Cincinnati Chili

This recipe is essentially chile over spaghetti.  After seeing this recipe a couple of times online I decided to some research and make a vegetarian version.  I was interested to learn that this recipe often included cinnamon and allspice, and it can be served in a variety of ways.  With cheese, without cheese, with this without that.  I decided to keep the cinnamon and add some chipotle pepper to the recipe.  I just can't get enough of the smokey heat that stuff adds to recipes.....yum, yum, yum.

The Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil

1/2 a yellow onion, diced

3 cups water

1/2 cup taco sauce

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon chipotle powder

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2-14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1-15 ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

4 ounces uncooked spaghetti, broken into thirds

Optional Toppings

sour cream

shredded cheddar cheese

sliced jalapeno peppers

The Tools

 large stock pot

The Cooking

Warm the oil in a large stock pan over medium heat.  Add the onion and saute until the onions are slightly softened.  

To the sauteed onions, add the water, taco sauce, chili powder, chipotle powder, cinnamon, diced tomatoes, and pinto beans.  Stir to combine.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat until the chili comes to a simmer and allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes or until all the flavors are well combined.

Add the broken spaghetti to the chill and continue cooking at a simmer until the spaghetti is cooked, about 8-10 minutes.  

Garnish as desired and serve warm

Serving Size is 3/4 cup 

Calories: 181 

Fat Grams: 3

Fiber Grams: 9

Sodium: 705

Nutritional Information does not include the toppings

Spaghetti with Pear and Walnut Sauce

Blue cheese, and walnuts....nom, nom, nom!  

This recipe is quick, easy and nearly obscene in its deliciousness.  But I guess most things which are quick and easy are usually deliciously obscene.  I used blue cheese for this recipe, but you can use any pungent cheese, such as Roquefort, Gorgonzola or Stilton.  Also, any ripe pears, save for Asian pears, will work nicely.  The absolute crux of this dish has to be poaching the pears in the wine/water mixture.  The recipe called for the use of vegetable broth, but I wanted a clean wine taste, so I skipped the broth and went with water.  The wine and the resulted poaching sauce are amazing. 

The Ingredients

8 ounces spaghetti

2 medium sized ripe pears, peeled, cored and sliced

2/3 cups water

6 tablespoons white wine

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 red onion, sliced thinly

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cups walnuts, chopped

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3/4 cups blue cheese

The Tools

 stock pot

2 large saucepans

slotted spoon

The Cooking

 

 Cook the pasta in boiling water for 8-10 minutes on until al dente. 

Place the wine and water into a medium sized saucepan and bring to a very low gentle boil

Add the pears and lower the heat to a simmer.  Cover and allow the fruit to cook until tender, but it still retains some firmness.  

Warm the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Add the onions and saute for about 3 minutes.  

Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds

Add the walnuts

And the lemon juice

Continue stirring as the flavors incorporate.  

Using a slotted spoon transfer the pears to the walnut mixture.  

Add about 6 tablespoons of the poaching liquid as well.  

Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheese.  

Gently stir the cheese into the sauce until well incorporated and warmed through.

Serve over the spaghetti and enjoy

Recipe Source:  What's Cooking Vegetarian

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Mushroom Pasta with wilted Arugula, Goat Cheese, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

This recipe is from The Essential New York Times Cookbook, which the November 2001 issue of Cooking Light listed as one of the Top 9 General Cookbooks for the last 25 years. This recipe called for cremini mushrooms, but the Veggie dad (who does the bulk of our shopping) was unable to find them in our store so we substituted with baby bella mushrooms.  I also decreased the amount of oil in the recipe and increased the amount of pasta water.  This recipe has you saute the mushrooms on high heat.  Every fiber of my being said: NO, but I did it and it worked out well.  According to the notes for the recipes cooking the mushrooms on high heat prevents the mushrooms from stewing and later making the pasta sauce soggy. Just keep moving them in the pan so that they don't burn. 

1 pound spaghetti

1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 pounds baby bella or cremini mushrooms

freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons minced garlic

3 cups tightly packed baby arugula, washed

3/4 pound soft goat cheese, at room temperature

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the spaghetti and cook until al dente; about 10 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, warm 1 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over high heat.Add half the mushrooms, season with pepper and cook, stirring often for about 3 minutes.  Add half of the garlic and cook until fragrant, and the mushrooms have softened, an additional 2 minutes.  Transfer the mushrooms and garlic to bowl and keep them warm.  Repeat the process with the remaining mushrooms, garlic and another 1 tablespoon of oil. 
3. When the spaghetti is cooked, reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain the pasta.  Return the pasta to the pot and add the sauteed mushrooms, arugula, goat cheese, 1/4 cup olive oil, and enough pasta water to achieve the desired consistency with the sauce.  Toss the pasta gently until the cheese is melted and the arugula is wilted.  Serve warm and enjoy.

White Lasagna with Mushrooms

Several years ago (over a decade) my boyfriend (now husband) came home for a visit to his mother's raving about a white mushroom lasagna that his mother had gotten from Balducci's.  Based on his often repeated description of the dish, I attempted to make a White Lasagna with Mushrooms recently. 

It is not often that I use two pictures in one post, but this turned out so beautifully that I have to include a long shot and a close up.  I made this recipe as I would my regular Mushroom Lasagna but I made a vegetable broth based cream sauce to replace the red sauce and I did not mix the mushrooms in with the ricotta cheese mixture.  I used garlic powder to add some flavor sauce instead of minced garlic because I did not want the sauce to be lumpy at all. I have no idea if I even got close to the original dish that my husband has raved about all these years, but it was delicious anyway. 

9 lasagna noodles, cooked la dente
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 3/4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup heavy cream
15 ounces ricotta cheese
2 eggs
2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 sea salt
olive oil
2 pounds slice brown and white mushrooms
salt to taste
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cook the lasagna noodles as per package instructions, but do not over cook the noodles. 
2. In a saucepan, melt the unsalted butter, sprinkle the flour and garlic powder over the top of the butter and mix with a whisk until a paste or roux is formed.  To the roux, slowly add in the vegetable broth a little at a time while stirring with a whisk to ensure that no lumps are formed.  Add the cream a little at a time, again stirring with a whisk to avoid lumps. Set the sauce aside. 
3. In a medium sized bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, eggs, 1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, oregano, basil and salt. 
4. In a large skillet warm 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and saute the mushrooms in batches until they are browned and have released all water.  As to do each batch you made need to add another 1/2 tablespoon of oil to the pan.  Salt the mushrooms to taste.
5. Place a layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 in baking dish.  Top this with 3 noodles, 1/3 of the ricotta cheese, 1/3 of the sauteed mushrooms.  Repeat the layers ending with a layer of sauce.  Top with the remaining shredded mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan cheese

Fresh Mushroom Fettuccine

This is a quick and easy pasta dish which is perfect of the summer time.  You can use white or brown mushrooms for this recipe, but don't use anything with two fibrous of a stem.

8 ounces uncooked fettuccine
1/2 pound sliced mushrooms
1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground sea salt
1 clove of garlic, minced

1. Cook and drain the fettuccine as directed on the package, return to pot.
2. Add the remaining ingredients, toss until fettuccine is coated with oil and serve.

Sweet and Sour Pasta Salad with Cashews

What can I say, the fan in our kitchen is broken and even though we have thus far had a mild summer I am simply not going to crank up the oven any time soon.  So, it has been a salad kind of a summer.  This is a pasta salad which is absolutely delicious. 

3 ounces angel hair pasta, uncooked and broken in half
4 cups shredded green cabbage
1 cup sliced white mushrooms
1 8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained
3/4 cup sweet and sour sauce
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup salted cashews

1. Cook and drain the pasta as directed on package.  Immediately rinse the pasta with cold water and drain again.
2. Place the pasta, cabbage, mushrooms, and water chestnuts in a large bowl. 
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the sweet and sour sauce and the yogurt until well combined.  Pour the yogurt mixture over the pasta mixture and toss until well combined.  Sprinkle withe cashews. 

Spinach Pasta Salad

This is the perfect recipe for a warm evening.  While you have to cook the pasta, you don't have to stand over it. 

3 cups uncooked bowtie pasta
1 can diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup light balsamic vinegarette salad dressing
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cups baby spinach
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 (14-ounce) can artichokes, rinsed, drained and quartered

1. Cook and drain the pasta according to package directions.  Rinse with cold water and drain again.
2. While the pasta is cooking, place the tomatoes, salad dressing,  and pepper in a small bowl.  Whisk to combine. 
3. Toss the pasta, salad dressing mixture and the remaining ingredients until well combined. 
4. Serve cold

Vegan Ragu Sauce

This recipe is basically my Vegetarian Bolognese sauce without the milk.  This meat free version uses both brown mushrooms and soy crumbles to replace the meat one would normally find in a ragu.  Please note that not all soy crumbles are marked at vegan so in order for yours to be truely vegan you need to purchase a vegan product or leave it out all together and double the amount of mushrooms.

1 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lbs brown mushrooms, grated in the food processor
1 package soy crumbles
1-14 oz cans tomato sauce
1-14 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large stock pot on medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and cook until the moisture is released. Add the soy crumbles and cook until browned. Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, oregano, basil, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce to a low simmer and cook slowly for 1 hour.
2. Serve warm over spaghetti.

Pasta with Mashed Broccoli

This recipe is from one found in Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.  In the original recipe you may use Broccoli Rabe, Broccoli or Cauliflower in this recipe.  I opted for broccoli proper.  I also use two different types of pasta as that is what I had on hand.  This recipe was a complete hit with the family.  My oldest who is quite possibly the pickiest eater EVER, loved this pasta.  He even had two helpings. 

1 pound broccoli, cleaned and cut in small chunks
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound tube shaped pasta

1. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large stock pot and add the broccoli.  Boil for 5-10 minutes until very tender. 
2. While the broccoli cooks, warm the oil in a large skillet and cook the garlic over a low heat.  Using a slotted spoon remove the broccoli from the stock pot and add it to the skillet.  Do not remove the stock pot of boiling water from the stove.  Instead use that boiling water to cook your pasta.  Cook pasta for 9 minutes. 
3. While the pasta cooks and keeping the skillet over a low heat, mash the broccoli until well incorporated with the garlic and oil.  Add some of the pasta/broccoli water as need to ensure the sauce is not too thick
4. When done, add the pasta to the broccoli sauce.  You may not need the entire pound of pasta.  Mix what you do need with the sauce until the pasta is completely covered with sauce.
5. Serve warm and enjoy

Smokey Stove top Macaroni and Cheese

Those smokey cheese garlic biscuits put me a in smokey cheese kind of mood, so I made a stove top macaroni and cheese using the same smokey cheese blend.  I used a blend that I purchased at Trader Joe's because I am lazy, but you can purchase any smoked cheese for this recipe. 

8 ounces macaroni

1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk

2 dashes liquid smoke

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

12 ounces Trader Joe's shredded smokey cheese blend

1. Prepare the macaroni according to package instructions and set aside
2. Meanwhile, mix together half the evaporate milk, liquid smoke, salt and pepper. 
3. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.  Set the pot over low heat, and stir in the butter until melted. 
4. Stir in the liquid smoke/evaporated milk mixture and half the cheese.  Continue to cook over low heat, gradually stirring in the remaining evaporated mix and cheese, until the mixture is hot and creamy. 



Baked Sesame Noodles with Tempah and Veggies

This recipe is based on a chicken based recipe from Cooking Light.  I replaced the chicken with 6 ounces of tempah.  Of course I removed any vegetables that my husband and I dislike and cut back on the butter. 

8 ounces spaghetti

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

8 ounces broccoli florets

8 ounces shiitake mushrooms caps, sliced

6 ounces tempah, cut into bite sized chunks

1 teaspoon minced ginger

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

1 cup vegetable broth

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons cream sherry

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

2 cups thinly sliced bok choy

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly grease a 2 quart baking dish and set aside
2. Cook the pasta according to package instructions.  Drain well and set aside
3. While the pasta cooks, heat the oil in a large saucepan.  Add the mushrooms and broccoli and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the tempah, ginger and garlic, saute 3 more minutes.  Stir in the soy sauce; and cook for  2 minutes stirring frequently. 
4. Combine the broth and cornstarch with a whisk in a small bowl.  Add the broth mixture to the saucepan, and cook 2 minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken.  Remove from the heat, stir in the sherry, vinegar, crushed pepper, bok choy and pasta.  Spoon the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish. 
5. In a small bowl combine the bread crumbs and sesame seeds.  Sprinkle this mixture over the top of the pasta and bake for 20 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are a nice toasty brown. 

Serves 6, 1-cup servings.  Calories 358, Fat 9 grams, and Fiber 6 grams

Broccoli and Ricotta Cannelloni

This recipe is from the Cook's Encyclopedia of Vegetarian Cooking.  I made some major changes to the sauce, which appeared on the blog last week. 

For the sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 (14-ounce) cans diced tomatoes (salt free)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (4-ounce) can sliced black olives
8 large pimento stuff green olives, sliced
2 tablespoons capers

For the filling:
4 cups broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups fresh dried bread crumbs
1 cup ricotta cheese
pinch of nutmeg
4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Other:
12 dried cannelloni tubes
2 tablespoons pine nuts

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease an oven proof 9x13 inch dish
2. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, and add the pasta.  Cook, stirring occasionally for 6-7 minutes. 
3. Meanwhile steam the broccoli for 10 minutes or until tender.  Drain the pasta, rinse it in cold water and set aside. Drain the broccoli and let it cool, then place it in a food processor and process until smooth. 
4. Combine the pureed broccoli, ricotta cheese, bread crumbs, nutmeg and Parmesan cheese in  large bowl.  Season to taste with salt and pepper, then set aside
5. For the sauce, heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion and garlic.  Cook for 5 minutes or until the onions are softened, then stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, olives and capers.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. 
6. Spoon the cheese mixture into a large ziploc bag, and cut off the tip of the bag so that you can use it to pipe the cheese mixture into your cannelloni. 
7. Place the cheese filled cannelloni into the prepared dish, top it with the sauce and the pine nuts. 
8. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. 

Serves 6 (two tubes each):  Calories 381, 13 grams of fat, and 9 grams of fiber

Lighter Penne Ala Vodka

Several of my recipes are featured on today's Family Bites sponsored by Hidden Valley on Foodbuzz. Click here to go check it out.

I love Vodka Sauce, but I wanted to make a lighter version, this was the result. When I saw how both my children wolfed this pasta down, I quickly decided to start putting vodka in everything.

1 recipe of my Marinara Sauce or 3 cups of you favorite marinara sauce
2 ounces vodka
1/4 cups fat free half and half
1 pound of penne pasta, cooked al dente(reserve a cup of the pasta water)

1. Bring the marinara sauce to a easy boil and add the vodka. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Add the half and half and stir until completely blended.
3. Toss with the sauce with the pasta, using the reserved water as needed to achieve the desired consistency.
4. Serve immediately and top with grate parmesan cheese if desired.

The calories are for the sauce only as you may desire to serve this sauce with another type of pasta.
1/2 cup of sauce 81 calories, 2 grams of fat, and 2 grams of fiber

Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese

This recipe is from the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook and like all the recipe from America's Test Kitchen it was a home run. The original recipe does not call for fat free evaporated milk, but that is what I had on hand and the recipe turned out just fine.

8 ounces macaroni
2 large eggs
1 (12-ounce) can fat free evaporated milk
1 teaspoon dry mustard (dissolved in 1 teaspoon water)
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
12 ounces low fat shredded cheddar cheese

1. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, add the macaroni and cook for 9 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, mix together the eggs, half the evaporated milk, the mustard mixture, the Tabasco, salt, and pepper.
3. Drain the pasta, and return to the pot. Set the pot over low heat and stir in the egg mixture and half the cheddar cheese. Continue to cook over low heat, gradually stirring in the remaining evaporated milk and cheddar, until the mixture is hot and creamy. About 5 minutes.

Serves 6, 1-cup servings. Calories: 387, 14 grams of fat, and 1 gram of fiber

Penne with Fennel, Tomato and Blue Cheese

This recipe is from The Cook's Encyclopedia of Vegetarian Cooking. I don't think I have even picked up this cookbook since I got it. When I first received it as a gift years ago I felt intimidated by the cooking techniques and the ingredients. Over time I have become and better and more adventurous cook. I am now thrilled to have a new source to share with you. This cookbook is pretty amazing and this recipe is a fine example. I made only a few changes to how I cooked this dish, but the ingredients where not altered at all. I would highly recommend that you purchase this book!

8 ounces penne pasta
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced and cut into strips
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups marinara sauce ( I used my own, but store bought would be just fine)
pinch of sugar
1 teaspoon oregano
4 ounces blue cheese

1. Bring the water to a boil in a large stock pot and add the pasta, cook for 10 minutes or until just tender.
2. Cut the fennel bulb in half. Cut away the hard core and the root. Slice the fennel thinly and then cut into strips.
3. Warm the oil over medium heat in a large skillet or medium sized sauce pan, add the fennel and shallots and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the marinara sauce, sugar and oregano. Cover and simmer gently for 12 minutes or until fennel is tender.
4. Drain the pasta and toss it with the sauce. Top with blue cheese for serving.

Serves 4: Calories 367. 14 grams of fat, and 4 grams of fiber

Linguine with Smoked Gouda and Sherry Sauce

This recipe is from the Grit Cookbook. I was pretty sure that I had made this one before, but I cannot find it on the blog. The original recipe calls for a vegetarian sausage link, but I left it out. Likewise I used Sherry in the place of white wine because I forgot to buy white wine! This is a plain sherry and not a cooking sherry. Never buy or use cooking sherry, it contains salt and is just awful. I have to warn you that the calories on this recipe are sky high. I made substitutions were I could, but the cheese here is a dozy calorie wise. You will want to first exercise portion control and then just plain exercise! Enjoy!

