Veggie Quiche

My mom came to visit this weekend, and I decided that I wanted to try out a new recipe for her.  What to cook?  I needed something easy.  I decided upon a quiche recipe that looked really tasty and that was fairly easy to prepare.  

I have had a long love of quiche, but I've never made it myself.  I have on many occasions bought mini quiche at the store for parties and showers, and they were always savory and delicious.

I switched up the recipe by removing the bacon (obviously) and adding even more tasty veggies.  I think the sun-dried tomatoes really packed a punch!  I also "skinnied" this recipe by using lower fat milk and cheese.  I was a little bit worried that it wouldn't come out firm, but it turned out perfectly.  So perfectly, in fact, that mom and I both went back for seconds.

This dish is perfect for brunch, lunch, or dinner.

adapted from Sugar & Spice by Celeste

Here's What You Need:

1 frozen pie crust (or make your own, but I went the easy route)

3 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups skim milk

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, minced

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

3 cups baby spinach, stems removed

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

1 1/2 cups part-skin mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 tbsp flour

salt and pepper, to taste

Here's What You Do:

Preheat oven to 325F.

In large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Saute onions and mushrooms for 5-7 minutes, or until onions begin to caramelize.  Add spinach and continue cooking until spinach is wilted.  

In a large bowl, mix eggs, milk, onion, mushrooms, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, salt and pepper.  Slowly mix in cheese, and then stir in flour.  

Pour into the pie crust and bake for 60-65 minutes, or until set (check with toothpick).  Let it sit for about 20 minutes to cool.

Enjoy the awesomeness.

Vidalia Onion Tart

Ok, so the hubby and I are planning a cruise in September.  Crazy planner as I am, I've even gone as far as to find the cruise ship's dinner menus online.  One of the appetizers that everyone raves about is a Vidalia Onion Tart.  Being the Georgia girl that I am, and living in a place where Vidalia onions are plentiful (and trust me, they taste different than other onions), I figured it was something I should try.

This was so good that I ate the entire piece standing at the kitchen counter because I didn't want to waste time to sit down!  Some of the flavors remind me of a good southern squash casserole, but of course with onions!  I had to go back for a second piece.  I am going to add this to the Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner menu for sure.

I changed up the soup mix and cheese in this recipe from the original source.

Adapted from Allrecipes

Here's What You Need:

3 tablespoons butter

1 large Vidalia onion, diced

1/2 cup fat free sour cream

12 oz fat free evaporated milk

1 packet dry onion soup mix

3 eggs

1 cup Mozzarella cheese 

1/2 cup Cheddar cheese

1 9" deep dish frozen pie crust

Here's What You Do:

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a large skillet, saute onion in the butter until onions caramelize.

Remove from heat.  Whisk in sour cream, followed by evaporated milk, soup mix, eggs, and cheese, one at at time.

Pour mixture into unbaked pie crust.  Place pie crust on cookie sheet and place in oven.

Bake for 40 minutes.  Ensure it is done by checking with a toothpick until toothpick comes out clean.

Vegetarian Mexican "Lasagna"

Anyone who knows me knows that I love Mexican food.  I do mean love.  I make it a point to fix at least one Mexican dish per week.  There is just something about the spicy flavors!  

This was a new dish for me, and it turned out amazingly.  Probably one of the best Mexican dishes I've ever prepared, and I've made a LOT.   I got the idea from a true Mexican "lasagna" made with noodles, but I think noodles takes the Mexican out of it.  It is pretty easy to prepare, and it makes enough for a large family (or enough for me to eat off of all week)!

adapted greatly from Annie's Eats

Here's What You Need:

10 small corn tortillas, cut into fourths

1 can black beans

1/2 can yellow corn

2 large tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper

3 jalapeno peppers, diced

4oz enchilada sauce

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried oregano

2 cups Mexican blend (or Cheddar) cheese

Here's What You Do:

In a bowl, mixed the diced tomato and diced jalapeno peppers.  Mix in half of the enchilada sauce.

In a second bowl, mix the black beans, corn, onion, bell pepper, cumin, garlic powder, and oregano.  Add remaining enchilada sauce.

Preheat oven to 400F.  Lightly coat baking dish with cooking spray and then spread 1/3 of tomato mixture on bottom of dish.  Top with a layer of the cut tortillas.

