Mushroom Stroganoff

Salt (1/4 tsp)
Pepper (1tsp)
Garlic salt/powder
1-2 tsp flour
2T butter
2 T olive oil
1 can crm of mushroom soup
1 med onion
8oz mushrooms
1 can (15oz?) Beef or vegetable broth
1 c sour cream

Slice mushrooms and onion. Cook in butter and oil until soft. Sprinkle flour over mixture and season with salt/pepper/garlic powder. Mix in.
Add soup and broth, cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring frequently. Allow to cool. Mix in sour cream. Serve over egg noodles.

Spinach Mushroom Feta Quiche (crustless)

Gordon, Hal and I were fighting over the leftovers.

• 8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced thinly
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 (10 oz.) box frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 2 oz. feta cheese
• ¼ cup grated parmesan
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella
• salt & pepper

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

In a skillet coated with non-stick spray, saute the mushrooms, garlic, a little salt and pepper on medium-high heat until they release all of their moisture and no more water remains on the bottom of the skillet (5-7 minutes).

Meanwhile, In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs until fairly smooth. Add the milk, parmesan, and another small sprinkle of salt and pepper. Whisk to combine.

Spray a pie dish with non-stick spray. Spread out the spinach on the bottom of the pie dish. 

Add the cooked mushrooms, then the crumbled feta.

Pour the egg/milk mixture into the pie dish over the spinach, mushrooms, and feta.

Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over top. Top with a bit more salt and pepper

Place the quiche into the preheated oven and bake until it is golden brown on top and the center is solid. This could take between 40-55 minutes.

Fast Sunday Soup

This is mostly a record for my own benefit, because I made up this soup, and it ended up being delicious. But it's similar enough to Beth's Harvest Soup recipe, that I imagine most people will use that one. But this one happens to be vegetarian, and it includes what I had in the kitchen on a Sunday.

7 cups vegetable broth
1 can tomato soup
1 can water
1 can tomatoes, with liquid

Get boiling in a large pot, then add:

1 package pasta

While that's cooking, heat some olive oil in a large frying pan, and saute (adding in order, so you don't overcook):

1 large onion, chopped
1-2 cups mushrooms, roughly chopped
fresh kernels cut off of 2 ears of corn
4 Morningstar breakfast sausage patties, chopped up

Then season the vegetables with:

Salt, pepper, garlic, italian seasoning, dash of nutmeg, (and a little milk if you want) to taste.

Combine the vegetables into the soup base, then throw a can of drained potatoes (use fresh if you have them) into the emptied frying pan, to brown them up a bit, before you toss them in the soup as well.

Enjoy with breadsticks, or garlic bread.

No Straining Necessary Tomato Basil Pasta

A friend of mine linked to this recipe on Facebook (Debbie's Skinny Friends). I've made just a few adjustments.

It's very easy, very tasty, and cuts waaaay down on the dishes, which was my favorite part, I think.

12 ounces pasta (spaghetti, linguine, fettucine, etc)
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes with liquid (I didn't have a can handy, so I just chopped up some fresh tomato, and salted and herbed it)
1 large sweet onion, cut in thin strips
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
2 large sprigs basil, chopped
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Place pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, in a large stock pot. Pour in vegetable broth. Top with oregano and oil.

Cover pot and bring to a boil (stirring periodically to get al the pasta in the broth). Reduce to a low simmer and keep covered and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Season to taste with salt and pepper , stirring pasta several times to distribute the liquid in the bottom of the pot. Serve garnished with Parmesan cheese.

OLD-TIME SQUASH CASSEROLE with PASTA

Modified from COOKS.COM

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2 lbs. (give or take) winter squash cut into small pieces
1 clove garlic

1 chopped onion
1 tsp. salt

~1/2 c. water, plus some as needed

¼ c. apple juice (optional)
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 c. milk

2 eggs
½ package of cooked pasta
1 c. grated Cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 c. cracker crumbs, divided

1 tbsp butter (melted)

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Butter a 2 or 3 quart casserole dish.

In saucepan sauté squash, garlic, onion, and salt for a couple minutes in a little butter. Add water (and apple juice, if you have it on hand). Bring to simmer; cover and cook, adding small amounts of water if needed as liquid cooks away, until squash is tender and mashable, mashing with the spoon as you go, 20 to 30 minutes. Be careful not to add too much water toward the end of cooking, so that there’s no liquid left to drain. Remove from heat, and finish mashing hot squash mixture with 2 tablespoons of butter.

