Healthier, Yummy Mac n Cheese!

Who doesn't love Mac n Cheese? Comfort food at its best! But, man, the calories just get you :(

I've recently been craving the comfort of creamy, cheesy mac n cheese but, being very much conscious of all my recent weight gain (~sigh!), I wanted a healthier version with lower calories. I saw a few recipes, and came across a few suggestions like use only 1/3 of the pasta or reduce the cheese and that's definitely not going to do it. I saw these couple of recipes where they used butternut squash instead and that definitely made sense. So, here goes... my experiment with a healthier version of an old favorite!

Ingredients:
Whole wheat elbow pasta: 2 cups
Cubed butternut squash: 2 cups
Broccoli florets: 1 cup
Part skim, shredded mozzarella: 1 cup
Whole wheat bread crumbs: 3 tbsp
Paprika: 1-2 tsps
Salt: to taste

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 F
2. Bring water to a boil in a big saucepan. Add salt.  Add the butternut squash and boil for 5-10 minutes until the squash is tender. 
3. Transfer the squash to a blender and add broccoli to the same water to boil for 5 minutes until tender. 
4. Blend the squash until you get a smooth, creamy puree. Add half the cheese to it and blend once more. 
5. Bring water to a boil in a big saucepan. Add salt.  Add the pasta and boil for 5-10 minutes until it is al dente. Drain and set aside.
6. Mix everything in a big bowl and add the rest of the cheese, salt, and paprika. 
7. Transfer to a oven safe casserole dish and top with bread crumbs. 
8. Bake for about 20 minutes until the crumbs have browned. 

Your dish is ready to be served!

Simple & Healthy Mexican Dinner

New recipe from last night coming soon!

Enjoy the image in the meantime :)

Kale with Lentil Stew (Kale Dal)

Being a busy career woman is difficult, especially when hubby dear works equally hard. Hence, we are always on the lookout for quick, easy to cook meals. One recipe I have perfected over the years is Dal. Hubby loves this recipe and shamelessly, I will admit this is one of my best go-to recipes. 

After wanting to try this variation (with kale) for a long time, today happened to be the lucky day. We did a 2 day juice fast and finished the day with this protein packed recipe. It was inspired by this blog entry, but with a few changes and tweaks to match my life style :)

I use my pressure cooker a lot - it's fast and healthy. You can also cook the dal stovetop in a saucepan, but it will take a lot more time to cook. 

Ingredients:

Masoor Dal (Orange lentils) - 1 cup

Kale - 3-4 cups, lightly chopped

Onions - 1/2, diced

Tomatoes - 2, quartered

Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Dried Red Chillies - 3

Curry Leaves - 5-6

Oil - as required

Salt - to taste

Curry Powder - 2 tsp

Cumin Powder - 2 tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp

Garlic - minced, 1 tsp

Ginger - 1 tsp, finely chopped

Water - 3-4 cups

Method:

1. Soak lentils for about 1-2 hours. Wash thoroughly until the water runs clear. Set aside
2. Wash kale leaves thoroughly. Cut off stalks and set side.
3. Chop onions and set aside.
4. Add oil to the pressure cooker on medium high heat. Add half of chopped onions and saute until onions turn translucent.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes, garlic and ginger. 
6. Once the oil separates and reaches the sides, add all spices and stir.
7. Add lentils and fry them for a minute.
8. Add kale, water and close the lid. Pressure cook for about 5-8 minutes (mine whistles when letting off steam, so I let it whistle 3 times before shutting off).
9. In a saucepan, add some oil on medium heat.
10. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, and dried red chilies. Once the mustard seeds stop popping, add rest of onions and increase heat to medium high. 
11. Once the onions have burned a little, turn off heat and add to lentil stew and stir. 

Serve hot with brown rice, barley or fresh rotis (Whole Wheat Indian Bread). 

I served it with 1/2 cup of barley today. Yum!

Can oatmeal be any healthier? Yes, sir!

I've always avoided oatmeal because its so "Plain Jane". I've been experimenting though, and recently came up with this winning formula to make it more attractive. Hope you like it!

Ingredients:
Quick quicking Steel cut oatmeal - 1/3 cup
Chopped walnuts - 1 oz
Sliced almonds - 1 oz
Chopped strawberries - 2
Ground flaxseeds - 1 tbsp
Almond milk - 2 tbsp
Protein isolate - 1 tbsp (optional)

Method:

• Heat 2/3 cup water in a saucepan. Once the water reaches boiling point, add the steel cut oats, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5-7 minutes
• Add rest of the ingredients except strawberries and mix well. 
• Transfer to a serving bowl and top with chopped strawberries.

Note: 

• I used Bob's Red Mill quick cooking steel cut oats, only takes about 7 minutes to cook. If you use regular steel cut oats, you may want to soak them in hot water overnight to cut down cooking time. 
• I added some protein isolate to my oatmeal, but its optional. Not everyone will like the taste. 

Here's a pic of the final product- 

Sweet Pongal with a twist

A seasonal dessert recipe from my home country with my usual healthy twists.

Ingredients:
Rolled oats - 1 cup
Mung dal (yellow, split) - 1/4 cup
Unrefined sugar - 3 oz
Brown sugar - 1 tbsp
Cardamom - 2
Raisins, almonds - 2 tbsp
Melted butter - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Cook the Mung dal in a pressure cooker with 3/4 cup water. Wait until 3 whistles are done. 
2. Heat 1 cup water with 3 oz unrefined sugar until the sugar melts and the water is syrupy. Strain it and set aside. 
3. Once the steam is released from the cooker, remove lid and add the sugar syrup. Add the rolled oats and stir. 
4. Close the lid of the cooker, and steam the mixture on low heat for about 10 mins until oats are cooked.
5. In a separate pan, add melted butter, almonds and raisins and fry until golden brown. 
6. Add to oats mixture and serve. 

This is less sweet than the traditional rice/mung dal recipe, but still just as good AND healthier. 

Mexican Fiesta - Ole!

It was Saturday and B and I were gearing up to watch the epic game between 49ers and Packers (okay, epic for us because this was the playoffs and we were passionately supporting different teams)!

I started thinking about what snacks we had for game time and found that we actually had none to go with our beer and wine. Then, quite accidentally, I chanced upon these cans of black beans and I had an A-Ha! moment. Quickly found some other ingredients and made it a Fiesta Game Night!

Black Bean and Corn Salsa (serves 4)

Ingredients:
Canned Black Beans - 1 can, washed thoroughly to remove all the chemicals/sodium
Roasted Corn - frozen - 1 cup
Red Onions - finely chopped, 1/2 cup
Lime Juice - Juice of 1/2 lime
Cilantro -coarsely chopped
Salt, Pepper - to taste
Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Rinse and wash the canned black beans and set aside in a bowl
2. Thaw the roasted corn in the microwave or room temperature and set aside
3. In a small pan, heat the olive oil. Add chopped onions and fry until golden brown. 
4. Add frozen corn and continue stirring.
5. After the mixture starts sweating, add black beans, cumin powder, turmeric powder and seasoning and stir for another  minute or two before removing pan from heat. 
6. Squeeze lime juice into the bowl and mix. Top with chopped cilantro and serve with chips. 

Spicy Pico de Gallo (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

Fresh tomatoes, diced - 4-5

Red Onions, chopped - 1/2 cup

Jalapeno pepper - diced - 1

Cilantro - finely chopped - 1/4 cup

Lime Juice - 1/4 cup

Salt, Pepper - to taste
Cumin Powder - 3/4 tsp

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Garnish with a lime wedge and sprig of cilantro.

Tacos

As an extension of game night, we had leftovers, so we opted for Tacos for dinner. Really simple even if you are making everything from scratch. 

Ingredients:

Corn Tortillas - store bought

Black Bean Salsa (recipe above)

Pico de Gallo (recipe above)

Avocado - 1 - sliced into small strips or diced

Cotija or Feta Cheese - 1/3 cup

Method:

1. Heat corn tortillas on the pan. 
2. Add 1 tbsp of the black bean salsa, 1 tbsp of pico de gallo and a 1/4 of sliced avocado. 
3. Squeeze some fresh lime juice.
4. Sprinkle cotija or feta cheese on top (optional)
5. Serve with Mexican Rice (recipe below)

Mexican Rice (serves 3)

Ingredients:

White Rice - 1.5 cups

Fresh tomatoes, minced and pureed - 1/2 cup

Red Onions, chopped - 1/2 cup

Frozen peas and carrots - 1/2 cup

Salt, Pepper - to taste

Cumin Powder - 3/4 tsp
Fajita Seasoning - 1/2 tsp
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
Water - 1.5 cups

Method:

1. Heat olive oil in a sauce pan. 
2. Add chopped onions and fry until they start to sweat. 
3. Add rice and pan fry for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the tomato puree and wait till the mixture comes to a boil.
5. Turn down the heat, add frozen peas and carrots and spices and stir well.
6. Add 1/2 cup water, cover and cook until rice is done. Keep stirring  and adding the rest of the water as required to prevent rice from getting burned. 
7. Remove and garnish with a sprig of cilantro

Sorry, no pictures! We were too hungry and excited about the game to pause and take pictures!! And of course, the best team won!!

Potato Casserole

Here's a simple recipe I made for lunch today. It is usually a side dish and takes about an hour to cook.

Ingredients:
Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes - 2-3 large, thinly sliced
Red or yellow onions - 1/2 thinly sliced
Carrots - 1-2 grated
Dijon Mustard  - 2 tsp; if using regular mustard, about 5 tsp
Olive oil - 3-5 tbsp
Low moisture, part skim mozzarella - 1/2 cup
Dried Oregano, thyme, basil - as needed
Salt, pepper - as needed
Red pepper flakes - as needed

Method:

1. Grease a lasagna pan with olive oil and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, add the Dijon mustard, olive oil and water and whip together until its a smooth, runny paste. Set aside.
3. Use a mandolin to thinly slice 2-3 potatoes. Set aside.
4. Chop onions lengthwise into thin slices. Grate carrots and set aside.
5. Pre- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Layer the pan with potato slices, top with onions and grated carrots. 
7. Spread 1/4 cup of grated mozzarella on top and add half of your seasoning. 
8. Spread 1/2 of the mustard paste across the potatoes.
9. Put in the second layer of potatoes, onions and carrots and top with rest of the seasoning,  mustard paste, and cheese.
10.  Bake it oven uncovered for about 15 minutes. 
11. Remove from oven and cover the pan with aluminum foil. Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 30 - 45 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through. 
12. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack for about 15-20 minutes.

I served this with some Mexican rice and black bean/corn salsa. Just a mish mash of everything we had at home :) I used a tequila/jalapeno mustard instead of Dijon. 

Not a great picture again, but you get the idea -

Brownie Bites - Pseudo Cupcakes/Muffins

I know... the title is confusing... I still don't know what to call these, so just make it, try it and call it what you will.

This is a recipe with no butter, eggs, sugar or flour. Not many will like it, but if you try to cook healthy, you'll love this. Fair warning! :)

This recipe makes 12 bites/cupcakes/muffins

Ingredients:

Rolled Oats - 1 3/4 cup - Don't use steel cut oats, it doesn't work
Egg Whites - 3 or 1/4 cup if using the liquid variety
Unsweetened Cocoa - 3/4 cup - I used the dark variety, feel free to use the regular kind
Unsweetened Applesauce - 1/2 cup
Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp - if you feel adventurous, try adding Kahlua Vanilla instead
Plain Greek Yogurt (Fat Free) - 1/2 cup - you can also use Fat Free or Low Fat Plain Yogurt instead
Vinegar - 1.5 Tbsp - (optional)
Baking Powder and Baking Soda - 1.5 Tsp (Optional)
Salt - a pinch - 1/4 tsp
Hot Water - 1 cup
Stevia - 6 Tbsp
Semi- Sweet Chocolate Chips, Sliced Almonds, Peanut Butter Chips - optional
Non-Stick Cooking Spray
Finely Ground Espresso Powder - 1-2 tsp

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners, spray with non-stick cooking spray and set aside
3. In the food processor, add all ingredients except the chocolate chips, sliced almonds and peanut butter chips
4. Blend until you get a smooth mixture
5. Pour mixture into muffin pans/cupcake liners. If you are using baking soda, powder and vinegar, only fill about 3/4 of the liners/pans. If you are not using these ingredients, you can fill up to the top
6. Place the muffin pan on the top rack for 10 - 12 minutes. Remove, add chocolate chips, sliced almonds or any other topping that you want and return the pan to the oven (optional). Bake for an additional 5- 10 minutes
7. Check for texture and see if they are done by inserting a toothpick in the center of the muffin. If it comes out clean, they're done. 
8. Shut off oven, take the pan out and let it cool on the cooling rack.

CAUTION: Do not try to take the muffins out right after you take them out from the oven - they will disintegrate. 

