Spinach & Artichoke Wonderpot Pasta

Here's a simple one step pasta dish where the pasta and all the ingredients cook together in a flavorful broth.

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 8 oz. mushrooms $1.99
• 1 (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts $2.50
• 4 cloves garlic $0.32
• 1 medium yellow onion $0.34
• 5 cups vegetable broth $0.65
• 2 Tbsp olive oil $0.32
• 12 oz. fettuccine $1.33
• 1 tsp dried oregano $0.10
• ½ tsp dried thyme $0.05
• freshly cracked pepper (15-20 cranks) $0.05
• 4 oz. frozen cut spinach $0.40

Instructions

1. Rinse the mushrooms to remove any dirt or debris. Slice the mushrooms thinly. Drain the can of artichoke hearts and roughly chop them into bite-sized pieces. Thinly slice the onion and garlic (you can mince the garlic if you don't want large slices).
2. Place the vegetable broth, olive oil, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, onions, and garlic in a large pot. Break the fettuccine in half and add it to the pot along with the oregano, thyme, and some freshly cracked pepper. Push the ingredients down under the broth as much as possible. Place a lid on the pot and bring it up to a rolling boil over high heat.
3. As soon as it reaches a boil, stir the pot to evenly distribute the ingredients and prevent the pasta from sticking. Turn the heat down to low so that the pot is just simmering. Allow the pot to simmer, with the lid on, for 10-15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Give the pot a stir every few minutes to prevent the pasta from sticking.
4. Once the pasta is cooked through, add the frozen spinach. Allow the heat from the pasta to thaw the spinach. Stir the pot to help break up the clumps of spinach as they melt. Serve hot.

Notes

If you use low sodium vegetable broth, you may want to season with a little salt at the end. Sometimes just a pinch of salt will help pronounce the flavors and prevent a bland finish.

Sweet & Sour Sauce

Below is a list of sweet and sour sauce I've tried that can be used for pork, chicken or fish.

Sweet and Sour Sauce (with pineapple chunks)

1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup pineapple juice 
1 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

Combine the rice vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, pineapple juice, cornstarch slurry, and soy sauce in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce begins to gently boil. It will darken in color and become thick. Immediately reduce heat to simmer and keep warm.

Sweet and Sour Sauce (without pineapple)
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp sake (I didn't have sake so I used rice wine)
1 tbsp light-colored (usukuchi) soy sauce or 2 tsp regular soy sauce + 1 tsp salt

In a small pan, combine sauce ingredients, except sesame oil. Add all the vegetables and bring to boil until carrot softens. Stir in the dissolved potato starch and remove from heat as soon as the mixture thickens and glazes.

Sweet and Sour Sauce (with honey)
1-1/2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons vinegar
1-1/4 cups vegetable stock or water (i used the pineapple juice from the tidbits + water)
1-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

Combine honey, vinegar and 1 cup of the vegetable stock, and add to vegetables along with tofu. Bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes to heat tofu thoroughly.

Chili Mac

This recipe from Cooking Light is easy and delicious.

Talk about old-school comfort: This is a hearty, filling, family-friendly classic. Slightly undercook the pasta to ensure it doesn't end up too mushy. Reduce the amount of ground red pepper for sensitive palates, or crank it up for hotheads. You can brighten the look with a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

• 12 ounces uncooked rotini, spiral macaroni, or wagon wheel pasta
• 2 cups canned red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
• 1 pound cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
• 20 ounces ground turkey breast (I used chipotle veggie sausage)
• 2 cups chopped green bell pepper
• 4 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 to 1 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 4 cups lower-sodium marinara sauce
• Cooking spray
• 4 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup) 

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. 2. Cook pasta in boiling water until almost al dente. Drain. Combine pasta and beans in a large bowl.
3. 3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, garlic, and mushrooms to pan; cook 11 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Add turkey; cook 5 minutes or until done, stirring to crumble. Add bell pepper and next 7 ingredients (through red pepper); cook 1 minute. Stir in marinara sauce; bring to a boil. Add marinara mixture to pasta mixture; toss to coat. Divide mixture evenly between 2 (2-quart) glass baking dishes coated with cooking spray. Top evenly with cheese. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until cheese melts, or follow freezing instructions.
4. TO FREEZE: Spoon half of unbaked mixture into a 2-quart glass baking dish (such as a Ziploc VersaGlass large square container). Cover with lid; freeze up to 2 months.
5. TO THAW: Remove lid; place casserole in microwave. Microwave at 30% power 30 to 40 minutes (or on defrost setting for 3.75 pounds).
6. TO REHEAT: Cover casserole with foil; bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in center registers 160°.

Deb Wise, Cooking Light 
MARCH 2014

Italian Wonderpot

Try this soon from Budget Bytes.

Author: Inspired by Apron Strings

Total Cost: $6.52

Cost Per Serving: $1.09

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 4 cups vegetable broth $0.52
• 2 Tbsp olive oil $0.32
• 12 oz. fettuccine $1.33
• 8 oz. frozen chopped spinach $0.79
• 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes $1.73
• 1 medium onion $0.43
• 4 cloves garlic $0.32
• ½ Tbsp dried basil $0.07
• ½ Tbsp dried oregano $0.07
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes $0.02
• freshly cracked pepper to taste $0.05
• 2 oz. feta cheese $0.87

Instructions

1. Add four cups of vegetable broth to a large pot. Break the fettuccine in half to make stirring easier later, and then add it to the pot. Also add the canned tomatoes (undrained), olive oil, frozen spinach, onion (thinly sliced), garlic (thinly sliced), basil, oregano, red pepper, and some freshly cracked black pepper.
2. Make sure the ingredients are submerged under the liquid, place a lid on top of the pot, and then turn the heat on to high. Allow the pot to come up to a full, rolling boil over high heat then remove the lid and turn the heat down to medium.
3. Allow the pot to continue to boil over medium heat, without a lid, for 10-15 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir the pot every few minutes as it cooks to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom, but avoid over stirring which can cause the pasta to become sticky and mushy. The pot must be boiling the entire time.
4. After the pasta is cooked, crumble the feta cheese over top and serve.

Vietnamese Caramel Pork

From Cooking Light. This is a good, easy to make recipe. I did not have cabbage and peanuts but it was still good.

Instead of making caramel from scratch, we use brown sugar, which is much quicker.

• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
• 1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces $$
• 1 cup chopped onion $
• 1 cup chopped carrot $
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 cup unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson)
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon lower-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 (8.8-ounce) package precooked white rice
• 1 cup thinly sliced napa (Chinese) cabbage
• 1/4 cup chopped unsalted roasted peanuts $
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves $
• 4 lime wedges

Preparation

1. 1. Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add pork; stir-fry 6 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove pork from pan. Add onion, carrot, ginger, and garlic to pan; stir-fry 2 minutes. Combine stock and next 6 ingredients (through red pepper) in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add stock mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 4 minutes or until sauce is thick and bubbly. Return pork to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring to coat.
2. 2. Spoon 1/2 cup rice onto each of 4 plates; top each serving with 3/4 cup pork mixture and 1/4 cup cabbage. Sprinkle each serving with 1 tablespoon peanuts and 1 tablespoon cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.