White Truffle Mac and Cheese

Recipe adapted from:

http://www.thecurvycarrot.com/2012/01/26/white-truffle-macaroni-and-cheese/

Ingredients:

1 cup panko
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
3 tablespoons white truffle oil (or to taste)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons flour
4 cups half and half
12 ounces white cheddar cheese, shredded*
10 ounces Fontina cheese, shredded*
Salt and pepper, to taste
16 ounces cavatappi (or your personal favorite type of pasta)

*This is what I used, but use up to 16 oz of each cheese.



1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Generously spray a 3-quart casserole dish with cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the panko, Parmesan and 1 tablespoon white truffle oil, mixing until combined.

3. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. (If you are short on time, it might be helpful at this point to get your water boiling for the pasta).

4. Add the flour and whisk continuously until the mixture forms a thick paste, about a minute or so.

5. Slowly whisk in the half and half until smooth (some lumps may remain-that’s ok).

6. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let cook, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes.

7. Using a wooden spoon, slowly add the cheeses and stir until completely melted.

8. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp truffle oil and salt and pepper, to taste.

9. Meanwhile, cook the macaroni as directed on the package.  Once cooked, drain the pasta and add it to the cheese sauce.

10.  Evenly distribute the macaroni into the prepared casserole dish and top with the panko mixture.

11. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Uncover, and broil on low until bread crumbs are toasted to your liking. Watch it carefully so that it doesn't burn.

"Skinny" Spaghetti Squash Alfredo with Tomato and Vegetarian Chicken

Recipe adapted from:  http://www.thecomfortofcooking.com/2013/03/skinny-spaghetti-squash-alfredo.html

Ingredients:
1 medium-large spaghetti squash
3 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp butter (I used Earth Balance margarine)
1 1/2 cups milk (I used almond milk)
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp cream cheese
1 cup parmesan cheese (I used shredded)
few shakes red pepper flakes
few shakes italian seasoning
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 large tomato (or 2 small, or 4 little)
1 package Quorn chicken tenders (or other vegetarian chicken)

Directions:
Roast the squash:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut squash in half, and scrape out the seeds and gooey bits. Place sides face down in a baking pan with sides, filled with 1/2-1 inch of water. Roast for 30-45 minutes.

While the squash is roasting:
- Chop the tomatoes into bite sized pieces
- Cook the veg chicken in a frying pan until browned and cooked through
- Make the sauce:
---melt the butter in a saucepan, add garlic and cook for a few minutes.
---add the flour and wisk into a paste
---add the milk and wisk until combined well over medium heat
---once hot, add cream cheese and spices and wisk until combined well
---take off of heat and mix in parmesan cheese

Remove all of the flesh from the squash with a fork - it will be a spaghetti consistency.
In a square baking dish (8x8 or 9x9):
layer squash, some of the sauce and chicken and tomatoes. Then layer with the remaining squash, sauce, tomatoes and chicken. Stir until mixed well and spread evenly in the dish. Top with parmesan cheese, and place under the broiler (low) for up to 5 minutes - until cheese is melted and starts to brown.

Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

Recipe from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/george-stella/mock-garlic-mashed-potatoes-recipe/index.html

Shown here served with vegetarian honey mustard pretzel-crusted "chicken"

Ingredients:


1 medium head cauliflower
1 tablespoon cream cheese
1/4 cup grated (or shredded) Parmesan
1-2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon "better than buillion" veggie base
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh or dry chives
1-2 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine (optional)

Directions:



Set a stockpot of water to boil over high heat.

Clean and cut cauliflower into small pieces. Cook in boiling water for about 6 minutes, or until well done. Drain well; do not let cool and pat cooked cauliflower very dry between several layers of paper towels.

In a bowl with an immersion blender, or in a food processor, puree the hot cauliflower with the cream cheese, Parmesan, garlic, buillion, and pepper until smooth. Mix in the chives and earth balance.

