Grilled Yam Nachos

On August 15, in honor of the inventor of Nachos, Ignacio Anaya, I veganized a nachos recipe from Pinch of Yum. I believe my work had published this recipe in a series during 2018 about healthy eating. I had an alternate cheese sauce I planned to use (from my shells n'cheeze) because I knew it was an easy and slightly spicy cheese sauce. However, I ended up just altering the one given. It was a very nice nachos sauce.


Ingredients:
2 large red garnet or jewel yams
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin
1 14-ounce can vegetarian refried black beans
1 cup frozen sweet corn
1 oz. multigrain tortilla chips
chopped cilantro for topping

crumbled vegan cheese of your choosing

For sauce:

1/2 teaspoon Earth Balance butter
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk (or non-dairy milk of your choosing)
2 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt – more to taste
1/2 cup shredded non-dairy cheese of choice (I used Daiya cheddar shreds)

Directions:

1. Preheat the grill with medium-high heat.
2. Wash yams and pierce with fork.
3. Wrap in a paper towel and microwave on high for 5 minutes.
4. When cool enough to handle, cut yams into wedges.
5. Toss wedges with olive oil, chili powder, cumin, and salt to taste.
6. Transfer yam wedges to the hot grill and grill for a few minutes on each side until roasted. Be careful because the wedges are likely to slide between the grates of the grill.
7. While grilling, make the cheese sauce.
8. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium to medium-high heat.
9. Add the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes.
10. Add 3/4 cup almond milk and heat until simmering.
11. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 3/4 cup milk with the flour until smooth.
12. Add to the saucepan and stir until smooth and thick.
13. Turn to low heat, and whisk in the salt and shredded cheese until melted.
14. Remove from heat.
15. Meanwhile, heat the refried beans in the microwave or on the stove per your preference until warmed through.
16. Warm the corn either in the microwave or in a non-stick skillet on the stove. 
17. On a large platter, arrange the chips in a single layer.
18. Top with the grilled yam wedges, black beans, and corn. Drizzle the cheese sauce over the stack and top with the cilantro and additional crumbled cheese.

Notes:

• Serves 4 as an entree, about 520 Calories per serving depending on your chips and how big your potatoes are.
• Serves 6+ as a side.

Lattice-Top Chicken Bake

This has been in our digital codex for a very long time. We made it a lot when the kids were little, but did not make it as often in the past decade. We got out and brushed off the recipe. It was still well-liked, a good one to have in the list for my omnivore family.

Ingredients:
1 pkg (16 oz) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of potato soup
1 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup French fried onions
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 tube (8 oz) crescent rolls

Directions:

1. Cook chicken as desired. Cube into small pieces. 
2. In a bowl, mix veggies, chicken, soup, milk, cheese, onions, and salt. 
3. Transfer to a greased large baking dish.
4. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
   While it bakes, separate crescent dough into 2 rectangles. 
5. While it bakes, separate crescent dough into 2 rectangles. 
6. Seal perforations; cut each rectangle lengthwise into 4 strips. Weave strips
7. over warm filling, forming a lattice crust.
8. Bake 15 min longer or until crust is golden brown.

Notes:

• Serves 6-8, according to the recipe, and if you have small children. It's closer to 4-6 

Baked Breaded Shells and Cheese

This is a mac and cheese that my family will make at home. Original recipe was from Chowhound.

Ingredients
For the béchamel
4 cups (1 quart) whole milk
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

For dish
Kosher salt
1 pound medium shells
8 ounces shredded 2-year aged sharp cheddar cheese (about 3 cups)
3 ounces grated Pecorino Romano cheese (about 1 cup)
2/3 cup panko (optional)

Directions:
To make the béchamel:

1. Heat the milk in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until it just comes to a simmer, then turn off the heat and set aside. 
2. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. 
3. Add the flour and whisk constantly until the mixture turns light brown in color, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. 
4. While whisking constantly, slowly add the hot milk to the flour mixture until evenly combined and smooth. (It will get very thick when you first add the milk, then thin out.) 
5. Return the saucepan to medium-high heat and while whisking constantly, cook until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 2 to 3 minutes. 
6. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the salt, taste, and season with additional salt if desired. Remove from the heat and set aside. 

To assemble:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
2. Cook the pasta per package directions until al dente, then drain and rinse with cold water; set aside.
3. Place the reserved saucepan of béchamel over medium heat and stir in both cheeses just until melted and smooth. 
4. Add the pasta and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is heated through and steaming, about 2 to 4 minutes. 
5. Transfer to a 5-quart baking dish, sprinkle with the panko, and bake until bubbling and brown on top, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Shells n'Cheeze

Feeling like some comfort food, I found a recipe that was a fancy vegan Mac n'Cheeze. I didn't want all the fancy stuff, and some of their ratios were off. But my adapted version is really tasty. I've made it several time.

Ingredients:
8-oz shells or other pasta, cooked via package directions
1 cup (8-oz) almond milk
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp turmeric
2 tbsp miso paste**

Optional:
1 can (15-oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch green onions, sliced

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, whisk together cold milk, nutritional yeast, cornstarch, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and turmeric. 
2. Cover and bring to a near boil, then reduce heat to low. 
3. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens. 
4. Turn off heat and stir in miso. 
5. Fold cooked pasta into sauce, stirring to coat completely. 
6. If using, fold in beans and garnish with green onions.

Notes:

• Serves 4

Blueberry Salad

I'm pretty sure I have my sister to thank for this recipe, that I first had it at her house. 

Ingredients:
16 oz baby spinach

1 cup pecans 

2 Tbsp sugar

1 pkg. Gorgonzola cheese

2 avocados, cubed

1 cup blueberries

Dressing:

¼ cup minced shallots

¾ cup vegetable or canola oil

¾ cup sugar

½ cup vinegar

¼ tsp. paprika

½ tsp. dry mustard

3 tbsp. Poppy seeds

Directions:

1. Brown the pecans in sugar.
2. Combine dressing in a jar or bottle. Shake until well mixed and the sugar is dissolved.
3. Dress the spinach.
4. Add pecans, cheese, avocados, and blueberries.
5. Toss and serve.

Notes:

• The vegan version has no cheese.

Twice-Baked Potatoes with Cheese and Bacon

These are a lot of work. They are really good, but a lot of work. For a small gathering, they are worth it. Pick your cheese of choice for the filling - we've done a couple different ones and haven't been disappointed yet.

Ingredients:

4    russet potatoes (7 to 8 ounces each), scrubbed, dried, and rubbed lightly with vegetable oil

8   strips  bacon , cut cross-wise into 1/4-inch pieces

4    ounces  cheese of your choice (Pepperjack and cheddar both work well) , shredded  (about 1 cup)

1/2    cup  sour cream

1/2    cup  buttermilk

2    tablespoons  unsalted butter , room temperature

3    medium scallions , white and green parts sliced thin (about 1/2 cup)

1/2  teaspoon  table salt

Ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to upper middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake potatoes on foil-lined baking sheet until skin is crisp and deep brown and skewer easily pierces flesh, about 1 hour.
2.  Setting baking sheet aside, transfer potatoes to wire rack and let sit until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.
3. Fry bacon in medium skillet over medium heat until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove bacon to paper towel-lined plate to drain; set aside.
4. Using an oven mitt or folded kitchen towel to handle hot potatoes, cut each potato in half so that blunt sides will rest on work surface. Using a small dinner spoon, scoop flesh from each half into medium bowl, leaving a 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch thickness of flesh in each shell. Arrange shells on lined sheet and return to oven until dry and slightly crisped, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mash potato flesh with fork until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients, including bacon and pepper to taste, until well combined.
5. Remove shells from oven and increase oven setting to broil. Holding shells steady on pan with oven mitt or towel-protected hand, spoon mixture into crisped shells, mounding slightly at the center, and return to oven. Broil until spotty brown and crisp on top, 10 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Notes:

• Serves 6-8

Old World Manicotti

This is a great basic recipe for manicotti. The great thing about this recipe is that you can fancy up any portion of it. We've done stuffing with chicken and cheese, we've done alfredo sauce, a half-and-half red/white sauce, and we've done it just as is.

