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Baked Mac & Cheese

Mac & cheese can be a true comfort on a gloomy day, and our healthy update takes advantage of extra-sharp Cheddar balanced with creamy low-fat cottage cheese and tucks a layer of spinach into the middle, which may help picky eaters down their vegetables. Whole-wheat pasta adds robust flavor and extra fiber

4 servings

Active Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons plain dry breadcrumbs, (see Tip)
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1 16-ounce or 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed
• 1 3/4 cups low-fat milk, divided
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 8 ounces (2 cups) whole-wheat elbow macaroni, or penne

• PREPARATION

  1. Put a large pot of water on to boil. Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat an 8-inch-square (2-quart) baking dish with cooking spray.
  2. Mix breadcrumbs, oil and paprika in a small bowl. Place spinach in a fine-mesh strainer and press out excess moisture.
  3. Heat 1 1/2 cups milk in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until steaming. Whisk remaining 1/4 cup milk and flour in a small bowl until smooth; add to the hot milk and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce simmers and thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Cheddar until melted. Stir in cottage cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
  4. Cook pasta for 4 minutes, or until not quite tender. (It will continue to cook during baking.) Drain and add to the cheese sauce; mix well. Spread half the pasta mixture in the prepared baking dish. Spoon the spinach on top. Top with the remaining pasta; sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture.
  5. Bake the casserole until bubbly and golden, 25 to 30 minutes.

  TIPS & NOTES

  • Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 4. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, if necessary, then bake for 35 to 45 minutes.
  • Tip: To make fresh breadcrumbs, trim crusts from whole-wheat bread. Tear bread into pieces and process in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. One slice of bread makes about 1/2 cup fresh crumbs. For dry breadcrumbs, spread the fresh crumbs on a baking sheet and bake at 250°F until crispy, about 15 minutes. One slice of fresh bread makes about 1/3 cup dry crumbs. Or use prepared coarse dry breadcrumbs. We like Ian's brand labeled “Panko breadcrumbs.” Find them in the natural-foods section of large supermarkets.

  NUTRITION

  Per serving: 576 calories; 22 g fat (11 g sat, 2 g mono); 69 mg cholesterol; 63 g carbohydrates; 37 g protein; 9 g fiber; 917 mg sodium; 403 mg potassium.
  Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (290% daily value), Calcium (70% dv), Folate (37% dv), Iron (15% dv).
  3 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving
  Exchanges: 3 starch, 1 vegetable, 3 1/2 medium-fat meat

Tiramisu: This fussy version is well worth the extra work.

High-impact tiramisu

Servings: 12

Ingredients: 
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1 package (24) ladyfingers
3/4 cup cold espresso
2 tablespoons each: brandy, sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Mix:
Stir together zabaglione (recipe below) and pastry cream (below) in a bowl. Fold in whipped cream (below). Fold in mascarpone. Chill.

Layer:
Arrange 12 ladyfingers in a single layer in a 9-by-9-inch pan. Mix espresso, brandy and sugar in a bowl. Brush ladyfingers with half espresso mixture. Smooth on half the cream. Arrange a second layer of 12 ladyfingers. Brush with remaining espresso. Smooth on remaining cream. Dust with cocoa powder. Cover tightly and chill 1-3 days.

Zabaglione:
Measure 5 egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup sweet Marsala into a bowl. Swirl smooth with an immersion blender. Pour into the top of a double boiler set over medium heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until hot and thickened, 5 minutes. Pour into a clean bowl. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Cool, cover and chill overnight.

Pastry cream:
Measure 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour zest of 1 lemon, 3 egg yolks and 1 cup milk into a heavy-bottom saucepan. Swirl smooth with an immersion blender. Set over low heat. Cook, whisking constantly, adding 1 cup milk, a little at a time, until thick and smooth, 10 minutes. Pour into a bowl. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Cool, cover and chill overnight.

Whipped cream:
Whip 2 cups whipping cream, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla to sturdy peaks. Chill.

Provenance:
Adapted from David Rosengarten of DavidRosengarten.com. He adapted the recipe from unsung but likely historic Baltimore baker Carminantonio Iannaccone.

Leah Eskin is a Tribune special contributor. Contact her at leahreskin@aol.com

Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune

Quick crab and avocado salad

Servings: 6

Tip: Brush the avocado halves with lemon juice to keep their color.

Ingredients:
3 ripe avocados, halved, pitted, in their shell
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons horseradish sauce
1 grapefruit, peeled, sectioned, sections cut in half
8 oz jumbo lump crab meat, picked through to remove shell pieces
1/2 cup sliced, roasted almonds

1. Carefully scoop out avocados into a medium bowl, leaving some of the fruit still lining the shell. Set shells aside.

2. Add half of the lemon juice and horseradish sauce to the avocados; mix until smooth. Stir in the sectioned grapefruit; fold in the crab.

3. Brush the avocado shells with the remaining lemon juice. Fill shells with the mixture; top with almonds. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

Nutrition information:
Per serving: 305 calories, 64% of calories from fat, 23 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 43 mg cholesterol, 16 g carbohydrates, 12 g protein, 187 mg sodium, 9 g fiber.

Backfield BLT Dip

This comes courtesy o f Paula Deen , You know her and her families food always looks and sounds soo.. good!

Backfield BLT Dip
Makes 8 to 10 servings

1 pound bacon, cooked, drained, crumbled, and divided
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups shredded fontina cheese
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
11/2 cups chopped seeded tomatoes
Toasted bread rounds, crackers

1 Preheat oven to 350˚. Spray a 11⁄2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2 Set aside 1⁄2 cup crumbled bacon.

