(light upbeat music) I know I do.

It makes just about anything taste better.

And guess what?

You can have it in a healthy way.

I've got easy recipes that deliver great cheesy flavor with a lighter touch.

LIke my skillet mac 'n cheese, Parmesan crusted chicken breasts, plus pan-steamed brocolli with lemon garlic and parsley gremolata.

So, say, "cheese" right now on Ellie's Real Good Food.

(show theme music) - [Voiceover] Funding for this series has been provided by: - [Emma] Hi, you've reached Emma.

I'm the office right now, but, will get back to you just as soon as I possibly can.

- [Voiceover] For Discovery at Sea experiences, Princes Cruises, come back new.

- [Voiceover] Luvo, full servings of fruits and veggies, nutritious whole grains and lean proteins, seasoned with bold herbs and spices.

Chef-created meals ready-made for you in your grocer's freezer.

Luvo, the next generation of frozen food.

(light, uplifting music) - [Voiceover] Grapes from California, grown by families for families.

- [Voiceover] And by the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary arts.

Additional funding provided by the generous support of our Kickstarter donors.

A complete list is available at ElliesRealGoodRood.com.

- I am a cheesehead just like you, but, there can be too much of a good thing.

So, today I answer an SOS from a home where cheese has completely taken over the menu.

(light, uptempo jazz music) Meet Jeff, husband, father, long-distance bike rider, and a major cheesehead.

Jeff hugely loves cheese, all kinds of cheese.

Jeff puts it on and in everything, and by the pound.

- We love salad, and we really love salad when it has cheese on top.

- [Ellie] Which thrills his partner in crime, his niece, Quinn.

(laughs) (general chatter) - Cheesy, creamy goodness.

Egg with cheese, because everything's better with cheese.

So, this is Jeff.

(laughs) And Jeff, I understand you love cheese.

- I do.

- [Ellie] Like pretty much more than anyone I ever met.

- Yes, I love cheese.

- (chuckles) So, I have something, does this look at little familiar to you?

- It does, a little bit.

- Okay, I have fashioned this for you because this is basically what I understand is your typical way of starting a meal before you even eat your cheesy meal.

- Yeah, it an evening, I might have something that looks like that.

- Okay, so, we're gonna get rid of this, okay?

'Cause I'm gonna upgrade this so totally for you, but, you're gonna still... Oh, you look a little apprehensive.

- Well, I hate to see it go.

- But, you know what, you're gonna have it all and then some, so I'll show you how.

Goodbye to that, and hello to this.

Upgrading your cheese platter completely, okay?

So, still have the cheddar, because that's like, your go-to, right?

- I do, I do, I like cheddar.

- Make it extra sharp so that you get a ton of flavor, and you don't need to eat as much on each cracker, for example, to get that taste that you want, that real hit.

And so, I slice it thinner here.

I'm just gonna show show you on your old cheese platter, you got like fat slices.

- That's more like I would usually slice, at least.

- But, you can slice it thinner, and you still get that flavor, but, the idea is also you're getting all these other wonderful things that balance it out.

First of all, whole grain crackers, okay, that's really important.

- Right, I like that.

- Also, put some nuts out.

I know your daughter, Georgia, would really appreciate that, having something besides just cheese, right?

- Yeah, she's not a big cheese person.

- (laughs) So, putting out some walnuts, some almonds, any kind of nuts that you like.

Some grapes, which you just rinse and toss on there, and they're so delicious with cheese.

I also like to put some green apple on that or red apple on there, but, it's nice to just have some slices on there.

And I want to show you one of my favorite things to do.

(light, upbeat music) So, this way, you're getting fruit, you're getting, you know, there's some nice plant foods in there as well.

Here, try this combo, I think you're gonna love it.

Do a cracker, a piece of cheese, some apple, and a nut.

So, all of a sudden, you're really like, filling yourself up with lots of good stuff, not just getting a bellyful of cheese.

Tell me what you think.

- Now, let me do this.

(crunches) - I'm gonna do one too.

All right, what's the verdict?

This is really good with blue cheese, too, do you like... - It's good, I do like blue cheese.

I like almost any cheese.

- And you like it with all these other things too?

- I do, it's got cheese on it.

- (laughs) So, you can have your cheese and eat it too, basically.

(Jeff laughs) So, I saw that you're a big mac 'n cheese fan.

- I am.

- Well, I have an amazing mac 'n cheese recipe for you that's also good for you, that's really gonna hit the spot and fulfill your cheesy cravings.

- Great, I'd love to try it.

- Well, let's make it.

- All right.

- Okay.

