Whole Wheat Vegan Carrot Muffins

For a little while, Gary was juicing in the mornings. We had carrot/apple juice, orange/carrot/tomato/spinach, etc. It was quite interesting and didn't taste too bad. What I didn't like was the waste of the pulp of all the carrots we were using, thus this recipe came forth.

This was so easy to whip up. Within a half hour, Gary had muffins to take with him before he went to work. I met up with a few friends and brought some over, and they were a hit. It's healthy but wasn't dry at all.

I did omit the raisins, as I don't think raisins belong in everything. Gary is in agreement about that :). I also replaced some of the applesauce with oil, since I didn't have enough applesauce.

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Whole Wheat Vegan Carrot Muffins

made by cathy's kitchen journey
adapted from fannetastic food




ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup shredded carrot (or pulp from juiced carrots)

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a muffin tin with 12 liners.
2. In a medium bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, flour through salt. In a separate bowl, combine the carrot and the apple sauce. (I didn't have quite enough applesauce, so I used canola oil to make up the balance).
3. Add the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk to combine.
4. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the batter evenly into the liners.
5. Bake in preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Yield: 12 servings

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Whole Wheat Zucchini Brownies

My sister in law gave me a huge zucchini she grew in her garden. I really didn't know what to do with it savory-wise, so I ended up baking up a few things. One of the things I made were these "healthy" brownies, and it was a great decision! I've baked zucchini in a chocolate cake before and it was delicious, so I didn't hesitate any longer making this.

I first saw this on one of my friend's pins on pinterest. At first, I didn't give it a second look, I had pinned a few other zucchini recipes to try. When I was throwing out some ideas to the hubby, he wanted chocolate. Only one of the recipes I had included chocolate chips. I wasn't really feeling that recipe though, and neither was he.

Since this recipe was still front and center on my pinterest page, I decided to make this and it turned out great. When I told hubby it was "healthy", he didn't want to hear it! It does not taste healthy at all, and each square will cost you about 170 calories, which I don't think is bad at all. I love how hubby told me he liked the frosting, but he was actually talking about the gooey melted chocolate chips inside. Try this soon, you won't regret it!

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Whole Wheat Zucchini Brownies

made by cathy's kitchen journey
adapted from Baltic Maid




ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 2 large eggs
• 1 TBSP vanilla extract
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 cups grated zucchini (from 1 zucchini), excess water squeezed out (peeling optional)
• 1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Liberally spray an 8x8 baking pan with baking spray, or grease and flour the pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon and cardamom. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract, sugar, salt, and applesauce.
4. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients while whisking to combine. It's ok if it's thick at this point, the zucchini will help moisten the batter.
5. Using a spatula, mix in the zucchini and chocolate chips until just combined.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
   
7. Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean (we don't want it totally clean and dry!).
8. Let cool in pan completely, then cut into 16 pieces.

Yield: 16 servings

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Sauteed Spinach and Mushrooms

This is probably one of the easiest healthy side dishes to whip up even if you're pressed for time and have all the ingredients on hand. I purchased some fresh spinach, I think for the first time ever! Normally, I have frozen spinach on hand. However, I saw some fresh at the Chinese market and picked it up. It was crazy cheap, and it was a big bunch.

This dish is most definitely a power dish as well, considering all or most of the ingredients are basically super foods. Lucky for me, Gary loves all the ingredients, so I didn't have a hard time convincing him how delicious this was! The ginger and garlic added a nice flavor to the dish, and it wasn't too overpowering.

I used a wok for this, but a saute pan should work just as well. The spinach wilted significantly, so there was a lot more mushroom than spinach after it was cooked, so when I make this again, I might use 2 bunches or  try this with frozen spinach next time and see how it goes.

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Sauteed Spinach and Mushrooms

a cathy's kitchen journey original




ingredients:

• 1 TBSP canola oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 TBSP fresh ginger, minced
• 10 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 1 or 2 bunches fresh spinach (or a 10 oz package of frozen, thawed)
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• salt and pepper to taste

directions:

1. In a hot wok, heat the oil. Add garlic and ginger and cook while stirring for 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
2. Add the mushrooms and stir fry for a minute. Add the spinach and stir until it has wilted, continuing to stir for 3 minutes.
3. Add the soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Mix to coat well.
4. Transfer to a bowl and serve.

