Menu Monday (1) Lou's Lemon & Tomato Pasta

Art is my passion, but not my only passion. I also love to cook. Over the years I've taken many cooking classes and experimented on my own in the kitchen. With this in mind, I thought adding Menu Monday to my blog would be a fun idea. On every Monday, I plan to share a receipe or my menu plan for the up-coming week. So for my first entry: Lou's Lemon and Tomato Pasta. My brother Louie shared this with me a couple of weeks ago and I thought tonight would be a good time to try it. It was a busy day today and I needed to make something quick and easy which this was, along with being very YUMMO! Lou's receipe called for fresh tomates, which I'm sure it would be even better, but using ingredients on hand in the pantry for a quick meal is always appealing to me.



Lou's Lemon and Tomato Pasta
(serves 2)
1/2 lb. whole wheat pasta
1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes
1 lemon (zest removed and juice squeezed)
6 leaves of basil chopped
crushed red pepper to taste
salt/pepper to taste
1 tblsp olive oil
Italian Cheese for topping

cook pasta and drain
in pasta pot add olive, heat till hot
add tomates, lemon zest and juice add salt/pepper &
/red pepper to taste, stir to mix
add pasta to mixture, stirring to combine all ingredienta,

Plate garnish with basil and Italian Cheese.
ENJOY!



The Lemon in this receipe brings to mind a YUMMO soup receipe I must share with you.


Moroccan Beef Soup
(serves 6)


Ingredients:
2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 ¼ lbs. beef chuck, trimmed and cut into ¾” cubes
2 tsp. salt, divided, plus more to taste
½ tsp. ground black pepper, divided, pus more to taste
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. paprika
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. grounded ginger
6 cups beef or chicken broth
2 (15oz.) cans garbanzo beans, drained
½ cup spaghetti, broken into 1” pieces
1 large lemon, cut into 6 wedges

1. Heat 1 tsp. oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add beef, 1 tsp. salt, and
¼ tsp. pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until no juices remain and meat is browned, about 10mins.
2. Add remaining 1 tbsp. oil, garlic, carrot, onion, and ½ tsp. salt and cook until vegetables are
softened. 6 to 8 min. Stir in cumin, paprika, cinnamon, and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, 1
minute. Add broth and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover,
add simmer until beef is just tender: skim off and discard any foam on surface while cooking, if needed.
3. Add garbanzo beans, spaghetti, ½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper and continue to cook until spaghetti is al
dente, 10 to 15 minutes more.
4. To serve: Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and serve with lemon slice (squeeze
lemon over top before eating).


Freeze for up to 8 weeks.
Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 ½ hours


If you try either of these receipes, please let me know what you think.