vegetarian recipes

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Butternut Pesto Pizza: Mamma Mia, Thatsa Pizza Pie!

SQUASH PIZZA

You know what the problem with butternut squash is?  It’s so darned big!  Several days ago I made Squash Stew (check out my post:  Squash Stew: Or, How I Learned The Importance Of Carefully Reading A Recipe).  I only needed 1½  cups of cubed butternut squash.  Now, I’m no squash expert.  In fact, before making this stew, I’d only given the various winter squashes a fleeting, curious glance as I wheeled my shopping cart past them on the way to the potatoes.  So I don’t know if these 10″ winter squash wonders are typically sized butternut squash, or if my market just has a penchant for purchasing mega produce. (How’s THAT for alliteration?)  I used the ‘neck’ of the squash for my stew (I read it was the sweeter part), which yielded the needed 1½ cups.  I was then left with the bulbous ‘head’. What to do with it? (Neck?  Head?  This vegetable is taking on a decided carnivorous undertone. Isn’t this supposed to be a vegetarian cooking blog?)

As you may have gleaned by now, I HATE waste.  Okay, I’m cheap!  But, honestly, it really does wound me to throw out food.  Surely, there must be another tasty vegetarian recipe out there in which I could use the leftover squash.  So I googled ‘butternut squash recipes’ and scanned through the various choices.  EUREKA!  There it was:  pizza topped with pesto and grilled butternut squash. Perfect!  I realized the leftover feta and mozzarella cheeses I had, plus some kalamata olives would would go nicely with the pesto – although, I wasn’t sure if it would work with the squash.  I also decided to add some mashed squash to the pizza dough.  What the heck – in for a penny, in for a pound!

The result:  Mmmmwwwwwaaaaa! (the Italian fingertips to lips thing)  Fabulous!!!!

NOTE:  Next time I think I’ll use a little more mashed squash in the dough –  I couldn’t really taste it that much.

If you’re short on time (or desire), you can use pre-made pizza dough that you buy.  But, honestly, making dough is a snap.   The cost of making dough is almost nothing, and the labor is minimal. Just pull out that food processor you have stored in the back of the cupboard, and start using it.  If you don’t have one, I strongly suggest you to buy one – I use mine constantly!  And don’t be afraid of using yeast – there’s nothing to it.

BUTTERNUT PESTO PIZZA – makes 3 personal pizzas (about 7″ in diameter)

  • 3 cups flour (I used organic all-purpose)
  • 1 cup + 2 T water
  • 3 T olive oil
  • 1½ T milk
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • 1 T active dry yeast
  • ¾ cup pesto (see recipe in post ‘Homemade Pasta:  Crazy Obsessive?  Or Just Crazy?’)
  • ½ a butternut squash
  • 2/3 cup kalamata olives
  • 3 oz mozzarella cheese
  • 3 oz feta cheese
  • a couple T additional olive oil for brushing

Peel the squash. I used leftover butternut squash, so I’d already softened the squash before.  But if you’re using an unused squash, you’re going to want to soften it before peeling.  The easiest way to do this is to first wash and dry the squash (so you don’t contaminate the inner part with the dirty skin when you slice it), then pop it in the microwave for 1½ minutes on high, flip it and nuke it again for another 1½ minutes.  Then off with her head!  (Remove the head from the neck).  You’ll only need half the squash for this recipe – you choose which half.  To remove the skin, simply take a sharp knife and slice off the skin –  easy as pie.  Cut off about ½ cup’s worth and cut it into ¾” cubes.  This will be used IN the dough.  Steam the cubes in a steamer basket until they pierce easily with a fork (about 15 minutes).

Deep breath.  Now you’re going to make the pizza dough.  Heat the water to 104º F and stir in the yeast.  It’s going to begin to get kind of frothy – that’s what it’s supposed to do.  While that’s happening, put the flour, oil, milk, salt, and steamed squash cubes in the work bowl of your food processor.  Turn it on and as it’s whirling around, CAREFULLY and SLOWLY pour the yeast water in from the port on top.  You may need to stop the machine if the flour around the perimeter doesn’t start to blend in.  If that happens (and it always does for me), just remove the lid and run a dull knife along the edge to loosen the flour.  Then start the machine again.  A dough ball will form after about 45 seconds.  That’s what you want.  If the dough is still all over the place, you need more flour.  Add about a tablespoon more.  Turn on the machine and see what happens.  Once the ball forms, continue running the processor for another 15 seconds.  Whew!  Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?  You’ve just kneaded dough – the easy way!  Lightly oil a bowl with olive oil and press the dough ball into it.  Then flip the ball and set it back down – now the dough is coated with oil and won’t dry out.  Cover with a tea towel and let rise for 1 hour.

Sometime during the hour that the dough is rising, get your toppings ready.  Shred the mozzarella, break up the feta, dish out the olives, and fry the squash.  To do this, cut the remainder of the squash half you’re using into 1/3″ slices. Fry both sides in oil (I used canola) until they’re well browned. Drain on a paper towel and cut into smaller pieces.

Punch the dough with your fist.  Your goal is to deflate it.  Try NOT to imagine the guy who wouldn’t let you merge in front of him yesterday when they were doing road mending (he obviously couldn’t spare that half second he would have been delayed) – you don’t want to send the bowl sailing!  Take a dull knife, slice the dough in thirds.  With floured hands, grab one of the thirds and form it into a ball.  Preheat the oven now to 500º F, moving the rack to 4″ below the heating element.  Place pizza tiles in the oven to heat.  I’ve never made pizza without them, so if you don’t have the tiles I guess you’ll have to use a cookie sheet. But it has to be sturdy so it doesn’t warp under the high heat.  The tiles have to be HOT when you slide the uncooked pizza onto them.

