Dom and I Have Been Celebrating NATIONAL PASTA MONTH

Dominic and I have gotten "hooked" on Explore Cuisine pasta.

I whipped up the following recipes in the last 2 weeks.  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this stuff!

These yummy products are made from organic beans, lentils and peas.  Explore Cuisine products are vegan, gluten-free and loaded with plant-based protein, iron, and fiber.

Dairy-Free Pesto Pasta

INGREDIENTS

Pesto

2 cloves garlic

2 cups tightly packed fresh basil

1 cup cashews (soaked overnight, or at least 4 hours, and drained)*

1/4 tsp pink salt

1/3 cup olive oil (or more, depending on the consistency you want)

1-2 cups of baby spinach or mesclun greens (optional)

Pasta

1 package Explore Cuisine Brown Rice Fusilli

1-2 cups frozen peas

FOR THE PASTA

Bring water to a boil, then add in Explore Cuisine Brown Rice Fusilli. Cook for 8-9 minutes.  About 4-5 minutes before the pasta is done cooking, add in the frozen peas to cook at the same time. Then, drain pasta and peas and put in a bowl.

FOR THE PESTO

Put garlic in Vitamix, blender, or food processor and pulse until chopped. Next add basil, and pulse again until it is broken down into small pieces. Add cashews and salt, and process on low (1-2 on a Vitamix) so that the cashews are broken into tiny pieces, but still maintain a little texture. If using cashews that haven't been soaked, you may want to process on a higher level to get a creamier consistency. Finally, with the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil until completely combined. Spoon the pesto over the pasta and peas, and mix well before serving. Add salt and pepper as needed to taste.

Vegetarian Lemon Pasta Primavera

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz. Explore Cuisine Edamame & Mung Bean Fettuccine

2 T oil

1 c diced onion

1 c yellow bell pepper, diced

1 c diced carrots (about 22 baby carrots)

1 c zucchini, diced

2 c mushrooms, diced

½ c fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

1 t lemon zest

1/3 c heavy whipping cream

1/3 c half and half

1/3 c vegetable broth

½ c fresh parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the oil.

Add in onions, bell pepper and carrots. Sauté until almost soft.

Add in zucchini and mushrooms, sauté until soft. Remove from heat and add in lemon zest.

Prepare Explore Cuisine Edamame & Mung Bean Fettuccine per the directions on the box, drain and set aside.

In a pot bring to a boil the lemon juice, whipping cream, half and half and vegetable broth.

Once boiling, let boil for 1 minute. Then remove from heat and stir in cheese.

Gently combine vegetables, pasta and sauce, toss to mix. Garnish with parsley if you wish.

Season with salt and pepper and ENJOY!

Gang...  Both of these dishes were AMAZING.  I'll be making them again.

 

175 Best Air Fryer Recipes... A Gorgeous Cookbook

The publisher of this beauty was kind enough to send me a copy of this cookbook.

I am OBSESSED with Air Frying.  Luckily, Dom loves it, too!

This is a large 7x10" glossy paperback.  288 pages with full-color glossy photos.

Air-frying food is an innovative method of cooking that is incredibly healthy because although it produces crispy and tasty results, it uses very little oil. Enjoy the taste and textures of fried foods without the calories! And although they are called air fryers, they also roast and bake, making them an ingenious and indispensable kitchen appliance.

Camilla brings her extensive recipe development skills to this cookbook and has created recipes exclusively designed and guaranteed to perform in an air fryer. There are recipes for every meal of the day and she hasn't forgotten to devote an entire chapter to all-time fried favorites.

Sample recipes from The Top 20 Fried Favorites section:

*Classic French Fries, Jalapeno Poppers, Beer Battered Fried Fish, Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Coconut Fried Shrimp, Potstickers, Old-Fashioned Cake Donuts

Breakfast and Brunch

*French Toast Roll-Ups, Irish Oat Scones, Cheese and Cherry Danish, Banana Bread, Crispy Hash Browns, Perfect Granola, French Bacon and Egg Puffs

Appetizers and Snacks

*Macaroni and Cheese Bites, Fried Onion Dip, Light-As-Air-Fried Parmesan Puffs, Bacon-Wrapped Dates, Fried Dill Pickle Bites, No-Kettle Potato Chips

Entrees

*Walnut and Rosemary Fried Chicken Breasts, Beef Empanadas, Fried Oysters, Teriyaki-Glazed Salmon, Beer Batter Shrimp, Italian Sausage and Peppers

Vegetables and Sides

*Rustic Home Fries, Rosemary Parsnip Fries, Crispy Tuscan Artichokes, Fried Green Tomato Sliders, Fried Chickpea Polenta, Zucchini Feta Fritters

Desserts

*Apple Fritters, Flourless Chocolate Fudge Cake, Bananas Foster, Peach Crumble, Fried Oreos, Salted Caramel Corn, Cherry Hand Pies.

