Pasta And Cauliflower Recipe

Italian dishes like pasta, pizza, pork, beef and seafood recipes are much a part of my everyday life.

Growing up Italian has been a wonderful culinary experience to say the least. The many different restaurants and families from different regions of Italy allowed me to taste some of the most delicious food in the world.

Food always conjures up great memories. When I cook something I haven't had in a while, it always seems to bring me back to the last time and place I did have it. I think it's the closest thing to a "time machine" we'll ever experience.

Years ago at every family gathering my Grandmother Theresa made a simple dish of pasta and cauliflower. Oh how we craved for this dish after she was gone. It was filling and delicious and you just could not get enough.

So finally one day I said I was going to try and make it. I just had to have it again. There was just no way was I going to live out the rest of my life without ever eating this dish again. Determined, I tried many times and one day I came as close as I possibly could to recreating her recipe. As we all know Grandmothers did not measure anything, so this was not an easy task.

Here's my version of my Grandmother's recipe. I hope you an your family enjoy it as much as mine does

Grandma Theresa's Pasta and Cauliflower

Ingredients

· 1 pound box of mostaccioli or rotini 

· 2 medium size heads of cauliflower 

· 3 or 4 cloves of garlic chopped

· 3 or 4 bunches of long green onions chopped 

· 1 stick of butter 

· 2 Tbls of vegetable oil 

· 1 cup of seasoned bread crumbs 

· Freshly grated Parmesan cheese 

· Salt to taste 

· Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation

· Clean and cut cauliflower into bite size pieces. 

· Boil cauliflower in around 6 quarts of water until tender. 

· In a large frying pan sauté onions and garlic in ½ stick of butter and oil for about 5 minutes. 

· Add ½ cup of bread crumbs and sauté until slightly brown. 

· With a slotted spoon remove cauliflower and add to the breadcrumb mixture. Do not throw away the cauliflower water.

· Cook the pasta in the cauliflower water until al dente. Around ten minutes.

· Add remaining butter and breadcrumb to the cauliflower mixture.

· Add around a cup of cauliflower water to the mixture to moisten.

· Stir and cook for around 15 minutes more.

· Mix the pasta and cauliflower together.

· Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and your ready to eat.

I hope this recipe makes many memories for your family and friends.

Italian Cooking - Quick And Easy Cooking Tips

"Cooking is an art form that takes years to master" -ever heard those words spoken before? It was probably a chef who didn't want you to know the secrets they hide from us all, the secrets to making delicious Italian styled meals quickly and easily and having them taste delicious. Today we at The Cooks Hangout bring you 3 quick and easy Italian meal addition to make your Italian meals all the more delicious while not wasting your time or money.

1. Oven Roasted Garlic

If there's any ingredient that is both cheap quick and easy yet adds enormous amounts of flavor to your food, its garlic, and roasting it in the oven makes it irresistibly tasty. Preparing Oven Roasted Garlic is as easy to cook as 1, 2, 3:

1. Slice off the top of the garlic.

2. Drizzle 2 teaspoons of olive oil over the garlic, wrap it loosely in aluminum foil, and roast at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 40 minutes.

3. Remove the pulp from the garlic by squeezing it once it cools. You can spread oven-roasted garlic on bread or blend it in a food processor and add it to fish, steak, hamburgers, soups, or even throw it in a risotto.

The oven-roasted garlic can be kept in the fridge for up to a week.

2. Bechamel Sauce

A Delicious sauce to use in cooking lasagnas and the like. Bechamel sauce is an incredible addition to many pastas yet it seemingly overlooked by many.

Ingredients:

- 2T Unsalted Butter

- 3T Flour

- 1 1/2 Cups Milk

- 1/8t Nutmeg

- Salt and White Pepper (Freshly Grounded)

Instructions:

- Heat the milk in a saucepan to a warm temperature.

- Melt the butter in the saucepan until bubbling.

- Add the flour slowly while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.

- Return to medium heat and add 1/4 of a cup of milk at a time, when the milk gets absorbed add a little more until all the milk is used.

- Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste and continue stirring the sauce at a slow bubble until it has the consistency of heavy cream.

3. Memphis Rub

This zesty rub will bring out the best in ribs and other meats.

- 1/4 cup paprika

- 1 Tablespoon packed dark brown sugar

- 1 Tablespoon white sugar

- 2 Tablespoons Salt

- 2 Teaspoons monosodium glutamate.

- 1 teaspoon celery salt

- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

- 1 teaspoon dry mustard

- 1 teaspoon garlic powder

- 1 teaspoon onion powder

Simply mix the ingredients together in a small container and use on your meat to add the delicious flavor of Memphis to your food.

Thanks for Reading and happy cooking,

Vine-Ripened Tomato Salad Recipes

Nothing tastes like summer as much as a vine-ripened tomato. Eat one straight out of the garden, as you would an apple. Sprinkle it with a little salt if you wish. 

Then take your tomatoes into the kitchen and toss them into these delicious, easy salad recipes and also learn Italian food. Nothing could be simpler, better for you, more colorful, more tasty! What more can you ask for?

