Mac & Cheese, lightened up

I'm working on perfecting my healthy mac & cheese. I think I'm getting closer with this one. I will probably adjust it a little next time I make it.

1 package steam-in-bag broccoli/cauliflower mix
4 oz whole-grain pasta
3 wedges Laughing Cow light original cheese
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
3/4 cup skim milk
2 oz sharp white cheddar, shredded
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta to al dente. While pasta is cooking, steam veggies in microwave according to package directions.

Remove veggies when cooked, and separate cauliflower into a small bowl. Mash with a fork and stir in Laughing Cow cheese wedges.

Drain pasta when done, and leave in colander. In the saucepan you cooked the pasta in, melt the butter. Sprinkle flour over melted butter and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute then whisk in milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until it starts to thicken, then stir in cheddar cheese until melted. Stir in cauliflower, pasta and broccoli to combine. Eat up!

If you want to have a hot dog on the side, make it a low-cal one ;-)

Makes 4 servings.

Easy Dessert: Grilled Fruit!

Fruits are so naturally sweet, you don't have to do anything to them to grill them to perfection. Just brush them with a light oil, like vegetable oil, and throw them on the grill for a few minutes on each side. Fruits this works well for: pineapple, peaches, nectarines, plums (really any stone fruit).

Tonight's dessert was grilled nectarines (in the grill pan on the stove over medium heat) over a small scoop of ricotta cheese, then drizzled a little honey over it all. DELISH!!! And about as healthy as desserts come!

No-Measure Southwest Salad

This one's a no-measure, just dump the ingredients in easy-as-opening a can recipe I just made up throwing together what looked and sounded good this afternoon.

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
Juice from 1 lime
1/2 medium jicama, peeled and diced
1 small handful cilantro, finely chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
a few cranks of sea salt (roughly 1/2 tsp)
a small palmful of cumin (roughly 1 tsp)

And it is a simple as opening cans and chopping a few things! Just dump it all in a bowl and stir to combine! I'm thinking if you dice everything really small it would make a great dip for chips, but as-is, I'm eating it with a spoon!

Creamy Chicken Pasta

4 large cloves garlic, peeled
1 jar (7 oz) sun-dried tomatoes in oil, undrained
3 cups penne pasta (NOT whole wheat)
4 cups chicken broth
1 head broccoli (2 cups small florets)
2 medium carrots, peeled
4 oz reduced-fat cream cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
Grated fresh Parmesan cheese and snipped fresh basil (optional)


Place 2 Tbsp of the oil from the Sun-Dried tomatoes into the bottom of the Deep Covered Baker. Use Garlic Slicer to slice all 4 garlic cloves into oil, and stir to coat. Cover and microwave 2 minutes, stirring halfway through. Add pasta and broth, stir, cover and return to microwave for 12 minutes, stirring halfway through.

While pasta is cooking, cut broccoli into small florets and place them in the Batter Bowl. Cut carrots in half length-wise then thinly slice on a bias. Add carrots to the batter bowl. Drain sun-dried tomatoes on a paper towel and slice into thin strips. Cut cream cheese into cubes.

When the microwave goes off, remove the DCB, stir pasta and add in broccoli and carrots, salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes, stir, add tomatoes and cream cheese, cover and cook for an additional 3 minutes.

Stir and serve immediately, garnishing with Parmesan cheese and basil. Stir in some cooked chicken to add some protein and make it a complete meal.

Total time start to finish: 19 minutes!!!

Hummus

1 clove garlic, pressed (if using roasted garlic, use 2-3 cloves)
1 can garbanzo (chichi) beans, drained but reserve liquid
2 Tbsp Tahini
2 Tbsp Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp paprika

Combine all ingredients except reserved liquid in food processor. Pulse until combined, then blend, slowly adding reserved liquid until smooth, starting with 1 Tbsp.

Lowfat Chicken Veggie Alfredo

Adapted from a couple of Hungry-Girl recipes

2 pkgs Tofu Shirataki noodles
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup cut up asparagus
1 red bell pepper cut into chunks
1/2 cup zucchini chunks
1 clove garlic
2 wedges Laughing cow cheese
2 Tbsp low fat sour cream
1 Tbsp parmesan cheese
1 large or 1 small chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

Combine and cook all veggies in a zip and steam bag 3-4 minutes or until softened. Set aside.

Drain and rinse noodles very well, and dry thoroughly. Cut noodles if desired. Put noodles, cheeses and sour cream in a bowl, microwave for 1 minute. Stir, and microwave for 1 minute more.

Add in veggies and chicken, season with salt and pepper if desired.

Pasta Bake

1 box pasta (whatever you have on hand - rotini, penne, macaroni)
1 jar (26 oz) pasta sauce
1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown meat with onion and garlic, drain. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions for al dente (or 2 minutes shorter than recommended cook time), and drain.

Return pasta to pot, pour in pasta sauce, meat mixture and 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese. Mix well and spread into a 13x9 inch dish (like the Rectangle Baker stone) and spread remaining cheeses over pasta mixture.

Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and dish is heated through.

Rosemary-Orange Pork Tenderloin

One of my new indulgence websites to frequent is this one. It seems the last few times I've had the beginnings of an idea for dinner, I do a general g0og1e search and her recipes come up. Today, it's this one.

Orange and Rosemary Pork Tenderloin

- 2 pounds pork tenderloin
For the marinade:
- the juice of two oranges
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 rounded teaspoon honey
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
For finishing:
- fleur de sel
- a handful flat-leaf parsley, coarsely snipped

Serves 4.

Cut each tenderloin into 2 equal portions (4 pieces total).

Combine marinade ingredients in a large zip-top bag. Add tenderloin and squeeze air out of the bag before sealing. Place bag into baking dish large enough to accommodate them in a single layer (just in case bag leaks, and will be used for cooking). Refrigerate for at least an hour, and up to 4 hours, flipping the bag regularly so they'll marinate evenly.

Remove the dish from the fridge and preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove tenderloin pieces from bag and place directly in dish. Put about 1 Tbsp of marinade in the bottom of the baking dish, and pour remaining marinade in a small saucepan.

Put the dish (uncovered) in the oven and roast for 25 minutes, until cooked through but not dried out (the meat should be pale pink in the center; if using a meat thermometer, the recommended safe internal temperature is 160°F), flipping the meat a couple of times during the roasting and basting it with its juices. Switch to broil and cook for 5 more minutes, until golden and slightly crusty at the top.

While the meat is roasting, put the saucepan with the remaining marinade over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Keep boiling, uncovered, stirring regularly, until the marinade has reduced to a thick syrup and is about a quarter of its original volume. Keep warm.

When the meat is ready, remove the dish from the oven, and transfer the meat to a cutting board. Add the cooking juices to the marinade and stir to combine. Allow meat to rest for 5 minutes, then cut the pieces into thin slices, return to the dish, and sprinkle with fleur de sel and parsley. Bring the dish to the table and serve immediately.

Today, I'm serving this with Roasted New Potatoes and Green Beans. The potatoes take about 45 minutes, so I'm going to throw them in about 20 minutes prior to the pork going in. Keeping flavors simple and similar, tossing roasting veggies with EVOO, a handful of smashed garlic cloves, some rosemary and some S&P.

And the following sangria recipe - YUM!

The Best Sangria I've ever had

One of the women I sell with brought this recipe to a meeting the other day, and I'm putting it in here just so I don't have to search for it in the future - it's AWESOME! And for the most part, I keep everything on hand (unless I've used the last bottle of White Zin already!)

From July 2001 Bon Appetit
1 750-ml bottle of chilled White Zinfandel
1/2 cup peach schnapps
2 tablespoons Cointreau or other orange liqueur
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
1 lemon, sliced
1 orange, sliced
1 peach, sliced into wedges
1 10-ounce bottle of chilled club soda
Ice cubes


Mix first 8 ingredients in tall pitcher. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Mix in club soda. Fill 6 wineglasses with ice cubes. Pour sangria over ice and serve.

Greek Dressing

1 T good quality balsamic vinegar
1/2 Tbsp Red wine vinegar
1/2 Tbsp White wine vinegar
1 tsp splenda
1/4 cup canola oil
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Pampered Chef Greek Rub
3 Tbsp water

Combine all ingredients in the Measure Mix & Pour, plunge to combine and use!