Mac, cheese and veggies!

   Who doesn't like mac and cheese? I know I do and I could eat it all the time, and my boys (especially Justin) could eat it with me (but maybe not ALL the time)! I am always trying to change things up, add new ingredients or improve the taste (like it's necessary to improve the taste of mac&cheese!!!), so this time I decided to spruce it up a little bit with bunch of veggies... and kielbasa! It doesn't really make it "diet friendly" if that's what you were expecting, but it definitely removes some guilt while eating it... you are getting a serving of veggies after all and if you have seconds (I bet you will)... it's two servings of veggies!

Ingredients:

* 10 oz of whole wheat macaroni pasta
* 1 package (13 oz) turkey Polska kielbasa, chopped
* 2 medium zucchini, chopped
* 2 cups cauliflower florets
* 4 tbsp butter
* 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
* 4 cups milk
* 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
* 1 tsp Dijon mustard
* 1/8 tsp nutmeg
* 1 tbsp olive oil
* salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Cook pasta in salted water until al dente (or until it has the texture your family likes). 4 minutes before the end of cooking, add cauliflower and cook together with pasta. Drain and set aside.

2. In the meantime, heat the olive oil in the pan, add kielbasa and cook for 5 minutes until it starts to brown. Add chopped zucchini and cook everything for additional 5 minutes. Set aside.

3. In a deep skillet, melt butter, add the flour and cook whisking for 2-3 minutes. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly to get rid of any lumps and cook for 5 minutes. Add cheddar cheese, Dijon mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper (to taste) and cook for additional 2-3 minutes (whisking).

4. Combine macaroni, cauliflower, kielbasa and sauce, mix everything together until sauce covers everything and ... enjoy!

   As you noticed I did not bake it in the oven as you normally would. It not only cuts down on time, but it also makes for much more creamy and moist mac and cheese, which I really like. If you want to make it vegetarian, you could obviously skip kielbasa, but I don't think Christopher would appreciate me doing so - kielbasa is his favorite food in the entire world!

Enjoy,
Magda

Freezer friendly!

   So last week I promised you an explanation of why my life is crazy busy recently. Well, here it is: we have no kitchen due to the renovation! Actually we have no kitchen (because we are getting a new one), no family room (because contractors are using it as their storage) and no dining room (because we store our kitchen and family room in it). No kitchen and a toddler - deadly combination, but I keep telling myself it's all going to be worth it at the end when I get my dream kitchen. So since our new sink is in the family room and the stove is in the dining room, there is no cooking happening for the next couple of weeks, but it is not a problem because we still have a big freezer! I was prepping for this renovation for a while, so I made bunch of freezer friendly dishes, portioned them into lunch/dinner sizes and I'm ready!
   First dish out of the freezer - cashew chicken with broccoli and raisins. It may not be the most photogenic dish, but it just came out of the freezer, so let's give it a break!

Ingredients:

* 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces 
* 12oz frozen chopped broccoli
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 8oz cashews
* 1 15oz can of crushed tomatoes
* 2 cups chicken broth
* 1/2 cup raisins
* 2 tbsp olive oil
* salt and pepper 

Directions:

1. In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and brown chicken thighs for 2-3 minutes.

2. Add onions and raisins, season with a little bit of salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken broth and cook for 15 minutes.

3. In a food processor, combine cashews and crushed tomatoes and blend until it forms a smooth paste.

4. Add to the chicken and cook for additional 15-20 minutes, stirring from time to time.

5. If the chicken is tender, add frozen broccoli, adjust seasoning to your liking and cook for additional 5 minutes. Serve over rice.

   Delicious! Tender chicken, sweet raisins and creamy cashew sauce. You can freeze it by itself, you can freeze it together with the rice, or you can just not freeze it at all!

Enjoy,
Magda.

Mixing cheeses!

   It is going to be a super short post - unfortunately life is crazy busy in the last few days (stay tuned for details next week) and I just can't focus on writing an elaborate post, but I at least owe you a recipe! And it's a good one too... two cheese Alfredo pasta with broccoli and peas! Traditional Alfredo sauce has Parmesan cheese only, but why not add some extra creaminess from the cream cheese - I think it's a great idea!

Ingredients:

* 1 lb whole grain pasta of your choice
* 4 tbsp butter
* 3 tbsp all purpose flour
* 1 cup heavy whipping cream
* 2 cups milk
* 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
* 8oz cream cheese
* 2 cups broccoli, cut into small florets
* 1 cup frozen peas
* pinch of nutmeg
* salt

Directions:

1. In a deep skillet, melt butter, add flour and cook for 2 minutes whisking constantly. Slowly add heavy whipping cream and milk, whisking to get rid of any clumps. Season with salt and nutmeg.

2. Add cream cheese and mix everything until it melts into the sauce.

3. Add shredded Parmesan, mix until it melts (2-3 minutes) and add frozen peas.

4. In the meantime cook pasta until al dente and blanch broccoli in boiling water (about 1 minute).

5. Mix pasta, broccoli and cheese together and it's ready to serve!

   Green, creamy and cheesy... perfect combination. It's our family on the plate: broccoli and peas - Christopher's favorite, cheese - Justin's favorite, and of course pasta- mommy's favorite! Well, actually, we all love every ingredient of this dish!

Enjoy,
Magda

Green!

   Green is the first color Christopher learned and it's his absolutely favorite so far. He loves green veggies, green foods, green crayons, green trucks, and everything else that is green! We got a little bit tired of eating broccoli and asparagus (his favorite veggies) all the time, so I came up with a new green dish that hit the spot - pasta with a creamy spinach/kale sauce. Have you heard of a kid that loves spinach and kale? Well, mine does and I'm very happy about it! I blended them into a sauce since leafy veggies might be tricky to eat for a two year old, but he ate it all and demanded more! Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

* 12 oz frozen chopped kale
* 6 oz fresh spinach
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 3 tbsp butter
* 1cup 2% milk
* pinch of nutmeg
* salt and pepper
* 1 13oz box of whole wheat pasta

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, melt butter and saute onions with a little bit of salt until translucent (4-5 minutes).

2. Add minced garlic, fresh spinach and frozen kale, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and saute everything together for 10 minutes.

3. Transfer the mixture to the blender, add 1 cup of milk and blend until think and smooth. You might need to add a little bit more milk, depending on how thick you like the sauce to be.

4. Return to the skillet, bring to boil, add cooked pasta and mix until all the pasta is nicely coated with the sauce.

   How pretty is that? Creamy and saucy pasta with a hint of umami - a real treat that couldn't be healthier. One recommendation - don't wear white shirt while eating it... just trust me on that!

Enjoy,
Magda

Changing things up.

   We love spaghetti! No, seriously... we probably eat it every other week! So to keep it interesting I always keep changing things up - different types of meat, different types of pasta, different types of seasoning, or just some extra ingredients. This time I made zucchini-tomato sauce with ground chicken. Light, healthy, delicious... and if paired with the right pasta, absolutely guilt free! Extra bonus - hidden veggies, just in case my boys wouldn't want to eat any! I shredded the zucchini, so they had absolutely no idea what they are eating and how healthy it is (just in case they didn't feel like eating "healthy"). Here is the recipe:


Ingredients:

* 1 lb ground chicken
* 1 large zucchini, finely shredded
* 1 24oz can crushed tomatoes
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 2 tbsp ketchup
* 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
* 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
* 1 tbs dry oregano
* 1 tbsp olive oil
* salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a large sauce pan, heat the olive oil and saute onions with a little bit of salt for 5 minutes.

2. Add ground chicken and cook for 5-7 minutes until no longer pink.

3. Add shredded zucchini, crushed tomatoes, ketchup, dry oregano, season with salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes stirring from time to time. Add fresh basil and parsley, and serve with pasta.

