Skillet Chili Mac

   I love the fact that this recipe is made start-to-finish in one pan. The original recipe comes from one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, The Best 30-Minute Recipe. Although, admittedly, I am such a slow poke when it comes to cooking, any recipe that says "30 minutes" usually takes me at least 45. But this is a dish that has made few appearances in the dinner rotation. It's easy and very family friendly.

   I made a couple of changes to the original recipe. I just played with the spices a little bit, used whole-grain macaroni instead of regular and used a different cheese. Nothing major.

Also, the recipe says it serves 4, but I think you could easily serve 6. The skillet is pretty much full.

Skillet Chili Mac

~serves 4-6~

What you need:

1 1/2 t. canola oil

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 onion, chopped fine

1 T. chili powder

2 t. ground cumin

1/8 - 1/4 t. cayenne pepper (to taste, I used 1/8 t.)

salt & pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 T. brown sugar

1 (15 oz. can of tomato sauce)

2 c. water

8 oz. whole grain macaroni

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

What you do:

1. Heat the oil in a large (12 inch) nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, onion, chili powder, cumin, cayenne and 1/2 t. salt. Cook, breaking up meat into small pieces, until it looses all the pink color, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds or so.

2. Add brown sugar, tomato sauce, water and macaroni. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook, stirring often and adjusting the heat so that it maintains a lively simmer (somewhere between medium/medium-high heat), until the macaroni is tender, about 10 minutes or so. Season with salt & pepper if needed.

3. Off heat, stir in half the cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

*adapted from : The Best 30-Minute Recipe

Linguini with Roasted Cauliflower, Sausage and Tomato

The weather's been so beautiful here in the Pacific Northwest. This week we've spent a lot of time doing outdoorsy things, like bug hunting (with my youngest) and razor scooter riding (with my oldest). Plus, this week I crossed over the fence from being a long time power-walker to an official jogger. This kind of came out of nowhere, I never actually thought it would be something I'd do, but I was out on a walk the other day with my 1 year-old German Shepherd, Sansa, and she was driving me absolutely nuts pulling on her leash while we walked, so I decided to make her (and my hand) happy and I jogged for the last part of our walk. When I got home I found I felt so great, I decided to just go forward with it, so that's what I've been doing and it's working out beautifully. I gotta say I'm pretty proud of myself.

 We also filled the propane on our grill this week and TWICE we feasted on Ribeye steaks the size of our heads! I think we probably consumed our alotted amount of red meat for the next couple of months, but it was worth it because they were SO good... I think my decision to start working out more aggressively may have been a timely one...

I put this dinner together tonight after yet another bug hunting/razor scooter outing with my family. On an unrelated note, we caught a shrew today. I saw it and my husband caught it in a box. Sometimes we'll find little critters at the park and bring them home long enough to learn a little about them then return them to their homes. We read that shrews can consume up to 125% percent of their body weight each day.  He's a cute little guy, and a ruthless bug killer.

Linguini with Roasted Cauliflower, Sausage and Tomato

~serves 3-4~

Note* If you are short on time, you could skip the homemade breadcrumbs and just serve the pasta with additional parmesan cheese.

Ingredients:

1 small or 1/2 of  a large head of cauliflower, broken apart into small bite-sized pieces

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

1/2 lb linguini (I used 51% whole wheat liguini here)

2 slices of hearty white bread, torn into pieces

3/4 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided

3 links of italian sausage (hot or mild is fine, I used mild here), casings removed

3 garlic cloves, minced

14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained

1 c. low-sodium chicken broth

2 T. lemon juice 

2 T. minced fresh parsley

Instructions:

1. Roast the cauliflower: Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place cauliflower on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast, stirring every 10 minutes, until cauliflower is browned and tender, 25-30 minutes. Remove beaking sheet from oven and set aside.

2. Make parmesan breadcrumbs. In a food processor, pulse bread to make evenly sized breadcrumbs. Heat 2 T. olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat until the oil shimmers. Add breadcrumbs and cook, stirring almost constantly until the breadcrumbs are crisp and browned, about 3 minutes. Remove to a plate to cool, after they have cooled for 5 minutes, stir in 1/4 of the parmesan cheese. Set aside.

3. Meanwhile, make the pasta. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot or dutch oven. When boiling, add pasta and 2 1/2 t. salt. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, reserving 1/2 c. pasta cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot and set aside while finishing the recipe.

4. After removing the breadcrumbs from the skillet, add the sausage and cook, over medium-high heat until the sausage is browned and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Remove the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour the fat from the skillet and wipe out the skillet lightly with paper towels.

5. Return the skillet to the medium heat, add 1 T. olive oil. When the oil is shimmering, add garlic and saute for about 1 minute, until garlic is just beginning to brown. Add drained tomatoes, chicken broth and 1/4 t. salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced slightly, about 2-3 minutes. 

6. To the pasta in the pot add cauliflower, sausage, tomato mixture, remaining 1/2 c. parmesan cheese, lemon juice and parsley. Place the pasta pot over medium heat and stir until mixed together and heated through, adding the reserved pasta cooking water if needed, to loosen the consistency. 

7. Divide pasta among individual bowl and serve, sprinkling with the parmesan breadcrumbs.

Skillet Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs

What if I told you that you could have spaghetti and meatballs on your table in under an hour and you'd only have to dirty one pan to make them?

Seriously!

This recipe will change your life.

That is, if you love spaghetti and meatballs but always thought they were too much of a hassle to put in the weeknight dinner rotation.

I love spaghetti!

A lot.

Skillet Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs

~serves 4~

Ingredients:

2 slices of bread, crusts removes and bread torn into chunks

1/4 c. buttermilk

1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

1 egg yolk

2 cloves of garlic, finely minced

1 T. minced fresh parsley

1/4 t. dried oregano

salt and pepper

1 lb. (93% lean ground turkey

2 T. olive oil

26 oz. spaghetti sauce of choice (about 3 c.)

2 c. water

8 oz. thin spaghetti, broken in half

2 T. minced fresh basil

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, mash together the bread and buttermilk with a fork until a paste forms. Add in 1/3c. parmesan, egg yolk, garlic, parsley oregano,1/2 t. salt and 1/8 t. pepper. Mix well. Add in the ground turkey. Using your hands mix until well combined.

2. Form into approximate 1 inch meatballs (about 2 T. meat mixture per meatball). Heat olive oil in a 12 inch nonstick skillet over high heat until the oil shimmers. Add meatballs and cook until well-browned on one side, 1-2 minutes. Gently turn meatballs and brown briefly on the second side. Remove meatballs to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Pour off the oil in the skillet (but leave behind any browned bits).

3. Lower the heat to medium-high. To the empty skillet add the tomato sauce, water, spaghetti and 1/2 t. salt.  Cover and cook, stirring often (watching and adjusting the heat to maintain a lively simmer),until the spaghetti begins to soften and bend, about 8 minutes.

4. Nestle the meatballs down into the simmering pasta and sauce, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, gently stirring (and scraping the bottom of the skillet to keep it from sticking), until the spaghetti is al dente and the meatballs are cooked through, about another 8 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle with the basil. Serve with extra parmesan cheese.

Recipe source: adapted slightly from The Best 30-Minute Recipe.

Shrimp and Orzo Casserole

Springtime in the pacific Northwest can be pretty unpredictable. This year that is definitely no exception.

 Case in point:

 Today it was gloriously sunny, warm enough for sandals, bright enough for sunglasses. Just an all around ideal day. Took the dog for a walk with my son this afternoon, beautiful.

Two days ago we got a freak snow storm that put 2 inches on the ground and caused a 2-hour school delay.

Schizophrenic weather. Oh well, keeps things interesting I guess. And keeps my beautiful Northwest lush and green.

This dish to me is the quintessential springtime casserole. It is warm and comforting enough for the colder days of spring (or when you get a freak snowstorm in the middle of your sunnier days), but the flavors are light and bright, especially suited for springtime. So it's good to go no matter what surprises the weather holds.

Shrimp and Orzo Casserole

~serves 8~

I like to serve this dish with a super simple salad of baby spinach tossed with a little red wine vinegar or lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. large shrimp (31-40), peeled, deveined, tails removed

salt and pepper

3 T. extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion chopped fine

1 fennel bulb cored, chopped fine plus 2 tablespoons of the feathery fronds chopped (for garnish)

6 garlic cloves minced

3/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes

1 lb. orzo

3/4 c. white wine

2 c. low-sodium chicken broth

2 1/2 c water

28 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained

4 t. chopped fresh oregano (1 t. dried oregano can be substituted)

8 oz. feta cheese coarsely crumbled

2 T. chopped fresh parsley, divided

1 lemon, cut into wedges

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pat shrimp dry and season well with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high until oil shimmers. Add onion, fennel and 1/2 t. salt. Cook, stirring frequently until vegetables are tender and just browning about 10 minutes. Add garlic and pepper flakes, cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 

2. Add orzo, cook, stirring constantly until orzo is coated with oil and starts to become toasty and browned, about 4 minutes. Add white wine, cook until liquid evaporates, about a minute. Add broth, water and 1/4 t. salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until orzo is mostly tender, about 12 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary to keep at a lively simmer and stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Stir in tomatoes, shrimp, oregano and 1 T. parsley.

