Mac N Cheese With a Twist

My family loves macaroni and cheese. I'd say my kids love it, but it would only be a half truth. The hubs and I love a good homemade mac n cheese, too! I grew up loving mac n cheese. I'd eat it out of the box, sure, but I loved it when my mom made it homemade (which wasn't very often). Later in life I'd learn that my little sister also coveted my mom's homemade macaroni and cheese. I hope that one day my boys have the same fond memories of some of the dishes that I make for them. There's not a lot that's more satisfying than hearing how much your family loves the meal you've created for them! So, in an attempt to make comfort food that they love in a more healthy manner I came up with the following recipe today. It's my regular macaroni and cheese but with added veggies.

Warning: This is not South Beach Friendly

Mac N Cheese With a Twist

What you'll need:
1 lb. pasta cooked
2T olive oil
2T corn starch
2 diced shallots (or one small onion, diced)
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 cups of milk
3 cups of grated cheese (I used a mixture of gruyere and cheddar)
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 bunch of greens, chopped (I used chard)
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
bread crumbs (I used Italian flavored panko)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cook your pasta according to directions on package. If you are on SB diet, you'll want to choose whole grain pasta. While the pasta is still warm (and after it's been drained), toss the chard and tomatoes right into the pasta pot.

In a saucepan, heat your olive oil. Add to the pan the shallots (or onion) and garlic and saute for three minutes. Add cornstarch and stir until well blended and there are no lumps. This will serve as a thickening agent for your cheese sauce. Add your milk, dry mustard, dijon mustard, salt and pepper and stir continuously. Continue to stir over medium heat just until the mild begins to thicken a little. At this time add all but about 1/3 cup of your cheeses. Turn the heat off and stir in a figure 8 pattern until all of the cheese has been incorporated.

Pour cheese sauce into pasta pot and stir.

Transfer to an oven proof baking dish that has been coated with cooking spray.

Top with remaining cheese and about 2T of bread crumbs. Bake approximately 15 minutes and then put under the broiler on low a few minutes until the cheese has slightly browned. Keep an eye on it once it goes into the broiler. It can go from golden brown to cinder black rather quickly.

Serve and enjoy! You'll might get mom of the year for this one.

Candy Corn Cupcakes

This is the cutest and easiest treat for your little pumpkins this fall!

This post is about the method and not so much the recipes.You don't have to be a baker or master chef to make these adorable little candy corn cupcakes. I made my cake from scratch, but you could absolutely use a box cake mix for this one.

Let's get started!

What you'll need:

Cake mix and all necessary ingredients. Mixed, but not cooked.

yellow food coloring (I use gel color from my local cake supply store)

orange food coloring

white buttercream frosting (homemade will work best for piping, canned is not stiff enough)

candy corn candies

Divide your cake batter evenly in two bowls. 

In the first bowl, add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of the yellow food coloring and stir until the yellow is well combined and evenly distributed.

In the second bowl, use the same method, but with the orange food coloring.

Once your cupcake pan is lined with baking cups you will spoon the batter into the cupa. Starting with the yellow batter, scoop approximately one tablespoon of batter in each baking cup. I used my Pampered Chef small scoop to ensure equal distribution. Once the yellow is done, gently tap down the batter by tapping the cupcake pan on the counter.

Next, repeat the previous steps with the orange batter. You can spread the orange gently over the yellow to make sure it covers the yellow batter, but do not stir.

Bake your cupcakes according to your recipe instructions.

When your cupcakes have cooled, frost them with white buttercream frosting. You can use the spreader method if your icing isn't stiff enough to pipe. If it is stiff enough you can use a pastry bag with the corner snipped off (if you don't have a piping tip) or you can even use a zip lock bag with the corner clipped off.

Top each cupcake with a piece of candy corn.

Stand back, enjoy the Oooh's and Aaaah's and accept the compliments. You will get them!

The Great Pumpkin....Chili?

We had an unseasonably cold week last week and it put me right in the mood for baking and comfort food. Usually, that's not a good thing for my South Beach eating plan. But, not this time. A friend of a friend shared a recipe for pumpkin chili with me a couple of years ago, and although the original recipe was missing something, in my opinion, it was a good base to run with. The recipe is my version of the recipe, with some alterations. This recipe is SB phase 2 or 3 friendly since it does contain pumpkin, which not advised on P1. It's also gluten free and great for diabetics.

I get lots of interesting responses when I tell people I'm making pumpkin chili, but let me tell you, it's GOOD. The pumpkin puree adds a certain creaminess to the chili and my family loves it. This is an easy recipe to make stove top or toss it in the crock pot all day.

