Spicy Macaroni and Cheese

What's not to love about Mac and Cheese??? I love it....it's creamy, filling, and oh so comforting. I was intrigued by this mac and cheese since it's a little different....it's mac and cheese with a kick. I had to try it. The recipe is from Cooking for Real

I liked this twist on mac and cheese....I didn't love it. What can I say? Certain things I'm just a purist on. Mac and Cheese is one of them. I did enjoy it...but not sure it is will be come a regular in our little green kitchen. I urge you to try it, though and tell me what you think.

Spicy Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients
2 cups elbow pasta, cooked until almost al dente
16 ounces Cheddar cheese, 1/2 cubed, 1/2 shredded
8 ounces Monterey pepper jack cheese, cubed
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
4 tablespoons sour cream
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup half-and-half
4 slices bread
1 tablespoon butter
Special equipment: 2-quart baking dish

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, toss together pasta with the cheese cubes and pour into the baking dish. In a large bowl mix together the flour, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, dry mustard, nutmeg and sour cream, egg, heavy cream and half-and-half. Pour over the pasta and cover with shredded Cheddar. Bake uncovered until top is just beginning to brown, about 35 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the bread into crouton-sized squares. In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter, add cubes and toast until golden. Sprinkle the bread cubes on top of the macaroni and cheese and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes more.

Asian Roasted Carrots

I've never been a big fan of cooked carrots. Growing up, they were always boiled and tossed in brown sugar and butter....much too sweet for me! I've discovered that I really like roasted carrots. They are very versatile and really pick up the flavors of whatever you toss them with. I made these to go with our Sesame Noodles.

Asian Roasted Carrots

Ingredients:
1 bag of baby carrots
3 T soy sauce
3 T rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp Sesame Oil
2 tsp minced fresh ginger root

Directions:

1. Toss the carrots with the rest of the ingredients
2. Let soak in marinade for 30 minutes or so
3. Preheat oven to 425.
4. Coat baking dish with non-stick spray
5. Drain carrots and add to baking dish
6. Roast in the oven for 15 or 20 minutes or until tender.

Sesame Noodles

I love pasta! It's quick and easy and it can take on many different flavors! I whipped up a roast chicken last week and wanted an Asian-flavored side to go with it. I did some google browsing and invented this recipe...there's a lot of different versions out there...but I like mine simple!

Sesame Noodles

Ingredients:

8-12 ounces of thin spaghetti or angel hair noodles, cooked

1/4 cup soy sauce
1 T sugar

3 or 4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 T rice vinegar

2 T sesame oil

1/2-1 teaspoon hot chile sauce

3 T canola oil

2 T hot water

3 or 4 green onions, sliced thin

Directions:

1. Whisk together sauce ingredients
2. Pour over cooked noodles and mix until evenly coated
3. Toss in the green onions

Green Chile and Zucchini Quiche with Southwest Sweet Potato Saute

I checked out a cookbook from Sara Moulton entitled, Sara's Secrets for Weeknight Meals from the library recently. I thumbed threw it and found several recipes that I wanted to try. I tried this one first since I had a few zuchinnis from the garden that I wanted to use up.

I can't wait to try more recipes, especially if they were all like this one! The quiche had a great flavor and was super easy. The recipe did have a lot of steps...not hard steps, just steps. Plus, it dirtied a few more bowls that I would have liked for a quick weeknight meal, but overall it's a keeper. I urge you to try it! I served it with the Southwest Sweet Potato Saute, also from the cookbook. I opted to make the quiche without a crust, so I edited the recipe to reflect that.

Green Chile and Zucchini Quiche

Ingredients:

1 medium zucchini (about 6 ounces)
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 large eggs
1/2 pound freshly grated Monterey jack cheese (about 2 cups)
1 cup cottage cheese
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
   
   
2. Meanwhile, grate the zucchini, preferably using the grating attachment of a food processor. Toss the zucchini with 1/2 teaspoon salt and let drain in a colander for 10 minutes.
   
3. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over high heat until hot. Reduce the heat to medium; add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
   
4. Squeeze the zucchini well with your hands to remove excess moisture. Add the zucchini to the onion and cook over high heat for 3 minutes.
   
