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!

Double Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

With all of the news about peanut butter recalls, I've been reluctant to post this recipe - but the truth is, I love peanut butter and find it hard to go without. So in spite of the recalls (which I am hoping will all be sorted out soon), I'm sharing this great bar cookie! I brought these into the office a while back and they disappeared pretty quickly.

Double Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars (enough for a crowd)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9 x 13 baking pan.

2. Stir butter and peanut butter together in a large bowl. Add sugar and brown sugar and stir until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

3. Add flour, baking powder, and salt and stir until well blended. Stir in peanut butter chips and chocolate chips.

4. Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

5. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Slice into bars (about 36) and serve.

Vegetable Pasties (PAH-steez)

One of the delicacies of Michigan - really, of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan - is the pasty. Legend has it that the miners of Cornwall brought these meat and vegetable pastry pockets "across the pond" when they came to work in the copper and iron mines of Michigan. Since then, the pasty has gained popularity in both peninsulas and pasty aficionados can find a variety of pasties at any number of drive-through and take-home pasty shops.

For those brave enough to make their own pasties, or those unlucky enough to live far away from a pasty shop (like me), here's my recipe for vegetable pasties. My recipe uses store-bought pre-made pie crusts - but if you're interested in making your own crust, you'll find plenty of opinions on how to best make pasty crust by googling "pasty recipe." If you'd like a more "traditional" Cornish pasty, add 1-2 lbs. cubed steak or ground beef in place of the sweet potato and mushrooms.

Vegetable Pasties (~ 12-16 half-sized pasties or 6-8 full-sized pasties)
2-3 medium potatoes, peeled
1 rutabaga, peeled
1 turnip, peeled
1 parsnip, peeled
10-15 baby carrots
1 medium onion, peeled
4-5 celery ribs
6 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 sweet potato, peeled
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
6-8 refrigerated pie crusts (3-4 boxes)

1. Dice (~ 1/4 - 1/2" cubes) or thinly slice all vegetables and mix together in a large bowl.

2. Preheat oven to 350F and line baking sheet(s) with foil.

3. Unroll a prepared pie crust. (If making your own crust, roll out a 9" round, about 1/4" thick.) For full-size pasty, place about 1 - 1.5 cups of filling + 1/4 cup cheese on one half of crust. For half-sized pasties, cut crust in half and place about 2/3 - 3/4 cup filling + 2 T. cheese on one half of each piece.


4. Fold crust over filling and pinch edges together, then fold or roll edges to make a double-thick seam (see photo below). Cut a few small vents into top of pastry pocket. Place on foil-lined baking sheet.


5. Bake at 350F for 60 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and vegetables are soft.

6. Serve hot with plenty of ketchup on the side!


7. Leftover pasties can be refrigerated and reheated later. Heat at 350F for 15 minutes. If you freeze the pasties, reheat at 350F for 45 minutes or until heated through.

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.

Vegetarian Black Bean Soup

Black bean soup is one of my favorite meals - especially with some crusty bread on the side. If you use dried beans for this recipe, make sure that you leave plenty of time for soaking (at least 8 hours, or overnight) and simmering (about 2 hours) before you plan to serve the soup. Leftovers can be divided into single or multiple serving portions and refrigerated or frozen for later use (e.g., lunches or dinners for the week ahead).

Black Bean Soup (~ 10 - 12 servings)
1 lb. dried black beans [or 4 14 oz. cans black beans]
1 T. olive oil
4-5 carrots, diced (~ 2 cups)*
4-5 ribs celery, diced (~ 2 cups)*
2 medium onions, diced (~ 2 cups)*
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground thyme
1 tsp. dried oregano or Italian seasoning
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. ground black pepper
8 cups liquid (I used 4 cups vegetable stock + 4 cups water)
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
2 T. lime juice
grated parmesan or cheddar cheese, scallions, sour cream, diced tomatoes, or other garnish
*If your grocery store carries prepared mirepoix (diced onion, celery, and carrot) in the produce section, you can use this to substitute for the individual vegetables [~ 5-6 cups is needed, approximately 24 oz.].

1. If using dried beans, sort and wash beans in cold water. Soak beans in 6 cups of water for 8-12 hours, or overnight. Drain and discard soaking liquid.

2. In a large stockpot, warm oil over medium-high heat. Saute carrots, celery, onion, and garlic for 1 minute, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.

3. Stir in cumin, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add beans, liquid, and tomato paste. Increase heat and bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 2 hours, until beans are soft. (You may want to cover soup for the first hour or so, then remove the cover to allow soup to thicken while it simmers.)

5. Remove soup from heat and stir in lime juice. Serve with desired garnish(es).

Vegetarian Lentil Stew

With December here and temperatures barely topping 40, I've resigned myself to winter arriving in DC. However, winter is not all bad (Christmas, Inauguration Day, and hearty soups all come to mind as good things about winter...). Earlier this week I had a nice bowl of lentil soup and it inspired me to pick up the makings for some legume-based dishes for the coming week. Today I made vegetarian lentil stew, which is packed with veggies, fiber, and protein.


Vegetarian Lentil Stew (6-8 servings)
1 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium onions, diced (~ 2 cups)*
4 carrots, diced (~ 1 1/2 cups)*
4-5 ribs celery, diced (~ 2 cups)*
1 lb. lentils, washed and drained
4 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp. ground sage
1 tsp. ground thyme
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
9 oz. bag spinach, stems removed and leaves chopped
* If your grocery store carries prepared mirepoix (diced onion, celery, and carrot) in the produce section, you can use this to substitute for the individual vegetables [~ 5 cups is needed, approximately 24 oz.].

1. In a large stockpot, warm oil over medium-high heat; add garlic, onion, carrot, and celery and saute until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.

2. Add lentils, vegetable stock, sage, thyme, and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and cover, allow to simmer until lentils just begin to soften, about 20 minutes; stir occasionally.

3. Stir in spinach [if needed, add up to 1 cup water to replace liquid soaked up by lentils] and continue simmering until lentils are tender, about 10 minutes; stir occasionally.

4. Serve!

Cranberry-Orange-White Chocolate Chip Cookies

A couple of years ago I found a recipe for pumpkin raisin ginger cookies on the side of my Pillsbury Quick Bread mix and quickly added them to the rotation of my fall and winter cookies. Using pumpkin quick bread mix means that these cookies can be whipped up in a jiffy for parties, snacks, and gifts. Inspired by my success with the pumpkin raisin ginger cookies, I branched out to the cranberry quick bread mix and came up with...

Cranberry - Orange - White Chocolate Chip Cookies (approx. 18-24 cookies)
1 box cranberry quick bread mix
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Mix all ingredients together (may be slightly crumbly). Form into balls (about 1.5 inch diameter) and place on an ungreased or foil-lined cookie sheet. Use a fork to lightly flatten balls.

3. Bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then remove cookies to wire racks to finish cooling.