Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese

I hate chopping butternut squash.  I chopped two of those suckers, and it took 20+ minutes, and my hand was killing me by the end.  Yuck.  Any recommendations on how to chop butternut squash better, besides for buying it pre-cut?

Anyways, after the chopping, the rest of the recipe was easy to make and pretty delicious.  This recipe is adapted from SheKnows.  I love the color that the squash and the cheese make this dish- it's wonderful!

Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients
2.5 cups diced butternut squash (about 2-3 squash)
1 tbs olive oil
10 ounces elbow noodles (whole wheat preferred)
2 tbs skim milk + 3/4 cup skim milk
2 tbs butter
2 tbs whole wheat flour
salt and pepper
1/2 tbs garlic powder
1 1/4 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the butternut squash cubes on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil.

Roast for 15 minutes. Flip squash cubes over and roast for another 10 minutes.

Place the squash and 2 tablespoons of milk into the body of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is smooth. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Boil the pasta according to the package instructions, drain, and set aside.

In a large pan, heat the butter until melted over medium-high heat. Add the flour and whisk until the mixture is thick, about 2 minutes. Stir in the milk and butternut squash puree. Heat until the sauce is thick. Sprinkle again with salt and pepper and add garlic powder.

Remove from the heat, and stir in the cheese. Add pasta to the sauce and mix.

Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken

I am in Utah right now for work, but before I went to the airport back in Virginia, I left Austin a little present to come home to after work :)  Yes, I made him dinner!

We both love rotisserie chicken, and this recipe from laaloosh gave the great taste of a rotisserie oven but in a crock pot.  Genius.  Austin sent me the picture of his dinner-- only problem was that the chicken fell off the bone (only a problem for pictures!), so he tried to piece it back together :)

Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken

Ingredients
1 whole chicken
1/2 cup fat free chicken broth
1 tbs paprika
1 tbs minced onion
1 tbs garlic powder
1 tbs cajun seasonings
2 bay leaves
salt & pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat broiler. In a small bowl, combine paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cajun seasoning, and salt & pepper. Rub chicken all over with seasoning, and place in a shallow baking dish.

Place chicken under broiler for about 10 minutes or until skin begins to darken and crisp. Remove from oven and transfer to crock pot. Add broth and bay leaves, and cover. Cook on low 7-8 hours or high 4-5 hours.

Serves 8, 3 Weight Watchers points a serving.

Baked Zucchini and Tomato Casserole

Okay, I know zucchini season is almost over-- or it's done, but I had to share this recipe.  I found zucchinis in the bottom of my fridge and scrambled to make something to use them before they went bad!  I did a quick search, found this recipe from LaaLoosh, and adapted it slightly.

It was a wonderful meal.  It can be a main dish and filling or a side dish too.  Very versatile, simple, but oh so delicious!

Baked Zucchini and Tomato Casserole

Ingredients
2 medium zucchini, peeled and sliced lengthwise
2 medium summer squash, peeled and sliced lengthwise
4 large plum tomatoes, sliced thinly
1/2 cup Italiuan style breadcrumbs
1/4 to 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and spray 13 x 11 cooking dish with cooking spray.  In a small bowl, combine basil, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

In the cooking dish, place a layer of zucchini/squash along the bottom of the pan.  Evenly sprinkle seasoning mix and then add a layer of tomatoes.  Repeat until there are no zucchini/squash and tomatoes left.

Cover and bake for 25 minutes.  Top casserole with cheese and breadcrumbs, and lightly spray top of casserole with cooking spray.  Bake uncovered for another 20 minutes.

Serves 6.

Apple BBQ Chicken

Crock pot season is here- hurray!  I printed out this recipe in July and have been holding onto it for the right moment.  Last weekend was that time-- nothing is better than smelling dinner cooking in the crockpot all day.  Don't you agree?

Apple BBQ chicken is a great combo between local fruits and your favorite BBQ sauce.  It can even be Weight Watcher's friendly, thank to Hungry Girl.

