Unconventional Tostadas

I am trying to avoid bread where I can. Sometimes, you just can’t. At dinner every night in Portland when my mom puts a bowl of warmed bakery fresh sourdough on the table, that would be an unavoidable bread scenario. Unfortunately, bread/wheat doesn’t make me feel very good. In pursuit of other options, I rediscovered corn tortillas over Christmas break and their infinite meal possibilities.

Currently, my favorite method is toasting them in the oven until they become one large tortilla chip, then top them with delicious vegetable/cheese/fruit combinations. Tonight: gingery sweet potato with apple slices and cinnamon, and avocado with lime and jalapeno.

Unconventional Tostadas

2 corn tortillas
½ sweet potato, cooked and mashed
½ teaspoon fresh ground ginger
¼ teaspoon cinnamon plus more for sprinkling
Salt and pepper
¼ Fuji apple, sliced thinly
½ avocado, sliced
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 jalapeno, diced
Cayenne pepper
Salt and peper

Preheat oven to 375. Lay tortillas on baking sheet and bake for 6-7 minutes until lightly brown and crisp.   Lay avocado slices on tortilla, sprinkle with salt, pepper, jalapeno and lime juice. Serve immediately.

Spread tortilla with mashed sweet potato, layer with apple slices and sprinkle with cinnamon, salt and pepper.

Spicy Asian Shrimp Soup with Glass Noodles

Well, I made it in to work today. The two other people in the office appreciated it, I’m sure. Unfortunately, I am afraid what I once thought were allergies are turning into flu-like symptoms and I spent most of the day freezing at my desk, sipping hot water and staring into space. It was then that I decided I needed soup, and my planned dinner of shrimp lettuce wraps would have to be converted into a hot, liquid version. You crave strange things when you don’t feel well. For instance, for lunch I had to have a sweet potato. I walked far and wide through the blustery streets of Chinatown to find one.

But it is the cheapest, healthiest and easiest homemade lunch around. ($0.40 sweet potato - microwaved for 5 minutes, free apple from work – chopped on top) All covered with cinnamon. Worth it.

One of my new year’s resolutions is to cook more Asian food. I must sound like a broken record: sweet potatoes, goat cheese, kale, quinoa, spinach, wahh wahh. Don’t get me wrong, I adore my staples and will continue to cook them, but it’s good to stretch yourself. So, I’m starting with this spicy shrimp soup.

I walked the 8 blocks to the cheap Asian vegetable market near my house, found all of the Asian ingredients foreign to my pantry, and walked back arms brimming with groceries – homeless people didn’t even ask me for change because it was clearly going to be more hassle than it’d be worth. But dang, it hit the SPOT. Spicy, warm (after the fever-like chills I had while preparing it) and flavorful.

Spicy Asian Shrimp Soup with Glass Noodles

1 bundle glass noodles
½ pound shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 small heads bok choy, leaves separated and halved lengthwise
1 cup mushrooms, sliced (I used cremini but shiitake would be nice too)

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground ginger
½ jalapeno, diced
3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 tablespoon fish sauce
Juice of half a lime
1-2 teaspoons rice vinegar
salt and pepper
Handful cilantro, chopped

Soak glass noodles in warm water for about 15 minutes to soften. Wash and prep all ingredients before beginning to cook.  In a large skillet or wok, heat olive oil and add shallot and garlic. Briefly cook until aromatic, and add mushrooms and bok choy. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, until mushrooms start to soften and add ginger and jalapeno, followed by vegetable broth and water. Bring to a simmer and add shrimp and glass noodles. While shrimp cook, add fish sauce and lime juice. When shrimp are cooked through, drizzle with rice vinegar, salt, pepper and chopped cilantro.

Christmas Brunch: Baked Ranchero Eggs with Blistered Jack Cheese and Lime Crema

Fires are the best. That is one of the few shortcomings of my apartment: fireplacelessness. My parents have been great about making one every day I’ve been home.

I’ve repaid them in cooking. And we’ve all benefited the most from Deb and her glorious cookbook. We made yet another one of her recipes for brunch today.

This was one of the happiest marriages of egg, spicy tomato sauce, tortilla strips and cheese I’ve ever met. I will be buying a cast iron skillet just to make this recipe at home.

Before getting into the sauce making and egg baking, I suggest making the tortilla strips so you don’t overbake them and have to make them again. I’m not saying I did this…

The tomato sauce and the eggs reduce over medium heat until it thickens a bit.

Then crack the eggs into the sauce and cook 10-12 minutes longer, until the white starts to set.

Cover with grated cheese and broil for about 2 minutes, then top with chips, cilantro and green onions. Serve with lime crema. Then take a nap!

