Balsamic & Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

 I normally do not like cooked cauliflower. I've tried it many different ways and have never really cared for it...until now. If you think you don't like cauliflower, but have a love of balsamic vinegar and parmesan cheese, I suggest you try this! I happened to luck into a sale on cauliflower for $.88/head, so it was a win win. If we didn't like it, I wasn't out much. ;) Hope you like it, too! Sean's description was "outstanding".


 Balsamic & Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

From EatingWell: January/February 2008
Roasting isn't usually the first cooking method you think of for cauliflower but the results are quite delicious. The florets are cut into thick slices and tossed with extra-virgin olive oil and herbs. Wherever the flat surfaces come into contact with the hot roasting pan, a deep browning occurs that results in a sweet, nutty flavor.

4 servings, about 1 cup each | Active Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients
•8 cups 1-inch-thick slices cauliflower florets, (about 1 large head; see Tip)
•2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
•1 teaspoon dried marjoram
•1/4 teaspoon salt
•Freshly ground pepper to taste
•2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
•1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
Preparation
1.Preheat oven to 450°F.
2.Toss cauliflower, oil, marjoram, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Spread on a large rimmed baking sheet and roast until starting to soften and brown on the bottom, 15 to 20 minutes. Toss the cauliflower with vinegar and sprinkle with cheese. Return to the oven and roast until the cheese is melted and any moisture has evaporated, 5 to 10 minutes more.

Per serving : 149 Calories; 10 g Fat; 3 g Sat; 6 g Mono; 7 mg Cholesterol; 10 g Carbohydrates; 7 g Protein; 4 g Fiber; 364 mg Sodium; 490 mg Potassium

Beer Cheese Dip

 This is super easy for the Super Bowl! It's also great to dip pretzels in it! :) Enjoy!


Beer Cheese Dip

2 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, softened ( you can definetly substitutue lf/ff if you'd like)
2 (8 oz.) pkgs. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup beer
1 (1 lb.) loaf of round bread

1. Place cream cheese, Cheddar cheese, garlic powder and beer in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, blend until smooth.
2. Remove and reserve top of round bread. Hollow out the loaf, reserving removed bread pieces.
3. Spoon cream cheese mixture into the hollowed loaf. Replace bread top between servings. Use the reserved removed bread pieces for dipping.

Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake

 If you need or want something sweet, but don't want all of the fat and calories, check out this recipe! I have served it for company before and they had no idea it was low fat!  Yummy!


Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake

1 box Betty Crocker devil’s food cake mix
1 sm. Box s/f instant chocolate pudding mix
1 sm. box s/f instant white chocolate pudding mix
1 cup egg substitute
1 ½ cups water
½ cup reduced-fat chocolate chips
1 cup apple sauce

Mix all ingredients together. Pour batter into a sprayed bundt pan. Bake at 350º for 45-50 minutes.

Serving 1/16 of cake
Points 3

Buffalo Chicken Dip

 With the Super Bowl coming up this weekend and lots of posts on Facebook about what to make, I thought maybe I would post a few of our favorites/ideas! Hope you have fun cheering on your team. We don't have any plans for the big game yet, so if you read this and feel sorry for us, you can come over and hang out at our house. Oh wait, that would mean you don't have any plans either. We could be losers together! LOL! :)


Buffalo Chicken Dip

Serving Size : 10

12 1/2 ounce can 99% fat free chicken in water -- drained (I prefer to use cooked shredded chicken)
1/4 cup hot sauce
8 ounce pkg fat-free cream cheese
1/2 tablespoon fat-free ranch dip mix
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1 cup fat-free cheddar cheese (obviously you can use a higher fat cheese, I'm not a big fan of ff cheese)
4 ounce can diced green chilies

In a medium microwave safe bowl; combine the chicken, hot sauce, cream cheese, ranch mix, sour cream, cheddar cheese and green chilies. Mix well to combine. Microwave 30 seconds at a time, stirring often until the mixture is warm and smooth. Serve warm with baked tortilla chips or crackers for additional points.

Crock Pot Swiss Steak

Growing up, I always liked to order Iowa's version of Swiss Steak at a restaurant called Carnforth in Victor, IA. The place has been in business for years and I am so glad it continues to thrive admist very small farm towns. I could never find a recipe that seemed close to this, so I just made up my own. Now...I'm not claiming it to be as good as Carnforth's, but it's pretty close!

Sorry this is not very precise, but you can't really mess it up. Just dump and cook. I hope you love it as much as we do!

Crock Pot Swiss Steak

Cube steaks (as many as would feed your family, I had 2 small ones and had plenty of extra gravy)
1 package brown gravy mix
Water or beef broth, approximately 2 cups
Diced potatoes (I used 3 small for the 3, well really 2 of us since Sutton wouldn't touch them)

Dice potatoes and place in bottom of crock pot. Lay cube steaks on top of the potatoes. Add brown gravy mix and water or beef broth. Cook on low 6-7 hours or high 3-4 hours depending on the temperature of your crock pot. I just got a new one that cooks at the speed of light!

Red Lobster Biscuits

With the Blizzard of 2011 here in Kansas City, it was time once again for some comfort food! I had some potato soup in the crock pot and wanted something to go with it, so I looked up this recipe online. Plus, why not carbo load right before watching The Biggest Loser? 


Red Lobster Biscuits

2 cups Bisquick. baking mix
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup cheddar cheese -- shredded
1/4 cup margarine or butter -- melted
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Parsley and chives to taste (optional)

Preheat oven to 450. Mix baking mix, milk, cheese, parsley and chives until soft dough forms; beat vigorously for 30 seconds. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 min. or until golden brown. Mix margarine and garlic powder; brush over warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet. Serve warm. Makes 10-12 biscuits.

Per serving (excluding unknown items): 177 Calories; 6g Fat (32% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 27g Carbohydrate; 4mg Cholesterol; 480mg Sodium Food Exchanges: 1 1/2 Starch/Bread; 1 Fat

NOTES : Substitute several cloves of chopped garlic for the garlic powder and let stand in melted butter while preparing biscuits.