Cauliflower Alfredo

I know, there's been a lot of cauliflower lately, but it's okay because both recipes are awesome.  In fact, my mom loved this cauliflower alfredo, and together, we ate it for days until it was done!  I just asked her for a good quote about it and she said, "oh god, I don't even know!  It was just so good, I loved it!  It tasted like it was bad for you but it wasn't...Susie, you should make this!"  So besides Susie, you should all probably make it.

Here's the thing: I love alfredo but I really never make it because it's just too fattening.  I'm not super healthy when I cook, but I do try to be good most of the time.  So, when I found this idea for a low-fat alfredo using pureed cauliflower to lighten it up, I was pumped.  I also happened to have extra cauliflower left from our pulled cauliflower extravaganza.  It was cauliflower alfredo time.

To be honest, this wasn't the quickest meal, because first you have to boil the cauliflower in broth for about a half hour, then make the sauce out of it, and cook the pasta.  It doesn't take hours or anything but it wasn't super fast either.  The sauce is thickened with pureed cauliflower, but since I doubled the recipe, I had way too much cauliflower/broth mixture and it was flying out of my food processor, so I didn't really puree it as much as I should have (although Mom loved it that way).  There is still cheese in it, but only 1/4 cup Parmesan.  There's also 1/2-cup low-fat evaporated milk, but no cream.  It does call for 1 tablespoon of butter, but I didn't even put it in.  Frankly it wasn't needed.

The end result is a sauce that is incredibly cheesy and rich, but not at all bad for you.  It has peas in it too, which I totally love, and lemon zest which is such an amazing addition.  I used regular fettucine noodles and not whole grain to avoid my mom's complaining, so I'm sure my dish was more than the 324 calories the recipe says each serving has, but still, this is definitely a healthy version of a meal that is just as delicious - if not more - than its unhealthy counterpart!

Recipe:

cauliflower alfredo
from Food Network
yield 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 cups cauliflower florets, about 8 ounces
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
8 ounces whole grain fettucine pasta
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup low-fat evaporated milk
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup frozen petite peas
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

Instructions:

1) Put the cauliflower, broth, and 1 cup water in a small pot; bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Adjust the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the cauliflower is very soft, 25-30 minutes.  Remove from heat and cool 5 minutes.  Carefully puree cauliflower and all the liquid in a blender until very smooth; set aside.

2) Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente, 8 minutes.  Drain well, reserving about 1 cup pasta cooking water (note: I never used this water; my sauce was thin enough without it).

3)vHeat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the cauliflower puree and evaporated milk and bring to a simmer.  Cook until slightly thickened, 5 minutes, and season with salt and pepper.  Stir in the peas until heated through, 2 minutes. Toss in the cooked pasta, Parmesan cheese, and about 1/2 cup of pasta water until the noodles are coated but the sauce is still loose.  Remove from the heat and toss in the butter, chopped parsley, and lemon zest.  If the sauce seems thick, adjust the consistency with the remaining pasta water.  Serve immediately with the remaining pasta water.

Blueberry Muffins

Yes, blueberry muffins.  Yes, again. Over the last year and a half, I've made more blueberry muffins than a bakery, and each time I try out a different recipe.  Now, plenty of the recipes I've tried have been absolutely delicious if you ask me, but I'll tell you something: my mom is a blueberry muffin fiend.  Not only does she love every one, but she is on the constant search for the perfect recipe.  She compares every muffin to the ones she used to get at DiBurro's in Seabrook, NH (unfortunately DiBurro's is no longer so I can't go beg them for their recipe).  They used to make, as she says, "moist, gummy, not-buttery-tasting, not overly-sweet, no sugar on top, beautiful-looking blueberry muffins."  I know - if you ask me, that doesn't sound so great either.  But she is totally obsessed with these muffins from the past; she recalls fondly how Dad used to drive up there every morning they were at the beach and pick up a bag of muffins for her.  So she constantly pins a million different blueberry muffin recipes and makes me try them out any time we have berries in the fridge - and there are a lot of recipes we have yet to try.  And thus, here we go again with blueberry muffins, take 7.

One thing that was different about the preparation of this recipe was the fact that you beat the sugar with the eggs.  I'm used to beating sugar with butter (my favorite smell), but never the eggs.  It makes a thick yellow paste, and then you add the rest of the wet ingredients to that.  I'm dorky enough that this was very interesting to me.  Other than that, they are fairly normal when it comes to the baking: folding in the dry ingredients, sprinkling the berries with flour so they don't all sink to the bottom, etcetera.