Top with 1/3 of veggie mixture, and then top with 1/4 of cheese.

Continue to repeat with two more layers of everything.

Top the dish with the remaining cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Top it with sour cream and guacamole!

Hint of Chocolate Summer Salad

Chocolate?  In a salad?  The hint of chocolate comes from cocoa roasted almonds.  I've eaten salads before topped with candied pecans, and when I saw the almonds in my cabinet, I thought it might make a tasty addition to my salad.  This is also my first time adding blueberries to a salad.  I've had one before with the strawberries, and I thought blueberries might be a nice addition (plus I have been trying to figure out what to do with the half pint in my fridge)!  The fruit, cheese, and slight cocoa taste go really well together for a light, yet sweet, meal.  I find that with the sweetness of the fruit, you don't need a lot of vinaigrette...just enough for a light coating.

Here's What You Need:

2 cups fresh spinach

4 grape tomatoes, sliced in half

3 strawberries, cut in half

1/8 cup blueberries

1/8 cup feta

4 tsp raspberry vinaigrette (I used a fat free type)

12 cocoa roasted almonds (I used Emerald brand)

Here's What You Do:

Toss all of the ingredients together!  Eat!

Roasted Potatoes

I've been making these tasty roasted potatoes for years.  They are one of my favorite side dishes to make and probably my number one "go to" recipe to make for the holidays or when we have friends over for dinner.  

Here's What You Need:

2 large Russet potatoes

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp ground mustard

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella

Here's What You Do:

Preheat oven to 400F.

Cut the potatoes into small, bite-sized pieces.  Put into a bowl and add olive oil and spices.  Coat the potatoes well.  Pour potatoes into baking pan and sprinkle with mozzarella.

Bake for 30-35 minutes.  Test potatoes with fork to ensure they are cooked all the way through.

Fresh and Fruity 4th of July Pudding

The Fourth of July is coming up this week, and my home state of Georgia is going through a sweltering heat wave (it was 108 yesterday!).  I figured it was time for something cool, refreshing, and patriotic!  It is in no way fancy or creative on my part, but is sure is tasty!  This was my lunch on this HOT afternoon.

Here's What You Need:

1 pint strawberries, sliced into fourths

1/2 pint blueberries

1 package of French vanilla instant pudding mix

2 cups skim milk

Here's What You Do:

Make the pudding according to package directions (mine just had me add two cups of milk and stir).  Set aside to thicken.

On the bottom of a 2 quart dish, make a layer of strawberries and blueberries.  

Pour pudding on top of fruit.

Create another layer of strawberries and blueberries on top.

Baked Jalapeno Poppers

I love jalapeno poppers, but I don't love how much fat and calories they contain.  Plus, fried food just always makes me feel blah afterwards.  I've made these baked jalapeno poppers a few times, and they are just enough to fulfill that craving.

adapted from Skinny Taste

Here's What You Need:

5 jalapeno peppers

4 oz fat free cream cheese

1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 egg, beaten

1 cup bread crumbs

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground chipotle pepper

Here's What You Do:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Lightly spray baking sheet with cooking spray.

Cut the stem off of each jalapeno, and slice them in half lengthwise.  Remove seeds and membrane. (Remember to wear gloves or wash your hands well when handling peppers.)

In a small bowl, mix cream cheese and cheddar cheese.  Fill each jalapeno half with mixture.

In another bowl, mix breadcrumbs, cumin, and chipotle.  Dip each popper into the beaten egg and then dip into bread crumb mixture, coating it well.

Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes.  You may also want to lightly spray each popper with olive oil before cooking to help breadcrumbs get nice and toasty.

Fiesta Bean and Corn Dip

I love Mexican food, but during the summer I don't want to eat anything too heavy.  My mother-in-law made this yummy dip for one of our pre-wedding festivities a couple of years ago, and I think I probably ate half of it myself!  This is something with all of the Mexican flavor I love, but it is healthy, low-fat, and light.

Here's What You Need:

2 cans black beans, washed and drained

2 cans yellow corn, washed and drained

2 cans of diced tomatoes with jalapenos

1/4 cup lime juice

1 tsp cumin

Here's What You Do:

Pour black beans, corn, and tomatoes into a bowl.  Add lime juice and cumin.  Stir and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower

 

This is a delicious alternative to mashed potatoes.  You can get the same effect as mashed potatoes but with less carbs and a guarantee that you are getting a veggie serving.  This is great for kids who hate vegetables because they will probably never know that they are eating cauliflower!

adapted from Food Network

Here's What You Need:

2 cups "riced" cauliflower

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 tbs sour cream

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried parsley

3 tbs unsalted butter

Here's What You Do:

Ricing the cauliflower

Take one large, fresh head of cauliflower, remove stems and leaves, and cut into florets.  Put the florets into a food processor and puree until it looks like rice.  (Mine actually looks more like cous-cous).

Heat the cauliflower in the microwave for two minutes.  Immediately put into food processor and add all other ingredients.  Puree until smooth and creamy.

Zucchini Fritters

I found this recipe a few months ago and have made it at least every other week since then.  These fritters are soooo delicious and full of flavor.

from smitten kitchen

Here's What You Need:

2 medium zucchini

2 tsp salt

2 scallions, split lengthwise and sliced thin

1/2 cup flour

1 egg, beaten

fresh ground black pepper

extra virgin olive oil

Here's What You Do:

Chop off the ends of each zucchini and use a grater to grate both zucchini.  Add the salt to the bowl and allow zucchini to sit for approximately 10 minutes.  Then, take zucchini and press between paper towels to remove extra water. 

Mix the zucchini, scallions, egg, flour, and black pepper (enough for your taste) in a bowl.

Heat a frying pan to medium-high heat and put in 2 tsp of olive oil.  When hot, drop the zucchini batter into the oil. Fry for 3 minutes, then flip and fry for 2-3 minutes on the opposite side.

Allow them to drain on paper towels, then enjoy!  Serve with sour cream.

This makes 6-8 2-inch fritters.

Strawberry Cheesecake Bites

Instead of cheesecake with a little bit of strawberry, how about strawberry with a little bit of cheesecake?  Light and refreshing, perfect for a snack, appetizer, or dessert.

from Do It and How

Here's What You Need:

1 pint fresh strawberries

1 8oz package of fat free cream cheese

3 tsp powdered sugar

Here's What You Do:

Wash the strawberries, remove the leaves, and cut out the centers.

In a bowl, mix the cream cheese and powdered sugar.

Spoon or pipe with a zip-lock bag into each of the strawberries.

Frozen Yogurt-dipped Blueberries

Maybe it is just me, but when it is a 95 degree summer day (as it is here every day!), I want foods that are light and refreshing.  I tend to steer away from heavy desserts.  I thought a couple of light, fruity dessert options were in order!

These are extremely simple and something that you can keep in your freezer as an easy go-to snack.  

from The Caffeinated Chronicles of a Supermom

Here's What You Need:

1 pint fresh blueberries

1 cup Greek yogurt (I used blueberry flavored, but you can use any kind)

Here's What You Do:

Using a toothpick, dip your blueberries into the Greek yogurt and then place on a small cookie sheet.  Put the cookie sheet in the freezer for an hour, then quickly remove the blueberries and place into a zip-lock freezer bags.

When ready to eat, the yogurt will begin to soften within a few minutes, so eat them quickly! 

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Don't worry, you read the title correctly.  This is a recipe for CAULIFLOWER pizza crust.  I had your same gut reaction too - Who would possibly come up with such a thing, and how could it taste any good?  I love pizza, and I was unsure that anything other than wheat-flour-doughy yumminess could compare.

Well, I was wrong.

Now, don't get me wrong, this won't replace my undying love for Papa John's pizza.  However, I feel like this is a great alternative for a night when I want pizza but I don't want anything too heavy or too unhealthy.  

Before you shake your head and click over to the next recipe, think about this: a serving of this pizza will give you two full servings of veggies (or more depending on how much you put on top).  It is lower in carbs than a regular pizza, and it is gluten-free for those of you who can't digest the gluten well.  You can't argue with those positives, can you?

