Quinoa Mac & Cheese

First off, Id like to apologize for the quality of my pictures. My camera broke and I'm pretty much too broke to buy a new one, so cell phone pics it is from now till who knows when. Sometimes my cell phone takes very good pictures. The Florentine Stuffed Shells picture from my last post was from my cell phone. It has a mind of its own when it comes to taking decent pictures. I am also in the market for a new cell phone (and possibly a new carrier) and that will take precedence over the purchase of a camera. I am fairly addicted to my phone...

I was racking my brain trying to come up with a better title for this dish. The original recipe was also labeled "Quinoa Mac & Cheese". I have a hard time accepting this name, because quinoa is not macaroni. Quinoa is not pasta of any sort; even though you can get quinoa pasta. I've never tried that, but it does intrigue me. I am sure it is a wonderful option for those on a gluten-free diet. I couldn't think of a fun catchy title, so I guess I'm stuck with one that bugs my eyeballs.

• 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar, but feel free to play with flavors!)
• 2 eggs
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup soy or fat free milk (I used rice milk)
• A handful of breadcrumbs *
• 1 lb asparagus or any other veggie of your preference**

*To make gluten-free, leave off the breadcrumbs.
 **I used asparagus because it is in season right now, but you can use anything. I'm sure broccoli or cauliflower would work nicely. You could even shred up some carrots if you need to hide veggies in your dish. There is also the possibility of not using any vegetables whatsoever, but I think that would just be stupid. Add veggies to your diet whenever possible!!!

Preheat oven to 350. Saute garlic and whatever veggie you choose to use.Whisk eggs with milk and then fold into quinoa. Fold in vegetables and cheese, preserving some cheese to sprinkle on top. Add mixture to a 9" x 13" baking pan. Sprinkle remaining cheese and breadcrumbs on top. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

This meal comes with mixed reviews, from both Sophia and I. Sophia raved over how it smelled. She was amazed that even though it didn't look like regular Mac and Cheese, it smelled like it. After her first few bites, she told me it was so yummy and she wanted me to pack it for her school lunch the next day. Then she had a change of heart and started begging me to make her a sandwich instead. I have no idea what would have caused her to change her mind so fast. Eventually she came around and ate most of her bowl, probably only because she knows if she gives me a hard time about dinner; she will not be allowed to have any snacks all night long.

I liked the meal, but did think it was a little bland. I would have liked if there was a creamier cheesier sauce surrounding the quinoa. More cheese next time? The original recipe I used suggested topping it with salsa, sour cream, or hot sauce. Adding salsa helped it not be so bland. This meal as leftovers seemed a bit more appetizing. Maybe, as with soup, the ingredients blend better after some time.

 I love the idea of using quinoa more often, but it is pretty hit or miss with me. It was wonderful when I replaced the rice in my Stuffed Tomatoes and it is also great with eggs in the Quinoa Breakfast Bake. Some other recipes I have tried were not as appealing. Those recipes should have been posted on this blog as well, but I've pretty much been a slacker. Ill keep chipping away at quinoa recipes to discover which ones are best.

Quinoa is a super food and I sure do like being super!! I'm also pretty corny (and corn on the cob is delish!!) Haha, I'll stop now...

Florentine Stuffed Shells

Last week I made my fabulous Stuffed Shells for a friend's birthday. Usually I over stuff my shells so I run out of the cheese mixture before I fill all the shells. I wound up having extra store bought ricotta that I didn't put into the cheese mixture along with the shells. Add in the spinach I had no use for and I was all set for tonight's Meatless Monday!

I searched around for a Florentine shell recipe but couldn't find any that appealed to me. One used cottage cheese instead of ricotta. While I have been curious at the uses of cottage cheese to lower the calorie intake of some of my favorite recipes, tonight was not the night for that. I have leftover ricotta cheese to use! Most of the recipes I found called for frozen spinach. With only fresh on hand, I had to improvise. I'll just give you what I came up with, though I have no exact measurements!

These are all estimated measurements:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2-3 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 egg (exactly)
• 5-8 mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• a couple handfuls spinach, coarsely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• Approximately 12 cooked large pasta shells
• Half a jar marinara sauce

Preheat oven to350. Heat the oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add garlic and mushrooms then saute. Once mushrooms are mostly cooked, add spinach and cook until leaves wilt. Mix vegetables with ricotta cheese and one egg. Line a baking dish with a layer of sauce. Put a spoonful of cheese/veggie mixture into each pasta shell. Sit in baking dish. When all the shells are stuffed, cover with another layer of sauce. Add some mozzarella cheese to top if you have any. If not, no biggie!!
Cover with foil and bake 30-35 minutes.

