I also made this mac and cheese, absolutely full of vegetables, and we both loved it. I think the secret to this recipe’s success is that it doesn’t try to get too healthy. There’s still lots of cheese and carbs, but the vegetables really add great flavor and texture. It feels like comfort food, but with the added bonus of spinach, kale, and broccoli.

I served it with what I’m pretty sure is the best salad I’ve made all summer. Red leaf lettuce, halved red grapes, toasted slivered almonds, and goat cheese with honey-balsamic dressing. I want to eat this dinner again right now!

Recipe:
(adapted from The New Moosewood Cookbook)

3 cups elbow-shaped pasta (I used brown rice pasta)
1 tbsp butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced
2 cups chopped broccoli florets
1 tsp salt
black pepper
1 1/2 cups roughly chopped fresh spinach
1 cup roughly chopped fresh kale
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup yogurt
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium. Add the onions and saute until soft, 4-5 minutes.

Add the garlic, mushrooms, and broccoli and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and kale and continue cooking until they are tender. Stir in the salt and some freshly ground black pepper.

While you’re sauteeing the vegetables, boil the pasta according to package directions, then drain and put in a large bowl.

Add the vegetables, cottage cheese, yogurt, and about 1 1/2 cups of cheese. Mix well, then spread in a 13 x 9″ pan, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and bake for about 20 minutes, or until heated through.

Also making me happy right now? Baby clothes!

Everything in her wardrobe has now been washed and hung up in the closet. Hurry up, kid, there are some really cute outfits waiting for you!

And finally, I started a new book and I’m already completely obsessed.

I’m only about 30 pages in (I started right before bed last night but am planning on doing a LOT more reading today) but the story is fascinating and I can’t wait to read more.

The HUGE bunch of basil I bought at the farmers market last week still had plenty of leaves on it even after my numerous caprese salads, so I decided it was time to make pesto. But not just any pesto…

A lot of the time, Mike and I are on the same page when I make dinner: either we both like it, or we both don’t. This dinner, however, appealed much more to me than it did to Mike. It definitely isn’t as creamy as if it had been a pesto cream sauce, but white beans (to me, at least) are a great stand in, plus I love that they provide some extra fiber and protein. When I make it again, I might add some pine nuts (I completely forgot to) to up the richness just a little bit, but I thought the basil, lemon, and garlic provided plenty of flavor.

Recipe:
1 pound pasta (I used brown rice pasta)
2 cups white (navy) beans (drain but reserve the liquid)
2 cups fresh basil leaves
3 cloves garlic, chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
3 cups broccoli florets, steamed (optional)

To make the pesto, combine the white beans, basil, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add reserved bean liquid as needed to get a creamy sauce, then add olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook the pasta according to package directions, and drain.

Toss the pasta with some of the pesto sauce (you probably won’t need all of it) and broccoli, and heat over low heat, stirring often, to warm through.

26 was an AWESOME year. I know I overuse that word, and my mother the editor will probably send me a list of more interesting adjectives as soon as she reads this. Anyway… the highlights:

- I ran a huge PR and qualified for Boston at the San Francisco marathon

– I applied for a million and a half teaching jobs and got one in Daly City. I didn’t even know where Daly City was until I looked up the HR page for the district, but I LOVE where I work and am thrilled to be there!

- I visited my 30th country (New Zealand)

- We moved to the Bay Area

- I found out I was pregnant!

- I ran the Boston marathon with my dad (and have managed to work that info into pretty much every post since then)

I think 27 will top 26 though. From what I hear, having a kid is life changing in a way nothing else can really match. Less than 4 months to go, and I can’t wait!

Anyway, there’s no real way to tie this pasta into all this nonsense, so I’m just going to tell you that both Mike and I adored it, it took maybe 20 minutes start to finish (including boiling the pasta!), and it’s incredibly delicious. I only had dried basil and I’m sure fresh would be better, but it’s like the creamiest, smoothest pesto imaginable.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a celebratory run to do and a cake to frost!

Recipe:
(adapted from Oh She Glows)

6-8 ounces brown rice or whole wheat spaghetti (or pasta of your choice)
1 large ripe avocado
juice of one lemon
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 tbsp dried basil
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp olive oil

Put a large pot of salted water over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking, pulse the garlic, half the lemon juice and olive oil until smooth. Add the avocado, basil, and salt to taste, and continue to pulse until you have a creamy sauce. Add more salt, lemon juice, or basil as needed.

