Recipe for Pimiento Mac-N-Cheese

I wanted to do something with pimiento cheese as part of the Master’s party we threw last week (if you aren’t Master’s followers, pimiento cheese sandwiches are a major food draw at the golf course).  I knew the other ladies were bringing pretty healthy stuff so I figured I could splurge a bit and do a mac-n-cheese.  Plus a lot of the guys generally don’t get too much in the way of carbs at home (don’t feel too sorry for them, they eat plenty well!).   Well, the March edition of bon appétit (which, par for the course, arrived here on Maui in early April, just in time for the party) featured a yummy looking mac-n-cheese on their cover, made with pimiento cheese, so I was “good to go”.

Recipe for Greek Salad

This salad is always a hit whenever I make it.  It is super easy to make and each bite is full of flavor and good for you ingredients.

As part of the Food Buzz Tastemakers program I received bottles of Crisco's new Olive Oil line.  Here's what Crisco has to say about the three different types of oil:

Recipe for Easy Rotisserie Chicken Enchiladas

Finding a good store bought rotisserie chicken can open up all kinds of possibilities for quick, easy meals.  What defines a “good” one though?  For me, it is one that doesn’t have a lot of added salt, has good flavor, isn’t dried out, and is reasonably priced.  The meat from one such chicken was perfect to use in this easy enchilada dish.

Since making this recipe, I made a roasted chicken using a super quick method (less than an hour for a 4 pound bird, recipe coming next week), so I may not be using store bought rotisserie chickens as much going forward!

Recipe for Cauliflower Sformato

This recipe for Cauliflower Sformato definitely goes on the “Eat Big” list!  At 283 calories per small serving, you can see why.  It’s also full of eggs, milk, parmesan, butter, olive oil, flour…  I lightened up the original recipe as much as I thought I could get away with and switched out regular flour for white whole wheat and it turned out quite good.  Delicate and soothing, like comfort food!

Recipe for Turkey Broccoli Bake

I don’t seem to do a lot of casseroles, but this Turkey Broccoli Bake will be in the regular rotation going forward.  It was born, as so many recipes are, from necessity-what I had on hand and a determination not to go to the grocery store.

This casserole is rich and cheesy without being too high in fat or calories.  Mr. ELEB gave it two thumbs up.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.  I served it with brown rice.

Recipe for Rosemary White Bean Chicken

I’m so happy to finally have some herbs growing in my garden (don’t hate me those of you in winter climates!).  The rosemary is by the front door steps so I’ve been patiently waiting for it to get established, longing to cut some every time I pass by.  I decided it was time!

Recipe for Quick and Easy Puff Pastry Tarts

Veggie Tart



Pepperoni Tart

 

Here’s a simple recipe that adapts to what you have on hand (veggies, cheeses) and what type of meal (appetizer, main meal) you are preparing.  Serve right away, they keep ok if reheated the next day but are much better within an hour or so of cooking.

For 16 pieces per tart, each approximately 111 calories, 7.6 grams fat, 7.9 grams carbs, 3.4 grams protein (pepperoni) and 116 calories, 7.9 grams fat, 8.9 grams carbs, 3 grams protein (veggie)

BTW  Check out the new tab at the top of the home page: a listing of my phase 1 South Beach friendly recipes.

Recipe for Spinach and Herbed Cheese Bundles

Here in Hawaii, pūpū refers to an appetizer, canapé , or hors d’oeuvre and folks go to happy hour for “pūpū and drinks”.  Our neighborhood hosts occasional pūpū parties where we get together with neighbors to eat, drink and “talk story”.  Here is what I took to a recent pūpū party, inspired by the lightened up creamed spinach I made a while back.  These turned out nicely puffed, lightly crisp and flavorful.

Recipe for Parmigiano-Reggiano Lace

 

These are an easy and elegant accompaniment to a salad or bowl of soup.  Or serve them plain or rolled into a cylinder shape for an appetizer to go along with a nice glass of wine.  You can also make them larger and drape them over an upside down small ramekin.  Once they cool and set, you have an individual edible salad bowl. 

Recipe for Roasted Broccoli con Pomodoro

Why roasted broccoli?  Do you ever get in a rut with what you're cooking?  I do.  With our weekly veggie delivery and a conscious effort to get more veggies in our diet, I've gotten in the habit of steaming almost everything.   Which in and of itself isn't bad.  Steaming is one of the best ways to keep calories down and retain the most nutrients.  But, it gets boring!

So...I've been trying to branch out and tonight I put together a simple but very tasty Italian flavored dish.  The flavor of the roasted broccoli is amazingly complex, intense, and almost sweet.  The addition of garlic, tomato, and a small amount of good cheese creates a perfect dish!

I'm committed to trying to be more creative with my veggies.  How about you?

Recipe for Three Cheese Mini Macs Adapted from Food and Wine Magazine



Three Cheese Mini Macs from Food and Wine

We were hosting a pot-luck cookout for a bunch of our friends and I wanted to have something homey on the menu.  The ladies stick mainly to healthy eats as I do but we also like a treat, especially if it is portion controlled like these delicious little bites of mac and cheese from Food and Wine. 

These mini macs were pretty easy to make.  The blend of 3 kinds of cheese made them, well, really cheesy.  I made them ahead and then popped them back in the oven to warm up as the burgers and chicken were coming off the grill. 

Gougères with Whole Wheat Flour

There is a group of courageous bloggers/cooks who are cooking a recipe a week (I think that is how it is going) from Dorie Greenspan’s new book Around My French Table.  You can follow along here.

I’m not committing to the series, but I was intrigued by their first recipe, gougères, French cheese puffs.   A friend was recently in Paris and mentioned on Facebook that she had some which brought back memories of the cheesy puffs eaten on my last trip to Paris.  The next day, I came across the FFwD group and their first recipe.  So, Cathi, this one’s for you!

Palak Paneer (Indian spinach and cheese curry)

OK, the color is off a bit in the picture, but believe me this was AAAAmazing!  And fairly easy to make too.   As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I've been wanting to make palak paneer.  I stumbled across this blog, Indian Simmer, and Prerna's palak paneer recipe.  Well, actually it is her husband's recipe! (Read the blog for the story).

I had tons of spinach, and I made my own paneer since I couldn't find any here.  I followed Prerna's husband's recipe pretty closely, but here is exactly what I did.

Paneer (fresh cheese, Indian origin)

What is your favorite ethnic food?  That's a hard one for me to answer.  Living on Maui has very few drawbacks but one is a lack of many good ethnic restaurants.  I'm sure that living in the foodie city of San Francisco spoiled me and gave me high expectations for restaurants.  Fortunately, when we get the itch for some good Indian Food, we have a place to go.  And, it is really good.  And a bunch of our friends like it too so we always take a group and order family style so there is alot to taste and enjoy.  If you come to Maui and like Indian food, be sure to go to Monsoon India in North Kihei.

One dish everyone, including me, seems to love is palak paneer-spinach and fresh cheese in a curry sauce.  I wanted to try making it at home but wouldn't you know it, I couldn't find paneer.  I did, however, come across this recipe and decided it looked foolproof enough to try even though I've never made cheese before.

I didn't do alot of additional research until after I made the paneer.  One step that this recipe doesn't include that I found in several others is to chill the cheese in ice water for a few hours.  Next time I'll try that because, although the taste was perfect for the dish, the cheese was a bit crumbly (like a goat cheese log) compared to what I'm used to in palak paneer (firm cubes).

Here's the recipe as written.  I followed it to the letter.