I discovered Ellie Krieger one Saturday morning (back when I had cable) on The Food Network. I liked her right away; she cooks clean because she is a nutritionist, she teaches about the food while she cooks – I like that. She is not hyper; she is mellow and calm, so it’s nice to watch her.  She’s simple to follow but very creative and her foods are very flavorful.

Now that I don’t have cable I have Ellie Krieger as my personal chef via this link Food Network – Ellie Krieger – Voilà! Check it out!

Four Cheese Baked Penne – OMG!

• 1 pound whole-wheat penne
• 1 1/2 cups small-curd low-fat cottage cheese
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 1/4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
• 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 (15oz) can low-sodium crushed tomatoes
• 1 (8oz) can low-sodium tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan (3/4 ounces)

 Directions - Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

1. Combine the cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella and parsley in a bowl and stir with a fork to incorporate and set aside.
2. Cook pasta until tender but still firm, a minute or 2 less than the package directs. Drain.
3. Heat the oil in the same pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, rosemary, chili flakes, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes until sauce thickens slightly. Return pasta to pot with sauce and turn off heat. Add cottage cheese mixture.
4. Spray a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray then transfer pasta mixture to pan. Top with remaining 3/4 cup mozzarella and the parmesan. Bake until heated through and cheese is melted, 30 minutes

I feel, like I’ve “discovered fire”, (something a dear friend says when you discover the OBVIOUS - lol) – I have discovered that “oven roasted onions, tomatoes and garlic” make life MORE delicious! To this basic combination, you add such simple things as; pasilla chilles, tomatillos or eggplant (or all of it) and watch WHATEVER you cook become happiness in your mouth!

Why is this such a BIG deal? As long as I can remember I’ve HATED ONIONS! The crunchy sound they make when they are not fully cooked. The raw  smell that is so strong it makes me RUN the other direction AND let’s not even talk about when they TOUCH any portion of my food! 

My husband loves onions, but since I don’t like them, I don’t cook with them.  When HE cooks, he manages to include them in the food, giving it an amazing flavor - I don’t question it and enjoy his delectable meals.  He always tells me with a big smile “Onions make food taste better!” and I smile back (not believing him), while savoring the meal. LOL

Photo thanks www.clovesandcream.com - who has a really cool blog 

Fast forward to early this week … I was making red beans from scratch and my normal recipe seemed BORING.  I don’t know what came over me, but I started hearing “Onions make food taste better!” thing he says… I don’t know HOW, but I got a large onion, garlic, tomatoes and tomatillos – rough chopped and roasted them in a lightly oiled (canola oil) baking sheet at 350 for about 30 min or so, until I saw the onions get soft - very soft.  The aroma was UNREAL! I kept opening the oven to stir it, just so I could breathe it in.  I took them out and I waited for them to cool. I then blended and added water from the beans as needed.  I took out about ½ cup of beans and mashed them, then I added them back with the blended mixture and I let it simmer for about 30 minutes.

OMG!  When I tasted it, the flavor was just heaven!  I discovered FIRE!

Being the exaggerated and obsessive person I am, the only obvious thing I could do was to roast the veggie mix ALL week and add it to EVERYTHING – with a few variations, or course.  Split soup had the base of garlic, tomato and onion PLUS yellow chilies and the meat sauce for the pasta had the base PLUS pasilla chilies  – you get the picture – right? Add it to EVERYTHING!
This is an economical, vegetarian  and healthy meal.  For this reason it made me HAPPY so I just HAD to post.  I am, of course, writing this as I wait to blend a new combination for dinner - HA!  This is definitely a “wellbeing” moment to be savored.
I hope you give it a try and then tell me all about it!

Cheers!

Last week Hulu.com made the announcement that they will charge $9.99 for an upgraded HD version to view on your computer and mobile devices (you can also see full season shows, etc.).  But the OLD familiar shows are still there, for FREE - so go enjoy them!

Besides my obsessive watching of “House”, “Top Chef” and “HGTV Design Star” I have also been taking advantage of the “Health & Wellness Channel” at Hulu.com. We have an old tower hooked to our TV and the internet – love, love, love it! (Click on What is Hulu? post  in case you need a refresher)

I just started to practice “beginning yoga” for 45 minutes once a week.  You can search for “Fusion Yoga” in Hulu.com, “play” and you are on your way. It's NOT the crazy “pretzel yoga"; it is “normal people yoga". They also have “Yoga & Pilates” if you want a bit more intense.

What intensified my Hulu.com loyalty? A few months back, I gave up the monthly gym fee and  decided to exercise at home – we got a nice treadmill via Craigslist, dusted off the weights and exercise books, cleaned my exercise DVDs, filled the exercise ball with air and "instant gym"! You probably have some of these things at home too – huh? Thought so!

Ok, BUT am I REALLY going to have the discipline?  Well, it has been, let’s call it “interesting but good” LOL.  What helps me is that I am in an ETERNAL PURSUIT OF COMFORT!  How can life get any better that waking up, having some tea, looking at the morning sun and then - I get to enjoy MY “choices”?  Do I run on the treadmill with my shuffle? Do I do yoga fusion on Hulu? Do I work out with Jillian Michaels’ “30 Day Shred” DVD?  Or do I work on a fitness routine from one of the books? I so, LOVE choices – don’t you?! Some days I chose to NOT do anything and I love that too!

I’ve discovered some very informational and FUN health related podcasts that I REALLY like. I listen to them while I run or go on a long walk – super motivating!  (Post about this soon to come).

I encourage you to add these simple choices in your life – it’s all about “comfort” – and in this case YOURS. Just to make it very clear, my beloved Zumba with Janel Gauger is still one of MY choices - it makes HAPPY!

Cheers!