   Fresh basil and parsley really elevates this dish! Justin's first question was: what did you add to the sauce, zucchini? So that was it for "hiding" the veggies, but he cleaned his plate anyways, so the plan worked!

Enjoy,
Magda

The Urban Farmhouse Inspired...

   The Urban Farmhouse Market and Cafe is a chain of restaurants that I consider to be a little bit "hipster", with a cool vibe and a good food. I was told that one of their biggest hits is a "three lentil chili" soup and I absolutely agree with that opinion. So flavorful and delicious... and so "hipster" too. So I knew that I will be making it sooner or later... and the time has come! I have no idea what they used in their recipe, I didn't really ask, I just took the inspiration and created my own version. It turned out pretty tasty, so I think I did a good job! Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

* 1 cup green lentils
* 1 cup black lentils
* 1 cup split red lentils
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 1 tbsp olive oil
* 2 packets McCormick TexMex Chili Seasoning
* 2 15oz can diced tomatoes

* salt if needed

Directions:

1. Combine all the lentils, wash 2-3 times in cold water, transfer into a large pot, cover with cold water (at least 3 inches of water above the lentils) and soak for 4-5 hours, preferably overnight.

2. In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and saute the onions for 4-5 minutes until lightly browned.

3. Add drained lentils, diced tomatoes and 1 cup of water. Cook for 45 minutes.

4. Add TexMex Chili Seasoning and a little bit of water (if needed) and cook for additional 1 hour, stirring from time to time (the spices tend to stick to the bottom a little bit). Depending on how dense you like your chilli, you can add some more water.

5. Adjust seasoning with salt to your liking (if needed) and serve with a dollop of sour cream.

   Sour cream is a must with this dish! If you are not a fan of sour cream, try Greek yogurt, but trust me when I tell you that you will love it this way!

Enjoy,
Magda

Pick a side.

   Ever wondered what makes the steakhouse spinach so good? The answer is: cream and butter! Yes, I said cream and butter! Were you expecting me to say "love" they put into making it? No! If you want creamy, decadent, velvety creamed spinach, you need to invest in a "few" calories! Just skip the baked potato or have a smaller piece of meat and just enjoy this delicious spinach dish! Actually, the title should say "Pick THIS side", because it really is one of the best side dishes you can have. And if you worry about all the fat, just think about how much fiber, iron and vitamins you will get with it! It's worth it!

Ingredients:

* 20oz fresh spinach
* 1.5 cups cream
* 5 tbsp butter
* 3 tbsp all purpose flour
* 1 tsp garlic powder
* pinch of nutmeg
* salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the spinach for 2 minutes. Drain on the colander and squeeze all the excess water.

2. Make bechamel sauce: in a saucepan melt butter, add flour and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the cream, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and cook for 5-6 minutes until sauce is really thick.

3. Transfer drained spinach into the food processor and pulse until almost pureed.

4. Add spinach to the bechamel sauce, mix until combined, cook for additional 1 minute. Serve warm.

   My husband's first reaction: man, it's so cheeeeeesy and delicious! No, there is no cheese in it... just the love, I mean butter and cream! Just go for it, splurge a little.

Enjoy,
Magda.

Pork and salsa!

   Yeah, that's right... pork and salsa! Being more specific, a meat sauce with salsa used in stead of tomato puree/sauce. And, if salsa wasn't exciting enough, I also added fennel and mushrooms. Different textures and flavors all come together to create a hearty, meaty, and delicious sauce.
   You want to know a secret? I actually use salsa very often to make my tomato based sauces, and I use all different kinds: original, mango, peach, corn... you name it! It adds this light, "exotic" and fun taste to the sauce, and makes it different and exciting each time. No need to buy multiple ingredients to create an interesting flavor profile and everything comes in one jar! I'm sure this won't be the only time you see me using it in a recipe... it's kind of my new obsession.
   Anyways, here is the recipe for the salsa pork sauce:

Ingredients:

* 1 lb ground pork
* 1 medium onion, finely chopped
* 1 garlic clove, chopped
* 1 fennel bulb, chopped
* 8oz baby portabella mushroom, chopped
* 16oz jar chunky salsa (spiciness of your liking)
* 1 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
* 2 tbsp ketchup
* 2 tbsp olive oil
* salt and pepper
* Parmesan cheese for garnish

* egg noodles

Directions:

1. In a deep pan, heat up the olive oil and saute onions, garlic and fennel until soft and translucent.
2. Add pork, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add mushrooms and cook for additional 5 minutes.
3. Add salsa, ketchup, and parsley, stir everything together and cook for 10-15 minutes.
4. Serve over egg noodles, garnished with Parmesan cheese.

