Updated Mac & Cheese

Who doesn't love macaroni and cheese?  Rich, creamy, cheesy...yum!  My go-to recipe is one I've adapted over the years through trial and error but I'm still not 100% happy with it so I'm always happy to try new recipes.

The results on this recipe are mixed -- meaning the boys liked it (note they said "like" not "love") and they thought it was good (but not great), and I didn't like it mainly because of the spinach and cottage cheese.  This was the first time I used spinach in a mac n cheese dish, and I thought the cottage cheese gave the dish a sour taste that I did not enjoy.

The dish was easy to prepare but I don't think I'll make it again -- there are plenty of other mac n cheese recipes out there to try.

Updated Mac & Cheese
The Essential Eating Well Cookbook
Makes 4 servings

3 tbsp plain dry breadcrumbs
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp paprika
1 16 oz or 10 oz package frozen spinach
1 3/4 cups 1% milk, divided
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese (6 oz)
1 cup low-fat (1%) cottage cheese
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
 8 oz (2 cups) whole-wheat elbow macaroni or penne

1.  Put a large pot of lightly salted water on to boil.  Preheat oven to 450F.  Coat an 8" square (2 quart) baking dish with cooking spray.
2.  Mix breadcrumbs, oil and paprika in a small bowl; set aside.  Cook spinach according to package directions.  Drain and refresh under cold water; press out excess moisture.  Set aside.
3.  Heat 1 1/2 cups milk in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until steaming.  Whisk remaining 1/4 cup milk and flour in a small bowl until smooth; add to the hot milk and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce simmers and thickens, 2 to 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in cheddar until melted.  Stir in cottage cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
4.  Cook pasta for 4 minutes, or until not quite tender.  (It will continue to cook during baking.)  Drain and add to the cheese sauce; mix well.  Spread half the pasta mixture in the prepared baking dish.  Spoon spinach on top.  Top with the remaining pasta; sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture.
5.  Bake the casserole until bubbly and golden, 25 to 30 minutes.

Per Serving: 503 calories; 17g fat; 54mg cholesterol; 60g carbohydrate; 31g protein; 8g fiber; 935 mg sodium
Nutrition Bonus: 200% DV Vitamin A, 60% DV Calcium, 27% DV Folate

Lasagne al Forno

I love lasagna.  I just don't like to make it -- it really takes a long time to prepare and I am a lazy cook.  This recipe, however, was so delicious it was certainly worth the effort.

Now this may get to be a bit of a bitch-fest, but I have to admit I had a few problems with this recipe. The recipe calls for 8 cups of spinach but I couldn't fit it all in the casserole.  In fact I don't think I even used half that amount.  I had assumed I would have to cook the spinach before layering in the casserole but I read the directions three times and saw no mention about cooking the spinach.  Maybe it's a typo.  Next time I'll try cooking the spinach first before layering in the lasagna.   And how many baking dishes am I supposed to have?  The recipe calls for an 8x11 baking dish!  8x11!  I have a 8x8, 7x9, 11x13, 13x17, but have never even seen an 8x11!  I used my 7x9 pan -- worked fine.  Now I am not a fast chopper, and it probably took me a half hour just to prep the veggies (there are a lot!), and with the cooking time for the sauce I think it was almost two hours before I could put the lasagna in the oven and sit down for a rest.  Whew!  I was tired!  The only substitution I had to make was 2 tbsp of tomato paste for the sun-dried tomatoes.  

Lasagne al Forno
The Essential Eating Well Cookbook

Makes 6 servings 

Mushroom Sauce

1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

12 ounces mushrooms, wiped clean and chopped (4 cups)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

2 sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil), very finely chopped (2 tbsp)

1 tsp dried thyme leaves

Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

White Sauce

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups 1% milk

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 pound no-boil lasagna noodles

8 cups spinach leaves

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (2 ounces), divided. 

1. To prepare the mushroom sauce:   Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add onion, carrot and celery; cook, stirring, until the onion has softened, about 5 minutes.  Add mushrooms and garlic; cook until the mushrooms release their liquid, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add wine; cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. 

2.  Stir in diced tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes and thyme; bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often, until the sauce is thick, about 1 hour.  Season with salt and pepper. 

3.  To prepare white sauce:  Heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in a heavy saucepan over low heat.  Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the flour starts to turn light brown, about 3 minutes.  remove from the heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce bubbles and thickens.  Season with nutmeg and salt to taste. 

4.  To assemble & bake lasagna:  Preheat oven to 375F.  Coat an 8z11 1/2 inch baking dish with cooking spray. 

5.  Spread 1/2 cup of the mushroom sauce in the prepared pan, arrange a layer of noodles on top and spread with another 1/2 cup of the mushroom sauce.  Arrange a layer of spinach over the sauce and drizzle with 1/3 cup of the white sauce.  Sprinkle 2 tbsp Parmesan over the spinach and top with another layer of noodles.  Repeat this layering five more times.  Spread the remaining white sauce over the top layer of noodles, covering completely.  Cover with foil. 

 6.  Bake the lasagna for 30 minutes.  Uncover, sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan, and bake until golden, about 20 minutes longer.  Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Per serving:  510 calories; 12g fat; 19mg cholesterol; 76 carbohydrate; 29g protein; 17g fiber; 413mg sodium.  

Nutrition Bonus:  130% DV vitamin A, 66% DV fiber, 42% DV Folate, 40% DV calcium, 40% DV Iron

Vietnamese Grilled Chicken

My husband likes to barbecue so one Father's Day I bought him an electric barbecue grill thinking he would like to use it during the winter months -- he didn't.  I really like the grill and am happy for any excuse to pull it out of storage so I was tickled to see a recipe for Vietnamese Grilled Chicken in The Essential Eating Well Cookbook.

I love Vietnamese food -- sweet, salty, spicy -- so yummy (probably why I love Thai food too).  This recipe is delicious!  The family loved it!  Unfortunately I couldn't find any papaya so I didn't make the relish.  I served the chicken with jasmine rice, and a pineapple salad using the relish recipe minus the garlic (and of course the papaya).  And I substituted the chicken leg with chicken thighs -- pretty sure nobody minded.

Vietnamese Grilled Chicken
The Essential Eating Well Cookbook
Yield:  4 servings

1/4 cup lime juice (2limes)
2 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Serrano or jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp canola oil
4 bone-in chicken legs (about 2 1/2 pounds total) skim and fat removed, cut in half through the joint
1 1/2 cups Papaya Relish (recipe follows)

1.  Whisk lime juice, fish sauce, garlic, peppers, sugar and oil in a small bowl.  Pour about half of this marinade into a shallow glass dish and reserve the remainder for basting.  Add chicken pieces to the dish and turn to coat.  Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to 1 hour, turning occasionally.
2.  Meanwhile, make Papaya Relish.  Preheat grill to medium-high.
3.  Oil the grill rack.  Grill the chicken, covered, turning several times and basting the browned sides with the reserved marinade, until well browned but not charred, and no longer pink inside, 20 to 30 minutes.  Serve with Papaya Relish.

Per serving:  253 calories; 9g fat; 89mg cholesterol; 15g carbohydrate; 27g protein; 1g fiber, 606 mg sodium.

Papaya Relish
Yield approximately 1 1/2 cups

2 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3 tbsp rice-wine vinegar
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp hot sauce such as sambal olek or Tabasco
1 firm papaya, peeled, seeded and diced (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup finely diced red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

With the side of a chef's knife, mash garlic with salt.  Transfer to a small bowl and whisk in vinegar, sugar and hot sauce.  Add papaya, onion and cilantro; toss gently to mix.   Best served shortly after it is prepared.

Per 1/3 cup serving:  43 calories; 0g fat; 0mg cholesterol; 11g carbohydrate; 1g protein; 1g fiber; 254mg sodium.

Back on Track

The last couple of months have been crazy -- holidays, family, parties, birthdays -- it's been a whirlwind of activity, but the new year has begun, and it's time to get back on track!  I have so many cookbooks that sometimes it's hard to plan what to make, so I've decided to pick a different cookbook each month to cook exclusively out of.

Since it's January, and people like to make New Year's Resolutions that usually have something to do with health and weight loss I've picked The Essential Eating Well Cookbook to use for meal planning.  It's a great cookbook with lots of delicious recipes that have low fats, good carbs, and lots of vegetables -- kind of like the South Beach diet.  I think this is the first time I've prepared any of the recipes out of this book so I'm pretty excited to taste the results.

I hope you enjoy it too.

Happy Birthday to Paul!

Paul took a vacation week after New Year's Day so he could relax during his birthday.  His kids had all assembled in Seattle so we spent the day with them on Monday, and then Tuesday left for Portland for two days where his daughter's generously let us invade their apartment.  It was great to spend a couple days with the girls, and we enjoyed all the wonderful restaurants, breweries, and coffee shops that Portland is known for -- but it was really nice to come home and eat some home-cooked meals.

I asked Paul what he wanted for his birthday meal, and as usual he said whatever I made would be fine with him.  The other day I saw the browser on the computer had been left open on a beef pot roast recipe...hmm...I can take a hint -- beef pot roast it is!  

Now I'm not ashamed to admit I need to look at a recipe for pot roast since it's a dish I prepare maybe once every other year.  I found a delicious, classic recipe online at here at my recipes.com, but I made a couple of modifications:  I used 6 medium sized garlic cloves instead of 3, and I used smallish red potatoes instead of the Yukon gold.  Having learned from years past that potatoes tend to disintegrate into the sauce I simply cut the potatoes in half lengthwise, and they were nice, chunky, cooked, and intact for the meal.  

I sauteed some mushrooms and green beans for side dishes, and found an excellent cake/frosting recipe from Smitten Kitchen.  

I think Paul was pleased with his birthday dinner!

Greens, White Bean and Barley Soup

My wonderful niece and nephew gave me this cookbook:  Favorite Brand Name Recipes Country Soups.  The recipes are really easy to follow, and the soups are delicious.  I'll be cooking out of this book for a while, and then maybe get back to my casserole cookbook.  I made two soups before I remembered to take pictures so I could blog about it -- oops! (I think we all know my New Year's Resolution will be to do a better job of blogging.)

Last night I made Greens, White Bean and Barley Soup -- so good!  And now for my substitutions/additions:  I had some Polska Kielbasa that needed to be used up, and it made a great addition to the soup.  I used my veggie/bean stock to cook the barley, and after draining the barley I had 3 cups of barley infused stock to use in the soup!    I used baby Portobello mushrooms, about 4 cups stemmed chopped kale instead of the greens, added 1 tsp salt, and omitted the sugar.

Greens, White Bean and Barley Soup
Yield:  8 servings

2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 pounds carrots, diced
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
6 cups vegetable broth
2 cups cooked barley
1 15 ounce can (or 2 cups homemade) Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained.  (If using homemade beans save liquid to use with stock, and do not rinse beans.)
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried thyme
7 cups stemmed, chopped collard greens (about 24 ounces)
1 tbsp white wine vinegar

Optional garnishes:  Hot pepper sauce, and sliced red peppers.

    Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add carrots, onions and garlic; cook and stir 3 minutes.  Add mushrooms; cook and stir 5 minutes more or until carrots are tender.
     Add broth, barley, beans, bay leaves, salt, sugar and thyme.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer 5 minutes.  Add greens; simmer 10 minutes.  Remove and discard bay leaves.  Stir in vinegar.  Season to taste with pepper sauce.  Garnish with red bell peppers.

Stocking the Pantry for Soup

My niece and nephew gave me a cookbook for Christmas:  Favorite Brand Name Recipe Country Soups.  The recipes came from food product companies whose brands are featured in some of the recipes.  I really like this cookbook -- I've been making soup all week and every recipe so far has been a home run with the family.

The recipes are divided into six categories.  I picked recipes out of the Vegetable & Grains, and Beans & Legumes sections to prepare so first I had to stock up on my beans.  While I keep a few cans of beans in the pantry for emergencies I prefer to cook my own beans.  Home-cooked beans take some time but are not difficult to prepare, and they're definitely worth the effort.  They taste better than canned beans, and you get to control the salt and seasonings.  In fact the hardest part for me is to remember to soak the beans overnight!

I prepared Great Northern Beans, Lima Beans, and Black Beans.  (The recipe for the Great Northern and Lima beans are the same.)

White Beans
Yield:  approximately 8 cups beans, and 4 cups stock

To prepare beans:

Sort through 1 lb bag of white beans (Great Northern, Lima, etc) and remove any rocks or debris, rinse, and put into large pot of water with 6 to 8 cups of water.  Cover and set on counter overnight (at least 12 hours). Drain water, and rinse beans thoroughly.


To cook beans:

Soaked white beans
2 tbsp oil
1 medium onion, chopped (approximately 1 1/2 cups)
2 medium celery stalks, cut into 2"-3" pieces
2 medium carrots, halved and cut into 2"-3" pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
6-8 cups water

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat.  Saute onions until soft and translucent (about 5 minutes).  Add garlic, celery and carrot stalks, and cook for additional five minutes stirring occasionally.  Add beans and water, and bring to boil.  Lower heat to simmer, cover, and cook beans 30 to 40 minutes skimming off any foam.  Beans are ready when they are just cooked through but not mushy.  Discard carrot and celery stalks.  Beans and stock are now ready for use or storage.

Black Beans
Yield:  approximately 6 cups beans, and 2 cups stock

To prepare beans:

Sort through 1 lb bag of black beans and remove any rocks or debris, rinse, and put into large pot of water with 6 to 8 cups of water.  Cover and set on counter overnight (at least 12 hours). Drain water, and rinse beans thoroughly.

To cook beans:
Soaked black beans
2 tbsp oil
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 serrano chilies, seeded, and finely diced
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp dried cilantro
1 tsp dried oregano

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Saute onions until soft and translucent (about five minutes).  Add garlic, chilies, and spices and cook for 2-3 minutes stirring (almost) constantly.  You can add a little water as necessary to keep spices from scorching.  Add beans and water, and bring to a boil.  Lower heat to simmer, cover, and cook 20 to 30 minutes until just cooked (but no mushy).  Beans and stock are now ready for use or storage.

 

I like to freeze my beans in 2 cup storage containers with just enough stock to cover the beans.  I freeze the remaining white bean stock in four cup quantities for future use.