Sweet Potato Mac & Cheese

Another great mac & cheese recipe!  (Is there ever bad mac & cheese though?)  This one caught my eye because I could hide a lot of extra veggies in it for the husband and little guy.

Adapted from Finding Joy in my Kitchen

Ingredients:
• 3 C milk
• 2 C al dente cooked pasta (I used veggie pasta made with carrots and squash)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 C canned sweet potato
• 6 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
• 3 T Parmesan cheese
• salt & pepper

In a large saucepan on medium heat, combine the milk and cooked pasta with salt.
 
Slowly add the canned sweet potato to the pan and stir.  Keep stirring every minute or two until the mixture begins to boil.
 
Reduce the heat to low and continue to stir to keep the mixture from sticking to the pan.
 
When the pasta is done (test a piece), remove the pan from the heat.

While the pasta is still hot, add in the parmesan and cheddar cheese and mix well to melt the cheese.  Season with salt and pepper. 

Enjoy!

Veggie Mac & Cheese

I think I've made over a dozen different kinds of veggie mac and cheese in the past couple of years.  It's a favorite of my family and I like having those hidden veggies in there!

Adapted from Around the Plate
Ingredients:
• 10 oz. package frozen spinach, thawed
• 1 3/4 cup skim milk
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 10 oz. package of frozen squash, thawed
• 2 cups pasta (the kind with veggies mixed in works great too!)
• 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• salt & pepper
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1. Boil your water for the pasta. While waiting for the water to boil, preheat the oven to 450 and spray a 9" x 13" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

2.  Squeeze the excess water out of the thawed spinach.  I usually take it in handfuls and squeeze it in the sink.

3.  Heat the milk and squash in a small pot until warm. Stir occasionally until the sauce starts to thicken.

4. Remove the sauce from the heat and add in the cheddar cheese. After the cheese melts, add in the Greek yogurt and a little salt & pepper.

5.  When the pasta water is boiling, add the pasta and cook for only about  4 minutes.  The rest will get cooked in the oven.

6. Drain the water from the pasta and combine with the cheese sauce and spinach.  

7. Spread the mixture into the baking dish and top with breadcrumbs.

8. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and crispy.

9. Remove from the oven and top with Parmesan cheese.

 

Baked Healthy Cauliflower Cheddar Muffins

Another successful hidden veggie recipe!  I may or may not have eaten these as my dinner for a couple nights because I love them so much!

Adapted from Cupcakes & Kale Chips

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower (about 4-5 cups)

• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I used low fat)

• 1 egg

• 1/4 cup cornmeal

• pinch of salt & pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard

1. Preheat the over to 400 degrees.

2. Chop cauliflower into small pieces and puree in the food processor.

3. Combine cauliflower puree and other ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

4. Lightly grease muffin tins or muffin liners and spoon mixture into cups.

5. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top.

They came out amazing and my son thought they were cupcakes!

Chickpea Mac & Cheese

We were just joking last night that are house runs on love, laughter, and mac & cheese.  Everyone loves mac & cheese and it always gets gobbled up quickly!  I never hesitate to try a new mac & cheese recipe, especially one with hidden healthy stuff inside! This was my latest dinner creation and we loved it!


Adapted from Current Mom
Ingredients:
• 1 ½ cups pasta (Connor picked out this curly pasta and it worked really well to hold the cheese)
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained
• 1 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (we used low fat)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp paprika

Cook pasta in a large pot according to box directions and drain.

While the pasta is cooking, puree the chickpeas in a food processor until smooth.

Pour the pureed chickpeas and milk into a small pot over medium heat.  Stir until smooth (about 2 minutes).

Add the cheese, salt, garlic powder, and paprika and mix well until the cheese melts.

Pour the cooked pasta back into the large pot and pour in the chickpea mixture.

Mix well and serve.

Zucchini and Squash Galette

I saw this recipe on Crazy for Crust and it caught my eye.  It looked gorgeous, light, and pretty healthy so I was excited to try it for my family

It was absolutely amazing!  I definitely suggest you try this if you like zucchini and squash!

Eggplant Parmesan Fries

Another great way to hide some veggies in something yummy that the family will eat!  These were really crunchy and breaded like fries and hardly tasted like veggies at all!