These shells were pretty tasty for a meal meant to use up some of the perishable ingredients I had on hand. There is still a small amount or ricotta in my fridge that I'll need to find a use for. I was not the fondest of the texture of the cheese, but I cant ask for much better without spending the time for homemade and not mixing in mozzarella to make it creamier.

Tonight Sophia informed me that shells are her favorite food ever! I guess that means I should make them more often. I'm not complaining at all, though my waistline might start too! I had chopped the mushrooms fairly small, but she still noticed a bit of one and asked what it was. My usual answer to "what is this?" is, "I don't know". Sometimes she won't try something just because she doesn't like what its called and thinks she doesn't like it. Well, tonight she blew me away by telling me it was a mushroom after she tasted it. She actually recognized the taste without being able to recognize it by sight. Sometimes she likes mushrooms and sometimes she doesn't. I can't quite keep up with her preferences.

Kielbasa Soup

Kielbasa is an Easter staple around here. I'm not sure if it is a very important holiday dish in other parts, but in Philadelphia, I can not remember an Easter that did not feature this Polish sausage. Many have specific little Polish delis where they will insist on buying their kielbasa. I like kielbasa but was never a huge fanatic over it. It has a great taste, but I never did like that it would try to steal the spotlight from my all time favorite ham.

Since I hosted Easter this year, I decided to go a little off tradition. Sure, I'd have the all important kielbasa on the menu, but not as one would expect. Soup! Who would ever think you can put kielbasa in soup?!? Well, Pinterest did and I thought the idea was brilliant. I was able to set it in my crock pot at 7am and turn my mind to other more important cooking manners throughout the day. My family members were a little put off at first that I would be having soup at the holiday meal instead of straight up kielbasa, but in time they got over it and maybe even became a little intrigued.

• 1 lb. (2 cups) dried small white beans
• 1 onion, chopped into fairly small pieces
• 1 Tbsp finely minced garlic
• 1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
• 6 cups broth (the original recipe called for chicken broth, but I used my homemade vegetable broth that I had in my freezer)
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) petite dice tomatoes
• 14 oz. Kielbasa sausage, cut into half-moon slices (I used light turkey kielbasa to keep things more on the healthy side. Shhhhhh! My family doesn't know and they couldn't even tell by taste)
• 4 packed cups fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

 Pick over the beans, removing any broken ones, and add beans to the slow cooker.  Chop onion, mince the garlic and crush the spices. I put my spices in a Ziploc bag and crushed them with the back of a spoon. Add to the slow cooker.  Add the broth and diced tomatoes to the slow cooker and start to cook on low.  

Cut the sausage in half lengthwise, and then slice it into half-moon slices.  If you're going to be cooking this while you're not home, add the sausage now and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until the beans are nicely softened.  If you will be home, I would cook the other ingredients about 5-6 hours and then add the sausage.  It will work either way, but the sausage will be softer if you add it for the entire cooking time.

When beans are done to your liking, chop the spinach, turn the slow cooker to high, and cook about 30 minutes more.  Serve hot, with freshly grated Parmesan cheese for sprinkling on the stew if desired.

 

This went over great with my family. It was nice to have an appetizer to serve that was not the typical picky cheese and crackers or vegetable platter. My sister even asked to take some home to have for lunch at work the next day! We usually trade soups whenever we make some. Somehow the two of us grew up being pretty domesticated. 

Easter Ham with Pineapple-Mustard Glaze

Easter was the first big holiday I hosted. I thought I would be a mess all day and completely stressed out, however everything turned out wonderful. By paying attention to cooking times, I managed to set a schedule of what time each dish had to be started and serve everything at once. I made some dishes early, to be reheated once the ham was settling. My menu consisted of: Ham, mashed potatoes, Italian green beans, corn, pineapple stuffing, and kielbasa soup. We also had deviled eggs, coleslaw, and cake; provided by my sister.

Instead of cooking my ham with ginger ale, like I've heard done before, I wanted to do something special. After some research I decided to make a homemade ham glaze on Easter Eve. Sophia insists that every special occasion has an "Eve". Next Sunday will be her Birthday Eve!!! I found a recipe from marthastewart.com that used as a guideline for my glaze.

