Spicy Garlic Greens

Hi all! It's been quite a long time since my last post, which means plenty of breakfasts, dinners and delectable desserts have crossed through my kitchen. I have to apologize for my absence. Starting your own business can certainly eat up any free time you thought you had. Geesh. Anyway, to get us started again I have a recipe for a simple meal. It's easy, it's delicious and it's even good for you!

I developed this recipe one morning when my fridge seemed to be overflowing with a multitude of green things. It looked as though we'd been grocery shopping with 4 or 5 shots of vodka behind us and a healthy addiction for the color green. Collard greens, spinach, asparagus, broccoli ... all of it just reached up and whispered, "eat me before you forget I'm in here!" I sighed and reached for the produce and some garlic. Luckily, my improved cooking rewarded me with a tasty meal.

I know what you are thinking. You know you should eat more greens, but you don't like them. Yet, while most people usually make faces of disgust when confronted with cooked greens (or greens of any type!), I'm imploring you to take another look! Far from being bitter or bland, these greens are lent a subtle flavor from the olive oil and a savory taste with the cayenne pepper and garlic. They'll leave you wondering why you never tried this before

I have found that greens can be comfort food, a filling breakfast, or even accompany a dinner meat dish. This recipe goes well with just about anything. My current favorite way to enjoy this dish is topped with a sliced hard boiled egg and a little shaved Romano cheese. What a delicious (and simple!) breakfast!

With any recipe (like this one) relying heavily on the taste of the ingredients, you will want to start with the freshest and highest quality ingredients you can find.

Spicy Garlic Greens
Serves 1-2

What You'll Need:
A small skillet

Ingredients:
1 handful Collard Greens (about 4 large leaves, with stems)
1 handful Spinach
4-5 stalks fresh Asparagus (or 2-3 florets fresh Broccoli), roughly chopped
2-3 cloves Garlic, finely minced
1 tsp cayenne pepper, ground
1 tsp (approximate) freshly ground Black Pepper
A dash of sea salt
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

What You'll Do:
Over a medium-low heat, combine the olive oil and garlic. Add in spices and asparagus and stir. Make sure to watch the garlic so that it does not brown, simply stir occasionally to stop this.

Meanwhile, take your collard greens and remove the stems from the leaf. Chop stems roughly and add into the heated mixture. Stir to coat. Cook on medium-low for 2-3 minutes.

Chop collard leaves and spinach into ribbons. Add them to the prepared mixture and stir to coat with oil mixture. Continue cooking until leaves slightly darken in intensity and slightly wilt. Remove from heat immediately and serve.

If you are sensitive to spice, simply substitute the cayenne pepper for paprika. Additionally, you may substitute any vegetable for the asparagus. Broccoli works extremely well, as does cauliflower. If you wish, you could also leave out the other vegetable and just increase the amount of greens. It's up to you!

Great serving ideas:

• Top with a handful of grated Parmesan or Jarlsberg cheese.
• Just before removing from heat, scramble in an egg.
• Add sliced chicken breast.
• Top with a hard boiled egg and Romano cheese.
  

Twisted Mac and Cheese

A good friend of mine once challenged me to a Macaroni and Cheese-off. We then proceeded to try her amazing recipe; however, I never managed to make mine. Nicole, consider this my entry!

I learned to make Macaroni and Cheese from my mother. As one of the simplest recipes, I could make it unassisted fairly reliably ... and without burning myself. This early recipe was almost overpoweringly cheesy. Calling for pats of butter and slices of Kraft American Cheese, it was the classic homemade American macaroni recipe. I loved it. Kraft-in-a-box had nothing on this stuff.

I can remember my mother trying to make additions to the "tried-and-true," and I hated it. If she used anything but American cheese, I found it unpalatable. American gave such a smooth texture to the sauce, how could I ever eat a substitute?

Luckily, as I grew up my tastes evolved. Today my macaroni and cheese recipe has a couple of twists, as well as a spicy bite. It also rarely uses macaroni (a pasta style we don't often have on hand). I have my mother to thank for the process of this recipe, though the ingredients vary fairly far from the "American Original" of my childhood.

As Autumn comes on stronger and stronger, try this mac and cheese to warm you up!

Twisted Mac and Cheese
(serves 2-3)

What You'll Need:
A medium saucepan
A cheese grater

Ingredients:
1/2 lb whole wheat Rotini pasta (any style pasta with notches/holes to collect sauce will work)
1/2 cup roughly grated Colby/Jack cheese
1/2 cup roughly grated Habanero (or other spicy peppered) Cheddar
1/4 cup roughly grated White Cheddar
1 1/2 cup skim milk (may use other fat % as desired)
1 teaspoon whole wheat flour
2-3 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3-4 fresh basil leaves (or a teaspoon dried basil)
Ground Black Pepper, to taste

Instructions:
Boil pasta in well salted water until nearly al dente. Refrain from "finishing" the pasta. If left slightly uncooked, it will "finish" cooking while you are making the cheese sauce. This will save you from lifeless noodles that fall apart.

Drain water from pasta. If you removed the pasta to drain the water, place pasta back in the saucepan. Over a medium heat, toss rotini with 2-3 tablespoons of Olive Oil (enough to coat all pieces of pasta). Add in milk. Heat milk until it begins to bubble, stirring occasionally to prevent scalding.

Into milk, slowly stir in grated cheeses. Stir constantly to avoid excessive burning or sticking. Add in flour, and stir well to combine. Stir in basil, red and black pepper, as desired. Continue stirring until cheese is well combined with milk.

To ensure the proper consistency of sauce, add grated cheeses slowly. Creamier sauces will use less cheese, while a thicker sauce will take more.

Serve and enjoy!