Healthy Alfredo Sauce

I hope everyone is doing great! This healthy lifestyle that I have been pursuing lately is very addictive. Let me make it clear, I don't eat 100% clean, but now I am more aware of the food that I eat. When I think of cooking lunch or dinner I try to have some protein and vegetables, mainly, and some carbs too.
Now, the sauce is not really an Alfredo sauce, but I like to call it Alfredo because it can be very easily replaced for it, and it is white just like the Alfredo sauce. ;-)
The sauce is made out of cauliflower. You will find the recipe for the cauliflower sauce here.
Usually when I make pasta with Alfredo sauce, I saute some garlic and some onion and then add some chicken. So, I did the same with this sauce. I feel like garlic and onion make everything taste better. And I wanted to add some protein so I added chicken.
I can guarantee you, you will love this! You can thank me later! ;-)
P.S Also, this dish is child approved. My baby loved it. If you are trying to incorporate veggies in your children's diet, this is a great recipe.

Thanks for stopping by!

Warmly,

Juliana 

Vegetables for each day of the week

I hope everyone is doing well! We have had a great week so far! Nothing exciting, a visit at the library, then a day in the pool. But we have enjoyed it. Summer is exciting. We have more fun plans for the rest of the summer. What about you, what are your plans for this summer?

For this week I planned to make dinner simpler. So, I wanted to have vegetables and some sort of carbs or protein for every meal. So here is what I planned for this week (I am including only dinner for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday).

Oriental broccoli, with rice and roasted garlic mashed potato

        

Beets and pineapple with quinoa and grilled chicken

 



                       

Deluxe peas with mushrooms and baked potatoes (this is actually my husbands lunch :-))

 

Broccoli oriental

 

 2 10-oz packages frozen broccoli spears

1 tbsp. butter or margarine

1 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tsp sesame seed, toasted

 

Cook broccoli according to package directions. Drain; keep warm. Combine butter, sugar, soy and 1 tbsp water, heat till butter melts. Pour over broccoli, top with seeds. Serves 6.

 

Beets with Pineapple

 

2 c sliced beets or one 16-oz can sliced beets

1 tbsp brown sugar

2 tsps. cornstarch

1 81/4oz can crushed pineapple

1 tbsp butter or margarine

1 tbsp lemon juice

 

Prepare and cook fresh beets, or drain canned beets. In a saucepan combine brown sugar, cornstarch, and dash salt. Stir in undrained pineapple. Cook and stir until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes more Add butter, lemon juice, and cooked or canned beets. Cook ands stir over medium heat about 5 min or till heated through. Serves 4

 

Deluxe Peas and Mushrooms

 

2 cups shelled peas or one 10-oz package frozen peas

1 c sliced fresh mushrooms

1/4 c chopped onion

2 tbsp butter or margarine

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp chopped pimiento (I didn't have this ingredient)

 

Coo fresh peas or cook frozen peas according to package directions. Drain well. Cook mushrooms and onion in butter till tender. Stir in sugar, 1/2 tsp salt and ash pepper. Add cooked peas and pimiento. Cover, heat through. Serves 4

 

 These recipes are taken from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

Enjoy!

Warmly,
Juliana

Vegetarian for a week!

Last week, I wanted to cook vegetarian. I don't know if that was because we were short in meat :) or because vegetarian recipes always sounded so delicious to me! So, I decided to try some meatless recipes. One of the food items that I never figured out a way to cook and to make more tasteful, is tofu. Finally I found two recipes that tasted absolutely worth eating tofu. I hope you enjoy them! Please follow the next post to check out the rest of the recipes from our meatless week!!

Sweet and Sour Tofu

INGREDIENTS

• 1 20-ounce can pineapple chunks or tidbits, packed in juice
• 3 tablespoons rice-wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 14-ounce package extra-firm water-packed tofu, drained, rinsed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-by-2-inch strips
• 1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1/2-by-2-inch strips

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pREPARATION

1. Drain and set aside pineapple, reserving 1/4 cup of the juice. Whisk the reserved pineapple juice, vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce and sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Place tofu in a large bowl; toss with 3 tablespoons of the sauce. Let marinate for at least 5 minutes and up to 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, add cornstarch to the remaining sauce and whisk until smooth.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Transfer the tofu to the pan using a slotted spoon; whisk any remaining marinade into the bowl of reserved sauce. Cook the tofu, stirring every 1 to 2 minutes, until golden brown, 7 to 9 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.
4. Add the remaining oil to the pan and heat over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add red and green peppers and cook, stirring often, until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in the reserved sauce and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 30 seconds. Add the tofu and pineapple and cook, stirring gently, until heated through, about 2 minutes more.

Tofu Kale with Spaghetti

INGREDIENTS

1 container of firm tofu

kale, as little or as much as you want, rough chopped. i usually use the entire bunch of kale

2 cloves of garlic, minced finely

2 shallots or a small onion, diced

very generous sprinkling of salt/pepper for taste

red pepper flakes

handful bread or panko crumbs

olive oil to quick fry the balls and cook up the vegetables

PREPARATION

1. Prepare the spaghetti according to package instructions

2. For the Tofu, squeeze as much water out of it as possible. I wrapped the block in a kitchen towel and press heavy pan on it for about an hour or so.

3. Meanwhile, in a pan, heat up some olive oil. When hot add in the onions/shallots and garlic. saute until fragrant and translucent, anywhere from 3-8 minutes. Add in kale (or whatever greens) and ensure the oily mixture coats the bunch thoroughly. Season generously. Set aside to cool.

4. In a mixing bowl crumble the tofu. add in the sauteed veggies, mix well. If it cool enough, use your hands. At your discretion add in the crumbs, a little at a time until you're able to shape the mixture into balls. Fry them up in a bit of oil until you get a nice browning on the edges.

5. In the same saute pan toss the pasta in warmed olive oil + minced garlic. when you plate the pasta, add in the tofu balls.

ENJOY THE RECIPES!

Warmly,

Juliana Kostandini