Mushroom Sage Lentils

Bowl of yum!

Before adding the lentils

Played around with some ingredients I had and it came out delicious!!  This dish is packed with many of the "power foods" you "should" be eating for health and preventing chronic disease such as cancer.  I'm posting quickly so I don't forget the "recipe" but I really should elaborate on that later.....
Since I don't measure when I cook, here's the general idea.

Ingredients
1 small yellow/sweet onion, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pint crimini or baby bella mushrooms, sliced
~2 cups chopped kale (or spinach)
1/2-1 cup tomato sauce (recommend Trader Joes or Muir Glen Organic for BPA free cans or jarred)
1/2-1 tsp turmeric
2 leaves sage, chopped (I wanted to say chiffonaded but that doesn't sound right...)
fresh ground sea salt to taste
~2 cups lentils, cooked (any kind, I used brown)

Saute onion and garlic in some extra virgin olive oil until golden and soft.  Add sliced mushrooms and kale and cook until vegetables are tender.  Add tomato sauce, turmeric, sage, salt and allow to simmer for a few minutes for the flavors to mix.  Add lentils and again simmer/heat to allow flavors to meld.

Lightened Up Crustless Quiche

My friend makes this delicious Green Chile Spinach Quiche.  The original recipe is definitely tasty if you're wanting a full fat quiche.  We typically add sauteed mushrooms because we both love them.  It makes 2 full pie-sized quiches so be sure to half it if you don't need that much!  I'd been craving this quiche but wanted to make it without the pie crust to save on the calories/fat.  I ended up using Egg Beaters too which really cut down the calories too!  It made it a touch wetter though so  next time I'll cook it a touch longer.  

Lightened Up Crustless Quiche

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 sweet yellow onion, chopped
1 tsp salt

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 cups small curd cottage cheese
1 - 10 ounce package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 - 7 ounce cans chopped green chilies, drained
3 cups Egg Beaters (or 12 eggs, beaten)
1 - 8 ounce package of 2% shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Saute onion in the olive oil until it is starting to soften.  Add mushrooms and sprinkle with sea salt.  Saute until onions are translucent and mushrooms are soft.

Mix the flour and salt together in a small bowl; set aside.

Place eggs in a mixing bowl. Whisk in the flour mixture until no lumps remain. Stir in the Colby-Monterey Jack cheese, cottage cheese, spinach, green chiles, and sauteed onion/mushrooms until evenly blended. Place in a 9x13 baking dish

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes at 400 degrees, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. Continue baking until the quiche is lightly browned and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.

So guess what....this entire 9x13 dish was a total of 1850 calories! Which means that you can eat a pretty large slice for not a lot of calories!

Vegetable Tian

I tried another recipe I got from Pinterest that I've been meaning to try...Vegetable Tian.  The original recipe (and much prettier pictures) can be found here.  I chose to replace the russett potatoes with sweet potato and just used zucchini because that's the squash I had at home.  I really liked the flavor of the dish but I think I could have just sauteed/baked the ingredients and the taste would have been the same.  So I probably won't repeat this exact recipe in the future but it was worth the try.

Vegetable Tian

• 2 tbsp olive oil (divided)
• 1 large sweet yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 medium sweet potato, unpeeled, sliced (I microwaved my potato slices for a couple minutes to soften them to be sure they cooked all the way through)
• 2 squash (zucchini and/or yellow squash)
• 3 large Roma tomatoes (I only had large vine riped tomatoes so you can see I had to adjust in my pic above)
• Sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• Dried thyme, to taste
• 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375.  Saute onions in 1 tablespoon olive oil until translucent, then add garlic and cook for an additional minute.    Spread the onion/garlic on the bottom of a greased round baking dish.
 

Slice the potatoes, zucchini, squash and tomatoes in 1/4 inch thick slices. Layer them alternately in the dish on top of the onions, fitting them tightly into a spiral, making only one layer. Season with sea salt, black pepper and dried thyme, to taste. Drizzle the last tablespoon of olive oil over the top.

Cover the dish with a oven safe lid or tin foil  and bake for 35 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Uncover and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top and bake for another 25-30 minutes or until browned. 

Roasted Vegetable Stack

I can't promise that I'm bringing my blog back....BUT, this recipe fits my blog perfectly and was delicious so I had to be sure to share!  I pinned this recipe 42 weeks ago on Pinterest and just barely got around to trying it!  I'm glad I finally did!  Bright, flavorful, and full of veggie goodness!

The recipe I pinned can be originally found here at Perry's Plate.  I followed it pretty much as it stated (shocker I know) except for just a a couple small changes because of what I had in my fridge.  Really the only change I would make next time is I would add mushrooms to the roasted veggies - just because I love  them.  I might try it again with beans to add some protein, then I could use less cheese as well.  Really you can use whatever veggies you have/want!

Roasted Vegetable Stack  
(Originally called an enchilada, but no enchilada sauce was used so I'm just calling it a stack)

1 poblano chile, cut into matchsticks
2 red bell peppers, cut into matchsticks
1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 large onion, slivered
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
3 T canola oil
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 cups homemade or store bought salsa/pico de gallo (I used my favorite premade salsa, Herdez, bc I didn't feel like making any)
2 ounces baby spinach leaves (about 2 big handfuls)
9-10 corn tortillas, halved (I actually used flour because that's what I had in my fridge. I try very hard to like corn but I just can't break my love of a good flour tortilla)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (any blend you like!)
sour cream and thinly sliced scallions for garnish, if desired (I didn't use)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. 

