Now, I love Mac n' Cheese...blue box brand to be exact.  Casey, however, loves Velveeta brand.  We agree to disagree about which is better (hint: truth is the blue box wins).  In the past, I make homemade velveeta mac n' cheese when we have it from scratch--but oh BOY is it an undertaking.  When I found this recipe on Pinterest, I was rejoicing. It was mac n' cheese but LOADED with fresh vegetables--cheesy, healthy, veggie goodness.  So, since the hubs has been crazy busy at work lately, which means late work days for him, I have had free time to bake and cook to my heart's content.

Thursday, I took on this guy and (asides from one cooking accident--more on this later) it was a success!  I chopped my vegetables, boiled some noodles, made the cheese sauce and tossed it all together.  Simple, right?  Yes.  Except I did all of this PLUS bake a cake and a batch of cookies and make lunch...at the same time.  Distracted and busy cooking and I are not friends.  A cookie sheet left on the hot stove top should NOT be grabbed with an oven-mittless hand.  It hurts...and burns...a lot.  So learn from my mistakes.  I swear, 99% of the scars on my hands and arms (and theres quite a few) are the result of cooking burns.

Sorry for the short intro to the recipe but it has been a BUSY weekend so far!  Company picnic, long runs, and now...the Chris Tomlin concert!!! So, enjoy!

SPICY ROASTED VEGETABLE MACARONI AND CHEESE

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup broccoli florets, chopped into small chunks

1/2 red pepper, diced

1 yellow squash, quartered and diced

10 baby carrots, sliced thinly

2 cups whole wheat pasta (elbow macaroni, rotini, penne, etc.)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups milk

2 cups (8 oz.) Sargento® Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 Tbsp. panko breadcrumbs

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Set a medium pot of salted water to boil. Prepare a large baking sheet by lining with aluminum foil and coating with a little olive oil or nonstick cooking spray.

Toss broccoli, red pepper, squash and carrots onto the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until vegetables have softened. Remove from oven and set aside.

Once water is boiling, lower heat slightly and add pasta, cooking according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, stirring constantly until mixture is slightly thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in cheddar cheese until well distributed and melted. Add red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Add macaroni and vegetables.

Place mixture in a large casserole dish and sprinkle with panko breadcrumbs. Place under the broiler in your oven (500 degrees) for 3-4 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

Source:  http://www.thecomfortofcooking.com/2013/02/spicy-roasted-vegetable-macaroni-and-cheese.html

The Best (Vegetarian) Tacos…Ever…So Far

Before Casey and I began the vegetarian lifestyle, we had a weekly tradition.  I loved this tradition.  The moment that week’s occurrence was over, I lived for the next week.  Sure, I felt overstuffed, bloated, and content all at once. But I loved it.  Ok, ok.  I guess it’s time to clue you in.   This weekly “date” we had was for taco night.  Wonderful, beefy, seasoned, salty, crunchy goodness.  We went all out too.  Soft tacos, crunchy tacos, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, all kinds of cheese, olives, onions, and even guacamole and salsa sometimes.  I love tacos so much, I even out-ate Casey some weeks.

But unfortunately, beef is not a vegetarian thing.  If it comes from something with a face, it must go.  And away our taco nights went. *Moment of silent and one single tear* I didn’t even want to bother with substituting that night with black bean tacos or fake meat tacos.  Nothing could replace it.  NOTHING.  Taco night is one of the few meaty meals I truly miss on a regular basis (that and Chick-fil-a and Zaxby’s…oh Zaxby’s).   But then I happened upon a Pinterest pin (God bless whoever invented Pinterest) for roasted vegetable tacos.  And I sat there, looking at it, and thought, “I happen to love anything involving roasted vegetables.  I also happen to love tacos.”.  So, I decided maybe, just maybe, I should give vegetarian tacos a try…maybe.

I have been trying to cut our grocery bills down lately since we have had some costly weeks (My half marathon, my mother’s visit, and now my sister’s upcoming visit).  So my first question before deciding to make it was “Does it involve a LOT of ingredients I don’t have?”.  Good news:  It didn’t--just some zucchini, squash, corn, onion, and peppers were all I needed to buy.  All the seasonings and the shells were things I had.  On to my weekly menu “board” it went.  And then, before I knew it, the day was upon us.  It was time to make “the tacos” and hope they were good.

Aside from chopping the zucchini, squash, onion, and pepper, this recipe was super easy to make.  Once its all chopped and tossed in the seasonings, you just roast it in the oven, mash some avocado with yogurt, and then assemble the tacos.  I looooved that.  It meant I got to spend the 40 minutes while they roasted doing other important things…like making chocolate gravy (which will be a whole other post devoted to my love of it).  A few notes:  I omitted the baby tomatoes (mostly because I have diverticular disease and these and strawberries really hurt).  I used canned corn instead of real corn (I have issues with chopping as it is and wanted to make it easier on myself).  I forgot cilantro so I didn’t use that.  And….I used feta instead of goat cheese (it was a better flavor in my opinion).

The final verdict:  I loved them.  The veggies got a nice flavor once they roasted and then paired with the cream sauce and feta…man it was good.  It doesn’t even come close to resembling taco night and all its former glory…but it was fresh, had good flavor, AND the husband liked it.  That makes it a win in my book.  So, here is the recipe.  Enjoy and let me know what YOU thought about if you make it.  Also, do you have any other non-meat based taco recipes?  SHARE if you do :)

Roasted Veg Tacos with Avocado Cream and Feta

Ingredients

Filling:

1 small zucchini, diced

1 small summer squash, diced

½ medium red onion, diced

1 ear sweet corn, removed from cob *I used canned sweet corn and drained it

1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half *I omitted this part

1 medium red pepper, diced

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons cumin

¼ teaspoon salt

Avocado Cream:

1 ripe avocado

⅓ cup full fat, plain greek yogurt

¼ cup cilantro *NOTE:  I omitted this part…because I forgot it at the grocery…but it was still good

1 tablespoons lime juice

Everything Else:

Feta or Goat Cheese

4-6 corn tortillas

Extra cilantro

Instructions

1.     Preheat oven to 400˚. Prepare all the veggies as described and toss with olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and cumin. Roast until tender and lightly browning. *I roasted them for 40 minutes.

2.     While veggies are roasting, whip together avocado, greek yogurt, cilantro, and lime juice.

3.     To assemble tacos, warm up tortillas (in the microwave wrapped in a damp paper towel or a oven with a damp tea towel) and assemble with roasted veggies, avocado cream, and a sprinkle of feta.

Source: http://naturallyella.com/2012/08/08/roasted-veg-tacos-with-avocado-cream-and-feta/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NaturallyElla+%28Naturally+Ella%29