3 In a large bowl, combine remaining bacon, cream cheese, shredded cheeses, spinach, sour cream, mayonnaise, and Dijon mustard. Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle chopped tomatoes and remaining 1⁄2 cup crumbled bacon over hot dip. Serve immediately with toasted bread rounds and crackers.

Recipe courtesy of The Deen Bros. Good Cooking Magazine.

Hot and Cold

Mediterranean holiday

Moroccan chicken with prunes, almonds and couscous

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Servings: 5

Braising chicken in a sauce that combines cinnamon, nutmeg and honey with a hint of saffron might sound surprising, but this is a delicious, spectacular dish. Some people sprinkle the chicken with toasted sesame seeds as well. If you'd like a touch of green, you can garnish the dish with fresh basil.

• 3 pounds chicken pieces
• 2 yellow onions, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 1 cup chicken stock, broth or water
• 1/8 teaspoon saffron threads
• 1 1/3 cups pitted prunes
• 2 tablespoons honey
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 package (10 ounces) plain couscous, cooked to package directions
• 1/2 cup whole blanched almonds, lightly toasted

1. Combine chicken, onions, salt and pepper in a Dutch oven. Cover; cook over low heat, turning chicken pieces over occasionally, 5 minutes. Add cinnamon, stock and saffron. Heat to a boil over medium heat. Cover; simmer over low heat, turning pieces occasionally, until breast pieces are tender when pierced with a knife, 35 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Cook remaining chicken pieces, until tender, covered, 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate.

2. Add prunes and honey to sauce; cook uncovered over medium heat until prunes are just tender, 5 minutes. Transfer prunes to a heated bowl; cover. Discard cinnamon stick. Cook sauce over medium heat, stirring occasionally, to thicken slightly, about 5 minutes. Add nutmeg. Taste; adjust seasoning. Return chicken to pan. Cover; heat over low heat 5 minutes.

3. Fluff couscous with a fork; mound it on a heated platter. Arrange chicken around or over couscous; spoon sauce and prunes over chicken. Garnish with almonds.

Nutrition information:
Per serving: 785 calories, 30% of calories from fat, 26 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 115 mg cholesterol, 88 g carbohydrates, 48 g protein, 425 mg sodium, 8 g fiber.

Copyright © 2010, Tribune Media Services

Fried Spicy Anchovy mix

I love Anchovies my self, so I thought was kind of interesting. I have not tried it yet myself, but I do plan to... Kent@KensKreations

I'm sure you've eaten nut mix, or bombay mix, or similar mixture of fruits and nuts and spices. Well this is a Thai version, it's a snack  made from fried battered anchovies, dried chillies and spices.

The above one is with dried chillies and dried kaffir lime leaves.

But it also comes just as the fried anchovies on their own as a snack.

Fried green tomatoes

Once green could get the tomato sent to the guidance office, written up for bad attitude, lectured on lack of effort.

But times change, especially in the fall, when frost threatens to dispatch the tomato of any persuasion left hanging on the vine. These days counselors speak of multiple intelligences — not just keen math skills, but empathy, intuition and — I would hope — style.

Given a chance, the green tomato steps up. The fruit has a firm bite and something of the wild, spicy flavor that wafts from the plant's prickly looking stems.


It's starchy out of hand, but its thick flesh helps it hold up under heat. When soothed in a milk bath, spiked with cayenne, crumb-coated and pan-fried, the green tomato comes back with snappy, refreshing crunch.

Which isn't better than the gushingly ripe tomato. It's simply that delicious quality we've all learned to value: different.

Ingredients:
Green tomatoes
Salt
Milk
Flour
Egg, lightly beaten
Panko or other fine white breadcrumbs
Cayenne pepper
Vegetable oil

Prep:
Slice tomatoes into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Season with salt.

Dip:
Set milk, flour, egg and panko out on separate plates. Season flour with a little salt and panko with a pinch of cayenne. Dip each tomato first in milk, then flour, egg and finally panko.

Fry:
Coat a heavy skillet with oil. Heat over medium-high heat. Fry tomatoes golden, 2-3 minutes per side. Enjoy with aioli or tucked into a rockin' BLT.

Leah Eskin is a Tribune special contributor. Contact her at leahreskin@aol.com

Baked zucchini, tomato tian

Summer's last holiday calls for the best from farmers markets. For 128 years, we have been celebrating -- or lamenting -- the unofficial end of summer with Labor Day picnics and parties. If you have plans for an outdoor feast, here's the simplest way to fuel the hungry.

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 50 minutes
Servings: 4

-- Adapted from " Williams-Sonoma: Cooking from the Farmers' Market."

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
3/4 pound plum tomatoes, sliced
2 small zucchini, sliced
1 tablespoon each, minced: fresh basil, fresh marjoram
1/4 cup chicken broth or water

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat; add onion. Cook, stirring, about 10 minutes. Spread onion slices evenly over bottom of an oiled 2-quart baking dish. Season with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and pepper to taste.

2. Alternate rows of tomato and zucchini slices over the onions. Sprinkle with basil and marjoram; season with remaining 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and pepper to taste. Pour broth over vegetables. Cover; bake until vegetables are bubbling and tender, about 40 minutes.

Nutrition information:
Per serving: 88 calories, 69% of calories from fat, 7 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 6 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 348 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.

Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune