Roasted Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

February 8, 2015

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It’s actually been months since I made this mac and cheese. I had to dig through my photos, way past Christmas, to find these pictures. But I never forgot about it because it’s definitely worth repeating. The original recipe just uses steamed cauliflower but I love Love LOVE roasted cauliflower and knew it would only improve things, so I went with it. And it was amazing.

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Now for your options. (Because cooking is much more fun when you get creative!) Change up the cheese… I’m imagining some smoked Gouda in place of the Gruyere. Monterey Jack (or Pepper Jack) are ultra creamy so they always work. Pecorino instead of Parm, etc. And you could surely add crumbled bacon or diced ham, roasted or steamed broccoli instead of cauliflower. A different but similar sized pasta. All good ideas.

Roasted Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1/3 cup Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 cup elbows pasta (I used whole wheat)
1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 Tbsp. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 yellow onion, diced (optional)
1 Tbsp. flour
1 cup half and half or whole milk
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese (or smoked Gouda, etc.)
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
fresh chives, chopped for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray. Place cauliflower on the baking sheet and drizzle with 1 Tbsp. olive oil (or enough to lightly coat), sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, and toss. Arrange in a single layer. Roast in preheated oven for about 25 minutes, turning occasionally, until the cauliflower is tender and browned. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. If you will be baking the pasta immediately, reduce oven temperature to 375 F.

2. Lightly coat an 8 or 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

3. Heat 1 Tbsp. olive in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add Panko and cook, stirring, until browned and toasted, about 3 minutes. Stir in parsley; set aside.

4. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

5. While the pasta is cooking, heat 2 Tbsp. butter in the skillet you used for the breadcrumbs. Add the garlic and onion (optional), and cook, stirring often, until the onions are soft. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour in the half and half/milk, whisking constantly, and simmer several minutes until thickened. Stir in pasta, roasted cauliflower, and cheeses, a handful at a time, until smooth; season with salt and pepper and crushed red pepper flakes, to taste. Add more half and half/milk as needed until desired consistency is reached.

6. Spread pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the panko breadcrumbs. Bake in preheated 375 F oven until bubbly, 15-20 minutes (if the pasta is refrigerated first it will take slightly longer to bake). Garnish with fresh chives (optional).

Makes a 8 or 9-inch square pan.

(Adapted from Damn Delicious)

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Sweet Potato Casserole

February 7, 2015

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Now for the sweet potato casserole that we’ve all fallen in love with. Usually I just bake or roast sweet potatoes and serve them simply, with some chives and sour cream. This dish is decadent, more of a dessert really. One of our relatives brought it to Thanksgiving dinner and after going back for seconds, and thirds, and fourths for Clara, I made sure to come home with the recipe. It comes from two very similar Cooking Light recipes, actually. And you have options with the topping. You can go for the one with marshmallows- or without. Both toppings include butter and pecans and brown sugar (and a dash of cinnamon if you wish). I’ve made it both ways now and think they’re equally delicious. The marshmallow topping (not pictured) gives it more of a crispy “crust”. It can absolutely be prepared ahead of time, refrigerated, and baked just before serving.

Sweet Potato Casserole

INGREDIENTS

2 ½ lbs. sweet potatoes (about 4 large), peeled and chopped
1 cup half and half (or part milk and part sour cream)
½ cup brown sugar
¾ tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs

Pecan Crumb Topping:
1/3 cup flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
½ cup chopped pecans
1/8 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. melted butter
dash cinnamon (optional)

Marshmallow Pecan Topping:
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup chopped pecans
dash cinnamon (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. To prepare potatoes, place potatoes in a large pot, and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until very tender. Drain; cool slightly.

3. Place potatoes in a large bowl. Add half-and-half, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add eggs; beat well (mixture will be thin). Scrape mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

4. To prepare pecan-crumb topping, combine flour, brown sugar, pecans, and salt in a medium bowl. Pour in butter and mix with fingers until crumbly. Sprinkle over potato mixture.

To prepare marshmallow topping, sprinkle miniature marshmallows over top of casserole. Combine flour, brown sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in pecans, and sprinkle over potato mixture and marshmallows.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes a 9×13 pan.

Adapted from Cooking Light and Cooking Light.

