snap pea pasta

Too many snap peas in the garden, everything is better with pasta!

Ingredients

• Butter with Olive Oil & Sea Salt
• Sugar Snap Peas
• Garlic Cloves
• Shallot
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Salt & Pepper
• Pecorino Romano Cheese
• Lemon
• Casarecce Pasta

Instructions 

Melt the butter/oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the snap peas, garlic, shallot and red pepper flakes; sauté for 4-5 minutes. Once the garlic is fragrant and the snap peas are lightly sautéed turn off the heat and add the cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper.

freeze snow peas

 My snow peas hit hard, finally.  Lots of fresh eating and sharing, and I wanted to freeze some for later.  For deep in dark winter when I want to remember what spring tastes like.  

Because I want to store them for awhile, I blanched first (which I don't always do).  Recording here so I remember times. 

- Clean and remove blossom end

- Blanch 1.5 minutes  

- put into ice water for 2 minutes

- lay out to dry

- pop into freezer bags, label with date

- into freezer they go!

baked ziti with turkey sausage

Baked Ziti with Turkey Sausage

8 PPV (Weight Watchers Points Plus Value)

Ingredients

	3/4 pound(s) uncooked turkey sausage(s), spicy-variety, casings removed (if using mild, add more seasoning including red pepper flakes)
	1 medium uncooked onion(s), chopped
	1 medium green pepper(s), chopped
	28 oz canned diced tomatoes
	10 oz frozen green peas, thawed
	2 Tbsp canned tomato paste
	1 tsp dried oregano
	1 tsp dried basil
	1/2 tsp dried thyme
	1/2 tsp fennel seed
	1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste
	1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
	12 oz uncooked whole-wheat pasta, ziti, cooked according to package directions (or probably any similar pasta shape - I used penne)
	6 oz shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Instructions

• Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.
  
• Crumble the sausage meat into a large saucepan and brown over medium heat, stirring often, about 4 minutes.
  
• Drain off any fat, then add the onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes.
  
• Stir in the tomatoes, peas, tomato paste, oregano, basil, thyme, fennel seeds, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and cook uncovered 5 minutes, stirring often.
  
• Stir in the cooked pasta and half the cheese. Spread evenly into a 9- X 13-inch baking pan. Top evenly with the remaining cheese.
  
• Bake until the cheese has melted and the casserole is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes at room temperature before slicing into 8 pieces. Yields 1 piece per serving. 

***
I'm surprised to say - this even freezes and reheats well!  It's very satisfying, especially with a salad.  I'm not a huge pasta fan (anymore), but this satisfies the rare cravings. I thought the peas would be weird and unnecessary increase in PPV, but they work really well with the dish.

Russian-style beet potato salad

From Laurel's kitchen

2 (or so) medium beets, boiled and then skinned and diced
2 (or so) potatoes, chopped and boiled
1/2 c peas

Cook and chill all.

Then add sauce:
1-2 T mayonnaise
4-6 T yogurt
1-2 T vinegar
salt & pepper & sugar to taste
fresh dill if you have it
****
This craves my root vegetable cravings! I flash back to memories in Russia, where this was common summer fare. I like to let it sit for a bit before consuming to let the flavors meld.

It makes a very pretty pink salad that is oh so tasty!

taste of Argentian summer tuna cold casserole

My Argentinian friends made this for me once and it very much hit the spot. It's a great, simple, satisfying lunch. They say it takes like summer to them because everybody eats it on picnics.

*cooked rice (I usually make it with about 2 cups of uncooked rice)
*tuna (I put in about a can per 1 cup uncooked rice)
*green onions (1-2 per cup rice)
*mayonnaise (maybe a Tablespoon per cup rice - until the rice sticks together; sometimes I have to add more the next day - depends on the rice quality I guess)
*peas (frozen works great)

Cook the rice; I don't think it matters if it cools down all the way. Mix it all together. I add peas last so I can gauge how much I want in there.

Mix it all up and put it in the fridge. He put it in a bundt pan and chilled all day, which was a nice shape and cut nicely for servings. I put it in a casserole dish.

I especially like it served with fruit, such as grapes or cantaloupe.