Yield: 2 servings

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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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Kale and Basil Pesto

With an abundance of kale left, along with a full windowsill basil plant, I decided to make some pesto. I've seen pesto using all sorts of greens before, so I decided to modify a recipe I've used before with success. This came out great, and Gary ate it even with the tri-colored pasta he hates so much :).

This is a great alternative to an all basil pesto. I've also substituted all spinach which works great as well. I only used about half the batch in the 12 oz pasta. Use this as a substitute for mayo or mustard for a great sandwich.

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Kale and Basil Pesto

made by cathy's kitchen journey
adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance




ingredients:

• 1/4 cup toasted nuts (I used walnuts)
• 2 cups, packed baby kale
• 1 cup, packed basil
• 3 large cloves garlic
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 tsp lemon juice (half a lemon)
• 1/4-1/3 cup olive oil

directions:

1. Combine all ingredients (except olive oil) in food processor and blend together.
2. Slowly pour in olive oil into the feeding tube while continuing to blend until desired consistency.
3. Serve with pasta or spread on bread in place of mayo!
4. To store leftovers, portion out the pesto into ice cube trays. Once frozen, pop out and place in a freezer bag. Defrost and use as desired.

Yield: ~1 1/2 cup

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Gingered Kale and Bok Choy

I swear that Gary changes is mind about foods every other day. One day, we saw a Vitamix demo at Whole Foods. The guy doing the demo made a green smoothie with all kinds of fruits and kale. He thought it tasted good. Meanwhile, I've tried to give him a green monster smoothie a while back and he didn't like it.

So fast forward to the present, I decided to pick up some kale for smoothies, or just to eat. I told him I would make a smoothie, but he didn't want any part of that! Of course, I mentioned that he liked it before, and he even likes the Bolthouse bottled ones as well as the Naked Juices, but NO!

OK, fine. I decided to find another way to use up the kale and found this recipe. It's a simple and quick stir-fried veggie dish that is similar to how I am used to frying vegetables, in a wok! I've used ginger with mushrooms, and I usually use garlic to stirfry vegetables. I don't know why I didn't think of stir frying the veggies in ginger too!

I had all the ingredients on hand. I omitted the cilantro since I'm not a huge fan. I've started to like it in certain dishes, but I wasn't sure how it would taste in this. I also added some almonds as a garnish for extra crunch.

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Gingered Kale and Bok Choy

made by cathy's kitchen journey
adapted from All the Good Blog Names are Taken




ingredients:

• 1 big handful baby kale, roughly chopped into 1" pieces
• 5 heads baby bok choy or shanghai bok choy, roughly chopped into 1" pieces
• 1 TBSP canola oil
• 1 TBSP minced ginger
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• salt to taste
• slivered almonds for garnish (optional)

directions:

1. Clean and rinse the vegetables thoroughly to get the sand out. Roughly chop into 1" pieces.
2. In a hot wok, add the oil and heat. Add ginger and mix continuously for 30 seconds.
3. Add the vegetables, mix with the wok spatula until they're vibrant green, 1-2 minutes.
4. Add a few sprinkles of salt, and soy sauce. Mix for another 2-3 minutes.
5. Transfer vegetables to a bowl and top with slivered almonds.

Yield: 3-4 servings

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Vegan Stuffed Shells

As I mentioned earlier. Gary really missed stuffed shells. While I made the lasagna with the filling, he still wanted stuffed shells. I decided to make it since I wanted to try out the filling with the spinach.

I found it really weird that Gary has never mentioned anything about stuffed shells in the 6 years we've lived together. That might be one of the reasons I've never made before, but I digress.

Although the original said to scoop 2 TBSP of filling in each shell, I found that to be a bit much. I used a medium cookie scoop, which was about 1 TBSP of filling. It made it a lot easier to fill as well. Even doing that, I still have some shells left over. You can save them and serve with sauce or use them in another recipe.

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Vegan Stuffed Shells

made by cathy's kitchen journey
adapted from PBS Food




ingredients:

• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 16-oz block extra firm tofu
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 TBSP nutritional yeast
• 1 10-oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 1 box jumbo shells (about 25 shells)
• 1 24-26 oz jar marinara sauce

directions:

1. Drain the tofu and pat dry with paper towels, lightly squeeze out extra water. Crumble into the bowl of a food processor or high-speed blender along with olive oil, salt, oregano, garlic and nutritional yeast. Process on high until smooth and “ricotta-like”.
2. Transfer mixture to a bowl and mix in the defrosted spinach to the blended tofu mixture.
3. Cook shells in boiling salted water until el dente. Drain, and add cold water to so it's easier to handle.
4. Preheat oven to 350° F. Pour about ½ cup pasta sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan. Using a medium cookie scoop, stuff shells with 1-2 T of filling and place in pan, seam side down. Repeat until all shells have been stuffed. (I had leftover shells)
5. Pour remaining pasta sauce over shells, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Yield: 6-8 servings

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Vegan Zucchini Lasagna

When I first saw this recipe for the tofu ricotta, I knew it would be a winner. I've used tofu as a ricotta replacement before, and it worked very well. However, at that time, I didn't have as much knowledge I have now about tofu.

I've always been a fan of tofu, but I never really knew the difference between firm or silken or whatnot. I just ate anything my mom fed me. Now that I have to find dairy alternatives, I have to be creative in what I use. This tofu ricotta worked out beautifully and you really wouldn't believe it's vegan until I tell you.

Gary had a hankering for stuffed shells earlier in the week. Lucky for him, I had this recipe in my back pocket and I was already planning on making it. He thought the filling was perfect for shells, and of course it worked well in lasagna too, as I first thought when I saw this. Try this, and I bet you won't miss the cheese either!

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Vegan Zucchini Lasagna

made by cathy's kitchen journey
tofu "ricotta" adapted from PBS Food




ingredients:

• 9 lasagna noodles
• 1 block (16 oz) firm or extra firm tofu, drained
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 TBSP nutritional yeast
• 1 large zucchini, peeled and slice lengthwise
• 1 24 oz jar marinara sauce
• vegan cheese (optional)
• vegan parmesan (optional)

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water, then boil lasagna noodles for 10 minutes. Once done, drain and add cold water.
2. In a food processor, blend the tofu, oil, salt, oregano, garlic and nutritional yeast until smooth and the consistency of ricotta.
3. Peel and slice the zucchini lengthwise with a mandolin. 
4. In a 9x13 baking dish, add 1/2 cup of the sauce.
5. Pat dry 3 lasagna noodles and add to the pan. Spread half the tofu mixture (you might have to use your hands), then layer with half the zucchini, overlapping slightly.
6. Add 1/2 cup sauce then layer with 3 more noodles, the remaining tofu, and the remaining zucchini. Then top with another 1/2 cup sauce.
7. Top with remaining 3 noodles, then pour the remaining sauce on top.
8. Cover the pan loosely with foil, then bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.
9. During the last 5 minutes, top with cheese and sprinkle with parmesan if desired.
10. Let rest for 5 minutes. Run a knife through to cut into 9 even pieces.

Yield: 9 servings

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Potato Sausage Breakfast Scramble

Most weekends, I try to make something new for breakfast or dinner. I don't have much time on weeknights, so it's my time to experiment. Sometimes recipes fail, but this one was definitely a success.

I received this breakfast scramble for the recipe swap and I knew Gary would love it too. We're huge fans of potatoes (the theme of the swap) as well as the eggs and sausage. We've made similar breakfasts using the same type of ingredients, but I don't recall ever scrambling everything together.

Since we don't eat pork, I used some fresh turkey sausages for this. The links I bought were in a 1lb package, so I used half. I also used two potatoes instead of one, well, because one just didn't seem like enough. In the end, Gary asked for more, so this was definitely a hit!

Remember to check out Sarah's blog for the full roundup of potato recipes, including my submission of sweet potato chili! Yes, sweet potato counts!

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Potato Sausage Breakfast Scramble

recipe by cathy's kitchen journey
adapted from Cooking for Fun




ingredients:

• 1 TBSP oil
  
• 8 oz turkey sausages, casings removed
  
• 2 potatoes
  
• 1 small onion, diced
  
• 3 eggs, beaten
  
• salt and pepper to taste
  
• shredded cheese, optional
  

directions:

1. In a large skillet over medium high heat, add oil and brown sausage, breaking it up as it cooks.
2. Add potatoes and onion to the pan, and add a splash of water. Cover and cook about 10 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
3. Move sausage and potato mixture to one side, add egg to the empty side of the pan and scramble. Gradually mix into the sausage mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. If adding cheese, add now and cover until melted. Transfer to bowls and serve.

Yield: 2 servings

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Crockpot Turkey Sausage Wheatberry Soup

The day I decided to make this, I had a pack of sweet Italian turkey sausages thawed and ready to go from the night before. We ended up going over to my parents that night, so I had to use it or it would end up as trash. I hate to waste food, and since I had gone grocery shopping the day before to stock up on some staples, I had plenty of vegetables to use up. It was so easy to prep and prepare, and I love that I went out and came home to a dinner ready to eat!

A while back, I heard about wheatberries and its many benefits. Since Gary started liking quinoa, I decided to make a hearty soup using this other superfood. Since this is packed with protein and fiber, it's a great addition to this soup. It had a nice texture and blended in nicely. Although I thought it was just enough, Gary wanted to add even more wheatberries next time around.

Once again, Branny Boils Over is hosting a Souperbowl, and all soup entries each earn $1 to the ASPCA. Hurry up and make a soup recipe and send it over! The deadline is 1/31/12!

This year I'm dedicating my recipe to Matt. This little guy was found wandering around and causing traffic on the freeway until Gary's sister found him and brought him in. Check out the crazy before and after and what a little TLC does!

After a few weeks, nobody claimed him and he had nowhere to go. My sister in law already had 2 dogs, one which is a shih tzu as well. Luckily, Gary's other sister and her family came to the rescue and took him in. They named him Matt, because his hair was so matted when they first found him. He's great with the kids, and very protective of the family.

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Crockpot Turkey Sausage Wheatberry Soup

a cathy's kitchen journey original recipe





ingredients:

• 3 TBSP olive oil, divided
• 1.25 lb sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 3 small bay leaves
• 3/4 cup wheatberries, rinsed and drained (to sub rice or quinoa, add during the last hour of cooking)
• 4 cups water

directions:

1. In a hot skillet on medium-high heat, add 2 TBSP oil. Crumble and brown the sausage until no longer pink in the middle. Drain the fat and transfer to a 3-4qt crockpot. In the same skillet, add the remaining 1 TBSP oil, and sweat out the onions. Remove from heat and transfer onions to crockpot.
2. Combine the rest of the ingredients into the crockpot and stir slightly.
3. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until wheatberries are cooked through.
4. Remove bay leaves, stir well to mix evenly, then serve.

Yield: 4-6 servings

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Tofu and Broccoli with Peanut Sauce

Happy New Year!

Here's to a new year, and a new you! I don't really make resolutions, but if I had to make one, it would be to eat healthier, less meat, and more whole foods. I've already started doing that, but I will continue to do so this year.

One of the things I've started reading up on and cooking is vegan meals. We've had a few good recipes for breakfast that are vegan, but we don't really have many vegan dinners. This meal was great because not only was it vegan, it was tasty and filling as well!

I made the mistake of using a stainless steel pan for this. I guess I missed the part about using nonstick! The tofu stuck a little and the sauce burned off a little. Next time I make this, I will definitely use a nonstick pan.

