Beast's Quiche

I hope you are all princess fans, because I have yet another princess cookbook recipe for you.

 I made "The Beast's Quiche" in September as wll.  I did make a gluten free pie crust but there are premade versions that you can buy as well.  This was perfect for us, since Kate really loves broccoli.

 In fact, she was looking at her cookbook last night and pointed this out.  "OOooo, mama!  Let's make this, it has broccoli!"  Needless to say, this was one that we enjoyed!

The Beast's Quiche
premade crust or crust with your favorite recipe
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup cooked broccoli
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 425.  Sprinkle cheese over the bottom of the pie crust.  Add the bacon and broccoli.  In a bowl, whisk eggs, milk and pepper.  Pour this over the pie crust.  Place the pie into the oven (you can put it on a baking sheet to prevent spills).  Bake for 15 minutes.  Then reduce oven temperature to 325.  Bake from 25 minutes longer.  Then remove from the oven.  Let cool slightly then enjoy!

Spinach and Chicken Penne

David really enjoys pasta dishes but being gluten free makes that....different.  There are actually a lot of gluten free pasta options. 

For me the hardest to find is lasagna...but I have found it and you can't tell any difference...even my dad says so!  Anyway, back in April I made a penne chicken dish.  Y'all, it's been so long I can't exactly remember what I did but I'm pretty sure it was easy and something like this.  We all enjoyed it, especially David and Kate!

Gluten Free Chicken and Cheese Penne
1 rotisserie chicken
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with peppers
1 cup spinach
1 small bag penne pasta, cook as instructed (I eyeballed this...do as much as you like more or less to taste
cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook pasta per instructions.  Take meat off chicken in small, rough pieces.  Stir chicken, pasta, spinach, tomatoes and 1/2 cup cheese (more or less) together and pace in a casserole dish.  Sprinkle top with cheese  1/2-1cup.  Bake in oven until bubbly.  Enjoy!

Cooking by Letter - Very Veggie Soup

We have had a nice little cool snap here in the deep south.  Personally, I think this is what it should be like all month but we typically don't have that.  It has, however, given us some nice days to walk with Caleb...and he LOVES to walk. 

I can almost guarantee that he will calm down on a walk if he is fussy; however, that doesn't always translate to remaining quiet when we get back. 

Remember last year when we were cooking through the alphabet with Kate?  Well, this veggie soup was one of the last recipes we made. 

Kate really enjoyed it, though I'm not so sure about David.  We will have to make it again soon.  I love that it is healthy and gets LOTS of veggies in my family. 

Kate has been a really good eater but sometimes it is a little more difficult to get her to eat veggies.  With this soup, SHE was the one making it, so of course she wanted to eat it. 

She even got to grind the salt and pepper!  I did choose veggies that I knew she would eat and David could tolerate. 

I used all cabbage but might add some spinach next time as David seems to do well with that, it's more full of vitamins, and produces less gas. 

All in all, this really was a Kate made soup.  I think her favorite was stirring.  That and giving Daddy kisses before eating.  :-)

Very Veggie Soup
3 handfuls (I probably used about 3 cups) cabbage, escarole, or spinach
1 pound green beans (I used frozen)
6 carrots (I used mini carrots)
1 onion, chopped
8 oz corn
12 ounce can tomato puree
salt
pepper

Tear or cut greens into small pieces.  Prepare green beans if using fresh.  Peel and chop carrots.  In a large soup pot saute onion.  Add all veggies to the pot, including corn.  Fill with enough water to cover the veggies.  Add tomato puree, salt, and pepper.  Then get to stirring!  Simmer, covered, for 1.5 hours.  Enjoy!!!

Hummus Chicken

WAAAAY back in March, David found a recipe for a chicken dish.  It was quick and easy but I must say that I was surprised he picked this one.  It was a hummus chicken.  I'm glad I saw this again because I'll need easy meals coming up and this is SUPER easy!  My mom even tried it at her house and enjoyed it.  Gonna have to do this one again. 

Hummus Chicken
chicken breasts
salt
pepper
hummus

Preheat oven to 425.  Cut chicken breasts to the desired size.  Season as desired with salt and pepper.  Place into a baking pan.  Spread hummus over the top of the chicken breasts.  Place the pan into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the juices run clear.  Enjoy!