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium sized shallot, diced
2 cups trimmed and sliced brown mushrooms
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

1 cup sherry

2 cups 1% milk
2 cups shredded smoked Gouda cheese
1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
16 ounces linguine, freshly cooked

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the shallot. Saute until the shallot is slightly translucent. Add the mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms are well done. Add the flour, salt and pepper, stirring constantly until the flour is absorbed. Slowly add the sherry, stirring constantly and bringing to a gentle boil. Allow to boil stirring often for about 5 minutes. Gradually stir in the milk and cream stirring constantly and adjusting the heat to bring the mixture to a very low simmer. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes, but make sure the mixture does not come to a boil.
2. Gradually add the Gouda and cheddar cheese a little at a time, stirring between each addition until fully melted. Cook over a gentle simmer for about 10 minutes, again DO NOT allow it to come to a boil. Add the prepared linguine and serve warm.

Serves 6 1-cup servings of the combined sauce and pasta. 715 calories (see I told you) 34 grams of fat (start running now, 6 miles ought to do it) 4 grams of fiber

Confetti Spaghetti

I have been trying to get more vegetables into our diet in some new interesting ways. This recipe is loosely based on a recipe from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest. The original recipe was for what was basically a pasta primavera. As healthy as that sounds, I have to have some sauce with my pasta. So I swapped out called for red bell pepper with a can of diced tomatoes.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup vidalia onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups broccoli, chopped
2 cups cauliflower, chopped
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 lb spaghetti
Parmesan cheese to taste

1. Cook spaghetti according to package instructions.
2. Warm oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion an saute until onion begins to become translucent. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the broccoli, cauliflower and diced tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook until the vegetables and tender.
3. Toss together with the pasta. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Vegetarian Italian Sausage and Peper Pasta

This recipe is a take on the classic sausage and peppers. This has long been a dish which has alluded the vegetarian among us, but no more thanks to Tofurky's line of vegetarian sausages. These are hands down the best in my opinion and as an omnivore I prefer them to meat products.

3 cups rotini, cooked

1 package Tofurky Italian Sausage, diced into large pieces

3 roasted red peppers(store bought from a jar)

1/4 cup Italian salad dressing

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 cup shredded Italian mixed cheeses

salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions.
2. Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until browned, about 10 minutes. Add the red pepper and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add the salad dressing, basil, and oregano and bring to a slow boil. Cook for about 3 minutes or until all the flavors are combined.
3. Add the drained pasta and the cheese to the sausage mixture and stir until well combined.
4. Serve warm. Enjoy!

Four Cheese Spinach Pasta Bake

This recipe originally appeared in a Kraft Foods magazine. I have made some changes to the recipe. Here are the results.

3 cups penne pasta, uncooked
1o ounces frozen chopped spinach
4 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 cup low fat cottage cheese
2 eggs
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Move your oven rack to the lower middle position and preheat the oven to 375°.
2. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
3. While the pasta cooks, microwave the spinach as directed on the package, drain well, but keep warm. Place the warm spinach in a large bowl and add the cream cheese; stir until the cream cheese is melted. Stir in the cottage cheese, eggs, and shredded mozzarella. When the pasta is done, drain it well, cool it slightly with some cold water, and add it to the spinach mixture.
4. Spoon the pasta mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish and top it with the Parmesan cheese. Bake it for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly golden brown on top.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

I have had a lot of zucchini recipes lately, but what can I say I had a lot of zucchini in the house. When I say that my friend Katherine has hug zucchini, I am not kidding. They are the size of a child's arm. This a delicious and nutritious take on Chocolate Zucchini Bread. I had planned on putting walnuts in this bread, but it turned out it did not have any on hand. I left them out, but I think they would have been a great addition. Do not tell you kids it is healthy and they will never know!

2 cups zucchini, shredded and slightly drained
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling, but puree)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon black strap molasses
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

1. Move your oven rack to the lower middle position, and preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a loaf pan and set it aside.
2. Grate the zucchini and set it aside in a stainer in the sink to allow some of the access water to drain off.
3. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa, salt, and cinnamon. Add the zucchini and set aside.
4. Mix together with a hand-held mixer or in a stand mixer the pumpkin puree, the sugars, eggs, and molasses.
5. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the pumpkin puree mixture. Mix on low speed until well combined.
6. Fold in the walnut.
7. Bake for 1 hour.