PUMPKIN CHILI

What You'll Need:
olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 heaping teaspoon cumin
1 heaping teaspoon smoked paprika
1 lb. lean ground beef (or bison, turkey, chicken, etc.) I used organic, grass fed beef
1 (14oz) can pumpkin puree (not with pie seasoning)
1 cans of black beans drained and rinsed (you may also use kidney or pinto beans)
1 large can of diced tomatoes (I used 4 fresh tomatoes because I had some that needed to be used)
1/2c your favorite salsa or chile sauce (I used green chile sauce)
1 cups (approx.) chicken stock
Garnish:
Low fat sour cream
cilantro
garlic chives
cheese


Place oil into skillet on medium high. Once the oil is heated, add onions, peppers, garlic and spices and saute 5 minutes. I actually didn't have a red pepper but I did have some carrots that I wanted to use so I tossed them in there. Then add the ground meat and cook until the meat is done. Drain the fat off of the meat and add to crock pot (or large stock pot if making stove top) on low.

To the pot (or crock pot) add the remaining ingredients. Tough, right? You'll notice some green stuff that wasn't in the recipe. It's swiss chard. I had some beautiful chard from my CSA and decided to add it. Nothing like getting extra veggies to your kids, right?

Give it all a good stir. Cover it and walk away. If you are cooking stove top, cook on low for 30 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. If you're cooking in a crock pot, just leave it until you're ready to eat.

When it's ready, top it with your favorite garnish and enjoy!

Tara's Mom's Tomato Pie - South Beach-ized

My friend Tara is a Southern Belle through and through. I love her for her kindness and generosity, but also for the feisty little side of her that peeks through sometimes too. She was kind enough to share her mom's beloved tomato pie recipe and let me attempt to South Beach-ize it. Now, I'm not at all going to lay claims that this is better than her mom's, no way. I am going to say that it is healthier and a great way to use those gorgeous heirloom tomatoes that are so abundant right now.

I haven't gotten Tara's mom's permission to post her original recipe on my blog. So, very sad for those of you who want to see it, sorry.

This dish can be used as a main dish an accompanied by a salad (that's what we did) or it's a great side dish as well.

South Beach Tomato Pie

Here's what you'll need:

3 or 4 large heirloom tomatoes

Vidalia onion (I didn't have a Vidalia, I used a lovely onion from my CSA)

3-4 slices cooked prosciutto crumbled

1/4 cup low fat mayonaise

1/4 cup non fat greek yogurt, strained

1/2 cup skim milk

2 eggs

1 tbs. cornstarch

1 cup shredded cheese

fresh basil

salt and pepper

First things first. You'll want to slice those tomatoes and your onion very thin. I used my mandolin and it worked wonderfully. Then spread tomatoes out on a cheese cloth or towel to drain them. 

Next you'll spray a pie pan with non stick spray. Place a layer of tomatoes down, then sprinkle it with salt, pepper and basil. Next, add a layer of onions. Continue to layer tomatoes, spices, herbs and onion until your plate is full.

Now comes the creamy goodness. 

In small mixing bowl, blend mayo, yogurt, milk, eggs, cornstarch, and cheese.  Spread mayo/cheese mixture over top of pie to the edges.  Crumble prosciutto pieces on pie.  Add one last layer of tomatoes.  Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 35- 35 minutes (or top is golden brown/knife comes out clean from center.)  Let stand a few minutes before serving.

This was a delicious summer time dish. I will admit that I wasn't please with the texture of the yogurt (which was totally my addition/substitution, not part of the original recipe) and I'll omit it next time. If you omit the yogurt, replace it with 1/4c of low fat mayo for a total of 1/2 cup.

Enjoy Y'all!

Faux Huevos Rancheros South Beach Style

I really don't know exactly what to call this concoction that I made and we immediately devoured on Saturday morning. I was reading a 20 minute recipe thread and E (also known as the bean lady) posted a link to a couple of fabulous looking recipes for shaksouka. I started salivating and then considering how to prepare them South Beach phase 1 friendly. THEN, AdK posted that she used a similar method while cooking huevos rancheros. The light bulb instantly went off. I could remove the bread from the shaksouka and the tortillas from the huevos rancheros and, with the beans, still have a very balanced South Beach Diet  friendly meal.

Get ready for the yumminess.

Faux Huevos Rancheros
1 anaheim or poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed (you could totally use black beans here)
1 can of fire roasted tomatoes
splash of chicken stock
eggs (1-2 per person)
Salt and pepper to taste

The most time consuming part of this recipe is dicing the pepper and onions, so that tells you how quickly this comes together.

First spray a skillet with non-stick spray (please use a skillet that you have a lid for, you'll need the lid) and heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the onion, pepper and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes.

Here comes the hard part, please pay attention. Ready? Dump the beans and tomatoes into the skillet and stir. Yep, I lost you didn't I? Seriously folks, it's that easy. Add a splash of chicken stock and cover and heat about 10 minutes or until everything is heated through.

Once everything is heated, crack your eggs on top of the mixture. Put the cover back on and cook for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand another 1-2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve in a shallow bowl. If you're feeling really festive, top it with a little lowfat cheese, avocado slices and/or cilantro!

Dig in and thank me later.

Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole - Sausage, Squash and Green Chiles.

Now that summer is winding down in our household, it's time to get back to the basics of our South Beach Diet eating plan. I have a couple of friends who are starting South Beach Diet today, and to be supportive to them I decided to go back to Phase 1 myself this week.

First things first! For us, the key to success starts with the first meal of the day. Unfortunately, my hard working husband leaves the house at o'dark thirty in the morning. That equals a time way too early for me to get up and cook him breakfast every morning. So instead, I make breakfast once at the beginning of the week and he can take a portion each morning and pop it in the microwave for a hot, homemade breakfast each day.

So, today's post is going to be quick and simple because that's what this dish is. It's a quick and simple way to have a delicious, hot breakfast each morning and only having to cook it once!

Sausage, Squash and Green Chile Breakfast Casserole

What you'll need:
1lb Low fat ground turkey breakfast sausage
1T olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 yellow squash diced (zucchini works too)
1 can (4 oz) green chiles (I used hot instead of mild)
1 cup low fat jack or cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
2C egg beaters
1/3c fat free half and half

First coat a large skillet with non stick spray and heat that bad boy up! Add the olive oil and the  chopped onion and saute until onion becomes translucent. Then add the ground turkey sausage and cook until done. At this time you can cadd the squash and the green chiles. Stir and cook an additional five or so minutes. Add half of the cheese, salt and pepper and stir. Once that is combined add eggs and half and half and reduce heat to low. Stir frequently until the egg just begins to set up. Now, you'll remove the pan from the heat and empty contents into a 9x11 dish that has been coated with non stick cooking spray. Sprinkle the remainder of the cheese on top.

Cook for 35-45 minutes at 325 or until eggs have set up and cheese is a little browned.

Tomato and Goat Cheese Frittata

If I haven't had a case of the Monday's today, then none ever existed! But, in spite of my challenges today, I managed to end the day with an extraordinary, quite healthy  (South Beach Diet friendly) dinner and a couple of glasses of good wine. I'm going to apologize in advance for the lack of photographs of my meal preparation. The boys were on a roll and I was playing referee at the same time that I was making dinner. It happens.

Tonight I made a simple, yet elegant, tomato and goat cheese frittata. The elegance, in my opinion, comes from incredible succulent and very much in season tomatoes....and goat cheese. It was juicy and creamy and just amazingly fresh. I'm not going to waste time with words, I'm just going to get straight to dinner.

Tomato and Goat Cheese Frittata

Olive oil
4 slices (aprox 3"x8") prosciutto chopped
1 sweet white (or Spanish) onion, diced.
2 large cloves garlic
salt and pepper to taste
Mediterranean blend of spices (I used Global Garden Caliterranean Blend)
1 large heirloom tomato, thinly sliced
3-4 oz goat cheese crumbled.
1/3c half and half
2C egg beaters
2T Parmigiano Reggiano

Heat olive oil in pan and cook prosciutto until browned. While prosciutto is cooking, take 4 slices of the tomato and slice it in half creating a half circle. Dice the rest of the tomato slices. Remove prosciutto from  pan and set on a paper towel. Add chopped onion to pan, sprinkle with salt, pepper and mediterranean seasoning and saute. Once onions start to become translucent, add garlic and cook for about two minutes. Add diced tomato slices and cook another two minutes. Add half of the goat cheese and half of the prosciutto to the onion and tomato mixture and stir. Add half and half and stir again. Now add the egg beaters. Mix everything well for about 30 seconds and then transfer to a pie or tart pan that has been well coated with cooking spray. Then top frittata with the remaining 8 tomato half slices, remaining chopped prosciutto and remaining crumbled goat cheese. Then sprinkle with parmigiano reggiano.

Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350, until golden brown.

This dish paired very nicely with a glass of dry Rose. I'm typically not a Rose drinker, but it went very well and it was very refreshing for this hot summer night.