Baked Peruvian Quinoa and Cheese

Baked Peruvian Quinoa and Cheese, Ness413 via vegetariantimes.com

· 2 tsp. olive oil

· 1 medium leek, white and pale green parts halved and sliced (1 cup)

· 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

· 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper

· 1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained

· 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)

· 2 large eggs

· 1 cup nonfat milk

· 1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese (4 oz.), plus more for sprinkling, optional

1. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add leek and bell peppers; cover, and cook 5 minutes, or until tender. Stir in quinoa and garlic, and cook, uncovered, 3 to 4 minutes, or until quinoa grains turn opaque.

2. Add 3 cups water, and season with salt. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 3 to 4 minutes more, or until most liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 13- x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Whisk together eggs and milk in large bowl. Fold in quinoa mixture and cheese. Transfer to prepared baking dish, and bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until browned around the edges and on top.

Mandy - yeah, the cooking time was way off in the recipe, should have mentioned that. I probably simmered the quinoa for 15 min or so before baking. My stomach is a little settled now and when DH had the leftovers last night, it didn't smell so bad. I think if I make it again, I'd somehow want it to be creamier ala mac n cheese. Maybe omit the eggs and make a bechamel sauce from the milk with a little flour and the cheese. Then combine and bake. We'll see. Glad you liked it. I was thinking it needed a little more flavor, maybe some chili powder or something. DH topped his with some sour cream and loved it.

Italian Wedding Soup

ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP
Grace (TigMode)

* 1/2 pound extra lean ground beef
* 1 egg, slightly beaten
* 2 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs
* 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
* 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
* 5 3/4 cups chicken broth
* 2 cups thinly sliced escarole (spinach will work in a pinch)
* 1/2 cup orzo macaroni, uncooked (sometimes I use dittalini or tubetini)
* 1/3 cup finely chopped carrot
* grated Parmesan cheese

(1) In medium bowl, combine meat, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, basil, and onion powder; shape into 3/4-inch balls.
(2) In large saucepan, heat broth to boiling; stir in escarole or spinach, pasta, carrot, and meatballs. Return to boil; reduce heat to medium. Cook at slow boil for 10 minutes or until pasta is tender to bite. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Serve with additional grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Grandma's Granola

Grandma's Granola- Bex mentioned this recipe on her FB page, and it looked awesome, so I gave it a try. WOW it's good! I really love all the addition of the oat bran, wheat germ and flax. You can't even tell it's in there. The only changes I made was I used 1/4C maple syrup and 1/4C honey, since we were low on maple syrup. I also used flax meal, rather than flax seed. Once it was baked I threw in some unsalted roasted sunflower seeds, golden raisins and dried cherries.

Grandma's Granola
Astrid~Lunches Fit for a Kid

4 c rolled oats
1/2 c wheat germ
1/2 c oat bran
1 c shredded coconut
1/2 c dry milk
1/4 c ground flax seeds
1 c slivered almonds
1/2 c maple syrup (real only please. If you only have the fake stuff, just use honey)
1/4 c oil
1 1/2 c dried fruit (I used King Arthur Flour Fruitcake Fruits: dried apricots, raisins, pineapple, dates, and cranberries)

In a very large bowl, combine the dry ingredients, except for the dried fruit. Mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil and maple syrup. Pour over the dry mixture in the bowl, stirring and tossing till everything is very well combined.

Spread granola on a couple of large lightly greased baking sheets; a half-sheet pan is ideal. (I used four 11x13" baking pans) Bake in a preheated 250°F oven for about 45-60 minutes, stirring the mixture with a heatproof spatula, spoonula, or turner every 15 minutes or so.

Watch it carefully so it doesn't burn!!! If it looks toasted and smells good, it's pretty much done. Burning granola is a very very sad thing.

When the granola is a light–to–medium golden brown, remove it from the oven and cool completely on the pans. Transfer the granola to a large bowl, and mix in the dried fruit.

Store in a tightly closed container at room temperature for several weeks; freeze for extended storage

Monkey Bread with Cream Cheese

I can't for the life of me remember where I got this recipe, I'm going to list myself as OP, but if it's yours please claim it! :) I've made this a couple times lately and it disappears so fast.... it's sooooo yummy!! I've had monkey bread before, but it didn't have the cream cheese it... and anything with cream cheese is amazing of course! :

Monkey Bread
JRiley25 - Jessi

1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 8 oz. package cream cheese - I usually only end up using 1/2 the pkg
2 (12 oz) cans refridgerated biscuits (10 biscuits/can)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts - divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray inside of a bundt pan generously.

