Roasted Brussel Sprouts

I remember having a family dinner at our priest's home as a child and he served us brussel sprouts. To be polite my brother and I tried them, but didn't like them.  As an adult they are becoming one of my go-to vegetables. They are so easy to roast and my husband likes them as much as I do!

What you will need:
Brussel Sprouts, olive oil, salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse the sprouts and cut in half.  Tear off any leaves that are wilted or brown.  Toss the sprouts in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Throw them on a cookie sheet and roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes.  Serve warm.

Cheesy Quinoa Bites

This is a perfect recipe for a summer day.  You have to start the oven, but they go well with a salad and you have a meal.

What you will need: 2 cups cooked quinoa, 2 large eggs, 1 cup shredded carrot, 1 cup shredded zucchini, 2 stalks green onion, 2 cloves garlic, minced , 1/2 cup grated cheddar, 2 Tbs all-purpose flour , 1/2 tsp seasoning salt , 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together quinoa, carrot, egg, green onion, garlic, zucchini, cheese, flour, salt and pepper.
3. Distribute mixture into a greased mini muffin tin, filling each cup to the top (1 heaping Tbs each).
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Before baking.

Notice the carrot and zucchini were in big shreds. I used my food processor. Next time I will use a grater so they are smaller.



We dipped these in ranch dressing, but I'm sure they'd be good with almost any summer time dip. This is a perfect compliment to a salad as you get your protein from the quinoa.

Quinoa Broccoli Casserole

When I was in college the cafeteria served a dish called Chicken Divan Casserole.  It had chicken, rice, and broccoli.  Later, once I was married, I found a similar recipe in an old church cookbook.  Sometime along the road I lost that cookbook or got rid of it and never pursued trying to find the recipe again.  Then it happened, one day I saw something on Pinterest that caught my eye.  It looked like Chicken Divan Casserole, but not quite.
This recipe calls for quinoa instead of rice.  Brilliant!  There is no chicken, however, if you wanted to make this a dish with meat, you could definitely add chunks of chicken or serve a grilled chicken breast on top.
I thought this was a delightful way to serve up quinoa in a casserole.  Give it a try and see if you like it.

http://eatingwelllivingthin.wordpress.com/2011/04/14/blast-from-the-past-with-a-new-twist/

Quinoa Cakes with Sweet Potatoes

Here's a recipe from November that I'm finally getting around to posting.  I've tried many quinoa cake recipes and still haven't found my favorite.  Maybe I'm just not a fan of quinoa cakes.  I wanted to try this one because it had veggies in it.  I found this recipe on Pinterest so instead of typing out the recipe I'll give you the link.

Quinoa Cakes
http://eatingwelllivingthin.wordpress.com/2010/11/01/love-my-quinoa-burger/

As a side I did sweet potatoes.

What you will need:  2 large sweet potatoes, olive oil, course salt, 2 Tbsp butter, 2 Tbsp brown sugar,
1/3 c. walnuts, crushed


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel potatoes and halve lengthwise; slice crosswise 1/2 inch thick. On a baking sheet, toss potatoes with olive oil; season with salt.

Transfer half the potatoes to a second baking sheet; cook both sheets until potatoes are tender, tossing occasionally, 25-30 minutes.

Sprinkle with butter, brown sugar, pecan pieces and cayenne pepper, dividing evenly. Bake until sugar is caramelized and hard, about 10 minutes. Toss gently; serve immediately.



Black Bean Burritos and Granola

I know, know.  It's a weird combination, but I didn't serve them together.  I was a little bored this afternoon so thought I'd make some granola.  My husband comes home and says "Wow, you had time to make granola?"  like it was a big deal. I'm here to tell you that granola is super easy to make.

Granola (just one way)

What you will need: 2 cups rolled oats (old fashion or quick), 1/2 cup shredded coconut, 1/2 cup sliced almonds, 1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 cup craisins, 6 tbsp canola oil, 4 tbsp honey.

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.  Spread mixture on a rimmed cookie sheet (jelly roll pan) and bake for 20 minutes.  Check in on it occasionally and stir it around.  Let cool slightly then transfer to an air tight container.  Serve with milk, yogurt, or fresh fruit.


