Capellini Pomodoro

*This recipe is similar to the Capellini Pomodoro at Macaroni Grill.

INGREDIENTS:
12 oz. dry angel hair pasta, cooked
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 lbs. fresh tomatoes, diced
1 handful of fresh basil leaves, sliced
1/3 cup olive oil
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
freshly ground pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Cook angel hair pasta according to package directions. White pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in sautee pan over medium-low heat and add garlic; cook until white. Add tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, and pepper, and heat through, stirring constantly, about 2-3 minutes. Tomatoes should not lose their shape. Remove from heat. Drain pasta and toss gently with tomato mixture in a large bowl. Grate in some fresh Paremsan cheese and toss again. Plate pastat, garnish with basil and more Paremesan.

Serve with grilled chicken breasts (like these) and a large Ceasar salad.

Any's Columbian Lentil Stew

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup lentils
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups water and/or chicken broth
1 large tomato, cored and chopped
1.5 cups cubed potatoes, peeled
2 pieces of bacon, cut into 1/4" pieces
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Adobo all-purpose seasoning (found in the "Goya" or international section at the grocery store)
3 Tbsp. Sofrito (found in a jar in the "Goya" or international section at the grocery store)
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. sugar

DIRECTIONS:
In a large saucepan, add all ingredients and bring everything to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook on medium-low for about 2 1/2 hours.

You may want to add more broth/water if lentils appear too thick. If lentils appear too watery, bring heat up for a few minutes to thicken.

Serve with crusty bread as a soup; or serve over cooked rice and/or ropa vieja.

*This recipe is vegetarian if you omit the bacon and use water instead of chicken broth.

Any's Ropa Vieja

*According to Any, "ropa vieja" is the name for this dish in Havana, Cuba and it means "old clothes". In other parts of Cuba or Columbia it is called by a name that means "shredded meat" or "pulled apart meat".

SERVES: 4

INGREDIENTS:
1-2 lb. flank steak
1 onion, julienne cut
1 green bell pepper, julienne cut
1 Tbsp. salt
2 cloves garlic, pressed
dash of cumin
4 Tbsp. olive oil
2 large ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
4 Tbsp. Sofrito (found in a jar in the "Goya" or international section of the grocery store)
1 Tbsp. Bijol (found in a small seasoning container in the "Goya" or international section of the grocery store)
salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Put flank steak in a large pot. Add half of the onion, half of the green pepper, 1 Tbsp. salt, garlic, and the cumin. Cover with water and boil flank steak for 3-4 hours or until it is very tender.

Remove the flank steak form the broth and finely shred it into a container. Pour the broth into a container on the side and save. In the same pot, add the olive oil, the other half of the green peppers and onions, tomatoes, sofrito, bijol, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir-fry on medium-high for 3 minutes, then stir in the meat in portions. Add 2-3 cups of the beef broth with onion, green pepper, and garlic. Let simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes at medium-low heat until most of the water is absorbed. Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

Serve over cooked rice with lentil stew.

Easy Chinese Stir-Fry

*Adapted from the winter 2008 Kraft Food & Family magazine.

SERVES: 4 (1 cup each)
PREP: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
1 tsp. oil
1 lb. pork tenderloin or 2 chicken breasts, cut into thin slices
3 carrots, sliced
1/3 cup Light Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
1/3 cup hoison sauce
2 green onions, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oil in large skillet or wok on medium-high heat. Add meat and carrots; stir-fry 5 minutes. Stir in dressing and hoison sauce; stir-fry 7 minutes or until carrots are crisp-tender. Add onions; cook 1 minute.

Serve over hot cooked rice noodles (also called rice sticks), rice, or angel hair pasta.

Fruit Kabob Centerpiece

INGREDIENTS:
3 cantelopes

1 honeydew melon

3 pineapples

3 lbs. strawberries

1/2 lb. red grapes

1/2 lb. green grapes

60 bamboo skewers

DIRECTIONS:

Rinse grapes and strawberries and set on a paper towel to dry. Cut the honeydew melon, cantelopes, and 2 of the pineapples into pieces approximately 1" pieces. Choose a pattern to skewer the fruit and leave about 3" on each end of the skewer (the sharp end will enter a pineapple and the blunt end will be used to serve). A recommended pattern: strawberry, cantelope, green grape, pineapple, red grape, honeydew. Skewer the fruit and set aside until ready to serve. When ready to serve/display, slice off the bottom of the third pineapple so it sits securely on a sturdy platter. Then insert the skewers, spacing about 1" apart, moving around the bottom and working upward toward the top of the pineapple.

Lucky Duck Punch

1 package berry blue flavored unsweetened Kool-Aid Mix (Hawaiian Punch Blue works too)
1 (2 liter) Sprite or 7-Up
1 (64 oz) white cranberry juice or white grape juice
1 cup sugar (or to taste...I used about 3/4 cup)
8 scoops vanilla ice cream
1-3 new (washed) rubber duckies

In a large punch bowl, stir together Kool-Aid, Sprite, and juice. Taste and stir in sugar to your liking. Float scoops of ice cream on top. The ice cream melts and turns the punch a baby blue color with white "clouds" on top. Place rubber duckies or a toy boat on top to float around.

Easy Veggie Pizza

PREP: 30-45 minutes
SERVES: 4-6

INGREDIENTS:
1 zucchini squash, quartered and sliced
1 yellow squash, quartered and sliced
1/2 cup red onion, sliced into thin, 1" pieces
1 red bell pepper, chopped into 1/2" pieces
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp minced garlic (or two pressed garlic cloves)
4 Tbsp yellow cornmeal
2 cans refrigerated Pillsbury pizza dough
1 cup pizza sauce
2 cups shredded Italian cheese mix (or shredded mozzarella cheese), separated
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
1/4 cup crumbled low-fat feta cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Combine zucchini, yellow squash, red onion, bell pepper, olive oil, Italian seasoning, and garlic in a medium-sized bowl. Mix to coat vegetables thoroughly. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp of cornmeal on each of 2 baking sheets or pizza stones. Open pizza dough and unroll onto baking sheets or stones.

Spread 1/2 cup of pizza sauce onto each pizza dough, almost reaching the edges. Spread 3/4 cup of shredded cheese on each pizza. Spread 1/2 cup of spinach leaves on each pizza. Spread half of the vegetable mixture on each pizza. Sprinkle half the feta cheese on each pizza. Top the pizzas with the remaining 1/4 cup shredded cheese each.

Bake the pizzas at 425 degrees for 15-19 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

ESTIMATED NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

6 servings

Amount per Serving

Calories – 514.7

Total Fat – 15.3 g

Saturated Fat – 7.0 g

Polyunsaturated Fat – 1.5 g

Monounsaturated Fat – 2.0 g

Cholesterol – 25.6 mg

Sodium – 1,410.7 mg

Potassium – 236.2 mg

Total Carbohydrate – 73.5 g

Dietary Fiber – 4.3 g

Sugars – 10.2 g

Protein – 22.1 g