I don't promise that this tastes exactly like regular pizza crust.  It definitely doesn't taste like cauliflower though.  I described it to my neighbor as tasting kind of like cheesy bread.  I promise, if you tried it without knowing what it was, the thought of veggies in your crust would never cross your mind.  What a perfect way to trick veggie-hating children (or husbands!).

adapted from eat.drink.smile

Here's What You Need:

for crust

1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower (see below for the how-to)

1 cup part skim-low moisture mozzarella cheese

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp red pepper flakes

extra virgin olive oil

for toppings

1 cup part skim-low moisture mozzarella cheese

favorite pizza sauce

any veggies of your choosing (I used onions, peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes)

Here's What You Do: 

Ricing the cauliflower

Obviously, giant chunks of cauliflower are not going to make a good crust.  You have to prepare the cauliflower to make the dough.

Take one large, fresh head of cauliflower, remove stems and leaves, and cut into florets.  Put the florets into a food processor and puree until it looks like rice.  (Mine actually looks more like cous-cous).

Take one cup of the "riced" cauliflower and put into a microwavable bowl.  Microwave on  high for two minutes.  Your cauliflower is now ready.  My head of cauliflower produced about 3 1/2 cups, so you can make multiple pizzas!

Making the pizza

Heat oven to 450F.  Lightly spray pizza pan or baking sheet.

Take your cup of hot riced cauliflower and mix in a bowl with one cup of the cheese and the egg.  Add oregano, garlic salt, and red pepper flakes.  Transfer to your pizza pan, and with your hands, spread out the mixture.  Mine made about a 10" pizza.

Lightly baste the top with extra virgin olive oil to help it brown.  Place in the oven for 15 minutes.

Once you take it out, top with your sauce, cheese, and toppings.  Stick back in the oven for 3 minutes, or until cheese is melted.  Make sure to cook your veggies ahead of time, if  needed, since you are only getting it hot enough to melt the cheese.

Voila!  You have a yummy pizza!  Let it cool for five minutes before eating.  Keep in mind that this makes a thin crust, so you may do better eating with a fork than picking it up with your hands.

Makes 2 servings.

Roasted Green Beans

My neighbor came over with a huge bag of fresh-from-the-garden green beans.  I guess that is one of the perks of having a master gardener living next door.  Any time I have tried to grow veggies, they either turn out puny or get devoured by some sort of creature.  Last summer, my tomatoes were ravaged by horned caterpillars.  I didn't even bother with growing veggies this year.

ANYWAY.  I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with the green beans.  Should I make the traditional green bean casserole? Stir fry with some other veggies?  No, I'll ROAST them!  Roasted veggies are awesome, and a friend has recently been sharing her vegetable roasting adventures, so I'd been in the mood to roast. 

Here's What You Need:

a pound of fresh green beans

1 tbs of extra virgin olive oil

1 tbs of lemon juice

salt

fresh ground pepper

Here's What You Do:

Wash your green beans well in cold water and snap the ends off.  Pat dry.

In a bowl, mix the EVOO and lemon juice.  Add salt and pepper to taste (I did just a pinch of salt, but I was a little more liberal with the pepper for flavor).

Toss in the green beans and coat them evenly.

Spread out on a pan and put in the oven at 425F for about 12-14 minutes.  Turn over the green beans halfway through.  You will know they are ready when they begin to turn a little brown but still have a nice crunch to them.

Baked Eggplant

This baked eggplant is extremely easy to make and is more healthy than traditional fried Eggplant Parmesan.

Here's What You Need:

1 eggplant, sliced into 1/2 each pieces

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup breadcrumbs

1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded (I used a Parmesan - Fontina mix).

Here's What You Do:

Dip each eggplant slice into the egg, then dip into breadcrumb mixture.  

Lay on baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  Flip eggplants and bake another 8 minutes.

Remove and top with shredded cheese.  Put back in the oven and bake for another 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

Serve with your favorite noodles and marinara sauce.

Breakfast Cups

I love breakfast food, but I get tired of the same thing over and over again.  These little breakfast cups are a fun way to incorporate traditional breakfast foods in a new way.  What I love about them is that they are easy to customize, so each person can add the ingredients they like.  Whereas I filled mine with veggies, my hubby would probably love a "meat-lovers" version.

Adapted from: Culinary.net

Here's What You Need:

3 cups refrigerated shredded hash browns 

6 eggs, scrambled

1/4 cup mushrooms, chopped

1/8 cup onions, diced

1/8 cup green bell peppers, diced

1/8 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Here's What You Do:

Spray 6 cups in a muffin tin with cooking spray.

Divide the hash browns evenly between the six cups, pressing into the bottom and up the sides of each cup.

Bake the hash brown cups at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Mix the vegetables in a bowl and divide evenly into each of the six hash brown cups.  Divide the scrambled egg mixture between the six cups.  Sprinkle the top of each with cheddar cheese.

Put back in the oven and cook for another 15 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown on top.

Remove the cups by sliding a knife around the edge of each cup to loosen.

Summer Vegetable Bake

Adapated from Budget Bytes

I love, love, LOVE zucchini, so I am eager to try any dish that includes it.  This dish is really simple and inexpensive.  Just throw a bunch of sliced veggies in a pan, top it with cheese and seasoning, and voila!

Here's What You Need:

1 baking potato

1 zucchini

1 squash

1 tomato

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

salt

pepper

garlic powder

parsley

Here's What You Do:

Spray an 8x8 dish with cooking spray, and preheat your oven to 400F.

Slice your veggies very thinly (I stress this because you want to make sure your potatoes cook all the way through).

Alternate your veggies in the dish.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and parsley.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove, top with shredded cheese, and bake another 15 minutes.

Hummus

In my opinion, hummus is one of the tastiest "healthy" snacks out there.  I could seriously go through an entire container of it in one sitting.  The great thing I love about it, other than tasting awesome, is that you can add all kinds of things to give it different flavors.  Not only is it delicious and healthy, but it is also extremely easy to make - less than five minutes!  

From Serious Eats

Here's What You Need:

2 15oz cans of chickpeas, drained

1/3 cup tahini 

2 tsp minced garlic

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup water

Here's What You Do:

Put chickpeas and garlic into a food processor and pulse until the chickpeas are chopped.

Add tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt.  

Puree until smooth.  Add a little bit of water at a time to help make it creamier.

At this point, you can choose to just have the plain hummus, or you can follow my lead and remove half to enjoy as is, and add 1/3 cup chopped sundried tomatoes to the remainder.  Puree until tomatoes are completely blended.  The mixture will turn orange.  

Enjoy with pita chips or chopped veggies!

Refried Beans

Hola!  Happy Cinco de Mayo!  I'm actually out of town today and NOT cooking my favorite Mexican food, but I figured I would share my recipe for refried beans.  Top with a bit of cheese and salsa!

Here's What You Need:

16oz bag of dried pinto beans
2tbsp minced garlic
2tbsp chili powder
2tbsp cumin
3tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste

Here's What You Do:

Soak pinto beans overnight.  Drain water and place in pot with fresh water, covering two inches above the beans.

Bring beans to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 3 hours.

Mash beans and add seasonings and EVOO. 

Add additional water, if needed, and return to low heat for 30 minutes, stirring several times.

Stuffed Tomatoes

Turn a plain old tomato into something amazing!

Here's What You Need:

2 large tomatoes

1 cup feta

1 cup cooked spinach

2 tbs chopped sundried tomato

1/4 cup panko

1 tsp oregano

Here's What You Do:

Cut the top off of the tomatoes and dig out the insides.  Eat insides. :)

Mix all of the other ingredients together in a bowl and then stuff into the tomatoes.

Bake at 350F for 20 minutes.

Cheesy Veggie Pot Pie

One of the things that I do miss now that I'm a vegetarian is a good, creamy pot pie.  I came up with this recipe a few years ago to satisfy my craving.  Through experimentation, I added in a bit of cheese at one point, which, in my opinion, makes this extra tasty.  Feel free to try it sans cheese though.

Here's What You Need:

2 cups frozen mixed veggies (carrots, corn, green beans, lima beans)

1 russet potato, peeled and cut into small cubes

1 can cream of mushroom soup (I use the low fat kind)

1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup Bisquick

1/4 cup milk

Here's What You Do:

Cook your mixed veggies prior to adding them to the dish.

Mix your veggies, potato, cream of mushroom soup, and cheese in a bowl.  Pour into baking dish.

In separate bowl, mix Bisquick and milk.  Stir until it makes a thick paste.  Dollop on top of veggie and soup mixture and spread it out so that it totally covers the veggie and soup mixture.

Bake at 350F for 30 minutes, or until crust begins to turn brown.  Test with a fork to ensure that crust is cooked all the way through.