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Bacon, Mushroom, and Wild Rice Chowder

October 22, 2014

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Clara has been sick for over 2 weeks now, which means little sleep for everyone but lots of time stuck at home to try new recipes. We missed a church Halloween party the first weekend of her illness (which has evolved through several phases now, to include a fever and cold and ear infections and obnoxious persistent cough- poor babe). I had planned to take my favorite Mushroom, Sweet Potato, and Smoked Gouda Chowder to the party we never attended. So a few days later I had all those ingredients sitting around when I found this recipe and decided to make it instead. It also features bacon and mushrooms and potatoes (I used sweet ones). But a little less rich without the Gouda and heartier with brown/wild rice and a few extra veggies. A little bacon goes a long way in this case and this chowder is wonderfully creamy and smoky and just the comforting meal we needed.

Bacon, Mushroom, and Wild Rice Chowder

INGREDIENTS

3 Tbsp. butter
4 oz. bacon, small dice (about 3/4 cup)
8 oz. white or cremini mushrooms, chopped or thinly sliced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 medium russet potato or sweet potato, peeled and chopped (I used a sweet potato)
2 cups cooked wild or brown rice (I used brown rice)
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme leaves or 3/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 bay leaf
4- 6 cups homemade or low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth (I used 4 1/2 cups)
1 cup half-and-half (I used 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/2 cup whole milk)
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice + more to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat until foaming. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 5 to 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate; set aside.

2. Add the mushrooms to the saucepan, stir to coat in the bacon fat, and cook over medium heat, stirring rarely, until they begin to brown and the liquid they give off evaporates, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl; set aside.

3. Melt the remaining 2 Tbsp. butter in the saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Add the onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened, about 3 minutes. Add the carrot, celery, and potato, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Cover with a tight fitting lid and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender, about 7 minutes.

4. Add the rice and thyme to the saucepan and stir to combine. Sprinkle the mixture with the flour. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the flour is no longer raw-tasting and a film of cooked flour coats the bottom of the pan, about 2 minutes.
Add the reserved mushrooms, bay leaf, and broth (I used 4 1/2 cups for a thicker chowder) and stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium high and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the vegetables are cooked through, about 15 minutes.

5. Uncover the saucepan, stir in the half-and-half, bacon (reserve some for serving) and season with freshly ground black pepper. Let the chowder simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and the flavors have combined, about 10 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, taste, and season with more salt, pepper, and lemon juice as needed. Remove the bay leaf and serve garnished with the reserved bacon.

Serves 6.

(Adapted from CHOW)

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Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins

October 19, 2014

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Pumpkin season it is so pumpkin muffins I bake. Clara and I have been devouring these spiced pumpkin and zucchini filled muffins all week. As usual, they’re whole wheat and minimally sweetened with honey (and chocolate chips if you wish- I just tossed a few on top as a treat). And they’re easily made dairy-free by using coconut oil and almond milk (I tested them this way).

Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour (I replaced 1/4 cup flour with ground flaxseed)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cloves
pinch of ginger
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup shredded zucchini, squeezed of excess moisture
1/3 cup honey
1 Tbsp. olive or coconut oil
1 egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk or unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup chocolate chips (I just sprinkled a few on top)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 12 cup muffins pan with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger.

3. In a separate large bowl combine pumpkin, zucchini, honey, oil, egg, and vanilla until well combined and smooth. Whisk in almond milk. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Gently fold in chocolate chips (if using), reserving a few for sprinkling on top.

4. Bake in preheated oven for about 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for several minutes before removing muffins from the pan to the wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes 12 muffins.

(Adapted from Ambitious Kitchen)

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Chipotle Salsa

October 16, 2014

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What I love about this salsa: It uses chipotle peppers, as in smoked jalapenos that come from a can (you can freeze what you don’t use for later). Also from a can- the tomatoes (fire-roasted for the best flavor), which means you can make it any time of year. And then it requires hardly any chopping at all as you throw everything in the blender/food-processor and let it do the work for you. It’s also completely customizable as far as texture (smooth or chunky), acidity (lots of vinegar or a little), and heat (just increase the peppers). Amazing on tacos or for dipping quesadillas and chips in (our new favorite tortillas chips). It’ll keep for about a week in the fridge and would be awesome canned in little jars to give as gifts, though I’ve yet to ever do this.

Chipotle Salsa

INGREDIENTS

1 (14.5 oz.) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 -3 canned chipotle chiles in adobo (two for medium heat, three for hot)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
pinch freshly ground black pepper
2 -3 Tbsp. cider vinegar (I used 2 Tbsp.)

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine tomatoes and remaining ingredients in food processor or blender and pulse until well combined (pulse less for a chunky salsa, longer for a smooth salsa). Adjust seasonings (salt, pepper, and vinegar) to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

(Adapted from Food.com)

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