Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
Salt and pepper
2 cups cauliflower florets
1 pound fettuccine noodles
1 cup 2% milk
3 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, lightly smashed
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan
Olive oil, for searing chicken
3 cups diced chicken

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the cauliflower and cook at a low boil until very tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the cauliflower with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain in a colander, reserving the boiling water for the pasta.

Add the fettuccine to the boiling water and cook according to the package instructions (usually about 10 minutes).

Make the sauce while the pasta cooks. In a blender, combine the cauliflower with the milk and puree until smooth.

In a large skillet over medium-low heat, heat the butter and garlic until the butter melts. Add the cauliflower puree and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the garlic. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Turn off the heat and stir in the Parmesan.

Heat a separate skillet over medium-high heat and add some olive oil. Sear the chicken briefly on both sides until just cooked through.

Use tongs to remove the pasta from the water and transfer to the skillet with the sauce. Add 1/3 cup pasta water. Turn the heat back to medium and toss to combine until the pasta is evenly coated with the sauce. Add the chicken and garnish with parsley. Makes 6 servings.

YUM!!! This was so delicious. I was a little skeptical at first but, wow. You would never know this sauce has cauliflower in it. Kids asked for more! This picture makes it looks like the pasta is dry but I promise it wasn't. I added some cooked broccoli for even more veggies! You could use spinach or asparagus too. Mmmm.

Courtesy of Food Network: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/katie-lee/cauliflower-alfredo-sauce

21 Day Fix Portions = 1 Green, 1 Red, 1 Blue, 1 Yellow per 1 cup serving

Lasagna

Lasagna (from Worldwide Ward Cookbook: Mom's Best Recipes)
1 lb. ground beef
1 T. olive oil
1 tsp. hot pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 13-oz. can tomato paste
2-3 T. sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 28-oz. can whole tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated, plus 3 T.
1 16-oz. container of cottage cheese (or ricotta)
2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 pkg. oven-ready lasagna noodles

In a skillet, brown beef; drain and set aside. In a large saucepan, combine oil and hot pepper flakes. Cook about 1 minute. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add tomato paste and 2 1/2 cans water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Add sugar to desired sweetness and salt and pepper to taste. Process tomatoes tomatoes in food processor until smooth and add to saucepan. Add onion. Cook for about 30 minutes, until sauce starts to thicken. Add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and ground beef. Cook another 10 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.

Place small layer of sauce in 9x13-inch casserole dish. Place 5-6 lasagna noodles in dish. Cover with sauce. Sprinkle half the cheddar and mozzarella cheese over sauce. Place another 5-6 noodles over this layer. Spread sauce over noodles and top with the cottage (or ricotta) cheese. Spread evenly. Place another layer of 5-6 noodles and spread with remaining sauce. Top with remaining cheddar and mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with 3T. Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for about 1 hour, or until bubbly and noodles are soft. Allow to cool before cutting. Makes 12 servings.

This turned out great! It was fun making my own meat sauce. Although I didn't like the amount of sugar I added. I would half that amount next time. I also didn't have oven-ready noodles so I had to cook those. I'm always afraid the oven-ready noodles won't cook all the way!

Kid-friendly Chicken Lo Mein

Kid-friendly Chicken Lo Mein

1 can (20 ounces) unsweetened pineapple chunks
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T minced fresh gingerroot or 1-1/2 tsp dry ground ginger
3 T canola oil, divided
2 medium carrots, julienned
1 medium green pepper, julienned
8 ounces spaghetti, cooked and drained
3 green onions, sliced
1 T cornstarch
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup of your favorite teriyaki sauce 
1 T sesame seeds
Cilantro, for garnish- optional

Drain pineapple, reserving 1/3 cup juice (discarding remaining juice or save for another use); set pineapple aside. In a large skillet, cook the chicken, garlic and ginger over medium heat in 2 tablespoons oil for 6 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in the carrots, green pepper and pineapple. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in spaghetti and onions. 

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, soy sauce, reserved pineapple juice and remaining oil until smooth. Gradually add to chicken mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in teriyaki sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds & fresh cilantro.

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home

Declicious recipe! And a good change up from the things we normally eat. I used half a bag of frozen peas and carrots. My mom has used cabbage in it and that was delicious. Broccoli would good in this too. You could easily adapt this to whatever you've got in the pantry.

Cheesy Rigatoni Bake

• 1 package (16 ounces) rigatoni or large tube pasta
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375°. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour and salt until smooth; gradually add milk and water. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
• Drain pasta; place in a large bowl. Add eggs. Spoon into two greased 8-in. square baking dishes. Layer each with one can of tomato sauce, half the mozzarella cheese and half the white sauce. Sprinkle each
• with half the Parmesan cheese.
• Bake casseroles, uncovered, at for 30-35 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160°.
• Yield: 2 casseroles (6 servings each).

This was a very interesting meal. It seemed weird that there were eggs in this. Not quite sure the purpose they served. But Brandon loved this. He gobbled it right up. I'm still on the fence about it. It was good but not a meal that I would crave. I felt like it needed Cheddar cheese in there somewhere. It's very kid friendly, though. :)

Easy Pasta Carbonara

Easy Pasta Carbonara

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman.
Ingredients:
1/2 pound bacon or pancetta
1 whole small onion
5 cloves garlic
1/2 cup white wine (or chicken or vegetable stock)
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 bunch parsley
2 whole eggs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese plus more for garnish
1/2 pound linguine pasta
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon black pepper

1) Slice bacon into thin slices and cook on stove top until cooked. Drain bacon from grease on paper towels and set aside. Reserve some grease for cooking onions in step 2.

2) Chop onion finely and cook diced onion in a reasonable amount of bacon grease (1 or 2 tablespoons) for 2-3 minutes over medium-high constant stirring to avoid burning.

3) **Slice the garlic and add it to the onions. Cook garlic and onion together for 2 more minutes and remove them from the pan, using slotted spoon. Discard the grease.

4) Place the same pan (where you cooked onion and garlic in bacon grease) back on high heat, pour in the white wine (or stock) to de-glaze the pan. Stir, scraping the bits off the bottom of the pan. Add 1/2 cup chicken stock. Return bacon, onion and garlic back to the pan. Let simmer covered over low heat, do not let too much liquid (chicken stock) to evaporate.

5) Chop the parsley. Crack eggs into a large bowl. Add Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley to the eggs. Leave a little Parmesan and parsley out for a garnish. Mix well with a fork.

6) Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water according to pasta instructions, al dente. Drain the pasta and add very hot pasta to the egg mixture and mix thoroughly. Then add bacon, onion, and garlic mixture to the pasta, mix again. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to mix. Salt and pepper to taste and garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. Makes 4 servings.

This meal gets 1 million stars! Seriously soooo good. And easy. It tastes like Alfredo but there's no cream in it and it's just delicious. Eve the kids gobbled this up. Definitely read through the whole recipe before you start, though.  And go to the original source from The Pioneer Woman. She has step-by-step instructions with pictures which was very helpful for me. It was so fun for me to try a new recipe and new techniques (like deglazing)! I will be making this again!!

**I used my garlic press for the garlic and reduced the time the garlic cooks with the onions because I didn't want it to burn or overcook. Bitter garlic is the worst.

Baked Ravioli

Baked Ravioli
2 tablespoons olive oil 
1 medium onion, chopped 
3 garlic cloves, minced 
Coarse salt and ground pepper 
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme, or oregano 
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes 
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes 
2 pounds store-bought ravioli 
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
DIRECTIONS 
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in a large 
saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and 
season with salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, 
until softened, about 5 minutes. Add thyme and tomatoes. 
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, breaking up 
tomatoes with spoon, until sauce is thickened and reduced 
to about 5 1/2 cups, 20 to 25 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, cook ravioli in a large pot of boiling salted 
water just until they float to the top (pasta will continue to 
cook in oven). Drain pasta; return to pot. 
3. Toss sauce with pasta. Pour pasta into a large gratin 
dish or 9-by-13-inch baking dish, and sprinkle with 
cheeses. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly 
before serving. Serves 6-8

This was great! I wasn't a fan of the whole tomatoes but that's just me. Easily changed. This is a great meal for kids too! And nice to find a good meatless meal.

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Casserole

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Casserole

2 1/2 cups uncooked pasta (not quite the entire box- I used shells, but any kind would work! Whole wheat works great too)
2 cups broccoli (fresh or frozen)
1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, cooked and chopped into bite-size pieces
1 (16 oz) jar Alfredo sauce
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare pasta as directed on package. Remove from heat, drain water, and dump pasta in a large bowl.
If using fresh broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces and place in a microwaveable-safe bowl. Add 2-3 tablespoons of water and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Microwave for 3-4 minutes or until it reaches your desired crunchiness. If using frozen broccoli, prepare according to directions on package. Once finished cooking, place broccoli in the bowl with the pasta.
Dump the chicken, alfredo sauce, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese into the bowl and mix with the pasta and broccoli. Season with garlic salt, basil, and salt and pepper.
Spray a 9x13" pan with non-stick cooking spray and dump pasta/chicken mixture inside.
In a small bowl, mix the bread crumbs, melted butter, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese together. Sprinkle over the top of the casserole.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the edges are bubbling.

I feel like this meal had a lot of potential. I always think I'm going to like bottled Alfredo sauce but I never do. Homemade would be so much better. I also used canned chicken and fresh would have been better. But I LOVED that bread crumb topping. Yum! 

