Ingredients
1 pound cubed beef roast
1.5 cups carrots, cubed
1 large sweet potato, cubed
~18 oz crushed tomatoes
1 packet slow cooker mix for beef
1.5 cups water

Directions
Cook on high for 4 hours. Serve over buttery mashed potatoes.

Ingredients
1 lb lasagna noodles
1.5 lbs ground beef
1 T basil-garlic seasoning
2 T sun-dried tomato pesto
1 package frozen spinach, cooked & drained
2 cups ricotta cheese
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
12 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
16 oz heavy cream
1 jar spaghetti sauce

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Start large pot of water to boil for pasta. Cook noodles, drain and set aside to cool. Spray 9×13 and 8×8 Pyrex baking dishes with nonstick cooking spray. Brown beef in skillet with 1 t basil-garlic seasoning. When almost cooked through, add in pesto and spinach. (If your beef has released a significant amount of grease, drain first before adding in pesto and spinach.) Continue cooking until all moisture has evaporated. Then set aside to cool slightly. Meanwhile, in a glass bowl combine ricotta, 1 t basil-garlic seasoning, parmesan cheese, and 2/3 cup of the shredded mozzarella. Fold in beef-spinach mixture and add salt to taste. Add cream, a pinch of salt and remaining 1 t basil-garlic seasoning to a sauce pan and simmer over medium heat until cream coats the back of a spoon. Slowly whisk in spaghetti sauce and continue to cook over low heat until thickened slightly. Add about 1/3 cup of filling to each noodle, covering 2/3 of the length. Roll up, ending with the noodle end without filling . Place in baking dishes and top with 1 full ladle of sauce each. Spoon additional sauce around the edges if desired. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes until bubbly and cheese is golden.

Directions
Melt butter in skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat. Melt in anchovy paste. Add red pepper flakes and marinara. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.

Note: I served this tossed with chicken and zucchini (in addition to gemelli pasta). Both were first cooked with butter, anchovy paste and basil-garlic seasoning to layer the flavors.

Ingredients
2 T butter or olive oil
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 t basil-garlic seasoning
2 T sun-dried tomato pesto
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 can refrigerated biscuit dough
2 T parmesan cheese, grated

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat loaf pan with non-stick spray. Melt butter or olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add tomatoes and basil-garlic seasoning – saute until tomatoes begin begin to break down. Add in pesto and stir to melt. Cut biscuit pieces in half. Toss with tomato mixture and feta cheese. Transfer to loaf pan and top with parmesan cheese. Bake for 25-35 minutes until golden brown.

Directions
Boil water for pasta. Line baking sheet with foil (or use broiler pan) and place into broiler, preheat. Season steak liberally on both sides with salt, pepper, and basil-garlic seasoning. Add steak to preheated baking sheet and broil 7 minutes on each side for medium. Cook pasta, approximately 3-4 minutes, until raviolis float – drain. Add butter and pesto to a large saute pan over low heat, melt together. Add heavy cream and simmer until thick. Remove steak from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice steak and add it to cream sauce with pasta and parmesan cheese. Remove from heat and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients
1/4 lb breakfast sausage
1 T vegetable oil
1/2 t smoked paprika
1/2 t chili powder
1/4 t oregano
1/4 t cumin
1/8 t coriander
1 cup salsa
2 cups thin tortilla chips
1/2 cup shredded cheese
4 eggs
hot sauce (optional)

Directions
Begin to cook sausage over medium heat in a saute pan. Add 1 T vegetable oil to the side, adding in spices and herbs directly to the oil. Allow to infuse for 15 seconds, then mix with sausage. Heat until sausage is fully cooked. Meanwhile, add salsa to sauce pan and begin to simmer over very low heat. Add cooked sausage to salsa, adding 1/8 cup of water to thin if needed. Add chips to salsa mixture and stir to coat fully. Add 1 T butter, margarine or oil to the saute pan and cook eggs sunny side up or over easy. To serve, place 1/2 of salsa, sausage and chips mixture on a plate. Top with 1/4 cup cheese, allowing the steam to melt the cheese. Top with two fried eggs. Add hot sauce if desired.

This is a fast casual type of place where you order at the counter and wait for your food. The menu is 90% sushi with a couple of teriyaki options. I wished, however, that the teriyaki combos were more like a full bento box with teriyaki, salad, rolls and tempura. (Teriyaki dishes come with an egg roll and stir fry veggies.)

I ordered the $6.99 lunch combo that includes 2 rolls and an egg roll. Since I’m pregnant and avoiding raw right now, I ordered the combo with a California Roll and a Shrimp Tempura Roll. It took quite a while (maybe a full 10 minutes) mid-afternoon for my order to be ready. There were not other customers. I’ve really not quite sure what took so long, as both my egg roll and the tempura shrimp had not been recently fried.

When I got back to my desk, I was surprised that my egg roll was so tiny.

My rolls were enjoyable but average and perhaps a little small. I ordered a side of spicy mayo, which they have prepared well. In the future, I might order the rolls with the spicy mayo on the inside.

Overall, I’m disappointed that I didn’t get more for my money. For just a $1 more at Sushi Rock, I can get 2 large rolls plus salad, udon or miso soup. While Sushi Ichiban’s menu may be a little more diverse and contemporary, I can’t see myself turning to it over Sushi Rock very often.

16 oz gemelli pasta, cooked
1 can black beans, rinsed
1.5 cups frozen corn, defrosted
1/3 cup cheddar cheese, diced
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup salsa
2/3 cup ranch dressing
2 T mayonnaise
2 t hot sauce
1/4 t cayenne pepper
salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

Mix first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Puree remaining ingredients in a food processor until fairly smooth. Pour dressing over salad and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 orange bell pepper, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 3 cans black beans, undrained
• 1 can chicken broth
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Preheat dutch oven over medium heat with olive oil. Soften vegetables until onions are translucent. Lower heat as needed to prevent garlic from burning. Add beans and broth. Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup to desired thickness. I like to leave some chunks. Season with cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 more minutes. Enjoy with grated cheese and sour cream.

Make a roux over low heat, slowly add 1.5 cups milk while whisking. Increase heat. Add up to 1/2 cup more if too thick.

Add salt to taste

Add in 1 T sundried tomato pesto (or basil pesto) – optional

Add in 1 cup frozen (cooked and drained) spinach

Add 2/3 – 3/4 cup jarred marinara, to desired color

Serve with pasta of choice, stuffed pastas especially good