Spinach Potato Salad

Although these past few days have been rain filled spring weather, today marks the unofficial start of summer. While the official day doesn't start for another few weeks, people have already started their barbecues early this year!

We started a few weeks ago when the weather shot up to an unseasonable 80+ degrees. One of my favorite things to eat at a barbecue are actually the sides believe it or not. Since I don't eat too much red meat, I'm normally limited to grilled chicken and load up on sides.

One night, I was looking in my pantry and had a few odd and ends ingredients to use up. This recipe used up all my eggs, potatoes, and spinach! I decided to combine it all into this dish and it came out great! Although I didn't really measure the ingredients, I added mustard and mayo to taste, and that's about how much I used. Now with the weather warming up, this would be a great dish to add to your next cookout menu as well!

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Spinach Potato Salad

a cathy's kitchen journey original recipe





ingredients:

• 4 medium russet potatoes (or an equivalent amount of red potatoes)
• one big handful baby spinach
• 2 heaping TBSP mayo
• 1 tsp spicy brown mustard
• 2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

directions:

1. Scrub the potatoes clean, peel if desired. Cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces.
2. Steam in a pot with water for about 15 minutes, or until fork tender.
3. Remove from heat, transfer to a large bowl and immediately add the spinach to wilt slightly. Mix in the remaining ingredients.
4. Cool in the fridge before serving.

Yield: 4 servings

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Slow Cooker Vegetarian Sweet Potato Chili

After the holidays, I had a few sweet potatoes left over. What a better way to use them up than in a chili! I saw this recipe on the Real Simple facebook page before Thanksgiving and I knew I wanted to try it with whatever sweet potato I had left. This is a great meatless chili and packed full of vitamins and fiber!

I thought Gary wasn't going to go for it at first, but he actually enjoyed it. He didn't miss the meat! Since he can't have dairy, he didn't add any of the toppings therefore making it vegan, and it was still delicious!

Although you can definitely taste a hint of sweet potato and cinnamon, I didn't really see it. I think it could use a bit more next time. I also used dried beans instead of canned, since I had them on hand anyway. I added more water since I was using the dried beans, and I'm glad I did. It soaked up very nicely, and the chili was still thick and hearty. I only added one jalapeno because we're not big spicy people, but it could probably have used more. I usually don't have peppers on hand, but you can definitely use whatever you have.

This made a lot, so you can store them in single serving portions and freeze for later.

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Crockpot/Slow Cooker Vegan/Vegetarian Sweet Potato Chili
adapted from Real Simple

ingredients:
1 cup dried black beans
1 cup dried kidney beans
1 cup dried great northern beans
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (or more of desired)
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 TBSP mild chili powder (or 1 TBSP medium-hot)
1 TBSP ground cumin
2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups water
optional toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream, sliced scallions, sliced radishes, and/or tortilla chips

directions:
The night before, pick out stones and discolored beans and soak in cold water (changing the water once) in the liner of a 4-6 qt slow cooker.

If you have time right before making this, I recommend sauteing the onions, garlic and peppers to bring out some flavor. If not, you can follow the directions below.

Right before cooking, drain the beans and rinse in a colander. Combine the onion, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, cocoa, cinnamon, salt, black pepper. Add the tomatoes (and their liquid), beans, sweet potato, and water. Stir to combine.

Cover and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender and the chili has thickened, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours

Serve the chili with the sour cream, scallions, radishes, and tortilla chips. [to keep it vegan, use Daiya (or your choice of vegan cheese), or omit the cheese and sour cream all together]

Makes 4 heaping servings, or 8-10 smaller bowls

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Buttermilk Pancakes

To be honest, I sometimes find Gary's palette a little on the bland side. He loves white rice, ketchup, plain brothy soups. If you give him some ketchup, he can eat shoe leather and call it a day. In my efforts to get variety in his diet and be a little bit more creative, I would add different types of fiber and fruits and vegetables. If I don't end up finding a recipe I like, I will adapt the heck out of one. In the end, the recipe wouldn't be too close to the original recipe. When I come up with a flavor combination I want to try, there's no stopping me!

When I made the multigrain waffles, he asked if I can make "regular" ones -- "you know like l'eggo my eggos"? When I made the orange cinnamon rolls, he asked if I could omit the orange next time and make it plain. When I ask him what flavor ice cream he wants me to make, he says chocolate -- although he recently asked for cookies and cream! I'm not saying that all these recipes are bad! They're far from that! He liked them, but just asked for something not too out of the ordinary.

So, that's what I did. I made him 'buttermilk' pancakes. I went with a basic recipe and deviate too much from it. The only adaptation I made was using soy milk and vinegar to make a sour milk instead of using buttermilk. Otherwise everything was the same. These were the most fluffy pancakes I've ever made!

