Lowfat Mac and Cheese!

Ok, so I really need to stop using tri-colored noodles, especially the green ones. This photo doesnt necessarily look tasty, but I promise you that it was. This is a really yummy, healthy alternative to boxed mac and cheese that even a kiddo enjoyed! This excellent recipe was created by the Moosewood Restaurant.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups lowfat cottage cheese

1 1/2 cups nonfat or lowfat buttermilk

1 tsp grain mustard

1/2 tsp cayenne or chili pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 cup shredded or small cubed extra sharp cheddar

1/2 pound UNCOOKED macaroni or farfalle

2 tbsp granted parm cheese

1/2 cup bread crumbs or panko

Directions

Oven to 375. Prep a 9 inch baking pan with olive oil or cooing spray.

In a blender or food processor, combine cottage cheese, buttermilk, mustard, cayenne, salt and pepper and pulse until smooth.

In a large bowl, combine puree with macaroni and cheddar. Mix well. Pour mixture into prepped pan.

Sprinkle the parm cheese on top of the macaroni mix, then top with panko.

Bake 45 minutes, or until the top is brown and center is firm.

Nutrition

Oye! We have totally forgotten how many servings this is for :0( Sorry we dropped the ball, but I do not have nutrition for this dish.

Enjoy!

Shake and bake tofu

I know just what you're thinking.... 'really Dori, shake and bake tofu???'. Oh yes my friends. And it's glorious. Our attempt at shake and bake tofu actually came out of a sort of conundrum to figure out if it would work and boy did it! This is the perfect side dish to the upcoming Lowfat Mac and Cheese. For days that you're just craving comfort food you cant go wrong here!

Ingredients

1 package of extra crispy shake and bake

1 block extra firm tofu

Optional:

Marinade- I used honey and a little cider vinegar mixed together, but feel free to go crazy!

Directions

** although you're using 'shake and bake', you risk having very mushy tofu of you actually shake it. I recommend dumping the bread-crumbs into a flat plate or bowl to create more of a dredging station.

Oven to 500.

Remove tofu from package and press. Slice pressed tofu into 1/2 inch squares.

If marinading, dip individual tofu pieces into the marinade and immediately place into dredging bowl to cover with bread-crumbs. Arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet.

If you're not marinading, just place individual tofu pieces into the breadcrumbs for a quick roll around. Arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes, until nice and crispy, flipping every 10 minutes or so.

Enjoy!

Portobello 'Pizza'

This is a SUPER easy, quick meal to make for lunch or dinner. I literally ran home over a break during class, did about 5 minutes of prep and ate a delicious (and healthy!) lunch less than 20 minutes later. Awesome!

Ingredients

1 Portobello mushroom cap

2-3 Tbl Spaghetti sauce, whatever you have on hand (I used a traditional tomato basil)

A good sprinkle of shredded mozzarella cheese

(I also added a little sprinkle of a parm mix I had on hand)

Directions

Lightly wipe down the mushroom cap with a damp napkin. Trip out the stem.

Oven to broil.

Place upside down mushroom cap (stem portion up) on baking sheet. Spoon in spaghetti sauce, and top with choice of cheese.

Broil for abut 10 minutes, or until the cheese is nice and bubbly and you're confident that the mushroom is cooked throughout.

Nutrition

This recipe is for 1 serving.

Est WW points: 3

Calories: 120

Fat: 5.3g

Sodium: 274

Carbs: 4.5 g

Fiber: 1.2 g

Sugar: 3.1 g

Protein: 8.5 g

Notes:

If you happen to have a little oregano or basil laying around dont be scared to cut it up and toss right on top. This dish makes an excellent lunch, especially when paired with a nice crusty bread and a little olive oil!

So, what do you eat anyway?

Surprisingly, I get this question a lot. I understand that for a lot of people, it's really hard to imagine their lives without meat and heaven forbid that you lighten up a little on the dairy. Fortunately, there are LOTS of really great meat substitutes out there! While we dont eat them very often, we do have our favorites that we keep in the house so I thought I'd share what we consider to be the 'best' meat and dairy substitutes out there.

When I first though of giving up meat, honestly one of the hardest things for me was bacon. I have NO IDEA why, really its pretty gross when you think about it, but dang it sure can be tasty when used in the right dish. I was THRILLED when I found Morninstar Farms Veggie Bacon Strips- they smell just like traditional bacon, are excellent inside of a grilled cheese and at only 60 calories per serving infinitely healthier than the real thing.

If bacon's not your thing Morninstar also makes an excellent veggie sausage pattie. I like the traditional, but Jason likes the maple. When J (Jasons little brother) was over for breakfast one day he didnt even believe me that these were veggie based- I actually had to show him the box to get him to believe they were not meat. If you're looking for a great transition piece, we highly recommend this one!

For lunch or dinner, the most flexible source of protein has got to be tofu. It soaks up any marinade you might throw at it, is quick and cheap! I use tofu in our recipes often, and find that I prefer the extra firm texture the best. Dont get disheartened if the first few times you venture into tofu land you lose your way a little- once you find the perfect cooking method for you it becomes much easier! Tofu can now be found in most grocery and big box stores and can be either conventional or organic. If you dont use the whole block, it's easy to store in a sealable container with fresh water and will keep for 5-7 days.

For nights that we're craving convenience or burgers, our go to is the Gardenburger. I prefer garden burgers because they are vegetable based, but if that's not your thing Bocas are soy based and Morningstar has a black bean based. Veggie burgers can be highly subjective, and it's entirely normal to love some and hate others. I recommend that you grab a few boxes next time you grill out and make 1 of each to sample :0)

The last thing I want to share is a dairy alternative. I am vegetarian- which means that I do eat eggs and dairy on occasion, but I've been making a conscious effort to limit my dairy to only baking or food prep. I'm not a huge fan of soy milk, or rice milk however I LOVE almond milk. Several brands carry an almond option, including Almond Breeze and Silk. I use unsweetened for most baking, and the sweetened vanilla for oatmeal or chai tea. Yum!

I hope this has been helpful- especially for those of you joining us for Meatless Mondays! With so many healthy and tasty options out there, it's easy to eat green!

Can I just say

that I have never, ever felt better about what I'm eating. I love that I'm finally eating for me- ethically, clean and local.

Pineapple fried rice

This is a really great side or main dish. The addition of tofu helps prop up the protein count and it tastes really good too boot! This recipe uses the baked tofu method, which I highly recommend! This recipe is modified from the Moosewood cookbooks.

Ingredients (*this makes 8 servings, it can easily be halved)

1/2 cake firm tofu

1/3 cup soy sauce

1 tsp dark sesame oil

3 tbl vegetable oil

3 minced garlic cloves

1 tbl grated or chopped ginger

1/2 tsp chinese chili paste

1 diced red bell pepper

1 diced celery stalk

2 minced scallions

1 20oz can unsweetened pineapple chunks mostly drained or 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks

4 cups cooked brown rice

1 cup toasted cashews

Directions

Oven to 500.

Cube the tofu. Place in a single layer on sprayed or nonstick baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes, or until top browns slightly. Remove from heat and flip.

Mix together the soy and sesame oil. Brush lightly over the tofu. Return tofu to the oven for another 10 minutes, or until browned and slightly crispy. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a wok, heat the vegetable oil on medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger and chili paste and stir fry for 1 minutes.

Add the pepper, celery, scallions and tofu and stir fry until veggies are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the pineapple and cooked rice and stir fry until rice is hot, about 3 minutes.

Serve with topped cashews.

Nutrition

This recipe makes approximately 8 servings, this is for 1 serving

Est WW points: 7

Calories: 315

Fat: 16.5 g

Carbs: 31 g

Fiber: 3.3 g

Sugar: 1.2 g

Protein: 8.9 g

Enjoy!

Oatmeal cups

This is the healthier, morning version of the chocolate covered banana bread. I happen to love eating oatmeal in the morning, but dont always want to take the time to make it- well, this recipe solves it. Make a batch of these, pop one in the microwave for 10-15 seconds before you head out the door and presto you have all the goodness of oatmeal in a handy portable shape.

