Mac & Cheese

Sauce

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
14 ounces cheddar cheese, preferably Flagship, grated (about 3 1/2 cups)
2 ounces Jack cheese, preferably Just Jack, grated (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder


Directions

1. Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat; whisk in flour. Continue whisking and cooking for 2 minutes.
2. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly. Cook, stirring frequently, until sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add cheeses, salt, chile powder, and garlic powder. Stir until cheese has melted and all ingredients are well incorporated, about 3 minutes. Use immediately or refrigerate up to 3 days.
3. To reheat sauce, place in a saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently, until heated through.


Butter or vegetable oil, for baking dish
6 ounces penne (4 C. uncooked macaroni)
1 batch Cheese Sauce
1 ounce cheddar cheese, grated (1/4 cup)
1 ounce Gruyere cheese, grated (1/4 cup)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or oil and 8-inch baking dish; set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Cook penne, according to package direction, for 2 minutes less than recommended on the package. Rinse pasta in cold water; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together cooked pasta and sauce gently but thoroughly. Pour pasta into prepared baking dish; sprinkle with cheeses and chile powder. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Lentil Tacos

Ingredients

1 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup salsa
12 taco shells
1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup chopped fresh tomato
1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
6 tablespoons fat free sour cream
Directions

In a large nonstick skillet, saute the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the lentils, chili powder, cumin and oregano; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Uncover; cook for 6-8 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Mash lentils slightly.
Stir in salsa. Spoon about 1/4 cup lentil mixture into each taco shell. Top with lettuce, tomato, cheese and sour cream.
Footnotes

Nutritional Analysis: One serving (2 tacos) equals 364 calories, 11 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 17 mg cholesterol, 815 mg sodium, 45 g carbohydrate, 9 g fiber, 22 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2-1/2 lean meat, 2 starch, 1-1/2 fat.

White Chicken Chili

1 lb. chicken breast, cut into small pieces (or 1 jar of canned chicken)
1 Tbsp. oil
small onion, diced
about 6 garlic cloves, minced

Cook those together in a pot on your stove top. Then add:

1 can diced green chilis
2 15 oz. cans white beans, undrained (pinto, navy, etc.)
4 C. chicken broth (I used less b/c I like thicker soups)
1 tsp. chicken bouillon
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Simmer those together for about 1/2 hour. When you're ready to eat, add:

1 C. sour cream
3 C. monterey jack cheese, shredded

Heat through and serve.

Top with:
dallop of sour cream
fresh cilantro
chopped tomatoes
crushed tortilla chips

Roast

This is an adaptation from Paula Deen. While it's a roast recipe, it's also good with pork chops. Mmmmmm.

hunk of meat
salt
pepper
garlic powder
onion
garlic
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 C. red/marsala cooking wine
2 Tbsp. beef bouillon (or 2 cubes)
3/4 C. water
1 bay leaf

season the meat all over with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Sear it in a hot pan, getting all the sides nice and golden. Then transfer to slow cooker or roasting pan, depending on your method of cooking.

combine soup, wine, boullion and water. Pour over the meat. Add bay leaf.

Cook for 7ish hours in slow cooker or 2-3 hours in oven (though I don't know what temp. since that's not how I make it.)

The gravy from this is crazy good, so you'll want to be sure to serve it with some mashed or roasted potatoes and carrots.