Tip: When I made the Ranch pasta salad I cooked double the amount of pasta and stored half in the fridge until I made this casserole.

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Casserole Recipe

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 Recipe total Servings 15
Calories 335
Total Fat 13.77 g
Saturated Fat 7.53g
Monosaturated Fat 4.32g
Polysaturated Fat 1.92g
Total Carbohydrate 26.2 g
Fiber 0.7 g
Sugar 0.5 g
Protein 22.5 g
Cholesterol 87.48 mg
Calcium 219 mg
Iron 2.17 mg
Potassium 227 mg
Sodium 330 mg
Zinc 1.7 mg
Thiamin 0.29 mg
Riboflavin 0.3 mg
Niacin 5.7 mg
Folic Acid 52.6 Ug
Vitamin B6 0.3 mg
Vitamin C 10.8 mg
Vitamin B12 0.9 Ug
Vitamin A 388 IU
Vitamin E 0.26 mg
Vitamin K 1.9 Ug
Points 8
Points Plus 8
*The nutritional values are determined by the total ingredients divided by the number of servings for each recipe. Serving sizes may vary. The formula used here for points was obtained from public sources and is an empirical match to Weight Watchers calculators, but it is not an "official" Weight Watcher's calculator.

Read more at http://myrecipemagic.com/recipe/recipedetail/chicken-and-broccoli-alfredo-casserole-recipe#Z0vabyoJbXl2fud8.99

Creamy Ranch Pasta Salad

Creamy Ranch Pasta Salad
1/2 box shell shaped pasta

1 head of broccoli, chopped

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1/2 package mini pepperonis

8 Monterey Jack cheese sticks, cut into cubes

3 medium carrots, chopped

1 packed Ranch dressing, prepared as directed (about 1 cup prepared)

Directions:

Cook pasta shells according to directions on the box, being sure not to overcook because you don't want your pasta to be too soft.  Rinse pasta in cold water and drain.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine broccoli, peas, pepperonis, cheese and carrots.  Fold in cooled pasta.  Pour prepared ranch dressing over the pasta and stir until evenly coated.  Keep refrigerated until served.

I loved this salad! Perfect for summer. You can never go wrong with Ranch dressing. I couldn't find Monterey Jack cheese sticks so I just used Cheddar cheese that I already had. You could easily substitute the pepperoni for bacon or ham too. Delicious! And low in calories! According to My Recipe Magic there's only about 100 calories and 6 g fat per 1/2 cup of salad.

Slow Cooker Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

Slow Cooker Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

4 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cheddar cheese soup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk (I used 1%)
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard or 1/4 teaspoon of bottled mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Boil the macaroni in water for six minutes and drain. In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese. Heat over medium high heat and stir until the cheese melts. Spray your slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Combine cheese mixture, sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper in your slow cooker. Add the drained macaroni and stir again. Cook on low for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally (I cooked mine for about 2 hours and stirred it twice and it was perfect).

The kids gobbled this up! Fun for me to try a new recipe, too!

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

• 1-1/4 pound Ground Chuck
• 1 can 15-ounces Tomato Sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
•  Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 8 ounces, weight Egg Noodles
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream
• 1-1/4 cup Small Curd Cottage Cheese
• 1/2 cup Sliced Green Onions (less To Taste)
• 1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown ground chuck in a large skillet. Drain fat, then add tomato sauce. 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

Cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Add to noodles and stir. Add green onions and stir.

To assemble, add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then sprinkle on half the grated cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat, then a final layer of cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted.

Serve with crusty French bread.

I obviously didn't take this picture. I forgot last night and now it's in a tupperware container looking not as pretty as this one. Anyway, we all really liked this meal. Such simple ingredients making very kid friendly, in my opinion. I bet this would freeze well too. Make a whole batch and freeze half of it. We ate ours with garlic toast. Mmmm.

Million Dollar Spaghetti

Million Dollar Spaghetti

1 lb. ground beef

1 clove garlic, minced

1 26-oz. jar spaghetti sauce

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

¼ cup sour cream

½ lb. cottage cheese

1 stick butter, cubed

8 oz. spaghetti noodles, cooked and drained

2 cups cheddar cheese

1. Cook beef and garlic in a pan. Drain any fat. Pour spaghetti sauce over meat.

2. Mix cream cheese, sour cream, and cottage cheese in a mixer until well blended.

3. Place half of the butter on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Then layer half of

the noodles on top and spread the cream cheese mixture over the noodles. Top

with remaining noodles, butter and the meat sauce.

4. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Top with cheese and return to oven for 15

minutes.

Another delicious dish. Thanks, Laura, for telling me about this recipe!! This was so much better than regular spaghetti that's just noodles and sauce. Sean liked it a lot too and said that this was a keeper!