Easy Fettuccine Alfredo with Real Cream and Fresh Parmesan

This recipe is definitely not diet friendly (!) but it is the only homemade alfredo I’ve made that actually tastes like restaurant style alfredo. And it is easy! So many recipes I’ve seen call for cream cheese, or mozzarella or jack cheese… while those make a yummy white sauce, the hard Italian cheeses are a must for real alfredo!! Also, for some reason it just tastes better on fettuccine than another cut of pasta. So grab these ingredients and a box of fettuccine too!

• 1 box fettuccine pasta, cooked al dente
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 c. fresh grated or shredded parmesan cheese (not the powdered kind) plus extra for garnish
• 1 tablespoon flour
• Salt/pepper to taste

While pasta is cooking, a saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Once butter is melted add 2 c. of cream and whisk constantly until cream is warm. Keep stirring so it doesn’t curdle and add in parmesan cheese. Continue whisking until cheese is melted into sauce (it takes a while for it to melt… I definitely had to tell myself to be patient because it was looking so creamy and gooey and good).
Once cheese is melted, add 1 tablespoon of flour to remaining cup of cream and whisk vigorously to remove all clumps. Turn heat under saucepan up to medium high and whisk in flour/cream mixture. Continue whisking over stovetop until fully incorporated and thickened. Then add salt and pepper to taste. Oh the cream is so good. It is so rich and that fresh parmesan gives is that true alfredo goodness.
Drain pasta but don’t rinse. Return to pot and cover with sauce. Serve immediately and top with more cheese and cracked pepper. And try to keep yourself from scarfing down this creamy rich goodness!

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No Pasta Cauliflower Mac N Cheese

I’ve seen lots of recipes lately for cauliflower mac n cheese. I was skeptical—how could a mac n cheese without pasta be good?? Well I loved this. I have to say though you can’t expect it to taste just like pasta, but it is still delicious. The mustard in the cheese sauce really made it for me.
Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower
• 4 tbsp cream cheese
• 1 tbsp. mustard (any kind)
• 1 and 1/2 c. cheese (1/2 c. reserved for top)
• Splash of cream
• garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Chop the heads off the cauliflower and steam until soft. Once soft drain and return to saucepan. Add cream cheese, cheese and cream and stir until incorporated. Add mustard, garlic powder, and salt pepper to taste. Be careful, it is delicious!
Add mixture to a baking dish, cover with remaining 1/2 c. cheese and top with pepper and then broil until bubbly. Even my husband who loathes cauliflower loved this! (I mean obviously you can barely taste the cauliflower with all the cheese ;)

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Chopped Veggie Slaw with Feta Cheese

I love finding salads that find a way to make tons of veggies delicious together. Especially raw veggies that you’d probably never eat alone (i.e. yellow squash—can’t imagine eating that raw as a snack!)… however chopped thin and mixed together with other veggies it is delicious!
I found this recipe from Proud Italian Cook and she makes it look amazing! Loving her photos of tons of veggies piled high! Check out the original recipe here.
Ingredients for salad (slightly different from the original recipe based on what I had on hand), all diced into matchstick strips:

• 1 yellow squash
• 1 zucchini
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/2 bag matchstick carrots
• 1/2 red onion
• fresh cilantro
• 1/2 c. feta cheese

Ingredients for dressing (also slightly altered):

• 1/2 c. olive oil
• 1/3. c. apple cider vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 3-4 tbsp. agave nectar (or sugar, or any sweetener)
• salt and pepper to taste  

Dress and chill slightly before serving.

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Chilled Asian Noodle Salad

Because I love pasta I of course love salads even more than have some starch in them! I found this recipe on Pinterest from Alchemy Baking, but didn’t have all the ingredients so I adapted it slightly. It turned out delicious!! The mixture of the salty soy sauce in the dressing, along with the tangy rice vinegar and limes, and the sweet agave nectar with the chilled veggies and ramen noodles was just a great combo. This salad is great as a side or as a main dish. I was craving BBQ chicken so I made that as a side, even though it didn’t really seem to go together but they actually tasted good together.
Ingredients for Salad:

• 1 packet ramen noodles cooked, tossed in olive oil, and chilled (just the noodles, trash the powder)
• 1/4 bunch of cilantro, chopped or torn
• 2-3 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 package shredded carrots
• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
• 1/2 head of red cabbage, shredded or sliced
• 1/3 bag baby spinach, chopped thin

Ingredients for Dressing:

• 1/3 c. rice vinegar
• 1/3 c. olive oil
• 1/8 c. soy sauce
• garlic salt
• 1/4 c. agave nectar (to taste)
• juice of 1 lime

I altered the ingredients to the salad (I think she had bean sprouts and nuts in it and used linguine) and in the dressing I didn’t use any sesame oil or ginger, added lime juice, and swapped agave nectar for brown sugar. Honestly the dressing is so good you can just chop up whatever veggies you have and mix them with this dressing.

Once you combine all the salad ingredients, mix with the dressing. I didn’t end up needing all the dressing (would have been too saucy) so add it slowly. Chill before serving!           

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Simple Apple Walnut Salad

Every fall I get the itch to start cooking (and baking of course) with apple and pumpkin… which doesn’t make much since seeing as it’s still about 90 degrees out. I’m just willing fall to come faster!
This is one of our favorite salads—so simple and we always have the ingredients on hand. Enjoy!
Ingredients (makes 2 large plate salads or 4 side salads):

• Spinach (1/2 bag)
• Romaine lettuce, chopped (1/2 head)
• 1/2 c. feta cheese (gorgonzola works great too)
• 2 apples thinly sliced
• 1 c. candied walnuts (tutorial here)
• Poppy seed dressing, to taste

Mix lettuces first, then add apples, chilled walnuts, and feta. Dress when ready to eat. This salad is great leftover too so only dress what you’re going to eat at that meal! We love this as a main salad or as a side.

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Parsley & Cream Smashed Potatoes

One thing I love about eating at nice restaurants is their mashed potatoes. Nearly all nicer seafood and steak restaurants I’ve eaten at don’t mash their potatoes 100%, which allows you to taste the actual potatoes (and not just the cream ;). I think whipped creamy potatoes can be nice with turkey dinners or for other occasions, but smashed potatoes taste richer to me.
Most mashed potato recipes I’ve used or made include lots of garlic—don’t get me wrong I love garlic, but I can’t stand the terrible breath and taste in my mouth all day after eating them. These smashed potatoes are made with parsley and cream so they are rich and delicious but without the after taste.
Here’s what you’ll need: potatoes (I love Yukon Gold but any kind is fine!), cream, parsley, salt, pepper, and some form of butter (I like to use Smart Balance). First get a pot of water heating up on the stove, so it can warm while you cut the potatoes. Then clean the potatoes and chop them into approximately similar sized chunks. If you’re in a rush to make them you could always chop them super small so they cook more quickly.
I like to put the diced chunks into the bowl I will serve them in. This helps me to see how much I need and also keeps me from using another dish.
Once the water is simmering, lower the chunks in with a slotted spoon (this keeps the water from splashing or burning you).
Once the potatoes are fork soft (about 8 minutes), strain them and place back in their bowl. Add 1 tbsp of butter for every 2 potatoes you used. Then eyeball the cream… if you like thinner potatoes add more, thicker add less, but enough to coat them while mashing.
Here’s how I keep them from being over-mashed—smash them with a fork. When I’m making potatoes for Thanksgiving and everyone wants them super whipped and creamy to eat with the gravy I’ll use an electric mixer, but for this I use a fork.
Smash away! Leave as many chunks as you’d like. Don’t worry they’ll still be soft. And it’s a great way to relieve aggression!
Next add salt and pepper to taste and mix together. Then add the parsley. I love the clean and fresh taste of parsley, and I also love that it isn’t overpowering. I add a generous amount to the potatoes, mix them in, and then add more as a garnish on top.
One of the best things about these potatoes is they are fresh, but you always have dried parsley on hand. Fresh parsley is even better if you have it! I don’t have a garden but when I buy it fresh I always try to make these potatoes because it’s so yummy fresh.

Here’s a little trick I use every time I make mashed potatoes. Make them first and then stick them in the microwave (turned off) just to store them and keep them warm while you’re making your other food. It’s tough to have everything ready and warm at the same time while keeping your kitchen clean, so this helps me keep them out of the way. Then when it’s time to eat I just turn on the microwave for a minute and get them nice and hot before serving. The microwaving doesn’t affect the consistency which is nice.

