Lemon Basil Pasta

2 oz whole wheat pasta

It's Lemon Monday because its sunny after 4 days of clouds, snow, sleet and rain and I have a bag of Meyer lemons.  Lemon Basil Pasta, Lemon Vinaigrette, and an Easy Lemon Tart.  Today I'm posting the Lemon Basil Pasta.  I found some recipes online that were one serving, easy to prepare and less than 500 calories.  This is one of them - with some changes that work better for me.  I'll post the original with my changes noted in italics.  Even though this is supposed to be one serving, it seemed a bit much, especially with a spinach salad and knowing that I would be having lemon tart for desert, so half tonight for dinner and the rest for lunch tomorrow.  This is a very easy recipe and you can adjust it for your preferences without changing the main flavors of lemon and basil.

Lemon Basil Pasta

2 ounces (2/3 cup) dry whole wheat pasta
1/2 cup chopped zucchini (one cup sliced )
1/2 cup chopped yellow squash (1/2 cup chopped grape tomatoes)
1/2 cup canned white beans, rinsed and drained (2 oz chopped cooked chicken breast)
 Juice of one lemon
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese (left this out entirely)
1 tablespoon olive oil (1 teaspoon)

Boil pasta as directed, drain then add other ingredients and toss.  Salt & pepper to taste.


 

BEEF BULGOGI

This is a Korean-style dish.  I was afraid that with all the garlic and ginger it would be too spicy, but the marinade had a very good flavor and wasn't over spiced.  I thinly sliced a sirloin steak and marinated it over night, then put it in a pre-heated skillet and quickly stir fried.  It was delicious.  I used the leftovers with rice and some stir fry vegetables the next day and it was still good.

Beef Bulgogi

4 servings

Ingredients

1 pound flank steak, thinly sliced

5 tablespoons  low sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons grated ginger

1/4 cup chopped green onion

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Place the beef in a shallow dish. Combine soy sauce, sugar, ginger, green onion, garlic, sesame seeds, sesame oil, and ground black pepper in a small bowl. Pour over beef. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil the grate.

Quickly grill beef on hot grill until slightly charred and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side.

Happy Valentine's Day

To my daughter Cassandra:

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries



To my husband Bill:

Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chips
Chocolate Cookies with Peanut Butter Chips

SPINACH PIZZA

Spinach Pizza

One 14 Pizza Crust 

olive oil

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

One 6-ounce bag baby spinach, coarsely chopped

1 plum tomatoes, thinly slice

2 mushrooms, sliced

3 ounces mozzarella cut into ½ pieces

Preheat the oven to 400°. Spread the dough on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil, then sprinkle with  the Parmesan. Bake for 8 minutes. Toss the spinach with about 1 tablespoon olive oil. Top the crust with the spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms and cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Put back in oven and  bake for 15 minutes more.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

I've had these at several different restaurants. And this recipe can easily compete with the best of the restaurant varieties.  They are sometimes offered as an entree and sometimes as an appetizer.  They always have lettuce, either iceberg or romaine and chicken.  The side vegetables vary - crispy noodles, bean sprouts, shredded carrots, sliced green peppers, sweet and sour cucumbers or water chestnuts.  The sauces can be sweet and sour, peanut sauce, hoisin sauce or a teriyaki chili sauce. Here at home I use whatever I happen to have, though I am partial to the sweet & sour cucumbers,  just mix equal parts of rice wine vinegar and sugar and add the cucumber sticks.  The chicken itself is spicy and moist with a little heat from the ginger. This is really a pretty easy recipe and is a complete meal.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 lb chopped turkey or chicken

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoon finely minced ginger

2⁄3 cup teriyaki sauce

Lettuce leaves, rinsed and dried

Grated carrots

Julienne Cucumbers

Bean sprouts

Sliced radish

Chinese noodles

Hoisin Sauce

Heat oil in a large skillet and brown chicken. Add garlic and ginger and sauté briefly. Add teriyaki sauce and simmer for 10 minutes while preparing the vegetables. Place filling and vegetables in center of a large platter, then surround with lettuce leaves. Serve with Hoisin sauce or other Asian sauce of your choice.