Lentil Soup with Lemon Yogurt Cream

Makes about 8 cups of soup

4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped, or 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced small
1 large or 2 small carrots, diced small
3 celery stalks, diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cup green or brown lentils
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup yogurt
zest and juice from 1 lemon
Minced parsley to serve

Set a 6-quart or larger pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook slowly until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat. If using olive oil, simply heat the oil and continue to the next step.

Turn the heat to medium-high and cook the onion until it softens and starts becoming translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and celery, and cook for another minute or two. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, paprika, cumin, salt, and cinnamon. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the lentils, broth, and bay leaf to the pan and stir. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 to 30 minutes until the lentils are soft (exact cooking time will depend on your lentils). Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Stir the reserved bacon into the soup, or sprinkle it right on top of each bowl.

Whisk together the yogurt, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Add a dollop of this yogurt sauce to each bowl as you serve and sprinkle the tops with parsley.

Lentil soup will keep refrigerated for up to a week or freeze in individual portions for up to three months.

From www.thekitchn.com

quinoa stuffed peppers

makes: 2 large servings or ~4 side servings

loosely based on the {Incredibly Easy Gluten-Free Recipes} cookbook p. 44

{ingredients}

• 2 bell peppers, tops removed, seeded & hollowed out
• 1/2 c. uncooked quinoa
• 1 c. water
• 1/2 tsp salt, divided
• 1 TB olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1/8 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 TB butter

{directions}
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place quinoa in fine-mesh strainer and rinse well. Bring water and 1/4 tsp salt to a boil, and stir in quinoa. Cover, reduce heat to low. Simmer 12-14 minutes or until quinoa is tender and water is absorbed (like you would with rice).

2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and tomato. Cook 7-10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in quinoa, remaining 1/4 tsp salt, and Italian seasoning. Add butter and stir until melted.

3. Arrange peppers in baking dish. Fill peppers with quinoa mixture. Bake 15-20 minutes or until peppers are tender (we did ours until peppers were slightly al dente still).

4. Serve warm. A main dish for a vegetarian, or if you cut the peppers in half after cooking, it would make ~4 side servings.

Lentil and Chick Pea Curry with Coconut Milk

3 tbsp canola oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced or grated
2 medium carrots, diced
3 tbsp mild Indian curry paste
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
3 cups (750ml) crushed tomatoes
2 540 ml cans coconut milk
2 cups whole green lentils, rinsed and picked through
2 cups cooked chickpeas (540ml can) rinsed 
3 tbsp honey
2 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup frozen peas
veggie stock (optional) 
handful of cilantro, chopped
hot sauce 
plain yogurt

In a large pot, heat oil over medium high heat.  Add the onion and cook until soft, a minute or two.  Add the garlic and ginger, carrots, curry paste, spices and salt.  Stir well and cook for a couple of minutes.  Stir in the crushed tomatoes, coconut milk, lentils, chickpeas and honey.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium low so it's simmering.  Cover.  Stir every 10 minutes or so.  Should take about 40 minutes for the lentils to cook.  When they are tender, stir in the cauliflower and peas.  Cook just until cauliflower is soft. If curry is too thick, thin it with a bit of veggie stock or water.  Stir in cilantro.  Adjust seasonings with more salt, pepper, and if you like it spicy, you can add hot sauce too.  Scoop into bowls and top with plain yogurt and cilantro.  Warm Naan bread as a side.  Serves 6-8.


