White Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese

Ingredients:
2 cups shell pasta
7 oz aged white cheddar cheese
1 1/2 Tablespoons butter
1 1/2 Tablespoons flour
1 cup milk (I used plain, unsweetened almond milk)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt & pepper

Instructions:
Boil pasta to package instructions until al dente.

While pasta is boiling shred cheddar cheese. Microwave milk until warm, not hot.

In a separate pot melt butter over medium heat, add flour and whisk until combined. Slowly pour warm milk into pot while continuing to whisk. Only add more milk once everything is fully combined otherwise you'll get chunks of flour. Add shredded cheese a handful at a time, while continuing to whisk. Add garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste.

Pour cooked macaroni into sauce, stir until evenly coated and enjoy!

Lentil Salad with Sweet Potato & Pomegranate

Ingredients:

1 cup dry lentils

1/2 medium sweet onion

1 medium sweet potato

2 pomegranates

1 bunch of green onion

2-4 tablespoons fat free popyseed dressing

Instructions:

Peel and cut sweet potato to small cubes. Coat with salt, pepper & cooking spray. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes or until tender.

Rinse lentils. Add lentils and 2 cups water to a pot. Bring to a rapid simmer (small bubbles, not large). Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5-10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Remove all seeds from the pomegranates by cutting in half and submerging in a bowl of water. The seeds with sink to the bottom and the membrane will float to the top, making it easier to separate the two.

Chop 1/2 sweet onion and use raw or saute with salt and pepper just until it begins to sweat.

Chop green onion.

Add all ingredients together in a large bowl, mix in dressing. Start with 2 tablespoons and add more if desired. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Enjoy!

Caprese Sandwich

Ingredients:

Bread

Tomato

Fresh mozzarella 

Fresh basil

Balsamic glaze

Salt and pepper

Instructions:

Slice tomato and mozzarella. Layer ingredients on bread and top with balsamic glaze. Serve with sweet potato bisque and enjoy!

Pad Thai

Ingredients:
1/2 pound firm tofu
1 package rice noodles (serves 2)
1 egg
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon lime juice
Sriracha or other hot sauce to taste
pinch of salt and pepper
sesame seeds & green onions to garnish

Instructions: 
Strain and chop tofu into small cubes.  Marinate in soy sauce and sriracha (to taste) for at least 30 minutes.

Combine peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, lime juice and hot sauce to taste. Set aside.

Saute tofu in a lightly greased frying pan over medium-high for 5-10 minutes, or until desired doneness.  Reduce heat to medium and add scrambled egg.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil.  Remove from heat and add rice noodles. Cook according to package instructions. I used fresh rice noodles and only soaked them for 30 seconds to a minute. You want to undercook them by about a minute. Strain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking.

Add the noodles and peanut sauce to tofu. Toss all ingredients together for about a minute. Top with sesame seeds & green onions.

Baked Root Vegetables

Ingredients:
5 medium potatoes
2 medium sweet potatoes
2 medium parsnips
2 medium carrots (or handful of baby carrots)
6 cloves of garlic quartered
2 shallots
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 Tablespoons honey
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Chop all vegetables into large pieces. Place all vegetable in a large bowl. Add soy sauce, honey, salt and pepper and mix until vegetables are evenly coated. Spread onto a foil lined or lightly greased baking dish. Bake for 50 minutes.

Serve with Tzatziki Sauce. You can buy this or make it by mixing together plain Greek yogurt, grated cucumber, lemon juice, grated garlic and salt.

You can also add chicken to this dish. Simply cut 2 chicken breasts into large chunks and coat in soy sauce and honey mixture. Add to the baking dish during the last 20-30 minutes. If you cook them the entire 50 minutes, they'll come out dry.

You can add whatever root vegetables you'd like...
-Onions
-Turnips
-Radish
-Beets
-Garlic
-Shallots
-Carrots
-Potatoes
-Sweet potatoes
-Parsnips

Broccoli "Pasta"

Ingredients:
(Recipe for single serving size, add more water to adjust for more broccoli)
1 cup broccoli slaw (or shredded broccoli)
1/3 cup water, more as needed
1/4 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 Tablespoon slivered almonds
1/2 Tablespoon Buffalo Wild Wings Asian Zing (chili pepper, soy and ginger sauce)
1 teaspoon sweet chili sauce (for added heat)

Instructions:
Bring 1/3 cup water to a boil in a saute pan. Add broccoli slaw to pan. Cook for 5 minutes. Add more water as needed. You want to end with very little to no water in the pan. Add sauces, sesame seeds and almonds. Toss and enjoy.

If you want to add meat to this dish cook the meat first, set aside and add back to pan with all other toppings and sauce. Toss broccoli "pasta" with any sauce and meat of choice.

Tex-Mex Quinoa Bowl

Ingredients:
1 cup dry quinoa
2 cups water
1-2 Tablespoons taco seasoning (store bought or see recipe below)
1 medium sweet potato
1 can black beans
salt and pepper to taste
toppings of choice (salsa, sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt), shredded cheese guacamole, diced tomatoes, cilantro, etc)


Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Peel and chop sweet potato. Microwave for 4-6 minutes or until soft.  Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake on foil lined baking sheet for 15-20 minutes. Heat black beans in microwave for 1-2 minutes.

Rinse quinoa then add to sauce pan with water and taco seasoning.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cover for 10-15 minutes or until water is absorbed.

Mix quinoa, black beans and sweet potatoes together. Add desired toppings and enjoy.


Taco Seasoning from allrecipes.com
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper