Fattoush!

We all know we have to eat salads, but sometimes it's really hard to get excited about a bunch of leaves. Fattoush, a Lebanese bread salad, is a good way to have your daily dose of veggies, while keeping you interested enough to finish it! We love the version from Mark Bittman's app "How to Cook Everything"  and added our own touches to suit our tastes.

This salad is only as good as its ingredients, so try to find the best product for the best results. If you plan on having leftovers, do not dress the whole salad or toast all the pita, only what you plan on eating that night.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes (to toast your pita)

Ingredients:
Salad:

• 6 inch whole wheat pitas, cut into strips or wedges
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 vine ripened tomatoes (medium ripe). chopped and seeded
• 1 medium cucumber, diced and seeded
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped and seeded
• Choice of greens (romaine works well, or a spring mix)
• pinch of salt

Vinaigrette:

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper

Combine the parsley, tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, salt and greens in a large bowl. Set aside.

To make the dressing, whisk the olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper until it forms a creamy mixture. Store it in your favorite dressing dispenser. If you plan to refrigerate it, be sure to mix it and bring it to room temperature before using.

Add your toasted pita to the greens mixture, pour the dressing and toss! 

Crispy Cauliflower Patties

Vegetables are great, but vegetables coated in panko? Out of this world.  This is another gem from Cooking Light, with our edits to better fit a busy schedule.

Try pairing this with a some greens and a tangy vinaigrette, or place it on an English muffin for a light sandwich.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• Cakes: (makes about 8-10 patties)
• 1 head of cauliflower
• 1 peeled yellow potato, cut into 4 wedges
• 2 large shallots, sliced into quarters 
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
• 2 cups of Trader Joe's mixed shredded cheese (Parmesan, Asiago, Fontina and Provolone) or, just Fontina
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup panko, lightly toaster
• 2-4 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan cheese 
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• Sauce:
• 2 tablespoons light sour cream 
• 2 tablespoons mayo
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh chives
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Preheat oven to 400 and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. 

Cut the florets off the head and mix it with the cut potatoes and shallots. Drizzle olive oil on the mixture and spread it on the baking sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes. They should be tender. Keep the baking dish handy, you'll need it for the patties.

Cool the mixture for about 15 minutes. While it's cooling, toast the panko by placing it in a pan on low heat until lightly browned. Combine with the Parmesan in a shallow bowl.

Once the mixture is cooled, pulse until chopped. Place in a large bowl and mix in cheese, salt, pepper and the eggs.

Form small patties out of the cauliflower mixture and dredge it in the panko mixture. Line them up on the baking sheet and bake for about 12 minutes on each side.

To make the sauce, just combine the sour cream, mayo, chives, pepper and garlic. 

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Tex Mex Mac and Cheese

We wanted something a little spicy after gorging ourselves on sweets all through Thanksgiving. Rachael Ray had an interesting take on mac and cheese by adding jalapeños . It sounded interesting, but we wanted a bit more spice and have a soft spot for cheddar, so we put our spin on the recipe.

However, because of the spice, this could be an overwhelming main dish. Instead, we served this as a side with baked chicken breasts and roasted asparagus.

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 5 jalapeños, diced
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, diced
• 5 tablespoons of flour
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 cups of buttermilk (any milk is fine too, the buttermilk just added some richness)
• 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 package of tube or curly pasta like a rotini

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a 9x13 casserole dish and cook the pasta according to the package direction. 

Melt the butter slowly in a medium sauce pan, something big that will hold all the ingredients. 

When the butter is melted, add the jalapeños, onion and garlic. Cook until tender. 

Add the flour, cumin and chili powder and stir until smooth. Then slowly add the milk, stirring until well incorporated. Once the mixture looks smooth, add the cheese gradually. Stir until thick.

Mix the sauce with the pasta. Put the mixture in the casserole dish and sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly on top. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling.