Crab Ricotta + Spinach Stuffed Shells

This recipe is my own spinach spin off of something similar I saw on the food network once. It is a baked pasta dish with a mild but yum flavor and stuffed with crab (for those of you into seafood). I used canned crab meat but if you enjoy the finer things in life, you can substitute that with any higher quality sea food you like. To make this vegetarian, just add in extra ricotta or additional cheese instead of crab.

You Will Need:

1. Two cups ricotta cheese

2. Two cups milk

3. Two tbs. butter

4. Two (generous) cups of fresh cut leaf or chopped spinach

5. Twelve oz. (2 cans) of lump or white crab meat

6. One cup shredded cheese blend -- I used a premixed bag of mozerella, provolone, parmesan, asiago, romano + fontina

7. Half a box (6-8 oz) of jumbo shells

8. One-two tsp. flour

9. Garlic powder -- to taste

10. Onion powder -- to taste

11. Salt + pepper -- to taste

First, boil a pot of water for your shells. You want to boil the shells al dente (around 7 minutes) so they're not mushy. You can add a bit of oil + salt so they don't stick + for flavor. While they're boiling, chop up your spinach.

Gently fold the spinach, ricotta and crab meat together in a bowl. Add salt + pepper to taste. When the shells are done, drain them and spread them out onto a lightly greased baking dish. Stuff equal parts ricotta mixture into each shell (will be about a tbs. per shell).

For the cream sauce, first heat the butter on medium heat and add in the flour for a thickener. When the flour cooks, sprinkle in some garlic + onion powder to boost the flavor. Then add in  the milk + cheese. Stir all together until uniform and creamy and remove from the heat.

Pour the cream sauce evenly over the stuffed shells and bake for 20-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. When done baking, all there's left to do is enjoy :)

- A + D

Yellow Coconut Curried Potato + Spinach (Vegan)

This recipe is vegan and yummy. It is also filling as is -- but if you prefer eating meat, you can easily add chicken or sea food on the side. I used cashew butter to add a nutty flavor. Peanut butter also works and gives an even richer nuttier flavor. You can leave out nut butters, too, in case of allergies.

You Will Need

1. One can coconut milk (around 13 oz)

2. Tbs cashew butter

3. Tsp curry powder (or to taste)

4. Half can of chickpeas

5. One medium/large potato -- cut up into small bites

6. Tsp minced garlic

7. Half cup of chopped spinach -- thawed + drained

8. About a quarter size wedge of medium white onion -- chopped

Drizzle veggie oil onto a hot frying pan on medium heat. Cook garlic until it starts turning golden.

Add in your chopped onions. Stir around for a few minutes until they soften (but don't caramelize them).

Throw in your chopped potatoes, spinach, and chickpeas. You may need to add a bit of oil or a bit of water to help cook the potatoes. Be sure your potatoes are cut up into small pieces so they cook with the rest of the ingredients. Stir around for a few minutes until everything cooks a bit.

Pour in coconut milk and add in the curry powder. Then, add in your cashew butter. This is going to thicken the curry a lot. Once everything is mixed, turn down the heat and let the ingredients simmer for a few minutes until potatoes are fully cooked. If the curry thickens too much, add in a bit of water and let simmer. Serve with rice or naan and enjoy!

- A + D

Sweet + Savory Stuffed Fried Plantains

Plantains are delicious. There are so many different ways to prep plantains--depending on what culture you're coming from, you probably have your own preference for how plantains "should" be. I (D) grew up eating extremely ripe, fried, gooey ones--so that is how I like to prepare them. Plantains are great just plain by themselves, but they are also easy to spruce up. Instead of having them plain, I decided to stuff them, going savory with one and sweet with the other. For the savory one, I used spinach filling (of course) and for the sweet dessert-like one, I used strawberry preserves + brie. Even though the sweet one was spinachless, it was also pretty good. Stuffed plantains are an interesting appetizer/finger food idea if you're having a gathering, and it's nice to offer both sweet and savory versions for different tastes!

You Will Need:

1. Large handful (1-2 cups) baby spinach

2. Softened brie cheese (which you can substitute with either cream cheese or mascarpone)

3. Pinch of minced garlic (less than 1/4 tsp. will do)

4. Juice of half a lemon

5. A couple of slices of butter

6. Two ripe plantains (the blacker, the better--even if the plantain is entirely black, it's still good)

7. About 1-2 tbs. strawberry preserves (or jelly/jam/preserves of choice)

First, peel your plantains. The easiest way to do this is to cut off the two ends, slice the peel down the entire banana and then just peel off in one piece. When peeled, slice the meat of the plantain down its entire length so that the plantain opens flat.

Oil your pan with a thick layer of light veggie oil (I used canola). Let heat on medium and fry plantains in hot oil for a few minutes on either side or until a crisp brown. If you like the plantains more crispy, leave them frying a bit longer until the surface blackens a bit.

For the savory spinach filling, add butter to a frying pan on medium heat. Add in the garlic and let cook until golden. Then add in the spinach leaves and lemon juice. Stir the leaves around until fully cooked + wilted.

When your spinach + plantains are done cooking, it's time to stuff! Open up the plantains so they are fairly flat. Top one with the spinach. For the sweet plantain, spread on a layer of brie cheese and then a layer of strawberry preserves over the brie. Fold over/close the plantains a bit (like a book) to keep in the stuffing. Once stuffed, cut up the plantains into small finger-food size pieces to serve.

And most importantly, enjoy!

- A + D