Lasagna Soup with Basil Ricotta Crème

Serves 8
Total cost: NY $23.24
Cost per serving: NY $2.90

So one of the things that drives me crazy about expensive shaped pastas like manicotti, shells and even curly-edge lasagna noodles is how I invariably end up with broken noodles in the package, no matter how carefully I carry them home from the store. The other thing that drives me crazy about these shapes is that there always seems to be a 2 or 3 noodle mismatch between what I get in a package and what the recipe calls for, leaving me with a whole box in the cabinet to house one lonely manicotti noodle, sadly wondering where all his friends ran off to. And that is precious real estate in my NYC kitchen that I cannot afford to squander.


Solution? Save up all your broken or orphaned pasta pieces until you have about 2 cups worth, then make lasagna soup. If you get impatient before you have a enough, you can use any leftover pasta shape or even, if you must, pulverize a couple of whole lasagna noodles from a full box. As long as all your pieces are of approximately the same size, the cooking time will work out. You want to aim for the size of the broken bits to be about the size of penne or rotini, which, not coincidentally, is the shape we would recommend if you don’t have enough leftover smashed pasta. (You’ll notice we didn’t have quite enough ourselves, so used some rotini from the back of the cupboard that wasn’t, on its own, quite enough for a full plate of pasta.)


Once you taste this, I think you’ll see why one might decide to jump the gun and sacrifice some whole shells for this soup. The broth is tomatoey and warming, the noodles toothsome, and the cool herb ricotta topping contrasts beautifully with the heat from the sausage and peppers. Go on and stir the ricotta in to the soup if the spirit so moves you. For those of you who care about such things, you'll note that the calorie count is quite low for a dish that is rich, meaty and creamy all at the same time.


Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil (staple)
• 1 pound uncooked Italian turkey sausage (NY $5.79)
• 1 onion (NY $0.79)
• 1 green pepper (NY $0.99)
• ½ pound mushrooms (NY $1.89)
• 3 cloves garlic (NY $0.25)
• 4 cups beef broth (NY $2.89)
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (NY $1.39)
• 1 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes (NY $1.19)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste (staple)
• 1 10 oz. package frozen spinach, defrosted and drained (NY $1.49)
• 1 tbsp oregano (staple)
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes (staple)
• ½ tsp dried basil (staple)
• ½ tsp dried thyme (staple)
• Pepper to taste (staple)
• 2 cups mixed broken lasagna/manicotti/shell pasta (staple or NY $0.89 for box of penne)
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan (staple)
• 1 15 oz container part-skim ricotta (NY $2.89)
• 1/2 bunch (about 6 stems) fresh basil (NY $2.79 for whole bunch)

Directions

Dice the onion and pepper, mince the garlic, and chop the mushrooms into eighths.

Remove sausage from casing by cutting a slit in the skin vertically and then peeling back and off the casing. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat, then crumble in the sausage meat. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes.

Stir chopped veggies into the pot, and continue cooking until softened, onions slightly translucent and mushrooms release juices, about another 5 minutes.

Add broth, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and spinach, and raise heat to high. Add spices and bring to a boil. While soup is coming to a boil, taste to check your seasoning. Be sure to actually bite into a piece of sausage when tasting, as sausage can hold a lot of spice that doesn’t carry over into broth. Once boiling, add pasta and cook until al dente, approximately 8-10 minutes depending on type of noodles. Meanwhile, chop basil and stir into ricotta along with the parmesan. Serve soup in bowls topped with generous dollops of basil ricotta crème.


