Russian-Style Macaroni

This is another gem from a Moosewood cookbook. The first time I had it was for lunch left-overs at Jerry's house, in HIGH SCHOOL! His mom made it using the Moosewood recipe and later when we moved out on our own, she gave me the updated version for Christmas. This dish has truly become a comfort food for us. It is creamy and cheesy, but practically guilt-free as the creamy, cheesiness comes from fat-free cottage cheese! Genius. It is also packed with veggies. When I say packed, I mean, I basically clean out the fridge when I make it and put everything I can in it. This has never come out less than delicious. 

Serves:

4

Origin:

A variation of the Macaroni and Cheese Lite from The New Moosewood Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 3 cups uncooked whole wheat macaroni, penne, or any small pasta, really (pictured is gluten-free macaroni, that we had on-hand so I used it. I typically only use whole-wheat pasta for this dish).
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced (you can use less, I always put a lot of garlic in everything)
• 2 cups shredded carrots (about 6 whole carrots)
• 1 red bell pepper, 1/2 inch dice
• 3 cups shredded cabbage
• 1 bunch spinach, stemmed
• 1/2 bag of frozen peas
• 32 oz fat-free cottage cheese
• 4 oz shredded white cheddar cheese
• handful of sunflower seeds and flax seeds
• lots of black pepper
• handful of panko breadcrumbs (optional)

Cooking:

1. Preheat your oven to 350° set your pasta water to boil.
2. Cook the pasta according to the box directions, omitting any added salt or oil.
3. Over med-high heat, heat your oil. Add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often.
4. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute before adding the carrots and pepper. 
5. When the veggies have softened, add your cabbage to the skillet, stirring in order to prevent sticking or burning, for about 5 minutes.
6. Begin adding your spinach. I typically do this is stages, as it is nearly impossible to add the spinach all at once. Just put in a handful, stir around until it wilts, then add more. 
7. When the spinach has been added, add your peas, cooking an additional 1-2 minutes.
8. Remove from heat.
9. In a large bowl (I usually just use the pasta pot to avoid extra dirty dishes) combine the veggies, pasta, cottage cheese, 1/2 of the cheddar cheese, and the seeds. Add lots of black pepper.
10. Put the mixture in a large casserole dish coated in cooking spray. I have a great oval casserole dish, but I have also used a regular 9 x 13 pan. When I use a deeper dish, baking time is usually increased, as there is less surface area for moisture to be released--just keep that in mind when choosing your pan.
11. Top with the remaining cheddar cheese and if you would like, a little breadcrumbs.
12. Bake for about 25-30 minutes.
13. Remove from the oven and let stand for about 5 minutes. Then spoon out into warmed bowls and serve.
14. Enjoy!

Notes:

• Feel free to leave out the cabbage. Personally, I love it. It has a wonderful texture and adds a nice sweetness to the dish, along with the carrots, but I understand that not everyone would like it with their macaroni. Just add extra spinach to replace it.
• If you are using a lot of spinach or cabbage your casserole will likely stay nice and moist, but if you don't, you might want to add 1/2 a cup of milk to the mixture. I've only done this once or twice, when I've made it in a regular 9 x 13 pan. With the deeper pan and the fact that I put LOTS of cabbage and spinach in, ours never seems to be dry.
• If you want this to be a little richer, use lowfat cottage cheese and maybe a little more cheddar cheese. As it is, it is pretty light and not like a mac 'n cheese, but it really isn't supposed to be. So, if that's what your expecting, then you might as well just make mac 'n cheese then, huh?
• Nice veggie additions include: broccoli, cauliflower, sliced mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts or cherry tomatoes.
• This casserole is great for lunch left-overs! I make a giant batch and then we eat it for dinner and take some for lunch the following days.

Do you have a favorite comfort food? We always come back to Russian-Style Macaroni!

-Carly

Pad Lie (My Version of The Popular Dish, Pad Thai)

Thai food is one of my favorite types of cuisines! It is spicy, filling, healthy, and comforting. Now, every Thai restaurant has it's own version of Pad Thai, some I like, and some I didn't particularly like. This recipe derives from my own Pad Thai preferences, and doesn't necessarily reflect the dish in a traditional light. You can easily adjust to your preferences as well. The best advice I can give when making this dish is to have all your ingredients chopped, measured, and ready to go, as the actual cooking time is less than 10 minutes.

Serves:

4

Ingredients:

Sauce:

• 1/4 cup of soy sauce or fish sauce (I use soy, fish sauce is still a little too fishy for me)
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp ketchup or tomato paste
• 3 Tbsp Lime Juice

Noodley-Saute:

• 2 tablespoons peanut or olive oil (EVOO is pretty much the only oil I use)
• 2-3 chiles finely minced
• 3 cloves of garlic, pressed or finely minced
• 3 cups of shredded carrots, about 6 carrots
• 2-3 eggs, beaten
• 6 ounces of flat rice noodles, uncooked
• 2/3 cup crushed, unsalted peanuts
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions
• Handful of stemmed cilantro

Cooking:

Sauce:

Simply mix the ingredients and set aside. If you are like me, and you like a lot of sauce, make a little extra. 

Noodley-Saute:

1. Prepare all ingredients. Seriously, don't wait to chop the green onion or shred the carrots, because timing is everything with this recipe.

2. Set a pot of water to boil for the rice noodles. Heat your oil on med-high heat in a large saute pan or wok. A giant wok is on my list of things to buy when we have a larger kitchen.

3. When the oil begins to glisten, throw in the chiles and garlic. Cook, stirring, for about 1 minute. Be careful handling and chopping chiles as the oil can stay on your hands and fingers for a long time. I made the mistake of not protecting my hands when preparing chiles and then I look my contacts out and tried to put them back in the next morning...it was horrible. I typically just use a plastic bag to hold the chiles with.

4. Add the shredded carrots, stirring, for about 3 minutes. Drop your noodles into the boiling water about at the end of the carrots cooking time. They only take 2-3 minutes to cook and since they are being added to a saucy saute, they should not be over-cooked as they will continue to cook once added to the rest. Soggy noodles are not good.

5. Push the carrots aside, making a well in the center, sort of like a donut shape. Pour the beaten eggs in the center and scramble them up. Stir to prevent sticking. When your noodles are done, drain and lightly rinse with water. The faster you can get them into the saute, the better, as they tend to stick together.

6. When the eggs have set, mix together with the carrots and add the sauce and noodles. Stir well, adding the peanuts, green onions, and cilantro.

7. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Variations:

• Bean sprouts: always a nice option, if there are fresh ones available. I've tried canned mung bean sprouts and they just don't lose the canned taste, so I've left them out.
• Adding other veggies, like broccoli or boy choy, are also nice option.
• If you like chicken, beef, or tofu, I would saute it separately and add it when the eggs are set. That way you can be sure the meat is cooked, without over-cooking the rest.
• Lime wedges are always a nice touch, if you like lime as much as I do!
• Additionally, you can make this as spicy or mild as you want, just adjust the amount of chiles you add.

This is one of my favorite comfort dishes! I made this on a night that my husband was out of town, so I brought in some for lunch the next day, as it keeps in the fridge pretty well. Let me know how you like my Pad Lie!

-Carly