Mac 'N Cheese, Please!

To all my readers, I have been absent from my writing for over a month, and to apologize I have one of the simplest, yummiest, All-American foods for you! Today, being Memorial Day, many of us gather together to celebrate and remember the men and women who risked their lives for The United States of America. We celebrate the holiday with parades dedicated to our troops, moments of silence, The National Anthem and then many of us come together for an All-American feast of hot dogs and hamburgers smothered in Heinz Ketchup, pasta and fruit salads, apple pies, and so much more.

Almost every year, at any U.S. holiday, whether it be Memorial Day, Fourth of July, or Labor Day, someone always brings Mac 'N Cheese. A childhood favorite for most, it has become a posh and high end side dish at many famous restaurants, especially when made with gourmet cheeses. Restaurants in New York City such as Blue Smoke ($8), DuMont ($15), and in Chicago, Rockit Bar and Grill ($15), Wilde ($14), just to name a few, have top-rated Mac 'N Cheese! So here's a simple, basic recipe to get you started on creating your own 5 Star Mac 'N Cheese.

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Mashed Roasted Garlic Cauliflower

Mashed Cauliflower is a great substitute for mashed potatoes. It has a similar flavor, if you can believe that, and texture! Fewer calories, by about half! The only difference is that the cauliflower has more liquid than a potato, but they're still fairly good. I've read a few recipes that steam the cauliflower then smash them with a bit of milk, but I wanted to give it a bit more flavor so I roasted the cauliflower with garlic and olive oil, then mashed them in a MagicBullet with some low fat butter milk and a dash of salt.

1/2 head of cauliflower, or about 2 cups
dash of EVOO (olive oil)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/8 cup buttermilk
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 400˙. Mix the cauliflower with olive oil and garlic, put into a casserole dish and roast for about 30 minutes, turning them once or twice so they brown evenly. Then using a food processor or MagicBullet, mash the potatoes with a pinch of salt and about 1/8 c of low fat buttermilk or 1% milk. If you want them smoother, add more milk until it's at the consistency you'd like. Serve immediately! Happy Cooking, and Enjoy!

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Grilled Avocado, Cheese, and Tomato

I love grilled cheese. It is so simple, yet so good. However, it is not always the healthiest choice for a Saturday lunch. With an avocado on hand, getting a bit too ripe, and a tomato almost past its 'good' stage, I decided to kick up the grilled cheese sandwich. I have posted my grilled cheese recipe, along with it's nutritional information (from CalorieCount). Don't be fooled by the extremely high numbers. Some of those are very good, like the fiber. And the fat from the avocado is much better for you than fat from butter or whole fat cheese. So don't be alarmed. Then, to give you a good comparison, I also have the nutritional facts for a simple white-bread-american-cheese-cooked-with-butter grilled cheese. You'll be amazed!

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Blueberry Apple Egg Rolls

Crazy, right?! Mixing Chinese with American cuisine. Trust me, you'll love it. I've been craving sweets (as many people who try to go on any kind of diet do, even if it's just lessening your intake of sugar, salt, etc.), but every recipe I want to make is proportioned for 4-8 people! I have will power, but not that much to keep from eating an entire pie or 2 dozen cookies in 2 days. So, while at the store today I had this thought, Egg Rolls! They're easy, cheap and anything can be put into them. I took a look at the seal and 3 wraps (1 serving) is 170 calories (56.66 per wrap), not bad, and the price $1.50 for 20 wraps, can't beat that! These egg roll wrappers could be used instead of heavy dough or bread to create smaller meals/snacks, sort of like making my Breakfast Turnovers. I made regular egg rolls using chicken, carrots and cucumbers (recipe coming) for dinner but I also attempted making a Blueberry Apple Pie On-The-Go with the wraps, and let me tell you, it was amazing! The prep takes approximately 2 minutes, and cooking takes 10 (if the oven has already been warmed up). A regular piece of pie could put you back anywhere between 250-500 calories, per slice, but this little guy will please your taste buds and only eat up 100-150 calories, plus it's got those extremely healthy blueberries! Here's how I did it.

The picture isn't the most appetizing, but cooked blueberries don't photograph too well. They're still extremely tasty, though!

Homemade Granola Mix

Hi all! Months ago I saw Clinton Kelly on The Chew share his favorite Granola Mix. It looked so delicious and easy I had to try it. It was all that he said it would be! Granola can be so very expensive at the store, and if you purchase all your ingredients separately (in bulk-ish) and make it yourself, overall you'll be spending much less. This made about 2-3lbs (filled a little more than 1/2 a gallon ziplock bag) and cost a total of $4.13 (approximately). In a store you'd pay about $4.99 for 1lb, and it wouldn't be filled with all of these healthy goodies, and would probably have much more fat and sugar!

For me, I already had Old Fashion Oats in my pantry (a staple for those wondering), and I  recently bought a bag of almonds (which can be expensive, but go a long way) and a bag of dried cranberries for snacking. With honey/agave nectar, dried banana and oil already in my pantry, I was able to quickly whip this recipe up. I do a lot of eye-balling when it comes to this recipe, so feel free to do what feels, looks and tastes right!

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Pasta Salad with Cilantro Dressing

This week Trader Joe's had avocados on sale, which meant, most of my meals were going to be filled with avocados! YAY! I love them. They're a super food (I believe) filled with good fats, great texture, and wonderful vitamins. I was on Pinterest today when I saw a corn, avocado, tomato, cilantro salad and figured I could tweak it so I could use what I had in my refrigerator. With leftover pasta from the other night, fresh tomatoes and avocados, and a bunch of cilantro on it's way out (it doesn't last long), I put together a cold pasta salad. Here's what I did!

Makes 1 serving:

Pasta (cooked and chilled), 1/2 cup

1 tomato, chopped

1/2 avocado, chopped

Dressing

a small handful of cilantro, minced

1/8-1/4 cup of EVOO

pinch of salt

1 t of agave nectar (or honey), just a small amount*

lime juice (half a lime)

*If you wanted to do a more traditional dressing you can switch out the Agave nectar for vinegar.

Mix the dressing ingredients together either by whisking in a bowl or shaping in a container. Taste and adjust if needed. You want a hint of lime, with a bit of sweet and tart. It's oddly wonderful!

Drizzle the dressing over the pasta, avocado and tomato. Happy eating!

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Simply Baked Potato

There are just some nights where I don't want to fuss in the kitchen. And if on those nights I'm patient for a potato to bake in the oven, then I'll bake a few potatoes and have one (or two) for dinner, depending how small they are.

Baking a potato is so very simple. Wash the potato thoroughly (skins on) and pat dry. With a fork, poke a bunch of holes all around the potato to allow the heat to escape while it cooks. Then with a drizzle of oil, coat the potato and rub on a bit of salt. Throw them on a baking sheet or directly on the rack. Bake at 350˙ for an hour to an hour and a half. If you make extra, they are even faster to heat up (if you have a microwave, or about 15 minutes in an oven at 350˙).

Split the potato open, add a pat of butter, some shredded cheddar cheese, a dollop of greek yogurt (or sour cream) and a little sprinkle of Mrs. Dash's Onion and Herb Seasoning. Voilà! A baked potato. Make it an MYO by adding whatever toppings you have on hand (bacon bits, onion, broccoli, cheese sauce, beans, etc.). A great way to get kids to have fun with their meal. Simplicity is sometimes the best. Enjoy!

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Blackberry Trucker Pies

So, I'm bringing out the country in me. A Blackberry Trucker Pie is also known as a Blackberry Turnover. The name came from my sister, who when I asked what the 'small little pies are that we get at the farmers' market' she responded with, 'you mean trucker pies?'. The idea is that they're small little pies that can be eaten with one hand, no fork, knife or spoon needed! They're also so very easy to make, your kids can even help!

1 sheet of pastry puff
pint of blackberries (eyeball it)
1-2 Tablespoons of sugar
1-2 Tablespoons of flour
lemon juice
1 egg with a dash of water

Heat oven to 350˙. Roll out the pastry puff on a lightly floured surface to make it a square. Cut it into four equal squares.

Put the blackberries, sugar, flour and a few dashes of lemon juice in a bowl and smash them together. Smash as much or as little as you wish.

Spoonful the mixture onto 1/2 a side of each square leaving room around the edges to pinch the edges together.

Using your finger, wet the edges of the half that has the blackberries with a touch of water.

 Fold the other half over.

 Press the edges together. Place on a greased baking pan.

Using a fork, poke a few holes in the top to allow the heat to exit, so the turnover doesn't explode!

Lastly, brush the top of each with a small mixture of raw egg and water. This will give it that brown look that everyone loves. Bake at 350˙ for 15-20 minutes, or until brown and the blackberries are bubbling.

Final product! Add some fresh blackberries on the side and have as breakfast, an afternoon snack or enjoy in the evening with a glass of wine.

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