Jeff, you are gonna just love my skillet mac 'n cheese.

It has three different kinds of cheeses in it, and you love every one of 'em; Gruyere, cheddar, and Parmesan, you can't go wrong.

- And you already know I like the cheddar.

- I do, I know that.

And I'm gonna show you how to make first, this cheese sauce essentially to start.

And you can make it a healthier one just by using a low-fat milk.

So, I'm using 1% milk here 'cause it has some body to it, but, it's really, you know, not high in fat at all.

So, basically, you just add in here some flour, because you want it to be nice and thick, and rich-looking and rich-tasting.

- [Jeff] So, it's sort of like a roux.

- Exactly, except a roux involves more butter and stuff.

- Butter, yep.

- So, here, you're just dissolving the flour in the cold milk.

So, it's really important to start off with cold milk and get it whisked in there and dissolved.

And then, you start heating it.

And you need to whisk it constantly until it comes to a boil.

- What would happen if the milk had been warm?

- Then the flour would clump up.

- The flour, does it clump?

- Exactly, so, flour dissolves in cold.

- Okay.

- Okay, so while I whisk, maybe you can make the crumb topping because this mac 'n cheese has this incredible crispy crumb topping.

So, right there, I have it all set up for you already, you can use that bowl.

- [Jeff] Okay.

- Just put in 1/2 half a cup of breadcrumbs.

Now, I make my own, do you ever make your own breadcrumbs?

- I do, I do a bit of cooking.

- Yeah, you're the main cook in the house.

- I am, but, don't tell my wife.

- (laughs) Exactly.

You're ready to put the cheese in already.

- This is the Parmesan?

- Right, this is grated Parmesan cheese.

And so, it's one ounce, but, you know what, all these cheeses have a ton of flavor.

Oh, and then, two teaspoons of olive oil, and then, you can sitr that together.

- Okay.

- It's a very reasonable amount of cheese, but, it has big, big cheesy flavor, because I'm using extra-sharp cheddar, the Gruyere, which has this incredible nuttiness to it.

And also the Parmesan which has a huge punch.

- The Parmesan is just for the topping?

- Exactly.

So, I like to put a lot of cheese on top, where you're really seeing it and you get all that impact.

For the breadcrumbs, you just put in the food processor some whole grain, by the way, whole grain bread.

And then, you just toast them in the oven.

(light jazz music) All right, so, that is set.

- We need some cheese grated?

- Yeah, that would be great.

I already did the cheddar.

- Cheddar, okay.

- [Ellie] You can do about an ounce of the Gruyere, that would be terriffic.

All righty, so this is beautifully creamy.

Wait, let me see where you're at with that.

- [Jeff] All right.

- [Ellie] That's good, that's about an ounce.

- [Jeff] So, one ounce is about 1/4 cup.

- [Ellie] Roughly, yeah, of grated cheese.

- Okay, so I have a little more in there.

- Yes, that's fine.

So, we can put that into the cheese sauce now, and I will stir it in, I'm gonna shut off the heat.

- [Jeff] Slowly?

- [Ellie] No, we can just go, just go, go, go.

- [Jeff] Awesome.

- I know you wanna eat some, I get it.

- (laughs) It tastes good shredded too.

- (laughs) And we can put the cheddar in.

- Okay.

- Just dump it in there.

And the thing is... And one thing about cheese sauce, I don't know if you know this from fondue, is if you stir in a zigzag pattern, it won't form a big ball.

- [Jeff] I did not know that, actually.

- Yeah, so if you wanna, I'll switch places with you for a second, and you wanna do this until it melts.

And I'm gonna do another ingredient here, which you might not normally find in mac 'n cheese.

But, it really goes so well, 'cause I know you like cauliflower and cheese.

- I do.

In fact, cauliflower has to have cheese on it.

- Well, here it does, and it's perfect in the mac 'n cheese 'cause it adds a vegetable, which is always something that I'm into.

It goes perfectly with the cheese sauce.

And it also kind of mimics the shape of a noodle, because I'm gonna cut it into kind of the same sizes of the noodle.

And so, it goes in seamlessly into the mac 'n cheese, and makes a portion bigger so you can have a lot in a healthier way.

- [Jeff] Right.

- And kind of gives your diet a little balance, huh?

Which I think maybe you could use a little bit.

- (laughs) It's not like I don't eat vegetables, I just happen to like cheese a lot.

- Okay, well, we're getting both here.

- [Jeff] And cheese with vegetables is great.

- I agree, totally agree.

Oh, that's beautiful.

We'll shut that off.

So, I have here some noodles that I already cooked already, some macaroni.

and I always use whole grain.

