squash mac + cheese with hot sauce bread crumbs

Over the holidays I was gifted Thug Kitchen 101: Fast as F*ck, which features plant-based comfort food and one-pot meals with the same irreverent prose and deliciousness you'd expect from a TK creation. Here's their Squash Mac and Cheese with Hot Sauce Bread Crumbs. It's a little more in-depth than a lot of mac and cheese recipes but the payout is YUGE. This is the cheesiest, creamiest vegan dish I've ever had and I highly recommend baking at the end if you have time. Next time, I will double the bread crumbs- they're delish.

adapted from a Thug Kitchen 101 Recipe:

hot sauce bread crumbs:

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups chunky bread crumbs
3 Tbsp hot sauce
1 Tbsp unsweetened nut milk

cheesy sauce:

1 Tbsp + 1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup chopped yellow onion

2 Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 carrots, cubed

2 cups veggie broth

1 cup unsweetened nut milk

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp Bragg's liquid amino acids

1/2 tsp salt

everything else:

1 pound pasta (shells or fusilli)

2 cups frozen peas

2 cups shredded yellow squash

to make the bread crumbs:

*warm up oil over medium heat

*toss in bread crumbs and stir for a few minutes

*mix remaining ingredients in small glass and pur over bread crumbs

*make sure all bread crumbs are coated and remove from heat and set aside

to make the cheesy sauce:

*using the same, emptied skillet, warm up 1 Tbsp oil over medium heat

*add onions and saute for 3-4 minutes

*stir in the potatoes, carrots, and 1 cup of broth

*cover and braise the veggies for 15 minutes then remove from heat

*toss the remaining sauce ingredients including oil and broth into a blender

*add the softened veggies and all liquids from pan and run blender until creamy

to make the mac and cheese:

*cook pasta according to directions

*just before pasta is finished, throw in frozen peas and drain

*fold in the squash

*pour in cheesy sauce and serve right away with bread crumbs on top

-OR-

*bake at 425 for 20 minutes^

^worth the wait

sesame noodles + veggies

Gwyneth Paltrow's new cookbook, It's All Easy, is home run. This sesame noodles recipe is delicious and I've added some veggies and edamame to make it a whole meal. It's hubby-approved, he even asked that this go on regular rotation. Score another one for team vegan!

One great thing about this recipe is that you can use whatever noodles you have on hand. I used udon, but you could also use rice noodles, soba, or spaghetti in a pinch. Also, I steamed my veggies, but the tamari + mirin + sesame oil makes for a very tasty stir-fry.

adapted from It's All Easy's Recipe

serves 4

3/4 pound noodles of your choice

1/3 cup tamari

3 Tbsp mirin

3 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

3 green onions, thinly sliced

3/4 cup frozen edamame 

1 cup trimmed green beans cut in half

1 red bell pepper, julienned

to make your noodles:

*cook noodles according package directions

*while noodles cook, whisk together tamari, mirin, and sesame oil in a large bowl

*when noodles are ready, drain and place them in the bowl with sauce, toss to combine and let them cool for 10 minutes

*add green onions

*steam your veggies (while noodles soak up sauce)

*combine everything and serve it up!

serving suggestions:
*garnish with sesame seeds, crumbled toasted nori sheets, chopped cilantro

lemon chicken soup with pasta

This week I found myself at home, sick, once again. Naturally I set out to make some Chicken noodle soup. (If you are unawares of the many benefits of chicken noodle soup as a cold remedy, read about it from The Mayo Clinic or The New York Times.) Giada's recipe is quicker and easier than most Chicken noodle recipes and I prefer the fresh flavor of lemon and easy to eat shells versus traditional noodles. Cook, eat, and be well!

adapted from Giada at Home

serves 4-6

6 cups (1.5 qt.)low-sodium chicken broth

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (2 lemons)

1 bay leaf

1 medium onion, finely diced

2 medium carrots, sliced ¼” thick

1 celery stalk , thinly slices,

1 clove garlic, finely diced

1 cup conchiglie pasta (medium-sized shells, or broken spaghetti)

2 cups diced cooked rotisserie chicken (breast meat) shredded or chopped

¼ cup chopped fresh flat least parsley leaves

to make your soup:

*bring the chicken broth, lemon juice, and bay leaf to a boil over medium-high heat

*add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and bring to a boil

*reduce heat and simmer for 6-8 minutes, until veggies are tender

*add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, 6-8 minutes

*add chicken and heat through, 2-3 minutes

*discard bay leaf, remove pot from heat, and stir in parsley

*season to taste

spicy spaghetti

i love this spicy spaghetti! add some chopped tomatoes from the garden; this is a great way to use home-grown produce. quick and easy, this dish went from chopping to serving in just 30 minutes. i'm looking forward to the leftovers!

also, this meal is very inexpensive. if you grow your own peppers and basil as i have, each serving of this dish costs about $1.00. for the money, this meal was satisfying, healthful, and tasty!

adapted from Jamie Oliver’s recipe

serves 4-6
2 cloves garlic
1 pound dried spaghetti (i used Capellini)
1 fresh red chile
olive oil
small bunch of fresh basil
14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 cup fresh spinach, stems removed
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
4 oz. fresh grated parmesan cheese

to make your pasta:
*peel and finely slice the garlic
*finely slice the chile
*pick the basil leaves off the stalk and put to one side
*finely chop stalks
*bring large pan of salted water to a boil, add spaghetti, cook according to package
*put dutch oven on medium heat, add 2 lugs of olive oil
*add garlic, chile, and basil stalks, stir
*when the garlic browns, add most of the basil leaves and canned tomatoes
*turn the heat up to high for one minute
*season with salt and pepper
*drain spaghetti in colander, transfer to the dutch oven, add spinach and stir

serving suggestion:
serve in bowls topped with torn remaining basil leaves and parmesan cheese.
Chianti works well with this meal.

cheesy baked pasta with spinach & artichoke

this simple, healthful recipe was quick to prepare and yielded a wonderfully cheesy result. any opportunity to grate fresh parmesan is a welcome one, and i think it adds so much more flavor to any dish over the store-bought pre-grated variety.

i thought the meal was hardy enough as a main course, but this recipe could easily be a side item as well. next time, i will try using some lemon pepper and/or lemon thyme in this dish as i love the combination of lemon and artichokes.

adapted from Real Simple’s recipe

serves 4
8oz. whole grain mini penne (or other short pasta)
14oz. can artichoke hearts, rinsed and quartered
9oz. package frozen creamed spinach, thawed
¼ cup fresh grated parmesan
2 cups grated mozzarella, divided
Fresh ground black pepper

to make your pasta:
*cook pasta according to directions, drain, and return to pot
*add artichoke hearts, spinach, parmesan, 1 cup mozzarella & ¼ tsp. pepper, stirring to combine
*heat broiler
*sprinkle remaining mozzarella over the top of the pasta and broil until cheese is browned in spots, about 2-3 minutes

serving suggestion:
with a crisp salad

Chicken Parmesan

this is a really simple and fast chicken Parmesan recipe. it will serve approximately 4 people. we have started buying the thinly sliced chicken breasts, which cook even faster. also, i usually want to add more spaghetti sauce than recommended.

one advantage of using the dutch oven is that you can saute and bake the chicken in the same dish. the last time i made this, i fried pieces of bacon in a little olive oil before adding the chicken and it was quite tasty.

ingredients:
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 package mozzarella cheese slices
1 jar spaghetti sauce
desired noodles (i prefer angel hair)
olive oil
salt & pepper

directions:
*preheat oven to 350 degrees
*mix breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and red pepper together
*dredge chicken through milk, then eggs, than breadcrumb mixture
*lightly brown chicken in skillet with olive oil (about 3-4 minutes each side) and lightly salt and pepper
*pour 1/2 sauce over the chicken breasts
*add a slice of mozzarella on top of each breast
*bake, covered, for 25-30 minutes
*prepare noodles
*serve chicken on top of a bed of noodles and cover with remaining sauce

serving suggestion:
i like to eat this meal with a crisp salad and garlic bread.