Barefoot Bloggers – Ina’s Grown Up Mac and Cheese

I am a little late with this Barefoot Blogger recipe, but better late than never right? One of the recipes selected this month was Barefoot Contessa’s Grown Up Mac and Cheese. The recipe was selected by Heather from Randomosity and the Girl and it was a good one. The original recipe looks and sounds absolutely heavenly, but this week wasn’t slotted for this type of indulgence so of course I had to do my best to lighten it up. It was hard to lighten up the cheeses but I did my best with the other stuff.

I took an idea from Prudy and added some caramelized onions to the pasta for some added flavor. I’m a sucker for caramelized onions in anything. I wanted to take it a step further and add some other veggies to it but I didn’t want to get too carried away as I was already worried the kids wouldn’t eat it as it is. I had some leftover shredded chicken in the fridge so I did add that to make it more of a complete meal with some protein. Overall I really liked how it turned out! I will definitely make this again, I loved the blend of the three cheeses in the sauce and the basil in the crumb topping. My daughter gobbled the whole thing up…my son on the other hand, well it just wasn’t his night (he’s the picky one in the group).

Grown Up Mac and Cheese
adapted from Ina Garten’s recipe

4 slices turkey bacon
1 Vidalia or sweet onion, sliced or chopped
olive oil
Kosher salt
1 1/2 cups whole wheat elbow pasta
1 1/2 cups skim/non fat milk
1 TB unsalted butter
2 TB all purpose flour
3/4 cup grated swiss cheese
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar
2 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
pinch nutmeg (freshly ground is best!)
1 – 1 1/2 cups shredded chicken
Whole wheat Panko bread crumbs
2 TB freshly chopped basil leaves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Crisp turkey bacon in non stick skillet, transfer to paper towel, once cooled, crumble. Set aside. (Or…here’s a tip I learned from my sister in law: Chop bacon first, then crisp in pan…once finished transfer to paper towel and you have your crumbled bacon!)

In same skillet, use bacon drippings (add olive oil if needed) to saute sweet onions. Cook until soft and caramelized.

In the meantime, bring pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to directions.

Heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don’t boil it. Melt the butter in a medium pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for about 1 minute, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or 2 more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat add the Swiss, Cheddar, Gorgonzola, 1 tsp salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni, bacon, shredded chicken and onions and stir well. Pour into individual gratin dishes or larger casserole dish.

In a small bowl mix Panko crumbs with basil. Sprinkle mixture over the top of the pasta. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and macaroni is browned on top.

Barefoot Bloggers – Ina’s Grown Up Mac and Cheese

I am a little late with this Barefoot Blogger recipe, but better late than never right? One of the recipes selected this month was Barefoot Contessa’s Grown Up Mac and Cheese. The recipe was selected by Heather from Randomosity and the Girl and it was a good one. The original recipe looks and sounds absolutely heavenly, but this week wasn’t slotted for this type of indulgence so of course I had to do my best to lighten it up. It was hard to lighten up the cheeses but I did my best with the other stuff.

I took an idea from Prudy and added some caramelized onions to the pasta for some added flavor. I’m a sucker for caramelized onions in anything. I wanted to take it a step further and add some other veggies to it but I didn’t want to get too carried away as I was already worried the kids wouldn’t eat it as it is. I had some leftover shredded chicken in the fridge so I did add that to make it more of a complete meal with some protein. Overall I really liked how it turned out! I will definitely make this again, I loved the blend of the three cheeses in the sauce and the basil in the crumb topping. My daughter gobbled the whole thing up…my son on the other hand, well it just wasn’t his night (he’s the picky one in the group).

Grown Up Mac and Cheese
adapted from Ina Garten’s recipe

4 slices turkey bacon
1 Vidalia or sweet onion, sliced or chopped
olive oil
Kosher salt
1 1/2 cups whole wheat elbow pasta
1 1/2 cups skim/non fat milk
1 TB unsalted butter
2 TB all purpose flour
3/4 cup grated swiss cheese
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar
2 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
pinch nutmeg (freshly ground is best!)
1 – 1 1/2 cups shredded chicken
Whole wheat Panko bread crumbs
2 TB freshly chopped basil leaves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Crisp turkey bacon in non stick skillet, transfer to paper towel, once cooled, crumble. Set aside. (Or…here’s a tip I learned from my sister in law: Chop bacon first, then crisp in pan…once finished transfer to paper towel and you have your crumbled bacon!)

In same skillet, use bacon drippings (add olive oil if needed) to saute sweet onions. Cook until soft and caramelized.

In the meantime, bring pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to directions.

Heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don’t boil it. Melt the butter in a medium pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for about 1 minute, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or 2 more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat add the Swiss, Cheddar, Gorgonzola, 1 tsp salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni, bacon, shredded chicken and onions and stir well. Pour into individual gratin dishes or larger casserole dish.

In a small bowl mix Panko crumbs with basil. Sprinkle mixture over the top of the pasta. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and macaroni is browned on top.

Beef and Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms with Wine Sauce

Today was another day of playing “Use It Up” in the kitchen. Had to use up some leftover ground beef, fresh baby spinach, and whole mushrooms. Not sure when it clicked, but I decided I was going to make Stuffed Mushrooms with a side of whole wheat couscous.

This meal came together very nicely. I love stuffed mushrooms, but its not something I normally make. It always seems so time consuming – stuffing multiple little mushroom caps – but really, it was not bad at all. Once you get the stuffing made, it is a piece of cake. And although I made this as our meal tonight, I will totally make this again as an appetizer for a party. It was that easy and delicious.

I decided that I needed some kind of sauce to go with it, so I got fancy and did a white wine reduction using chicken broth, white wine and sauteed garlic. Mmmmmm….

Aggie’s Beef and Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

12-16 whole mushroom caps (stems removed – save stems for filling)

1 1/2 – 2 cups of cooked lean ground beef (seasoned to your liking)

1 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

leftover mushroom stems, chopped

large bag of fresh spinach, chopped

1/3 cup whole wheat panko

olive oil

salt and pepper

shredded muenster cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place mushroom caps in lightly greased baking dish. Sprinkle salt, pepper and drizzle of olive oil over mushrooms.

In a hot skillet, saute garlic, onion, chopped mushroom stems and chopped spinach in olive oil for about 8 minutes, till all cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. Add cooked ground beef and cook to combine. Add panko, combine and let cool.

Using a tablespoon, spoon stuffing into each cap, carefully pressing down to fill completely. Top with fresh ground pepper and shredded muenster cheese.

Place in oven and cook for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown. Spoon wine sauce over each mushroom and serve.

White Wine Sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

olive oil

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup white wine

1-2 TB butter

Saute garlic in olive oil till golden. Add chicken broth and white wine. Let simmer for 4-5 minutes. Once reduced a bit, add butter. Simmer for another few minutes. Sauce will be thin. Spoon over mushrooms and couscous.

Enjoy!

As far as making the couscous, I cooked it according to the directions on the box but instead of water using chicken broth to add more flavor. I also added some toasted pine nuts and leftover stuffing to the couscous.

Beef and Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms with Wine Sauce

Today was another day of playing “Use It Up” in the kitchen. Had to use up some leftover ground beef, fresh baby spinach, and whole mushrooms. Not sure when it clicked, but I decided I was going to make Stuffed Mushrooms with a side of whole wheat couscous.

This meal came together very nicely. I love stuffed mushrooms, but its not something I normally make. It always seems so time consuming – stuffing multiple little mushroom caps – but really, it was not bad at all. Once you get the stuffing made, it is a piece of cake. And although I made this as our meal tonight, I will totally make this again as an appetizer for a party. It was that easy and delicious.

I decided that I needed some kind of sauce to go with it, so I got fancy and did a white wine reduction using chicken broth, white wine and sauteed garlic. Mmmmmm….

Aggie’s Beef and Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

12-16 whole mushroom caps (stems removed – save stems for filling)

1 1/2 – 2 cups of cooked lean ground beef (seasoned to your liking)

1 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

leftover mushroom stems, chopped

large bag of fresh spinach, chopped

1/3 cup whole wheat panko

olive oil

salt and pepper

shredded muenster cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place mushroom caps in lightly greased baking dish. Sprinkle salt, pepper and drizzle of olive oil over mushrooms.

In a hot skillet, saute garlic, onion, chopped mushroom stems and chopped spinach in olive oil for about 8 minutes, till all cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. Add cooked ground beef and cook to combine. Add panko, combine and let cool.

Using a tablespoon, spoon stuffing into each cap, carefully pressing down to fill completely. Top with fresh ground pepper and shredded muenster cheese.

