Wow! 5 months...

Can't believe it's been 5 months since my last post...and I even have new recipes to tell you about! Maybe now that summer is done and I have weekends "free" I'll do a better job. Please be patient with me, I promise to do better. :)

Squash Burger? Don't Mind if I Do!

A few weeks ago a friend and I took a day trip to Madison. Around lunch time I called my brother and asked him where we should eat (since he knows not only great restaurants in the area, but my food preferences too). He suggested Bluephies and we were on our way.

Located in a strip mall setting, the first thing we noticed when we entered was the brightly colored atmosphere and the gigantic desserts in the case at the entryway. The servers even wear shirts that say "I work here." :) What a great start to lunch!

The menu is AWESOME! There are so many selections that I wanted to try, but eventually decided on the squash burger - described as having goat cheese, squash, and polenta and topped with pesto. Burgers come with fries or soup, but the server didn't bat an eye when I asked to substitute broccoli. My friend decided on the Bowling Alley Burger, and substituted sweet potato fries.

This is what arrived at our table:

Back: Bowling Alley Burger with Sweet Potato Fries   Front: Squash Burger with Broccoli

YUM!

The colorful atmosphere was matched now with our colorful plates of food. We both immediately loved our choices and took our time enjoying our meal. My squash burger was so moist and the mozzarella cheese, pesto, and tomato toppings added great flavor. The broccoli was grilled, adding to its tasty flavor.

Anyway, I'd been dreaming about having another since I had the burger that day. I was also trying to figure out how to make one at home. Then, I found myself in Madison again this past weekend - how could I not stop and pick one up? Sure, it was completely out of the way from anywhere I was going, but would I be closer anytime soon? So, on the way out of town I called ahead and picked up an order to go. That night, at home, I warmed up the burger and broccoli and enjoyed the tasty meal from the comfort of my couch.

I'll be returning to Bluephies again...I'm still planning on making a version at home (and will post the recipe when I do), or maybe I need to buy the Bluephies cookbook next time I'm in Madison...all I know is that my mouth is watering just thinking about this burger while I type this post. :)

Squash Mac 'n Cheese

My grandfather was a chef (his pictures joins mine in the header of this blog) and made the best homemade mac 'n cheese I've ever had. But, like many chefs, he didn't write down many recipes and I have been trying for years to match the recipe I had on sleepovers to my grandparents' house (his mac was SO good I'd pick at it and eat it cold all night). While the following recipe doesn't even come close to matching his, I truly believe that my appreciation of a good bowl of mac 'n cheese started with my grandpa, whose laughter and cooking I continue to miss.

(On a side note, my house smells like his would while his mac was baking - more than any other version I've made.)

Recipe Adapted From: Skinny Bitch in the Kitch

Ingredients:
1 pound wheat elbow macaroni
2 10 oz packages frozen, pureed winter squash

 

Bubbly and delicious!

2 cups skim milk
4 oz shredded, reduced fat cheddar cheese
2 oz shredded, reduced fat marble jack cheese
4 oz fat free cream cheese
1 1/2 tsp powdered mustard
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 c wheat bread crumbs
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish.
2. In a pan, bring water to a boil, add salt, and cook the macaroni according to directions.
3. In another saucepan, over medium heat, combine squash and milk. Stir and break up the squash, eventually bringing it to a simmer.
4. Remove sauce from heat and add cheeses, mustard, and pepper.
5. When the pasta is done, drain, and add to the sauce.
6. Transfer everything to the baking dish.
7. In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Top the pasta with this mixture.
8. Bake for 20 minutes, then broil for 2-3 minutes, until the top is browned.

Rating: one of my favorites!
Warming Up: warms up as well as any other pasta dish
Notes:

• I don't tend to buy the frozen squash for this recipe, and instead use leftover acorn squash I bake for a different meal.
• I have never found wheat bread crumbs, so I make my own with wheat bread in my food processor. This time I also put chunks of Parmesan in the food processor with the wheat bread instead of using shredded or ground Parmesan.
• For pasta I use rigatoni because I think it does a great job of sucking up the cheese.

Upside-Down Pizza Remix

This weekend I decided to revisit the Upside-Down Deep Dish Pizza recipe. I really liked the original way of making it, but thought I'd switch it up a little this time.

The changes I made:

• added green onions to the meat and cooked them a little before adding the sauce
• mixed low-fat ricotta cheese with the broccoli instead of using mozzarella on top
• used refrigerated crescent sheet instead of pizza crust
• added sliced tomatoes and a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan cheese to the top before baking

This version did need to bake longer - I'm not sure if it was the crescent rolls topping or the tomatoes on top, but I think I ended up baking at 375 for 35-40 minutes, just check on it while it's baking.

This time the dish was equally as delicious and I used the extra crescent sheet to experiment with appetizer options. Maybe I'll have to do a post about that sometime soon. :)

Lettuce Tacos

A few weeks ago I went to PF Chang's with my brother and his wife. When we were there we had some delicious lettuce wraps. On the way home I thought, "I could make tacos the same way." Tonight was the night I did.

Ingredients:
ground turkey
taco seasoning
green onions
reduced fat cheddar cheese
lettuce (I used green leaf)
---------------
salsa
avocado

Directions:

1. Brown ground meat. Add sliced green onions. Cook until onions are semi-soft.
2. Follow directions on taco seasoning.
3. Wash lettuce leaf and pat dry.
4. Top with meat mixture, cheese, and any other taco toppings you like.
5. Wrap lettuce around inside ingredients before eating.

Rating: pretty good, just have to get your brain around the fact that there's no shell
Warming Up: just warm up the meat like you would a normal taco...should warm up fine.
Notes:

• I feel that this recipe has a lot going for it:
• It's healthier than the normal alternative, and if you don't like it the first night you still have everything you need for a nice taco salad.
• The lettuce leaves seem to fit less meat and filling than a taco shell (well, I suppose that depends on the lettuce you use), so there's more calories saved.
• Lettuce tacos are a little messier than normal ones, so maybe you'll eat less because you won't want to get too messy.
• Also, since you're saving some fat, calories, carbs, etc., there's room for dessert. :)
• Next time I'll probably pair it with Apple Straws - one of my new favorite snacks. (I feel a future blog entry coming on...)

WW PointsPlus*: the only points here are the cheese and meat mixture so it depends on how you make it and what additional toppings you use.