Yogurt Chicken and Stuffed Mushrooms

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/yogurt-chicken/

Really simple, easy dinner.  Trim and steam green beans for 5-7 minutes

Chicken breasts: dip in yogurt and breadcrumbs.  Put on glass baking dish coated with olive oil.  Bake at 350 for 45 min or so.

Portobello mushrooms: brush, coat with olive oil, stuff with herbed goat cheese (and additional parmesan, breadcrumbs, anything you like) . . . bake at 350 for around 10-15 minutes (more if they're big).  

spinach frittata

Spinach Frittata Recipe

from http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/spinach_frittata/

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb spinach leaves (about 2 bunches), cleaned, chopped
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 9 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Sausage, cut into small pieces
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 3-6 oz goat cheese

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 400°F.

2 Cook spinach in 1/4 cup of water in a covered saucepan until just wilted, a couple minutes. Drain water and set aside.

3 In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and Parmesan cheese. Add in chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside.

4 Sauté onions in olive oil in an oven-proof, stick-free skillet, until translucent, about 4-5 minutes on medium heat. Add garlic and cook a minute further. Add cooked spinach and mix in with onions and garlic.  OR, sautee in regular skillet for about 5 minutes and then transfer to oven-safe dish.

5 Spread out spinach mixture evenly on bottom of skillet. Pour egg mixture over spinach mixture. Use a spatula to lift up the spinach mixture along the sides of the pan to let egg mixture flow underneath.  Transfer to oven-safe dish (I use pie dish).

6 Sprinkle bits of goat cheese over the top of the frittata mixture. Bake for at least 15 minutes (depending on how "set" mixture was in skillet, this could be as much as 45 min) until frittata is puffy and golden. Remove from oven with oven mitts and let cool for several minutes. 

Cut into quarters to serve. Serves four+

pies

Indian update

Indian dinner as made before, but with the addition of saag (easy - chop spinach, sautee with garlic and spices, purée with immersion blender + cream) and spiced rice (white basmati with cumin seeds and onion).

Gabi's Pumpkin Mac n Cheese

• Gabi's kick-ass pumpkin mac and cheese
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• I sized up the recipe by about 6 times to feed an army!
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• 4 16-oz packages of fusilli
• 10 tbsp unsalted butter plus more for the pan 
• 3/4c flour 
• 4.5 cups milk 
• 2.5 cans unsweetened canned pumpkin $1.50 for a 15-oz. can
• 2 blocks aged white cheddar, approx 4 cups
• dash nutmeg 
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray or butter 2 big glass dishes

Cook macaroni in salted boiling water according to package directions.

While macaroni cooks, melt the butter in a medium pot over medium heat. As soon as it begins to brown, add the flour and whisk until you have a very sticky dough.

Slowly whisk in the milk to form a creamy white sauce.

Continue whisking as you add the pumpkin and 1/2 cup of the white cheddar. You should have a very creamy orange sauce. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta and return it to its pot. Use a rubber spatula to scrape all of the sauce over the pasta and stir to coat the pasta evenly.

Scrape the sauced pasta into the prepared pan(s) and top with the reserved cheddar plus more salt and pepper.

Bake for 30+ minutes or until the cheese is very bubbly and lightly browned on top. Serve hot.

Serves a LOT

Zucchini Spaghetti

Julienne 6 zucchini

Boil almost 12 oz whole wheat spaghetti

Steam julienned zucchini for about 2-3 minutes until just softened, add in to pasta at end

Make a simple pesto by blending garlic, olive oil, basil, parmesan, and pine nuts, then simmering on stovetop

Toss together, top with extra parmesan

Tagliatelle with Mushroom Cream Sauce

Cream sauce recipe:

6-8oz of sliced crimini mushrooms
1c cream
2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced
Dash of olive oil
1c chicken stock
1/2 cup (or more) shredded parmesan
Salt, pepper
Dash of truffle oil - optional

On medium-high heat, sautee garlic for a few minutes before adding mushrooms.  Sautee 5-10 minutes until soft.  Add cup of chicken stock and bring to simmer, then add cream and continue to lightly simmer until reduced by half.  Add parmesan and reduce further til desired consistency.  Add truffle oil if using.  Season with salt and pepper, toss al dente tagliatele in pot with sauce.