Category: Uncategorized

Feta Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

If you like feta cheese and sweet potatoes anywhere near as much as I do, you’ll love these!  I got the idea from this Twice Baked Sweet Potato recipe from Kalyn’s Kitchen, but decided the original recipe didn’t have nearly enough cheese.  It was just a little tricky to squeeze the potato out of the skins while a) keeping the skin in one piece and b) not burning my hands, but I was successful with 2 out of 3 skins which isn’t too bad.  And the potatoes were just as good the second day, reheated in the microwave.  I may have to try some other cheese/spice combinations soon!

 

 

 

Feta Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

3 sweet potatoes
1 c. fat free feta
1/4 t coriander
Dash cayenne pepper
2 t Garlic Gold in oil
Smoked paprika

Scrub sweet potatoes, and bake at 350F for 60 minutes, or until very soft. Meanwhile, mix feta, coriander, cayenne pepper, and Garlic Gold in a bowl, and refrigerate.

When potatoes are ready, remove from oven.  Slice potatoes open lengthwise, and using an oven mitt, squeeze potato flesh into a bowl, reserving the skin in one piece.  Add feta mixture to potato and mix well.  Stuff mixture into potato skins.  Bake at 350F for 10 minutes, and garnish with smoked paprika before serving.

-Lightly adapted from Kalyn’s Kitchen

Smitten Kitchen’s Chocolate Pudding

When you think of Easter, chocolate comes to mind, right?  But we couldn’t settle for just any chocolate bunny for dessert – my sister decided to make Smitten Kitchen’s Chocolate Pudding.  We have both made a ton of Smitten recipes and they are generally perfect.  But this pudding didn’t set quite right, and a review of the comments shows that other readers had the same problem.

Since we ended up with delicious drinkable chocolate, I can’t call it a total flop.  But if you’re looking for something more pudding-like, it seems like the key may be to either cook the pudding for longer than indicated, or use direct heat rather than the double boiler.  This tasted so good that I think it’s worth another shot someday!

 

Eggs and Peas

Although cooking on any weeknight is hard, I think Friday nights are the worst.  It’s been a long week, and there usually aren’t many groceries in the house.  Sometimes I have plans to be out, sometimes I swing by Whole Foods to make a salad or grab sushi, and sometimes I force myself to get creative.  The Internet definitely helps.  I usually find two ingredients and type “IngredientA IngredientB recipe” into Google.  This week, a recipe for Eggs and Peas popped up.

Less than 30 minutes later, I had a skillet full of hot food ready to enjoy.  This is certainly not the most beautiful dinner I ever made, but it was tasty, nutritious, and economical, with leftovers for the next day.  On Friday nights, I consider that a win.

 

 

Eggs and Peas

2 c. frozen peas
1  (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
3-4 eggs
1/2 c. reduced fat mozzarella cheese

Place peas in a skillet on low heat until they are thawed.  Add in tomato sauce, stir, and continue cooking until heated through.  Make 3-4 indentations with a spoon, and crack an egg into each space.  Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 5-7 minutes until eggs are set.  Remove cover, and sprinkle with cheese.  Cook until cheese is melted.

-Adapted from Hillbillly Housewife

Southwestern Superbowl Spectacular

Well before the Peanut Butter Blondies with Chocolate Frosting made an appearance, there was a spectacular buffet at the party I attended.  A few of us helped to coordinate the offerings, and then each guest could make their own bowl.  To start, there were three bases: mashed potatoes, nacho chips, and lettuce.  And then there was a wide variety of toppings:
Meat Chili
‘Way Better than a Can’ Black Beans
Diced Ham
Corn
Olives
Scallions
Peppers
Shredded Cheese
Bacon Bits
2 kinds of salsa (more spicy and less spicy)
Guacamole
Sour Cream
Chopped Red Onion
Chopped Cilantro

It was impossible to get everything in one picture!

 

People made some really creative bowls, and it was a fun theme for a Superbowl party.  Although the Patriots lost, at least we can say we ate well.

Hearty Miso Soup

I admit I was pretty intimidated by this recipe for Hearty Miso Soup from Fat Free Vegan!  First, I had to find miso paste.  I didn’t see it in either Stop & Shop or Shaw’s.  At Whole Foods, I found the miso paste in a plastic tub in the refrigerated section near the tempeh and other soy products.  That is the only ingredient you have to find to make this recipe.  You could easily substitute linguine for the soba noodles, and any green for the baby bok choy.  If you don’t have garlic ginger paste, you could use a combination of minced garlic and fresh ginger.  I left out the seaweed and wasabi because they just aren’t my thing.  So the bottom line: there is no reason to be intimidated, just take things one ingredient at at time.

After all that, I was so happy with how fresh this soup tasted!  The vegetables are bright and the miso is mild here and not too salty.  It’s the perfect bowl of soup on a cold day, and well worth the time I spent searching for miso.  I hope you feel the same way if you try it.

