Creamy, Light Macaroni and Cheese

From September 2011 issue of Cooking Light

Ingredients

• 3 cups cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 [1-pound] squash)
• 1 1/4 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons fat-free Greek yogurt
• 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
• 1 cup (4 ounces) grated pecorino Romano cheese
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) finely grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
• 1 pound uncooked cavatappi
• Cooking spray
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

• 1. Preheat oven to 375°.
• 2. Combine squash, broth, milk, and garlic in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until squash is tender when pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat.
• 3. Place the hot squash mixture in a blender. Add salt, pepper, and Greek yogurt. Remove the center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Place blended squash mixture in a bowl; stir in Gruyère, pecorino Romano, and 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano. Stir until combined.
• 4. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain well. Add pasta to squash mixture, and stir until combined. Spread mixture evenly into a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.
• 5. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add panko, and cook for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Sprinkle evenly over the hot pasta mixture. Lightly coat topping with cooking spray.
• 6. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately.

Yield: Serves 8 (serving size: 1 1/3 cups)

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

• Calories: 390
• Fat: 10.9g
• Saturated fat: 6.1g
• Monounsaturated fat: 2.1g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 0.4g
• Protein: 19.1g
• Carbohydrate: 53.9g
• Fiber: 3.2g
• Cholesterol: 31mg
• Iron: 2.4mg
• Sodium: 589mg
• Calcium: 403mg

Sidney Fry, MS, RD, Cooking Light SEPTEMBER 2011

BLT Pasta Salad

Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces corkscrew-shaped pasta
• 1/2 cup milk
• 12 ounces lean bacon
• 3 medium ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 4 tablespoons chopped chives or scallion greens
• 5 heads Bibb lettuce, quartered, or 5 cups chopped romaine hearts

Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water as the label directs. Drain and toss with the milk in a large bowl; set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Discard all but 3 tablespoons drippings from the pan. Add the tomatoes, thyme and garlic to the pan and toss until warmed through; season with salt and pepper. Crumble the bacon into bite-size pieces; set aside 1/4 cup for garnish. Toss the remaining bacon and the tomato mixture with the pasta.
Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, and 3 tablespoons chives with the pasta until evenly combined. Season with salt and pepper. Add the lettuce; toss again to coat. Garnish with the reserved bacon and the remaining 1 tablespoon chives. Serve at room temperature.
Per serving: Calories 960; Fat 56 g (Sat. 20 g; Mono. 30 g; Poly. 18 g); Cholesterol 125 mg; Sodium 2,114 mg; Carbohydrate 73 g; Fiber 5 g; Protein 44 g
My notes: I used whole grain pasta and turkey bacon. Next time I will double garlic.

Fiesta Salad

From Mama Chef Michele at Four Sisters Catering

1 pound penne (quill-shaped) pasta
1 pound Roma tomatoes, quartered
1 red bell pepper, cut into julienne strips (match sticks about 1/4 inch wide)
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into julienne strips
1 orange bell pepper, cut into julienne strips
1 bunch fresh cilantro, washed dried and chopped fine
2 jalapeno's, stemmed, seeded and chopped fine

Dressing:
Juice of 4 limes (about 1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, mashed
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water
to a rolling boil and cook pasta al dente, or firm to the bite.
Drain. Place in a large and mix with a tablespoon or so of olive oil.
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the vegetables and set aside.
Mix ingredients for the dressing together and set aside.

When the pasta is cooked and drained, add the tomatoes, red, yellow
and orange bell peppers, cilantro and jalapeno's. Stir the dressing and pour over the pasta and
vegetables, mixing gently but thoroughly.
Serve at room temperature
serves 10-12 pp

Butternut Squash Lasagna

From: Myrecipes.com

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 1.5 cups chopped onion
• 5 cup fresh spinach
• 1.5 ounces shredded sharp provolone cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large egg, beaten
  
• 1 (15-ounce) carton part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1.5 cups diced peeled butternut squash
• 3 cups Smoky Marinara
• oven-ready lasagna noodles (such as Barilla)
• 1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Heat a large Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add spinach; sauté 1 1/2 minutes or until spinach wilts. Combine provolone, parsley, salt, pepper, eggs, and ricotta cheeses in a large bowl.

Place squash in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and cook on high 5 minutes or until tender.

