Friday Foodday

Happy Friday lovebugs,

Here are my favorite recipes for the week!

BLT Macaroni Salad

c/o Skinny Taste

Ingredients

• 8 oz uncooked elbows, low carb or whole grain
• 4 slices 25% reduced fat center cut bacon
• 2 large ripe tomatoes, beefsteak or vine ripe, diced small
• 4 tbsp reduced fat mayonnaise 
• 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. Combine pasta with tomatoes and spinach mixing well. Toss in bacon right before serving.

15 Minute Creamy Avacado Pasta

c/o Oh She Glows

Ingredients

1 medium sized ripe Avocado, pitted

1/2 lemon, juiced + lemon zest to garnish

1-3 garlic cloves, to taste

1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste

~1/4 cup Fresh Basil

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 servings/6 oz of your choice of pasta 

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Bring several cups of water to a boil in a medium sized pot. Add in your pasta, reduce heat to medium, and cook until Al Dente, about 8-10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, make the sauce by placing the garlic cloves, lemon juice, and olive oil into a food processor. Process until smooth. Now add in the pitted avocado, basil, and salt. Process until smooth and creamy.

3. When pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse in a strainer and place pasta into a large bowl. Pour on sauce and toss until fully combined. Garnish with lemon zest and black pepper. Serve immediately. Makes 2 servings.

Salted Fudge Brownies

c/o A Taste of Home Cooking

Ingredients

1 and 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
2 ounces unsweetened or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light or dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon Maldon sea salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line an 8x8 inch or 9x9 inch square baking pan with tinfoil, then generously butter or grease the foil.

In a large saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate. Stir occasionally until the mixture is uniform. Turn off the stove and remove the saucepan from the heat. 

Whisk in the cocoa until it is fully incorporated. Do the same with both sugars, eggs, vanilla and flour. Be sure to add in each ingredient individually and fully mix them in before adding the next one.

Transfer the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. Evenly sprinkle the sea salt over the top of the batter. Using a spatula or knife, swirl the salt into the brownie batter. 

Bake the brownies in the center rack of your oven for about 35 minutes, or until the edges are done but the center is still slightly gooey. If you insert a toothpick into the center, it should come up with a little bit of the brownie batter.

Remove the brownies and set on a wire rack to cool for at least 1 hour. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator to cool for an additional hour.

After the brownies have been chilled, cut them into 16 squares and serve at room temperature.

The brownies can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.