Vegetable ravioli in lemon grass broth recipe

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Summer is almost here and for those of us who enjoy gardening, the time to enjoy our bounty of fresh herbs and vegetables is almost upon us. This amazing recipe is the perfect way to kick of the summer season!

VEGETABLE RAVIOLI IN LEMON GRASS BROTH 

• 1 lb Chinese cabbage 
• 6 scallions 
• 6 oz snow peas 
• 4 oz carrots 
• 4 oz mushrooms, trimmed 
• 2 oz vegetable oil 
• 1 oz soy sauce 
• 1 t sesame oil 
• 1 T cilantro, chopped 
• Salt to taste 
• 1 ½ lb fresh stained glass pasta dough 
• Water or egg wash as needed 
• 4 stalks lemon grass 
• 1 oz ginger root, sliced 
• 4 scallions, sliced 
• 1 qt water 
• Salt to taste 
• Cilantro leaves for garnish 

Directions
Cut cabbage into fine shreds. Trim and slice scallions, trim snow peas and cut diagonally into a thin julienne, trim, peel and grate carrots, chop mushrooms coarsely. Heat oil in a large sauté pan. Add vegetables and sauté until wilted. Add soy sauce and lower heat to medium and continue to cook until vegetables are tender and there is no remaining liquid in the pan. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Add sesame oil and cilantro. Season with salt as desired. Roll pasta dough into thin sheets. Lay half the sheets on your work space. Place ½ ounce mounds of the vegetable mixture on the pasta sheets about 3-4 inches apart. Brush exposed pasta with water or egg wash and top with remaining sheets. Press together to seal, making sure to press out any air bubbles around the vegetable mixture. Cut into round or square raviolis. Trim off and discard the tops of the lemon grass stalks. Crush the bases then chop coarsely. Combine lemon grass, ginger, scallions and water in a sauce pan. Simmer 10-15 minutes until water is lightly flavored. Strain and season with salt to taste. Drop ravioli into boiling salted water. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes, until pasta is cooked. Remove pasta with a skimmer and drain well. Arrange 5 ravioli in a broad soup plate and pour lemon grass broth over top. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

Spinach and feta calzone recipe

(Photo credit: LonelyBob)

I simply adore the flavors of Greek food and this calzone is stuffed full of deliciousness!

SPINACH AND FETA CALZONE
Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 (6-ounce) packages baby spinach
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/3 cup black olives
• 1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 (13.8-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough
• 1 tablespoon whole or 2% milk
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese or Parmesan Romano blend

Directions
Preheat oven to 450°. While oven is heating, heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. When hot, add onion and garlic to the skillet and sauté for 1 minute. Add half of the spinach and cook until it has wilted. Add the remaining spinach to the mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until it has wilted, too. Remove from heat and stir in feta, olives, tomatoes, pine nuts, lemon juice, oregano, salt and cayenne. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray and pat the pizza dough into a roughly 15X12 inch rectangle. Leaving a border along the dough, spread the spinach mixture longways along one half of the it. Fold the dough over and pinch together or crimp with a fork to seal the calzone shut. Cut several slits along the top to vent the calzone as it cooks. Whisk together the milk and water and brush on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Basic vegan muffin recipe

MUFFINS (Photo credit: Shht!)

Once upon a time, people with special dietary restrictions were faced with dull, bland, lifeless foods, especially baked goods. Thank heaven those days are long gone!

BASIC VEGAN MUFFINS

• 1/4 cup margarine
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup soymilk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all ingredients together until just moistened. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 35 minutes.

Meatless Monday Veggie pizza recipe

Bell Peppers (Photo credit: joe beasley)

If you have a picky eater in your home who doesn't want to eat veggies, this recipe might do the trick! You can add or remove toppings as you like, cut back on the amount of cheese, etc-this is what works best in my home. To get your kids involved with making dinner, allow them to sprinkle the crust with the cheese and veggies.

VEGGIE PIZZA
Ingredients

• 1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 1/2 cups low fat ranch dressing
• 1 unbaked pizza crust, or the home made pizza crust recipe of your choice
• 1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place pizza crust on a pizza pan or baking sheet, and spread dressing evenly over the top. Sprinkle with cheddar. Add carrots, pepper and mushrooms. Mix together spinach and mozzarella and top pizza. Bake 15-20 minutes. Vegetables should be tender, cheese melted and lightly browned along edges.

Simple fruit salad recipe

Close-up of fruit salad (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This easy to make fruit salad is versatile-serve it with breakfast or brunch, as a part of your lunch or as a healthier dessert option. If you want to lighten the recipe up, use fresh peaches and pineapple instead of canned and sprinkle with a touch of sugar.

SIMPLE FRUIT SALAD
Ingredients

• large can pineapple chunks
• large can peach pie filling
• 2 apples, peeled and chopped
• 2 bananas, peeled and sliced
• 2 kiwis
• 1 pint strawberries
• 1 pint blueberries
• 1 cup candied pecans

Directions
In a large bowl, combine peach filling and pineapple, reserving pineapple juice. Pour juice in a small bowl and add chopped apple. Allow to soak for 10 minutes. While apples are soaking, peel and slice kiwi, set aside. Add apples to large bowl and place bananas in the juice, soaking for 10 minutes. While bananas are soaking, remove the tops from the strawberries and cut into quarters. Add to large bowl. Add blueberries and pecans to bowl, gently mix all ingredients together. Garnish with kiwi slices. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Meatless Monday White macaroni and cheese recipe

Macaroni and cheese is a classic American recipe that has proven to be quite versatile. It can stand alone as an entree, work well as a side dish or provide a hearty base for a casserole. Most macaroni and cheese recipes call for some form of cheddar cheese and yields a delicious pan of orange colored comfort. I recently found out that white macaroni and cheese can be every bit as comforting as its orange counterpart and even more delicious. This recipe makes a full 13X9 pan which is perfect for holiday tables, potlucks or entertaining. If you are making this for your family-or serving as a side dish-you may want to consider cutting the recipe in half unless you wish to eat leftovers for a week.

WHITE MACARONI AND CHEESE
Ingredients

• 1 (1 pound) box of your favorite pasta
• 2 (12 ounce) cans of evaporated milk
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 2-3 dashes of Tabasco sauce
• 2 (8 ounce) packages shredded Italian blend cheese (or pizza blend)
• 1 (5 ounce) package shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1 (5 ounce) package shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13X9 pan with non-stick spray and set aside. Cook pasta according to the directions on the box and drain well. In a large saucepan, combine evaporated milk, 2 teaspoons salt and pepper and Tabasco and heat until warm. Add all of the Italian blend and 1 package of Parmesan cheese and cook until the cheese melts, stirring often to prevent burning. Add the cooked pasta, stirring well to coat. Add to prepared pan. In a small bowl, combine all remaining ingredients and stir until well mixed. Spread topping evenly over the pasta and bake 20-30 minutes, until the top is golden brown.