YUM: Strawberry Brie cups

I just made these for a New Years party and they were not only quick and easy but also delicious.

Buy:
1 wedge of Brie
Strawberry jam
Phyllo cups

Do:
Cube the Brie and place it into the phyllo cups
Bake at 350 for 7 minutes
Remove from oven and scoop jam onto each cheese cup
Bake again at 350 for 3 minutes

Ready to eat in 2 minutes!!!! Crispy and delish!

YUM: Labor Day Guacamole!

Holy guacamole, this stuff is AMAZING!!!!

3 ripe avocados
1 clove garlic
2 small slivers of chopped red onion
1 plum tomato
1.5 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp salt (plus a pinch)

Mix it all together (without completely smashing the avo's) and you should be set. If you need to keep it fresh for a party (like me) wrap it in saran wrap with the saran actually touching the guac.  Air is what ruins it, so don't leave any room for it.  Also, you can be paranoid like me and throw the pit in along with another glass cover on top.

Enjoy your long holiday weekend!
L

YUM: Chickpea Salsa Lettuce Wraps

Another quick and absurdly easy recipe by yours truly! All you need is: salsa, veggies, chickpeas and lettuce! It takes no time at all.

15 oz chickpeas/garbanzo beans (these are the same thing, right?)
12 oz salsa
veggies of choice
Lettuce leaves for wrapping

Mix chickpeas and salsa into a small/medium saucepan and cook for about 10-12 minutes.  

No clue what the face is for. This stuff is great!

Let cool. Either overnight or a couple hours in the fridge.  Then, chop up any veggies you feel like adding, wash your lettuce and you're done prepping.

Choose whatever veg toppings you lurve. I picked avocado and tomato!

Throw it all on a slicer of lettuce and eat like a regular burrito. YUM.

So delicious!

Caution: little dogs may become depressed when they realize none of the yum is for them.

xoxo

L

YUM: Homemade Manicotti

This recipe is a slight variation (skim milk/less salt) of my uber-Italian Grandma's (who pronounces it "munny-gutt") and it is my FAVORITE.  It's also been a Christmas tradition for as long as I've been alive and I even remember the banner year that I managed to scarf down 7 in one sitting.  I was 10 years old and 60 pounds. Yeah, it's that good.

What you need to make 15/16 shells:

3 eggs

1 cup milk (I used skim and found there to be no depressing outcome)

1 cup flour 

What you need to make 15/16 fillings:

1 lb ricotta (I used part-skim)

1 egg

salt 

pepper

Locatelli (similar to Parmesan)

Extras:

Marinara sauce (I use Pomi)

Fresh Mozz (optional topping)

Mix all of the ingredients together for the "shell" (skin? casing?) and grab a small saucepan. Spray it and turn your oven to Low.  Also, if you have a tiny ladle like I do,  one scoop produces the perfect shell amount.  PS. These things cook FAST once the pan is hot, so it's a pretty quick process once you get started.

Makin' the hubs WERK it!

Put your oven to 350 degrees.

Onto the filling: mix the above ingredients together and then throw in some Locatelli, salt and pepper "to taste."  I like a LOT of Locatelli...almost 10 spoonfuls.  Definitely taste your concoction and if it's too thick, add half of an egg.

Once you are set, foil your pan, spread out a thin layer of Marinara Sauce and start filling your Manicotti! FYI: you can fit 18-20 on each cookie sheet.  

Pour some red sauce over top of your pasta and sprinkle Fresh Mozzarella or Locatelli over top.  Then, cover it up with some foil and you're almost done.

Bake for about 25-35 minutes (I did 32 so that the little edges got some crisp...however, I think this dried the filling out a bit.)

After that, you should be golden.  Also this is the perfect meal for a large group! Amazing, delicious and filling!

Pre-baking manicotti

Enjoy your feast!

L

YUM: Crock-pot Salsa Chicken

Holy awkwardly easy recipe alert!

I may have stumbled upon the world's easiest crock-pot recipe (from my sister's cooking blog). How did people survive before crock-pots? And how will I exist NOW that I know such a domestic dream exists?!  Will I ever be capable of cooking non-crock-pot again?

Only time will tell, I suppose...

So, here's how the Salsa Chicken taste-fest went down:

My hand-me-down crock pot.

Hour 0: Chicken and slime. YUM.

  

First, I tossed a whole SLOP of Tomatillo green salsa along with Medium Tomato salsa into my cauldron without measuring. Next, I dumped 3 nakey chicken cutlets into the mix and proceeded to shake an ungodly amount of chili powder atop.

Then, I waited.

Hour 4: A bit on the soupy side from the Tomatillo salsa

Four hours later, I turned the heat level from LOW to HIGH and I stirred, chopping at the chicken ever-so-slightly with my witches wooden spoon.

Then came abandonment phase numero dos.

SEVEN hours (total) later, dinner time was upon the Thompson household and THIS is what I found in my crock-pot-o-love:

Poorly photographed, shredded chicken bliss!

We topped with "Follow Your Heart" Vegan Nacho Cheddar, lettuce, and tomatoes.

Remy waited with bated breath for some chicken delicious-ness to fall his way but sadly, it did not (too much chili powder).

I really wish this computer had smell-o-vision.  For your sake.  

Ultimately, I'd say that this meal is quite possibly the crowd pleasing recipe of the century.  It's pleasing for me because I threw stuff in a pot and checked on it twice before delivering perfection, and it's pleasing to hungry burrito lovers because it makes Mexican dinner night WAY more zest-filled and flavorful than ever before.  

Needed:
Chicken breast (however many you want)
Salsa (however much you want to use...I used an entire small container)
Tomatillo Salsa (I used 4 or so "dollops") 
Chili powder - this is better than using taco seasoning (I sprinkled this on there every time i checked on it...about 29 times)


You can't mess this up. I promise.

YUM: Cauliflower crust pizza

Pizza and veggie lovers, unite.  

I'm always looking for a healthier take on pizza.  Like most health-food-searchers, I do the usual things: sub whole wheat crust for white, use non-dairy cheese or organic tomato sauce, but to no avail.  Even a good whole wheat crust pizza usually leaves me thinking, "ew. that was weird."  So, I was really surprised to try this amazing Cauliflower Pizza recipe of my sister's.  What a tasty success! 

http://themoserfive.wordpress.com/2012/02/27/cauliflower-crust-pizza/

Side-effects:  I found myself feeling super burp-y after downing a healthy sized portion of this.   This does not mean you should avoid eating it, but rather eat with a crowd, so the condition is shared.  Burping = awesome feeling.  Holding in burps = no bueno.

YUM - Mac and Cheese with a side of Spinach, please!

Tonight's dinner only took 3 hours.  Juuuust kidding...it took 2, but it was glorious.  So so glorious.  

Unfortunately, I am a mac and cheese addict.  To the core.  Nowadays I try to use Annie's organic mac and cheese when I want some, but mostly I just avoid the stuff.  Especially if I'm out.  That's why last year, Jeff felt SOOOOOO bad for me (can you imagine never having a baked version of your favorite food?!) and made this fabulous rendition of S'mac.  It's made with whole wheat shells, 1% cottage cheese, low fat extra sharp cheddar, paprika, breadcrumbs, olive oil and organic fat free milk.  Oh, and a couple tablespoons of flour.  

The recipe isn't exactly GOOD for you, but it's a snazzy alternative.  

Cheesy goodness +

Whole Wheat Organic pasta shells +

a tid bit of breadcrumbs =

YUMMY GOODNESS!!!!!

And for our side...

A quick little stir fry of broccoli, garlic and spinach did the trick. 

For all you doers, here's the recipe:

3 Tbsp breadcrumbs

1 Tsp extra virgin olive oil

1/4 Tsp Paprika

1 3/4 cups low fat milk
1 cup 1% or fat free cottage cheese

3 Tbsp flour

2 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar or cheese alternative

1/8 Tsp ground nutmeg (we've never had this around to use)

1/4 Tsp salt

Pepper to taste

8 ounces whole wheat pasta (Use an extra cup)

Boil pasta for 4 minutes and then add to:

Heat milk in large sauce pan over medium/high heat until steaming.  Whisk remaining 1/4 cup milk and flour in a small bowl until smooth; add to the hot milk and cook, whisking constantly until the sauce simmers and thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Cheddar until meltied.  Stir in cottage cheese, nutmeg and salt and pepper.

Add pasta to this delicious sauce. Sprinkle your breadcrumbs atop. And then send it off into the oven (Which is heated to 450 degrees) for 25 to 30 minutes.

VOILA!!!! Yum-ness is yours.

YUM: Valentine Dinner = Complete Success

Woohoo! It's cookin time!  General Tao's Chicken made the Vegetarian way (Yes, I eat a lot of vegetarian food.  No, I'm not a full-fledged vegetarian.)

SO...since Jeff has a crying problem, he threw on my sunglasses and got to chopping the onions.  We used 1 onion less than the recipe from Vegweb.com called for.

 We also threw in some broccoli to sautee.  I love broccoli!

 Morning Star Chik'n Strips are more bomb than 1999.  Try them! 

 Here's our whole battering, or as I like to call it, "antiquing" process:

 And into the cornstarch, you go.

 

 Here were our ingredients.  We will definitely be making this again with so many leftovers!

