Tuna, Pasta and Cheese Salad

Three-color pasta, cubed cheese, tuna, and roasted sweet peppers blend into a spunky salad that we enjoy over 2 suppers during hot summer days. This is an excellent salad that I’ve served with or without cashews since sometimes I forget those. Fresh basil is essential to this recipe and we just have some fancy fresh breads and butter with it.

15 min | 15 min prep (does not include chill time of 2-8 hours)

Serves 4

• 2 cups dried tri-colored fusilli or rotini pasta
• 3/4 cup cubed swiss cheese or cheddar cheese or provolone cheese
• 2/3 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup celery
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup creamy roasted garlic salad dressing or peppercorn ranch dressing
• 7 ounces chunk tuna in water, drained
• 1 (7 ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and coarsely chopped
• romaine lettuce leaf
• 1/3 cup roasted cashews

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
2. Rinse with cold water; drain again.
3. Transfer pasta to large bowl.
4. Stir in cheese, peas, celery and basil, tuna and peppers.
5. Pour salad dressing over pasta mixture; toss gently to combine.
6. Cover and chill for 2 – 8 hours.
7. To serve, stir in a few tablespoons additional salad dressing, if necessary, to moisten pasta mixture.
8. Arrange romaine leaves in salad bowl or on chilled dinner plates.
9. Top with pasta mixture.
10. Sprinkle with cashews.

Spinach & Feta Pasta

An all time favourite of ours and one I use often when needing a break from meat. It’s fast and easy to make and tastes wonderful. Some fresh crusty rolls for mopping up the juices is all that’s needed to finish this meal. I use a lot more of the red pepper flakes to add zing and probably more feta as well since it’s my favourite cheese. This a very filling dinner for those nights when we want to eat vegetarian and Ken requests this one frequently.

40 min | 25 min prep

SERVES 4 (or 2)

• 1 (8 ounce) package penne pasta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 cups chopped fresh plum tomatoes
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 2 cups spinach leaves, packed
• salt and pepper
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes
• 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente; drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add onion and garlic, and cook until golden brown. Mix in tomatoes, mushrooms, and spinach. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook 2 minutes more, until tomatoes are heated through and spinach is wilted.
3. Reduce heat to medium, stir in pasta and feta cheese, and cook until heated through.

Source: allrecipessuki

Old Fashion Macaroni & Cheese

I LOVE macaroni & cheese. This is my all time favorite recipe from a newspaper food section a very long time ago. It’s quick & easy and reheats the next day fabulously. I use it a lot for side dishes to pork chops or meat loaf. Ken doesn’t like macaroni & cheese normally but does like this one.

25 min | 15 min prep

Serves 4

• 8 ounces macaroni
• 1/2 lb strong cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 tablespoons butter
• paprika

1. Prepare macaroni per the package instructions.
2. Drain.
3. Place half the cooked macaroni in a buttered 6-cup microwave-safe baking dish.
4. Sprinkle with half the cheese, top with half the sour cream and dot with half the butter.
5. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
6. Sprinkle with paprika.
7. Cook uncovered on high in microwave for 8 – 10 mins.