Vegetarian Meat(less)loaf

Vegetarian Meat(less)loaf
based on recipe from Food.com, Really Good Vegetarian Meatloaf (Really!)

Ingredients:
2 cups veggie stock (I suppose you could use water, but why not take the opportunity to add more flavor?)
1 cup lentils
1 shallot, minced
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup grated parmesan (fresh is best, but the stuff from the green can would work in a pinch)
1/2 cup shredded cheese (white cheddar or jack)
1 tsp. ground flaxseeds
2 Tbs. sun dried tomatoes, diced
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup marinara (plain tomato sauce would work, but I had an open jar of marinara in the fridge)
1 tsp. garlic powder (yes, the powder- not fresh)
1/2 tsp. onion powder (or dried onion)
1 tsp. dried basil
1 Tbs. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
salt & pepper, to taste
pinch of cayenne

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Bring the veggie stock and lentils to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the lentils have absorbed the liquid, about 25-30 minutes. (The original recipe says to add salt to water while cooking the lentils, but I've already learned NOT to do that to avoid tough lentils.) Set aside to cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients before adding in the cooled lentils, lightly mashing them as you fold them into the oat mixture. Pour the lentil mixture into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until the top is golden brown and slightly cracked. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before turning the loaf out onto a board to cool completely. Serve with mashed potatoes and green beans for that all-American comfort food classic.

Enjoy!

Keely's Last Supper

Keely's last supper...

Keely died at home tonight, peacefully, as I held him.

Goodnight, Kitten.

Easy Tamale Pie

Yet another no-recipe recipe, make as little or as much as you want. (I made enough to fill an 8"square baking dish for 4 generous portions.)

Easy Tamale Pie

Ingredients:
olive oil
onion, diced
bell pepper, diced
ground cumin
chili powder
paprika
salt & pepper, to taste
diced tomatoes with green chilies or jalapenos (salsa would work here too)
beans, drained and rinsed (red kidney, black, pinto- dealer's choice)
cooked, shredded chicken (omit for vegetarian)
corn (frozen or canned, whatever you've got on hand)
shredded cheese (cheddar, pepper jack- again, whatever you've got on hand)

1 (8.5 ounce) box of cornbread mix
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a saute pan over medium heat, cook the onions and peppers in olive oil with all spices until slightly softened, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes (and/or salsa), beans, and chicken and simmer for another 5-7 minutes before adding the corn.

Meanwhile, make the cornbread topping according to box instructions by combining the egg and milk with the cornmeal until it just comes together, being careful not to over mix.

To construct the tamale pie, pour the bean mixture into your baking dish of choice (I used an 8" square glass dish), top with a layer of shredded cheese, then spoon on the cornbread mixture before spreading it out in a single layer. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until the cornbread is golden brown on top.

Enjoy!

Spicy Potatoes, Cauliflower & Chick Peas

Spicy Potatoes, Cauliflower & Chick Peas

Ingredients:

1 small head of cauliflower, diced into bite-sized pieces

3-5 red potatoes, diced

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 tsp. curry powder (I'm lazy and buy a commercial blend rather than make my own)

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. lemon pepper

red pepper flakes, to taste (I only used a pinch)

salt & pepper, to taste

1 (15.5 ounce) can of chick peas, drained and rinsed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower and potatoes in the olive oil and all spices, stirring to coat well. Dump everything out onto a baking sheet in a single layer and drizzle on some additional olive oil. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes, until the vegs start to soften and turn golden brown. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, stir the cauliflower and potatoes to promote even browning, and add the chick peas to the baking sheet before returning it to the oven for another 8-10 minutes, or until the chick peas are golden brown but not yet crispy.

Enjoy!

Cookie Palooza 2012

Cookie Palooza 2012

The 2nd annual Cookie Palooza started Saturday night and continued through Monday; surprisingly (sadly?), I have to say it wasn't as much fun as last year.