Drain the pasta and toss with the avocado sauce. Serve immediately with a sprinkling of black pepper.

I have been eating a lot of pasta lately. And a lot of crackers and cereal and toast. Honestly, I think I’ve eaten more carbs in the past three months than in all of 2010. But there’s a pretty good reason…I’m 13 and a half weeks pregnant! Mike and I are completely thrilled. In fact, we’re so excited we’ve already bought 3 books for the baby (our only baby-related purchase so far).

Pregnancy has put a slight damper on my running, but I’ve still been averaging at least 25 miles a week (although a couple weeks during the complete exhaustion of the first trimester it was closer to 20). I was hoping I’d still be able to run Boston, and fortunately my doctor gave me the green light, so I’ll be run/walking it at 20 weeks! I had already planned on running with my dad, and now that there’s a third generation involved I’m even more excited.

Speaking of running, this weekend’s 16-miler was GORGEOUS. I’m not sure why the city of San Francisco has closed the Great Highway to cars the last two Sundays, but I’m not complaining!

If you’ve ever run the Nike Women’s marathon, that picture was taken about where the 25 mile marker is. It’s so cruel to have the last 2 miles of the race be on a long straight stretch with the finish line in view, but at least the scenery is nice.

I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of running along the ocean.

After any long run, comfort food is always on my mind, and this recipe fits the bill perfectly. I adapted a recipe for baked ziti, but left out the meat (obviously), subbed in whole wheat penne, and replaced the cream and cornstarch with a little light cream cheese. Mike and I both loved this as dinner and as leftovers for a few days.

Recipe:
(adapted from Cook’s Illustrated via Annie’s Eats)

1 lb. 1% or fat free cottage cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
salt and pepper
1 lb. whole wheat penne
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 small yellow onion, finely chopped
5 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 28 oz. can tomato sauce
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 tbsp dried basil
1 tsp. sugar
4 oz. light cream cheese, softened
8 oz. low-moisture part-skim mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Stir the cottage cheese, eggs, and 1/2 cup Parmesan together in a medium bowl.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes, or until soft but not cooked through. Drain in a colander.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until the onion is very soft. Stir in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, oregano and basil, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Put the pot you used to cook the pasta over low heat. Add the drained pasta and cream cheese, and stir until the pasta is coated well. Stir in the cottage cheese mixture, 1 1/2 cups of the tomato sauce and about half the mozzarella. Mix well, making sure the pasta is coated with sauce.

Put the pasta into a 9×13″ baking dish and spread the remaining tomato sauce evenly over the top. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan over the tomato sauce. Bake for about 30 minutes

Remove from the oven and let stand for about 15 minutes before serving.

Today when I left work I had pretty much talked myself out of working out. I’d spent about 3 hours grading papers (no, I never catch up!) and was just.so.tired. But something (maybe that 50K that’s in FOUR DAYS) reminded me that working out would be a good choice.

So I decided to hit the treadmill with one simple goal: not want to kill myself after 10 minutes. That’s a pretty lofty goal if you hate the treadmill as much as I do…but I succeeded!

I was inspired by Janetha’s workout but added a little to make it longer and more intense. Oh man this was a good one. Obviously you can adjust the intensity to meet your needs, but for me this was totally perfect!

I set the incline to 1.0% and cranked through the following:
Minutes 1-5: 6.0 mph
Minute 6: 6.5 mph
Minute 7: 7.0 mph
Minute 8: 7.5 mph
Minute 9: 8.0 mph
Minute 10: 8.5 mph
Minutes 11, 12, 13: 9.0 mph
Minute 14-22: repeat minutes 5-13
Minute 23-31: repeat minutes 5-13
Minute 32: 8.0 mph
Minute 33: 7.0 mph
Minute 34-38: 6.0 mph

Oooh fun!

When I came home I wanted comfort food, but not of the artery-clogging variety, and I knew I wanted vegetables too.

This was my second time using Angela’s Vegan Mac and Cheese Recipe but I made a few changes (increasing vegetables and nutritional yeast, and adding steamed broccoli). Mike LOVED it (and he can be a little wary of my vegan culinary endeavors).

Who needs Pasta-Roni now?!

I kind of un-veganized dinner by putting feta on my salad… but that’s just because I’m trying to make more inspiring salads these days and feta makes that easier.