Moroccan Eating

Several weeks back, David found a recipe on a Kroger publication of all places!  It was for Moroccan quinoa.  He's not a big fan of quinoa but Kate and I both like it.  She actually said "I love quinoa" last night.  :-)  So, if he suggested it, you better believe I'm making it.  It really turned out GREAT!   I ended up leaving out the corriander because all I could find was corriander seeds.  Forgive me, but I am NOT crushing my own seeds!  The spices I used were paprika and cumin.  With just that it turned out SPICY.  I guess it's the paprika?  I also added some bell pepper.  I just felt like it needed some veggies in it.  Looks like a great dinner to me?  Try it!

Moroccan Quinoa Chicken Skillet from Healthy Living Made Simple July/August
2 lemons (I just used lemon Juice because I oddly enough couldn't find lemons!  I found limes but no lemons)
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (I didn't use this)
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves (or 3 tsp preminced garlic) minced
1 cup dried apricots, chopped (I used about 1/3 cup craisins - despite loving apricots, they were too pricey for me)
1 cup quinoa
2 cups veggie stock
2 chicken breasts, cubed

In a medium bowl, combine the paprika, cumin, salt and pepper.  Toss in the cubed chicken.  Once coated, place chicken in a pre-heated skillet sprayed with cooking spray (or a small amount of olive oil).  Cook until browned.  Add the onion, bell pepper and craisins.  Add lemon juice at this point (or the thinly sliced lemon).  Cook until the onion is softened.  Add the quinoa and stir for about two minutes.  Then add the veggie stock and more lemon juice.  Raise heat to a boil.  Then cover the pan and lower heat to medium low.  Cook for 20 minutes, covered.  I cooked about 30.  Remove from heat and let cool five minutes.  I meant to top with sliced green onion but forgot.  Oops!  Fluff the quinoa gently and enjoy!

Fajita Casserole

During January, I bought a rotisserie chicken on clearance at the grocery store.  Nothing on my "menu" used chicken but I decided to alter for frugality sake.  I decided to do a Mexican fajita casserole. 

At first I was going to use tortillas on the top and bottom, but once I got into making it, decided that it only needed the bottom layer.  I think I was correct.  I used tomatillo salsa, refried beans, sauteed onions and peppers, and cheese.  It turned out GREAT!  I will definitely make this again!  I think my little taste tester enjoyed, too!

Chicken Fajita Casserole by me!
4 corn tortillas
refried beans
rotisserie chicken, meat pulled off the bone
tomatillo salsa
1 onion
1 pepper
cheese, shredded (variety of your choice though I'd do cheddar or monterey jack)
salsa (If desired)

Cut peppers and onions into long pieces.  Saute until translucent; place in a bowl and set aside.  Pull chicken meat off the bone.  Warm in saute pan along with enough tomatillo salsa to coat the chicken. 

Preheat oven to 350.  In a casserole pan (11x8 or 13 x9), pour a small amount of tomatillo salsa.  Place the tortillas over the bottom of the pan.  Spread refried beans over the tortillas.  You may need to warm the beans slightly.  Place chicken over the beans.  Place the vegetables on top of the chicken.  Cover with cheese.  If you want some traditional salsa you can place some over the cheese.  Place the casserole in the over and bake until cheese is bubbly, about 20 minutes.  Enjoy!

Mahi Tacos

One of my favorite dishes to get at a local restaurant is the Mahi Mahi sandwich.  Actually, it's a dish that I get at TWO local restaurants.  Julep is a great local Southern restaurant.  When I was in residency, we took all of our applicants to Jule for pre-interview day dinner.  I was in charge of recruitment one year so I went to Julep QUITE frequently.  I decided that I needed to try different dishes; but every time my "different dish" would come out, I wished that I had my mahi mahi sandwich! 

So, wouldn't that lead you to believe that I'd like mahi mahi at home?!  It would!  However, when I made it several months back I just didn't like it.  Insert sad face!  Last month, I decided to try again but in a different form.  Instead of cooking the fish to just eat, I grilled the fish and used it on tacos.  Problem solved!  This dish was SO good and fresh!  We used corn tortillas so David could enjoy it.  Makes me want to have this again soon. 

Mahi Mahi Tacos
mahi mahi filets, seasoned well
tortillas
lettuce
tomato
cheese
salsa
avacado........whatever toppings you want, really!