Easy Apple Turnovers

Lately, I have been buying giant bags of apples so that I have healthy and easy snacks.  I find that I get very tired of eating just plain apples, so I decided to put my apples to good use with these Easy Apple Turnovers.

Here's What You Need:

1 can of crescent rolls

1 apple (any variety, I used Granny Smith)

2 tsp honey

1 tsp cinnamon

Here's What You Do:

Roll out your crescent rolls so that you have two triangles still connected to make a rectangle.  You will have 4 of these rectangles.

Slice apples thinly.  Coat slices in a bowl with honey and cinnamon.

Layer apple slices on one half of rectangle.  Fold other half of dough over and pinch around the edges.  Lightly baste with remaining honey/cinnamon mixture.

Bake according to directions for crescent rolls (mine was 375F for 13 minutes).

Easy to do, and only around 250 calories!  Not bad for a breakfast!

Baked Zucchini Sticks

Zucchini has become one of my new favorite vegetables.  I have found so many interesting new ways to prepare it lately.  One that is quite tasty is to bread and bake them.  

Here's What You Need:

2 large zucchini, peeled

1 cup breadcrumbs or panko

1 egg

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp ground pepper

cooking spray

Here's What You Do:

Take your peeled zucchini and slice them in half.  Cut each half into strips about the size of french fries.  Each half of mine gave me about 12 strips.  

In a bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, garlic salt, and ground pepper. 

In a separate bowl, beat the egg.  Dip the sticks a couple at a time into the egg and then into the breadcrumb mixture.

Place the sticks onto a pan coated with cooking spray.  After all of the sticks are on the pan, lightly spray them again with cooking spray.  (I use olive oil spray).

Bake at 400F for 25 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs turn a golden brown.

Serve with marinara sauce.

Adapted from: Skinny Taste and Eat Yourself Skinny

Spinach and Feta Roll-ups

Try these little roll-ups dipped in marinara for a fun party appetizer or for an easy meal.  They take about five minutes to prepare before cooking.

Adapted from: All Day I Dream About Food

Here's What You Need: 

1 can crescent rolls

1 cup cooked spinach (I used a bag of frozen chopped spinach)

1/2 cup feta (I used one with sun dried tomato and basil seasoning already in it)

1 tsp minced garlic

extra virgin olive oil

Here's What You Do:

Cook fresh or frozen spinach in EVOO until tender.

Mix with feta and garlic.

Roll out crescent triangles on baking sheet.  Put one spoonful of mixture onto each triangle and roll up.

Bake according to directions for crescent rolls.  (Mine was 375F for 11-13 minutes).

Kickin' Vegetable Mac and Cheese

Who doesn't love macaroni and cheese?  I think if you say you don't, you are a LIAR!  I recently found a recipe through Pinterest for a Summer Vegetable Macaroni and Cheese , and I decided to put my own spin on it.  I totally changed up how to make the cheese sauce and based the technique on how the hubby and I have been making mac and cheese for awhile now.  I thought that adding a little bit of spice, so I changed up the cheeses too, adding a chipotle flavor.  

Here's What You Need:

1 box of macaroni noodles

1 cup fresh squash

1 cup fresh zucchini

2 Roma tomatoes

1 cup fresh broccoli

1/2 cup grated carrot

2 cups milk 

1 cup chipotle cheddar cheese

2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese

3 tbs all purpose flour

3 tbs unsalted butter

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp dried mustard

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp cayanne pepper

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

 extra virgin olive oil

Here's What You Do:

Boil the macaroni noodles according the instructions on the box.

While the noodles are boiling, take the cut squash, zucchini, broccoli, and carrots, and saute them in some olive oil for 4-5 minutes, until tender.  Stir into the drained macaroni.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter.  Slowly whisk in the flour until smooth.  Slowly add the milk, followed by the onion powder, salt, dried mustard, nutmeg, and cayanne pepper.  Let it come to a boil over medium heat, then remove from the heat.

Stir in the chipotle cheddar and 1 1/2 cups of the extra sharp cheddar.  Pour melted cheese mix into the macaroni and vegetables and stir.

Pour macaroni mixture into lightly greased baking dish.  Top with sliced Roma tomatoes.  Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and remaining shredded cheese.

Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes, or until top is slightly browned.