Lemony Goat Cheese Pasta with Sautéed Asparagus

Item # 3 of eating down the pantry : Pasta. I haven't been eating much pasta at all in France - Im just so obsessed with quesadillas and quiche and soup. But now it's time to finish it up. I was blog browsing and I came across a lemony goat cheese with asparagus pasta dish. Unfortunately I don't remember where I found it - sorry!



I made this dish for my birthday and invited Therese and Paula to come over and share it with me. I had been craving some asparagus ever since the last dinner in Italy when the 4 of us went to the market in Florence and made a huge going away dinner together. Plus, it's in season right now and veggies and fruits are always best in season.

So I trekked up to the market the morning of my birthday and ordered a kilo of asparagus. I had no idea how big a kilo would be - but its manageable once you cut the stems down. Plus - I was pleased to find that the asparagus that is grown here locally is a bit different than what we have at home....see below.


Does this look like an asparagus to you?


Have you ever zested with a potato peeler? Takes forever!

Lemony Goat Cheese Pasta with Sauteed Asparagus
Serves 4

1 kilo (2 and a half pounds I think) fresh asparagus, trimmed
1 large log of goat cheese
1 large lemon, zested
several cups of pasta (I always eyeball it)
1/4 cup olive oil plus 2 tbsp
1 tbsp herbs de provence
salt and pepper

1. Put a pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. When you drain the pasta reserve about a cup of the pasta water.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet. Add the asparagus, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until the asparagus is tender but not mushy,5-7 minutes.
3. In the pot you used for the pasta (which has now been drained and is still in the colander) combine the goat cheese, olive oil, herbs de provence and lemon zest. Mix well until the cheese has melted. Little by little add the reserved pasta water until you get the desired consistency.
4. Add the pasta back to the pot and mix well. Then fold in the asparagus and serve.


It may not be the prettiest dish you ever prepare but it's quite satisfying.


These pretty little flowers came from Therese. May Day in France is actually a national holiday, like our Labor Day - which means everything is closed and if it were not that way I guarantee you there would be strikes - but it also means that people are selling Muguet des Bois or Lily of the Valley in English! I found a really great explanation of this tradition on Paris Postcard that I really recommend you check out. She explains it so well I don't even want to bother trying!

I had a pretty lovely birthday and I closed out the day with drinks at the Bibliotheque with friends.

Broccoli Mac and Cheese Casserole

Mac and Cheese from a box is super hard to replicate isn't it? I've come to the conclusion that it can't be done. But, a good noodly cheesy casserole can be made that can satisfy a craving. I had just bought a package of quinoa noodles I wanted to try out and even though Im not crazy about broccoli usually, its full of good stuff for you (vitamin C, K, A and fiber) so I decided to make a little casserole.

Broccoli Mac and Cheese

1 large bunch of broccoli, cut into florets, trunk discarded
4 Tbsp butter (or vegan spread)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups soy creme fraiche (or whole milk, soy milk, soy cream)
2 cups grated Gruyere (or cheese of your choice)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper

1. Heat oven to 400° F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or some other shallow 3-quart baking dish.
2. Cook the pasta according to the package directions and boil the broccoli until its tender but not mushy
3. Wipe out the past pot and melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes (do not let it darken). Still stirring, slowly add the creme fraiche. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce slightly thickens, 6 to 8 minutes.
4. Add the Gruyère, cayenne, garlic and 1½ teaspoon salt and pepper and cook just until the cheeses melt. Mix in the pasta and the broccoli. Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish and bake until golden, 25 to 30 minutes.



PS I liked the quinoa pasta

Vegan Spinach and Portabella Lasagna

So you might have noticed I've been trying out some vegan recipes lately. I just recently found a bio (translate organic) supermarket in my area (dont know how i missed it before really) and have discovered things I was missing like tempeh, seitan, tofu varieties, alfalfa sprouts, and new to my list is soy creme fraiche. With my newly found creme fraiche and a package of no boil spinach lasagna noodles I decided to go about this lasagna thing in a less traditional way and cut out the meat and cheese.




Now I know what you're thinking. What is that pile of slop? Food is by far one of the most important things to me but honestly Im more interested in eating it than making it look pretty. I've gotten more and more interested in food photography but when it comes to photographing my own food, I just cant spend 45 minutes making this lasagna look amazing. It'll get cold!

Vegan Lasagna
16 oz chopped spinach (if fresh blanch first, if frozen, thaw and squeeze out extra water)
several palm sized portabellas, cleaned and sliced
1 package firm tofu
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup soy creme fraiche (you can use soy milk if you want)
2 minced garlic cloves
juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 tbsp minced fresh basil (20 leaves or so)
1 tsp salt
4-6 cups of your favorite tomato sauce

1. Preaheat the oven to 350F
2. Cook the noodles according to the package or get smart and get the "no boil" kind. Wha? I know.
3. Place all the ingredients except for the mushrooms, tomato sauce, noodles, and spinach in a blender and blend until you have a mixture that resembles ricotta.
4. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the spinach.
5. Cover the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole with a thin layer of tomato sauce. Then start layering. Noodles, ricotta, mushrooms, tomato sauce. Repeat. Top it all with tomato sauce. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes. Serve it with crusty bread drizzled in olive oil, popped in the oven for 15 minutes or until the olive oil is bubbly.

Happy eating!

Creamy Goat Cheese Pasta with Zucchini

I know what you might be thinking. Do you really think Goat Cheese covered pasta is a good idea for your lactose intolerant guts to be digesting Lacey? I know, I know. BUT. I'm in the undisputed kingdom of cheese and truth be told - I lurve me some cheese. So yeah. I'm gunna eat some cheese every now and then. PLUS, Goat cheese has less lactose, as does aged cheese. The best cheese for a lactosy is aged hard goat cheese (moisture equals lactose). I ignored my giggling guts and popped some lactose pills and thoroughly enjoyed this dish.





Ingredients
12 ounces (3/4 of the box) linguine or other pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound zucchini, sliced into thin half-moons
kosher salt and pepper
1 clove garlic, chopped
5 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

Directions
1.Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water and set it aside, drain the pasta, and return it to the pot.
2. While this is going on heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring, until the zucchini is tender and any liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
3.Add all but 2 tablespoons of the cheese to the pasta. Add the reserved pasta water, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir until creamy. Serve the pasta topped with the zucchini, lemon zest, and the remaining cheese.


It looks pretty to serve it this way - but then...


stir that baby up so it gets all melty!



Leftovers for days to come!



And for dessert? I tucked into the apple pound cake that I bought at the Frairies des Petits Ventres. Really good. Kinda like applesauce bread but more pound cake like and buttery.

Pasta, Sweet Potato and Leek Dish

I had this recipe from a while back that I had been wanting to try so one night I just said, that's it! Im buying some leeks and trying this baby out. I will be honest, the taste of the leeks is very powerful in this dish and at first Jon and I were like...yeah this dish is good, but perhaps not a favorite. I swear though, this dish, every time I ate it got better, and Jon agreed. It grew on us quite quickly and now I am happy to pass it on to you all.



Leek and Sweet Potato Pasta

12 ounces multigrain penne
4 tsp olive oil
3 leeks (white and light green parts) cut into half moons
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 small sweet potatoes (1 lb about) cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)

1. Cook pasta acourding to package, reserve 1/2 cup cooking water
2. Heat oil in large skillet to medium heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring until soft, 4 min
3. Stir in garlic cook 2 min. Add sweet potatoes, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, cook covered, stirring twice, until tender, 6- 8 min
4. Stir in 1/2 cup Parm and cooking water, simmer, stirring until potatoes are fully tender, 2-4 min.
5. Add pasta and nutmeg and toss.
6. Serve with Parm on top

PS that super sweet little bowl is a purchase from Philly :)

Cheesy Beany Casserole

So I am a little short on money these days...like I haven't gone to the grocery store in weeks because I just can't face that ever growing total at the checkout, so I have been getting a little crafty with my dinners. Here is a little something I concocted with what I had in my pantry and fridge at the time.




1/3 box wheat pasta
1 can sweet peas
1 can vegetarian baked beans ( I think the veggie ones taste way better than the "bacon" ones but I would eat either)
cheese ( I used gouda and cheddar mixed up in the casserole and then sprinkled parm on top)

Basically just cook the pasta according to the box then stick the drained noodles into a oven proof casserole. Top with baked bean and peas (or hey, use corn) and mix well, crumble the cheese over it and mix it in a little. Set the oven at 375 and let it bake for 30-40 min or until the cheese looks melted and everything is hot. Sprinkle with parm and eat.

Now, had I been grocery shopping I would have put a whole lot more cheese in this than I did. I only had little nubs left, so go crazy with the cheese if you have it.