MAKEOVER BROCCOLI MAC & CHEESE
SERVES 10
Calories 182
Fat 4 g
Protein 14 g
Carbs 24 g
Fiber 3 g
1 cup shredded 50 percent reduced-fat extra-sharp Cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
3/4 cup shredded 75 percent reduced-fat extra-sharp Cheddar cheese (3 ounces)
2 tablespoons panko (Japanese) bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 3/4 cups 2 percent milk
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces (2 cups) whole wheat elbow macaroni
12 ounces (TK cups) broccoli florets and stems
Preheat oven to 450°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Coat an 8-inch-square (2-quart) baking dish with cooking spray. Combine the two cheeses. Mix 1⁄4 cup of the cheese mixture, the bread crumbs, and paprika in a small bowl. Set aside.
To make the cheese sauce, heat 11⁄2 cups of the milk in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until simmering. Whisk remaining 1⁄4 cup milk and the flour in a small bowl until smooth; add to the hot milk and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce simmers and thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 11⁄4 cups of the cheese mixture and the cottage cheese until melted. Stir in the dry mustard, and nutmeg, and add salt and pepper to taste.
Cook pasta according to package instructions. In the last 3 minutes of cooking, add the broccoli florets. Drain well and add to the cheese sauce; mix well. Spread the pasta-broccoli mixture in the prepared baking dish; sprinkle with the bread crumb mixture. Bake until bubbly and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool slightly. Serve warm.
STOVETOP APPLE PIE
Calories 180
Fat 6 g
Carbs 31 g
Fiber 3 g
Protein 3 g
There are times in everyone’s life when you need something sweet. It’s a feeling that won’t go away, it’s a craving that needs to be sated. It’s emergency time and you think if you look at one more blasted tangerine or one more ding-dang frozen grape you are going to scream. I’ve got your back. This sensible splurge is sweet, crunchy, buttery, and best of all? It’s quick. And it’s also easy to toss together for company in nonemergency situations
PIE TOPPING
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/2 cup quick oatmeal
3 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans, hazelnuts, or walnuts
Pinch fine sea salt
APPLE FILLING
1 teaspoon canola oil
4 large apples, such as Granny Smith or Honeycrisp, peeled, cored, and sliced into sixteenths (about 2 pounds)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of fine sea salt
Vanilla Cream, for serving
VANILLA CREAM
1/2 cup plain 2 percent Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Line a rimmed baking sheet with a nonstick silicone baking mat. (Parchment paper doesn’t work as well because the sugar will stick.) To make the topping, heat the butter and oil in a large nonstick skil¬let over medium heat. Add the oatmeal, brown sugar, nuts, and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned. Transfer to the pre¬pared baking sheet and smooth with an offset spatula into a thin layer. Set aside to cool. Once cooled, crumble into bite-size bits and set aside.
To make the filling, heat the oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with granulated sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, vanilla, and a pinch of salt.
To serve, spoon the warm apples into bowls. Top with pie topping and a dollop of vanilla cream. Serve immediately.
GRILLED SHRIMP and PEPPER POPPERS
Calories 106
Fat 1 g
Carbs 4 g
Fiber 3 g
Protein 21 g
Most pepper poppers are pumped up with cheese, coated with bread crumbs, and deep-fried. I was inspired to nix the cheese and the deep fryer completely by my friends Julie and Charles Mayfield, health and fitness experts and the authors of Quick & Easy Paleo Comfort Foods. These pepper poppers are bright and coated with spices rather than soggy, heavy bread crumbs. I like to use fairly mild banana peppers and serve these as a first course. If you’d like to raise the heat, you can use jalapeño chiles, too. This recipe will fill about eighteen large jalapeño halves.
1 pound large shrimp (21/25 count), peeled, deveined, and chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Grated zest of 1 lime
Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 Hungarian wax or banana peppers, halved lengthwise and cored
In a large bowl, combine the shrimp, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, cilantro, and lime zest. Season with salt and pepper. Using a spoon, fill the peppers, mounding the shrimp over the top. (These may be made and refrigerated up to 1 day ahead.)
Prepare a charcoal fire using about 6 pounds of charcoal and burn until the coals are completely covered with a thin coating of light gray ash, 20 to 30 minutes. Spread the coals evenly over the grill bot¬tom, position the grill rack above the coals, and heat until medium-hot (when you can hold your hand 5 inches above the grill surface for no longer than 3 or 4 seconds). Or, for a gas grill, turn all burners to high, close the lid, and heat until very hot, 10 to 15 minutes.
Place the peppers on the medium hot grill and cover. Cook until the peppers are tender, charred on the bottom, and the shrimp is cooked through and pink, 5 to 7 minutes.
Serve immediately.
