Category Archives: Side Dish

Heatlhy Cookie: Cheesy Spaghetti Squash Bake

Have you ever made spaghetti squash? How weird is it when you cut it open, start scooping out its innards, and find that the rumors are true; that it really looks like spaghetti?

Spaghetti Squash is one of the many wonders of food that has always baffled me. How does that little yellow guy naturally shape his squashy interior to resemble pasta? Why isn’t spaghetti squash just one big block o’ squash like other squashes are? Whatever the reason, you’ve got to admit, it’s pretty awesome. Mother nature has a few tricks up her sleeve, no doubt.

Spaghetti squash, like most other squashes, is a nutritious blank canvas just begging to be transformed into something extra special. Lately, on Pinterest, I’ve been seeing folks do just that: they take spaghetti squash and make it into decadent cheese-filled casseroles. We’re talking seriously drool-inducing recipes. The only problem is how fattening and calorie-cramming those dishes are. Isn’t there a way to make a tasty, cheese-tastic squash bake without all that bad-for-you stuff?

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Healthy Cookie: Sauteed Cannellini Beans and Kale

I know; I’ve been going kale crazy lately. But can you blame me? It’s so good!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: kale is the king of greens. It is chock full of nutrients and plain old delicious. It’s the tastiest of all greens in my humble opinion. With all that good stuff in such a natural, untouched form, kale is truly a bundle of benefits given as a gracious gift from Nature itself. In today’s day and age (especially as Americans), we’ve been trained to love foods that are processed, chemically enhanced, and filled with preservatives. Because of this, foods like kale can be confounding. Kale is untouched, a product of Mother Nature only. And yet, it is so delicious and nutritious.

Okay, so nature is pretty awesome sometimes.

Now, there is but one flaw when it comes to kale: it doesn’t have a significant amount of protein. So how do you balance out the meal? With beans, of course!

I love me some beans. Protein-packed, hearty, and plain old delicious, beans are a super food (much like kale). Therefore, they’re the perfect addition to a kale dish. Put beans and kale together, and what to you get? Sauteed Cannellini Beans and Kale.

This dish hits all the right marks:

Delicious? Check.
Nutritious? Check.
Protein-packed? Check.
Flavorful? Double check!

Talk about well-rounded!

Fresh kale and tender, creamy cannellini beans get sauteed with veggie stock, garlic, onions, and of course some spicy red pepper flakes to create a sizzling dish with a myriad of textures and flavors. The whole thing is topped off with reduced-fat mozzarella cheese for that little touch of indulgence that even a nutritious meal needs.

The best part is that this delicious meal is crazy low-cal, so you can stuff your face without having to stuff your bulging belly into jeans that no longer fit tomorrow morning. That’s the best kind of meal!

A Few Tips Before You Get Cooking:

  1. Not a fan of cannellini beans? Garbanzo beans (chickpeas) would be a delicious substitute.
  2. Craving meat? Add some strips of white meat chicken to the mix.
  3. This meal is super fast, perfect for a weeknight dinner.
  4. This would be delicious with some whole wheat pasta!

Sauteed Cannellini Beans and Kale
By The Smart Cookie Cook

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup vegetable stock
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 2 generous cups roughly chopped fresh kale
  • 1/2 cup cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • salt, to taste
  • red pepper flakes, to taste
  • 1 reduced-fat or light mozzarella string cheese stick (like Sargento)

Directions:

  1. Bring a medium skillet filled with 1/4 cup of veggie stock to medium heat. Add the garlic and onions. Saute until aromatic and translucent, about 2 minutes.
  2. Add the kale and cover. Let simmer for 5 minutes or until kale begins to wilt.
  3. Meanwhile, pull the cheese stick into strings then roughly chop. Set aside.
  4. Once the kale begins to wilt, add the beans, salt, and red pepper flakes and stir. Add up to another 1/4 cup of veggie stock if the kale is too dry for your like. Continue to cook uncovered until beans are hot.
  5. Turn off the heat, but keep the pan over the burner. Immediately sprinkle the cheese over the top then cover until cheese melts, about 1 minute. Grab yourself a bowl and enjoy!

Healthy Cookie: Kale and Bean Soup

Let’s be honest: we all get bored with our food sometimes. If we could eat whatever we wanted without gaining a single pound, seeing a spike in our cholesterol level, or having to actually make the food ourselves, then that would be a different story. But that’s not the case. We’re limited by time, money, and the number of notches in our belts.