Apple BBQ Chicken

Ingredients
1 lb raw boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 cups chopped apples, I did a variety of apples in my fridge, red and green alike
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup BBQ sauce (we used Sweet Baby Ray's)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp cornstarch

Directions
Season chicken with 1/4 tsp each salt and black pepper and place in a crock pot. Top with apples and onion.  Mix garlic and BBQ sauce in a bowl (I mixed it in my mini food processor).  Pour sauce mixture over contents of the crock pot, and lightly stir.

Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.  Turn crock pot to low (if needed). In a small bowl, stir to dissolve cornstarch in 1 tbsp cold water. Stir mixture into the contents of the crock pot, along with remaining salt and pepper.  Let food sit until it's thickened-- about 10 minutes.

It makes great leftovers too!

Serves 6, 6 WW Points per serving

Meatloaf Parm Cups

One of my favorite fall foods is meatloaf.  It just screams back-to-school family dinner to me.  My biggest problem with meatloaf is that I have no portion control.  Enter:  the muffin tin.  It's a cute way to present your food but also really helps with portion control!

I adapted my recipe from Emily Bites-- her recipe was Chicken Parm Meatloaf, but I kept the flavor profile the same and used ground beef instead of chicken. Two meatloaf muffins was perfect for me; three for Austin.

Meatloaf Parmesan Cups

Ingredients
1 ½ lbs raw ground beef
2 large egg
6 Tbs dried breadcrumbs
1 tsp dried basil
¾ tsp dried thyme
¾ tsp oregano
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red onion, chopped
¾ tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
¾ cup Parmesan cheese
¾ cup pasta sauce
¾ cup reduced fat shredded Mozzarella cheese

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 350.  Spray muffin tin with cooking spray.  In a bowl, combine ground beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, basil, thyme, oregano, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese.  Mix together-- using your hands is the best way.
Form the meat mixture evenly into the 12 cups of your prepared muffin tin.  Use spoon to make little bowl in the meat mixture to cup the pasta sauce. Spread the pasta sauce evenly over the tops of each muffin. Bake for 20 minutes and remove from the oven. Top each muffin with about a Tbs of shredded cheese and return to the oven for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted.

Jerk Chicken

What is better than cooking over an open flame?  Nothing.  Seriously, if we could grill out everyday, I would.  Actually, we should.

Growing up in Buffalo, NY, my mom still had the grill going in the dead of winter when she was making steaks :) Rule #78:  No excuses, play like a champion.

My mom doesn't mess around.  I get that trait from her, but then make Austin grill in crazy weather.  We're still newlyweds, so he'll do that kind of stuff for me...at least for now :)

About a month ago, we went tubing for the day and camped.  The idea was to go tent camping, but after a day on the river in the rain and arriving to a flooded campsite, we opted for a cabin.

The cabin was heaven, and it's so cute looking too!! 

It was dry in the cabin, but we still cooked an epic meal in the rain.  Grilled chicken, corn, and vegetable packets.  The chicken marinated overnight in a great recipe I found and adapted from Epicurous.

Jerk Chicken Marinade

 

Ingredients
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (4-5 pepper rings)
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tbs brown sugar
1/2 tbs dried thyme
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground allspice
5-6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions
In a food processor or blender, combine the onion, jalapeno pepper, soy sauce, vinegar, vegetable oil, brown sugar, thyme, cloves, nutmeg and allspice. Marinate overnight in gallon-sized ziploc bags.

Cook chicken on the prepared grill, until juices run clear.  We had a grilling basket that made it easy to cook the chicken on the camp grill.

Thanks to the most amazing grill masters, who took on the rain for to cook this great meal! 

Garden Chili

We had a pot-luck at Weight Watchers last week, and I was at a loss of what to bring--something healthy but tasty and easy to make.  I was at a loss of what to bring-- I could do the healthy and tasty but was a little short on time.  I was going to make my trusty stand-by:  ants on a log :) but then realized I could bring what I made for dinner the night before.

