Quick and Easy Italian Dinner for 2

For this quick and easy dinner you will need the following

Main Dish

1 bag of frozen or fresh tortellini (your choice of filling)
1 Jar of marinara (again your preference)

Follow instructions on package of pasta. Drain pasta. Stir in heated marinara sauce.

Side Dish

1 to 2 Zucchini
Prosciutto (optional)
Onion
Olive oil
1/2 lb Tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste

Trim off the ends of the Zucchini, and cut them into rounds about 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle them with salt and put them in a colander for an hour, to give the salt time to draw moisture from the slices. If you're strapped for time you can omit this step.

Cut an abundant 6 ounces of medium-sliced prosciutto into thin strips and sauté it in some oil in a pot with a finely sliced onion. As soon as the onion is a light golden brown, add 1 pound of blanched, peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes, add the zucchini, and finish cooking everything over a brisk flame, stirring every now and again. Should the pot begin to dry out add a few tablespoons of water or broth. The zucchini should be cooked but not falling apart, while the sauce should be fairly thick. When they're done check seasoning, adding some pepper if need be, as well as freshly minced parsley and basil to taste. This works equally well as a vegetarian main dish or a vegetable.

How to blanch/peel a tomato

http://www.christonium.com/culinaryreview/ItemID=11930973656349

Soft Whole Wheat Bread Recipe-Finally!

We finally found a recipe for Whole Wheat Bread that produced a loaf that was not so dense you had to have a gallon of water to wash down the bite.

We purchased a bread maker not that long ago and have been trying to obtain that soft light loaf of whole wheat bread ever since.

Thanks to Linhart Live Blog for the recipe.

Ingredients:
1 and 1/4 cup warm water
1 tbs butter
1 tbs white vinegar (this helps the yeast make big bubbles which makes the bread chewy)
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup potato flakes (this helps make the bread soft and the dough rise)
1/4 cup dry instant milk powder (another softener)
1/4 cup honey OR 1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
2 and 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour (white whole wheat is simply softer)
1 tbs dry active yeast

Directions:
Place the ingredients into your bread machine in the order listed above. Set it for a 2lb loaf on the whole wheat cycle with "light" crust. While the bread machine is in the kneading cycle make sure it is incorporating all the ingredients. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula if needed. At the beginning of the final rise cycle take the dough out and pat into a smooth ball. This will give you a smooth and pretty crust.

(We have baked this loaf in the bread maker and the oven. The oven gives you a softer less dense loaf by a mile. 350 F for 20-25 minutes. )

As soon as the bread is done baking remove it from the machine or oven and let it cool inside a ziploc bag or air tight container or wrap it in a towel for about 1 hour. This will make all the steam absorb back into the bread making it soft and chewy.

Calories 116.7
Protein 4.07 g
Total Fat 1.31 g
Dietary Fiber 3.12 g

Trying to live the sustainable life

Over the last several months we have made the switch to primarily organic foods. Tim and I feel better about what we are putting into our bodies, and feel better about the impact we a leaving on this earth.

Since the summer season brings so much tasty fresh veggies and fruits, we have been trying to supplement our groceries with food from the farmers markets, and our garden.

We raised a very small garden this year. We wanted to see what we could get to grow. To our amazement, the garden is thriving with a few exceptions. We have a completely organic garden. We have used worm poop liquid fertilizer and chemical free alternatives to deal with pests. We also have a compost bin going so we will have our own organic fertilizer for next planting season.

We have about 30+ tomatoes ripening as we speak. Zucchini, banana peppers, broccoli, cabbage, bell pepper, basil, and parsley.

We just ate our first zucchini tonight with dinner. There is an amazing amount of satisfaction in eating something that you grew yourself.

Since our garden is small and limited variety, we have supplemented the remaining produce with food from the farmers market. We have been purchasing extras to freeze for the winter.

We have also been baking our own bread. It is difficult to find bread that does not contain high fructose corn syrup and other additives that are terrible for you. We have found options that cost around $4-$5 per loaf.

We thought it would be a great idea to have bread that does not compromise our new lifestyle but will also not break the bank.

Most realize that unfortunately it tends to be more costly to eat organic and live a "green" life. Well it can be difficult, but you have to find ways to save money, while still giving your family only the best natural ingredients, chemical free cosmetics and household products and protecting the earth we all live on.

We have changed all of our cosmetics and personal care items to safe chemical free alternatives. My one vice is my deoderant and hairspray. There is not really a comparable hairspray that does what I like for my hair, and the deoderants leave much to be desired. So, for now these two will be my biggest eco sins.

Tim and I really do view our lifestyle change as two fold. We are bettering ourselves and helping to better the planet.

I am a believer in the adage that every little bit helps. So, that is what we do everyday. Something, anything to make our lives better and hopefully make the environment better as well.

I will start to post some of the best recipes we have found recently for anyone who is interested.

The picture above is of our early garden. A picture of the jungle it has become is soon to follow.