Baked Carrot Mac and Cheese

Baked Carrot Mac and Cheese

Ingredients: 
2 cups whole-grain macaroni, cooked
2-3 cups carrot, finely grated or roughly pureed
2-3 cups grated cheddar cheese
4 scallions, chopped
1/2 cup milk (dairy or unsweetened dairy substitute, like rice milk)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
1/2 tbsp mustard powder
salt, pepper

Preparation: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine cooked, drained macaroni with finely grated or pureed carrots.

3. Stir in cheese, olive oil, milk. Then add scallions, flaxseed, mustard powder, salt and pepper.

4. Pour mix in lightly oiled baking dish. You could sprinkle the top with more cheddar cheese, a little parmesan bread crumbs or raw sunflower seeds.

5. Cook for 20-30 minutes, until it’s lightly browned.

IRELAND Fam Review: TayTay was not a fan but ate it for me anyways, Loulou ate a bunch of bites as long as they were not over CARROT, I liked it ok and dad said it was different but he liked it. 

Black Bean and Green Chile Casserole

Not a Super Healthy but a goodie :)

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin chops, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 1/2 cups instant brown rice, uncooked
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 (4 ounce) cans diced green chile peppers
• 3 tablespoons chunky salsa
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 cup shredded Colby cheese

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan or stock pot over medium-high heat. Add pork, and saute until browned. Drain off grease. Add the rice, cream of chicken soup, black beans, tomatoes, green chiles, salsa and water. Season with cumin. Stir to blend, then bring to a boil. Simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). When the pork mixture is cooked, transfer to a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle cheese over the top.
3. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes, until cheese is melted. Serve with tortillas.

Ireland Family Review: Everyone gobbled it up! 

Healthy Mac and Cheese (Mckenna @ Totallyhealthyrecipes.com))

This recipe is allergy-friendly, vegan friendly, and very versatile.

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked pasta of any variety I used Wheat free/Gluten free Brand: Mrs Leepers organic rice vegetable twists. They were green, red and white and made from organic brown rice, org spinach powder and org beet powder) 
1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or whole, organic/raw milk)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast*
1 Tbsp vegan butter replacement**(or organic butter)
1 T flour (any type of very fine flour)
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp sea salt

I added some frozen peas (cooked) in ours this time

*nutritional yeast is a yellow flaky looking thing found in the bulk food section of your health food store. It has a very nutty, cheesy flavor. It’s an inactive yeast, which means it’s not really going to contribute to yeast growth in your body. It’s yummy sprinkled on popcorn, garlic bread, in pasta sauce, etc. It’s super high in vitamin B12, and has some protein.

**note on butter replacement many of these contain processed soy, but you should be able to find one without soy in it. Earth Balance has one variety without soy that works great in this recipe.

Directions:

Start cooking the pasta according to the package directions. While it’s cooking, you should have plenty of time to make the sauce and even steam a few handfuls of frozen veggies to toss in at the end if you want. To make the cheese sauce, add the butter to a small sauce pan on medium heat. While it’s melting, whisk together the milk and flour, and add the milk mixture to the butter as soon as it’s melted. Stir and then add all the remaining ingredients. Whisk it for about 3-5 minutes or until it thickens. You can stop whisking to check the pasta, drain it, check the optional veggies, etc… on medium/low heat, it’s not going to burn very easily.

I like the ease of this meal, because usually everything is “done” at the exact same time. Drain your noodles, pour in the sauce, stir it up and serve.

Mckenna Says: I often make a double batch of the cheese sauce, to keep some of it in the fridge for several days. It’s yummy to reheat (add a little water, because it will thicken) and dip in raw or steamed veggies.

IRELAND FAMILY REVIEW: Mom liked it a lot, Dad said it was good but he would not call it mac and cheese, its not CHEESY so to say, he said it's just a new pasta dish, but I told my kids it was a new kind of mac and cheese and TayTay gobbled it up, loved the peas in it and asked for seconds and gobbled that up too. LouLou ate it about as normal as she eats most things these days.

We will for SURE make this again. 

Once a month mom.

CREAMY QUINOA PRIMAVERA

Filed under Vegetarian, Vegetables & Side Dishes
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
4 ounces cream cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
5 cups thinly sliced or bite sized pieces assorted uncooked vegetables
3 tablespoons grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Directions
Rinse quinoa thoroughly; drain. Bring quinoa and broth to boil in a 2-quart saucepan; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 20-25  minutes or until broth is absorbed. While quinoa is cooking, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook garlic in butter for about one minute, stirring frequently, until golden. Stir in vegetables. Cook about 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir cream cheese and basil into cooked quinoa.  Toss vegetables with quinoa mixture and sprinkle with cheese.