From Sweet Sugar Bean

Easy Sweet Potato Veg Burgers

Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers
makes 7-8 large patties

2 cans cannellini white beans, drained
1 large sweet potato, baked/peeled/mashed (about 2 cups)
2 Tbsp tahini
2 tsp maple or agave syrup
1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning OR Cajun seasoning (or another fave spice!)
1/4 cup wheat flour
optional: additional seasoning (whatever you have on hand - I used a few dashes cayenne, black pepper and a scoop of nutritional yeast)
salt to taste if needed

plentiful Panko crumbs
safflower oil for pan

burgers: avocado, Dijon mustard, grain buns, romaine, onion, olive oil, pepper

Directions:

1. Bake sweet potato. Peel, place in large mixing bowl.
2. Add drained beans to mixing bowl. Mash beans and potato together.
3. Mash in seasoning, flour and any additional seasoning. Your mixture will be quite soft and moist. But you should be able to form a patty. Add more flour or a scoop of breadcrumbs - or dry rice to thicken the mixture if needed.
4. Heat 1 Tbsp safflower oil in a pan over high heat.
5. Form a patty from mixture and coat in Panko crumbs. Thick coating. Then drop the patty in the pan. Repeat until the pan is filled. Cook until browned on both sides. You could also bake. If baking, use less Panko.
6. Transfer cooked patties to paper towel. Cool for a few minutes.
7. Serve on toasted bun with lotsa toppings.

Note: yes this patty does fall kind of apart as you eat it. But that is OK because it tastes yummy. 


Recipe from Lunch Box Bunch

Root Vegetable Fries

I used turnip, carrots, parsnips, and sweet potatoes, and it turned out super tasty.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs root vegetables, washed and chopped into matchsticks
• 1/8 – 1/4 cup peanut or olive oil
• generous shakes of sea salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Place vegetables on two rimmed baking sheets. Toss with oil to coat, then spread the veggies out into a single layer. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Using a spatula, flip the veggies a few times as they bake, about 40-60 minutes depending on how crispy and brown you like them. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Serve while hot.

Recipe from Dramatic Pancake

Red Lentil Burgers w/ Aioli

I mostly followed this recipe from Cooking Light September 2000, and it turned out delicious.  We also topped the burger with caramelized onions and avocado.  

Ingredients

• 
  Aioli:
• 1/4 cup light mayonnaise 
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 
• 1 garlic clove, minced 
• Burgers:
• 2 cups water
• 3/4 cup dried red lentils
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided 
• Cooking spray 
• 1 cup diced onion 
• 1/2 cup finely diced carrot 
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped 
• 2 cups chopped mushrooms 
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 
• 3 tablespoons Madeira (optional)
• 1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 
• 2 large egg whites 
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 
• Remaining ingredients:
• 6 (1 1/2-ounce) hamburger buns 
• Arugula or curly lettuce leaves 
• 6 (1/4-inch-thick) slices tomato 
• 6 (1/8-inch-thick) slices onion 

Preparation

1. To prepare aioli, combine first 3 ingredients; cover and refrigerate.
2. To prepare burgers, combine water, lentils, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes. Drain; set aside.
3. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and 3 garlic cloves; sauté for 3 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, mushrooms, marjoram, and pepper; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add wine; cook 1 minute or until liquid almost evaporates. Place onion mixture in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Add the lentils, breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and egg whites. Cover and chill 30 minutes (to help firm up the mixture).
4. Divide the lentil mixture into 6 equal portions, shaping each portion into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Heat the vegetable oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add lentil patties, and cook for 5 minutes on each side.
5. Line the bottom half of each hamburger bun with an arugula or lettuce leaf, and top each bun half with a burger, 2 teaspoons aioli, 1 tomato slice, 1 onion slice, and the top half of the bun.

Butternut Cauliflower Puree

I am not a huge fan of squash, but I am all for eating in season, so I have been experimenting with squashes and mixing with other veggies.  I found one I like tonight!

1 butternut squash
1 TB butter
1 head cauliflower
1 - 1.5 cups milk
Dash black pepper
Nutmeg to taste
1 ts vanilla
Dash cinnamon

Cut squash in half lengthwise, and scoop out seeds.  Place in oven safe dish, "meat" side up.  Put butter in each hole made from seed removal.  Roast squash in 375 degree oven for 45 min - 1 hour, until tender when poked with a fork.
Let squash cool.

