Spiralized Sweet Potato Mac & Cheese

Now I've spiralized a sweet potato! The cheese sauce for this is almost just like the sauce in my Spaghetti Squash Mac & Cheese. So delicious and creamy! When you spiralize the sweet potato, your supposed to cut halfway through it with a knife. That will give you larger half moon shapes. Then you can cut it once more to make it more macaroni-like.

Fun fact about these: I spiralized the sweet potato over the weekend, then froze the "noodles" ... after researching spiralized food in advance and the best way to store it. Great texture!

There is a whole blog about spiralizing - Inspiralized. Super awesome, check it out!

I made this a second time, and used a different blade on my spiralizer. More spaghetti-like!

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled, Blade B
4 tbsp light butter
2 tbsp flour
2/3 c skim milk
1/2 c grated sharp cheddar cheese (2%)
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese

Take your spiralized sweet potato noodles and cut with a scissor, if they are not in half-moon shape. Set aside.

In a large skillet, coat with cooking spray and add in the sweet potato noodles. Cook, tossing frequently, until cooked, for 5-7 minutes. When done, set aside.

In a large saucepan, add in the butter and let melt. Once melted, add in the flour and whisk together until flour absorbs butter and becomes thick. Then, add in the milk and whisk together constantly until mixture thickens.

Once the mixture thickens, add in the sweet potato noodles and stir to combine. Once combined, add in the cheese and stir again to combine. If it is too thick, add in more milk. Once the cheeses have melted into the noodles and consistency is to your preference, divide into bowls and enjoy!

Original recipe found here.

Zucchini Noodles with Roasted Tomatoes & Cream

BIG NEWS: I no longer use my mandolin slicer to make zoodles (zucchini noodles). I bought this spiralizer from Amazon that a friend recommended. Amazing!!! So fun to use and so easy! I've searched for all sorts of new spiralized vegetable recipes. (I'm trying a sweet potato mac & cheese soon-stay tuned!). Anyway, totally worth the money. It makes the zoodles much more curly and solid, if that that makes sense.

Ok, so to the actual RECIPE. The sauce is divine (I don't use that word often), and I even substituted fat-free half-n-half for the heavy cream!!! The roasted tomatoes are juicy and delicious, the sauce is creamy and full of flavor, and the zoodles are fresh & yummy.

5-6 zucchini, made into zucchini noodles by using either a Spiralizer or a julienne slicer.
1 pint of yellow cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 pint of red cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 shallot, minced
2 or 3 fresh thyme sprigs
small handful, chopped fresh basil
3/4 c heavy cream (I used fat-free half-n-half)
3/4 c of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Arrange the cherry tomatoes cut side up on a rimmed baking sheet. Spray all over with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees F for 10-15 minutes.

Heat the butter in a saute pan over medium low heat, when the butter is melted and starts to foam add the shallot, cook until softened. Scrape in the tomatoes and any juices that collected on the baking sheet. Add the thyme sprigs and pour in the cream (or half-n-half), I added half of the cheese by sprinkling it around the tomatoes and into the cream. Heat gently on low until it simmers. Turn off the heat and stir in basil.

In a larger saute pan, drizzle with olive oil and place your zucchini noodles on top, gently cooking and carefully tossing until just slightly wilted and still al dente, just a few minutes. Place zucchini noodles onto a serving platter and spoon the sauce right over the top, adding more parmesan cheese.

Original recipe found here.

Black Bean & Turkey Sausage Soup

Whoa! We decided this is one of our new favorite soups. It's actually a slow-cooker recipe from SkinnyMom, but (shockingly) I didn't make it in the crock pot. That was only because I didn't prep it the night before. But it was very easy to prep that night and get ready. I added a few things to it, and it was delicious. It was also yummy for lunch the next day.

14 oz lean smoked turkey sausage, cut into 1-inch slices
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
3 - 15 oz cans black beans, rinsed + drained
1 c onion, diced
1 c celery, diced
1 c green bell pepper, diced

2 jalapenos, diced
4 c reduced-sodium beef broth
8 oz can tomato sauce1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1½ tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp black pepper
½ tsp cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
toppings: fresh cilantro and light sour cream

In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat, and brown the turkey sausage for 3-4 minutes. Add in onion, celery, green bell pepper, jalapenos, and garlic. Saute about 5 more minutes. Add your broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, black beans, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary. Top with light sour cream & cilantro. Yum!

Original recipe found here.

Cauliflower "Bread" with Avocado & Sour Cream

Of course you've probably seen the recipes for pizza using cauliflower crust and everything... I finally decided to try it, in the form of small patties. A picture of some cauliflower "bread" with a little avocado & sour cream on top caught my eye, and I knew I had to give it a try.

I can definitely see how this could be used as a pizza crust substitute. It's very good!  Obviously you could top these guys with whatever you want, but the avocado & sour cream was yummy.

1 small cauliflower, chopped, trimmed of core
2 eggs
1/2 c part-skim mozzarella cheese and Parmesan blend (you can just use mozzarella)
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to season
1 tsp olive oil1 avocado, sliced thinly
light sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cauliflower pieces in food processor and blend until cauliflower is finely chopped. I did mine in a couple batches. Pour cauliflower into large bowl. Then add eggs, cheese, oregano, seasonings and whisk together with cauliflower until well combined.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with olive oil. I needed 2 baking sheets. Place spoonfuls of the cauliflower mixture on sheet and spread out into circles, around a 1/2 inch tall. Bake for 45 minutes until slightly dried out, browning, and firm to the touch.

Remove from oven and using a spatula carefully peel away from baking paper. Flip over and return to oven for 15 more minutes. Serve with avocado & sour cream, or your favorite toppings!

Original recipe found here.

Spinach & Avocado Stuffed Portobellos

First of all, the spinach/avocado/Parm mix for this is so good. It could even be a fun and delicious twist on guacamole dip. But anyway, I used it to stuff some medium-sized portobello mushrooms. You could use the baby bellas and make these as an appetizer as well.

Before going back in to bake.

Portobello mushrooms, or baby bellas (depending on preference)
2 1/2 c fresh baby spinach (well packed)
2 cloves garlic
1 ripe avocado
1/4 c walnuts
1/4 c shredded Parmesan, more for topping
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt to taste
handful of sliced almonds (for garnish)

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Gently wash your mushrooms in cool water, then remove the stems by getting a firm hold of the base of the stem, and pulling straight out.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.  Place your mushrooms, cap side down, on your baking sheets, 
Bake mushrooms at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes or until the edges are starting to get all wrinkly. Pour water out of caps and put back on your baking sheet.

For your filling, combine your spinach, garlic, walnuts, and seasonings in a strong blender or food processor. Blend until chunky, but smooth. Peel and remove your avocado pit, then mash the contents until it is also chunky, but smooth. Pour blender contents over mashed avocado and stir it together. Now, taste it, and add salt to your preference. Spoon filling into your mushrooms. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and put back in the oven about 10 more minutes. Then top with sliced almonds. Enjoy!

Original recipe found here.

We had these with some amazing chicken Will smoked, Roasted Sriracha & Bacon Brussels Sprouts, and our favorite kale salad mix.

Slow-Cooker Lentil & Veggie Soup

So delicious and easy! We loved it. The leftovers for lunch the next day were even better! Love SkinnyMs.

1 c frozen or fresh whole kernel corn*
1 large red potato, cut into 1” cubes
4 carrots, sliced*
1/2 c diced sweet onion
2 stalks celery, sliced into 1/2” pieces
1 c (fresh or frozen) green beans, broken into 1” pieces*
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp black pepper
salt to taste
1 1/2 c tomato juice, low sodium (optional V-8 Juice low-sodium)
3 c vegetable broth, low sodium (optional chicken broth)
1 c (dry) lentils

* I actually just used a big bag of frozen corn, green beans, and carrots
Add all of the above ingredients, except lentils, to the slow cooker, stir to combine. Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours. Add lentils the last hour of cooking time. Feel free to add or substitute your favorite vegetables. Adjust the liquid for less or more thickness. 

