Macaroni and Cheese with Crunchy Kale Topping

 

My husband's childhood friend recently cooked dinner for us and his family ( He also happens to be a chef, so we usually let him do the cooking when he comes over). He likes to do it, and we reap the benefits of a delicious meal with good friends.

 

Though he made a different pasta dish, I watched him top it with kale and breadcrumbs and I was, I admit, skeptical. I would have stirred the kale into the whole mix, and I was picturing  the kale turning into a soggy, sloppy mess.

 

Well. Don't question the chef! He pulled it out and the kale was crunchy and salty and delicious. Just like the kale chips we all know and love. He made kale chip casserole.  This dish is inspired by his.

 

 

 

Ingredients:

1 package of pasta, cooked and drained

1 onion, diced

2 cups of cheese

1.5-2 cups of kale, torn into bite sized pieces

2 cups of milk

1 tbsp oil or butter

1 tbsp flour

salt and pepper to taste

breadcrumbs

 

Place your cooked pasta in a large casserole dish. Meanwhile, saute the onion until soft, and stir into the pasta.

In a small sauce pan, heat the oil. Stir the flour into the oil quickly and brown slightly, but do not burn. Add the milk and whisk continuously until hot. Whisk in the cheese and stir until melted. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and salt and pepper to taste.

 

Top the pasta with a sprinkle of cheese, the kale and breadcrumbs and a dash more salt. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake another 8 minutes.

 

 

 

Orecchiete with Baby Broccoli and Lemon Garlic Sauce

Orecchiete is also known as "ear shaped" pasta, though my kids call them "suction cups" because of the way they stick to the bowl (isn't that the best thing you've ever heard?? Kids are so amazing, they really see things with new eyes).

This dish is so light and fragrant, with lemon, herbs, and tender baby broccoli. We served it up with a platter of crudite (or fresh, raw vegetables) for a healthy, satisfying dinner.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup of vegetable broth
4 tsp. Italian seasoning
3 cloves of garlic, minced
zest of one lemon
salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch of baby broccoli, roughly chopped
1 box of Orecchiete, or other small pasta

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and the butter in a large skillet. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, being careful not to burn. Next mix in the Italian seasoning, cook 1-2 minutes. Pour in the broth, lemon zest, and broccoli. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook about 5 or 6 minutes, until it simmers and the flavors begin to mix.

Ladle the hot pasta into bowls and top with the broccoli and sauce. Garnish with lemon wedges and hot pepper flakes and perhaps a bit of Parmesan cheese. Serves 4.

Pasta Primavera

This time of year in Monterey is hard. While our neighbors just across the bay in Santa Cruz are enjoying sunshine and the warmth of summer, Monterey is steeped in fog, overcast skies and blustery wind. Instead of feeling motivated to hit the beach, we're stuck inside with sweatshirts and warm socks.

Still, a gloomy day is always good for settling myself into the kitchen, and I've been there a lot lately. Yesterday I made some homemade chapati , into which I mixed some cumin seeds prior to rolling out (highly recommend!) and chana masala and finished reading one of the many books I am reading this summer (pictured below).

Today called for something that reminds me of the bounty of spring and summer. Pasta Primavera.
And let it be known, dear reader, that this dish is where Cole, (you'll remember him as my pickiest eater) declared that tomatoes just might be alright afterall.

Ingredients:
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed into 1 inch pieces
2 green onions, minced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1.5  cups of low-salt vegetable broth
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp butter
1 package of spaghetti noodles
1 cup of chopped fresh spinach
3/4 cup of parmesan cheese
red pepper flakes, to garnish
pepper to taste

In a large skillet heat a few spoonfulls of olive oil. Saute the asparagus for 1 minute. Add in the garlic, green onion and Italian seasoning, cook another 1 minute. Add in the tomatoes, cook 1 more minute. Remove from heat and place the vegetables in a large bowl, set aside.

Cook spaghetti according to directions on the package.

Meanwhile, in the same skillet you used to cook the veggies,  heat the broth to simmering. Add in the butter, salt and pepper . Whisk to combine and let simmer for 3 or 4 minutes.

Into a large serving dish pour your drained, cooked, hot noodles. Pour the vegetables on top, followed by the Parmesan and spinach. Finally pour in the sauce and toss to coat. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, if using.

Serves 5.

Pasta e Fagioli: A Poor Man's Meal

I'm excited to announce that the Yogic Kitchen will be featuring recipes from guest yoga teachers! Today's recipe comes via guest blogger Cori Fratelli, a yoga teacher and mom from Colorado.

Cori Says:

While it may have seemed, at the time,  like my parents could afford the many luxuries of life, looking back I recall many hardships and I make the conclusion that my parents perhaps lived from paycheck to paycheck, like so many of the American population currently do. Time and again....well more specifically, several times a week, my father would cook us "the poor man's meal," as he called it. In my Italian neighborhood growing up, we called this dish Pasta e Fagioli, or pasta and beans. Today I make this meal for my family, and I recall my loving  father standing over the stove cooking this very same scrumptious meal for his family.