Maybe if I had stopped Sunday after making 3 different kinds of bar cookies as well as the first batch of cheesecake cookies, well then, perhaps I'd feel differently. Instead, I'm just plain sick to death of all things sugar at this point and, in fact, couldn't bring myself to write this post last night because it was sounding way the hell too whiny even to me.

So. New day, no more sugar, and my house no longer smells like baked goods after making spicy tacos, lentils primavera, and stuffed mushrooms; lots of savory smells to cancel out the sweet, thank goodness.

Cookie Palooza 2012

3 different bar cookies

I started out by making this recipe for PB&J blondies, except I left out the "J" part. They turned out pretty well... okay, REALLY well based on the fact that my roommate inhaled 4 of the cookie bars before I could even put them away. Now, the cookie exchange at work this year doesn't have as many participants as last year so we only need to make 2 dozen of our chosen cookie/dessert. A pan of these bars slices quite nicely into 24 pieces which is the perfect amount. However, since my roommate had already eaten several of them, I knew I would need to make another batch which would also give me the chance to tweak the recipe a little more to my liking, namely, using a little less sugar and adding in some chocolate chunks. The second batch, made yesterday, turned out beautifully (even if I couldn't taste them) and I was sure to package and label them immediately as OFF LIMITS so that these can make it to work tomorrow for the exchange.

Because I was so pleased with how the first cookie bar turned out, I decided to try out another recipe for Oatmeal Scotchies that I pulled off the bag of Nestle butterscotch chips. Again, being me, I couldn't leave well enough alone and added chopped pecans to the recipe and baked them in a pan rather than as a drop cookie. (There was a note at the bottom of the recipe with instructions on how to make them a bar cookie.) Maybe it was because my pan wasn't big enough and the bars were a little too thick (in my opinion), but I wasn't terribly impressed with the way these cookies turned out. Yes, the flavor was good, but the texture left a little something to be desired. Eh. Live and learn, right? (Of course, my roommate didn't find fault with them given the number she's already eaten.)

cheesecake cookies with graham cracker crust

Next up were the cheesecake cookies. I found this recipe online from The Brown Eyed Baker after doing quite a bit of searching, and these cookies were fantastic! What I really loved about the recipe (besides the taste, of course) was how simple it was. I read many other recipes that involved rolling the dough into a log and rolling the log in the crumb of choice before refrigerating, slicing, and baking. Not only are there very few ingredients, but once the dough comes together, you roll it into golf ball sized balls (maybe a little smaller), roll them in your crumb of choice (I used graham crackers for the first batch, then crushed Oreos for the 2nd batch at my roommate's insistence), and bake.

cheesecake cookies with oreo crust

Now, I will say that I doubled the recipe because the original recipe only makes about 12 cookies, and maybe I did make them smaller than I was supposed to because I got 34 cookies out of my doubled recipe. Plus, I refrigerated the dough to let it firm up a bit before rolling/coating/baking, but other than that, I pretty much followed the recipe to a T and these were, far and away, the star of Cookie Palooza 2012.  :)

Again, maybe if I had stopped there- on a high note, as it were- then I'd be more apt to label Cookie Palooza 2012 a success. Instead, I continued on to make these Holiday Biscotti with almonds and dried cranberries, dipped in melted white chocolate (which I've made in years past and really like), another bar cookie that I found the recipe for in a book my roommate gave me for my birthday (white chocolate fudge bars from 500 Chocolate Delights: The Only Chocolate Compendium You'll Ever Need by Lauren Floodgate), AND a second batch of the peanut butter blondies with the addition of chocolate chunks. By the time Cookie Palooza 2012 came to an official end on Monday, just the smell of sugar and vanilla was enough to make me nauseous! So now I've got a kitchen full of yummy cookies and no desire to eat any of them... good thing my roommate and co-workers have no such compunctions, eh?

Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

I'm almost ashamed to admit this, but I hate mushrooms; it's not so much the flavor, but more so the texture. I've had a life-long aversion to them and it's only been in recent years that I've learned to (mostly) appreciate what they have to offer... even though I still don't really like them. Weird, I know.

So why do I cook with them? Well, they really do add an earthy flavor to vegetarian/vegan dishes that would normally be played out by some kind of meat, and I'm given to understand that for people that actually like them, they have a "meaty" texture that gives substance to an otherwise meat-free dish. Oddly, I really enjoy the smell of mushrooms as they are cooking- and I DO like the flavor they impart- but I just can't deal with their texture. *shudder* Why then did I make stuffed mushrooms today? Well, I actually made dinner for 2 of my co-workers and THEY like mushrooms. Simple, right? AND, this is sort of another no-recipe recipe because you can make as many as you want; I had 2 mushroom caps so I just made a small amount of stuffing, but this could easily translate to feed a larger crowd of fungus lovers.

Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

Ingredients:
portabella mushrooms, wiped clean of any dirt, stems removed and diced
olive oil (although I'm sure butter would be mighty tasty here)
onion, diced
carrot, diced
celery, diced
dried parsley
dried thyme
garlic powder
poultry seasoning (usually includes sage, marjoram, thyme)
salt & pepper, to taste
veggie stock
dried bread cubes or packaged stuffing mix (whatever you have on hand- I had cornbread stuffing mix leftover from Friendsgiving in my cabinet)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large saute pan, cook the vegs and spices in olive oil (or butter) until slightly softened, about 4-6 minutes. Add in the veggie stock and bring to a boil. (The amount of liquid used depends on the amount of stuffing mix you use. I used about 1-1.5 cups of liquid to about 3/4 cup of dried stuffing mix.) Add the stuffing mix, stir, cover with a lid, and remove from the heat. Allow the stuffing mix to stand for about 5 minutes, or until it has absorbed the liquid.

Meanwhile, in a glass baking dish, drizzle a small amount of olive oil in the bottom before placing the mushroom caps inside, gill side up. Pile on the stuffing mixture in a heaping mound, then drizzle the tops with more olive oil. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender and browned around the edges.

Enjoy!

Lentils Primavera

Okay, so here's another non-recipe recipe. I've already posted my preferred method for cooking lentils here, so I'm not going to do it again. I've mentioned before how versatile lentils are, and this is just another of the many ways I like to use them.

Lentils Primavera

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dry lentils
2 cups liquid of choice (water, veggie stock, chicken stock)

olive oil
onion, diced
carrots, diced
zucchini, diced
squash, diced
snap peas, diced
tomatoes, fresh or canned, diced
preferred combination of spices/herbs: basil, herbes de provence, garlic powder, lemon pepper
splash of red wine vinegar
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
While the lentils are cooking, saute the veg and spices in olive oil until tender crisp, about 7-9 minutes. Once the lentils have absorbed most of the cooking liquid (about 30-40 minutes), add them to the sauteed vegs and stir to combine. Adjust seasoning to your taste and there you go.

Enjoy!

Cookie Palooza 2011, A Retrospective, Part 3

Original post date: Thursday, 12/8/11

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2011

Indecisiveness

So I still can't decide on which kind of cookie to make for the cookie exchange at work on Monday. Would it be wrong to just make them all?

Suggestions?

I know, that conversation happened several days AFTER Cookie Palooza 2011 occurred... but come on. Funny, right? Because that's totally my attitude: Must. Win.

