SWEET POTATO MAC AND CHEEZE MY WAY

When I was at the grocery store a few weeks ago I noticed that four cooking magazines showcased Mac and Cheese on their cover, each picture more rich and gooey than the other.  Do the magazine editors sit down and agree on the same thing and try to outdo each other or does everyone crave Mac and Cheese when it gets colder?

My answer is Mac and Cheese is good any time of the year!  This version is easy to make and easy on the waistline. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound whole grain pasta

1 large sweet potato

2 cloves garlic minced

1 large leek cleaned and chopped (a medium onion will work fine too)

2 medium sized tomatoes chopped or

   1 can chopped tomatoes with some of the juices drained

1 can coconut milk

½ cup nutritional yeast

2 teaspoons toasted cumin, ground

1 teaspoon Northwoods Fire (a spicy mixture by Penzeys Spices of salt, chipotle pepper, Hungarian paprika, garlic, rosemary, thyme, black pepper and cayenne ) optional

Red pepper flakes to taste

A squeeze of lemon, lime or vinegar to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Start the pasta water and cook pasta according manufacturer’s directions.

Meanwhile steam the peeled and chopped sweet potato in a medium sized saucepan with an inch or two of water until tender - about 10 minutes. 

At the same time in a large frying pan sauté the garlic and leeks in the olive oil on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until soft and glossy.  Add the chopped tomatoes and spices and heat through a few more minutes. 

While the leek mixture is simmering, add the sweet potatoes, coconut milk and nutritional yeast to a blender.  Be careful since the potatoes are hot.  Blend until smooth and then add to the simmering vegetables.  Adjust seasoning to taste.  I added about a tablespoon of vinegar and red pepper flakes. 

(White wine could be added to the leeks during the initial sautéing.  If I had thought about it earlier I would have done that.  This recipe is very flexible to your taste.  You can make it sweeter or spicier.   A squeeze of lemon or lime at the end would be good too.)

CREAMY YELLOW SUMMER SQUASH SOUP

My first box of vegetables arrived this week.  This is my third year of signing up for a weekly box of local vegetables at Green Cay and every week it seems like Christmas.  I have beautiful, fresh vegetables and endless possibilities.  Some of what was in our box included 6 summer squash, baby bok choy, fresh lettuce and a huge bag of basil.  I immediately set to work and blended fresh pesto with the basil, fresh spinach, pine nuts and walnuts (see previous post on pesto).  I divided the batch into 4 containers; froze three and used one container right away with a bowl of whole wheat pasta.  This time I added juice of a whole lemon and it just made the pasta zing.  Try it sometime.

Meanwhile, I really wanted to use some of the summer squash and I didn’t want to cook the first thing that came to mind – a stir fry with quinoa or pasta.  I also had some garbanzo beans and leeks which had me thinking about soup.  The lemon juice at the end really brought out the flavors.  Are you seeing a trend?  Yes, I am on a lemon kick.  We always have lemons or limes in the house.  Living in Florida, you would think we could just go pick them off the tree, but we don’t and can’t - something to do with a fruit fly invasion.  Oh well.  (Sometimes we have mangos falling from the neighbor’s trees and when they do, that really makes me happy.)

Ingredients:

1 onion chopped

2 leeks cleaned and white portion sliced thin

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 yellow squash chopped

1 can coconut milk

1 vegetable bouillon cube

2 cups water

1 ½ cups cooked garbanzo beans or 1 15 oz. can drained and rinsed

½ cup parsley roughly chopped

1 teaspoon toasted ground cumin (see previous post on cumin)

Salt and pepper to taste

Juice of ½ a lemon

Garnish with fresh made croutons*

Sauté the onion and leeks with the olive oil in a large stock pot.  Cook until translucent - about 5 minutes.  Add the squash and cook for about 5 minutes more.

Mix in the coconut milk, the water and the vegetable bouillon cube and simmer with the lid slightly ajar for 10-15 minutes.  Add the spices, herbs and beans and cook for about one minute.  Let the soup cool slightly.

Use an immersion blender to cream some of the squash and beans.  I like to leave it chunky so I don’t puree it very much.  Add the lemon and adjust seasonings.  Add the croutons just before serving.

*To make croutons: preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Cube some “day old bread” and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Toast in oven until crispy and brown (about 5-10 minutes).