By: Nadine Hughes
Spring means getting outdoors more with
your children; or sending them outside to play while you
enjoy the peace and quiet inside. Whatever your preference,
you don’t want meal preparation to interrupt play
time after school or mommy’s quiet time! Here is a
quick afternoon snack for the kids that you can have ready
for when they come home from school. Ask them to take it
outside while you put the water on to boil for a spring
Pasta Primavera. While you’re waiting, flip through
a magazine, put your feet up and wave happily at them through
the window! Enjoy!
Fresh Fruit Sundae Cones
Makes 4 cones
Ingredients
3/4 cup cut-up strawberries
2 cups cut-up fruit, such as apples, bananas, cherries,
seedless red grapes, kiwifruit, plums, and/or peaches
4 large waffle cones
1/4 cup toasted coconut (optional)
Directions
1. Place strawberries in a blender
and puree until smooth.
2. Spoon cut-up fruit equally into cones. Drizzle with the
strawberry puree. If desired, top with coconut.
Pasta Primavera
Serves 6-8
Preparation Time 15 minutes
Cooking Time 10 minutes
Notes: Pasta Primavera literally translates to “Spring
Pasta”.
Ingredients
· 500g dried Fettuccine
· 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
· 1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
· 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
· 4 green onions, thinly sliced
· 1 1/2 cups fresh (or frozen and thawed) green peas
· Salt and ground black pepper to taste
· 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
· 2 tablespoons lemon juice
· 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
· 1/2 cup roughly chopped basil (optional)
1. Bring a large pot of well salted water
to a boil. Add the fettuccine, stir and bring back to a
boil. Boil for 7 minutes for al dente. Drain but reserve
185ml of the water.
2. While the fettuccine is cooking, heat
oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add
mushrooms and cook until just golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add garlic and onions and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in peas,
salt and pepper. Immediately cover and cook until just tender,
2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
3. In the same skillet over medium
heat, toss the hot, drained pasta with reserved pasta water,
cheese and lemon juice.
4. Gently toss mushroom mixture and tomatoes
into the pasta. Season to taste, transfer to serving bowl(s),
top with basil and serve.
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Nadine Hughes is a mother of two and a Home Entertainer
with a vibrant personality and memorable cooking style.
As the owner of The Cook’s Companion, Nadine
offers lifestyle cooking and entertaining classes
for adults, teens and private at home classes. She
is also a food writer, guest speaker and television
presenter. For more information on these services
or The Menu Companion – dinner party menu planners,
visit www.thecookscompanion.ca
and www.themenucompanion.com.
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