Flax-a-roni and Cheese

There's something about comfort food that's so, well, comforting! One of my favorites is baked macaroni and cheese. It's so delicious, but don't dare consider the pounds and pounds of cheese or cups upon cups of heavy cream. You might gain 10 pounds just thinking about it. NEVER FEAR! Here you go, a recipe for baked macaroni and cheese, the healthy way but no less delish. Scout's honor!

The flax seeds are optional but they add a whole lot of fiber, and you really can't even taste them. Confession, I pretty much put them in because Austin came up with the cute "flax-a-roni and cheese" name.

What you need

For the macaroni
About 2-2 1/2 c. dry elbow noodles (I made more than I needed and then kept the rest for next-day leftovers)
3 Tbsp butter (I used low-fat butter spread)
2 medium cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. parsley flakes

2 Tbsp. oil
5 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. skim milk, let it  sit out for a few minutes so it gets closer to room temperature
1 c. cheese shredded or finely diced (I used a combination of cheddar and colby jack but use whatever you like)
1 Tbsp. milled flax seeds
3/4 c. sour cream


For the topping
3 or 4 slices of wheat bread (yields 2 1/4 c. breadcrumbs)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper


What you do
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add in the elbow noodles. Cook according to package directions. Once the noodles are done, drain and rinse them and put them in a bowl.


Preheat oven to 350F. Melt the butter and oil together in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic, salt, pepper, and parsley and sautee for only a couple of minutes so you don't burn the garlic. Whisk in the flour. It gets gloppy. Like the picture below.

Once it achieves said gloppy consistency, whisk in the milk, 3/4 c. of the cheese and flax seeds and continue whisking for about 3-4 minutes or until it thickens to look like the picture below.

Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Pour over noodles in bowl, add remaining cheese, and stir to coat. Grease a 9x13 pan and pour in the mixture. Toast the bread slices in a toaster, cut off crusts and pulse in a food processor until finely ground. Stir in the salt and pepper and feel free to toss in some shredded cheese just for good measure. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture over macaroni and put pan in oven.

Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until bread crumbs are slightly browned and macaroni is set. Try to limit yourself to 2 servings. Trust me, this is not the easy part.

Millet with Mushroom Cream Sauce

One of my favorite restaurants, if not my very favorite, is Macaroni Grill. (Keep this in mind if you ever feel the need to give me a restaurant gift card.) Anyway, whenever I go, I usually get the same thing: bowtie pasta in this amazing creamy mushroom sauce. Yep. It's my fave. Which is kind of funny cause I don't really like mushrooms. Let me correct myself. Mushroom flavor=yummy. Mushroom texture=weird. Because the texture throws me off so much, I usually shy away from making mushroom dishes. 


But the other day I had a crazy craving for my Macaroni Grill favorite that I just couldn't kick. So I decided to try my hand at making it myself. I had some millet in the pantry that I wanted to try. It's really super good for you (check this out if you're interested in millet's nutritional properties). I just toasted it in a pan with about 1 Tbsp. of olive oil for about 5 minutes and then prepared it according to the package directions (which basically meant boiling it like rice).

Millet post-toasting. (Note nice tan color).

The sauce turned out really, really yummy. Use it on millet, pasta rice, chicken, really it's good on whatever. Happy eating.

What you need

For the sauce

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 onion

8 oz Mushrooms (I used baby bella)

2 large cloves garlic

1 Tbsp. butter spread

2 or 3 Tbsp. flour

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. parsley

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. sage

1 1/2 c. milk

3 Tbsp. parmesan cheese


What you do
Heat the oil in a pan, add onion and cook for about 3-4 minutes before adding the chopped mushroom. Cook until onions are translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook only a minute or two. Add butter spread. When just melted, whisk in the flour and seasonings. It will be clumpy and gloppy. THAT IS OK! Quickly whisk in the milk, half and half.

Cut mushrooms

Good For You Chocolate Cream Pie

My mom is the best. She put up with a lot from me growing up (and still does from my brother and sister.) When I was younger I thought I was really cool and went through a faze where I decided to go vegetarian. For like four years. I didn't really have a reason except that I read in a magazine that Alicia Silverstone was a vegetarian and it was good for your skin. Four years of depriving myself of meat, making my mom cook special stuff for dinners and eating salad nearly every time I went out. I don't even like salad.


But my mom was great. During my pro-veggie stage, she frequently made one casserole for the family and a separate meat-less casserole for me. (Casseroles where you just throw random stuff in a dish and bake it are kind of her favorite. She's super no-fuss and her cooking habits are no exception.) My favorite funny meat-less dish she made for me though, was tofu pot pie. One day she got adventurous and made chicken pot pie for dinner instead of one of her signature kitchen-sink casseroles, and for me, tofu pot pie. I was so scared of it, but I tried it and you know what? It tasted like chicken kind of. That's when I discovered for myself that tofu is really a blank canvas. It takes on the flavor of whatever it's cooked with. It doesn't really have it's own distinct taste. So when I was craving Chocolate Creme Pie and saw an Alton Brown recipe that included tofu as the thickener for the pudding-like filling, I decided to try it. I made a few alterations to Alton's original recipe, and this stuff is goooooood!


I know, I know, tofu in a dessert. Sounds gross, but please don't run away just yet. Because of the tofu, this dessert actually is nutritional! (Do you know how much protein and other good stuff is in tofu? A lot!) And seriously, you can't even taste the tofu. If you like chocolate cream pie you should make this and not be scared. It's really, really delicious!


What you need
For the crust
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder

3 Tbsp sugar

9 graham cracker sheets (approx 1 2/3 c when crushed)

6 Tbsp butter, melted and somewhat cooled

1 Tbsp strong coffee


For the filling
2 cups chopped chocolate or choc. chips
1/3 c. coffee
1 lb. (16 oz.) firm tofu
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. honey


For the whipped cream
1 c. heavy cream, very cold (straight from the fridge)
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla

What you do

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine cocoa powder, graham cracker sheets and sugar in a food processor and pulse until ground into crumbs. It should equal about 1 3/4 cups. Transfer to a bowl and pour 1 Tbsp. of the coffee and 6 Tbsp of melted butter over the mixture. Stir until combined and press into a greased deep dish pie plate so that it covers the bottom and comes all the way up the sides. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, melt together chocolate and 1/3 c. coffee either in a double broiler or in the microwave. Combine tofu, honey, vanilla, and chocolate mixture in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into the slightly cooled crust and place in the fridge. After about 2 or 3 hours, the filling should be set. 

About 20 minutes before you want to make the whipped cream, stick your bowl and beaters in the freezer to chill.  Take them out after 20 minutes and pour the chilled cream in the chilled bowl along with 1 Tbsp. of the sugar. Beat on medium speed with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes or until soft peaks form. Add the cinnamon, vanilla and the rest of the sugar. Beat another minute or two until stiff peaks form. (Basically "stiff peaks" means even when you move the beater around, the whipped cream keeps its shape). You don't want to over beat it because then it will be gross and that is no good.

Spread the whipped cream over the set chocolate pie filling. Sprinkle with cinnamon and chocolate shavings. Delicious. Tofu and all.

Savory Baked Grits

As previously mentioned in this post, I love grits. Last night at a holiday Christmas party, my co-worker Katie made these AMAZING cheese grits. I've seriously been day-dreaming about them ever since I went back for seconds last night. I wanted to make some delicious baked grits just like Katie's, but didn't really feel like consuming mounds upon mounds of cheese and butter so I altered her recipe a little.


The spices not only tasted great, but also made my house smell delightful when I pulled the grits out of the oven. And I'll tell you a secret, I didn't even miss the cheese. And I really, really like cheese.


What you need
1 cup quick-cooking (not instant) grits
2  c. milk
2 c. water
4 Tbsp. butter spread
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sage
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 1/2 tsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. pepper (you may want to start with less than this and taste as you go depending how spicy you like things)
A handful of shredded cheese

Grits and milk

What you do
Preheat oven to 350F. Heat milk and water in a saucepan until it begins to boil. Stir in the grits reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, covered for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick. Remove from heat and stir in butter and all spices except 1 tsp. of the parsley.


Pour into a 8 or 9 inch round or square baking dish, sprinkle with the cheese and remaining parsley, and bake at 350F for 45 minutes covered. Remove cover and cook an extra 15 minutes to brown the top a bit.

Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake

Black Friday. The biggest shopping holiday of the year. A lot of girls I know get psyched about it, but truthfully it kind of makes me want to barf. I mean, even if I liked shopping on a regular day (which I definitely, DEFINITELY don't), I'm pretty sure there is no way you would catch me anywhere near a mall if I had to wake up early, sit in traffic to get there, circle the parking lot 3 times to find a spot, and then side step my way between a million strangers I've never met before just to get around the store.


Nope. Black Friday, you are not my fave. But do you know what is my fave? This cheesecake. MMM minty and chocolate-y with just the right amount of crunch. If you like mint-chocolate and even half way like cheesecake you should probably make this. You probs won't regret it. I know I didn't.


What you need
For the crust
9 graham cracker sheets
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
3 Tbsp. sugar
6 Tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. peppermint extract


For the filling
3/4 c semi-sweet chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate)
24 oz cream cheese (I used fat-free and it still tasted wonderful), at room temperature
3/4 c sugar
3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tsp. peppermint extract

1/4 c. crushed peppermint pieces (take mints or candy canes and put them in a sealed plastic ziplock bag then hit it with a large metal spoon or measuring cup to break the mints into tiny pieces)
1/3 chopped dark chocolate


For the sauce
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 c. fat free half and half, at room temperature
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
a handful of peppermint pieces


What you do
For the crust
Preheat the oven to 350F. Put the graham crackers in a blender or food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add cocoa powder and sugar and pulse a couple more times just to combine. Put mixture in a bowl, pour melted butter and extract over the crumbs, and stir together. Press the mixture into the bottom and about 1 1/2 inches up the sides of a 8 1/2 inch springform. Bake at 350F for about 15 minutes. Remove from oven to cool.

For the filling
Leave the oven on at 350F. Melt the chocolate chips in a double broiler or in the microwave. In a large bowl, cream together cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time until combined, then beat in the extracts. Stir in the melted chocolate.

In the midst of stirring in the chocolate. Keep stirring. You want all of the filling chocolate-brown color.

When combined, stir in the peppermint pieces and the dark chocolate pieces. Pour filling into crust and bake at 350F for about 1 hour or until the edges appear set, but the middle still jiggles. DO NOT open the door to check on the cheesecake until it's been at least 30 minutes if not more because the draft from opening the oven door can cause the top to crack or the center to fall. When it's done, remove from the oven and cover with a larger bowl to provide a warm area for the cheesecake to cool in or just turn the oven off and open the door, allowing the cheesecake to cool slightly in the still warm oven. After about 20-30 minutes, remove from the open oven or take off the large bowl and allow to cool the rest of the way to room temperature. Once the pan is no longer hot, put the cheesecake in the fridge. Allow to chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. For more of an explanation as to why cheesecake needs to cool slowly in warm environments, check out this site: http://www.baking911.com/cakes/cheesecake101.htm.

For the sauce
Melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a double broiler. When completely melted, stir in the half and half, sugar, and salt and heat until smooth. The salt makes it sooo delicious and not too sweet. MMMM. Chill the sauce in the fridge for about 30 minutes just so that it firms up a bit, but it still thin enough to drizzle.


When you're ready to serve the cheesecake, remove from fridge, sprinkle peppermint on top and drizzle the sauce over. Enjoy!

Southwestern Spoonbread

I'd never heard of spoonbread before I read this post on my favorite food blog. The second I read Adrianna from a cozykitchen.com describe spoonbread as a hybrid between grits and cornbread, I made up my mind I had to have it. Seriously. Thick baked grits. Moist, flavorful cornbread. Do either of those sound good to you? Then you will like this. Also, you know me, since I'm a sucker for mexican flavors, I decided to make a mexican version of spoonbread. Just for the record, it was a very good decision. You could also add tomatoes or red peppers for added color or hot chilies for more spice. Whatever way you make it, you should definitely make it.


What you need
2 3/4 c. plus 1/4 c milk
4 Tbsp. butter spread
1 1/4 c. cornmeal
1 3/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
3 large eggs
1 c. shredded cheese (preferable mexican blend or cheddar)
1/2 c. chopped green peppers
1/2 c. corn kernels (I used defrosted frozen corn)
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. corriander
Sour cream and salsa for serving

What you do
Preheat the oven to 350˚F.  Great an 8 inch round pan with butter or cooking spray.  Heat the milk and butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until the mixture begins to boil.  Decrease the heat and continue mixing while you sprinkle in the cornmeal, salt and baking powder. After a few minutes, it will thicken. At that point, remove from the stove. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs. Add just about 1/2 c. of the cornmeal mixture to the eggs. Stir together then add that mixture back to the cornmeal.

Stir in cheese, green peppers, corn and spices. Pour into the pan and bake at 350F for about 30-35 minutes or until puffed up and done in the middle. Serve with sour cream and salsa. 

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter "Healthy" Brownies

I think peanut allergies are among the most torturous food allergies I can think of (except maybe allergies to milk, gluten, soy...ok so I guess I like food too much). Point being, if you're allergic to peanuts, I feel for you and you should probably not make these brownies. Or you could make them and just leave out the peanut butter filling. Still good and relatively healthy.


Or you could be like my best friend Kayla. See, she's allergic to a lot of things, nuts, soy, lactose, raw fruits and vegetables, grass and nature in general...get the picture? Basically everything. One of her favorite snacks is apples and peanut butter, and she couldn't eat it for a really long time because whenever she did she would have an allergic reaction. Kayla loves Jesus though, and believes that he loves his children and wants to give them good gifts. She had seen and heard testimonies of people being healed or all sorts of sicknesses just because of the Lord's love for them. So she prayed to be able to eat peanut butter, and you know what? Jesus healed her of her peanut allergy. She boldly tried peanut butter one day after years of he allergy, and no reaction! She's ben eating it ever since.


Woohoo! What a good, good father. He didn't have to do anything, but he did. She would have been fine, but he loves it when we rely on him and ask him for healing in ourselves. He just wanted to give her an awesome gift. MMM, how he loves his kids!


So Kayla, make these brownies girl, do it for all the peanut allergic out there. Oh, and you there reading this post should make them too! Hey, they're kind of healthy so you don't even have to feel bad!


What you need
1 1/2 c. dark chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. butter spread
4 eggs
1 c packed brown sugar
1/4 c. oil
1/4 c. low-fat yogurt vanilla yogurt
1/4 c. plus 2 Tbsp. fat-free sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 c. confectioner's sugar
1/2 c. milk (pull it out of the fridge as soon as you start the brownies and it should be a good temp by the time you need it)


What you do
Preheat the oven to 350F.


Melt the chocolate chips and butter in the microwave or a double broiler until melted together. (You want it almost completely smooth, but it's ok if there are a few lumps because those will become chocolate chips.) In a separate bowl, cream together eggs, brown sugar and oil with an electric mixer just until combined. Stir the yogurt, sour cream and vanilla into the chocolate mixture and then beat the egg/sugar/oil mixture into the chocolate mixture with the mixer just until combined. Stir in the two flours, salt and baking soda.


In a separate bowl, cream together peanut butter and confectioner's sugar with a mixer. As soon as it's combined beat in the milk and continue beating until fluffy.


In a greased 9x13 pan, pour half of the brownie batter and spread it out to the corners of the pan. It will be thin and that's ok. DON'T WORRY! Spoon the peanut butter mixture over it and spread to the edges of the pan. Then pour the rest of the brownie batter over that and spread out. Bake in a 350F oven for about 25 minutes or until the middle is no longer jiggly. (Very technical term)