Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

Have you heard of Hungry Girl?  She makes awesome, guilty-pleasures, healthy - and they taste just as good, if not better!  So when I came across a mac & cheese recipe that was actually healthy, I went for it.  Now, I'm usually no fan of homemade mac & cheese, but this one - I can't get enough of!

Maybe because of the cheesy cauliflower goodness or the three wedges of Laughing Cow cheese, and the pasta, while not much, is just enough.

This is one mac & cheese recipe I don't feel guilty eating!

Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

What You Need:

• 3 boxes frozen cauliflower with cheese sauce
• 2 cups uncooked pasta
• 3 wedges Laughing Cow Light Swiss

That's it!

How You Do It:

1. In a large pot, cook pasta as directed.
2. While the pasta cooks, empty the frozen cauliflower in to microwave-safe bowl.  Microwave 10 minutes, stir, and continue cooking until hot.
3. Unwrap cheese wedges and in a small microwave-safe bowl, heat for 10 seconds.  Stir into cauliflower mixture.
4. Once pasta cooks, drain and fold into cauliflower/cheese mixture.

Stuffed Chicken Parmesan

When I got home from work tonight, I wanted nothing more than to sit on the couch and close my eyes... so tired!  I had something a little more putzy to put together tonight, but instead, I opted for a 5-minute prep dinner.  And for not wanting to do much of anything, this one came out pretty well.

You might remember the concept from when I made Cheesy Salsa Chicken a while back by stuffing a chicken breast with a wedge of Laughing Cow - this was made the same way.  This time, however, I went for the flavors of Chicken Parmesan.

5 minutes to prep, 30 minutes in the oven... even on the tired-est of nights, you can pull this one off!

Stuffed Chicken Parmesan

Stuffed Chicken Parmesan

What You Need:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 wedges, Light Swiss Laughing Cow Cheese
• 2 tbsp spaghetti sauce
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
• Cooking spray

How You Do It:

1. Carefully split the chicken breasts in half, careful not to cut all the way through.
2. Spread one wedge of cheese inside each chicken breast.  Top with one tablespoon spaghetti sauce and place in shallow baking dish.
3. Combine parmesan and panko.  Top each chicken breast with topping and spray with cooking spray.
4. Bake at 375* for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Cheesy Salsa Chicken with Cheesy Broccoli Orzo

Tonight's dinner was brought to you by cheese!  Not only was the chicken stuffed with cheese in a three-ingredient chicken dish, but the orzo was packed full of it too!

Stuffed chicken offers an open door of possibilities and flavors... tonight's was simple:  cheese and salsa.  Yum and yum.  And a delicious chicken dish it did make.

As for the orzo, over the weekend the hubs and I indulged ourselves at the New Jersey Jazz It Up Festival.  Not only was there live music, but there were 21 different wineries sampling at least ten varieties each.... that's a lot of wine tastings!  We had an awesome (and delicious!) time... and came across a stand selling flavored pasta.  We picked up a few bags, including the Lemon Garlic Orzo I used in tonight's side dish.

A complete meal totally worth a try!

Cheesy Salsa Chicken

Cheesy Salsa Chicken with
Cheesy Broccoli Orzo

What You Need:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 wedges Laughing Cow Light Swiss Cheese
• 1/2 c salsa

How You Do It:

1. Carefully split each chicken breast making a pocket inside, mindful not to cut all the way through the chicken.
2. Spread one wedge of cheese on one side of the chicken (inside).  Top with salsa.
3. Place in a baking dish and cover with foil.
4. Bake at 350*, covered 20 minutes.  Then remove foil and bake an additional 20 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked.

Cheesy Broccoli Orzo

What You Need:

• 1 c orzo
• 2 cups fresh broccoli florets
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/4 c shredded cheese
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• 1/3 c milk

How You Do It:

1. Cook orzo in boiling water about 3 minutes.
2. Add broccoli and cook until broccoli is tender and orzo is fully cooked.  Drain well.
3. Return mixture to pot and add milk, butter, and cheeses.  Stir until butter and cheese is melted.

Cheesy Salsa Chicken adapted from Hungry Girl.
Cheesy Broccoli Orzo adapted from IowaGirlEats.com