Beat together milk, eggs and beat into squash. Add pasta, all but 3 tablespoons of cheese and enough of cracker crumbs (1/4 cup) to thicken mixture. Combine remaining cracker crumbs with 1 tablespoon of butter and reserved 3 tablespoons of cheese. Sprinkle on top of casserole and bake until bubbly and browned, 30 to 35 minutes. Serves 6 to 8

Kale, Mushroom and Cheddar Bake

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 bunch kale, center ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 5 ounces mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 loaf ciabatta bread, cut into 1/8-inch thick slices (Don't make these too thick)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 4 ounces grated cheddar cheese

METHOD

1 Grease an 8-inch square baking dish with a little olive oil and set aside.

2 Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the thinly sliced kale and cook until just wilted, about 2 to 3 minutes.

 

3 Add the onions and mushrooms, and add salt and pepper to taste. Increase the heat to medium high and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms have released their moisture and the onions are translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

4 In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs.

 

5 Line the bottom of the casserole pan with one third of the thinly sliced bread. Spread one half of the kale mushroom onion mixture over the bread.  Sprinkle one third of the cheddar cheese over the top. Lay down the second third of the bread slices. Top again with the remaining kale mixture, and then with a third of the cheese.  Lay the remaining slices of bread over the top.

 

6 Pour the milk egg mixture over the bread, pressing down with a spatula so that the milk is absorbed by the casserole layers. Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheddar cheese. (At this point you can chill overnight for making ahead, or continue.)

7 Let the casserole sit for about 15 minutes to further absorb the milk while you preheat the oven to 350°F.  Cover with foil. Bake covered for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake an additional 25 to 30 minutes, until the cheese is golden and bubbly.  Let the casserole sit for a few minutes before serving.

BBQ pork from Beth

Sweet and Spicy Pork Tenderloin
Printable Version with Picture
Printable Version
*Serves 6
INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 (12- to 16-ounce each) pork tenderloins, trimmed
1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
1/4 cup ketchup
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
DIRECTIONS:
Adjust an oven rack to middle position and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Pat the pork tenderloin dry with a paper towel. In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the spice mixture and use the rest to rub over the pork tenderloin on all sides.
In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until it is rippling and hot. Add the pork tenderloins in a single layer and cook the pork until browned on all sides, 5-7 minutes total (flipping as needed). Transfer the pork to an aluminum-foil lined baking pan and bake until the meat registers 140 degrees at the thickest part, about 15-18 minutes. Transfer the pork to a platter or plate and tent with foil, letting it rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
In a bowl, combine the reserved spice mixture, ketchup, vinegar and sugar and brush over the cooked pork. Slice the pork and serve.

Vegetarian Pot Pie

• 2-3 carrots, sliced
• 6.5 T butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cups chopped mushrooms
• 
  
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon celery salt/seed
• 
  
• 1 3/4 cups vegetable broth
• 2/3 cup milk
• 
  
• 1 can sliced potatoes, drained (use fresh, if you want, and cook with carrots)
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
2. Put carrots in a saucepan (with potatoes IF using fresh), add water to cover and boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside. Go ahead and throw the can of potatoes in with the carrots at this point.
3. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, over medium heat, cook onions and mushrooms in butter until onions are soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery salt/seed (Carrie strongly suggests adding copious amounts of sage at this step). Slowly stir in vegetable broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat. Mix in carrot/potato mixture, and frozen peas.
4. Pour the mixture into bottom pie crust. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape. Brush with milk.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Ricotta Rolls

3 sandwich rolls, cut in half, and hollowed out

MIX TOGETHER:
1 cup shredded mozarella cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
basil to taste (~2 tsp. fresh, chopped)

1 tomato, sliced and lightly salted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place some tomato in each bread half, then fill with cheese mixture.
Put two halves back together, and wrap in foil.
Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and let sit for 3-4 minutes.

Baked Southwest Eggrolls

from melskitchencafe.com, slightly modified

*Makes about 2 dozen

Rolls:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium yellow or red onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 green or red pepper, diced small

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

10 ounces frozen, chopped spinach, defrosted and liquid squeezed out

1 cup canned corn, drained

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2-3 cups shredded cheese, Jack or Cheddar

2-3 dozen small, fajita-size flour tortillas

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two rimmed baking sheets with foil and lightly grease with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 5-6 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the peppers and cook over medium or medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add the rinsed and drained black beans, spinach, corn, and seasonings. Mix well and cook until the mixture is heated through. Remove from heat, and add the cheese.