Mix granulated sugar and cinnamon, set aside.

In saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar on low heat - stir well and set aside.

Cut each biscuit in half and press it flat with fingers. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. cinnamon/sugar mixture. Place a pinch (about 1/8 tsp) cream cheese in center of each flattened biscuit, wrap and seal the biscuit into a ball around the cream cheese.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup walnuts in bottom of bundt pan. Place half (20) of the prepared biscuits in the pan. Sprinkle with half of the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture, pour 1/2 the butter/brown sugar mixture on top.

Layer the next 20 biscuits on top. Follow with remaining cinnamon/sugar, remaining butter mixture and 1/4 walnuts.

Bake 30 minutes. Cool 5 minutes and invert onto a plate.

Homemade Granola

Homemade Granola- I made this the other night and it's almost all gone, LOL. This is super easy and SO delicious. Seriously, I think I'm addicted..... I've been eating it with yogurt, on to of apple sauce, by itself. Its crunchy and slightly sweet. I think I over baked the first batch, since my oven runs high. The second cookie sheet turned out way better with my temp set to 300 and baking it for 23 minutes.

Homemade Granola
CindyJ~mommy_of_love1

4 C old fashion rolled oats
3/4 C oat bran
1/2 C raw almonds
1/2 C pecans
1/2 C walnuts
1 tsp salt
1/4 C brown sugar
1/4 C maple syrup
1/3 C honey
1/2 C canola oil
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1 C golden raisins

In a large bowl combine oats, oat bran, raisins and nuts. In a sauce pan over med heat bring to a boil the oil, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, salt, cinnamon and vanilla. Remove from heat and toss with oat mixture, until well combined. Spread in an even layer onto 2 rimmed cookie sheets and bake at 300 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until the granola starts to brown slightly. Let cool completely, before breaking into pieces. Store in an air tight container, or food storage bag for up to 3 weeks.

Whitefish and Vegetable Gratin

Tonight we made the whitefish vegetable gratin. It was excellent. We are always looking for new ways to make fish more "restaurant" style and this was a winner. It was flavorful and robust. We used Fresh Cod (that my dad caught last week) and Chardonnay for the wine since that was the only white wine we had in house. Instead of using butter we used butter flavor cooking spray with the bread crumbs, just enough to wet them a bit. I also cut the amount of bread crumbs in half since we had less fish then the recipe called for. This is definitely something that is going into the rotation whenever we have some fish on hand. We served it with rice on the side. I spooned a little of the left over drippings from the pan over the rice. Used up the rest of the Chardonnay with the dish. Absolutely Superb!

Whitefish and Vegetable Gratin-
~*~Sandy~*~

A great flavor develops as the fish bakes in wine with a crumb-cheese topping. Use thin fish fillets for this dish.

1 large yellow onion, sliced and separated into rings
1 1/2 pounds whitefish fillets, such as snapper, cod, sole, or tilapia
1/4 tsp dried basil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 ounces mushrooms, sliced (sub small can of mushrooms)
1 tomato, sliced
1/3 cup dry white wine (sub sherry)
3/4 cup dried bread crumbs
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Arrange onion slices in a lightly sprayed or oiled 9x13-inch glass baking dish. Place fillets on top and sprinkle with basil, salt and pepper. Arrange mushrooms on top of fish, then tomato slices. Pour wine over all.

In a small bowl, toss bread crumbs with melted butter. Spread on top of fillets and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, until fish flakes when tested with a fork, 10 to 15 minutes.

Sandy's Variation: Heat 1 T oil in an iron skillet. Sauté onion slices until soft and lightly browned. Top with fish pieces, mushrooms, tomatoes, wine, and buttered bread crumbs. Transfer skillet to 400º oven to bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Roasted butternut squash soup with apples and bacon
(Ness412 via allrecipes.com)

1 (3 pound) butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cubed
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and ground black pepper to taste
8 strips bacon, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
6 stalks celery, chopped
6 carrots, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 Granny Smith apple - peeled, cored, and cubed
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup apple cider
1 1/2 quarts chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
1 1/2 cups sour cream
Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place squash in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil; mix to coat; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread squash into a single layer on a baking pan. Roast the squash in the preheated oven, turning once, until fork-tender and caramelized; 30 to 40 minutes.
Place the bacon in a Dutch oven and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon slices to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving the drippings in the pan.
Place the onion, celery, carrot, bay leaf, curry powder, thyme, and salt and pepper in the Dutch oven; cook in reserved bacon drippings until the carrots and celery are soft. Mix in the apples and cooked squash and cook another 5 minutes. Stir the garlic into the mixture and cook another 1 minute. Pour the apple cider over the mixture; reduce heat to medium-low and bring to a simmer; allow to reduce to about half its original volume. Stir in the chicken stock; simmer over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes.
Puree the soup in small batches in a blender, or use an immersion blender. If using a blender, don't fill the blender more than half-way. Always remove the center lid piece of a stand blender when blending hot liquids so the steam can escape. Cover the hole with a dish towel while blending. Stir the nutmeg into the soup. Garnish each bowl with 1 tablespoon of sour cream and some of the bacon pieces to serve.