Camilla also offers up expert advice on an air fryer pantry list, what to look for when buying an air fryer and best practices and guidelines for success making this the definitive cookbook for air frying.

Between this publication and Camilla's 5-Ingredient Air Fryer Recipes I'll be BUSY in the kitchen.  Many thanks to Robert Rose Publishing!

Order your copy here:

Link to Order

Mexico Beach Destruction from Hurricane Michael.

Mexico Beach is a lovely, quiet little town just EAST of PCB.  This is where Michael made landfall.  The town is practically GONE. 

Hurricane Michael's Destruction Photos in my Beloved PCB and Panama City

Hey, gang-

Things were very nerve-wracking here yesterday.  Dom and I were safe and sound at our home in rural Mississippi.  I did my 2 hours of volunteer work in the morning, then we rushed home to stay glued to the Weather Channel.

Apparently, our Majestic Beach Resort dodged the bullet.  Not much damage.  No problems with any of the condos.  We did lose a huge a/c unit that blew off of the roof on the 23rd floor.

Things are chaotic.  They're not allowing anybody into town... which is understandable.

Here are some pictures:

I am in AIR FRYER HEAVEN- Thanks to this New Cookbook!

Hi gang-

The publisher at Robert Rose follows this blog.  He saw that I'm hooked on air-frying, so he sent me this cookbook.

With easy recipes with only 5 ingredients, it gives me the confidence to experiment...  with fantastic results!

This is a glossy 288-page publication measuring 7x10.  Oodles of recipes and loaded with full-color photos.

It also includes some Gluten-Free and Vegan recipes.

This recipe, in particular, is a new favorite in the Manzo Household!

Life is filled with countless little pleasures - crispy, crunchy fried food is one of them.

Thanks to the invention of the home air fryer, which relies on hot air rather than hot oil to "fry" foods, you need not wait for weekend splurges or special occasions to savor this simple delight. You can enjoy fried foods anytime, with a fraction of the fat and calories and none of the messy cleanup left in the wake of traditional oil-fried foods.

But why stop there? What if your favorite fried foods (and so many more) could be made with a small number of familiar ingredients, minimal preparation and little time? If that sounds too good to be true, think again, because such recipes are yours for the making in 5-Ingredient Air Fryer Recipes.

All of the recipes in this collection require no more than five ingredients (excluding salt, pepper, water and cooking spray), and most can be fully prepared in just 15 to 20 minutes. Each recipe is unique, designed exclusively for the air fryer and downright delectable. The results are every bit as irresistible as higher-fat options - perhaps even more so. Moreover, each dish is delicious proof that a recipe needn't rely on expensive, hard-to-find ingredients and complicated steps to be excellent.

Whether you are a novice or a well-seasoned air-fry cook, you will find recipe after recipe that delivers impressive results, time and again. This collection will inspire you to head to the kitchen to let the air-frying fun begin. The recipes will carry you through every type of occasion, from an impromptu party with friends to quick meals before and after work, as well as through every season of the year.

Get it HERE (Included with Amazon Prime!)

Have I Mentioned That Sadie Likes to Chew? (Everything in Sight)

Well...  Dom and I have been together for 35+ years.  It took him about 34 years to convince me to quit running around barefoot outside.

I finally broke down and got a super-comfortable pair of plastic "sandals" on the internet.

I wear them outside faithfully.

A couple of days ago I left them outside...  YEP.

So...  I bought a new pair of cheap sandals at Walmart yesterday.  After all of these years (close to 10, maybe?) I'm going to have to retrain myself to living with a dog.  Especially a "puppy".

Yeah...  We're still CRAZY ABOUT HER!