Baked Ranchero Eggs with Blistered Jack Cheese & Lime Crema

1 jalapeno, seeded and roughly chopped
1.5 cups canned tomatoes (fire roasted is best)
1/2 medium white onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cooked black beans, drained

3 corn tortillas
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste

6 large eggs
3/4 cup jack cheese, grated

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
*sliced avocado (would have been a great addition)

Ranchero sauce: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Add jalapeno, tomatoes, onion, garlic, salt and pepper to a food processor and blend until smooth. Add to a large cast iron skillet (or oven safe skillet) and stir in black beans. Bring mixture to a simmer for 10 minutes, or until it has reduced slightly

Tortilla strips: On a greased baking sheet, lay out tortillas and brush with oil. Slice into small strips and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 5-6 minutes or until lightly brown.

Crema: In a small bowl, mix together lime juice and yogurt. Refrigerate until serving.

Cook eggs: Once the sauce has thickened slightly, remove from heat and crack eggs carefully into the sauce. Distribute the eggs as evenly as possible, then return to heat and cook in sauce for 10-12 more minutes. Egg whites should be starting to set, but the yolks should still be runny. Turn oven up to broil. Sprinkle cheese over egg mixture and place under broiler for 2 minutes.

To serve: Remove from oven and top with tortilla strips, green onions and cilantro. Scoop crema onto individual servings.

SK Marbled Pumpkin Gingersnap Tart

Merry Christmas! We’re one of those new-agey, change-the-rules-because-we-wanna families that open our gifts on Christmas eve night by the fire, after a lovely dinner out, savoring a slice of marbled pumpkin gingersnap tart. Growing up I spent Christmas morning at my grandparents house, and Christmas eve at my Oma’s house – so this new tradition didn’t turn my world upside down. Now Christmas day is spent making and eating brunch, and flying back to SF to get back to the daily grind on the 26th. Reality was bound to catch back up with me. Plus, now I have a million Starbucks gift card dollars, so at least I’ll be well caffeinated for re-entry.

Though this looks like an overwhelmingly indulgent and rich dessert, it is surprisingly light - in taste, not necessarily in calorie. We tactfully made ours into bars that we could hand over to the neighbors at their Christmas pot luck tomorrow night.

Once the tart is pressed into the pan, prepare the two batters, and “marble” together. The result is oh-so pretty.

Marbled Pumpkin Gingersnap Tart

Crust
16 gingersnap cookies
5.5 honey graham crackers
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Cheesecake batter
4 ounces cream cheese
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk

Pumpkin batter
1 egg white
1 egg
1 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
pinch of nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream

crust: finely grind the ginger snaps and graham crackers together in food processor and add melted butter until cookies are moist. Spread and firmly press into your tart pan.

Batters: in a medium sized bowl, combine cheesecake ingredients and blend until smooth. In another bowl, beat egg and egg white until fluffy. Whisk in pumpkin, sugars and spices until incorporated. Gradually whisk in heavy cream and pour mixture into crust. Scoop cheesecake batter into batter and marble with a knife, avoiding scrapping the crust on the bottom.

Baking: Preheat oven to 425. Bake for 10 minutes at 425, then turn temperature down to 350 and cook for 30-40 more minutes, or until center is set and toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before serving.

Roasted Eggplant Salad with Goat Cheese & Almonds and Spicy Garlic Salmon

Christmas vacation is essentially a week of mental health days. My mental health requires that I lay in bed until 10 am, internally debate whether or not to shower, opt out of showering, putz around online for a dinner recipe, then drag myself to the store to get the necessary ingredients. That was really the biggest accomplishment of the day. Luckily, the other girls around the house didn’t judge me for the not showering...or not wearing matching socks.

Eggplant in it’s everyday form and flavor doesn’t really bring much to the table. But roast it and cover it in spice and sauce, and it’s a whole different animal. I think I over-served myself on the eggplant at dinner. I guess there are worse things.

Pre-baked, covered in a spiced glaze. Note to self, grease tin foil before adding eggplant. Those little cubes hung on tight by the end. This recipe came from The Kitchn.

Drench in Dijon garlic love, and bake. Salmon recipe adapted from Allrecipes.

Roasted Eggplant with Goat Cheese & Almonds

2 large eggplants, about 2 pounds
Kosher salt
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
4 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
Juice of 1 lemon, about 2 tablespoons
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 cup flat parsley leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 cup roasted almonds, roughly chopped
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled and divided
1/4 cup finely chopped scallions

Heat the oven to 400°F. Cut the eggplant into 1-inch cubes and put in a large bowl. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and set aside while making the marinade.

