Spinach Kugel

Spinach Kugel

4 eggs, well beaten
1 lb. spinach
1 lb. whole wheat egg noodles
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix*
1/4 lb butter (1 stick, 1/2 cup)
1 c milk

Cook the egg noodles.

Cook the spinach if using fresh spinach; defrost and dewater the spinach if using frozen spinach.

Blend eggs, onion soup mix, non-dairy creamer, and margarine (you can use your blender).  

Pour onto hot noodles, mixing well.  Add spinach.  Mix well.  

Pour into a baking pan and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

*I've been trying out substitute recipes for Lipton's onion mix but they have yet to measure up.

This is one of my dogs; his name is Kugel.
He is eating kugel! 

Lentils & Rice

Pictured with a little bit of aged provolone melted on top.

This is a family food I my mom used to make.  1 part cooked rice, 1 part cooked lentils, and LOTS of onions, all mixed together.  Sweat or caramelize the onions (for at MINIMUM 10 minutes) depending on your preference.  Mix at least half of the onions in with the lentils and rice but reserve some of the cooked onions for putting on top of the lentils and rice when you serve it.

Feel free to keep as bland as you like or spice as much as you want!  Cooking the rice and lentils in stock will add flavor, and other good things to add include salt, pepper, chili, cumin, garlic, paprika, parsley, etc.  I squeezed some lemon juice and mixed it in.  Any rice or lentil will work or even a mixture (For the lentils and rice above, I used three different lentils and used up three different rices that were all quite low).

I was bored of the leftovers so I added ketchup and some soy sauce and then baked it into a lentil loaf.  Serve with ketchup on top!

A "Lentil Loaf" sandwich

Ricotta Gnocchi with Beef Tomato Sauce

Sauce:  Onion, garlic, sage, ground beef, peas, crushed tomatoes, vegetable bouillon paste, agave syrup, fresh basil

Gnocchi:  This gnocchi recipe is from one of my favorite restaurants in Philadelphia - Mercato.  They have a delicious short rib ragu with ricotta gnocchi, broccoli rabe, and shaved locatelli.  A good combination I've done at home but braised short rib gives the meal a different flavor and takes many hours to cook.

Mercato posted their gnocchi recipe here.  I have also included it below.  I used whole wheat flour but otherwise followed the recipe.

1 pound low-moisture Ricotta cheese (note: the stuff in the tub, NOT ricotta salata)
1 whole egg
1 egg white
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup fine ground parmesan cheese
1 - 2 cups flour

Mix all ingredients together well except flour.  Gradually add in flour in increments until you have reached a dough that can be rolled but it still delicate and soft.

To form the gnocchi, flour work surface, roll out a quarter cup of dough at a time into long thin lines.  Cut with a knife into 1 inch long pieces.  Indent each with a fork to help catch sauce.  (Or if you are not as concerned with appearance, you can just roll them up and pull them apart).

Drop into boiling water, gnocchis are ready when they float to the top of the water.

Strain and serve.  (A helpful time to have a spider/skimmer)

BBQ Tofu & Fruit Salad

BBQ Tofu and Fruit Salad

Barbecued Tofu is a comfort food for me and one of my favorites.  I grew up eating BBQ Tofu on brown rice.  It's delicious!

Use extra-firm tofu, cube it, marinate it in the BBQ sauce, and then bake it in the oven on parchment paper.  When it seems like its near done, broil it to brown.

I grew up on homemade BBQ sauce and the storebought stuff is just not the same.  Here's how to make delicious homemade barbecue sauce:

1.  Put ketchup in a bowl.  BBQ sauce is mostly ketchup.  If you end up adding too much soy sauce and make the sauce too thin, you can always add more ketchup later.

2.  Add in some soy sauce (or shoyu, or Braggs, etc.).  When you mix it, it should become the right thickness, color, and taste.  This is the base of your BBQ sauce.  If you end up with too much of everything below, you can add more ketchup and soy sauce to dilute the other flavors.

3.  If you want to, add in a dash of worcestershire sauce, tempura sauce, fish oil, or anything of the like.

4.  Add in a bit of olive oil.

5.  Add in sweet and sour.  Keep in mind the ketchup is likely already sweetened.  I used honey, freshly squeezed lemon, and a dash of apple cider vinegar.  Depending on your mood any sweetener and any citrus or vinegar will do.

6.  Add in seasonings (garlic and onion can be fresh, dried, or both):  minced garlic, minced onion, pepper, a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg (optional), a dash of mustard, some heat if wanted (e.g. jalapenos, crushed chili flakes, etc.).  Note: I do not add salt because soy sauce is usually already pretty salty and ketchup usually already has salt in it as well.

Voila!  You have delicious BBQ sauce.

Baked Taquitos

Baked Beef Taquitos

This recipe was based largely on a recipe I found here:
http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/09/baked-creamy-chicken-taquitos.html

Essentially I put a dollop of filling in tortillas, rolled them up, and baked them on parchment paper in the oven at 425 for about 20 minutes when they were well browned on the edges.  They stayed together nicely when I took them out.

Filling:
1)  Ground beef (sauteed with green onions and Nuevo Cocina taco seasoning that has raisins and olives in it)
2)  A mixture of Neufchatel cheese, salsa, olive slices, freshly squeezed lime juice, cumin, chili, onion, garlic, and cilantro.
3)  A bit of grated cheese - I used raw smoked goat cheddar cheese.

To serve:
1)  I served them with fresh avocado.
2)  For a dipping/drizzling sauce, a combo of salsa and ranch dressing.

Turkey Soup

Turkey Soup

In the past when I've had fresh stock I like a simple soup of ground turkey, spinach, and cannelini beans.  I also like a Pistou soup with vegetables, pasta, and beans with a tomato-basil broth.  I had pesto on hand and no homemade stock so I decided to combine the recipes for a hearty and tasty stew.

1.  Cook ground turkey with onion and garlic.

2.  Boil stock.

3.  Add ingredients, giving each some time to cook:
potato, carrot, leek, whole wheat orzo, kidney and garbanzo beans, yellow squash, corn, spinach, ground turkey mixture.

4.  Stir in pesto and tomato sauce.

Mexican Rice

This is my version of Mexican or "Spanish" rice.  It is delicious and versatile in its uses.  In the past I was often disappointed when I made Mexican Rice because it never had enough flavor.  However, this preparation (Italian?) and blend of ingredients gives it both a kick plus the flavor I was looking for.  It is unique and delicious.

Here's what to do:

1.  Cook the rice.  Instead of using just water use: 1 part tomato sauce, 1 part wine, 2 parts stock.
(I do this in my rice cooker.  For example, if I put in 2 c brown rice, I put in 1 c tomato sauce, 1 c wine, 2 c stock).

2.  While the rice is cooking, mince onion, garlic, and jalapeno(s) (deseed if you want less heat).  Saute in olive oil or butter with salt, pepper, cumin, and cilantro (unless you are using fresh cilantro).

3.  Stir the onion mixture in with the cooked rice.  Add finely chopped fresh cilantro if using.  Finely, stir in some butter and romano or parmesan cheese.

Grandma Noodles

My Grandma Pearl made Grandma Noodles almost every time I visited her when I was a kid.  They are yummy and I always scarfed them down.  They are not too flavorful but the important flavors are there (read cheese with tomato sauce).  What to do:  Cook pasta (I use whole wheat).  After draining the pasta, return it to the hot saucepan.  Stir in a bit of butter, some cut up cheddar (or other cheeses), a bit of parmesan, and tomato sauce until it is orange.  It should mix and melt without even turning back on the stovetop.  I like to add some additional flavor like onion flakes, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

                             

Roasted Beets

I was not a fan of beets until a few years ago when they came in our CSA and I roasted them.  Now I love them, but I think local and fresh is the way to go..  These are Golden Beets.  After roasting them longer than you think you should in the oven and then peeling them, they are delicious served with goat cheese, basalmic vinegar, and nuts (pictures above is with pistachios).

Mexican Dip

Who doesn't love Mexican dip???  Pictured above is a simple one: refried beans, salsa, sour cream, cheese, avocado, olives.


What I like to put in my Mexican dip depends on what's around the house and the time I have to make it.  Refried beans, cooked beans, ground beef (with taco seasoning), Spanish rice, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, corn, onion, cilantro, shredded cheese, onion, olives, peppers, etc.

I froze the leftovers with an added can of refried beans.
When I defrosted it, I used the mixture for tacos, adding sour cream, avocado, and salsa.

Mac & Cheese Casserole

Pictured above is a Mac & Cheese Casserole with whole wheat noodles, ground bison, peas, and four cheeses:  cheddar, mozzarella, colby, and feta.

I grew up eating Tuna Casserole.  This is an adaptable recipe that is delicious.  It's also the best way, in my opinion, to make Mac & Cheese (if you leave out the other ingredients), better than the cheese sauce method.

Layer the ingredients in a baking pan. Cooked noodles, shredded/grated/cut cheese, a protein like canned tuna or ground beef, vegetables like peas and corn, spices/herbs like minced onion, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper, mustard, paprika, etc.  Adding a little bit of tomato sauce is optional.  Finally, bake and serve - for a special treat, crumble potato chips on top.

Pizza

I made pizza using Trader Joe's whole wheat pizza dough.  Anyone else have any favorite whole grain pizza doughs (pre-made or simple recipes)?

This particular pizza has tomato sauce, spinach, kalamata olives, red pepper, Applegate pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, smoked cheddar cheese, and feta cheese.