It was perfect!  People raved over this chili I adapted from A Spicy Perspective.  They loved it so much they shamed me when I forgot to bring the recipe the next week.  So here it is-- on the blog and in their inboxes.  I hope you enjoy it as much as they do.  It is super tasty (and vegan to boot)!

Garden Chili

Ingredients

• 1 Tbs. Olive oil
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 spicy pepper, seeded and chopped
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 3 ears corn, shucked and cut off the cob
• 2 Tbs. cornmeal
• 15 oz. cans cannellini (white) beans, drained
• 15 oz. cans kidney (red) beans, drained
• 2 – 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 Tbs. ground cumin
• 2 Tbs. chile powder
• 2 tsp. salt
• Black pepper to taste 

Instructions
1. Add the oil to a large pot and set over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes.
3. Add the peppers, sweet potatoes, corn, celery, and cornmeal. Stir and saute another 8-10 minutes.
4. Add all the remaining ingredients and stir well.
5. Cover, lower the heat, and simmer for approximately 20 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are soft.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes

Number of servings 8
6 WW P+ a serving **to reduce points, substitute black beans for kidney beans, now 5 points a serving

Asparagus Lasagna

Yay for our one-month anniversary dinner!  Austin’s favorite vegetable is asparagus, and I heart pasta, so when I saw this recipe from name of One Perfect Bite, it was an obvious choice for our dinner.   Unfortunately, I have a nasty problem of not reading recipes before deciding to make them.

Word to the wise-- when making this recipe, give yourself PLENTY OF TIME FOR PREP.  Before putting the lasagna in the oven, I was in the kitchen close to an hour.  I got home to make dinner after 7 pm, so we didn’t sit down for dinner until 9 pm :(

I would love to make this dinner again on a Sunday afternoon, with plenty of time to enjoy cooking the meal.  There was some terms thrown around in this recipe that I had never heard of like bechamel.  I learned that it is basically a white sauce with a fancy name...moral of the story, it’s tasty.  Asparagus lasagna is yummy!!!  A+ for this recipe.

We paired it with sparkling wine (aka champagne) from Chandon in Napa Valley- we went there in 2009 via the Napa Wine Train and saved it for a special occasion.  I think a one-month wedding anniversary was a good reason to pop that cork :)

Asparagus Lasagna

Ingredients

2 large garlic cloves, peeled

salt for boiling pasta

2 pounds asparagus 

1 olive oil béchamel (see below)

about 1 cup Parmesan

Sprinkling of herbs, tarragon, parsley, basil, and oregano

1/2 pound no-boil lasagna noodles

Directions

Fill a pot with water and add garlic cloves.  Bring to boil.  As the water boils, break off ends of asparagus and save ends.  Add ends to boiling water along with salt.  Reduce heat to medium low, partially cover, and cook for 30 minutes.

Remove asparagus ends and garlic cloves from water and discard. Bring water back to a boil, and add asparagus stalks. Boil thick asparagus stalks for five minutes.  Transfer them, using tongs, to a bowl of ice water. Do not drain cooking water. Allow asparagus to cool for a few minutes, then drain and dry on a clean kitchen towel. Cut all asparagus into 1-inch lengths. Set aside.

While asparagus is boiling, start  béchamel!

Whisk 1/2 cup of cooking water from asparagus into béchamel, along with 1/4 cup of Parmesan and herbs. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spray cooking spray on 3-quart baking dish. Bring water back to a rolling boil, and drop in enough lasagna noodles to cover surface of the baking dish (3-4 lasagna noodles). Boil just until pasta is flexible (about three minutes for no-boil lasagna). 

Spread thin layer of béchamel over bottom of baking dish. Cover with a layer of pasta. Stir asparagus into remaining béchamel, and spread a layer over noodles. Sprinkle on 2 tablespoons Parmesan. 