The end result was a delicious little muffin that Mom loved, but still not the elusive DiBurro's muffin of her dreams.  I think they were pretty similar to the other recipes I've made.  I will say this, though: these muffins are best eaten the day you bake them.  Luckily we ate most of them the night I baked them, but I brought one to work the next day and it was a weird mixture of stale and gummy.  Weirdly, my family still liked them but the texture was too weird for me.  Now maybe it was because it was during that weird heat wave of 90-degree temperatures in September, but nevertheless, I'd recommend scarfing them down quickly!

Recipe:

blueberry muffins
from Chris Little
makes 16 muffins

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 pint blueberries, rinsed and picked over
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease 16 cups in 2 muffin pans.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until they are combined and thickened.  Add the milk and butter and beat well to just mix.  Stir in vanilla.

2) Set aside 2 tablespoons of the flour to mix with blueberries.  Then add the remaining flour, baking powder, and salt to the batter and beat well to just mix.

3) Sprinkle the blueberries with the flour and add them to the batter; if using nuts, add them here, folding them in with a rubber spatula.

4) Divide the batter among the 16 muffin cups and sprinkle the tops with sugar.  Transfer the pans to the oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until they are puffed and golden.  Leave them in the pans to cool slightly, then turn them out onto a rack to continue cooling.

Pulled Cauliflower BBQ Sandwiches

What is this?  Two posts in one day!?  What's up with that?  Well first of all, I'm getting a bit bored today.  I'm home alone with a bad cold while Mom and Kenzie went for a day trip to the beach, and Rachael is at a party.  I can only watch so many episodes of House Hunters (without crying about my own thus-far-unsuccessful house hunt).  Second of all, this meal is special enough to merit a two-posts-in-one-day post.  This is the one you've been waiting for.  This, my friends, is the pulled cauliflower BBQ sandwich post.

Now, anyone who is Facebook friends with me has probably already heard about this meal.  I posted this status in the midst of cooking: "Reason 586 why I love this man: he came into the kitchen to see how my BBQ sandwiches were going.  He asked, 'wheres the pork?'  I informed him we were having pulled cauliflower, not pork.  He just shook his head and smiled."  I thought it just summed up how easy-going Mark is when it comes to eating the sometimes-very-strange foods that I make; he very rarely says no to giving anything a try (unless it involves ground chicken or turkey, most shellfish, or eggs).  I also thought it would probably freak lots of people out that I was mixing barbecue sauce and cauliflower and calling it dinner... and I was right.  The entertaining comments I got included, "Give that man some meat!", "We are not sorry to be missing this meal.", "Wow, Mark is a better man than I.", and were topped off by Rachael's "I left for dinner tonight....".

Okay, fine, I know it sounds totally bizarre, but I was intrigued.  First you make your own barbecue sauce - and, red alert, this sauce is to die for.  In fact, I have made it again twice since the sandwiches, per request from my whole family (unfortunately it was for Mark to slather on chicken wings).  It's the absolute perfect blend of sweet, spicy, salty, smoky... it's just amazing.  Make the sauce, at least, even if you are totally horrified at the thought of pulling cauliflower.  It's so easy to make, too.  I hate barbecue sauce, and even I liked it.

Now onto the part that you skeptics are all wondering about: how the heck do you pull cauliflower?  To be honest, the name is a bit misleading; you don't pull much of anything.  You grind up the cauliflower and mix it with eggs (the website has a vegan option if you're interested), some of the homemade barbecue sauce, water, and salt.  Then the mixture is spread into a pan and baked.  What you end up with is a kind of cauliflower cake that then gets sliced into strips for serving.  While the cauliflower is baking, caramelize some onions so that your sandwich will have all the fixings of a traditional pulled BBQ sandwich.  Then you have everything you'll need: hamburger buns, pulled cauliflower, barbecue sauce, and caramelized onions.

See? He's smiling!

I know you're curious: how were these bizarre vegetarian sandwiches!?  I think you'll be surprised to hear that they were actually rather awesome.  Mom, Kenzie, Mark, Christy and I all ate one quite happily.  Kenzie claimed that she wanted to hate them, but found herself shocked to discover that she "really really liked it" and would like for it to be served again some night!  The biggest shocker was that even Nick ate one; he doused it in enough sauce to probably drown the cauliflower taste altogether, but hey, if I could get him to eat a veggie sandwich, then I could get anyone to give it a try.

You'd be surprised how many people have been asking for this recipe.  I think the idea of a healthy, meatless barbecue option appeals to more people than I would have guessed.  And so, everyone, without further ado, here is the recipe for the absolutely delicious and shockingly popular pulled cauliflower BBQ sandwiches!

She's loving it!

Recipe:

pulled cauliflower BBQ sandwiches
from Beard and Bonnet
makes about 6 sandwiches

Ingredients:

for sauce:
1/2 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 tablespoons distilled vinegar
4 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons brown sugar

for pulled cauliflower:
2 cups cauliflower florets from 1 small head cauliflower
3 eggs
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
1/3 cup homemade barbecue sauce
pinch of salt

to make sandwiches:
6 hamburger buns
2 onions, sliced thin

Instructions:

1) Make the sauce: combine all of the ingredients in a small sauce pan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 20-25 minutes.

2) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Lightly rub olive oil on the parchment paper to prevent sticking and set aside.

3) Chop cauliflower into florets and pulse in the food processor until the cauliflower looks like couscous or small grains of rice; no not overprocess!

4) In a large bowl, combine all of the pulled cauliflower ingredients and mix well to combine; the mixture will be wet.  Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and spread it out evenly over the surface.  Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until cooked through.  Meanwhile, caramelize the onions.  Then remove cauliflower from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

5) Once cooled, slice cauliflower into strips and use a spatula to carefully lift it from the parchment.  It will be pretty fragile, but don't worry if it breaks, since it's going in a sandwich anyway.

6) To make sandwiches, pile buns high with cauliflower strips, barbecue sauce, and caramelized onions.  Enjoy!

Tomato Strata

This is ONE day's worth of garden goods :)

Are you drowning in tomatoes?  We are.  All summer long, our tomatoes did better than all the other things in our garden.  Specifically, the cherry/grape tomatoes have been so plentiful that we've been giving them away, eating them as snacks, and still having way too many.  I am not complaining: I love tomatoes, and when they are from your own garden, they are so much more amazing.  I swear the cherry tomatoes are sweet enough to be considered a dessert.

As Mark calls it: "The Garden of Kim!"

But anyway, the point is, I have spent a lot of time searching for recipes to use them up in a non-boring way.  Since I love breakfast, I came up with the idea to make a cherry tomato strata; this was helped along by the fact that I had a huge, gorgeous loaf of green onion focaccia from Rose32 that I'd rather die than waste.

I didn't find too many recipes that call specifically for cherry tomatoes - many actually call for thin slices of big tomatoes and I wasn't sure the little guys would be able to substitute - but this recipe (randomly from the Lansing State Journal... AKA the 12th page of my Google search!) called for 4 cups of chopped tomatoes, and I figured I could just halve my tomatoes and consider them chopped.  Lots of the recipes called for things like broccoli or kale or basil (or meat, for that matter) but this one just called for things that I had, and since it was early on a Saturday morning, this was the one I went for.

The tomatoes and onions get roasted in a skillet for 10 minutes, which makes them even sweeter and more tender than they already are.  Then you scatter your bread cubes in the pan, pour eggs and milk on top, add your tomato onion mixture, and top with some freshly grated cheddar.  That's it!  So as far as breakfasts go, it's pretty easy to whip it up.  Waiting the 40 minutes was the hardest part.

In the end, it was absolutely amazing.  The scallion bread added another layer of flavor, but those sweet little tomatoes and onions were fabulous all on their own.  The strata was silky, smooth, filling and delicious.  I was thrilled to pack a Tupperware of it every morning for breakfast, and I ate it once I got to work for about a week straight.  Strangely, I found out that my whole family no longer likes eggs. Mark all of a sudden hates them, Rachael claims that she's repulsed by their texture lately, and Kenz has never been a big fan.  My mom did have one serving, but isn't one for anything other than her cereal for breakfast.  Ah well, all the more for me!

Recipe:

tomato strata
from The Lansing State Journal
yield 8 servings
per serving: 210 calories, 10.5 grams fat, 2 grams saturated fat,


Ingredients:

1 loaf dry or day-old bread, cut roughly into bite-sized pieces
1 12-ounce can tomatoes, either crushed or peeled whole, or roughly 4 cups chopped raw tomatoes
1 medium yellow onion or 1 large leek, cleaned
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheese such as Swiss or sharp cheddar
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1) Lightly grease a 9x13-inch rectangular pan or a 1.5-quart oven-proof dish.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2) Peel and chop the onion or the leek.  Pour the tomatoes into a large skillet and add the onion or leek, cooking over medium heat until the juices have reduced by about half.  This step sweetens the tomatoes and simply requires occasional stirring to prevent burning.  This takes about 10 minutes.  Once you are done, remove the pan from the heat.

3) Crack 6 eggs into a medium bowl and, using a fork, lightly whisk in the cup of milk.

4) Scatter cubes of bread evenly in pan.  Using a spoon or spatula, evenly distribute the tomato mixture on top.  Gently pour the egg mixture on top; then sprinkle the cheese evenly on top.

5) Bake the casserole for 25-40 minutes or until the center is set and the top is brown and crackly.  Let cool for 10 minutes.

Peach Shortcake

We have a peach tree in our yard, and for the last 2 years, it actually has given us peaches.  The peaches are actually pretty good, too.  This year, both my sisters - separately - texted me and asked for peach shortcake.  They bought some peaches to supplement the 5 that came off our tree, so I made them one night after dinner.

The shortcakes are kind of more like muffins, but regardless they were delicious and they came together very quickly.  I was skeptical because they are made with Bisquick (when will I learn to stop doubting Bisquick!?), but they puff up nicely, and the almond extract really makes them a stellar part of this dessert.

The peaches from our tree actually ended up tasting the best!  They were so sweet and soft, whereas the grocery store ones were hard and not as juicy.  One note about peaches: the recipe calls for something weird called Fresh Fruit, which is a fruit preservative that keeps it from turning brown.  Instead, I dipped the peaches in a cup of water mixed with the juice from half a lemon.  You can't taste the lemon, and it kept the peaches looking perfect.

Do not for one second think you can use a can of whipped cream.  The homemade stuff just pulls this dessert together and raises it to a whole new level.  My family went wild over these.  Rachael and my mom said they were among the best desserts I ever made.  I think when peach season comes back around, these shortcakes will be on my list of things to make for my grateful family :)

Recipe:

Peach Shortcake
from Paula Deen on the Food Network

Ingredients:
for shortcakes:
4 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

for peaches:
6 peaches
1 teaspoon Fruit Fresh fruit preservative (or just dip the slices in a cup of water with a little lemon juice!)
splash warm water
1 1/2 cups sugar

for whipped cream:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar

Optional toppings:
vanilla ice cream
mint sprigs

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  To make the shortcakes, mix the Bisquick, sugar, milk, butter and almond flavoring in a medium size bowl and pour into 12 well-greased muffin tins.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until done and remove from oven.  Cool for 5 minutes and pop out of pans.

2) Peel, core and slice the peaches.  Immediately sprinkle with Fresh Fruit or dip slices in lemon water.  Add a splash of warm water to the peaches to moisten (I didn't need to after dipping them in the water). Stir the sugar into the peaches, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.

3)  In a large mixing bowl or mixer, combine the heavy cream and sugar, and whip until peaks start to form.

4) To serve, split the biscuit in half and place the bottom half on a plate.  Top with 1 scoop vanilla ice cream, pour fresh peaches and syrup on top, and place top half of biscuit over ice cream and fruit.  Ladle more fresh peaches on top and finish with a dollop of whipped cream.  Garnish with a mint sprig

Eggplant Meatballs

What do you do when your family decides to have spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, and you refuse to eat ground beef?  I can answer this question many ways, because I've been in this situation quite often.  Most of the times, I just have spaghetti and sauce.  Other times, I've gone out to eat while Kenzie slaves away over her meatballs.  But there have been a couple occasions when I join her in the kitchen making balls.... veggie balls, that is.  I'm sure you remember my amazing to-die-for veggie balls with spinach pesto.  They were so delicious that even the carnivores were sneaking them off the pans.  I thought about whipping them up again this day, but Nick had brought me two eggplants from a guy he works with who has a crazy garden.  I did some Googling for a recipe with eggplant and was pumped to find that eggplant meatballs actually exist (and from a blog called Small Boston Kitchen!).


My sisters both started whining when they saw me browning the mushrooms; they are both so quick to hate poor little shrooms.  Anyway, I knew at that point that I had lost them, but I powered on.  The mushrooms, boiled eggplant, and bread crumbs form the base of the mushrooms, and they're held together by flax seeds if you want to be vegan, or eggs if you don't (I was all about the eggs).  They get some extra flavor from fresh basil (do not skip the fresh basil; they totally bring these eggplant balls to a whole new level).  They were easy to form into balls and then baked.  The only weird thing is the recipe calls for lots of "handfuls;" these meatballs are more about feel than actual measurements.  Just add till it looks right!

The final result?  Glorious little eggplant balls bursting with basil and eggplant flavor.  I ate mine with Kenzie's tomato sauce over pasta, and I was thrilled (the blog I got the recipe from recommends even making "meatball" subs with them!  I bet that's excellent).  They actually have a fairly meaty texture (minus the horrible popping/crunchy pieces that can appear in meat).  I thought they were great.  I will confess to still preferring my veggie balls better, but these guys were a great way to use up my eggplants and I thoroughly enjoyed them for dinner that night and lunch at work 3 days in a row!

Recipe:

eggplant meatballs
from Small Boston Kitchen
makes 10 medium-sized meatballs (I made mine small and got way more than that!)

Ingredients:
1 eggplant, peeled and chopped into cubes
1 baguette, cut in half
5-6 button mushrooms, finely chopped
small pat of butter for frying mushrooms
couple handfuls of freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
handful fresh basil, shredded
salt and pepper
fennel and flax seeds (optional)
1 egg

Instructions:

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Start by turning the bread into fine breadcrumbs by using a food processor or a blender.  Make sure the breadcrumbs are as fine as they can be.  Place them in a pan and lightly toast until they have a crunch to them.  Set them aside.