 

 

 

Hearty Miso Soup

1 t canola oil
2 T garlic ginger paste
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4″ slices
1 (10 oz.) package mushrooms, sliced thinly
8 c. water
1 c. shelled edamame
4 oz. buckwheat soba noodles
1 lb. baby bok choy, thinly sliced
1/3 c. miso

Heat oil in a large pot.  Add garlic ginger paste and stir for 2 minutes.  Add carrots and mushrooms and stir to coat.  Add water, and simmer covered for 15 minutes.  Add edamame, and simmer covered for 5 minutes.  Add noodles and bok choy, and boil for 7-8 minutes.

Remove 1 cup of broth from pot and place in a small bowl.  Add miso and whisk to combine.  Return broth to pot.  Stir well and serve (do not boil after this point.)

-Adapted from Fat Free Vegan

Strawberry Feta Quiche Cups

Another week, another muffin.  Except these aren’t quite muffins, they have a much fluffier egg-like texture so I am calling them quiche cups.  I was looking for a breakfast recipe with a little more protein, and I remembered the Mushroom Thyme Muffins that I made a while ago.  I modified that recipe again and ended up with a new version.

The quiche cups are still savory; the strawberries add just a hint of sweet.  I like the combination of the strawberries, feta, and walnuts.  The cottage cheese and eggs hold everything together and add some protein for staying power.  I still think there’s room for improvement though in this version.  And that’s OK, because there’s always next week….

 

 

Strawberry Feta Quiche Cups

1 c. low fat cottage cheese
1/2 c. fat free feta cheese
1/4 c. flour
1 c. walnuts, ground into crumbs
1 t baking powder
1 c. frozen strawberries, thawed and chopped
4 eggs

Mix ingredients in a large bowl.  Pour batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray.  Bake at 400F for 25-30 minutes.

Spinach Feta Pizza Roll

I love Spinach and Feta Pizza, and make it all the time for dinner.  This is just a slightly different twist on the concept.  I buy whole wheat pizza dough and fat free feta at Trader Joe’s, but you should be able to find both ingredients at a regular grocery store.  The Garlic Gold is a special ingredient, generally only available online.  The little bits of toasted garlic are amazing and I highly recommend the product.  But of course, you don’t need it to make this recipe.  Just about anything you stuff into this pizza roll will be good!

 

 

Spinach Feta Pizza Roll

4 oz. whole wheat pizza dough (such as Trader Joe’s)
5 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/4 c. fat free feta cheese
1 t Garlic Gold toasted garlic bits (optional)

Stretch dough into an 8″x5″ rectangle.  Don’t get out a ruler though.  Mix spinach, feta, and Garlic Gold in a small bowl, and spread on dough to within 1″ of the edges.  Roll up the dough.  Place on a cookie sheet, and bake at 400F for approximately 15 minutes.

Honey Beans and Kale

I was pretty excited about the latest recipe from Stephanie O’Dea, Honey Beans and Spinach.  I substituted kale mostly because it was in my freezer, but also because I just couldn’t bring myself to buy a beautiful bag of fresh spinach and then stuff it in the crockpot!

But right away I had trouble with this recipe.  After 3 hours, it looked very dry but the potatoes weren’t soft, so I added water and balsamic vinegar.  After another 2 hours, the potatoes were cooked but it tasted pretty bland.  I added some salt and pepper and another spoonful of honey, and it was passable.  However, I didn’t like it enough to try to make it again with more changes.  There are just too many other recipes to try, but I like to share both my failures and successes!

 

 

 

 

Honey Beans and Kale

1 (15 oz.) can cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 t minced garlic
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ chunks
2 t cumin
1/2 t coriander
1/2 t black pepper
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/2 c. water
1/3 c. honey
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 (16 oz.) bag frozen chopped kale
Salt and Pepper to taste

Add beans, onion, garlic, and sweet potato to the crockpot.  Add spices, lemon juice, water, honey, and balsamic vinegar and stir well.  Place kale on top of ingredients.  Cook on High for 4-5 hours, until potatoes are soft.

-Lightly adapted from A Year of Slow Cooking

 

Justin’s Almond Butter

A lot of bloggers rave about different nut butters, but I am generally loyal to peanut butter.  I became more interested when I spotted these single serve packs of Justin’s Almond Butter.  The packaging seems really convenient for eating on the run, and it might be nice to try almond butter for a change of pace.  My Mom picked up a few packs of Classic Almond for me to try, and I finally dove in.

 

You knead the pack before opening, in order to make sure the nut butter has a consistent texture.  I squeezed it onto a piece of toast, and smoothed it out with a knife.  I know it’s hard to see because the color of the almond butter is similar to the color of whole wheat bread.
(That’s Great Harvest Honey Whole Wheat, one of my favorites.)

 

 

Overall, I really liked it!  Almond butter has a mild flavor, and I ended up adding a drizzle of honey to this piece of toast.  The squeeze pack was convenient though, and I think you could squeeze it right onto something like sliced apples for an extremely portable snack.  I also hear they have a Chocolate Hazelnut flavor….