Bean Bolognese

One of the hardest things I've been dealing with as a flexitarian is trying to come up with enough grains.  Fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as dairy sources, are easy enough to work in to my diet.  But grains... I was never very good about it before, and now I find it even harder.  Grains are so easy to skip when most of what I eat is raw.  Raw grains aren't very easy to eat, and I just don't take much time to cook.

So.

I went searching today for something that was both healthy and grain-based.  Bonus if it was interesting.  And that's when I found this recipe, from Cook This, Not That.  Enter: Bean Bolognese.

I ate a few bites so the layers would be more visible.
Also, my not smart cell phone takes terrible pictures.

Ingredients

1 14-ounce can salad beans, (see Shopping Tip) or other beans, rinsed, divided

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped carrot

1/4 cup chopped celery

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup white wine

1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided

8 ounces whole-wheat fettuccine

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1.  Put a large pot of water on to boil. Mash 1/2 cup beans in a small bowl with a fork.
2.  Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and salt; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. 

4.  Add garlic and bay leaf; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add wine; increase heat to high and boil until most of the liquid evaporates, 3 to 4 minutes. 

5.  Add tomatoes and their juices, 2 tablespoons parsley and the mashed beans. Bring to a lively simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 6 minutes. 

6.  Add the remaining whole beans; cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes more.
7.  Meanwhile, cook pasta in the boiling water until just tender, about 9 minutes or according to package directions. Drain.
8.  Divide the pasta among 4 bowls. Discard the bay leaf and top the pasta with the sauce; sprinkle with Parmesan and the remaining parsley.

Tips & Notes

Shopping tip: A can of salad beans, a mixture of chickpeas, kidney and pinto beans, adds depth and variety to this recipe. If you can't find it, substitute a can of your favorite beans.

About the wine: if you're used to cooking without it, you won't even miss it.

Next time I make this, I think I'll add a bit more spice to the pasta water, and maybe to the sauce as well.  I found both of them too bland for my liking.  Maybe a little Cajun seasoning (a favorite of mine, as you might know from previous recipes), or something else with a little kick.

Nutrition (per Cook This, Not That)

Per serving: 443 calories; 11 g fat ( 3 g sat , 6 g mono ); 9 mg cholesterol; 67 g carbohydrates; 19 g protein; 14 g fiber; 707 mg sodium; 281 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (70% daily value), Vitamin C (25% dv), Magnesium (24% dv), Calcium (20% dv).

Quinoa Greek Salad

I was craving something tasty to go with the Spinach and Feta Bread I got at Great Harvest yesterday.  I remembered bookmarking this recipe a while ago, so when Ryan and I decided we wanted to eat healthy I grabbed this.  Pretty dang tasty, and it looked BEAUTIFUL!

Quinoa Greek Salad
1 cup milk

1/2 cup water
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp each, salt & pepper
1 cup quinoa (rinsed)
grated zest of one lemon
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 sweet pepper (any color), chopped
1/2 English cucumber, chopped
1/2 diced red onion
1 cup drained rinsed canned red beans (I used kidney beans)
1 cup diced Feta cheese

In a deep saucepan (or rice cooker), combine milk, water, oregano, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Stir in quinoa.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  Let stand covered 5 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl.  Stir in lemon zest with fork; let cool.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Serve or refrigerate up to one day.

That's Ryan's beautiful table and plate.

Notes: We were out  of milk, so I used 1 cup vegetable broth and just kept an eye on the water level until it was cooked (more than 20 minutes for me).  We also used a whole cucumber, which was fine, a whole shallot (I don't like onions), and a full can of beans and full 8 oz box of Feta.

Thanks to orgjunkie.com for the recipe!

Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken and Stuffing

6 chicken breasts (2 lbs tenders)

1 can cream of chicken

¼ c milk

6 oz cheese or 6 slices

1 box chicken stovetop stuffing

½ c butter, melted

Spray crock pot with cooking spray.  Arrange chicken on bottom of crock pot.  Top with cheese, layering as necessary.  Combine soup and milk, pour over cheese.  Sprinkle stuffing package over top.  Drizzle melted butter over stuffing.  Cook high 4-6 hours on high, 8-10 hours on low.

Notes: I cooked this on high for about 5 1/2 hours, and it turned out a little dry.  I used a 7 oz bag of Mexican blend grated cheese.  Might have been the lack of fluids?  Would probably put a 1/2 cup water with the chicken next time and see if that helps.  Took about 3 minutes to dump everything in and then I pretty much just let it do its thing all day though, so it was super easy and I'll definitely make it again.

Product Review: Kaboom Foam-Tastic with Oxi Clean

This past week, we've been doing a little deep cleaning in the apartment.  Specifically, I've been cleaning the grout in the kitchen (part of it anyway, we split it 3 ways) and the grout in the shower.  When I tried to clean what must have been years of black build up in the kitchen grout a couple of summers ago, it took TONS of elbow grease and bleach water, and I didn't get very far because I got pissed that it was so hard.  This time around, I wanted to try to "work smarter, not harder" so I took a trip to Walmart to see what I could find.  Enter: Kaboom.  I love their spray cleaner in the bathroom (so long as the windows are open: that stuff is POWERFUL), and so I decided to give their foam cleaner a try.  (Official Product Website)

The kitchen grout was AMAZING.  Spray it on, let it sit until it turns white (at a little longer, maybe 10 or 15 mintues), and then just a little scrub with a stiff-bristle cleaning brush and BAM the grout looks great!  With the exception of some cooking oil stains that have soaked into the grout, it's pretty dang clean.  All the surface gunk is gone.  And it was SO EASY (though be sure to wipe up with a damp rag after; wouldn't want that just hanging around to get on your bare feet...).  I've spent longer amounts of time brushing my teeth; each "section" (one end of a tile) took about a minute to scrub, so a 4x4 square takes about 12-15 minutes for all grout edges.  Not too bad.

The hard water in Pocatello is pretty bad, and we end up with orange hard water (or maybe mildew?) stains all over the grout in the bathroom.  Just going over the shower grout alone (not the tiles) and letting it sit for 10 or 15 mintues and then a quick scrub with my brush (maybe 5 minutes on that same 4x4 square), and the orange stains are.. way less.  Not gone.  Maybe if I spent more time scrubbing they would be, but in my experience it takes something pretty drastic (CLR anyone?) to really get Idaho hard water stains like that completely off, and I just didn't want to spend that much time in a rented apartment.  It did get rid of some of the other gross stuff too though, and I was overall really impressed by the major LACK of work on my part.

Overall rating, 8/10.  What did I expect from the same company that makes Arm & Hammer baking soda?  I would have given it a 10 in that it does what it's designed to do EXTREMELY well, but it also feels a little bit dangerous, though it's not terribly so (check out the Material Data Safety Sheet for details).  I mean, I wouldn't use it around very small children (let dad take them out for ice cream!) or in a daycare setting because Kaboom products in general pack a pretty powerful punch, but the smell wasn't too bad and it did a REALLY good job on the floors.  Plus, it didn't damage my rings (which I totally forgot to take off).  Don't use it around bleach though... not a good chemical mixture.

Three Cheese Spinach Lasagna

Lasagna has always been a family favorite, so when my sister became a vegetarian Mom was eager to find a meatless recipe.  We all agree that this is better than her original (which was pretty good to begin with!) and I've had lots of success with the friends I've made it for.  Also, cut into individual serving sizes, then wrapped in plastic wrap and then foil, this makes for great freezer dinners.  Just cut it into bite sizes and cover when reheating in the microwave (you might want to sprinkle a little extra cheese on top and zap for an extra ten seconds).

1 cont. (15 0z.) ricotta cheese

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¾ tsp. dried Italian seasoning

¼ tsp pepper

1 jar (26 oz.) marinara sauce

1 pkg. (8 oz.) oven-ready lasagna noodles

2 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, 10 oz.

1 jar (16 oz.) Alfredo pasta sauce

Preheat oven to 375* F.  Lightly coat 13X9 baking dish with cooking spray.  In medium bowl, combine ricotta, spinach, Parmesan, Italian seasoning and pepper until well blended.

Spread 1 cup marinara sauce over bottom of dish.

Top with 3 noodles. 1 cup ricotta mixture, ½ cup mozzarella and 1 cup Alfredo sauce.

Top with 3 noodles, 1 cup marinara sauce, 1 cup ricotta mixture, ½ cup mozzarella.

Top with 3 noodles, then remaining Alfredo sauce and ricotta mixture.

Sprinkle with ½ cup mozzarella, top with remaining noodles and marinara sauce.

Cover lasagna with foil.  Bake until bubbly and noodles are tender, 45 minutes.  Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella.  Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes.  Cool 5 minutes before cutting.

Tips: Mom has her favorite sauce brands and I have mine, so just get what you generally like, but definitely get the American Beauty brand of pasta noodles (the right amount in the box, plus they just cook better).  Since this recipe is a few years old, you might have to get slightly smaller jars (I had a 15 oz. Alfredo sauce jar last time) and just use a not-quite-full measuring cup.  Definitely give yourself plenty of prep time (half an hour at least).  Make sure to do this in a location that's easy to clean up (it's messy!), and I like to have two different 1 cup measuring cups - one for sauces and cheese and one for the ricotta mixture - to make it easier.  The ricotta is hard to "spread" evenly, but it kind of works itself out in the oven, so just use a wooden spoon to glob it out semi-evenly over the dish.  Your noodles won't be puzzle piece tight, but that's ok.  Lay them down in the following pattern: layer 1: =| layer 2: |= layer 3 =| (or just the opposite) so that they overlap/interlock with each other.  To be on the safe side, bake on top of a foil covered baking sheet (better the baking sheet than the bottom of your oven if it bubbles out or drips).

Chicken Pot Pie

This is one of my favorite things to eat of all time!

1 pkg (10 oz) frozen peas and carrots

1/3 C butter

1/3 C flour

1/3 C chopped onion

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 3/4  C chicken broth

2/3 C milk

2 1/2 - 3 C cut up pre-cooked chicken or turkey

Pastry for 9"  2 - crust pie

Rinse frozen peas and carrots in cold water to separate; drain.  Heat butter in 2 quart saucepan over medium heat until melted.  Stir in flour, onion, salt, and pepper.  Cook stirring constantly with wire whisk until mixture is bubbly, remove from heat.  Stir in broth and milk.  Heat to boiling, stirring constantly.  Boil and stir 1 min.  Stir in chicken and vegetables.  Heat oven to 425.  Follow pastry directions. Spread on pastry in bottom of pan.  Pour chicken mixture into pastry-lined pan. Put second pastry on top of mixture.  Trim edges and flute.  Bake 35 minutes until golden brown.

Tips: Don't over-fill your crust!  There might be a little bit of filling left over, just discard it.  I like to use Pillsbury crusts.  There's a good chance the pie will "leak" little bit while cooking, so I put my glass pie dishes on a foil-lined metal baking sheet (no difference in cooking time).  Mom pokes fork holes in her top crust while I like to score a few little half moons into mine, but either way make sure to vent it.

Sloppy Joes

Everyone has a Sloppy Joe recipe.  This is the one from our family.  It's usually a big hit (and super easy)!  I don't like mine on a bun, but I eat it with chips when mom makes them.

Sloppy Joes (4 - 6 servings)

1 lb ground beef
1-10 3/4 oz can condensed tomato soup
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp mustard

Optional: 1 small onion, chopped   (I never do this)
 
Crumble ground beef into the skillet.  Add the onion if you're using one.  Cook and stir over low to medium heat until meat is lightly browned.  Drain off the drippings before adding the other ingredients.  Add tomato soup, brown sugar and mustard.  Stir, cover and simmer over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes.  Spoon into hamburger buns.

Two Favorite Homemade "Candy" Snacks

Golden Graham Treats

1 Tbs butter     

1/2 Cup chocolate chips

  Microwave 30 seconds

Add 1 Cup miniature marshmallows

  Microwave on top 45 seconds

Add 2 Cup golden grahms

  Stir, pour in pan

Peanut Butter Rice Krispies

3/4 C Peanut Butter

3/4 C Karo Syrup

1 C Sugar

4 C Rice Krispies

6 oz Chocolate Chips

On medium heat, melt peanut butter, karo syrup, and sugar until just bubbling, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat immediately and pour over rice krispies in large bowl.  Stir to combine, and press evenly into large baking sheet (the kind with sides) using the back of a metal soup spoon (to keep it from sticking, keep a small cup of cold water and dip the spoon every 20 or so seconds).  Melt chocolate chips in microwave, and spread evenly onto rice krispies.  Leave as is and cut into squares OR cut in half and roll center towards edges (while still slightly warm) and cut into 1/2 inch slices when cooled.

Tips: The longer you let the mixture bubble, the harder it gets; I like it really soft, but they don't hold together as well, so they're harder to serve at a party.  You can also press this mixture into an 8 x 11 glass baking dish if you plan to cut it into squares, just be sure to adjust the amount of chocolate you use so they don't get messy!

Orange-Lemon Jello Pudding Salad

Dad loves this recipe.  Taste like a dreamsicle.

1 sml. Orange Jello

1 sml. Instant Lemon Pudding

1 sml. Can Mandarin Oranges (If I have time I cut the slices in half so the bite is smaller)

Cool Whip (as garnish)

Prepare Jello using 3/4 cup hot water (to dissolve gelatin) and 3/4 cup cold water (once gelatin is dissolved).  Set in fridge for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes (and not any shorter/longer, or it turns out wrong), prepare pudding to package directions; let set for 1 minute.  Stir pudding into jello.  Add Mandarin oranges.  Pour into 8 X 11 pan and put in fridge to set.  When set spread with cool whip and serve. 

5 Can Soup

This is a recipe my mom found online, and now our whole family makes it.  My grandma says it makes a great, easy meal on the farm on days when everyone is out working hard with the cows and wants to come in to something hardy and hot!  Takes about 10 minutes to make, which is just long enough to take off chore clothes and boots.  It's also vegetarian friendly, since people add the ground beef as they want.  Kept in the fridge, this makes good left overs.

For every 4-5 adults, you will need:

1 can Progresso Minestrone soup
1 can mixed vegetables (water packed - cheapest you can get)
1 can ranch beans (these can be tricky to find - check out the picture below)
1 can creamed corn (again, cheapest you can get)
1 can Italian stewed tomatoes, DICED (pick your favorite brand)

This is the kind we use.

Optional:
3/4 - 1 lb. high quality ground beef
Seasoning for ground beef (whatever you like)

In a large pot, dump all cans, straining liquid from mixed vegetables and ranch beans (and tomatoes if you do more than one can of them).  Heat on medium/high heat until serving temperature.  In separate pan, season and brown ground beef on a medium heat, turning to low when done just to keep warm.  When choosing your beef seasoning, be aware that the spicier you make it the more it will drown out the flavor of the soup.    DO NOT ADD TO THE SOUP before serving time; the soup takes on a weird flavor.

Serve in bowls, allowing people to choose if/how much ground beef they want to add.

***If you need the soup to stretch a little further on the cheap, you may also wash and dice Red or Yukon Gold potatoes and boil with a little salt until soft, then add them to the soup mix before serving.  I would do no more than 3 medium sized potatoes per 5 cans.***

Salsa Chicken

This is a favorite of mom's.

2-4 chicken breasts (depending on the the number of people eating and the size of your crock pot)
1-2 medium can salsa (as mild or spicy as you like it)

Put thawed, cleaned chicken breasts in a crock pot and cover with salsa.  Depending on your crock pot settings, leave it in like you would for regular chicken (in mine, medium-high heat for 4 or so hours).  Dice or shred chicken, put back in for half an hour (possibly with more salsa or a little water, depending on how much of the juice has evaporated), serve with salsa chunks.

Two Quinoa Salads

I'm a huge fan of quinoa.  Do some research, and fall in love with it (especially you vegetarians / meat avoiders; it's great for protein).  These are two of my favorite ways to make it.  Both make good left overs and are good warm or cold.

This first one is from a food blog I love.

Black Bean and Cream Corn Quinoa Salad
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup frozen sweet white corn
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

In a medium pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When shimmering and hot, add the onions and saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and stir for a minute or two until the garlic is fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic.

Add the quinoa and cover with broth. Stir in cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes (or until all the liquid is absorbed).

Stir in the frozen corn and black beans. Cover and let the pot sit off the heat until the corn and beans are heated through, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in the cilantro. Serve warm or chilled – it is delicious both ways!

(From Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

Tips: I skip the cilantro, use canned creamed corn instead of regular corn, use a shallot instead of an onion, and spice with creole seasoning instead of other seasonings.

And one of my own!

Easy Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa
1 c. uncooked quinoa
2 c. vegetable broth
1-2 c. water
1 can black beans, drained
1 can diced Italian stewed tomatoes, lightly drained
spices of your choice (I use creole and Monterrey steak seasoning)
lemon juice to taste

Add quinoa and vegetable broth (plus some creole seasoning) to pot cook at medium high until quinoa is soft, adding water as needed to keep from burning or sticking to pan.  Drain of extra water, add beans and tomatoes, lemon juice, and spices to taste.  Return to heat just long enough to warm beans and tomatoes.  Eat warm or chilled, with toast, na'an bread, chips, or just a fork.

Low-Fat French Bread

3 c. hot water
3 T. butter, melted
3 T. sugar
4 tsp. salt
3 T. yeast
1 1/2 c. lukewarm water
12 c. flour

Combine hot water, butter, sugar, and salt.  Stir to dissolve sugar and melt butter.  Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water.  Add to other mixture.  Blend in 6 cups flour.  Beat until well-blended.  Add remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough.  Knead until satiny.  Cover and let rise 1 hour.  Divide into 6 balls and let rise 10 minutes.  Shape into French loaves.  Score with sharp knife.  Place on canned milk or regular milk.  Sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds.  Cover; let rise 1 1/2 hours.  Bake at 400º for 25 minutes.

Notes: I have brushed with butter and sprinkled with garlic salt before braiding, raising, and baking.  I have also brushed tops with a beaten egg for shine.  Makes LOTS of dough, divide into thirds for best size.

German Pancakes

6 eggs
1 c. milk
1 c. flour
5 T. butter
1/2 tsp salt

Melt butter in a 9 x 13 inch cake pan, then add egg mixture.  Bake at 400º for 15 minutes.  (Half a recipe bakes in a square 8 x 8 inch pan.)

Ever So Soft Chocolate Cake

1 c. milk
3 T vinegar
3 c. flour
2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. cocoa

3/4 c. oil
2 eggs

1 1/1 c. sugar

2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. boiling water

Add vinegar to milk to sour it.  Mix together flour, soda, salt, and cocoa.  Beat oil and eggs together; add sugar.  Beat.  Add flour mixture alternately with sour milk.  Add vanilla.  Slowly add boiling water last.  This will be a thin batter.  Pour into a well-greased and floured 12 x 16 1/2 inch sheet pan or 4 round cake pans. Bake at 325º for 25 to 30 minutes.