NOTE: I have made this recipe with and without the baking soda/powder and vinegar and to be honest, I liked it without these ingredients. If you are a chocolate fan, the espresso powder will bring out the chocolate flavor in this recipe. 

Once the muffins have cooled down, you can follow these additional steps to convert them to cupcakes 

1. Heat some bittersweet chocolate in the microwave oven in an oven safe dish for about 1-2 minutes. 
2. Add nuts, chocolate chips or anything else you want in the frosting and mix well. Use a butter knife to spread the topping on the muffin/cupcake. 

Here is how it looked - I didn't do the topping/frosting. Kept it simple. Chewy muffins, ready to be gobbled up!

Pasta with Tomato/Red Wine Sauce

I've been meaning to use wine in cooking for a while now, but never got around to it. But, a recent post by someone I know inspired me to finally do it... This recipe is actually my husband's creation, he is a budding chef himself :)

Ingredients:
Carrots - sliced into 1 inch rounds
Tomatoes - 3 or 4, diced
Basil flavored Olive Oil
Onions - 1/4
Spring Onions - 2 stalks
Garlic - minced
Oregano
Bordeaux Red Wine - 6 oz
Juice of 1 lemon

Method:

1. Cook the pasta according to directions, drain and set aside. 
2. Heat a pan and add the basil flavored olive oil
3. Once the oil is hot, add chopped onions and garlic and saute until onions have carmelized
4. Add carrots and spread them across the pan. Cover and sweat.
5. Add 1 oz of red wine to the pan and cover the pan once more
6. After about 3-5 minutes, once carrots are tender, add chopped tomato to the pan. Add 1/2 of the remaining red wine and cover the pan. 
7. Once the sauce starts to simmer, add the rest of the wine and continue to cook the sauce in the covered pan until the wine evaporates and the sauce thickens.
8. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce, toss and make sure it is evenly coated. 

Yummy pasta with red wine sauce is ready to serve!

It's not a great picture, but here's what it looked like - tasted great!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I've tried this recipe a couple of times now and each time, I love the twist the corn gives to this classic  winter recipe. It's healthy, low fat and yummy!

Ingredients:
Butternut squash, cubed - 6 cups
Roasted corn - 2 cups
Spring Onions - 4 stalks, diced
Garlic - 2 cloves
Salt, pepper - to taste
Olive oil - per preference
Spices - cumin, coriander powders - to taste

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread out the butternut squash evenly. Sprinkle salt and lace with olive oil. Sprinkle the diced spring onions evenly. 
3. Wrap the cloves of garlic in aluminum foil and place in a corner of the cookie sheet. 
4. Roast the squash, garlic and onions for about 30-45 minutes until the squash is tender.
5. If you have regular corn, roast it on stovetop while the squash is in the oven. An alternative is to buy frozen roasted corn and just defrosting it so its ready to be added to the squash later.
6. Once the squash is taken out of the oven, let it cool. Allow the garlic to cool and mince. 
7. In batches, add the squash, onions, garlic and corn to the blender until smooth consistency is achieved. 
8. You can now return the mixture to the pan on stovetop and add your spices or just have the soup as is. 
9. Another optional step is to bake croutons and add to top of soup before serving. 

Yummy, creamless soup that's perfect for a cold fall/winter night. 

Pumpkin Nut Bread

It's that time of the year again! With spooky cobwebs and creepy crawlies about, how about warm, tasty pumpkin bread to brighten your day? Easy to make, takes less than an hour from start to finish and tastes great!

I made this bread in mini pans, so I used 1/2 of the original measurements. The measurements shown here would fit a 9x5 loaf pan.

Ingredients: (serves 4)

1½ cups Whole wheat flour
½ teaspoon of salt
1 cup brown sugar
1.5 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup pumpkin purée
1 cup applesauce
1/2 Cup egg substitute
¼ cup water (optional)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Coat the inside of a 9"x5" inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
3. Mix together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda in a large pan and set aside.
4. Mix the pumpkin puree, oil (optional), egg substitute, water, and spices thoroughly. Combine your wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, mixing lightly. Fold in the nuts and pour the batter into your prepared pan.
5. Bake for about 40 -50 minutes. Check by inserting a toothpick or knife in the center of the loaf. It should come out clean.

