While soufflés have a reputation for being challenging to make, following a few simple techniques can deliver you a beautiful soufflé each time. This is one of those recipes that encourages the exact right kitchen tools for an accurate result. In case you were thinking about getting rid of that old wooden spoon, think again!
1. Start with a spotlessly clean bowl and balloon whisk (an electric mixer with a whisk will work too) 2. If you don’t have a copper bowl, a pinch of cream of tartar is the secret ingredient to stabilize the egg white foam 3. Use a rubber spatula to fold (sweeping over & under motion) the egg whites into the soufflé base. Your goal is to keep the egg whites as puffy as possible
chopped basil, tomato & fresh grated cheese to garnish
Instructions
Cut the Zucchini in half lengthwise and use a teaspoon to scoop out the seedy center. Then using a vegetable peeler, carefully peel zucchini into long ribbons. Place in large bowl and set aside.
In medium saucepan, heat olive oil on medium low, then add garlic. Cook garlic until it is golden brown, then add in the whipping cream. Bring to a simmer on medium heat—about 4-5 minutes—then add Parmesan, cayenne, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to simmer once again and stir frequently until cheese is melted—about 3-4 minutes. Reduce heat to lowest and keep warm.
In large saucepan, heat olive oil on medium heat, then add zucchini ribbons. Sauté ribbons until they just start to soften about 3-5 then salt and pepper to taste. If there is excess moisture at the bottom of the pan, drain before adding the Alfredo sauce.
Mix sauce into noodles completely. Serve with fresh diced tomato, torn fresh basil, and shaved Parmesan.
Notes
Reduce the carbs and calories and use zucchini ribbons instead of pasta!
It’s Graduation season and we are ready to host again! You don’t have to live along the southern border to make it a Mexican themed dinner. We might be the Montana State Bobcats, but who doesn’t like a little tequila and tortillas?
We are fortunate to have a Mexican market in town, so I plan to hit them up (the morning of) to pick up thier fresh made salsa, queso and guacamole, but the rest I was able to purchase at the neighborhood grocery store. Don’t forget an assortment of tortillas for your gluten free or vegetarian guests.
This was a super easy menu to compile because it started with a mainstay in our house… I have been making this burrito recipe for 30 years. Burritos Bellingham was a favorite of my husband’s from college. His mom would make large pans of the burritos and send them with the boys to college because they freeze beautifully. You can make two extra large pans at a time, serve one for dinner and freeze the second for a day when you don’t feel like cooking or have unexpected company. They are from a family favorite cookbook, Best of Friends, Etc. by Darlene Glantz Skees, which I’ve shared with you many times before, but of course, I am known to tweak for my own personal preferences.
I grew up making and enjoying a broccoli casserole made with Campbell’s soup, frozen broccoli, rice and cheddar cheese. It’s a fabulous recipe and one I would be willing to make tomorrow, if only…. Apparently rice is not in my future anytime soon, but chicken and broccoli certainly are. I was yearning for something a bit creamy and chicken sounded more tasty today than fish. Don’t get me wrong, the fish we’ve had lately has been phenomenal – except the halibut. That’s a conversation for another day, but I’m going to have to get creative with the rest of the halibut because all it did was remind me why I used to never eat white fish unless it was fried along with a whole bunch of ‘chips.’
I’m a bit off topic here, so let’s get back to the chicken and broccoli.
While I did do a bit of recipe surfing to make up my mind what I wanted to make for dinner, this is truly my own recipe and one I’m very proud of. It was so good, I had to separate myself from the table so I wouldn’t go back for seconds. The next time I make it, I plan to try coconut creamer rather than whipping cream to ensure a dairy free version. I did use thighs because, simply, that’s what was in the freezer. Breast meat is never as moist as dark, so when I use breast meat, personally, I might opt for chicken breast tenderloins but with the sauce it is unlikely the dish will be dry unless you happen to overcook it.
No, I didn’t get lost. No, we didn’t fall off the bandwagon.
