime peel
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 pkg (16 oz) egg roll wrappers
oil for frying

In a large bowl, combine first 10 ingredients (through cayenne pepper). Place 3 Tbsp filling in the center of one egg roll wrapper. (Keep remaining wrappers covered w/ damp paper towel.) Fold bottom corner over filling. Fold sides toward center over filling. Moisten remaining corner with water; roll up tightly to seal. Repeat for desired number of egg rolls.

In deep skillet or deep fat fryer, heat oil to 375. Fry egg rolls, a few at a time, for 2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Dip:

1 cup ranch dressing
1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and mashed
1 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
1 tsp grated lime peel

Mix together and serve with egg rolls.

Smarter Fettuccine Alfredo

This one's a favorite that I've had for several years now.  It's good just as the pasta alone, or I've added chicken, broccoli, or here, shrimp (I just tossed some frozen cooked shrimp in with the pasta while is was boiling).

8 oz fettuccine, uncooked

1 1/4 c fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth

4 tsp flour

1/3 c light cream cheese

3 T grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp garlic powder (optional)

2 T fresh chopped parsley

Cook pasta as directed on package.

Meanwhile, combine broth and flour in medium saucepan.  Stir in cream cheese, 2 T of Parmesan, nutmeg, pepper, and garlic powder.  Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly with whisk until mixture boils and thickens.

Drain pasta.  Toss with sauce.  Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and parsley.

4 servings

Pumpkin Pie Muffins

So with Moving Day quickly approaching, I've been trying to clean out the freezer and the pantry.  I located one very large can of pumpkin and, even though I usually wait until fall, I've been whipping up some tasty pumpkin treats that I'd like to share.  The first:  Pumpkin Pie Muffins.  Sorry for all the substitutions, but I'm trying to clear out the pantry, not fill it up, and they turned out de-lish anyway!

Ingredients:

cooking spray

1 c. flour

1 c. whole-wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp cloves

1/8 tsp nutmeg

3/4 c dark brown sugar

3 T unsulfured molasses (though to be honest, I just used maple syrup instead)

1/4 c canola oil

2 large eggs

1 c canned pumpkin

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 c lowfat buttermilk (again, I just used regular skim milk)

1/4 c unsalted raw pumpkin seeds (which I substituted with chopped pecans)

Preheat oven to 400.  Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.  (Note:  I think this recipe is for jumbo-size muffins.  I couldn't fit all the batter in my normal muffin pan, so I just baked the excess in a small Pyrex dish.)

In a medium bowl, whisk together both flours, baking soda, salt, and spices.  In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, molasses, oil, and one of the eggs until combined.  Add the other egg and whisk well.  Whisk in the pumpkin and vanilla.  Stir in the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the buttermilk, just until combined.  Pour the batter into prepared muffin pan, filling each about 2/3 full, and sprinkle the tops with the pumpkin seeds.  Tap the pan on the corner a few times to remove any air bubbles.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the muffins comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Let cool on a wire rack.  Enjoy warm or let cool completely before storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Tip:  I like to have muffins for breakfast even during the week so I use that freezer trick.  When I bake muffins I put the whole batch in a plastic container in the freezer and just pop one in the microwave for 35 seconds in the morning before work.