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Tofu and Broccoli with Peanut Sauce

recipe by cathy's kitchen journey
adapted from Vegan Yum Yum, as seen on Made Just Right




ingredients:

• 1 block extra firm tofu, pressed, cut into small squares
• 1 TBSP canola or peanut oil
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp mirin

peanut dressing:

• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 TBSP sugar
• 1 TBSP soy sauce
• 1 TBSP seasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tsp hot chili oil (I omitted)
• pinch of salt

for serving:

• steamed broccoli
• 1 grated carrot
• cooked rice
• crushed peanuts (optional)

directions:

1. Whisk sauce ingredients in a small bowl until smooth (be patient, it’ll look curdle at first then smooth out) and set aside.
2. Fry tofu in the oil over high heat in a non-stick skillet until browned on both sides. Drain and return to hot pan (turn off the heat). Mix soy sauce and mirin together and pour over tofu, mixing well. It will bubble up and form a light glaze.
3. Plate rice, add broccoli, tofu, carrot, and crushed peanuts. Drizzle with sauce and serve.

Yield: 2 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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Spaghetti Squash Bolognese

When I first came up with this, I was originally going to mix in some spaghetti so I didn't totally shock Gary when there was no pasta. However, I ran out of spaghetti, so left it as all squash. To my surprise, Gary actually liked it. When I told him all these vegetables were in them, he was surprised as well. I did a good job hiding them! He enjoyed it and gobbled it up even though he knew all these different vegetables were in the dish.

So I wasn't planning blogging it. It didn't seem too intriguing, but I took a picture anyway and Gary encouraged me to blog it. It was a half-assed quick pic, so please ignore the craptastic photo above. I guarantee it's quite tasty indeed. I was also super hungry from the time change (an hour really throws everything off!) and couldn't wait any longer to eat. I wasn't sure what I would call this, so since the meat sauce is similar to a bolognese style sauce, that's what I ended up naming it.

If you have some fresh basil or parsley, I would suggest adding that as well. Although this dish was tasty, it was missing a fresh ingredient garnish.

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Spaghetti Squash Bolognese

ingredients:
1 small spaghetti squash (3-4 lbs)
1 TBSP olive oil
salt and pepper

2 TBSP canola oil
1 small onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
2 stalks celery hearts, finely chopped
3/4 lb ground turkey
1 cup baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce (I used a tomato basil)

directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Line a sheet pan with foil, and lightly spray with oil. Cut the squash in half lengthwise, and scoop out seeds. Place the squash cut side down and bake in oven for 1 hour. Allow to cool slightly before handling.

Meanwhile, on medium-high heat, add 2 TBSP oil. Sweat the onion, garlic, carrot, and celery for 10 minutes. Add turkey and cook until no longer pink while breaking it down with a wooden spoon. Add mushrooms and cook for another minute. Add sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Using a fork, scrape the spaghetti squash into a large bowl. Toss in 1 TBSP olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer the meat mixture to the bowl and toss together to combine. Serve hot.

Makes 4 servings.

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Veggie Loaded Turkey Meatloaf

As I was making the chocolate zucchini cake, I shredded a bit too much zucchini. Gary came home with some ground turkey so I decided to use the rest of what I had in this meatloaf.

We rarely eat meatloaf, but Gary for some reason wanted after seeing the meatloaf pan on an infomercial. So I have my fair share of unitaskers, but this one was something I would NOT get! I have two loaf pans and they're already rarely used, so getting another one was out of the question!

I think this meatloaf turned out great. Leftovers were even great as a sandwich! Gary thought it could have used a little bit more salt, but it was fine for me. So if you like things a little bit saltier, you might want to add more. This is definitely a great way to use up some leftover summer vegetables!

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Veggie Loaded Turkey Meatloaf
sauce adapted from allrecipes.com

ingredients:
1.5 lb ground turkey (the pack we bought was 1.3 lb)
1 medium zucchini, grated about (1 cup grated, more or less)
1 large carrot, grated
1 egg
1/2 cup panko
1/2 tsp salt (more or less to taste)
1/4 tsp black pepper
2-3 dashes worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup ketchup
2 TBSP brown sugar
1 TBSP brown mustard

directions:
Preheat oven to 375°. Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray (not necessary if using nonstick)

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for the loaf (turkey through worcestershire sauce). Shape into a loaf and press into loaf pan.