Eating healthy can seem repetitive at times. Eating vegetarian and healthy can be even worse. I get into these periodic ruts where I eat the same three or four meals for a couple of weeks until, eventually, I cannot take anymore. It comes down to two options: think of something new and delicious to make, or die.

Alright, that’s a little extreme, but isn’t that what it feels like sometimes? Luckily, I was able to brush some dust off the ol’ idea light bulb and come up with something good: Kale and Bean Soup.

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Pierogi Casserole (VIDEO)

I am just about as Polish as they come. People constantly point out my “round polish face,” I’ve been raised on real, homemade potato pancakes, and I have a small tattoo written in Polish. When I was younger, I used to think being Polish was boring. I had friends who were Irish, Scottish, Italian, and even Native American. I felt like Polish was equivalent to a boring white crayon in a box of colorful cultural crayons.

As I’ve grown up, I’ve realized how important is it to embrace who you are. Plus, I learned how awesome it is to be Polish; I mean can you really argue with a culture that’s known for its pierogies? There have been a few times in my life when I was lucky enough to enjoy fresh pierogies, handmade from scratch. It’s not an everyday affair because the pierogi-making process takes quite a bit of time and effort. Unfortunately, the only person willing to do so is my grandmother. God bless her. When you taste one of her tender homemade pierogis fresh from the frying pan, you wonder how you ever went on for so long eating the pasta imposters from the freezer section of the grocery store.

Now, I’m a college student, so the chances of me churning out homemade pierogi any time before summer break are slim to none. So what am I to do when my Polish roots start craving some pierogi? The answer is simple: make Pierogi Casserole.

This dish is a blessing. It lets me have all the goodness of a pierogi in casserole-form. It’s essentially a pierogi that’s been deconstructed, stripped down to its individual elements and put back together to resemble some sort of lasagna. Only this is much better than lasagna. We’re talking a rich, mashed potato filling that’s stuffed with melted cheese, fried onions, and butter then layered with lasagna noodles. So, you’ve got that classic pierogi filling and the pasta shell that cradles it, broken down to exist as a layered casserole. It’s a pan-full of heaven: mounds of cheesy, starchy, buttery goodness. Is it indulgent? Yes. Is it good for you? That’s debatable. No, it’s not great for you physical health, but comfort foods such as this do wonders for the mind.

Grab a plateful of this Polish pierogi dream and treat yourself. The best dishes are worth a bit of over-induglence.

A Few Tips Before You Get Cooking:

  1. Serve with some veggies to balance out the meal.
  2. This recipe is easily doubled to serve a crowd.
  3. Make-ahead dish alert: assemble the casserole earlier in the day, then bake when you’re ready to eat.
  4. You can use a different kind of potato if that’s all you have, but the Yukon Golds are highly recommended. They’re so buttery, tender, and delicious, perfect for this casserole.
  5. Note: You can easily cut down the butter in the mashed potato mixture to 1/2 or 3/4 of a stick.
  6. Check out my video to watch Reese and I whip up this delicious casserole!

Pierogi Casserole
Recipe adapted from How Sweet It Is

serves 4-6

Ingredients:

  • 8 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into fours
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 4 oz. velveeta cheese, cubed
  • 1/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, plus more for topping
  • 2 tsp. minced garlic
  • 1/2 pound lasagna noodles
  • 1 1/2 sticks of butter (note: you can cut down the butter used in the mashed potato mixture to 1/2 or 3/4 of a stick if you like)
  • 1/4 cup milk or cream

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Peel potatoes and chop into quarters. Set them in a large pot and cover with water, allowing it to come to a boil. Boil potatoes until tender, about 30 minutes. While potatoes are boiling, cook pasta according to directions, and once drained mix with two tablespoons of butter. Set aside.
  3. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt two tablespoons of butter and saute chopped onion until soft and lightly golden.
  4. Drain potatoes and mash with one stick of butter, garlic, and cheese. Make sure no lumps remain. Add milk to loosen, if desired. Fold in onions.
  5. Spread out 1/2 the pasta in a large baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, cutting down noodles as necessary. Spread 1/2 the mashed potato mixture over top. Top with the remaining noodles and another layer of mashed potatoes. If desired, top with more cheese and onions. Cover and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. For the last ten minutes of cooking, remove the cover. This is best when served immediately, but still tastes good after being in the fridge for a day or two.

