Bacon, Butternut Squash and Kale Pasta Bake

I found this absolutely delicious recipe in my Cooking Light magazine.  However, this is not exactly a "light" recipe.  It is also time intensive.  It was well worth it.  I have posted the link to the actual recipe, but I did make some changes when I made it, so I am going to post what I used.  I tried to make it slightly healthier in some ways, but then I added a little more bacon, which definitely didn't help with the fat and calorie content.  But, who cares when something tastes this good.  

Here is the Cooking Light recipe link:

Bacon and Butternut Pasta

Below is my adaptation of the recipe:

Biggest Butternut Squash EVER!

Finished product

Ingredients:

5 cups (1/2 inch) cubed peeled butternut squash - Must use organic.  It tastes so much better.
1 tablespoon olive oil
Cooking Spray
16 oz of wheat ziti pasta
4 cups chopped kale
4 slices bacon
2 cups vertically sliced onion
1 teaspoon salt, divided (I used even less then that)
5 garlic cloves, minced (I used probably 6 cloves or more.  I love garlic)
2 1/2 cups fat-free, lower sodium organic chicken broth
2 heaping tablespoons whole wheat flour
1 cup creme fraiche
1/3 cup shredded Gruyere cheese (I used a combination of shredded Swiss and Gruyere that I got at Trader Joe's)

Getting it ready:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.  Combine squash and oil in a large bowl; toss well.  Arrange squash in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper.  Bake at 400 for 30 minutes or until squash is tender.  (Took about 22 minutes for me.)

3.  Cook pasta in a LARGE pot for 8 minutes or until almost al dente.  Add Kale during the last 2 minutes of cooking.  (Watch the pot because once it starts boiling again it can really easily overflow).  Drain the pasta mixture.

4.  Cook bacon in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat until crisp.  Remove bacon from pain; chop up.  Pour out some of the drippings, so that only a thin layer is on the bottom of your pan.  Add the onions to the drippings.  Cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally.

5. Bring about 1 and 3/4 cups of the broth to a boil in a small saucepan.  Combine the remaining broth with the flour in a small bowl and whisk.  Add the flour mixture, a little salt and pepper to the broth.  Cook for about 2 minutes until slightly thickened.  Remove from the heat; stir in the creme fraiche.

6.  Combine the squash, pasta mixture, bacon, onions and sauce in a large bowl; toss gently.  Place pasta mixture in a 13x9 inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Sprinkle on the Gruyere cheese and bake at 400 for about 25 minutes or until bubbly and slightly browned.

Enjoy.  This was absolutely delicious.

Black Eyed Peas

Growing up we always had black eyed peas on New Years Day for good luck.  I have forgotten to make them the past few years.  This year I wanted to do a little spicy twist.  I knew that my kids wouldn't be a huge fan of eating black eyed peas right now, so I didn't worry about making them too hot.  

I took a bag of frozen organic black eyed peas and cooked them on the stove, just as the bag suggested.  

In a separate frying pan, I melted about a tablespoon of butter.  Added a few tablespoons of fresh minced garlic, half an onion chopped, a little salt and pepper and sauteed it for a few minutes.  Then I added chopped jalapeno peppers (about a tablespoon and a half, but you could add more or less depending on how hot and spicy you want it to be) and about a teaspoon of dried cilantro.  I sauteed that until the onions were clear and all the flavors had been cooking together, which was probably another three-five minutes.

I drained the black eyed peas, put them back in the pan and added the garlic, onion and jalapeno mixture.  I mixed it all up and then served it.  

This was a delicious side dish.  Throughout the week, I made spinach salads and added the black eyed peas to the salad.  It gave the salad an additional kick.

Sausage, Mushroom and Potato Gratin

I get Cooking Light magazine each month and I try to use at least one recipe from the magazine each month.  This recipe came out in the November issue.  

Here is the link:  Cooking Light, Turkey Sausage Mushroom and Potato Gratin

It was pretty good, but there just wasn't much to it.  If you want this to be a full meal then you need to add additional items.  

The recipe is pretty simple.  I decided to go to my local grocery store and they didn't have turkey sausage, so I just got regular sausage.

Instead of looking at the link here are the ingredients:

2 (4oz) hot turkey Italian sausage links, casings removed

1 tablespoon butter

3 cups chopped onions

4 oz sliced cremini mushrooms

1 1/2 pounds red potatoes, coarsely chopped

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 

1/2 cup chicken broth

3/4 cup shredded Swiss Cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

Heat oven to 400.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add sausage and saute for 5 minutes or until browned. Remove form pan, drain.  Wipe pan with paper towels.  Melts butter in pan.  Add onions and saute, add mushrooms and saute.  Add potatoes and salt and saute for 5 minutes or until potatoes are browned.  

Stir in sausage and broth.  Remove from heat, spoon into baking dish, top with cheese, cover and bake for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until golden.  

Finished product:

It tasted good, but I would liked to have added a lot more mushrooms, possibly cauliflower or additional other vegetables.  The meal was just lacking.  Next time I make this, I will either serve it as a side dish or add a lot more veggies to make it a more fulfilling meal.