Cauliflower and Cheese Casserole (Faux Mac and Cheese)

Wow. I wanted a comfort food dish today, but without that heavy feeling that comes from pasta and cream. This works so well for me. This casserole is rich, gooey, cheesy and tastes fabulous. On a side note, it is full of fiber and lower in carbs than most mac and cheese recipes.

Ingredients (easily serves 6):

1 head of cauliflower, outer leaves and core removed

Cooking Spray

Salt and pepper to taste

1 (14.4 ounce) bag of frozen cauliflower florets, thawed

¼ cup flour

2 ½ cups low fat milk

Salt and pepper to taste

½ teaspoon turmeric (optional, but it is good for us and brings good color to the dish)

½ teaspoon dry mustard

½ teaspoon garlic salt

½ teaspoon onion powder

¼ cup grated parmesan

2 cups shredded low fat cheddar cheese

¼ cup dry bread crumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Cut the head of cauliflower into chunks (just a bit bigger than bite size). Toss the cauliflower pieces onto the baking sheet and coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through.

While the cauliflower pieces are baking, begin making the sauce by pureeing the thawed bag of cauliflower florets in a food processor—use a little water if you need to so that this puree is very smooth and velvety. Move the puree to a large sauce pan and add the flour. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes (until it is warm all the way through) and then slowly stir in the milk. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat back to medium low. Add the seasonings. Add in the parmesan and cheddar in handfuls and stir until the cheese melts.

Reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees F. Place the baked cauliflower in a casserole (maybe 2 quart size) and add the sauce. Stir well and then top with the bread crumbs. Spray a little cooking spray over the top of the breadcrumbs and bake for 50-60 minutes.

Spicy Breakfast Omelet Sandwich

Now this breakfast will get your motor running on a Monday! Egg substitute, fresh jalapeno, cilantro, cheese, avocado, lime-what’s not to love? I know the omelet makes more than 6 sandwiches, but I can’t resist just eating some right off the plate. This is easy, low fat, and so good. You can make the omelet the night before, store it between wax paper sheets and then just re-heat in the morning while you toast the muffins and mash avocados.

Ingredients (makes 6, with some omelet left over for munching):

Cooking spray

2 cups yolk-free egg product (egg substitute)

1/3 cup fat free half and half

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1 jalapeno-seeded, deveined and finely diced

2 green onions, finely sliced

2 teaspoons fresh cilantro, chopped

2 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped

1/3 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese

6 English Muffins, split and toasted

2 or 3 avocados, mashed (depends on how big the avocados are)

A squirt of fresh lime juice

Directions:

Spray a large skillet liberally with cooking spray. Heat pan to medium heat. In a mixing bowl, combine egg product, half and half, salt and pepper. Pour into skillet, stir briefly and then add in the jalapeno, green onions, cilantro and parsley. Stir briefly again to distribute the greens. Let cook for 12-15 minutes. You may want to cut through the center to redistribute the uncooked middle to the bottom once or twice. You want the edges to be slightly brown and to pull away when you lift them and for the omelet to be well set in the middle at this point. Slide off onto a plate and then turn over and slip back into the skillet, brown side up. Top with cheese and let cook 5 more minutes or until the cheese is melted. Remove back to the plate and cut into 6 pieces.

Spread each half of the English muffins with some mashed avocado and then place one piece of the omelet onto each bottom half of the muffins. Spritz on some fresh lime, place the top half of the muffin and dig in!

Cinnamon Bread

Come to me, my sweet, soft, warm cinnamon bread. Make this on a cold weekend morning and watch your family go wild. Don’t tell them how easy it is to make. I don’t have specific measurements in this recipe-just use as much or as little margarine/butter and cinnamon as you like.

Ingredients:

1 loaf of frozen bread dough, thawed according to package directions

Tub margarine or butter

Cinnamon

Vanilla glaze (see below)

Directions: Let dough rise, following package directions, in a loaf pan liberally coated with cooking spray. Bake according to package directions; however, cook it ten minutes less than called for. Remove the loaf from the pan and slice with a serrated knife (you’ll get 10 or so ½ inch thick slices from one loaf), cutting not quite all the way through to the bottom of the loaf.

Spread one side of each slice with margarine or butter and then sprinkle in cinnamon-as much or as little as you like. Push the slices back into a loaf shape and place on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake for the remaining 10 minutes.

