Broccoli Tortelloni

Broccoli Tortelloni

A quick and easy meal to prepare for dinner works so well!  No, I am not talking about getting "take- out" or taking previously made/ frozen dinners out of our freezer to quickly microwave.  Broccoli Tortelloni is quick, easy and so delicious!  

This dinner comes together so fast.  I use Steam Fresh frozen Broccoli and cheese tortelloni.  Yes, tortellini could also be used here.  Every so often I saute mushrooms and freeze in small packages ready to use.  In this dinner it is an optional ingredient to quickly add in. 

Broccoli Tortelloni   

Ingredients:  

1 pkg. Cheese Tortelloni
Broccoli Florets-
    (I use Steam Fresh, but cooked fresh would work well, too.)
A few sauteed Mushrooms- optional
1- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil for baking and sauteing
Dried Basil
Parmesan Cheese

Method:

1. Prepare Tortelloni following package directions.
2. Prepare Broccoli Florets according to package.
3. Cut Brocolli Florets into smaller pieces.
4. Heat Olive Oil in large saute pan.
5. Carefully add drained Tortelloni and stir.
6. Add Broccoli and stir.
7. Add cooked Mushrooms. (Optional)
8. Sprinkle all with Parmesan Cheese and Basil.
9. Stir.
10. Serve.

The Tortelloni becomes a bit crispier when it is heated in the Olive Oil and it's so good!  The Parmesan Cheese and the Basil is a great addition. 

We usually have a little extra after enjoying dinner.  The small extra serving becomes a great lunch for one person after reheating in the microwave.  Try this easy and delicious dinner, soon.  Remember to add Cheese Tortelloni and Broccoli Florets to your grocery list.

Enjoy!
Yummy!

Summer Dinner Salad!

Summer Dinner Salad!

A colorful nutritious dinner in the summer does not get much easier to prepare- when you've enjoyed Grilled Chicken the day before!  The local fresh tomatoes and cucumbers are readily available to use.  Add them to a bed of greens of choice along with a few small chunks of cheese and craisins.  The salad dressing is your fave and dinner is oh, so good!

A slice of Basil Parmesan Toast is a great addition.  It is one of my fave ways to serve bread.

Summer is a great time to enjoy the seasonal views that come only once a year!  This past week a Monarch butterfly stopped in for a visit to our colorful Zinnias!  The plants we grew from saved seeds.  That was a great surprise!

Enjoy the Summer!

Cheesy Eggplant Parmesan

Cheesy Eggplant Parmesan ready for the oven!

Eggplant Parmesan with Spaghetti is just so good!  In days past I enjoyed ordering this entree when we dined at an Italian restaurant.  Then, I decided to stop eating the batter dipped fried Eggplant slices.  It's not that they were not totally delicious, I didn't want to eat fried foods.  Now, I enjoy preparing this entree, but I bake it.  Actually, double bake the Eggplant.  Whenever I bake a batch, extra portions are packaged/ labelled/ dated for our freezer. It's a great take- out dinner from my kitchen!

I've been baking this for a while, but now I've also changed my original recipe.  When preparing it, place a combination of Ricotta Cheese + Mozzarella Cheese on top of the Eggplant round after placing the Eggplant in the baking dish.  Then, top with a second round of Eggplant.  That extra yummy taste of  creamy Ricotta Cheese sandwiched between Eggplant slices!

Bake a batch!  It's so good!      
  
Cheesy Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients:
2 Eggplants
Olive Oil for baking & sauteing
Basil
1 Cup Ricotta Cheese-  can be low fat or fat free
8 ounces Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Tomato Sauce- (16- 20 ounces)
(1) 6 ounce can Tomato Paste
Garlic Powder
Oregano
1 Green Pepper (chopped) and/ or 1 Zucchini Squash (chopped)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. 
2. Line a large cookie pan with foil, spray with PAM.
3. Wash & dry all vegetables.
4. Cut each Eggplant into 1" rounds.  ***Cut an even number of rounded slices. 
5. Place each Eggplant round on cookie sheet. 
6. Drizzle a small amount of Olive Oil for baking & sauteing on top of each round.
7. Then, lightly sprinkle with Basil. 
8. Bake Eggplant for 20 Minutes in 450°F. 

 After Eggplant has been removed from oven, lower oven temperature to 350°F.

***While Eggplant is baking:

1.  Spray a large baking dish with PAM.
2.  Combine & mix Tomato Sauce & Tomato Paste in a bowl.
3.  Place a small amount of sauce mixture in baking dish, covering bottom of dish.
4.  In another bowl, combine 1 Cup Ricotta Cheese and about 3 ounces of Mozzarella Cheese.
   
   After Eggplant comes out of the oven:
   
5.  Place half of baked Eggplant rounds in baking dish.
6.  Place Cheese mixture on top.
7.  Place an Eggplant round on top of cheese.
8.  Top with Sauce mixture.
9.  Sprinkle on Mozzarella Cheese.
10.  Add chopped Green Pepper and/ or chopped Zucchini to baking dish around Eggplant.
11.  Cover the vegetables with all the remaining sauce mixture.
12.  Bake for 30- 35 Minutes until Eggplant is soft.
13.  Serve with Spaghetti & a Veggie Salad. 

This is a delicious dinner using fresh vegetables!  No longer do I miss ordering Eggplant Parmesan at an Italian restaurant.  :)

Enjoy!
Yummy!

  

Basil Parmesan Toast

It's always great to change things a bit!  Sometimes things change while cooking, because the needed ingredient is not to be found - easily.  Who wants to make that quick trip to the grocery store, when you need it right now?  I sure don't, even though my grocery store is 5 minutes away!  Other times, it's great to substitute and try something different.

Add Basil Before Toasting

That last scenario occurred when I was getting the Parmesan Toast ready to be placed in the Toaster  Oven.  I usually sprinkle Garlic Powder on top.  Well, Basil Parmesan Toast tastes absolutely wonderful!

This is a quick & easy substitute whenever dinner rolls are not at hand. Whenever a partial loaf of bread is not found on my counter, the chances are good that one can be located in my freezer.  This is especially true on these HHH days!  The needed slices can easily be defrosted.  However, I've learned that Hamburger Rolls (split in half) work quite nicely, also!

Basil Parmesan Toast

Ingredients: 

Slices of Bread
Softened Butter/Margarine
Parmesan Cheese
Basil (dried)

***A Toaster Oven is needed!

Method:

1. Lightly spread softened Butter/Margarine on desired bread slices.
2. Sprinkle Parmesan Cheese on top.
3. Then, sprinkle on dried Basil. 
4. Toast bread slices in a Toaster Oven, as desired.
5. Cut on a diagonal and serve with dinner.

My fave bread to use is Soft Oatmeal.  This Basil Parmesan Toast is quick & easy to make!  Perfect for a summer meal when it would be great to have rolls with dinner, but there are none to be found!

Enjoy!
Yummy!

  

Ricotta Rollups

When the weather gets a tad chillier I enjoy baking dinner in my oven. The aroma of tomato sauce combined with herbs coming from my warm kitchen smells great! An entrée made of noodles and tomato sauce is always eaten quickly. Do you find that this is true in your family?

Manicotti is full of flavor, but it does take time to fill those shells. However, Ricotta Rollups are easy to prepare, because Lasagna noodles are used rather than shells. A dinner of delicious Ricotta Rollups served with a salad and Parmesan Toast (click on links) is scrumptious!

Enjoy!

Yummy!

Parmesan Toast

The warm weather in Western Massachusetts teases us to use our outdoor grill. Winter brought snow, freezing temperatures and ice, but now we are enjoying the milder conditions outside! Tulips, daffodils and forcythias are all blooming at once. The outdoor grill rather than the oven inside will be used while preparing dinner. PARMESAN TOAST is a great addition for dinner. The oven is not used for this delicious replacement for rolls. Quick, easy and appetizing! This also tastes great with Lasagna or Manicotti.