Classic Crispy French Fries

My little cookies, I must confess something about myself to you.

When I was little, I had a problem, or perhaps “obsession” would be the better word. I have mentioned the deep, all-consuming love I had for potatoes as a child a few times before, and I have never once exaggerated. Potatoes were my main food group between the ages of 6 and 12. I could not get enough of them. It didn’t help that I was a picky eater, so I didn’t eat much else. In the morning, I would eat a hashbrown with cheese melted on top. Then, I would come home from school and wolf down almost an entire bag of sour cream and onion potato chips (still my favorite). And for dinner: I gorged on my all time favorite cheese fries from Giovanni’s Pizza, the incredible pizzeria I was so blessed to live within walking distance from as a kid.

Whether it be mashed potatoes, hashbrowns, or potato pancakes, I ate every food involving potatoes to satiate my starch cravings. However, my true achilles heel was french fries. At that young age, I knew of no love stronger than the one I harbored for french fries. I would make a meal out of them, eating ungodly large piles in one sitting. They were just so good. (Would you be shocked if I told you I went through a pudgy stage right around this time?)

Eventually, my dad rationed me to only eating fries twice a week, in the hopes of working some other food groups into my system. This was a crushing blow, but perhaps for the better. Nowadays, I eat much healthier (not to mention, I lost the pudge). My diet consists of many more health-conscious choice and a lot loss french fries. But I’ve got to say, they are still one of my absolute favorite foods.

When I choose to indulge, I still love to scarf down some fries. There’s just something so impeccably addicting about those golden, deep-fried suckers that lures me in every time. If you offer me fries, I could muster up a serious amount of strength and force myself to pass them up, but as soon as I eat one, I’m a goner.

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3-Cheese Wagon Wheels with Spinach

Guys…

Wagon wheel pasta is really great. I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, because up until last night, I hadn’t even fully understood myself. You see, when I make any form of pasta, wheels basically never pop into my mind as an option. I think of penne, fettucine, and orrechiette. Sure, wheels seem fun, but they never quite fall under my pasta-making radar.

About a week ago, while I was grocery shopping, I spotted a box of wagon wheels in the pasta aisle. I could almost see them rolling along in the box as a sudden impulse took over and I thought, “I must do something with wagon wheels.” This realization pestered me like a little voice in my head until, at last, a pastatunity* presented itself. I was dying to make mac and cheese without a recipe for the first time, and I needed the perfect pasta for the job.

Enter the wagon wheels.

I should’ve never doubted these circular little guys. I mean, just look at them; they’re adorable! Simply gazing upon a bowl of these cheesy wheels is enough to put a smile on your face. But if you really want to be spilling over with joy, then you’ve got to eat them too.

I hate saying things like, “This is the best mac and cheese I’ve ever had,” because then you’re just like “yeah, whatever.” Nevertheless, I feel you have a right to know that this is my favorite mac and cheese I’ve tried. I’ve tried countless recipes, and I’ve had some delicious ones no doubt, but I could never quite get it perfect. Turns out, all I had to do was ditch the recipes and cook from my own mind.

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Cheddar Jack Bean Dip

Hey football fans, do you know what this Sunday is?

It’s that bowl thing you get really excited about every year.

I’m going to be honest with you little cookies, I’m not big on sports. The Super Bowl means as much to me as the latest Twilight premiere means to most men. But (if we’re still being honest), there is one aspect of the Big Game that gets me excited: the food.

The Super Bowl doesn’t just mean football, grown adults hollering at the TV screen, or amusing commercials (the only part of the game I watch); it means finger foods galore. Dips, chips, wings, pizza, and more congregate on this day in order to provide fans with handheld and deep-fried goodness. I may not know who’s playing in the Big Game this year (let alone how football works to begin with), but I do know a thing or two about food.

What’s a quintessential Game Day eat? Dip, of course. It’s standard, snackable finger food fare, perfect for parties and get togethers like watching the Superbowl because it can be shared (just don’t be “that person” who double dips). However, achieving the perfect dip is more complicated than one might think. You need something substantial, not so thin that it’s like soup, but not so thick that it’s undippable*. A little bit of kick is always a crowd-pleaser, but you don’t want to go too hot in case you’ve got some spice-intolerant* people attending your Game Day gathering. Cheese makes pretty much any dip perfect, but go too rich and you’ll be sending your over-stuffed guests rolling home. Perhaps more importantly than all of this, that dip better be delicious.

Guess what? I’ve got a dip to satisfy all of the above criteria: Cheddar Jack Bean Dip. It’s nice and thick while still passing the No-Break Chip Test,* and it’s got the ideal balance of hearty yet not overly rich. There is definitely some heat here, the kind that sneaks up on you. You take a bite and you think you’re safe, when all of a sudden, it hits you. Hello, red pepper flakes; Didn’t realize you where there…

This Bean Dip isn’t just packing heat; it’s exploding with flavor too. Between the onions, garlic, olive oil, and of course, that spicy kick, your mouth is going to be partying hard with every bite. Super Bowl Party? What Super Bowl Party? The party is happening in this dip.

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Triple Chocolate Brownie Pie

How Brownie Met Pie

Brownie’s life was blessed. She had everything a baked good could want. She had adoring fans, good looks, and she was lavishly rich (rich and fudgy, that is). But despite all this, Brownie was unhappy. She felt a constant void within her chocolatey core, calling out for something beyond her seemingly perfect life. Outsiders wondered how she could possibly be unsatisfied. When Brownie passed by, the gossiping Cupcakes would whisper speculations to one another, proposing far-fetched possibilities like a lack of love from her parents. On the contrary, Brownie had very supportive parents. But even they didn’t know what to do to please their daughter.

As Brownie matured from a tiny brownie bite to a fully baked choice-cut from a thick 9 by 9 pan, the insatiable longing within her grew stronger still. Her best friend, an over-sized chocolate chip cookie from a posh bakery, tried to cheer her up, but couldn’t understand what Brownie was so upset about in the first place. It wasn’t something Brownie could explain, no matter how many times she tried.

It seemed that Brownie would go through the rest of her shelf-life feeling like something was missing. She had almost given up hope entirely, until one fateful day changed it all. She was watching a baker put together a pie. The baker mixed up a filling that seemed delicious enough on its own. Then he poured it into a buttery crust, a crib to cradle the precious pie filling and complete the delicious dessert.

And it was then Brownie knew exactly what she had been missing.

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Creamy Tomato Soup

There was a time years ago when people found comfort in a can of Campbell’s Tomato Soup. It was all they knew: a creamy, warm meal that flowed smoothly down their throats, and straight to their hearts. Often, the soup was rounded out with the addition of a grilled cheese sandwich. A simple comfort yes, but it was cheap and it was good.

Little did those people know, they were missing out big time.

The real appeal of canned soup is its convenience; it’s quick, easy, and tasty. All you’ve got to do is pop open a lid and heat it up. But did you know how incredibly easy homemade Creamy Tomato Soup is? All you need is a handful of ingredients to create fresh, flavorful soup in next to no time. You can have this meal on the table in ten minutes, or you can cook it then let it sit over low-heat and eat when you’re ready. It’s a perfect weeknight dinner because it takes so little effort. You practically just pile the ingredients into a pot and call it a day. Let’s be honest; after a long, hard day, you need something hearty and replenishing that won’t diminish whatever small bit of energy you have left to make.

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No-Bake Twice-Baked Potato Mash

Confused? Don’t be. This is exactly what it sounds like: a bowl of fluffy mashed potatoes, plus all of the fixings of a twice-baked potato, only there’s no twice-baking involved. You see, on special occasions, my mother makes classic twice-baked potatoes. They’re delicious, a family favorite, and a special treat. She was planning on making them for Christmas dinner, but there was one problem: no oven space. We had so much crammed into that microscopic oven that it would’ve been impossible to bake the potatoes. As stress started to mount, I suggested an alternative: No-Bake Twice-Baked Potato Mash.

These are essentially twice-baked potatoes without all the work. They’re mashed with milk and butter until creamy, then stuffed with sharp cheddar cheese, garlic, and fresh chives, just as your classic twice-baked potato would be. The skins are left on, since twice-baked potatoes are always served in their natural shells. You get your fluffy, flavorful filling, your earthy skins, your melty cheese, and your overall comfort. What you don’t get is a headache or hours spent in the kitchen. These are basically deconstructed twice-baked potatoes, everything you love without all the effort.

If twice-baked potatoes you desire, but cooking them makes you tire, then this potato mash is the solution you seek. They’re fluffy, decadent, cheesy, and delicious; a perfect way to impress your dinner guests without breaking a sweat.

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