Sister Sada's Super Soft Sugar Cookies

This is the recipe that I use - they are better than the Wal-Mart ones though! Be careful on the dough - it WILL be a big sticky gooey glob, I usually add up to 1 1/2 c flour when rolling out so that when I take my 'lefttovers' and roll those out I can add a bit more flour w/o them drying out.

Sister Sada's Super Soft Sugar Cookies*
farmin_mama

1 c margerine
2 eggs
1 t baking powder
1 t salt
4 c flour
1 3/4 c sugar
1 8 oz container sour cream
1 t soda

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together dry ingredients (minus sugar). Cream margerine and sugar together. Add eggs and sour cream. Mix well. Gradually add in dry ingredients, mixing well. Roll these cookies out for cut out cookies, batter will be quite sticky at first so be sure to knead some flour into it. Up to 2 cups flour can be added when rolling out the dough. Roll to about 1/4 inch thick. Cookies will not brown and will rise high. Sprinkle w/ sugar before baking or frost afterwards. I also usually grease my cookie sheets.

*These are my all time fave sugar cookie - always soft and chewy and never brown. When baking these cookies rise up but never out so you can place them fairly close on the cookie sheet and not worry about them sticking together.

Amazing Chicken Marinade

Amazing Chicken Marinade/Unbelievable Chicken

(Katiedid) from Recipezaar/Allrecipes

1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons whole grain mustard

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 

1 lime, juiced

1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons olive oil
ground black pepper
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

In a large, non-reactive container, whisk together ingredients beginning with cider vinegar through salt. Then whisk in olive oil and pepper. Place chicken in the mixture. Cover and marinate chicken in the fridge 8 hours or overnight. Remove chicken from marinade just before you turn on your grill or broiler to let come up a few degrees. Discard marinade. Lightly oil your grill or broiler pan. Grill or broil about 10 minutes per side.

Greek Pizza

Greek Pizza
Michelle (MMmom) Inspired by Taste of Home Healthy Cooking Oct/Nov 2010

* enough for two 12" pizzas

2 premade 12" pizza shells OR if making your own dough, see below
Olive oil
1 1/2 lemons
1 (5 oz) package fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
about 1/2 of a small red onion, cut in rings
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 scant cup feta cheese
1/2 cup sliced Kalamata olives
black pepper

Prebake pizza crusts. Drizzle each with olive oil then squirt 1/2 a lemon over the top of each.

Divide the remaining ingredients between the two pizzas. Pile on the spinach then top with the onion rings. Sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese and feta cheese. Scatter the olives on top of the cheese so they're visible. Shake on a little black pepper. Squirt the juice of the remaining lemon half over each pizza (skip if you don't like strong lemon flavors).

Bake at 450 until the mozzarella melts.


Homemade Wheat Pizza Dough
Based on Master Pizza Dough recipe from Aimster aka Amy

Makes 1 (14-inch) thick-crust pizza or 2 (12-inch) thin-crust pizzas.

1 cup whole wheat flour
2-2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 package FLEISCHMANN'S RapidRise Yeast *see note below
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup very warm water (120 to 130 F)
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
Cornmeal

In large bowl, combine 1 cup wheat flour, 1 cup AP flour, undissolved yeast, and salt. Stir very warm water and olive oil into dry ingredients. Stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 4 to 6 minutes. Cover; let rest on floured surface10 minutes. Lightly oil 1 (14-inch) or 2 (12-inch) round pizza pan(s). Sprinkle with cornmeal. Shape dough into smooth ball. Divide and roll to fit desired pan(s). Bake in preheated hot oven (450) for about 10-15 minutes.

Amy’s Notes: Honestly, I think this recipe is so easy, I just mix it with a spoon at first and then switch to using my hands. I only knead until it is smooth --probably about 4 or 5 minutes. Test it after a few minutes to see if you can pull a piece of the dough into a thin, tight membrane that you can see light through. If it breaks before you can get it there, knead some more.

*Note: There are several types of yeast available for baking. Make sure you buy Rapid Rise yeast for this...that’s what makes the rising time so short.