Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

I've never met a mac and cheese I didn't like ( on a cheat day of course ) . But the recipe I'd been craving most of all was one that, up until recently, only lived in my imagination: buffalo chicken macaroni and cheese. Fantasy...meet reality. Al Dente elbows of pasta coated in a creamy, sharp cheese sauce topped with celery, hot sauce, crispy chicken and bleu cheese crumbles.  The epitome of indulgence I know but once a week with a healthy workout and clean diet will actually help you burn fat by shocking your system and probably keep you sane at the same time.  And might I with all these basketball games...this is a party pleaser for the boys.


Ingredients

2 cups unseasoned breadcrumbs
1-1/2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
1-1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 large eggs
1 pound chicken cutlets
6 tablespoons canola oil, plus more as needed
1 pound elbow macaroni
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, divided
3 cups chopped onions
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup all purpose flour
4 cups whole milk
1 cup grated jack cheese
1 cup grated extra sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup creamy and crumbly blue cheese (recommended: Maytag Blue), crumbled, plus more for garnish, if desired
2 teaspoons paprika
1 cup Frank's RedHot Original or other hot pepper sauce
1 stalk celery, finely diced

Directions

1   

1. In a medium bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, salt, cumin, cayenne, and pepper. Beat eggs in a shallow bowl. Coat chicken pieces with the breadcrumbs, dip in the eggs, then coat again with the breadcrumbs; place on a plate. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

2. In a large, heavy skillet, heat 1/4 cup canola oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add two of the chicken tenders and cook, turning once, until golden, about 3 minutes. Repeat with the remaining chicken, adding more oil if necessary. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cooked chicken to paper towels to drain. Cut into 1-inch pieces; set aside.

3. Cook macaroni in a large pot of boiling salted water until pasta is tender but not quite cooked through, about 6 minutes. Drain; transfer to very large bowl.

4. Melt 6 tablespoons butter in same large pot over medium heat. Add chopped onions and garlic. Cover; sauté until onions are soft but not brown, stirring often, about 6 minutes. Add flour; stir 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to boil, whisking frequently. Reduce heat and simmer sauce 2 minutes. Add all cheeses, paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Whisk until cheeses melt and sauce is smooth, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Season to taste with more salt and pepper, if needed. Mix cheese sauce into macaroni. Mix in half the chicken pieces. Mound mixture in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish.

5. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake macaroni uncovered until heated through, about 25 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, stir hot pepper sauce and remaining 2 tablespoons butter in small saucepan over medium heat until butter melts.

7. Remove macaroni from oven and top with remaining chicken pieces, then spoon 4 tablespoons of hot pepper and butter sauce over macaroni. Bake for 5-7 more minutes.

8. Sprinkle top of macaroni with finely diced celery and more blue cheese crumbles; serve immediately, passing around extra hot pepper sauce.  

Healthy White Bean Chorizo Soup

I love that soup can be easy, healthy and a meal in and of itself. I usually steer clear of it because of the salt and the fact that I dont like to bloat like the goodyear blimp but this recipe is so healthy, low in salt and huge in flavor. I thought what a perfect thing to make during the weekday so that you can feed you and your neighbors/ boyfriend / eat the next day, whatever. I'm sure this will have your house smelling wonderful as an added bonus. Cheers to good health.

Cook Time : 15 minutes
Serves: 6
Calories: 235
Protein: 13 g
Total Fat: 7 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Carbohydrates: 31 g
Dietary Fiber: 8 g

Ingredients

• 4 oz Spanish chorizo, diced
• 2 cups yellow onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
• 15 oz cannellini beans
• 4 cups kale, chopped
• 4 cups spinach
• 1 tsp black pepper, ground
• 1 tsp salt

Preparation

1. Heat a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add chorizo to pan and saute 1 minute.
2. Add onion and garlic to pan and saute for 5 minutes more or until onion and garlic are tender.
3. Add broth and beans to pan and bring to a boil. Partially mash the beans with a potato masher.
4. Stir in kale, spinach and pepper and simmer over medium heat for about 6 minutes.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

St. Patrick's Day Cocktail

If your like me then you have some party plans this weekend..if you're hosting a pregaming sesh at your casa or someone else's casa I feel like this is a great drink to get the party started...a pot of gold in a glass...get lucky with this one..

Ingredients
10 mint leaves
1 kiwi, peeled and quartered
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2-inch piece of a vanilla bean, split
Ice
1-1/2 ounces silver tequila
1 ounce chilled club soda

Directions

1. In a cocktail shaker, muddle the mint, kiwi, sugar and vanilla. Add ice and the tequila; shake well. Pour into a highball glass, top with the soda and stir gently.

Peanut Butter Brownies with Chocolate Chunks

These peanut butter brownies are dense, moist, and full of flavor. Every bite has both peanut butter and chocolate. These brownies are easy to make and would be out of this world served fresh from the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If you want to earn brownie points with your friends and fam who are obsessed with the combo of peanut butter and chocolate, look no further ...

Ingredients

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup nutty old-fashioned-style or freshly ground peanut butter
1 1/4 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup Ghirardelli 60% cocoa chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter and flour 8-inch square baking pan.
2. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. If oil has separated from peanut butter, stir to blend. Add peanut butter to butter; beat until well blended, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally
3. Beat in brown sugar. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla
4. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into medium bowl.
5. Add to peanut butter mixture; beat until blended. Stir in chocolate

6. Transfer batter to pan. Using spatula, smooth top

7. Bake until toothpick inserted 2 inches from edge of pan comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 40-50 minutes. Transfer pan to rack and cool completely. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover; store at room temperature

Pork and Mango Skewers

This recipe for ancho-chile-marinated pork skewered with mangoes is a perfect combination of spicy and sweet.  I dont know about you but its getting warmer in California and with the abundance of fresh produce and the warmth in the air these are a perfect healthy dish. If you can't find mangoes, other fruits such as pineapples, peaches, or nectarines would be great substitutes. You could easily subsitute chicken or even some sort of semi firm white fish, swordfish or ahi tuna would work as well. I would serve this with maybe a sugar free limeade or make your own limeade from scratch. Some options for sides could be corn on the cob, steamed green beans tossed in olive oil and lemon zest, or some rice pilaf if you don't eat paleo and want a fuller meal and don't mind the carbs.

Ingredients

1/4 cup orange juice*
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons canola oil, more for the grill *
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoon ancho chile powder
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
Pinch of Kosher salt
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 medium mangoes, peeled, pitted cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
8 skewers, if wooden soaked for a half hour or more

Directions

In a medium bowl, whisk the orange juice, lime juice, oil, sugar, ancho powder, garlic, pepper flakes, and 1/2 tsp. salt

Add the pork, toss to coat, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours

Thread the pork and mango cubes onto the skewers, alternating them and beginning and ending with a piece of pork. Each skewer should have about 5 pieces of pork and 4 pieces of mango

Prepare a medium gas or charcoal grill fire. Scrub the grill grate with a wire brush and then wipe clean with a paper towel dipped in oil. Cook the skewers, turning once, until the meat is browned on the outside but still slightly pink in the center, about 8 minutes.

Serve garnished with the cilantro and a nice glass of white wine or limeade. Enjoy your healthy eats :)



Low-Sugar High-Protein Lemon Raspberry Muffins

Since it's about to be the weekend and there will be some time to go to the farmer's market and time to bake I thought this would be a perfect little recipe.

Ingredients

1 lemon
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup Chobani plain yogurt
1/3 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups white or  whole-wheat flour or whole-wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen (not thawed) raspberries
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 12 large (1/2-cup) muffin cups with cooking spray or line with paper liners.
2. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest from the lemon in long strips. Combine the zest and sugar in a food processor; pulse until the zest is very finely chopped into the sugar.

3. Add yogurt, oil, egg, and vanilla. Pulse until blended.

4. Combine whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add the yogurt mixture and fold until almost blended. Gently fold in raspberries. Divide the batter among the muffin cups.

5. Bake the muffins until the edges and tops are golden, 18 to 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for five minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Serve warm.

Baked Eggs in Spiced Tomato Sauce

This honestly just sounds freaking delish. I saw this recipe and had to share.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced small
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes in juice, drained (reserving juice) and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 large eggs
12 long shavings (about 1 1/2 ounces) pecorino Romano cheese
Slices of crusty bread, for serving

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400º F. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat; stir in onions and sauté until translucent, about 10 minutes.
2. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, several minutes.
3. Stir in tomatoes; add red pepper flakes, ground cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and sugar. Turn heat down to low, then simmer until tomatoes have further broken down, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Using a ladle, transfer sauce to four 6-inch shallow gratin dishes or cazuelas. Crack 2 eggs into each dish. Bake until whites are set, about 25 minutes, rotating halfway through (yolks will still be runny).
5. Top each dish with three long pecorino shavings; serve immediately with grilled bread.