Garlicky Broccoli Pasta

Ingredients:
- approx. 8 oz of pasta (I only use whole wheat pastas, and for this recipe, I like ones that kind of catch some of the garlic and broccoli, like fusilli or macaroni.)
- 12 oz of broccoli florets
- about 7 cloves of garlic crushed or chopped finely
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup of milk (I use non-fat) or Mocha Mix (to make it non-dairy)
- 1 1/5 tblsp. all-purpose flour
- Seasoning: Garlic salt, chili flakes, oregano

Directions:
- In a large pot, bring water to a boil.
- Pour in pasta and give a stir and cook for about a minute and half.
- Add broccoli florets in with the pasta (saves time and dishes) and cook for about 8 minutes until pasta is cooked and broccoli is bright green and a little tender.

- Meanwhile, in a small pan over low heat add about 1 1/2 tblsp. of olive oil and garlic.
- Once garlic starts to cook, add in flour (add a little bit at a time and mix well with a wooden spoon, you may not need all of the flour).
- To the garlic, add the chili flakes, garlic salt, and oregano.

- Add milk to the garlic mixture a little bit at a time, mixing thoroughly with the wooden spoon after each addition. The mixture will thicken up very quickly. Continue to add a little bit of milk, stirring after each addition, until the sauce is the consistency you want.

- When the pasta and broccoli is done, strain them both well and then add them back to the pot.
- Add garlic sauce to the pasta and broccoli and stir until pasta is evenly coated with the sauce.

You may also want to try:
- Rather than boiling the broccoli with the pasta and making the sauce separately, spread the florets on a baking sheet with ample olive oil, garlic, and seasoning and roast in the oven at 350 degrees until broccoli begins to brown. Add broccoli and garlic to the pasta and enjoy! (Add diced roma tomatoes to the roasting sheet for additional liquid, flavor, and color.)
- I've also made this recipe without any milk or Mocha Mix, you may just need to add a little bit more olive oil if you choose to do this and just skip the milk/Mocha Mix step.

Vegetarian Chicken Wraps

Ingredients:
- 1 package of Morning Star Buffalo Wings (I have tried the Morning Star Chicken Nuggets, but they don't have as much flavor as the Buffalo Wings. They're a little spicy and they actually taste like chicken.)
- 1-2 diced avocados
- 1-2 diced Roma tomatoes
- 2-3 cups of shredded or chopped lettuce (I think iceberg or romaine works best.)
- Ranch Dressing (depending on the amount of avocado, tomato, and cheese, you may not even need any dressing)

You may want to add:
- Shredded cheese
- Whole wheat tortillas (I toast mine on the stove-top)

Directions:
- Place the Morning Star Buffalo Wings in the microwave for approximately 3 minutes.
- Add lettuce, tomato, and avocado in large mixing bowl.
- Once the Buffalo Wings are cooked, use a fork and a knife to shred them up into small pieces and then add them to the lettuce mixture.
- Mix all the ingredients together and enjoy!
- Add salad to a toasted tortilla with a little bit of ranch dressing for a wrap, or leave as is!

If you're not a vegetarian, you could easily substitute the Morning Star Buffalo Wings for actual shredded chicken. If you have leftover roasted chicken, just tear it up into small pieces and saute it for a minute or two in a skillet to warm it up.

Potato Wedges!!

A little information about me...I love potatoes. Never met a potato I didn't like (except for this weird Mediterranean recipe my mom made once...yuck!). Every so often, I crave French Fries but don't want to deal with the mess. This is an easy, quick, tasty, and probably much healthier alternative.

Ingredients:
- 3 Russet potatoes (Make more, make less, doesn't matter to me! I also leave the skin on.)
- Seasonings: Salt, pepper, garlic salt, chili powder, Essence (Yes, like Emeril....it's delicious and you'll start putting it on everything!)

