Cookbook Review and Giveaway: Secrets of a Skinny Chef, Mac and Cheese with Shredded Chicken and Cauliflower

Up for review, I have the cook book Secrets of a Skinny Chef by Jennifer Iserloh.

According her, “Maintaining a healthy weight, or getting to that healthy weight, is not about dieting. It’s about eating the foods that you already love but cooking them for yourself so you can make them healthier.” In her new book, Secrets of a Skinny Chef , Jennifer teaches you how to cook the food you crave without the hard struggle of dieting and deprivation. Her Mac and Cheese with Shredded Chicken and Cauliflower is a perfect example. To boost the nutritional power, Jennifer employs her arsenal of Skinny Chef secrets and uses whole wheat (or brown rice, for gluten-avoiders) pasta, loads it with 2 cups of cauliflower (a great source of Vitamin C and folate and fiber to make you feel full) adds chicken for protein and creates the creamy, oozy goodness with fat-free milk, whole wheat flour and part-skim mozzarella cheese. You can feel good about feeding it to your loved ones, and eating it too!

Check out her site here and find her on Facebook too!!

For this review I decided on a dinner recipe. Cheesy pasta with chicken and most of us like roasted cauliflower (my 6 yr old loves it!). I think 4/5 of us liked this. Next time I think I would do some of the cooking steps differently though, I would roast the cauliflower on a baking sheet so it gets all golden pretty brown (it sort of just steamed in the foil and took much longer until it wasn't crunchy), precooked chicken (leftovers) would be fine in this, and maybe add some color like broccoli, peas or red bell pepper strips. I might even double the sauce (but not the cheese), it gets soaked up quickly. Even my 6 yr old mentioned that it was all the same color, she couldn't find the cauliflower. haha!

I am also eyeballing her recipe for French Tuna Salad made with greens, quinoa, red potatoes, hard boiled eggs, veggies and tuna. I may have to make that for my lunch, I don't think anyone else here would eat it. But doesn't that sound good?

Keep reading, you'll want too! You can win a copy!

Mac and Cheese with Shredded Chicken and Cauliflower
Serves 6

Mac and cheese is a staple in many American households, but the box kind has almost no nutritional value. Serve this hearty dish instead. If you want to shorten the recipe preparation time, you can use pre grilled frozen chicken or rotisserie chicken without the skin. You can also buy frozen cauliflower florets, let them defrost on the counter top, and then just stir them in.

8 ounces whole wheat or whole brown rice elbow macaroni or penne
Nonstick cooking spray
2 cups fresh cauliflower florets
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 10 ounces)
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon mild chili powder
1⁄4 teaspoon garlic powder
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons trans-fat–free margarine
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
11⁄2 cups fat-free milk
3 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a saucepan, cook the pasta 5 minutes less than the package instructions indicate. Drain and set aside.

Coat a large piece of aluminum foil with cooking spray. Wrap the cauliflower in the foil and place the packet directly on the rack inside the oven. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat it with cooking spray. Sprinkle the chicken with the salt, chili powder, garlic powder, and pepper. Set the chicken on the baking sheet and lightly coat the top with cooking spray. Bake the chicken and cauliflower 15 to 20 minutes, until the chicken begins to brown and is no longer pink inside. Remove the chicken and cauliflower from the oven; set the cauliflower aside. Shred the chicken thinly and set aside.

In the pot where the pasta was cooked, melt the margarine over medium-low heat, then add the minced garlic, flour, and nutmeg. Mash the flour into the margarine with the back of a wooden spoon and stir until a thick paste begins to form. Continue to cook 2 to 3 minutes, until the paste starts to leave a light coating inside the pan. Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly, until a thick sauce starts to form. Add the mozzarella and stir until it melts. Turn off the heat and add the pasta, chicken, and cauliflower. Serve immediately.

Per serving (2 cups): 400 calories, 33 g protein, 38 g carbohydrates, 13 g fat (7 g saturated), 65 mg cholesterol, 4 g fiber, 642 mg sodium

Skinny Secret
How to feel full and satisfied without overloading? The key is to eat the meals you crave, like mac and cheese, but prepare them with lighter ingredients like low-fat dairy and incorporate plenty of veggies that are grated or diced so that they are barely detectable!

ONE "Mommy? I'm Hungry!" reader will win a copy of Secrets of a Skinny Chef!!




(This is a must before any extra entries will be accepted!)
1. All you have to do is just comment why you would like to own this book, AND tell me about one guilt free recipe you like to eat! =)




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This Giveaway ends: 11:59 pm pst, Tuesday, March 23, 2010.
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I wrote this review for "Mommy? I'm Hungry!" about Secrets of a Skinny Chef. I received free product for this review and giveaway. All opinions for this review are that of myself & family.