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Tuna Noodle Casserole was a weekly dish in my house growing up. Mom loved to make it and we loved to eat it. It was a win-win for the cook and the kids! Tuna Noodle Casserole is now one of those dishes that instantly takes me back to the comforts of childhood. Another dish that has that effect? Mac N' Cheese! Rachael managed to pull two of my childhood favorites into a dish that fits young and mature taste buds alike.
Bring these two classics together in your grown-up kitchen by trying out a lighter version of Rachael's TUNA MELT MAC N' CHEESE! You're gonna love it!
TUNA MELT MAC N' CHEESE
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound WHOLE WHEAT elbows with lines
1-1/2 TBSP EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
2 TBSP "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" Light Spread
12 ounces canned tuna, drained
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 to 2 small ribs celery, finely chopped
1 lemon, juiced
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons flour
About 2 1/2 cups NON-FAT/SKIM milk
2 cups grated REDUCED FAT white Cheddar
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cook the pasta to less than al dente, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a large bowl, flake the tuna and add the herbs, onions, mustard, celery, lemon juice, EVOO and some salt and pepper.
Add the pasta and combine well. Transfer to a baking dish or large casserole dish (or individual baking dishes, as pictured at top).
In a medium saucepan (or sauce pot), melt 2 tablespoons ICBINB. Whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute. Then whisk in the milk and season with salt and pepper, thicken to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in the light white cheddar.
Pour the sauce evenly over the pasta and tuna. Gently combine with a spoon to settle the sauce.
Top the casserole with Parm cheese. Bake until golden and hot through (about 10-15 minutes).
Be sure to watch it; checking frequently after 10 minutes.
RESULTS:
The outcome of this recipe was wonderful! It definitely took me back to my childhood. Now I know I can have the same comforts of the "good ol' days" in a way that fits my nutritional needs of today. Try it out and let me know what you think!
**If the fat and calories still look a little high for you, you can try using fat-free cheese instead of reduced-fat (or half reduced/half fat-free). That is where you have a little flexibility to make it fit your own cookin' lean standards. Either way, you can't go wrong.
NUTRITION FACTS (Per Serving)~
BEFORE~ 885.8 calories / 45.4g fat / 75.5g carbohydrate / 42.3g protein / 4g fiber
AFTER~ 535 calories / 17g fat / 53g carbohydrate / 39.6g protein / 5.5g fiber
SAVES~ 350.8 calories / 28.4g fat / 22.5g carbohydrate
ADDS ~ 1.5g fiber
Dig in!
Rachael's Original Recipe for TUNA MELT MAC N' CHEESE.
This blog is all about taking my favorite Food Network star dishes and cookin' them lean. For this post, I am not using a star recipe...but it was featured in Food Network Magazine, which I believe makes it star quality. The truth is that it just looked too flippin' good to pass up! So here it is! My cookin' lean version of a high-end, bowling alley favorite; Lucky Strike's Apple and Brie Quessadillas.
APPLE and BRIE QUESADILLAS
Recipe adapted from Lucky Strike for Food Network Magazine
SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS
- 1 Granny Smith Apple, chopped
- 1 tablespoon "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" Original Spread
- 4 8-inch Whole Wheat tortillas
- 8 ounces LIGHT Brie cheese, sliced (rind removed, if desired)
- 1 tablespoon whole grain spicy mustard
- 1 tablespoon light maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons "Ready to Serve" Oscar Mayer Real Bacon Bits
DIRECTIONS
Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat. Melt 1/2 tablespoon "ICBINB", then toss the apple pieces and bacon bits in the melted butter and cook, turning occasionally, until apples are tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
Lay the tortillas on a cutting board. Top each with one-quarter each of the grilled apple/bacon medley and brie on one side, then fold the tortillas in half to cover the filling.
Heat the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of "ICBINB" in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, cook the quesadillas until golden brown and the cheese melts, about 2 minutes per side.
Meanwhile, mix the mustard and lite maple syrup in a bowl.
Slice each quesadilla into wedges. Drizzle with the maple-mustard syrup.
RESULTS
The major savings in this recipe were incredibly easy. I promise you will feel like you are splurging, not making a lean meal. The flavor is fantastic! We saved by replacing the 4 tbsp of EVOO with just one tbsp of our friend, "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter". The other big saver was using the light brie in place of the orginal. Let's not forget the calorie saving we get from using light syrup and whole wheat/low-carb tortillas.
Give this recipe a try and see for yourself how yummy this bowling alley inspired dish really is!
And check out the calories you will be saving!
Nutrition Facts(per serving):
BEFORE~515 calories
AFTER~ 299.75 calories
SAVES~ 215.25 calories
If you are looking for an easy dinner or app to throw together...this is it! A little slicing, chopping, sprinkling and stirring and you are looking at a unique twist to a classic everyone loves. Even the kids will love the slightly safisticated taste of this quesadilla. Try it out the next time you are craving something different, but don't have the time to dive into something complicated. Sometimes less is more.
Enjoy!!!
First.... HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! I don't know about you, but I am very thankful for a lot of things in my life. One of those many things happens to be sharing my love of food and fitness with you through this blog. So for a special day like today, I wanted to do a little more. How about two recipes in one post?!?!? Sounded good to me!
These two recipes make a complete meal. Inspired by original recipes from Rachael Ray, this is a dish that is sure to impress without costing you too much time or money. We made this on a busy weeknight just before leaving town for Thanksgiving vacation. With all that needed to be done to get ready, there was still time after work (between the packing, laundry and cleaning), to throw together a meal that is bursting with great flavor and powerful nutrients. It offers a ton of healthy fats and protein; just what you need to fuel your holiday shopping and perfect for those busy nights during the Christmas season. Instead of ordering in, try this!
Save this one for next week as you get back on track after your turkey day feast!
WELL-DRESSED SALMON
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
2 small plum tomatoes
1/2 English (seedless) cucumber
1/4 red onion, finely chopped, divided
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons SPLENDA
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus a drizzle
1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 skinless salmon fillets (6 ounces each)
DIRECTIONS
Dice the cucumber into quarter-inch pieces. Leave on the peel. Seed and dice the tomatoes into quarter-inch pieces. Combine the cucumber, tomatoes and half of the red onion(half of the 1/4 cup) in a bowl and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, SPLENDA and white wine vinegar and the remaining half of the red onion. Gently mix in the EVOO while continuing to whisk. Stir in the dill and season the dressing with salt and pepper, to taste.
Season the salmon with a little black pepper. Heat a nonstick skillet with a drizzle of EVOO over medium-high heat (1/4-1/2 tablespoon is all you need). Place the salmon rounded side down and cook until golden and a little crispy at the edges, 3-4 minutes. Flip and cook for 2 minutes more for a pink center, or 4 minutes for opaque fish.
Transfer the salmon to dinner or serving plates; top with the cucumber-tomato relish and cover with a liberal amount of dill dressing.
RESULTS
Salmon, veggies and EVOO are healthy to begin with. They are packed with nutritional goodness and loads of healthy fats. With that being said, we don't need to use more than we need. So to cut back a little with this dish, I simply scaled down the amount of EVOO used and substituted a little SPLENDA in place of the sugar. Other than that, the recipe stayed the same. The real changes came in the side dish below!
Check out the nutritional savings for the salmon....
NUTRITION FACTS (per serving):
BEFORE: 300.8 calories / 16g fat / 13.3g carbohydrate / 21g protein / .63g fiber
AFTER: 178.6 calories / 9g fat / 4.8g carbohydrates / 21g protein / 1.1g fiber
SAVES: 122.2 calories / 7g fat / 8.5g carbohydrates
ADDS: .47g fiber
CRISPY MASHED POTATO CAKES
Serves 4 (Makes 8 Cakes)
INGREDIENTS
4 ounces FAT FREE Philadelphia Cream Cheese
2 pounds red potatoes
2 tablespoons FAT FREE sour cream
2 scallions, very finely chopped
2 eggs (Egg Whites Only), lightly beaten
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)~ 1/4 TBSP for each batch of 4 cakes
DIRECTIONS
Dice the potatoes and add them to a large pot. Cover with water and salt the water. Bring to boil over medium heat and cook until tender.
Drain the potatoes and return to the hot pot to dry. In a microwave-safe bowl, soften the cream cheese for 20 seconds on high in the microwave. Add the cream cheese to the potatoes along with the sour cream, scallions, egg whites and salt and pepper, to taste. Mash the potatoes to combine the mixture.
Heat EVOO in nonstick skillet over medium heat (If doing one batch, heat all 1/2 TBSP. If doing 2 batches like I did, heat 1/4 TBSP first, then add for 2nd batch). Drop 2-inch mounds of the potato mixture (approximately eight mounds) into the skillet and gently press down to flatten a bit. Crisp the potatoes until deeply golden on each side, about 7-8 minutes total.
RESULTS
These things were incredible! I mean, think about it....potatoes, cream cheese, sour cream, mashed and fried crispy! The only thing that could have made these things more heavenly would be bacon. But without the bacon, they were still amazing. Even more amazing...check out the savings with a couple simple switches, especially in the fat department! And I promise, you won't miss a bit of flavor!!
NUTRITION FACTS (per serving of 2 cakes):
BEFORE: 305 calories / 18.7g fat / 25.9g carbohydrates / 6.3g protein / 4g fiber
AFTER: 164.3 calories / 1.3g fat / 27.6g carbohydrate / 10.2g protein / 4g fiber
SAVES: 140.7 calories / 17.4g fat / 1.7g carbohydrate
ADDS: 3.9g protein
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