September 18, 2016

Stovetop mac and cheese

September 18, 2016/ Rebecca Davis

Get dinner on the table in about 25 minutes with this easy stovetop Mac and cheese. Throw in whatever veggies your family likes and whatever cheeses you’ve got in your fridge.

Take me to the recipe!

This is our go-to recipe for stovetop mac and cheese. I prefer stovetop over the baked variety because a) it saves a step; and b) at least when I make it, it's creamier. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.

Now listen, I know people have extremely strong opinions when it comes to mac and cheese, so I’m not claiming that this is the “right” way to make it. This is just how I make it and so far, we haven’t had any complaints.

Also, it’s so easy and a good way to use up cheese odds and ends. Also, my kids will eat broccoli, zucchini, and peas when they’re in the Mac and cheese, so it’s a win all around.

A couple of notes:

Roux can be intimidating, but let me tell you, I’ve made this dish 1000 times and my roux looks slightly different every time. Don’t worry too much about how it’s “supposed” to look or how thick it’s “supposed” to be. Adding cheese to this sauce hides a lot of imperfections! It’s okay to wing it!
I like to finely chop any veggies that I’m going to add (unless it’s peas and then I don’t do anything to them) and throw them into the pasta water three minutes before the al dente time listed on my pasta package. Check the pasta at the al dente time, but know that you might need another minute or two to get the pasta fully cooked because adding the veggies to the water lowers the temperature.

Stovetop Mac and Cheese

Time: 25 minutes, all active
Yield: 4 adult dinner servings, plus leftovers

16 oz Pasta
2 cups whole milk
4 heaping cups cheese (mixture of cheddar, gruyere, muenster, gouda, whatever you have)
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea salt + more to taste, depending on the saltiness of your cheese and add-ins
1/4 tsp black pepper
Any veggies you plan to add

Heat your salted pasta water over a high flame.

Measure the milk and microwave for 30 seconds or until it no longer feels chilly to the touch.

Grate the cheese and prep any veggies you plan to add.

In a separate pan, melt butter over a medium-low flame. Add flour, stirring constantly to combine. Keep whisking frequently. When butter and flour are bubbling, turn flame all the way down and continue stirring until the mixture has turned a slightly darker shade of brown (bubbles go from large to small and the color is more of a wheat/blond than white/cream).

Add the garlic powder, salt, and pepper and whisk to combine.

Slowly stream the milk into the flour and butter mixture and whisk vigorously until combined. Stir very frequently until mixture thickens, about 5-8 minutes. Add cheese and stir to melt. Stir frequently until the sauce is as thick as you’d like, about 3-4 minutes more.

While the sauce simmers, cook pasta according to package directions. When the pasta is 3 minutes shy of al dente, add the veggies to the boiling pasta water. Once the veggies and pasta are done cooking (check at the al dente time, but you may need 1-2 more minutes because the temperature dropped when we added the veggies), drain and return the noodles to the hot pan. Immediately add the cheese sauce and stir well. Check seasonings and serve.

July 18, 2016

Rainbow vegetable quiche

July 18, 2016/ Rebecca Davis

Isn't she puuuurty? This dish combines a lot of M's favorite foods: Eggs, cheese, milk, and bread (or at least, something bread-adjacent). Also, quiches are basically fancy casseroles with all of the benefits (big-batch; make ahead and reheat; easily customized based on preferences; etc), but are less messy than some of the saucier casseroles and are cube-able, which means that quiche = toddler finger food. This particular quiche is so pretty that I would happily feed it to a crowd. It's also so tasty that I would happily eat it all by myself (which I pretty much did because M went on a hunger strike after I made it).

I used a pre-made crust because I'm lazy.

I also recommend pre-cooking the potatoes a little bit, but this step isn't crucial. I just like predictability and pre-cooking means that all of the veggies will be evenly cooked. Tossing them in raw is more of a gamble, though after 45+ minutes of cooking, they'll probably be fully cooked. Also, slicing the potatoes thinly ensures that they cook at the same rate as the squash and tomatoes, which you can make a little thicker.

Rainbow Veggie Quiche

Time: About 1.5 hours (most action up front and then waiting for the quiche to cook)
Yield: 6-8 servings as a main; 8-10 servings as a side

1 large tomato, sliced into about 1/4-inch rounds
½ large sweet potato, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
½ large yellow squash, sliced into about 1/4-inch rounds
2 large handfuls fresh spinach or 1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained
3 small purple potatoes (or regular potatoes if you can’t find purple), sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
olive oil
4 large eggs
¾ cup whole milk
2-3 large garlic cloves, minced
¾ cup cheddar cheese (or whatever cheese you prefer)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 9” pre-made pie crust (or your favorite homemade crust in a 9-inch pie plate)

Preheat the oven to 400.

