Pasta Primavera

12 ounces Spaghetti

1 T. olive oil

1 medium onion, 6-8 ounces, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 pint grape tomatoes

12 ounces asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

1 medium zucchini, cut into half moons

1/4 cup water

Salt

1 can (14-14.5 ounces) no salt-added garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained

1 medium carrot, grated

1/4 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 2 T. )

2 T. fresh lemon juice

Fresh basil leaves for garnish

Heat 6-quart saucepan of water to boiling on high.  Cook pasta as label directs.  

Meanwhile in a 12-inch skillet. heat oil on medium.  Add onion and garlic; cook 2-3 minutes or until golden, stirring occasionally.

Add grape tomatoes; cook 5 minutes or until they begin to soften.   Add asparagus, zucchini, water, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.   

Cover and cook 5-7 minutes or until tomatoes begin to burst.  

Stir in beans and carrot; cook 2-3 minutes or until beans are heated through.  

Reserve 1/2 cup pasta; return to saucepot and add vegetable mixture, Parmesan, lemon juice, reserved cooking liquid, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss until combined.   

Divide among serving plates

HashBrown Omelette

4 slices turkey bacon or bacon

2 tsp. cooking oil

2 cups refrigerated shredded hash brown potatos (about ½ of a 20 oz package)

¼ cup chopped onion

¼ cup chopped green sweet pepper

4 eggs

¼ cup milk

½ tsp salt

Dash black pepper

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Crumble bacon, set aside.

Heat oil in skillet . Combine potatos, onion, and sweet pepper; pat into skillet. Cook, uncovered , over low heat about 7 minutes or until crisp and brown, turning once.

In a small bowl, beat together eggs, milk, salt and black pepper; pour over potato mixture. Top with cheese and bacon. Cook, covered, over low heat for 5-7 minutes or until egg mixture is set.
Loosen omelet from skillet; fold in half. Turn out of skillet onto a serving plate. To serve, cut into wedges.

4 servings

****if using bacon, omit cooking oil and use bacon drippings.

Greek Stuffed Peppers

My husband found this recipe on delish.com. We’ve been trying to eliminate so much meat from our diet and this dish looked like a perfect fit. I had intestinal surgery back in August, so the spinach wasn’t my friend, however, my family really loved the dish.

Here is the list of ingredients:

4 multi-colored bell peppers

½ cup whole –wheat orzo

1 can (15 oz.) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

6 oz. baby spinach, coarsely chopped

1 T. chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspooon dried

¾ cup crumbled feta, divided

¼ cup sun-dried tomatos (not oil packed), chopped

1 T. sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

¼ teaspoon salt

Halve peppers lengthwise through stems, leaving steam attached. Remove seeds and white membranes. Place peppers cut side down in a large microwave-safe dish. Add ½-inch water, cover and microwave the peppers on high until the peppers are just softened, 7-9 minutes. Let cool slightly, drain, and set aside.

Meanwhile bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add orzo and cook until till just tender, 8-10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cool water.

Mash chickpeas into a chunky paste with a fork leaving a few of the peas whole.


Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook stirring until soft, about four minutes. Add spinach and oregano and cook until the spinach is wilted, about one minute. Stir the orzo, chickpeas, ½ cup feta cheese, tomatos, vinegar, and salt. Cook until heated through about one minute.

Divide the filling among the pepper halves and sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup feta cheese over the peppers. Place peppers in a 350-degree oven until cheese melts a bit and peppers and filling are heated through.