Corn and pasta are not necessarily two foods you think of together, but I’ve been trying to get more veggies into my boys and since they are on a pasta kick at the moment (in case you can’t tell from the abundance of pasta recipes!), this became supper. And it was incredible! The corn turned the cream sauce into something delicately sweet and the basil added a nice touch . . . it was just good. So good, in fact, that my husband has requested it again, always a great sign!

Creamy Corn Sauce

Makes 2 cups

1 c. corn

1 onion, chopped

1 tsp. beef or veggie consomme

2 c. cream

1 Tblsp. fresh basil, chopped, or 1 tsp. dried

In a small amount of oil, saute the onions until translucent. Add the corn and cook for 3 minutes.

Add the basil, then the cream and heat over low heat until the cream starts to bubble on the edges and the whole mixture thickens.  Stir in consomme and serve hot over pasta.

I had some leftover cream the other day, plus a little beef . . . and this creamy pasta sauce was born. You could easily serve it over rice, as well, or even on its own! My husband, a consummate meat eater, was thoroughly impressed.

This is also a VERY simple sauce to make. The cream does all the hard work for you! And, if you want to make it stretch farther, just chop the meat smaller and substitute a little milk with some flour (about 1 Tblsp per half cup) blended in for half the cream. No one will notice once it’s cooked and you can do the dish for a lot cheaper.

Creamy Basil Beef Sauce

Serves 4

1 lb. lean beef, cut into 1″ squares (smaller if you want it to go further!)
1 c. cream
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 Tblsp. fresh basil, minced
salt and pepper

Saute the beef in a large frying pan until thoroughly browned. Add the garlic and cook one minute.

Reduce the heat to low, add the cream, basil and garlic salt and cook until the cream begins to bubble at the edges. Stir carefully, salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over pasta, rice or just about anything else!

If you’re looking for an alternative to hummus or just want something tasty to dip your veggies or pita bread in, this bean dip is heavenly. I made it with a friend a couple of weekends ago and it was a huge hit with both our families. We served it with warm, fresh pita bread straight from the oven and there was nothing left by the end of our cooking lesson!

A good blender will be able to handle this dip easily, but if yours gets bogged down, I would suggest adding a little more oil or even a bit of water. It shouldn’t make much difference to the end result and will keep your blender running smoothly.

White Bean Dip
makes 2 cups

2 c. white or cannoli beans
1/3 c. olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2 T. fresh parsley
1 tsp. dried oregano
pinch of salt
juice of one lime

Add all ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth. Adjust salt and lime juice to taste if needed. Serve with chips, carrot sticks or pita bread.

If you’re sick of overly sweet maple syrup on your pancakes, then this is the perfect antidote. The tartness of the plums, combined with the tang of ginger makes this sauce one that is seriously delicious.

Of course, you don’t have to use it on pancakes, it also goes well over ice cream, stirred into plain yogurt for an extra kick, or even as a spread on bread. I’m also envisioning a cake with ginger plum sauce oozing out from between layers . . .

Ginger Plum Sauce

Makes 3 c.

2 c. plums, pitted and chopped
1/4-2/3 c. sugar, depending on how sour your plums are
1/4 c. water
2 Tblsp. cornstarch
1 2″ piece of ginger, peeled

Stir the plums and sugar together and place over medium heat. In a cup, mix water and cornstarch and stir into the plums.

Simmer the mixture for 15 min. then add the ginger. Cook another 5-10 min. or until the plums are mostly broken down. Remove from heat, remove garlic and serve.

This sauce can be stored for up to 3-4 days in the fridge.

I like the convenience of the packets of tomato sauce for pasta, but the truth is, they don´t really taste that great. If you are like me and don´t have time to cook up a huge batch of amazing, homemade pasta sauce, don´t worry. There´s no need to choose either or. Here´s a way to make “homemade” gourmet pasta sauce with packaged sauces.

Quick and Easy Veggie Pasta Sauce

Makes 1.5 cups

2 packages pasta sauce of your choice (about 1 cup)

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 red pepper, chopped

3 tomatoes, chopped

1 Tblsp. fresh parsley, minced

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 c. water or broth

salt to taste

In a large saucepan, fry the onion with a little oil until translucent. Add pepper and garlic, stir quickly and pour in the water or broth. Add remaining ingredients and let simmer for 10-15 min. or however long it takes the pasta to cook.

That´s it. Quick and easy and it tastes totally homemade. You can also cook up some ground beef while sauteing the onions if you prefer a meat sauce.

Image by thebittenword.com

Making stuff from scratch isn`t always what it`s cracked up to be, but that doesn`t mean you have to forfeit good taste and great food. Today, you`ll learn how to take an ordinary packet of premade spaghetti sauce and turn it into something that everyone will swear is homemade.

Gourmet Packaged Pasta Sauce

1 package (about 1 cup) of pasta sauce, any kind

1 onion, diced

1 tablespoon fresh basil

2 tomatoes, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. beef consomme

Fry the onions up in a little oil in a large frying pan until they are transluscent. Add the remaining ingredients. Heat through and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve atop pasta!

Pretty simple, right? Well, it gets even better. If you`re feeling adventurous, add some ground beef (1/2 lb. is perfect) to the onion cooking stage and once it`s brown, you can add the remaining ingredients.

Your kids hate veggies, but will eat pasta with sauce? Get sneaky and use the finest holes on your grater to add a carrot into the sauce. Once it`s cooked in, they`ll never notice. You can also wilt a cup of spinach, chard or other green in a little water and then blend it into a puree which can be stirred into the pasta sauce. Extra nutrition that doesn`t show up!

Other variations:

• Chunky Veggie Sauce: Add cubes of carrot, chopped cauliflower and broccoli, etc. to the onion cooking stage. You may need to add a little water to keep the veggies from sticking. Once they are semi-tender, add the remaining ingredients.

• Tofu Delight: Start the recipe by mixing the packaged sauce with the consomme (you could also use vegetable consomme for a vegetarian dish) and crumble half a package of firm tofu into the mixture. Let it marinate while you cook the onions, then dump everything into the frying pan.

• Dollar Stretcher Pasta Sauce: Make the pasta sauce go further by adding a can of tomato paste, plus two cans of water. Instead of fresh basil, use dried basil, thyme or parsley flakes, one teaspoon is fine. You can also use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic, if you don`t have it.

• Creamy Tomato Pasta Sauce: Cook as directed above, but just before you take the sauce off the heat, stir in half a cup of cream. You may dilute this with milk, if you find the sauce is too thick.

Using a premade food item as the base of a meal is something that makes life a lot easier. While you could make pasta sauce from scratch, it isn`t always possible and to be honest, it might even intimidate some women. But don`t worry, with this method, you can have several different “homemade” sauces that will delight friends and family and it`s super simple!