Friday Foodday

Happy Friday! Here are some of my favorite recipes from this week.

Roasted Garlic and Vegetable Pizza
c/o Stephanie Cooks

Ingredients
1 head of garlic
olive oil
1/2 cup marinara sauce
pizza crust
2 cups assorted cooked veggies, diced small
3 ounces grilled chicken, diced small
1/4 cup cheddar cheese*
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese*


Directions
1- Preheat the oven to 350. Cut the top off the head of garlic, drizzle with olive oil, and wrap in foil. Bake for 1 hour. Once it's done squeeze the roasted garlic out of the bulb and mash with a fork.
2- Mix the marinara sauce with the roasted garlic paste and set aside.
3- Assemble your pizza crust. Top with a thin layer of sauce, veggies, and chicken. Sprinkle the cheese on top and bake 10-12 minutes, until your crust is golden and cheese is melted.


Panera's Stovetop Mac and Cheese
c/o A Taste of Home Cooking

Ingredients
16 oz pipette pasta or other small pasta shapes
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk, heavy cream, or half-and-half
4 oz white American cheese, chopped or torn into pieces
8 oz extra sharp white Vermont cheddar, shredded
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (like Frank’s)


Directions
In a large stockpot, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well.

While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a 4-quart sauce pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and has started to bubble, whisk in the flour; cook for 1 1/2 minutes whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in the milk until no lumps remain. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook milk mixture, whisking frequently, until it thickens and bubbles, about 8 minutes.

Remove sauce pan from the heat and by the handful, stir in the cheeses allowing all of the cheese to melt into the sauce before adding more. Stir in the mustard, salt, and hot sauce. Return the sauce pan to the heat and stir in the pasta. Be sure to stir up the sauce from the bottom of the sauce pan and thoroughly coat all of the pasta with sauce. Cook for 1-2 minutes over medium-low heat until heated through. Serve hot. 


BLT Macaroni Salad
c/o Skinny Taste

Ingredients

• 8 oz uncooked elbows, low carb or whole grain (brown rice pasta for gf)
• 4 slices 25% reduced fat center cut bacon
• 2 large ripe tomatoes, beefsteak or vine ripe, diced small
• 4 tbsp reduced fat mayonnaise (I used Hellman's)
• salt and fresh pepper to taste
• 2 cups baby spinach

Directions

In a large skillet cook bacon on medium-low heat until crispy on both sides.


In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package directions.

Chop tomatoes and combine it along with any accumulated juice with mayonnaise and pepper in a medium bowl. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water to cool. Combinepasta with tomatoes and spinach mixing well. Toss in bacon right before serving.