Bake in preheated oven for about 50 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 160°.

While baking, prepare sauce. Spread sauce over top of the loaf, and put back into oven for another 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice and serve as sandwiches or with sides of your choice.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Chocolate Buttercream

You would never have known that this innocent looking chocolate cake would be chock full of vegetables!

For my mom's birthday, I decided to make this chocolate zucchini cake. I purchased some zucchini because I had plans on making chocolate chip cookies with them. I didn't make them yet, but since I was going to need to use them up, I made this cake. I figured if carrot cake is one of my faves, why not zucchini!

This cake came out beautifully and nobody knew there were hidden vegetables inside! My little cousins ate up big slices and gobbled it up just like any old chocolate cake! However, I'm not saying this is a healthy cake, since it does have a lot of oil in it! I originally intended to use some applesauce in place of some oil, but I noticed it was already expired, (whoops). I also don't know what the nutritional value of the zucchini ends up being after it's baked into a cake.

Even after I mixed in the eggs and oil, I thought the batter looked a little stiff, almost cookie batter-like. However after I folded in the zucchini, it was fine and easily pour-able. I used my food processor to grate the zucchini, and I did not squeeze out any liquid.

I did change this from a bundt cake recipe to a layer cake one. I omitted the nuts since I didn't have any on hand. For the frosting, I reduced the amount of sugar by 1/4 cup from the original recipe.

*note: this is tagged as dairy free, as the cake itself is dairy free. For a dairy free/vegan chocolate frosting option, see this cupcake recipe.

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Chocolate Zucchini Cake
cake adapted from allrecipes.com
frosting adapted from More from Magnolia

ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil (or replace some with applesauce)
3 cups grated zucchini (about 2 medium)

9 oz semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled to lukewarm
3 sticks (1.5 cups) unsalted butter, softened
2 TBSP milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

directions: 
bake the cake: 
Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C). Grease and flour two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the eggs and oil, mix well. Fold in zucchini until it is evenly distributed. Pour into the prepared pans.

Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to wire racks and cool cake completely before frosting.

prepare frosting: 
In a medium saucepan bring an inch of water to a boil. Reduce heat to low to simmer. Place chocolate in a glass or heat proof bowl over the simmering water and mix to melt the chocolate. Once all the chocolate is melted, remove from heat, set aside and let cool to room temperature, 5-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, on medium speed beat butter in an electric mixer for 3 minutes until smooth and creamy.

Slowly pour in milk and continue to beat for 2 minutes. Add vanilla and beat for 3 more minutes. Add in powdered sugar in small increments and beat at low speed until it reaches the desired consistency.

Frost cake as desired.

Quinoa with Black Beans and Mixed Vegetables

 

For some reason, I always thought I’ve tried quinoa before…but apparently I haven’t. I’ve always mistaken it for couscous. I guess it’s an honest mistake, since they’re both of similar size, and I’ve never really seen quinoa before. I’ve been hearing so much about this super food, that I wanted to try it for myself.

We usually have rice to accompany our meals, which is natural to us since we grew up doing that. Other than pasta, we’ve never really ventured out of our little box in the grain department. I’m glad I tried this. Quinoa has a sort of nutty taste to it, and a texture that sort of pops in your mouth. It’s hard to explain, so it’s best you try it for yourself if you haven’t.

I boiled the quinoa in chicken broth to give it a little more flavor, but you can definitely use water or vegetable broth to keep it vegan. I’m a huge fan of using shortcuts such as canned beans and frozen vegetables. I think it helps a lot when it comes to easy meals. The frozen vegetables I used contains peas, carrots, green beans, and corn.

This was a great first attempt at making quinoa and having a different grain as a side. I can’t wait to try it again! Gary enjoyed this as well, but in the end he suggested using the bean and vegetable mixture in rice. Well…I guess you really can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but as long as I’m making dinner, he’ll eat it :).

Quinoa with Black Beans and Mixed Vegetables
a Cathy original!

 printable recipe

ingredients:
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock or water for vegan)
2 TBSP oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables (or an equivalent amount of fresh)
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
salt and pepper to taste

directions:
Rinse and drain quinoa. Add quinoa and chicken stock in a 1.5 quart sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, add oil to a pan on medium-high heat. Add in onion, garlic, vegetables and beans and cook for about 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally to mix.  Cook until vegetables are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.

Add the quinoa to the large pan of vegetables and mix well, adding more salt and pepper as needed.

Serve 4 as a side.

My Twist on Sloppy Joes

When I was a kid, I don’t think I ever had a sloppy joe. If you think I was deprived, of course not. I grew  up eating homemade Chinese food. On rare occasions, we would order pizza. The only times I would probably see American food was during lunch at school. Even then, I wasn’t a fan of sloppy joes, beef patties, or stuff with ground meat. Heck, I was the one that ate only the jelly half of the pb and j sandwiches, but I digress.

The other day, I saw an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay, and it featured sloppy joes. After I saw it, I really wanted a sloppy joe, but I remembered I’ve never really had one. His recipe was a bit too complicated, and I decided to make one up, my way. It was my way to incorporate vegetables and other stuff Gary wouldn’t otherwise eat.  I originally wanted to use kidney beans, but I didn’t have any in the pantry. I ended up using small white beans, which worked out very well.

Sloppy Joes with Beans
a Cathy original!

 printable recipe

ingredients:
2 TBSP canola oil
1/2 lb ground turkey
1 small onion, quartered
3 cloves garlic
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
2 stalks celery, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 (15 oz) can small white beans, drained and rinsed
1 TBSP tomato paste
3/4 cup honey bbq sauce
1 TBSP chili powder

directions:
In a food processor, add in onion, garlic, carrots, and celery and grind for about 5-7 seconds, or until all the pieces are uniform. Or, you can dice them up into small bits. Drain and rinse beans.

In a hot pan on medium high heat, add in oil. Add in ground turkey, and cook until no longer pink.

Add vegetables and beans to the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in tomato paste and barbeque sauce. Stir to coat thoroughly. Add in chili powder to taste. Stir to coat evenly and let cook for another minute or 2.

Scoop onto burger buns and serve.

Makes 4 sandwiches.

Butternut Potato Soup

Every once in  a while I would pick up a butternut squash from BJ’s. It’s usually pretty expensive from the supermarket, even when on sale, so I normally wouldn’t get it there. I was thinking about making a butternut squash soup because I’ve had it in the past and really liked it.

Usually it does contain heavy cream or some kind of dairy, so I tried to find one that didn’t, but would still be creamy. I didn’t really find one I liked, so I decided to wing it. I was initially going to add a little bit of cornstarch or flour to thicken, but Gary suggested using potatoes instead. I thought it would work, so I added that in. It worked pretty well, and since we’re both huge fans of potatoes, it tasted very good as well.

One of my fellow food bloggers is also on a mission for soup recipes. Branny will be donating $1 to the ASPCA for every soup recipe she receives for her Charity Souper Bowl. This post is dedicated to Gary’s dog, Humphrey. This was him way back in 2004 when we got him.

  

He was so tiny….he’s probably around 120lbs now and still thinks he’s a little puppy! And look how much Gary has changed over the years too! He has hair!

Butternut Potato Soup

 printable recipe

ingredients:
1 medium butternut squash (about 3 lbs)
2 TBSP Earth Balance butter (or regular butter)
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 potatoes, diced
4 cups chicken stock (or sub vegetable stock for vegan)
nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

directions:
Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a shallow baking sheet with foil. Spray with cooking spray. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Place the squash flat side down on the foil lined sheet and roast in oven for about 30 minutes or until fork tender.

Meanwhile, dice up onion, carrots, celery, and potatoes. In a dutch oven on medium heat, melt the butter, then add in diced vegetables and allow to cook until tender, about 10 minutes.

Remove squash from oven. Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh, then discard the skin. Add squash to pot and stir. Add in chicken stock, stir, cover and bring to a boil.

Using an immersion blender, blend until desired consistency. Add a dash of nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste.

Makes about 4-6 servings, about 2 quarts of soup.

Ginger Mushrooms

I just want to say this is probably one of the easiest side dishes I’ve ever made. A few years ago, I asked my sister what she usually did with mushrooms. She told me that she sometimes sautéed it with ginger and soy sauce. That’s it? Yes, that’s it! Hmm…I thought that was simple enough for a novice cook like me. Even I couldn’t mess it up. I tried it, and it was so easy! I couldn’t believe that with just 4 ingredients, I can have a simple side dish to go with pretty much anything.

I haven’t made it in  a while, but it was so simple that it’s easy enough to remember all these years. This time around, I thought a slight addition of ground pepper would work, and it did, but it tastes great without it as well.

Ginger Mushrooms

printable recipe

ingredients:
1 10 oz package baby bella mushrooms, sliced
2 thumb sized pieces of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 TBSP oil
2 TBSP soy sauce
freshly ground pepper (optional)

directions:
In a shallow pan, heat oil. Add ginger and sauté for a 30 seconds.

Add sliced mushrooms and continue to mix for 2 minutes.

Add in soy sauce, and cook until tender, about 2-3 minutes. Add ground pepper to taste.

Remove from heat and serve.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Recently, Gary has had some free time on his hands (read: he’s no longer employed), so he decided to use some of his time productively. He decided he wanted to experiment in the kitchen. He started out with Martin Yan’s quick and easy cookbook (recipe post to come soon), and he started looking through The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook written by Jaden Hair from Steamy Kitchen. He’s made a few recipes from the cookbook already, and they’ve been great so far. I think it’s very well written, and the instructions are clear for someone who is beginning in the kitchen. Her recipes also remind me of things I ate growing up at home. I think I need to start asking my mom how she made all those thing I used to love eating as well…

One of the first recipes Gary tried out was this sweet and sour chicken recipe. Sweet and sour chicken is one of our favorite things to order at the local fast food places, but the deep fried greasiness isn’t so great all the time. As Jaden said, this recipe is a great lightened up version of the fast food favorite.

I was pretty bummed when Gary told me he was making this because I ended up working late that night. So instead of eating it right after it was made, I ended up eating it for lunch the next day. I asked him to take a picture for me, so this is what he got.

Other than the fact that Gary used half a 20 oz can of crushed pineapple instead of cutting up the can of rings that were in the pantry, he pretty much stayed true to the original recipe.

Sweet and Sour Chicken
adapted from: Steamy Kitchen via Simply Recipes

printable recipe

ingredients:
1 pound of boneless and skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1" chunks
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (1/4 teaspoon table salt)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 10-ounce can pineapple chunks (reserve juice)
1/4 cup juice from the canned pineapple
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (1/4 teaspoon table salt)
2-3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cooking oil
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

directions:
In a bowl, combine the chicken with the egg white, salt and cornstarch. Stir to coat the chicken evenly. Let sit for 15 minutes at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.

In the meantime, whisk together the pineapple juice, vinegar, ketchup, salt, and brown sugar.

Heat a large frying pan or wok over high heat until a bead of water instantly sizzles and evaporates. Pour in the 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and swirl to coat. It's important that the pan is very hot. Add the chicken and spread the chicken out in one layer. Let the chicken fry, untouched for 1 minute, until the bottoms are browned. Flip and fry the other side the same for 1 minute. The chicken should still be pinkish in the middle. Dish out the chicken onto a clean plate, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible.

Turn the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 teaspoon of cooking oil. Let the oil heat up and then add the bell pepper chunks and ginger. Fry for 1 minute. Add the pineapple chunks and the sweet and sour sauce. Turn the heat to high and when the sauce is simmering, add the chicken pieces back in. Let simmer for 1-2 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Timing depends on how thick you've cut your chicken. The best way to tell if the chicken is done is to take a piece out and cut into it. If it's pink, add another minute to the cooking.

Taste the sauce and add more brown sugar if you’d like.

Serves 4.