Artichoke and Goat Cheese Strata

Joe and I went on a little getaway this past weekend to lovely Richmond, Virginia, where we stayed in a historic inn, visited the Confederate white house, bought some ass-cheap vintage records, and ate a lot of delicious Southern food. I knew I wouldn't feel like cooking when we got home on Sunday, so I planned to have some strategic leftovers in the house. And there's nothing that says "leftovers" like a casserole.

So ahead of time I prepared this yummy artichoke and goat cheese strata. A strata is a special kind of casserole that's always made with bread, milk, and eggs, plus whatever other ingredients you want to add to mix up the flavors. It's kind of like a savory bread pudding, but more solid (less gooey) and it's purposefully layered (hence the name). Very delish, keeps well for several days, and works with an easy simple green salad on the side.

Artichoke and Goat Cheese Strata
From Cooking Light

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup  finely chopped shallots (about 1 large)
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried herbes de Provence
• 1 3/4 cups 1% low-fat milk
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1/2 (1-pound) loaf country-style white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 5 cups)
• Cooking spray
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled goat cheese, divided

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in artichoke hearts and garlic; cook for 8 minutes or until artichoke hearts begin to brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and stir in herbes de Provence. Cool 10 minutes. Combine milk, black pepper, salt, and eggs in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and bread; toss gently to combine. Stir in artichoke mixture, and let stand for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375F. Spoon half of bread mixture into an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with half of goat cheese, and top with remaining bread mixture. Sprinkle remaining half of goat cheese over top. Bake for 50 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

Healthier Eggplant Parm

Sorry for the long hiatus! I could go on about how Thanksgiving happened, and then I had to go to New York for a stupid legal training class, and the holiday season is just so crazy, but I'll stop myself here and say that I have dearly missed you, my (silent but) faithful readers.

I made this a couple weeks ago but am just now posting about it for the aforementioned reasons. Eggplant parmesan is one of those classic vegetarian dishes that everybody loves but is actually really horrible for you due to the frying and the cheese. Fortunately, it's not hard to lighten it up by baking the eggplant slices and using the cheese a bit more judiciously than you otherwise would. Even more fortunately, the dish is still delicious when prepared this way.

Healthier Eggplant Parm

• Cooking spray
• 2/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs, Italian-style
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (or a mix of oregano, basil, marjoram, rosemary, and/or thyme)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 medium raw eggplants
• 3-4 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 3 cups canned tomato sauce
• 1 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside. Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder in a medium-size bowl; set aside. Remove skin from eggplant and trim off ends; slice eggplant into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
Dip eggplant first into egg whites and then into bread crumb mixture. Bake eggplant on a nonstick cookie sheet until lightly browned, about 20 to 25 minutes, flipping once.

Place a layer of eggplant on bottom of prepared baking dish, then add 1/3 of tomato sauce and 1/3 of mozzarella cheese. Repeat with 2 more layers in same order. Bake until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling, about 10 minutes.

Mac & Cheese & Greens

Last night's dinner felt pretty blog-worthy. Tonight's, not so much. But I'll share it anyway in the interest of keeping the momentum going.

I cobbled this recipe together out of several different ones I've seen around the webs lately. It's a simple premise: mac and cheese that's actually kind of healthy. Less cheese; more veggies (greens and butternut squash); whole wheat pasta. You can throw the whole thing together in the time it takes to boil the pasta water and cook the macaroni, which is great on a weeknight.

This is a good way to put to use any leafy greens you've got in the fridge that look a little past their prime. Even if they're all wilted, it doesn't matter, because you're just going to saute them up and make a sauce out of them anyway. The only important thing is to wash them really well -- and not just under running water, I'm talking about swirling them around in a big bowl of cold water for at least 2-3 minutes. You'll notice a ton of dirt left in the bowl when you take the greens out.

If you want, you can puree the sauce in a blender or food processor before stirring the pasta in, but I left mine as-is because let's face it, I'm kind of lazy.

Mac & Cheese & Greens

• 2 cups dry whole-wheat macaroni elbows
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 pound greens, cleaned and chopped (such as spinach, kale, collards, turnip greens, or my personal preference, chard)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes
• About 1 cup of pureed butternut squash (about 2/3 of a can)
• Nutmeg
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth or water
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used low-fat cheddar)

Prepare the pasta according to package directions. In the meantime, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the greens, garlic, and salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste. Saute for about 4-5 minutes, or until greens are tender. Add squash, broth or water, and nutmeg to taste; heat through. Stir in cheese. At this point your pasta should be done, so add it to the pan and mix well. Add more broth or water if sauce is too thick. Serves 3-4.