Tag: recipes

recipes

Gouda Mac-n-Cheese

tlkitchen

Hey there foodies happy Monday! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend and are all ready to take on this week with stride. Speaking of this week, Thanksgiving is on Thursday!!! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and I am very excited to celebrate with the ones I love and the food I love. I figured while there is still time to sneak in some food shopping, I would share my absolute favorite Mac-n-Cheese recipe! It took me a few tries to perfect it but now it is perfect and would make a great addition to your holiday table.

What you need:

  • 1 16oz box Elbow pasta
  • 2 7oz wheels smoked Gouda cheese, cubed or shredded
  • 1 8oz bag Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 2 1/2 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 2 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tsp salt

Method:

  • Bring to boil a large pot of water (around 5-6 cups) and add pasta. Cook until noodles are tender. Drain noodles but do not rinse.
  • In a sauce pan: melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Mix together to create a roux (This helps thicken the cheese sauce).
  • In same pan add in milk, black pepper and salt.
  • Occasionally stir until milk starts to thicken. You can tell it’s thick by placing a spoon into mixture and milk will stick to the back of the spoon.
  • Cube or shredded Gouda cheese
  • Add Gouda cheese and half a bag of Cheddar to thicken milk and stir. At this time take the sauce off the heat and stir until cheese melts.
  • Pour cheese sauce over cooked pasta and mix well.
  • Pour into an oven safe dish, top second half of cheddar cheese on top and bake in the oven on 375 for 15-20 minutes
  • Let cool and enjoy!
recipes

Nacho Normal Fries

tlkitchen

Good Morning Foodies! It has been too long since my last blog post, please excuse me. I have been under the weather but I missed you guys so I wanted to push out at least one post. Currently I am sitting on the couch, drinking Earl Grey black tea with honey, wrapped in a blanket and sneezing every 5 seconds. However, I am still excited to share this recipe with you all! When I was a little girl, I use to add everything to my fries: cheese, beans, avocado, onions etc. And of course being me, I had to give this creation a name. I started calling them Nacho Normal Fries because even as a kid I was corny but the name stuck and I love it! This dish is beyond easy to make and perfect for those days you don’t really feel like cooking but you want something good to eat.

What You Need:

  • 4 Large potatoes (serves 2-3)
  • 1 Cup cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 Red onion, diced
  • 1 Roma tomato, diced
  • 1 Jalapeno, diced
  • 1 Handful of cilantro, chopped
  • 1 1/2 tsp of olive oil
  • 1 tbs of Garlic powder
  • 1 tsp of black pepper
  • 1 tsp of paprika
  • 1 tsp of oregano
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • Optional: Salsa & avocado

Method:

  • First thing you want to do is rinse your potatoes, leave the skin on.
  • Cut potatoes in wedges (does not have to be perfect) and place on a baking pan
  • Add olive oil and seasonings on top of potatoes and mix with your hands until every wedge is covered.
  • Place in the oven on 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
  • Dice tomato, onions and jalapeno. Chop cilantro
  • Remove from oven, potatoes should be golden in color, and crispy. Add cheese and toss back into the oven for an additional 2-3 minutes to allow cheese to melt.
  • Take potatoes back out of the oven and top them with your diced veggies and cilantro.
  • Optional to add salsa on top and avocado as well (they are great with of without it!)
  • Enjoy!
recipes

Easy Tacos w/ Tofu Crumble and Homemade Guacamole

tlkitchen

Tacos are something that I can eat every day and there are so many ways to enjoy them! Whenever taco night comes around I go all out. Tons of toppings, your choice of salsa, crunchy or soft shell, I even have sliced limes. Lately, I have really been enjoying eating my tacos with tofu crumble. Which is exactly what it sounds like, crumbled up tofu, seasoned and baked. The best thing about this recipe is that is packed with so much flavor, it so easy to make and it is so good. Guaranteed to get a second plate! To make the recipe easier to read, I am going to break down how to prepare each component in sections.

Sections will include:

  • Tofu crumble
  • Seasoned rice
  • Guacamole
  • Building your taco

What you need:

  • 1 Pack of extra firm tofu
  • 1 Pack taco seasoning
  • 1 Cup of white rice
  • 1 Box of Hard taco shells
  • 1 Large red onion, chopped
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 Jalapeno, chopped
  • Cilantro (You can add as much or little cilantro as you want. It is used in the guacamole and rice)
  • Shredded lettuce
  • 3 Avocados
  • 1 Jar of favorite salsa
  • 1 Lime
  • Salt
  • 1/2 TPS paprika
  • 1/2 TPS cumin
  • 1 TPS chili powder
  • 1 TSP garlic powder
  • 1/2 TSP crushed red pepper
  • Olive oil

Method:

Tofu Crumble

  • First drain tofu and wrap in a few paper towels. Gently squeeze to release water from tofu.
  • You can let tofu sit wrapped in paper towel for a few minutes so it can continue to drain
  • Unwrap tofu and using you hands crumble it, just like you see in the picture below.
  • Place in a baking sheet and add pack of taco seasoning to it.
  • Mix with your hands until all the tofu is coated with seasoning.
  • Drizzle about 2-3 cap fills of olive oil across the top of tofu
  • Cook in oven on 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes
  • When done tofu will have some texture, edges should be crispy (Yum)

Seasoned Rice

  • Boil rice until tender
  • Once rice is done, drain and rinse with cold water (helps remove some of the starch, so the rice is not too sticky. You can also do this before cooking the rice, I tend to do it after).
  • Add rice back into pot
  • Add in 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp crush red pepper and a small handful of chopped cilantro.
  • Mix well (enjoy how great it smells)

Guacamole

  • Chop 1/2 large red onion and 1 roma tomato
  • Open, pit and chop 3 avocados
  • Add to a bowl along with 1/2 tsp of salt, the juice of 1/2 a lime and a small handful of chopped cilantro
  • Using a fork mix well, while mushing the avocado.
  • I like my guacamole chunky, so I didn’t mix too much but if you prefer smooth, mix until smooth.

Build Your Taco!

  • Warm taco shells in the oven for about 2-3 minutes
  • Chop 1 roma tomato, 1/2 red onion, lettuce (if you did not buy a bag of shredded lettuce), 1 jalapeno and optional, more cilantro to top.
  • Add rice to your taco shell first, next add tofu, then…well you know the rest
  • Enjoy!!