The best place to prepare the pizza is on a well floured pizza peel.  If you don’t have one you’ll have to use a wooden cutting board or a really REALLY well floured cookie sheet.  The idea is to slide the pizza easily into the oven.  Take the dough ball and flatten it with your palm.  So I don’t have to keep repeating myself – everything that comes in contact with the dough needs to be WELL FLOURED.  Pick it up and start stretching it a bit.  Lay it over the back of your fists and then start tossing and spinning it several times- this is to get it bigger and thinner.  Now, unless you’re a trained professional, DON’T get crazy with the tossing and spinning.  You eventually want the dough on your dinner plate, not the floor (or ceiling). Lay the dough on the peel, stretching out thicker parts, if needed.

With a pastry brush, paint the border of the dough with olive oil – about 1″ wide.  Spread 1/3 of the pesto to about ¾” from the edge.  Sprinkle on cheeses, place the squash, then fill in with the kalamata olives.  By now the oven should be heated.  With a wide spatula, gently guide the pizza into the oven.  Set the timer for 5 minutes.  Turn the pizza 180º and continue baking until browned – about another 3 minutes.

While one pizza is in the oven baking, prepare the next.  My family starts eating when the first one comes out of the oven – that’s when it’s at its best.  Sometimes I just wait for the last one – otherwise I’m up and down.  I like to relax and enjoyed the fruits (or should I say ‘pizza’) of my labor.

As long as you have the right tools (food processor, pizza peel, pizza tiles), making pizza is easy! And by making it yourself, you control the amount of grease.  So, go ahead – give Butternut Pesto Pizza a try.  You’ll be glad you did.  Now, go scrape that dough off the ceiling – I warned you!

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Eggplant Parmesan – The Easy Way?

Eggplant Parmesan Dinner

Eggplant Parmesan Dinner

I actually got one thing in my life organized:  I finally compiled a list of meal ideas.  Every time I make a new dish that warrants repeating, on the list it goes.  So whenever I can’t figure out what to make for dinner, or  just want to remind myself of past successes, I pull out my handy dandy list.  I even organized it by categories (i.e., main dishes, soups, etc.). How’s THAT for  a shocker – my list is even organized.

So I was having one of those days when nothing sounded good.  I pulled out my List (capitalizing the ‘L’ makes it official), and there was EGGPLANT PARMESAN.  I’d forgotten all about that tasty dish.  It wouldn’t even be too time consuming, especially if I had some frozen leftover marinara sauce.  Hoping against hope, I checked my freezer.  Rats!  My hopes were dashed.  Oh, well – I decided to make extra this time and save myself a little work in the future.  The rest of the meal was easy:  broccoli, cauliflower, and mushy peas. Mushy Peas, you say?  What the heck are they?  Check my post from March 5, 2014:  Mushy Peas: A Super-Food Disguised As A Side Dish!

Not to burst your bubble about my culinary skills, but I take shortcuts when I can.  I realize there are master chefs the world over who take hours to concoct their marinara sauces and will be revolted by my recipe, but….whatever!  I’m busy, this recipe tastes good enough, and – to be honest – I really don’t want to spend all day making a sauce for a dish where the eggplant and the mozzarella are the stars.  I, at least, make the sauce before doing anything else so it cooks for a little bit of time.

This marinara sauce recipe makes enough for 2 eggplant parmesan dinners.  Remember, freeze the unused sauce for future use.  I recommend you double this recipe so you have even more sauce to freeze.  As long as you’re cooking, you may as well do a little extra chopping and measuring – the payoff comes when you only have to wash the dishes once, PLUS you have sauce on those days when you’re short on time….like, everyday, right?

NOTE:  When I make EGGPLANT PARMESAN this is one of the rare times when I don’t actually measure anything – I just kind of eyeball everything.  I gave you measurements here just to use as a guideline.

SHORTCUT MARINARA SAUCE

  • 1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 6 oz can tomato paste
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • ½ tsp dried Italian Seasoning
  • 1 T dried minced onions
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ cup red wine

Throw everything in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Then turn down flame and simmer while you get the rest of the meal prepared.

NOTE:  When I use canned tomatoes, I buy the whole tomatoes and dice them myself (either by hand or in the food processor).  That way I can slice off the tough stem end, AND cut away any flaws.  I often find black spots in even the expensive brands of canned tomatoes. Call me paranoid, but you know when you buy the cans that are already diced, the company didn’t inspect the tomatoes nearly as carefully.

EGGPLANT PARMESAN

  • 1 eggplant
  • ¾ cup seasoned bread crumbs
  • ¾ cup Romano cheese, finely shredded
  • 1 egg
  • olive oil for frying
  • 1 ½ cups marinara sauce (any kind you like – I use the recipe above)
  • 8 oz sliced mozzarella cheese

Beat the egg in a bowl, then pour it onto a plate.  On a different, dinner sized plate combine the bread crumbs and Romano cheese.  Now slice up the eggplant into ½” circles.  You don’t want to cut up the eggplant too early – they start to brown.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Don’t skimp on the oil – you don’t want the eggplant to stick.

As the oil is heating dip both sides of each eggplant slice into the egg, then the bread crumbs – really scrunching it around so there are no bare spots.  Once the oil is hot, cook the slices until both sides are browned and crusty.  Lay them on a paper towel to absorb the extra oil.

Cover the bottom of a casserole dish with a little marinara sauce – just so the eggplant doesn’t stick to the dish.  Lay down the eggplant slices.  Spoon marinara sauce on each slice, then top with mozzarella.  Use as much or little marinara and mozzarella as you like.

Cover the casserole dish and bake at 350º Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.

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Looking At Oatmeal/Chips Cookies In A Whole New Light! Or Not.

