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

Tastes Like Tamales! (Casserole)

This is a delicious comfort food dish with a Mexican theme. I wanted to try to make tamales one day and then lost all motivation when I found this recipe which provided the flavors of chicken tamales without all the work! It's a win-win! This recipe is a "treat meal" for us, as admittedly it isn't super healthy, though it isn't all bad either. Moderation, moderation, moderation....

Serves:

4

Origin:

Variation of Cooking Light Chicken Tamale Casserole 

Ingredients:

• 4 oz shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup fat-free milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 can creamed corn 
• 1 box corn muffin mix (you can't go wrong with Jiffy! you can also whip up your own mix)
• 1 jalapeno seeded and chopped
• cooking spray
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2-3/4 cups salsa of your choice (we really like tomatillo salsa on this!)
• 2 cups shredded, cooked chicken breast
• fat-free sour cream
• 2 green onion sliced
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped 

Cooking:

1. Preheat your oven to 400°.

2.  Take 1/4 of your cheddar cheese and mix it with the milk, egg, cumin, red pepper flakes, creamed corn, muffin mix and jalapeno. Stir this until incorporated. It is okay if it looks lumpy!

3. Pour the batter into a 13 x 9 inch baking pan, coated in cooking spray. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until it is just set.

4. Poke some holes in the top of the cornbread with a fork and then spread your salsa over it.Then layer with your beans, chicken, and the rest of your cheese. Return it to the oven for an additional 15 minutes, or until the cheese begins to bubble.

5. Cut into pieces and top with a small spoonful of sour cream, an a sprinkling of green onions and cilantro.

6. Enjoy.

Notes:

• I have substituted regular corn for the creamed corn and just added a little extra milk. It works just as well, the corn kernels are just solid, rather than crushed.
• You could easily spread refried beans on top of the cornbread for something a little different.
• I've used red enchilada sauce instead of the salsa and while I liked it, Jerry prefers the salsa.
• This is great to eat as a left-over, too!!

So, tamale flavor without all the work? It is pretty much a no-brainer! Give it a try and let me know if you agree!

-Carly