No real reason, other than it means 70 days down and 20 days to go - and those are round numbers.
Day 70 we had Grilled Jerk Chicken and Vegetables. Unfortunately there is not a ton to say about it, other than it was good, and I did not take a photo. Huzbun thought the vegetables were a bit bland, and I will have to think about ways to enhance the flavor without adding straight cheese, although that doesn't seem like a terribly terrible idea - does it now? I actually think I have a moderately healthy recipe for cheese sauce right now. When I say moderately healthy - I mean healthy in terms of cheese sauce, and not exactly healthy.
Wha HA! I found it! (My Huzbun helped locate the book I have).
This recipe comes from the The Tightwad Gazette.
The cheese sauce is simple (no, don't buy Cheez Whiz and melt it in the microwave). Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan. Blend 2 tablespoons of flour. Combine it with 1 cup of milk, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the sauce thickens. Add a half-cup of grated cheddar cheese and cook until smooth. You can freeze any extra.I'm sure some of you are saying anything with cheese and butter probably isn't healthy, and that might be true. However, I would point out that it's certainly an improvement over any manufactured cheese sauces, such as Velveeta as it does not contain "fake food"... and a cost savings for sure. I also think - though by no means tested - that you could substitute some sort of low-fat cheese and use skim milk for this. I think skim milk (or another kind of low-fat milk) would be and easier switch than using low-fat cheese - but that's just my two cents. Many chefs it seems will tell you or what I've learned from many of the cooking shows I've watched is that you MUST HAVE FULL FAT ALL THE TIME. I believe a favorite chef of mine, Sam from Top Chef Season 2 can be quoted as saying "I would make love in Duck Fat if I could." That's all very entertaining, but I like to think that everyone is different. I personally don't see much difference between olive oil and butter in a stir-fry. However, despite a few attempts (truvia, splenda and so on) I can not bring myself to eat non-sugar sweeteners. I rather just hold back on the sugar in general - or indulge in the sugar however I see fit. Is that a pun?
*Disclaimer: There is a trend now with more and more chefs cooking with healthy ingredients and of course making great food. I just said what I did because the traditional french cooking philosophy dictates for a lot of butter and of course fat.
I have used a recipe like this for years as a cheese sauce on vegetables - cooked cauliflower and broccoli are personal favs. My recipe also calls for dry mustard.
ReplyDeleteI never use anything other than skim milk in my cooking and drinking. And my homemade macaroni and cheese draws RAVE reviews. I typically make it with the full fat cheese and the recipe that I use is very similar to the one that you posted, but I leave out the butter and add some dry mustard powder to "pump" up the flavor.
ReplyDeleteHOWEVER, I recently have been investigating the current batch of Low Fat (2%) cheese that is on the market and I can tell you that it isn't bad. Straight out of the package, I can't tell it from the real stuff (especially the monterey jack that I tried). It melts well, but doesn't brown like "real" cheese does.
I have not yet tried it in a cheese sauce, but that is on my list to do if I ever get Air Conditioning again. *sigh*
RE vegetables: were they grilled as well as the chicken? I've found that thyme or basil work really well on my steamed veggies (to give them some extra oomph), but I'm not sure how that would work with grilled veggies.
My absolute favorite combination: Mixed yellow squash and zucchini with fresh thyme, chopped onion and a little olive oil if I am feeling decadent.