Yes, we’re still eating more healthily and truly enjoying it! But life has been busy too. I’ve found as empty nesters, we just don’t need “daily” meal plans. There is almost always leftovers so we’ve been cleaning out the fridge for starters. We have been out of town and skiing a bit, so full kitchen prep simply hasn’t been in the cards. Making wise selections in a restaurant, or even in the produce aisle at the grocery store with some packaged salads has simply been a reality at times. Yes, sometimes life gets in the way of our meal plans but it doesn’t mean we have to give up on our goals. Another thing that has kept me focused is I know for a fact that one (minor) cheat meal out of 21 very focused meals is not going to ruin it all. Sometimes we need a little encouragement to stay the course.
Recently when we were home for an evening meal, I found an interesting recipe for Cauliflower Parmesan in the Delish online magazine, but it wasn’t going to be sufficient for us without some (meat) protein. We are not, and never will be vegetarians! Originally, all I wrote on the recipe was “add chicken!” In the end, I revised a great deal of the recipe AGAIN because of what I had on hand and what is on my “approved” food list. For instance, the original recipe called for 1 1/2 c. marinara sauce. I’m really not to be eating tomatoes at all right now, and honestly, I’m not a big fan of a ton of sauce anyway. So, reducing it to only 1 cup was sufficient. I think I could even go down to 3/4 of cup and it would be okay. If you do need the moisture to protect those chicken breasts, consider cutting the marinara sauce with some water. You’ll save money and calories, still having plenty of good flavor. By the way, it turned out beautifully and I would make it again in a heartbeat! Better yet, there’s a second meal waiting in the fridge.
2-3tbspextra virgin olive oil(I used caramelized garlic olive oil)
salt & pepper
1lbskinless chicken breasts or thighs
1cmarinara sauce
1/4cgrated Parmesan cheesedivided
1cshredded mozarella cheese
1/2tspdried basil
crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375° and prepare an 11×7 baking dish.
Layer the riced cauliflower on the bottom of the dish. Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Top with thin chicken breasts (consider cutting at least in half horizontally) or chicken thighs and marinara sauce.
Sprinkle with mozarella and half of the Parmesan.
Bake for 30 minutes. Top with remaining Parmesan, basil and red pepper flakes.
Return to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese are turning golden brown. Double check your chicken for doneness with a meat thermometer before serving.
I served a fresh green salad on the side with a tiny bit of balsamic vinegar and oil. Beautiful color and a very easy meal. I hope you enjoy it as well.
Do you like what you read here? Shop Now for all the tools needed to make this awesome dinner on our sister site, La Cuisine, a French inspired kitchen store. We might be located in Bozeman, MT but we ship UPS nationwide.
It has been a full day for healthy meals straight from our kitchen. We started off with some good, old fashioned egg salad sandwiches. Truth be told, they weren’t quite ‘old-fashioned’ but they were super healthy while still being very tasty.
Start with your bread… Manna from Heaven low carb bread. I followed “The Blood Sugar Diet” recipe, but needed to make a quick substitution due to the lack of psyllium husk powder in the grocery store. Due to a quick Google search, I opted for 2 tbsp ground chia seeds which I already had on hand. Check out my video making the bread, which I guarantee we will have again…
Next up, the Greek Yogurt Egg Salad from Damn Delicious. Instead of a crispy, warm baguette, I served a deconstructed sandwich with a small wedge of Manna from Heaven bread, a large lettuce leaf and 1/2 an avocado sliced alongside 2 scoops of egg salad.
And it’s now time for dinner…. man, we are eating well today!
Are you craving spaghetti? How about a low-carb, no sugar compromise with zucchini noodles and turkey meatballs?
Preheat oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix ground turkey, egg, parmesan, oil, parsley and spices to a large bowl using a wooden spoon until well incorporated.
Using a medium sized scooper, portion out the meatballs on the baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes.
Garlic Butter Zoodles
Melt butter in a large skillet; add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add zucchini noodles and toss in the garlic butter; squeeze the lemon for the juice.
Cook until the liquid is mostly absorbed.
Top with the meatballs and sprinkle remaining Parmesan cheese.
The only thing that would make this day better for food would be a hot, fresh chocoalte chip cookie straight from the oven…. A girl can dream, can’t she? 😉
Do you like what you read here? Shop Now for all the tools needed to make this awesome dinner on our sister site, La Cuisine, a French inspired kitchen store. We might be located in Bozeman, MT but we ship UPS nationwide.