2) Meanwhile, brown the mushrooms in a little butter and set aside.  Next, place the eggplant cubes into a pot and add some salt.  Cover and simmer the eggplant until it becomes very tender and mushy.  Run the mixture through a fine mesh strainer or use paper towels to remove any excess water.

3)  Add the eggplant mixture to a bowl and toss in breadcrumbs, basil, and fennel and flax seeds if you;re using them (I didn't).  Mix thoroughly.  Add some salt and pepper, then add the egg and combine.  Shape the eggplant mixture into little balls with your hands.  Place on a greased pan and bake until they start to brown.  Serve immediately or keep in the fridge in an airtight container for a few days, or freeze.

Homemade Payday Bars

I am not big on candy, or really any sweet, for that matter.  Hand me a bag of Goldfish crackers and I'm much happier than if you handed me a chocolate.  However, I've always had a soft spot for Payday candy bars.  The mix of salty and sweet, the crunch of the peanuts combined with the soft chewy center.... there is just something about them that I like.  I very rarely actually eat one, but recently I was feeling famished while back-to-school shopping with Mark at Wal-Mart, and I threw a Payday into the cart.  I devoured it in the car and immediately remembered that I had pinned a recipe for homemade Paydays a long time ago.  That one bar rekindled my love for Paydays, and I was whipping these guys up within a week.

I mean it when I say whipping them up.  They're a no-bake dessert, so they were pretty quick.  You basically melt the nougat ingredients together in the microwave, pour it on top of a layer of peanuts, and press more peanuts into the top.  That's it!  Then you have to wait for them to chill, which was not easy to do because we were dying to try them out, but that's probably the hardest part.  The whole recipe only calls for 6 ingredients, including the peanuts and the sea salt that you sprinkle over the bars when they're all put together.

They are peanut buttery, sweet, salty, crunchy, and chewy all at the same time. I'd say they are a pretty good copycat recipe to the real deal; not exactly but close.  The biggest difference is the mini marshmallows; they don't melt into the center, but you definitely don't see mini marshmallows in the actual candy bars.  I wonder if you could melt the marshmallows into it?  It wasn't a deal breaker for me or anything, but it did alter the look of the candy.  As you might expect, Mom found them "way too sweet" but Kenzie and I liked them.  My family wasn't hugely keen on them - I ended up throwing out a good amount of them - but I will confess to stealing a little piece more often than I usually do with my desserts!  Just make sure to cut them into small squares, because a little bit goes a long way!

Recipe:

homemade Payday bars
from Cookies and Cups

Ingredients:
16 ounces dry roasted peanuts
2 cups peanut butter chips
2 tablespoons butter
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 10.5-ounce bag mini marshmallows
1-2 tablespoons flaked sea salt

Instructions:

1) Spray 9x13" pan with baking spray or grease with butter.  Sprinkle half of the peanuts in the bottom of the pan, reserving the other half for later.

2) In a large microwave-safe bowl, heat peanut butter chips and butter in 30 second increments on 50% power, stirring after each until melted.

3)Pour in sweetened condensed milk and microwave on high power for 1 more minute.  Stir until smooth and combined.

4) Fold in marshmallows to peanut butter mixture until evenly coated and then pour oven the peanuts in the pan.

5) Press the remaining nuts into the marshmallow mixture.  Sprinkle with flaked sea salt and chill for about an hour.  Cut into squares.

Lentil Enchiladas

I can't really say enough good things about these lentil enchiladas.  I know what you're thinking: really, Bridget? Lentils in an enchilada?  Where's the beef, or the chicken, or the meat?  So in case that's what you were thinking, let's start off with a quote from my mom: "these are really good.  Very tasty.  I don't even miss the meat."  Let me repeat: that was a quote from my mom, the queen of carnivores!  These enchiladas were devoured by everyone who gave them a shot, from Mom to Rachael to me (many, many times; I brought them to work for lunch for almost a week and never once got sick of them).

The secret to these enchiladas is actually the enchilada sauce.  I know how easy it is to just buy a can of it, which I have definitely done before, but you have to believe me: it's worth the extra effort.  This sauce was so good that it almost made me wish I'd doubled it, because I wanted every single bite to have tons of enchilada sauce.  It's also so easy and fast to throw together, you really have no excuse to grab a can!

The recipe calls for green chiles; I halved the amount due to my inability to handle any spice, but you could add even more if you're braver than I.  There is also onion and garlic, but I think adding some more vegetables in there would elevate these enchiladas to the tip top of the Mexican food pedestal.   Maybe some peppers, or beans, or tomatoes?  Either way... they are among the tastiest (and healthiest) enchiladas you will ever eat.  Just writing about them makes me want to eat them again!

Recipe:

Lentil Enchiladas
from Peanut Butter and Peppers

Ingredients:
For filling:
2 1/4 cups lentils, cooked
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup onion, diced
1/2 tablespoon garlic, minced
4 ounce can roasted green chiles
1/2 cup shredded light Mexican cheese, divided
8 8" whole wheat flour tortillas
For sauce:
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Make enchilada sauce: in a medium bowl, add tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and salt.  Mix until combined; set aside.

2) In a skillet, add olive oil, onion, and garlic and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.  Add green chiles and lentils.  Cook until warmed.  Add 1/4 cup of the cheese and mix until cheese is mostly melted.

3) Spoon some of the sauce into a 9 x 13" baking dish.  Evenly distribute lentil mixture to tortillas, about 1/4 cup.  Place rolled tortillas seam-side down into baking dish.  Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.

4) Bake for 15-20 minutes, until cheese has melted.  Serve with tomatoes, jalapenos and Greek yogurt.

I spy lentils!

Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake

Get ready, all you gluten-free people (Kaz I'm talking to you!)  I finally have a recipe - and a dessert, nonetheless - that actually doesn't revolve around some sort of a wheat product.  A few weeks ago, Kenzie's friend Jane came over with her husband Matty; they were visiting from New Zealand so it was a special occasion!  I made my absolutely amazing black beans and coconut-lime rice for lunch (everyone loved it!!!! I forget sometimes how great that meal is) and decided to try my hand at a gluten-free dessert as well.  When my mom's Martha Stewart magazine just happened to have a recipe for a flourless chocolate espresso cake in it, I knew that was the one I'd try.

The process felt pretty similar to making the cake part of baked Alaska; you beat egg yolks and sugar to make a thick paste, and then add melted chocolate, vanilla and espresso powder.  Then you separately beat the egg whites with more sugar, and fold the 2 mixtures together.  Voila: you have your cake batter.  It's light and fluffy and you can hardly believe it is going to turn into a cake.   But it does; it bakes into this crazy beautiful chocolate cake with cracks running down the center (don't worry; even Martha's has cracks!).  

And then once you eat it?!  Sooo good.  It's fudge and chocolatey and no one would ever guess it's flourless.  In fact, Jane's brother Max (also visiting, home from the Marines - and friends with Rachael) came over and had a piece.  He was whining before he ate it about hating all gluten-free food, but even he had to admit it was really good.  

So even though I started this post with a call to action for all the gluten free friends out there, I guess this is really a cake for anyone!

Recipe:

flourless chocolate espresso cake

from Martha Stewart Living September 2013

serves 8

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for cake pan

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, preferably 70% cacao, chopped

6 large eggs, separated, room temperature

1 cup sugar, divided

3 tablespoons instant espresso powder

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

whipped cream, for garnishing

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Invert bottom of a 9-inch springform pan (so cake will slide easily onto serving plate) and line with parchment paper; butter parchment.  Melt butter and chocolate, stirring until smooth, in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water.

2) Beat together egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until thick and pale, about 3 minutes.  Add espresso powder and salt; beat until combined, about 1 minute.  Add vanilla and melted chocolate mixture; beat about 1 minute more.

3) In another bowl, beat egg whites on medium-high speed until foamy.  Increase speed to high; gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, beating until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.  Fold into chocolate mixture in 3 batches.  Transfer batter to pan and bake until set; 40 - 45 minutes.  Let cake cool completely in pan on a wire rack.  Remove side of pan; transfer cake to a serving plate.  Garnish with whipped cream.

Chicken Parmesan Baked Pasta

I know this might surprise you, since you see the word "chicken" in the title.  And yes, this dinner did have chicken in it.  But before you get too excited, just understand that this was a special occasion.  We had Anne over for dinner and I know I can't always make my guests east vegetarian.  Also, Kenzie chose the entire menu (we started with hummus cups and had this pasta dish served with cheesy biscuits), and even offered to deal with the chicken for me.  And I will admit that chicken parm is one meat dish that I used to enjoy. So I got to make a pasta dish that included meat but never had to touch it.  Not a bad deal.

You make your own tomato sauce for this baked chicken parm dish, which I think makes it a lot tastier than using a jar of sauce.  You also cook the pasta right in the sauce with some chicken broth and water.  I will say that you really need to watch the pasta carefully; I doubled the recipe so the pan was really full, and the pasta took a long time to cook (except for the poor souls who got pushed - and burned - to the bottom).  By the time they were all cooked, some of the noodles were a bit mushy.

But besides the mushy pasta, the recipe is a pretty good one.  I obviously baked myself a little bowl of chicken-less pasta (see below!), but my family was happy to have some meat.  It was saucy, cheesy and indulgent.  Not my favorite meal of all time, but it was a pretty big hit with my favorite carnivores.