Adapted from Heavenly Savings
Ingredients:
• non-stick cooking spray
• 1 eggplant
• Croutons (any flavor)
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt (or any other seasoning you prefer)
• marinara or ketchup for dipping

1.  Peel the skin off the eggplant using a vegetable peeler. Slice it into thin strips to about the size of French fries. 

2. Pour croutons, seasoning and parmesan cheese into a plastic bag with a zip top.  Crush the croutons and mix well.

3. Pour a handful of eggplant slices into the bag and coat them with the mixture.

4.  Place breaded eggplant on a cookie sheet coated with non-stick cooking spray.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until slightly crispy.

6. Serve with dipping sauce or by itself is even delicious!

We loved them at our house!  Definitely a keeper recipe!

Low-Fat Artichoke Cheese Dip

Artichoke cheese dips are always a hit in our house. They get gobbled up way too quickly! Here's another one of our recent favorite...and it's pretty healthy compared to a lot of the other ones out there!

Adapted from A Latte with Ott
Ingredients:
• 12 oz. plain Greek yogurt (2 - 6 oz. containers)
• 6 oz. jar artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup Romano cheese (we used a mix of Italian cheeses that we found at the grocery store instead)
• 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs

In a bowl, mix the yogurt, artichokes and cheese. Pour the mixture into a 9" x 9" greased baking dish. Sprinkle the top with bread crumbs and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Serve warm with crackers.

SO good and guilt-free...unless you eat the whole pan at once like I did : )

Low-Fat Pizza Dip

The husband and I made this as an appetizer for a tv date night after our son went to bed.  We loved this and definitely pigged out way too much!

Adapted from The Meltaways

Ingredients:
• 8 oz. low fat cream cheese (softened)
• 1 packet Italian dressing mix
• 1 jar pizza sauce (I think we used about half of a large container)
• 1/2 onion (chopped into small pieces)
• 2 oz. turkey pepperoni (chopped into small pieces)
• 1/4 c. parmesan cheese
• dippers (crackers, bread, etc)

Cook onions over medium heat until soft.

Combine the cream cheese and dressing mix.  Spread into the bottom of a small oven-safe bowl.

Add the onions on top of the cream cheese mixture.

Pour sauce over the top, sprinkle with cheese, and top with pepperoni pieces.

Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes or until warm throughout.

Serve with dippers and enjoy!

Swiss Cheese Beer Bread

We love beer in our house and use any excuse to crack open a cold one after the little guy is asleep! Unfortunately, Hubby picked out some weird beer that he heard was good from a friend and it turned out to be terrible. I hate wasting, so I tried to find some fun ways to use up the extras - beer and cheese bread!

From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
• 6 oz. shredded Swiss cheese

3 cups flour

3 tablespoons sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 bottle (12 ounces) beer

2 tablespoons melted butter

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and pepper. Stir beer into dry ingredients just until moistened. Mix in shredded cheese.

Transfer to a greased loaf pan.

Bake at 375° for about 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Hidden Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

It takes some effort to get Hubby to eat his veggies. He'd prefer french fries as his source of vegetables if he could! I thought this recipe from Jamie Oliver sounded like a great way to add some veggie nutrition to mac & cheese. We were very happy with how it turned out and I didn't feel too bad about pigging out!

Ingredients:
• 1 head of cauliflower
• 8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 oz. parmesan cheese
• bunch of parsley
• salt
• 16 oz. macaroni
• 1 cup sour cream

Cut the cauliflower into small florets.   

Finely chop the parsley leaves. 

For the pasta, boil your water in a large pot and then add the macaroni and cauliflower.  Cook according to the pasta directions on the box.

Pour all the shredded cheese into a small saucepan and add the sour cream.  Heat with a low flame and stir every so often until the cheese is smooth and melted.  Add all the chopped parsley to the melted cheese and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Drain the macaroni in a colander over a bow and reserve the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pan, pour in the melted cheese, and mix well. It should have a silky consistency, but if it’s too thick, add a splash of your cooking water to thin it.  (Mine did not need this, but I think everyone eats their mac differently)

To add a little extra crispy texture to the mac, I put the entire mixture in a 9x13 pan and baked it for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees or until golden brown on top.  You could even add some breadcrumbs for a crunchy topping.

Three Cheese Artichoke Dip

You cannot go wrong with any kind of artichoke or cheese dip in our house. We'll eat it up! Long story, but our old grocery store used to sell this cheese artichoke dip in the deli section a few times a year and we loved it. They stopped selling it and we would always go back to see if it would be there by some miracle. So ever since then, we've been trying to replicate it. This recipe isn't the same, but it's still very good so I wanted to share.

Adapted from Paula Deen

Ingredients:
• 8 oz. block of softened cream cheese
• 1 cup mayo (I'm not big on mayo, so I would suggest a little less if you don't like it that much)
• 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 2 green onions, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella (we used low-fat)
• dash of worcestershire sauce
• salt & pepper
• dippers such as crackers, veggies, bread, etc.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, soften the cream cheese with a spatula.

Add in the mayo and mix until smooth.

Add remaining ingredients and stir together.

Transfer the dip to a 9x9 baking dish.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Serve hot.

I dipped in some leftover french bread and it was really good!

Tasty Cheddar Biscuits

I don't know about you, but I love me some Red Lobster biscuits. Nothing compares to those things and you can never replicate them...but you can try! This comes close and I definitely pigged out on them for dinner one day!

Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod

Ingredients:
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Mix the butter into the dry ingredients. For me, it worked well to let the butter sit out for a bit to warm up. Blend until the mixture has pea size chunks of butter left.

Pour in the milk and mix until the ingredients are moist. Don't overmix.

Gently stir in the cheese, garlic, and cilantro.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. With a spoon or your hands, scoop the biscuits onto the baking sheet. For jumbo biscuits, use about 1/3 cup of dough. For smaller biscuits, use about 3 tablespoons of dough.

Bake the jumbo biscuits for 15-18 minutes. Bake the smaller biscuits for 12-15 minutes. Let them bake until they are golden brown and cooked throughout.

Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm.

I promise they'll be eaten up before you know it!

Light & Yummy Mac & Cheese

Mac & cheese is a favorite in our house and we don't make it nearly enough. While I love me a really fattening and cheesy kind, I feel guilty for eating the whole pan! This lighter mac & cheese is a little less guilt-ridden and it tastes fabulous!

Adapted from Debbie Does Dinner Healthy

Ingredients:
• 16 oz. box of elbow macaroni
• onion/garlic puree (see below)
• 2 tsp. dry mustard
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne
• 10 oz. cheddar cheese
• 12 oz. non-fat greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• salt & pepper

Onion/Garlic Puree :
Combine 1 large sweet onion, 8 minced garlic cloves, and 1/2 cup water in a microwave safe bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Cover bowl and microwave for 10 minutes. Pour the mixture into a blender and blend until smooth.

Mac & Cheese:
Preheat oven to 425.

Cook macaroni according to box instructions. Drain and put aside.

Pour onion/garlic puree, dry mustard and cayenne in a pot and simmer, stirring often. Whisk in the cheese until melted. Remove from heat and whisk in yogurt. Toss with the macaroni and season with salt and pepper.

Pour the mixture into a 9" x 13" baking pan coated with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle the top with a mixture of breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and salt & pepper. Bake for 10 - 13 minutes until top is golden brown.

Pig out! : )

Lisa's Special Grilled Swiss Cheese with Apples

This is my special twist on the good old American favorite grilled cheese. I don't know where this idea came from, but it popped into my head one day at work. We had all the ingredients at home and ready to go!

Ingredients:
• slices of bread
• slices of swiss cheese
• butter
• slices of apple

Lightly butter both sides of bread.

Then create the sandwich with layers of cheese and sliced apples and top it with a second piece of bread.

On low heat, place the sandwich on a frying pan and grill until the bottom is golden brown.

Flip the sandwich to the other side to grill the top. When both sides are grilled and the cheese is melted, you're ready to eat!

YUM and super easy!

Lasagna Roll-ups

Back before we moved, we used to shop at the same grocery store all the time. They used to have these awesome frozen lasagna roll-ups that we loved to make for a quick meal. One day, they sadly disappeared and ever since then, we've been on the lookout for them to pop up at another store. No luck, but we found a better idea! We'll make them ourselves!

Ingredients:
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1-1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 lb. cooked ground turkey
• 8 cooked lasagna noodles
• 1-1/2 cup tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 375°.

Mix first 10 ingredients in a large bowl, reserving 1/4 cup of mozzarella and put aside.

Lay cooked lasagna noodles flat on a plate. Top each noodle with a layer of the meat & cheese mixture.

Starting at one end, roll one noodle at a time. (If you want smaller rolls, cut the lasagna noodle in half and use less mixture in each one.)

Fill the bottom of a greased baking dish with 1/2 cup of tomato sauce.

Lay rolls seam-side down in baking dish. Cover with the remaining tomato sauce and sprinkle with 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese that was put aside.

Bake at 375° for 20 minutes.

So good! Definitely a keeper in our house!

My entry into A Craft Soiree is sponsored by Appliances Online and Bosch Washing Machines

Yummy Crab Mac & Cheese

We were watching some show on Food Network and happened to see someone make lobster mac & cheese. Since we LOVE mac & cheese, we decided to make our own version using crab meat. This was amazing and I ate the leftovers every night until it was gone!

Adapted from here
Ingredients:

3 tomatoes cut into thin slices

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons thyme

salt & pepper

5 slices white sandwich bread, chopped into small pieces

2 tablespoons butter

1 lb elbow macaroni

2 cups chicken stock

5 tablespoons flour

Pinch of nutmeg

2 cups skim milk

8 ounces shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese

4 ounces shredded Parmesan cheese

8 ounces finely chopped crabmeat

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spread tomatoes in a single layer on a 9x13 baking dish. Drizzle tomatoes with oil, thyme, salt and pepper.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter with remaining tablespoon oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add bread and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and let cool.

Whisk 1/2 cup chicken stock into the flour in a medium bowl.

Melt remaining tablespoon of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, milk, flour and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, whisking often. Reduce to a simmer. Cook 8 minutes and be sure to mix often.

Add cheeses; cook, stirring, until melted. Pour into a large bowl and mix with cooked macaroni and crabmeat. Pour mixture over tomato slices in baking pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling.

Amazing! Seconds please!

Tasty Artichoke & Mushroom Chicken

This is an awesome dinner! The flavors were great and I would definitely make it again!

Adapted from Annie's Eats
Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon basil
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 2 cups diced mushrooms
• 1 (14 oz.) container of artichoke hearts, drained and diced
• 2/3 cup chicken broth
• shredded Parmesan cheese

In a shallow bowl, mix flour, herbs, salt and pepper. Save 1 tablespoon of the mixture for later.

Coat the chicken in the flour mixture.

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the coated chicken to the pan and cook until golden brown and cooked through.

Add the butter to the pan and warm until melted. Pour in mushrooms and artichokes and cook until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.

Combine the chicken broth and reserved tablespoon of flour and whisk until smooth. Add the liquid to the skillet, cooking until warm. Remove from heat.

Serve over white or brown rice and top with shredded parmesan cheese.

Parmesan Garlic Green Beans

It's hard to get people to eat veggies when they don't like them. So what can you do to make them a little tastier? Add some cheese and spices and they suddenly become a lot more appetizing! I want to thank Christina's Taste Test Project for this awesome recipe.

Ingredients:
• 2 cups fresh green beans
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• salt & pepper
• parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400.

Pour green beans in a large bowl.

Mix olive oil, salt & pepper and parmesan cheese with the green beans.

Toss to coat green beans evenly.

Spread green beans on a baking dish. Cook for 15 minutes or beans turn a light golden brown.

Tons of flavor and very good!

Brie Tomato Basil Pasta Salad

Some of you might know that I'm a pasta salad lover. I'm always looking for new and unique ways to make it and I get sucked in to your blogs when I look at your pasta salad recipes! I came across this one and the photos and title screamed, "Make me! I'm delicious!" Of course, it was fabulous and I had to share it with you.

Adapted from 33 Shades of Green

Ingredients:
• 12 oz. shell pasta
• 2 oz. brie cheese, diced
• 1 qt. cherry tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to directions on box.

Drain pasta and pour into a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Serve cold and top with parmesan cheese.

So good and great left over too!

Feta Garlic Cheese Ball

Need an easy & really yummy appetizer for a party? This cheese ball was perfect and a hit at our holiday party!

Adapted from here
Ingredients:
• 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened
• 3 oz. crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2.5 green onions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons dill weed
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• chopped walnuts

In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, feta, olive oil, green onions and garlic.

Add in dill, oregano, and pepper and mix well.

With your hands, form a ball.

Cover ball and chill in the refrigerator overnight.

When you're about ready to serve it, roll the ball in chopped walnut. Serve with crackers.