Clean spears and cut off tough ends. Line broiler pan with foil, melt butter (enough to coat asparagus) in saucepan; add some minced garlic to taste. Place spears in single layer on foil and pour butter over them. Place under broiler. Cook until tender and brownish. You need to keep turning them or they will burn. They will be on the crispier side. You can pick them up like a dill pickle to eat.

12 oz. multigrain elbow macaroni
1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped
4 slices multigrain bread, torn
1/2 C. flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 T. olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 C. grated extra-sharp Cheddar (6 oz)
1 1/2 C. reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 C. percent milk
1 T. Dijon mustard

1. Heat oven to 400º F.
2. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, adding cauliflower during the last 3 minutes of cooking time; drain.
3. Meanwhile, pulse the bread in a food processor until coarse crumbs form.  Add the parsley, 2 tablespoons of the oil, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and pulse to combine; set aside.
4. Return the pasta pot to medium heat and add the remaining tablespoon of oil.  Add the onion, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, just until soft,  5 to 7 minutes.  Mix in pasta, cauliflower, cheese, sour cream, milk and mustard.
5. Transfer to a shallow 3-quart baking dish, sprinkle with bread crumbs, and bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 6

Drain and rinse beans and peas. Add onion, green pepper and dressing. Refrigerate overnight. Fifteen minutes before serving, add cheese and crushed Fritos corn chips.

PAN #1: Heat slowly the milk and Velveeta cheese.

PAN #2: Bring water and bouillon to boil. Add carrots, broccoli and celery; cook 15 minutes.

PAN #3: Melt butter and saute onions until tender. Add flour and let get bubbly (called a roux).

Slowly add juice from vegetables to roux. Continue adding liquid to roux, then slowly add veggies. The roux vegetable mixture is then added to milk and cheese mixture. Salt and pepper to taste.

1 bunch broccoli, broken
1/2 C. red onion, chopped
1 C. celery, chopped
1 lb. bacon, fried crisp, drained and crumbled
1/2 C. sunflower seeds
1/2 C. raisins

DRESSING:
3/4 C. mayonnaise
1/4 C. sugar
2 T. vinegar

Combine the first 6 ingredients. Mix the dressing ingredients together and pour over salad.

1 1/2 C. vinegar
1 1/2 C. sugar
1/4 C. oil
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. parsley flakes
1 tsp. salt
1tsp. pepper

VEGETABLES:
Green onions
Celery
Peppers (orange or yellow add color)
Cherry tomatoes
Zucchini
Cucumbers
1 small can black olives
Any other veggie you’d like

Cook 16 ounces noodles in water (I prefer mostaccioli); rinse with cold water. Boil the above ingredients. Add the vegetable ingredients to the drained noodles. Pour the boiled mixture over the noodles and veggies and mix well. Put in a container that you can turn upside-down to mix. The longer it marries, the better the flavor becomes.

2 C. uncooked elbow macaroni
4 T. (1/2 stuck) butter, cut into pieces
2 1/2 C. (about 10 ounces) grated sharp Cheddar cheese
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 C. sour cream
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
1/2 tsp. salt
1 C whole milk
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Boil the macaroni in a 2 quart saucepan in plenty of water until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain. In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese. Stir until the cheese melts. In a slow cooker, combine cheese/butter mixture and add the eggs, sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper and stir well. Then add drained macaroni and stir again. Set the slow cooker on low setting and cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

8 lasagna noodles
2 T. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 C. low-fat cottage cheese
1 – 10 oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
3 T. seasoned dried bread crumbs
2 T. Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 C. part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 C. prepared no-salt-added spaghetti sauce

Preheat oven to 375º. Cook lasagna noodles in large pot of boiling water for 8 minutes, or until almost tender. Drain well. Meanwhile, in large non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, oregano and basil; cover and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook uncovered for 2 minutes. Transfer onion mixture to large bowl; cool slightly. Stir in cottage cheese, spinach, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, pepper and 21 tablespoons of the mozzarella cheese. In an 8″ square baking dish, layer 1/2 cup of the spaghetti sauce, 2 or 3 lasagna noodles (trim noodles to fit the dish; fill spaces with scraps), and 1/2 the onion-cheese mixture, spreading evenly. Continue layering until all ingredients, except reserved mozzarella cheese, are used, ending with spaghetti sauce. Bake lasagna for 30 to 40 minutes, or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons mozzarella; bake for 5 or more minutes, or until cheese melts. Allow lasagna to stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

VARIATIONS: Can replace cottage cheese with low-fat ricotta cheese. Can replace fresh spinach, chopped. Add other veggies like mushrooms, etc. Add enough spaghetti sauce (1 bottle) so that it is not too dry. Amount of mozzarella cheese depends on how “cheesy” you want.

Beat eggs and seasonings. Add crackers and corn. Place half of broccoli in buttered dish. Cover with half of the corn mixture. Cover with thin slices of cheese. Repeat layers. Dot with butter. Top with chips. Can be made the day before. Bake at 350º for 45 minutes.

1 lb. asparagus, cleaned and trimmed
1 T. olive oil, divided
2 T. Parmesan cheese, grated
1 T. soft white bread crumbs
2 tsp. margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 450°. Place asparagus on baking pan. Drizzle with 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil and toss to coat. Combine cheese, bread crumbs and margarine. Sprinkle the asparagus with cheese mixture and drizzle with remaining olive oil. Bake, uncovered, until asparagus is just tender, about 15 minutes.

Makes 4 servings.