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Seared Asparagus with Homemade Chili Garlic Butter

I love making flavored butter for dishes, especially veggies. Asparagus doesn’t seem to need too much additional flavor but the chili was a nice kick.
Here’s what you need: Chili powder, cayenne pepper, garlic salt, and any kind of butter (3-4 Tbsp). I used Smart Balance. I love it because it’s dairy free and also because it is easy to work with and spreads nicely out of the fridge. (Also you need asparagus ;)
Instead of cutting off the ends, I like to snap them where they naturally break. After washing just quickly grab some of each bunch and snap away.  Once cleaned and snapped, set aside.

For the butter, I like to scoop with with my tablespoon to know how much I’m using. 

Place the butter in a small bowl or dish. (Kind of looks like ice cream ;)

Then add 1 tsp of chili powder, 1/2 tsp of garlic salt and 1/4 tsp – 1/2 tsp of cayenne powder (depending on how hot you’d like it).

Next mash the butter with a fork and then whip until creamy.   

  Then turn it out onto saran wrap and roll into a log. Place in the freezer until you’re ready to cook the asparagus (I usually make it last thing before a meal is ready to serve so it’s fresh!).
Once it’s chilled, slice it in pats.
Place several pats in a pan over high heat. Once melted and when the pan is hot, place asparagus into pan. Cover and sear for 5-7 minutes until asparagus is bright green.  
Plate and serve with more butter on top.

Perfect with some chili-garlic steak and parsley cream mashed potatoes. Tutorials on those coming later this week.

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Fresh Corn & Avocado Salad

I found this recipe from Authentic Suburban Gourmet. It is the PERFECT salad for summer! I cannot tell you how fresh it tastes. Just make it. Every BBQ or party I’ve taken it to it’s been a total hit and people are scarfing it down. It’s healthy and it’s delicious. So nice to have some healthy options at summer parties or picnics. And because it’s meat free, dairy free, grain free anyone can eat it.

Here is her recipe. My only advice is don’t use all the dressing or it will get a little too soggy at the bottom (and  dress it right before you’re going to eat it).
Also, I doubled the recipe for a large BBQ and omitted the Feta cheese.
Ingredients:
5 Ears Corn, husk removed, brush with olive oil and grilled, remove corn with sharp knife
2 Avocado’s, diced and sprinkled with lemon juice to prevent browning
2 C. Tomatoes, red and yellow cherry variety or equivalent
1 Small red onion, finely diced
¾ C. Feta, crumbled
1 ½ C. English cucumber, skin on and chopped small dice
Add to a large bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
Cilantro Vinaigrette
6 T. Olive oil
2 T. vinegar
1 t. Garlic powder
2 T. Fresh cilantro, minced
½ t. Salt
10 Grinds of fresh ground pepper
Add all of the above ingredients in a small glass jar with a lid. Shake really well. Taste and adjust seasoning and ratios of oil and vinegar as you desire. When ready to serve salad, add the dressing and gently toss.

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Strawberry Maple-Walnut Salad

Made this for a BBQ last weekend. So simple and fresh! I just love salads with fruit in them. Ingredients: spinach, strawberries, walnuts (or any kind of nut you’d like), maple syrup, feta cheese, poppy seed dressing & a pat of butter (not shown).
I love carmalized nuts. Maybe a little too much! When putting them in a salad I always make them first and then let them chill in the fridge before topping the salad. In a skillet warmed to medium heat, place a large pat of butter and let it melt. Throw the nuts in (un-chopped) and make sure there is enough melted butter to coat them. The butter helps the maple syrup from burning and sticking to the pan (and it tastes good too ;).
Once the butter is melted, then pour some syrup in, enough to coat. Real maple syrup tastes so good when it caramelizes down.
It should look a little bubbly like this:

Let it bubble for a couple minutes until all the nuts are well coated. Then turn the pan over onto a cutting board, spread the nuts out and chop them. I like them chopped small but you can do whatever you like best.
Next grab your strawberries and wash them with cold water. I like to quarter them.      
This meal is great for family dinners too because our little kids just eat the strawberries separately. Mmmm.

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