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Oatmeal is known for its cholesterol lowering properties.  So can we go one step further and assume oatmeal cookies are good for you?  Hmmmm?  Well, I think you know the answer to that.  I AM the queen of rationalization but even I can’t make that leap.  That being said, a tasty dessert – in moderation – can be good for your mental well-being.

My philosophy is that if I’m going to indulge, the food better be worth it.  That’s why I cook from scratch – I tailor food to suit my family’s taste AND I know what goes in it.  No additives or cheap low-grade ingredients.  Baking from scratch is really not difficult nor is it as time consuming as you might think.  And, like anything, the more you do it, the faster it gets.  So pour that glass of milk and set it in the refrigerator, ready to go for when these OATMEAL/CHIPS COOKIES come out of the oven!

OATMEAL/CHIPS COOKIES – makes 2 dozen

  • ½ cup walnuts, chopped
  • 1 ¼ cups uncooked oatmeal
  • ¾ cup flour (I used organic all-purpose)
  • ½ tsp baking soda (make sure you use soda, NOT powder – they’re not the same)
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup shortening
  • ¼ cup butter, softened
  • ½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • ¾ – 1 cup chips (I used half chocolate chips and half butterscotch chips)

Toast the walnuts until they just start to darken and you can smell them.  Toasting nuts and seeds enhances their flavor and makes them crispier.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the shortening, butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until everything is well blended.  If you don’t have an electric mixer (yet another kitchen item you really should have!), you’ll have to mix the cookies by hand – not too difficult with this recipe.  Beat in the egg and vanilla.  Add the oatmeal, flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon to the bowl.  Before turning on the mixer again, use your spatula to mix the dry ingredients together.  (You could mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, but I do it this way to save dirtying an extra bowl.)  Then turn on the mixer and blend until the dry ingredients are ALMOST fully incorporated.  Finally, add in the walnuts and chips, and blend either by hand or on a low speed of your mixer – just until the chips are evenly dispersed throughout the dough.

Preheat your oven to 375º Fahrenheit.  Spoon the dough onto  nonstick or greased cookie sheets.  I prefer using a dark, nonstick cookie sheet – the cookies don’t spread as much so they’re thicker, and they bake quicker.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.  Set hot sheet on stove for 3 minutes, then remove cookies to a wire rack to completely cool.  Letting the hot cookies set for 3 minutes allows them to set – they’re still molten when you take them from the oven, and trying to remove them from the cookie sheet immediately will lead to a real mess – and probably a lot of bad language.

NOTE:  If you’re in the market for cookie sheets, don’t waste your money on those sheets that have 2 layers with air in between.  I’ve never found them to be as good as the inexpensive dark, non-stick kind.  Just my opinion.

Enjoy your cookies with a nice glass of ice cold milk, and hope that someday they’ll discover that oatmeal in cookies is still good for you.  I’d be glad to help with the research!

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Squash Stew (or, How I Learned The Importance Of Carefully Reading A Recipe)

SQUASH SOUP

SQUASH STEW

You know the old saying –  ‘haste makes waste’?  Well, what with daylight saving time, I was hurrying to make dinner after I looked at the clock and realized it was already 6:00.  I’d planned on making Squash Stew in order to use up some leftover hominy I had from several days ago.  As you know, I hate waste (aka, CHEAP!) so I often plan meals around leftover bits and pieces.  Squash stew is not a complicated recipe and I had everything I needed.  But, as I said, I was in a hurry and when I read ‘sesame seeds’ in the recipe, I went to the fridge (that’s where I keep my nuts and seeds) and pulled out the sunflower seeds.  My brain then made the mental change that even though I knew I was holding sunflower seeds, that was what I needed.  My brain obviously needed rebooting.

What I needed to do with the sesame seeds (in this case ‘sunflower’ seeds) was to toast them with some slivered almonds, and then grind them in the food processor.  As they were toasting,  I was chopping and stirring and blending and trying to get 10 things done at once.  When I went to throw the seeds and almonds in the food processor I realized my error.  BUT, my husband was waiting for dinner.  I was starving.  Time was a-wastin’!  Then I thought of another old saying –  ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’.   So I carried on with the sunflower seeds thinking how bad could the switch be?  Oh! –  it be bad!  Not SO bad that it was inedible, but – let me put it this way:  I won’t be making that mistake again.  Yeah – nothing was gained from THAT venture.  Besides the taste being a little off, there was an unappealing smell to it.  Which brings me to the last old saying of the day –  ‘live and learn’.

What follows is the actual recipe, which is fabulous!  By the way, if you’re unfamiliar with hominy (I was), it comes in a can and is in the hispanic foods section of my market.  And, remember:  sesame seeds, sesame seeds, SESAME seeds!!!

SQUASH STEW – serves about 4 people, depending on how hungry everyone is

  • 1 ½ cups cubes butternut squash
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed
  • ¾ tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 T chili powder
  • 4 mushrooms, roughly chopped
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 ½ cups liquid (water, vegetable stock, or tomato juice from the canned tomatoes)
  • 1 ½ T sesame seeds
  • 1 ½ T slivered or sliced almonds
  • 1 lb canned tomatoes, chopped (I buy the 1lb 12 oz can and save the unused tomatoes for future use)
  • 1 ½ cups cauliflower, cut into ¾” pieces
  • 1 cup hominy
  • ½ cup peas
  • optional:  drained yogurt to dollop on top (Line a sieve with a coffee filter and pour in the yogurt. Let drain ½ hour)

First thing to do is peel the squash.  The easiest way to do this and keep your fingers intact,  is to wash and dry the squash (so it’s clean when you slice it), then microwave it for a total of 3 minutes – you don’t have to pierce the skin.  Half way through the 3 minutes, stop the microwave and turn the squash over so it cooks evenly.  Now it will be really easy to peel.  Slice the neck from the bulb.  The neck is the sweeter part, so just use that for this recipe.  (Butternut squashes are big, so if you want to use the whole thing, double the recipe. )  Slice the skin off with a knife, cut them into ¾” circles, then cut the circles up into ¾” cubes.  IMPORTANT NOTE:  When slicing the squash, cut don’t stack the circles – cut one layer at a time.  The squash is still hard and when you start slicing, the top layer can slip which can cause a nasty cut.  I had read this tip, but forgot about it.  And, indeed, the top layer slipped and I cut into my fingernail.  Fortunately, no blood was drawn – but it could have been bad.  In this case, don’t live and learn.  Learn from me, instead.

In your toaster oven, on the little cookie sheet, toast the sesame seeds and almonds until they’re golden brown.  Keep an eye on them – they brown up suddenly.  Unfortunately, they blacken up soon thereafter. Fair warning!  If you don’t have a toaster oven (which you really should), you can toast them on a skillet (stirring often) or use your regular oven.  Set them aside to cool.

Heat the oil in a very large saucepan or dutch oven,  and sauté onions for a few minutes.  Add in the garlic, cumin, oregano,  and chili powder.  Sauté another couple of minutes.  Add in the squash, mushrooms, salt, and the liquid.  Bring to a boil, lower heat,  cover, and simmer until the squash is softened (about 15-20 minutes).

Grind the toasted sesame seeds and almonds to a powder in your food processor.  (If you don’t have one, start saving up to buy one – they are indispensable!)  You’ll have to chop them as best you can, if you don’t have one.  Add the powder to the saucepan along with the cauliflower, hominy, and tomatoes.  Continue cooking another 10 minutes.  Add in peas and cook until the cauliflower is tender.  Add extra seasoning (salt, chili powder, whatever), if desired.

I like to add a dollop of drained yogurt to each bowlful – not only is it pretty, the yogurt adds a nice tang.

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Say, “CHEEEZE” Biscuits!

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Okay, I admit it – a corny title, for sure. But these CHEESE BISCUITS will definitely make you smile. Served hot out of the oven, they have a nice crunch on the outside and are tender on the inside. And if you can manage to snag a few for leftovers, they are almost as good the next day – simply heat them in the toaster oven. What’s that you say? You don’t have a toaster oven? Well, you really should! Besides the obvious (making toast), they’re perfect for heating small amounts of food. Why heat up that large oven for a little job? It’s much cheaper to use a toaster oven. I use mine nearly everyday!

But I digress.  (I’ve mentioned before:  my mind tends to wander.)  You simply must try my CHEESE BISCUIT recipe!  The task may seem a little daunting to those of you who have never made biscuits from scratch – but I guarantee it’s easier than you think!  (Would I steer you wrong?  NOOOO!)  What you have to know is biscuits are a quick bread.  A quick bread is a bread that uses something OTHER than yeast as a leavening agent.  Quick breads can turn tough if you overwork the dough.  What does that mean?  DON’T WORK SO HARD!  Less is more where quick breads are concerned.

CHEESE BISCUITS – makes 8 or 9 biscuits, depending on how big you make them

  • ½ cup plain yogurt, drained (line a sieve with a coffee filter and pour in the yogurt – let drain at least ½ hour)
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup milk (I use nonfat)
  • ½ cup cheese, shredded (I use a combination of medium cheddar and asiago)
  • 1 ½ cups flour (I use organic all-purpose)
  • 1 tsp cream of tartar (it’s in the spice section in a jar – not the sauce you put on fish)
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 5 T butter, cold
  • egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 T water) (not the same egg listed above)

NOTE:  Notice you need the yogurt drained – so you have to plan ahead.   I use homemade plain nonfat yogurt in my recipe.  If you’d rather use sour cream, then use only 4 T of butter (½ cup).

ADDITIONAL NOTE:  If you’d like to see my video for how to make yogurt go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyIwAixwiUg%5B/

If you have a food processor, put the flour, cream of tartar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and butter (cut up in several pieces) in the work bowl.  Pulse it several times until the butter is broken up into very small bits.  If you don’t have a food processor (Sigh!  – you really should have one of these, too) put these same ingredients in a bowl and cut the butter into the flour mixture by using 2 knives and cross-cutting until the butter is pea sized.

In a medium bowl beat the egg.  Mix in the yogurt, milk, and cheeses.  Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and gently begin incorporating the two together with a large spoon.  Once most of the flour is mixed in, smash down the dough with your fists into the bowl.  Then fold the dough in half onto itself.  Turn the bowl a quarter turn.   Smash  and fold.  Repeat one more time.  That’s 3 times total – that’s all you ‘knead’ to do.  (Thank you, I’ll be here all week!)

Preheat the oven to 425° Fahrenheit.   Spoon the dough onto a greased cookie sheet (unless you’re using non-stick).  Depending on how big you want them, you should get 8 or 9 (I make 8).  Kind of shape them with the spoon so they’re rounded.  (Of course, you could make cute shapes, if you like – hearts, perhaps?)  Dip a pastry brush into the egg wash and paint the tops of the biscuits.  I like to sprinkle some extra asiago cheese on top – it’s pretty and adds a little extra cheesy flavor.

Bake for 12 – 14 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.

These biscuits make a wonderful addition to so many meals – kind of the cherry on top. Needless to say, they’re NOT low calorie.  But they ARE yummy!  So plan a walk after dinner and enjoy the happy memory of that CHEESE BISCUIT while you enjoy the fresh air!

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CORN DOGS: Not Just For Carnivores!

VEGETARIAN BAKED CORN DOGS

VEGETARIAN BAKED CORN DOGS

Don’t all kids love hot dogs?  I know I did.  I even ate them raw from time to time.  But when I got older, even before I became a vegetarian, I started hearing about what disgusting things go into hot dogs. I’ll refrain from mentioning them. Needless to say, I stopped eating hot dogs.  But I REALLY liked them – especially with mustard and sauerkraut, or chili and shredded cheese.

Then, when my own children came along, hot dogs seemed the natural food to serve kids….especially when they’re picky eaters, like mine were/are.  I mean, what’s not to like about a hot dog?  Except, of course, for the gross things that are in them.  I briefly debated serving them to my kids, but I stayed strong.  When I heard about tofu hot dogs I thought they would be the perfect answer to my dilemma.  Hot dogs are bland.  Tofu is bland.  What could go wrong?, I asked myself.  Sadly, I answered that question by spitting out the first (and only) bite from a randomly picked package of tofu dogs.  I’d just grabbed any ol’ package – I figured, much like real hot dogs, they’d all taste the same.  Tofu is tofu, right?  I know better now.  But at that time, I threw out the pack I’d bought and added fake hot dogs to my list of dashed hopes (right under marrying Prince Charles – don’t judge!).

When I told a vegetarian friend of mine about my tofu dog fiasco, she suggested I try Linketts by Loma Linda.  I politely declined, but she went to her kitchen and insisted I try it.  Thank goodness she’s more stubborn than I (and I’m pretty stubborn)!  I couldn’t believe how good it was:  moist, with a nice bland flavor, and the texture of a real hot dog.  That’s when I realized that not all fake meats are created equal.  Duh!  My kids loved them. I loved them.  My husband (the carnivore) liked them.  Hey, I’ll take ‘liked’.

Then one day we were at the state fair and, like any good state fair, they sold corn dogs.  Hmmmm!  I wondered if I could make corn dogs using the Linketts.  Then I went one step further.  Hmmmm! I wonder if I could bake them instead of deep frying.  I realized the dipping corn meal batter wouldn’t work for baking.  So I came up with a corn meal biscuit dough and my vegetarian, healthier CORN DOG recipe was born!

A few notes:

  1. You can make MINI CORN DOGS as snacks or hors d’oeuvres by cutting the hot dogs in half.
  2. The dough recipe makes 12 CORN DOGS but each can contains 10 hot dogs.  So you can either freeze the extra dough or open another can and save the 8 unused hot dogs for another time.  Or, if you like a LOT of dough around the CORN DOG, you can use all the dough for the 10 hot dogs.
  3. Taste is subjective.  I LOVE Linketts.  But you may not.  Use whatever brand you like – you won’t hurt my feelings!

If you’re a visual learner (or just want to see me in action), you can view my HOW TO MAKE CORN DOGS video at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QOP5zT8Z8U

CORN DOGS – makes 12 full sized or 24 mini

  • 12 fake hot dogs (Linketts contains 10 hot dogs per can)
  • 247g (1 cup) milk (I used nonfat – but whatever you have is fine)
  • 93g (2/3 cup) corn meal (I used a medium grind)
  • 42g (3 T) butter
  • 157g (1 ¼ cup) flour (I used organic all-purpose)
  • 10g (1 T) sugar
  • 1 T baking powder
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper
  • 62g (1 cup) Romano cheese, shredded
  • 1 egg
  • 1 T water

Heat the milk in a saucepan to scalding (it will just start to foam on top – you don’t want to boil milk).  Turn off burner and add the corn meal.  Mix until the mixture thickens.  If it gets too lumpy (depending on the type of corn meal you use) just get out your potato masher and smash out the lumps.  Add in the butter and stir until the butter is melted and blended.  Let cool.

In a medium sized bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cayenne pepper, and Romano cheese.

Dump the corn meal into the flour mix and begin mixing everything together.  Remember, you’re making a biscuit dough so use a light hand (i.e., DON’T OVERWORK THE DOUGH!) or it will be tough.   Once a lot of the flour (but not all) is incorporated, knead the dough 10 times.  I do this in the bowl by mashing everything down, then folding one half over the other half, then mashing that down to refill the bowl.  Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat.  Keep repeating until you’ve done this 10 times. NOTE:  I always count out loud so I don’t forget where I am.  (Yes, it’s a little crazy, but my mind tends to wander.)  As you’re doing this, if you see flour on the bottom, just sprinkle it on top of the dough and when you next fold over.  It will get mixed in.

On a WELL FLOURED (you know it’s important if I used all caps!) board, roll out the dough to a rectangle 10″ high by 18″ wide.  It doesn’t have to be perfect – the dough can be molded fairly easily around the hot dog.  Using a pizza cutter (or a knife) cut the dough in half width-wise, and into 6 pieces height-wise.  You now have 12 little rectangles.  NOTE:  if you’re making MINI CORN DOGS, cut 24 rectangles by cutting the dough into thirds width-wise, then into eighths height-wise.

Open the Linketts can and empty out the liquid.  Don’t do this ahead of time – you want the moisture to help mold the dough.  One by one, wrap each hot dog in a dough rectangle, pinching all edges so the hot dog is completely enclosed.  Smooth it out so there are no rough bits.  Take a dry pastry brush and brush off the excess flour.  Place each CORN DOG on greased cookie sheet (unless you’re using a non-stick one).

Preheat the oven to 375 º Fahrenheit as you do this final step.  In a small bowl beat together the egg and 1 T water.  Using a pastry brush, paint the egg wash on each CORN DOG.  Bake for 30 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.

If you’d like to add sticks so they look like the real thing, insert them after you wrap the dough.  Then, with moist fingers, pinch the dough to the stick at the insertion point.

One last thing – if you’re frugal, like me (cheap!), it will break your heart to have all the leftover egg wash.  So don’t throw it out.  Put it in a little Tupperware and freeze it for future use.  Or, of course, you can keep it for scrambled eggs if you’re making them soon.  But I’m the Queen of Freeze (No!  Not an Ice Queen!), so I freeze mine.  I can get a few egg wash uses out of one egg.  A penny saved….!

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Omelettes: Not Just For Breakfast!

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Breakfast for dinner is always a fun treat.  Not only are breakfast foods pretty easy to fix, but in the evening you have time to enjoy them.  Mornings are often hectic, and if you’re anything like my family, you scarf down your food because no matter how early you get up, you’re always running late.

This past week I’ve made a lot of flour-y foods:  burritos, fettuccine, quesadillas, and lasagne.  I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner last night that didn’t use flour.  It had to be fairly quick and something I wouldn’t have to run to the store for.  (Oooo – sentence ending with a preposition.  Sorry!)   Omelettes are often my go-to food to meet that criteria.  Fine with me (and my husband) –  eggs actually sounded really good.

There are all kinds of tips floating around out there to make fluffy omelettes – use water, use milk, separate the yolks and white, put a little baking soda in them.  Fugedaboudet! (that’s ‘forget about it’ for those of you whose name doesn’t end in a vowel).  I’m going to tell you how to make a fluffy omelette that’s easy as pie. (And, pie really is very easy to make, btw.)

When I make an omelette for just my husband and myself, I make one large one and split it (actually, my husband gets 2/3 and I get 1/3 – that’s how we roll!)  Gather up your fillings – I always use some kind of cheese, then a few other things that sound good.  Last night I used feta cheese (I needed to use it up), kalamata olives, capers, and mashed avocado.  Omelettes are great for finishing up those bits and pieces you saved because you just couldn’t bear to throw them out.

FETA/OLIVE/AVOCADO/CAPERS OMELETTE – serves 2 (unless you’re training for the NHL)

  • 5 eggs
  • 1/2 T butter (or more, but NOT less)
  • fillings:  anything you fancy (cheese is a nice ‘glue’ so I always include it)

Break the eggs into a bowl and beat them well with a fork.  All the yolks should be broken up.  Now prepare all your fillings and have them ready to go.  You’ll need a 10″ skillet with a lid.  Melt the butter in the skillet using a medium flame.  Spread it evenly around the bottom.  When it’s completely melted and just starting to brown, pour in the eggs.  Let them cook undisturbed for about a minute.  Lower the flame just a little.  Add your fillings to one half of the eggs.  Cover and let cook maybe a couple of minutes.  The goal is to get the uncooked eggs on top to cook.  Once most of the eggs on top are cooked, take a spatula and gently lift an edge on the half where there is no filling.  Tilt the skillet so the uncooked egg runs underneath the lifted part.  Remove the spatula – the eggs that just ran down there will now cook. Turn down the heat, cover, and cook maybe 30 more seconds.  Remove the lid and check – if the eggs are mostly cooked, fold the unfilled half onto the filled half.  Turn off flame.  Cover again and let sit for another minute or so to finish cooking and set.

This isn’t rocket science.  I think the key to a fluffy omelette is to pour the beaten eggs on a hot, buttered skillet and let it cook undisturbed until it begins puffing up. And leave the bottom alone (except when you lift up the edge to let the uncooked egg run down there).  Don’t run the spatula along the bottom to check what it looks like – it’s fine.   I’ve tried all the experts’ methods.  Then one day I was in a hurry (or maybe just lazy) so I just threw the eggs onto the hot skillet and left it pretty much alone.  Sometimes, simplicity is best.

From the picture above you’ll see I also made ‘bacon’.  Remember, the quotation marks mean what’s in the quote marks is fake.  I LOVE Morningstar fake bacon.  I actually prefer it to the real thing – it’s got the crispiness and bacon flavor without the greasy fat.  I always used to pick off the fat on real bacon when I was a kid.  There wasn’t much left after that.  With the fake stuff, you can eat the whole thing.  Even my husband (a die-hard carnivore) loves the Morningstar bacon.  He even made extra last night because the 2 I served him wasn’t enough.  I haven’t tried any other brands so I don’t know if there’s something as good or better.  Let me know what you’ve found!

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You Say Lasagne, I Say LasAAAHHgne!

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It’s official.  I’m now a convert from purchased pasta to homemade.  What a difference!  So delicate. So exquisite! (Imagine me doing that Italian kissing thing with my fingertips to my lips.)

I embarked on my maiden homemade pasta voyage a few days ago when I attempted fettuccine with pesto sauce.  Total success.  Even leftover and nuked, the fettuccine noodles were as good as hot-out-of-the-pot.  So last night I was looking forward to making Spinach Lasagne using homemade pasta.  I must admit, I was a little bit worried that the fettuccine victory might have been beginner’s luck and the lasagne noodles would not be as good.  Not so!  One bite of the Spinach Lasagne and I knew I could never go back to store-bought pasta again – even the so-called packaged ‘fresh’.

I’m not gonna lie – this meal took about 3 1/2 hours (don’t freak out – I’ve figured out how to cut down the time) from start to finish (including cooking time).  Next time I will definitely start cooking earlier.  I ended up having to prepare for a commercial audition so I didn’t start dinner until 5:00.  Yikes!  And, naturally, everything took longer than expected.  There are 4 parts to making the lasagne (5 if you count the baking):  the bechamel sauce, tomato sauce, spinach filling, and the pasta.  This recipe fits into an 8″ X 11″ casserole dish – not very big since I made this just for my husband and myself for dinner and some leftovers.  Double the recipe and use a larger pan if you need more lasagne.

1)  First thing to do is make the pasta dough, but don’t roll it out yet – it needs to rest.

PASTA

  • 1 cup flour (I used organic all-purpose)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 T olive oil
  • water, as needed

In a food processor beat the egg.  Add in the flour, salt, and olive oil.  Mix.  Add in trickles of water until the flour is incorporated into the egg.  Let sit in the food processor to rest until you’re ready to roll out the dough.

2)  The next thing to do is get the tomato sauce cooking.  If you’re short on time, you can buy canned tomato sauce – but it won’t be as flavorful.  A 15 oz can should be enough.  For the tomatoes I used cherry tomatoes just because I had them on hand.  I didn’t even remove the skins since once the sauce is cooked you have to puree it – so why go to the trouble to skin them?  Plus, I’ll bet there are nutrients in the skin.  I just cut them in half.

TOMATO SAUCE

  • 1 1/2 pounds of tomatoes (any kind – I used cherry)
  • 1/2 an onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed
  • 1/4 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/4 cup red wine
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 1/2 T olive oil

In a 10″ skillet heat the oil.  Add in the onion, garlic, and oregano, sauteing until the onion is translucent – a few minutes.  Mix in the salt, pepper, and tomatoes and cook slowly until the tomatoes are cooked and the sauce is thick.  Puree sauce in a blender.

3)  While the tomato sauce is cooking, prepare the spinach filling.  Where I went horribly wrong time-wise was I washed each spinach leaf individually.  That was obsessive behavior gone too far!  Spinach is incredibly dirty and I wanted to make sure it was clean.  Next time, however, I’m going to remove the leaves from the stems, put all the dirty leaves in a large bowl of water, swish them around, dump the spinach into a colander, rinse, and repeat process.  Then maybe run water over the leaves in the colander one last time.  It probably took me 20 minutes to do wash the spinach leaves individually.  Live and learn!

SPINACH FILLING

  • 1 bunch of spinach, leaves only, chopped (I used scissors, grabbing several leaves at once & hacking away)
  • 1/2 an onion
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp pepper
  • 1 cup cottage cheese (or ricotta cheese)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup Romano cheese, shredded

Heat oil in skillet or saucepan.  Saute onion for a few minutes, then add garlic, salt, and spinach.  Saute until the spinach is wilted.  In a bowl beat the egg.  Add in the pepper, nutmeg, cottage cheese, Romano cheese, and spinach mixture.

4)  Make the bechamel sauce when you get a chance.  It only takes a few minutes.

BECHAMEL SAUCE

  • 1/2 T butter
  • 1/2 T flour
  • 1/2 cup milk (any kind – I used nonfat)
  • 1/8 tsp each of salt, pepper, ground nutmeg  (you really don’t have to measure – just sprinkle)

In a small saucepan melt butter over low heat.  Sprinkle in flour and smoosh flour and butter together, making sure there are no lumps.  Add milk and seasonings.  Stir until thickened.

5) Shred 8 oz mozzarella cheese

Now it’s time to roll out the pasta.  Mine turned out pretty ugly – they were all sorts of sizes – even a couple of holes here and there.  The beauty of lasagne is you never see the faults since everything is layered.  Yay!  So don’t sweat it if your pasta comes out odd looking.  It’s a learning process.  I’m sure next time mine will come out better looking.  You’ll need (depending on their width) about 3 pasta sheets for the bottom and each layer.  The bottom ones need to be extra long since they’re going to go up the sides of the casserole and a little beyond.  They’ll be folded over the top at the end.  I chose to make 2 layers of filling, thus I needed 3 layers of pasta.  But you can have more, if you want, dividing up the fillings.  This pasta recipe will yield enough dough to have 4 layers.

When the dough is rolled out and cut to size, boil it for about 1-2 minutes.  Then immediately transfer the pasta into a bowl of cold water.  You might even want to add ice cubes to keep the water cold.  This will stop the cooking process.

To build your lasagne, lightly oil your casserole dish.  Pour half of the bechamel sauce on the bottom.  Layer on the longest pasta sheets, covering all sides.  On the narrow sides of the casserole the pasta should be long enough to drape over the edge.  Pour on the tomato sauce, then sprinkle on half the mozzarella.  Layer on more pasta sheets (these don’t have to go up the sides – just lay on top).  Pour on the spinach filling.  Sprinkle on the rest of the mozzarella.  Layer on the rest of the pasta sheets.  Fold the bottom layers that are hanging over the sides over the top so the lasagne is now a nice package.  Pour on the rest on the bechamel sauce.  Cover with foil.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes.  The top should start to brown.  It was taking too long (and I was starving) so I increased the temperature to 375 degrees after the 15 minutes – that worked out fine.  It took another 5 minutes – you don’t want it golden brown, just starting to brown.  Let the lasagne rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.

Next time I make Spinach Lasagne (and there WILL be a next), I’m going to make extra tomato sauce and freeze it for future use.  That will cut down on cooking time.  I always like to make extra when something freezes well.  The spinach filling wouldn’t freeze well, sadly.

This was definitely a time consuming recipe, but well worth the effort.  I promise!

 

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Leftover Burritos Reappear As Newborn Quesadillas!

Hot on the heels of the success of my homemade fettuccine the other day, I had big plans to make Spinach Lasagne last night.  Well, you know the old joke:  Want to make God laugh?  Make plans!  Late in the afternoon I went to get started with the tomato sauce and spinach filling for the lasagne.  Much to my dismay, I had no onions.  Now, I pride myself on keeping a well stocked kitchen – when I’m running low on something I write it on my grocery list before I put it back.  In my head I could see 2 large onions in the vegetable bin.  Sadly, that’s the only place they were because they sure weren’t in the drawer.  So I had to decide – run to the store for the onions or make something else.  As you get to know me you’ll learn laziness generally wins out.

So now I had to figure out what to make for dinner.  Last night – along with the Mushy Peas – we had black bean and quinoa burritos.  Even though there was leftover everything, I hate to serve the same meal two days in a row.  I put on my thinking cap and came up with taking the leftover homemade flour tortillas and making cheese/black bean/quinoa with salsa quesadillas.

I also had the makings for a nice green salad and leftover yam/coconut milk/coriander soup, along with some pumpkin seeds I toasted to sprinkle on top.  It actually turned out to be a really tasty, filling dinner.  AND I got use up my leftovers in a fresh way.  I kind of think of it as a free meal since I already had the ingredients and if I hang on to them too long, they’ll end up in the bin.  I’m a firm believer in ‘waste not, want not’.  Plus, I’m cheap.

One little tip I’d like to pass on when you’re making a green salad:  First of all, DON’T BUY BAGGED SALAD – it’s a total waste of money and since you still have to wash it, it really doesn’t save you work (that’s not my tip, btw, just a rant).   My tip is to tear up the lettuce (honestly, it’s no big deal), wash it, dry it in a spinner (or with a tea towel) then put it in the fridge for at least half an hour.  The lettuce will be crisp and cold when you serve it.

So here’s how I made my quesadillas:  (you don’t have to actually measure – just eyeball it)

CHEESE/BLACK BEAN/QUINOA WITH SALSA QUESADILLAS

  • flour tortillas (homemade is best)
  • medium cheddar cheese (or whatever you like – Jack would be good)
  • cooked black beans, mashed with a fork so they don’t roll around
  • cooked quinoa,  with salsa mixed in

In a 10″ skillet melt about a tsp of butter (maybe a little more) and spread it around to cover the entire bottom.  Take a tortilla and lay it on the skillet, then rub it around to cover the entire tortilla with the butter.  You’re only going to lay the ingredients on half of the tortilla – the other half is going to fold over (like an omelette).  First put on the cheese, then the beans, then the quinoa.  Add a little avocado, if you like.  Then fold over the empty side and fry until the bottom is browned.  Gently roll quesadilla over and fry the other side.

That’s it – super easy.  You can top it with more salsa, if you like.  A really inexpensive meal.  And quinoa (like Mushy Peas) is an extremely healthy food!  Bonus!

Cheese/Black Bean/Quinoa Quesadilla

Cheese/Black Bean/Quinoa Quesadilla with green salad and Yam/Coconut Milk Soup

Note to my sister-in-law, Donna:  I promise I’m going to work on my photography!!!

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Mushy Peas: A Super-Food Disguised As A Side Dish!

Mushy Peas
Mushy Peas

Mushy Peas.  Could this sound any more disgusting?  Mushy anything is usually not a good thing.  Mushy apples, mushy lettuce, mushy sandwich.  No thanks, I think I’ll give that a miss. But Mushy Peas?  Well, that’s something else.

It’s very common in the UK, served along side fish and chips, or a nice pie.  Not only are Mushy Peas tasty, pretty (vivid green), easy, and cheap, they’re also amazingly good for you.  When I googled ‘Mushy Peas’ recently I was astounded – they’re full of protein, fibre, and all kinds of nutrients.  Who knew something so delicious could be so good for you?  They make a wonderful side dish to many foods, plus they add that lovely green to the plate.

Now I’m sure I’m going to get some flak for this, but I use split peas to make my Mushy Peas. In the UK they use marrowfat peas.  But I live in the US and can’t find them here.  I can find tinned mushy peas, but what a waste of money!  Also, the green food coloring they put in the tinned ones is becoming a health concern.  Who needs the grief!   Making them yourself is MUCH cheaper.  And split peas make delicious Mushy Peas – I don’t care what anyone says!

Even though they only take about 15 minutes to cook – you do have to plan ahead because the peas need to soak at least 8 hours.  Usually I just get the soaking started before I go to bed. But if I forget, I can still get them soaking in the morning before 9AM and they’re fine.

IMPORTANT:  don’t skip the baking soda!  You might not think it makes a difference, but it does.  I didn’t think it would be any big deal to leave it out so I did a couple of times.  The first time I’d forgotten I left out the baking soda and couldn’t figure out why the peas took so much water to cook and the peas just didn’t come out right.  Plus they were a khaki brown color instead of the pretty bright green from before.  Next time, I left out the soda again – it still had’t occurred to me how important the soda was (duh!) – and the same thing happened.  THEN it hit me – ‘Oh, yeah!  I guess I should have followed EVERYONE’S instructions – use baking soda.’ Since then, the peas have come out perfectly.

MUSHY PEAS – makes about 1 cup

  • 1/2 cup dried marrowfat or split peas
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • optional:  salt, sugar, Tabasco Sauce, or any other flavoring you fancy

At least 8 hours before cooking time soak the peas in plenty of water and the baking soda.  Stir it up to dissolve the soda.

About 20 minutes before serving time rinse the soaked peas in a sieve, then put them in a small saucepan (or larger depending on how many dried peas you’re using).  Cover the peas with about ¼” of water and turn on the burner to a medium low heat.  Keep a close eye on them because they’re going to start foaming once they start boiling.  When that happens, turn down the heat and keep them simmering until the water is ALMOST absorbed. Then turn off the burner and let them finish cooking from the remaining heat. (If you cook them to the point where the water is gone – even if they look perfect – they will get really dry really fast.) You don’t have to mash them – it just happens on it’s own.  Add in salt (a little goes a long way – I use just under 1/4 tsp salt for this amount) and any other flavoring. In the UK, sugar is often added.

We have Mushy Peas nearly every night with our dinner.  Easy peasy!  (lame joke, I know – don’t judge!)