Fancy Mac and Cheese? Oh yes.

Hot Damn if I don't feel fancy every time I say Gratin. This dish is simple to make, and can be as fancy, or as simple as you want. I chose to make my own sauce because it was Saturday and I had the time. Feel free to use store bought sauce, just pick out a good quality one. I loved the smoky flavor the Sofrito added to the dish, but again it's up to you how complicated you want to get, jarred sauce saves you a good amount of time. I used goat cheese because I ran out of parmesan, but again this is a flexible dish, so use cheese you know and love. I love dishes that make it easy to eat vegetables, and since its similar to mac and cheese this is wonderful to serve to both kids and adults.

Penne and Cauliflower Gratin with a Spicy Tomato Cream Sauce

The Goods: Serves 4-5 as main dish
1/4 cup goat cheese or parmesan
1 small cauliflower (about 4 cups), cut into small florets
1/2 pound whole wheat penne
1 1/4 cups chunky Sofrito or store bought marinara sauce
1 cup half and half or 2% milk
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup finely chopped basil or parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil

The Deal: 
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Drop in the cauliflower and cook five minutes, or until just tender. Scoop it out with a strainer and drop it into a 2 1/2 quart casserole. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Drop the penne into the water and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain it in a colander and shake to remove all moisture. Mix it into the cauliflower.

3. In a large bowl mix together tomato sauce, milk, garlic, red pepper flakes, basil, cheese and salt. Pour the sauce into the casserole dish and toss well to mix the sauce, pasta and cauliflower.

4. Combine the bread crumbs and olive oil in a small bowl and mix until evenly moistened. Sprinkle all over the gratin. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until hot, bubbly and golden on top. Let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Its a freakin breeze being a green bean casserole.

NUMMY! I like the reflection in the pan. I'm so artsy. :)

Lady's and Gents, this is one of my all time favorite things. I don't mean favorite foods, I mean favorite THINGS. I LOOOOOOOUUUUUUVVVVVE green bean casserole, really I would eat it every day. Creamy mushroom sauce, tender green beans, finished off with crispy onions, that's a mouth full of happy right there. I'm sure people exist who don't enjoy the GBC but I choose not to believe that. I've heard rumor of people that don't enjoy chocolate, which just HAS to be a lie. What's next, people who don't like good sex or laughing?

Green bean casserole takes me back to a time I hated all vegetables. Wouldn't touch them unless enticed by some fried chicken finger and/or nugget. Yet every Thanksgiving I welcomed a heaping scoop of green bean casserole on my plate. Sure it was mostly cream of mushroom soup and french's onions, but still I took immense pride that on Thanksgiving, the holiday of gluttony, my favorite indulgence actually had vegetables in it. It was only when I went to college I learned green bean casserole was a southern dish and not a staple on every Thanksgiving menu. I quickly introduced the wonder that is the cheap and easy green bean casserole to my friends still not knowing how incredible REAL made from scratch green bean casserole tasted. First I switched to fresh green beans, and will never pick up a can of green beans again. (I mean I might, but I'm trying to make a point here.) Then I figured out the sauce, but was still relying on those french's crunchy onion rings, which seem to be mostly batter. I know they are delicious, and lets just say I've eaten more than one can sitting in front of the TV watching Buffy or something equally awesome, but they are nothing but junk. Making your own onions is surprisingly easy and just, if not more, crunchy and tasty.

My point sweet readers, is this is a traditional southern dish, that EVERYONE should try. And if you are going to make it, best make it from scratch. No canned green beans or french fried onions here. Nope fresh vegetables, flour and cream make this dish heavenly, without adding icky chemicals to your body. This is often a side dish as it uses a cup of half and half, so is fairly rich. Using fresh green beans, onions and mushrooms increases the nutritional value of this dish, but it's not what I would call healthy. I would call it an instant hit at potlucks and the way to a person's heart. Or stomach at the very least. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Onions coated with flour

Onions baked and crispy. No eating yet!

Mushrooms sautéing

Simmering in broth

Getting creamy in half and half

Bring all your ingredients together, bake and serve!

Green Bean Casserole

Based on Alton Brown's No your mommas green bean casserole.

This time, Im not dreaming. It's really here!

The Goods: Serves 4-6 as a side dish

Topping: 

2 meduim onions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup all purpose flour

2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Non stick spray

The Sauce: 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

12 ounces mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch slices

1 cup vegetable broth

1 cup half and half

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

The Green Beans: 

1 pound green beans, rinsed and trimmed

1 gallon of water

2 tablespoons kosher salt. 