Nutritional Info
Amount Per Serving

Calories 299.7	Vitamin A 77.1 %	Iron 18.3 %
Total Fat 12.6 g	Vitamin B-12 3.0 %	Magnesium 14.9 %
Cholesterol 54.8 mg	Vitamin B-6 11.4 %	Manganese 23.4 %
Sodium 1,102.5 mg	Vitamin C 75.4 %	Niacin 10.5 %
Potassium 764.0 mg	Vitamin D 5.3 %	Phosphorus 29.0 %
Total Carbohydrate 27.3 g	Vitamin E 7.5 %	Riboflavin 22.8 %
Fiber 4.2 g	Calcium 25.6 %	Selenium 18.3 %
Sugars 7.3 g	Copper 20.0 %	Thiamin 14.8 %
Protein 20.4 g	Folate 22.4 %	Zinc 17.0 %

Recipe and Nutritional Information after the jump

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 4 dozen
Total Cost: NY $4.42
Cost per cookie: NY $0.09


As you’ve probably heard by now, Nestle has recalled all of its refrigerated cookie dough products, including Toll House. And. . . all this talk of chocolate chip cookie dough has made me crave cookies. Because yes, I am weird like that. So, no time like the present to make our own cookie dough!*


This recipe includes a neat trick that the LBUH picked up from a college roommate about how to keep your cookies chewy. Another great thing about this recipe is that it lets you satisfy your cravings for fresh chocolate cookies both now, and later. We always make a baking sheet (or two if we’re being honest . . . .) immediately, and store the rest of the batter in the freezer for later on in the week.** Later, just put frozen chunks of cookie dough on a baking sheet, and increase the first cooking time slightly.

Ingredients

• 2 sticks of unsalted butter at room temperature (NY $1.50)
• ¾ cup white sugar (NY $0.26)
• ¾ cup dark brown sugar (NY $0.35)
• 2 eggs (NY $0.33)
• 1 tbsp milk (staple)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (staple)
• 1 teaspoon almond extract (staple)
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour (NY $0.49)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda (staple)
• ½ teaspoon salt (staple)
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (NY $1.49)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degress. Using an electric mixer or by hand if you prefer, cream together the butter and the sugars. Add eggs one at a time along with the milk and the almond and vanilla extracts and beat until well-blended. (If doing this by hand, whisk the eggs just to blend in a separate bowl before incorporating into the butter mixture.)

In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. When thoroughly mixed, slowly stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Once combined, stir in the chocolate chips.

Place teaspoon-sized drops of cookie dough onto an ungreased baking sheet, and bake. After the cookies have been baking for about 5-7 minutes, remove the tray, and quickly slap the tray down on your counter. This should cause the bubbly cookies to quickly deflate and flatten. This is a good thing! Deflating the cookies helps them stay chewy after they have cooled.


Place the tray back in the oven and bake until the cookies are beginning to brown, approx. another 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheets until they start to harden slightly (approx. 2-5 minutes), and then transfer cookies to a baking rack to finish cooling.

* So, you may be wondering, what’s the “healthy” angle on this recipe? Ummm, not loaded down with E. Coli? That’s sounds healthy to us! Not good enough? Then we’re going to have to go with “all things in moderation”.

**Or later in the month or season if you, unlike us, possess some of that “willpower” stuff they’re always babbling about.

*** Our oven unfortunately has a draft, alas, so it usually takes longer.


Nutritional Facts
Amount Per Cookie

Calories 108.5	Vitamin A 2.9 %	Iron 3.1 %
Total Fat 5.7 g	Vitamin B-12 0.5 %	Magnesium 2.5 %
Cholesterol 17.8 mg	Vitamin B-6 0.4 %	Manganese 5.0 %
Sodium 74.1 mg	Vitamin C 0.0 %	Niacin 1.8 %
Potassium 44.8 mg	Vitamin D 0.3 %	Phosphorus 2.0 %
Total Carbohydrate 14.2 g	Vitamin E 0.8 %	Riboflavin 2.7 %
Fiber 0.5 g	Calcium 0.8 %	Selenium 4.0 %
Sugars 6.5 g	Copper 3.2 %	Thiamin 3.2 %
Protein 1.1 g	Folate 2.8 %	Zinc 1.2 %

Recipe and Nutritional Information after the jump

Whole Wheat Roasted Vegetable Calzones with Herbed Ricotta

Makes eight calzones
Total price: NY $ 9.64
Price per calzone: NY $1.20


There’s a pizza joint near where I work that advertises “Tuscan Roasted Vegetable Whole Wheat Calzones with Herbed Ricotta." Only, despite their laminated little placard, they DON’T actually herb the ricotta,* their filling is so liquid-y that the dough gets wet and soggy, and they charge nearly $7.00 each for what, in my mind, is an inadequate product. Result: a mini-quest to come up with a better calzone, at home, for less.


You can use almost any combination of vegetables in these: zucchini or red bell peppers both work well. You can also sneak some spinach into the ricotta as well, if you like your calzones just bursting with veggies or are afraid you may have recently contracted scurvy. We found some gorgeous looking basil at a decent price,** but if what you can find is too pricey or looking a bit peaked, Italian (that’s the flat, not curly, leafed kind) parsley works well too. (Don’t use quite as much if substituting parsley.)


Ingredients

• 1 eggplant (NY $1.10)
• 1 green pepper (NY $0.99)
• 1 red onion (NY $0.54)
• 2 small yellow squash (NY $0.79)
• 4 tbsps olive oil (staple)
• ½ cup chopped basil (NY $1.79 for one bunch)
• 1 15 oz package part skim ricotta (NY $2.89)
• 1 tsp. dried oregano (staple)
• Pepper (staple)
• Optional: grated parmesan (staple)
• 1 1/3 cup warm water (free!)
• ¼ oz packet active dry yeast (NY $0.76)
• 1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour (NY $0.39)
• 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour (NY $0.39)
• 2 tsp. salt (staple)

Directions
First, start the dough. In removed bowl of your mixer, place the warm water, olive oil, yeast, and salt, and stir by hand to combine thoroughly. Allow mixture to sit for approx. 10 minutes. Meanwhile, attach the dough hook to the mixer. After the ten minute have elapsed, pour in the flour, and secure the bowl to the mixer. Turn on the mixer at a slow speed, and allow to work until the dough comes together and forms a ball. If some bits of dry ingredients remain attached to the sides of the mixer, add additional water, a teaspoonful at a time. (Know your mixer: if some bits remain stuck to the edges in certain areas that the mixer can’t reach, stop adding water, detach bowl from mixer, and incorporate by hand.)


Flour your work surface by taking a generous pinch of all purpose flour between your finger tips, and, gripping loosely, shake out over your countertop or other clean food-safe surface. Get any flour clinging to your hand out on to the surface by flicking your fingers at the counter as if to say “Poof! You’re a floured surface!” Knead the dough for approximately 5-7 minutes, until smooth, elastic and, well, dough-like.*** Oil a large bowl lightly with some olive oil, and place your dough ball inside. Roll the dough around inside the bowl to coat with olive oil. Cover with a clean towel or sheet of plastic wrap, and leave out on the counter to rise. Let the dough rise for about 1 to 1 ½ hours, or until its doubled in size.


Meanwhile, as dough is rising, prepare vegetables for your calzones. Preheat oven to 425. Chop the narrow end of the squash into rounds, about 1/3 inch thick. Slice the thick end of the squash in two lengthwise, then slice into half-moons, about 1/3 inch thick. Your goal here is to cut pieces of approximately the same size, so that they’ll cook evenly. So if part of the bulbous portion of the squash is a lot wider than the rest, slice that part a bit thinner. Cut the onion and pepper into half inch chunks. Slice the eggplant into pieces about 1/3 inch thick, then into about ½ inch squares. When you’ve chopped all the vegetables, toss them and the unpeeled garlic cloves with 1 tbsp olive oil, some pepper and salt to taste. Roast in the oven until lightly browned and eggplant is cooked through, re-tossing at intervals, about 45 minutes. When cooked, remove from oven and let cool.


While the vegetables are roasting and the dough is rising, prepare the cheese filling. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, chopped basil (or parsley), oregano, and a few grinds black pepper. If using, grate in a little parmesan cheese, 2 tbsps or so, and stir to combine. Pop the resulting mixture into the fridge to allow the ingredients to get acquainted with one another and make friends. Once the vegetables are done and cool enough to handle, fish out the garlic cloves and peel. Turn them into a bit of paste by chopping while simultaneously smooshing them against your cutting board with the side of the knife. Add resulting paste to ricotta mixture, stir to combine, and stick it back into the fridge.


