"Crab" with Seasonal Veggies and Angel hair

I love working with imitation crab meat. The flavors in this dish are light and simple yet really delicious. I encourage anyone who is sceptical about imitation crab meat to give this dish a try. Last but not least, this dish is very beautiful on the plate. Dig in and enjoy.

Ingredients:
- 3 cups imitation crab meat
- 2 cups mixed veggies
- 1/3 pound angel hair pasta
- olive oil
- 1 lemon
- crushed red pepper
- garlic powder
- oregano
- salt
- pepper

To Make:
In a large pan, saute the crab in olive oil on medium high heat for about 6 minutes until it starts to get a nice sear. Season with salt, pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of oregano and garlic powder.

Add in the mixed veggies and some extra olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of oregano and garlic powder and 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes.

Note: I recommend seasoning in layers, that way the flavors really come together and you avoid over seasoning or under seasoning at the end.

Boil a pot of salted water and cook the angel hair pasta for 6-7 minutes or until al-dente.

Mix together and cook on medium heat for about 6-8 minutes, just until the veggies are tender. Add the angel hair pasta and mix one last time.

Serve immediately. Sprinkle lemon over each dish before serving.

"Leftover" Sauce

I guess it's an Italian thing because I'm a big believer in not throwing away ANY food (especially food that I've made) so when there are several leftovers around, I just combine them together into delicious creations like this, "leftover" sauce.

Ingredients:
You can either use a sauce that you've already prepared and add to it, or you can start from scratch with:

- 1 can diced tomatos
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1.5 cups water
- 1 small onion, diced
- 12 garlic cloves, chopped


Use leftovers from the following:
- 1/2 green pepper, diced use leftovers from Stuffed Peppers
- kidney beans use leftovers from Mexican Bean Soup
- pinch of feta cheese use leftovers from Feta, Basil and Lemon Pasta
- Peas/Carrots mix use leftovers from Pan Seared Tuna with Peas & Carrots

Season with:
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
- crushed red pepper
- oregano
- sugar
- salt
- pepper

To Make:

If you are starting from scratch, saute the onions and garlic in olive oil for 5 minutes on medium high heat or until tender.

In a food processor, pulse the diced tomatoes 3 times, 2 seconds each. Add into a saucepan with tomato paste and add 1.5 cups of water.

Add in the onions and garlic and all other ingredients. Add a teaspoon of the following: crushed red pepper flakes, oregano, basil, salt, pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Mix together.

Add 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and mix together. Cook on the stove for 20-30 minutes on low heat stirring frequently.

Serve with pasta and serve while hot.

ENJOY!

Florence Style - Ribollita Soup

When I lived in Florence, this soup quickly became my favorite thing to eat. It's a very traditional soup in Florence and it's available at almost every restaurant. This soup is tasty and yet still very healthy for you. I was really craving some soup last night and this turned out perfect!

Ingredients:
- 1 bag fresh spinach
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 large carrots, cubed
- 15 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 can canellini beans, washed and drained
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 8 cups of water
- 1/4 vegetable bullon cube
- 2 cups rice (minute rice)
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- olive oil
- dried oregano
- smoked paprika
- crushed red pepper flakes
- salt
- pepper

To Make:
In a large pot, add 1/4 cup of olive oil and being sauteing the onions, garlic and carrots on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add in the water and bullon cube. Bring to a boil and stir in the tomato paste until dissolved. Next add in the beans and rice. Let this cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes.

Add in the spinach and stir in the parmesan cheese. Season with 1 tablespoon of oregano, paprika and crushed red pepper flakes. Also season with salt and pepper.

Lastly, add in the bag of spinach and mix together. Let cook for another 10 minutes stirring frequently before serving.

Note: I used minute rice in this dish... if I would have used regular rice, it would need to cook for at least 0-30 minutes longer.

Sexy Chef- Breakfast Potatoes

I LOVE making fried potatoes in the morning. Potatoes are great because you can add in anything and it's going to taste good. My favorite way to make them though, is by just adding a few key ingredients and some heat... they are ALWAYS a crowd pleaser...