   You can serve it with any kind of pasta you like, but I really think that egg noodles add some extra "bite" and texture to the dish. I guess another good option could be tagliatelle pasta which I like as well.

Enjoy,
Magda.

Balls of meat!

   Who doesn't love meatballs? Well, I'm sure I could find few people who don't, but I bet you that most of us are big fans of this dish. A funny (or weird) thing about me and meatballs... I prefer to have them in a mushroom sauce rather than a tomato sauce. I love me some puttanesca sauce, but there is nothing better (at least for me) than a white (especially mushroom) sauce. But don't even think about buying the canned condensed soup and turning it into a sauce... that's not the way to go. Here you have a recipe for the best meatballs in the best mushroom sauce... both made from scratch and super delicious.

Ingredients:

Meatballs:
*  2 lbs lean ground turkey
*  1/2 cup bread crumbs
*  2 eggs
*  2 garlic cloves, minced
*  1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
*  1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
*  1 tsp black pepper
*  1-2 tsp chicken seasoning
*  olive oil to coat the meatballs

Sauce:
*  16oz mushroom, chopped
*  1 large onion, chopped
*  3 tbsp butter
*  2 cups chicken broth
*  2 tbsp flour
*  1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
*  salt and pepper

Directions:

1. To make meatballs: in a large bowl, combine all ingredients (besides olive oil), mix well together just until combined. Gently cover your hands with olive oil, from balls (the size of golf ball) and place them onto greased baking sheet. Bake at 360F for 25-30 minutes.
2. To make sauce: in a skillet melt butter, add onions, mushroom, salt and pepper and cook for 5-6 minutes.
3. Transfer half of the mushroom/onion mixture into a blender, add chicken broth and blend everything until smooth.
4. To the remaining mushrooms in the skillet add flour and cook everything for 1-2 minutes. Add blended sauce, parsley and season with salt and pepper if necessary.  Cook everything for 1-2 minutes - you can add a little bit more liquid if you like your sauce less dense.
5. Transfer meatballs into a sauce and serve with rice or pasta.

   I am telling you, you can't beat this sauce... thick, creamy and chunky at the same time... just perfect. Meatballs are moist and super flavorful... mint and parsley makes all the difference. Try it and you won't regret it.

Enjoy,
Magda.

Different pasta sauce.

   There is nothing wrong with delicious bolognese sauce or any other pasta sauce for this matter, but I always try to come up with a new recipe. I already have few which we really like, but we will be definitely adding this one to the list. Vegetarian eggplant pasta sauce with tiny hints of Indian spices... why not? Eggplant is one of these vegetables that has to be done just right in order for me to like it. Eggplant curry, baba ghanoush, moussaka ... and now also eggplant spaghetti sauce. All delicious and worth trying!

Ingredients:

*  1 large eggplant, peeled and cubed
*  1 large onion, chopped
*  1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
*  1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
*  1 tbsp coriander powder
*  1/2 tbsp ground cumin
*  1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
*  1 tbsp brown sugar
*  1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
*  1 tbsp soy sauce 
*  2 tbsp olive oil
*  salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a deep skillet heat olive oil, add onions, eggplant and fresh cilantro and cook for 5-6 minutes.
2. Add crushed tomatoes, all the spices, season with salt and pepper and cook everything for 15 minutes until eggplant is soft. If the sauce is too thick, dilute it with some water.
3. Remove from heat and stir in grated Parmesan cheese. Serve with pasta.