Ham Glaze

• the pineapple juice from a can of sliced pineapples
• 1 cup water
• 3 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup brown mustard

Bring pineapple juice, sugar, and water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 60 minutes. It should reduce some. Remove from heat and let cool. Whisk in mustard and store until use. The glaze can be refidgerated for up to 3 days.

Easter Ham

• 8-10 lb ham
• 1 cup white wine
• pineapple rings
• maraschino cherries

Preheat oven to 350. Place ham in a shallow baking dish. Make score marks across the skin of the ham, about 1 inch apart. Slowly pour the white wine over the ham. Garnish the ham with cherries and pineapples, using toothpicks to secure the fruit. Pour half the glaze over the ham. Cover and bake on lowest rack for one hour. After the hour, remove ham and heat the oven to 425. Uncover ham and pour remaining glaze over top. Bake for an additional 45 minutes, basting occasionally. Remove ham and let sit under a foil tent for 30 minutes. 


I used brown mustard, because it was what I had on hand the night before Easter. Had I prepared, I would have purchased a country style mustard. Country style mustard is the fancy grainy mustard sold in delis and most supermarkets. It would have given the glaze more of a kick, but this ham turned out delicious. If I turn Easter dinner at my house into a tradition, I probably wont stray too far from this recipe. Then again, who knows?? I may want to get even fancier next year, now that I know I can do it!
 

Roasted Peppers

Roasted Peppers have always seemed to be somewhat of a treat or luxury for people other than me. I have never liked the taste of red peppers. Green peppers are delicious, but I cannot explain why the red (and even sometimes orange and yellow) turn me off. I don't even like dishes made with red peppers in it, because the flavor permeates the entire meal. Red peppers are probably second on my yuck list of food. Surpassed only by coconuts. Blech....

You very rarely ever see roasted green pepper. Whether in jars or fresh from an Italian deli, you only see the red. Sometimes you may see some green mixed in with the red, but never green alone. As much as I dislike the flavor of red pepper, I love green peppers. One day I realized I had 3 peppers that were close to rotting. Instead of tossing them, I decided I would finally attempt to make roasted peppers.

Most of the recipes Ive seen suggest roasting the pepper whole. Like I said, my peppers were close to spoiling, so there were some soft spots I wanted to cut out. I decided to slice the soft spots out and cut the core out. I wound up with 4 shells of pepper. To make the second step of the process easier, I lined my cookie sheet with foil and then laid my pepper pieces down, skin side up. I liberally sprayed the pieces with cooking oil and popped them in the oven. With my oven preheated to 400, I let them roast for about 45 minutes. Once they started showing the tell tale black marks on their skin, I pulled them out of the oven.

One would assume that the actual baking or roasting would be enough. I was surprised to find out there is actually a steaming process involved. Next, scoop all your peppers to the center of your piece of foil and carefully fold up the sides to create an airtight pocket. Let your pepper pocket sit until it is cool enough to handle with bare hands. This allows the peppers to steam in their own heat. Once the peppers can easily be handled you can go a step further and peel the skins. I did not peel mine, but I guess I am not a true roasted pepper connoisseur since I have never been able to eat them. Most vegetables pack a vitamin and nutrient power punch in their skins, so I see no reason to remove them. If you do want to remove them, most recipes I've read state that you can simply grasp the corner and peel them off. If you do remove the skins, do yourself a favor and save them in your veggie scrap bag for broth!

Once cooled, you can store these peppers in a sealed glass jar in the fridge. The time they will last varies depending upon which recipe you go by. Some said a week, while others said they will last up to 6 months. I doubt you will be able to let them last that long, because they are so tasty! If you want to store then for an extended period of time, I would suggest using something that will be airtight, like a mason jar.

Mexican Tortilla Bake

Last nights Meatless Monday was a hit! I was totally surprised how much Sophia loved the dinner I made. Ive been slacking with my recipes (and my posts), so stumbling upon this gem was a big surprise! I actually had the recipe stored away for a while in my trusty little marble copy book. I really need to use that book more often! This was one of the simplest recipes I have made in a long while.

• 2 cups frozen corn, thawed
• 1/3 cup sliced green onion
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 4.5oz can chopped chiles
• (4) 6 inch tortillas
• 1 1/2 cups reduced fat cheddar or Mexican blend cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 400. Combine first 7 ingredients in a bowl. Place 2 tortillas in an 11"x7" greased baking dish. Spoon half the corn mixture over the tortillas followed by half the cheese. Repeat with another layer of tortillas, corn mixture, and cheese. Bake 15 minutes. Let stand 2 minutes before cutting. Top with 1 Tbsp sour cream if desired.

