Mexican Pizza

 

This recipe took less then ten minutes to make. Use up any extra veggie's you happen to have in the fridge. If you don't have thin crust pizza use corn or flour tortillas to make mini pizzas. Short and sweet and plenty to share!!

Pre-heat oven to 450 (depending on what your crust calls for)

Spread fat free refried beans on pizza crust (you can also use veggie crumbles for extra protein)  

I had some spicy buffalo sauce that I added on top of beans. Salsa works too.

Chop up all of your yummy veggies, I used jalapenos, purple onion,  yellow tomato, summer squash, zucchini and lots of black olives.

Sprinkle veggies on top of crust. Here you can add cheese if you would like.  I used a little bit of shredded as well as smoked mozzarella.

Bake for ten minutes.  

 ENJOY!!!  

Vegitarian Shepards Pie

 

Some days I'm just craving something hearty and filling. I must've been in a mood, because I needed silence. This is a rarity for me.  I generally make this recipe with Seitan, however was a little broke and went with the veggie crumbles I had in my fridge. This is a recipe that Benny wouldn't come near..even just a small bite of the potato's. So I had the luxury of sharing with lil' sessta and eating several days for lunch. This recipe, like the Quiche is not perfected like my momma's, but I will continue the quest for perfecting my ever changing recipe. Hope you enjoy!

Pie Shell

Half diced purple Onion

Half chopped zucchini

1 cup of chopped mushrooms.

(Add any other veggies you want)

1 cup of your favorite shredded cheese (I used half cup of mozzarella and a half of Colby)

1 cup of chopped green onions

5 potato's (I used Idaho, use more if you choose smaller potatoes)

One box (Meijer's has my favorite-organic, small box of cream of mushroom..mmmmm so good!) or can of your favorite mushroom soup

Half bag of Veggie crumbles or package of Seitan

Salt /Pepper

Earth balance or Butter (for mashed potatoes)

Soymilk or sour cream (for mashed potatoes)

Heat oven to 375

Fill pot of water- enough to cover potatoes and put on high heat

When oven is warm, poke pie shell several times with fork and sprinkle a thin layer of cheese

Cook for five minutes (or until cheese is melted)

Sprinkle your veggies on bottom layer of crust. Set aside

Sautee your green onion and mushrooms on low

Add soup and veggie crumbles to mixture. Cook until all ingredients are warm.

 Salt and Pepper to taste.

When ready spread over veggie's in crust and sprinkle remainder of cheese on top.

 When potato's are done, drain and mash them. I like mine cheesy and chunky, with skin on, but you can go the smooth route or healthier route and skip the soy milk/butter or sour cream.

 

Spread mashed potatoes over your veggie crumble mixture.  

 Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake for 20 minutes.

ENJOY!!! 

Stuffed shells

Misfits- The Shining

So today was day two of an unexpected snow day. I made it a absolute To Do: to create a recipe, eat it and post. It's been three months for goodness sake! I've been going to the gym with the new year and have been realizing I need more protein...I'll eat dinner and then eat again and again. My favorite go to for protein....beans : ) I was able to sneak those stinkers into this recipe. For extra protein some veggie crumbles would be good as well.

1 box of jumbo shells

1 can of cannellini beans (white kidney)

15 oz. of ricotta cheese

4 mushrooms chopped

4 chopped green onions

2 cups of chopped spinach

1 Tablespoon of Earth Balance (I used vegan--tastes so much better than butter!)

1 Tablespoon of Pesto

1/2 cup of fresh chopped parsley

1/2 cup of feta (I used tomato and basil)

1 cup of shredded mozzarella (optional)

1/4 cup of egg whites (optional)

Panko (optional)

Marinara sauce (optional)

Start out by following the directions the box of shells. Pre-heat oven accordingly.

Sautee the spinach, mushrooms and green onion with earth balance.

In a bowl mix the ricotta cheese, parsley, feta, mozzarella, garlic powder and egg whites. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. I didn't want my beans to be whole, so I used a food processor and added the basil to this, after grinding I mixed with ricotta cheese. Completely up to you if you want to skip this step. Mashing beans works too.

Mix sautéed veggies with ricotta mix.

Lightly spray your pan and stuff your shells to your hearts content! I saved the red sauce for later, but you can pour on top now. I sprinkled with panko and pepper before baking.  I cooked mine for 40 minutes and the last few minutes I warmed up my red sauce in a bowl.

ENJOY!!!! 

  

Five ingredient Chili

Okay...just realized my last post from OCTOBER was chili as well...oops..but this one is yummy and even easier...snow day - crock pot- chili - couch!

Can of spicy rotel (two cans of water)
Half purple onion
Half green pepper
Veggie crumbles
One can of kidney beans

Top with cheese, green onion, cilantro, sour cream or hot sauce. 

Quick Chili (Vegan option)

Too Starvin' for tunes

 

Today was one of those days where I was thinking about food on my way home from work...thinking about food at gym and by the time I walked in door, I needed food so quickly that even the kitty food smelled good... I may be losing it!! Fortunately I had four key ingredients to make this yummy, easy, filling chili..and it took less then ten minutes...no need to eat cat food...always a plus!

One bag of Boca Crumbles

One can of diced Ro-tel tomatoes (I used can with chili peppers added)

One can of Chili Beans(drained)

One can of Black Beans  (drained)

two can fulls of water

Diced Onions

Shredded cheese (optional)

If I weren't so ravenous, I would have added cabbage, celery, kale, fresh zucchini and purple onion..however..needed... food in...my...belly.....fast. Add all of the fixin's til' your hearts content.

For those of you that don't have picky eaters in your household, simply cook in pan and serve with chopped onions on top or a spoonful of shredded cheese or tortillas. Benny is not a fan of whole beans, so I poured everything in a blender and its magical...no one will ever know what you snuck in.

...to avoid the lovely brown color, add more tomato's or use white beans instead of chili and black : )

Enjoy!!!

 

Orzo/Tofu soup - Cat Stevens Radio

 

So I know its a little early for soup, however two weeks ago we got a little peak at fall, the wind was blowing, the temperature had dropped....even though I knew the feeling would be short lived, I still had a mad hankering for some orzo soup....not exactly sure why orzo--have never had in soup form, but either way...I needed it bad...here's what I came up with.

What you will need:

Orzo-(usually by the noodles/rice section) I used one serving

Vegetable Broth--(I always like to have this on hand-especially in the fall winter, very helpful when you need to throw something together last minute and use up extra veggies) I used whole box

One zucchini

Cherry tomatoes (I had an assortment from the farmers market)

Batch of green onions

Handful of spinach

Fresh parmesan

Black pepper

Soy sauce (optional)

Fried tofu-also optional-(....so I had some left over fried tofu from Rice Kitchen that I wanted to use up, you can either skip this ingredient your sauté your own in a pan and then add to soup when finished)

Also, add whatever other veggies you have in your fridge, celery, onion, green pepper...I just went with what I had on hand.  

Pour your broth into pan, follow directions on orzo package, I went with the option of half way cooking it and then adding to broth. Chop your tomato, green onion. If you do go the tofu route and it is uncooked, now would be a good time to chop into cubes and sauté, I like to add soy sauce to mine with black pepper and a little bit of olive oil. Add your chopped ingredients and tofu, as well as orzo about ten minutes before you want the soup to be served.

I put a handful of spinach at the bottom of each bowl (still crisp and not slimy when you pour soup on top).

Sprinkle with black pepper and fresh parmesan.

ENJOY!!

 

Eggplant for Angie- Its about Time!

OK, OK, I know I have been slacking like crazy!! You would think I would have time about to sit down and spend twenty minutes on a post (working lovely summer teacher hours, having no children and nannying two days a week) but in reality I have been spending so much time eating out...eating in...drinking out...drinking in...that I just couldn't force myself to open my laptop...I knew I would be forced to check my work emails and actually sit down and focus for a minute...I have however had lovely company Ms. Katie from Ohio....Ms. Ronja from Germany...Ms. Allegra's get together in Traverse City...spending time with Ms. Kali when she had an hour off and honestly, the lighting isn't that great for a laptop on a sunny beautiful day in Michigan...so yes...food blogging does seem to be easier in the cold winter months.  So here is a recipe from a month ago...its been along time coming..and I was so hot in my kitchen that I didn't take the time to make it look purty...but in the words of Dan..."mmmmm this good."

One Large Egg plant

olive oil

Goat cheese (or your favorite cheese-kiddos may prefer mozzarella, feta would be good too)

Marinara sauce (vodka or mushroom is yummy)

1/2 cup Cous cous (use pasta, orzo  or rice if you prefer)

shredded parmesan

Salt and pepper

Garlic powder

Fresh basil

Pre-heat oven to 350

Chop your egg plant and cook in a skillet with a little bit of olive oil and salt and pepper...I love a lot of pepper, but your welcome to take it easy...cook just long enough to add a little color to the egg plant, and flip...about four minutes on high on each side...set aside on a sheet pan.

While your are cooking your egg plant...have your rice, noodles or cous cous cooking...I like cous cous because it is less heavy...for more kid friendly you could use Annie's bunny noodles : )

While your cous cous is cooking, take your cooked egg plant and spread a thin layer of goat cheese on top. Sprinkle with garlic powder and set aside.  

On top of your goat cheese layer (or your favorite cheesy layer)  Add the cous cous...(I mixed mine with marinara ahead of time...but you can also spread it and add a spoonful of sauce on top of your noodles)

After you have your wonderful layer of eggplant,  Cheese...cous cous and marinara, add another egg plant on top and sprinkle a little fresh parmesan with a small teaspoon of sauce. Put in oven and bake for ten minutes. Sprinkle with fresh basil, salt to taste and ENJOY!!!

Toasty Egg - Hey Ma' Radio

Toasty Egg -(aka Eggs in a Basket/Egyptian toast)  

I'm not a big breakfast fan, however B loves a Saturday and Sunday home cooked breakfast, which I am more than happy to cook...providing he does the dishes : )...I remember my dad making some form of Egyptian toast as a child...however not being a huge egg fan, I never wanted the runny yolk in the middle. Thought I would experiment using just egg whites...have to admit, it turned out much more delicious than I anticipated.  I had just bought some yummy purple fingerling potatoes , fresh baby kale and green onions from the farmers market. I also used the Salty Seed bread, which added some extra flavor-huge fan of this bread (Kismet Farm and Bakery-sold at our health food store)

Bread-a slice per person

2 Eggs or 1/2 cup of egg whites

Two tablespoons of olive oil

Handful of kale or baby spinach

1/4 cup of diced green onions

Salt and Pepper

Sprinkle of mozzarella cheese

 

Heat your skillet on low, add olive oil and cut two round holes in your bread.  

Pour your egg whites or crack your egg in the middle of your toast. If you are using egg whites, it will spread as pictured. If you use eggs, it tends to stay more nicely in the center of your toast.

While cooking on low, sprinkle your toast with your baby spinach or kale, salt and pepper, sprinkle of cheese and green onion. Cook for 5 minutes (longer if you like crispy)

 

Flip toast and while cooking on low, add another sprinkle of cheese, green onion and another shake of salt and pepper (below) (cook for another five minutes)

Serve with a side of your favorite potato or veggie (Purple fingerling potatoes pictured here) 

ENJOY!!!! 

Green Pepper Pasta

Around the World-Red Hot Chili Peppers Radio 

Today Ben and I were craving some warm veggies with pasta. First day of spring break for me and he needed some comfort food with video games.  I wanted to try something new and I think this one turned out well. Only thing I would change...kinda went a lil' overboard on the garlic in the food processor, I forgot I had already added a tablespoon of garlic powder. This sometimes happens when I multi-task. Oh well. Still quite yummy! So if you want the green pepper taste to stand out more, add one clove instead of three. This was enough to feed four people and still have left overs!

1 zucchini

1/2 of large summer squash

1 tablespoon of soy butter

1 cup of chopped green peppers

1 tablespoon of garlic powder or two garlic cloves

1/2 cup of kale

1 cup of spinach, baby kale mix

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Pepper

Salt

Box or bag of your favorite pasta (I used Al Dente Spinach Fettuccine Noodles (comes in a bag and cooks in three minutes))

1/4 cup of fresh parmesan

1/2 cup of chopped basil leaves (If you want extra basily add two squeezes of basil paste to food processor)

In a pan add zucchini, summer squash and 1/2 cup of green pepper. Sautee with soy butter, add four grinds of black pepper. I used a peeler to cut the zucchini and summer squash into thin strands.

In a food processor, add the rest of the green pepper, two garlic gloves, kale, spinach mix and 1/4 cup of basil leaves.  Add a few shakes of salt as well.  After blending, add this mixture to veggie mixture in pan and keep on low.

 While veggies are simmering, follow the directions on your pasta. Mine required the water to boil and then only took three minutes to cook. Immediately after I poured in a cake pan with a lid. Stir well and sprinkle with parmesan.  We had a side of SaltySeed bread (purchased at local health food store), with fresh basil, roma tomato and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese here.

Enjoy!!! 

Bean Dip Galore

 No cookin' music today-head has too much going on!!!

This recipe is wonderful cold or warm. Because I used cream cheese, I decided to bake it. If you want a cold bean dip, I would recommend using light sour cream instead of cream cheese. I combined this recipe with B’s mama’s "Mari’s Mexican Bean Dip ‘El Especial." At the bottom you will see the differences in recipes. Both cheesy, warm and delicious. Mari makes her recipe half vegetarian for me, the other half has shredded chicken, which I have heard is quite excelente if you do dabble in meat eating.

You Will Need:

One Cup of Brown Rice/Two cups water

Five green onions-chopped

One can of vegetarian refried beans

One packet of guacamole seasoning (or your own creation-garlic powder, pepper, salt etc.)

