Recipes

Thai Shrimp with Noodles - Chicken Spaghetti - Mediterranean Tilapia - Crispy Noodle Cake

Thai Shrimp with Noodles

By Jeanne Ambrose

Makes 4 servings

Got leftovers? Spaghetti noodles work well here, but any leftover pasta will do. You also can substitute whatever veggies you have on hand in place of the carrot, red sweet pepper, and snow peas, including zucchini, yellow squash, or green beans. You can replace the red pepper flakes with a splash of Tabasco sauce or a Thai Chile pepper. A jalapeno pepper will even do in a pinch. Replace the shrimp with cooked, chopped chicken, or deli-roasted chicken (remove skin and bones). Cooked pork works well in this dish too, or tofu. The point is, you can pretty much clean out your fridge and create this flavor-packed one-dish meal.

8-12 ounces fresh or frozen peeled, deveined, cooked medium shrimp

¼ cup Asian sesame salad dressing (Kraft) or sesame-ginger dressing (Paul Newman’s)

2 cups cooked (leftover) whole wheat or regular spaghetti noodles (3 to 4 oz. uncooked) cut in 2-inch strips if desired

1 carrot, chopped

½ of a red sweet pepper, chopped (or cut in thin strips)

2 green onions, sliced (3 tablespoons)

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 cup snow peas, blanched*, and drained (cut diagonally in half, if desired)

2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro

¼ cup chopped peanuts, optional

1. Thaw shrimp, if frozen; set aside.

2. In a large bowl toss warm pasta** with Asian dressing. Cool to room temperature.

3. Add carrot, sweet pepper, onions, and red pepper flakes to pasta. Toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 24 hours.***

4. Before serving, gently stir in snow peas and shrimp. Add Asian dressing, if noodles seem dry. Top with cilantro and peanuts.****

*To Blanch: Blanching is an easy technique to keep vegetables crisp and tender. By boiling vegetables briefly, chilling them in ice water, then reheating them slowly, blanching preserves texture, color and flavor.

**If using leftover pasta that has been refrigerated, reheat spaghetti and proceed as directed in Step 2. To reheat spaghetti, simply rinse pre-cooked spaghetti under hot water until warm. Capture water used to rinse the pasta and, once cooled, use it to water your plants. They’ll love the added nutrients.

***Be sure to store in a re-usable storage container, spare the plastic wrap.

****Peanuts will get soft and chewy if stored mixed into salad. Use as topping to retain crunch.

Chicken Spaghetti

by Erin Van Dorin, Flarah’s

4 cups cooked spaghetti (we used leftovers)

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts cooked and diced (approx. 16 oz.)*

1 stick of butter or margarine (4 oz.)

1 large package of fresh mushrooms, sliced (6 oz.)

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 yellow bell pepper, diced

1/2 yellow onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 can of cream of celery soup

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

½ can of chicken broth

1 8 oz carton of sour cream

4 cups of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

2 tsp. Salt and 1 tsp. Pepper or to taste

12 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled

Sauté mushrooms, peppers, onion, and garlic in melted butter, in a pan over medium heat until softened and cooked through. (onions should look transparent when ready) Set aside.

Combine both soups, sour cream, and chicken broth in a large mixing bowl. (Don’t forget to recycle the cans.)

To the same bowl, add your leftover spaghetti noodles, cooked veggies, and cheese. Combine well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place in an ungreased 9x13 baking dish and top with the crumbled bacon.**

Bake at 350 degrees uncovered until cooked through and bubbly. All ingredients are pre-cooked, so it simply needs warmed (oven times vary.) This is a great dish that can be divided and put into two 8x8 baking dishes, one can be covered and frozen for up to 3 months. You’ve then created 2 meals out of your original 1! Plus, you’ve saved water and energy by just boiling your noodles once! Be sure to use a re-usable glass container to store your dish, with a re-usable airtight lid. (Spare the disposable foil or plastic wrap.)

The great thing about this recipe is that it is a “dump-all” for things lurking in your refrigerator or cupboards. Don’t have 2 different kinds of soup? Use 2 cans cream of mushroom, or two cans cream of celery. Substitute Plain yogurt for sour cream if that’s what you have. Instead of the veggies Erin chose, use what you’ve got, or what’s in season at your local farmers market or store. Replace with celery, green pepper, carrots or even peas. Don’t stick those odds n ends in the bin…they’re good enough to eat…again!

*Erin cooks her chicken in chicken broth with some chopped onion for added flavor. A rotisserie chicken could also be used. Just pull the chicken from the bone and omit the bones and skin. Tofu could be substituted, or the chicken could be left out completely to accommodate a vegetarian dish.

**Omit the bacon if you wish to accommodate a vegetarian dish. You could replace it with breadcrumbs, French fried onions, or even crunched potato chips. You know, the ones at the bottom of the bag that usually get trashed? Stale, hardened bread normally headed to the trash works great for breadcrumbs. Just crumble, or process it in a food processor. Voila!

Mediterranean Tilapia with Crispy Noodle Cake

By Andrea Williams and Emily Gross, Taste! to Go

Ingredients

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

1 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped (if using dried, use 1 tsp)

1 Tbsp sundried tomatoes (optional)

½ cup green olives, chopped (kalamata would be a great substitution)

1 cup breadcrumbs*

4 (6-8 oz) tilapia filets (any fish could be substituted)

Sauce Ingredients

1 cup (leftover) marinara sauce.

1 cup chicken broth (vegetable broth or white wine could be substituted.)

1 tsp balsamic vinegar.

¼ cup kalamata olives (optional).

To make topping:

Combine garlic, mayo, Parmesan, basil, breadcrumbs, sundried tomatoes, and green olives.

To make sauce:

In baking dish, combine marinara, chicken broth, vinegar, and kalamata olives.

Lay Tilapia on top of sauce, spoon fish topping on tilapia filets and bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees, or until fish is cooked through. If substituting a different kind of fish, cook time will depend on the thickness of the fish.

Crispy Noodle Cake

4 eggs.

4 cups cooked & chilled (leftover) spaghetti or angel hair pasta**.

1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded.

3 Tbsp fresh-chopped basil (3 tsp if using dried).

4 Tbsp oil (2 tbsp for noodles- 2 tbsp for nonstick skillet).

Salt & Pepper to taste (approx. 2 tsp).

Combine all ingredients, reserve 2 tbsp of oil..

Heat nonstick 8” skillet and remaining 2 Tbsp of oil over medium heat..

Add noodle mixture to hot oil, and cook for 4 minutes..

Flip noodle cake and cook 4 minutes more. .

Once cooled, cut noodle cake into wedges (like a pizza) or use cookie cutters to make a shape..

To Serve:

Place tilapia on top of noodle cake & top with sauce..

*Make breadcrumbs by pulsing bread; even stale bread in the food processor. These can be frozen for later use in an airtight container..

**Recipe can be adjusted to accommodate amount of leftover noodles you have on hand. 1 cup of pasta to 1 egg. Any pasta can be used.