_____________________________________________________

So, if you've been reading the blog lately....or the last 6 or so recipes I posted today you have probably noticed that I'm trying to incorporate more vegetarian meals into our diet.  The children are probably having the hardest time with this. Last night they had chicken strips and tonight I made them a chicken breast on the George Foreman Grill while I made quacamole and black bean burritos for the hubs and myself.

The quac recipe is already posted - try April or May?  I made up the burrito recipe and it was quite good if I do say so myself.  I discovered Manchego cheese this past weekend while visiting family.  I fell in love!  I went right out and bought myself some when I got home. It's on the pricey side, but oh so good.  Life is short, treat yourself to good cheese!

What you will need:  One can of black beans, 1/2 red onion, 1/2 green pepper, 2 garlic cloves, grated manchego cheese, small flour tortillas

Heat the black beans with their juices in a sauce pan.  Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a small saute pan or skillet.  Add chopped onion and chopped green pepper.  Once those cook down a bit throw in the garlic.  I happened to have some sweet corn left over from last night so I cut that off the cob and threw it in too.  If you like spicy, add some red pepper flakes or jalapeno.
Warm the tortillas. Build you burrito with beans (use a slotted spoon to avoid the juice) topped with the pepper mix and that oh so good Manchego cheese.

Sorry, no pictures today. I was too involved in my cooking to stop and take pictures;)

Linguine with Zucchini and Chickpeas + How to cook Sweetcorn

Vegetarian Dish Ahead!

What you will need:  12 ounces whole wheat linguine, 2 tbsp olive oil, 3 small zucchini, cut in half moons, kosher salt, 15 oz chickpeas, 2 cloves garlic, sliced, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Cook the pasta according to the package.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, drain, and return to the pot.  Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the zucchini and salt to taste. Cook, stirring often until just tender (I like mine a little firm).  Add the chickpeas, garlic, and red pepper and cook until heated through.
Toss the pasta with the reserved water and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Divide the pasta among bowls and top with the zucchini mixture and remaining Parmesan.
This recipe came from Real Simple Magazine.

It's sweet corn season here in Iowa!  To cook sweet corn, get a large pot and bring the water to a rolling boil.  Put the ears of corn in for 8 minutes and Viola! They are done.  Make sure to use plenty of real butter and salt!

Vegetable Stock

For some time now my husband and I have been talking about becoming vegetarians or at least cutting out the beef and pork.  I decided to make my own vegetable stock because it can be pretty expensive in stores; quite a bit more than chicken broth.

What you will need:  A large stock pot, mesh strainer
4 large carrots, chopped
2 large onions, chopped (don't peel)
1 large potato, sliced
2 celery stalks, chopped
6 garlic cloves (don't peel)
15 button mushrooms, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
20 fresh parsley stems
black pepper

Combine all ingredients in the stock pot along with 14 cups of water.  Bring to a boil and adjust heat so the mixture simmers gently for 30 minutes or until vegetables are very tender.
Cool slightly and then strain, pressing the vegetables on the side of the strainer to extract the juice.
Use immediately or refrigerate up to 5 days.  Freeze up to 3 months.  I used ice cube trays and freeze the stock in them, pop them out and then store in a sealed Ziploc bag.

A pot full of veggies.  Yum!

This recipe was taken from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bitman

Easy Cheesy Potato Soup

If you claim you can't cook, think again.  Here is a soup recipe that is so quick and easy you can have it on the table in no time.

What you will need: 4 good size potatoes, 2 carrots, 1 stalk celery, 1/4 onion chopped, parsley, salt and pepper, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 cup milk, 1/2 lb Velveeta cheese

Peel and dice the potatoes and carrots.  Dice the celery and onion.  Place these items in a pot with 1 1/2 cup water and parsley. Boil until the potatoes are just tender, but not too soft.  Add the soup, milk and Velveeta.  Cook until the Velveeta is melted.  Season with salt and pepper.

Note: Make this a vegetarian soup by replacing the cream of chicken with cream of celery soup.

Tonight I jazzed it up just a bit by adding some bacon I had on hand and by floating goldfish crackers on top.  This soup is always a hit in my house and the little boys eat it up!  Enjoy:)

Crab Cake Appetizer and Tuscan Soup

Sometimes I crave seafood, especially things like crab legs, crab cakes, and grilled shrimp.  When you live in Iowa it is nearly impossible to get fresh seafood.  When you grow up in Iowa you eat fish sticks and fried cod at the Friday night fish fry.  I had never eaten crab or shrimp before I met my husband at the age of 19.  Shocking, I know, but that's life in small town Iowa. 

It's the dead of winter here and I'm craving crab cakes.  Now, I could go to an upscale restaurant and pay $15 for two crab cakes or I could make them myself.  I had never made them before last night and they were good.

Crab Cakes

What you will need: 1 pound jumbo lump crab meat, 1/4 cup mayo, 4 scallions(green part only), 1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning, parsley flakes, salt and pepper, 2-4 tablespoons fine bread crumbs, 1 egg, 1/2 cup flour, 6 tablespoons vegetable oil.

NOTE: I did not buy fresh crab for two reasons. 1.  It was $12.99/lb for crab legs, which you have to boil and pull the meat out. And do you think you get one pound of meat from one pound of crab legs?  I bought jumbo lump crab in a can.  I bought 2 -6oz cans, which I realize does not equal a pound. 2. I didn't want to splurge on fresh, expensive crab because this was the first time making the recipe.  What if it went horribly wrong and I spent all that $$?  The canned crab worked just fine!

Scallions, in case you don't know are green onions.  I didn't know this when I first started cooking so I thought I'd stick that little tidbit in here;)  I couldn't find Old Bay seasoning, so I used a seafood seasoning I had on hand.

Moving right along.  Open the crab meat and drain.  Put it in a medium bowl.  Gently mix in the scallions, seasoning, parsley, 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs and mayo.  Be careful not to break up the crab too much. Season with salt and pepper.  Carefully fold in the egg with a rubber spatula until the mixture clings together.  Add more crumbs is necessary.  Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper. With a soup spoon, scoop up some of the mixture, form it into a cake and place on the baking sheet.  Do this for the rest of the mixture. I made 12 crab cakes.  Of course you can make them as small or large as you like.  Put the baking sheet in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
When you are ready to cook the cakes, heat the oil in a fry pan.  Put the flour in a pie plate and dredge the cakes in the flour, shaking off any excess flour.  Cook the cakes in the hot oil until both sides are browned.  When I was frying these, I had people standing around waiting to eat them so I plated them and handed them off.  You can also heat the oven to 200 degrees and keep them warm there until you have cooked them all.
I served these with mayo and sweet relish mix.

Ribollita

I received The Food Network Magazine as a Christmas gift and I am loving it!  I just got a new magazine this week so I am excited to test new recipes.  I came across Ribollita and had never heard of it before, but the picture looked good and it was a slow-cooker recipe so I thought I'd try it.  I went to the store to get everything I needed and got it all in the Crock pot and went about my day.  After a few hours as the smell started filling the house I began to think more about the soup and wondered where it came from. So, I googled Ribollita.  Turns out, it's a Tuscan peasant soup.  It is made with vegetable that aren't very expensive and dry beans.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribollita

What you will need: 3 medium carrots, 3 stalks of celery, 1/4 head small cabbage, 4 oz pancetta or bacon, 1 cup dried cannellini beans (also known as navy beans), 1/4 cup tomato paste, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, salt and pepper, slices of crusty bread, olive oil, 3 garlic cloves

Roughly chop carrots and celery. Slice the cabbage so it's in long strips, dice the bacon (I use kitchen shears to cut the bacon). Put all this and the dry beans, tomato paste in a large Crock pot. Top with seven cups of water. Cover and cook for 7-8 hours on low. Leave one slice of bread out on the counter so it can get good and dry.
Before serving, add the stale bread. Cover and continue to cook for 10 minutes.  Stir the soup well and then add the grated Parmesan and parsley.  Salt and pepper to taste. Heat three tbsp of olive oil and cook the sliced garlic cloves until brown. Swirl this in the soup.  Serve with good bread (recipe below)

I loved this soup because it was so easy. If you are a working person, it is simple to throw all this in the crock and let it cook away while you are at work.

For the bread, I bought an Italian loaf at the store. I brush the slices with olive oil, rub them with a garlic clove and top with Parmesan.  Put in a 425 degree oven for about 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye on it and take out when it's nice and brown.