Quinoa and Cheese.

Mac and cheese is one of America's favorite dishes. Unfortunately, the typical macaroni and cheese (usually boxed) is not an effective meal in terms of providing nutrition for you nor for the kiddos. But you don't have to ban the cheesy goodness. Here is an improved "mac and cheese" recipe, adding a nutritional punch, using quinoa instead of the macaroni pasta.

WHAT IS QUINOA?

Quinoa is a very nutrient rich grain that has re-popularized in recent years. This ancient grain has its historical roots from South America. In contrast to the majority of other grains, quinoa is a generous protein provider. Quinoa also is a good source of those healthy fats like essential fatty acids and heart healthy mono-saturated fats. Recent studies are unveiling quinoa's anti-inflammatory benefits.  Lastly, it is gluten free for those who require or prefer gluten free diets.

  

Find more nutrition info on quinoa, featured on World's Healthiest Food

Here is what quinoa looks like. There are a few different varieties of quinoa including red and darker quinoa. For this recipe I used the white quinoa.

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Ingredients:

Quinoa
Sharp cheddar cheese
Plain Greek Yoghurt
Dijon Mustard

1. COOK QUINOA 

It is very easy to cook the quinoa. Use a 1:2 ratio of quinoa to water. Let boil. Once the water is soaked up, the quinoa should be plumped up and look like this. I used 1 cup of quinoa.

2. MIX IN 3 INGREDIENTS

The second and last step for this recipe is mixing

 in the other ingredients. The amount that you mix in is very flexible, depending on your preference. This is roughly the amounts that I add with 1 cup of quinoa (1 cup uncooked)... 1 large spoonful of dijon honey mustard, 1/2 to 3/4 cup of plain unsweetened greek yogurt, and about a cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. 

I always eat my quinoa and cheese with a zesty salad. (Try out my homemade red wine gorgonzola vinaigrette- coming soon!)

Mini Crustless Quiche

I didn't discover until recently, how delicious quiche actually is! It's a great recipe to have in your mental cookbook, because it's so easy to make, and you can toss in whatever you have in your refrigerator. 

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Required Ingredients:

Milk& Eggs

Mixable Ingredients are:

Broccoli, Spinach, Kale, Tomato, Onion, Mushrooms and any other omelette type ingredients. 

Cheese Topping (Optional)

Feta, Sharp Cheddar, Italian Blend, etc. 

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You'll get your protein from the egg, vitamins and nutrients from milk*, and a good serving of veggies mixed in. We've left out the crust because it doesn't contribute many nutrients and it will probably be stored as fat in your body. 

For even more convenience, we will be baking mini quiches! You can use a muffin pan to make mini quiche that you can later keep in your fridge as a hearty snack, or for pre-made breakfast to go! 

1. Gather your ingredients. Milk and eggs, and whatever ingredients you want to mix in. Today, I had tomatoes, onion, broccoli, and kale. 

Chop your veggies up and mix into a salad. 

2. I suggest using a large sized muffin pan so that you have enough space to fit in all the goodies. Make sure that it is non-stick. I am actually just making 2 mini quiche for my self right now, and I am using 2 small baking friendly bowls.  I add 1 egg and about 1/8 cup of milk into each mini quiche. Whisk. (1.5 cup milk per dozen eggs to make about 12 good sized mini quiche). 

3. Add in your veggies and top with a little bit of your choice of cheese. (OPTIONAL)

4. Bake in pre-heated oven at 450 degrees for about 30-40 minutes. Just check that the egg is cooked, to tell when the quiche is ready.

Let cool and share, or save them in the fridge for a quick breakfast the next day! 

*You can replace milk with unsweetened almond milk. 

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

This is such a great alternative to pizza! Are you on a gluten free diet? This pizza alternative is also better for those who are trying to avoid belly fattening food, like the bloating caused by gluten in pizza dough. You'll also swap out the typical white pizza dough for all the delicious nutrients found in broccoli's cruciferous cousin, the cauliflower.

Check out all of the vitamins and nutrients that go into this recipe with one head of cauliflower:

World's Healthiest Foods: Cauliflower

Ingredients: 

1 head of cauliflower

1 egg

1 cup of Italian blend cheese

Italian herbs/seasoning

Pizza Sauce and Pizza Toppings

1. First step is to cut and cook a head of cauliflower in a pot of boiling water. 

2. Once the cauliflower has softened, drain and let cool. 

3. Toss the cauliflower in a food processor (or blender) and chop. Make sure that the cauliflower is not over blended. Think of the qualities of pizza dough, moldable and sticky but not runny. 

