Fancied Up Pasta & French Baguette

Hi all! Today's menu is from a June 2011 issue of Taste of Home that I picked up at a local grocery store. The dishes are fairly easy to make (except for a good amount of vegetable chopping involved) and pretty filling.

Dish 1 - Original Recipe

(Click on photo to enlarge) 

NOTES/TIPS:

• Since I do not eat meat, I substituted the beef with MorningStar Farms Meal Starters Grillers Recipe Crumbles.
• Likewise, I substituted the beef broth with vegetable broth.
• I added a bit more pasta than what the recipe called for. So when trying this recipe, assess whether you prefer it with more pasta.
• I didn't find sweet yellow pepper when I went shopping for the groceries, so I picked a green bell pepper instead. 
• I had most, but not all of the spices; I did not use chili powder, but I added a tad bit of red pepper flakes for just a little kick. Also, I didn't quite follow the measurements for the spices; I played with the seasonings until I was pleased with how the dish tasted! P.S.: You might also find this post on common ingredients' substitutions useful.
• I skipped the cheese at the end, since I was serving this with another already "cheesy" dish.

Dish 2 - Original Recipe

(Click on photo to enlarge) 

NOTES/TIPS:

• I used a lot more mushrooms; 3 cups didn't seem enough for me. 
• I only used 1 onion and the dish still turned out well: after slicing 1 onion, my eyes had had enough...
• Instead of fresh garlic, I went for a shortcut and used garlic powder. 
• Likewise, I used dried basil leaves instead of fresh ones. Unless I plan to use the entire package quickly, I try not to buy fancy fresh herbs; the leftovers always sit in my fridge for days or weeks and go to waste - read money wasted, booooo!

That's all folks!

Smooches & enjoy! ♥
Savvy Beautiful