The Deal: 

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Combine onions, panko flour, and salt in a large bowl and toss to combine. Coat a sheet pan with non stick spray and evenly spread out onions. Bake until golden brown, tossing every 10 minutes, for approximately 30 minutes. Once done, remove from oven and set aside until ready to use. Once you remove the onions turn the oven temperature down to 400 degrees. 

2. While the onions are cooking, prepare the beans. Fill a bowl with ice and water aka make an ice bath. Bring a gallon of water to a boil with two tablespoons of salt. Blanch aka boil the green beans for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately put beans in the ice bath to stop cooking. Once cool, drain and set aside.

3. Now to make your sauce! Melt the butter in a large saute pan (that can also be used in the oven) over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to give off their liquid, 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and nutmeg and continue to cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Cook for one minute. Add the broth and simmer for 1 minute. Add the half and half, stir and cook until the mixture thickens, around 6 to 8 minutes.

4. Remove from heat and stir in the green beans and 1/4 of the onions. Top with remaining onions. Bake in saute pan at 400 degrees until bubbly, 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately. 

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Ricotta Bruschetta and Caramelized Onions

Little bites of fall heaven

Creating recipes is tough, yall. This dish was inspired by a need to use up some food in my kitchen. It was a very make it up as I go type dinner that happened to work out well. Score, there is usually about a 50/50 shot of that. I knew I needed to use a half empty container of ricotta and already had flagged a recipe for ricotta bruschetta in one of Barefoot Contessa's cookbooks. The recipe called for the cheese mixture to be served on toasted bread, but I wanted to healthy that up a bit. That began the elaborate process of looking around my kitchen to see what else I could use. My eyes surveyed the bowl of local vegetables on the counter and honed in on some boring looking sweet potatoes. Of course we all know how far from boring sweet potatoes taste, but they are not lookers. Yellow onions hid underneath the sweet potatoes, just hoping to get thrown in the mix. My college roommate and I used to make these baked sweet potatoes that were so (oooooooo) good, and since I had local sweet potatoes I figured might as well combine two awesome recipes to see what would happen.

Success! Baked Sweet Potatoes topped with an herby ricotta mixture finished with sweet caramelized onions were in fact little bites of savory goodness. Baking the sweet potatoes gave them a lovely soft texture while the breadcrumbs added a needed crunch. The ricotta bruschetta was light and full of all the right herbs, while caramelized onions finished it off with a hit of sweetness. I'm sure I could improve on this recipe, and will certainly try, but for now it's pretty freaking good. It is a good main course, served with a side of green vegetables, but would also make a great appetizer. As an appetizer I would try to get small thin sweet potatoes as to make them bite sized. I used large sweet potatoes, which required a plate and a fork if you consider yourself fancy.
Sliced avocado was what I wanted to top these with first, but they were all rock hard and expensive at the grocery store. The onions were delicious, but I bet you could top this with fresh tomatoes, avocado, perhaps evenly lightly sautéed mushrooms. All the vegetables used in this (except the herbs) are seasonal, and the greens, browns, and orange are perfect fall colors to decorate your dinner plate.

Ricotta Bruschetta with Baked Sweet Potatoes

Adapted from my brain, with help from the Barefoot Contessa.

The Goods: Serves 4-6 as main course
2-3 large sweet potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch
2 cups breadcrumbs ( I prefer panko, just read the ingredients before you buy them)
4 tablespoons (more or less) of butter, melted plus 2 tablespoons for the onions
2 cups ricotta
3 tablespoons scallions white and green parts, minced
2 tablespoons fresh dill, minced
1 tablespoon fresh chives, minced
1 large yellow onion, halved and sliced in 1/8 inch slices
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

The Deal:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease 2 large cookie sheets. First caramelize your onions: In a large saute pan on medium high heat melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add onions and saute until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Stir frequently. Reduce heat to medium (or medium low depending on your burner) and cook onions until soft and browned, about 40 minutes. Only stir occasionally, but watch for burning. If they begin to burn reduce heat.

2. Set up your breading station. Place melted butter in a shallow bowl. Then place breadcrumbs and a good dash of salt and pepper in second bowl. Coat sweet potato in butter, letting excess butter drip off, then dredge in the breadcrumbs being sure it is evenly coated. Place on the greased cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining sweet potatoes. Bake until lightly browned and soft, about 20-25 minutes.

3. While sweet potatoes are cooking, make your ricotta bruschetta. Combine the ricotta, scallions, dill, chives, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl.

4. Once your sweet potatoes and caramelized onions are ready, assemble your dish. Place 1 breaded sweet potato on the plate, followed by a heaping tablespoon of ricotta mixture, and finish with a a good dash of onions. Serve immediately.

