Chili Baked Potato with Cheese

Chili Baked Potato with Cheese

Growing up the way I did, on a good amount of junk food, I still have cravings. No matter how many salads or vegetables I eat, on occasion I get a craving for something greasy. Sometimes, I cave and order out but other times, I want to make something that only seems like it would be greasy and delicious. That’s where this chili baked potato comes into play. This potato is smothered in my favorite bulgur chili recipe and then topped with a drizzle of cheese. It’s perfect for those nights when you want something hearty but don’t want something greasy. Read more and see the recipe.

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Pear Chutney Cheese Toast

Pear Chutney Cheese Toast

I hesitated posting another cheese toast recipe because it would be easy to think that toast has been played out. There are probably 100’s of variations of avocado toast (which, I’ve never had- the avocado never makes it past the waiting for the bread to toast), toast cookbooks, and even restaurants serving toast. Over the past few years, originally a simple breakfast treat, has become one of the ‘it’ recipes. I like my toast one of three ways: with peanut butter, with honey/butter, or with cheese. The latter started with a visit to the ferry building and cheese toasties which I created at home. The obsession has spilled over in to today’s recipe where the onions are ditched for pear chutney. Read more and see the recipe.

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Stove Top Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

Stove Top Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

I am not a meticulous person. I’m moving too fast, have too much on my mind, or just too many ideas swirling around. My attention to detail is mediocre at best and I’m okay with stopping at things that are good enough. With recipes, I know many could be even better if I took a lot of time/years to craft each ingredient and while some recipes organically do this, some I’ve been making the same way for a decade. If a recipe tastes good (even if it could taste better), I call it and if I really like it, I don’t think twice about improving it again. However, there are times that improvement, tweaking, and change are good.

Read more and see the recipe.

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Roasted Potato Pizza with Goat Cheese

Roasted Potato Pizza with Goat Cheese | http://naturallyella.com

Recipe originally posted on August 20th, 2012. Last updated on September 13th, 2015.

Roasted Potato Pizza with Goat Cheese and Rosemary | http://naturallyella.com

Sometimes I have huge failures in the kitchen.

There are times when flavorings are off, things don’t cook right, or the whole thing just seems kind of blah.  These are the many (and I do mean many) meals that don’t make it up here.  They stay in draft land, usually scratched out on a piece of paper.  Sometimes I try and fix it, but there are also times when it just doesn’t seem right.

However, these bad meals make the good meals stand out even more.  Every once in awhile I make something that I can’t believe came out of my kitchen.  I hit the flavors perfectly, the meal cooks up just right, and when I take the first bite I have that moment of this is amazing.  I usually do a little dance around my kitchen as I stuff my face full of whatever I made.

This pizza was one of those moments.

I remembered Alison’s potato pizza and I wanted to add a few extra flavors (like the depth that comes from roasting and goat cheese.)  Each component comes together to make one killer pizza. You could even leave the goat cheese off and still have a fine flatbread (but I can’t technically call it pizza without the cheese!)

What makes this pizza so special?  Roasted onions and potatoes, garlic-rosemary infused olive oil, and a perfect whole wheat crust. I devoured half of this pizza straight out of the oven (and then ate the other half for breakfast the next morning.) I highly suggest you to step out of your cheese/sauce pizza and try this one- I don’t think you will be disappointed!
See the Recipe.

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Sweet Corn Pasta with Goat Cheese

Goat Cheese and Sweet Corn Pasta | http://naturallyella.com

Every season I gravitate towards one item. Some summers it’s been zucchini while others it’s tomatoes. This year, I’ve been a sweet corn fiend. Sweet corn has been my go-to salad topping, filler for grain bowls and now this sweet corn pasta.

I love using soft cheeses as a cheater way to make a sauce. The goat cheese in this sweet corn pasta dish creates a silky sauce that isn’t overpowering. However, and this is especially true if you stick to the whole wheat pasta, plan on no leftovers. If the pasta is allowed to sit, all the sauce soaks in and you’re left with some dry pasta!

See the Recipe + Pairings.

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Sweet Corn Pasta with Goat Cheese

Goat Cheese and Sweet Corn Pasta | http://naturallyella.com

Every season I gravitate towards one item. Some summers it’s been zucchini while others it’s tomatoes. This year, I’ve been a sweet corn fiend. Sweet corn has been my go-to salad topping, filler for grain bowls and now this sweet corn pasta.

I love using soft cheeses as a cheater way to make a sauce. The goat cheese in this sweet corn pasta dish creates a silky sauce that isn’t overpowering. However, and this is especially true if you stick to the whole wheat pasta, plan on no leftovers. If the pasta is allowed to sit, all the sauce soaks in and you’re left with some dry pasta!

See the Recipe + Pairings.

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Blackberry Goat Cheese Crostini

Blackberry Goat Cheese Crostini | @naturallyella

For the longest time, the thought of cooking berries felt so strange to me. Berries were a summer treat, best (read: only) eaten raw and there was really no good reason to heat up the house. And then one morning I was baking banana bread and decided to toss some strawberries in along side to top oatmeal I was also making. It turned out I had been missing out on a new level of fruit eating.

Roasting fruit does something magical where the sugars from the fruit come out even more, making the fruit just a touch sweeter and for some, a bit more mild. I also found when roasting blackberries, it made the fruit more easy to work with in recipes.

While these goat cheese crostini would make a lovely addition to any party, I actually eat this for breakfast during the summer. I’ll occasionally swap out the goat cheese for a whipped cream cheese ( which is really good on homemade bagels) or even ricotta and I’ll often toss whatever fruit I have hiding into the mix (peaches and blackberries may be my favorite combination). Of course if you don’t feel like heating up your oven, you could always good the berries on the stove top (or just lightly mash them raw- just as good!)

See the Recipe.

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