Tacos
Taco shells
Cuban black beans (mine were frozen from when my mom made them, but you can buy them canned)
1-2 tomatoes (diced)
1-2 avocados (made into guacamole)
3-4 leaves lettuce (sliced into "shreds")
1/4-1/2 pound shredded cheddar
1 package chick-un
1/2 onion
salsa
I cooked the onion and the chick-un in a pan together, but they weren't anything special and I would just leave them out in the future. Then you just pile each ingredient into your taco shell... so fast and easy and fresh!
Spiral Casserole
1 package whole wheat spiral noodles (cooked per directions and drained)
3/4 pound cheddar cheese
2 veggie sausages
2-3 roasted red peppers (mine were from a jar)
1 small package goat cheese
This dish was inspired my macaroni and cheese, but it has a western twist. I often make my mac and cheese as just that: macaroni and cheese. No other ingredients. This is unusual, as most recipes add a lot of cream, but I feel it is the heart and soul of the dish, and when served hot the cheese melts and you really don't miss the cream (when cold, it is much stiffer).
I decided to add a little kick to the dish. The sausages and peppers gave a little spice, while the goat cheese gave it some tang (and a little more creaminess).
It's pretty easy - just mix all the ingredients together in a very large bowl, then pour into a casserole dish. You can bake extra to get a crispy top, or you can just eat it as it is.
Noodle casserole is great - I froze 2 servings, had 2 servings for lunch this week.
25.4.10
17.4.10
Saturday: Dessert & Leftovers
Rice Crispy Treats
4 tablespoons butter
1 package mini marshmallows
7 cups Rice Crispies
Of course Rice Crispy Treats are an easy item to make. Melt the butter in a very large pot, then add the marshmallows and melt them (don't let them get too hot or they'll burn!). Then add the Rice Crispies, stir very well, and pour them into a greased (sprayed with oil) large baking dish or pan.
I decided to get fancy with mine and drizzle them with chocolate. To keep the chocolate soft, I added a tablespoon or so of butter to the mixture. I melted my chips in a small metal bowl, placed in a medium pot with about an inch of water. This is my make-shift "double boiler." It helps prevent the chocolate from burning.
1 large handful chocolate chips; 1-2 tablespoons butter
Once melted, I quickly took a spoon and essentially splatter painted the top of the treats. Once everything was cooled off, I cut the treats into 2-3 inch squares and piled them high on a plate. Yum!
Finally Finished Truffles!
I'd had this truffle filling sitting in my fridge for a very long time. I finally took it out, used a melon ball to scoop little circles, and dipped it in the melted chocolate above. They tasted delicious, but the extra butter in the chocolate coating prevented the outside from hardening. We still ate them all up!
More Samosas
I some how managed to triple the samosa filling I made the other day... I guess that's what I get for no following the recipe! It was a luck mistake, because they were delish. I bought more pie crust and made another batch.
4 tablespoons butter
1 package mini marshmallows
7 cups Rice Crispies
Of course Rice Crispy Treats are an easy item to make. Melt the butter in a very large pot, then add the marshmallows and melt them (don't let them get too hot or they'll burn!). Then add the Rice Crispies, stir very well, and pour them into a greased (sprayed with oil) large baking dish or pan.
I decided to get fancy with mine and drizzle them with chocolate. To keep the chocolate soft, I added a tablespoon or so of butter to the mixture. I melted my chips in a small metal bowl, placed in a medium pot with about an inch of water. This is my make-shift "double boiler." It helps prevent the chocolate from burning.
1 large handful chocolate chips; 1-2 tablespoons butter
Once melted, I quickly took a spoon and essentially splatter painted the top of the treats. Once everything was cooled off, I cut the treats into 2-3 inch squares and piled them high on a plate. Yum!
Finally Finished Truffles!
I'd had this truffle filling sitting in my fridge for a very long time. I finally took it out, used a melon ball to scoop little circles, and dipped it in the melted chocolate above. They tasted delicious, but the extra butter in the chocolate coating prevented the outside from hardening. We still ate them all up!
More Samosas
I some how managed to triple the samosa filling I made the other day... I guess that's what I get for no following the recipe! It was a luck mistake, because they were delish. I bought more pie crust and made another batch.
Friday: Finally Fresh Food
This week was pretty bad. I either had plans or got home so late every night that I didn't end up cooking ALL WEEK! I hate it when that happens. Monday I worked late. Tuesday I went to a kickoff party and basically ate dinner, but went ahead and went out to dinner afterward as well. Wednesday I got together with my family, but we ordered sushi to go. Thursday night I had a civic event (ballot counter at a speech contest), and ate pizza there. And then it was Friday.
Fresh Salad with Mozzarella, Tomato, and Basil
As usual, the best ingredients make the best salad. Mixed greens are served with fresh mini-mozzarella, cut up fresh basil leaves (from my potted garden), heirloom cherry tomatoes, and served with aged balsamic, highest quality olive oil, a dash of salt and pepper, and a hint of agave nectar. Divine!
Artichokes
Last time I made artichokes they were undercooked. I wanted to avoid that, but I was also in a hurry. I decided to use the pressure cooker. I put in about an inch of water, dropped in the two perfectly round and aptly named "Globe Artichokes," brought to a "tsk tsk tsk," and then let it cool off until the lock released. They were overdone. Next time I will do the fast release method and see how they turn out. They were edible, but mushy. I served them with melted Earth Balance - fake butter mostly made from vegetable oils, so it still melts nicely. In fact, it is saltier than butter, so I think it makes a better dipping sauce.
Couscous Pilaf
This mix comes from Trader Joe's ready to cook. It has large couscous, orzo, mini garbanzos, and dark quinoa. It's fast and tasty, with a nice texture. I cooked mine with chick-un boulliuon (For ten minutes as package directs). When it was done I added cranberries and pistachios. I served it with an Italian soy-sauge. Delish!
Fresh Salad with Mozzarella, Tomato, and Basil
As usual, the best ingredients make the best salad. Mixed greens are served with fresh mini-mozzarella, cut up fresh basil leaves (from my potted garden), heirloom cherry tomatoes, and served with aged balsamic, highest quality olive oil, a dash of salt and pepper, and a hint of agave nectar. Divine!
Artichokes
Last time I made artichokes they were undercooked. I wanted to avoid that, but I was also in a hurry. I decided to use the pressure cooker. I put in about an inch of water, dropped in the two perfectly round and aptly named "Globe Artichokes," brought to a "tsk tsk tsk," and then let it cool off until the lock released. They were overdone. Next time I will do the fast release method and see how they turn out. They were edible, but mushy. I served them with melted Earth Balance - fake butter mostly made from vegetable oils, so it still melts nicely. In fact, it is saltier than butter, so I think it makes a better dipping sauce.
Couscous Pilaf
This mix comes from Trader Joe's ready to cook. It has large couscous, orzo, mini garbanzos, and dark quinoa. It's fast and tasty, with a nice texture. I cooked mine with chick-un boulliuon (For ten minutes as package directs). When it was done I added cranberries and pistachios. I served it with an Italian soy-sauge. Delish!
11.4.10
Sunday: Fast Samosas
2 15 ounce package pie crust (frozen or refrigerated)
4 large red-skinned potatoes
1 16 ounce package frozen peas
1/2 package pre-cut onions (I hate chopping onions, so I always buy these)
6 tablespoons butter
1-2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon crushed ginger
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
If your pie crust is frozen, be sure to take it out first and defrost for 1 hour or more.
Quarter the potatoes and place in a pressure cooker with a steamer rack. Add 1 cup water, and fasten lid. Heat (on high) until the pressure cooker is "tsk tsk tsk-ing", and then reduce to medium and cook for 8 more minutes. Then remove from heat and let it cool until the lid can be removed.
Once the potatoes are cool enough to remove the lid, put the butter and the onions in the a thick pan. Cook on medium heat until onions become clear. Butter may brown, but do NOT let it burn - if it starts to brown, turn the heat down.
I added the potatoes and peas, but I mean to add the curry, ginger, and garlic first and cook it for a minute - it helps bring the flavor out. If you forget, just add it all in; it turns out fine. Cook on medium heat and try to mash up the potatoes (I used a tong/spatula).
Cut the pie crust into 8 wedges. Add a tablespoon of potato-pea mixture and fold the corners together and pinch the edges shut. Pinch thoroughly if you want them sealed - they ten to "burst" open while baking. Bake on parchment paper for about 30 minutes.
So yummy! Serve with chutney if you like. I could practically eat the whole tray. This makes 32 samosas. You could cut the recipe in half if you want fewer, but they are so good you might want the extras for lunch or side dishes.
4 large red-skinned potatoes
1 16 ounce package frozen peas
1/2 package pre-cut onions (I hate chopping onions, so I always buy these)
6 tablespoons butter
1-2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon crushed ginger
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
If your pie crust is frozen, be sure to take it out first and defrost for 1 hour or more.
Quarter the potatoes and place in a pressure cooker with a steamer rack. Add 1 cup water, and fasten lid. Heat (on high) until the pressure cooker is "tsk tsk tsk-ing", and then reduce to medium and cook for 8 more minutes. Then remove from heat and let it cool until the lid can be removed.
Once the potatoes are cool enough to remove the lid, put the butter and the onions in the a thick pan. Cook on medium heat until onions become clear. Butter may brown, but do NOT let it burn - if it starts to brown, turn the heat down.
I added the potatoes and peas, but I mean to add the curry, ginger, and garlic first and cook it for a minute - it helps bring the flavor out. If you forget, just add it all in; it turns out fine. Cook on medium heat and try to mash up the potatoes (I used a tong/spatula).
Cut the pie crust into 8 wedges. Add a tablespoon of potato-pea mixture and fold the corners together and pinch the edges shut. Pinch thoroughly if you want them sealed - they ten to "burst" open while baking. Bake on parchment paper for about 30 minutes.
So yummy! Serve with chutney if you like. I could practically eat the whole tray. This makes 32 samosas. You could cut the recipe in half if you want fewer, but they are so good you might want the extras for lunch or side dishes.
10.4.10
Friday/Saturday: One Pot...Two Meals?!?
Okay, so how do you cook two different meals in one pot?
10 Bean & Vegetable Soup
1 cup 10 bean soup mix, soaked for 24 hours
5 cups water
3 medium red-skinned potatoes (cut into 1/2 or 1 inch pieces)
3 medium carrots (sliced)
2 bouillion cubes
1/4 cup dried mushrooms (the small broken bits from the bottom of the bag)
1 piece seaweed (I left this whole so I could pull it out later)
1 jalepeno (I left whole so I could remove it)
When I made this, I put all these ingredients in the crock pot and cook for 12 hours. But 12 hours later the beans were still tough! I don't know if they were a little old when I bought them or if cooking them on "low" was not hot enough. Luckily beans sink when they aren't cooked, so I pulled all the rest of the soup off the top and left the beans in with a little bit of broth.
So I was left with a savory, brothy vegetable soup. Served with cheesy toast that crispy almost like giant croutons...mmm! It actually reminded me a little bit of French onion soup for some reason; I think the mushrooms made it really rich in flavor, and the cheesy toast was delicious when it absorbed that broth.
I kept going with those beans...
1 cup 10 bean soup mix, cooked for 12 hours in a small amount of broth
4 additional cups water
2 tomatoes
1 jar heat & serve tomato soup
1 bag alphabet noodles
I added the extra water and the diced tomatoes and left it cooking for another almost 48 hours! Then I added the jar of tomato soup and the noodle and heated those for about 30-45 minutes and served.
Well, to be honest, this second soup did not turn out all that well. The beans were still slightly tough. I think they were old or something. I also cooked the noodles in the crock pot, so they got pretty mushy. I advise you and my future self to cook the noodles on their own and add to the soup just before serving. And toss the beans that don't seem to be cooking - they probably won't.
10 Bean & Vegetable Soup
1 cup 10 bean soup mix, soaked for 24 hours
5 cups water
3 medium red-skinned potatoes (cut into 1/2 or 1 inch pieces)
3 medium carrots (sliced)
2 bouillion cubes
1/4 cup dried mushrooms (the small broken bits from the bottom of the bag)
1 piece seaweed (I left this whole so I could pull it out later)
1 jalepeno (I left whole so I could remove it)
When I made this, I put all these ingredients in the crock pot and cook for 12 hours. But 12 hours later the beans were still tough! I don't know if they were a little old when I bought them or if cooking them on "low" was not hot enough. Luckily beans sink when they aren't cooked, so I pulled all the rest of the soup off the top and left the beans in with a little bit of broth.
So I was left with a savory, brothy vegetable soup. Served with cheesy toast that crispy almost like giant croutons...mmm! It actually reminded me a little bit of French onion soup for some reason; I think the mushrooms made it really rich in flavor, and the cheesy toast was delicious when it absorbed that broth.
I kept going with those beans...
1 cup 10 bean soup mix, cooked for 12 hours in a small amount of broth
4 additional cups water
2 tomatoes
1 jar heat & serve tomato soup
1 bag alphabet noodles
I added the extra water and the diced tomatoes and left it cooking for another almost 48 hours! Then I added the jar of tomato soup and the noodle and heated those for about 30-45 minutes and served.
Well, to be honest, this second soup did not turn out all that well. The beans were still slightly tough. I think they were old or something. I also cooked the noodles in the crock pot, so they got pretty mushy. I advise you and my future self to cook the noodles on their own and add to the soup just before serving. And toss the beans that don't seem to be cooking - they probably won't.
7.4.10
Wednesday: Pasta & Greens
I made some butternut squash pasta the other day that was delicious, and all I did was add red sauce! I still had about half the box left, and I thought I could make it even better by getting healthy-gourmet with the toppings.
1/2 box butternut squash & parmesan raviolis (dry)
1/2 pound blue cheese
1 small bunch dinosaur kale
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons butter
A few tablespoons of water
Boil the ravioli according to instructions (ie: boil for 15 minutes).
