Old World Manicotti

This is a great basic recipe for manicotti. The great thing about this recipe is that you can fancy up any portion of it. We've done stuffing with chicken and cheese, we've done alfredo sauce, a half-and-half red/white sauce, and we've done it just as is.

Ingredients:

12 large manicotti shells

4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided into 1 & 3

2 cups ricotta cheese

6 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 2 tablespoons dried basil

1 (26-ounce) jar prepared spaghetti sauce, divided

½ cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray 13 x 9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; rinse with cool water. Let pasta dry on wax paper and pat with paper towels.
3. For filling, in medium bowl, stir together 3 cups mozzarella with the ricotta and fresh basil. Using a teaspoon (hands are better) carefully stuff pasta shells with prepared cheese mixture.
4. Spoon 2 cups spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dish. Arrange stuffed pasta over sauce. Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over top of pasta. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.
5. Bake manicotti for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the Parmesan; bake for 10 minutes longer. Serve immediately.

Notes:

• Prep time: 20 minutes                
• Cook time: 25 minutes   
• Serves 6

Fettuccine in Coconut Cream Sauce

Marketed as Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo, I was intrigued with this dish. I halved the recipe and it came out great. I also approximated the ratios due to a lack of all measuring utensils since the day before was Christmas and the dishwasher decided not to finish the load of dishes - including ALL the measuring cups & spoons.

I'll make this recipe again, at least for the kids and I.

Ingredients:
1 lb fettuccine noodles
1 can coconut milk
1/2 cup raw cashews
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp olive oil
dash of onion and garlic powder

Directions:

1. Cook fettuccine noodles according to package instructions. Drain.
2. Blend all remaining ingredients in Vitamix or other blender. Pour over the drained noodles.
3. Cook over medium heat until sauce thickens slightly.