Ingredients

3 mashed ripe bananas

1 cup milk or milk sub (we use almond milk)

2 fresh eggs

1 tbl baking powder

3 cups old fashioned oats

2 tbl vanilla

3 tbl mini chocolate chips

Directions

Oven to 372.

Mix all ingredients but the chocolate chips together.

Spray or line muffin pan.

Fold chocolate chips into oatmeal batter.

Divide batter into about 18 cups (mine made 19, but it could have probably been distributed a little fuller).

Bake 20 minutes, or until the edges just start to brown and they become firm.

Nutrition

This is assuming 18 muffing, this is the nutrition for 1 muffin

Est WW points: 2

Calories: 95

Fat: 2.5g

Sodium: 70 g

Carbs: 16 g

Fiber: 2 g

Sugar: 4.5 g

Protein: 2.5 g

Puffs

Pastry sheets are our very own little gift from God. Seriously, these suckers can be filled with a myriad of flavorings, cut large or small and bake up way more impressive than the work justifies. I have made a version of this mushroom puff for years now and just about everyone likes it. Give it a try and I think it'll become a favorite in your house too.

And yes, I know this was a carb-tastic meal, but hey, I had 2 guys to feed and this is what they wanted. 

Ingredients

1 defrosted package of pastry sheets

2 large, cubed portobella mushrooms

1 can cream of mushroom soup (I usually get the one with roasted garlic too!)

Olive oil

Directions

Oven to 400.

In a skillet over medium heat, warm a small amount of olive oil.

Saute mushrooms 2-3 minutes, or until they just begin to soften.

Add 3/4 can cream of mushroom soup, and a small amount of water (to help dilute) to the skillet. Continue cooking/stirring about 8 minutes, or until mushrooms are cooked all the way through and mushroom 'sauce' begins to thicken.

In a large surface, lay out 1 pastry sheet. With a sharp knife, cut diagonally to create 2 large triangles. Repeat with second pastry sheet.

Place 1 triangle on nonstick or sprayed pan. Spoon a 1/4 of the mix into the center of the pastry sheet and fold each side onto each other, creating a large 'dumpling' style fold. Repeat with remaining 3 triangles.

Bake for 20ish minutes, or until puff is well, puffed and golden brown.

Nutrition

Working on that. We can all thank pepperidge farms for creating the most moronic serving size ever 1/6 of a sheet. I'll update when I'm able to figure it out :0)

Enjoy!

Pasta with caramelized onions, mushrooms and gruyere cheese

This 'recipe' spawned out of a bit of bad luck with some lackluster pasta. I decided to go out on a limb and spend a few extra bucks on some of the new fresh pasta at Central Market, thinking surely it would be better than tried and true barilla... but no, in fact it was not. And then I had a whole package of pasta that needed to be used up in a creative and yummy way. By adding a few extra ingredients that I had on hand I whipped up a really great lunch!

Ingredients

1/2 onion, thinly copped into strips

3-4 sliced crimini mushrooms

1 serving of your favorite (or not so favorite pasta)

1/4 cup freshly grated gruyere cheese

1-2 Tbl olive oil

splash of a good red wine

Directions

Boil water, and cook pasta.

While pasta is cooking, pour olive oil into a skillet on medium heat.

Add onions. When onions start to brown, add mushrooms and continue to cook until mushrooms are almost caramelized.

Add a splash of red wine, and de-glaze the bottom of skillet. Continue cooking 1-2 minutes until liquid is absorbed. If veggies are not quite finished up, just add more wine and continue cooking.

Remove pasta and plate. Top with onions and mushrooms. Grate fresh gruyere cheese onto pasta.

Notes

I actually highly recommend Barillas mushroom filled pasta, which can be found in most grocery stores in the refrigerated section. Its yummy, quick and easy!

Enjoy!!

Goat cheese medallions

These little snacks are perfect for a nice salad and add an extra little crunch. Plus they're surprisingly easy!

Ingredients

Goat cheese, either flavored or plain but the best you can find

2 eggs

Panko

Directions

Oven to 425.

If goat cheese is in a round, cut log into 1/2 inch thick rounds. If goat cheese is in a tub, use a large spoon to scoop out a small amount and then form into a round about the size of a quarter.