Original recipe found here.

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal

I am so excited to share this recipe. DELICIOUS... and guess what? Only 80 calories per muffin!! Craziness. You could even make a bunch on the weekend, store in an airtight container in the fridge, then heat and eat throughout the week.

Ok, so this recipe called for flax eggs... or flax egg replacements. So I did some googling and figured out what that was. I bought a bag of whole ground flaxmeal. Apparently, you can use this in baking as a replacement for eggs. You use 1 tbsp of the flaxmeal and 3 tbsp water to equal 1 egg. Mix the flaxmeal & water, let it sit 5 minutes, then just use it in baking like you would an egg. It's got lots of fiber & good stuff. Just google it to find out more!

2 1/2 c rolled oats1/4 c sliced almonds
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c dried pineapples
2 tbsp coconut oil (measure after melting) (didn't have, so I used 1 tbsp EVOO)
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
1/4 c maple syrup (I used sugar-free)
1 cup carrots (shredded) (bought matchstick carrots, then put them through the food processor)
2 flax eggs (I used flax egg replacements, which is the whole ground flaxseed meal & water I mentioned above)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all the dry ingredients together in one bowl. Mix wet in another. Add dry to wet and mix until combined. Spoon mixture into lined muffin pans. You should get 12 standard-size muffins. I started out by spooning 1/4 c into each liner, then went back and added to each one to make them even. I baked mine for about 18 minutes. I would start checking on them around 12 minutes. Let cool, remove from liners, and enjoy!!! 
Original recipe found here.

Roasted Sriracha & Bacon Brussels Sprouts

Spicy, crispy, DELICIOUS! If you eat bacon, don't skip it - I think it adds so much to the Brussels.

1 lb fresh brussels sprouts1/3 c real bacon bits
Sriracha hot sauce
salt, pepper, garlic powder (to taste)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. With a knife, trim the hard, woody ends of the sprouts, then slice in half lengthwise through the core. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray and spread the Brussels out. Spray them with olive oil spray, and spinkle with salt/pepper/garlic powder, t taste. Bake for 15 min. Shake pan, and squeeze some Sriracha over the sprouts, however much you'd like. Sprinkle bacon bits over as well. Toss the Brussels sprouts with the Sriracha and bacon, Return to oven for 5-10 minutes, or until desired crispiness. 

Original recipe found here.

Ginger Beef, Mushroom, & Kale Stir-Fry

I wish Will would write about how much he loved this dish, because I can't describe it. It was amazing! Very easy too. MUST MAKE!

Marinade:

• 1/3 c light soy sauce
• 1/2 c vegetable broth
• 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Stir-Fry:

• 1 lb thinly sliced flank steak or sirloin, cut diagonally across the grain into thin strips
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 12 oz baby portobello or button mushrooms, halved
• 3 c chopped kale
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced

To make marinade: Add all marinade ingredients to a bowl and whisk to combine. Pour marinade into a large bowl or ziplock bag, then add in the steak and gently toss to combine. Cover/seal and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

To make the stir-fry: 

Once steak has marinated, heat 1 tbsp oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Remove steak from marinade with a slotted spoon, reserving the marinade, and add to saute pan with garlic. Saute for about 2-3 minutes until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove steak with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add mushrooms, kale, and reserved marinade to saute pan, and stir to combine. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until the kale is wilted, the sauce has thickened, and the mushrooms have cooked, stirring regularly so that sauce does not burn. Add in the steak, and toss to combine.

Serve immediately over rice or quinoa, garnished with chopped green onions.

Original recipe found here.

I made this with brown rice, honey roasted carrots, and roasted Parm asparagus.