Four-Cheese Baked Penne with Romaine Heart Salad and Braised Brussell Sprouts

Ok, so it's holiday season and there is food EVERYWHERE. Beginning with thanksgiving and rolling right through the new year, there is delicious, fatty food to eat to your heart's content. I've been actively trying to prevent gaining the normal 10-15 pounds I normally pack on during the holiday season, by going to kickboxing religiously and by cooking slightly more healthy meals.

I found the above recipe in my Self magazine (they actually have recipe ideas that don't taste like cardboard). I added the brussel sprouts cuz I love 'em, but I'm a veggie freak, so you can add whatever side you would like. This isn't a mind boggling decadent meal, but it tastes pretty darn good for being "low-fat". And because it makes 8 servings, you can make this for the work week or for people coming over.

Every month I get a Self magazine. I read it, pretend I'm going to try out the exercises, cut all the recipes out and stick 'em on the fridge. How many recipes do I actually try? Not very many, but every time I look at them I feel guilty for not making them and paying for a magazine that I don't use. So here is attempt #1. Baby steps people.

Four-Cheese Baked Penne
from SELF magazine: http://www.self.com/fooddiet/recipes/2009/11/four-cheese-baked-penne

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups small-curd lowfat cottage cheese
1 1/4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella, divided
1 cup part-skim ricotta
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 pound whole-wheat penne
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can (15 oz) crushed tomatoes
1 can (8 oz) no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil cooking spray
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine cottage cheese, 1/2 c mozzarella, ricotta and parsley in a bowl.

Mmmm. Cheese.

Cook pasta until tender, but firm; drain. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring, 30 seconds more. Add tomatoes, sauce, oregano, rosemary, salt, pepper flakes, and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat; simmer until sauce thickens slightly (about 10 minutes). Add pasta; turn off heat. Stir in cheese-parsley mixture.


Coat 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray; transfer pasta mixture to dish. Top with remaining 3/4 c mozzarella and parmesan. Bake until heated through and cheese melts, 30 minutes.

Serve next to some halved and braised brussel sprouts and a romaine heart salad with kalamata olives, red onions and a dressing of your choice.
Ta dah! Easy as pie. Which actually isn't that easy to make. I know. I've managed to fuck up some pies in my time. Enjoy!

Arugala Pasta...an ugly name for yummy goodness

Arugala Pasta. I don't know what else to call this recipe, it came from a friend's mother who is very learned in the ways of everything italian. I know it does not sound appetizing in the least, but hey, there are pretty girls named Ruth, right? Oooh, bad joke, but you get the idea.

This is one of my favorite go-to quick and tasty meals for when friends are coming over. You can prep all the ingredients while the pasta is cooking (an outlet for my obsession with being annoyingly efficient). Add bread, a salad, and a giant bottle of wine...presto! Ladies night on the cheap!

If you don't like the peppery taste of Arugala, then this is not the dish for you. My friend Anja pretty much hates this stuff, even if it's just a little bit in a salad. Oddly enough, it's called "rocket" in England, which we both found out while ordering pizzas at the airport in London. We were starving and Anja excitedly ordered a pizza piled high with rocket, the trendy leafy green that the waitress insisted was all the rage at the moment (odd that a salad green can be "all the rage", but whatever). It was only after our much anticpated pizzas arrived that she realized her mistake and we promptly had to swap pizzas, since we were too embarrassed to admit how very American we were. Oh England.

Some tips: I like to go heavy on the salt and pepper and I also make sure to put a bowl of grated parmesan at the table to sprinkle on top when served. Mmmmmmmm....get ready for delicious nutty, lemony, cheesy goodness.

Arugala Pasta

1 lb pasta (shapes with lots of crevices work better)
1/4 c toasted pine nuts
3 to 4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsn olive oil
juice of one lemon
1 bag or box of baby arulaga (approx 5 oz), roughly chopped
1 c grated parmesan
salt and pepper to taste

1. While the pasta is till cooking, place the olive oil in a large pan. Add the chopped garlic and cook for 30 seconds or so.

2. When the pasta is done, strain and add to the large pan, turning over to coat with oil. Add more if it looks dry.

3. Turn the heat to low and add the lemon juice, pine nuts and chopped arugala turning the pasta over slowly to cook the arugala just slightly.

4. Turn heat off and add parmesan, mixing in to melt. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Quinoa you little devil you!

I have recently fell in love with the wonderful little psuedocereal quinoa. It's cheap (you can buy it in the bulk section at the natural food store, or if you live in Humboldt, the store) and you can cook it almost anyway you like! My new favorite time saving trick is to make a pot of it on Sunday night, then in the mornings all I have to do is fry an egg and throw it on top of some re-heated quinoa.Voila! Breakfast to go in under 2 minutes!

My favorite pairing with egg is a recipe using black beans and cilantro that I found while wandering around on epicurious.com. It reminds me of breakfasts of fried eggs over rice and beans I had each morning while staying with my friend's family in Costa Rica. Sigh. It brings back good memories :) This recipe calls for cotija cheese, but I prefer it's cousin, queso fresco, instead. I also use this recipe in wraps, as a base for cooked fish, mixed with baby spinach for a hearty salad...the list goes on...try it and see what you can add!

QUINOA WITH BLACK BEANS AND CILATNRO from, www.epicurious.com

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups chopped white onions
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup quinoa
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
11/2 cups water
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed, drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
Crumbled Cotija cheese or feta cheese (optional)

1. Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and red pepper; sauté until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.

2. Stir in next 4 ingredients. Add water; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until quinoa is almost tender, about 14 minutes.

3. Add beans and 1/4 cup cilantro; cook uncovered until heated through and liquid is fully absorbed, about 3 minutes.

4. Transfer to bowl; sprinkle with 1/4 cup cilantro and cheese, if desired.