The verdict? "I liked these, but I like the strawberry, coconut and apple better."

So I guess my efforts in making them healthier or coming up with crazy flavors are worth the efforts!

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Buttermilk Pancakes
adapted from Better Homes and Garden 14th edition

ingredients:
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 TBSP granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 TBSP vinegar plus enough soy milk to equal 1 1/2 cup total (or 1 1/2 cup buttermilk)
3 TBSP canola oil

directions:
In a measuring cup combine vinegar and soy milk. Let sit for 5 minutes (skip this step if using buttermilk).

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.

In another bowl, whisk together the soy milk mixture, egg and oil. Add to the flour, and stir until just combined.

Using a ladle, pour 1/4 cup batter onto a hot griddle. Cook until surface has completely bubbled, then flip and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve with maple syrup.

Makes about 12 pancakes

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Tofu Parmigiana

Lately, I’ve noticed that we’ve been eating a lot less meat for several reasons. One being that good meat is really expensive. We’ve been a bit picky lately. Another is that, for us, eating less meat is better overall. Since we usually have chicken, it gets kind of boring.

I’ve wanted to try to work more with tofu. Gary has tried, but some recipes didn’t turn out that well. I first showed this recipe to Gary, thinking he would turn this down, but I was so surprised that he was willing to try it (he’s said no to lots of recipes I’ve thrown out there). I couldn’t wait to try this out since I’m sure he’s missed his Italian food since going dairy free.

This recipe turned out fantastic, and you definitely won’t miss the meat! I adapted it slightly since I didn’t use dairy, my substitutions are noted below. I’ve been using Daiya for a little while now, and I think it worked very well in this recipe.

Tofu Parmigiana
adapted from: Prevention RD

 printable recipe

ingredients:
1 (14 ounce) package extra firm tofu
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs (I used panko seasoned with 1 tsp each of basil and oregano)
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided (I used nutritional yeast)
2 teaspoons dried oregano, divided
salt and pepper, to taste
1 egg, beaten
2 TBSP olive oil
16 oz marinara sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 ounces  shredded mozzarella cheese (I used Daiya mozzarella shreds)

directions:
Preheat oven to 400° F.

Slice tofu into 1/4 inch thick slices (I was able to get 10 slices), and place on paper towels in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Place another paper towel over the tofu, and place another cookie sheet on top and add weights on top to press the  water out of the tofu for 20 minutes (I used full juice bottles).

In a small bowl, combine bread or seasoned panko crumbs, 2 tablespoons parmesan or nutritional yeast, 1 teaspoon oregano, salt, and black pepper.

Coat tofu in beaten egg and one at a time, press tofu slices into crumb mixture, turning to coat all sides.

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook tofu slices until crisp on one side, turn, and brown on the other side.

Combine tomato sauce, basil, minced garlic, and remaining oregano. Place a thin layer of sauce in an 8 inch square baking pan. Arrange tofu slices in the pan, slightly overlapping 5 in each row. Spoon remaining sauce over tofu. Top with shredded mozzarella and remaining TBSP of parmesan or nutritional yeast.

Bake at 400° F for 20 minutes. Serve over your favorite pasta.

Serves 4-5 (Based on our appetites. I ate a quarter of it and I was full. I’m also a light eater. Gary ate about 1/3 of it)

Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

I don’t know why, but Gary is obsessed with pancakes. He said he used to eat it all the time when he was younger. If it were up to him, pancakes he would have pancakes everyday for breakfast. Since he doesn’t make it himself, he gets it when I’m in the mood to make them .

I came up with the idea for apple cinnamon pancakes. I doubt I’m the first one to think this up, but it sounded good to me. I searched, but didn’t really find what I wanted online. I went to my cookbooks, and found this recipe for buttermilk pancakes with optional add-ins and leveraged the recipe from there.

I did use the book’s adaptations for whole wheat flour. I also made this dairy free by using the soy milk vinegar mix for sour milk. I also added a teaspoon of cinnamon, because I think it goes great with apples.

I expected the pancakes to be a little sweeter than normal because of the apples, but I didn’t find it sweet at all. It had a hint of apple flavor, so it wasn’t too prominent. The whole wheat makes it very filling, and I felt full for a while afterwards. It’s also pretty healthy since it comes out to less than 100 calories per pancake. Although it wasn’t quite as expected, it still came out nicely. I will use this again as a good base for other flavors in the future.

Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
adapted from: Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook 14th Limited Edition

  printable recipe

ingredients:
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 TBSP packed brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 TBSP vinegar plus enough soy milk to equal 1 1/2 cup total (or 1 1/2 cup buttermilk)
3 TBSP canola oil
1 medium apple, peeled and grated (I used gala)

directions:
In a measuring cup combine vinegar and soy milk. Let sit for 5 minutes (skip this step if using buttermilk).

