Butternut Squash Pasta Bake

My little family is in love with this recipe. I got it out of a Parent magazine in an article about getting your kids to eat enough calcium. Macaroni and cheese can be delicious when homemade, and this recipe is not only delicious it's also a more healthy approach to a more traditional mac recipe.














Ingredients:

1/2 of a large butternut squash cut into cubes
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 lb cavatelli cavatapi, or any other noodle that will hold sauce well (this recipe is wonderful with whole grain pasta)
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 3/4 cups sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded and divided

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss squash with oil and salt on a foil-lined tray. Bake for 20 minutes or until tender, stirring once, set aside.

Cook pasta for 2 minutes less than the package directions call for; drain and place in a bowl with squash. Meanwhile, melt butter over low heat. Whisk in flour, cook for 2 minutes.

Slowly whisk in milk. Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 1/2 cups cheese and stir until melted. Stir cheese sauce into pasta and squash. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon into casserole dish (or 6 individual ramekins). Sprinkle on remaining cheese. Bake for 10 minutes until cheese on top is melted and browned.

Hot Chile Grilled Cheese

I tried out a new grilled cheese recipe. It had great ingredients and a nice flavor, but almost too much flavor. Also, since becoming a vegetarian I have learned to prefer my sandwiches a little on the dry side, and this was very much not so. It's hard for me to get used to so much mushy stuff in a sandwich. I don't have a panini maker so I used the can and skillet method, which worked well. Try this one out and tell me what you think. http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/hot-chile-grilled-cheese-recipe

Golden Beets Entree

I came across some golden beets at the supermarket a few wekks ago and decided to try them out. I love regular beets and wanted to taste the difference. They have a much more mild flavor and were very pleasant. I decided to make them the main dish in my meal sauteing them with some super healthy swiss chard and garlic and serving with rice and flat bread that I had drizzled olive oil and balsamic vinegar and sprinkled with fresh sage before baking and a small chunk of bergonost cheese. Heaven. You really can make any vegetable into an impressive and delicious entree.

Chocolate Mint Cookies

I love a good chocolate cookie and as you can see, so does my son. I tried out this recipe, but substituted the chocolate chips for mint chips. I deem it a success

Brown Sugar Balsamic Potatos

One day my husband and I decided we wanted a new way to eat red potatos, so we came home and invented this. It has stuck with us and we have repeatedly prepared it. It's a great side dish, but we even eat it as a main dish.

Ingredients:
4 c sliced red potatos

2-3 large shallots sliced

3 T balsamic vinegar

1/2 c brown sugar

2 T oilve oil

Salt and Pepper

Basically just toss that all together and pop it in a 400 degree oven for 35 minutes and enjoy

Asparagus Enchiladas in Black Bean Sauce

I understand these photos are not very flattering, but hear me out- I only had really thick tortillas that wouldn't roll up and I didn't thin my sauce enough, but the flavors were all there! I will modify the recipe as I post it so that when you make it, it looks less like poop.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb asparagus1 white onion
1 red pepper
1 can sweet corn
1 can black beans
1/2 c veggie broth
1 1/2 T chili powderwhole wheat tortillas

shredded Mexican cheese
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 375
In an oiled skillet on med-high heat sauté asparagus and red pepper, salt to taste. When finished remove and set aside.
Re-oil skillet if necessary. Sauté onion. Once transparent add black beans and heat through. Remove 3/4 mixture and puree with broth in blender or food processor.
Place desired amount of asparagus and pepper, cheese and corn inside each tortilla and roll. Line baking dish with filled tortillas then top with black bean sauce and cheese. Cook 20 min or until cheese begins to golden.

Fusilli with Creamed Leek and Spinach

I really truly love this recipe. The leeks pare perfectly with the basil. Served with fresh ground pepper on top, mmm.

Panko Crusted Tofu

Looking for something new to do to your tofu? Have you tried panko? Panko is an Asian style bread crumb mixture. I have used it in over recipes before, but I have never breaded my tofu until now, and it was delicious! Buy a box of panko, set yourself out a bowl of flour and a bowl of milk. Slice your tofu into strips. I used baked tofu for extra firmness. Cover each slice in flour, then dip in milk then cover in the panko and fry in a well oiled skillet. Yum, crunch!

Mimi Pizza

This is my attempt to copy to Mimi pizza that I had while in Minnesota at Punch Pizza. It was so incredibly good. What really made the pizza amazing though was the crust. I am dough handicapped and have never made a good dough, and I don't own a wood burning oven, so I didn't achieve the Punch glory, but I did however capture the good flavor combination of toppings.















Ingredients:
2 7" pizza crusts
2 T olive oil
1 c grape tomatoes

1 c grape size buffalo mozzarella balls

1/2 c loosely packed basil leaves, washed and shredded

1 1/2 T balsamic vinegar

1 clove garlic

sea salt and pepper

Brush 1/2 T of olive oil onto each pizza crust, or enough to lightly coat then sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Cook crusts according to directions.
Meanwhile cut tomatoes and mozzarella balls in half and combine in dish along with basil, balsamic, 1 T olive oil and pepper to taste
Peel garlic and zest using a micro grater or zester. When pizza crusts are finished rub a small amount of zested garlic onto crusts and spoon on tomato mixture.