Whisk together the olive oil, cider vinegar, honey, smoked paprika, and cumin. Dab away any extra water that has beaded up on the eggplant and toss with the marinade. Stir in the garlic. Spread the eggplant on a large baking sheet, lined with parchment and slide onto a rack placed in the center of the oven. Roast at 400°F for 40 minutes, or until very tender and slightly browned. (Stir every 15 minutes and check after 30 minutes to make sure it isn't burning.) Remove from the oven and cool slightly.

Whisk together the lemon juice and soy sauce. Return the eggplant to the bowl and toss with the lemon juice mixture. Stir in the parsley leaves, smoked almonds, and most of the goat cheese, reserving a little.

Spread the finished salad in a serving bowl and sprinkle the reserved goat cheese crumbles and scallions on top.

Spicy Garlic Salmon

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
2 (6 ounce) wild caught salmon fillets

Preheat oven to 400. Lay salmon in baking dish covered with tin foil. Whisk first 7 ingredients together in a bowl and spread over fish. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until fish flakes when pressed with a fork.

Clark Lewis ~ Portland

I don’t know about you, but I’m really glad the world didn’t end today. At least not before lunch. My second favorite thing about visiting Portland, behind eating at home, is eating out. Their restaurants rival SF’s, and that is not a statement to take lightly. My mom takes hours (I kid you not) researching restaurants for my visit, and Clark Lewis made the cut for lunch.

Clark Lewis is located right by the water in a historically warehouse/industrial neighborhood that is undergoing restaurant-gentrification. The ambiance is great, with the smell of campfire greeting you as you walk into their wood-piled entryway.

Mom and I were briefly ignored by the waiters, but after realizing their error, gifted us their artisan cheese plate as an apology. The apology and cheese plate were accepted.

For lunch, we split the beet and goat cheese terrine salad with glazed walnuts in balsamic dressing, and the Reuben sandwich.

Every bite was delicious (though I would have added more sauerkraut to the Reuben!). I definitely commend them on great customer service – gestures like free artisan cheese plates win me over every time. Another amazing Portland restaurant experience under my (expanding) belt.

Shrimp Tacos with Raw Brussels Sprout, Honey Crisp & Pomegranate Salad

Light meals are few and far between in the holiday season. Tomorrow morning we’re prepping a pork roast for an all day, slow cooked, glorious stew…light it is not. So, to balance the scale, we made shrimp tacos with a fruity salad. I’ve been wanting to try a raw Brussels sprout salad, so this was my chance.

How nifty that you can eat Brussels sprouts without cooking them? The tricks are to thinly slice the sprouts, cutting out the tough center, and dressing them at least 20 minutes before serving.

Brussels Sprouts, Honey Crisp & Pomegranate Salad

15 Brussels sprouts, bottoms removed and thinly sliced
1 Honey Crisp (or other sweet apple) thinly sliced
1/2 cup pomegranate arils

1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

Combine sprouts with fruit in a large bowl. Stir all of the vinaigrette ingredients together in a small bowl, then drizzle over salad. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Shrimp Tacos with Spicy Yogurt Sauce

1/2 pound medium size shrimp, shells removed and deveined
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lime, juiced (divided)
dash cayenne
1 avocado, sliced
1 tomato, diced
6 small corn tortillas

2/3 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1/2 jalapeno, minced
1/4 cup cilantro, diced – plus extra as topping
1/2 lime, juiced
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
salt and pepper

In a medium bowl, combine ingredients for the yogurt sauce and chill until ready to top your tacos.

In a skillet, heat olive oil and add shrimp. Sprinkle shrimp with cayenne and lime juice while they cook. Once the shrimp turn pink, remove from heat (about 2-3 minutes).

In another skillet, brush tortillas with olive oil and heat until lightly brown. Top tortillas with shrimp, avocado, tomato, yogurt sauce and cilantro.

SK Popcorn Cookies

Home, sweet home in Portland for the holidays! Surprising to no one, I’ve eaten really well today. I’m not sure what other people do when they go home, but we like to spend our quality time in the kitchen. I bought the Smitten Kitchen cookbook for my mom’s birthday this year and it is the gift that keeps giving. Deb has some winners in this book, including these popcorn cookies.

A marriage of salty and sweet. Soft and crunchy. Not too rich and incredibly addictive. Make these for your family, friends, imaginary friends…just make them.

SK Popcorn Cookies

1 package microwave popcorn (or two snack size bags)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350. Pop popcorn, and set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter, sugars, egg and vanilla until fluffy. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda. Incorporate flour mixture into sugar mixture, then fold in popcorn. Spoon tablespoon sized balls onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly brown. Remove and let cool on rack.

