Pasta with Black Kale, Caramelized Onions, and Parsnips

Trying to eat more vegetables? This pasta dish is packed with eight cups of kale, a pound of parsnips, and an onion. It's so good it doesn't even feel like it's healthy.

Pasta with Black Kale, Caramelized Onions, and Parsnips
adapted from Cooking Light - October 2010
serves 4-6

Notes: According to the magazine, this recipe yields six servings, but each serving is only about 325 calories, which was not enough to make me feel satisfied by itself. Both Joe and I wanted seconds. If this is all you're making, and you are feeling pretty hungry, I would say it serves 4. Black kale is dark green and has leaves that are a little flatter and not as crinkly as regular kale, but if your store doesn't have it, regular kale is fine.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 cups (1/3-inch) diagonally cut parsnip (about 1 pound)
2 1/2 cups sliced onion (about 1 large)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
8 cups trimmed chopped black kale (for me that was about 2 bunches)
1/2 cup organic vegetable broth
8 ounces uncooked penne pasta, whole wheat or regular
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, add one tablespoon of the oil. When hot, add the parsnip to the pan. Cook until tender and slightly browned, about 12 minutes, stirring every now and then. Place into a large bowl, cover with foil and keep warm.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the same pan, turning the heat down to medium-low. Add the onion now, and cook until tender and golden brown, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain pasta, reserving 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Set aside

Sprinkle the thyme and garlic over the onion and cook for a couple of minutes; it will become fragrant. Add the wine and cook for a few more minutes, or until the liquid has almost evaporated. Add the kale and broth and cover. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the kale has wilted a bit and starts to become tender. Uncover and cook a few more minutes, or until the kale is very tender, stirring occasionally.

Add the drained pasta and parsnips to the kale mixture. Stir in a little of the cooking liquid (start with 1/4 cup and keep adding as needed to moisten), 1/4 cup Parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste (start with 1/2 teaspoon of each and go from there as needed). Cook for a minute or so to thoroughly heat everything. Top each serving with the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan.

Gorgonzola Ravioli with Hazelnut Cream Sauce and Radicchio

I had a coupon for this good brand of ravioli so I picked up a package to try. While I've made my own ravioli before, convenience foods are nice sometimes too. I wanted to make some sort of sauce to go with it. After floating the idea of a Gorgonzola cream sauce, I realized that might be too much cheese. I decided liked the idea of a hazelnut cream sauce, so I went with that. The bitter radicchio and the creamy pasta and sauce make a great combination.

This was very quick to make and we loved it! I was meeting a friend for Zumba later that evening and I was able to cook, photograph, and eat with time to spare before I had to leave.

CSA Week 20:

In the box: 1 radicchio, 2 pounds Sweet Girl tomatoes, 2 pounds carrots, 1 bunch beets, 1 pound yellow onions, 2 pounds Sierra Rose potatoes, 1 Delicata squash, 2 Sweet Italian peppers, 1 pound Canadice grapes, 2 pounds Winter Banana apples

One night we made a simple pasta dish - a recipe that Joe found somewhere on the web years ago. We make it quite a bit, just going from memory now, and varying it based on what we have around. It's basically sauteed onions, garlic, capers, yellow or red bell peppers, and kalamata olives, tossed with cooked farfalle and topped with Parmesan. We used the sweet peppers in place of the bell peppers, and added beet greens. I forgot that even the beet greens turn everything pink, but it still tasted great. I roasted some of the tomatoes to go on the side.

The rest of the tomatoes and onions were used to make delicious poached mahi mahi in ravigote sauce, recipe by Jacques Pepin. His recipe calls for salmon, which would have been wonderful, but I had some mahi mahi in the freezer that I decided to use instead.The sauce is so easy. You just chop and add everything to a bowl, stir it together, and that's it, no cooking required. Since poached fish is pretty plain, you definitely want a topping with a lot of punch like this to give it flavor.

Next, we made a recipe I saw over on Chef Dennis' blog: Apple Beet Compote with Fennel and Candied Walnuts. This recipe materialized when he was trying to use what he had on hand one night. I had apples (the Rome apples from last week) and beets from this week, so I decided to make it too. I didn't have fennel, but that was ok. I followed his directions exactly. I served my compote over bulgur wheat. He suggested adding crumbled gorgonzola, and I loved that idea so I bought some...but then I totally forgot to use it! Arg! Oh well, it was still delicious, and after dinner we quickly found ourselves back in the kitchen, running our fingers around the skillet to soak up the sugary-butter mixture from the candied walnuts. Mmmmm. Yep, we have no self-control when it comes to butter.

I made a potato soup in the slow cooker using some of the carrots, some potatoes from last week and most of the ones from this week. I used this recipe. It is a very filling and satisfying soup, especially because I used regular instead of fat-free half-n-half.

We haven't eaten the Delicata squash just yet.

I was a little nervous about eating an apple with the word 'banana' in the name, but I assure you, they don't taste like bananas. It must refer to the color. They are nice and sweet. The grapes were petite but  had a nice tartness to them. I have been eating the rest of the carrots with hummus for snacks.

Gorgonzola Ravioli with Hazelnut Cream Sauce and Radicchio
Inspiration for the hazelnut cream sauce was found here
serves 2

Notes: We used Rising Moon Organics Garlic Gorgonzola Ravioli made with Spinach Pasta, but there are a number of different flavors of ravioli that would complement a hazelnut cream sauce. I think butternut squash or pumpkin would be awesome.

1 (8 ounce) package ravioli (such as gorgonzola, pumpkin, butternut squash, etc)
1 head Radicchio
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the cream sauce:
1/3 cup dry roasted hazelnuts
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt to taste

Garnish with: 
Crumbled Gorgonzola
Chopped hazelnuts
Chopped fresh herbs such as sage, basil, or parsley

Preheat the broiler.

Slice the radicchio in quarters lengthwise and place cut side up on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Cook the ravioli according to package directions.

Meanwhile, start the cream sauce. It will make a prettier sauce if you can remove the papery skins from the hazelnuts. I used this tool which worked really well, but it would probably also work to wrap them up in a kitchen towel and roll them along the counter.

Process nuts in a food processor until they become pretty fine crumbs. Toast in a small saucepan over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. Lower heat, then add the butter, stir until melted, then add the cream. Stir to combine, and cook until thickened, 5-10 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Set aside.

Broil the radicchio until the edges of the leaves look a bit charred. Remove from oven, when cool enough to handle, thinly slice crosswise.

To serve, pile some radicchio into the bottom of a rimmed soup bowl, then top with ravioli. Drizzle the cream sauce over the top. Garnish with crumbled Gorgonzola, chopped hazelnuts, and fresh herbs. Serve immediately. 

Southwestern Chili-Mac Salad

This was printed up in a Rachael Ray magazine as a "make-over" recipe for traditional chili-mac. Not that there is anything wrong with chili mac; I am a huge fan of it myself. But it's fun to change things up every once in awhile, and in the summer, or in this case early fall, the produce stands are stuffed to the rafters with fresh veggies, so rather than having a side salad next to your bowl of standard chili mac, why not put your salad IN the chili mac? This dish makes use of fresh seasonal veggies like tomatoes, corn, spinach (my addition), and red onion. The chili-spiced meat and beans are mixed in with the veggies and the whole thing is tossed with a zesty vinaigrette and topped with sharp cheddar.

CSA Week 18:

In the box: 1/2 pound spinach, 1 pint cherry tomatoes, 1 pound Romano beans, 2 sweet Italian peppers, 8 ears corn, 2 pounds Nicola potatoes, 1 watermelon, 1 basket French petite plums, 2 pounds Gala apples.

We used the carrots from last week along with the Romano beans and sweet red peppers from this week to make a veggie stir fry. To go with that, we made beer-glazed black beans.

The corn, most of the spinach, and the cherry tomatoes were used in the chili mac.

We made home fries with the potatoes for breakfast on the weekend. My pan was too crowded though so they weren't as browned and crisp as I would have liked. Good to remember for next time.

Also noteworthy: apparently Nicola potatoes are reported to be lower on the glycemic index than regular potatoes. We've been trying to cut out excessive carbs and sugars lately so every little bit helps. I just read Gary Taubes' book, Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It, and it has given me a whole new perspective on carb and sugar consumption! Have you read it? What do you think? It pretty much contradicts everything I was told in Weight Watchers, but I find his arguments and interpretations of the research very convincing.

I used the rest of the spinach to go with this really awesome sun-dried tomato and chili walnut layered dip!

Check out the recipe over  at Leanne's blog, Healthful Pursuit. I followed her recipe almost exactly, except that I didn't have this one ingredient called Herbemare, but from what I could tell online it is a mixture of salt and dried spices so I improvised with sea salt, dried celery flakes, oregano, and thyme. I used lime juice instead of lemon juice, because that's all I had, but it seemed to work out fine. I didn't have a clear bowl to layer it in so I went with the platter instead, and topped with some sliced cherry tomatoes from our garden just for fun. We brought it to a going-away/board game night at a friend's house and it was a hit! I would definitely make this again.

We didn't do anything special with the fruit, just had it with breakfast and snacks. I loved those little plums!

Southwestern Chili-Mac Salad
adapted from Every Day with Rachael Ray - June/July 2008
Serves 6

Notes: My only changes to this recipe include using whole wheat pasta instead of regular, sharp cheddar instead of medium, and adding steamed spinach. I also didn't use cilantro this time, only because when I took it out of the fridge, I discovered that it had gone bad. If you have it, I suggest you use it. Oh, and I added coriander too, just for fun.

1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper
4 ears corn, husks and silk removed
2 cups whole wheat elbow pasta
1 small red onion, half finely chopped, half thinly sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons coriander
1 pound lean ground beef
One 15-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges, or a couple handfuls of cherry tomatoes sliced in half
Large bunch fresh spinach, big stems removed (optional)
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

In a medium bowl, combine the lime juice and the cilantro. Whisk in 6 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the corn and cook for three minutes, it should be just tender. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool. Return the water back to a boil, add the pasta and cook until al dente, drain and transfer to a large (serving) bowl. Drizzle about a tablespoon of oil over the pasta and toss so it doesn't stick together. Set aside.

Cut the corn kernels from the cob, add to the bowl with the pasta.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the finely chopped red onion, chili powder, and coriander. Cook for about 2 minutes or so, until the onion has softened. Add the ground beef. Cook about 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the meat is lightly browned and cooked through. Drain any excess fat.

Wash the spinach, and put the damp leaves into a large bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Microwave for a 2 minutes. Put the spinach in a towel and squeeze to remove excess water. Chop the spinach and add to the pasta and corn.

Add the beef mixture to the pasta bowl. Toss to combine. Season with a little salt and pepper. Add the kidney beans, spinach, tomatoes, sliced onion, and vinaigrette. Toss to combine. Taste again and adjust the seasoning as needed.

Scoop into bowls, top with cheese, and serve.

Carrot Macaroni and Cheese

Would you believe this dish contains almost a full pound of carrots??

I've made macaroni and cheese with squash before, but never with carrots, so this was definitely a first for me. Whenever I swap out cheese for vegetables in these kind of makeover mac and cheese dishes, it's best for me to think of it as a standalone baked pasta dish, because it will never compare to the classic ooey-gooey mac and cheese that will always hold a special place in my heart. When you aren't trying to think of it as a substitute for the real thing, you are free to enjoy the dish for what it is, which in this case, is bright in both flavor and color, creamy, and delicious. I loved the combination of orange, tarragon and carrots. As I was making the sauce I was struck by how vivid the color was - it reminded me of the orange powdered cheese sauce you get with boxed mac and cheese, except there was nothing artificial about this color.

Before I go into the recipe, let me quickly recap week 2 of our CSA. Here is what we got this week:

One cucumber, one bok choy, two pounds purple viking potatoes, a pint strawberries, 3/4 pound sugar snap peas, one bunch garlic tops, one pound carrots, 1/2 pound salad mix.

The garlic tops, sometimes called garlic scapes, were probably our favorite item in the box this week. They have a mild garlic flavor and can be treated as tender spring veggies like green beans or asparagus. Our CSA newsletter said they would be great steamed and then dipped in hummus. So along those lines I decided to make a baked white bean dip recipe that I discovered over at Pinch My Salt. We loved eating this dip with cucumber slices, steamed garlic tops (cut into 2-3 inch pieces), snap peas, and pita chips.

A few nights later we made a yummy stir fry with the rest of the garlic tops and snap peas. We added some shrimp, some jarred black bean and garlic sauce, and served everything over white rice. Black bean sauce is awesome!

For the bok choy we simply sliced it into thin strips and sauteed it in a little olive oil, and actually if I remember correctly, we made hot dogs to go with it, because we're just so fancy like that.

