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

Garlic Herb Roasted Carrots

Garlic Herb Roasted Carrots
1 pound fresh carrots, washed
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
2 T olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Lightly oil a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl mix the garlic, oregano, basil, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper together. Sprinkle the garlic herb mixture over the carrots along with the 2 tbsp of olive oil. Toss everything together, making sure each carrot is seasoned with the garlic and herb mixture.
3. Arrange the carrots in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes or until fork tender

I am doing the 21 Day Fix and am eating lots of vegetables. Finishing up week 1 and I'm in need of a little variety. I can only handle so many salads. I'm trying to learn more about healthy ways to cook vegetables. I've never roasted them before and thought I'd give it a shot. It was very good! This was a great recipe. I'd like to try a variety of vegetables this way. I've heard roasted brussell sprouts are good. 

One serving = 1 Green container, 2 tsp
(I think you could get away with using only 1T oil and then counting that as a only 1 teaspoon)

Grandma's Spinach Salad

Grandma's Spinach Salad
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 tsp celery seed
10 ounces fresh baby spinach
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
5 hard-cooked large eggs, sliced
8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

1. Whisk first four ingredients until sugar is dissolved.
2. In a 13x9-in. dish, layer half of each of the following: spinach, onion, mushrooms and eggs. Repeat layers. Drizzle with dressing; top with bacon. Yield: 8 servings.

This was delicious!! Mom and I made this for a get-together at her house. We added the tomatoes and loved it. Everyone loved it! The dressing was a bit sweet for me so I may reduce the amount of sugar next time I make it. Enjoy!!!

Lemon Lush

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 1 cup white sugar

• 2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant lemon pudding mix
• 3 1/2 cups milk
• 1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, combine the flour and butter using a pastry cutter until a ball forms. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
3. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth and well blended. Spread evenly over the cooled crust. In another bowl, whisk together the lemon pudding mix and milk for 3 to 5 minutes. Spread over the cream cheese layer. Chill until set, then top with whipped topping.

I think it's time to start up my food blog again. Sean requested this and, wow, it's delicious! It's like a mix between lemon bars and lemon pie. I love the cream cheese filling and the crust. 

Crepes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Filling

Crepes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Filling
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 t. salt
1 T. sugar (omit if making savory)
2 T. butter, melted
Filling:
1 cup strawberries, chopped
2 T. sugar
4 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk, stirring to combine. Add the salt, sugar, and butter; beat until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly greased griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.
3. Cook the crepe for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until the bottom is lightly browned. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side for about 30 seconds. Serve hot. Makes 8-10 crepes.

For the filling: Combine strawberries and sugar and set aside. In a mixing bowl, mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Fold in strawberry mixture until well combined. Put about 1-2 Tbsp. of mixture in each crepe. Roll up and serve with sliced strawberries and whipped cream.

YUM-MY! This was my first time making crepes and I am hooked. I love they they are chewy and sweet. They're so pretty and fancy-looking, too! I am putting two links to crepe recipes that I used. I kinda combined the two.

Crepes (Thin Cakes) from Our Best Bites
Easy Crepes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Filling from Favorite Family Recipes

Salisbury Steak

Salisbury Steak
1 pound ground beef
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups beef broth
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons water

Combine ground beef, bread crumbs, chopped onion, egg, salt and pepper in a bowl until evenly mixed. Shape beef mixture into 4 patties, about 3/4 inch thick.

Fry patties in a large skillet over medium heat until browned on both sides, about 10 minutes. Add beef broth, onion, and mushrooms; bring to a boil. Reduce head to low, cover, and simmer until patties are no longer pink in the center, about 10 minutes more. Transfer patties to a platter and keep warm.

Bring onion mixture to a boil. Mix cornstarch and water in a small bowl; stir into onion mixture. Cook and stir until gravy is thickened, about 1 minutes. Pour over patties to serve.

Brownie Mix Truffles

Brownie Mix Truffles

• 1 box fudge brownie mix + ingredients on back of box (or any fudgy homemade brownie recipe)
• 12oz Baker's chocolate (I used 6oz each semi-sweet and white)
• sprinkles/embellishments

Directions

1. Bake brownies according to package directions then cool completely. Cut off edges then fluff cooked brownies with a fork. Scoop out brownies by the Tablespoon then roll into a balls and place on baking sheets lined with wax paper.
2. Add chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl just big enough to hold it (makes for easier dipping) then microwave for 1 minute and stir. Microwave in 20 second increments, stirring between increments, until chocolate is melted. Dip brownie truffles in chocolate then transfer between two forks to let excess chocolate drip off. Transfer back to wax paper then add embellishments on top. Place into refrigerator to harden then package. Store on the counter or in the fridge.

So fun to make these!! They look like they'd be hard to make but it was so easy! And really fun for the kids. And of course they were delicious.