Sundried Tomato Pesto with Pan Fried Ravioli

Fried Pasta with Pesto and Roasted Asparagus. 

Fancy dinners get me so excited. Since I've started down this road of food enlightenment, my favorite thing to do for a special occasion is to cook something delicious that hopefully will fill that person(or persons) with a since of warmth and excitement. We all have are individual ways of showing our love, and for me cooking a good meal is about as loving as you can get (feel free to insert your own dirty reference here).

Healthy (and super wonderful) boyfriend had a birthday this weekend and I wanted to make something decadent, but didn't have a lot of time to plan or execute the meal. So of course I looked at my Simple Vegetarian Pleasures cookbook (aka my new book boyfriend) and found this simple and tasty dish that only took about an hour total. We were both feeling under the weather, so I did not want to spend all day in the kitchen when I knew we both did not have our normal appetites. In fact, healthy boyfriend ended up loving the meal, but being able to eat a bunch because of his sick tummy. That's what leftovers are for :)

I loved the taste, though I would like to tinker with it a bit next time. It was good, but I thought it lacked something I still can't put my finger on. Certainly use the pesto sparingly as a teaspoon goes a LONG way. The raviolis were silly yummy, and something Ill keep in my pocket for a quick appetizer. No shock that frying pasta makes it taste better, you can fry a sock and make it taste good(This is in no way an endorsement to eat socks). Oil and breadcrumbs, hard to go wrong with. I may try to add the pine nuts first next time, or even use another kind of herb. Panko breadcrumbs are the way to go, or use fresh made if you can. Normal store bough breadcrumbs work alright, but are so filled with chemicals and junk I avoid them.

Because I used loose sun dried tomatoes, they needed to steam first to soften them. If you use sun dried tomatoes in oil, just drain them and blend, no need to steam. Any reason to use my steamer makes me happy.

Finding quality ravioli without breaking the bank can be tricky. All the national brands I've tried are terrible, but who wants to spend $7-10 on a package of ravioli? Queens and movie stars, that's who, but I don't think either read my blog.
Mushroom and Spinach ravioli would both work great with this recipe, as would traditional cheese. Mine were from a whole foods, the 365 mushroom ravioli, which were fine, but nothing to write home about. Time did not permit me to go to the farmers market to get some local made ravioli, but in the future that is what I would prefer. Look around your neighborhoods and try to find a local homemade pasta, it makes a big difference in the taste.

Such a flexible dish, try it and see how easy it is!

Sun dried Tomato Pesto with Pan Fried Ravioli

The Goods: Serves 4-6 as appetizer, 2-3 as main course

The Pesto: 
1 1/2 ounces(about 10) loose sun dried tomatoes

1/4 cup olive oil

2 small garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons pine nuts

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

The Ravioli:
1/3 cupish milk 

5 tablespoonish dry (panko) bread crumbs

20 delicious ravioli, defrosted if frozen (pick some good ones!)

Oil for frying, olive or grape work great

The Deal: 
1. To make the pesto, steam* the tomatoes until soft, around 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.

2. Place tomatoes, oil, garlic and lemon juice in a food processor and puree until smooth. Add pine nuts, parsley, salt, and pepper and pulse until the mixture is almost smooth but has tiny pieces of these last ingredients. Scrape into a small bowl and then stir in the Parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper if needed.

Maters, garlic, lemon juice and oil

Puree #1

Adding the rest of the ingredients

3. Ravioli time! Put the milk in a small bowl and the breadcrumbs on a small plate on the counter. Dip each ravioli in the milk, then coat both sides with breadcrumbs, just don't cover them completely. Place on a platter.

Dipping in milk

Lightly breading, no need to coat completely

Ready to FRY!

4. Cover the bottom of a large skillet with a little oil. Heat over medium heat until hot but not smoking.  Fry the ravioli in one layer (you may have to do this in two batches) until golden brown on both sides. Use tongs to flip them over as needed. Place on a paper towel covered plate to drain off oil.
Serve on a platter with about a teaspoon of tomato pesto on top of each of them. Garnish with a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan.

*Fairly certain everyone knows how to steam, but just in case. To steam tomatoes, place about an inch of water in a medium pot with a vegetable steamer, cover and heat on high until boiling. Once boiling, place tomatoes in the steamer, place lid on top and steam until soft, around 10 minutes.

Mushroom Pie!

MUSH WHAT? MUSH WHY? MUSHROOM PIE YALL!

