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Pastabilities

Everyone has a few go to meals when your short on time and pasta is involved in many of them. Pasta is great since it stores easily and cooks in minutes. It can be more exciting than boxed mac and cheese or a plain bottled marinara sauce. There's nothing wrong with those, but you can add more nutrition to put on your Noritake Colorwave

Stay with an Italian theme by adding some sausage to your typical bottled sauce. Throw in some broccoli, fresh garlic, and a little spinach for good measure. It only takes a few minutes more and you'll feel like you're having a special dinner.

Another speedy favorite is tossing cooked pasta with minced fresh herbs, olive oil, and Parmesan. Leftover beans make a hearty dinner when combined with pasta and a few veggies. And speaking of leftovers, don't forget any bits of leftover veggies you have in the fridge. I love roasted veggies tossed in olive oil over ziti pasta.

Sneak some whole wheat pasta into your family's menu. Start with angel hair pasta cooked a little longer than you would regular pasta. That way your family won't even notice. You can also sneak in a little tofu while you're at it. Puree silken tofu with some fresh basil and a handful of nutritional yeast and you have a faux ricotta to mix in with your regular tomato sauce. The nutritional yeast adds a cheese-like flavor that really makes it. It also makes a nice veggie broth addition when you're making soups.

For a change of pace try a stir-fry over angel hair or spaghetti. Use a terrriaki, black bean, or garlic sauce and your new favorite Chinese take out may be in your own kitchen! Go to an Asian market and stock up on a few jars of pre-made stir-fry sauces.

Get out the peanut butter and make some Thai noodles. A little coconut milk, peanut butter, and some chili makes a beautiful warm sauce for pasta. You can also make a cold sesame noodles with peanut butter and sesame oil. It's a perfect summer dish and looks great on Noritake Colorwave Sky color.

Try making your next pasta dinner into a pantry challenge and see what you come up with. Marinated artichokes, olives, beans are all fair game. Be up for trying a few unusual combinations. One of my favorite pasta sauce combines creamed corn with minced pickled banana peppers. Add a few shrimp if you have some on hand. See if you are impressed by it as much as I am.

Author: Kathy Hester

Posted: Saturday 6th February 2010, 5:38 AM



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