I was a bit nervous serving this to Sophia. I decided to leave the chiles out to eliminate the spice for her. She goes back and forth on whether she likes beans. Last night she decided that she did in fact like them. After eating her entire plate and asking for some of mine, she specifically requested that I send it to school for her lunch. I had thought the recipe was going to make way too much, but between the two of us having dinner and the next days lunch out of it, it managed to be the perfect amount. I still have a little leftover in my fridge to send to school with Sophia tomorrow. Even her teachers were raving about the lunch she brought to school today. Miss Amy, the woman who runs Sophia's PreK actually commented on my facebook page that Sophia's lunch looked and smelled amazing. I can't even lie, the compliments from her teachers is what made me want to rush and share the recipe on the blog.

I will definitely be making this recipe again. I cant wait until the peak of summer when I can try to use some fresh corn and tomatoes. I have also thought about using some refried beans under the layers of the corn mixture. Refried beans are one of my favorite Mexican ingredients! I found a simple crock pot recipe to make them fresh instead of from a can. Apparently the canned refried beans are not entirely horrible either. If you pay attention to the ingredients list, you will be able to find some that only list the beans. One ingredient products are the best! I wonder if I can make some whenever beans are on sale and then can them myself....hmmm....

Oh! I saved the best for last. This recipe is a weight watchers recipe. I don't know how many points it is considered, but it is only 221 calories per serving!

Quinoa Breakfast Bake

Good morning! Happy St. Patrick's Day! While I should be posting some sort of ham or corned beef and cabbage recipe today, unfortunately I will not have the chance to make that this year. Last year I did ham and cabbage in my pressure cooker and it came out awesome! This year I have a birthday party to go to and then I am lucky enough to have a babysitter so I can go act out my Irish with my girlfriends.

This morning for breakfast, I am eating a quinoa bake. Quinoa is one of my new found healthy foods. I have been experimenting with it a little lately. I found the recipe for a quinoa bake online somewhere, and it is super simple. I love that it takes a side dish from dinner earlier in the week and turns it into a protein packed power breakfast.

What the heck is this quinoa anyway? First, I can bet you are saying the word wrong in your head as you read this. I did for weeks! Quinoa is not pronounced phonetically. KEEN-wa. I feel funny saying it sometimes, but there you have it. Quinoa is a reminiscent to a grain, but it is completely gluten free. It is actually more closely related to spinach and Swiss chard. It is one of the few (if not only) plant based foods that can be considered a complete protein, meaning it includes all the essential amino acids. Quinoa is a good choice for people considering going vegetarian but are nervous about lacking protein in their diet. It was considered the "gold of the Incas", because the tribe recognized its value in raising the stamina of its warriors. It is now known this is due to the large dose of the amino acid lysine, which is helpful in the healing and recovery of tissues. There are so many more benefits to this tiny crunchy little seed like kernel. Consumption of quinoa can help with migraines, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.

With that all said, it is pretty tasty if prepared right. The basic prep of quinoa is simple. For how ever many cups of raw quinoa you are cooking, use half that amount of water. Boil the water with the quinoa and then cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the water has absorbed. It cooks pretty much like rice, but in half the time! There are so many ways to change up this basic recipe. This week I switched out my water for vegetable broth and tossed in some diced up broccoli. The possibilities are endless. Plus you can find so many recipes for quinoa if you just look. Start with substituting it in any recipe that calls for rice. I used it in my stuffed tomatoes and I don't think I will ever go back to using rice for that one.

So back to breakfast. I basically made myself a baked omelet. I love doing this with eggs, because it does not have to be flipped or babysat at all. I used 2 egg whites and 1 full egg. This was a tip given to me by a friend who recently lost a lot of weight. Sometimes egg whites just don't hold up to the fillings of an omelet, so adding just one full egg will give you a little extra sustenance. I diced up half a tomato and used about half a cup of leftover quinoa. Beat it all together and popped it in the oven for about 20 minutes. Voila! A nice healthy (meatless) breakfast. This is one of my favorite breakfasts to make on the weekends. It is so simple and delicious. I don't notice the quinoa in the eggs very much when eating, it just gives the omelet a nice airy texture with all those added health benefits.