Pasta Giardino - better than Olive Garden!

Being Italian myself, I am not the biggest fan of Olive Garden.  The food tastes fine in general, but not all the dishes and recipes are totally authentic.  I'm definitely not saying the place is bad though... the breadsticks are wonderful, and the fried lasagna roll-up things are delicious.

While there recently, I had the Chicken Giardino, one of the relatively lighter options available.  I have to say, it was actually really tasty... it was essentially pasta, chicken, and lots of veggies in a scampi-style sauce.  But it inspired me to try and make my own version!  Also, this is super easy to make vegetarian or vegan!

Ingredients:
- ~2/3 stick butter (I actually used Miyoko's cultured vegan butter!)
- one small onion, diced
- ~3 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 bell pepper, diced
- 1 small zucchini, cubed
- ~1 cup shredded carrots
- juice of one lemon
- ~1/2 cup white wine
- ~1 cup grilled chicken (obviously, omit or substitute vegan chik'n if vegan)
- ~4 cups cooked pasta
- ~1/2 cup grated cheese (I used asiago... omit this for a vegan option)
- parsley, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste

Procedure:
1.) Heat a large, wide pan over medium heat.  Add butter and allow to melt.  When it begins to bubble, add onion and garlic... sauté until onions are transparent.

2.) Add zucchini, bell pepper, carrots, parsley, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper.  Stir fry until the garlic begins to brown.  Add cooked chicken, if desired.

3.) Add lemon juice and wine; cook until bubbly. 

4.) Remove from heat.  Add cooked pasta, remaining butter, and grated cheese. 

5.) Garnish with more fresh parsley and grated cheese before serving.

Notes:
- Other veggies that would go well in this would be mushrooms, asparagus, yellow squash, broccoli, peas, and spinach.

Easiest & Cheesiest One-Pot Mac & Cheese!

It's probably pretty safe to say that you're a mac & cheese fan... who isn't?  Better yet, who doesn't like extra-cheesy mac & cheese?  Even better yet... who doesn't like only using one pan to do it?!  This recipe is also easily made vegan (see below).

Here is what you need:

• 1 lb pasta (I used cavatappi)
• 1.5 pints (24 oz) heavy cream + 1 pint water, or 2.5 pints milk
• For a vegan option, use 2.5 pints (40 oz) of any non-dairy milk
• 12 oz cheese (I used original Velveeta this time, but next time I will try white cheddar!)
• For a vegan option, Daiya cheese substitutes are awesome!
• ~4 tbsp butter or margarine
• For a vegan option, Earth Balance spreads work wonderfully!
• salt, pepper, and other seasonings to taste (if desired)

Simple instructions:

1. Combine pasta and liquid(s) (cream + water / milk / non-dairy milk) in a large non-stick pan.  
2. Heat on high until boiling, then reduce heat so that liquid still boils consistently without frothing over.  Boil for about 10 minutes or until pasta is at desired tenderness, stirring often.
3. Once pasta is at desired tenderness, turn off heat and add remaining ingredients.  
4. Stir constantly until combined well (don't worry if it takes a few minutes for the cheese to melt).
5. Serve immediately.
    

That's it!  Super easy, super cheesy, super delicious.  Cooking the pasta in the milk is an awesome way to make sure the final product is perfectly creamy.  

Also, upon zooming in to the picture above, I created an awesome phone wallpaper for true mac & cheese fanatics:

Quick and Easy Vegan Teriyaki Lettuce Wraps!

While browsing through the grocery department at Target recently, I found something in the freezer section that sounded pretty interesting... meatless teriyaki "chicken" strips (http://www.target.com/p/teriyaki-meatless-chicken-9-oz-simply-balanced/-/A-16379898).  They are essentially firm tofu strips that you can microwave in the bag, cooking them in the included teriyaki sauce.  I was not even aware that Target carried specialty items like that, so I thought I would give it a try.

We decided to try it in lettuce wraps, for a light dinner idea.  For the filling, I combined sweet corn and cherry tomatoes in a blend of sesame and sunflower oils with some minced garlic... I sautéed them all together in a cast-iron pan and then roasted the mixture in the oven for about 15 minutes to get a nice char on the corn.  To keep it quick and easy, I cooked the "chicken" strips in the microwave per the directions on the package.  When it was all together, we laid out some large leafs of romaine and filled them with both the corn mixture and the strips.

It really turned out great!  Normally I am not huge on using "fake" meats like this, but I am glad we decided to give this a try.  The meatless strips really had a nice texture and flavor, despite being cooked in the microwave.  Serving everything in the lettuce leaves made it a really light meal... and it was vegan!  Quick and easy, vegan, light, and delicious... this was definitely a winning combination when trying to have a fast supper.

Lettuce wraps, served with a side of fresh cucumber spears.

Vegetarian Italian Zucchini "pasta" sauté!

This dish is quick and easy, not to mention relatively healthy!

First, I shredded some fresh zucchini as my "pasta", making sure not to peel it (I love the skin!).  I heated my big cast-iron skillet and sautéed some shallots and halved grape tomatoes in avocado oil.  I then added some mini sweet pepper rings and minced garlic... the aroma at this point was already irresistible!

For protein, I used Tofurky Italian sausages, sliced into coins... not to replace a real sausage, but I just love the flavor of them!  I added these to the skillet, and stir-fried everything together until hot.  Finally, I added my shredded zucchini and a small jar of pesto, cooking until the zucchini was al dente.  I served it with some grated parmesan on top.

It turned out perfectly!  Honestly, it was hard to tell the difference between pasta and the shredded zucchini, and I'm Italian!  It was a relatively light meal too, so it didn't sit too heavily.

It could easily be made vegan by omitting the pesto and parmesan, and adding extra oil with the shredded zucchini to make it a more aglio olio style.  Give it a try, it's super easy!