Gnocchi Mac & Cheese

Mac & Cheese, really, who doesn't like Mac & Cheese? I, for one, love it. I love anything with cheese really, but anything with cheese sauces gets an extra kudos. Its comfort food. Its easy. Its delicious.

I recently started an online weight loss support group, because don't I know I need it, but in the back of my mind I have had this recipe: GNOCCHI MAC & CHEESE. The page is very motivating and knowing that I would soon get rid of "unhealthy" items in my kitchen. I figured I might as well get it out of my system, and boy was it worth it.

Ingredients

Packages gnocchi (you can use homemade too)
2 tbsp butter
1tbsp flour
4 chopped garlic cloves or to taste
1/4 cup mozzarella
1/4 cup sharp cheddar (you can use any cheese mix you like. These are just what I had)
3/4 cup milk
Parmesan Cheese (I only had powdered)
1tsp mustard
Salt/Pepper
Red Pepper Powder (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a pan melt the butter. Once melted, add the garlic and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Add the flour and mix well. Cook for about 1 minute.

Add milk and mustard. Whisk it well. Let it thicken.

Add Cheese a little at a time until well melted.

Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper.

Place cooked gnocchi in a shallow oven safe dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.


Pour sauce over gnocchi. Sprinkle with parmesan.

Stick in oven and bake for 30 minutes. The last 5 minutes or so I raised the oven to 450 degrees for that extra browning.


I think I actually enjoyed this more than Mac & Cheese.

A few minutes after making it, I had some hungry guests come over, and they had 2 bowls of it each. So now I definitely know its as yummy as I thought it was.

Shrimp Quesadillas/Tacos

I love Mexican food. I can never get enough.

This weeked we wanted something quick and easy. We also wanted shrimp. So the perfect solution was to make some quesadillas.

We made this recipe in a cinch. It's great for get togethers or just for a yummy lunch or dinner.

Ingredients

1 lb deveined shrimps

Shredded cheese (I used the one with 4 kinds of Mexican cheeses)

Cotija Cheese (I found a crumbled one)

Flour Tortillas(small ones)

Avocados

Sour Cream

Olive Oil

Mrs. Dash SouthWest Chipotle Seasoning

Grill

Lime

Marinade for Shrimp:

There are no amounts because really I just eye balled it. You can add as much or as little of each ingredient as you like.

Mrs. Dash Seasoning

Salt/Pepper

Juice of 1/2 a lime

Olive Oil

Leave them in the marinade for about 30 minutes (refridgerated).

Saute them in a pan until they get nice and pink. (10-15 minutes)

Set aside.

Place tortillas on grill. Add the shredded cheese and let melt for a few minutes.

Once cheese is melted, add the shrimp, the cortija cheese, and some more shredded cheese.

You can take them off the grill here and eat them like tacos. We opted for quesadillas and placed another tortilla on top of the 2nd mound of cheese. You can flip the quesadilla over or if you are using a sandwhich press, lower the top.

Cut avocado slices and place on top of the quesadilla or inside of the tacos.

Top with a dollop of sour cream.

Portabello Mushroom Sandwich

These sandwiches were easy to make and oh so delicious! It was a light and flavorful.

I am not going to specify quantity, because sandwiches are to your liking. You can add more of or less of whatever you want.


Ingredients:

Arnold's Sandwhich thins (LOVE THEM!)

Large Portabello Mushrooms (Not baby)
Avocados
Red Onions
Peppers (I used orange)
Spinach
Tomatoes
Gorgonzola Cheese Crumbles
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil
Salt/Pepper
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes


Pre-heat oven to 350

Season the mushroom with some olive oil, balsamic, salt, pepper, and crushed pepper flakes.

Place the mushrooms on a small metal rack in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Once tender, remove them.

In the meantime, grill the onions and the peppers on a George Forman grill or stovetop grill. If you dont have one you can add them raw or saute them in a pan.

Place the mushroom on one of the slices on Thin Bread, add peppers and onions, sprinkle with cheese, and put it in the oven again, just enough for the bread to crisp.

In a seperate bowl, make a salad with the spinach and the tomatoes. Add a bit more balsamic, oil, salt and pepper. Then place a mound of this on the sandwich.

Finish it off by cutting 3 strips of avocado and placing it in top.

Sicilian Arancine (Fried Risotto Balls)

I've been staring at the jar of Arborio rice I bought and while back and wondered what other recipes I can do with it. While googleing some ideas, I came upon one that caught my attention. FRIED RISOTTO BALLS.

After reading the recipe, and seeing a lot of steps, I kinda chickened out, but the words fried and risotto kept ringing in my ears. It was, afterall, a quiet Saturday at home. Hubby is at work and the little one is at my grandmother's.

After a quick check of what I needed, I was off to the market.

Ingredients:

5-6 cups chicken broth (1 32 ounce box)
bijol for color (I went addind teeny bits until it got a creamy color)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 small onion, diced
2 cups Arborio
2 tablespoons grated cheese Parmigianno Reggiano cheese
2-3 egg whites
2 cups panko (I used Italian style, but next time will use regular)
1 egg, beaten

FILLINGS:
- thick meat sauce
-cheese of you choice


The Rice:

You are going to need 2 pans. A deep pan for the risotto and a smaller one to keep the broth warm.

Start warming the broth on the bruner right next to where you will ba making the risotto.

In the deep pan, start warming the olive oil and the butter. Add in the onion and cook for a few minutes on low heat. Add a pinch of salt.

Raise the heat and add the rice. Cook for a few minutes until rice gets a darker white shade.

Add 3 ladlefuls of broth and turn down your heat enough for it to simmer, not boil.

Add bijol (in tiny amounts)and cheese and stir.

When the risotto has absorbed all liquid, add a few more ladlefuls.

Continue stirring and adding broth until rice is tender. Let cool.

Making the balls

Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper.

In 3 seperate bowls put the bread crums/panko, beaten egg whites, and the filling of choice.

Mix 1 whole beaten egg in the cooled risotto and mix well.

Using a spoon get, mound a spoonfull of risotto into the palm of you hand. Using the same spoon, make a indentation in the middle, and place filling inside. Mine came out a little creamy, but it still worked.

Add some risotto over it to cover filling. Roll into a ball.

Dip in egg whites, then into the bread crumbs, and place on wax paper.

When they are complete place in fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.

The Frying:

Fill a pan with enough oil to cover the risotto balls halfway. When the oil gets hot, place a couple of the balls in the oil. Turn them over occasionally to make sure they don't burn.

Remove and place in a dish lined with paper towels.

QUICK TIPS:

- DO NOT add more than a pinch of salt to the risotto (I didn't follow the recipe and found it a bit over salty at the end)

-I used panko with Italian seasoning and didnt like the flavor. Perhaps this is what made them oversalty.

-If you fry the balls in oil that is too hot, they will brown outside before they cook inside. If this happens, place them in the over for 10-15 minutes on 325 degrees. (See left)

- You can serve this with a nice dipping sauce. I used a bit of thick meat sauce.

Perfection!

These are the cheese filled ones.