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Whisk to combine.

In another bowl, whisk together the soy milk mixture, egg and oil. Add to the flour, and stir until just combined.

Grate apple and add to the batter. Stir well to combine.

Using a ladle, pour 1/4 cup batter onto a hot griddle. Cook until surface has completely bubbled, then flip and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve with maple syrup.

Makes about 12 pancakes.

Coconut Chocolate Chip Pancakes

 

Gary was so excited when I made this! He actually woke up saying “Pancakes!” I bet he was dreaming about this all night too! He loved this more than I did of course, since he loves coconut so much.

I have a love/hate relationship with coconut. I swear I’m not a coconut fan, but there’s no shortage of my favorite recipes filled with coconut on this blog. Gary, however, is a huge fan of coconut, whether it is the flakes or milk. His favorite ice creams are made with coconut milk. I guess my hate relationship with coconut is the smell. Sometimes, the smell is really off putting to me. It reminds me of the days when I was a teenager in the crowded, hot subway cars heading to school. Many of the old women on the train used a coconut oil based hair product that DID NOT mix well with heat and sweat!

So, when I popped open the can of coconut and scooped out the coconut oil for this recipe, I took a walk down memory lane…somewhere I didn’t want to go. I really wanted to like this recipe, so I kept on going through it. Luckily, once the pancakes cooked, there were no more remnants of the smell  that I despise so much. Since most of my favorite coconut recipes involve chocolate, I decided to add chocolate chips to the pancakes. This was a great decision on my part! It tasted much better with the chocolate, and what’s wrong with chocolate for breakfast?

I used unsweetened coconut flakes for this. I recommend using the unsweetened, but if you can’t find it, I would probably omit the sugar altogether. The chocolate addition also adds a little bit of sweetness, as does the maple syrup.

Coconut Chocolate Chip Pancakes
adapted from: about.com

 printable recipe

ingredients:
1 (14 oz) can coconut milk
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 eggs
1 1/2 TBSP white sugar
2 Tbsp. coconut oil OR butter, melted
1 tsp. coconut flavoring (optional) (I did not use)
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

directions:
In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine the can of coconut milk with the shredded coconut. Set aside.

In a small bowl, melt butter in the microwave. In another bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the sugar then melted butter to the eggs and whisk again until light and fluffy.

Add the egg mixture to the coconut milk mixture, stirring well to combine. Also add the coconut flavoring (if using).

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the wet coconut-egg mixture to the dry flour mixture, stirring well to combine.

On a preheated griddle, scoop out 1/4 cup batter with a ladle. Pour batter on the griddle. Use the back of the ladle to spread the batter. When the surface around is covered with bubbles, add a few chocolate chips on each pancake, flip and cook the other side. Transfer pancakes to a plate, cover to keep warm. Continue to cook the remaining batter until it’s all used up. Serve with maple syrup.

Makes about 12 pancakes.

Monkey Bread

Gary and I went window shopping this past Saturday. We were at one of our local malls, and while walking by one of the stores, I smelled some awesomely cinnamony sugary goodness. We’ve all experienced this before, the way Cinnabon pulls you in with their scent. It’s practically irresistible…until you see the calorie count. 1000+ calories for one!! Lucky for me, that’s an incentive for me to not order whatever I’m craving.

The craving went away after a while. It wasn’t until the next day. We were watching TV and a commercial for something cinnamon sugar came on. It was the final straw! I needed to make something cinnamon, stat! I had had this King Arthur recipe bookmarked for a while, so this was a good opportunity to make it.

I followed the directions exactly with the exception of using an 8” pan. I used my 9” pan and it fit perfectly. I also measured the water by weight instead of volume as indicated below.

Monkey Bread
adapted from: King Arthur Flour with a tutorial from their blog

printable recipe

ingredients:
Topping:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Dough:
1/2 cup lukewarm water (4 ounces)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 cups All-Purpose Flour (8.5 ounces)

directions:
1) Make the topping: Blend the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, or shake them together in a small lidded container. Set aside.

2) Place water, vegetable oil, egg, salt, sugar, and yeast in a medium bowl and stir well.

3) Add 1 cup of the flour, stirring to blend.

4) Add the second cup of flour, stirring to make a cohesive dough. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes; this gives the flour a chance to absorb the liquid, making it easier to knead.

5) Knead the dough — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — till it's soft and smooth.

6) Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or large measuring cup, cover it, and let the dough rise for 30 to 60 minutes, till it's doubled in size.

7) Gently deflate the dough, and place it on a clean, lightly greased work surface; a silicone mat works well here (I used wax paper sprayed with oil). Divide it into pieces about 1 1/2" in diameter; you'll make 16 to 18 pieces.

8) Lightly grease an 8" round cake pan (I used a 9” pan). Dip each piece in water, then roll it in the cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat.

9) Place the pieces in a single layer in the prepared pan. Sprinkle any remaining cinnamon-sugar over the top.

10) Cover the pan, and let the bread rise for 30 to 60 minutes, till it's visibly puffy. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.

11) Uncover the pan, and bake the bread for 25 to 30 minutes, till it's golden brown and feels set.

12) Remove from the oven, and immediately turn the pan over onto a plate. Lift the pan off the bread, and scrape any leftover topping in the pan onto the bread.

13) Pull the bread apart to serve. Serve warm, or at room temperature.

Makes 5-7 servings

Gary thought this bread was great. Next time, I think I’ll make some sugar frosting and use it as a dipping sauce.

Strawberry Pancakes

One early Sunday morning, I woke up with my stomach growling. I was tired, sick and hungry. I wanted to go back to sleep, but my stomach wasn’t letting me. Gary had woken up early to go to the market to get some stuff for our annual July 4th bbq. He wanted to beat the last minute crowds at every store he went to, and he did! Since he had already woken me up, I started researching some recipes and lost track of time.

When he got home at about 11am, I tried to take a mid morning nap, but by this time, I was awake and really hungry since I’ve been up for a few hours and hadn’t eaten. He wanted to make lunch, but my mind was still at breakfast mode. I suggested making strawberry pancakes since I already had strawberries in the fridge.

After making this, we started talk about making Sundays “pancake Sundays”…yea, we’ll see how that’ll fly :).

The ingredient’s list called for orange zest, however I didn’t have any oranges on hand, so I omitted it. I also adapted the dairy ingredients to non dairy ingredients as indicated below. Also, instead of turning on the oven to keep the plate warm, I covered the plate of pancakes to keep the heat in. I recommend thinly slicing the strawberries so they get fully incorporated into the pancakes.

Strawberry Pancakes
adapted from: Good Things Catered, originally from The Joy of Cooking

printable recipe

ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 TBSP sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp freshly grated orange zest (I omitted)
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cup buttermilk (I used soy milk with 1 TBSP vinegar)
3 Tbsp butter, melted (I used melted Earth Balance)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 c. fresh strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced

directions:
In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, powder, soda, salt, zest, and cinnamon. Whisk to combine well and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine buttermilk, butter, eggs and vanilla and whisk to combine well.

Heat griddle pan over medium low heat. Depending on how well seasoned your pan is, you will have to add some butter or nonstick spray to the heated pan.

Add wet ingredients into dry and carefully stir to combine, just until mixture comes together. Ignore lumps and do not over beat.

To hot pan, spoon 6 inch batter rounds (1/4 cup scoops of batter) onto pan. Top the pancake with strawberry slices.

When the batter bubbles, flip carefully. When pancake is cooked through, transfer to plate and cover.

Repeat until all the batter is used up.

Top pancakes with whipped cream (optional) and syrup and serve. I served these with maple syrup and turkey sausages on the side. The sweet and salty combo was pretty good.

Makes about 14 pancakes.

Banana Pancakes

After watching the blueberry pancake throw down on Food Network this past week, I had a craving for pancakes. The norm would be blueberry pancakes, but I didn’t have any blueberries. I looked for a buttermilk pancake recipe that would strike my interest. I saw these banana pancakes that were just too adorable to pass up.

I had everything on hand, except for the buttermilk, so I used a mix of soymilk plus 1 tsp vinegar to equal 1 cup of buttermilk. I also halved the original recipe to feed 2 adults. While I thought the amount was sufficient and enough for 2, Gary thought otherwise. He thought it was enough to feed 2 kids.

Banana Pancakes
adapted from: Baking Bites
printable recipe

ingredients:
1 cups all purpose flour
2 TBSP sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk (I used a mix of soymilk plus 1 TBSP vinegar)
1/2 a banana, mashed

directions:
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

Whisk in eggs, buttermilk and mashed banana until batter just comes together and no large streaks of flour remain. If your batter is too thick (different sized bananas will cause the batter to vary in thickness), or you prefer your pancakes to be on the thinner side, add an extra 1/4 cup of milk or buttermilk into the mix to thin it slightly.

Heat a skillet or griddle over medium-high heat until a drop of water placed on it skitters around the surface. If it instantly evaporates, turn down the temperature slightly.

Ladle batter by 1/4 cupfuls for large pancakes onto the preheated pan and cook until golden on both sides, turning once. Flip when the top has started to bubble.

Serve immediately with maple syrup.

Makes approx. 8 pancakes, serves 1-2

Pecan Crusted Sweet Potato Casserole

So I made this for Thanksgiving, but my family didn’t really go for it. They’re not from the States, so Thanksgiving is foreign to them. Did I also mention my family is a little unconventional? We had sushi and Japanese food for part of our menu and they were the first to fly off the table, but I digress.

When I told my sister I was thinking about making a sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving, she was a little unsure. She remembered making one with a marshmallow topping a few years ago and it wasn’t such a hit. I looked around and saw this recipe that called for a pecan crusted topping, so I decided to make this.

Keeping my family’s tastes in mind, I decided to reduce the amount of sugar in this recipe. My family was never  fond of sweets, and sweet potatoes are best in it’s natural state too. I made a whole 9x13 pan of this, but only half was eaten. I guess the crust was a bit sweet for them. I thought the crust was a bit sweet even for my tastes as well, but it tasted fine the next day (even while it was still cold).

I prepared the sweet potatoes the night before, covered and added the pecan mixture the next day before baking. To make this dairy free, I used margarine, coconut milk and smart balance; whereas the original used milk and butter.

Pecan Crusted Sweet Potato Casserole
adapted from: allrecipes.com
printable recipe

ingredients:
4 1/2 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes (about 7 sweet potatoes)
1/2 cup margarine, melted
1/3 cup coconut milk 
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, beaten 
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup smart balance buttery spread
1 cup chopped pecans

directions:
To cook sweet potatoes:
Wash and rinse sweet potatoes. In a large saucepan, arrange sweet potatoes in a single layer. Add enough water to cover. Boil potatoes until fork tender. Allow to cool, then peel. Mash with the paddle attachment of your mixer.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, mix together mashed sweet potatoes, margarine, milk, sugar, vanilla extract, and eggs. Spread sweet potato mixture into the prepared baking dish. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and flour. Cut in smart balance until mixture is crumbly (I used my mixer with the paddle attachment for this), then stir in pecans . Sprinkle pecan mixture over the sweet potatoes.

Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

Homemade Bagels

Can I just start off by saying that there is just no excuse for putting off making bagels for this long. I’ve had this recipe bookmarked for almost 2 years. Sometime last year in May, I printed it out with hopes to make them. Well, a year and a half later here they are!

Store bought bagels are pretty much a staple in my house. Gary has to have his daily fix of Thomas’s bagels every day. His favorite are the cinnamon raisin ones. I’ve mentioned making bagels before, but never actually did them.

Since I had a few hours before Gary was home from work one day, I decided to make these to surprise him. I started off making plain ones to see what I need to adapt to future recipes. At first taste, they were really good. Nice and crunchy outside with a chewy center. He did notice that there was a bit too much salt in it, so I took note. I thought it was a bit much when I was adding it in the first place.

I slightly adapted the recipe to use instant yeast and made larger bagels instead of the mini snack sized ones the original recipe made.

Next up, cinnamon raisin!

Homemade Bagels
adapted from: Baking Bites
printable recipe

ingredients:
1 tbsp instant yeast
1 tbsp sugar
4 cups bread flour (not all purpose)
1 tbsp salt (I would use less next time)
1 3/4 cups lukewarm water
1 egg, for egg wash

directions:
In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) combine yeast, sugar, flour and salt. Start mixer and slowly add water. Mix dough thoroughly until it comes together in a large ball, pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Add an additional tablespoon of flour or water, if needed.

If kneading by hand, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until very smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. If using a stand mixer, knead dough with the dough hook until elastic, about 8 minutes on a low speed. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil and preheat the oven to 400° F.

When dough has risen, turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a tight ball, pinching the corners together at the bottom of the piece of dough. When all the balls are shaped, let the dough rest for 30 minutes covered with a clean dish towel.

Once dough balls have rested, the bagel shape can be formed. Using your fingers, poke a hole through the center of each dough ball. Stretch out the dough into a ring with your fingers and be sure to make the hole a little larger than you want the finished bagel to have, as it will shrink slightly while the bagel is expanding during the baking process. Let bagels rest for about 10 minutes. (I didn’t do this…I missed this step…I guess that’s why mine were a little wrinkly.)

Working four at a time, drop the bagels carefully into the boiling water. Boil for 2 minutes on the first side, then flip and boil for an additional minute. Using a slotted spoon or strainer, transfer bagels to a clean towel to drain for a moment, then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat process with remaining bagels.

Brush boiled bagels with lightly beaten egg (a pastry or bbq brush is a good tool for this) and bake for 22-26 minutes, until golden brown.

Cool completely on a wire rack.

Slice and toast to serve.

Store in a tightly closed plastic bag, up to a week, or slice and freeze.

Makes 8 sandwich sized bagels.

Barbecue Baked Bean Burgers

When I first saw this post pop up, I knew I had to try it. It’s such a great alternative to meat patties, and it was really filling to boot! We usually have baked beans in the pantry, and this was a good way to use it vs. our usual heat and eat method. I ate this plain the first night. The next day, I reheated it and added a slice of cheese to it during the last 30 seconds of nuking. It tasted great the next day too!

I made several changes to this recipe. It was originally vegan, but I used an egg, which deveganized it. I also used white jasmine rice instead of the brown rice and omitted the jalapeños since we don’t have and we don’t like heat in our food. Instead of adding oil, I sprayed a pan with nonstick spray instead.

Barbecue Baked Bean Burgers
adapted from: about.com
printable recipe

ingredients:
1 15 oz can vegetarian baked beans, drained (mine was 16 oz)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup cooked rice
2/3 cup cornmeal
1 egg
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
3 TBSP barbecue sauce, store-bought or homemade (I used honey BBQ)
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste

directions:
1. In a medium sauce pan over high heat, combine all the ingredients except, mixing constantly until beans are slightly mashed and mixture holds together, about 3-4 minutes. Remove the mixture from heat, transfer to a bowl or dish and let sit for 10 minutes.

2. Form the mixture into 4-6 patties and set aside. In a nonstick skillet or frying pan over medium heat, spray with non stick spray. Once the pan is hot, cook the patties, flipping once, until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Serve as sandwiches or on buns with desired vegetables and toppings.

I made 4 patties, but I found it still very filling with just the patty. I recommend dividing it into 6 patties rather than 4. BTW, I’m looking at the picture again, and it looks totally unappetizing, but I swear it tastes good!

This recipe is also being submitted to My Legume Love Affair, hosted by The Well-Seasoned Cook.

Crustless Spinach Tofu Quiche

I’ve been meaning to make a quiche for some time now. However, since Gary can’t have dairy, it poses a minor problem. I wasn’t sure how I would substitute all that cheese that is usually thrown into a quiche. I also had some leftover tofu that needed to be used. What better way to make a quiche, since tofu is pretty much one of my staple cheese alternatives nowadays. I searched for vegan quiche recipes, but most of the reviews said it didn’t set very well. I then found these instructions on how to make a crustless quiche. I adapted to our dietary needs and it turned out pretty good. The eggs were light and fluffy and tasted similar to steamed eggs my mom used to make.

Another reason I made this was to boost our iron levels before donating blood. Although my HGB levels were super high at 31, when the minimum requirement was 12, I still didn’t do too well after donating. Gary’s HGB level was at 16. I think there are a few reasons I didn’t recover so well. First of all, the minimum weight is 110, and I barely passed. I also usually don’t eat or drink enough, so I was probably weak. What sucks is that as I type, 4 days later, the puncture area is still black and blue…well more yellow and blue bruised. (I don’t heal well either).

Crustless Spinach Tofu Quiche
printable recipe

ingredients:
1 small onion, diced
1 10 oz box frozen spinach thawed and drained
salt to taste
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups soy milk
6 oz firm tofu, crumbled
1/8 tsp salt (I would add more)
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp white pepper

directions:
Preheat oven to 375°. Spray a 9" pie pan or quiche pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

Spray cooking oil in a pan and add onions. Cook until onions are turn clear. Add spinach and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt to taste.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, beat together the remaining ingredients.

Remove spinach from heat, spread spinach on the bottom the prepared pan. Pour egg mixture over the spinach.

Bake in oven for about 40 minutes or until center is set. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. The quiche will be puffy, but will settle after 10 minutes.

The only change I would make would be adding more salt (since I didn’t add it to the spinach). I also found it a little runny, so I would bake it slightly longer or let refrigerate before serving.

Veggie Stir-fry and Linguine

So when I went to the market, there were various vegetables on sale that were too good a deal to pass up. Towards the middle of the week, we still had a few things left over, so why not mix everything together and create a stir fry. I love this because it’s pretty light and filling at the same time. This is also very versatile because you can pretty much add any vegetables you want.

Ingredients:
olive oil
8 oz linguine
2 cloves garlic, sliced
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and sliced
half bunch asparagus spears, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 cup baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt to taste
oregano
basil

Directions:
1. Prepare pasta as directed on the package.

2. Meanwhile, in a pan, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Sauté garlic in pan for a minute. Add celery, bell pepper, and asparagus and sauté until celery tender. Add mushrooms and cook for 2-3 more minutes.

3. Add seasonings to taste. Add wine and allow it to cook off.

4. Drain the pasta. Drizzle with olive oil and toss in the veggies to combine. Plate and serve.

Potato Zucchini Carrot Pancakes

When I saw this recipe pop up in my reader, I new I had to try it. We’re both suckers for great potato recipes, and this was indeed a great recipe.

The original post mentioned she omitted the carrots, but I replaced one of the zucchini with carrots and it was great. This is great as a side or as a replacement for potato only hash browns.

I wasn’t able to squeeze this as dry as I would like, but if you want to keep it crispy, I do recommend getting as much of the liquid out as possible. I think I’m going to have to invest in some cheesecloth or something sooner or later.

Potato-Zucchini Pancakes
Adapted from: Culinary Infatuation

Ingredients:
3 medium red potatoes shredded and squeezed dry 
1 medium zucchini shredded and squeezed dry
1 carrot shredded and squeezed dry
2 eggs beaten 
3 Tbsp AP flour
1/2 and onion finely chopped or (1/2 a cup)
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
Canola oil

Directions:
Put shredded potato, zucchini and carrot in a medium sized bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the canola oil (enough to cover the bottom of the skillet).

Scoop out about 1/3 cup (or more if you want them larger) and put in pan. Flatten with a spatula and let cook until crispy on that side (about 4 minutes).

Black Bean Veggie Burgers

I’m used to eating veggie burgers, I’ve done so for many years. However, I’ve never tried to make my own. I’ve always bought the packaged frozen burgers and ate them at my leisure. It wasn’t until I saw the recipe on allrecipes.com that I saw how easy it was to make these.

After I made it and took a bite, I thought to myself, I like this, but I’m not sure if Gary will. To my surprise, he liked it also! When I told him I was making this for dinner, of course he responded, “What, no meat?”.

I had a few alterations to this recipe. Instead of onion, I used dried shallots because I had none on hand. I used the whole bell pepper, added a carrot, added celery, used cayenne instead of hot sauce, and added extra panko. It came out wonderful. We don’t normally eat spicy food, and this wasn’t spicy at all. It had the nice kick to it without it being overpowering.

Black Bean Veggie Burgers
Adapted from: allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 carrot, peeled and cut into pieces
2 celery stalks, cut into pieces
1/2 onion, cut into wedges (I didn’t have on hand. I used 1 tsp dried shallots)
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 egg
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2  teaspoon cayenne pepper 
1 cup bread crumbs (I used panko)

Directions:
1. If grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and lightly oil a baking sheet.

2. In a food processor, grind up the black beans until thick and pasty. Transfer to a medium bowl.

3. Add the pepper, carrot, celery, onion and garlic into the processor and finely chop. Add the beans back in and pulse until combined. Transfer back to the bowl.

4. In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper.

5. Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four patties.

6. If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.
(I grilled this on my George Foreman grill for 5 minutes.)

Serve as you would beef burgers with all the fixings. We’re sort of minimalists with our burgers (meaning we didn’t have anything). We ate them on whole wheat pita bread with ketchup.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

The first time I made this type of dish, it was plain spinach dip, no artichokes. I don’t think I’ve ever really had artichokes before. I tried Alton Brown’s spinach artichoke dip with some adaptations of course, and it was very good! I have had good luck with Alton’s recipes lately, and this was another win. I also had lots of cream cheese I wanted to use up, so this was the perfect opportunity for me to use it.

My revisions were omitting the sour cream since I had none, using 8oz cream cheese instead of 6, and adding more mayo and parmesan cheese to balance out the flavor of the extra cream cheese.

 

Spinach Artichoke Dip
Adapted from: Alton Brown/Food Network

Ingredients:
1 cup thawed, chopped frozen spinach (I used a whole 10 oz box of frozen leaf spinach)
1 1/2 cups thawed, chopped frozen artichoke hearts (I used a whole box of frozen artichokes)
8 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup mayonnaise 
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions
1. Defrost and squeeze out excess liquid from the spinach and artichokes.

2. Boil spinach and artichokes in 1 1/2 cup of water until tender and drain. Discard liquid. Squeeze/press out excess liquid

3. Heat cream cheese in microwave for 1 minute or until hot and soft. Stir in rest of ingredients and serve hot.

Cumin Lentil Soup

When I saw this recipe for lentil soup on Someone's in the Kitchen with Brina... I knew I had to try it. I bought lentils previously to try a vegetarian meatloaf and still had half a lb left over. The lentil soups I’ve always had were from delis during lunch time, and they were always too salty. I liked this version because I had all the ingredients on hand (except for the onions, which I thought I had), and it looked fairly simple for a weeknight dinner.

I am also submitting this to Joelen’s Tasty Tools for February. This month’s event highlights the food processor.

Her original recipe called for 10 cups of water, which I already knew was way too much for the 2 of us. I halved the recipe and adapted it to what I had on hand.

Cumin Lentil Soup
Adapted from: Someone’s in the Kitchen with Brina…

Ingredients:
3 carrots, peeled and chopped*
2 celery ribs, chopped*
1 small onion, chopped (I realized I didn’t have any after I started, so I used 1 tsp onion powder)
1 1/2 cups green lentils
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBS vegetable oil
1 bay leaves
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups chicken stock (or water to make it vegetarian)
3 cups cold water

*I will admit that I cheated a little and did not chop the vegetables. I ended up putting the carrots, celery, and garlic in the food processor and pulsed it a few times. However some pieces were bigger than the others. I think it was better for me because this is the only way I can sneak celery into Gary’s meals (as I do with other vegetables too). He doesn’t like celery, but he gobbled this up. My secret to getting a picky eater to eat his vegetables!

Directions:
1. Sort and rinse lentils. Using a soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, and basil, and sweat for about 10 minutes.

2. Add the cumin, bay leaves, lentils and water. Stir and turn up heat until it boils. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 35 minutes.

3. Remove the bay leaves and season to taste, if you want more salt and pepper.

Vegetarian Meatloaf

Source: Branny Boils Over
Made by: Cathy

On the cooking message boards I frequent, great recipes are always being shared. One of the ladies shared her recipe for vegetarian meatloaf.

Gary and I have talked about having vegetarian night at least once a week, but it never happens. We eat plenty of vegetables, but there’s always a meat dish to accompany it. We still cheated tonight and had stirfry along with the meatloaf, but it is a great alternative to meat. Granted, it’s not exactly the same as meatloaf, but there was enough flavors going on that you wouldn’t even miss the meat.

Ingredients:
1 scant cup brown lentils, rinsed
2 cups water
1 small onion
1 egg white
¾ cup tomato or spaghetti sauce
1 tsp basil
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
½ cup oatmeal
½ cup bread crumbs (I used Italian style)

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast & 1 Tbsp dissolved flax seed (ground)
OR
½ cup cheddar or mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1. Boil 1 scant cup brown lentils in 2 cups water until tender. Add more water if necessary. Mash. I ran it through my food processor for a few seconds. It should not be too soupy (but not too thick, either) after mashing. Kind of like sloppy Joes.

2. Dice 1 onion. Beat in 1 egg white. Mix in tomato sauce, basil, dried parsley, salt, and garlic powder. Add 1/2 c oatmeal and 1/2 c bread crumbs to bowl. Mix. Add mashed lentils. Mix in nutritional yeast/flax seed OR 1/2 cup of cheese.

3. Spread mixture into greased loaf pan and bake covered at 350° for 45 minutes. Run a knife along the edge of the loaf, let cool 5 minutes, and then turn out onto a greased baking sheet.

4. Top with your favorite glaze (tomato sauce + brown sugar, bbq sauce, nothing) and return to oven until warmed. Let set 5-10 minutes before slicing.

I topped it with the leftover spaghetti sauce and spread it like frosting before I put it back in the oven. I was having way too much fun making it!

Split Pea Soup

Adapted from: Ina Garten, Food Network
Made by: Cathy

Growing up, I’ve never been a fan of peas. Whenever my mom made fried rice, she would always scoop a bowl out for me, sans peas, then added peas for everybody else. That’s how much I refused to eat peas. My brother on the other hand, loves peas, and cannot get enough of it!

Since living with Gary, we’ve adapted to each other’s tastes, and I’ve grown to tolerate peas. A couple of weeks ago, I saw a recipe for pea soup that took 10 minutes to make. It was for some diet/weight loss show. Since I was channel surfing, I didn’t get the name of the show, but it looked pretty simple.

My quest for pea soup started! Most of the recipes I found was for split pea soup, so I tried that instead. This definitely didn’t take 10 minutes, but it was good. Gary liked it, and he even compared it to Au Bon Pain soup…I take that as a compliment.

The recipe called for 8 cups of stock, so I halved the recipe. We both agreed it was a bit salty for our taste, so I ended up adding an extra cup of water. It may be the stock we used, but I will use less salt next time.

Ingredients:
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 medium-diced carrots
2 medium-diced potatoes
1 stalk celery diced
1 1/4 cup dried split green peas (half a bag)
4 cups chicken stock or water (one carton)
1 cup water

Directions:
1. In a small stockpot on medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic with the olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper until the onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Add the carrots, potatoes, split peas, chicken stock, and water.

3. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 60 minutes. Skim off the foam while cooking. Stir frequently to keep the solids from burning on the bottom. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve hot, with bread or crackers.