- Okay.

- If you want to, I'll pour this here.

If you want to put the, uh, you can put the cauliflower into the bowl.

- Okay.

Can I do this?

- [Ellie] Yeah, sure.

You are good in the kitchen.

Except, you know what, you need to add some seasonings to this sauce.

- [Jeff] Okay.

- [Ellie] And I have several seasonings.

- Not just salt and pepper?

- Not just salt and pepper, although that's fine.

But, I can do better than that because there's flavors, seasonings that you can use that bring out the cheesy flavor.

So, mustard powder's amazing, so, if you wanna get two teaspoons of the mustard powder.

Here's your teaspoon measure here.

- Always seen this in the pantry, never actually used it.

- Right?

It's one of those staples, but you wonder... - Did you say "two teaspoons"?

- Yes, two teaspoons right in there.

Okay, two teaspoons of that.

I like to put some paprika in, it gives it really nice color, and also a lovely kind of rich flavor.

- [Jeff] And how much?

- [Ellie] Just 3/4 of a teaspoon, so you can use that.

- [Jeff] Yep.

- And then, a pinch of cayenne if you want.

I like to put a little bit of heat in there.

- I like heat.

- So, you can just do a pinch of that.

- Okay.

- Good.

Okay, so, now I'm just gonna pour this right in there.

And we'll stir it up a little more in there.

- [Jeff] That looks good.

- Okay, it's all combined, and you'll see it looks kinda loose, right?

It looks nice and moist.

- [Jeff] Mm-hmm.

- So, if you wanna stir that, I'm gonna get the skillet.

- So, you use whole grain pasta?

- I love whole grain pasta, do you ever use that?

- I don't, we tried to get my daughter to eat, she eats a lot of pasta, so, we try to get her to eat whole grain.

I prefer just regular pasta.

- Right, you know what, you don't have to feel guilty about that.

So, first of all, whole grain's better, because it has more fiber, it has more antioxidants, but, white pasta has a much lower glycemic index than white bread, for example.

Because of the type of grain that's used to make pasta, it's high in protein, and also the way they extrude the pasta, it has the glycemic index of about brown rice.

- Really?

- But, if you can do whole grain, it is better.

- So, eating white pasta is like eating brown rice?

- Well, not exactly.

(Jeff laughs) But, as far as the way it affects your blood sugar.

- 'Cause I do prefer it.

- Okay, so, I'm just gonna put a little oil in this pan, I think there's a brush over there, right?

- It is.

- Just gonna brush a little oil in there.

We need to put a little salt and pepper in there.

So, I'll do that.

And I always keep in my salt a 1/4 teaspoon measure, 'cause it reminds me to measure the salt.

- [Jeff] Often 1/4 teaspoon?

- Well, I do a half a teaspoon in here, but, it just makes it easy to measure.

And a little black pepper, so, you can give that another stir.

(grinds pepper) And cheese itself is quite salty, so, you wanna be careful not to over-salt.

- [Jeff] I definitely don't salt a lot, I put pepper on everything.

- Pour that in here.

Go faster.

There we go.

How good does this look?

Awesome.

- [Jeff] It looks great.

And about how many people would this serve?

- [Ellie] This serves six.

- [Jeff] Okay.

- So, sprinkle that all on top.

I can tell you love to cook.

- I do, I cook every single day.

- [Ellie] Before you put the breadcrumbs on, make it in advance, you can stick it in the fridge, then, when you're ready to cook it, just put the breadcrumbs on and make it.

So, you can totally make this, I would say a day ahead.

Looks great.

So, this goes in the oven, 375 until it's all bubbly and brown and crisp on top.

- [Jeff] How long does that cook for?

- Oh, about 40 minutes.

- Okay.

- You're gonna love it.

(light, mid-tempo music) Whoo, hot stuff coming in, hot, cheesy melty goodness, crispy topping coming in.

- [Jeff] Oh, that looks great.

- [Ellie] I'll leave that on there, so we don't... - And this is hot, right?

- That's hot, but, you know what, I love to serve it like this.

So, you leave a towel on so no one burns himself.

And it's so pretty and rustic like this.

- And it stays warm.

- And it stays warm, exactly.

I cannot wait to serve this up.

Are you psyched to eat it?

- I am.

I'm prepared to burn my mouth on it.

- [Ellie] (laughs) You will risk that, right?

A good piece here, oh, boy, look at that.

- Can I make it?

- Sure, you want this one.

Of course, guests first, right?

Here you go.

- [Jeff] Ladies first, I guess.

- [Ellie] (laughs) Definitely give it a little blow, right?

Oh, yeah, you need that crispy topping.

- That's good.

- Isn't it good?

- Yeah.

- I'm like you get the cauliflower, Plus, it's great.

- [Jeff] Yeah, just a little bit.

- Yummy, I'm so glad you're here.

- It's been great.

- [Ellie] To make this together, I hope you make it at home.

- Thank you.

- But, stick around, because I have another great cheesy healthy recipe and lots more coming up.

(light jazz music) We all know cheese rules, so, I have some cheese rules for you.

First of all, go for cheese that are naturally already a bit healthier.

So, for example, soft goat's cheese and feta cheese, which I always have in my fridge, are naturally about a third less calories, and much less saturated fat than hard cheeses.

So, this way, you can have the same amount for much fewer calories right at the get-go, and you're getting the real thing.

Second rule, skip non-fat and fat-free cheese, it usually tastes like rubber or has a ton of additives in it to make it taste like anything.

But, you know what, a lot of times, reduced fat works really well and doesn't have any additives.

So, it works very well with ricotta cheese, I usually buy part skim.

Mozarella, also part skim, and cottage cheese, I get reduced fat.

Also Neufchatel cheese, which is also labeled as 1/3 less fat cream cheese, works really well in recipes and it does save a lot of calories and saturated fat, with no compromise, and that's what it's about, no compromises.

Sometimes, you just gotta go full out real deal cheese.

And when it comes to cheddar, you wanna get as much flavor as possible, go for extra sharp.

Same thing with the other cheeses; Parmesan and blue cheese offer a huge punch of flavor, so, a little bit goes a long way.

(light, mid-tempo music) Those are my cheese rules, and I know they're gonna help you love cheese in a healthy way.

Parmesan chicken breast, it brings together the flavors that pretty much everyone loves.

Of course, Parmesan cheese, which makes everything taste delicious, and chicken breasts, which is of course, a staple for a weeknight dinner, and broccoli.

So, I'm making this wonderful pan-steamed broccoli with a gremolata, which is a lovely seasoning that's super easy to make.

You'll see how it all comes together.

And it comes together literally in less than 30 minutes at home.

So, that's why it's perfect for busy weeknights.

But, I have to show you, I'm starting off here by pounding out this chicken breast.

And it literally takes no time at all, you just put it between a couple of sheets of plastic.

And this really will make it cook evenly.

So, you don't have to worry about one side drying out while the other side's undercooked, and it's kinda fun, I think.

So, I did one already here.

So, then, I'm gonna get this pan heating, and it's really important for this recipe, to use a good non-stick pan.

(sprays) Spray it generously with the oil, and get it heating up over medium heat.

So, while that's warming up, here comes the seasonings, super easy.

So, I'm using a little bit of mustard, dijon mustard, just gonna rub it right in there.

A little on each side, on each piece.

And then, some grated Parmesan cheese, I always grate it fresh, 'cause then you get the most flavor.

I'm just gonna press that in, so it adheres.

Now, just some fresh pepper.

(grinds pepper) Do the same thing on the other side.

Mustard, just love dijon mustard.

And you'll notice I don't put any salt on here.

Because there's a saltiness already in the mustard, and also in the cheese, so, it really doesn't need any more salt.

Let's get that in there.

(light, uptempo music) Press it in.

That pan's getting hot now.

And some pepper, some black pepper.

(grinds pepper) So, you get so much flavor, and really only a few ingredients.

So, right in the pan.

And it's on a medium heat.

So, it's key that the heat is on a medium so that the chicken cooks through before the cheese would burn.

And another key is not to touch it.

Seriously, do not touch it, until the cheese forms a crust which'll take at least three to four minutes.

So, I'm sure you steam broccoli, I mean everyone does, right?

But, it's (yawns), I'm already sleeping from it, from even hearing the word, right?

Because most people just don't even season it.

All right, maybe you put a little butter and salt, that's good, but, you can do much better than that.

And I want to show you a great way to flavor it.

But, first, I'm also gonna show you a different way to steam it, and it's called "pan-steaming."

You basically take your broccoli florets.

And you can use a whole head of broccoli too.

You can just cut it up and use the stems as well.

If you have the stems, you'd put them on the bottom of the pan.

But, here, I'm just using the florets.

This is terrific for busy weeknight cooking because literally, you don't even have to wait for the water to boil.

So, 1/2 cup of water.

Cover.

And put it up on a high heat, for three minutes, okay?

And I'm literally, gonna set my timer, 'cause I don't wanna open that lid at all, because it needs that water to steam.