Ingredients:
- 4 large Idaho potatoes, peeled, washed and diced into 1 inch cubes
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper, minced
- olive oil
- 1/2 cup water
- crushed red pepper flakes
- garlic powder
- paprika
- salt
- pepper

To Make:
In a large skillet, drizzle the bottom liberally with olive oil and heat the pan. Add the potoatoes and onions and let them simmer on medium high heat for about 5 minutes. Do not stir. The potatoes and onions should begin getting caramalized and browned on the bottom.

Season with salt and pepper. Add in 1 teaspoon of the following, garlic powder, paprika and crushed red pepper. Add in the green peppers.

Add in 1/2 cup of water, cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Uncover, stir together and taste... add more salt and pepper if needed. If the potatoes are soft, they are ready. Cook until they are completely soft.

Serve immediatly.

Mexican Bean Soup

Once it starts getting colder outside, I really enjoy making warm, healthy (yet hearty) soups. I don't get crazy with needing "specific" ingredients... I usually just evaluate my fridge and pantry and use what I've got. This soup turned out to be a complete success!

Ingredients:- 1 can dark red kidney beans
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 10 garlic cloves, chopped
- Your choice of either 2 boca burgers, 1/2 pound ground turkey, beef or chicken)
(I used Boca burger for this dish)
- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
- olive oil
- water
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- salt
- pepper

To Make:

In a medium pot, saute the onions, garlic and peppers in olive oil until they are just about tender. Add your choice of meat. Season with salt and pepper. Add 2 cups of water and the tomato paste. Stir together well. Add a dash of salt and pepper.

Next, drain the top of the kidney beans and add them into the soup. Add another cup of water. Season with oregano and crushed red pepper to taste. Mix together and cover. Cook on medium high heat for 5 minutes, then reduce and continue cooking on medium low heat for another 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Taste the broth for seasoning... season more if needed.

In the meantime, boil 1 cup of rice according to the package. You can use minute rice or the regular kind. I prefer minute rice in this situation since this soup does not take long to cook.

Once the rice is complete, scoop some rice into a large soup bowl and top with soup.

Delicious, hearty, healthy and QUICK!

Sexy Stuffed Mushrooms

Even if your not a huge "mushroom fan" I would say that most people LOVE stuffed mushrooms... who wouldn't, especially when their stuffed with cheese, butter and meat?

I had a few leftover mushrooms so I decided to indulge my husband with these tasty treats. I'm sure you'll also enjoy. Best part is, these are very simple and quick to make.

Ingredients:
- 1 container of mushrooms (washed and patted dry)
- 3/4 cup feta cheese
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons of melted butter
- 4 pieces of bacon (you can use turkey bacon or deli ham)
- handful of fresh parsley, chopped
- crushed red pepper flakes
- salt
- pepper

To Make:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove stems of mushrooms and dice the stems into small pieces, place in mixing bowl.

Dice the bacon (or substitute) and add into bowl. Add the feta cheese and the Parmesan cheese. Add one 1/2 tablespoon of butter and the chopped parsley and mix together, seasoning with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes.

Next, brush the bottoms of the mushroom tops with butter and begin filling them with the mixture. Align the filled mushrooms on a baking tray.

Lastly, drizzle butter on the tops of each mushroom and bake for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and let the mushrooms cool for a few minutes so they set.

Serve shortly after.

Pan Seared Tuna

Tuna is probably my favorite fish... I just really enjoy the flavor, texture and variety that comes with tuna. However, when I'm making tuna for myself, I enjoy keeping it simple and quick. Since it's a little cold to be grilling outside, I took my tuna grilling indoors and prepared it in my "grilling pan." I must say, I really outdid myself this time... this tuna is PERFECT!

Ingredients:
- Tuna steaks, 4 ounces each
- 1/2 lemon
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper

To Make:

In a grilling pan, pour some olive oil in the center and heat the pan on the stove on medium high heat for about 3-4 minutes.

In the meantime, dress each tuna steak with a 2 teaspoons of soy sauce, a generous squeeze of half of a lemon and salt and pepper.

Gently place each tuna steak directly into the olive oil and saute on each side on medium high heat for 2.5 minutes each side. On the second flip, turn the stove off after 1.5 minutes and cover the tuna for the remaining minute.

Note: this will cook the tuna to medium rare. If you prefer a more "done" piece, then cook longer on each side.
Top with another squeeze of lemon and serve immediatly.

I served this with peas and carrots sauted in olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper.