Lentil Taco Filling

We love tacos in our house and eat them at least once a week. We have done everything from black bean and butternut squash, to Thai tofu and most recently we have been hooked on the Minimalist Bakers quinoa taco filling.

The plan was to serve the quinoa filling but I realized that afternoon that I was out of quinoa and so was the grocery store, oh the joys of small town life.

I am actually glad we were out of quinoa because it forced me to use what we had on hand and we came up with these babies. Be sure to save a little of the lentil mixture for nachos another night. We topped our nachos with some cashew queso that my husband raved over.

For the Lentil Taco Filling:
1 c green lentils
2 c broth
1 portabello mushroom, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
1 la Cucina taco seasoning packet or what ever your favorite taco seasoning happens to be.



Cook lentils in 2 cups of broth for 30-35 minutes leaving them a bit chewy. Set aside lentils and remaining broth.

Meanwhile dice veggies and saute in large sauce pan. When veggies are almost done but still crisp add in lentils with broth and taco seasoning. Cook until broth has been absorbed and lentils are soft but not mushy. Serve in tortillas and toppings of your choice.

MMM...Nachos...

Jalapeno Popper Stuffed French Toast Waffles

Jalapeno Popper Stuffed French Toast Waffles... WHAT!?!

That's right. When the five year old said he wanted breakfast for dinner tonight I jumped right on it. He is going through one of those fun phases where he won't eat anything, except eel sushi (I know, right?) and mac and cheese.

I'm not a huge fan of breakfast, give me a protein shake or a kind breakfast bar any day, and I'm even less inclined to eat the usual sweet breakfast fare, but I wanted to accommodate my picky eater.

So off to Pinterest I went and found a recipe for french toast waffles. Bingo! My big kid loves waffles, but how could I turn this into something the hubs and I would eat.

I love jalapeno poppers and since you can turn cream cheese, jalapenos, and bacon into a filling for almost anything, why not french toast. 

We made a basic version of french toast for the kid, eggs, milk, cinnamon and sugar and dipped slices of bread into the egg mixture and cooked on the waffle maker. In a separate bowl we mixed the eggs for our adult breakfast for dinner and everyone was happy. 

For the filling:

4 oz Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 C shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 Jalapenos
3 Green Onions
2 pieces Bacon, crumbled

For the french toast:
8 pieces of Sourdough Bread
8 Eggs
1/3 C Milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and roast jalapenos for 15 minutes, turning them halfway through.
Meanwhile start cooking bacon (you know you want to cook extra to go with your waffles) and mix together 2 pieces of crumbled bacon with cream cheese, cheddar, and green onions. When jalapenos are finished cooking cut into medium sized pieces, and add either half or all the jalapeno depending on the spice level. 

Spread filling on 4 pieces of bread and top with remaining slices. Heat up waffle maker. 

Mix 4 eggs and milk with salt and pepper in a pie plate. Dip sandwiches into egg mixture and cook on waffle maker. Place done sandwiches in oven to keep warm. when sandwiches are done cook remaining four eggs sunny side up. Serve on top of  your jalapeno popper stuffed french toast. 

Shredded BBQ...sweet potatoes?!?!?

I love BBQ but when we are not eating meat it can be a tough craving to satisfy. I try not to use a lot of the meat replacement products because they are so highly processed. I came across this idea a few weeks ago but when I first attempted it I cooked it in a skillet it stuck to the pan and made a huge mess. It absorbed so much oil as I tried fruitlessly to keep it from sticking. I loved the concept of sweet potatoes as a shredded meat replacement and truth be told I just LOVE sweet potatoes, so I decided to give it another shot.  Baking the shredded sweet potatoes in the oven with just a spray of oil on either a silpat or parchment paper worked great. Nothing stuck and I was free to prep the rest of dinner while they baked. We served our shredded BBQ Sweet Potato Sliders with Kale Slaw and a few red onion slices that I tossed in a bit of vinegar while everything cooked.
Serves 2 hungry adults