IRELAND FAMILY REVIEW: TayTay didn't love the big green beans and red peppers in it, he liked the Quinoa and brocolli ok. LouLou ate more then 1/2 her bowl on her own, then she got down and was being silly but while she was I was able to feed her the other 1/2 her bowl plus some of mine. SURPRISING! MOM-I liked this meal ok. The taste is good, it's a lil' clumpy but makes for a good veggie meal if your looking for something healthy and easy. 

Romemary Pot Roast (slow cooker)

From Once a Month Mom

Rosemary Pot Roast

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cubed
• 3 small baking potatoes, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
• 1 large onion, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
• 14.5 ounces Hunt’s Diced Tomatoes with Rosemary & Oregano, undrained
• 10.75 ounces condensed reduced fat and sodium cream of mushroom soup
• 0.5 cups water
• 2 Tablespoons Hunt’s Tomato Paste
• 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
• 0.5 teaspoons salt

Directions:

Spray inside of 4 to 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray; set aside. Trim excess fat from beef; discard. Cut beef into 1-1/2-inch pieces; set aside. Combine potatoes and onion in slow cooker. Top with beef and remaining ingredients. Cook on HIGH 5 hours or on LOW 10 hours or until beef is tender.

Freezing Directions:

To freeze, assemble all ingredients in a gallon freezer bag making sure that the potatoes are on the bottom and covered with water to prevent browning. Freeze. To serve: Thaw. Place in the slow cooker. Cook on HIGH 5 hours or on LOW 10 hours or until beef is tender.

IRELAND FAMILY REVIEW: Mom and Dad enjoyed this over rice, the Rosemary was  a fun season change. Kids ate the meat on the side and sauce over rice. 

Greek-Style Quinoa Burgers (Serves 4+ Total Prep/Cook Time 35 min)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup rinsed quinoa
• 1 medium carrot, cut in large chunks
• 6 scallions, thinly sliced (I DID NOT USE SCALLIONS AT ALL) Mostly because I'm not familiar with them. 
• 15 ounces great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• Coarse salt
• Ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 4 pitas (each 6 inches)
• 1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced diagonally (I Used a normal Cucumber)

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, bring 3/4 cup water to a boil; add quiona, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until liquid is absorbed, 12 to 14 minutes; set aside.
2. In a food processor, pulse carrot until finely chopped. Add cooked quinoa, half the scallions, beans, breadcrumbs, egg, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; pulse until combined but still slightly chunky.
3. Form mixture into four 3/4-inch-thick patties (dip hands in water to prevent sticking). If too soft, refrigerate 10 minutes to firm. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium; cook burgers until browned and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes per side.
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, and the remaining scallions; season with salt and pepper. Serve burgers in pita topped with cucumber and yogurt sauce.
   IRELAND FAMILY REVIEW: Ok SERIOUSLY I had my doubts but Mom/Dad LOVED these, I really really really liked these a LOT. I was not feeling like I was brave enough to try the full meal on kiddos tonight so I gave them each a piece of a burger (no pita or yogurt) and cucumbers on the side and they ate that w/o complaint. I did have a side of ranch for them to dip veggies and burger in but about 1 t.  Next time I will put the burger in the pita for them w/ ranch and work my way to the yogurt on them. 
   COOKING REVIEW: SUPER EASY Prep, I did not use Scallions, just cuz I'm not familiar. When Frying these babies up though they were touchy. by the last two patties I had it down. I figure about 7 min on each side is good and on lower medium heat. They can burn up fast. When my burnt I just easily peeled off the burnt layer and cooked up the next layer. mmm mm cant wait to have em for lunch tomorrow. 

Black Bean Brownies

I know I know....What?  They were so good the first round I made them that the group we were with asked to take the leftovers home. The second time they were a lil' extra sticky...maybe I pulled them out too soon. You WOULD NOT know they were made w/ black beans (I used my blendtec to blend) also you could substitute out the oil w/ applesauce.

Ingredients

• 1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 eggs
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee (optional)
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8x8 square baking dish.
2. Combine the black beans, eggs, oil, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla extract, sugar, and instant coffee in a blender; blend until smooth; pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top of the mixture.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the top is dry and the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 30 minutes.

** An amazing healthy alternative to Betty Crocker, although she'll always be my favorite :) **