Repeat with parboiling pasta,  béchamel  and asparagus, and cheese.  End with a layer of pasta, and if you have any béchamel left, spread it over the top and sprinkle on the remaining Parmesan. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle 1 tbs of olive oil over lasagna, and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 30 minutes, or until bubbling. Uncover, and continue to bake until top just begins to color, about 10 minutes. 

Olive Oil Béchamel 

Ingredients

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil 

2 tbs finely chopped onion

2 tbs flour 

2 cups skim milk 

Salt and pepper to taste 

Directions

Heat oil over medium heat in a heavy medium saucepan. Add onion, and cook for about three minutes. Stir in flour, stirring, for about three minutes until smooth and bubbling but not browned. Whisk in milk all at once, and whisk until mixture begins to thicken. Turn heat to low, and simmer, stirring often with a whisk and scraping bottom and edges of pan with a rubber spatula, for 10 minutes, until sauce has thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves six.

Black Bean and Quinoa Griddle Cakes

Have you checked out the Picky Eater Blog?  If not, you should!  I have been following Anjali since I started Food Ramblings, and my most common comment is "I can't wait to try this!"

Finally, I am trying one of her recipes.  It was worth the wait because this griddle cakes were good!  The do fall apart when flipping them, and you can make them more veggie burger like by adding an egg.

I adapted the recipe a bit with the ingredients I had at home.  One of those was with peppers.  The original recipe called for yellow and red peppers.  I had a green red pepper and what I call a "scary, red pepper."  Good substitutes-- added a little extra spice.

Scary, red pepper is the one on the right.  These are all veggies
we got from the CSA that I have idea what they are :)

Black Bean and Quinoa Griddle Cakes

Ingredients

3/4 cup quinoa, cooked according to package instructions (should be with 1 1/2 cups water)

15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

6 green onions, chopped halfway up

1 green pepper, diced

1 red scary pepper, diced

3-5 oz low-fat mozzarella cheese

3 tsp cumin

2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

A few squeezes of lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Cook quinoa according to package directions and chop veggies.  Add all other ingredients to cooked quinoa and mix well.

Form small patties using all of the quinoa mixture with your hands. Heat a pan over medium heat that was sprayed with cooking spray, and pan fry each patty until both sides are slightly crispy and golden brown.

Serve with salsa (me) or bbq sauce (Austin).

Spinach Calamari Salad

On Thursday nights, we play in an adult rec kickball league.  I love, love, love our team.  I am not the most coordinated person in the world, and playing with my team has made me more confident in my very limited athletic abilities.  I even caught the game-ending kick at one game.  Granted, the ball hit my leg, and I just held the ball between my leg and my arm, it counts!  My awesome teams jumped up and down, ran to me, and gave me hugs and high-fives.

Our team name is Kick Balls in Your Mouth...yes, we're a classy group :)

After kickball, all the teams meet at a local bar for food and drinks (winners get free nachos and beer…woohoo!).  One of my favorite salads is their spinach calamari salad.  Right now, we’re between the summer and fall seasons, and I’ve been missing my team AND this salad.

I bought some oven-ready calamari at Costco several weeks ago, the CSA delivered us some fresh spinach.  Are you thinking what I’m thinking??  I hope so—time to recreate this awesome salad!

Calamari and Spinach Salad

Ingredients
¼ to ½ cup breaded calamari, cooked according to package instructions (yes, I cheated and bought this store bought)
1 cup spinach, washed and torn, if desired
1 carrot, julienned (Austin thought I was super fancy!)
1 cucumber, sliced and quartered
Sprinkling of low-fat mozzarella and parmesan cheese
Low-fat balsamic salad dressing

Directions
Layer spinach, carrot, cucumber, and cheese.  Top with calamari.  Serve with balsamic dressing

Grilled Ratatouille Pasta

Yum, pasta!  I love a good pasta dish, but it is so hard for me to eat small quantities of pasta.  I saw this recipe from Comfort of Cooking and saw adapting it as a great way to combine with love of pasta (but only using a 1/2 pound of pasta for 4 servings) with some healthy, tasty veggies.  This was a huge hit in our house!!