Ingredients:

12 large manicotti shells

4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided into 1 & 3

2 cups ricotta cheese

6 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 2 tablespoons dried basil

1 (26-ounce) jar prepared spaghetti sauce, divided

½ cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray 13 x 9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; rinse with cool water. Let pasta dry on wax paper and pat with paper towels.
3. For filling, in medium bowl, stir together 3 cups mozzarella with the ricotta and fresh basil. Using a teaspoon (hands are better) carefully stuff pasta shells with prepared cheese mixture.
4. Spoon 2 cups spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dish. Arrange stuffed pasta over sauce. Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over top of pasta. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.
5. Bake manicotti for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the Parmesan; bake for 10 minutes longer. Serve immediately.

Notes:

• Prep time: 20 minutes                
• Cook time: 25 minutes   
• Serves 6

Side dish or Entree: Spinach Artichoke Pasta

This is like having spinach artichoke dip on pasta - and it's really tasty. I would like to play with the recipe a little more because it was a little strong on the artichoke. Suggestions in the comments are welcome. I got this recipe from That Was Vegan.

Ingredients:
1 bag baby spinach
1.5 tsp dried minced garlic
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and sliced in half
1 Tbsn vegan butter (Nucoa, Earth Balance)
1.5 Tbsn flour
1.5 cups So Delicious coconut milk
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
3/4 tsp sea salt (more to taste)
1/2 bag Daiya Mozzarella shreds
6 oz Campanelle pasta, cooked per package instructions
1/4+ cup panko crumbs
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Water saute the baby spinach with the garlic and artichoke hearts over medium heat until it’s wilted, 1-2 minutes. Set aside.
2. Add vegan butter to pan and allow to melt, then stir in the flour. Stir until it’s combined and very thick (this is your roux). Pour in the milk and stir until mostly smooth and heated through, then add in the cheese, salt, onion and chili powder. If it gets too thick, add water.
3. Fold in the cooked pasta, artichokes, spinach and crushed red pepper flakes, stirring gently. When ready to serve, add the panko

Other Details:

Original Recipe

Side or Entree: Chicken Parmesan Balls

Ryan wanted to make something similar to chicken parmesan, but wanted it in meatball form, so he made these up: Chicken Parmesan Balls. They are just as much effort as chicken parmesan, perhaps more. But, they were generally really popular.

Ingredients:
ground chicken (~1 pound) or 3 chicken breasts
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/4 tsp ground oregano
mozzarella, 1 block cut into 1/2 cm cubes
2 eggs
1 Tbsp water
dash salt
2 cups Panko-style bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmesan
pinch salt
pinch ground oregano
canola oil for frying

Directions:

1. Grind chicken breasts using meat grinder attachment on Kitchen-aid mixer, or just use purchased ground chicken.
2. Add 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, and 1/4 tsp oregano to the ground chicken. Mix until well combined.
3. Roll into balls about 1.5" in diameter. Flatten ball.
4. Place about teaspoon of mozzarella cubes in center and roll chicken around cheese, as a ball.
5. Beat eggs, water, and dash salt in a bowl with a fork.
6. Mix Panko bread crumbs, parmesan, pinch of salt and oregano until well combined.
7. Roll your chicken cheese balls in the egg and then toss in the panko crumb mixture. You will have to squish the panko crumbs around the balls for full coverage.
8. In a deep pan (we used our Dutch oven), pour enough oil to cover balls. Heat oil to 350º (using a candy thermometer to check temperature.)
9. Fry the balls until golden brown and cooked through, approximately 5 minutes. CHECK! The 5 minutes is purely an estimate. Do not allow any pink left in the balls. Cheese will be melty.
10. Serve with pasta and sauce. (Spaghetti noodles with marinara or pasta Alfredo makes a good compliment to these.)

Other details:

• Makes about a dozen balls.
• Nutrition Facts are per ball.

Side dish or Entree: Chicken Taquitos

Ryan made these the other night. Other than a complaint about a lack of sauce, they were a hit with the kids. Ryan found them at Very Culinary.

Ingredients:
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup salsa (green or red)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 scallions, chopped
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
kosher salt
12 (6 inch) flour tortillas
extra cheese of your choice for sprinkling on top
cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 425ºF. Line a baking sheet with a silpat matte or foil lightly coated with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients (except the tortillas, extra cheese, and salt.)
3. Working with a few tortillas at a time, heat them in the microwave between two paper towels until they are soft enough to roll (about 20 – 30 seconds).
4. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto the lower third of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla as tightly as you can.
5. Place the rolled tortilla seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas until the mixture is gone, making sure the taquitos are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt (don’t skip the salt!)
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until crisp and golden.
7. Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole.

Entree: Meat Pasta Vegetable

I don't recall where we got this idea, but about a year, we started making a really easy throw together all-in-one dish about a year ago. It's very versatile. Pictured is our favorite choices:

Ingredients:
1 pound meat of your choice
16 oz pasta of your choice
0.5 pound vegetable of your choice
8 oz feta or goat cheese

Directions:

1. Steam the vegetables.
2. Cook pasta according to directions.
3. Fry meat in a pan until cooked.
4. Combine cooked pasta, meat, vegetables and the cheese to the pan. Heat over medium until heated through and cheese is slightly melted.

Other Notes:

You can see we prefer penne pasta, sausage, and broccoli. 

Entree: Honey & Cheese Panini

This is pretty easy. You buy a nice loaf of bread for paninis (unsliced and slice yourself), spread honey on one side of the bread and butter on the other, put cheese (we use Beecher's Flagship) between and grill on a medium-high heated panini pan. It's a favorite, it's comfort food, it's been popular when served to guests at my home.

Ingredients:
Loaf of french bread or other good sandwich bread
good quality cheese
butter

a panini pan helps

Directions:

1. Preheat your panini pan to medium-high.
2. Slice your bread into 1/2" thick slices.
3. Slice your cheese into normal cheese slice thickness.
4. Butter one side of each slice of bread with butter.
5. Spread honey on the other side of half the slices of bread.
6. Match each honeyed slice up with a non-honeyed slice. Butter side down, place on panini pan, add a layer (or two) of cheese, place other buttered slice on top, butter side up. Place panini lid on top. Cook until golden brown, the flip and cook the other side to same.
7. Enjoy with a bowl of soup for good, homemade comfort food!

Entree: Adrienne's Lasagna

I started with a lasagna recipe, and over the years have tweaked and tweaked and tweaked it. This is the current rendition of the lasagna I make. It's generally popular. This year, we had this lasagna for Christmas. This week the theme is food from this year's Christmas. I already posted the Preston Rolls for Bread/Breakfast. This time, we made the pasta noodles from scratch, so the recipe to do that is also included.

Ingredients:
12 pieces (about 8 oz) lasagna noodles, uncooked (Or fresh pasta) 
2 lb. Ground beef
6 cups (about 2-26 oz jar) spaghetti sauce
1 cup water
1 – 15 oz container ricotta cheese
1 cup small curd cottage cheese
2 cups (16 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese (or Monterey jack cheese), divided
1⁄2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1⁄4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1⁄4 cup spinach, chopped


Fresh pasta 2 cups flour (1/3 semolina, 2/3 all-purpose)
herbs: parsley, rosemary, basil, saffron, thyme, etc, whatever strikes your fancy as going well together 
3 eggs
olive oil 

Directions:

Drying Homemade Lasagna Noodles

Fresh Pasta

1. Combine herbs with flour. On a flat surface, make a bowl of flour, crack eggs into center. Mix eggs and flour together with a spoon. Add oil.
2. After dough comes together, knead well. Let rest 30-90 minutes. 
3. Run through pasta press until desired thickness. (Visit the Egg Pasta portion of this recipe for reference.) 
4. Boil 30 seconds, cold shock in a ice bath. 
5. Let dry 1 hour. Use same as no-boil pasta in recipe. These make more sheets, so layer pasta between each addition of meat then egg. 

