Baked Pasta and Veggies

This recipe appeared one night after facing a perfect storm of (1) lots of veggies and very little meat in my fridge (2) lack of inspiration, and (3) craving pasta.  Trying to convince yourself that eating pasta with "lots of veggies" somehow reduces the carb intake may be cheating a bit, but who cares.  This dish couldn't have been easier to make and The Boy and I were really happy with the turn out.  We may have even eaten it cold the next day.

Baked Pasta with Veggies

Veggies and Pasta:
oil
4 slices of bacon, cut into strips
left over cooked shredded chicken (if you have it) - optional
1 onion, sliced
6 - 8 baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 bell pepper, cut into strips
1/2 bag of chopped kale
4 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper

1/2 bag of penne pasta

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a dutch oven (like my fancy new Le Creuset), cook the bacon strips with a little oil on medium heat til crispy.  Remove with a slotted spoon.  Dump the onion, mushrooms and pepper into the pot and saute with the bacon fat for 4-5 minutes, until cooked a little bit.  Add the kale, garlic and optional chicken, continue to cook.  Season liberally with salt and pepper.  Return the bacon to the pot and keep everything warm on low heat

While this is cooking down, cook your pasta in salted boiling water until a few minutes before al dente.

Now onto the Bechamel Sauce.

Bechamel Sauce:
3 - 4 tbsp butter
3 - 4 tbsp Wondra flour
2 cups of non fat milk
1/2 tsp graded nutmeg
1/2 tsp powderd mustard
Salt and Pepper
1/2/ - 3/4 cup shredded cheese (I used gouda and white cheddar)
couple dashes of chipotle hot sauce

Melt the butter in a sauce pan on medium heat, add the Wondra and whisk for 2 minutes.  Add the milk, nutmeg, mustard and S&P and whisk until the milk thickens (a few minutes).  Add the cheese and hot sauce, let it all melt and get acquainted with one another, finally taste for seasoning.

Dump the pasta in with the veggies and add the Bechamel sauce as well. Mix to combine.  Shred a little bit of cheese on top if you wish and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Let rest for a few minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

Thai Peanut Noodles

Another day of finding things in the pantry/fridge and seeing what my determined mind can create.  I bought some rice noodles awhile ago that are just taking up space in my pantry, they finally needed to be used at some point, and now the time for it.  I had some peppers and onions left over from Chili,and figured it couldn't hurt to make a Vegan- Friendly/Thai style noodle dish that could actually make it Blog-worthy.

So my experiment was set to go, hopefully not set to fail.


Thai Peanut Noodles:
handful of Stir Fry Rice Noodles 
1 tsp. peanut oil
1/2 onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced
2 carrots, sliced in rounds
scallions and basil for garnish
Tofu (optional)

Peanut Sauce:
1 tsp peanut oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1-inch knob of ginger, graded
1 small shallot, minced
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup coconut milk
few pinches of brown sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp fish sauce (if going completely vegan, just use salt)
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
cracked black pepper
red chili flakes or chili powder
water if needed

Boil water in a pot large enough for the noodles.  Add the noodles and turn off the heat.  Let soak for 8 minutes in the hot water.

In another small sauce pan heat up the peanut oil.  Add the garlic, ginger and shallot to sweat for two minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients up to the water and stir with a whisk to combine.  Let simmer on very low heat for a few minutes while you chop up the veggies and get ready to stir fry.  Taste for seasoning, add water if too thick.

Heat up a wok on very high heat, add the oil and swirl, then add the onion, carrots and bell pepper (and tofu).  Stir fry for 3 minutes.  Add the noodles and stir fry for another minute.  Add as much sauce as you would like to the noodles, toss to combine.  Garnish with the scallions/basil and eat immediately.

Green Beans with Shallots, Raisins, and Pine Nuts

Green vegetables are a big part of my life.  I've grown up always having a green vegetable and a salad with dinner.  They're tasty, nutritious and really easy to make.  I made up this side dish in college and love it.  You steam or boil some green beans and throw in some garlic, shallots, raisins, some sort of nuts and you're home!

Green Beans:

1 bunch of green beans

1/4 cup raisins

1 shallot, thinly sliced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts or toasted slivered almonds

salt and pepper

olive oil

Either set up a steamer or boil some water.  Steam/boil the green beans for 1-2 minutes, 30 seconds before you take out the beans, add the raisins and let them plump up a bit in the water/steam.  Immediately take everything off the heat and put into ice water to stop the cooking process.

In a saute pan, heat up a bit of olive oil and sweat the shallots for a minute or so.  Add the garlic and the cooked green beans and raisins.  Season with salt and pepper and at the last minute add the nuts.  Taste for seasoning and serve immediately.

Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta and Chestnuts

This past Thanksgiving dinner I finally convinced my mom to let me cook something a little different than our normal menu.  I had made roasted Brussel Sprouts a few weeks earlier and loved how they developed a nutty flavor.  Given that it is Thanksgiving, I upped the ante and added some pancetta and cooked chestnuts.  They were by far, my favorite side dish from our Thanksgiving dinner.

Brussel Sprouts:

2-3 ounces of cubed pancetta (TJ's has it)
12-15 brussel sprouts, halved and cleaned
2 tbsp olive oil - I used duck fat because it was tasty, but bacon fat works too
Salt and Pepper
1/4 tsp. of chili powder
1/2 cup of pealed chopped cooked chestnuts

Preheat oven to 350F.  In a large skillet brown the pancetta on medium heat.  Once crispy, take out with a slotted spoon and drain onto paper towels.  Add a bit more oil/fat to the pan on medium high heat.  Add the sprouts, halved side down, season with salt, pepper and chili powder and let cook for 5-7 minutes, until they get a nice color of golden brown.  Stir around a bit, add the chestnuts and a splash of water or chicken stock.  Put the pan in the oven and cook the brussel sprouts till soft but still have a bite to them.  Depending on the size 8-12 minutes.  Once done, sprinkle with the crispy pancetta and serve.