Steam cauliflower for 20 minutes.  Let cool.

Puree squash + cauliflower in batches with milk and vanilla.  Only use 1/4 cup of milk or so each batch. Put pureed mixture into large saucepan and whisk in spices and any remaining milk.  Add water or milk if thicker than you want.

Heat mixture over low heat, and serve.

Chicken + Barley Soup

::This recipe could easily be made Vegetarian::

Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 lb chicken breast, cut into small chunks

Salt + Pepper
1/2 teas. white pepper
1 teas. thyme
1 teas. parsley
1 teas. rosemary
dash of cayenne pepper/red pepper flakes
bay leaf
6 cups vegetable broth

2 bell peppers, chopped
1.5 cups barley (not quick cook)
1.5 cups frozen spinach


Heat oil in 6 qt. (or bigger) stockpot/saucepan.  Saute onion 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and saute another minute or so.  Add chicken and quickly brown all sides.  Add rest of ingredients except spinach.  Bring soup to a boil.  Then, lower temperature and let soup simmer 45-50 minutes.  In last five minutes, add spinach.  Remove bay leaf.

Potato Salad - My favorite way

I'm not a big fan of mayo or eggs in my potato salad, so this recipe is much more akin to a German potato salad.

Ingredients
3 cups diced, peeled potatoes (red or white, and I left my peels on)
4 slices bacon (optional)
1 small red onion, diced
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 TB water
3 TB white sugar
1 teas. salt
1/8 teas. ground black pepper
1 T chopped fresh parsley

I also added 1 cup or so chopped zucchini and 2 cloves garlic.

Directions

Place the potatoes into a pot, and fill with enough water to cover.  Bring to a boil, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork.  Drain, and set aside to cool.

Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat.  Fry until browned and crisp, turning as needed.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Add onion to bacon grease (or use pan with olive oil/butter), and cook over medium heat until browned.
*I added garlic and zucchini here and sauteed until soft.
Add the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and pepper to the pan.  Bring to a boil, then add the potatoes and parsley.  Crumble in half the bacon.  Heat through, then transfer to a serving dish.  Crumble the remaining bacon over the top, and serve warm.

Crustless Spinach Quiche

This was fabulous! It's called a "tart" in my cookbook, but I use the term quiche- if anyone knows the technical difference between the two, please do let me know! :) So here is my vegetarian tweaked recipe! Original recipe is from:: Incredibly Easy Gluten-Free recipes

.: quiche ingredients :.

1 tsp olive oil

1 c. finely chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained

1 c. milk

3 eggs

1/4 c. grated parmesan

1 TB minced fresh basil OR 2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

.: topping ingredients :.

2 TB grated parmesan

.: directions :.

(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9-inch glass pie plate.

(2) Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onions and garlic. Stir in spinach. Spread mixture evenly into pie plate.

(3) Combine the remaining quiche ingredients in a medium bowl and gently stir until combined. Pour mixture evenly into pie plate. Bake 50 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Sprinkle with the 2 TB parmesan topping.

.: notes :.

- I used Goya's extra virgin olive oil {that's essentially what we use in everything unless otherwise indicated!}

- I used 2% milk, as that's what we have in the house. I imagine any would type would work just fine though!

- As you can see in the photo, the spices all float to the top. Don't worry! That is how mine looked, and it tasted fabulous- not over spiced or anything :)

- I placed a cookie sheet on the rack below the rack that the quiche was on, just in case there's any overflow. The mixture pretty much fills a 9-inch pie plate to the brim, but I didn't end up having any overflow in the oven.

Barley Lentil Soup

This recipe is super, super easy, and I've found it to be a great last minute recipe - you'd have to keep lentils and barley on hand, of course...


Makes 8 servings.

Olive oil
1 Cup sliced onion
1 teas. minced garlic
3 cups water
3 cups vegetable broth (I usually do half chicken broth)
2 cups frozen soup vegetable, thawed
1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 cup lentils, red or brown
2/3 cup pearled barley
1 teas dried oregano
1 teas dried basil
1 bay leaf
1/2 teas. dried thyme
1/8 teas. black pepper

Coat large saucepan or Dutch oven with olive oil; heat over medium-high heat.  Add onions and garlic; cook and stir 2 minutes or until golden brown.

Add all remaining ingredients and stir together.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, 50 minutes or until barley is tender.  Remove bay leaf, and serve immediately.

peach sorbet

My husband and I have been on an ice cream kick lately, but we wanted to have a healthier alternative for our post-dinner snack. This is what we came up with!

MAKES:: ~4 servings

Ingredients::

2 peaches (pitted and sliced)

1-1 1/2 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt

2-3 TB agave syrup (optional)

2-4 TB fruit juice (optional)

Directions::

Put all ingredients in blender. Mix on "pureé" setting until smooth (30 seconds - 1 min). Pour into freezer-safe containers. Let sit in the freezer for 4-6 hours. Enjoy!

{***notes***}

- we used peaches, but you can certainly substitute any fruit you want!

- agave syrup is an alternative to sugar. it has a low glycemic index and is naturally sweeter, so you use less than if you were to use sugar. if you don't have agave syrup on hand (or don't want to buy some just for this recipe), substitute with sugar. You'll likely have to add a bit more than the recipe calls for- just increase the amount of sugar in small increments until it reaches your preferred level of sweetness :)

- the mixture will seem pretty thin and should pour well into your freezer-safe container. that's ok!

- - experiment with texture... if it's too thin or too thick it still taste great but can sometimes be really hard to scoop!

- my husband used blueberry-cranberry juice (I did not). I used agave syrup (my husband did not). You can use both or neither, it's completely up to your taste buds!!

Basil and Ripe Tomato Bruschetta

Makes 4 servings

1 lb. ripe tomatoes
4 oz. (about 1 cup) diced reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
2 TB chopped fresh basil plus 2 TB
2 TB extra-virgin olive oil
1 TB balsamic vinegar
1/4 teas. dried hot red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, peeled
8 slices Braided Semolina Bread or seeded Italian Bread
8 basil leaves

1.  Submerge the tomatoes in a pot of boiling water for about 30 seconds to loosen the skins.  Remove the tomatoes from the water and use your fingers and a small knife to slip off the skins.  Cut the tomatoes in half crosswise and gently squeeze to remove the seeds.  Dice the tomatoes and place them in a mixing bowl.  Stir in the cheese, 2 TB chopped basil, oil vinegar, and pepper flakes.  Cut one of the garlic cloves in half and reserve one half.  Mince the remaining 1 1/2 cloves and add to the tomatoes.  Let the mixture stand at room temp for 10 to 30 minutes.

2.  Preheat the boiler.  Broil the bread, turning to toast both sides lightly.  Rub one side of the toasts with the reserved garlic clove half.  Place the toasts, rubbed side up, on plate.  Stir the remaining 2 TB of chopped basil into the tomatoes and spoon the mixture over toasts.  Garnish with the whole basil leaves.

Other Bruschetta Variations (I didn't try these, but they were included below the recipe in the book):
After toasting/broiling bread and rubbing with garlic clove, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper and then...

- add mashed, warmed cannellini beans seasoned with a little chopped red onion and sprinkled with torn arugula leaves
- spread with low-fate ricotta cheese mixed with a little grated parmesan cheese and top with cooked broccoli rabe
- layer with grilled eggplant and other veggies and sprinkle with paper-thin shavings of Romano or parmesan cheese
- spread with low-fat ricotta cheese and top with thinly sliced prosciutto, fresh fig quarters, and a sprinkling of thyme
- rub the bread with a thick slice of tomato and top with grilled shrimp and a few drops of fresh lemon juice.

