A's Squash Laden Mac n' Cheese

What makes yummy mac and cheese so unhealthy? Unfortunately it's the mac AND it's the cheese.

In this version of the classic I eliminated the mac by substituting spaghetti squash and toned down the cheese by cutting it with healthy portions of butternut squash. The result? This dish cuts down on carbs big time (hello skinny human) making for a healthier but still yummy version of the ultimate comfort food.

I started with a recipe from the October 2012 Better Homes and Gardens magazine titled Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese (thanks for the magazine, Ro!) and then tweaked it to put a healthier spin on the classic dish.

A's Herbed Tofu with Mushroom Marsala

This delicious recipe comes from The Farm restaurant in Portland, Oregon. I knew when I saw this that I had to try it. After all, there's a video that explains how to make it, which is fun. Plus, it has that hearty fall flavor that I crave this time of year. Plus, it stars fried tofu, which I heart.

This recipe seems complicated, but it's really not too hard to make. And it's delicious. Really, really delicious.

I mounded my tofu and mushroom marsala on a pile of cauliflower mashed "potatoes." They were super yummy. I'll post that recipe later this week, so keep your eyes peeled.

Alina's Refried Bean and Corn Enchiladas

I decided to make another recipe from the Mitsitam Cafe cookbook, which is a cookbook devoted entirely to American Indian foods. This week I made Refried Bean and Corn Enchiladas, and they were a delicious success!

I didn't follow the recipe exactly, but I followed it fairly closely. This recipe brings some classic flavors together: tomatoes, corn, refried beans, peppers, onion, cilantro, garlic, and cheese. It doesn't have a standout ingredient, but everything works well together and in the end all of these commonplace ingredients merge into a fairly distinct flavor.

Alina's Red Velvet Pancakes

We had a pancake party at work on Friday (Star Wars Day! May the Fourth) and I was asked to make enough batter for 80 novelty pancakes.

You heard that right. 80 pancakes.

My best friend Cassidy and I enjoyed red velvet pancakes while in Las Vegas last month, so I decided to try my hand at making my own red velvet pancakes.

These pancakes were described by my co-workers as:

• "Amazing!"
• "A hit!"
• "Absurdly decadent."
• "Like nothing I've ever tasted before."

When I was testing recipes and I swallowed my first bite of these pancakes all I could do was gasp out, "Oh. My. Gosh. This is incredible." If I haven't convinced you to splurge yet, I never will. The white chocolate chips are what make these pancakes such a home run because they remain partially melty for about 5 minutes after they come off the griddle, infusing the pancakes with ooey-gooey exceptionally rich flavor.

Marissa's Thai Tofu Lettuce Wraps

So naturally, as I was making this recipe, I was in a big hurry cooking because we were going to be late to whatever we had planned that night after dinner. So, my pix and process here leave a little something to be desired...

I decided to make tofu lettuce wraps because they are yummy. However, I just glanced at the recipe again and realized they are not all that healthy. 43g fat in one serving? Yikes. I'm going to give them 2 stars for health. I'm guessing it's because of the pb & mayo, mostly. I followed the recipe to a T, except I omitted the chili sauce and used cabbage because I couldn't find the other kind of lettuce. Here are some pics of my process: