Stovetop Mac 'n' Cheese & Blackberry-Studded Salad

Poor stovetop mac 'n' cheese, I almost forgot about you! A travesty!


I was chatting with a co-worker (also a food fanatic) about my plans to make macaroni and cheese, and he asked if I was making a baked one or a stovetop version. Being from the south, my inclination is always to bake it, casserole-style. But now that we're (finally!) in the summer months, cranking up the oven is becoming more and more of a chore. And I've done baked mac 'n' cheese on this blog before - more than once!


I thought a stovetop version sounded like a fantastic idea. However, I wanted to make it a.) healthier than your typical mac 'n' cheese (there is a time, a place, and a recipe for the heart-attack version, but a weeknight dinner is not it), and b.) more interesting than a homemade version of the blue box classic. A quickly dying loaf of whole wheat bread inspired me to make a Mediterranean(ish) breadcrumb and red pepper topping, which really took the dish to the next level (and added some veggie goodness - yay!). Sticking with the Mediterranean "theme," I added a can of chickpeas to the pasta to pump up the protein, stretch the dish, and make it even more nutritious (you know I love my chickpeas).


Nothing complements a big bowl of cheesy pasta better than a fresh (guilt-mitigating) salad. And with blackberries on top? Mmmmmm. One disclaimer: I made this several weeks ago and forgot to post it, so the recipe might not reflect exactly the way I made it, but reflects how I'd attempt to make it again. I used a blend of cheeses that I'd picked up from the farmer's market. Of course, any melty cheese would work fine here, although I think the sharper, the better (goat cheese, come to think of it, would be rad).

It's really nice when a comfort food classic not known for its healthiness can get a figure-friendly (to borrow a Rachael Ray phrase) makeover! Hope you're all enjoying your summers, and look out for more posts soon!

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. whole wheat rotini pasta
3 T. butter
2-3 cloves garlic
2 medium shallots, minced
2-3 T. flour
1/2 c. white wine
about 1 and 1/2 cups milk
salt and pepper
lots of (1-2 cups) grated cheese (I used grated sharp white cheddar, a couple slices leftover American, and some other cheese I can't remember - just cheese it up! Use whatever kind(s) you like)
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

fresh whole wheat breadcrumbs (about 2 cups - I just made mine from some oldish bread)
2-3 T. butter
about 2 roasted red and/or yellow bell peppers, chopped (I used the jarred kind)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
fresh chopped parsley
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes


SALAD:

baby greens mix
several handfuls fresh blackberries
lightly toasted almonds
lemon juice/honey/olive oil/dijon mustard/salt and pepper for the dressing (or any jarred vinaigrette you like)

STEP 1:

In a large pot, bring water to a boil. When it boils, salt it and add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, in another large pot, melt the butter. Cook the shallots until translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Whisk in the flour to make a roux, then cook for a couple minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk a little at a time. Add salt and pepper. Add the cheese, a handful at a time, and stir until mixture is thickened. Stir in the pasta and chickpeas. Keep warm and gooey until ready to serve.

STEP 2:

Assemble the salad and whisk the dressing together. Set aside (don't dress the salad until right before you serve it). In a pan, melt the butter for the breadcrumbs. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute. Add the breadcrumbs and chopped bell peppers. Season with some salt and pepper and red pepper flakes. Add the parsley and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the breadcrumb mixture has dried out a bit.

STEP 3:

Serve the mac 'n' cheese in bowls topped with a few spoonfuls of the breadcrumbs. Serve with the salad. Enjoy!

Thanks for reading! Eat well and live life, friends :-)

J'taime Tartines!

Here, friends, is another lesson in working with what you've got. In this case, what I had was bread. A LOT of bread. And what I didn't have was patience.


Ross had picked up a gigantic loaf of Italian bread at the store one day (I love when he goes grocery shopping - the only thing he's guaranteed to come back with is beer, and the rest is inevitably a grab-bag of delicious surprises). The past, oh, month for me can basically be summed up in one appropriately four-letter word: WORK. I've been pulling long hours at the office and had no time to buy food, let alone cook it. These gorgeous little open-faced sandwiches mark my (perhaps temporary) return to the world of the living.


At any rate, a mountain of Italian bread and a whole evening of free time on my hands, I decided to make tartines. Tartines are, as I mentioned, simply open-faced sandwiches. They're (according to Ina Garten) a Parisian cafe staple, and I love them because they seem less lunch-y than a full-on sandwich, yet lighter than a typical dinnertime meal. The beauty of them is that you can top them with literally anything you want. I've made peanut butter-pear-cheddar versions, topped them with prosciutto and piled lemony arugula on top...you name it. The bread is your canvas, limited only by your cravings.


