Tuna Noodle Casserole-ish

I say -ish because this isn't your mother's tuna noodle casserole... or at least, it's not MY mother's tuna noodle casserole. ;)

I've mentioned before that I grew up with a stay-at-home mother who had dinner on the table for the family every night like clockwork. Being a single income family, we tended to eat a lot of budget friendly meals of what I refer to as All American Classics. Tuna noodle casserole was one of those dishes that made a regular appearance and I have to admit that I still like it, although my version is very different from my mother's recipe. To be fair, she followed a pretty standard recipe which included canned tuna, canned cream-of-mushroom soup, milk, peas, and egg noodles. Mine? A wee bit different... more like a homemade mac & cheese with tuna and veggies; much more flavorful, and a whole hell of a lot healthier. Making a roux will thicken the sauce and you can get away with using only a small amount of milk (dairy or non-dairy, dealer's choice) because of the creamy cheeses used. Cooking the pasta directly in the sauce (using a mixture of broth and water to give it room to groove) releases starch which further thickens the sauce. The addition of the veggies is just good nutrition... not to mention pretty tasty.

Tuna Noodle Casserole-ish

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. butter

1 lg. shallot, diced

2 cups steamed cauliflower, roughly chopped

1 Tbs. AP flour

1/2 tsp. lemon pepper

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. dried dill

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

salt & pepper, to taste

2 Tbs. milk (I used plain soy milk cause that's what I have in the fridge)

1 cup broth (chicken or veggie works well and I usually have an open carton in the fridge)

1 cup water

4 oz. dried pasta (I used medium whole wheat shells)

4 Tbs. neufchatel (that's the lighter version of cream cheese)

1/4 cup ricotta cheese (I used the part-skim kind cause that's what I have in the fridge)

1 (5-ounce) can of tuna packed in water

2 oz. extra sharp white cheddar cheese, finely grated (because I used such a small amount of cheese, I wanted to use a strongly flavored one)

2 cups steamed broccoli florets, roughly chopped

2/3 cup steamed edamame, shelled, roughly chopped

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare baking dish by spraying with cooking spray and set aside. And yes, I used my old-school Corelle baking dish that I've had for 20+ years. ;)

In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the shallot and cauliflower in butter until slightly soft, about 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle on the flour and spices, stirring to coat, and continue cooking for another minute to cook out the raw flour taste before adding the liquids and dried pasta. Raise heat slightly to bring the mixture to a simmer, then stir in the neufchatel, ricotta, and tuna (with the water it's packed in). Continue to simmer until the pasta has absorbed 75% of the liquid, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheddar, edamame, and broccoli. Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish and top with panko bread crumbs. Spritz the top with more cooking spray (of course, you could use melted butter or olive oil but I wanted to keep this on the healthier side of things) and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the remainder of the liquid has been mostly absorbed and casserole is set. Great straight from the oven, and even better as leftovers.

Enjoy!

Tofu & Broccoli Lo Mein

Another no-recipe recipe, this can be made in any quantity and with any combination of ingredients... within reason, that is. ;)

Tofu & Broccoli Lo Mein

Ingredients:
vegetable oil
tofu, cubed and pre-baked
broccoli florets (I pulled mine straight from the freezer)
noodles, cooked to al dente (recommended: soba or whole wheat thin spaghetti)
brown sauce (I like to use this recipe)

Directions:
In a skillet over medium-high heat, stir fry the tofu and broccoli until slightly browned and crisp around the edges, about 3-5 minutes. Toss in the noodles and sauce, continuing to stir fry for another 2 minutes, or until the sauce has mostly been absorbed and everything is heated through.

Enjoy!

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!

Tofu Parmesan

Tofu Parmesan

Ingredients:
1 lb ground chicken breast
3 links of Italian sausage, removed from casing
1 egg white
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 Tbs milled flax seeds
1/4 cup each low fat shredded mozzarella and parmesan
spices (onion, garlic, herbes de provence, thyme, basil)

leftover sauteed tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers
1 sm can tomato sauce
2 cups broccoli slaw

4 slices previously baked tofu
2 Tbs parmesan cheese (from the can is best)
sprinkle each of shredded mozzarella and parmesan

