Pasta Rosa

There are many recipes for Italian Pink Sauce (Pasta Rosa). Most have you add cream to a marinara type sauce. My favorite way to make this is just to combine your favorite red sauce (like the crockpot Marinara) and your favorite white sauce or Alfredo (like the Cashew or White Bean versions) in a ratio of about 2 parts red sauce to 1 part white sauce. My kids love this!

*I also like to make lasagna this way—either mix the two sauces, or alternate layers of white and red sauce as you assemble the layers.

Creamy White Bean Alfredo

This recipe isn't going to fool you into thinking it's a real Alfredo. It tastes like beans, but if you're prepared for that, you'll like it. It's a nice change from the typical Italian. And if you're trying to add more low-fat, high fiber foods to your diet, serve this sauce with whole grain pasta and some vegetables and you've got a complete nutritious meal.

1/4 cup Smart Balance or olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cooked white beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups milk (can use soy milk)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Parsley (optional)

•In a sauté pan over low heat, melt the margarine or oil. Add the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

•Transfer the margarine mixture to a blender or food processor, add the white beans and 1 cup of milk. Blend until completely smooth. If the sauce is too thick, add the remaining milk until you reach the desired consistency.

•Pour the sauce back into the pan over low heat, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Add fresh herbs, such as parsley, if desired. Cook until the sauce is warm.

Easy Marinara

Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook Time: 8 hours

· 2 onions, chopped

· 8 cloves garlic, minced (I use a couple of big spoonfuls from a jar of minced garlic)

· 1 large (6 lb. 6 oz.) can crushed tomatoes (see * below)

· 6 oz. can tomato paste

· 2 c. shredded carrots, optional

· 1 T. dried basil

· 1 t. oregano

· 1-2 t. salt

· 2 t. beef bouillon granules

· Crushed red pepper, if desired

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low setting for 8-10 hours. Serve sauce over pasta. 18-20 servings.

* I used a huge can from Sam’s Club. It costs less than 2.50 which is a great deal. I also like that the tomatoes are unpeeled and crushed—it adds extra fiber!

Buffalo Chicken Salad

I found this recipe years ago but tried it for the first time this summer. We've been missing out! This is a new favorite main-dish salad. Serves 6

Dressing:

1/2 c. mayonnaise

1/4 c. BBQ sauce

1 t. tobasco sauce

2 T. milk

Salad:

1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 t. tobasco sauce

1 large carrot, shredded

8 c. chopped romaine lettuce

2 stalks celery, cut in thin matchsticks

1/2 c. crumbled blue cheese

• Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
• Add 1/4 c. dressing and additional tobasco sauce to chicken in a ziploc bag or dish. Marinate in refrigerator at least 30 minutes . Grill or broil chicken until cooked. Cool and slice into strips.
• Combine lettuce, carrot, celery, and blue cheese in a large salad bowl. Stir in dressing and then top with the chicken. Sprinkle with extra blue cheese, if desired.

I thought this salad needed something extra, so I added corn (thawed from frozen), black beans, and juilienned red pepper.

My Favorite Oatmeal Cookies

My sister-in-law asked me for a good oatmeal cookie recipe (a couple of weeks ago--sorry it took so long, Jenni) so I'm posting my favorite. I've tried many over the years and have settled on this one. It's a combination between America's Test Kitchen version and a recipe I found in the cookbook: 5 Star Recipes From Well-Known Latter-day Saints. I like the oat to flour ratio (twice as many oats) as well as the amount of butter called for (it's less than most recipes but still enough). This makes a soft chewy cookie, with a lightly crisp outside. I'm partial to chocolate chips and nuts in this recipe, but Craisins and white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or butterscotch chips are all very good.
Update 7/26/12
I tried making these with 1/2 cup butter and 1/3 cup pure olive oil and they turned out perfectly when baked right away.  I doubt I'll ever make them with all butter again.  No spread, and slightly crisp edges with chewy centers.  I bet coconut oil would also be a good replacement for some of the butter.
Famous Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. butter, softened

1 c. brown sugar

½ c. sugar

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla

1 ¾ c. flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour)

½ t. baking powder

½ t. salt

1 t. cinnamon (optional; I usually don't use it)

3 c. old-fashioned oats

2-3 c. Add-ins (chocolate chips, nuts, Craisins, raisins, other baking chips)

Cream butter and sugars; add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Add flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and mix until combined. Add oats and chips. Scoop onto cookie sheet (I use parchment paper--and I use each sheet over and over again) and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. For bar cookies, spread batter in ungreased 9x13 pan and bake for approx. 30 minutes. This recipe makes exactly 3 ½ dozen cookies when I use my medium pampered chef cookie scoop.

Tip: If you bake these right away, they spread a little. They're good (my kids don't complain) but I prefer to chill the dough first before baking (as per America's Test Kitchen suggestion). I scoop all the dough onto cookie sheets and refrigerate or freeze before baking. Add an extra minute to the baking time when baking chilled dough.

Note: The above recipe works great for my altitude and my oven. If you are baking at a lower altitude, try using ¼ c. less flour and ¼ c. more sugar and alter baking temperature and time as needed.

Basic Crepes

This is the recipe we (actually Cori--thank you!!) made for the cooking class. We doubled it and there were no leftovers! I didn't even get one!

Ingredients:
2 beaten eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup flour (use 1/2 whole wheat, 1/2 white)
1 tbsp oil or melted butter
¼ tsp salt

Method:
Combine eggs, milk, flour, oil, and salt; Whisk until smooth Heat an 8 inch non-stick skillet; remove from heat and add about 2 tbsp crepe batter. Lift and tilt pan to evenly spread batter. Return to heat and cook crepe until it appears dry. Cook on one side only. Invert crepe onto paper towel. Repeat process with remaining batter.

Notes: You can do so much with crepes. Like these Banana Caramel Toasted Coconut Crepes--delicious! For the cooking class I made an apple filling using the dried apples from the cannery. Just put desired amount of dried apples in a microwaveable bowl and add water just barely to cover. Microwave for about 5-6 minutes, stirring every minute, or until the liquid is absorbed. Add cinnamon and sugar to taste and serve inside crepes with vanilla yogurt and toasted walnuts or pecans. The Nutella was also very popular!

Buttermilk Syrup

This was a big hit at the cooking class. It's so yummy, and while I can't claim it's low-fat, it's much better for you than the original recipe was!

1 cup buttermilk
¼ cup butter
1 t. baking soda
2 cups sugar
2 t. vanilla

In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients except vanilla; boil for 5 minutes. Add vanilla. Serve on pancakes, waffles, crepes, french toast, or ice cream. It’s important to use a big saucepan because it froths a lot while cooking and WILL boil over if you use one that‘s too small. Ask me how I know that (and ask Cori Reynolds how much fun it was to clean!).