One block of low fat cream cheese

One can of Rotel tomatoes (I used tomatoes with chili’s added)

One cup of spinach

One can of black olives

Half of a green pepper

½ cup of mozzarella cheese

½ cup of cheddar cheese

Cook the rice, until tender add green onion and mix well. While rice is simmering open can of beans and spread in a baking pan or flat dish. Spread rice mixture over beans and sprinkle with half a packet of guacamole seasoning. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on rice mixture

Put a layer of spinach over rice. Microwave or warm cream cheese until soft. In a separate bowl mix cream cheese and Rotel. Spread in an even layer over spinach.

Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top of cream cheese mixture. Add your favorite toppings. I used black olives and green peppers. Onions, jalapenos, corn, cilantro would all be lovely, I was working with what I had in fridge.

At this point, you can decide to eat warm or cold. I tasted it both ways and it was mmmm mmmm good. Entirely up to you. Great in tacos and burritos as well!

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes until cheese is melted. If you want a little crispy, put on broil for five minutes. Serve Warm

 

For Mari’s Bean dip: One can of Rotel tomatoes, One Bag of Mexican Cheese, Two Cans of refried Beans, One block of cream cheese. Follow the same directions above layering, beans, mixing cream cheese and Rotel and topping with a bag of shredded Mexican.

 

ENJOY!!!

Baked Brie with Mushrooms

 John Denver- Take Me Home radio 

I have to say I made this recipe a couple of weeks ago for Easter...hmmmm I guess that's more like three weeks ago...slacker!! I have been a bit un-motivated lately, but now that the sun is shining, things are slowly winding down at work...its time to take care of some recipes. 

This is a very flexible appetizer. I am not a fan of Brie with sweet fruit or syrup added...however if you are, you can substitute my salty for your sweet until your heart and sweet tooth are content.

I bought a wheel of Brie on sale at Meijer's for $6.99 (usually $10.00), I have found good deals at Sam's club as well. If you aren't a fan of mushrooms, you can make more a Mexican Brie, using Black beans, onion and green pepper. If you do want the sweet option, fill with your favorite fruit or jam.

Wheel of Brie ( I used President 16oz)

One sheet of Puff Pastry

Two cups of sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup of chopped onion

Fresh Pepper

Three Garlic cloves

One egg

Salt

Thaw Puff pastry as directed (generally two hours is enough), pre-heat oven as directed. Sautee your chopped mushrooms, onion and use a knife or garlic press to get your garlic into little bits. I love pepper, so I added about ten grinds of fresh pepper. Cook on low.

Take your Brie and slice in half length wise, generally a large bread knife works well.

Roll your puff pastry out, so that it is a large sheet. Take half of your Brie and lay cut side up on rolled out puff pastry. Take your sautéed mushrooms and onion and pile on top of brie, add more garlic or sprinkle salt at this point (optional).

Take other half of wheel and place on top of fixin's 

Carefully fold each corner of puff pastry over the wheel.  Take your egg (I used just the whites) and mix it. Lightly brush egg on top of folded puff pastry.

Bake until a golden brown on top. Wonderful with crackers, bread, or veggies. Best if served right away (On Easter I had to take to sister's house and bake some more, ended up a little bit soggier then usual and a bit more greasy)  

ENJOY!!! 

Baked Polenta- Wyclef Jean Radio

I love polenta...super easy, gluten free vegetarian option. You can use it as an appetizer, for breakfast with eggs or as a main meal piled high with veggies.  This recipe is the appetizer version. Polenta can be found at Meijer's usually in the pasta aisle. Less then four dollars for one roll or you can make your own at home. I have not tried the homemade version, but I imagine it is pretty simple and tastes like grits...mmmmmm mmmmm do I love some cheesy grits.  

One roll of Polenta sliced (about 20 pieces)

One cup of sliced mushrooms

Two roma tomatoes sliced

Rondele cheese (I used artichoke)

1/3 cup of feta cheese

1/3 cup of shredded parmesan

Salt and Pepper and garlic powder

Olive oil spray

Pre-heat oven to 350. To make my polenta less mushy I used a griddle, to crisp up a little prior to baking. You can do either way. If you do not have a griddle, you can use a skillet with a little bit of olive oil. Slice the polenta, one roll gave me about twenty pieces. Spray a skillet or pan with olive oil. Add the polenta and sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic powder. Repeat after flipping. After you have crisped your polenta to a nice golden yellow on either side. Lay on a cookie sheet.

Take a small amount of rondele cheese and add a small teaspoon side dollop to each polenta. Place one sliced roma tomato on top of the rondele cheese.

Add a sliced mushroom on top of tomato and sprinkle with feta and parmesan.  

 

 Bake at 350 for fifteen minutes. If you did not crisp your polenta before, you can bake at a higher temperature or broil for the last 5 minutes.  

ENJOY!!!