Tag Archives: savory

Spicy Peanut Sauce

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Lately, I’ve been making a lot of brown rice and mixed (frozen) vegetables because it’s a quick dinner. I got tired of just adding Bragg’s so I made a quick spicy peanut sauce. You don’t really need that much on a couple servings of rice and veg, so you can adjust and make more for noodles or whatever else. You can also thin it out more, which is what I did. I think it’d be a nice veggie dip alternative to say, plant-based (or regular) Ranch dressing.

Ingredients

  • 1/4C natural peanut butter
  • 1/2C boiling water
  • 1 tsp agave
  • 2-3 tsp of hot sauce (or more!)
  • dash of crushed red pepper flakes
  • dash of Bragg’s (or soy or Tamari sauce)

Put peanut butter and condiments in a small bowl, then slowly add boiling water. I whip it up with a fork rather than a spoon. Get it to the consistency you desire and adjust the spice level. Drizzle over rice and vegetables. A little goes a long way!

My Baked Macaroni and Cheese

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I think one weakness of mine is my mom’s baked macaroni and cheese…all gooey with a crispy breadcrumb topping, sprinkled with some paprkia. Yum. When I was a kid, however, I didn’t give it enough respect because I liked that florescent orange stuff from a box (Sorry, Mom). It took a few years for me to appreciate my mom’s version, and well, nothing comes close to it. The version of my own below is a pretty good substitute because she and my dad live a few hours away in another state and they’re not here right now. I think the next time I go home I will request that she make macaroni and cheese. See, mom? It’s a win-win. We get to see each other AND enjoy a nice dinner!

  • 1 lb. of gemeli or small shells (or, macaroni/small-sized pasta), cooked
  • 2 C. cheddar cheese, shredded (I used low-fat white Cheddar and NY State Sharp Cheddar)
  • 1/2 C. grated pecorino-romano
  • 1 3/4 C. milk at room temperature (not cold)
  • 1/4 C. half and half
  • 5 TB unsalted butter
  • 5 TB flour
  • 1-2 tsp ground mustard
  • 1-2 tsp smoked paprika (or, hot if you like)
  • dash of onion powder (or, garlic if you prefer it)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 – 1/2 C Panko bread crumbs for topping, toasted

Coat a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cook your pasta, drain, put in a large bowl and set aside.
Make the roux: In a medium-sized saucepan over low to medium heat, melt the butter, then add the (carefully measured) flour. Whisk this until it’s smooth and there are no lumps of flour.

Make the cheese sauce: Slowly add the milk to the roux, whisking all the while. (You don’t want cold-from the fridge milk because I think it’s too much of a shock for the roux.) Continue to whisk for a couple minutes or, until the mixture starts to get thicker. (Don’t let it go until it gets to a paste consistency!). Add the cheeses and keep whisking until the cheese is melted and you have a nice and creamy sauce. Add the spices and mix well. UPDATE 2.16.16: I realized that sautéing the breadcrumbs in a few tablespoons of butter first and then sprinkling them on top of the pasta and cheese worked out better (that way the mac and cheese isn’t in the oven too long and won’t dry out b/c you’re waiting for the crumbs to brown on top.

Pour cheese sauce over cooked pasta and stir until the pasta is thoroughly coated. Put pasta in the baking dish and sprinkle the breadcrumbs and a little bit extra grated pecorino Romano cheese. Bake, uncovered at 400 degrees until it’s bubbly and crispy–about 15-20 minutes. Now you have dinner for the week, or, you can invite a few friends over for dinner. Enjoy!

Before baking.

Before baking.

Mmmm, fresh from the oven. Dinner's on!

Mmmm, fresh from the oven. Dinner’s on!

Some other variations: I think this would be really good with some dried jalapenos added to the cheese sauce, or, add some crushed red pepper for a kick. If you wanted to be more healthy, you could probably add some steamed broccoli florets or some steamed kale or spinach.

Pesto, Numerous Ways

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It’s been scorchingly hot these past few days in NYC. I’m not a hot weather sort of girl and I seriously don’t want to make my apartment hotter by using the oven when the A/C is running. Even though, I have been itching to bake. Ah, hopefully it will cool down in the next few days. But, I digress.

What’s more simple and yet kind of fancy at the same time than freshly made pesto? I try to not buy the store bought stuff, even though it can be a time saver in a pinch because, for me, nothing beats fresh pesto. Plus, you can freeze single use portions in an ice cube tray and use throughout the year. There are so many greens out there now at farmer’s markets, so let’s use them! Rather than make tradional pesto with basil I like to use different greens like arugula, spinach, or kale. I don’t really have a written down recipe, so what’s below is an estimate that you can tweak to your liking. I usually add some toasted almonds or walnuts too which brings an additional flavor element to the pesto. Use on pasta, grains like barley or farro, potatoes, homemade pizza, or steamed veggies.

I use spinach in this recipe, but this recipe is highly adaptable. Use whatever greens you have on hand.

  • 1 bunch (or 2, if small) of spinach, cleaned, patted dry
  • Handful of toasted almonds
  • 1/4 – 1/3 C. extra virgin olive oil (or more if necessary)
  • 1 clove of garlic, chopped.
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in food processor until well blended. I omitted the cheese above, but do sometimes add a bit of good quality pecorino. I also add red pepper flakes to give it a bit of a kick. I used this pesto on pasta, but also tried it on farro which was equally delicious. To me, pesto is summer…eaten hot or cold. Enjoy!