Put the butter in a pan, heat it, chop the kale quickly, and add it to the pan with the garlic and water. Cook for the same 15 minutes (or a little longer, until soft). Add the blue cheese and melt.
Strain the pasta, then add to the pan with the kale and mix it all together.
Marshall really liked this version, but I actually preferred the red sauce! I thought the blue cheese overpowered the squash...
It took about 20-25 minutes total, and I had a large serving leftover.
1/2 box butternut squash & parmesan raviolis (dry)
1/2 pound blue cheese
1 small bunch dinosaur kale
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons butter
A few tablespoons of water
Boil the ravioli according to instructions (ie: boil for 15 minutes).
Put the butter in a pan, heat it, chop the kale quickly, and add it to the pan with the garlic and water. Cook for the same 15 minutes (or a little longer, until soft). Add the blue cheese and melt.
Strain the pasta, then add to the pan with the kale and mix it all together.
Marshall really liked this version, but I actually preferred the red sauce! I thought the blue cheese overpowered the squash...
It took about 20-25 minutes total, and I had a large serving leftover.
5.4.10
Weekend: Camping Scramble Eggs
When camping, Marshall really likes to make gourmet meals - he cooks more on the camping trips than any other time! But this time we were winging it. We didn't make a huge grocery shopping trip like we usually do, and we mostly packed what we had in the cupboard. This included eggs, and we thought we could make them scrambled (one dish meals always reign since we have only one propane burner).
4 eggs (we really lived it up with 2 eggs each!)
1 Chorizo-flavored soy-sauge
1 tomato
3 mini bell peppers (or 1/2-1 bell pepper would work)
Salt & Pepper
Scrambled eggs are an easy affair. We started with the veggies, cooking them up a little bit before adding the eggs. But then we just cracked the eggs right into the pan, and stirred quickly, then cooked until there was nothing shiny or clear. The chorizo soy-sauge was great, but the other veggies turned out a little bland. I don't know why; sometimes that just happens. So we poured the rest of our salsa on top and it was delicious. Bon appetite!
4 eggs (we really lived it up with 2 eggs each!)
1 Chorizo-flavored soy-sauge
1 tomato
3 mini bell peppers (or 1/2-1 bell pepper would work)
Salt & Pepper
Scrambled eggs are an easy affair. We started with the veggies, cooking them up a little bit before adding the eggs. But then we just cracked the eggs right into the pan, and stirred quickly, then cooked until there was nothing shiny or clear. The chorizo soy-sauge was great, but the other veggies turned out a little bland. I don't know why; sometimes that just happens. So we poured the rest of our salsa on top and it was delicious. Bon appetite!
Weekend: Camping Sandwiches
Sandwiches are always a great meal, especially when you are on the go. We went camping this weekend and made sandwiches two days. We used the same basic "recipe."
Bread (Whole wheat or Rosemary)
Meat (or fake meat, we used Tofurkey slices)
Cheese (havarti and cheddar)
Tomatoes
Mustard (in this case "Moosetard" Alaskan Smoked Lager Mustard)
Olive tapenade
Avocado
Everyone knows how to make a sandwich! You put all the ingredients between two slices of bread and eat. In this case, the sandwiches were a little bland. I think the bread:filling ratio was a little bread-heavy. Also, toasting the bread is always nice, and since we were camping we couldn't do that. This also made the sandwiches kind of "thick" and dry. A little mayonaise would have helped there.
The mustard was delicious, but too mild. On our last sandwich we slathered it on, and they were significantly improved. Also, we had kind of mild cheese and out tomatoes were bland. They looked good, but what can you expect - they were from the mainstream grocery store.
Overall, disappointing sandwiches, despite the ingredient list sounding good. It's all about the ratio, I suppose.
Bread (Whole wheat or Rosemary)
Meat (or fake meat, we used Tofurkey slices)
Cheese (havarti and cheddar)
Tomatoes
Mustard (in this case "Moosetard" Alaskan Smoked Lager Mustard)
Olive tapenade
Avocado
Everyone knows how to make a sandwich! You put all the ingredients between two slices of bread and eat. In this case, the sandwiches were a little bland. I think the bread:filling ratio was a little bread-heavy. Also, toasting the bread is always nice, and since we were camping we couldn't do that. This also made the sandwiches kind of "thick" and dry. A little mayonaise would have helped there.
The mustard was delicious, but too mild. On our last sandwich we slathered it on, and they were significantly improved. Also, we had kind of mild cheese and out tomatoes were bland. They looked good, but what can you expect - they were from the mainstream grocery store.
Overall, disappointing sandwiches, despite the ingredient list sounding good. It's all about the ratio, I suppose.
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