Cookie Palooza 2011, A Retrospective, Part 2

Original post date: Monday, 12/6/11

The last day of my 3-day weekend, and what did I do? Bake. Again.

cranberry bread

Well, I also swept, vacuumed, and did a load of laundry, but mostly I was in the kitchen. I made another 2 loaves of cranberry bread because, really, you can't have enough and I'll probably bring a loaf or 2 to work again for the overnight doc since she decimated the first loaf I brought her. Plus, it freezes beautifully, so if I decide to be greedy and keep it all to myself... well, there you go.

meringue cookies

In addition to the cranberry bread, I also tried out yet another new-to-me recipe for meringue cookies. They were pretty easy to make, but I won't know how they taste until tomorrow since they will cool in the oven overnight. Normally, when I try a new recipe for the first time (at least when it comes to baking) I stick pretty close to the recipe as written. Not today, though. Nope. I changed up the flavoring in these meringues by using dark chocolate chips (60% cacao) and orange zest, one of my favorite flavor combinations, so I can't wait to taste them.

Addendum: The most IMPORTANT lesson I learned about making meringue cookies is to line the damn cookie sheets with parchment paper like the recipe tells you!

Cookie Palooza 2011, A Retrospective, Part 1

ultimate ginger, pb&c biscotti, triple chocolate

Original post date: Sunday, 12/5/11

Care to guess what I did today?

This being my 3-day weekend, I decided to take advantage of my time off and spend it in the kitchen, trying out new cookie recipes. We're having a cookie exchange at work next week and I can't decide what to make; too many choices, and you know I have to make something to put all other cookies to shame. To that end, I've got a stack of recipes I've been wanting to try and so I've been planning to have a cookie palooza this weekend. My best friend and her kids were originally supposed to join me, but she's not feeling well this weekend so we had to postpone. However, I've got the supplies and the burning need to make cookies... so that's what I did.

Yesterday, I made 2 loaves of cranberry bread and promptly wrapped them and put them in the freezer to make room for cookies. I then got a jump start on cookie palooza and tried out one of my new recipes, the ultimate ginger cookie. It's funny, really, because I always thought I didn't like these spicy cookies; we never made anything like them when I was growing up. The thought of making a classic gingerbread man cookie never really appealed because it's more work than I'm interested in. On the contrary, these were fairly easy to make and turned out pretty damn good; my roommate certainly liked them given the fact that she ate 2 handfuls of them this morning for breakfast.

So that brings me to today and my continued cookie experimentation: I started with a variation of a recipe that I've used before, one for biscotti. Previously, I've made them with pistachios and dried cranberries, dipped in white chocolate, but today's version was a peanut butter chocolate biscotti. Huh man. Those were some freakin' awesome cookies... perfect for dunking in a cup of coffee as the Italian's intended. While those were cooling, I got started on the next new-to-me cookie, a triple chocolate cookie. This was the pseudo-healthy recipe I had picked out to make with the kids because I know how their mother feels about baked goods and her desire to make them as low fat as possible (no butter or oil, egg substitute instead of whole eggs, and splenda where possible).

(*Side note: I have a different, decidedly decadent chocolate cookie recipe waiting in the wings, just for me. This one is NOT to be shared so the "healthy" version is the decoy version.)

Again, these cookies turned out really well. But honestly, how bad can triple chocolate cookies be? Maybe not as rich and chewy as I would have hoped for, but still. It's chocolate.

lemon ricotta with lemon glaze

The last cookie I decided to try my hand at was a light and almost fluffy lemon ricotta cookie with a lemon glaze. I'm a big fan of lemon so this was at the top of my Must Try list; I was definitely NOT disappointed. Just sweet enough with the tart bite of fresh lemon... yum. Only problem is, I still can't decide what to make for the cookie exchange we're having at work. Guess this means I need to do some more experimenting. There's always the good old stand-by recipes that I make every year: classic chocolate chip, peanut butter (with or without thumbprints), oatmeal raisin, and my all-time favorite oatmeal cookies with dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.

Hmmm... what a delicious dilemma.

Cooking For Keely

pre-cancerous Keely

This being my 3-day weekend off, I plan to spend quite a bit of time playing in the kitchen which is always fun. Since we have a cookie/dessert exchange coming up at work this week, I need to decide what I want to bring which means I'll be trying out a few new recipes to narrow down my choices. However, the more important kitchen task at hand- and the one that needed to be done today, BEFORE Cookie Palooza 2012 can begin- was to cook an entire chicken for my cancer-y cat, Keely.

Yes, I am THAT pet owner who will cater to my animals (mostly within reason) when they're sick and/or dying. I did it for both Sasha and Seamus, and I'll do it for my other boys when their times come.

So, not to be graphic, but Keely has squamous cell carcinoma in his mouth which makes eating very painful and difficult. That being said, with the help of 2 different pain medications keeping him comfortable for whatever time he has remaining, I've had to make some major changes to his diet to make sure he CAN eat. Because of the extensive damage caused by the cancer, Keely can't eat his regular dry food and has quite a bit of difficulty eating the numerous types of canned cat food I've tried giving him, as well as the softer baby food; he produces an, um, inordinate amount of drool (major understatement) that severely inhibits his ability to eat. However. I discovered quite by accident on Friendsgiving that he has NO trouble eating shredded chicken and turkey. (One of my guests spotted Keely in stealth-mode, stealing a piece of turkey off of the platter sitting on the counter while we were playing a game in the living room.) Why that is, who knows? But, after that happened, I took all of the remaining turkey and chicken, shredded it, and fed it to Keely for the rest of that week... and he ate it. ALL of it. So. Once that was gone, I roasted a whole chicken last week for him which, again, he ate all week long and finished this morning.

Now, I should really take this opportunity to mention my intense dislike of meat on bones. Yes, I am fully aware that meat cooked on the bone keeps it juicy and flavorful blah blah blah. What can I say? Meat on bones grosses me out *shudder* so I very rarely cook an entire chicken, preferring instead to buy/prepare boneless/skinless chicken breasts. Well, I made that sacrifice for Keely and then had to listen to my roommate laugh at me the entire time I cleaned the meat from the bones because, apparently, I had a major Yuck Face going on the entire time. After talking to one of my co-workers one night this week, she suggested using the slow-cooker the next time I had to make a chicken because it would just fall off the bone and I wouldn't have to do much work.

Brilliant! (Thanks, Klein!)

So that's what I did today. Giant has roaster chickens (7-9 lb) on sale this week so I bought two of them, putting one in the freezer for another week, and the other went straight into the slow-cooker with some carrots and celery (no onions) on LOW for about 8 hours. Once it was mostly cool enough to handle, it was the work of just minutes to shred the meat, discard the bones, and pour the fresh chicken stock into jars to refrigerate.

Now that my cancer-y cat has food for the next week, that means I can spend tomorrow playing and experimenting with cookie recipes... oh, the possibilities! I did the same thing last year and ended up making 4 different cookies, 3 of which came to work for the cookie exchange. Overachiever? Who me? Hell yes I am! ;)

Veg & Tofu Shepherd's Pie

Okay, so I'm not going to post exact measurements with this particular recipe because you can really make as little (personal size casserole) or as much as you want so the quantities I used today aren't important. Also, the combination of veggies can be switched up depending on your taste and/or whatever you have on hand. I usually reach for the bag of frozen mixed veg straight from the freezer (a convenience that can't be overstated!) but today, I actually pulled fresh vegs from the fridge and supplemented with a few frozen staples like the peas and corn.

Today's version was baked in an 8" x 8" dish which made enough for 4 generous portions.

Veg & Tofu Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:
olive oil (or butter, if you prefer)
mixed veg, fresh or frozen, diced (I used onions, carrots, celery, zucchini, sun dried tomatoes, snap peas, peas, and corns)
herbes de provence
garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
AP flour
vegetable stock
crumbled tofu, previously baked
mashed potaotes to top everything

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Saute the veggies in olive oil until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle on the spices and flour (basically, you want to use as much flour as oil) and cook for another minute before adding the veggie stock, stirring until thickened to desired consistency. Transfer the veggie mixture to a casserole dish and cover with mashed potatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-25 minutes, until the top is golden brown.

Enjoy!