Let the bread cool for about 5 minutes. Slightly separate each slice of bread and drizzle the vanilla glaze all over the loaf, even down between the slices.

Vanilla Glaze:

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

2 to 3 Tablespoons water

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pot Roast with Crusty Potatoes and Pearl Onions

Every now and again, you just need the comfort that only a pot roast can provide. For me, this one really hits the spot. I love the depth of flavor here from the broth that the roast is cooked in and I really love the crust on the potatoes and the fact that they soak up some of the pot roast juices. The pearl onions are no slouch, either. They bring in lots of flavor and are great to spear along with a piece of roast. And the leftovers! The leftover roast and pan juices are going to make a wonderful soup!

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 (2 ½ pound) chuck roast

4 teaspoons steak seasoning*, divided

2 cups beef broth (about ½ of a box)

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons Worcestershire

12 (or so) baby Yukon gold potatoes, cut in half

½ (14 ounce) bag of frozen pearl onions, slightly thawed

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on medium to medium high heat until shimmering, but not smoking. While the oil is heating, rub one teaspoon of steak seasoning on each side of the roast. Place the roast in the skillet and let cook for about 6 minutes per side until you see a good crust starting to form.

Mix the broth, soy sauce, Worcestershire and the remaining 2 teaspoons of steak seasoning in a bowl.

Remove the roast and place in a 13 by 9 baking pan (but keep the skillet hot for the potatoes). Pour the broth mixture over and sprinkle the pearl onions around. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour, turning halfway through.

While the roast is going, place the potatoes cut side down in the skillet and cook without moving for about 7 minutes. If you flip one over, you should see a lovely dark crust on the bottom of the potato. Turn off the heat to the skillet.

When the roast and pearl onions have cooked 1 hour, toss the potatoes in (with the crusty, cut side up if you can) and cook 30 more minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and just let it rest for about 10 minutes. Remove the roast to a plate and slice, putting the onions and potatoes on the side and spoon over a little of the pan juices.

*You can use any steak seasoning you like—I’m using Penzey’s® English Prime Rib Rub here. 

Everything but the Kitchen Sink Bark

Chocolate, salty, creamy, crunchy-everything you crave, all in one bite. If the candies I chose aren’t to your liking, feel free to substitute whatever you like. Movie night? Bring it on!

Ingredients:

2 (12 ounce) bags of semi-sweet chocolate morsels

½ cup dry roasted peanuts

½ cup peanut butter filled pretzels, lightly crushed

½ cup chocolate covered caramel candies (like Mini Rolos®)

½ cup chocolate covered toffee bits (like Heath Pieces®)

½ cup peanut butter filled candies (like M and Ms®)

Directions: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt the chocolate morsels in a double boiler (no special equipment needed-just place water in a large pan and heat to a simmer. Place a saucepan that just fits into the top of the large pan and melt the chocolate in the saucepan.

Spread the chocolate out in an even layer on the parchment paper. Working quickly, sprinkle the chocolate with the peanuts, pretzels and assorted candies as you see fit. Lay a piece of waxed paper over the top and lightly press the candies down into the chocolate. Remove the waxed paper and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Break into pieces.

Enlightened Cannelloni

Cannelloni lovers unite! I have never been able to resist cannelloni on any menu. This is way different than your typical cannelloni, however. These have a very light feel to them and you can taste every single ingredient. Just a few notes first: Your noodles may tear when you remove them from the boiling water. That’s ok. Just roll as you see fit and use any broken pieces to patch the tops. I recently had something like this at a restaurant and it was completely made up of patches of noodles. I thought it made it very rustic and made it look more like it was made from scratch. However, if you enjoy trying to stuff tubes of pasta, go for it. You may also have some scraps of noodles left over. Save those and toss with a hearty sauce and you’ve got another dinner. This is very much an ‘it’s great, no matter how you make it’ dish, so please feel free to change up anything.

Ingredients (makes about 15 cannelloni-5 servings of 3 rolls each):

Filling:

1 (12 ounce) package Italian style turkey or chicken sausage, removed from casing and broken up if needed or cut into a small dice if not in a casing

2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup onion, finely chopped

½ of a 15 ounce bag of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (you could just one square box, if you would like)

1 (15 ounce) container part skim ricotta

¼ cup grated parmesan

Salt and black pepper to taste

Noodles:

One package ‘oven-ready’ lasagna sheets (the ones I found are perfect-about 7 inches long by 3 ½ inches wide) or you could use 15 cannelloni shells.  

Sauce:

1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes (with liquid)

1 (14.5 ounce) can tomato sauce

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

¼  cup half and half

Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:

About 1 cup of shredded or shaved parmesan

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Brown the sausage in a skillet (you may want to add a smidge of olive oil to help it along). Add in the garlic and onions-cook on medium until the garlic and onions are fragrant, but not brown. Add in the spinach. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from heat and transfer the sausage mixture into a bowl. Mix in the ricotta and parmesan and then add salt and pepper to taste.

Spray two large, shallow, casserole dishes with cooking spray (or use two 13x9 baking pans). Dip the noodles in boiling water for about 2 minutes or until just flexible enough to roll. Drain and quickly lay out on wax paper coated with cooking spray. Fill each noodle with about 2-3 Tablespoons of filling each, lengthwise and roll up. Place (seam side down) in the casserole dishes.

Make the sauce by adding cooking the tomatoes, tomato sauce and Italian seasoning in a skillet and cooking on medium 10 minutes. Remove from heat stir in the half and half. Adjust seasoning. Ladle over the stuffed noodles in the casserole dishes. Sprinkle ½ cup of the shaved/shredded parmesan over the top and bake the casserole for 20 minutes. Garnish with the other ½ cup of shredded parmesan. 

Hot and Sweet Orange BBQ Chicken

I am not a fan of heat for the sake of heat, but I do love layering sweet and tangy and hot together. The different flavors here are so good. Also, you can make extra of this sauce and use it for dipping chicken nuggets or even as a sandwich spread.

Ingredients:

Brine:

4 cups water

1/3 cup kosher salt

¼ cup brown sugar, lightly packed

Chicken:

2 ½ pounds skin-on, bone-in chicken pieces

3 cups ice

Sauce:

1 orange

1 ½ cups prepared or homemade barbecue sauce

¼ cup hot sauce (I like Frank’s®)—more or less, depending on how hot you want it

2 Tablespoons honey

Directions: For the brine: Bring the water, salt and brown sugar to boil in a saucepan. Cook until the salt and sugar dissolve. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Place the chicken in a large zip top bag and pour the brine over it. Add the ice, close the bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

For the sauce: Cut the orange into eights and remove any seeds. Place the orange pieces in a food processor (yes, rind and all) and pulse until it is pureed. Put the orange puree into a mixing bowl and add the hot sauce and honey. Save about a cup of the sauce in a small bowl for dipping the chicken later, if you wish.

To cook the chicken: Heat your grill to medium heat. Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry. Place the chicken on the grill and cook, turning often, until the juices just start to run clear. Reduce the heat to low. Brush the sauce on one side of the chicken and then flip and coat the other side. Let cook 5 minutes. Repeat until the chicken registers 165 degrees F and the sauce is glazed and caramelized. 

Cardamom Buckwheat Pancakes with Whipped Orange Butter

I don’t know why, but I've really wanted pancakes lately. These buckwheat pancakes are amazing; they are earthy, slightly nutty and when the cardamom and vanilla hit the orange from the butter—Wow! Do me a favor and make a double batch (or triple batch) of the whipped orange butter. You will want it on toast, crackers, everything!

Ingredients (makes about 18 pancakes):

Whipped orange butter:

½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 Tablespoon orange juice

1 Tablespoon orange zest

2 Tablespoons powdered sugar

Cardamom buckwheat pancakes:

1 cup buckwheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 Tablespoon (packed) brown sugar

1 teaspoon toasted wheat germ (optional)

2 eggs, beaten

1 Tablespoon oil or melted butter

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

2 cups milk

Vegetable oil for greasing the griddle

For serving:

Maple syrup

Directions:

For the whipped orange butter: Combine all ingredients and whip with an electric mixer until smooth. Refrigerate until needed.

For the pancakes: Stir the flours, salt, baking powder, cardamom, brown sugar and wheat germ (if using) together with a whisk. Stir in the eggs, oil/melted butter, vanilla and milk.

