Mac 'n' Goat Cheese

Okay, Foodie Friends, long time no post! I've discovered a couple of awesome new recipes lately and wanted to share...anyone else cooking up something new?

Here's a recipe for fancy-people's macaroni and cheese. It's possible that I was just starving when I ate it, but I thought it was so good I scarfed it up and wished I'd had more. I think it would be good with shredded chicken mixed in as well. Plus, it was so, so quick--it was all finished in about the time it took to cook the macaroni.

3/4 pound macaroni pasta
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pint cheery tomatoes, halved
One 9-oz bag spinach
salt and pepper
6 ounces goat cheese, broken into chunks*
3/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts

*I've read recently that you shouldn't use the pre-crumbled goat cheese for pasta dishes like this because it doesn't melt well. I tried the pre-crumbled once, and I think these people know what they are talking about--the log of cheese was much creamier.

1. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/3 cup cooking water, and return to the pot.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until golden, about 4 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, spinach, and reserved pasta water and cook until heated through, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and peper.

3. Stir into the pasta along with the goat cheese. Transfer to a service dish and sprinkle the walnuts on top.

Recipe from Every Day with Rachael Ray, April 2009

I thought my fellow foodie friends might be interested in this new website that helps you create weekly menus ... Springpad.

Banana Nut Muffins with Oatmeal Streusel

I must admit -- I love just ripe bananas and really over-ripe bananas.  I'm not a big fan of the in-between.  I love black, very ripe bananas, because they are perfect for muffins, bread, smoothies, etc.  Yesterday, I tried a new recipe from my Cooking Light cookbook.  It was too good not to pass along ...

Ingredients

Muffins:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup mashed ripe banana (approx. 2 bananas)

3/4 cup low-fat milk

3 T canola oil (I used veggie oil)

1/2 tsp vanilla 

1 large egg

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (I left out this time)

Streusel:

6 T regular oats

5 T flour

2 T brown sugar

2 T butter, softened

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375

To prepare the muffins, combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture.  Combine banana and next 4 ingredients (through egg) in a bowl; stir well.  Add to flour mixture.  Stir just until moistened; fold in walnuts.  Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups.  (Side note: Lately I've been decided not to use cup liners and have just sprayed the muffin tin with Pam-- saves paper and works just as well.)

To prepare streusel, combine oats and remaining ingredients in a small bowl.  Blend with a pastry blender (I used a fork) until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Sprinkle streusel over batter.  Bake at 375 for 22 minutes or until wooden pick inserted comes out clean.

Something a little different...

You know you're a full fledged mommy when you've been asked for your first time to "bake goodies" for the preschool carnival. For such a right of passage, I was compelled to find a recipe for something that would be unique, but would still sell at the bake sale. I was pretty proud of this creation, which I saw in a magazine. Use your favorite rice crispy treat recipe. Let the mixture slightly cool, then roll the it with your greased hands into rolls. Then use gummy fish and strips of green fruit roll ups. Bound to be a hit with kids and sushi-lovers!

Pork Pozole

I love slow cooker recipes. I found this one in Parents magazine, which means it's very easy. It is essentially a Mexican stew. It has some interesting ingredients and Jeff is a huge fan.

1 15 oz. can yellow or white hominy, drained

1 14.5 oz. can Mexican-style diced tomatoes (I actually used tomato sauce and added some taco seasoning)

1 10 oz. can mild green enchilada sauce

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

 2 tsp. ground cumin

1.5 lbs. boneless pork loin

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 t. lime juice

Tortilla chips

Diced avocado and lime wedges, optional

1. Combine the hominy, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, garlic, and cumin in a 4 quart slow cooker. Top with pork, spooning hominy mixture over the meat. Cover and cook on hight for 2 to 2.5 hours. 

2. Place pork on a cutting board. Add cilantro and lime juice to the slow cooker. Coarsely chop pork; return to cooker, and stir well. Spoon into shallow bowls. Serve with tortilla chips, and if your family is a fan of avocado and lime, include them too. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition per serving: 332 cal; 29g protein; 9g fat; 31g carb; 461mg sodium; 5g fiber

Blueberry Bran Muffins

Blueberry Bran Muffins:
1 c. white flour
1/3 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. wheat bran
1/3 c. plus 1 T. brown sugar
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. cinnamon
1 egg( separate the yolk and white and beat the white till fluffy with a fork)
1/4 c. molasses
1 t. vanilla
2 T. canola oil
1 c. buttermilk
1 c. blueberries, fresh or frozen

1. preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a twelve cup muffin tin with paper liners.
2. mix wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls.
3. stir dry ingredients into wet just till moistened then fold in the blueberries, stirring as little as possible.
4. spoon batter into muffin cups and bake for 18 - 20 min. (test with tooth pick and do not over bake)
5. cool on wire wrack. ( Or cool in the microwave to keep them moist. My sister did this when we were younger to keep the muffins moist or to soften muffins that had been over baked in the first place.)

I got this recipe from joyofbaking.com ,a website that Austin found for me.
After making the orange flax bran muffins I wanted more so have been looking up other bran muffin recipes. I made these yesterday and can't stop eating them! They also smell soooo good when baking!
Next week I am making Banana Oat Bran Muffins and if they are good I will post that recipe too!
I am getting good at typing one handed while nursing Alyce. :)

Honey Curry Baked Chicken

3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized chunks

1 stick of butter 

1/2 c. honey

2 T. prepared mustard

1 t. salt

1-2 T. curry powder

Chopped peanuts and sweetened coconut flakes for garnish

White sticky rice ( a 2 cups of uncooked rice batch)

Place chicken in a 13x9 in. baking dish.

Melt butter and mix in rest of ingredients.

Pour sauce sauce over chicken.

Cover pan with foil and bake 1 1/4 hours at 350.

Remove from oven and stir to brake apart chicken chunks.

Serve over sticky white rice.

This recipe is from my Aunt and she says she puts the rice on a big platter  and puts the chicken and sauce on top and serves it that way. The sauce looks runny but when it soaks into the rice it is perfect! We really liked this dish!

When I made this I cut the recipe in half and it made 3 healthy (generous ) servings.

Garnish with chopped peanuts and coconut flakes.