This past year I’ve discovered just how easy it is to make delicious creamy sauces at home, like these recipes: Orrechiette Carbonara, Zucchini Carbonara, and Pappardelle with Tomato and Pancetta. Not only do homemade sauces have no nasty processed stuff in them, they are also much healthier for you since you can control how much cheese, cream, or butter goes into the recipe. In fact, homemade carbonara tastes pretty light and incredible, unlike the goopy and heavy versions that you see at most chain restaurants or find in a jar. This recipe for Pasta with Creamed Leek and Spinach is the perfect way to indulge your creamy pasta fix this spring. The sauteed leeks lend a silky freshness to the dish, and adding some pasta cooking water to the sauce makes the creamy taste go even further without adding a ton more calories. This recipe makes enough for 4 dinners at $1.77 per serving.

Pasta with Creamed Leeks and Spinach, adapted from Food & Wine, January 2010
3/4 pound pasta, preferably fusilli or any other curly shaped pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 large leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
1 cup heavy cream
6 cups packed baby spinach (6 ounces), coarsely chopped
1/2 cup lightly packed basil leaves, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper
grated Parmesan cheese to top

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until it is al dente. Reserve some of the cooking water for the sauce, and then drain the pasta.

Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil up over moderate heat. Add the leeks and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the cream and let the sauce simmer over a moderate heat until it slightly thickens, about 5 minutes. Lastly add the spinach to the sauce and cook everything until it wilts, about 2 minutes.

Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss over a moderately low heat until the noodles are coated with the leek sauce, about 1 minute. Add some of the pasta cooking water to the skillet to thin the sauce as needed. Remove from the heat, add the chopped basil and toss. Season the pasta with salt and pepper, and serve with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese to top.

We ate and drank our way around the city making sure to check out the incredible food cart phenomenon and some of our favourite microbreweries too. Pretty much everything we ate and drank was excellent, and even better, it was so cheap compared to eating out in Las Vegas.

One thing I loved about Portland was the prevalence of parsnips on many of the menus. I don’t know if parsnips just thrive in the cold and damp winters up there, but I’ve not seen so many parsnips in dishes outside of England! We ate breakfast at the Bijou Cafe downtown one morning and I ordered the roasted parsnip, spinach, bacon, and feta omelet. I never would have thought about putting parsnips in an omelet, but it worked and might have been one of the most flavourful omelets I’ve had in a long time.

This Jamie Oliver recipe for Pasta with Parsnips and Pancetta is another creative combination that just works. The sauteed sweetness of the parsnips contrasts nicely with the smokey pancetta to create a comforting and easy pasta dish. This recipe makes enough for 4 dinners at $1.95 per serving.

Pasta with Parsnips and Pancetta, adapted from Jaime Oliver
6 ounces sliced pancetta or bacon
1 handful of fresh rosemary, leaves picked
4 good knobs of butter
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
3 large parsnips, peeled, halved and finely sliced lengthways
16 ounces dried pasta, preferably tagliatelle, pappardelle or some other thick pasta
3 good handfuls of grated Parmesan cheese
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large, non-stick frying pan, fry the pancetta and rosemary in half of the butter for 2 minutes, and then add the garlic and parsnips. Cook everything for 3 more minutes on a medium heat until the pancetta is slightly golden and the parsnips have softened nicely.

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water according to the packet instructions and then drain, reserving a little of the cooking water. Mix the pasta with the parsnips and pancetta and stir in the rest of the butter and the Parmesan. Add a little of the pasta cooking water to loosen the mixture and make a nice creamy and shiny sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste and then serve with a little more Parmesan cheese grated on top.

Perhaps this mouthwatering Warm Winter Vegetable Salad is the perfect way to wean me from hearty and filling winter foods to a sunnier spring menu. You still get the nutty denseness of roasted winter vegetables, but the dish is brightened up by some crumbled feta and a lemon juice-based dressing. This salad makes enough for 4 lunches at $1.94 per serving.

Warm Winter Vegetable Salad, adapted from Food & Wine, March 2010
2 red onions, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
2 sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 celery root, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
3 beets, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup walnuts
3 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat the oven to 425¬?. In a medium roasting pan, toss the onions, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, celery root, and beets with 4 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper and roast them for about 45 minutes, stirring once or twice, until they are tender and lightly browned in spots.

Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until they become fragrant and golden, around 5 minutes. Transfer the walnuts to a chopping board and coarsely chop them up.

In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar with the lemon juice, mustard, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and mix in the parsley. Season the dressing with salt and pepper. Add the roasted vegetables and walnuts to the dressing and toss everything together. Top the salad with the crumbled feta and serve the dish warm or at room temperature.

Murgh Makhani (Butter Chicken), from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s The River Cottage Meat Book

1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts

For the Tikka Marinade:
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice
2 tablespoons garam masala
2 teaspoons chile powder
2 teaspoons ground mixed spice (some mix of cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, and ground ginger)
2 teaspoons ground fenugreek
golf ball-sized piece of fresh ginger, grated
4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 to 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
2 to 4 green chiles, finely chopped

For the Tomato Sauce:
1 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes
small nugget of fresh ginger, grated
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 to 3 small green chiles, finely chopped
5 cloves
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water

For the Makhani Sauce:
1/2 cup butter
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons tomato puree
4 teaspoons honey
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon fenugreek
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon black pepper

Mix together all of the ingredients for the tikka marinade and then add the chicken. Let the chicken marinate for at least 4 hours in the fridge, although overnight is preferable if possible.

Take out the marinated chicken from the fridge and grill it when you are ready to make the curry. We put our chicken on the bbq, but you can easily cook it on a griddle, or even roast the chicken breasts in the oven.

Put all the ingredients for the tomato sauce into a pan and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and gently simmer the sauce for 20 minutes until it has nicely thickened. Rub the sauce through a sieve and set aside the strained sauce.

To complete the sauce, melt the butter in a large pan, add the ground cumin, and let it sizzle gently for a couple of minutes. Add the reserved tomato sauce, and bring it back to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomato puree, honey, cream, fenugreek, lime juice, and black pepper, and continue to simmer, stirring gently, for about 5 minutes, until the sauce is rich, thick, and creamy. Finally, add the cooked chicken, mix and heat through, simmering for a final 5 minutes.

Serve the curry with plain white rice and lots of naan bread to soak up all that creamy sauce.

Carlo was in the mood for some noodles the other day, so we dusted off The Wagamama Cookbook from our cookbook shelf and looked for something tasty to make. Carlo decided on this Chili-Marinated Vegetable Ramen. We kind of tweaked the recipe so it was more veggies and less noodles, but feel free to change up the recipe if you want more of a heavy noodle dish.

The chili-marinated veggies are quite subtle like much of Japanese cuisine, so if you want an extra kick, add tons of extra garlic and chili, or even add a few tablespoons of garlic chili sauce. These vegetable noodles make enough for 4 people at $1.67 per serving.

Chili-Marinated Vegetable Ramen, adapted from The Wagamama Cookbook
2 small eggplants, trimmed and sliced
vegetable oil
2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 zucchini, sliced
8 medium mushrooms, halved
8 baby sweetcorn, halved lengthways
8 green onions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch slices
4 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
2 red chilis, trimmed, deseeded, and finely chopped
10 ounces wholemeal ramen noodles
1 quart vegetable stock

Heat a griddle or bbq grill until smoking. Brush the eggplant slices with oil, and put all the other veggies in a large bowl and toss them with a couple tablespoons of oil until everything is coated.

Cook the eggplant first, around 4 minutes on each side, or until tender. Then cook the sweet potato, mushrooms, and zucchini, all of which should take about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Finally cook the sweetcorn and green onions for 1 minute on each side.

Transfer the veggies to a large bowl, and pour over the soy sauce, garlic, and chili. You can get as crazy as you want with the spices here, so add as much heat as you can handle. You can also use some spicy garlic chili paste too for a bit more flavour as well.

Cover the marinating veggies with clingfilm. It is important to let the vegetables marinate while they are hot so that they absorb the most flavours, and they will soften up a bit more too. Let the veggies sit in the marinade for at least 20 minutes.

Cook the noodles in a large pan of boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they are just tender. Drain thoroughly and divide between 4 bowls. Bring the vegetable stock to a boil. Once it is hot, pour the stock over the noodles and top with the marinated veggies.

Throw in some freshly roasted garlic and chiles with a bit of onion and cilantro to make a salsa that is so fresh tasting that it will make you wonder why you even bother to make salsa from raw tomatoes, or even bother to buy salsa in a jar. This salsa recipe is incredibly easy to make and costs around $1.59 for 1 1/2 cups of salsa.

Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa, adapted from Rick Bayless
1 to 2 fresh jalape?±o chiles
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 15-ounce can diced fire roasted tomatoes in juice
1/4 cup (loosely packed) chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 onion, or more to taste
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or more to taste
salt

Roast the chiles and garlic in a small ungreased skilled over medium heat. Turn the spices every so often until they are soft and charred on the outside, about 10 minutes or so. Let them cool and then peel the garlic, remove the stem from the chiles, and coarsely chop them up.

Put the roasted garlic and chiles in a food processor and whiz them up. Add the fire roasted tomatoes with their juices, chopped onion, and cilantro to the food processor and pulse until you have a nice coarse puree. Squeeze in enough lime juice to taste and season with a bit of salt.