Of the three I made, my personal favorite was the ham and Gouda - but then again I'm a sucker for anything smoky. Ross liked the Reuben-style tartines. These would be fantastic for a party, or anytime, really. The best part is that they're no-fuss, super fast, and really economical. I hope you experiment with some fabulous toppings of your own!

INGREDIENTS

3 very large slices good quality Italian bread
corned beef, sliced thinly
salami, sliced thinly
maple-glazed ham, sliced thinly
Swiss cheese, sliced thinly
smoked Gouda, sliced thinly
mayo
Red cabbage kraut

[Thousand Island:]
mayo
ketchup
sweet pickle relish

Grapes and Salad for serving (optional)



STEP ONE:

Heat oven to 375 with a baking stone or baking sheet inside it. When hot, place the bread slices on the baking sheet and allow to crisp a bit (for about 5-10 minutes).

STEP TWO:

Remove bread from oven and top with meats and cheeses. My combos were:

- [Reuben:] Thousand Island, corned beef, red cabbage kraut, and Swiss
- Mayo, ham, and Gouda
- Salami and Swiss

STEP THREE:

Place back in the oven and cook until the cheese is melted. Remove from oven, slice into smaller pieces, and serve. Enjoy!

Banana-and-PB-Stuffed French Toast

Have I ever shared how much I adore French toast?


Actually, I'm a francophile in many regards - I so dearly love their wine (Beaujolais being my favorite, and only available this very time of year!), their language (though I speak little - "J'adore les croissants avec poulet et Jean-Paul Gaultier!"), their fashion - oh, and did I mention their food? I spend about 92.8% of my time daydreaming about wandering through Le-Grande-Jatte-esque landscapes, picnicking with a baguette, some stinky cheese, and some red wine near a bridge, followed by a jaunt through the Louvre and maybe dinner in some obscure post-beatnik cafe--


--and then I remember I'm actually sitting in front of my iMac, thinking up banner ads. Sigh. Now might be a good time to mention two things: 1.) I've never actually been to France, and 2.) I'm not at all convinced that French toast bears any resemblance to anything the French actually eat for le petit dejeuner. That notwithstanding, my love for French toast (much like my love for the fried potatoes and the kisses for which they are so well-known) endures despite its dubious provenance.


Usually, I make it very simply: egg, milk, cinnamon, butter, maple syrup. Done. But, a few almost-too-ripe bananas weeping on my fruit tray and a new jar of homemade peach honey whispering from within the cupboard, I decided to make that IHOP-bastardization of French toast - Stuffed French Toast. Although this came out nicely and was a fantastic way to start a lazy weekend morning, I truly prefer French toast in its simplest form, but since this insisted on photographing well and being somewhat interesting, I decided to share it. So, thank you, France, for your toast! And thank you America, for your irrepressible spirit of excess!


PEANUT-BUTTER-AND-BANANA-STUFFED FRENCH TOAST

INGREDIENTS

4 thick slices bread (I used whole wheat)
a few spoonfuls natural (unsweetened) peanut butter
1-2 ripe bananas, sliced into rounds
drizzle of peach honey (or regular honey)
2 eggs
1 T. heavy cream (milk is fine, too)
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
2 T. butter
maple syrup for drizzling


STEP 1:

Beat the eggs, cream, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside. Meanwhile, heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat.

STEP 2:

Spread 2 slices of bread with the peanut butter, then top with the banana slices. Drizzle honey over both. Top with the other pieces of bread, making two sandwiches.

STEP 3:

Melt the butter in the pan. Dredge each sandwich in the egg mixture, until coated. Fry on the first side until golden-brown. Flip and fry on the other side until golden-brown. Remove from heat, slice in half, drizzle with syrup, and serve. Enjoy!

Chickpea Salad & Homemade Oatmeal Bread

Did Ina Garten die? Because I think I may have been recently embodied by her spirit, a la Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost.

How else to explain the sudden irrepressible urge to put capers in everything I make, smash chickpeas into a lemony salad, and - of all things - to make my own bread, for Gawds sake? Next thing you know, I'll be making my own chicken broth (um, no).

Let's start with the chickpea salad. I had one last baggie of chickpeas from my giant CostCo can lurking around my freezer, and I wanted to try making a sort of lazy-person's hummus, with ingredients I always have on hand: olive oil, shallots, garlic, lemon, and chickpeas.


