Cooking

We're two for five on the recipes we've tried out of Deceptively Delicious. The first was the chicken nuggets, which I loved but the kids came to a screeching halt when they spotted the "orange stuff." Here are our votes on the other dishes and the recipes if you are interested in trying them yourselves:

Macaroni and Cheese 1
Mom and Dad vote: Yummy
Kiddos vote: "Yuck" and "Too Cheesy"

1 1/2 c. elbow macaroni
Nonstick cooking spray
1 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. flour
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. cauliflower puree
1 1/2 c. (8 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
4 oz. (almost 1/4 c.) cream cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. pepper

Boil pasta. Coat large saucepan with cooking spray, heat over medium heat. Add oil, then flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture resembles a thick paste, but has not browned, 1 to 2 minutes. I thought this part was tricky. On my gas stove it turned brown before it thickened so three tries later I let it cook about 15 seconds and proceeded on. Add the milk and cook, stirring every now and then, until it begins to thicken, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cauliflower puree, cheeses and seasonings and stir until the sauce is smooth. Stir in macaroni. If I make this again I'll add more pasta because it is REALLY cheesy.

Scrambled Eggs
Mom and Dad vote: Good, but a strange texture. Probably wouldn't make again.
Kiddos vote: Nope, but they were always sketchy about scrambled eggs anyway.

2 large eggs
4 large egg whites
1/4 c. sour cream
1/2 c. cauliflower puree
2 tbs. grated Parmesan
pinch of salt
nonstick cooking spray
1 tbs. olive oil

Whisk together eggs, egg whites, sour cream, cauliflower puree, Parmesan and salt. Coat skillet with cooking spray, add egg mixture and scramble. It took longer to cook than the recipe indicated and the skillet had quite a bit of water in it when it was done cooking. I just scooped the egg out being careful not to get the water with it.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Mom's vote: Great! No vote from Dad because he is a freak and doesn't like chocolate.
Kiddo's vote: Yummy, I want more!
Family over for dinner vote: They taste just like a regular cookie!

Nonstick cooking spray
1 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. margarine
2 egg whites
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (and chopped)
2 c. chocolate chips
Walnuts optional
Raisins optional
2 c. flour
1/2 c. old fashion oats
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350. Coat cookie sheet with cooking spray. Mix sugar and margarine until smooth. Beat in egg whites and vanilla, then chickpeas and chocolate. All the flour, oats, baking soda and salt, mix until thick dough forms. Drop by tablespoon on cookie sheet. Bake 11-13 minutes. I put my chickpeas in the blender and set it on food chop so there wouldn't be huge visible chickpeas in the cookies. The blender left a few whole chickpeas behind and Nathan noticed them right away. Next time I'll be sure to blend them all the way!


Pancakes
Family vote: Perfect. Will make this again and again.

Here is the recipe with my changes in italics
1 c. water (1 1/4 c. milk)
1/2 c. sweet potato puree
1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 c. pancake mix (2 c. Bisquick)
nonstick cooking spray
1 tbs. vegetable oil
Syrup

Mix all ingredients just to combine, batter should be lumpy. Cook in skillet or griddle coated with cooking spay and vegetable oil. (Short and sweet of it...I'm assuming everyone knows the basics of pancake making).

I promise my blog will not turn into a cookbook nor will I prevent Ms. Seinfeld from cookbook sales by providing a copy of all her recipes here. I will, however, share a good recipe from time to time.