Antipasto Tortellini Salad
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Yield 6 servings
Dressing:
• 1 small red onion, minced
• 1/2 c. fresh basil leaves, minced
• 1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 T. red wine vinegar
• 3/4 t. salt
• 1/8t. red pepper flakes
Salad
• 3 large bell peppers, roasted, 1 each yellow, red, green
• 2 oz. Thinly sliced genoa salami
• 2 oz. Fontinella cheese
• 8 oz fresh tortellini, cooked
1.) For dressing, combine onion, basil, oil, vinegar, salt, and red pepper flakes I large bowl
2.) For salad, cut bell peppers into 1/2 inch dice. Add to bowl.
3.) Cut salami into strips and cheese into small cubes. Add to bowl along with tortellini. Toss gently. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate overnight. Adjust seasoning before serving. Serve at room temperature.
Antipasto Pasta Salad
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• 1# Cooked Pasta (use shape of choice)
• 1/4# cubed Fontinella or Asiago (cut in small cubes)
• 1/2 cup Green Olives (Whole)
• 1/2 c Black Olives (sliced)
• 2 green onions cut into small pieces
• 1 Diced red or green pepper
• 2 stalks of celery chopped
• 1/4# Pepperoni thinly sliced – or cubed
• 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
Mix all ingredients in a large serving bowl. Mix your own dressing or use bottled Italian dressing and pour over top. Let marinate overnight. Garnish with fresh basil.
•Healthy Version – we like to use Seven Seas Reduced Fat Wine Vinaigrette. You can also use Hormel Turkey Pepperoni (if you can find it).
Baked Artichokes
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• 1 large jar of marinated artichoke hearts
• Olive Oil
• 1/2 c. Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• Black pepper
• Granulated garlic
Put one layer of hearts in a shallow baking dish. Pour about 1/4 – 1/2 cup of Italian seasoned bread crumbs for every cup of artichokes over the hearts. Drizzle olive oil across the hearts. Use a decent amount--you don’t want them to be dry.
Sprinkle black pepper liberally over them. Sprinkle some fresh grated Italian cheese and a little granulated garlic over the top. Drizzle some more olive oil across the top. Bake at 350º for 30 minutes. They are great leftover in omelets, alone, or over pasta.
Oven Fried Chicken
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• 1 cups nonfat buttermilk
• 1 1/2 boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 1/2 cups cornflakes
• 3 Tablespoons toasted wheat germ with honey
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 3/4 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Combine buttermilk and chicken in a medium bowl. Stir to coat, seal with
plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least four hours.
Preheat oven to 350º. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Combine cornflakes, wheat germ, paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne in a food processor. Pulse until cornflakes are coarsely ground. Transfer to a shallow dish. Drain chicken and roll each piece in seasoned crumbs. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake 30 minutes or until juicy but cooked through.
Healthy Variations – instead of cornflakes, use whole wheat Total – it’s a good way to increase the fiber.
Mike’s Favorite – This is my way of making a healthy version of Chicken Giardiniera. Make the chicken as directed. Prior to baking press 1 heaping teaspoon of giardinaera on to each breast. Spread it out and press it in. I prefer using the relish style instead of the chunky giardiniera. But you can adjust amount to your taste.
Chicken Parmigiana
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• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Vegetable cooking spray
• 3 cups chopped tomatoes (about 2 pounds)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt;
• 4 (4 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Place chopped onion and garlic in a medium saucepan coated with cooking spray; cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Add tomato and next 4 ingredients; simmer, uncovered, 45 minutes. Set sauce aside.
Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy duty plastic wrap. Flatten chicken to 1/8 inch thickness, using a meat mallet or rolling pin.
Combine flour and Parmesan cheese in a shallow dish. Dip each piece of chicken in egg white; dredge in flour mixture. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skilled over medium-high heat. Add Chicken; cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned.
Arrange chicken in an 11x7x2 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour tomato mixture evenly over chicken, and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Yield: 4 servings
•Healthy Variations – Use whole wheat flour – it’s a good way to increase the fiber. Combine low fat mozzarella with fat free mozzarella – you’ll cut the fat in half and never taste the difference.
Mike’s Favorite – Line the baking dish with slices of zucchini, yellow squash and mushrooms. Then arrange chicken as instructed and bake. You’ll have a one dish healthy meal complete with veggies.
Baked Rigatoni
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• 1 # rigatoni pasta (you can use another shape if you wish i.e. mostaccoli, ziti, penne)
• 1 # gound meat
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 small clove garlic minced
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
• Tomato Sauce (make your own or use good bottled sauce)
Cook pasta according to package directions. Make sure its done al dente – you don’t want pasta to be soggy. Drain. Sauté ground beef with chopped onion and minced garlic. Drain any grease. Add meat mixture to your tomato sauce. Take a 12 x 15 baking dish, spoon a layer of meat sauce into dish, next should be a layer of pasta, sprinkle pasta with parmesan cheese and shredded mozzarella, repeat layers beginning with sauce until baking dish is full. Top with a layer of sauce, parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350º for 30 minutes. This dish can be made ahead of time if refrigerated. You will have to increase baking time if dish has been refrigerated.
• Healthy Variation – Use ground sirloin instead of ground beef. You can also make this as a vegetarian dish by omitting beef. Substitute reduced fat cheese and use whole wheat pasta.
Italian Pot Roast
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• 3 # lean chuck or rump roast
• 1 1/2 t. oregano
• 2 T. oil
• 1 t. thyme
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 t. basil
• 2 med. onions chopped
• 1/8 t. cinnamon
• 1 t. salt
• 1/2 t. sugar
• 1/4 t. pepper
• 2 (6 oz.) cans of tomato paste
• 3 c. water
• 1 # thin noodles
• Parmesan cheese
Heat oil in a Dutch oven. Add meat and brown meat slowly on all sides. Remove meat and lower heat. Add garlic, oregano, thyme, basil, onions, cinnamon, salt, sugar, and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes. Return meat to pan. Mix paste with water and pour over meat. Bring to a full boil. Lower heat and cover loosely. Simmer slowly for 2 to 3 hours, turning meat as needed. When meat is tender, cook noodles and drain. Slice roast and arrange noodles with sauce. Sprinkle cheese and parsley.
Italian Beef
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• 20 Bay Leaves
• 8 teaspoons oregano
• 2 1/4 teaspoons rosemary
• 2 1/4 teaspoons thyme
• 1 3/4 teaspoons marjoram
• 2 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 teaspoons paprika
* 1/2 cup dry parsley
• 4 teaspoons granulated garlic
• 1 3/4 teaspoons celery salt
• 4 teaspoons salt
• 2 3/4 teaspoons red pepper
• 10 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 c garlic liquid juice
• 6 teaspoons basil
• 10 lb piece sirloin tip or good roast of your choice.
• 1 cup french onion soup base or beef base
Fill a Nesco roaster halfway with water. Put all spices in cheesecloth, tie with kitchen string and drop into water. Add soup base. Cut 1/2 inch slits in beef and put in pieces of minced garlic. Roast 15 minutes per pound. Use a meat thermometer to about 130º unless you like it more well done. Let beef cool completely before slicing. It’s actually better to slice it cold. Slice as thin as possible, preferably with an electric meat slicer.
When you are ready to eat it, heat gravy in a pan. Drop in slices of beef. Heat just till warm, you don’t’ want the beef to boil. It becomes very tough. Serve on crusty french bread with roasted sweet peppers or hot giardinera. Very Good.
Italian Sausage with Potatoes & Green Peppers
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Use a 3 to 4 inch deep roasting pan.
Bake at 425ºfor two and one-half hours
• Italian Sausage (approximately 8 ounces per person)
• White Idaho baking potatoes washed well. Two to three people per potato. (We don’t peel potatoes – but that’s a personal preference.)