From the 'Family Health Cookbook'

Brazilian Black Bean Soup

Makes 4-6 servings


Ingredients
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (29 oz) black beans, drained
1 can (14.5 oz) vegetable or chicken broth
3 T Cayenne pepper sauce
2 T chopped cilantro (or 2 t dried cilantro)
2 t ground cumin
2 T rum or sherry (optional)

Heat oil in 3 quart saucepan.  Cook and stir onion and garlic 3 minutes or just until tender.  Stir in 1.5 cups of water and remaining ingredients except rum.  Heat to boiling.  Reduce heat to medium-low.  Cook, partially covered, 20 minutes or until flavors are blended, stirring occasionally.

Ladle about half of soup into blender or food processor.  Cover securely.  Process on low speed until mixture is smooth.  Return to saucepot.  Stir in rum.  Cook over medium-low heat 3 minutes or until heated through and flavors are blended.  Garnish with lime slices, sour cream, minced onion, or cilantro, if desired,

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

We think this dish tastes just as good cold!

black bean burgers

vegetarian low-fat burgers from recipezaar- super scrumptious! I substituted Adobo for onion powder and celery salt for seasoning salt and it was fabulous, so feel free to add your own spices! I also used spelt flour instead of whole wheat flour- I used one TB though will probably up it to the 2 or 3 next time. I cooked them for about 3-5 minutes per side on medium-medium high heat in my cast iron skillet.

MAKES 3 burgers {or 6 smaller ones}

Ingredients
1 1/2-2 tablespoons pureed onions (I prefer green onions)
1 cup black beans, well drained
1-3 tablespoon whole wheat flour
1 slice whole wheat bread, very well crumbled
1-1 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt
salt and pepper
oil (for frying)
* can substitute seasoning and bread with pre-made seasoned bread crumbs

Directions
1) In a large bowl, mash the beans until almost smooth (or puree with the onions).
2) Add onions and the rest of the ingredients, except the oil, adding the flour a tablespoon at a time until the mixture is at your desired consistency.
3) Form bean mixture into flat patties and fry patties in a small amount of oil until slightly firm.

Irish Soda Bread

My tried and true recipe, passed down from my mom! I actually substitute half gluten-free flour and half spelt flour. Also, I cook my loaf on a pizza stone instead of a baking dish.

Ingredients:
4 c. flour
3 TB sugar
1 TB double acting baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
6 TB butter
1 1/2 c. dark raisins
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. buttermilk

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 F. Butter and flour a 2 quart round baking dish. Mix the first 5 dry ingredients, then cut in the butter. Stir in raisins. Beat eggs slightly in a separate bowl. AFter reserving 1 TB of egg, stir in buttermilk. Pour egg mixture into the dry mix. On a well-floured surface, kneed the dough 10 times- do not over-kneed. Shape dough into ball and place in baking dish. Cut a cross in the top of the loaf about 1/4 inch deep. Brush loaf with egg reserve and cook for 1 hour 20 minutes.

Momma's Veggie Soup

So this recipe is from my mother-in-law and is a huge hit anytime it's served! You could easily leave out the blending and just chop the veggies, whichever you prefer! I added a dash of salt and Italian blend spices, in addition to a can of black beans.

Ingredients:

2 carrots

1 can diced tomatoes

1 onion

2 celery stalks

3-4 potatoes

4 c. water

2 bullion cubes

a few TBs olive oil

pepper to taste

-optional-

1 zucchini

1 can beans, drained

noodles

handful of rice

other spices

Directions:

Chop potatoes into bite sized pieces. Put the other vegetables through the blender. Saute the vegetables in the olive oil in a large soup pan for a few minutes, then add the water and bullion cubes. Bring pot to a boil. Add pepper and any other spices. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Add beans, rice, and/or noodles shortly after bringing to a simmer.