Ingredients:

1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil,
2 cups fresh spinach
1/4 of a red onion, sliced
1 can white beans, such as Great Northern or cannellini
1 box spaghetti

Cook it up

Cook pasta according to directions on package.

Meanwhile, saute the garlic until fragrant. Add the spinach, onion and cook until the spinach wilts. Add the beans and heat through. Finally, drain the spaghetti and toss with the spinach mixture, cook another 2 minutes.  Add in more olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Asparagus and Pecan Pasta

What an unlikely combo for a pasta: asparagus, peppers and pecans?  But I bought a huge bag of pecans this month and tonight what seemed like a crazy idea turned out to be one delicous dinner hit. You can use any pasta you like and it will be just as amazing.

I did use chicken-less strips in this dinner. As a general rule, we don't eat much in the way of these kinds of things, as they tend to be very processed, but it can be a special treat every now and then.

Ingredients:
1 package pasta of your choice
1 tbsp. olive oil for cooking veggies
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 bunches of asparagus, roughly chopped
1 cup veggie broth
3 tbsp. pesto
salt and pepper to taste
3 tbsp. olive oil for sauce
1 pound of Chicken-less strips (optional)
1 cup of grated parmesan (optional)
1 cup pecans

Boil pasta according to directions.

Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large pan and saute garlic, pepper and asparagus for about 2 minutes. Pour in the broth, bring to a simmer and add the pesto, the rest of the olive oil, salt, pepper, chicken-less strips (if using).

Cook until everything is cooked through.

Serve over the pasta, tossing to coat, and fold in the parmesan and pecans.

Low Fat Veggie Lasagna

I love making homemade pasta sauce. If you don't have the time, you can use your own premade sauce of choice, and add in the extra ingredients from my sauce (such as artichoke hearts and kalamata olives) directly to the lasagna.

Mama Garrett's Favorite Pasta Sauce

2 cans stewed tomatoes
olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 cup of artichoke hearts
1/4 cup of chopped kalamata olives, or other olive of choice

Saute the onion and bell pepper until soft, about five minutes. Add the garlic and seasoning, and continue to cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Then add the stewed tomatoes, artichoke hearts and olives. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.


Lasagna

1 box "no boil" lasagna noodles
1 16. oz container of non-fat ricotta cheese
2 large balls of low-fat mozzarella cheese in water
1 cup of zucchini, thinly sliced into rounds
2 small tomatoes, thinly sliced
parmesan and parsley, to garnish

Coat the bottom of a large casserole dish with sauce and top this with your first layer of noodles. From here  the layering goes like this:

noodles
sauce
ricotta, smooshed in with fork
zucchini slices
sparingly top with mozzarella slices
Repeat.

I got about 3 layers or so. When you've filled your dish, top with noodles, sauce and sliced fresh tomato. Lastly, top with mozzarella and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 for about 40 minutes, or until bubbly. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Roasted Bell Pepper and Tomato Pasta Sauce

Today I made a quick pasta sauce, using ingredients I had on hand. I can't tell you how delightful it smells. At first I couldn't figure out what taste it was missing, and then I hit on it: bell pepper. So friends, here is my pasta recipe! We had it with veggie meatballs and whole wheat spaghetti.

2 cans stewed tomatoes with basil and oregano

2 cloves garlic

2 leaves fresh sage

2 tbsp. fresh rosemary

2 tbsp. fresh thyme

1/8 cup olive oil

1/4 cup roasted red and yellow bell pepper (I had some in a jar, but you can easily make your own)

Combine all ingredients, except olive oil, in a blender and blend until smooth.

Heat olive oil in a sauce pan and add in your blended ingredients. Simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve warm with your favorite pasta!

Pesto Pasta with Tofu Cutlets

This recipe is so easy it almost doesn't even need a recipe. But here's how I did it:

Pasta:
Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
You can find the recipe for my walnut pesto here or use your favorite pre-made pesto. Mix 1/3 cup of pesto to your pasta and top with parmesan cheese (optional).

Tofu Cutlets
Vegan Version: press slices of extra firm tofu into bread crumbs and fry on each side until browned.

Vegetarian version: dip each slice into a bowl of beaten eggs, then dip into bread crumbs. Fry until browned on each side or bake at 375 until browned, turning once.

Serve with your favorite vegetables!

Eggplant Parmesan

1 large eggplant, sliced thinly

1 cup bread crumbs

2 eggs, beaten **

pasta noodles of your choice

mozzarella cheese (optional)

pasta sauce of your choice

**I've made this dish vegan before as well, the only difference is you will skip the egg wash and replace it with non-flavored soymilk, continue as directed and opt out any cheese topping.

Coat each slice of eggplant in egg wash and then coat with bread crumbs. Place on oiled cookie sheet and bake at 350, turning once. Place mozzarella on top of eggplant and heat until the underside of the eggplant is crispy and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Cook noodles according to package directions. Top noodles with sauce, layering the eggplant on top, and dolloping with a bit more sauce.

Serve next to your favorite veggies: here we used steamed asparagus, topped with lemon juice, salt and pepper.