We devoured the red ripe strawberries right out of the package, and made salads for lunches with the salad mix.

The purple viking potatoes are brilliantly purple on the outside, white on the inside, and can be used just like red potatoes. So we used half of them to make this awesome potato salad by Mark Bittman with shallots, capers, and whole grain mustard and served it alongside some of our Bald Hill T-bone steaks. The rest of the potatoes and some leftover steak (the T-bones were huge!) were used to make our favorite hash which was perfect for a lazy weekend breakfast.

The carrots, obviously, were reserved for this mac and cheese.

Carrot Macaroni and Cheese
adapted from the Food and Wine website
serves 4

3/4 pound carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
Zest and juice of one naval orange, zest removed in long strips with a vegetable peeler (you'll fish them out at the end, so you want them to be in big enough pieces that you'll be able to find them)
Salt
3 cups uncooked penne (9 ounces)
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (3 ounces)
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
Freshly ground white pepper (I forgot to use white pepper and instead just used regular black pepper out of habit; it was fine)

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Combine the carrots, zest, juice, 1/4 cup of water, and a little bit of salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the carrots are very tender. Discard the zest. Transfer the remaining contents of the saucepan to a blender or food processor and puree until very smooth.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the penne. Cook until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.

Return the pasta to the pot. Add the carrot puree and the reserved pasta water. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring gently. After about 5 minutes of cooking, the sauce should have thickened a bit and should coat the pasta. Stir in about 3/4 of the cheese and stir as it melts, another 2-3 minutes. Stir in the tarragon and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the mixture into a 9x9 baking dish and top with the rest of the cheese. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Lavender Fettuccine with Shredded Vegetables

This meal was made with vegetables from our first CSA of the season! Two years ago we tried a 3/4 box for the first time and became hooked. Last year we split a full CSA with my friend Amy and her family. This year we are doing a full box - just the two of us. I foresee lots of meal planning in my future to ensure that nothing goes to waste, but I think we're up to the challenge.

This is our CSA box from week one:

We got one head of red leaf lettuce, one bulb of fresh garlic, one white sweet onion, one red onion, one pint of strawberries, one bunch of basil, 1/2 pound of zucchini, 2 pounds of red potatoes, and one bunch of carrots.

For the most part, we made very simple meals with all this produce. We ate some of the strawberries for dessert and again the next day with breakfast, just plain. We made salads for our lunches all week with the lettuce and basil (topped with wild rice salad to make it filling). We roasted the garlic and some of the potatoes in the oven with just oil, salt and pepper. One night we had a craving out of nowhere for chili dogs so we used some of the red onion for a topping and had carrot sticks on the side. We had a few friends over for an impromptu BBQ on Friday and grilled the sweet onion to put on the burgers.When I had more time on Sunday I used the rest of the red potatoes to make an amazing blue cheese and red potato tart (recipe courtesy of Smitten Kitchen).

The zucchini and the rest of the carrots were put to good use in this pasta dish. On a whim, I bought a package of lavender fettuccine from a company called Pappardelle's. They had a booth at the LA farmer's market when I was there in May. It turns out they sell their pasta at many other farmer's markets, including my hometown of Vancouver, WA and nearby Battle Ground, so my parents can swing buy and pick some up for me when I want more. I still can't believe Battle Ground, WA has grown large enough that it can justify having it's own farmer's market. Craziness!

Anyway, back to the food. I based my version of this dish off of a Mark Bittman recipe (here's a video I found of him cooking it). He actually infuses real lavender into sauteed shredded veggies and tosses it with plain bow-tie pasta. Since my pasta was already flavored, I didn't need to add fresh lavender. I did want just one sprig to use as a garnish, but alas, I could not find any after visiting three different grocery stores. I ended up using a little rosemary from my backyard.

Shredding the vegetables in the food processor made this meal quick and easy, but I think it would also be fun to use a vegetable peeler and slice them into long ribbons. Maybe next time I'll try that. Or you can try that and tell me about it.

I loved, loved this pasta. I loved the pleasant aroma while it was boiling, and the taste was delicate and subtle - you could tell it was lavender but it didn't hit you so hard you felt like you were ingesting soap.

Lavender Fettuccine with Shredded Vegetables
adapted from Mark Bittman Minimalist column in the NYTimes - August 2008
serves 3-4

Notes: You could use any long cut pasta for this recipe. It would also be good with farfalle (bow-tie) or penne. If you aren't starting with lavender pasta, you'll need a few lavender leaves and/or flowers. Add some of it when you start to saute the vegetables, then a little more, to taste, once you toss the pasta together with the vegetables at the end.

8 ounces lavender fettuccine
2 small zucchini, trimmed
2 small carrots, peeled and trimmed
1 small red bell pepper, cored
3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2-3 cloves crushed garlic
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.

Meanwhile, shred the vegetables in a food processor or just use a grater. Add the oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and let it cook for a few minutes, until it starts to brown. Add the vegetables and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften.

Once the water is boiling, add the pasta. Cook until it is just barely tender, using the cooking time on the package as a guide (you don't want to cook it all the way because it will continue to cook when you add it to the vegetables in the hot skillet later on). Drain, reserving some of the cooking water.  Add the pasta to the vegetables, stirring gently to combine. Continue to cook for a few more minutes, adding the pasta water as needed to keep the mixture moist.

When the pasta and vegetables are tender but not mushy, it's done! Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

Penne with Greens, Olives, and Feta

I am so confused. It's sunny and beautiful outside, yet it's still so chilly! I think this pasta dish reflects that gap between winter and spring that I feel like we're in right now, at least in the Pacific Northwest. It has the filling comfort of a winter meal but the spring greens and lemon keep it light and fresh.

Penne with Greens, Olives, and Feta
adapted from Bon Appetit - April 2008
serves 6

Notes: I made a few changes to this recipe. I added lemon juice, instead of just lemon peel, because I wanted extra lemon flavor. I also chose to toss the whole pot of pasta with the mixture of parsley, lemon, and garlic instead of topping each serving with it at the end. I used a mixture of arugula raab and kale raab for the greens.

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 large bunch greens (such as spinach, mustard greens, kale, broccoli rabe, arugula/kale raab), thick stems removed, spinach left whole, other greens cut into 1-inch strips (you want about 10 cups packed)
16 ounces penne
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup coarsely chopped Kalamata olives
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 ounces)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the greens and cook until bright green and tender, 1-6 minutes depending on what type of greens you are using (spinach will take about 1 minute, raabs will be 2-3 minutes, the thicker greens like kale will be closer to 5 or 6 minutes). Use a skimmer or slotted spoon to transfer the greens to a colander to drain. Set aside.

Bring the water back up to a boil and add the penne. Cook until al dente, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, combine the parsley, lemon peel, lemon juice, and garlic in a small bowl and set aside.

Drain pasta, reserving about 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Return the pasta to the pot. Add the greens and the oil and toss to combine. Stir in the olives, feta, and a little of the cooking liquid - 1/4 cup at a time - until moistened. You probably won't need the full 3/4 cup you reserved. Add the parsley mixture and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Penne with Vodka Sauce

I can't remember if I've ever had vodka sauce at a restaurant, but I know for sure that I've never made it at home until now. I don't know what me took so long - it calls for half-n-half and vodka, two things I almost always have on hand. The recipe I found online is by Giada De Laurentiis and it's very simple. You start with marinara sauce, add vodka, and simmer until most of the alcohol cooks out. Then you stir in some half-n-half and Parmesan, toss with cooked penne, and you're done!

She suggests a recipe for homemade marinara sauce that you can use, but also says you can use jarred sauce instead. I love homemade pasta sauce, but both times I have made this dish I was looking for something quick and easy, without a lot of fuss. So jarred sauce it was.

From experience, I can tell you that when she says to blend the sauce before simmering, she's not just saying it to fill space in the recipe directions. Simmering pasta sauce has got to be one of the most spattery things you can do in a kitchen, and chunky sauce makes it so much worse. The first time I made this, I thought the sauce I was using looked fairly smooth already, so I didn't bother to blend it. The result? I had little burns all over my arms and a horrible mess on the stovetop and kitchen floor. The second time, I went over the sauce a few times with my immersion blender and had a much less eventful simmering period. There was a little mess, one or two minor spatter burns, but it paled in comparison to the bloodbath that was the first time. Bottom line, blend your sauce, whether you use jarred or homemade.

Of course, the actual recipe calls for heavy cream. Not too much, just half a cup, spread out over about six servings. But I almost always swap out heavy cream for half-n-half in these kinds of situations, if I think it won't make a noticeable difference in taste or texture. Just for the record, I'm not talking about the oxymoron dairy product that is called "fat-free half-n-half". That's just nonfat milk that's been thickened with additives. Weird, no thanks.

Penne with Vodka Sauce
adapted from The Food Network - Giada De Laurentiis
Serves 6

1 quart (32 ounces) homemade or jarred marinara sauce, blended until smooth
1 cup vodka
1/2 cup half-n-half or heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for topping individual servings
1 pound penne

Measure out the half-n-half or cream and set it aside on the counter while you cook the meal, so it warms up to room temperature.

Combine the marinara sauce and vodka in a large heavy skillet. Simmer gently over low heat for about 20-25 minutes. Partially cover with a lid or cover with a splatter screen if desired. The sauce should reduce by about 1/4, but that's a hard thing to measure, so I tasted it occasionally to decide when it was done. When it no longer tastes like you're just sipping straight vodka, i.e., it tastes like delicious marinara, it's done. Stir in the half-n-half or cream, and keep simmering over low heat for a few minutes, just until it's heated through. Add the Parmesan and stir until melted and well blended.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water until al dente, about 8 minutes. It should be tender yet still firm when you bite into it. Drain and add to the pot of sauce, stirring gently to combine.

Serve with extra Parmesan for topping your individual bowls.

Sausage and Bean Ragu on Quinoa Macaroni

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) pasta is made from a combination of the quinoa grain and corn, hence the yellow color of the pasta. You can find it with the gluten-free and other "alternative" pastas at most grocery stores.

I bought the turkey Italian sausage at Market of Choice, who got the meat from Shelton's, but I believe Market of Choice makes their sausages in-house. Don't quote me on that though. Anyway, they were good!

After making this recipe, I'm pretty sure there is a misprint in the amount of pasta called for. I checked online, and lots of other people think the same thing. My magazine cut-out called for 16 ounces of pasta, which was two boxes. It seemed like a lot, but who am I to question Cooking Light? So I cooked all the pasta and set it aside while I made the rest of the meal, and then at the end you are supposed to add the pasta back to the skillet and stir it all together. Heh. That was not going to happen. I ended up tossing it together in a super huge bowl and the pasta soaked up every bit of sauce there was left (it ended up simmering longer than it was supposed to because I was running around the house trying to find my camera to take the picture!). Therefore, my end result was a big bowl of mostly pasta and not much ragu to speak of whatsoever. It was still really tasty, but I can't wait to make it again with the right amount of pasta and see what that's like. For your benefit, I will write up the recipe with half the amount of pasta, as it should be.

Sausage and Bean Ragu on Quinoa Macaroni
adapted from Cooking Light - March 2006 Issue
Serves 8

Notes: If you can't find quinoa macaroni, use whole wheat macaroni. I couldn't find bulk turkey Italian sausage, so I bought links, removed the casings, and broke them into pieces as I added them to the pan.

1 (8-ounce) package quinoa macaroni
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion (about 1 medium)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound turkey Italian sausage, bulk or links (remove from casings if links)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (16-ounce) cans cannellini beans or other white beans, drained and rinsed
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shaved Romano cheese (I just used Parmesan)

Cook the pasta according to package directions, but leave out the salt and oil.

In a large nonstick skillet, add the oil and heat to medium-high. Add the onion and garlic and saute for about 3 minutes. Then add the sausage and cook until browned, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as you stir. Stir in the wine.  There won't really be much to deglaze, since you are using a non-stick skillet, but scrap the bottom with the wooden spoon anyway, just for kicks. Add the broth, fennel seeds, pepper, beans, and tomatoes.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.  It will still look kind of thin and liquidy, but the pasta will soak a lot of that up.

Add the pasta to the skillet, and toss gently to combine.  Alternatively, if you don't think the pasta will fit in your skillet, you can put the pasta into a large bowl, pour the contents of the skillet over it, and stir to combine.  Sprinkle the cheese over the top, or put a little cheese on top of each individual serving as you dish it up.

Serving size: 1 1/2 cups pasta and 1 tablespoon of cheese.

Roasted Beet and Fennel Salad, Penne with Zucchini and Mint

I always love it with my sister comes down to visit for the weekend.  During this particular late summer visit, we took in a local hike, picked blueberries, and topped it off with a little thrift store shopping.  For dinner, we made a roasted beet and fennel salad with a mix of gold and purple beets using a recipe from our CSA newsletter.  We also made Ellie Krieger's recipe for penne with zucchini and mint.  Both dishes turned out really good, in our opinion.  I love roasted beets and fennel, but this was the first time I'd ever cooked them together.  I loved the pasta dish because it used whole wheat penne and lots of mint from my garden.

Roasted Beet and Fennel Salad
adapted from Gathering Together Farm's CSA newsletter (after a quick internet search, this is where they got the recipe)
Serves 3-4  (I give that range because I feel like it should serve 4, however, there were only three of us, and we managed to eat it all!)

4 small beets (or 2 large beets), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
2 thyme sprigs
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large fennel bulb with fronds, bulb cut into 1/2-inch wedges, 1 tablespoon chopped fronds (I didn't use the fronds because I didn't have any)
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar (I didn't think that was enough to do anything, so I doubled that amount)

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  In a 9 x 13 baking dish, toss the beets with the thyme (don't take the leaves off the sprigs, just throw the whole thing in there!), the water, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cover the dish with foil and bake for about 40 minutes, or until the beets are tender.  Discard the thyme sprigs and loosely re-cover the dish with foil.

Put the fennel wedges into a small baking dish.  Toss with the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Cover the dish with foil and bake for 15 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 15 minutes, until the fennel is tender and lightly browned.

Pour or spoon out any accumulated beet juices into serving dish and whisk in the vinegar.  Add the beets and fennel wedges and toss to combine.  Sprinkle with the fronds and season with salt and pepper.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Penne with Zucchini and Mint
adapted from Ellie Krieger - So Easy
Serves 4 (5-6 if you are serving other sides with it)

12 ounces whole wheat penne pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 medium zucchini (about 8 ounces each), sliced into 1/4-inch thick half moons
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 1/2 ounces)
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves

Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil.  Add the penne, cook according to the package directions.  

Meanwhile, heat a large deep skillet over medium-low heat and add the oil and garlic.  Cook for about 6 minutes, stirring often, until the garlic is lightly golden.  Don't let it burn, it will make it taste bitter.  Add the zucchini next.  Cover and cook for about 6-8 more minutes until the zucchini is tender.  Remove the skillet from heat.  Stir in the lemon juice, salt, and pepper.  

When the pasta is done, drain it, then return it to the pasta pot.  Add the zucchini mixture, the Parmesan cheese, and mint.  Toss to combine, and serve.  

8-Layer Lasagna

My mom's birthday is very close to mother's day, so what we usually do is celebrate both occasions at once by going out to dinner at a nice restaurant.  This year, however, was different.  Joe and I invited my mom and the rest of my family to come out to our house for dinner.  I was a little apprehensive about taking on the task because I was due to get a tooth extracted a few days before, and I wasn't sure if I would be up for cooking a big meal, much less eating it.

It all worked out though.  We chose to make an 8-layer Cuisine at Home Lasagna, which I assembled early in the week and froze, taking it out to thaw in the fridge the day before (that didn't really work out too well, more on that later).  Joe also made rolls mid-week and stuck them in the freezer before baking them.  So on the actual day we were having dinner, I just had to put together the Caesar salad (homemade dressing and croutons...so good!), bake the lasagna, bake the rolls, (which were brushed with a little garlic butter and tossed with Parmesan cheese and parsley at the last minute), and pick up the birthday cake we ordered from New Morning Bakery (white cake with Marion berry filling and butter cream icing....oh yeah, it was amazing).

I was on the fence about how to store the lasagna after I assembled it, because I wanted to put it together on a Tuesday, but the dinner wasn't until Saturday.  That seemed just a bit too long to refrigerate, but almost pointless to freeze, because I would have to take it out one or two days in advance for it to thaw anyway.  Some recipes I've seen say you can bake it from frozen, but this one specifically said to thaw before baking.

Well, regardless of what I should have done, it was frozen in the middle when we went to put it in the oven, so after about 30 minutes of cooking, the edges were bubbling away but the center was still cold.  So we turned the oven temperature down a bit, covered the top with foil to prevent burning, and let it slowly warm up.  We checked periodically with an internal thermometer.  Alton Brown says that all previously cooked foods should be reheated to 165 F to be extra safe, so that's what we did.  It took longer than we expected, but it was delicious, and well-worth the wait.

I think the most annoying part about the whole thing was par-boiling the "oven-ready" lasagna sheets.  Hello?!  I thought buying oven-ready sheets meant not having to boil them?  I guess they are prone to breaking during assembly, so Cuisine At Home recommends that you boil them for one minute so that they are more pliable.  Sounds simple enough, and I totally see their point, but it was a huge pain, in my opinion.  You are supposed to arrange the boiled pasta sheets in a single layer on a foil-lined, sprayed baking sheet, each layer of pasta separated by a layer of sprayed foil, so they don't stick together while waiting to be added to the lasagna pan.  Except, of course, we didn't have any cooking spray, so we had to drizzle oil onto each foil sheet and try to spread it out evenly without ripping it.  Also, my pasta sheets kept wanting to clump together in the pot of boiling water so I had to cook them in small batches, so it felt like it took forever.  Ugh.
 

On a brighter note, Joe's garlic rolls turned out especially delicious.

8-Layer Lasagna
adapted from Cuisine at Home, February 2004 issue
Serves 8-10

Notes:  Don't buy the brick of frozen spinach, buy the kind that is loose in a bag; it will thaw faster in the sauce.  Also, if you have a traditional 9x13x2 inch baking dish, you won't be able to get all eight layers in there.  Buy a disposable aluminum lasagna pan at the store (they are 3 inches deep), or just make your lasagna 6 layers, like I did, and have leftover filling to eat any way you want.

For the meat sauce:

1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
1 1/2 pound mild Italian sausage
2 cups yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons each dried basil, thyme, and oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
1-28 ounce can crushed tomatoes in puree
1-14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
3/4 cup beef broth or water
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Bechamel:

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup yellow onion, diced
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
Pinch of nutmeg
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
10 ounces Boursin cheese
Salt to taste
8 ounces frozen chopped spinach
1 egg, beaten

For assembling lasagna:

1 pound oven-ready lasagna sheets, parboiled (see my rant above)
1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
6 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated

If baking this today, preheat the oven to 400 F, with the rack in the center.

To make the sauces: 

In a large pot or dutch oven, brown both meats over medium-high heat.  Spoon or pour off as much of the fat as possible.  Add the onions, garlic, tomato paste, dried herbs, red pepper flakes, and bay leaf.  Cook until the onions have softened, about 8 minutes.

Add both types of tomatoes, broth, vinegar, salt, and pepper.  Simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated.  Taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary.  Set aside.

For the bechamel, start by melting the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion, cayenne, and nutmeg, and saute for about 5 minutes, or until the onion has softened.  Stir often during this time to prevent scorching.

Add the flour and stir to coat.  Cook for 2 minutes, then gradually add the milk, stirring until smooth.  Add the Boursin in small pieces and whisk until smooth.  Season with salt to taste.  Set aside one cup bechamel for the top of the lasagna.  Let the rest of the sauce cool for about 10 minutes.  Whisk in the egg and frozen spinach.  Set aside.

Prepare the lasagna sheets as described above, and have both cheeses ready.

To assemble the lasagna:

1. Coat a 9x13x3 inch baking dish nonstick spray.

2. Spread 1/3 cup of the Bechamel on the bottom (it's a thin layer, that's ok).

3. Lay three pasta sheets across the bottom of the pan.

4. Spread another 1/3 cup Bechamel over the pasta sheets.

5. Spread 1 cup of the meat sauce over the Bechamel (the sauces will blend, and they may not cover the pasta completely).

6. Top with mozzarella (I allocated two slices per pasta sheet).

7. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

8. Layer three more pasta sheets across the top.

9. Repeat steps 4-8 until all the pasta is used, or you run out of room (I admit, I pressed down on the layers of lasagna as I assembled it to fit in as much as possible).

10. Spread the reserved Bechamel over the last layer of pasta, and sprinkle with Parmesan.

When ready to bake:

Bake lasagna, uncovered, at 400 F, for 40-45 minutes, or until hot all the way through.  The top should be a little browned and the sauce should be bubbling.  Take out of the oven and let rest for 20-30 minutes before slicing and serving.

Vegetable Tomato Sauce

We had some bits of grilled zucchini, tomato, onion, and bell pepper leftover from the kabobs earlier this week, so we decided to make this sauce and serve it over pasta, with a big green salad on the side.  I'm always happy when I get to make use of leftovers like this!

Other cooked/grilled vegetables that would be equally tasty: eggplant, squash, fennel, celery, carrots, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, or cauliflower.  You need about one cup total, chopped or sliced.

I pretty much followed Bittman's recipe exactly, except that we added some minced garlic about a minute before we added the tomatoes.

He says this recipe makes enough sauce to coat about a pound of pasta.  Not for me!  I'm one of those people who like just a little pasta with their sauce, not the other way around.  I like there to be extra sauce left on the plate after the noodles are gone so I can mop it up with a big hunk of crusty bread.  So if you are one of those people, it might only coat half a pound of pasta.  Either way, the end result is a thick, chunky, delicious sauce that is very simple and quick to make.

Fast Vegetable Tomato Sauce
adapted from Mark Bittman - How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
Serves 4, enough for one pound of pasta (unless you like a lot of sauce, like I do, and then it might only coat half a pound)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced, if you want
One 24- to 32-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chopped or sliced cooked vegetables
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Chopped parsley or fresh basil leaves for garnish (optional)

Add the oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat.  When hot, add the onion.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for a couple of minutes, until soft.  Add the garlic, if using, and cook for another minute.  Add the tomatoes and a good sprinkling of salt and pepper.

Let the tomatoes cook for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  They will break apart and the mixture will thicken during this time.  Add the vegetables, and cook until heated through.

Taste, adjust the seasoning as necessary, and immediately toss with pasta, or spoon over polenta, spaghetti squash, chicken, etc.  The possibilities are kind of endless with this one.  You can also make this ahead of time and refrigerate for up to several days until ready to use, just reheat gently before serving.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Tahini and Vegetables

We have lunch potlucks at my work about once a month, and sometimes it's a challenge to think of something to bring that can be made ahead of time, can be served cold or at room temperature (or can be stored warm in a crock-pot all morning), and that's relatively cheap to make.  I really liked the dish I brought this month.  I found it on VeganYumYum, an amazing food blog.  I made a double batch so we had it for dinner too.  It was really tasty and I noticed several people coming back for seconds at the potluck so I took that to be a good sign!  I think if you like noodle dishes with peanut sauce you would probably like this too.

It says it serves 4-6 normally, however, I think it must have served about 12-15 at our potluck, but that's because there is always such a huge spread of food that people just take tiny portions of everything.  

I used roasted tahini for this recipe, because that's what I had, but raw tahini is what she used in her blog.  Tahini is made from sesame seeds, and usually located near the peanut butter in the grocery store or possibly in the natural, health food section.  Tahini is not the same thing as sesame paste (she says you can use that instead of tahini, but you need to use less).  

Nearly Raw Tahini Noodles

adapted from VeganYumYum

Serves 4-6  

1/2 pound whole wheat spaghetti

2 carrots, peeled

1/4 of a large green cabbage head

1 stalk broccoli, florets only

Handful fresh mint, chopped (cilantro or basil would work as well)

Sesame seeds and more mint, for garnish

For the Tahini Sauce:

1/4 cup tahini (raw or roasted)

2 tablespoons low sodium Tamari, or soy sauce

3 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 teaspoon chili sauce or 1 chopped fresh chili

1 teaspoon Dijon or Stone-ground mustard

1 pinch salt, if needed

Fresh ground black pepper

Cook the noodles according to package directions.  Drain, then rinse with cold water.  Lightly coat the noodles with oil to prevent them from sticking while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.  They can even be stored in the fridge at this point if you wanted to do this step a day or two in advance.

Lightly steam the broccoli florets in the microwave-safe bowl with a couple tablespoons of water, covered, or use a steamer basket on the stove.  (I didn't actually do this for mine, but I thought the broccoli was a little too 'raw' tasting so I am telling you to steam yours.  After they are steamed, chop them smaller if necessary, they should be about the size of grape tomatoes.  

Remove the core from the cabbage.  I do it by laying the wedge of cabbage on it's side, then slice down at an angle to cut the core out.  It's hard to explain, but she does it a little differently and took a nice picture of it.

Shred the carrots and cabbage.  You can use a box grater for the carrots, or use a food processor, using the the shredder disk as you would for shredding cheese.  For the cabbage, use the slicing blade on the food processor (the one with one single wide slit), or just slice it thinly with a knife.  

Toss together the vegetables and the pasta into a large bowl (you'll want to have plenty of room in the bowl to toss it all together with the sauce too)  

Mix together the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl.  My tahini was cold from the fridge so it took several minutes of determined whisking for it to become a smooth uniform sauce.    Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary.

Pour the sauce over the noodles and veggies and mix thoroughly, using your hands, or, if you are serving this to lots of coworkers, a good pair of salad tongs.  Add the chopped mint and sesame seeds just before serving.  

This keeps for several days (I know this for a fact because I ate it for several days in a row after I made it!).  She suggests making a double batch of the sauce if you are a big fan of it, or if you are going to make it in advance, because the noodles will start absorbing the sauce over time.  

I didn't actually double the sauce recipe, because I would have had to quadruple it since I was already doubling the whole thing anyway, but I reserved about 1/2 cup of sauce and mixed it in just before serving it at the potluck, which seemed to freshen it up nicely, then garnished with the mint and sesame seeds.

White Lasagna with Spinach and Mushrooms

One of the many things I love about How to Cook Everything Vegetarian is how many variations there are for almost every recipe!  

Here is how I wound up making my delicious white lasagna with spinach and mushrooms:  I had half a box of pre-boiled lasagna noodles in the pantry and most of a container of ricotta cheese leftover from last week.  So I figured I could make half a lasagna recipe out of that, which would still be two meals for us.  I started by looking at the basic Vegetarian Lasagna recipe.  Then I was tempted by the "White Lasagna" variation so I headed over to the corresponding white sauce recipe, which is called "Bechamel Sauce, 11 ways" (eleven!!).  I remembered that I had some dried mushrooms so I decided to make the "Mushroom Sauce" variant of the Bechamel sauces.  I also thought it would be cool to add sauteed mushrooms to the lasagna filling so I looked up his method for that as well.  

Good grief!  Actually, I was still really motivated because all I would need to buy were spinach and mushrooms, and seeing as this was the Sunday before payday I was not looking to spend a lot anyway.  

I knew I wouldn't have much time Monday to cook so I assembled it Sunday night, while Joe made that night's dinner of refried beans and grilled peppers and onions for burritos.  There was a lot going on in the kitchen but it was really fun!  It was SO nice to just be able to bake the lasagna on Monday and not have to get the kitchen dirty again!  

This might look a little daunting, but it helped me to think of it as several small recipes rather than one big one.  So that's how I wrote it up here.  First I started with the components (the mushrooms and the sauce) and set them aside.  Then I just had to steam the spinach really quick, and I was pretty much ready to assemble (I cheated and used pre-boiled noodles, so that saved a lot of time as well).

Sauteed Mushrooms

adapted from Mark Bittman - How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Serves 4

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or a mixture of oil and butter

About 1 pound mushrooms, preferably an assortment, trimmed and sliced

A big handful of dried porcini, or a mixture of dried mushrooms (optional)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup dry white wine or water

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Chopped parsley leaves for garnish (optional, I had parsley but forgot to use it)

To reconstitute the dried mushrooms, rinse under warm water for about a minute, then soak in a bowl of hot water for 10 minutes.  Save this soaking liquid for the sauce later! (I confess, I accidently poured mine down the sink, but luckily I had some mushroom broth in the freezer that I could use instead)  Set aside 1-2 tablespoons worth of the reconstituted mushrooms and mince them.  Set these aside for the sauce as well.  

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  When good and hot, add the fresh and reconstituted mushrooms, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cook until they are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Pour the wine into the skillet.  Let it sizzle for about a minute, then lower the heat to medium-low.  Stir in the garlic and let that cook for about a minute.  Taste and add more salt/pepper if necessary.  Garnish with parsley, if using, and set aside.    

Mushroom Bechamel sauce

adapted from Mark Bittman - How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Makes about 1 cup

2 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

3/4 to 1 cup milk

1/2 to 3/4 cup mushroom soaking liquid

1-2 tablespoons minced reconstituted dried mushrooms

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the butter or oil.  When melted or hot, whisk in the flour.  Lower the heat and cook for about 3 minutes, whisking constantly, until the mixture turns tan (for some reason, I kept picturing the color of the tan M&M, remember when they used to have that color?)

Continue to whisk constantly and stir in the milk/mushroom soaking liquid, a little at a time.  After about a cup has been incorporated, the sauce will still be pretty thick.  Keep adding liquid until it's a little thinner than you'd like it to be, stir in the minced mushrooms, then cook over low heat until it thickens back up again.

Season with salt and pepper.  I just set my sauce aside until I was ready to assemble the lasagna, but Bittman suggests that you keep it warm over a pot of gently simmering water, stirring occasionally.  He's probably right, but...eh.

White Lasagna with Spinach and Mushrooms

adapted from Mark Bittman - How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Serves 6-8

Salt

12 dried lasagna noodles (alternatively, you could use fresh pasta, or you could also use "no boil" lasagna noodles, which is what I used)

2 tablespoons softened butter or extra virgin olive oil

1 recipe Mushroom Bechamel sauce, see above

About 2 large bunches fresh spinach, washed and trimmed

1 recipe Sauteed Mushrooms, see above

3 cups ricotta, plus more as needed

2 cups freshly grated Parmesan, plus more as needed

Freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.  Add a good pinch of salt.  If using fresh pasta, cut the sheets into noodles that will fit your lasagne dish (probably 3 x 13 inches).  Cook about half the noodles at a time, until they are tender but still underdone.  They will finish cooking in the oven.  Fresh pasta will take a minute or less, dried pasta will take a little longer.  Drain and lay the noodles out flat on a clean towel.  If you are like me and using the pre-boiled noodles, skip this step entirely!

While you are boiling the noodles, steam the spinach.  Put a couple inches of water into a put fitted with a steamer basket and bring it to a boil.  Once the steam is going add the spinach (in batches) and steam for one minute, setting the cooked spinach aside in a colindar.  Squeeze out any excess water (ring it out with your hands), then roughly chop.  Add to the sauteed mushrooms and gently mix both together with the ricotta.      

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  

Butter or lightly oil a rectangular baking dish.  Add a large spoonful of sauce and spread it around to evenly coat the bottom of the pan.  Add a layer of noodles, trimming to fit if needed.  Top with more sauce, 1/3 of the spinach mixture, and a good sprinkling of Parmesan.  Season with salt and pepper between layers.  Repeat 2x (remember the order: noodles, sauce, spinach mixture, Parmesan, salt and pepper).  Top with the remaining noodles, sauce, ricotta, and Parmesan (the top should be covered with cheese).  At this point, you could cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to a day or freeze.  Bring to room temperature before baking.

The lasagna bakes for about 30 minutes, or until it's bubbling nicely and the cheese is melted and lightly browned on top.  Remove from oven, let rest for a few minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.  

Macaroni and Four Cheeses (with hidden squash!)

Who doesn't love a delicious bowl of Macaroni and Cheese?  I really felt like some comfort food, but didn't really want to splurge, so I made Ellie Krieger's version.  She uses small amounts of full fat flavorful cheeses like extra-sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack, and Parmesan.  She also adds winter squash for a health boost and bright orange color.

I was at the store a few weeks ago when I thought about this recipe and decided I wanted to make it in the near future.  I remembered it called for frozen squash.  So I bought a couple bags of frozen, cubed, butternut squash (locally grown even!)

Fast forward to this week.  I've got my pot of milk on the stove, and I'm pouring in the frozen cubes of squash.  I heat it over low heat so they thaw, then bring it almost to a simmer, just like she says.

I'm starting to get confused though - I'm not sure why she isn't telling me to mash the cubes somehow.  Did hers just melt into the milk all by themselves?  I spent several minutes pressing the soft cubes of squash against the sides of the pot to break them up, wondering all the while why she wasn't telling me to do so.  The idea is that the squash is supposed to be disguised in the dish...you know, so kids and picky grown-ups will eat it.  I didn't have a problem with chunks of squash, but I was pretty sure it was supposed to be smooth based on the picture in the book.

So I re-read the ingredient list.

Frozen pureed winter squash.  Ah-ha!  I literally laughed out loud when I read that ingredient.

I almost got out my immersion blender to remedy the situation, but I decided to leave them as is.  I didn't have to hide the vegetable from anyone, so it didn't matter if an occasional piece of squash was visible.

Anyway, we thought this meal really hit the spot.  You couldn't even tell there was a bunch of squash in it (except for a few tell-tale pieces that I didn't mash up!).  However, if you are only craving really creamy stove top macaroni and cheese, this dish probably won't do it for you.  It has a lot of good flavor, it's just not all that creamy.

But if you want a big helping of vitamins A and C, potassium, fiber, and manganese, this is a really delicious way to do it!

Macaroni and Four Cheeses
adapted from Ellie Krieger - The Food You Crave
Serves 8

Cooking spray
One 16-ounce box elbow macaroni
Two 10-ounce packages frozen pureed winter squash
2 cups lowfat milk (I used 2%)
1 1/3 cups (4 ounces) grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese (I bought Tillamook Vintage White)
2/3 cup (2 ounces) grated Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons plain dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Cook the macaroni according to your package directions.  Drain, transfer to the baking dish.

While the pasta is cooking, add the milk and frozen squash to a large saucepan and heat over low, stirring every so often.  The squash should start defrosting and you should be able to gradually break it up with a spoon.  Turn the heat up to medium and let it heat up almost to a simmer, stirring a few times.  Remove from heat, add the cheddar, Jack, and ricotta cheeses, along with the salt, mustard, and cayenne.  Stir until it's pretty well combined, then pour this mixture over the pasta and stir it all together until things are evenly distributed.

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and oil.  Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the top of the macaroni.  Bake for about 20 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling around the edges, then broil for 3 minutes to brown and crisp the top.

Brunch for Dinner

Tonights meal used up some odds and ends I had in the fridge and in the pantry.

I made a frittata, but with pasta, which I've never done before. The pasta made it more filling, and I'm going to remember this recipe when I have random leftover veggies or pasta lying around, because it was super easy.

To go with the frittata and going along with what turned out to be a brunch theme, I made a quick Waldorf Salad using Mark Bittman's recipe.

The dessert came about unexpectedly. Since the frittata was a Cooking Light recipe, it called for 3 eggs and 4 egg whites, but in my constant challenge to not waste anything, I was determined to find a use for those four egg yolks! So I made creme brulee. I realize this might cancel out the whole point of making a light frittata, but Joe and I split one, so I don't feel like I did too badly in the end.

I didn't get a picture of the finished product, we ate it too fast!

Frittata with Mushrooms, Linguine, and Basil

adapted from Cooking Light

serves 4

Cooking Spray

3 cups sliced cremini or button mushrooms

1 1/4 cups thinly sliced leek (I used a leek and some green onions, because that's what I had)

1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk (I had non-fat, so I added a splash of half and half)

2 teaspoons butter, melted

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 large egg whites

3 large eggs

2 cups hot cooked linguine (about 4 ounces uncooked pasta). Or use whatever long strand pasta you have, I used angel hair

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 450 (I forgot to do this, so I had to let my mixture sit while the oven heated up!)

Heat a large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Coat with cooking spray, and add the mushrooms and leeks. Cook for about 6 minutes, until the leeks are tender. Stir frequently and take in the earthy smell of the mushrooms.

Whisk together the milk, butter, salt, pepper, and all the eggs. Add leek mixture, cooked pasta, and basil. Mix together. I needed to break up my pasta a little, so I decided to mix with my hands and it was fun :-)

Using the same pan, heat over medium-low heat. Add more cooking spray, and add the egg mixture. Cook about 4 minutes, letting the edges start to set. Gently lift the edges with a spatula and tilt the pan to let some of the uncooked eggs flow to the bottom of the pan. Cook about 5 minutes more, or until set. Sprinkle your cheese over the top, and put the whole pan into the oven. Bake for 7-12 minutes, until the top turns golden brown. Cut into 8 wedges and serve.

Waldorf Salad

adapted by Mark Bittman - How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Serves 4

3 large or 4 medium Granny Smith or other tart apples ( I used Liberty apples)

3 celery stalks

1/4 to 1/2 cup Mayonnaise (I used half mayo, half plain nonfat yogurt, which adds tartness)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped (optional)

1/3 to 1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste

Bittman says to peel the apples, but since I was using a thinner skinned apple, I didn't bother with that. But if you are using Granny Smiths, the skin might be too thick, so you might be better off peeling them. Regardless, dice them into 1/2 inch pieces. He also suggests you string the celery, but I was trying to be quick so again, I didn't bother, and I didn't think it needed it.

Toss the apples and celery together and add just enough mayo (and yogurt, if using) to make the mixture slightly creamy.

Add salt, lots of pepper, walnuts, and raisins, if using. Mix together. Add some lemon juice. Taste, and add more salt, pepper, or lemon juice, as needed. I had to add a little salt and pepper a few times before it tasted right to me.