Homemade Ravioli (2 Versions)

I spent 90% of my Sunday battling a ball of dough (pasta and cookie) with my rolling pin. The other 10% I spent in the salon getting highlights - first time!! loving it! It was a day of firsts, in fact. This was technically my first attempt at making pasta (excluding gnocchi). If you have never attempted making pasta because you don’t have a pasta roller/machine, you should not let that hold you back. I had kissed my pasta making dreams goodbye when my Kitchen Aid showed up on my doorstep shattered into pieces after the cross-country trek. But the other morning I was reading on this blog how you can do it with your own bare hands – and highly developed triceps. (For ease and speed, you can always go the wonton wrapper route!)

Per the instructions, I created a well of flour, cracked the eggs into the center with oil and salt, and kneaded the dough for 5 minutes. Kneading alone will make you break a sweat. The texture of the dough reminded me of over-chewed Double Bubble gum – it was fighting back. Let it rest for 15 minutes, then cut in half and roll out. Each sheet should measure about 16” x 9” and be 1/8” thick. I’ll be honest and tell you that it isn’t easy to get the pasta dough rolled out, but it can be done!

Meanwhile, I prepared the sweet potato, ginger and sage filling. I scooped tablespoon sized portions of the filling onto the dough, then covered with other sheet and pressed firmly around each mound.

I found my stemless wine glass to be the perfect size ravioli cutter. I was able to get 15 ravioli from one batch of dough.

Once I tucked all of the sweet potato ravioli into Tupperware in the fridge, I turned around and made the second batch of pasta dough with shiitake, arugula and cheese filling.

To delineate between the two kinds, I made them square.

The leftover pasta became lunch. A little olive oil in a pan with garlic and fresh sage – YUM.

These two ravioli will be served for Monday night dinner, my new favorite day of the week.

Gingery Sweet Potato with Sage Ravioli Filling

2 sweet potatoes, baked or microwaved until soft
1 tablespoon fresh ground ginger
3 sage leaves, minced
1/2 – 1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
dash cayenne
dash nutmeg

Mash sweet potato in a large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients and spoon 1 tablespoon-size balls onto pasta sheet or into wonton wrappers.

Shiitake, Arugula & Cheese Ravioli Filling

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup shallot, minced
1/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, diced
3 cups arugula
1/2 cup ricotta
4 ounces goat cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Add shallot and garlic, cook for 1 minute then add shiitake mushrooms. Once mushrooms soften, add arugula and cook until wilted. In a large bowl, combine cheeses and add arugula and mushroom mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon 1 tablespoon-size balls onto pasta sheet or into wonton wrappers. *Warning* You will want to eat this by the spoonful.

Salmon, Dill & Avocado Potato Salad

Another reason to move to CA. Exhibit A: Amazing avocados, only $0.89/ea.

Put that ‘ish in anything and everything. It was the shining star in this potato salad. I picked up the missing ingredients from a couple grocery stores on my walk home from work. Yep, walk home from work. It’s my new approach to working out. You kill multiple birds with one stone: grocery shopping, exercise, commuting. A 1.3 mile walk home is hardly a workout, you say? It is when you’re essentially rock climbing up the streets of San Francisco with a gym bag and groceries.

But enough patting myself on the back. This recipe is great. Easy, delicious and healthy. The cooking trifecta.

Salmon, Dill & Avocado Potato Salad

4 red potatoes
4 ounces smoked salmon, flaked
1/2 English cucumber, diced
1 avocado, diced
1 green onion, diced
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 cup cooked red quinoa
salt and pepper
dash cayenne

Arugula and additional lemon juice *optional

In a medium pot, boil red potatoes for 15-17 minutes or until tender. Dice potatoes into 1” chunks. In a large bowl, combine salmon, cucumber, avocado, potatoes and quinoa. In a small bowl, combine yogurt with lemon juice, green onion and dill. Add yogurt mixture to bowl with potato mixture and toss to coat. Salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with cayenne and extra dill. Serve over a bed of arugula or by itself.

Christmas Party Cookies

This might be the third time I’m posting on these cookies. These 4-ingredient wonders are worth it. They’re not the kind of thing you make just to “have around” unless you’re asking for 10 pounds and a muffin top for Christmas. But bring them to a holiday party, and you’ll leave with some new bffs.