Grilled Ratatouille Pasta

Ingredients
1/2 pound whole wheat pasta (I used linguine)
1/4 cup olive oil, divided, plus more for grilling
3 small red potatoes, cut in half and sliced
1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced
1 green pepper, deseeded and sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 small eggplant, cut into thick slices
3  tomatoes, cut into thick slices
3 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tbs dried parsley
Salt, pepper, garlic powder

Directions
In a medium pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain pasta and add to large pasta bowl.

Heat a grill pan (it was raining, so outside grilling was a no-go) to medium-high; lightly oil hot grill.  Add vegetables, and sprinkle with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Turn occasionally until browned and tender. Transfer vegetables to a cutting board and let cool slightly.

Roughly chop vegetables and add to pasta. Add 2 tablespoons of balsamic; mix. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with parsley.  Serve hot/warm.

Serves four.

And apparently, I make weird faces...thanks for these pictures Austin :)

Buffalo Chicken Tenders

It's back to school time in Virginia!!!  I don't have kids in school, but I start a graduate class next Monday.  My favorite meal growing up (okay, still one of my favorite) are chicken fingers.  Being from Buffalo and loving chicken fingers, I saw this recipe from Alida's Kitchen and had to make it.  Some close runners up include chicken fingers with ranch breading and another one with crushed up cheez-its.  This was a winner for last night's dinner :)

Baked Buffalo Chicken Tenders

Ingredients
2 tbs whole wheat flour
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp minced onion
1/2 tsp salt
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
1 pound chicken tenders/ chicken tenderloins
1/2 cup hot sauce
1 tbs butter, melted

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.  Set aside.

Use three bowls.  In one, combine flour, garlic powder, paprika, minced onion, and salt.  In another, mix the egg whites.  In the last, add the breadcrumbs.

Working with one tender at a time, dredge chicken in flour mixture, then dip in egg whites, followed by  bread crumbs, making sure chicken is coated, and then place on prepared baking sheet.  Repeat.

Bake for 20 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Meanwhile, whisk hot sauce and butter.  Once chicken is done, remove from oven and drizzle with hot sauce mixture, making sure to flip to get both sides.

Serves four.

Italian Beef and Green Bean Casserole

I received a dutch oven from two of my cousins at my bridal shower (#3) and never unpacked it (along with tons of other gifts that were in the corner of my dining room).  I finally did and had to use it immediately!  In my fridge, I found ground beef, eggplant, and green beans....I did a google search, found a recipe that mostly had the ingredients, and away I went.  I present Italian Beef and Green Bean Casserole.  It's adapted from Jan's Sushi Bar, and it was very tasty.  Hope you enjoy it!

Italian Beef and Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef, preferably grass-fed
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 large onion, diced
3 minced garlic cloves
2 cans (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
2 tsp dried basil (or 1 tsp fresh)
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1 eggplant, peeled and cubed
1 green pepper, sliced
1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in half
Parmesan cheese


Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Heat dutch oven (or skillet that can go in the oven), and cook ground beef until it is almost cooked, breaking it up while cooking.

Season with the salt and pepper and add onion and green pepper. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the onion has softened.

Add the garlic to the pan, and stir and cook for another minute until the ground beef is completely cooked through.

Stir in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes.

Add the eggplant and green beans.  Cover and place in the oven. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the squash is fork tender and the green beans are tender-crisp. Serve topped with parmesan cheese.

Brown Rice and Zucchini Casserole

Zucchini is coming out of our ears, so when I saw this recipe after logging onto e-tools, I printed it out immediately for dinner that night.  Recipe was good, not great.  If I were to make again, I would add more seasonings and maybe even some ground sausage.  The recipe below reflects the changes I would make.