I got such an urge last week and found this wonderfully adult tasting meatloaf recipe. Instead of squirting tons of ketchup into the meat mixture, this recipe has the surprise ingredient of chopped prunes instead. Sounds disgusting is what I bet you are thinking, right? If so, you are wrong. The prunes add a nice sweetness to the meatloaf that tastes so much better than cloying effect of the normally used ketchup. In fact, while we were eating dinner, I had Carlo guess what the mystery ingredient was and after a few mouthfuls, he still had no idea. He named pretty much all of the other ingredients in the dish, but was stumped at what was the pi?®ce de r?©sistance of the dish.

Anyway see for yourself just how good prunes could taste (seriously, who knew?), and stump your loved ones by making this meatloaf and have them guess the mystery ingredient. This recipe for meatloaf makes enough for 8 large slices of meatloaf at $1.60 per serving.

Meatloaf, adapted from Gourmet, February 2008
1 cup fine fresh bread crumbs (from 2 slices firm white sandwich bread)
1/3 cup whole milk
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium celery rib, finely chopped
2 medium carrot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 pound bacon (about 4 slices), chopped
1/2 cup pitted prunes, chopped
1 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck
1/2 pound ground pork
2 large eggs
1/3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Before you start preparing the mixture for the meatloaf, preheat your oven to 350¬?F with the rack placed in middle.

Start the meatloaf by soaking the bread crumbs in milk in a large bowl.

Then cook the onion, garlic, celery, and carrots in the butter in a large heavy saucepan over a medium heat for about 5 minutes and stir occasionally. Cover the saucepan and reduce the heat to low, then cook everything until the carrots are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, allspice, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of pepper. Add this veggie mix to the soaked bread-crumb mixture.

Finely chop the bacon and prunes in a food processor, then add to the vegetable mixture along with the beef, pork, eggs, and parsley. Mix everything together with your hands.

Coat a 9- by 5-inch oval loaf pan with a light spray of olive oil and pack the meatloaf mixture into it. Once you have shaped the meatloaf, turn the loaf pan upside down in the middle of a 13- by 9-inch shallow baking dish or pan and remove the loaf pan. The meatloaf should retain the shape of the loaf pan, but will be able to cook in the pan so the three exposed sides get a bit crispy while it all cooks.

Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meatloaf registers at 155¬?F, about 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Once the meatloaf reaches the ideal temperature, remove it from the oven and let it stand for 10 minutes before serving.

After cooking the meatloaf, a lot of drippings remained in the baking dish, so I asked Carlo to make a gravy from them to top the meatloaf. He drained the drippings into a small saucepan and whisked them with a little bit of flour to create a roux. Then he added some water until he had the right gravy consistency and kept on whisking over a low heat.

The meatloaf tastes great smothered with gravy and a side of creamy mashed potatoes. It also tastes pretty amazing the next day on a sandwich too.

This Zucchini and Red Pepper Enchilada recipe makes enough for 4 dinners at $1.88 per serving.

Zucchini and Red Pepper Enchiladas with Two Salsas
For enchiladas:
1 large onion, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
2 red bell peppers, quartered
3/4 pound medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
12 soft corn tortillas
6 ounces crumbled feta cheese

For Pumpkin-Seed Salsa:
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh serrano chile, including seeds
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/3 cups raw green (hulled) pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups chopped cilantro
1 1/2 cups water

For Tomato Salsa:
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh serrano chile, including seeds
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Preheat a gas grill at medium heat. Oil the grill rack and then put all of the veggies on the grill until they are tender with a nice bit of char on them (around 6 to 8 minutes for bell peppers and zucchini; 10 to 12 minutes for onion).

To make the pumpkin-seed salsa, cook the chile, garlic, cumin, and pumpkin seeds in oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Stir the mixture until the pumpkin seeds pop, around 4-5 minutes. Keep aside 3 tablespoons of the seeds to top the enchiladas, but pur?©e the remaining seeds and oil with cilantro, water, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a blender until smooth.

The tomato salsa is even easier: mix together the chopped tomatoes, onion, chile, lime juice, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to taste.

To assemble the enchiladas, start by warming up the tortillas. You can either do this by wrapping the tortillas in stacks of 6 in foil and then heating them in a 350 F degree oven for about 15 minutes. Or you can take a couple of damp paper towels and wrap them around the tortillas and put them in the microwave for 1 minute increments until they are soft.

To assemble the enchiladas, cut the vegetables into strips. Spread 2 teaspoons of pumpkin-seed salsa on each warm tortilla and top with some of the grilled vegetables. Roll up the enchilada like a cigar and then you are done, or if you really want to you can them fry them like it calls for in the original recipe.

To serve the enchiladas, drizzle them with the remaining pumpkin-seed salsa and sprinkle a few of the reserved seeds on top with some feta cheese. Add a big dollop of tomato salsa on the side for a nice vegetarian play on enchiladas.

Sadly there is no Soup Peddler-equivalent in Vegas, but I did make a HUGE pot of soup last week that was just as delicious as anything that we ordered from him. This Soupe Au Pistou, or Provencal Vegetable Soup, is crammed full of veggies and has a mellow depth to it from the added saffron. But what really makes the soup is the pistou, a twist on pesto but with the addition of tomato paste. It adds a nice freshness and brightness to the soup so the soup doesn’t taste like just any old veggie soup from a can. Also the soup really fills you up and feels like a real meal so you aren’t starving a couple of hours later.

When I make soup, I normally make a large vat so we can have lunch for a few days and then I also put the soup in individual serving sized containers and freeze them for a later date. This soup freezes really well, which is good since the recipe makes enough for 8 large bowls of soup at $1.71 per serving.

Soupe Au Pistou
Soup:
2 tablespoons good olive oil
2 chopped onions
3 chopped leeks, white and light green parts
1 pound 1/2-inch-diced unpeeled boiling potatoes
1 pound 1/2-inch-diced carrots
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 quarts homemade chicken stock or canned broth
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
1/2 pound green beans, ends removed and cut in half
4 ounces spaghetti, broken in pieces

Pistou:
4 large garlic cloves
1/4 cup tomato paste
24 large basil leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 cup good olive oil

Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot, and add the onions. Saute them over a low heat for around 10 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Add the leeks, potatoes, carrots, salt, and pepper to the pot and saute them over medium heat for another 5 minutes.

Add the chicken stock and saffron to the mix. Bring everything to a boil, then let it simmer uncovered for about 20-25 minutes, or until all of the veggies are tender. Add the green beans and spaghetti to the pot, bring to a simmer, and cook for 10 more minutes.

To make the pistou, whiz together the garlic, tomato paste, basil, Parmesan, and olive oil in a food processor until everything is mixed to create a paste. To keep its colour when you put the pistou in the fridge, place it into a container and pour a light film of olive oil on top and cover the container with a lid.

Finish off the soup by stirring 1/4 cup of the pistou into the hot soup, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve the soup by topping each bowl with a big dollop of pistou to complete the dish.

Instead, I’m craving crisp nights where I can put the oven on and not have to worry about the house turning into a sauna. The new food magazine issues arriving in our mailbox aren’t helping either as they are filled with stick-to-your-rib comfort foods that I want to make, even though it is still far too hot to consider cooking a chili.

All of these feelings gave me total cooker’s block and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what to make for the rest of the week. Yesterday I decided to go to the Farmers’ Market and hope that I would find some food inspiration. There were tons of great looking tomatoes at the Farmers’ Market and I was reminded of Barbara Kingsolver’s beautiful and intelligent book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.

In this book, Kingsolver and her family decide to spend a year eating only what they can grow in their garden or can source locally. She eloquently describes the passing of each growing season and the anticipation of spring and summer vegetables after a long cold winter with little fresh produce. Thinking about this book made me turn my focus from wishing for the fall crop to arrive to focusing on enjoying the remaining fruits of summer. There are only a few more weeks left to enjoy top notch tomatoes and I know that in a few months, I will be craving for those kind of tomatoes that only summertime can produce.

To celebrate the last days of summer, I made a really simple Spaghetti with Red and Yellow Tomatoes for dinner last night. The tomatoes are the stars in this dish and reminded me that I can handle a few more weeks of summer for sure, even if it is for the sole purpose of eating good tomatoes. This pasta recipe feeds 4 people at $1.62 per serving.

Spaghetti with Red and Yellow Tomatoes
12 ounces spaghetti
1/4 cup olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
4 cups red and yellow cherry tomatoes (about 2 pounds)
1 tablespoon white balsamic or white wine vinegar
1 large bunch watercress, trimmed
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving

Good looking tomatoes have finally come back to our Farmers’ Market now that the weather has “cooled” down a tiny bit and the tomato plants are no longer being fried by 110+ degree weather. If you can’t find yellow cherry tomatoes, you can just use some extra red tomatoes. Or if you live in a place where you get tons of different kinds of cherry tomatoes, add as many different kinds as you can.

Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water according to the package directions until the pasta is al dente.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper, and stir for around 30 seconds. Add all of the tomatoes, and saut?© just until they are heated through, about 2 minutes. Add the vinegar and season the sauce with salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta and save some of the cooking water to thin down the sauce.

Add the pasta to the spaghetti and stir in the watercress and 1 cup of Parmesan cheese. Toss everything together until the watercress wilts and the tomato sauce coats pasta. If you need some extra liquid in the sauce or need to thin it out, pour in a little bit of the reserved cooking water.

Serve the spaghetti with a sprinkle of fresh grated Parmesan.