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!

Artisan Bread in Dutch Oven

I found this very simple recipe from Jenny Can Cook.

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup bread flour

1 cup old fashioned oats

1/4 teaspoon yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cup warm water

Instructions:

Mix whole wheat flour, bread flour, oats, yeast and salt together in large bowl. Mix in warm water (not hot) until dough is fully combined. Cover bowl with saran wrap and let sit over night (8-12 hours).

In the morning, remove dough onto a lightly floured counter (with flour coated hands). Fold dough about 10 times. Place dough in a parchment lined bowl. Cover with a towel for 2 hours.

During last 30 minutes, place dutch oven into the oven and preheat to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Place dough and parchment paper into heated dutch oven after the full 2 hours. Bake with the lid on for 30 minutes. Remove lid and bake for another 10 minutes. Let cool fully on rack.

Broccoli Salad

Ingredients:

1 bunch of broccoli

1/2 medium white onion

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

2/3 cup honey Greek yogurt (or mix plain yogurt with 1-2 Tablespoons honey, to taste)

2 Tablespoons either apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar

Instructions:

Chop broccoli and onion. Mix broccoli, onion, cranberries and sunflower seeds together in a large bowl. Mix dressing in a small bowl. Combine dressing and salad. Let sit in refrigerator for at least an hour. 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!

Balsamic Glazed Asparagus

Ingredients:
Asparagus

Garlic salt 

Pepper 

Balsamic glaze

Ice

Water

Instructions:

Heat a medium pan over medium-high heat. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil. Add asparagus and cook for a few minutes or until desired texture. Directly place in an ice bath of water and ice. Let chill a few minutes. Remove from the water and toss in garlic salt and pepper. Drizzle balsamic glaze on top.

Works perfectly with refrigerated, leftover asparagus as well. 

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

Macaroni and Cheese

This recipe is from my best friend Whitney's grandmother Pauline. It's simple, but delicious. It only calls for cheese, milk, pasta and butter  I've even left out the butter a few times and it's still delicious. 

Ingredients:

Elbow macaroni (1/2 cup dry per person)

Sharp cheddar cheese

Milk

Butter

Instructions:

Boil pasta until almost done.  Strain water and return pasta to pot. Turn burner to low.  Add milk to pasta, just until you can see the milk, but without covering the pasta. Add 1-2 tablespoons of butter. DO NOT BOIL MILK. Keep heat on low for the rest of the time. Once milk starts to simmer, slowly stir in a handful at a time of shredded cheese. Wait until cheese melts before adding more.  Taste sauce and add more cheese as desired. Simmer until sauce thickens.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Smashed Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:
5 baby dutch yellow potatoes per person (or one handful other small potatoes per person)
salt
pepper
rosemary
sage
chopped bacon
parmesan cheese
plain greek yogurt (or sour cream)

Instructions:
Boil potatoes for 10-15 minutes or until fork tender. You want the fork to easily poke the potato. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place potatoes on a foil lined or lightly greased baking sheet. Gently smash each potato with a fork. Sprinkle a pinch each of salt, pepper, rosemary and sage over each potato. Top with a pinch of chopped bacon.

Bake potatoes for 10 minutes. Top with a pinch of parmesan cheese and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from oven and top with plain greek yogurt (or sour cream). You may also top with fresh chopped chives.

Yeast Rolls

I found this recipe from Tasty Kitchen. I did end up adding some wheat gluten and used my dutch oven to bake these.

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
4 Tablespoons butter
3 cups bread flour
1 Tablespoon wheat gluten

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix yeast, warm water and sugar together in large bowl. Let stand for 5-10 minutes. The mixture should foam and bubble. Mix in butter, salt, bread flour and wheat gluten. Transfer dough to a flat surface lightly covered in flour. Knead dough for 10 minutes or until dough is shiny and smooth.

Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with saran wrap. Place bowl in a warm area for 2 hours for dough to rise. Dough should double in size. Gently knead dough down then tear apart into 12 balls that fit into your palm. Place in a greased dutch oven. Cover in saran wrap and let sit for an additional 30 minutes. Balls of dough should rise slightly. Put lid on dutch oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove lid and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until golden brown.

*If using a 9"x13" pan bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

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.