Brown Rice and Zucchini Casserole

Ingredients
3 medium zucchini, shredded through the large holes of a box grater
2 tsp salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cup cooked medium-grain brown rice, cooled to room temperature
1 cup low fat ricotta cheese
1 Tbs fresh, chopped basil
3 oz low-fat mozzarella cheese
1 Tbsp all-purpose whole wheat flour
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
1/4 cup breadcrumbs, mixed Panko and Italian style
2 Tbs Parmesan cheese
1 pound Italian sausage (casings removed)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown Italian sausage, drain, and set aside.

Toss zucchini and salt in a large colander; set in the sink for 10 minutes. Rinse well to remove salt. Squeeze it by handfuls to remove all excess moisture. Transfer to a large bowl.

Stir in the eggs, brown rice, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, flour, lemon zest, thyme, basil and pepper until well-combined.  Add Italian sausage and mix well.

Spray a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Spoon and spread the zucchini mixture into the pan. Mix the breadcrumbs and Parmigiano-Reggiano in a small bowl; sprinkle evenly over the casserole.

Bake 25-30 minutes.

Serves 8, 4 points a serving (without meat).

Chili-Cheddar Grits with Grilled Corn and Tomatoes

Austin cooked again!  I was super stressed leading up to the wedding, so he did such a wonderful job making me feel supported by cooking and doing other housework too.

With this recipe, the pictures are not what they it should really look like, but the taste profile is absolutely there!  Austin ended up pureeing all the veggies together instead of just the tomatoes, making it a grit soup.  Whether it's grit soup or more chunky veggies, you're still going to gobble this meal down :)  This is another recipe adapted from Fine Cooking.

Chili-Cheddar Grits with Grilled Corn and Tomatoes

Ingredients
3 medium ears fresh corn, shucked
1 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. medium plum tomatoes, halved
2-3 summer squash, peeled and quartered
salt and black pepper
1 cup quick-cooking (not instant) grits
4 tsp chili powder
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
4 oz. extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (about 1 cup)

Directions
Lightly rub the corn with 1 tsp. of the oil. In a medium bowl, toss the tomatoes with the remaining 2 tsp. oil and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper.

Put the corn, squash and tomatoes, cut side up, on the grill and cover (or in a grilling pan on the stovetop). Grill, turning the corn occasionally (don’t turn the tomatoes), until the corn is browned in places and the tomato skins have darkened and the flesh has softened, 8 to 12 minutes.

Set aside 4 tomato halves for garnish and put the remaining tomatoes in a food processor; pulse until smooth. When the corn is cool enough to handle, cut the kernels from the cobs.

In a heavy-duty 4-quart saucepan, bring 3-1/2 cups of water and 2 tsp. salt to a boil over high heat. Whisk in the grits, chili powder, and the tomato purée. Bring to a boil and stir in two-thirds of the corn kernels and the scallions.

Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, partially covered and stirring frequently, until the grits are tender and thick, about 5 minutes. Add the cheese and a few grinds of pepper; stir until the cheese melts. Divide the grits among 4 soup bowls and top each with a tomato half and some of the remaining corn.

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

Our CSA provided us with the world's biggest cabbage.  What to make?  I thought of coleslaw and sauerkraut....I'm not a fan of sauerkraut, and Austin doesn't like either.  I hate having food go to waste, so a little big of googling, and I found a recipe from Skinny Taste.  It was hearty, delicious, and hardly tasted like cabbage :)  There was also so much cabbage that I made 2 casseroles, 1 for dinner that night and 1 for the freezer.  Enjoy!

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil, divided
1 lb lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 tbs finely minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp Paprika
salt and pepper, to taste
1 extra large head green cabbage, coarsely chopped
1 can (14.5 oz.) petite dice tomatoes with juice
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
2 cups cooked brown rice
2 cups low-fat mozzarella cheese
1 green pepper, chopped

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray two large glass casserole dish with non-stick spray. (My dish was 13" x 9").

Heat a large frying pan on medium heat; add ground beef and cook until it's browned and cooked through, breaking it apart as it cooks. Remove ground beef and set aside.

In the same pan, add 1 tsp olive oil, chopped onion, green pepper and cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic, thyme, and paprika and cook about 2 minutes more. Then add the diced tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, and ground beef. Add water to the pan. Simmer until it's hot and slightly thickened, about 15-20 minutes.

While it simmers, cut cabbage in half, cut out the core, and remove any wilted outer leaves; chop the cabbage coarsely into 1 inch pieces.

Heat remaining olive oil in a large frying pan or dutch oven; add the cabbage and cook over medium-high heat until the cabbage is wilted and about half cooked, turning it over several times so it all wilts and cooks. Season with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.

When the meat and tomato sauce mixture has cooked and thickened a bit, stir in the 2 cups of cooked rice and gently combine.

Spray casserole dishes with non-stick spray and the layer half the cabbage, half the meat mixture, remaining cabbage, and remaining meat mixture. For the first dish, cover tightly with foil and bake 40 minutes, or until the mixture is just starting to bubble on the edges.  For the second dish, cover with foil, wrap in saran wrap, and freeze.

Remove foil and sprinkle on cheese. Bake uncovered an additional 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and starting to slightly brown. Serve hot.

Too Much Corn (Part 2) and a Recipe

What a cliff hanger- you had to wait through the weekend to see what I do with all that corn...haha.

This week and the beginning of next week will feature recipes that Austin and I have made over the past month but haven't been blogged yet.  We are currently on our way back to Virginia and heading to Jamaica tomorrow :)  Expect some tropical blog posts soon!

But back to the kitchen!  Corn chowder is one of my favorites, so with an abundance of corn, of course we needed to make chowder!  This recipe is adapted from finecooking.com.

Summer Corn Chowder with Scallions, Bacon & Potatoes

Ingredients
6 ears fresh corn
scallions (about 10 medium)
3 slices turkey bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 jalapeño, cored, seeded, and finely diced
1 tsp. kosher salt; more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
3-1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 1-1/2 cups)
1-1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup light cream

Directions
Husk the corn and cut off the kernels (I used a new gadget, and it rocks!). Reserve two of the corn cobs and discard the others. Trim and thinly slice the scallions, keeping the dark-green parts separate from the white and light-green parts.

Line bacon on cookie sheet and cook for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees.  Cut bacon into 1/2 inch pieces.

In a 4 qt saucepan, melt the butter.  When the butter is melted, add the white and light-green scallions and the jalapeño, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Cook, stirring, until the scallions are very soft, about 3 min.

Add the broth, corn, corn cobs, potatoes, and thyme and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the potatoes are completely tender, about 15 min. Discard the corn cobs.

Transfer 1 cup of the broth and vegetables to a blender and puree. Return the puree to the pot and stir in the cream and all but 1/3 cup of the scallion greens. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for a couple of minutes to wilt the scallions and blend the flavors.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve sprinkled with the bacon and reserved scallions.

Too Much Corn- Part 1

What do you do when you have corn coming out of your ears?  There's a couple things I do-- one is cook...the other, of course, is to save.  My boss' family has a farm, and she came into work one day with her trunk full of corn.  I took many a ear, but then I didn't know what to do with it.

So I blanched and froze enough corn to take us through the winter.  Start with a huge stock pot of boiling water.  Husk all the corn and break into pieces.  I found this to be easier that boiling who corn cobs, and they're easier to stack in the freezer bags.

Boil corn for about 10 minutes.

Drain corn in colander and put into ice bath.  My ice bath was the other side of the sink with half cold water and half ice.

When the corn cools, put in freezer bags and store until needed.

Enjoy for as long as the corn lasts.  Considering I eat 3-4 ears of corn at a time, I don't think this frozen corn will last long :)