• Green, red and/or yellow peppers washed well. Two to three people per pepper.
• Large onions – four people per onion.
• Cooking spray like Pam.
• Allow extra of each item for larger eaters – like Mike.
Cut sausage into 6 inch pieces. We leave the skin on the potatoes because we like the way it tastes. If you prefer and love extra work, you can peel. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Cut each half into three pieces. Peel onion, cut in half, cut each half into fourths. Spray pan liberally with Pam. Place potatoes in a single layer in the bottom of the pan. Next single layer of peppers. Next single layer of onions. Place Italian sausage on top in a single layer. Put one-half inch of water to cover bottom of the pan. Cover completely with foil and check water in bottom of pan. If dry add just enough water to cover bottom again and leave foil off. Bake for another hour or until sausage is brown.
Mike’s Favorite – Smother this with hot giardiniera,
Lasagna Rollups
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Filling:
• 1 1/2 # (24oz.) Ricotta
• 1 cup grated Mozzarella
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan (use a good Italian cheese—it makes all the difference
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Tablespoon Parsley (fresh if you have it)
• 1 teaspoon salt
Other:
• Lasagna Noodles – do not use no bake noodles
• Tomato Sauce (see recipe)
Boil 16 strips of lasagna noodles in 4 quarts of water, 1 Tablespoon olive oil, and 2 teaspoons salt. Cook for 7 minutes. Place pan in sink, let cold water flow in pan until water is cold. Leave noodles in pan with cold water. The longer it soaks, the better the lasagna will be to roll up.
Then, combine ingredients for filling (as listed above). Spoon filling down center of each lasagna noodle. Roll up. Place rolled up noodles in a baking dish in which you’ve already spread a thin layer of tomato sauce. After all noodles are rolled, cover with tomato sauce, sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Bake at 350º for 35 to 40 minutes.
Serves 8 people.
• Healthy Variation – Use lowfat ricotta cheese and whole wheat lasagna noodles.
Olive Dip
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Purchase chopped olives (this is a combination of green & black olives) from Tony’s Deli.
Serve in a small bowl with garlic toasts.
This is a really yummy, simple appetizer.
Seasoned Bread Crumbs
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• 1/4 c. cheese
• 1 clove garlic (chopped)
• 1/2 t. basil
• 1/2 t. oregano
• 1/4 t. pepper
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. granulated garlic
Use for artichokes or beef birds. For each cup of bread crumbs, add the above recipe.
Tomato Sauce
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For each can of 6 in1 Brand Tomato Puree (28 oz can)
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Oregano
• 1/2 tsp. Sugar
• 1 inch of water in can to clean out remainder of tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp. Black pepper
• 1 tsp. Basil ( I try to use fresh; it’s better, but you need more fresh than dried)
• 1 bay leaf
• dash of granulated garlic
• dash of flaked red pepper
• 1sm onion chopped
• 1 clove minced garlic
Pour some olive oil in sauce pan. Get hot. Sauté onion and garlic in oil till soft and translucent. Add tomatoes, and all other seasonings. Bring to a boil. Turn down heat to simmer. Simmer for at least 30 min.
It’s ready to use. If you need it in a hurry, you can use right away or you can let it cook longer.
Make extra; it tastes even better when it is little older.
•Healthy Variations – Instead of olive oil, use Olive Oil Pam.
Zucchini ala Rini
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• 1 c. flour
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1/8 t. salt
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 T. parsley
• 3/4 t. salt
• 1/2 t. marjoram (the spice not, butter)
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 c. oil
• 3 c. zucchini – sliced thin – I mix green and yellow
• 1/2 c. onion – chopped
• 1 garlic clove – minced
Mix together dry ingredients. Mix together eggs and oil - add to dry ingredients. Mix with a fork – add vegetables. Pour mixture into a greased baking dish. Bake at 350º
for 25-30 minutes until set. Do not make ahead of time – too much moisture for eggs to set.
•Healthy Variations – Use egg beaters instead of eggs.
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