Cooking In, Diet Days, Dinner, Quick Post, Thawed-Out ThursdayKerry Alaric Cheeseboroalpine, asparagus, avocado, baked, basil, blue, breadcrumbs, broccoli, casserole, cheese, cheeses, chopped, comfort food, Cooking In, Danish, Diet Days, Dinner, elbow macaroni, florets, garlic, green, green peas, greens, herbs, horseradish, hot, macaroni, macaroni and cheese, peas, Quick Post, ramekin, sage, shredded, spicy, swiss, Thawed Out Thursdays, Thawed-Out ThursdayComment

Cheesy Being Green

Cooking In, Diet Days, Dinner, Quick Post, Thawed-Out ThursdayKerry Alaric Cheeseboroalpine, asparagus, avocado, baked, basil, blue, breadcrumbs, broccoli, casserole, cheese, cheeses, chopped, comfort food, Cooking In, Danish, Diet Days, Dinner, elbow macaroni, florets, garlic, green, green peas, greens, herbs, horseradish, hot, macaroni, macaroni and cheese, peas, Quick Post, ramekin, sage, shredded, spicy, swiss, Thawed Out Thursdays, Thawed-Out ThursdayComment

"GREEN" MAC & CHEESE | Baked Elbow Macaroni Casserole with Alpine Swiss and Danish Blue Cheeses, Avocado, Asparagus, Green Peas, Fresh Basil, Horseradish, and Broccoli Breadcrumbs

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO have not been keeping tracking, I have created a weekly diet itinerary to help my eat just a bit more responsibly in this new year. Each weekday meant to inspire me to toward better eating habits, and eventually a lifestyle that doesn't feel like I am making an effort and any real change at all.

I had done this before. 4 years ago I gave up soda—not altogether, just not as the default beverage for every meal. Drinking water instead I lost 22 pounds the first month. And by the end of that month, I had not only not missed having the soda, but the very idea of having a soda I became averse to.

So for 2013, I have Meatless Mondays, Tuna Tuesdays, Whatever Wedndesday, and Thawed Out Thursday, where, as more a a food usage protocol, I would have to clear out my freezer of something I bought weeks ago (probably because it was on sale), and finally cook with it, as opposed to just throwing out for fear that whatever frozen ingredient was finally beyond any use.

And this Thursday, I thawed out some green peas and broccoli, and threw into a pot with heavy cream, condensed milk, minced garlic, diced avocado, chopped asparagus, fresh horseradish, minced basil, shredded Alpine Swiss and crumbled Danish Blue cheeses. I stirred that on a low heat until the cheeses melted into a creamy sauce, then ladeled the mixture into a buttered ramekin, topping the whole thing off with breadcrumbs mixed with chopped broccoli florets, sage, parsley flakes, and butter.

25 minutes in a 325° oven was all I needed to perfectly cook through this very tasty and highly aromatic comfort of a dish, with the asparagus and broccoli stalks still maintaing their "snap" for great texture, and the horseradish's earthy brightness and heat delighting the taste buds, warm the heart, and clearing the nose. The final crunch of the herbed and buttered breadcrumbs mixed with the slightly charred edges of the chopped florets put the whole dish over the top.

Again, not the healthiest dish, but part of a new routine that, in this case, helped me eat more vegetables in one sitting than I usually do all week. And, most importantly, allowed me to make that change without any "lifestyle change" difficulty, and without giving up being able to enjoy a still grandly delicious meal.

Green Mac & Cheese

Green Mac & Cheese

Green Mac & Cheese

Green Mac & Cheese

Green Mac & Cheese

Bun Apple Tea!

KAC

"GREEN" MAC & CHEESE | Baked Elbow Macaroni Casserole with Alpine Swiss and Danish Blue Cheeses, Avocado, Asparagus, Green Peas, Fresh Basil, Horseradish, and Broccoli Breadcrumbs