Super Easy Baked Mac and Cheese

My family loves Mac and Cheese. Because of this I feel like I have tried every recipe I can get my hands on trying to come up with something easy without resorting to plastic looking processed cheese product. This recipe is one of my favorites. What makes it so awesome? The sauce is assembled in the blender! So easy! Fresh Parmesan cheese is best, if you use the pre-grated kind you may need to add extra liquid since it will absorb the surrounding liquid and may get a bit dry.

Ingredients

• 
  3 cups (12 ounces) uncooked penne (tube-shaped pasta)
• 1 (12-ounce) carton 2% low-fat cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 3 tablespoons panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Preparation
2. 1. Preheat oven to 375°.
3. 2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; place in a large bowl.
4. 3. Place cottage cheese in a food processor; process until smooth. Add cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth. Add the cheese mixture to pasta, and stir well. Spoon mixture into an 11 x 7-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.
5. 4. Combine remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan, panko, and parsley in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over pasta mixture. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes.
6. 5. Preheat broiler (do not remove dish from the oven).
7. 6. Broil pasta 1 minute or until top browns.

Turkey Breakfast Sausage

20 oz. pkg. ground turkey
1 t. rubbed or ground sage
1 t. ground black pepper
1/4 t. red pepper flakes

In large bowl, combine turkey and seasonings. Mix thoroughly. Shape into patties (for calorie calculation, it is easiest to make 20 1 oz. patties). Heat skillet sprayed with Pam. Add patties and cook thoroughly until no longer pink inside.

Patties may also be frozen, and warmed up in the microwave for a quick breakfast.

Healthy Asian Lettuce Wraps

8 oz. water chestnuts
1 c. sliced mushrooms
5 green onions
6 (or more!) baby carrots (can grate these instead of chop)
Chop all of these really small (or the Pampered Chef food chopper works well)

Cook 1 pound ground lean turkey or chicken in 1 T. olive oil or cooking spray. Cook until just a little pink left in meat, then add veggies. Cook until meat is done.
Add sauce and cook just a minute longer.

Serve in iceberg, romaine, or butter lettuce leaves

Sauce
3 T. soy sauce or liquid aminos
2 T. sugar
3 cloves crushed garlic
1 1/2 t. rice vinegar or red wine vinegar

French Banana Pancakes

I make breakfast every morning, so I'm always looking for something more interesting than oatmeal and scrambled eggs. I would call these crepes.

Pancakes:
1 C flour
2 T sugar
1 C milk
2 eggs
3T melted butter
1 t vanilla
1/4 t salt

Filling:
1/4 C butter
1/4 C brown sugar
1/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 C milk
4-5 firm bananas, cut in half, the split in thirds.
whipped cream (optional for topping)

Sift flour and sugar into mixing bowl. Add milk, eggs, butter, vanilla and salt; beat until smooth. Heat a lightly greased 6" skillet; add about 3 T batter, spreading to almost cover the bottom of the skillet. Cook until lightly browned; turn over. Makes 10-12 pancakes. Grease skillet as needed.

FOR FILLING: Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stiry in cream and cook until slightly thickened. Add bananas a few at a time and spoon sauce over them. Place one banana in each pancake and roll up. Top with whipped cream if desired. 5-6 servings.

Simple, Light Fish Cakes

I have been trying to find a recipe to make fish palatable to my picky 3 year old. I came up with the idea that maybe using fish in a crabcake-like patty would do the trick. This recipe was so simple and delicious and was ready in minutes. The end result was a very delicious fish patty that my kids wolfed down and my husband liked as well. I like tilapia in this recipe since it is very mild to begin with. Grinding the fish also helps negate the fishy texture that can be difficult for some.

Ingredients:

1 pound tilapia or other mild white fish

8 saltine crackers, crushed

1 egg

1 tablespoon mustard

1 tablespoon greek yogurt or mayo

pinch of cayenne pepper

salt & pepper to taste

1 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Put thawed fish into a food processor and grind until it reaches the desired consistency. Combine all ingredients in a bowl except oil and stir until thoroughly combined. Heat a skillet on medium heat and add olive oil. While it’s heating, form the fish mixture into small patties – you will get about 5 to 6 cakes. Place them in the skillet and cook until lightly golden brown, about 3-4 minutes on each side.

Creamy and Light Macaroni and Cheese

I adore this recipe. It is not super fast, but it is a great make ahead dish for a busy weeknight. I also love that this recipe uses butternut squash for texture and color, a perfect fall meal and a great way to sneak veggies into any diet. This recipe does use a few very pungent cheeses which allows the cheesy flavor to come through without using a ton of it. The best part of all, my 2 year olds loved it as well and Mom and Dad! Serve as a side or with green salad to complete the meal.

Ingredients

• 3 cups cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 [1-pound] squash)
• 1 1/4 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons fat-free Greek yogurt
• 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
• 1 cup (4 ounces) grated pecorino Romano cheese
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) finely grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
• 1 pound uncooked cavatappi
• Cooking spray
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

• 1. Preheat oven to 375°.
• 2. Combine squash, broth, milk, and garlic in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until squash is tender when pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat.
• 3. Place the hot squash mixture in a blender. Add salt, pepper, and Greek yogurt. Remove the center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Place blended squash mixture in a bowl; stir in Gruyère, pecorino Romano, and 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano. Stir until combined.
• 4. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain well. Add pasta to squash mixture, and stir until combined. Spread mixture evenly into a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.
• 5. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add panko, and cook for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Sprinkle evenly over the hot pasta mixture. Lightly coat topping with cooking spray.
• 6. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately.

Tomato Soup (from Joy of Cooking)

I posted this recipe about 2 years ago, but I had to repost it because I am in love with it. The ingredients are simple and most people have them in the backyard garden or can get them from the local farmer's market. This whips up in just a few minutes.

This recipe turns into a chunky soup, but I like to puree it in the blender. Great with grilled cheese sandwiches.

Heat in soup pot, over medium heat;

3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

Add and cook, stirring, until beginning to color, about 10 minutes:

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Coarsely chop together;

4 large cloves garlic, peeled

1/3 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves

Reduve the hear to medium-low, stir in the garliv mixture, and

cook until the garlic barely colors, 2-3 minutes. Add:

1 ½ lbs ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and coarsely

chopped, or one 28 oz can whole tomatoes, drained

and chopped.

Pinch of red pepper flakes.

Cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until thick and fragrant,

about 5 minutes. Stir in;

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth (I like veg better)

Boil for 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Top with:

4 fresh basil leaves, torn

Drizzel of extra-virgin olive oil

Parmesan Cheese shavings

Serve hot, cold or at room temperature.