Craft-y Macaroni and Cheese

I have fond childhood memories of making the mac and cheese that came in the blue box. My parents didn't let me have it particularly often, but Kraft Macaroni and Cheese was perhaps the first meal that I was able to cook on my own (not that it took a lot of skill). It was more of a treat - I remember having friends over for a sleepover during which we made a VERY FANCY version (we cut up hot dogs and mixed them in, along with the milk and butter and powdered cheese).

But a funny thing happened on the way to adulthood - the day-glo orange cheesy noodles aren't quite as good as I remember. Don't get me wrong - I still like an occasional bowl of mac and cheese. But it just doesn't cut it for me anymore as a stand-alone meal. I try to atone for the cheesy goodness by mixing in some sort of vegetable (carrots, spinach, etc.). I stir in pepper or Italian seasoning to liven things up a bit.

Which leads me to...going beyond the box. It doesn't really take that much longer to whip up a homemade batch of mac and cheese, and it is infinitely more customizable (and, perhaps, a tad healthier - although, really, it is never going to be a healthy meal). Making your own mac and cheese means that you can pick the cheese that you like (I used a mix of mild and sharp provolone, fontina, and asiago when I made this the first time - the leftovers from an Italian cheese tray, which I chopped up - although cheddar, colby, mozzarella, pepper jack, or many others will also work). And it turns out that you don't have to have powdered, super-processed cheese food product to achieve the bright orange color found in the blue box - squash puree can give you the same result!

Macaroni and Cheese (8 servings)

1 package (13.25 oz.) whole wheat macaroni (penne, shells, or other shapes will also work)

2 T. butter

2 T. flour

ground black pepper to taste

2 c. skim milk

1 1/2 c. shredded or chopped cheese

1 c. cooked squash puree (half of a square frozen package)

1 c. frozen or 3 c. fresh chopped spinach (or try other vegetables)

1. Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Drain and set aside.

2. While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then stir in flour and pepper. Stir in milk, cheese, and squash puree. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the cheese is melted and the squash puree is fully incorporated.

3. Toss together pasta, cheese sauce, and spinach. Pour into a 13 x 9 baking dish. Bake at 350F for 20-30 minutes, until heated through.

Acorn Squash Pasta Bake (also good for butternut squash)

I have been a very bad blogger, and have left this site for over a year (yikes!). However, my culinary adventures have continued...and today, I bring you acorn squash pasta bake!

This delicious autumn dish was born of necessity - our CSA gives us lots of squash, and so we've been very creative in finding ways to use it - in squash soup and baked squash  and spaghetti form. But I had committed as the host of a potluck dinner, and wanted to find something really great to make with some of the squash that we'd roasted, scooped, and frozen a few weeks ago. And thus the acorn squash pasta bake was born...(sorry there are no pictures - we ate it too quickly!)

Acorn Squash Pasta Bake (~ 8 servings)
1 lb. pasta of choice (I used mini penne; ziti, penne, shells, elbows, rotini, etc. would all work)
2 cups acorn or butternut squash, already roasted or boiled and mashed*
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 clove garlic, or 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 T. olive oil
1 egg
freshly grated black pepper, to taste
salt, to taste
1 bunch spinach or chard, chopped (about 1/2 pound, give or take depending on your taste)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter or spray a 9x13 baking dish.

2. Boil the pasta according to package directions for al dente. Drain.

3. While the pasta is cooking, puree the squash, ricotta, cinnamon, nutmeg, garlic, olive oil, egg, pepper, and salt in a blender or food processor to make a smooth sauce.

4. Stir together pasta, squash sauce, and chopped spinach or chard and turn into baking dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

5. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes at 350F. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

* To prepare squash, slice in half and scoop out the seeds. Rub the cut side with a bit of olive oil or butter and place cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake at 375F for 30 minutes, turn cut side up, and continue baking until tender, ~15-30 minutes depending on size of squash. Scoop flesh out of shell. If you are using butternut squash, you can also peel the raw squash and slice into 1" chunks, then boil until tender (~10-15 minutes).

Snowmageddon I - Pesto-Spinach Lasagna

DC is in the midst of its second major snowstorm of the winter (we had Snowpocalypse in December, which brought 18-20") and its third snowstorm of this past week (last weekend we got about 6 inches and on Tuesday we got another 3 inches). With the Capital Weather Gang calling for a total of 16-26" (or even 30"+) and the local network affiliates on overdrive with wall-to-wall weather coverage, it is time for cooking and baking.