Well folks, finally I have cooked something besides toast this week! Sure its thursday and having healthy boyfriend back helps a lot with motivation. This is a very easy, healthy pie, and for mushroom lovers its a must. This probably goes without saying, but DO NOT make this pie if you dont like mushrooms. Its mushroomtastic! The cooking is fairly easy, but with prep it took me almost an hour and half. So if you can, cutting all your vegis ahead of time would be ideal. Its a fine meal on its own, but some mashed potatoes or nice bread would make a great side dish!

Mushroom Pie

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/2 tbsp on unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup cheddar, shredded

1/2 cup bread crumbs

2 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 medium onions, diced

1 cups broccoli, chopped

1 1/2 pounds(around 8 cups) fresh mushrooms, finely chopped

2 large eggs, beaten

3/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Dash cayenne pepper, add more if you enjoy heat

2 tablespoons unbleashed flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Butter a 9-inch pie plate and sprinkle bread crumbs, covering the bottom and sides. This will be your simple crust.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, then saute the garlic, onions, and broccoli for 5 minutes.

3. Raise heat to high, stir in mushrooms, thyme, paprika, and cayenne. Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until the juices have almost completely evaporated.

4. Sprinkle on the flout, stir to coat the mixture and cook 1 minute. Stir in the milk and salt and cook 1 more minute. Scrape into a large bowl and let cool until just warm. NEVER add eggs to a hot mixture, they will scramble and not in a good way :)

5. Stir in the beaten eggs into the mushroom mixure and spoon half of the mixture into into the pie plate, then sprinkle with half your cheese. Pour the rest of mixture in, and top with remaining cheese. Top with additional breadcrumbs if desired. Bake 30 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean when inserted in the sides of the pie or almost clean when inserted in center. Let pie cool for 10 minutes before cutting into wedges.

ENJOY!

Mac and Cheeese PLEASE!

So this is not the healthiest of recipes, but it feeds the soul in a way that almost no other food can. My mothers mac and cheese could heal the world, I truly believe that.
This is a variations on her dish, since she often changes the cheeses depending on what she has.
If you have never made your own mac and cheese, finish reading this recipe and then get in the car and buy the ingredients needed. On the way call your mother and see how she makes it, because I found most people prefer how there mom makes it. My mom happens to make the best, so I got lucky in that way :)

This recipe is straight from Martha Stewart, though I prefer Barefoot Contessas. The only thing I changed was adding 5 ounces goat cheese and 1 cup parmesan instead of gruyere, but again mac and cheese can be played with a lot. I also changed elbow macaroni to rigatoni, because thats the way my mom makes it. The rigatoni make little cheese pockets, SO GOOD!

Serves 12
6 slices good-quality white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar
2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyere or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated pecorino Romano
1 pound rigatoni

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread pieces in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into the bowl with bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

2. Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
3. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup pecorino Romano. Set cheese sauce aside.

4. Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 fewer minutes than manufacturer's directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar and 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup pecorino Romano; scatter breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes; serve.

Zucchini, Tomato and Cheddar Pie

Zucchini, Tomato and Cheddar Pie:
This is a easy, delicious pie, that will satisfy your need for pie, but is still mostly vegetables. Serves 3-4, and can be served as a meal, but a salad or side dish would round out the meal nicely.  

Ingredients: 

1 tbsp butter

1/4 cup bread crumbs (I prefer Panko, b/c they are generally healthier)

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 medium tomatoes diced and seeded

3 medium zucchini quartered lengthwise then thinly sliced

3 large eggs

1/3 cup milk

1 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I prefer Cabot, its cheap, made in Vermont, and a great company)

3-4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

salt/pepper

1/2 tsp fennel seed(optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Butter pie plate then sprinkle bread crumbs covering sides and bottom of pie pan. This will be your simple crust. 

2. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute for 10 minutes, onions should cook down slightly. Stir in diced tomatoes and saute for five minutes. Raise heat to high. Mix in the zucchini, salt, pepper, and fennel seed(if using). Cook until the zucchini is barely tender, about 5 minutes. The mix will begin to stick to the pan. Remove pan from heat and cool for 5 minutes(this recipe can be prepared in advance at this point, and chilled for up to 24 hours. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.)

3. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in milk then stir in zucchini mixure. Pour half into prepared pie plate, top with cheddar cheese, then pour on remaining vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese covering the top and dot with remaining butter. 

4. Bake 30 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean and the top is golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving. 

Total prep/cooking time about an hour. Cutting vegetables ahead of time will save you 20 minutes.

ENJOY!

Based on recipe from Quick Vegetarian Pleasures.