Easy tortellini bake

Tortellini is currently one of my toddler's favorite foods, so we kicked up its health factor a notch tonight by cooking it with spinach and zucchini.

I realize this isn't very original, but it's so easy to make I wanted to share it. It's great for any busy weeknight, or when you don't feel like cooking. It's also a good way to use up vegetables.

Easy tortellini bake (serves 4)

about 5 cups of cooked tortellini

a large (25-1/2-ounce) jar of pasta sauce

10 ounces of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed to get rid of the water

1/2 zucchini, steamed and diced (you can also use carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms)

1/2 cup shredded mozarella

shaved parmesan, to garnish

1/8 teaspoon garlic granules

1.) Combine first five ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well using your hands.

2.) Spread into a casserole dish. Sprinkle with garlic granules.

3.) Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until heated through. Garnish with parmesan shavings.

How cool is this?

Kara and John, my sister- and brother-in-law, gave me this awesome gift: a variety pack of salts from Herbs & Spice and Everything Nice. I'm excited to do some research on how to use them. (Googling qualifies as "research," doesn't it?)

Upcoming recipe posts will include these, for sure.

Zucchini pancakes

Here is one of my favorite recipes from when I was little. I don't know exactly where it comes from, but I saw a Korean dish in a magazine once that was similar but had scallions.

You can serve these warm or cold, and they're even good as a sandwich with two pieces of crunchy whole-grain bread.

Zucchini pancakes (makes 10 small cakes)

2 cups shredded zucchini

1/2 a small yellow onion, shredded

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 tablespoons canola oil, divided

salt and pepper, to taste

1.) Combine zucchini, onion, egg, yolk, and flour in a mixing bowl, and stir well with a fork.

2.) Heat half the oil in a medium nonstick skillet on high.

3.) Drop heaping spoonfuls -- about 1/8 cup each, I'd say -- of the batter into the oil. (Make about 5 pancakes at a time, if you can.)

4.) Cook cakes for about 3 minutes a side, or until they are a medium golden brown. As the oil gets hotter with each skilletful of cakes, this time may decrease.

5.) Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel, and drain briefly before sprinkling with salt and pepper and keeping pancakes warm in the oven.

6.) Repeat with another round of cakes.

Cinnamon-walnut granola

I have been thinking about granola since the holiday season began. It's something I've always wanted to make as a gift for family. But, I ran out of time in 2008, and I didn't make any treats to give away.

Next year, I'll be making this granola and Jean's delicious turtles. I have to pat myself on the back here: This is really good granola! I think it's probably because it's so fresh. Who knows how long the store-bought kind have been out of the oven?

The basic granola recipe for this came from this month's Bon Appetit magazine. You can substitute any chopped dried fruit and nuts that you like. I'm sure it will taste scrumptious. I turned the magazine's concoction into my favorite flavor, cinnamon-walnut with golden raisins and dried apple.

This is one of those things that I will no longer buy, now that I know how to make it. That's always nice -- and thrifty! Plus, you know exactly what's in it.

Cinnamon-walnut granola (makes 5-6 cups)

3 cups old-fashioned oats

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

3 tablespoons oil, divided

2 egg whites from medium eggs

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup flaxseed meal

1/4 cup honey

salt

1 cup walnut bits and pieces

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup chopped dried apple

1.) Brush 1 tablespoon oil onto a rimmed baking sheet. Preheat oven to 350.

2.) In a large bowl, whisk egg whites, remaining oil, and sugar. Add oats, flaxseed, and salt, and toss well.

3.) Spread mixture onto baking sheet evenly. Bake for 15 minutes. Stir with metal spatula, then bake another 15 minutes.

4.) Sprinkle the dried fruit on top of granola, drizzle with honey, stir, and bake another 10 minutes.

5.) Stir again before scooping onto a cold surface -- a clean baking sheet will do -- to cool completely before storing in an air-tight container. It will keep for about a month.

Miso hungry!

Looking for a way to spruce up peas and carrots? If you like ginger, you should try this recipe. It's from an old issue of Eating Well.

I've happily just discovered that my toddler loves it as much as I do!

Miso-glazed peas and carrots (makes about 4 servings)

3 tablespoons miso (white, preferably)

1 tablespoon mirin

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

2 cups thinly sliced carrots, fresh or frozen

1/4 cup water

2 cups frozen peas

1.) Whisk together miso, mirin, vinegar, ginger, and oil in a small bowl.

2.) Put the carrots and water in a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Cover and cook, stirring now and then, until tender-crisp, 5-6 minutes.

3.) Stir in the miso and peas, and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the peas are heated through, and the sauce is thickened.

White bean & ham soup

Here is something Dan threw together last year, and it turned out so great, we made it again the other day. It's a good cold-weather dish. The first time we ate it, it had a ham bone in it, which was nice and salty. These ham shanks worked just as well -- the meat falls off the bones during cooking -- but you'll have to add a little salt while eating. (You can also just throw everything in a crock pot and let it cook on low all day.)

White bean & ham soup (serves about 8)

3 small cans of white beans

1 medium onion, chopped

3 medium carrots, chopped

2 small pork ham shanks, whole (about 1 pound)

4 celery stalks, chopped

2 bay leaves

dash of dried thyme

sprinkle of gumbo file

salt and white pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon canola oil

enough water to cover the ingredients during cooking

1.) Heat the oil in a soup pot, add the celery and onion, and let that cook on medium while you rinse and drain the white beans.

2.) Add the rest of the ingredients, except the gumbo file and salt. Add enough water to just barely cover the shanks, which stay whole. They will fall apart while cooking.

3.) Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer for 2 hours.

4.) Sprinkle with gumbo file, and continue to simmer, partially covered, for another half hour to an hour. The water should have cooked down some, and the soup should be slightly thickened when served.

This goes great with cornbread. We like to sprinkle the cornbread on top of our individual servings.

German red cabbage

Here is another typical German side dish. If only I had posted it a day earlier; apparently eating cabbage on New Year's Day brings prosperity!

If you want to give this a sweet-and-sour flavor, add a little vinegar at the end of the process.

Note: This dish freezes well.

Red cabbage (serves 4)

1 head of red cabbage, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons oil

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 apples, peeled and shredded

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper, to taste

1.) Heat oil on medium heat and saute the onion in it until soft. Stir often.

2.) Add the apple, cabbage and bay leaf.

3.) Add salt and pepper. Turn heat to low.

4.) Add water if needed; the ingredients should not be sticking to the bottom of the pot. Keep cooking on low heat.

5.) If you want this sweeter, add more apple. If you want a little sour in it, add the vinegar here.