First up during the storm (after braving the crowds at the grocery stores, of course): Pesto-Spinach Lasagna. This is my favorite lasagna, and I have my best friend to thank for it. She made me this lasagna to keep me fortified during my doctoral candidacy exams, and I have been craving it ever since. Making this particular pan was bittersweet, though - I used up the last of the pesto I'd make using homegrown basil from this past summer. Well, that's a bit of summer sun to cheer me up amidst all of this snow, at least!

Lasagna freezes quite well in individual servings if you have too much - allow the pan to cool completely, wrap each slice in a piece of plastic wrap, then put the individually-wrapped servings into a freezer bag and freeze - you'll be able to pull out a piece at a time as you need it.

Pesto-Spinach Lasagna (12 servings)
1 T. dried currants, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes
1 1/2 recipes pesto (for recipe, go here)
1 1/4 lbs. spinach or 1 1/2 lbs. swiss chard (or 2 14 oz. cans spinach, well drained)
2 T. olive oil
1/2 c. minced onions
3 T. pine nuts
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb. ricotta or cottage cheese (low fat, if you prefer)
1 1/2 c. parmesan cheese
1 lg. egg
nutmeg (to taste)
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 12 oz. box no-cook lasagna noodles (or 1 lb. regular lasagna noodles, cooked)

1. Cook spinach "dry" (just with the water clinging to its leaves) over medium heat until just wilted, remove from pan and chop.

2. Heat olive oil over medium heat, brown onions, pine nuts, and garlic. Add chopped spinach and currants, cook about 2 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, stir together spinach mixture, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

4. Preheat oven to 350F. In a 9 x 13 baking dish, assemble the lasagna as follows (listed in order from bottom to top - thus start with the noodles and end with the pesto):
4 lasagna noodles (overlap slightly)
1/4 spinach - cheese mixture
1/4 pesto sauce
Repeat - Repeat - Repeat (you'll have four layers when you finish)

5. Cover pan with foil and bake at 350F for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Pesto & Pesto-Vegetable Lasagna

My birthday is coming up tomorrow, and for an early birthday present I got a 10 cup food processor and a pressure cooker. I've yet to break out the pressure cooker (although I can hear lentils, beans, and other foods calling), but I've already put the food processor to good use in making two kinds of hummous, white bean dip, gazpacho, and pesto.

This pesto recipe will make enough sauce for about a pound of pasta. If you'd like to use it in a vegetable lasagna (as I did tonight), make sure you have enough ingredients to make a double batch and follow the recipe further down in this post (modified from this vegetable lasagna recipe).

Pesto Sauce (enough for 1 lb. of pasta)
2 cups moderately-packed basil leaves
1/3 cup pine nuts
2 medium garlic cloves
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
up to 1/3 cup olive oil

Combine basil, pine nuts, garlic, and parmesan cheese in a food processor and pulse until all ingredients are evenly chopped and mixed. With processor running, pour olive oil in slowly until desired consistency is reached. Toss with 1 lb. of pasta.

Pesto - Vegetable Lasagna (12 servings)
2 cups diced zucchini (do not peel)
1 cup diced bell peppers
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
4 cups sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1 lb. spinach
2 cups low-fat cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 batches pesto sauce
1 9 oz. package no-boil lasagna noodles

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Combine zucchini, bell pepper, tomatoes, mushrooms, onion, garlic, and salt in a deep frying pan or saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

3. Cook spinach (+ up to 1 tsp. water, if needed) in a large pot at high heat for 3 minutes, until just wilted (still bright green). Drain and chop coarsely, combine with cottage or ricotta cheese.

4. Assemble the following layers in a 9 x 13 x 3 in. baking dish (listed in order from bottom to top - thus start with the vegetable mixture and end with the cheese):
1/4 vegetable mixture
4 lasagna noodles (overlap slightly)
1/3 spinach - cheese mixture
1/4 vegetable mixture
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/3 pesto sauce
4 lasagna noodles (overlap slightly)
1/3 spinach - cheese mixture
1/4 vegetable mixture
4 lasagna noodles (overlap slightly)
1/3 spinach - cheese mixture
1/4 vegetable mixture
1/3 pesto sauce
4 lasagna noodles (overlap slightly)
1/3 pesto sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese

5. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350F until noodles are tender, 50-60 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, until cheese is melted.

6. Remove from oven and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Spinach Hommous

Last week I traveled out to Oregon to visit my friend Melissa. The trip provided plenty of inspiration on the food front: reminding me how much I like fresh berries (see recent posts about some of the treats I've been whipping up after going berry picking upon my return) and finding some delicious spinach hommous at the grocery store that prompted me to whip up a batch of my own. Enjoy this spread with pita or spread it on a hearty whole wheat bread and top it with cheese and sliced veggies (cucumbers and tomatoes, for starters) for a yummy sandwich. Just don't take it to the beach, where you might find that the wind tries to add its own touch - a bit of gritty sand!