And there's really not much more to it than that. A little salt and pepper. And a drizzle of olive oil on top when you serve it. In fact, I'm not even going to take the time to assemble a proper recipe (the whole idea came from something similar I saw Ina Garten make once on TV) - just mince the garlic and shallots, mix them in with the chickpeas and the juice of half a lemon and a healthy glug of olive oil, and smash with a fork. Just make sure you have a good amount of chickpeas - if the ratio's off, the raw garlic and shallots could be a bit overpowering. Parsley would be nice, too, if you have some around.



I served mine cold for a post-yoga lunch with orange bell pepper slices and cucumbers for dipping, some nuts, and an orange. It was delicious.

And now on to the truly impressive feat: my very own, handmade loaf of bread. And I do mean HANDmade. No fancy Cuisinart Mixing Machine, no bread machine, just my two little hands and a fighting spirit.


I bought King Arthur Bread Flour after I read some glowing reviews about it online. I was originally planning to make my own Naan bread (look for that soon enough), but I got distracted by the recipe for Oatmeal Bread on the back of the flour bag (typical).

Oddly, I had all the ingredients on hand, so I just followed the very simple instructions, and - to my utter amazement - I actually created and baked a loaf of actual, edible, bread. And it was delicious! Stupendous, even! Exactly what I imagined bread that's warm, homemade, and right from the oven would taste like. What bread would taste like if it weren't laced with strange preservatives to extend its shelf life.


And it's economical - I've estimated that with the ingredients I bought to make that first loaf (about $12 worth, including the loaf pan), I can bake 5-6 more loaves without buying more ingredients. If any of you have checked out the price of bread lately, you'll agree that I'm beating the system.

I waited about .0364 seconds before I sliced a piece off the end and slathered it with butter and peach jam. Heaven. It was heaven.


I must say, I'm impressed with myself. I thought for sure I would spend half a day working on this loaf of bread only to end up disappointed and breadless.

It's nice when things turn out better than you expected.

Thanks for reading! More soon...

Sauteed Vegetables and Parmesan Pain Perdu

I recently saw a recipe for pain perdu, which is basically a baked, savory version of French toast. I had been thinking about it since I saw it, and I'd also been craving an eggy dish for dinner all day. I also had some nice cheeses and fresh veggies on hand, so I thought I'd make a sort of grilled cheese/omelet/quiche hybrid, and put it in the pain perdu category.


This was a really easy weeknight meal that was rich enough to feel like dinner, but light enough that it didn't undo my whole day.

SAUTEED VEGETABLES & PARMESAN PAIN PERDU

INGREDIENTS

4 slices French baguette
2 eggs
1/4 c. half and half
1/4 c. grated (packed) parmesan
1 slice sharp provolone cheese
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 zucchini, cut into half-moons
1/4 large white onion, sliced
2 T. olive oil
salt and pepper
fresh thyme leaves

STEP ONE:

Preheat the oven to 375. Beat the eggs in a bowl. Add the half and half and parmesan, and some salt and pepper.


STEP TWO:

Place the bread slices in a shallow baking dish. Pour the egg mixture over the top. Place the provolone over the top of the bread, tearing into pieces so it covers the bread. Bake at 375 until the provolone is bubbly on top and the egg mixture is set, about 15 minutes.



STEP THREE:

Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Saute the onions and peppers with a little salt and pepper and the thyme. When tender and a little browned, remove from skillet. Add the zucchini to the skillet and cook until a little browned on both sides, about 5 minutes total.



STEP FOUR:

Place a few slices of the bread on a plate (I used three), and top with the veggie mixture. Enjoy!

This was cheesy, savory, and fresh - and super easy. I just used the veggies I had on hand, but spinach, chard, arugula, poblano peppers, shallots, tomatoes - they'd all be great swaps. This would also be delicious topped with a little Romesco sauce or a quick balsamic vinegrette - or just a drizzle of balsamic itself. You could also use whatever cheese you like - feta, chevre, mozzarella, even cheddar. You could also lighten it up with egg whites. Instead of the cooked vegetables, you could top the pain perdu with a fresh salad tossed with just a bit of lemon juice and olive oil.


I think you get the picture: this is a forgiving dish that can really become whatever you want it to be. It would be lovely with some parma ham or sliced turkey. I'd love to try it with my leftover lamb, too - like little open-faced sandwiches.

The French really get the whole bread-and-cheese thing, don't they?


Thanks for reading. Au revoir! More soon...