Place in oven and cook for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown. Spoon wine sauce over each mushroom and serve.

White Wine Sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

olive oil

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup white wine

1-2 TB butter

Saute garlic in olive oil till golden. Add chicken broth and white wine. Let simmer for 4-5 minutes. Once reduced a bit, add butter. Simmer for another few minutes. Sauce will be thin. Spoon over mushrooms and couscous.

Enjoy!

As far as making the couscous, I cooked it according to the directions on the box but instead of water using chicken broth to add more flavor. I also added some toasted pine nuts and leftover stuffing to the couscous.

Green Bean Salad with Feta

If you read one of my earlier posts, you know that I had the “dilemma” of being overstocked in the produce department this past week (due to a recent shopping extravaganza at Costco).  One of my overstocks was a 2lb bag of Baby Green Beans aka Haricot Verts.  Although I just love eating green beans, the thought of sauteing them or steaming them just wasn’t appealing to me, probably because of the hot weather, so thankfully I remembered this recipe that I make every summer (but for some reason haven’t yet this summer!).

This salad is so tasty, and healthy too.  It’s great for BBQs because it’s light and easy to make.  If you like feta, you will love this salad!

Green Bean Salad with Feta
Southern Living Magazine, July 2004

1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed
1 small red onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup) (I like to thinly slice the onion)
1/2 cup Lemon Vinaigrette
2 ounces crumbled feta cheese 
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Cook green beans in boiling salted water to cover 8 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain and pat dry. Place in a serving bowl; cover and chill at least 2 hours.
Add chopped onion and Lemon Vinaigrette to beans, tossing to coat. Sprinkle with feta and walnuts. Garnish, if desired.

Lemon Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 
1/2 teaspoon sugar 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 
1/2 cup vegetable oil 

Whisk together first 6 ingredients in a small bowl; gradually whisk in oil until blended.

Makes about 1 cup.

Green Bean Salad with Feta

If you read one of my earlier posts, you know that I had the “dilemma” of being overstocked in the produce department this past week (due to a recent shopping extravaganza at Costco).  One of my overstocks was a 2lb bag of Baby Green Beans aka Haricot Verts.  Although I just love eating green beans, the thought of sauteing them or steaming them just wasn’t appealing to me, probably because of the hot weather, so thankfully I remembered this recipe that I make every summer (but for some reason haven’t yet this summer!).

This salad is so tasty, and healthy too.  It’s great for BBQs because it’s light and easy to make.  If you like feta, you will love this salad!

Green Bean Salad with Feta
Southern Living Magazine, July 2004

1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed
1 small red onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup) (I like to thinly slice the onion)
1/2 cup Lemon Vinaigrette
2 ounces crumbled feta cheese 
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Cook green beans in boiling salted water to cover 8 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain and pat dry. Place in a serving bowl; cover and chill at least 2 hours.
Add chopped onion and Lemon Vinaigrette to beans, tossing to coat. Sprinkle with feta and walnuts. Garnish, if desired.

Lemon Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 
1/2 teaspoon sugar 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 
1/2 cup vegetable oil 

Whisk together first 6 ingredients in a small bowl; gradually whisk in oil until blended.

Makes about 1 cup.

Creamy Salmon Pasta Salad

I visited my new favorite place this weekend…Costco. I really need to stay out that place. I always leave there with more than I need, but it’s just so hard to say no sometimes. Now you may think that I leave there with oversized jars of pickles or big bags of snacks…no, I leave there with a TON of lovely fresh produce (among a few other things) that I now feel pressured to use up before it goes bad. I am a fresh produce junkie people. I get excited about finding fruits and veggies at good prices that I normally don’t find in my regular grocery store…huge colorful bell peppers or haricot verts or clementines etc etc etc. I know this totally goes against the other side of me…the side of me that likes to walk the Farmer’s Market and pick out farm fresh fruits and veggies. But I just can’t help myself. So here I am now, with a dilemma of finding a way to use all of the produce that I have overflowing in my fridge.

Along with the produce that I bought this weekend, I also purchased a large piece of salmon. Ever since I saw Jeena’s Baked Salmon recipe on her blog, I have been craving it. I made it last night, along with her roasted vegetables, it was delicious. My husband loved it so of course that made me happy. As good as it was, there was still a lot of salmon left over. I decided that I wanted to make some sort of pasta salad with it, I was envisioning a creamy dill sauce of some kind, fresh veggies of course and whole wheat pasta. So I went to work…

I am happy with the results. The best part of this pasta salad is that I was able to make it creamy and still keep it reasonably healthy. I used reduced fat sour cream as the base of the dressing, with some white wine vinegar to lighten it up.

I’m not good at writing recipes so bear with me. I tend to make lots of adjustments to the amounts…so use your judgement if something seems off while making this! : )

Aggie’s Creamy Salmon Pasta Salad

1/2 box Whole Wheat Rotini or Bowtie Pasta, cooked

1/2 – 3/4 English Cucumber, quarter chopped

1/2 – 3/4 Red Onion, large diced

bunch of Asparagus, cut in 1″ pieces, blanched

bunch of Fresh Baby Spinach leaves

leftover Salmon, flaked

After cooking and draining pasta, pour over spinach in a bowl. Toss to combine so fresh spinach can wilt into the pasta. Let cool. Add remaining ingredients. Pour dressing over salad and combine gently. Salt and Pepper to taste. Let chill for 2 hours. Enjoy!

Dressing

1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

small palmful of dried dill (more or less to taste)

small palmful of dried onion powder (more or less to taste)

salt and pepper to taste

Whisk dressing ingredients together.

Creamy Salmon Pasta Salad

I visited my new favorite place this weekend…Costco. I really need to stay out that place. I always leave there with more than I need, but it’s just so hard to say no sometimes. Now you may think that I leave there with oversized jars of pickles or big bags of snacks…no, I leave there with a TON of lovely fresh produce (among a few other things) that I now feel pressured to use up before it goes bad. I am a fresh produce junkie people. I get excited about finding fruits and veggies at good prices that I normally don’t find in my regular grocery store…huge colorful bell peppers or haricot verts or clementines etc etc etc. I know this totally goes against the other side of me…the side of me that likes to walk the Farmer’s Market and pick out farm fresh fruits and veggies. But I just can’t help myself. So here I am now, with a dilemma of finding a way to use all of the produce that I have overflowing in my fridge.

Along with the produce that I bought this weekend, I also purchased a large piece of salmon. Ever since I saw Jeena’s Baked Salmon recipe on her blog, I have been craving it. I made it last night, along with her roasted vegetables, it was delicious. My husband loved it so of course that made me happy. As good as it was, there was still a lot of salmon left over. I decided that I wanted to make some sort of pasta salad with it, I was envisioning a creamy dill sauce of some kind, fresh veggies of course and whole wheat pasta. So I went to work…

I am happy with the results. The best part of this pasta salad is that I was able to make it creamy and still keep it reasonably healthy. I used reduced fat sour cream as the base of the dressing, with some white wine vinegar to lighten it up.

I’m not good at writing recipes so bear with me. I tend to make lots of adjustments to the amounts…so use your judgement if something seems off while making this! : )

Aggie’s Creamy Salmon Pasta Salad

1/2 box Whole Wheat Rotini or Bowtie Pasta, cooked

1/2 – 3/4 English Cucumber, quarter chopped

1/2 – 3/4 Red Onion, large diced

bunch of Asparagus, cut in 1″ pieces, blanched

bunch of Fresh Baby Spinach leaves

leftover Salmon, flaked

After cooking and draining pasta, pour over spinach in a bowl. Toss to combine so fresh spinach can wilt into the pasta. Let cool. Add remaining ingredients. Pour dressing over salad and combine gently. Salt and Pepper to taste. Let chill for 2 hours. Enjoy!

Dressing

1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

small palmful of dried dill (more or less to taste)

small palmful of dried onion powder (more or less to taste)

salt and pepper to taste

Whisk dressing ingredients together.

Tomatoes, Basil and Fresh Mozzarella

One of my most favorite meals, especially in the summer. Had this for lunch yesterday. Aren’t those yellow tomatoes beautiful? Found them at the Farmer’s Market, basil from my garden. Add salt, pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and enjoy.

Simple and delicious.

Tomatoes, Basil and Fresh Mozzarella

One of my most favorite meals, especially in the summer. Had this for lunch yesterday. Aren’t those yellow tomatoes beautiful? Found them at the Farmer’s Market, basil from my garden. Add salt, pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and enjoy.

Simple and delicious.