Mac n Cheese

3 tablespoons plain dry breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 16-ounce or 10-ounce package frozen spinach
1 3/4 cups low-fat milk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
dash of ground nutmeg ,salt /pepper
8 ounces (2 cups) whole-wheat elbow macaroni, or penne
Preparation
1. Boil. Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat an 8-inch-square (2-quart) baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Mix breadcrumbs, oil and paprika in a small bowl. Place spinach in a fine-mesh strainer and press out excess moisture.
3. Heat 1 1/2 cups milk in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until steaming. Whisk remaining 1/4 cup milk and flour in a small bowl until smooth; add to the hot milk and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce simmers and thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Cheddar until melted. Stir in cottage cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
4. Cook pasta for 4 minutes, or until not quite tender. (It will continue to cook during baking.) Drain and add to the cheese sauce; mix well. Spread half the pasta mixture in the prepared baking dish. Spoon the spinach on top. Top with the remaining pasta; sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture.
5. Bake the casserole until bubbly and golden, 25 to 30 minutes.



Chinese take out at home

1/4 cup organic creamy peanut butter
2 teaspoon peeled grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper sauce
Salt
1 package (8 ounces) soba noodles, (100% buckwheat)
1/2 bag (10 ounces) shredded or matchstick carrots
1 poundlarge shrimp, shelled and deveined take off tail
4 ounce snow peas
fresh cilantro leaves, chopped, plus additional sprigs for garnish
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Directions
1. In small bowl, place peanut butter, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and cayenne pepper sauce; set aside.
2. Heat covered 5- to 6-quart saucepot of water and 1 teaspoon salt to boiling over high heat. Add noodles and cook 4 minutes. Add carrots and cook 1 minute. Add shrimp and snow peas and cook 2 minutes more. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water. Drain noodles, shrimp, and vegetables into large colander. Transfer noodle mixture to large bowl.
3. With whisk, beat reserved cooking water into peanut-butter mixture until well blended. Add peanut sauce and chopped cilantro leaves to noodle mixture in bowl and toss until evenly coated.
4. To serve, spoon into 4 large bowls; garnish each serving with a cilantro sprig.

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