Double-Post Monday

Besides being Meatless Monday, it's also Double-Post Monday. Today's six recipes include Piña Colada Chicken Salad and One-Ingredient Banana Ice Cream. Enjoy!

CLASSIC BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE

This comes from Alison Roman in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Alison wrote, “Think Stouffer's without the freezer. While it can be enjoyed straight from the pot, this macaroni and cheese has a slightly looser sauce than the stovetop variety to allow for thickening in the oven. Bread crumbs, while optional, make it truly spectacular.”

Yield: 4 to 6 servings; Time: about 1 hour

To view this online at the Times’ website, click here.

Ingredients

For the Macaroni and Cheese:

1 pound elbows, shells, cavatappi, farfalle, fusilli or other short, tube-shaped pasta

Kosher salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

4 cups whole milk

1 clove garlic, finely grated

1 teaspoon smoked or hot paprika

Freshly ground pepper

12 ounces sharp or white Cheddar cheese, grated

12 ounces fontina or Gruyère, grated

For the Topping (Optional):

1 cup coarse bread crumbs or panko

4 tablespoons melted butter or olive oil

1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation

Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until it’s barely al dente. (It should be more al dente than your average pasta: It’s going to continue to cook in the oven.) Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat butter in a medium pot over medium heat. (The pot should be large enough to hold all the pasta when cooked.) Whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the flour is foamy and just starting to turn a light golden brown, about 4 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk to avoid clumping. Add garlic, paprika and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, whisking constantly and paying special attention to the edges of the pot to make sure the flour mixture is totally incorporated.

Add grated cheese and whisk to blend until the cheese is completely melted. (The sauce will seem thick at first and thin out as the cheese melts; it will thicken while it bakes.) Season with salt and pepper and add cooked pasta, stirring to coat well.

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil (to catch any cheesy drips).

Make the optional topping: Combine bread crumbs, melted butter and Parmesan, if using, in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper and, using your hands, mix well to ensure the bread crumbs are evenly coated.

Transfer the macaroni and cheese mixture to a 2-quart baking dish and scatter bread crumbs, if using, evenly over the top. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake until macaroni and cheese is bubbling, thickened and creamy, and bread crumbs are evenly golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

PINA COLADA CHICKEN SALAD

This comes from Delish, and begins, “We're obsessed with the crunchy coconut chicken.”

Yields: 4; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 30 minutes.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into tenders

1 c. all-purpose flour

2 large eggs, beaten

1 c. shredded coconut

kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 head romaine

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

2 c. pineapple, chopped

1/2 c. coconut milk

Juice of 2 limes

Zest of 1 lime

pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°. Dredge chicken in flour, egg and coconut and transfer to a baking sheet. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Bake until cooked through and coconut is golden, 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, arrange salad: In a large bowl combine romaine, red pepper, pineapple and chicken.

In a small bowl, whisk together coconut milk, lime juice and zest, and red pepper flakes and season with salt.

Drizzle with dressing and serve.

JALAPENO CHEESEBURGERS

This yummy burger recipe comes from Familytime, and begins, “A spicy cheeseburger variation custom-made for the hamburger lovers in the family. Serve these with salsa instead of ketchup, if you prefer.”

Serves: 4; Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 14 to 16 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef

2 teaspoons seeded, chopped jalapeño pepper

1 1/2 teaspoon Mexican seasoning

1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, or another mild cheese

4 thin slices tomato

4 hamburger buns, split, toasted

Directions

In medium bowl, combine the ground beef, jalapeno pepper, and Mexican seasoning and mix lightly but thoroughly. Shape into four 1/2-inch-thick patties.

Prepare a charcoal or gas grill so that the coals are medium-hot or preheat the broiler.

Grill or broil the burgers for 10 to 12 minutes or until no longer pink in the center. Approximately 1 minute before the burgers are done, sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon of cheeese.

Place 1 slice tomato on bottom half of each bun and top with a burger. Close and serve immediately with ketchup, salsa, pickles and all the usual trimmings.

SIMPLE PERFECT ENCHILADAS

This is from Ree Drummond of The Food Network show, The Pioneer Woman.

Total: 1 hr 15 min; Prep: 30 min; Cook: 45 min; Yield: 8 servings; Level: Easy

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Sauce:

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

One 28-ounce can enchilada or Mexican red sauce

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Meat:

1 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

The Rest:

Canola oil, for frying

10 to 14 corn tortillas

Two 4-ounce cans diced green chilies

1 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup chopped black olives

3 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese

Cilantro, for garnish

Directions

For the sauce:

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the canola oil and flour. Whisk together and allow to bubble for 1 minute. Pour in the red sauce, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

For the meat:

While the sauce is simmering, brown the ground beef with the onions in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain the fat, add the salt and stir to combine. Turn off the heat and set aside.

For the rest:

In a small skillet over medium heat, heat some canola oil. Lightly fry the tortillas just until soft. Do not crisp. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat until all the tortillas have been fried.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Next, one at a time, dip each tortilla into the sauce. Set the sauce-soaked tortilla on a plate. Place on some of the meat mixture, chilies, green onions and black olives. Top with a generous portion of grated Cheddar. Roll up the tortilla to contain the filling inside.

Place the tortilla seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas and pour the remaining sauce over the top. End with a generous sprinkling of cheese and any other bits of chiles, green onions or olives you have left over from the filling.

Bake the enchiladas for 20 minutes, or until bubbly. Sprinkle chopped cilantro over the top and serve.

GRILLED PINEAPPLE SUNDAES

This comes from Delish.

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 10 minutes.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

4 pineapple slices

4 scoops vanilla ice cream

Dulce de leche, for drizzling

2 tbsp. sweetened shredded coconut, toasted

Directions

Heat grill to high. Grill pineapple until charred, 1 minute per side.

Top each pineapple slice with vanilla ice cream and drizzle with dulce de leche or caramel. Top with shredded coconut and serve immediately.

ONE-INGREDIENT BANANA ICE CREAM

This comes from The New York Times cooking e-newsletter, and begins, “This outrageously easy ‘ice cream’ is just the sort of dessert to please everyone at the table – the vegans, the lactose-intolerant, the paleo enthusiasts, the picky children. Just toss four frozen bananas into a blender and give it a good whirl. If you like soft-serve consistency, eat it right away (and adding a few tablespoons of milk to the blender wouldn't hurt, but it's not necessary). For more traditional scoops, freeze it in an airtight container, and dole out as you would the Ben & Jerry's. Consider adding a spoonful of peanut butter, Nutella or honey; a handful of chocolate chips or almonds; or a 1/2 teaspoon of powdered ginger, cardamom or cinnamon.”

Yield: Four servings; Time: 6 hours 10 minutes.

This was featured in “Food; Uncle Food” and can be viewed online here.

Check out Melissa Clark’s guide, “How to Make Ice Cream”. Very informative, very yummy…After looking through this, I wanted to spend the next weekend making batch after batch of ice cream.

Ingredients

4 ripe bananas

Preparation

Peel the bananas, cut them in 2- to 3-inch chunks and place them in a freezer bag in the freezer for at least 6 hours. Remove and blend in a blender until smooth. Serve immediately, or freeze in an airtight container for at least 2 hours. Scoop and serve.