Directions:
Combine all meatball ingredients until well mixed and form into golf ball sized balls. Roast on wire rack on baking sheet in a 400 degree oven for 15-18 minutes, until well browned and cooked through. Meanwhile, reheat sauteed tomato mixture with can of tomato sauce, adding pinch of red pepper flakes. Lightly press the tofu slices in the grated parmesan before crisping up in a saute pan in a little bit of olive oil. Dump any remaining parmesan into the tomato sauce so as not to waste it. Once tomato sauce comes to a slow simmer, stir in broccoli slaw then turn off the heat, allowing the slaw to warm through yet retain it's crunch. Sprinkle the crisped tofu slices with the shredded cheese and move to the oven just until melted. Build as follows: tomato sauce with broccoli slaw on the bottom of bowl, 2 slices of tofu parmesan on top, chicken meatballs on the side. For my vegetarian friends, just skip the meatballs. :)

Enjoy!

Cheddar Broccoli Soup

Cheddar Broccoli Soup

Ingredients:
4-6 heads of broccoli (stems included), chopped
1 small onion, diced
1 Tbs olive oil
6 cups veggie or chicken stock  *veg for vegetarian
dried herbs (parsley, basil, thyme, garlic powder)
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (low fat)

Directions:
Saute diced onion and broccoli stems in 1 Tbs. olive oil until slightly softened before adding stock, herbs, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes until broccoli stems are cooked through and soft. Add in broccoli florets and cover to steam, 5-10 minutes, until softened. Using an immersion blender, puree soup to desired consistency before stirring in shredded cheddar a little at a time to avoid clumping and promote even melting. Top with additional cheese or sour cream, serve hot.

I like making soups and this one is certainly easy. I actually added in some spinach just before pureeing because I wanted to have a bright green color to the soup; cooking the broccoli to the desired texture means it loses it's naturally verdant color. The spinach adds color without effecting the taste.

Enjoy!

Country Hash In The City

So this is my version of a country hash recipe I saw on Food Network last week. Many of my favorite dishes are inspired by something I've seen on Food Network or in any number of foodie magazines I read each week/month. In this case, I made it my own with what I had on hand in my fridge and pantry. Y'all know how much I love a good breakfast/brunch, and this was certainly no exception. It's Sunday after all, so what better day to enjoy it?

Ingredients:

2 red potatoes, diced

mixed veg (I always have a huge selection of frozen veg on hand so this mix included red peppers, corn, and broccoli)

chicken breast, diced (like I've said before, those prepackaged chicken strips are amazingly versatile!)

1 egg, fried or poached (dealer's choice on the preparation, I went with the classic fried egg)

thyme (dried works as well as fresh here)

salt and pepper to taste

I used the same short cut that the semi-homemaker on Food Network used with her potatoes: In a microwave safe bowl covered by a damp paper towel, microwave the diced potatoes for 3 minutes or until barely fork tender. Now, you could of course use left over potatoes if you've got them, but I didn't so I started from fresh. Once the potatoes reach the desired texture, transfer them to a large skillet with some olive oil, and cook over medium-high heat for several minutes until golden brown. Toss in the mixed veg, chicken breast, thyme, salt and pepper and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the rest of ingredients are heated through. Serve with the egg on top and a big glass of iced coffee on the side.

Enjoy!

Broccoli With Breakfast

So today I had my morning free again since I'm scheduled to work the 2-close shift yet again. Because I accidentally went to bed rather early last night and dinner consisted of a piece of peanut butter toast with apple butter (that was just supposed to be my "after school" snack), I woke up absolutely starving this morning. I decided to go with one of my ever favorite breakfast foods... an omelet. Paired with a piece of cinnamon toast and coffee, this was fantastic if I do say so myself.

Ingredients:

2 eggs (or the equivalent of Garden Vegetable Egg Beaters like I usually use)

broccoli florets, steamed, diced (I always have broccoli in the freezer)

red bell pepper, roasted, diced (these were left over from some roasted veg I made the other night)

Canadian bacon, diced

goat cheese

salt and pepper to taste

I'm not going to go in to detail on how to prepare an omelet (it's easy and I've already described my technique in a previous post) so suffice it to say, whatever veggies you might have in the fridge or freezer make fantastic fodder for an omelet. As for the cinnamon toast, I simply spread some whole grain toast with Smart Balance then sprinkle on some cinnamon and Splenda. I used to love making cinnamon toast when I was a kid because it was so easy and one of the first things I can remember my grandmother letting me do by myself in the kitchen. To complement the toast, I put some ground cinnamon in the basket with the coffee before brewing so as to make my own flavored coffee. It smells fantastic as it brews and tastes even better!

Enjoy!