Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower and Leek Casserole

This was heavenly! I love side dish casseroles because once you get it all together you don't have to babysit anything and yet it feeds a few people. I love cooking dishes that can be ready at the same time as everything else so everyone can sit down together and eat food - when it's still hot!

You will need:
1 head of cauliflower
2-3 large leeks, cleaned (there is an amazing video that Melissa Clark posted on how to properly clean them here!)
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/4C shredded parmesan

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Spray a medium/large casserole dish (Corningware, I love you!) with non-stick spray and place 1 Tbsp butter and place in preheated oven for 5 minutes or until melted. Remove dish from oven.  Press or mince garlic, however which you prefer, and place in the casserole dish along with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Clean and rinse cauliflower and add florets to the olive oil and butter mixture. Toss to coat and place in the oven. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

Clean leeks and chop the whites and light green parts into 3/4" diagonal sections. Chop 1 green onion. Remove the casserole dish of cauliflower from the oven and add leeks, green onion, salt and pepper. Toss to incorporate into cauliflower and add salt and pepper. Bake for another 12-15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle 1/4C shredded parmesan on top. Bake for an additional 5 minutes. Serves 6.

Each serving contains approximately:
Calories: 108
Carbohydrates: 12g
Fat: 6g
Sugar: 5g
Fiber: 4g
Protein: 5g

Rainbow Farfalline with Pulled Chicken and Broccoli

Smaller box of pasta + shredded chicken + LOTS of broccoli =
FULL plate + FULL belly + FULL wallet!

Oh cream sauce, how I love thee! I adore alfredo sauce but it is so buttery and cheesy and nobody ever lost weight on a butter and cheese diet. This was amazing and so easy to make. I made the bulk of it on hold with a company for the bazillionth time.

There's an Italian specialty store near me who sells this rainbow bowtie pasta and I think it's just the cutest thing (I love everything rainbow). However, at $11.99/bag it's just not in my budget and therefore, it's not in my belly! Enter Costco. Costco with all of it's increasing organic selection has started carrying a 2 pack of Torino organic bowtie pasta for $4.99. The 2 pack consists of 8.8 oz boxes, one of which is rainbow striped and the other is solid colored. I had a giant head of broccoli from my D2DO order this week and couldn't wait to use it! Trick your mind into eating a stuffed plate by adding lots of broccoli and shredding the chicken. Plus, the box of pasta is only 8.8oz as opposed to the traditional 16 oz in a standard box.

For this recipe you will need:
2 large split chicken breasts (or about 1 lb chicken)
8 oz pasta (I used Torino organic rainbow farfalline)
4C lowfat milk (I used 1%)
4 Tbsp butter
1/4C grated parmesan
1 large broccoli head (or about 3C florets)
3 cloves garlic

In a large pot, bring 2 garlic cloves and water to a boil. Add chicken breast and boil for approximately 1 hour. Remove from water and set on a plate to cool enough to pull. Set aside.

In another large pot (unless you wash out the first, which I did) bring salted water to a boil for the pasta. Make sure there is enough water as we will be adding the broccoli to the water eventually as well. Bring remaining clove of garlic and water to a boil. Add pasta. Pasta will need to cook for 10-12 minutes, so while there is roughly 5-7 minutes left, add the broccoli (depending if you used florets or if you used stalks as well. less time for florets).

In a smaller pot, melt butter and whisk in 2 Tbsp flour (I used King Arthur Organic). Once it is whisked to a pasty consistency, SLOWLY whisk in milk and simmer on a medium/low heat, stirring frequently. Mixture will thicken as it increases in temperature. Add 1/4C parmesan and whisk to melt and incorporate. I love giving it a final combover with my immersion blender. It makes everything super smooth and consistent.

This makes roughly 6 servings.

Each serving contains approximately:
Calories: 409
Fat: 15
Carbs: 41
Dietary Fiber: 1
Sugar: 2
Protein: 27

Adapted Berry Pudding Cake

My mother has been a diabetic since she was about 45 years old. Recently, she subscribed to "Diabetic Living" magazine. I really like the recipes that they have because they seem to use real, whole ingredients. I think in reality, we can eat anything that we want, in moderation. I also think eating foods that our bodies were made to process as opposed to synthetic dyes, flavors and ingredients is a much better choice when faced with a plethora of cooking options. The original recipe can be found here. I love this because the end result is less than an inch of cake amidst a bunch of colorful berries. It's just sweet enough and doesn't leave you feeling like you missed out on dessert.
My version is as follows (which isn't that much different, but a few tweaks were done):

1/4C sugar
1/2C coconut flour
2 large eggs
1C almond milk
dash salt
1 Tbsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking powder
Mixed berries - I only used about 2C as opposed to the 3C in the original
-4 large strawberries, sliced
-1/2 pt blueberries
-about 15 raspberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Beat  sugar, salt, eggs, milk, flour, baking powder and vanilla in a medium bowl. Set aside. Grease (non-stick spray, coconut oil, etc) a baking dish (I used my 8 inch round corning ware dish), and sprinkle a pinch of brown sugar on the bottom. Layer raspberries and blueberries on the bottom of the dish. Pour 1/2 mixture on top and spread evenly. Layer sliced strawberries on top of batter. Pour and spread remaining batter on top of the strawberries and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains approximately:
Calories: 120
Fat: 3g
Carbs: 17g
Protein: 4g
Sugar: 12g
Fiber: 4g

Naan Veggie Boards with Avocado Sauce

You can add some shredded
mozzarella, too!

Happy New Year! I took a break from blogging, because frankly, with the holidays, I took a break from cooking *hangs head in shame*. So now it's all about "new year, new me" blah blah and I've resumed my place in the kitchen. I had a leftover avocado and for some reason everytime I eat them outright, it makes me violently ill. I'm not sure if my lack of gallbladder can't handle the fat, but I hate to waste them and the nutritional benefits are stellar. I decided to make a sauce out of the one I had. You can top this with whatever veggies you want. For this one I used red pepper, green, pepper, onion and broccoli. Honestly, the hardest part of this is making the sauce, which takes all of 5 minutes. This makes 3 veggies boards.

You will need:
1 medium avocado
1 Tbsp tomato paste
Juice from 1/2 lime (about 1 Tbsp)
1 clove garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
3 Naan flatbreads
Assorted Vegetables for the topping
1 Tbsp grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 350 and "bake" flatbread for about 8 minutes or until slightly firm.

In a skillet, sauté veggies until they are about 1/3 to 1/2 cooked. Then remove from heat. I prefer them a little on the crispy side.

In a food processor, blend avocado, tomato paste, lime juice, and garlic. Mixture will be the consistency of mayonnaise. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir. Spread over the flatbread and top with veggies. For 3 flatbreads, I thinly sliced 1/2 each red pepper, green pepper and yellow onion. I also used 1 medium head of organic broccoli I had in my Door to Door Organics* order. Sprinkle with 1/2 - 3/4 Tbsp grated parmesan. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Each flatbread contains approximately:
Calories: 643
Fat: 28g
Carbs: 83g
Protein: 19g
Fiber: 12g
Sugar: 10g

*I am able to send out about 5 coupons per month to try them out (I think they are for $15 off a box). I've been ordering from them for about a year now and really have loved everything I have gotten. I cannot wait until peach season! If you want one, just send me your e-mail and I can send one  to you.