Slice sweet potatoes, purple potatoes, into 1/8th-inch slices. You can use a mandolin or just eyeball it. Spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Cook in the oven for about 8-10 minutes, just until the sweet potatoes become pliable.

In the meantime, combine 4 eggs and milk and whisk to combine. Add the minced garlic. Grate the cheese and add ½ cup to the egg/milk mixture, reserving ¼ cup for topping the quiche. Season generously with salt and pepper. Stir to combine and set aside.

Next, using a fork, make holes all over your pie crust. Once the veggies have softened, turn the oven down to 375 and cook the empty pie crust for 10 minutes.

Remove the crust from the oven and begin assembly. I recommend putting a sheet pan beneath your crust to catch any spillover.

Starting with the purple potatoes, spread a single layer over the bottom of the crust (pie crust should peek through). Then, add two handfuls of spinach. Pour about 1/3 of the milk/cheese/egg mixture over these layers and tap the quiche once to remove air bubbles.

Then, add the yellow squash layer and the sweet potato layer. Pour over the other 1/3 of the milk/cheese/egg mixture. Tap once to remove air bubbles. By this point, the liquid should be even with the sweet potato layer and everything should be up to about the rim of the pie crust. If not, add more liquid and veggies.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, uncovered.

After 30 minutes, remove the quiche and add the tomato layer. Pour a bit of the remaining egg/milk/cheese mixture over the tomatoes (if possible- there may not be enough room for more of the egg mixture and that’s totally fine) and top with the remaining cheese.

Return to the oven for 15 minutes, or until the quiche is set. You should be able to rotate the entire thing without much movement from the contents.

If the quiche is not set after 45 minutes, but the cheese on top is browning, cover with foil and check again after another 10 minutes.

Let cool before serving.

June 03, 2016

Cherry, strawberry, basil, and coconut yogurt smoothie

June 03, 2016/ Rebecca Davis

Cherry, strawberry, basil, and coconut milk puree | Me & The Moose. Cherries, strawberries, basil, and coconut yogurt combine in this smoothie that is equally delicious for babies, toddlers, and grownups. #meandthemoose #babyfood #toddlerfood #summer #cherry #strawberry #basil #coconut #smoothie

Roasting fruit is a fantastic way to make it taste super sweet AND save it from the garbage if it’s a little past its prime. Here, we’ve combined that syrupy goodness with fresh basil and coconut yogurt for a unique and TASTY smoothie.

Take me to the recipe!

Okay, okay. I know it’s a little much to roast fresh fruit in the summer, but I promise that it’s worth it! The fruit gets SO SWEET that it tastes like candy, which is an excellent way to get kids to eat it.

It's also incredibly forgiving and versatile. Want to use only berries or only cherries? Do it. Want to use vegan coconut yogurt? Absolutely!. Want to freeze them as popsicles? Freeze away! Want to swap in frozen fruit because it’s cheaper or it’s winter? One hundred percent fine.

However, you CAN NOT use dried basil in place of fresh. You could skip the basil, but really, it's the star of the show.

Roasted strawberries and cherries for a dairy-free smoothie made with coconut yogurt and basil. #dairyfreesmoothies #dairfreerecipes #roastedfruit #strawberrysmoothie #cherrysmoothie #smoothierecipes

Cherries falling into a dairy-free pink smoothie that uses leftover fruit and coconut yogurt. #meandthemoose #babyfood #toddlerfood #coconut #smoothie #dairyfreesmoothie #roastedfruitrecipes #leftoverfruit #howtousebadfruit — Cherry, strawberry, basil, and coconut milk puree | Me & The Moose. Cherries, strawberries, basil, and coconut yogurt combine in this smoothie that is equally delicious for babies, toddlers, and grownups. #meandthemoose #babyfood #toddlerfood #summer #cherry #strawberry #basil #coconut #smoothie

Cherry, strawberry, basil, and coconut yogurt smoothie

Time: (30-35 minutes, mostly active)
Yield: 1 cup roasted fruit puree; 2 smoothies

1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, quartered (2 cups of whole berries if using frozen)
1 heaping cup cherries, pitted (fresh or frozen)
10 oz coconut yogurt, cow’s milk or vegan (2 small cartons or 1 1/3 cups)
1/2 cup water, added a little bit at a time
6-8 large fresh basil leaves

Pre-heat the oven to 350. Place the fresh or frozen strawberries and cherries on a foil or parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes. Check frequently to avoid scorching. Roast until the fruit is very mushy and its liquid has released and become syrupy.

Once your berries are roasted, dump everything into the blender and blend until smooth.