Big Hearted Macaroni and Cheese with Artichokes

From the Kitchn:

serves 6 to 8

• 12 ounces frozen artichoke hearts
• 1 pound elbow macaroni or small shells
• 8 ounces silken tofu (soft)
• 2 1/2 cups skim milk
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 6 ounces white cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs or panko
• 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
• Olive oil

1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil. Place the frozen artichoke hearts in a colander and run cold water over them for a few moments. Remove from the colander and set aside.
2. Heat a 4-quart pot of salted water to boiling and add the pasta. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the package specifies, to just barely al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the pasta from cooking. Return to the cooking pot.
3. Cut each artichoke heart into several bite-sized pieces and stir into the cooked pasta.
4. Place a 10-inch deep skillet or wide saucepan over medium heat. Place the tofu in the pan, and mash it thoroughly with a fork or whisk. Whisk in the milk, mustard, salt, paprika and pepper. Warm the mix until bubbles form around the edges, then whisk in the cornstarch and shredded cheese. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture thickens just slightly. As it heats, it will appear somewhat lumpy. This is fine; just whisk occasionally as you stir.
5. When the mixture has thickened slightly, turn off the heat and pour it into the pot with the macaroni and artichokes. Stir thoroughly, and taste for seasoning. If necessary, stir in a little extra salt and pepper, then spread in the prepared baking dish.
6. Mix the bread crumbs and Parmesan and sprinkle over the pasta. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy on top. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

RESULTS: I was intrigued by this recipe because it has tofu in it, and I'm trying to eat more protein, and it also has artichokes, which Chris loves. LOVES. I think with some tweaks it could be really good. I didn't care for the artichokes as is. They didn't add good flavor to the dish, they kind of clashed with the cheese. If I were to make this again, I would probably saute or bake (can you back artichokes?) before putting them in with the pasta to get some richer flavor to them. Chris agreed to try this because I assured him that he wouldn't be able to taste the tofu, and his clean plate seemed to confirm that. I would also adjust the cooking time for the pasta. It was still pretty mushy. Maybe cook the pasta for 4 minutes less than the box says to? experimentation needed. The very best part of this was the panko topping. I HIGHLY recommend panko over breadcrumbs, it really makes a huge difference.  

Spring Vegetable Gratin

From Cooking Light Magazine:

For variety, switch vegetable combinations depending on the season. Try chopped eggplant and zucchini in summer, for instance, and quartered Brussels sprouts and cubed butternut squash in the fall.
Ingredients

1 (6-ounce) package original recipe long-grain and wild rice (such as Uncle Ben's)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)
3 cups 1% low-fat milk
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fontina cheese, divided
1 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 1/3 cups (2-inch) slices asparagus (about 3/4 pound)
2 cups frozen green peas, thawed
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced green onions
Cooking spray
Preparation
1. Cook the rice according to package directions, omitting salt, fat, and seasoning packet.

2. Preheat oven to 400°.

3. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place flour in a medium saucepan. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick (about 8 minutes), stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add 3/4 cup fontina, 3/4 cup Parmesan, thyme, salt, and pepper; stir until cheese melts. Stir in rice, asparagus, peas, and onions. Spoon rice mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with 1/4 cup fontina and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Bake at 400° for 18 minutes or until bubbly.
Yield

12 servings (serving size: about 1/2 cup)
Nutritional Information

CALORIES 197(29% from fat); FAT 6.4g (sat 3.5g,mono 1.7g,poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 12g; CHOLESTEROL 20mg; CALCIUM 286mg; SODIUM 375mg; FIBER 2.9g; IRON 1.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 22.5g


RESULTS: I've been holding on to this recipe for a depressingly long time. It's not fun to get a recipe for spring veggies in February, and then have to keep putting it aside until the veggies actually come into season. I've been wondering for a while why our farmer's market hasn't had any asparagus. Suz and I have gone just about every week and no asparagus. Today for the first time I got there as it opened and I discovered that there has probably been asparagus all along. I got there at 8:15. I left at 9. There was asparagus when I got there, there was none when I left. Luckily, I snagged a bunch.

I really liked this recipe. It could use a kick, like maybe some old bay or red pepper or something, but it's just a nice pleasant casserole. I like that it seems that you can make substitutions pretty easily. I didn't have fontina cheese, so I used some feta with the Parmesan, and that's pretty good. I think you could switch out the veggies with almost anything you want, but you may have to pre-cook some things. Some lady online didn't like the asparagus, she thought it was too crunchy, so if you may want to steam that first. I also don't see why you couldn't replace the wild rice with white or brown rice, or even orzo! This recipe is definitely a keeper.