Cooking with Companions

Question: What’s better than cooking?

Answer: Cooking with others!

My lovely friend Emily visited this past week to join me in some pre-graduation festivities here at Ohio State.

Love her!

I’ve known Emily for 8 years now and am so happy that we have stayed in touch! What I love about her is that she also loves running, cooking, and drinking wine. We have cooked together on a few occasions and have always had a blast during it.

Cooking with friends is a great way to grow closer and really learn about one another! When two people who have a passion for food come together in the kitchen, a masterpiece of food is created!

Ems and I had a fun night ahead of us so we wanted to make sure we had a hearty, nutritious, and delicious dinner. This is an extremely easy meal to create, so cooking with a companion makes it that much more enjoyable. What was on the menu you may ask? Well, I'll tell you.

Menu

Whole wheat pasta topped with everything-but-the-kitchen-sink sauce

Cheesy cauliflower and broccoli bake (slightly adapted from here)

Strawberries

 Pictures don't do justice.

As I mentioned before, this meal could not get any simpler to make! Today is also your lucky day! Instead of one recipe, you get TWO.

Everything-but-the-kitchen-sink Pasta Sauce:

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1/2 yellow pepper, chopped

1 small white onion, chopped

2 cups spinach

1 jar pasta sauce (I like Classico Fire Roasted Tomato and Garlic)

Directions

-In a small pot, mix in all the ingredients except the spinach.
-After cooking on low for 10 minutes, add in the spinach. Stir.

-Continue stirring every once in a while.

-Top on a bed of whole wheat pasta of your choice!

Nutritious and delicious!

 

Cheesy Cauliflower and Broccoli Bake:

12oz bag of cauliflower and broccoli
3 Tbsp liquid egg whites (or 1 Egg)
1 Cup + 2 Tbsp fat free cottage cheese
2 ½ Tbsp reduced fat Parmesan
1 tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp black pepper
½ tsp onion powder

The ingredients!

Directions

-Preheat the oven to 350°F.
-Place the room temperature vegetables in an oven-safe 9x9 dish (sprayed with cooking spray).
-In a bowl, beat together the egg whites and cottage cheese until smooth.
-Add the spices and mix until combined.
-Pour the cottage cheese mixture over the veggies and stir until evenly distributed.
-Top with the Parmesan and place the dish in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden.

 

Ahhhhmazing

 

Don't be nervous about the cottage cheese. Emily and I could not even tell! The cottage cheese helps add the creaminess and cheesiness to make this dish delectable. What can possibly be better than vegetables, garlic, and cheese?

Moral of the story: prepare meals with your friends! It's an awesome way to learn about each other and create fantastic food together!

Oh and I almost forgot...

Happy 3rd Birthday Roxie!