Recipe:

chicken parmesan baked pasta
from Tracy's Culinary Adventures

Ingredients:
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatotes
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups water
1 - 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
12 ounces pasta shells (12 ounces.... grrrrrr)
2 ounces (about 1 cup) grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 ounces (about 1 cup) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Instructions:

1) Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.

2)  Add the tomatoes to the bowl of your food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped, about 10 pulses.  Set an oven-safe 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the oil, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, and salt, and cook just until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add the chopped tomatoes, the water, 1 cup of the chicken broth, and the pasta to the pan, stirring to combine.  Bring the mixture to a vigorous simmer, then cover the pan and continue simmering (you may need to reduce the heat slightly) until the pasta is tender, about 16-18 minutes.  Stir the pasta frequently as it cooks,

3) Once tender, remove the cover and stir in 3/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, the pepper, and the chicken.  Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if necessary.  If the mixture seems dry, mix in as much of the remaining 1/2 cup of the chicken broth as needed to loosen it up.  If you don't have an oven-safe skillet, transfer the mixture to a baking dish at this point

4)  Sprinkle the top evenly with the mozzarella cheese and add the add the remaining Parmesan cheese. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and bubbled around the edges.  Garnish with the basil, then serve.

Peanut Butter Pretzel Rice Krispie Treats

When we had a work party right before we went back to school, Kenzie and I got a little obsessed with a dessert.  And I don't like desserts, so for me to have seconds of any sweet (okay fine... thirds... maybe fourths...) is a big deal.  It's no surprise the food was Diann's; she's the genius that brought us the eclair ring  and always has awesome food ideas (she actually put sprigs of basil on the top of her salad... and sprigs of mint on her watermelon slices... sprigs!)  And these little squares were full of awesomeness.   They're also called chubby hubby rice krispie treats, so... aren't you intrigued?!

They're like Rice Krispie treats, but they have pretzels in them too for a little salty-sweet action, as well as peanut butter mixed in.  Then they're topped with chocolate.  You know me - I am not a chocolate fan - but as I said, I devoured an embarrassing number of them.   I quickly bought the ingredients to make them for us, and they did not last long.  They're very addictive, and they're quick and easy (no-bake!) to make.  Don't say I didn't warn you!

Recipe:

peanut butter pretzel rice krispie treats
from Brown-Eyed Baker
yield 24 treats

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 10.5-ounce bag mini marshmallows
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
4 cups Rice Krispies cereal
2 cups crushed pretzel pieces
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

1) Grease a 9x13" baking dish; set aside.

2) Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat.  Add the marshmallows and stir until completely melted.  Remove from heat.

3) Off the heat, add the peanut butter and stir until completely melted and smooth.  Add the rice krispies cereal, the pretzel pieces, and the peanut butter chips, stirring gently until all dry ingredients are coated. Turn the mixture into the prepared baking dish and press into the pan, creating an even top (I found that quickly spraying my spatula with cooking spray made this so much easier!)

4) Microwave the chocolate chips on 50% power in 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until completely melted and smooth.  Pour the chocolate over the treats and spread in an even layer with an offset spatula.  Let cool at room temperature until set, about 1 hour.  You can also refrigerate the treats for about 30 minutes to speed up the process.  Store leftovers at room temperature in an airtight container.

Hummus Cups with Cucumber and Tomato

Aren't they pretty?

This is a quick and easy appetizer that is just delicious.  All of the parts are excellent: pizza dough, hummus, and fresh vegetables.  So Joanne and Adam Gallagher (whoever they are) are geniuses for thinking to put them all together.  Basically you take pizza dough and bake it in mini muffin cups, and then fill the cups with hummus and chopped cucumber and tomato.  I made them when Anne came over for dinner and they were all eaten before dinner was done!

I will confess to using store-bought pizza dough and hummus, but I bet this would be even more amazing if you made your own.... which I just may have to do.  The recipe called for Pillsbury pizza dough but I just used a bag.

Don't forget to poke holes in the dough cups before you bake them; if you forget they won't stay in cup form and you'll end up with dough pillows!  I only found this out when I neglected to poke one of them :)

Recipe:

hummus cups with cucumber and tomato
from Inspired Taste
yield approximately 24 cups

Ingredients:

1 can Pillsbury Classic Pizza Crust (or a bag of store-bought dough... or your own recipe!)
1/2 cup hummus
1/2 cup diced cucumber
5 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1) Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly spray 24 mini muffin cups with cooking spray.

2) Roll pizza dough out into a 14x12" rectangle (approximately).  Then use a 2 1/2" cookie cutter to cut out 24 circles of dough.  Press each circle of dough into the muffin cups.  Use a fork to pierce the bottom of each pizza cup, 3-4 pricks per cup.