Let the bread cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

Who doesn't like pancakes? especially if they are whole grain/whole-wheat and heart healthy?? No excuses, there! Here's a quick and easy recipe for a yummy breakfast!

Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour - ¾ cup

Flaxseed meal - 2 tbsp

Rolled oats- 2 tbsp

Unsweetended apple sauce - ½ cup

Egg substitute - 1 cup

Baking soda - ½ tsp

Semi-sweet Chocolate chips – 2 tbsp

Brown sugar - 1 tbsp

Fat Free Milk - 1 cup

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients in a big bowl and whisk until fully blended. Set aside for about 30 minutes

2. Heat a skillet on medium heat

3. Pour 1/4 cup of batter on to the skillet and cover with lid

4. After about 60-70 seconds, flip them and cook for another 30 seconds before taking them off the skillet.

5. Serve with maple syrup

Makes about 9 pancakes at 95 calories each!

I made my own syrup by heating about 5 tbsp of brown sugar with 1 cup water - simmer until thickened. Add vanilla extract or maple extract (as desired) and stir well. Be cautious while using the syrup as it can be pretty hefty in calories, depending on usage.

Grilled Vegetables

This is a really healthy lunch/dinner recipe. If you like veggies, but don't like them raw, this is a better way of cooking them instead of boiling (boiling loses nutrients in the process). You can use any vegetables in this recipe, I have used this combination of veggies to balance out the nutrients.

Ingredients:

Carrots: Vitamin A, K, Potassium, Niacin, Thiamin, Folate, fiber

Red Peppers: Vitamins A, B6, C, E, K, Folate, Niacin, Thiamin

Sweet Potatoes: Vitamins A, B6, C, Potassium, Fiber, Manganese

Potatoes: Carbs, Vitamins C, B6, Potassium

Zucchini: Vitamins C, A, protein and fiber

Olive Oil: 3 tbsp

Oregano: 1/4 tsp

Thyme: 1/4 tsp

Basil: 1/4 tsp

Rosemary: 1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees
2. Cut all vegetables and put them in a large bowl.
3. Add the olive oil and spices and toss them well
4. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and scoop the veggies onto the sheet. Close the foil to form a pouch
5. Bake the veggies for about 20-30 minutes
6. After you remove the cookie sheet from the oven, cut a hole into the foil and let all the steam out. Be very careful as you can burn yourself with the steam.
7. Squeeze lemon juice on the veggies and serve.

Notes: I marinated the veggies for about 6 hours before I grilled them.

Hearty Vegetable Stew

Here's an all-weather recipe that's never boring!

Ingredients:

Zucchi

ni - 1/2 cup, diced

Cabbage - 1/4 cup, shredded

Carrots - 1/4 cup, diced small

Red Peppers - 1/4 cup, diced small

Spring Onion - 1 stalk, diced

Celery - 1/2 cup, diced small

Roma Tomatoes - 2, diced

Kidney Beans - 1 can, washed

V8 vegetable juice (low sodium) - 8 oz can

Garlic (minced) - 1/2 tsp

Oregano - 1/3 tsp

Thyme - 1/3 tsp

Basil - 1/3 tsp

Celery Salt - to taste

Black Pepper - to taste

Ground Cumin - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Water or Vegetable Stock - 4 cups

Method:

1. Heat a large saucepan and add a tablespoon of Olive oil.
2. Add spring onions and garlic and sautee. Once the onions are translucent, add the tomatoes and V8 juice.
3. Add all spices, cover and simmer
4. After about 2 minutes, add the vegetables, stock or water and simmer for 20 minutes
5. Add kidney beans and more water, if necessary. Cover and cook for another 20-30 minutes.
6. Once vegetables are done, simmer on low heat for another 15 minutes.
7. Serve with bread or crostini

This is a fat-free stew, heart healthy and meant to be a meal by itself. This recipe should easily serve 2-3 people

Radiant Radish Juice

B & I recently turned to juicing to improve our overall health and lifestyle. It's going great, we are now up to 2 cups of juice every day now... We hope you will benefit from this wonderful lifestyle too!

Ingredients:

Radishes - 2 whole (include greens if you want)

Celery - 2 stalks

Apples - 2 (optional)

Grapes - 14 (optional)

Method:

1. Turn on juicer to high setting and add all vegetables until done.
2. You can either add apple juice or grape juice or cranberry juice, depending on your taste preference.

Juice is always best consumed fresh. This recipe serves 2 people