Coat the bottom and sides of 8-inch-square baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup Smoky Marinara in the bottom of one prepared dish. Arrange 2 noodles over sauce; spread 1 cup cheese mixture over noodles. Arrange 1 1/2 cups squash over cheese mixture; spread 3/4 cup sauce over squash.

Arrange 2 noodles over sauce; spread 1 cup cheese mixture over the noodles. Arrange 1 1/2 cups onion mixture over cheese mixture; spread 3/4 cup sauce over spinach mixture.

Arrange 2 noodles over sauce; spread 1 cup Smoky Marinara evenly over noodles. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Cover pan with foil.

Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes.

MY NOTES: Instead of Provolone I used the Italian mix shredded cheese from the grocery store. It was way cheaper. I also used store bought marinara.

To freeze unbaked lasagna: Prepare through Step 6. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing to remove as much air as possible. Wrap with heavy-duty foil. Store in freezer for up to 2 months.

To prepare frozen unbaked lasagna: Thaw completely in refrigerator (about 24 hours). Preheat oven to 375º. Remove foil; reserve foil. Remove plastic wrap; discard wrap. Cover lasagna with reserved foil; bake at 375º for 1 hour. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

254 (30% from fat)

Fat:

8.5g (sat 4.5g,mono 2.2g,poly 0.3g)

Protein:

18.6g

Carbohydrate:

27.6g

Fiber:

3.3g

Cholesterol:

69mg

Iron:

3.2mg

Sodium:

560mg

Calcium:

414mg

The Best Meatballs

From Kraft Foods

Ok, these really are the best meat balls. I have searched high and low for a great meat ball recipe and alas, I have found it! It is aptly named, no?

2 lb. ground beef

1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken

1-1/4 cups water

2 eggs

HEAT oven to 400ºF.

LINE 2 (15x10x1-inch) pans with foil; spray with cooking spray. Mix ingredients until blended; shape into 32 (1-1/2-inch) balls, using 1/4 cup for each.

PLACE 16 meatballs in each prepared pan. Bake 16 to 18 min. or until done (160ºF).

COMBINE half the meatballs with Tomato-Basil Cream Sauce or Creamy Brown Gravy. (See Tips.) Cool remaining meatballs; freeze for later use. (See Tips.)

KRAFT KITCHEN TIPS:

Tomato-Basil Cream Sauce

Mix 1 jar (14 oz.) spaghetti sauce, 2 oz. cubed PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese and 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil in large skillet; cook on medium-low heat 3 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Add 16 hot meatballs; stir to evenly coat. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese before serving. Makes 4 servings, 4 meatballs and 1/3 cup sauce each.

Creamy Brown Gravy

Mix 1 jar (12 oz.) beef gravy, 1/2 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream and 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley in large skillet; cook on medium-low heat 3 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Add 16 hot meatballs; stir to evenly coat. Makes 4 servings, 4 meatballs and 1/3 cup sauce each.

How to Freeze Meatballs

Loosely pack cooled meatballs in freezer-weight resealable plastic bags. Lay bags flat in freezer so meatballs freeze individually. Store up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator several hours or overnight before using as desired.

My notes: I made the tomato basil sauce and it was positively scrumptrulescent.

Also, I don't have a lot of baking sheets. In fact, I only have a pizza pan. So I used my pizza pan and a pyrex dish. The meatballs from the pyrex dish were good but they lacked the brown crispy bits the ones from the pizza pan had. I thought it was because I hadn't lined it with foil. My mom thought it was because the sides were taller. Meh. Either way, i will use baking sheets in the future.

Angel Chicken

Angel Chicken: from Kraft Foods

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1 can (10-3/4 oz.) reduced-sodium condensed cream of mushroom soup

1/4 cup KRAFT Tuscan House Italian Dressing and Marinade

1/4 cup dry white wine

1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces(substitute 3 chicken breasts)

1/2 lb. angel hair pasta, uncooked

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

MY NOTE: I made this totally different than the original Kraft Foods recipe, so if you are looking for authenticity, try clicking on the above link. You will be redirected to the Kraft Foods site where you can use or abuse the original recipe.

Combine cream cheese, soup, dressing, and white wine in a sauce pan on the stove. Stir frequently over medium heat.