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 420 degrees.
- Cut the potatoes in half the long way, then cut four wedges out of each half. (8 wedges per potato)
- Put potato wedges into large mixing bowl or large Zip-Loc bag.
- Add enough olive oil to evenly coat the potatoes (about 1/4 cup)
- Sprinkle in a lot of seasoning (definitely needs a bit of salt, but use chili powder and Essence to taste) then use your hands to toss the wedges in the bowl until they're evenly coated with oil and seasoning.
- Lay potatoes onto a baking sheet flesh side down. It is important that all of the wedges by flat on the baking sheet. If they're not, they may not get as crispy and delicious.
- Place baking sheet in oven for approximately 30 minutes.
- Remove baking sheet and use tongs or a spatula to flip the wedges over so the other flesh side is face down on the tray, then place tray back in the oven for another 30 minutes.

 

*I'm a firm believer that the darker brown the potato is, the crispier it is, the better it is! Simply check on the potatoes often to make sure they're the consistency you want.

 

*You can also use this same recipe to make potatoes on the grill!! Just place the wedges flesh side down on the grill over medium heat and cover for about 15 minutes, then flip to the other side for another 15 minutes to get nice char marks. Then, move potatoes to a top rack so they are off of direct heat, and cook for another 20 minutes or so. Yum!

Pasta a la Tyagi

My friend and I have an understanding, if we make something yummy, we bring some of it to work in a Tupperware for the other to eat. Then, when we return the Tupperware, we fill it with something delicious as a "Thank You." This is a recipe for a dish that I received as a "Thank You."

Ingredients:
- 1/2 package of Egg noodles (either the short skinny ones typically found in chicken noodle soup or the whole wheat egg noodles)
- 1 package of grape tomatoes quartered
- 1 diced medium yellow or red onion
- 1/2 package of frozen peas
- 2 tablespoons of mustard seeds
- Seasonings: salt, pepper, chili flakes, chili powder, cayenne pepper to taste

Directions:
- In a medium sauce pan, bring water to a boil to cook the pasta until al dente. The thin pasta cooks very quickly so keep on eye on it. Strain the pasta before adding it to the rest of the ingredients.
- In a large skillet, pour about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat and add mustard seeds. PUT THE COVER OVER IT!! The seeds will start popping and will get all over the place if you don't.
- Once the popping starts to slow down, add the diced onion into the skillet and stir with a wooden spoon until onion starts to become translucent and/or brown. Add chili flakes.

- Add tomato pieces and cook down until most of the liquid is gone (approximately 5 minutes).
- Add desired seasoning (Tomatoes and pasta absorb a lot of the flavor so don't be frugal with your seasoning).
- Add in frozen peas and stir until they are bright green.
- Add in cooked pasta and stir for approximately five minutes. Taste and add seasoning as needed.

Kosher for Passover Chocolate Chip Cookies?!?

Yep, that's right, Kosher for Passover Chocolate Chip Cookies. And you know what, they taste pretty good! Who knew?!? (Psst....they're also dairy free. Of course, you can make them dairy, but what's the challenge in that?)

Ingredients:
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup of margarine (or butter)
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 cup of cake meal
- 1/2 cup of potato starch
- 1 package of chocolate chips (check the label to see if they're dairy or Kosher for Passover)

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a small bowl (I use a paper plate), combine cake meal and potato starch and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together eggs, sugar, and margarine until well combined.
- While beating the egg/sugar/margarine mixture, slowly incorporate the cake meal and potato starch. Add a little at a time and beat until well combined.
- Pour in chocolate chips and stir with a spoon until the chips are evenly distributed in mixture.
- Drop spoonfuls (or use a chocolate chip cookie scoop) evenly spaced out on a cookie sheet.

- Bake in the oven between 13-15 minutes.
- When you remove the cookies from the oven, take them off the tray and place them on a sheet of foil or a cooling rack to cool.

*If you want them to be Kosher for Passover and/or non-dairy, be sure to check the labels on all of your ingredients.