Lightly oil the griddle (you will need a little more oil for buckwheat than for traditional pancakes—they are denser and tend to stick more) and heat it to medium heat (a drop of water should dance when dropped on the griddle). Pour a circle of batter onto the hot griddle. Cook until small bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake (these take a little bit longer than traditional pancakes). Flip the pancakes and cook until you can see the bottom edges turn lightly golden. Remove the pancakes and keep warm. Check the griddle and add more oil if necessary. Repeat with any remaining batter.

Serve with maple syrup and a spoonful of the orange butter. 

Tamale Pie

Ingredients:

1 to 1 ½ pounds ground beef

¾ cup onion, chopped

½ cup chopped green pepper

1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon salt or to taste

1 (15.25 ounce) can of corn, drained

1 (2.25 ounce) can of sliced ripe olives, drained

4 cups beef broth (or water, if you prefer)

1 cup corn meal

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 teaspoons salt or to taste

1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterey jack, whatever)

Chopped green onions and sour cream to garnish

Directions: Brown the ground beef in a large skillet and drain off any excess fat. Add the onion and green pepper to the beef and cook until the vegetables are tender. Add the tomato sauce and 2 teaspoons chili powder to the skillet and cook on medium for 20 minutes, adding salt to your taste. Add in the corn and black olives and reduce the heat to a low simmer while you prepare the corn meal mixture (below).

Bring the beef broth to a boil and slowly whisk in the corn meal, 1 teaspoon chili powder and 2 teaspoons salt (or to taste). Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, whisking often. Be careful not to let the bottom burn. Adjust salt and chili powder to your taste.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 1.5 ovenproof casserole or large cast iron skillet with cooking spray. Add the corn meal mixture and spread to cover the bottom of the pan. Spoon in the meat mixture to the center of the corn meal mixture. Bake for 20 minutes and then sprinkle the cheese on top. Continue baking for another 20-25 minutes or until the sides are golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. Let cool slightly and cut into squares or wedges.  Garnish with green onions and sour cream.

Fresh Blackberry Cobbler with a Hint of Orange

If anyone were to ask me what my favorite dessert is, I will always say warm blackberry cobbler. I love it any way it is done. This kind of ‘dump’ cobbler has always been my favorite, though. It is winter here, but most of my local grocery stores put blackberries on sale for a dollar per 6 ounce container. I grab four or five of those and I’m ready to go!

Ingredients:

5 cups fresh blackberries

2/3 cup water

½ cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons orange zest

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup milk
½ cup (1 stick) butter

Vanilla ice cream for serving

Directions: In a large saucepan, combine the blackberries, water, sugar and orange zest. Bring to a boil and then quickly drop the temperature down to medium. Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes or until the blackberries just start breaking down. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

While the blackberries are cooking down, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and milk together and set aside.

Place the butter in a 13 by 9 ovenproof dish and place in the oven until melted (about 8 to 10 minutes).

Remove the butter from the oven and pour the batter into the butter without stirring. Spoon the blackberries over the batter, without stirring. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly on top. Turn off the oven and let the cobbler rest in the oven 15 minutes more. Let the dish cool for 15 minutes or so and then spoon the hot cobbler into bowls and add a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Potted Devilled Ham

This is an excellent spread to serve with crusty bread, crackers, some pickles and some cheese—a perfect lunch. You can also turn this in a sandwich spread by adding some mayonnaise and maybe a little chopped celery and/or onion.

Ingredients (makes about 3 cups):

A little more than ½ cup cold water

1 to 2 teaspoons dry mustard (like Coleman’s®), depending on your taste

½ teaspoon turmeric

Pinch of ground nutmeg

3 cups coarsely chopped ham

½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1 Tablespoon capers (optional)

¼ cup butter, melted (for creating a seal over the ham)

Directions: In a mixing bowl, combine half of the cold water, dry mustard, turmeric and cloves. Toss the chopped ham in this mixture and then pulse in a food processor about 15 times until all ingredients are very finely chopped (almost like a pate). Add additional water, a little at a time, until the spread holds together to your liking. Stir in the pepper and capers, if using. Pack tightly into clean jars and then cover with about ¼ inch of melted butter. Chill until the butter hardens and then store in the fridge for a week or so. Once you break through the butter seal, use within a few days. If you prefer, you can just pack it into clean containers without the butter and use within a few days.