79. Pasta with Shrimp and a Tomato Cream Sauce

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (12 ounce) package bow tie pasta (I used wheat linguine)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled (Instead, I made this with jumbo peeled shrimp) 
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (28 ounce) can Italian-style plum tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped (I used some tomato paste, sauce, and home cooked tomatoes)
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream (I used milk)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 
  
• DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.
2. Heat oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Cook sausage (shrimp) and pepper flakes until sausage is evenly brown. Stir in onion and garlic, and cook until onion is tender. Stir in tomatoes, cream, and salt. Simmer until mixture thickens, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Stir cooked pasta into sauce, and heat through. Sprinkle with parsley.

78. Bacalaito (Puerto Rican Fried Salted Codfish)

INGREDIENTS (Makes approximately 30, I cut this recipe in a quarter)

1 pound Goya salted codfish (bacalao) You can use frozen tilapia fillets like I did
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp Goya Adobo Seasoning with pepper 2 tsp extra if you are using the tilapia
2 cups water
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp fresh cilantro
Oil for frying

DIRECTIONS
1. Soak fish in cold water for three hours or overnight in refrigerator.
2. Drain; rinse with cold water several times
3. In a saucepan, cover codfish with water, bring to a boil and simmer for 1 minute. For tilapia, thaw and boil for about 15 minutes or until cooked.  Shred apart with fork and mix in a generous amount (about 2 teaspoons of adobo) in order to make salty like cod. 
4. Cool, remove skin and bones.  Shred the fish.  In bowl, make a batter by whisking together the flour, baking powder, adobo, and water.  When smooth, mix in the garlic, cilantro, and fish.
5. In a skillet, heat 1/4 inch of oil on medium heat.  Drop the batter by spoonful into the hot oil and cook until golden brown.  Drain on paper towl.
*Note: I had to add a lot more adobo in order to make this like the salted cod, and using the Fry Daddy caused them to come out poofy rather than flat. 

77. African Sweet Potato and Peanut Soup

INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root (I left out)
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground cloves
3 medium tomatoes, chopped (didn't have)
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 carrot peeled and chopped (didn't have)
4 1/2 cups water
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup chopped, dry-roasted peanuts (didn't have)
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro (I used dried)

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Mix in the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir in the tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrot, and continue to cook and stir about 5 minutes.
2. Pour water into the saucepan, and season the mixture with salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.
3. Remove the soup mixture from heat. In a food processor or blender, blend the soup and peanuts until almost smooth. Season with cayenne pepper. Return to the saucepan. Whisk in the peanut butter, and cook until heated through. Serve warm topped with fresh cilantro.

76. Allspice Green Beans

INGREDIENTS
1/4 lb green beans (I used italian cut)
1 small clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/8 cup water
1 teaspoon ground allspice
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat.  Cook and stir garlic until lightly browned.  Mix in green beans and water and bring to a boil.  Stir in allspice, salt, and pepper.  Cover and simmer until beans are soft.

75. Vegetarian Lentil Meatloaf - Revised

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups French green lentils
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup shredded carrot
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup crushed flax seed
• 2/3 cup egg whites
• 1 (6.5 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons worchestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons mustard
• salt to and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Measure the lentils into a saucepan and fill with enough water to cover them by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 45 minutes. Check occasionally and add more water if needed. Drain and set aside to cool.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan.
3. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the onion, carrot, bell pepper and wheat germ. Pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl. Put the lentils into the food processor and process into a paste. Spoon the lentils into the bowl with the vegetables and mix in the rice, bread crumbs, flax seed, egg whites, tomato sauce, ketchup, worchestershire sauce, mustard, and olive oil. Season with thyme, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt. Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf pan.
4. Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until heated through and browned on the top. Cool slightly before slicing and serving.

74. Roasted Ratatouille Cups

INGREDIENTS:
1 small eggplant, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1/2 acorn squash, seeded, peeled and diced
1/2 medium onion, chopped
4 Roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 (2 ct) pkg refrigerated pie crusts
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup light sour cream
fresh thyme sprigs

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  For the ratatouille, in a large bowl combine eggplant, zucchini, squash, onion, tomatoes, and garlic.  Drizzle with oil, add thyme, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss to combine.  Place on a baking sheet.  Roast 20 minutes or until vegetables are roasted and softened.  Remove from oven and let cool.
2. Meanwhile, for the cups, roll out pie crusts.  Using a 4-inch biscuit cutter, cut dough into 12 rounds.  Coat 1 or 2 standard muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray.  Fit 1 dough round into each cup.  Place muffin tins in oven and bake 10 minutes or until crusts are golden brown.  Remove tins from oven and let cool.
3. In a small bowl combine vinegar and sour cream.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and a dash of thyme and set aside.
4. Remove crusts from tins and place on a serving platter.  Fill each crust with ratatouille.  Top with sour cream mixture and a fresh thyme sprig and serve.

73. Artichoke, Potato and Mushroom Hash

INGREDIENTS
2 lemons, juiced
8 baby artichokes
2 medium potates, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cups sliced button mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1 tbsp. capers (optional)

DIRECTIONS
1. Fill a large bowl with cold water, add lemon juice' set aside. Snap off the outer leaves of the artichokes until reaching the pale yellow leaves.  Using a small knife, cut off the stem and any dark leaves.  Cut off the top; place artichokes in bowl; set aside.
2. Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water.  Place over high heat and bring to boiling; cook 2 to 4 minutes.  Drain, set aside.
3. In the same pot bring 4 cups salted water to boiling.  Drain artichokes and add to pot.  Cook 15 minutes or until the stem and end is fork-tender.  Drain; let cool slightly.  Cut into quarters.
4. In a large skillet heat butter and oil over medium-high heat.  Add onion; saute 5 minutes.  Add mushrooms; saute 5 minuts.  Add potatoes, garlic, and artichokes; saute 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle with parsley and capers and serve.