3. Pour into a 13x9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with the feta cheese and bake about 20 minutes, until the shrimp turn pink and the cheese is lightly browned. Before serving, sprinkle with chopped fennel fronds and remaining parsley. Serve with lemon wedges.

Recipe adapted from Cover & Bake

Macaroni & Cheese with Cheesy Buttered Breadcrumb Topping

I love macaroni & cheese (who doesn't ?). But a long time ago I abandoned my attempts at making it at home.  Always disappointed in the the results of my efforts, I'd put all this time into making what promised to be everything I could ever want in this most delicious of casseroles, only to end up with a big ol' pan of overcooked noodles and grainy, stodgy cheese sauce. And forget about it making for good leftovers, because, by the next day all the liquid would absorb into the noodles and I'd be left with blown out 'macaroni and grease'. No thank you. After awhile I would only attempt home style mac & cheese while dining out, thinking "hey, there's got to be somebody out there that makes the good stuff." Sadly I have yet to find that place.

So eventually I gave up all together and started relying exclusively on the blue box. At least I could count on consistent results, and at least because it wasn't so rich I would be able to eat that more than once a year. And truth be told, I sorta have a soft place in my heart for the blue box, my favorite of all the prepackaged, processed foods. Unfortunately though for the good folks at Kraft, my New Year's resolution this year is to cut out prepackaged, processed foods. So I was back to my old quest of finding a recipe for macaroni & cheese that wouldn't be so egregiously calorie-rich that I would have to skip breakfast and lunch just to feel okay about eating it for dinner.

Over the past few years I have been seeing recipes that use a base of canned, evaporated milk. And it completely solves the curdled, grainy cheese sauce problem. Big Plus! Other big plus's, leftovers reheat beautifully (creamy not greasy), and the noodles and sauce are prepared in the same pan. I wouldn't exactly call this version of macaroni & cheese low-cal but it is definitely more a more sensible version. And hey, this is macaroni & cheese we're talking about after all, it isn't supposed to be diet food.

 Macaroni & Cheese with Cheesy Buttered Breadcrumb Topping

~serves 4~

Ingredients:

Breadcrumb Topping:

2 T. unsalted butter 

1 1/2 c. soft, fresh breadcrumbs (about 2 slices of bread)

1/8 t. salt

pinch of cayenne pepper

2T. grated parmesan cheese

Macaroni & Cheese:

8 oz. macaroni 

1 (12 oz.) can reduced-fat evaporated milk

3/4 c. 2% milk

1/2 t. dijon mustard

pinch of celery salt

pinch of cayenne pepper

salt & pepper

2 t. cornstarch

8 oz. reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 c.)

Directions:

1. To make the breadcrumb topping: Melt the butter in a medium skillet over low heat. Add the breadcrumbs, salt and cayenne. Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring often until golden brown, 7-10 min. Transfer the toasted breadcrumbs to a plate and let cool for 3 min. Stir in the parmesan cheese, set aside.

2. To make the macaroni & cheese: Bring 2 1/2 quarts of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the macaroni and 2 t.salt. Cook, stirring often until pasta is tender. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 c. of the pasta cooking water. Leave the macaroni in the colander while preparing the sauce.   

3. Combine the evaporated milk, 1/2 c. 2% milk, dijon mustard, 1/4 t. salt, cayenne and celery salt in the saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Whisk together the cornstarch and remaining 1/4 c. 2% milk, then add to the simmering sauce. Continue to simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until sauce is slightly thickened.

4. Remove pan from heat and stir in the cheddar cheese until melted and smooth. Stir in the cooked macaroni. Let the macaroni sit until the sauce is thickened, 3-5 minutes. Season to taste with salt & pepper. You can loosen the consistancy of the mac & cheese if it becomes too thick by adding in some of the reserved pasta cooking water. Serve, sprinkling the cheesy, buttered breadcrumbs on each serving.

Recipe source: modified  from The America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook