Tune = changed...

Hey, all!  How are you guys doing??  Sorry for such a long delay.  I ended up with Katie's cold by the middle of last week = food wasn't terribly interesting, quickly followed by leaving my camera at my Mom's house while we made ravioli's for Easter over the weekend...

#hotmess

But we're finally all recovered and I have 2 GREAT recipes to share with you guys.  They are both COMPLETELY DELICIOUS that your whole family should will love and they are SUPER HEALTHY to boot!

FIRST UP:  Broccoli & cheese quinoa patties!

I know, I know...you probably won't get a rousing jumping up & down when you announce these are for dinner.  I sure didn't.  I had been threatening telling Scott I was going to make these for the past couple weeks and finally the day had arrived.  Unenthused would be an understatement.  In fact, as we sat down to eat he said "how bad could they be??  That's a rousing endorsement for dinner."  Hardy har har.

His tune soon changed...weeeeeeeee! 

A quick mix of:

• 1 cup cooked & cooled quinoa
• 1 cup cooked & diced broccoli
• 1/4-1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 diced onion (sauteed if you want a more subdued flavor)
• salt & pepper to taste

Gather into patties and place on an olive oil-drizzled skillet and flatten with a spatula...

Grill each side for about 5 minutes, or until nice and crisp...

And after the 1st bite, Scott quickly proclaimed "I may have to change my opinion of quinoa patties."  These things were a HIT!  (even with Katie)  The quinoa added lots of texture, the cheese & breadcrumb gave a flavorful crunch and they are LOADED with health benefits from the quinoa AND broccoli.

Confession:  I actually don't LOOOVVEEE quinoa.  It's definitely one of those foods I eat 'more because it's healthy' than others, but grilled up this way is the WAY TO GO.  (or as muffins...those are pretty awesome too!)

But next up, my favorite healthy meal of the week so far:  ROASTED GARLIC CREAM SAUCE!

Oh wait...did I just say 'healthy' and 'cream sauce' in the same sentence????  

OH YES I DID!  Because the creamy, dreamy texture does not come from heavy cream BUT RATHER...

ARE YOU READY???

CAULIFLOWER!!!!!!

Believe me, I was JUST as skeptical as you are sitting reading this, but THIS RECIPE from Lindsay is ABSOLUTELY GENIUS!

You simply boil a chopped head of cauliflower in 6 cups of chicken or veggie broth until they are SUPER soft, all while toasting up 6 minced cloves of garlic in 1 tablespoon of butter. 

Then whip up the cauliflower, 2 cups of the cooking broth, salt, pepper, a dash of nutmeg and the toasted garlic into a food processor or blender until smooth....

While it's whirling around, stream in 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  I don't really even know if THIS was even necessary, but I thought I'd try it for my first test taste.

Pour the sauce back into a skillet and heat until warmed through.  I also added a dash of 2% milk and 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan for some extra flavor.    

As soon as I tasted this, it BLEW MY MIND!  I didn't even tell Scott what it was made out of till he was done and he couldn't believe it.  I think a majority of the flavor comes from boiling the cauliflower in the broth and the 6 garlic cloves, so DO NOT skip either of these steps.  And be sure to season generously with salt & pepper...and you'll have sheer perfection!  All 'alfredo/cream sauce' cravings CURED for a gazillion (trust me...that's TOTALLY accurate) less calories!

1 head of cauliflower made enough for 3 servings and I STILL have some leftover...and I already have some plans for itJ  I'm starting to think 'cauliflower sauce' may end up creeping into quite a few of my dishes in the future!  Why cook with cream when you can cook with cauliflower???  WIN ALL AROUND!

PLEASE give these recipes a try and let me know what you think.  I PROMISE you won't be disappointed!

Alright...better get myself up and movin!  Yoga is callin me TODAY after my missed Wednesday class last week.

Have a great Wednesday!J