Turn oven up to 450 degrees. After the dough has doubled, punch it. (Yes, you read that right: whack it with your fist, but just the once. No dough abuse, please. You’ll have the opportunity to have at it again later.) Turn out onto floured surface. (Poof!) Knead the dough a for a few minutes, then leave to rest for 20 minutes, covering either with the inverted bowl or with a clean kitchen towel.


Next, divide the dough into 8 roughly equal pieces. If some of your pieces are bigger than others, pinch off a bit from the large pieces, and stick it on to the smaller, rolling between your palms to incorporate.


Using a rolling pin, roll out**** each piece of dough to form a roughly 8 inch round. (Don’t fret if your rounds aren’t perfectly circular: you won’t be able to tell much with the finished product anyway, and its further proof that what you’re making is homemade!) Top half of each round with 1/8 vegetable mixture, and 1/8 ricotta mixture. Leave about a 1/3 inch border around the edge. (Do not pause at this point to, say, take photographs for your, say, food blog. The dough will start to shrink back up a bit as it sits.) Using your fingertip, lightly brush the edges of the round with water. Fold the dough over to encase the filling, and crimp close with the tines of a fork.*****


Transfer calzones to baking sheet, and bake at 450 degrees for approx. 20 minutes, until golden brown.


Serve with marinara sauce on the side, and gloat that you’ve turned out a superior calzone to that of the over-priced pizzeria!

Dough recipe adapted from The Vegan Chef and How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

* I know, right? Even though its LAMINATED!
** I usually keep basil unrefrigerated, in a glass on the countertop. Here are some greatdirections for how to keep it even longer. http://marcsala.blogspot.com/2007/08/save-basil-tip-to-keep-it-fresh.html I tried this, but don’t think the wholes I cut were large enough, as the leaves touching the bag appear to have gotten wet and spoiled. Has any one tried this? Any tips?
*** I like to remove my rings before kneading. Don’t go drawing any gossip-y conclusions based on the ringless state of my fingers in the photos above!
**** You hereby have my permission to count all this kneading, punching and rolling as “strength training”.
*****If desired, freeze any extra calzones prior to baking. When ready to eat, bake at 450 degrees for approx. 35-40 minutes.


Nutritional Facts
Amount Per Serving

Calories 356.4	Vitamin A 10.4 %	Iron 18.7 %
Total Fat 11.0 g	Vitamin B-12 3.0 %	Magnesium 18.3 %
Cholesterol 19.1 mg	Vitamin B-6 15.6 %	Manganese 73.5 %
Sodium 664.4 mg	Vitamin C 34.3 %	Niacin 20.2 %
Potassium 519.8 mg	Vitamin D 0.0 %	Phosphorus 27.2 %
Total Carbohydrate 51.8 g	Vitamin E 6.5 %	Riboflavin 22.6 %
Fiber 6.9 g	Calcium 20.6 %	Selenium 55.3 %
Sugars 1.6 g	Copper 12.6 %	Thiamin 27.6 %
Protein 15.1 g	Folate 24.6 %	Zinc 13.8 %

Recipe and Nutritional Information after the jump

Cure-Whatever-Ails-You Chicken Soup with Ravioli

Makes 8 -10 servings
Total cost: NY $13.34
Cost per serving: NY $1.33 – NY $1.67


Even though Spring has at last arrived, I seem to have caught this cold/flu thing that’s been making the rounds at my office, felling everyone in its wake. Thus, it seemed an appropriate time to post this recipe. I’ve been making this for years, both for myself and others, and I personally guarantee that it will make you feel much rejuvenated.


Its spicy enough to pierce congested nasal passages, but the mellowness of the chicken broth and the cool mildness of the ravioli ensure that its not too much for tender throats and confused palates.* You’ll feel your sinuses clearing just from breathing in the aroma of the vegetables sauteeing, and your stuffed passages unclogging as you slurp the zesty and restorative chicken broth. Inhale deeply and let the recovery begin!


Ingredients

• 1.5 tbsps olive oil (staple)
• 3 cloves garlic (NY $0.10)
• 1 large onion, such as Vidalia (NY $0.73)
• 1 red pepper (NY $2.15)
• 1 green pepper (NY $1.00)
• 1 tbsp oregano (staple)**
• 1 tsp dried basil (staple)
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper (staple)**
• Salt and pepper to taste (staple)
• 6 cups chicken broth (NY $4.59)
• 2 medium zucchini (NY $2.43)
• 2 medium carrots (about 1.5 cups) (NY $0.75 for one bag)
• 1 13 oz package frozen cheese ravioli (NY $1.59)
• Parmesan cheese (staple)

Directions
Mince garlic, and chop onion and peppers. Heat oil oil in soup pot until fragrant, and add chopped veggies along with the spices and a few grinds black pepper. Cook until just tender, approx. 10 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the zucchini into half moons about ¼ inch thick, and peel and chop the carrots.


Add broth to pot, cover and simmer approx. 5 minutes. Add carrots, cover, and continue cooking until the carrots are close to tender but still a bit crisp, approx. 5 minutes.


Increase heat, bring to a boil, and add ravioli and zucchini. Stir to ensure ravioli are just submerged under the top of the soup, and, if necessary, return to a boil. Continue boiling until ravioli is cooked and just tender, approx. 10-15 minutes or according to package directions.
Adjust seasoning to taste, and serve in bowls topped with grated parmesan cheese.


* True story: back in school I cured my friend Ginger of the SARS virus with this soup. OK, fine, she didn’t *really* have SARS, but she was hospitalized and they thought for a while there that that's what she had and quarantined her and everything. And, if you’re going to insist on being such a stickler, it didn’t technically “cure” her of disease, but she *did* say she felt much better after the soup and that she liked it a lot. Happy now? You really know how to kill a good story, don’t you?


** As noted, I like the spices in this on the “so aggressive, you wouldn’t want to run into them in a back alley at night” side. All the better to clear your nasal passages with, my dear! If, however, the sound of that makes you nervous, or if you’re feeling so delicate that you think applesauce might be a bit of an adventure, drop down to approx. ½ a tsp red pepper, and 1 tsp oregano.


Nutritional Facts
Approximate values per serving

Calories 147.1	Vitamin A 85.7 %	Iron 10.8 %
Total Fat 6.2 g	Vitamin B-12 10.0 %	Magnesium 4.7 %
Cholesterol 17.5 mg	Vitamin B-6 11.5 %	Manganese 27.4 %
Sodium 1,267.1 mg	Vitamin C 94.2 %	Niacin 26.2 %
Potassium 559.2 mg	Vitamin D 0.0 %	Phosphorus 17.7 %
Total Carbohydrate 16.6 g	Vitamin E 3.9 %	Riboflavin 8.9 %
Fiber 2.3 g	Calcium 16.3 %	Selenium 10.8 %
Sugars 3.1 g	Copper 13.4 %	Thiamin 4.8 %
Protein 7.3 g	Folate 6.7 %	Zinc 4.7 %

Recipe and Nutritional Information after the jump

Spaghetti Pie

8 servings
Total price: NY $11.93
Price per serving: NY $1.49


This is an adaptation of a recipe my mother used to make when I was kid, which she got off the back of a package of mozzarella cheese. The original called for jarred spaghetti sauce, butter, and hefty portions of full fat cheeses (surprising, a recipe calling for large quantities of cheese being promoted by a cheese manufacturer. . . ). I’ve updated this by adding spinach, subbing a quick homemade marinara for the jarred stuff, and taking a more restrained approach to the cheeses. (As you can tell from the pictures, its still plenty cheesy!)


This one’s great for kids as it ends up looking something like a deep dish pizza, and its less messy than regular spaghetti as the pieces get baked together: thus, no twirling is required and individual pieces can’t be pulled out with the fingers to be dropped on the floor, hung in the hair, or flung at the wall.


Ingredients

• 8 ounces spaghetti (NY $0.85)
• 2 large eggs (NY $0.33)
• ½ cup parmesan cheese (staple)
• 1 tbsps plus 1 tsp olive oil (staple)
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (NY $1.69)
• 1 small onion (NY $0.59)
• 1 clove garlic (NY $0.50 for one head)
• 1 tsp oregano (staple)
• 1 tsp tomato paste (staple)*
• 1 10 oz package frozen spinach (NY $0.99)
• 1 15 oz container part skim ricotta (NY $3.79)
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella (NY $3.19 for 7 oz unshredded)
• Black pepper (staple)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put water on to boil. Lightly grease a 10 inch pie plate with olive oil or cooking spray and set aside.

Dice onion and mince garlic. Cook in 1 tbsp olive oil until onions are just translucent, approx. 5-8 minutes. Add diced tomatoes with their juice, along with oregano and tomato paste

Thaw spinach, then drain in colander. Place ricotta in bowl and combine with spinach by removing small clump of spinach from colander, squeezing vigorously to remove remaining moisture, and then adding to ricotta. Add a few grinds black pepper and stir to combine.


Meanwhile, cook spaghetti until just al dente, drain and toss in large bowl with one tsp olive oil. Whisk eggs with a fork in a small bowl with 1/3 cup shredded parmesan. Toss with spaghetti. Add spaghetti to prepared pie plate. Shape into crust shape by using fingers to flatten center (ooo, smooshy and slimy!) and press up the sides of the plate. Add spinach-ricotta mixture to indentation in center. Top with tomato sauce and bake, uncovered, 25 minutes.


Top with shredded mozzarella and remaining shredded parmesan. Bake an additional 5 minutes, until cheese is melted. Remove from oven, let cool 10 minutes, then slice into 8 wedges and serve.


* If you buy tomato paste in a tube instead of in a can, it will last almost indefinitely. So if you’re checking out and the woman behind you asks why you’re buying the tube kind, you’ll have a better answer than the LBUH who replied, “Because that’s the kind She asked for.” (Of course, the woman who asked and the checkout clerk both seemed to agree that his was, in fact, a pretty darn good answer.)


Nutritional Facts
Approximate values per serving

Calories 196.0	Vitamin B-6 5.1 %	Manganese 18.9 %
Total Fat 9.3 g	Vitamin C 7.2 %	Niacin 3.5 %
Cholesterol 72.4 mg	Vitamin D 1.6 %	Phosphorus 19.0 %
Sodium 238.5 mg	Vitamin E 3.1 %	Riboflavin 14.8 %
Potassium 195.0 mg	Calcium 26.5 %	Selenium 28.4 %
Total Carbohydrate 16.4 g	Copper 4.8 %	Thiamin 6.7 %
Protein 12.3 g	Folate 16.1 %	Zinc 8.9 %
Vitamin A 49.3 %	Iron 7.7 %
Vitamin B-12 5.8 %	Magnesium 9.3 %

Recipe and Nutritional Information after the jump

Tomatillo Tortilla Soup

Makes eight bowls
Total price: NY $19.98 (with extra cilantro & tortilla chips)
Price per serving: NY $2.49


I was so excited to see tomatillos pop up again in the produce section. (Really, I almost clapped my hands in the middle of a crowded market. Cue jaded New Yorkers rolling their eyes and swerving to give the crazy girl a wide berth.)


Tomatillos have a nice bright flavor that really pops when mixed with cilantro, beer, and thyme in this soup.


Ingredients

• 12 tomatillos (NY $1.99)
• 2 medium zucchini (NY $0.89)
• 1 large onion (NY $0.63)
• 2 jalapeno peppers (NY $0.22)
• 4 cloves garlic (NY $0..30 for one head)
• 1 bottle Mexican beer (NY $1.49 for Corona)
• 1 lb. chicken breast (NY $4.99)
• 2 tsps. dried thyme (staple)
• 4 cups chicken broth (NY $2.39)
• 1 bunch scallions (NY $0.50)
• 1 lime (NY $0.50)
• 1 ½ tbsps olive oil (staple)
• 1 ½ tbsps ground cumin (staple)*
• Salt (staple)
• Pepper (staple)
• Tortilla chips (NY $2.59 for 1 bag)
• A few tablespoons cilantro, to taste (NY $0.99)
• 2 cups cotija cheese** (NY $2.50)

Directions
Prepare tomatillos by removing the husks, rinsing (they’ll be sticky!), and then chopping roughly.

Chop the onion and zucchini into pieces of about the same size as the tomatillos. Seed the jalapenos by slicing them open lengthwise, then using the tip of the knife to scrape out the seeds. (Be careful not to touch the seeds with your fingers. If you happen to by mistake, then be *really* careful not to rub your eyes with your hands.) Mince the garlic.


In a large pot, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat, and add the chopped produce along with the cumin, some salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Meanwhile, slice the chicken into ½ inch wide strips and set aside.


Cook the vegetables approx. 7-8 minutes, until the onion is softened and yellow, and the tomatillos become saucy. (Truly, it’s a cheeky and impertinent vegetable. You’ll see!) Add the beer to the vegetables and cook until reduced by about half, approx. 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and thyme, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove cover, reduce heat to medium-low, add chicken and cook over a low boil for about 6 minutes.


While soup is cooking, slice the scallions, chop the cilantro, and cut lime into small wedges.

When the soup is ready, ladle into bowls and squeeze juice from a lime wedge into each. Allow your guests to top as they please with tortilla chips, scallions and cilantro.

*I like this heavy on the cumin: goes easier on it if you’re not as rabid a fan.

**If you do not like or can not find cotija cheese, feel free to substitute Monterey Jack.


Nutritional Facts
Approximate values per bowl

Calories 277.8	Vitamin A 7.8 %	Iron 13.0 %
Total Fat 16.0 g	Vitamin B-12 12.4 %	Magnesium 12.4 %
Cholesterol 64.7 mg	Vitamin B-6 23.9 %	Manganese 23.8 %
Sodium 733.3 mg	Vitamin C 19.2 %	Niacin 51.7 %
Potassium 606.0 mg	Vitamin D 0.0 %	Phosphorus 38.3 %
Total Carbohydrate 11.0 g	Vitamin E 4.4 %	Riboflavin 16.6 %
Fiber 2.1 g	Calcium 29.1 %	Selenium 26.9 %
Sugars 2.8 g	Copper 12.0 %	Thiamin 6.8 %
Protein 23.2 g	Folate 6.2 %	Zinc 13.6 %

Recipe and Nutritional Information after the jump

Macaroni and Cheese with Tomatoes

Total price: NY $13.04/16.83
Price per serving: NY $1.30/1.69


Macaroni and cheese is arguably both the ultimate comfort food* and the ultimate budget food besides. You wouldn’t know it lately, however, as in recent years expensive “gourmet” versions have become trendy, chock full of eighteen kinds of expensive imported cheeses, loaded with pancetta, crimini mushrooms, and frizzled leeks, and even mounded with truffles.

This recipe gets back to what I consider to be the basics. When I was a kid, my mother always put a few tomato slices on top of her macaroni and cheese, which otherwise came straight out of the red-checkered Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. We always elbowed and jockeyed for the tomatoes, inspiring one memorable meal-time squabble that you already know the gist of if you've ever seen the “That caviar is a GARNISH!” scene in “You’ve Got Mail!” Are these tomatoes are good as caviar? You be the judge!


This version dramatically ups the quantity of tomatoes in my mother’s dish for two reasons: (1) increasing the fiber, vitamin, antioxidant, etc etc blah blah content of the dish and (2) decreasing fighting at the dinner table.

This recipe also deviates from tradition in one notable aspect by subbing out some of the cheese for chicken stock. The result is easier on both your wallet and your arteries, but is still creamy, cheesy and deeeeeeeelicious.


Ingredients

• 8 tomatoes (NY $4.77)
• 1 pound elbow macaroni (NY $1.49)
• 8 oz. extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated (NY $4.79)
• 2 cups chicken stock (NY $1.39)
• ½ cup parmesan cheese, freshy grated (staple or NY $2.80 for 5 oz)
• 2 cups milk, whatever kind you keep on hand (NY $0.60)
• 2 tbsps Parsley (staple or NY $0.99 for a bunch)
• Dash of Nutmeg (staple)
• Dash of Cayenne pepper (staple)
• 5 tbsps flour (staple)
  
• 1 ½ tsps. dried thyme (staple)**
• Salt (staple)
• Pepper (staple)
• 2 tbsps olive oil (staple)
• 2 tbsps butter (staple)
• Optional: breadcrumbs (staple)
  

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice tomatoes about ¼ inch thick. Spread tomatoes in a single layer on baking sheets. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with 1 tsp. dried thyme, salt to taste and chopped fresh parsley. Grind black pepper over. Bake until tomatoes have softened, approx. 20 minutes. Remove, but do not turn off oven.

In a pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until just on the crunchy side of al dente, approx. 5 minutes (or per package directions). Drain in a colander, and run under cold water to stop cooking. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour into ½ cup chicken stock.


Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in nutmeg, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, and additional salt to taste. Pour in milk and remaining chicken stock.

Whisk in flour mixture, and bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and bring to a simmer. Continue cooking approx. 8 minutes, whisking frequently.

Add cheese and cook, stirring with spoon, until cheese has melted.

Turn off burner, pour macaroni into pot, and stir to combine.


Line bottom of a 9 x 13 glass dish with a single layer of cooked, sliced tomatoes. Scoop up any loose juices on the sheets and pour those in the dish too. Pour macaroni mixture over. Top with another layer of tomatoes. If using, sprinkle breadcrumbs across top to your taste.

Bake until bubbly*** and golden brown, approx. 30 minutes. Serve immediately.



Adapted from Martha Stewart Living

* And can’t we all use some comfort these days? The LBUH recently had what we thought was a good lead on a job. He met a cool woman at a networking event who was hiring, and seemed very impressed by him. She told him to call her on a certain day to set up a time for him to come in and meet some other people and discuss what kinds of things he could do for her company. He called her as requested and asked if she still had time to meet that week. The response? “Sure, I’ve got pretty much unlimited time to meet this week, because *I* just got laid off.” Just in case you’ve been living under a rock: its hard out there these days. And apparently even the uber-wealthy are asking for mac and cheese these days.

** This is also delicious with fresh thyme if you have some on hand.

***Don’t you just love that instruction? I’m tempted to use it in all my posts. Hmmm, maybe I will in the future . . . (Okay, FINE I’ll leave it out of any future fro yo recipes. Happy now? Party pooper.)

Nutrition Facts

Approximate values per serving

Calories 257.4	Protein 10.8 g	Magnesium 7.5 %
Total Fat 14.1 g	Vitamin A 19.9 %	Manganese 13.3 %
Saturated Fat 7.1 g	Vitamin B-12 3.5 %	Niacin 11.7 %
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.9 g	Vitamin B-6 7.3 %	Pantothenic Acid 4.1 %
Monounsaturated Fat 5.2 g	Vitamin C 18.2 %	Phosphorus 19.2 %
Cholesterol 32.2 mg	Vitamin D 1.1 %	Riboflavin 13.7 %
Sodium 254.3 mg	Vitamin E 4.3 %	Selenium 24.0 %
Potassium 314.4 mg	Calcium 18.9 %	Thiamin 13.1 %
Total Carbohydrate 22.5 g	Copper 8.1 %	Zinc 8.0 %
Dietary Fiber 1.8 g	Folate 16.4 %
Sugars 1.1 g	Iron 8.6 %

Recipe and Nutritional Information after the jump