Spinach Hommous (~ 1 1/2 - 2 cups)
1 can (16 oz.) chickpeas, drained
1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1/4 c. tahini
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 T. lemon juice
2 T. olive oil

Combine all ingredients and process in a food processor until smooth (in batches, if necessary). If the hommous is too thick, add some vegetable juice, about 1 T. at a time, until desired consistency is achieved.

Spinach with Sliced Almonds (Badaam vaali Palak)

The feast of India continues in this post (catch up with the main dish here and here) with our vegetable dish. One of my favorite foods is spinach (which explains why one of my favorite Indian dishes of all-time is palak paneer [aka saag paneer], a creamy spinach dish with cubes of paneer cheese), so for my Indian dinner party, I wanted to make sure that I had a spinach dish included on the menu. For that role, I found this spinach, almond, and red bell pepper dish.

Spinach with Sliced Almonds (Badaam vaali Palak) (~4-6 servings)
2 T. sliced almonds
1 T. olive oil
1 T. Bengali 5 spices (panch-phoran)*
1 T. ginger paste
1 clove garlic, minced
1-3 fresh green chili peppers, minced
1/8 tsp. ground asafoetida
1 lb. fresh spinach, coasely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/4 tsp. garam masala

1. Dry roast the almonds in a small saucepan over medium heat for about 2 minutes, until golden. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the panch-phoran, ginger, garlic, and green chili peppers and cook about 30 seconds.

3. Add asafoetida and spinach, stir and cook for about 2-3 minutes over high heat. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook for about 5 more minutes. Uncover the pan, increase to high heat, and allow juices to boil off. Transfer to a serving dish and keep warm.

4. Using the same pan, roast red pepper for about 2 minutes, until crisp-tender. Scatter over spinach, along with almonds and garam masala. Serve!

* Mixture of cumin, fennel, mustard, fenugreek, and kalonji seeds - if you don't have all of these, substitute with what you do have on hand out of the five.

Cheesy Macaroni with Spinach and Artichoke

Macaroni and cheese is one of my favorite dishes, despite the fact that it is loaded with things that aren't very good for you. I also really like spinach-artichoke dip, but for many of the same reasons it isn't a great choice for regular meal rotation. However, I think that I've managed to come up with a dish that combines these two favorites AND is somewhat healthier than either of the traditional versions. This recipe uses whole wheat pasta, low fat dairy products, and veggies - to reduce sodium from the canned vegetables, rinse with clean water after draining.

Cheesy Macaroni with Spinach and Artichoke (~8 servings)
1 lb whole wheat pasta (macaroni, penne, etc.)
1 cup skim milk
2 cups lowfat (2%) shredded cheddar cheese
1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 14 oz. can spinach, drained
1 tsp. ground black pepper (or to taste)

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to pot.

2. While the pasta is cooking, combine milk, cheese, artichokes, spinach, and pepper in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until cheese is melted.

3. Stir together pasta and sauce. Serve!

Vegetable Lasagna

I love lasagna, especially vegetable lasagna. This one is filled with veggies and lower-fat cheeses, so is actually fairly healthy!

Vegetable Lasagna (approx. 12 servings)
2 cups diced zucchini (do not peel)
1 cup diced bell peppers
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
4 cups sliced mushrooms (about 12 oz.)
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup dry red or white wine
3 T. chopped fresh basil
1 9 oz. bag baby spinach
2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 24 oz. jar pasta sauce
1 9 oz. package no-boil lasagna noodles

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Combine zucchini, bell pepper, tomatoes, mushrooms, onion, garlic, salt, and wine in a deep frying pan or saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in basil and set aside.

3. Cook spinach (+ up to 1 tsp. water, if needed) in a large pot at high heat for 3 minutes, until just wilted (still bright green). Drain and chop coarsely, combine with cottage cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese.

4. Assemble the following layers in a 9 x 13 x 3 in. baking dish (listed top to bottom):
1 cup pasta sauce
4 lasagna noodles (overlap slightly)
1/3 spinach - cheese mixture
1/3 vegetable mixture
4 lasagna noodles (overlap slightly)
1/3 spinach - cheese mixture
1/3 vegetable mixture
1 cup pasta sauce
4 lasagna noodles (overlap slightly)
1/3 spinach - cheese mixture
1/3 vegetable mixture
4 lasagna noodles (overlap slightly)
1 cup pasta sauce

5. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350F until noodles are tender, 50-60 minutes. Remove foil and top with remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, bake an additional 5-10 minutes, until cheese is melted.

6. Remove from oven and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.