Skinny(er) Scalloped Potatoes

INGREDIENTS

Non stick cooking spray

10 medium peeled Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced thinly. I used my food processor attachment at 2mm
2.5 tbsp butter
salt and fresh pepper to taste
1 clove of garlic, or if you are a garlic lover (like me) 2 cloves minced or microplaned (if you don’t have cloves, 1/2-1 tsp garlic powder)
1 cup shredded reduced fat Cheddar or Gruye cheese or a combo of both
1/4 cup large grate parmesan cheese
2 cup fat-free milk
1 bay leaf
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
3 tsp thyme
2 tsp dijon mustard

1 green onion, thinly sliced for garnish

 

 

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a 9″x 13″ baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl add potatoes, salt, & fresh cracked pepper. Toss well so everything is coated.
3. The placement of the potatoes will happen in 4 different batches. First batch take 1/4 of the potatoes and layer them on the bottom of the pan.
4. Add 1/4 of the cheese on top, repeat until all potatoes and cheese are in pan.
5. In a small saucepan, bring milk, butter, dijon mustard, thyme, bay leaf and nutmeg to a boil over medium heat stirring very frequently so it does not scald; pour over potatoes (remove bay leaf)
6. Top with the Parmesan cheese and green onions.
7. Bake uncovered, for 40 – 50 minutes (depending on how thick your potatoes were) or until potatoes are tender. 

Roasted Cauliflower

First off, I can’t take credit for this recipe. I got it from Rachael Ray. It is the BEST cauliflower recipe ever! My kids don’t eat or like cauliflower for that matter or any veggies really and we eat the entire head of cauliflower with this recipe! I am at the point now that I automatically get 2 heads of cauliflower when I make this. (YES it’s that good!)

INGREDIENTS

4 cloves garlic, halved
About 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets (the smaller the better)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (must get this cheese, you can substitute, but this is the best!)

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, the true “parmesan” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

DIRECTIONS

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. 
2. In a small pot, combine the garlic and EVOO; heat over a low flame and gently simmer until the garlic is light golden brown in color and very fragrant, about 10-15 minutes. Remove the garlic cloves and reserve.
3. Pile the cauliflower on a baking sheet and dress with the lemon juice, about 3-4 tablespoons of the garlic-infused oil, thyme, and salt/pepper. 
4. Toss to combine and spread the florets out in a single layer. Roast to brown at the edges and until tender, 20-25 minutes. 
5. Cover with the grated Parmigiano Reggiano and roast for 5 minutes more. 
6. Serve warm if you can manage to keep from eating straight off the pan (this is what m and my hubby end up doing!)
7. Those garlic cloves you used to season the olive oil are great in mashed potatoes, potato salad, or mixed up in anything you can think of!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Light BLT Pasta

INGREDIENTS

1 pound short-cut pasta with lines ( i use the pasta made with veggies)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1/2 lb. thick-cut good quality bacon, cut up in bits
1 leek, trimmed, cleaned and halved lengthwise and sliced in 1/2″ rings
1 shallot, peeled, and sliced in rings
3-4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced ( I use microplane)
Black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup cooking sherry
1 pint cherry tomatoes
5 oz Philadelphia Cooking Creme, Italian Cheese and Herb flavor 1/3 less fat

 
DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta, salt cooking water and cook pasta to al dente.
2. Meanwhile, brown bacon in pan until crisp. Remove from the pan, drain on paper towel and reserve.
3. Using 1 T of bacon fat, add the leeks and garlic and season with pepper. Stir until softened, then add the tomato paste and stir until well combined and thick.
4. Add the cooking sherry and reduce sauce by half.
5. Add the tomatoes and put a lid on the pot. Let the tomatoes burst, about 8-10 minutes. **See picture on what to do while you are waiting for cherry tomatoes to cook**
6. Stir in the cheese and reduce heat to low stirring frequently until cheese is melted through.Reserve about 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water just before draining pasta, then drain and add the pasta to the sauce.
7. In a bowl add pasta and top with sauce, stir until well combined. If sauce is too thick add slowly reserved pasta water until desired consistency.
8. Add the bacon in and toss.
9. Serve in shallow bowls topped with left over cherry tomatoes and sprig of Rosemary.

Gorgeous bounty of tomatoes!

shallots

leeks and shallots

cooking sherry

tomatoes being added to vegetable mix

cover tomatoes and wait for them to burst open

enjoy a nice COLD drink while you wait for tomatoes

tomatoes after they burst

cheese added to pan