Vegetarian (Gardein) Chicken Parm

Recipe from: http://www.gardein.com/recipe_detail.php?r=79

Ingredients:
1 package Gardein Chikn Scallopini (In this recipe you bread/fry it yourself. You can also skip this by getting the Gardein cutlets which are already breaded and come with sauce. But doing it yourself is better)


white all purpose flour
1 whole egg
bread crumbs

2 cups tomato sauce of your choice
~1 cup canola oil for frying
7oz | 200g dried spaghetti noodle of your choice
2oz | 50g olive oil
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese
to taste: salt, black pepper

Directions:

for the spaghetti, bring to the boil heavily salted water. (follow cooking instructions on the box).

In a large flat bottom bowl (large enough to fit the scallopini) whisk the egg until smooth.
Dust the scallopini in flour, shake off excess flour and roll in whisked egg. gently roll in the bread crumbs and fully coat the scallopini.

Add canola oil (at least 1/4" of oil) and preheat pan to a medium heat. pan fry the scallopini for about 90 secs each side until golden brown.once golden, spoon enough sauce to cover the scallopini and top with the mozzarella and parmesan. keep the rest of the cheeses for the pasta. bake at 375°C until cheese is melted and lightly golden (about 5-10 mins).

once the spaghetti is cooked and drained, return to heat and add sauce, olive oil, salt and pepper.neatly arrange the noodles in the center of both plates, sprinkle with the remaining parmesan. top with the gardein™ chick´n parmesan and garnish with a sprig of herb.

tip: do not rinse pasta under cold water, this rises off the starch and lowers the quality of the dish.

Fettuccine Pesto Alfredo

from: http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/175049/creamy-pesto-fettucine-alfredo

Shown here served with vegetarian chicken (Quorn gruyere cutlet)

Ingredients:
1 package (1 lb) fettuccine (I used whole wheat)
1/2 cup pesto (store bought, or home made recipe here)
2 cups heavy cream
3 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 small heads broccoli (optional - or any type of vegetable you want to add)
salt and pepper to taste
italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, minced garlic to taste (optional)

Directions:
Bring water to a boil and begin cooking pasta according to package directions. Cook until just UNDER al dente.
Cut broccoli into bit-sized florets. Steam for 8 minutes and set aside.
While pasta and broccoli are cooking, make the sauce. Pour the heavy cream and veggie broth into a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until slightly reduced. Stir in pesto and parmesan and simmer until combined and cheese is melted. Add salt and pepper to taste, plus any other spices you wish (I added some italian seasoning and some garlic and onion powder, and a little bit of minced garlic).
Once sauce is to your liking, put drained pasta and sauce in the same pan. Cook pasta in the sauce for about 10 minutes or until sauce thickens - the starch in the pasta will thicken the sauce. Then, add the broccoli (or any other steamed veggies you are using) and stir well until combined. Serve with some parmesan cheese on top if you wish. We ate it with some vegetarian Quorn gruyere cutlets with some pesto on top.

Vegetarian Chicken Broccoli Tortellini with Pesto Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

1 12oz bag of tortellini (or a box/bag of any other kind of pasta)
2 small heads of broccoli (plus any other veggies you want)
2 Quorn Naked Chik'n cutlets
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup basil pesto
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
(optional) spices - such as salt, pepper, garlic powder, italian seasonings... (you definitely want to add these if you aren't using tortellini because the sauce can be bland)

Directions:

Cut up veggies and place in a frying pan with some olive oil. Add some salt, pepper, garlic powder and italian seasoning and  cook until desired doneness is reached. While veggies are cooking, bring water to a boil for the tortellini. Cook according to package directions (10-11 minutes) then drain. While tortellini is boiling, combine pesto and heavy cream in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer for about 5-10 minutes then add parmesan cheese and spices to taste. Stir to combine and turn off heat. Microwave 2 Quorn cutlets for 3-4 minutes and cut into small cubes.
Put pasta back in its pan and add Chik'n and veggies. Pour sauce over the mixture and then mix until it's coated. Serve with garlic bread.

Serves 4.

Basil Pesto

from http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/fresh_basil_pesto/

INGREDIENTS
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts (or walnuts - I haven't tried this)
3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced (I use jarred garlic, as I find the raw garlic to be too harsh)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Note : for the cheese I used an Italian blend of Parmesan, Romano and Asiago, along with pine nuts.

METHOD

1 Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.

2 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Serve with pasta, or over baked potatoes, or spread over toasted baguette slices.

Yield: Makes 1 cup.