you can't go wrong with pasta salad. this one is simple and quick to make. i used tri-color vegetable spiral pasta. i added some black olives and used pre-packages mozarella. tastes good. best after leaving in the fridge for a couple hours -- even better overnight.

garden pasta salad
theredkitchen.net

11 ounces small sized pasta
3 cloves garlic
18 ounces red cherry tomatoes
1 cucumber
2 tablespoons fresh chives
1 handful spinach leaves [you could use basil, but it's much stronger]
7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
salt and pepper
fresh mozzarella

Boil pasta with cloves of galic, then drain pasta and set cloves of garlic to side. Place pasta in bowl.

Cut tomatoes and cucumber into small pieces and place in bowl with pasta. Chop up the herbs and spinach leaves and place in bowl.

Using a fork, mash the cooked garlic cloves with a pinch of salt, then add to salad.

Add oil, vinegar, mozzarella, and seasoning.

so, we've been trying to eat remotely healthy for the past few weeks. i needed a break from salad and fruit. this sandwich was pretty simple, didn't take too long and tasted pretty good. i used flank steak as opposed to sirloin steak (although, for all i know they're the same thing with different names!). i added green peppers instead of the mushrooms to the mixture. i'd suggest if you want your bread really toasted, to stick it under the broiler (or in the toaster if your using sliced bread) before you put the toppings on. then, put it under the broiler again as directed in the recipe.

i enjoyed a caloric meal for a change, but i couldn't help but cringe at the fact that i'd dumped a whole block of cream cheese in with the mixture (since i had a lot more meat to begin with). i have a lower fat recipe from weight watchers, i might have to try it out for comparision. anyway... good, filling sandwich.

philly cheese steak sandwich
all recipes

1 teaspoon butter
1/2 white onion, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
8 fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
6 ounces beef sirloin, thinly sliced
3/4 cup cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 French baguette, cut in half lengthwise
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the white and red onions, mushrooms, and garlic until tender. Remove from the pan, and set aside.

Place the sliced beef in the pan, and fry until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and stir in the cream cheese and Worcestershire sauce, cooking and stirring until the beef is well coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven's broiler. Place beef mixture onto bottom half of the baguette, then cover the beef with the onion mixture. Place Swiss cheese over the onion mixture. Place open sandwich under a hot broiler until the cheese is melted. Place top of baguette onto the toppings, and serve.

Yield: 4 servings

i made this one up as i went along... had a few different ingredients, so i threw them together for a relatively quick and filling dinner. i used pre-cooked, pre-peeled frozen shrimp. this would also be good with grilled/boiled chicken cut up into cubes. i got the dressing from a different recipe and added a few things -- which on its own was horribly tart but tossed with the salad, tasty. it makes a lot, so great for lunch the next day.

pasta salad toss

16 ounces bow-tie pasta, or any desired shape
30-40 pre-cooked frozen shrimp, thawed
2 slices prosciutto, crumbled
about 10 separated rings red onion, roughly cut
any other vegetables you want

dressing:
1 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
salt
2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
2 medium garlic cloves, minced

Mix together all dressing ingredients, adjust to your taste preference (ie: less spicy, reduce red pepper flakes to about 1/2 tablespoon). Set in refrigerator to chill while you prepare pasta. Cook pasta and add shrimp (after letting thaw). Can leave warm or let cool. Cook prosciutto until crisp. Crumble over pasta, add onions and any other additions you prefer. Coat with dressing and toss thoroughly.