Food For Life: Mac and Cheese with a twist

Macaroni and cheese is a classic meal great for kids but what about for the adults? Why not try a more "sophisticated" mac and cheese with roasted chicken, goat cheese and rosemary for a rustic yet class recipe. And if you are vegetarian, forget the chicken.. it'll taste just as amazing!

YIELD: 8 servings

PREP TIME: 15 minutes

COOK TIME: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 pound dried rigatoni

1 quart heavy cream

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

1 clove fresh garlic, crushed

8 ounces goat cheese

2 cups shredded roasted chicken

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a rapid boil. Add the oil and rigatoni to the water and cook accordingly to the directions on the package, 10-12 minutes.

2. While you are waiting for the water to boil, pour the cream into a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the rosemary and garlic to the cream and bring it to a simmer - take care not to let it boil over. Allow the cream to reduce by about half.

3. Stir in the goat cheese and chicken and continue cooking cooking it till the cream coats the back of a spoon.

4. Thoroughly drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the sauce. Coat the pasta in the sauce and simmer over low heat for a few minutes. Serve hot.

-My Baking Addiction adapted from Live to Cook

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Happy Thanksgiving: French Silk Pie

We all love pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. Not only is it tradition, but its delicious; warm or cold, with whipped cream or without. This Thanksgiving why not introduce another kind of pie? (along with the pumpkin, of course) French Silk Pie is delicious yet light because of it's airy and silky inside. 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted

3 large eggs, room temperature

Whipped cream, topping

Chocolate curls, garnish

Yields 1 9-inch pie

Directions:

On a lightly floured surface, roll out pie crust dough into a 14-inch round. Wrap dough lightly around rolling pin and transfer to a 9-inch pie pan. Gently press dough into the bottom and sides of the pan. Trim the dough to allow a 1-inch overhang. Pinch dough between thumb and forefinger to make an edge around the rim. Refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (218 degrees C).

Using a fork, prick a couple dozen holes into the bottom of the crust to prevent the dough from rising. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until crust is lightly browned. Allow to cool completely before filling.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat together the room temperature butter and sugar until smooth and light in color, about 5-6 minutes. Mix in the vanilla extract and melted chocolate. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating for 5 minutes between additions to add height to the chocolate filling.

Spread the chocolate filling into the cooled pie crust and chill for at least 2-3 hours before serving to set the filling and develop the flavor.

Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of chocolate curls.

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Food for Life: Fall Stew

The weather is starting to take a turn for the majority of the world into Fall and Winter and with cold weather comes warm meals. What better meal to make on a chilly evening than beef stew. We found this recipe for Roasted Poblano Beef Stew while browsing on Pinterest and we're pretty excited to try it! (Well, once the weather gets a bit colder in Palm Beach) While the stew takes some time and effort, every bite is worth it. Buy a crusty french baguette to go with and you'll have the perfect dinner. And if you are a vegatarian, try making it without the meat and just all the vegatables, just as good!

Recipe and directions: My Baking Addiction 

what you need:

5 poblano peppers
1 boneless beef chuck roast (2.5 to 3 pounds), cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
32 ounces beef broth
1 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes
1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

DIRECTIONS:

1. Broil poblano peppers 4 inches from the heat until skins blister, about 5 minutes. With tongs, rotate peppers a quarter turn. Broil and rotate until all sides are blistered and blackened. Immediately place Poblano peppers in a medium bowl; cover with bowl with plastic wrap and let stand for 20 minutes.

2. Peel off and discard charred skins. Remove the stems and seeds and coarsely chop the peppers.

3. In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat, brown beef in batches. Remove beef and keep warm. Reduce heat to medium, in the same pan, saute the onion until tender. Add in the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

4. Pour in broth; stir in the tomatoes, cilantro, Worcestershire Sauce, chili powder, salt, cumin, red pepper flakes, pepper, Poblanos and beef.

5. Bring the stew to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 1-1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Add potatoes; cook 20-30 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender. Skim fat.

NOTES:

- Instead of canned tomatoes, you can substitute 2 medium fresh tomatoes. Just chop them up and toss them into the pot

- This stew is a little on the soupy side, but you could definitely thicken it up with a little corn starch and cold water. We chose to eat it as is.

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Food For Life

We have found another wonderful blog FULL of vegetarian/vegan recipe ideas, that we have to share with you! Sadly, Vegan Yum Yum hasn't been added to in quite some time, but there are pages and pages of warm vegan comfort foods that will keep even the most devout meat eater happy. And there is a cookbook, so you can have these great recipes at your fingertips all the time! Here are a couple of recipes we will be trying out this week.

Hurry Up Alfredo:

You can never go wrong with things that are made in a blender, right? Right. This savory pasta sauce is the first on our list to try out. 

What you will need:

1 cup soy milk

1/3 cup raw unsalted cashews

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

3 tbs low sodium tamari or soy sauce

2 tbsp earth balance margarine

1 tbs Tahini

1 tbs fresh lemon juice

2tsp dijon mustard

1/2 tsp paprika

1 pinch of nutmeg

2-4 garlic cloves

black pepper to taste

Add all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour over cooked pasta and cook over medium heat until heated through. Add in any of your favorite veggies as well! The sauce is also very versatile, and can be used over veggies, over lasagna, or to use in casseroles. 

Sun-dried Tomato and Basil Couscous with Aceto Balsamico

Second on the list is another simple recipe that would be perfect for a quick lunch or mid-day snack

What you will need:

3tsp olive oil

1/4 cup of salt

1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil

10-12 oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

1 cup couscous

1 cup boiling water

1/4 cup of toasted pine nuts

Aceto Balsmico di Modena (or any high quality balsamic glaze)

Boil 1/12 cups if water. In a bowl mix the olive oil, salt, basil, tomatoes, and couscous. Measure out 1 cup of boiling water and add to couscous mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 5 minutes. While you wait for the couscous, toast the pine nuts, but make sure not to burn them! Lightly fluf the couscous with a fork, add in pine nuts and drizzle with balsamic glaze. This dish is fantastic warm, or at room temperature. 

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