Crack eggs into a bowl. You can use either egg whites only to preserve the white color of the goat cheese, or use the whole egg to add a little color. Prepare the panko for dredging.

Dip each goat cheese round into the eggs, and dredge both sides in panko.

Bake in a single layer for 10 minutes. Put oven on broil and allow to brown. Flip over carefully and brown the other side.

Enjoy!

Chocolate dipped banana bread

Ooohhh man, this recipe is good! One of my best friends, Erum, sent this recipe over from The Messy Cook asking if we would make it together one day- since it's her birthday I thought I'd whip up a big batch for her to enjoy without the work! If you like traditional banana bread and chocolate is your thing I highly recommend making this tasty treat!

I picked up this super cute silicone baking sheet last valentines day at williams sonoma, it made for really great '2 bite sized' treats!

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup softened butter

2 eggs

1 cup mashed bananas (2-4 bananas)

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cups cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup semi sweet mini chocolate chips

1-2 loaf pans

Directions

Oven to 350. Lightly butter or spray a loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs one at a time, stirring well with each addition. Add the mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla and stir until smooth.

In a separate bowl, sift or mix together flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and baking powder.

Add flour mix to the wet ingredients and just combine. Fold in chocolate chips.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until bread is firm to the touch and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool on a rack for 10 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition 

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. As you can see, I got a little um, creative with my packaging so I dont really know how many traditional servings it would be. I'm going to make an educated guess and say that you can probably do 2 loaf pans, with 8 servings each comfortably. So this nutrition section assumes 16 servings, and is representative of 1 serving- BUT be prepared to eat many more than one :0)

Est. WW points: 4

Calories: 195 

Fat: 9.8g 

Carbs: 26.1g 

Fiber: 1.4 g

Sugar: 14 g

Protein: 2.8 g 

Enjoy!

Chi-Chi-Chicago

The hubs and I decided to take a weekend off and head out to Chicago! We had a great time, and did what we did best- EAT!

We stayed at the lovely Hotel Blake. It was right off of the subway, which meant we could travel all around Chicago for the shocking low price of $14 for the whole weekend!

Our first night in we decided to go big and have Chicago style pizza. Man, we were not disappointed! In true Dori style, we took our recommendation straight from Throwdown with Bobby Flay and visited Lou Malnati's Pizzeria.

Oh Oh they did not disappoint! Surprisingly, the namesake pizza the 'Lou' was vegetarian! Chicago style pizza is very different than your average pizza and deceptively filling. Yum!

The next morning we woke up and decided to travel Chicago a bit. First up was the Smart Museum. I think that this museum might be the best kept secret of Chicago- sure it's a trek even on the L, but it's free and has an awesome private collection to share!

Many thanks to Lynds for letting me borrow her awesome puffer jacket

The Smart has over 10,000 individual pieces in their permanent collection! It's also the first museum that I've visited that has a dedicated space for German artists, Italian artists and for a little hometown flavor artists from Chicago. Can anyone name the artist of this piece?? It's one of my favorites :0)

After touring the gallery, we hopped back on the train and hit up the DePaul University area. After a quick tip via Urbanspoon, we found ourselves in Toast. OMG, go there. and get the lemon pancakes. and thank me later. I have a minor obsession with all things lemon, so when I saw these lemon pancakes lightly dusted with powdered sugar and drizzled with honey I was in heaven.

It didnt hurt that my studly travel companion was pretty smitten with his breakfast too.

Next up was a fun event known as the Polar Bear Swim, which is where a handful of truly crazy, er, dedicated people strip down to their skivvies and brave the icy waters of Lake Michigan for charity.

It was sooo cold! And we quickly found out why, even the lake was frozen over!

Our last, but very notable trips were to the Chicago Diner and Yolk.

We totally forgot to take pictures at both, which is only a tribute to how gloriously yummy their food was! The Chicago Diner is a landmark vegetarian restaurant famous for their Radical Rubens. Jason approved :0)

An at Yolk, I swooned over the Banana Blue Pancakes which were banana pancakes with blueberries and granola mixed in! Yuuuuummmy!

Here's to another excellent adventure!