   Chunky, saucy and delicious, with a hint of cumin and coriander. It's a really great alternative to a meat sauce if you are trying to cook more vegetarian dishes, or if you are just looking for new ideas.

Enjoy,
Magda.

Summer or Winter!

   Can you have chili in the Summer? Some people think that it's only a Winter weather dish, but I don't care if it's Summer or Winter, if I want one I will have it! Especially if it's vegetarian chili... it's basically a veggie stew! I wasn't sure if it would be as satisfying as the meaty version so I decided to serve it with a large baked potato. I shouldn't have worried about it being "enough", it's super filling, but I just loved it spooned over the baked potato (I'm Polish - I eat potatoes like it's candy!) and sprinkled with some cheese. Check it out:

Ingredients:

*  1 cup dry red lentils
*  1 large onion, chopped
*  1 15oz can red beans, rinsed and drained
*  1 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
*  2 15oz cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
*  2 packs McCormick reduced sodium chili spice
*  1 cup fresh chopped cilantro
*  1 tbsp olive oil

*  4 large potatoes
*  4 tbsp shredded cheese (I used mixed cheeses)

Directions:

1. Wash and scrub potatoes, dry them with a paper towel, pierce with a fork and wrap into aluminum foil. Bake at 400F for 60-90 minutes (depending on the size of the potato).
2. In the meantime, in a Dutch oven heat the olive oil and saute onions for 4-5 minutes.
3. Add dry lentils and cook for 5 minutes constantly stirring.
4. Add tomatoes (with the juice), beans, McCormick spices, cilantro, and 1 cup of water, lower the heat and cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lentils are cooked (but not mushy). Add some more water during the cooking if needed - lentils will soak up some of it.
5. Slice potato in half, top with as much chili as you like, sprinkle with shredded cheese and enjoy.

   I cooked my lentils to the point where they were still a little bit crunchy, that's how I like it here. I feel like they give this dish a nice texture and don't make it mushy and one-dimensional. Of course you can cook your longer if you are too lazy to chew, but I encourage you to try them this way. You can also add some hot sauce (as Justin did) and a dollop of sour cream if that's what you like.

Enjoy,
Magda

Still loving our veggies!

   Even though our vegetarian experiment ended few days ago, we decided to reduce our "meat intake" from now on anyways. We liked being vegetarians, we saved some money, we lost few pounds, it was a win-win situation. From now on we will use meat as a "treat" from time to time. If we feel like having a burger - we will definitely have one, if we want a piece of chicken - we will have one as well, no questions about it, but most of the time we will eat meat-free. So I predict that you will see many more vegetarian recipes here than meaty ones. Here is one of them - garbanzo curry in coconut milk:

Ingredients:

*  2 15oz cans garbanzo beans, washed and drained
*  1 large onion, chopped
*  1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
*  1 13oz can coconut milk
*  1 small (8oz) can tomato sauce
*  1 tbsp cumin seeds
*  1 tbsp mustard seeds
*  1 tbsp white dal
*  1 tbsp ground coriander
*  1 tbsp garam masala powder
*  1 tbsp curry powder
*  1 tbsp light brown sugar
*  2 tbsp olive oil
*  salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a deep skillet heat the olive oil to high temperature and drop in cumin seeds, mustard seeds and white dal. Stand back and immediately cover the pot with the lid - it will splatter. Cook in oil for 1-2 minutes.
2. Add chopped onions, reduce the heat and cook for 3-4 minutes to soften.
3. Add tomato sauce, coconut milk, cilantro, scrape the bottom of  pot and cook for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add garbanzo beans, season with brown sugar and salt, and cook on a low heat for 10 minutes until sauce thickens.
5. Serve with cooked rice or quinoa.

   Creamy, tangy, a little bit spicy, and very satisfying! I just love coconut milk, not only is it smooth and silky, but also it's delicious and comforting. With a dish like that, you won't even notice that there is no meat at the table!

Enjoy,
Magda