Meatless Monday: Macaroni and Cheese with Butternut Squash

Back in the cold of winter, my friend Alissa of Simply Wholesome Kitchen invited me over for a cozy warm lunch with her and her adorable toddler.  She and I have a lot in common when it comes both to our food values and our love of food, period.  Therefore, it was with great interest that I tried her Macaroni and Cheese with Squash. 

She prefaced the dish by saying that it was healthy, but gave me few other details.  I have to honestly say that I did not guess that aside from the whole wheat pasta and a not-so-gooey cheese base, there was a secret healthy ingredient.  But, as you may have guessed from the title, there was - the squash. 

The recipe immediately moved to my "to-try" list and popped back up when I found myself with a craving for something cheesy and creamy, but on the healthier side.  However, instead of frozen pureed winter squash, I found myself with a late winter farmers' market butternut squash.  I figured I would give it a go.

With a fresh squash, there is no hiding the vegetable content of this dish.  Not to mention, the simplicity of throwing it together is eliminated when you have to peel, cut, seed and steam the squash before you get to the other prep.  Still, totally worth it.  If you want the easier version, I recommend heading over to Alissa's version or the Elie Krieger version she worked with originally. 

Macaroni and Cheese with Butternut Squash (adapted from Simply Wholesome Kitchen who adapted from Food Network)

• Olive oil mister or other cooking spray
• 1 pound whole wheat short pasta
• 1 medium to large butternut squash
• 2 cups lowfat milk
• 4 oz. extra-sharp Cheddar, grated, reserving 1/2 cup for topping
• 4 oz. Monterey Jack, grated
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp powdered mustard, such as Colman's
• 1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne powder
• 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan or Pecorino, divided
• 2 tbsp plain bread crumbs (or 2 slices whole grain bread, crumbled)
• 1 tsp olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with olive oil spray.
2. Peel, seed and cube butternut squash into approximately 1-inch pieces.  Place in skillet with water and steam until fork tender.  Mash and set aside.
3. While squash is steaming, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente.  Drain and set aside.
4. Combine bread crumbs, half the pecorino and 1 tsp of olive oil in small bowl and set aside. 
5. When squash is ready, add to empty pasta pot along with the milk.  Cook at medium-low, stirring occasionally until mixture is smooth and very hot.  
6. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining pecorino, Monterey Jack and all but 1/2 cup of grated Cheddar, salt, mustard and cayenne pepper.  Add pasta and mix well. 
7. Transfer mixture to baking dish and top with cheddar and bread crumbs. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and broil for 3 minutes or until top is golden brown. 

Serves 6-8

Chicken Enchiladas with Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Way back when I made risotto with my homemade stock, I also found myself with tons of shredded chicken straight off the bone.  The process of making stock made the meat literally fall off the bone, so I wasn't faced with my usual situation - I'm somewhat averse to the whole bone thing, so I leave way too much meat on the bones when faced with them without assistance. Those bones were picked clean this time!

With so much meat, I really should have made an effort to see how many different recipes I could make like some other challenges I've seen out in the blogosphere.  I intend to do that in the future, but this time I had one thing in mind.  Enchiladas! I used to consider this dish an unhealthy indulgence that I made once in awhile since there are very few dishes where I use something from a can that isn't beans or coconut milk (okay, there are probably more things....but you get the drift). Now, I found a recipe to make enchilada sauce from scratch which eliminates the processed factor and makes things all around more fun!

Besides the development in sauce, this recipe packs in more vegetables than your typical enchilada recipe and certainly could handle even more.  I thought about mixing in some black beans (especially if you want to use less chicken) or chopped spinach.  As usual, you could throw in chopped sweet peppers if you actually eat those things :) I'd love to hear about other suggestions.

And finally, besides all of the fun that I had making the enchiladas and thinking up revisions, I will leave you with the ultimate eater's recommendation - my husband says: Best.  Enchiladas.  Ever. 

Chicken Enchiladas (adapted from Tyler Florence)

• 1 4lb organic free-range chicken, shredded
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 red onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil (or chicken drippings if you cook the chicken yourself)
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 4 chipotle peppers in adobo, roughly chopped
• 3 tbsp pickled jalapeno slices, roughly chopped
• 1 28 ounce can of crushed or diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups of enchilada sauce
• 12 whole grain or whole wheat tortillas (or more depending on size and stuffing)
• 2 cups of grated Cheddar and Jack cheeses

1.  Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Add cumin, garlic, paprika, chili powder and cayenne to shredded chicken. 
3. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil (or chicken drippings) until fragrant and soft.  Add corn and chiles and mix well. Add tomatoes and saute for 1 minute.
4. Add chicken to tomato mixture and stir until heated all the way through and well combined.
5. Cover the bottom of 2 13 x 9 inch baking dishes with a thin layer of enchilada sauce. Spread small amount of sauce on a tortilla; fill with chicken mixture.  Roll tortilla closed and place seam down in the pan.  Top tortillas with remaining sauce and shredded cheese.
6. Bake for 15 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbling.

 Chicken Enchiladas