Blueberry-Banana Bread

This is from All-Time Favorite Healing Recipes from The Green Pharmacy. My oven is not very reliable {I really need to pick up an oven thermometer} so the bottom of this bread took forever to finish baking- I ended up leaving it in for close to an hour. This is an extremely moist bread, so my bamboo skewer never pulled out clean. If you're like me and tend to leave your pizza stone in the oven at all times, I would recommend removing it in order to give your bread the best chance of cooking thoroughly from all sides. I also made a few modifications to the recipe:

- used 1/4 c. agave syrup instead of brown sugar

- used 3/4 c. frozen blueberries

- used 3/4 c. fresh blueberries

- substituted 1 c. of the flour with spelt flour

- went a little crazy and used 2 TB raw sugar

Time: 50 mins + cooling time

Servings: 10

Ingredients:

2 1/4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 c. mashed ripe bananas {about 3 bananas}

1/2 c. reduced fat- plain yogurt

1.3 c. packed brown sugar

1/4 c. regular or light buttermilk

1 lg. egg

2 TB unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp grated lemon zest

1 c. frozen wild blueberries

1/2 c. dried wild blueberries

1 TB raw sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Coat a loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine the bananas, yogurt, brown sugar, buttermilk, egg, butter, and lemon zest. Whisk to blend. Add the dry ingredients, and mix until they are just blended. Stir in all of the blueberries. Turn the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the top. Sprinkle on the raw sugar.

3. Bake 40-45 mins, or until a bamboo skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack, 5 mins. Removed from pan and cool the loaf completely on the rack. Cut it into 3/4 inch slices and serve.

Spaghetti with Mascarpone, Meyer Lemon, Spinach, and Hazelnuts

serves two as a main course

1 teaspoon Meyer lemon zest (from about 1/2 lemon)
juice from one Meyer lemon (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
a few grinds of fresh pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 pound spaghetti
5 cups (loosely packed) fresh spinach, washed, spun dry, and roughly chopped
1/2 cup chopped, toasted hazelnuts

Combine the zest, lemon juice, mascarpone, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a bowl. Whisk to combine.

Bring a pot of water to boil and salt generously. Cook the pasta until al dente, taking it off the heat about 1 to 2 minutes before you would normally remove it. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

Return the pasta to the pot, and set over low heat. Stir in the mascarpone sauce. Add the spinach and toss so that the spinach begins to wilt. Add about 1/4 cup of the pasta water (more if necessary) to keep the sauce fluid but not too watery. Continue to cook and toss until the spinach is cooked. Add the hazelnuts and stir to combine. Serve immediately.

Butternut Squash, Sage, and Parmesan Pasties

Made these last night for dinner... we thought they were pretty tasty.  

Makes 2 large or 4 small pasties

Dough
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
2/3 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
6-8 tablespoons ice water

Filling
8 ounces butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 cm cubes 
1 medium red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon finely chopped sage
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Sea salt
Freshly ground white pepper (or black)
1 egg, beaten

To make dough

Sift flour and salt into a large bowl. Using a pastry blender or knife, cut butter into flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add 1 tablespoon of ice water at a time, gently tossing between additions, until the dough just holds together. Shape dough into a ball and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before rolling out.

Before rolling out the dough, let it soften slightly so that it is malleable but still cold. On a lightly floured surface, roll it out to 1/8-inch thick. Cut out two circles using a plate or bowl as a guide.

To make pasties

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a large bowl, combine butternut squash, onion, garlic, sage, parsley, Parmesan cheese, and pine nuts.

Spoon mixture over half of each dough round, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge. Sprinkle well with salt and pepper.

Moisten the edges of the dough with beaten egg. With cool hands, fold the pastry over and crimp the edges. (Use any crimping technique you like, just make sure it is well sealed. For the traditional Cornish method, see this YouTube video.) Cut a small slit in the top of each pasty. Brush all over with beaten egg.

Bake until golden and cooked through, about 40 minutes. Serve hot or warm.