4. Add one egg, about a cup of shredded italian blend cheese ( I like to add extra parmesan cheese because I think that Italian blend has too much mozzarella), and toss in any Italian herbs and seasoning you can find in your covert, like spaghetti seasoning herbs, Italian seasoning, Oregano leaves, and Basil leaves. I just use either the Italian seasoning or the spaghetti seasoning. Mix into the cauliflower blend.

5. On a piece of aluminum, create single serving rectangular pizza crusts. I usually can make 8 or 10 single crusts with one head of cauliflower. Use 2 heads if you are feeding a larger family. Place in pre-heated oven at 375 degrees. 

6. It is important that you check on the pizza crusts halfway through the cooking process, because you have to flip them over. I like mine really toasted so that they don't fall apart. So, I bake for 20 minutes, then flip and bake for another 20 minutes. Use a large flat spatula for flipping so that they don't break. 

7. Finally, add a hearty healthy pizza sauce and any yummy toppings you would like. Remember, no need to add cheese! The cauliflower pizza crust already has enough cheese. I didn't have too many pizza toppings, so I just added olives. It was still very flavorful and yummy. 

Spaghetti Squash

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Its October, and it's squash season! There is a myriad of different types of squash at your grocery store- pumpkin, butternut squash, acorn squash, kabocha, and calabaza.  These are great for cold weather comfort soups or roasted with other veggies. But, did you know you can use one squash to make spaghetti? Spaghetti squash, in fact, is the name of the gourd used to make angel haired "spaghetti noodles." It is incredible how the natural shape of the spaghetti squash fibers resembles the Italian pasta. And the best part is that is so easy to make! The hardest part is waiting while the delicious golden strands of spaghetti squash softens in the oven.

...Actually, cutting the spaghetti squash is the most challenging! Take one spaghetti squash and using a good knife and some arm strength cut it open into fourths or eighths.

Place the pieces of spaghetti squash on a flat oven pan and drizzle with heart healthy extra virgin olive oil, salt (preferably pink himalayan), and some pepper.

Face the squash downward so that the meat can soften more easily with its own steam.

Bake in pre-heated oven, at 420 degrees. For half a squash it took me about 25 minutes in the oven.

The spaghetti squash is ready when you can stick a knife in the squash and it goes through like butter, and the "spaghetti strands" are easily scooped out, even with a spoon. The spaghetti squash should be a golden yellow.

Now, the funnest part, which is magically transforming a squash into spaghetti. All you have to do it grab a fork and scrape off the squash meat. Voila! It should come off very easily, in spaghetti strand shape.  I think 1/8 to 1/4 of the spaghetti squash is a good serving size. I usually eat 1/8 because that is how I cut my squash before putting it in the oven.

Lastly, add some spaghetti sauce. You can use either a healthy store bought sauce, (check for no sugars added, I used Cucina Antica brand sauce, a la vodka), or you can make your own! ( I will link in a homemade spaghetti sauce here later).

That's all! The flavor is really good. You don't eat this and wish you had some real pasta, because the flavor and texture of the spaghetti squash really holds its own. For some people who may be a bit skeptical about this dish, let me tell you that it has a light warm squash taste, with a soft, yet slightly crisp texture. The look of this dish is also impressive, as it really does resemble spaghetti, even the golden color.

Here is what I found on the spaghetti squash nutrition from Newhealthguide.org :
(Per 155g)

• 42 calories
• 3% daily carb intake, or 10g
• Good source of vitamin C and Vitamin A
• Contains omega 3 and omega 6 essential fatty acids that help prevent heart decease and inflammation caused by arthritis and different types of cancers. Also promotes proper brain function
• Recent research has proven spaghetti squash can help cure prostate cancer.
• Rich in beta carotene, preventing atherosclerosis and benefits those with insulin deficiency.
• High in potassium, benefiting those with high blood pressure. 
• "The folate contained in the spaghetti squash helps in strengthening the walls of blood vessels besides enhancing blood circulation," and also benefits pregnant women, preventing birth defects.