Pasta E Fagoli ***Surprise Recipe Swap***

Where has this month gone? Does anyone else like these past weeks have just slipped by them. It feels like we just had Spring Break and now my kiddos only have 3.5 days left before Summer Break starts!! 

I have been pretty busy with my current college schedule and on top of that schedule I had a house full of sick children....not a great combo at all. Thankfully I didn't catch the germs and that the germs have finally decided they don't like all the de-germifying I have been doing and have left our house ;-) So I hope you can all forgive me for not having posted much in the past days it really was not my intention to leave you hanging for so long.

Today is May 20th so that means we are FINALLY allowed sharing our partnered up with for the monthly Secret Recipe Swap hosted by Jutta over at Hungry Little Girl. 

I finally get to share the great recipes I have found and will be adding to my keeper files.

Spatulas on Parade was my stalking site for this months swap. Dawn the creator and editor of this blog has been doing a great job with providing a great variety of recipes. I browsed through her recipes and postings....and probably read every single one not because I couldn't find a good recipe but because I really liked SO MANY of her recipes and I REALLY felt she writes from the heart and the way it is.

Now to the recipe....recipes I decided to recreate.....first I decided on her Pasta E Fagoli Soup recipe and then I just couldn't help myself and also made her Everything Tropical Cake. I chose to make the soup because I love eating it at Olive Garden but since I don't go that often I wanted to have a recipe that would compare that I could make at home. The Everything Tropical Cake was chosen because I love coconut, pineapple and mangos but my husband doesn't...thankfully I had a Bunco night with some friends SO it was the perfect opportunity for me to try it! Another reason I wanted to try this recipe was because it is DAIRY & EGG FREE!! 

This is without the frosting.....it seems I can never get a picture with the frosting on my cakes!

Both recipes are keepers :-) 

Pasta E Fagoli

1 lb ground beef or turkey (I used turkey)

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp italian seasoning

2 carrot, finely diced

2 stalks celery, finely diced

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

26 oz. beef stock

1- 25 oz. jar of spaghetti sauce

1 tsp pepper

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp parsley

3/4 cup cooked pasted

Directions:

Cook beef or turkey with the paprika and italian seasoning ***I forgot to add the seasoning...oops***

Drain the fat from the pan before adding it to your crockpot. Add all the remaining ingredients and stir well. Cook on low 6-8 hrs or on high 3-4.   

30 minutes before serving add the cooked pasta and stir.

Serve with parmesan cheese and crispy bread.

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Everything Tropical Cake

1 1/2 cup flour plus 3 TBS

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup mango nectar

1 tsp white vinegar

5 TBS vegetable oil

3/4 cup shredded carrots

4 TBS crushed pineapple, after draining juices

1/3 cup coconut flakes

1/2 can white frosting

1/2 cup crushed pineapple with the juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a glass 2.2 quart rectangle baking dish.

In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients first and mix well. Then add the mango nectar, vinegar, and oil. Mix until combined. Stir in the carrots, pineapple and coconut flakes. Stir well and pour into your prepared pan. Bake 30 minutes, cake will be nice and golden.

Meanwhile, whisk together the frosting and crushed pineapple. Set this aside until the cakes has cooled.  

I decided to pour the frosting mixture onto the cake while it was still warm....well I think it would have been better to frost the cake until after it has cooled because my frosting disappeared!!! The cake was so warm that it melted the frosting! HAHA oh well...it wasn't a bad mistake but it didn't look as pretty as Dawn's cake ;-)

Joining Hungry Little Girl monthly Secret Recipe Swap is as easy as clicking on the link below!