Preheat your indoor grill pan.  Season the fish very well.  Spray the pan and place filets on the pan.  Cook until fish flakes.  Gently heat corn tortilla (or whatever tortilla you want).  Place cooked fish on the tortilla and top with your desired toppings.  Enjoy!

Adding to the Menu Options

Back before Thanksgiving, we did a trial of gluten free diet.  We stopped over the holidays and about a week and a half ago have resumed this way of eating.  It really is for David, so I will continue to have some gluten containing treats on here.  However, it really hasn't been that difficult to adjust my cooking.

The biggest change at home has been lunch, though we did discover a bread recipe that makes sandwiches an option.  Changing cookies and quick breads to gluten free wasn't that difficult and most of my suppers are already gluten free.  However, it is always fun to add a new option to cooking.  So, I decided to try out this quinoa recipe.  Now, as I was cooking it, I was starting to get grumpy.  You see, I had made a tomato soup the night before, a recipe David chose (out of the options I provided)...and then he didn't like it.  As I was making this Mexican quinoa recipe, I just KNEW that neither he nor K were going to like it. It just looked funny.  Note: at this point, it SHOULD have been done cooking...but I let it cook longer. 

Thank goodness for those extra 15 minutes because the quinoa fluffed up and looked good after that.  And wouldn't you know, K asked for seconds and David took it for lunch some.  Since then, he has made the comment that quinoa isn't his "favorite" but is "doable."  I'll take that...I like quinoa.  :-)

Mexican Quinoa from Kitchen Simplicity (thought Pinterest)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed well and drained
1¼ cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 can (1½ cups) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 cup corn
cheese, for topping

Add a small bit of oil to a medium-sized pot set over medium heat. Add garlic and jalapeños; cook just until fragrant (about a minute). Add quinoa, broth, beans, tomatoes, corn, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and let simmer for 25 minutes, or until quinoa is cooked and fluffy and liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat. Spoon into bowls, top with cheese, and enjoy with chips....and your family!

Granola - Cooking by Letter

It's been a while since I've posted about our alphabet cooking.  At this point, K is through the letter N at school.  We haven't done that recipe yet and skipped "I" since it was Italian Ice - I didn't think that would be so good in October!  However, we have had such fun with everything so far. 

The recipe for "G" was granola.  My sweet girl, of course, wanted to share at school...she ALWAYS asks if we can take the recipe to school. 

Unfortunately, before she asked I had already added all the ingredient so it had pecans in it.  We actually texted her day care supervisor who said it would be better not to bring it.  Oh well!  She REALLY had a good time with this one.  I let her do lots of pouring and stirring.  I'm not really sure how much she ate of it but she really liked the cooking. 

It was a pretty good granola.  I would grab a handful at night when I got the munchies and David had it over ice cream with chocolate syrup.  You could also put it on some fruit or in yogurt.  YUM!

Gimmie More Granola
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups old fashioned oats (not quick cooking)
2 cups bran flakes
1/2 cup nuts

Preheat oven to 350.
1. In a small bowl, mix the sugar and water until it dissolves.
2. Add the orange juice, syrup and salt.

3. In a LARGE bowl, mix together the oats, bran flakes and nuts
4. Pour the liquid into the large bowl and stir well.

5. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and pour the granola mixture into the pan.
6. Place into the oven and bake for 45 minutes.  Stir the granola with a wooden spoon every 10 minutes.*

*Adult step

New Year and New Recipe

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Years with family.  We enjoyed time with both of our families and had Christmas morning with just our little family of three.  I'll share that later.  K is with family.  David is on service this week and hasn't been feeling well, so we didn't do anything last night. 

After clinic, I came home and we got an estimate on floors for the house (oh the joys of getting ready to sell).  Then I spent 4 plus hours putting away the Christmas decorations while David did notes from work.  I "watched" the MS State game while I worked.  Hail State!  Then we watch the Duke game.  I made macaroni and cheese for David and heated up my crab cake.  Yum!  Then I made a dessert for the residents who are on the New Years portion of holiday schedule.  I think we were in bed around 1130...but our lovely neighbors were shooting fire works.  Today, I've enjoyed "Gifted Hands" about Ben Carson.  I HIGHLY recommend it!  We'll see what the rest of the day bring. 

And now for your tasting pleasure, a recipe to start off the new year.  I made this back in October when my family came for homecoming and David wants me to bring it back.  It was actually in a Kroger coupon mailout.  It does call for 2 cups of tortilla chips but I'm pretty sure I used about 1 cup.  It is called Chilaquiles.  It calls for ground chicken but you could use ground pork, turkey, or even beef.  Everyone really enjoyed it and it was easy and quick to make.  Try it out for a new recipe this year.

Chicken Chilaquiles
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground chicken (or other ground meat) - or 2 cups shredded chicken, cooked
2 cans diced tomatoes and chiles (10oz. cans, could use any brand)
15 oz. black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups broken tortilla chips (I used LESS)
1 cup cheese
2 T fresh cilantro, chopped

Cook meat. Drain.  In heated pan, cook onions and garlic.  When softened and browned, add meat, tomatoes, beans and 1/4 cup water or broth.  Stir then reduce heat to medium; cover and cook for 8-10 minutes.  Stir in the chips and cook for 5 minutes.  Add cheese and cook about another minute.  Sprinkle with cilantro and ENJOY!

Won Ton what?

Somewhere along the way, I got the idea that making lasagna with won tons would be fun.  Maybe it was the fact that I had a package of won ton wrappers in the refrigerator that I needed to use.  Maybe I really thought it would be fun.  Either way, I finally did it! 

David gave me "permission" to make a veggie lasagna and I decided to use the won tons.  I just lined the pan with won tons and did layers of veggies, spaghetti sauce, and cheese mixture the repeated.  It wasn't a complete loss but not a complete winner either.  Honestly, I think the thing that we all disliked the most was the wontons.  They just lent a funny flavor to the lasagna. 

Oddly enough, the veggies weren't the problem.  David actually took this to work for lunch on several days.  I'm assuming he actually ate it.  ;-)  Unfortunately, he caught a few of the thicker slices of eggplant.  I decided to slice the eggplant thinly and roast it but I caught a few slices more thickly than I would have liked.  I guess I could have pulled out my mandolin but I didn't.  I will definitely be doing veggie lasagna again (though I KNOW that David still wants the real lasagna more!  Gotta cook for myself some, right?!)...just not with wontons. 

Wonton Veggie Lasagna
wontons
1 eggplant, sliced paperthin and roasted
2 small yellow squash, cubed and roasted
2 small zucchini, cubed and roasted
1 onion, sliced and roasted
spaghetti sauce
2 cups cottage cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
parsley
Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare vegetables.  Mix the squash, zucchini, and onions together but keep the eggplant separate.  Meanwhile, mix cottage cheese, egg, Parmesan cheese, salt, parsley together in a bowl.  Spread about 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 13x9 pan.  Line with wonton wrappers.  Top this with a layer of the eggplant followed by the squash mixture.  Layer with spaghetti sauce. Then top with cheese mixture and mozzarella cheese.  Repeat layers ending with mozzarella cheese.  Place pan in oven and bake until cheese is melted and bubbly.  Enjoy!

Sneaking in Veggies

We love black bean burgers around here!  It is actually one of our favorites.  I decided to try to make my own version last month.  We had some left over roasted veggies (squash, zucchini, and peppers), so I threw those into the food processor and processed away until they were pureed.  Then I added the black beans and panko.  I cooked these in a skillet though I often try to do them on my grill pan. 

David and K didn't know the difference.  Now, I don't really have to "trick" them as K is a great eater and once she tries most foods a few times will at least eat a few bites.  Oddly enough, she's not a huge fan of potatoes which is fine with me.  And David has been doing a lot better about eating veggies.  However, I do like having the option of getting a few more veggies in us without having to struggle to do it.  So, for those moms out there who struggle with picky eaters, try out black bean burgers.  It will likely be a hit!

Veggie Black Bean Burgers
1 cup roasted veggies, pureed
1 can black beans (you could add about 1/2 can further if you wanted but I usually do just one)
1 egg (or 1/4 cup egg whites)
1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup (give or take a little) corn mean - I like adding this for a little crunch when it cooks, you could use all bread crumbs if you wanted to
Tony's cajun seasoning

Puree veggies.  Add the beans and pulse until blended.  If you want some whole beans, add an extra half can near the end.  Add egg and pulse until mixed well.  Add seasoning and bread crumbs and corn meal.  Add until it holds together well.  If using extra beans, stir in at this point.  Heat a skillet on the stove over medium heat.  Spray with cooking spray.  Cook until browned then flip (about 5-6 minutes per side).  Enjoy!

When He Cooks for Me

I have the sweetest husband ever!  He randomly gets flowers for me.  He lets me go to the gym even when I'm late leaving work.  He looks for ways to do things that I enjoy.  He wants to take K to school and ballet.  He reads stories to her.  He seeks to lead our family in God's will.

A few weeks ago, K was out of town.  We had both worked in the ER opposite days that weekend and didn't really get to spend much time together.  The last day she was gone he wasn't going to be able to eat, but he decided to get food that I like and cook for me.  He got fresh veggies and shrimp and grilled them.  You see, he doesn't like shrimp but I love it!  So, even though he couldn't enjoy dinner, he made sure I had something that was enjoyable.  That night, we then proceeded to play Super Mario on Wii.  :-)  It was a fun night! 

Garlic Balsamic Grilled Shrimp from AllRecipes

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into large chunks
• 1 onion, cut into chunks

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix the vinegar, oil, garlic, basil, salt, and ground pepper. Place the shrimp, bell pepper, and onion in the bowl, and gently toss to coat. Cover, and allow to marinate at least 20 minutes in the refrigerator.
2. Heat a pan grill over high heat or prepare grill. Alternately thread the shrimp, onion chunks, and pepper chunks on skewers.
3. Place shrimp in grill basket or on skewers.  Put these on the grill.  If using skewers, cook 2 to 3 minutes per side, until shrimp is opaque.  If using basket, cook until opaque.

serve with grilled veggies and cous cous.  Enjoy!

BBQ Red Bean Burgers

Thankfully, K is a good eater.  In fact, I think some of her favorite meals are when we have bean burgers.  So far I had tried black bean, white bean, chickpea...up next, red bean.  This one has a bar-b-que flavor to it, which makes it a little sweet.  I overcooked them, so they were a little dry, but David and K both liked them a lot.  David put cheese and more sauce on his.  A little healthy option for BBQ in the summer????  Probably not quite the same but still good and easy.

BBQ Red Bean Burger from The Kitchen Witch via Jackie Likes to Eat via pinterest
Ingredients:
1/2 onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 15 oz can reduced sodium red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
2 tablespoons barbecue sauce, plus extra for bun
4 slices cheddar cheese

Directions:

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add a teaspoon of olive oil and the onion, garlic, tomato, jalapeno, and chili powder. Saute until the onions are soft.

Place the kidney beans in a medium bowl and mash with a fork. Add the onion mixture, bread crumbs, egg, and barbecue sauce to the bowl and mix well.

Form the bean mixture into patties.  Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and brown the patties on both sides.

No Meat on the Menu...at Least Some

In the aforementioned menu planning, I am trying to have at least one meatless meal.  Before David and I got married...well, actually before David and I started dating almost all of my meals were meat free unless I had fish or ate out.  It just wasn't worth buying for one person...and I prefer meatless most of the time.  David and K, however, love meat!  So, I'm doing my best to make us all happy but still healthy. 

We're done a good bit of bean burgers because they both like beans.  Our most recent one was a white bean burger from How Sweet It Is.  One thing that drew me to it was quinoa.  I haven't used it much but know it's good.    Needed a little more seasoning but was good.  Definitely one I'd repeat!

 Red Pepper Quinoa Burgers

Total Time: 30 minutes

1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup chopped red peppers
1 tsp dried, minced garlic
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 whole wheat bun, toasted
for topping: whatever you want!

In a small bowl, mix together bread crumbs, basil, paprika, onion powder, salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, add beans and mash coarsely with a fork. Stir in quinoa, garlic and roasted red peppers, mixing well to combine. Add in bread crumb mixture and egg, mixing well to moisten. Once combined, add in the flour and mix well. Form into patties of desired size.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Press each quinoa ball into a large patty, being careful to press the sides together so they don't fall apart while cooking. Add to skillet and cook until golden and crisp on each side, about five minutes. Serve immediately on toasted buns with your favorite toppings! Enjoy! (reheats well, too)