Baked Chicken Macaroni with Creamy Bechamel Sauce

One of my favorite comfort foods is baked mac n' cheese.  I love the creamy cheese sauce, but I don't love the high fat and calories so I've chosen to make a healthier version with bechamel sauce.  It is just as creamy and delicious as regular mac n' cheese, but it won't derail your diet.  It's a great, hearty meal to dig into on the upcoming cold, fall days.  I also serve this dish at Thanksgiving and everyone loves it.

INGREDIENTS

Chicken Pasta 

2 cups whole wheat Penne pasta
1 bone-in chicken breast
Parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Bechamel Sauce

4 Tbsp butter
6 Tbsp all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1/4 Tsp kosher salt, or to taste
1/4 Tsp black pepper, or to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

For Chicken & Pasta

Cook Penne pasta according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, in a pot, boil breast of chicken in about 3 cups of water, add more water as necessary.  Add about 1/4 teaspon salt and a 1/4 teaspoon black pepper to chicken while it is boiling.

Lower the heat.  Cover and cook chicken until it is done.

Bechamel Sauce

Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Add flour and whisk together until a bit brown.  Add milk gradually.  Whisk every time you add milk.  Continue whisking until sauce thickens.  Add salt and pepper, stir together and remove from heat.

Preparing Pasta

Pre-heat oven to 375 F.

Shred chicken into small pieces.

In a pie dish, add half of the pasta.  Add shredded chicken.  Add 4 Tbsp of bechamel sauce over pasta and chicken and stir.

Add rest of pasta and pour the rest of the bechamel sauce over it.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Bake in middle rack of oven until top is golden brown.

Roasted Stuffed Bell Peppers with Slivered Almonds

I just made stuffed bell peppers for lunch today and have leftovers to use as a side dish with my dinner tonight.  This dish tastes delicious either hot or cold so you can pop it right out of the fridge and eat it.  I like this meal because it is healthy, satisfying and most importantly, easy to prepare.  The bell peppers also look pretty when plated so it's great to serve when you're entertaining guests.  One tip I have is to make sure you get bell peppers that are shorter and fatter with even bottoms so that they will be able to stand up on the cookie sheet.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup brown rice
1 8 oz package cremini mushrooms
1 head of broccoli florets
3 Tbsp toasted, slivered almonds
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
3 green bell peppers
2 teaspoons butter
Parmesan cheese for sprinkling
Salt & pepper for seasoning

INSTRUCTIONS

Pre-heat oven to 400 F.

Cut up a few broccoli florets into manageable chunks for roasting, you will later cut them into bite-size pieces.

Cut tops off of bell peppers and clean out the ribs and seeds with a knife.

Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.  Place bell peppers and broccoli separately on cookie sheet and drizzle a bit of olive oil over them.  Add salt and pepper.

Place cookie sheet on middle rack of oven and leave bell peppers and broccoli in oven for about 30 min. or until roasted.

While bell peppers and broccoli are roasting, toast almonds in a pan with a teaspoon butter over medium-low heat for a couple of minutes or until lightly toasted.  Remove almonds from pan.

Thinly slice mushrooms and saute them in a saucepan with a teaspoon butter over medium heat.  Mushrooms will be brown and soft once they are cooked through.

Prepare brown rice according to package directions.

When rice is done, add mushrooms and almonds to it.  Add in some parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.  Chop up parsley and add it in too.

Once broccoli and peppers are out of the oven, chop up broccoli into bite size pieces and add the broccoli pieces to the rice.

Mix the rice well and then scoop the rice and place it inside the bell peppers.  Top with more parmesan cheese.  Serve immediately or store in fridge for later.

Roasted Veggies & Potatoes

Roasted veggies and potatoes are a healthy side dish that will help fill you up without adding tons of calories.  I make these every few days to have with my dinner and they really make the meal so much more satisfying.  You can also have these for lunch or as a snack.

INGREDIENTS

1 medium green pepper, sliced
1 medium red pepper, sliced
1 yellow onion quartered
2 medium red potatoes, cut into quarters
1 package (8 oz) crimini mushrooms
1/2 Tbsp kosher salt
1/2 Tbsp black pepper
1/2 Tbsp red pepper flakes
1/2 Tbsp oregano
2 Tbsp olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Pre-heat oven to 400 F.

Spray cookie sheet with Pam cooking spray.

Drizzle 1 Tbsp olive oil on cookie sheet.

Add vegetables and potatoes.  Sprinkle with seasonings.  Stir everything together and place cookie sheet on bottom rack of oven.  After 10 minutes, stir veggies and potatoes.

Cook for 10 more minutes or unitl veggies and potatoes are browned and cooked through. 

Baked Lavash Chips

 
Instead of reaching for greasy store-bought chips the next time you want to satisfy a salt craving, try making your own chips using lavash bread.  It's extremely easy to do and tastes just as good as regular chips.  These chips go perfectly with my homemade hummus. 

INGREDIENTS

2 sheets of lavash bread
2 sprays of Pam
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon oregano, or to taste
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

INGREDIENTS

Pre-heat oven to 380 F.

Spray cookie sheet with Pam.

Cut sheets of lavash bread into little squares.  Drizzle chips with olive oil and sprinkle chips with oregano, salt, and black pepper.  Bake in middle rack and keep checking until chips are crispy and golden brown. 

Homemade Hummus

Hummus is a delicious dip that goes great with chips and veggies.  I always serve hummus at parties and it's a huge hit.  You can even use it as a spread on sandwiches.  Hummus is a lot healthier than most dips and spreads and it'll keep you full for a longer time.  You can buy hummus at many grocery stores, but I personally think that homemade hummus tastes much better.  It's very easy to make so give it a try and you'll see that nothing beats homemade!  You can find tahini sauce at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods or any ethnic market.


INGREDIENTS

14 oz can of chickpeas
1/2 cup tahini sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon salt
2 cloves of garlic
parsley for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

Drain chickpeas in a little bowl, keep liquid.

In a food processor or blender, combine chickpeas and garlic.  Process until you have a smooth paste.  If paste is not smooth, add 2 tablespoons of the liquid you saved from draining the chickpeas. 

Add the tahini, lemon juice, salt and keep processing until you have a smooth texture.  You can also add the lemon juice and salt to taste.  Some people like more of each and some like less.  The measurements that I have listed are what tastes the best to me. 

If hummus is too thick, you can add more of the drained liquid from the chickpeas or add lemon juice.

Oven Wedges

I like having oven wedges instead of fries because they are lower in fat and calories, and you don't use tons of oil.  You can dip them in ketchup or eat them as is.  They go perfectly with a homemade hamburger or as a side dish to any meal.

INGREDIENTS

3 red potatoes, scrubbed well and boiled for 10 minutes
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1/2 tablespoon oregano
1 medium yellow onion, sliced

INSTRUCTIONS

After boiling potatoes, slice into wedges.  Pre-heat oven to 425 F.  Spray cookie sheet with 2 sprays of Pam and drizzle with olive oil. Place sliced potatoes and onions onto cookie sheet and season.  Mix together and place in oven on bottom rack.  Flip after golden brown on one side and bake until other side is golden brown.

Quinoa Salad with Tangy Dressing

Quinoa Salad

Tangy Dressing

This quinoa salad is a different take on tabbouleh, but is just as healthy and in my opinion, even more delicious, especially with the tangy dressing drizzled on it.  The quinoa will help fill you up because of its high protein and fiber content.  The salad also looks pretty with all the colors of the complementing each other.


INGREDIENTS

For Salad

2 small cucumbers, cut into cubes
2 small tomatoes, cut into cubes
2 bunches green onions
2 bunches parsley
1 medium red onion, diced
1 small green pepper cut into small pieces
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed

For Quinoa

1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt

For Dressing

3 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sumac (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

For Salad

Cook quinoa in 1 cup water and 1 teaspoon salt.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat until water is absorbed.  Put 1 cup cooked quinoa over the salad ingredients and mix together.

For Dressing

Mix all ingredients together.  Serve on the side so each person can put as much dressing as they want.