Oreo Truffles

1 package Oreos
1 package cream cheese, softened
1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips
2-3 candy canes, shattered (a hammer works nicely)

In a food processor, blend Oreos until the consistency of sand. Dump mixture into a large bowl and add cream cheese. With your hands, blend Oreo mixture with cream cheese until a cohesive ball of dough is formed. Roll mixture into 1” balls and lay on cookie sheet. Stick balls into the freezer while you melt the chocolate in large bowl set over a pot of boiling water. When balls are chilled, remove from the freezer and one by one dip balls into the melted chocolate and place back on cookie sheet covered in wax paper, and sprinkle with crumbled candy cane. Repeat with remaining balls and store in the refrigerator.

I’m not going to lie to you - because that would be wrong - so I will tell you: these cookies are made from a boxed mix… which is also wrong. I frown upon that behavior (unless they’re Ghiradelli brownies!) but I was only trying to spend half of my Saturday in the kitchen, not all of it. The Trader Joe’s boxed sugar cookie mix is great in a pinch, and it comes with colored sanding sugar. I opted out of the reindeer and awkward Santa-shaped cookie cutters, and rolled my dough into a log. I rolled this Americanized Buche de Noel in the sanding sugar and sliced into cookies.

TJ also provides icing, however it is a runny mess. I mixed in a few tablespoons of powdered sugar and a drop of lemon juice (for flavor) to thicken the glaze. Once all of the cookies were glazed, I dropped food coloring onto the glaze and used a tooth pick to make Christmassy designs.

These cookies were very Sandra Lee of me, but the holidays are busy times! And people will like them – I swear.

Pesto Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Tomatoes & Goat Cheese

What to do on Friday night? Shopping spree at Trader Joes, cooking a delicious dinner, and plopping into bed to watch episodes of Breaking Bad at 7:45 - that’s what. When immersed in the season of holiday parties, white elephant gift exchanges, dinner parties and end-of-year installations (in my case at least), I am thrilled to have a night to decompress.

I, like the majority of the working world, like to unwind with a glass of wine a few minutes after walking in the door from work. It flips the switch from work-mode to chillin’ in a similar way that coffee turns me from zombie to human. A simple, grain-free appetizer I snacked on while waiting for my various vegetables to roast was a few plantain chips topped with Greek yogurt, smoked salmon and a dash of lemon pepper.

The rainbow of vegetables that came out of the oven were worth the wait. The secret to not waiting a million years for the spaghetti squash to cook is to microwave it for 5-6 minutes before popping it into the oven to finish off. I served this pasta-less pasta-like dish with a seasonal side of brussels sprouts and cranberries.

Pesto Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Tomatoes & Goat Cheese

1 medium spaghetti squash
2 tablespoons basil pesto
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1-2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Poke holes in the spaghetti squash, wrap in paper towel and microwave for 5-6 minutes. Meanwhile, toss tomatoes in olive oil and garlic and spread out on sheet pan lined with tin foil. Stick tomatoes and spaghetti squash in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until spaghetti squash is very soft. Remove from the oven and slice the squash in half and scrape flesh into a bowl. Stir in pesto and toss in tomatoes and goat cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Cranberries

1/2 pound brussels sprouts, quartered
1/2 cup fresh cranberries
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Grease a baking sheet lined with tin foil. Toss brussels sprouts and cranberries in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread on baking sheet and roast for 15-17 minutes, until brussels sprouts are starting to brown. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve.

And for dessert, a juicy pomegranate. I’ll advise against eating this while sitting on your white duvet cover. It’s bound to end in tragedy. Learn from my mistakes.

Butternut Squash, Apple & Bacon Mac & Cheese

This weekend has forced me to get out and see things. And do things. And stay up late. That’s the beauty of having friends visit you!

I think we covered the highlights: crossed the bridge, shopped in the marina, toured UC Berkeley and topped it off with a cheap manicure.

Of course I had to take the opportunity to cook something interesting, and this recipe definitely sounded interesting. A healthy meal at the end of an overall unhealthy weekend. Recipe from Pinch of Yum!

Butternut Squash, Apple & Bacon Mac & Cheese

½ box whole grain pasta
1 cup canned butternut squash puree
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons evaporated milk
¼ cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 oz low fat cream cheese or plain yogurt
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup onions, sliced thinly
1 large crispy apple, chopped
6 strips of bacon, crumbled

Heat butter in a skillet over low heat. When melted, add onions and let caramelize for at least 30 minutes for the best flavor. Keep heat on low/low-medium. Cook the pasta according to directions. Drain and return to pan over low heat. Add butternut squash, chicken broth, evaporated milk, and cream cheese. When combined, add in salt. Add onions and apples to the pasta. Stir to combine and add a tablespoon more broth or milk if needed. Just before serving, mix in cheese and stir until melted. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon bacon.