Ingredients:
2 small Sweet Potatoes

1/2 C BBQ sauce

Spray oil, I used spectrum organic grape seed oil
Buns for Serving

Preheat oven to 400. Grate both sweet potatoes on the large side of the grater. Spread out grated potatoes on a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Spray with a little oil, bake for about 15 minutes, flip potatoes and spray with more oil. Bake another 15 minutes. While potatoes are baking heat BBQ sauce in a small sauce pan. Toss cooked sweet potato in BBQ sauce and serve on Buns. 

Tofu Bahn Yum-Mi

I have seen the Bahn Mi sandwiches popping up everywhere lately but had yet to try this sweet, salty, tangy, crunchy, delight. All I can say about this sandwich is YUM! It has it all! I know this recipe will be making a regular appearance on the menu. We decided to bake the tofu in this recipe because we were making Roasted Cauliflower with Bang Bang Sauce as a side but you could fry or grill the tofu if you wish. Most recipes call for a Sriracha Mayo on the Bahn Mi but my latest obsession is Trader Joes Green Dragon Sauce and it was the perfect compliment to the ingredients in this sandwich. 

Serves 4

15 oz Extra Firm Tofu

2 Tbs Soy Sauce

1 Tbs Toasted Sesame Oil

1/2 tsp Garlic, granulated

1/2 tsp Ginger, powdered

1/3 C Rice Vinegar

1/4 C Sugar

1/2 Cucumber, thinly sliced

1 Bell Pepper, thinly sliced 

2 Carrots, grated

1/2 Red Onion, thinly sliced

1 Jalapeño, thinly sliced 

1/2 C Cilantro leaves

1/2 C Just Mayo or Veganaise (if vegan)

Sriracha or Trader Joes Green Dragon sauce, to taste

2 crusty baguettes, split and cut into 4" lengths

Slice tofu into 1/2 inch thick rectangles (about 8 slices). Place slices on a few paper towels, top with more paper towels and then a cutting board or sheet pan. Place something heavy on top, I use cookbooks or a gallon of water to help press out the moisture for about 30 minutes. In a shallow dish combine soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and ginger. When tofu has been pressed place the tofu in the dish coating each side. Let marinade at least 30 minutes or overnight, if you want to prepare it in advance. 

Next combine rice vinegar and sugar in a medium sized bowl, stirring until sugar dissolves. Then add in the grated carrots, sliced cucumber, bell pepper and onion. Let sit at least 30 minutes. (This mixture is good in the fridge for a week or more.)

Preheat oven to 400 and bake tofu for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. Alternately tofu can be fried in a skillet over medium heat with a bit of oil for about 3 minutes per side. 

While tofu is cooking mix mayo with Sriracha or Green Dragon Sauce, use as much or as little as you like to add heat.

Drain marinade off veggies, set aside.

To build sandwiches spread a little of the mayo mixture on both sides of bread. Top one side with jalapeños, slice of tofu, vegetable mixture, and a sprinkle of cilantro and top with other half of bread. 

BBQ Veggie and Chickpea Pitas

Sometimes I get ahead of myself. I cooked up a big batch of beans the other day with plans of making hummus, but I forgot we didn't have tahini. Last night we still had a ton of Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) in the fridge after making Fried Chickpea and Spinach Pitas with Creamy Yogurt Sauce the night before. I really didn't feel like making anything exotic so we threw together this stupid easy filling for wraps. The beauty of this recipe is that it can be adapted to any old veggies you have in your fridge. You could swap out the zucchini with bell peppers, mushrooms, cooked sweet potato chunks, winter squash, asparagus, you get the idea. We used this as a fridge cleaner since we also had a jar of homemade BBQ sauce from last week and Pitas from the night before. Sometimes you just need an easy dinner that you can feel good about.

:

Serves 2-3
For the filling:

2 C Chickpeas, or One 15 oz can of drained Chickpeas

1/2 Zucchini, quartered and chopped

1/2 Yellow Squash, quartered and chopped

4 C Greens (Spinach, Kale, Chard, whatever)

1 C of your favorite BBQ Sauce

2 Tbs of Oil

Tortillas or Pitas for serving 

You can even top it with a sprinkle of Blue Cheese if you please!

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Toss in veggies and cook until softened. Add chickpeas to brown. Toss in greens and bbq sauce, cover with lid and cook until greens are wilted and sauce is heated. Serve in rolled up tortillas or pita bread with a sprinkle of cheese if desired.

BBQ Pockets with Cornmeal Pizza Dough

Yesterday we made Cornmeal Pizza Crust so tonight we are doing a leftover-makeover with our BBQ Pork from Saturday night and pairing it with our Cornmeal Pizza Crust dough to make BBQ pockets. Hot Pockets are one of those things that we haven't had in years due to the quality of ingredients. I've made a few fails when trying to replicate the hand held pocket because I've over filled the dough or used a bread dough that didn't quite hold up. These were a hit! Even the toddler got in on the fun and helped out.

BBQ Pockets:
1/2 of Cornmeal Pizza Dough Recipe
About 2 Cups of leftover BBQ







If dough was made in advance, let dough come to room temperature (about an hour). Roll dough out into a large rectangle about a 1/4 inch thick.

Cut rectangle into four equal portions, trimming if necessary to get clean-ish rectangles. 

Place about a half a cup of BBQ at one end of each rectangle leaving a half inch border.

Place a little water in a small bowl and dip fingers into water and run your finger around the edge of the dough where the filling is.
You don't want to wet the entire edge or it won't stick together well.














 Fold dough over filling and pinch edges to create a seal.

Place pockets on a cookie sheet lined with a SILPAT or parchment paper. Cut a couple of small slits in each one. Cover with a towel and let rise about 25 minutes while you let oven preheat to 400 degrees. Bake 15-20 minutes until browned.

BBQ Meatless Loaf

I have experimented with many a meatless burger, loaf, meatball over the years and have not found many that stuck together well and had flavor. This recipe delivered on both counts. We used Trader Joe's Organic Sriracha and Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce on ours but you could use whatever Barbeque Sauce you like. We served it with a super simple side dish of roasted carrots that were topped with a bit of Parmesan cheese and fresh basil after they came out of the oven. This loaf was even good cold as a sandwich the next day!

BBQ Meatless Loaf
Serves 6

1 Tbs Oil

1 Onion, diced

2 Clove Garlic, finely chopped 

1 C Red Bell Pepper, diced

8 oz Crimini Mushrooms, diced

2 Cans Black Beans, drained

2 Tbs Chili Powder, salt free

2 tsp Smoked Paprika 

1 C Oatmeal

4 Tbs Trader Joes Sriracha and Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce or your favorite BBQ sauce

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large skillet over medium heat saute onion, garlic, red bell pepper and mushrooms in oil until soft. Stir in spices then mix in beans. Mix about half of the oatmeal and mash mixture with back of spoon or potato masher adding in oats until you get a doughy consistency that starts to stick together.

Line a loaf pan with parchment paper for easy removal of the loaf. Press bean mixture into pan and cover with BBQ Sauce.

Bake for about 30 minutes. Remove from pan, slice and enjoy!

Vegetable & Lentil Bolognese

There is an awesome recipe for lentil meatballs that we have been making for a while (and I linked it here) and I was actually planning on making tonight but things don't always work out as planned. The toddler has been in rare form today and there was no way I was pulling off the meatball recipe so I improvised. I can't give exact times for how long I sautéed everything because I was busy playing firefighter while making dinner. So embrace the craziness, crack open a bottle of red wine and make this recipe while saving the world. 

Vegetable and Lentil Bolognese

 Serves 8

1 C Lentils, Black or Green (red don't hold up well)

2 C Vegetable Broth 

1 Yellow Onion, finely diced

4 cloves Garlic, minced

8 oz Crimini Mushrooms, stems removed and diced

1 Zucchini, diced

1 C Red Wine, plus more for drinking!

1 Tbs Olive Oil 

2 tsp Oregano 

1 tsp Rosemary leaves 

1/5 tsp Thyme 

2 jars Pasta Sauce or 6 C homemade pasta sauce

Your preferred noodles for serving 

Cook lentils a few minutes less than package directions in vegetable broth to keep them firm. In a large skillet over medium low heat add olive oil and onion, cook until translucent. Add mushrooms and garlic continue cooking until onions begin to brown, then add zucchini. When zucchini is soft and onions are brown add spices, lentils and wine. Continue cooking until wine is absorbed. Add in jars of pasta sauce and serve over noodles. 
(This recipe freezes well so don't worry about making too much.)

Peasants Pie

 I didn't want to call this Vegetarian Shepard's Pie, Shepard's Pie has meat and this dish isn't trying to pretend to be something its not. Peasants Pie stands on its own with a rich gravy filled with sweet carrots and turnips, earthy mushrooms and garlic, topped with a slightly cheesy mash of baked sweet potato. 

Peasants Pie is a great Meatless Monday recipe that can be easily made Vegan with a few changes. If you are a strict vegan or vegetarian most Natural Food Stores carry a vegan Worcestershire sauce and you could sub out the Parmesan cheese for nutritional yeast. If you are just going for an easy yet hardy Meatless Monday dish forgo the trip to the store and just use what you have on hand. Sometimes ingredients can be hard to track down, especially if you live in a town as small as mine!

Ingredients:
1 Yellow Onion, diced

4 Cloves Garlic, minced

3 stalks of Celery, chopped

8 oz Crimini Mushrooms, sliced

2 Turnips (about the size of your fist), peeled and cubed

3 Carrots, peeled and sliced

1 Tbs Oil

2 tsp dried Thyme

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

2 Tbs Flour

1 1/2 to 2 C Vegetable Broth

2 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce 

1 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar 

For Topping:

2 medium Sweet Potatoes, baked

1/4 C freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

+2 Tbs freshly grated Parmesan Cheese for top

Preheat oven to 375. 

In a large skillet over medium heat oil, then add onions, garlic and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes then add in mushrooms cooking an additional 3 minutes before adding the carrots and turnips. Next add the thyme, pepper and flour stirring well and cooking until the flour starts to brown. Then slowly add in 1 1/2 C of the vegetable broth, scraping the pan to remove any browned bits from the bottom. Turn heat down to low and simmer for 15 minutes adding remaining 1/2 C of broth if gravy gets too thick. 

Meanwhile mash the cooked sweet potatoes with 1/4 C Parmesan Cheese. 

Pour vegetables and gravy into a deep pie dish or 8x8 pan. Spread potatoes over top of vegetable mixture and top with remaining Parmesan cheese and bake for 20 minutes.  

Mediterranean Turkey Meatballs

Today I needed some inspiration for the ground turkey I had in the fridge. I didn't want to just replace beef with turkey and make something boring like turkey tacos or chili, so when the hubby came home I asked him what sounding good tonight and he said Italian. I pulled all sorts of ingredients out of the fridge and decided a Mediterranean inspired meat ball was going to be on the menu tonight.

First of all do not use extra lean turkey unless you want a ball of sawdust in your mouth. Turkey is lean, some of the fat will cook off and in general we are always trying to add moisture to turkey meatballs, meat loaf and burgers. Speaking of extra moisture that's where the veggies come in. As the veggies cook they release moisture into the meat, that's a good thing. You know what's not good? Big chunks of raw veggies that make your meat ball, loaf, burger fall apart. That's why people think they need a binder ie; bread and eggs in meat balls.  PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! Do not add bread crumbs to these meatballs! They will be dry and taste like bread crumbs. Trust me, these babies hold together just fine as long as you chop everything VERY FINELY. That's why I repeat those instructions on every item. Follow these instructions and you will end up with moist, flavorful, not your everyday turkey meatballs.

Mediterranean Turkey Meatballs
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 Lb Ground Turkey (not extra lean)

1/2 small Yellow Onion, finely diced 

3 cloves Garlic, finely diced

2 Tbs Red Bell Pepper, finely diced

1 Tbs fresh Oregano, finely diced 

2 Tbs Feta Cheese, finely crumbled 

2 Tbs Kalamata Olives, finely diced

1/2 tsp Black Pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Roll meat mixture into balls. I made mine into 14 walnut sized balls. I grilled mine over medium heat on an oiled grill pan for about 12 minutes, flipping half way through. Yours may take more or less time depending on the size and cooking method. Keep a close eye to be sure they do not overcook and dry out.

We served our Mediterranean Turkey Meatballs on top of pasta with grilled zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms and kale with red sauce.

Spaghetti Squash with Caramelized Onions, Feta and Basil

Spaghetti Squash, my least favorite of the squash family. People are always trying to pass it off as spaghetti hidden under a store bought jar of marinara sauce, or worse a Bolognese both of which are too heavy for the delicate strands of spaghetti squash. This dish was created to celebrate the transition of Summer into Fall with tomatoes and basil from the Summer garden and onions and squash grown to be stored for the winter. Spaghetti squash certainly doesn't have much of a taste on its own so we have punched it up a bit with salty feta and kalamata olives as well as garlic roasted alongside the squash.

Spaghetti Squash with Caramelized Onions, Feta,
and Basil

Serves 4
1 Spaghetti Squash

2 cloves Garlic 

1 Yellow Onion, sliced

1 can Diced Tomatoes 

1 Tbs Olive Oil 

9 Kalamata Olives, chopped 

4 oz Feta Cheese, crumbled 

3 Tbs Basil, chiffonade

Preheat oven 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice spaghetti squash open lengthwise and scrape out seeds (I use an ice cream scoop). Place spaghetti squash cut side down on parchment lined baking sheet with cloves of garlic (unpeeled), bake 35-45 minutes. Squash is done when a sharp knife easily pierces the flesh. 

While squash and garlic cook, heat a saucepan over medium low, add in onion and oil stirring occasionally until onions start to caramelize.  When onions are caramelized add in tomatoes and simmer with lid on.

When squash and garlic are done, squeeze garlic out of peel, chop and scrape garlic into tomato sauce. Continue cooking the sauce while you prepare squash.

In a large bowl when squash is cool enough to handle, scrape the flesh with a fork to produce strands of squash noodles. Pour sauce over noodles and toss with fresh basil. Serve with a garnish of Feta and Kalamata Olives.

Approximately 225 Calories, 10 grams of Fat, 28 grams of Carbs, 6 grams of Fiber and 8 grams of Protein per serving. 

Cornmeal Pizza Crust

We probably make Pizza once a week. It's a easy dinner that will be a hit with the whole family, but we don't limit ourselves to just the traditional pie. We have a sourdough bbq pizza in our rotation, leftover corned beef and cabbage, roasted butternut squash and pecans with blue cheese, whatever we have leftover we've made into pizza. Recently someone mentioned taco pizza and while it sounded good I wanted to try a different sort of crust. This crust has a cornbread flavor with a slight crunch that makes it perfect for taco pizza, it would probably be good with BBQ or leftover chili as well.

Ingredients:

1/4 C Unsalted Butter

1 1/2 C Whole Milk

4 1/2 Tsp Active Dry Yeast

1 1/2 C Medium Grind Cornmeal

2 1/2 C Unbleached Flour, plus more for kneading *

2 Tbs Evaperated Cane Sugar

2 1/2 tsp Wheat Gluten

1 tsp Sea Salt

*(You could use Bread Flour instead and drop the extra gluten)

In a small saucepan melt butter, when melted add milk til warm but not hot. While butter is melting combine yeast, cornmeal, flour, sugar, gluten and salt in a large bowl. (I use gluten in this recipe because I am replacing a significant amount of flour with cornmeal. Cornmeal does not contain gluten and without the added gluten the crust would not rise correctly or hold together.) Once butter and milk are warm, mix into flour and stir until it forms a loose ball. Sprinkle a little flour onto counter, turn dough ball out onto counter. Knead dough adding flour as needed until dough is slightly tacky and elastic.

Place dough into lightly oil bowl, cover with a clean towel and place in a warm spot until dough has doubled in volume, about an hour to an hour and a half. 

(Before rise)

(After Rise)

Divide dough in half, roll out half of the dough and place on a pizza pan. 

Place other half of dough in plastic bag and store in refrigerator for up to 10 days (it may turn dark by 10 days but if it smells fine it's all good). Preheat oven to 400 degrees, top with desired toppings and bake for 15-20 minutes. 

Baked Chicken Parm

Sometimes you just want comfort food, but you don't want to sabotage your healthy diet.  

Baked Chicken Parm

Serves 4

2 pieces sprouted grain bread or gluten free bread

1 oz chunck of Parmesan Cheese

2 tsp Italian seasoning

1lb Chicken Breast pounded until 1/4 inch thick

1 Egg beaten

1 small Zucchini sliced into rounds

3 C Baby Spinach

1 jar Pasta Sauce

2 C Penne Pasta (rice or wheat)

1 C shredded Raw Monterey Jack Cheese  

Butter it Up Spray

Preheat oven to 350. Put bread, Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning in blender and pulse until it forms coarse crumbs. Pour crumbs onto plate. Beat one egg in medium bowl, set aside. Dip chicken pieces that have been pounded flat

into egg then breadcrumb mixture,

then lay onto a baking sheet either lined in parchment paper or a silicone baking mat to prevent it from sticking. Lightly spray top of chicken with butter it up spray.

Put chicken in the oven for 10 minutes, flip and cook additional 5 to 10 minutes.

While chicken cooks, sautee zucchini until crisp tender, then add spinach to wilt. Cook your pasta according to package directions and heat the sauce.

Serve Chicken over vegetables with a drizzle of sauce and a sprinkle of cheese with a side of pasta.

Macaroni ala Madden

Now that Madden is getting older I am constantly trying to figure out what to feed him! I need to keep things soft and small, but I also want to make things that we can have for dinner too. I don't have time to make 2 dinners! I grew up eating Macaroni and Cheese out of the blue box. I am embarrassed to say I turned my nose up at my Grandmas homemade Mac and Cheese. Those little boxes of Mac and cheese sure can be convenient but they are loaded with garbage and I want better for my boy. 

Homemade Mac and Cheese is easier than it sounds and makes a huge pot for just a few dollars. I add veggies to everything and this dish is no exception. 

Makes 6 Servings

1 small zucchini diced

2 C broccoli florets Chopped

1 tbs butter

3 C shredded cheese (1 C Gouda and 2 C Cheddar)

4 tbs butter

1/4 c flour

2 1/2 C whole milk

1 tsp mustard powder (not prepared mustard!)

1/4 tsp onion powder

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

2 C dry elbow macaroni

In a large pot boil macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile sauté zucchini and broccoli in 1 tbs butter until vegetables are soft.

I cut the veggies very small and cook until very soft to make it easy for Madden to eat.

In large pot the macaroni was boiled in melt 4 tbs butter.

Pour flour into butter and cook until flour is golden brown.

Slowly mix in milk, making a thick gravy.

Stir in mustard powder, onion powder and pepper

then shredded cheese. 

Lastly mix in vegetables and macaroni.