Recipe:
(adapted from Oh She Glows)

1 medium potato, peeled and chopped
2 small carrots
1/2 small onion, peeled and chopped
1.5 cups raw cashews
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
4 garlic cloves
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 tsp kosher salt
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp mustard
about 3 cups bite-sized broccoli florets
12-16 oz uncooked whole wheat pasta (I used 12 oz whole wheat spahetti broken into short pieces)

Preheat the oven to 350 and get a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish ready.

Dice the potato, carrots, and 1/2 an onion and place in a steamer basket over boiling water. Steam until very tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, process the cashews in a food processor until they are finely ground. Add the garlic, lemon juice, almond milk, salt, and nutritional yeast and process until smooth. When the vegetables are done steaming, add them to the food processor and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

Put a little more water under the steamer basket if necessary, and add the broccoli florets. Steam just until crisp tender, about 5 minutes.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook according to package directions, then drain and toss with the broccoli and sauce.

Bake for about 25 minutes.

It’s a good thing this was a simple dinner because I had a really busy afternoon. I had a bunch of kids stay in my classroom working on a lab…then I had to go buy Halloween candy at Target…then I came come home and instead of going on a run like I planned, I ate a big bowl of cereal and felt sorry for myself for pretty much no reason in particular. (And I know, the run would have boosted my mood a LOT more than slumping on the couch did…) So lame, but sometimes there are days that just kind of deteriorate like that. When that happens, I’m really glad I have an aresnal of quick dinners that don’t require much effort.

This only takes slightly longer than it takes pasta to boil. I love fusili in particular because it has all those little spots to absorb sauce. And the sauce is awesome because it just takes a few pulses in a mini food processor and has the perfect combination of nutty and bright flavors. It’s a nice change from a typical cream sauce (and it’s vegan!)

Recipe:

8 ounces dried fusili pasta
4 tbsp tahini
4 tbsp lemon juice
4 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
a few pinches salt and pepper
one large bunch spinach, stems removed and roughly chopped

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.

While the pasta is boiling, pulse the tahini, lemon juice, and garlic in a mini food processor until smooth.

After the pasta has cooked, turn the heat to low and put the drained pasta back into the pan. Stir in the spinach, mixing until it wilts. Stir in the tahini sauce and a few pinches of salt and pepper and mix well.

Normally I can take or leave pasta, but for some reason, I usually make an exception for spaghetti. I wanted to make a more seasonally appropriate stand in for the usual spaghetti with marinara, and this is what I came up with.

With absolutely BEAUTIFUL tomatoes and basil all over the place at the farmers markets right now, I wanted to make a pasta that would feature them prominently, and this simple dish definitely does.  I drew inspiration from caprese salad, but left out the cheese to keep it light (and vegan).  I’m sure, though, if you wanted to put some fresh mozzarella in here, it would be really good.

Mashing up garlic with salt is a technique I learned from a friend who makes the best salads I’ve ever had.  Now it forms the base of pretty much any salad dressing I make.  Here, I just add olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper.  That gets tossed with some cooked, drained whole wheat pasta and fresh tomatoes and basil  making this a light, fresh dinner in under 20 minutes!

Recipe:

8 ounces whole wheat spaghetti (or whatever pasta you choose)
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
black pepper
1/4 cup basil, cut into thin ribbons
3 ripe tomatoes, diced

Boil the pasta as directed.

While the pasta is cooking, make the dressing: smash the salt and garlic into a smooth paste with a mortar and pestle. Combine with oil, balsamic, and a pinch or two of black pepper and whisk to make a dressing.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain and rinse it. Put in a large bowl and toss with the tomatoes, basil, and dressing to taste.

I realize that what I did to this recipe is pretty sacrelig, and if Judy Rogers ever stumbles upon this blog, I know she’ll be highly disappointed. I used regular old button mushrooms and frozen peas when the recipe called for wild mushrooms and freshly shelled peas. And although I’m sure using what she suggests would have made this even better, it was still HIGHLY delicious with the lowly, ordinary mushrooms and peas from the freezer.

Fideus is basically risotto made with pasta instead of rice. I found thin, 1 inch long noodles in the Mexican food section, but if you can’t find them, just take the thinnest pasta you can find, and break it up into short pieces. You may want to spread the preparation of this dish out over several days. The onion base is time consuming (but SO worth it), and keeps well in the fridge for a few days. Once that’s ready, the actual cooking of this dish is pretty quick.

Recipe:
(adapted from Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rodgers)

onion base
3 cups finely diced yellow onion
3 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
salt
1 diced roma tomato
2 small dried chilis, broken in half

noodles
10 ounces fideo pasta (or cappellini broken into short pieces)
2 tsp olive oil

6 ounces assorted mushrooms, cleaned and sliced 1/4″ thick
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
6 cups vegetable broth
1 cup fresh peas (or frozen, rinsed with warm water and drained)
chopped parsley for garnish

To make the onion jam:
Put the onions and olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and stir well. Heat until the onions begin to brown on the bottom, then turn down the heat and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until they are all golden and very soft. Add a few pinches of salt, then stir in the tomato, garlic, and chilis. Continue cooking over low for about an hour until it has the consistency of jam, adding a little water if it gets too dry. Transfer to a small bowl, cover, and keep in the fridge until ready to use (it will keep for about a week).

To toast the noodles:
Preheat the oven to 325 F. Toss the noodles with the oil in a large bowl, and spread onto two baking sheets so the noodles are in a single layer. Heat in the oven until golden, about 10 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Remove from the oven, let cool, and turn the oven up to 475 to finish the dish.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and cook until they’re soft, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, onion base, noodles, and about 1 1/2 cups of broth. Simmer and stir until almost all the liquid is absorbed. Add another 1 1/2 cups broth, and cook until absorbed. Add the peas and remaining broth, and turn the heat up to high, cooking until the liquid is absorbed.

Transfer the dish to the oven and bake for 10 minutes, then remove and garnish with fresh parsley to serve.

I never really thought meatballs were anything special. It might be because my mom used to serve spaghetti with Italian sausages, so meatballs seemed bland in comparison. Obviously, when I gave up meat, I didn’t really think about a future without meatballs. That is, until I saw a post about a vegetarian version on No Meat Athlete. For some reason, those seemed far more appealing to me than the original variety ever did.

There isn’t too much prep work involved in these – chop up a few things and measure a few others, then process them all together in the food processor and fry in a skillet. They don’t have exactly the same texture as meatballs would, but the flavor is great, and they’re definitely healthier than ground beef! I tossed mine with some marinara and served them over whole wheat spaghetti, and with a green salad it was a perfect, satisfying Sunday night dinner.

Recipe:
(adapted from Vegan on the Cheap via No Meat Athlete)

makes about 20

1 1/2 cups cooked or 1 (15.5-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup chopped white button mushrooms
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for cooking
1/2 cup oat bran
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

whole wheat spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
marinara sauce

To make the wheat balls:
Combine the chickpeas, mushrooms, garlic, and parsley in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse to combine. Transfer everything to a large bowl and mix with your hands for a minute or two.
Heat about 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Roll about 2 tbsp of the chickpea-mushroom mixture between your hands to make a ball and place in the skillet. Repeat with the rest of the mixture, and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until browned all over (5-7 minutes).

Toss with a little marinara and serve over cooked pasta.

Our Jamie Oliver cookbooks have been getting a lot of use lately, and with good reason. He’s got such a great approach to food, particularly pasta! I used to think I was tired of Italian food, but his recipes just keep proving me wrong. Sometimes he can be a little heavy-handed with the butter and cream, but it’s easy to scale those back a little bit.

I was a little skeptical about baking ricotta cheese, but it makes it firm and creamy and a little more solid than it is right out of the container. I made fresh pasta for this because I’m now completely obsessed with it, but of course you can use dried if you want to. Taste your sauce before you add any sugar, because some brands of canned tomatoes already taste pretty sweet.

Recipe:
1 15-ounce container ricotta (I used part-skim), drained in a cheesecloth-lined strainer for a few hours
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
salt and pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes in juice
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar (if needed)
1 pound wide pasta, such as pappardelle
a handful of fresh basil, torn
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan

After you’ve drained the ricotta, preheat the oven to 400F. Put a piece of parchment on a baking sheet and put the ricotta in the center. Flatten it so you have a 1″ thick disk.
Rub all over with 1 tbsp olive oil, then sprinkle with oregano, salt and pepper. Bake for about 15 minutes, then remove and set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil to cook the pasta.
Heat the other tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and cook over medium until soft, 3 or 4 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and simmer for about 15 minutes, then crush the tomatoes with a spoon. Taste and add sugar (optional), salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar.
When the pasta is cooked, drain and reserve some of the pasta water.
Toss the cooked with the sauce and a tablespoon or two of pasta water and the tomato sauce, and basil. Crumble up the ricotta and add to the pasta with the parmesan cheese.