Tomatoes with Cucumber and Onion

4 tomatoes, sliced

2 cucumbers, sliced

1 red onion, diced

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup light Italian dressing

Freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients and serve with ground pepper to taste.

Tomato-Mint Salad

1/4 cup tarragon vinegar

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon sugar (optional)

1/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup chopped mint

6 large vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced

3 cucumbers, sliced

Romaine lettuce

Mint leaves for garnish

Combine the vinegar, juice, sugar, salt, pepper and mint; mix into the tomatoes and cucumbers and marinate at least 1 hour. Line a bowl with romaine leaves, place the tomatoes and cucumbers in the middle and garnish with additional mint leaves.

Tomatoes with Pepper Salsa

1 green pepper, chopped fine

6 green onions, minced (white part)

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves (optional)

1 jalapeno pepper, minced, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon wine vinegar

4 ripe tomatoes

Romaine lettuce leaves

2 cups bean sprouts

Combine all ingredients except the tomatoes, lettuce and sprouts; marinate for 4 hours or overnight. Slice the tomatoes and arrange on a bed of lettuce and sprouts; top with the salsa.

Tomatoes and Basil

Sliced vine-ripened tomatoes

Chopped fresh basil leaves

Rice wine vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine the ingredients in any quantity you wish.

3 Easy Grilled Pasta Recipes That You Absolutely Must Try

Here with  3 delicious fresh pasta dishes you can make using your grill:

Grilled Salmon Cream Cheese Linguine

What you need:

• 1/4 kg. skinless salmon fillets
• 1 cup linguine pasta
• 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
• 1/4 cup diced white onion
• 6 tbsps. skim milk
• 2 tbsps. butter
• 2 tbsps. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. low-fat cream cheese
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh dill

Cook salmon fillets in a pre-heated grill over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes per side (depending on thickness) or until easily flaked with a fork. When ready, flake with a fork into bite-sized pieces and place in a small bowl. Set aside. Bring linguine to a boil in a pot of lightly salted water for about 11 minutes or until tender but still firm to the bite. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. In a medium saucepan, butter and olive oil before adding yellow bell pepper and onion. When vegetables are softened, stir in cream cheese. When cream cheese is melted, add salmon flakes and milk then cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and pour over linguine. Toss to coat then top with lemon slices and fresh dill.

Pineapple Salsa Grilled Shrimp Pasta

What you need:

• 3/4 kg. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3 cups rotini pasta
• 1/2 cups fresh orange juice
• 1/2 cups fresh lime juice
• 1/2 pineapple, cut into chunks
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced

Cook rotini pasta in a large pot of lightly salted water for 8-10 minutes or until al dente. Drain and transfer to a serving bowl. Set aside. To make the pineapple salsa, combine orange juice, lime juice, pineapple, onion, bell pepper and jalapeno in a medium bowl. Mix well and pour over bowl of pasta. Toss to coat noodles then set aside. Cook the shrimp on a pre-heated grill over high heat for 2 minutes per side or until cooked through. Remove from heat and arrange on top of the pasta with pineapple salsa. Serve warm.

Classic Pesto and Grilled Chicken Pasta

What you need:

• 2 boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 1/4 cup angel hair pasta
• 1 cup pesto
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsps. toasted almonds
• 2 tbsps. olive oil

Cook chicken in a pre-heated grill over high heat for 6-8 minutes per side or until cooked through. Remove from heat, chop and place in a medium bowl. Set aside. Bring angel hair pasta to a boil in a large pot of lightly salted water until al dente. Drain and transfer to a serving bowl. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan and sauté garlic until tender. Add pesto, chopped chicken and angel hair pasta and mix well. Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl and garnish with toasted almonds before serving.

Make these easy grilled pasta recipes any day of the week for a delicious and fulfilling meal!

Convenient, Healthy Meatball Soups

This time of year we need to enjoy warm comforting food that is quick and convenient to prepare, while being nutritious and delicious. Meatball soups are a great way for weight loss surgery (WLS) patients to enjoy a nutritious tasty meal with easily digested protein. Here are two very good quick soup recipes that take advantage of pantry staples and ready-made fully cooked chicken meatballs from the freezer. 

Chicken-Meatball Mexican Soup

Ingredients:

1 package fully cooked chicken meatballs (from the freezer case) 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

2 medium onions, chopped 

4 garlic cloves, minced 

2 (4-ounce) can green chilies, chopped 

2 (15-ounce) cans Italian-style stewed tomatoes, chopped, reserving the juice 

8 cups chicken stock 

1 tablespoon chili powder 

2 teaspoon ground cumin 

1 teaspoon hot sauce or to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:

Chopped cilantro

low-carb tortilla strips

Avocado cubes

Sour cream

Pickled Jalapeno

Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 425. Arrange meatballs in single layer on a cooking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes.

While meatballs bake heat olive oil in a 4-6 quart stockpot. Brown onion and garlic. To the onions add the green chilies, stewed tomatoes, chicken stock, chili powder, cumin, hot sauce.