Lasagna

Meat Sauce

1. Heat oven to 350ºF.
2. Over medium heat, brown meat; drain. Add spaghetti sauce and water, and spinach; simmer about 10 minutes. 
3. Meanwhile, in large bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, one-half mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, parsley, salt and pepper.
4. Pour about 1 cup sauce on bottom of 13 x 9 x 2” baking dish.
5. Arrange 3 UNCOOKED pasta pieces lengthwise over sauce. Use an additional piece broken into thirds to get full length coverage of pan. Cover with about 1 cup sauce.
6. Spread one-half cheese filling over sauce. 
7. Repeat layers of lasagne, sauce and cheese filling. 
8. Top with layer of lasagne and remaining sauce; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil.



Cheese Filling

9. Bake 45 minutes. Remove foil; bake additional 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. 

Other Details:

• There is no difference in the baking whether you use homemade pasta or no cook pasta.
• However, if you use the homemade pasta, you are likely to have a lot more pasta, so instead of layering the meat and cheese layers together, add a layer of noodles between the layers of meat and cheese.
• This can be reheated in the oven 1 hour at 350º or individual slices in the microwave.
• Serves 12 (slices) 

Side dish: Panko Crusted Cheese Appetizer

This is one of those recipes that I thought sounded good and I have no idea where I found the recipe. The recipe calls for goat cheese, which I used both times I made it. However, I think any malleable white cheese will do. We did have this appetizer with guests and it was well-received. This appetizer needs to be plated out individually and served, so it's best for a dinner party rather than a larger gathering.

Ingredients:
8 ounces maleable white cheese of your choice (recipe calls for plane goat cheese), cut into 6 disks
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg, slightly beaten
¾ cup panko
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 cups salad spinach

Directions:

1. Gently pat the cheese into 2” disks and transfer onto a plate. Place flour, egg and panko into 3 separate bowls. Dip each disk into the flour, then the egg and finally the panko.
2. Transfer each to the plate and refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes. Heat the oil in a medium non-stick skillet (or cast iron) over medium heat. Place the disks into the hot oil and fry until golden, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a plate or rack lined with paper towels for draining.
3. Serve warm on a bed of spinach.

Other details:

• Serves 6 
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Side dish: The French Laundry's Parmesan-Reggiano Crisps with Goat Cheese Mousse

In the husband's quest to up his cooking game, he has tried some French cooking. We had gotten Thomas Keller's The French Laundry cookbook awhile back. These are a fantastic appetizer. 

Ingredients:

Parmesan Crisps
1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (from a moist piece of cheese)

Goat Cheese Mousse
6 ounces fresh goat cheese (or other soft goat cheese)
4 to 6 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon minced Italian parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper


A clean egg carton

Directions:

Parmesan Crisps

1. Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
2. Place a 2.5” ring mold in one corner of the Silpat and fill it with 1 tablespoon of the grated cheese. Using your finger, spread the cheese into an even layer. Repeat to make 8 rounds, leaving at least 1 inch between them.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the crisps are a rich golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for about 30 seconds to firm the crisps enough so you can remove them with a spatula. One by one, remove the crisps and gently press each one into a hollow in the egg carton to forma a tulip shape. After a few minutes, remove the cooled crisps from the carton and make 8 more crisps.

Goat Cheese Mousse

1. Place the goat cheese in a food processor and process (depending on the cheese used, it may look smooth or crumbly). Pour 1/4 cup of the cream through the feed tube and continue to process until the mixture is smooth but will hold a shape when piped; if necessary, add a little more cream. Add the parsley and salt and pepper to taste and mix just to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning. The mousse can be refrigerated for 2 to 3 days; let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes to soften slightly before piping.
2. Pace the mousse in a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip. Pipe 2 to 3 teaspoons of mousse into each Parmesan crisp and serve.

Other Details:

• Makes 16 crisps. 
• Nutrition per crisp.
• Here, these easy Parmesan crisps form small cups for a creamy goat cheese mousse. It's best to bake only half the crisps at a time, because they may harden while you're working with them.
• Note: we used parchment paper instead of a Silpat; and fingers instead of a spatula.
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