Roll the bundles: warming the tortillas helps a little, but isn't necessary. Place some of the filling on each tortilla and roll up tightly, burrito/egg-roll style, folding in the edges. Place seam side down on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, until the rolls are lightly browned and heated through (you can turn them once, if you want, although not necessary).

A great dipping sauce for these is salsa and sour cream mixed together.

Feel free to add jalapeno, cilantro, chicken, etc.

Farmer's Market Chowder

This soup was a little more work than I wanted it to be. But, it was also way more delicious than I wanted it to be. Unfortunately, that means we are definitely going to have to make it again. I've tried to simplify it a little here.

4 ears of corn
2.5 cups milk
2 cloves of garlic, crushed (more later)

2 T. butter
1.5 T. olive oil (more later)
3 cups leeks, sliced
1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp. paprika
4 cups water

1 T. olive oil
1 med-large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1-2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 can green beans, drained (the recipe called for fresh, chopped, but we just used canned, and it made the recipe easier. if you use fresh, they may need to just cook a little longer in the soup)

1.5 T fresh, chopped basil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut kernels off corn cobs into a large saucepan with the milk and garlic. Run the back of the knife down the cobs to squeeze extra corn-milk and pulp off cobs. Don't throw away the cobs, yet. Bring milk/corn to a slight boil and remove from heat. Add cobs, cover, and let steep for a while.

2. Heat butter and oil in another large saucepan or dutch oven (you could probably use the same one, if you want to move the corn to steep in a different container). Add leeks and onions, cover, and cook 15 minutes over medium or medium-low heat. Add garlic and paprika and cook 30 seconds. Add 4 cups of water. Remove from heat.

3. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add sweet potatoes and saute 8 minutes, or until browned. Add this to the leek/onion mixture.

4. Add remaining oil to the skillet and saute mushrooms and green beans. (If using fresh green beans, add at the same time. If using canned, saute the mushrooms alone for a bit, first) Remove from heat.

5. Bring onion/leek/sweet potato mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add mushroom/green bean mixture (cook a few minutes more here, if using fresh beans).

6. Remove the cobs from the milk/corn pot (getting as much milk and pulp off them as you can). Combine the milk/corn with the vegetable mixture. Add basil, and salt and pepper.

7. Enjoy. Seriously.

Ok, now- this recipe, while complicated, is fairly versatile. I added mushrooms and onions, just because I felt like it, and it was delicious. It also suggests that you could use carrots, potatoes (although I do not advocate giving up sweet potatoes for this), wax beans, etc.

Crescent Zucchini Pie

Don't skimp on the mustard.

1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls
2 t. Dijon mustard (we used honey dijon)

4 c. sliced zucchini
1 c. chopped onion
6 T. butter

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 c. (4 oz.) shredded mozzarella
1 c. (4 oz.) shredded colby-jack
2 T. parsley
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 t. basil
1/4 t. oregano

Spread the roll dough out into a 9-inch pie dish, making sure any seams are well sealed. Spread with mustard.

In a large skillet, saute zucchini and onion in butter until tender.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, cheese, seasonings and zucchini mixture. Pour into crust.

Bake at 375 for 25-35 min or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Cover edges with foil, if needed.

I've made this three times, with several variations, including my favorite of replacing the cheeses with 3/4 cup swiss and 1 cup ricotta, and add another egg. It still works, but you may need to adjust the cooking time and temperature.

Sweet Potato Chili Bake

2 c. cubed, peeled sweet potato
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1 T. olive oil

1 garlic clove minced

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 c. vegetable broth
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
4 1/2 t. brown sugar
1/2 to 1 jar of Homade Chili Sauce (added to recipe by Claire)
3 t. chili powder (this seemed like a lot, so I made them small teaspoons, but it didn't end up tasting too chili powdery)
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper

1 pkg. corn bread/muffin mix
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

In an ovenproof Dutch ovven, saute sweet potato and red pepper in oil until crisp-tender.
Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.
Add tomatoes, broth, beans, brown sugar, chili powder, salt and pepper (and Homade Chili Sauce). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. (This looks like way too much liquid, but don't worry- after it bakes, it's fine).

Meanwhile, prepare the corn bread batter according to package directions; stir in cheese.
Drop by spoonful over chili.

Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes (I took the lid off the last couple min to brown the top) or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Carnitas

This was sooo tasty. So maybe I'm pregnant. So maybe I really miss mexican food. I am going to believe that I still would have loved it without those factors.



First marinade some meat, I used pork:
crushed garlic
jalapeno pepper (supposed to be through a food processor, I crushed it through the garlic press)
cumin
cilantro
salt/pepper
lime juice
vinegar
sugar
olive oil

If you need exact measurements on all these, I'm sorry I can't help you. Try to rely on your knowledge of college football.

After marinading for as long as you can, line a cookie sheet with foil, and turn your oven on to broil. Stick the meat in there about 6-8in from the heat until its getting a little black and crispy (5-8mins) then flip it to the other side for another 5-8mins. It tastes like it has been on the bbq. mmm mmm.
Serve in tortillas with onion and cilantro on top.

Garbanzo Bean Curry

I found this recipe on http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/03/bean-curry.html. She used black eyed peas, but I used garbanzo beans and I'm guessing it turned out quite similar.

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (see pictures of grating ginger here)
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
pinch cayenne, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Garam Masala
3/4 cup half and half
1 cup vegetable stock or chicken broth
1 can black-eyed peas, lightly drained, (or garbanzo beans)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; saute 5 minutes or until translucent and slightly browned. Stir in garlic and grated ginger root; stir constantly for 30 seconds. Add tomato; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in turmeric, cayenne, salt, paprika, and garam masala; stir constantly for 30 seconds. Add half and half, stock, and black-eyed peas. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cilantro. Serve immediately with rice, chapati, or naan.

Black Bean Burgers

In honor of Claire's birthday, here is a vegetarian dish that was quite tasty.

1 (16oz) can black beans *rinsed and patted dry
1/2 green bell pepper - patted dry w/paper towel
1/3 onion, cut into wedges
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 eggs
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Mash beans in a bowl. Cut onion, pepper, and garlic into little pieces, add to beans. Stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce. Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four or five patties, depending on size of buns. Grill for 8mins/side or bake at 375 for 10 mins/side.

Serve with any of the following: tomato, lettuce, cheese, avocado, salsa.

Kansas City Sue's Crock Pot Chicken

I got this recipe off of my new favorite cooking blog: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/. This recipe is not like anything I usually make, I'm not even sure what genre to put it in. American? Middle American? Anyway, it was tasty and easy and a good way to use up that cider vinegar left over from your collard greens.


4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 onion, diced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 cup low-sodium beef broth

In a large skillet, heat the butter/olive oil. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and cook them for 1-2 minutes on each side, until nicely browned but not cooked all the way through. Remove the chicken to the slow cooker. In a large bowl, combine all the other ingredients. Whisk well. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours. Serve with rice or noodles.

Lettuce Wraps

Warning: this recipe contains an odd ingredient. If you don't love lettuce wraps enough to overcome that, then just skip it.

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, cut into small cubes
8 mushrooms, cut into small pieces
1 cup (2 cans?) of water chestnuts, cut into small pieces
3 small cloves of garlic, diced
1-2 bunches of green onions, finely chopped
1 small handful of cilantro, finely chopped
1/3 cup of hoisin sauce (found in asian market or aisle)
2-3 tbsp soy sauce
(2 Tbsp?) canola or veg oil

1 head of iceberg lettuce, cut in half

Cook the chicken in oil until almost done, then drop in the garlic for about a minute. Add the mushrooms and water chestnuts. Cook for another minute or so, or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Add the hoisin sauce and soy sauce, mix to coat; add green onions and cilantro. Cook for another minute or so.
Serve with lettuce.

Chicken or Shrimp Fettuccine

Carrie taught me this recipe a long time ago:

Cook 1 chicken breast (cubed) or 1 cup shrimp in 2 Tbsp butter

In a different pan, saute in 2 Tbsp olive oil:
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, mashed

Add
1 tsp basil
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp oregano

Then add
1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt/pepper

Pour over 1 lb pasta. (picture features all my leftover pastas together)

a new, easy soup

6-8cups ck broth

bag of California blend frozen vegetables

can of Italian diced tomatoes, with juice

bag of cheese tortellini (frozen or fresh- follow the directions for cooking time)

heat the first three ingredients, than add the tortellini to simmering soup 3-4 min. before serving.

EASY!

the only catch: this soup will stand on it's own, without doctoring with spices, IF you buy quality ingredients. NOT generic. each ingredient needs to be really good (duh), then it is just plain yummy. if the vegetables have been around a while, or are mostly broccoli stalks, or the canned tomatoes are too green or boring, the soup will need some garlic, basil, or a little extra help.