5. Stir together the flour, the baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl until combined.
   
6. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the eggs until thick and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
   
7. Add the Monterey jack and cottage cheeses, the flour mixture, and remaining melted butter to the eggs and beat well.
   
8. Stir in the zucchini mixture and chiles and pour the mixture into the crust.
   
9. Bake the quiche in the center of the oven until the top is puffed and golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
   
10. Set aside at room temperature 5 minutes, cut into wedges, and serve with salsa, if desired.

Southwest Sweet Potato Saute

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes (about 24 ounces total), peeled
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 to 1 chipotle in adobo sauce, finely chopped
1/4 cup pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)
Kosher salt and freshly milled black pepper

Directions:

1. Coarsely grate the sweet potatoes, preferably using the grating disk of a food processor. (You should have about 5 cups.)
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat until hot. Reduce the heat to medium-high; add the sweet potatoes and cumin and sauté, stirring constantly, until the potatoes are almost tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chipotle, pepitas, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 2 minutes more or until the sweet potatoes are tender.

Rigatoni a la Vodka with Peas

We love pasta! We usually have it once a week or so, because it always seems to make for an easy week-night meal. I had this recipe floating around in my files to try forever...no sure where it came from...but I'm sure glad I decided to try it. It was quick, easy, and delicious!

Rigatoni a la Vodka with Peas

Ingredients
1/2 lb . Rigatoni
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1/2 c. vodka
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1/4 - 1/2 c. fat free 1/2 and 1/2
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
10 basil leaves, chiffonaded
1 c. frozen peas

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt heavily, cook pasta to al dente.
In a large skillet over medium, sweat out garlic and onions with salt and pepper for 5 minutes. Add vodka, cook off alcohol. Add tomatoes and cream, bring to a simmer.
Toss in pasta and peas, bring back to a bubble. Top with cheese and basil

Herbed Cheese Pizza

I've been a subscriber to Cooking Light magazine for years. They have recently revamped their look and style. I'm loving it! The content is great and the pictures are fantastic. Come on, you know it's the pictures that suck you in!

I decided, on sight, that I had to make the Herbed Cheese Pizza. It looked delicious and I was fascinated by the addition of cumin on pizza. I did change the recipe slightly since I couldn't find Kasseri Cheese. According to some research, the cheese is similar to provolone in flavor, but is milder with a slight buttery taste. Kasseri is a versatile cheese that can be used for many purposes, such as grating, casseroles and grilling. Italian provolone can be used as a substitute.

I had some fresh mozzarella on-hand, so that is what I used. I also made my own "hot paprika" by mixing paprika and cayenne. Lastly, didn't have fresh parsley, but I had some basil in the garden, so that was what I minced to top the cooked pizza with.

There was also a recipe for pizza dough, but I had my Perfect Pizza Crust in the freezer, so that what was used! (If you haven't caught on yet, I pretty much always substitute something in a recipe....I refuse to run to the store for 1 thing!) I can't wait to make this pizza again! When I do, I will be going out of my way to find the Kasseri cheese...my curiosity has been peaked! As for the cumin, I thought it was great on the pizza and added a smoky element!

Herbed Cheese Pizza

Ingredients
Perfect Pizza Crust
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp hot paprika (I used 1/2 tsp of paprika and 1/2 tsp of cayenne)
3/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 tsp. olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onions
1/2 tsp. salt
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
10 ounces sliced Kasseri Cheese (I used fresh mozzerella)
3 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley (I used basil)


Directions
1. To prepare topping, combine oregano, cumin, paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil to pan. Add onion and saute for 3 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, remaining black pepper, garlic, bay leaf, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat and discard bay leaf.
2. Preheat oven to 450
3. Roll dough to fit pizza stone
4. Top crust with tomato mixture, cheese, and oregano mixture.
5. Bake at 450 for 12 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.
6. Sprinkle evenly with parsley

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Tortilla and Black Bean Pie

I was flipping thru some old recipes and stumbled across this one. I have made it quite a few times and each time we love it. But, what's not to love.....black beans, corn, cheese, tortillas....yum!

I cut the tortillas down to size using the bottom of the springform pan and my kitchen shears...boy, those things are handy and I find myself using them more and more. The best part is that I can take them apart and pop them into the dishwasher. Love it!

Tortilla and Black Bean Pie

Ingredients:

4 flour tortillas (10-inch)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large onion, diced
1 jalapeno chile, minced (remove seeds and ribs for less heat)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, drained and rinsed
12 ounces beer or 1 1/2 cups water
1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn
4 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (8 ounces)

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Trim tortillas to fit a 9-inch springform pan, using the bottom of the pan as a guide. Set aside.
2.Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeño, garlic, and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
3.Add beans and beer to skillet, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until liquid has almost evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in corn and scallions, and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.
4.Fit a trimmed tortilla in bottom of springform pan; layer with 1/4 of the beans and 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat three times, using 1 cup cheese on top layer. Bake until hot and cheese is melted, 20 to 25 minutes. Unmold pie; sprinkle with scallions. To serve, slice into wedges.

Source: Everyday Food