Lettuce Wraps

One of my favorites

1 large or 2 small heads of Boston Bibb, Butterleaf or Iceburg lettuce
1 package soy crumbles
1-3 T cooking oil
1 large white or yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 T soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 T sesame oil
2 T rice vinegar
1-2 T chili paste (optional, for heat)
2 t grated ginger (optional)

2 cans water chestnuts, chopped
6 green onions, chopped
1 cup grated carrot
(optional garnish: top with toasted sesame and serve over prepared vermicelli noodles)

1) Wash and prepare lettuce by separating leafs
1) In a large skillet over medium high heat brown the soy crumbles in oil. Set aside
2) In same skillet (re-oil if needed) cook onion 3-4 minutes then add garlic until fragrant. Add hoisin, soy, ginger, vinegar, chili paste, mix.
3) Add water chestnuts, green onions, and sesame oil, cook until onions are transparent.
4) Combine with soy crumbles
5) Serve topped with fresh grated carrots

Asparagus Soup

I LOVE SOUP! In the summer it's difficult to find a soup that tastes appropriate, but this recipe is light and springy and absolutely scrumptious. I like to serve it with some sort of toasted bread for dipping.

2 lbs asparagus washed and trimmed into 1/2-1" pieces
1 large yellow onion chopped
3T butter or olive oil
5 cups vegetable broth
2 sprigs thyme
1/3 cup heavy cream
1-3T lemon juice (to taste)

1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
Salt and Pepper to taste

In large pot over medium heat melt butter, add onion and sauté until transparent. Add asparagus and salt and pepper to taste. Sauté 5 min
Add broth and thyme and simmer covered for 15-20 minutes or until asparagus is tender
Put 3/4 of the mixture into food processor or blender and puree then put back into pot, stir in cream, lemon to taste and cheese.

Berry Pie Tartlettes

Good news- dessert is vegetarian! Well, I am sure there is some nasty meat dessert exception out there, but I don't know about it and want to keep it that way. This was a really simple and easy dessert that my sister gave me that idea for and my husband couldn't get enough of. I made a batch of pie crust. You could you use any recipe you like or even a store bought refrigerated crust. I rolled it into balls and then smashed them flat into little disks (If you are using a store bought crust, chances are it's pre-rolled so go ahead and used a large round cookie cutter) Make them as big as you like then sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350 degrees until the edges start to turn golden. Once those are done I topped them with tons of berries that had been tossed in a strawberry glaze and a generous dollop of fresh whipped cream. Yum. As you can see I was also eating two giant pieces of banana bread. As much as I try to eat healthy, I give myself a break sometimes. OK, all the time. Best lunch ever.

Strawberry Glaze Recipe
1/2 cup water
1/2 c pureed strawberries
3/4 cup white sugar
3T agar agar
3T cornstarch

Whisk all ingredients in small saucepan and bring to boil. Boil for 3 minutes or until beginning to thicken. Stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let cool before using.

Ravioli Primavera

I saw THIS RECIPE on msn about a week ago and decided to try it out, and we ended up really liking it. I used four color fresh mini ravioli's that I found at Costco that were delicious. Don't get all cheap and skip out on the good fontina cheese and tarragon. They add just the right touch to make the sauce unique. Make your recipes right people! You won't regret it. This was very filling, but still light enough to feel summer appropriate. I am a salt-a-holic and had to add some kosher salt, but other than that I made it exactly (except maybe sneaking in an extra cup of veggies!) Fresh produce is everywhere this time of year, so go buy yourself something fresh and cheap. I used carrots, broccoli, sugar snap peas and a yellow squash. It was dark so I had to use my flash, but here is my attempt at the recipe. I am no studio photographer as you can see.

Messy Burgers

Let's start this blog off right, with my most used dinner dish, veggie burgers. That's right. I am a vegetarian. Don't let that scare you away. Veggie burgers get a bad rap. People think they are supposed to tasted like a hamburger, which to me, is disgusting. Veggie burgers have their own unique taste and you have to learn to cook with it. I like to buy Boca vegan burgers because they are some of the least flavorful of veggie patties, which means I can manipulate the flavor into whatever I want. My husband and I aren't really your standard ketchup and mustard on a bun kinda folks, so here is our spin














Messy Burgers Ingredients:

4 Whole wheat buns
2 T butter
4 veggie patties
4 t. balsamic vinegar
2-3 T olive oil
1 white or yellow onion, chopped
4 c packed baby spinach
kosher salt as needed

4-5 cloves garlic minced
1 c. feta cheese

1) Lay veggie patties on grill, drizzle 1 t. balsamic vinegar on each patty then cook according to directions.
2) Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large skillet. Add minced garlic until fragrant, then add onions, cook until the onions start to get transparent, add spinach and salt and sauté until wilted.
3) Butter whole wheat buns and grill for about 1 minute or to your liking, then top with veggie patty, a generous scoop of the spinach and onion mixture then top it all off with a good 1/4 c of feta.

Serving this with sweet potato fries is a real winner. We eat these babies for dinner or lunch.