Simmer the soup for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the cooked meatballs and bring soup back to a simmer. Serve soup with garnishes.

WLS patients should eat 3-5 meatballs topped with a modest serving of liquid.

5 meatballs contain 13g protein, 11g fat (3 saturated), 6 grams carbs.

Chicken Meatball and Ravioli Soup

Ingredients:

1 package fully cooked chicken meatballs (from the freezer case) 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1 large onion finely chopped 

1 garlic clove minced 

1 (28 ounce) can chopped tomatoes (undrained) 

1/4 cup tomato paste 

1 (32 ounce) container Swanson chicken broth 

1 cup water 

1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar 

1/2 teaspoon dried basil 

1/4 teaspoon each dried thyme and oregano 

8 ounces mini cheese-filled ravioli 

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley 

Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425. Arrange frozen meatballs in single layer on a cooking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. 

Bake for 10 minutes.

While meatballs bake heat olive oil in a 4-6 quart stockpot. Brown onion and garlic.

Add tomatoes and liquid, tomato paste, broth, water, sugar, basil, thyme and oregano.

Bring mixture to a simmer, cover and simmer 10 minutes. 

Add ravioli and cook, covered at a gentle boil according to package directions (approximately 10 to 15 minutes), until they are just tender and no longer have a starchy taste. Stir in meatballs and return to simmer. Stir in parsley and sprinkle with cheese.

Serve warm.  Ready to eat now.

Vegetable pasta bake

                                                      Vegetable pasta bake

Ingredients

500g dried penne pasta
6 rashers bacon, rinds removed, chopped
6 stalks silverbeet, leaves removed
1 zucchini, trimmed, diced
1 carrot, peeled, diced
3 stalks celery, trimmed, halved, sliced
150g green beans, trimmed, cut into 2cm lengths
250g button mushrooms, sliced
1 red capsicum, diced
737g bottle tomato pasta sauce
3 cups grated cheddar cheese

Method
Step 1

Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a 6cm-deep, 28cm x 35cm (base) baking dish. Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, following packet directions, until just tender.

Step 2

Meanwhile, place bacon on a microwave-safe plate. Cover with paper towel. Microwave on high (100%) for 2 to 3 minutes or until bacon is cooked through. Set aside.

Step 3

Chop the silverbeet leaves. Place in a large, microwave-safe bowl. Add zucchini, carrot, celery and green beans. Microwave on HIGH (100%) for 4 to 5 minutes or until carrot is tender. Add mushrooms, capsicum and bacon. Stir to combine.

Step 4

Drain pasta and return to the saucepan. Add vegetable mixture and pasta sauce. Stir to coat. Spoon into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. Serve.

Looking for more oven baked pasta, Please visit here.

How to Cook Pasta - Tips and Tools So You Are Not Afraid!

Fresh Pasta is the easiest of Italian foods. It is the most widely known and can be located around the globe. However it is easy to go wrong with it and also to get a soggy uninspiring mess. As with every the standard foods the important thing to cooking good pasta is always to decide on high quality ingredients. The better the meals the greater important quality gets. Bad quality may be less easily disguised inside a simple pasta dish in comparison to some thing elaborate.

Pasta may be an extremely quick and simple meal to whip together to get a dinner. It's particularly easy to cook in high volumes and for that reason great for giving a large group of people. Though cooking pasta generally is a relatively entertaining, simple and simple process, there are several pasta cooking suggestions which will help even the majority of decorated pasta veteran to boost their own dishes.

Pasta Salad - Tuna pasta salad can be a conventional and great tasting pasta salad to provide from BBQs on balmy summer nights. Simply steam some pasta twirls or shells until cooked, awesome after which chill. Mix a can of tuna plus some processed sweetcorn into the noodles then add some smashed garlic and some chopped spring onions. Create an outfitting away from English mustard, fresh lemon juice, mayonnaise and stir to the pasta salad.

In no way overcook noodles. Only serve pasta "al dente", which literally indicates "firm to the teeth." Pasta has to be prepared in order to end up being nonetheless firm when bitten (but only dry pasta ought to be cooked "al dente" since "fresh" noodles currently is gentle to begin with.) Makes it as much as possible "al dente" (not really soft), due to the fact that's the majority of digestible state. Mushy pasta just isn't delicious any longer, at least for your noodles lover.

A large problem with pasta may be the sticking. Oh how which has occurred if you ask me at times. To keep noodles from sticking, stir during the very first minute or two of cooking. This can be a crucial period once the pasta surface is coated along with sticky, glue-like starch. Unless you stir, you'll have the problem of items of noodles literally cooking together.

An additional useful tip will be built with the appropriate ingredients when bringing the pasta to a simmer. Generally, salt is involved. Mixing a modest amount of rock and roll salt to the steam is usual generally in most pasta instructions. If other components which require being bought may be necessary, it would be better to have these ready as well as standing next to the stove.

I urge you to definitely try this tip at least once and you'll never ever regret it. That does not mean utilize this only once you have to amuse a lot of guests, but when you realize that you'll be helping pasta function this.