 Pre-frying.

Mid-frying.

 Post-everything! YUM!!!

 

 Time to eat!

This dish rules.  Next time...a tad more sugar and we'll be as good as gold!

Recipe time:  General Tao's Chk'n.

12 ounce box firm tofu, in 1" cubes (frozen and thawed)  OR Morning Star Chik'n (That's what we did!)
1 egg or egg replacer prepared
    3 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons water, divided
    3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon cornstarch, divided
    vegetable oil (we used virgin olive. Made no difference) for frying + 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
    3 green onions, chopped
    1 tablespoon minced ginger
    1 tablespoon minced garlic
    2/3 cup vegetable stock
    1/4 cup granulated sugar
    2 tablespoons soy sauce
    1 tablespoon white vinegar
    1 tablespoon sherry, optional
    red pepper, to taste
    steamed broccoli, to serve

By the way...we had no idea what "divided" meant.  We just kept ingredients away from each other. 

1. Mix the egg and add an additional 3 tablespoons water.  Dip tofu/Chik'n in egg mixture and coat completely.  Sprinkle 3/4 cup cornstarch over tofu and coat completely.  Watch out that the cornstarch doesn't clump up at the bottom of the bowl.

2. Heat oil in pan and fry tofu pieces until golden. Drain oil. Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in pan on medium heat.  Add green onions, ginger, and garlic; cook for about 2 minutes.  Be careful not to burn garlic. 

3. Add vegetable stock, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, sherry, and red pepper. 

4. Mix 2 tablespoons water with 1 tablespoon cornstarch and pour into mixture stirring well.  Add fried tofu/Chik'n and coat evenly.

Serve immediately with steamed broccoli over your choice of rice.

Serves: 4, Preparation time: 30 Minutes

Dessert - An odd rendition of the old Krispie Treat

Kamut (the recipe uses puffed rice) puff krispie treats made without marshmallows may sound kinda terrible...but they aren't!  They're just different!  Be nice.  These treats may not be like the old krispie treats made from the blue box, but they're still super dessert-y and awesome for curbing a sweet tooth in a healthier way.

Here's the recipe, taken from vegweb.com and altered a bit:

Crispy treats!

    1/2 cup agave syrup
    3/4 cup sugar
    1 tablespoon whipped

    1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    5 cups puffed rice cereal or Kamut, divided

Directions:

1. Begin by heating the syrup in a small pot over medium heat, then add the sugar to the pot. Stir continuously for a few minutes; you might start to notice it bubbling at the bottom. If it starts to become frothy, turn down the temperature some.

2. When it starts to look like it's boiling, add the margarine. Stir until evenly mixed, then add the vanilla, still stirring. If you notice that the syrup/sugar mixture does not boil, you can turn up the heat.

3. Meanwhile, in a very large bowl, measure out about 5 cups cereal. Pour the heated mixture over the cereal. Stir all ingredients with a heat resistant spatula making sure to evenly combine.

4. You might want to add the remaining cup or more of the cereal, depending on the amount of saturation you're looking for. Lay out a 9x13" piece of wax paper, and lightly spray with oil.

5. When mixture is stirred to satisfaction, pour the cereal on to the wax paper, using the spatula to push it into a large rectangle, approximately 1" or so thick. Allow the rice crispies to cool until hard, about an hour or so (although sampling of a chunk of warm rice crispies is possible for instant gratification!)

Serves: about 20 medium sized squares, Preparation time: 15 prep, 1 hour to cool
 

YUM - Almond Milk

Yesterday morning was the BEST morning of ALL mornings EVER and it will forever go down in infamy SO LONG AS I AM ALIVE!!!!!  I made almond milk, it was amazing and I highly recommend you do the same.

If you choose to do so, you will need:

-1.5 cups of raw almonds
- small handful of dates (7ish)
- 6.5 cups of water
- 1 tsp of vanilla
- dash of cinnamon

First step: soak your almonds overnight...or 8 hours for you people that only sleep 4.

Next, it's time for you to take their little jackets off until they're left in their skivvies. Once they are, it's WASH (bath?) time!

Grab your dates (that you've already pitted by now) and throw them under the water as well.

Now, throw ALL ingredients into your blender and BLEND like you've never blended before!!!

Once you feel that you've pureed the crap out of this concoction, it is time to open the lid and scoop out the foam.  This stuff is perfect for your morning espresso or coffee.

 Next, it's time to grab your super fine (not meaning attractive) strainer and strain.  The bigger your strainer, the better.  Mine was patience-is-a-virtue sized.

After that, taste a bit and you're all set!!!  Your friends and/or puppy will be green with envy...

as you taste the perfect coffee and granola companion.