A friend of mine recently had surgery, so I brought her dinner yesterday. I pulled the recipe out of Cooking Light. And before you ask, no, I don't think anyone in her family needs to eat out of CL, it just sounded like good eats. Moving on. I made baked mac and cheese with a spinach salad. Liked the ease of the recipe and blend of cheeses (low fat cottage cheese, mild cheddar and Parmesan). It was a cinch to make but don't know how the finished product came out since I didn't stick around for dinner. Will have to get her rating later today. I'm hoping it was at least an 8.0. And that her kids ate it happily. And said things like "this is delicious" and/or "this is the best mac and cheese we've ever had". Do you think my expectations are a bit off for a toddler and preschooler? Me neither, as my kids often praise my cooking (and not ask 'how many more bites' over and over again). I don't know why I pluralized 'kids' since Emerson can't talk yet and always eats my food. Okay, maybe I should just get to the recipe. Here goes and if you make it, please post your rating (unless it stinks and then keep it to yourself).
Baked Mac and Cheese
12 oz uncooked penne // 12 oz 2% low-fat cottage cheese // 1/2 cup finely shredded sharp (used mild) cheddar cheese // 1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan divided // 1/2 tsp salt // 1/8 freshly ground pepper // 3 tbsp panko crumbs // 1 tbsp minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta according to directions (no salt). Drain; place in a large bowl. Place cottage cheese in food processor; process until smooth. Combine cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Add the cheese mixture to pasta, stir well. Spoon mixture into 11 x 7 inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray (think I missed that direction). Combine remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan, panko and parsley in small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over pasta and bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Preheat broiler (leaving dish in). Broil pasta for 1 minute or until top browned.
I would stop here but made a 2nd dinner yesterday as my kids did have to eat (and Amy's too). I also pulled it from Cooking Light. This month's CL is full of great recipes, especially for Thanksgiving. Pick up a copy, or not, it's your call. So last night's dinner was a broccoli and rice casserole served with buttered carrots. I improvised the recipe a bit since I didn't have exact ingredients, but think it came out pretty good. Emerson had seconds (please, no jokes) and B/G almost ate their entire plates with limited "how many more bites". Luke kept leaving the table, but think it's because he wanted to play and not because my cooking offended his very existence. At least, that's what I'm going with. I'll give you the real recipe with notes of my version. Feel free to use either and again, would love to hear your thoughts, but only if they are positive.
Broccoli and Rice Casserole with Buttered Carrots
2 cups 1% low fat milk (omitted) // 1 cup water // 1 (3.5 oz) bag boil-in-bag long grain rice (used 4 oz of jasmine rice) // 3 cups small broccoli florets (used a regular bag of frozen, 16 oz, 2 cups) // 1/3 cup chopped onion (used red) // 1/3 cup chopped celery (used more, but didn't measure how much) // 1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper (omitted) // 2 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese (used non-fat cottage cheese, processed until smooth) // 2 oz light processed cheese, cubed (used shredded mild cheddar) // 2 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie breast (used 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts seasoned with salt/pepper/minced onion) // pinch salt & freshly ground pepper // 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese // panko crumbs for topping (not called for, but thought would be good)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine milk/water in medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Add rice; cook 10 minutes. Remove rice; keep warm. Return milk mixture to a simmer. Add broccoli; cook 5 minutes. Drain; discard milk mixture. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat with cooking spray. Add onion, celery, and bell pepper; saute 5 minutes. Add cream cheese and processed cheese until cheese melts. Remove from heat; stir in rice, broccoli, chicken, salt & pepper. Spoon into small casserole dish or individual ramekins coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes or until cheese melts.
I cooked rice according to directions. I cooked broccoli in the microwave according to directions. Followed Dutch oven directions minus the bell pepper. Added cottage cheese and shredded mild cheddar. Baked everything in small casserole dish (maybe held 6 cups). I sprinkled with Parmesan and panko crumbs. Baked for given time and broiled at end for 1 - 2 minutes to brown top.
Buttered Carrots
Bring 1 cup fat-free, lower sodium chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan. Add 2 cups thinly sliced carrots. Reduce heat; simmer 6 minutes or until tender (took a couple extra minutes). Drain; return to pan. Stir in 1 tbsp butter, 2 tsp chopped parsley, pinch salt & freshly ground pepper; stir until butter melts.
Kids did eat their carrots. Amy helped by telling the kids how good carrots were for their eyes. She might have led them to believe super powers would develop. I might be exaggerating, but the kids ate their carrots and they are good for their eyes, so win-win.
Okay, last recipe. I had to eat too and was done using the oven, stove or microwave (yes, even pushing buttons seemed challenging by that point). I whipped up a tuna salad over greens. Used 2 cans of tuna, some celery, some scallions, light mayo, Dijon mustard, walnuts, salt & pepper. Also used a few dashes of hot sauce. It was good. Liked the Dijon flavor. Good light dish at the end of the day. Okay, have to run. Two crying kids. Got to get the hell of this house. Till next time...
Happy Cooking! Happy Eating! (rethinking catch-phrase at end...any suggestions)
Yoyo
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