So, timer, my trusty phone timer here, three minutes, go.

So, now, I'll make the gremolata while this is all cooking.

So, you can see how this really comes together so easily on a busy weeknight.

So, first, I'm gonna zest the lemon.

I just love lemon zest, it just adds that lovely lemon flavor, a big punch of flavor without more acidity.

And a gremolata basically, it's a condiment, it's an Italian condiment with herbs and oil and lemon.

So, there's a little zest right there.

I'm gonna juice half the lemon.

Just catch the seeds in my hands.

Just easier that way.

Let one slip in there.

Okay, I'm gonna peek at the chicken.

If you lift it up too much before it's ready, it will just stick, and then, you won't form that nice crust.

(food sizzles) When the cheese is cooking, it forms a beautiful crust, makes it really easy to lift.

Nearly there, but, I know what is ready.

And that's my broccoli, I'm not gonna lift the lid, I'm just gonna lower the heat to medium.

And set it for another three minutes.

(light, mid-tempo music) Easy as that.

So, this is ready to be turned.

You know, I'm gonna give it another minute.

I was just teasing you there, I know you're dying to see it.

Okay, so, I have in here, I'm making the gremolata, I have lemon juice, I have lemon zest.

I'm gonna put a little bit of garlic.

Just one small clove, I don't want it to be crazy garlic-y.

Some olive oil, extra virgin olive oil.

When I'm cooking, I use regular olive oil, but, whenever I'm not heating it, I'm doing it as a kind of dressing, which I use extra virgin.

A little salt, just 1/4 teaspoon.

Pepper.

(grinds pepper) And parsley, but, before I get that parsley cut, I got to get another peek on here.

I think this is ready now.

It was on the verge before, wait till you see this, this is so good.

I mean really.

(food sizzles) I love this dish.

So, I'm gonna let the other side cook for another few minutes.

Back to my gremolata.

I have some parsley, fresh Italian flat leaf parsley here.

And really, you could use any herb you want in this, if, let's say you have some leftover cilantro.

Whatever it may be, you can absolutely use that.

Lime and cilantro would be a nice combination here, actually.

So, I'm just gonna chop up maybe about 1/3 cup.

This is about the time where like everyone streams down and says, "I'm hungry, when's dinner ready?"

Because all the smells are so good.

Yeah, so, this is basically a few ingredients and it's gonna make the broccoli taste wonderful.

So, yes, it's steamed broccoli, but, it doesn't have to be boring.

Say no to boring.

And here also it's a super cheesy chicken dish, but, is done in a really healhier way.

And Parmesan is actually traditionally made with a lower fat milk, so...

Okay, that broccoli's ready.

Okay, this is basically perfect.

Finish up this here, and get the broccoli in.

Stir that up, garlic, lemon, parsley, just gives such a fresh, clean taste.

And then, the broccoli can just get tossed right in there.

And it gets coated with all that goodness.

Just goes perfectly with the chicken.

Just a way to make steamed broccoli extra special.

And so is this chicken, oh, boy, that's good.

I'm gonna plate one up.

(light, mid-tempo music) Some chicken, a good helping of broccoli.

And dinner's ready, it's like magic.

(laughs) Cheese really is magical.

Mmm, my Parmesan chicken, it is the perfect example of hitting the sweet spot for delicious and healthy meat.

Every episode, I answer a call from people like you who are facing a food challenge that everyone could relate to.

Like (blathering, laughs).

I have a lot more cheesy delicious recipes for you, so hang around.

(show theme music) No, I don't have a lot more, I have one more.

I actually have one more, I'm completely lying.

(Jeff laughs) Okay.

- [Voiceover] For these recipes and much more, go to ElliesRealGoodFood.com.

Also, connect with Ellie on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Funding for this series has been provided by: - [Voiceover] Luvo, full servings of fruits and veggies, nutritious whole grains and lean proteins, seasoned with bold herbs and spices.

Chef-created meals, ready-made for you, in your grocer's freezer.

Luvo, the next generation of frozen food.

- [Emma] Hi, you've reached Emma.

I'm out of the office right now, but, will get back to you just as soon as I possibly can.

- [Voiceover] For Discovery at Sea experiences, Princes Cruises, come back new.

(light, uplifting music) - [Voiceover] Grapes from California.

Grown by families for families.

- [Voiceover] And by the Natural Gourmet Institute, for Health and Culinary arts.

Additional funding provided by the generous support of our Kickstarter donors.

A complete list is available at ElliesRealGoodFood.com.

Ellie's Kitchen is provided by Clarke, New England's Sub-Zero and Wolf showroom and test kitchen.