Mediterranean Penne with Sausage

Ingredients

·         2 red bell peppers, chopped

·         1 small bulb fennel, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced

·         1 large onion, chopped

·         1 small eggplant, peeled and cut into small chunks

·         1 clove garlic, minced

·         3/4lb Italian-style turkey sausage, casings removed

·         1 jar (25.5 oz)pasta sauce (any flavor)

·         2 cups water

·         2 teaspoons fennel seeds, crushed

·         ½ teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes 

      8oz penne pasta

 Directions

1. Coat large skillet with cooking spray. Add bell peppers, fennel bulb (made without bulb and added more seeds which worked fine), onion, eggplant, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, over medium heat 5 minutes, or until fennel starts to soften. Add sausage. Cook, breaking up sausage with back of spoon, 3 minutes, or until no longer pink.

2. Add pasta sauce, water, fennel seeds, and red-pepper flakes. Stir to mix. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook 20 to 25 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Place pasta in serving bowl. Top with sauce. Add up to 1/2 cup of reserved cooking water, if needed, for sauce to coat pasta.

Serves approx 6

Orzo Salad with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Feta

I've made this salad frequently because, strangely enough, I have boxes and boxes of orzo in my pantry. One time, I made the mistake of complaining to my mother that I couldn't find orzo at my local grocery store. Ever since then, every care package from home contains at least one box of orzo, even though I told my mom that my grocery store actually carries orzo now. No matter- it is her mission to make sure her daughter is well-prepared in case of an emergency orzo shortage.

I didn't really use a recipe for this Fourth of July salad- every time I make it I add a little more of something I like and a little less of something else. The below is just some rough estimates, so adjust however you'd like!

Ingredients:

1 Box of orzo
1/3 Jar of Sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
Half of a large red onion
1 Clove of garlic
Juice from 1 lemon
Handful of shredded carrots or handful of frozen peas and carrots
At least 1 cup of crumbled feta cheese
Half a bunch of green onions
Salt and pepper


I started out by caramelizing the red onion with chopped garlic, using some of the olive oil from the packed tomatoes. Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly, for about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the orzo according to the directions on the box. Chop the tomatoes into bite sized pieces, and add them, and the onions with garlic to the orzo. Dress with a few more tablespoons of olive oil from the packed tomatoes. Add the peas and carrots and lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Once the salad is cool, add the cheese and snip the green onions on top to garnish.

And that's it! I've also made it with roasted vegetables- chopped, roasted asparagus is a great addition, and so are oven-roasted bell peppers. It serves about 6-8 people as a side.