Meanwhile prepare noodles according to package directions.

Also meanwhile, (is that grammatically correct? hello? is anyone out there?) throw chicken boobs on to the gas grill, straight from the freezer.

Sauce will thicken on the stove and wine will reduce while the water is boiling and the boobs are cooking.

When chicken is cooked all the way through, remove from grill and let sit for a few minutes to let the juices redistribute. Then cut chicken into cubes. For those of us with small children, cubes should be approximately small enough to be chewed by a two year old.

Toss noodles with a little olive oil so they don't stick together.

TO serve: Put noodles in large, shallow bowl. Then top with chicken, then top with sauce, finally garnish with parsley and perhaps, if you feeling it, some quartered cherry tomatoes.

Bon Appetit!

Creamy Spinach Ravioli

From Kraft Foods


2 pkg. (9 oz. each) refrigerated cheese ravioli
1/2 cup (1/2 of 8-oz. tub) PHILADELPHIA Chive & Onion Cream Cheese Spread
1 cup milk
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
4 cups baby spinach leaves
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
Grated peel from 1 lemon
6 cherry tomatoes, quartered

COOK pasta as directed on package.

MEANWHILE, place cream cheese spread in large skillet. Add milk; cook on medium heat 1 to 2 min. or until cream cheese is melted and mixture is well blended, stirring frequently. Add 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, the spinach, dill and lemon peel; mix well.

DRAIN pasta. Add to cream cheese sauce; toss to coat. Serve topped with tomatoes and remaining 2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese.

Emeril's Shrimp and Pasta

From Emeril

20 to 25 (1 1/4 pounds) large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound cooked linguini
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup chopped green onion, tops only
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Toss the shrimp in a medium bowl with the Essence.

Place the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large 14-inch skillet over high heat. Add the shrimp to the pan, spreading them evenly in 1 layer. Cook for 2 minutes then turn them to the other side. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 30 seconds. Add the wine, lemon juice, lemon zest and remaining 2 tablespoons of the butter and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Season the shrimp with the salt and pepper and add the pasta, crushed red pepper flakes and green onions, tossing to coat well. Remove the skillet from the heat, add the parsley, and toss to combine. Serve hot.

NOTES: it is very important to use only two teaspoons of the essence. The first time I made this I used the entire essence concoction and it tasted (and felt) like fire! To recap: the essence recipe (below) makes MORE than you need. It stores well in the cupboard, so don't toss out the leftover essence!

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

Portobello Lasagna with Basil Cream

From Everyday with Rachael Ray Magazine

5 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
3 cups milk, heated
4 cloves garlic—1 smashed, 3 finely chopped
Salt
1/2 pound lasagna noodles
2 large onions, chopped
Three 6-ounce packages portobello mushroom slices (or 2 pounds whole, stemmed and sliced)
1 bunch basil, stems discarded
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 cups grated parmesan cheese
Pepper

1. In a medium saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over low heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the hot milk, then the smashed garlic clove and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Bring the garlic sauce to a boil and cook, whisking, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

2. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the lasagna noodles for 8 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl of cold water.

3. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°. In a large skillet, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter over low heat. Add the onions and chopped garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and cook until softened, about 7 minutes.

4. Using a food processor, puree the basil leaves with the cream. Set aside 1/2 cup basil cream. Stir the remaining basil cream and 1/2 cup parmesan into the mushroom mixture; season with salt and pepper.

5. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and spread 1 cup reserved garlic sauce on the bottom. Drain the lasagna noodles and lay 3 in the baking dish. Top with half of the mushroom mixture, a layer of noodles, then the remaining mushroom mixture and noodles. Combine the remaining garlic sauce and basil cream; spoon on top. Sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 cup parmesan.

6. Bake until golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes.

Bob Barker's Summertime Pasta Salad

From Bob Barker (I found it in Everyday with Rachael Ray Magazine)

1 lb tricolor fusili noodles
3 bell peppers (yellow, red, green) cut into strips
6 oz or 1 c grape tomatoes, halved
½ c Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
6.5 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained, chopped
1 red onion, sliced
2 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 c red wine vinegar
1/2 c EVOO


TOSS all of the above ingredients
THEN add the below ingredients

1 c packed fresh basil, chopped
1 t lemon juice
Salt and pepper