3) Bake pizza cups 8-10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown.  Transfer cups to a cooling rack to col completely.

4) Once cooled, fill each pizza cup with a heaping teaspoon of hummus, and then top with a few pieces of cucumber and a quarter of tomato.  Finish with a sprinkling of salt.

Cheesy Biscuits

Sometimes when a recipe is too simple, I have my doubts about it.  But I am happy to tell you that this is one of those times when an easy recipe really does come out great.  And it's biscuits.  Cheesy biscuits.  Easy cheesy biscuits - can you imagine anything better?

I was also a bit skeptical about using Bisquick.  I'm such a purist these days, but I didn't have to worry (although I did look up Bisquick mix recipes to make my own!).  I think it just helped the recipe to move quicker since it already includes so many components.

Honestly this was the easiest biscuit recipe: mix everything together, pour the batter into greased muffin tins, and bake.  That's it!  See why I was nervous?  But there was no reason to worry: the biscuits puffed up beautifully.  Maybe more muffin-consistency than biscuit, but glorious nonetheless.

Warning: they're a bit sweet - they have 3 tablespoons of sugar (and vanilla extract too!).  I was worried they'd be really sweet - and in fact maybe next time I'd cut it down a bit - but everyone loved them anyway.  I figured Mom would hate them but she loved them too.  They are sweet and cheesy at the same time, and soooo good hot out of the oven.  These are definitely a make-again recipe.  When you can have biscuits whipped up   and cooked in under 15 minutes, there's no reason why you're not making them right now!

Recipe:

cheesy biscuits
from High Heels and Grills
yield 8-10 biscuits (I made 12)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Bisquick
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions:

1) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and grease a muffin tin.

2) Stir together all ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth (batter will be somewhat runny).

3) Fill each section of the muffin tin 2/3 full.

4) Bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until golden; use a toothpick to check the center.

I spy a hungry hound...

One Pot Wonder Tomato Basil Pasta

This is my pet peeve in cooking these days: when pasta dishes call for 12 ounces of pasta.  12 ounces is 4 ounces less than a pound, and I only see pasta sold in 1-pound packages.  Am I missing an aisle where pasta is sold in tidy 12-ounce boxes?!  I don't think so.  And yet I sweat the majority of pasta dish recipes these days ask for a precise 12 ounces.  I usually pretend that it says 16, since I'm not about to go buy a kitchen scale just to weigh out my pasta (and then save an awkward 4 ounces of it in the cabinet).  And most of the time, this works.  However, not always.......

You've probably heard of this dish: one pot wonder tomato basil pasta.  You literally throw everything together into one pot and cook it all together: from the pasta to the tomatoes and onions.  It's pretty scary whipping it all in there into one pot, I can tell you, but the idea of having only one pot to clean afterwards was worth the risk.  You don't even drain the pasta; the water and broth combine to make a sauce.

Apparently the idea originated from Martha Stewart, but the recipe I pinned had been tweaked a bit with the addition of oregano and olive oil. I think it could stand some more tweaking in the addition of more vegetables - maybe some chopped peppers or mushrooms?  But I'm way too scared to attempt to alter the balance of the one pot wonder!

Anyway, my friend Laura had made this dish and said it was awesome.  I decided to try it when we had a bunch of relatives over for dinner along with the skillet focaccia and the bruschetta for a true Italian feast.  Since there were so many of us, I doubled the recipe, and for me that did not mean using 24 ounces of pasta.  As I said earlier, I just pretended that it called for one pound of pasta, and I doubled it to two.  Perhaps that is where I went wrong.  It took a loooong time for the water and broth to reduce, and because of that, the pasta was a little mushy by the time it was done.  I'm assuming that it's because I used 8 extra ounces of pasta, or maybe because this is not a dish that you can easily double.  Either way, this tomato basil pasta was not an epic fail or anything; the pasta was not al dente but it still tasted great, and no one complained (although perhaps because I had already filled them up with bread and bruschetta!).  I do think this dish is worth trying again... this time with a precise 12 ounces of linguine.  Grrrrr.

Recipe:

one pot wonder tomato basil pasta
from Apron Strings

Ingredients:
12 ounces linguine pasta
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes with liquid
1 large sweet onion, cut in julienne strips
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
2 large sprigs basil, chopped
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth (regular, not low sodium)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
parmesan cheese for garnish

Instructions:

1) Place pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and basil in a large stock pot.  Pour in vegetable broth.  Sprinkle the red pepper flakes and oregano on top.  Drizzle top with oil.

2) Cover pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a low simmer and keep covered and cook about 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so.  Cook until almost all liquid has evaporated.

3) Season to taste with salt and pepper, stirring pasta several time to distribute liquid in the bottom of the pot.  Serve garnished with parmesan.