Place poblanos, red bell peppers, cauliflower, sweet potato, onion, and corn kernels onto cookie sheet. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle the cumin and minced garlic over top. Add a generous pinch or two of salt and black pepper, then use your hands to mix everything together. After everything is coated well, spread the vegetables evenly in the pan. Roast for 30-40 minutes until vegetables are tender and begin to brown in spots. Stir or shake the pan every 10 minutes for even roasting. Remove pan from oven and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

(veggies pre-roasted)

Prepare an 8x8x2 or 9x9x2-inch square baking pan with nonstick spray. In a small bowl, stir the cilantro into the salsa. Spread 1/4 cup of salsa into the bottom of the baking pan. Add a layer of tortilla pieces, to completely cover the salsa. Top with 1/3 of the vegetables, 1/3 of the cheese, and a handful of spinach. Make a second layer of tortilla, vegetables, cheese, salsa, and spinach. Top with with a layer of tortillas, vegetables, salsa, and cheese. Cover with aluminum foil.

(look at those gorgeous layers!!)

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and everything is heated through.

Let it sit for 5 minutes and cut into squares. Serve with sour cream and a sprinkle of sliced scallions.

Serves 4-5

Tuscan Ribollita

Tuscan Ribollita

Recipe found on Shutterbean & slightly adapted

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 - 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
3 - 15 oz. cans cannellini beans, drained
1 1/2 cups chicken or  vegetable broth
1 sprig fresh rosemary (if you have, I actually didn't have this & sprinkled in some dried Italian herbs instead)

salt & pepper to taste
1 bunch kale, roughly chopped  (I had a really HUGE bunch of kale so just used about 2 cups tightly packed)

1 cup toasted bread crumbs
grated Parmesan 

Directions:
1. In a large pot over medium heat, sauté the garlic, onion, carrot, & celery ingredients in the olive oil for 5 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes and their juices, along with the beans, broth & rosemary.  Salt and pepper a little.  Simmer, covered until the beans break apart, about an hour. (I did a pretty hard simmer to help the beans break apart)
3. Add the kale and cook for 5 to 7 mins more. Stir in the bread crumbs and serve sprinkled with cheese.

*I found the crucial thing about this recipe is the breakdown of some of the beans therefore making this not a soup.  My beans didn't fall apart very easily so I made sure to stir a lot and had to break up some beans & my whole tomatoes on my own.  I had a can of tomatoes larger than the recipe called for so I decreased the broth.  In the end my version had a little more liquid than the pictures on her blog so I added more breadcrumbs.  All in all it thickened up a little & although it didn't look quite like her pics it was still not a soup and was super filling, hearty, and flavorful.

*Lets talk health and flavor a little....I knew this recipe was right up my alley but might bore some others.  I was worried it might be a little bland since I left out the pancetta but I was amazing and excited and how super flavorful it was!!  I think I'd like to give an extra big thanks to my onions for breaking apart as well to make this dish scrumptious!  And talk about nutrition!!!  Vitamin, mineral, antioxidant, phytochemical, and fiber packed!!!  

Spinach, Artichoke, & Mushroom Lasagna

Two things about me

1. I love lasagna. In fact, it was what I picked for my "birthday dinner" almost every year and what I used to always request when I went home from college.

2. My sister and I are "freebie followers" so we often sign up for free stuff, coupons, etc.

So I signed up to get this lasagna cookbook and when Corinne came in town this weekend we tried our version of one of the recipes. It was delicious! Here's our version...

Spinach, Artichoke, & Mushroom Lasagna

adapted from Precious Spinach, Artichoke, & Ricotta Lasagna

1 recipe Béchamel Sauce (recipe below)

1 jar marinara sauce of choice (or homemade red pasta sauce)

8 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

15-oz container of low fat ricotta cheese

1.5 cups shredded Parmesan cheese

1 egg

Drizzle olive oil

1/2 cup diced onion

1 Tbsp minced garlic

6oz bag of baby spinach

1 cup sliced mushrooms (baby portabella or crimini)

1 box of no boil, oven ready lasagna noodles

1 large can of quartered artichoke hearts (in water, unflavored)

2 chicken breasts cooked & shredded (optional)

Béchamel Sauce:

5 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 medium yellow onion, diced

3 cloves minced garlic

1/4 cup all purpose flour

3.5 cups 2% milk

3/4 tsp ground nutmeg (or grated fresh)

-Melt butter on medium heat in large skillet

-Add onion & garlic, cook until soft and translucent

-Stir in flour and cook 2 minutes making sure not to brown

-Whisk in milk slowly and bring mixture to boil. Stir in nutmeg. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

-Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes, whisking often

Lasagna directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

2. Mix ricotta and egg in small bowl.

3. In a medium skillet saute onion, garlic, and mushrooms in olive oil until soft and onions are translucent. Add spinach and cook until spinach is wilted. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Spread 13x9 inch casserole dish with 1/2 of béchamel sauce. Top with lasagna sheets to cover. Do not overlap lasagna noodles.

5. Layer with 1/2 of the ricotta mixture, 1/2 of the spinach/mushroom mixture, 1/2 of the artichokes, 1/2 the chicken (if using), the remaining 1/2 of the béchamel sauce, 1/3 of the mozzarella, and 1/3 of the parmesan

6. Layer with more lasagna noodles. Top with the remaining ricotta mixture, the remaining spinach/mushroom mixture, the remaining artichokes, the remaining chicken (if using), 1/2 the jar of marinara sauce, 1/3 of the mozzarella, and 1/3 of the parmesan.

7. Finish with the last layer of lasagna noodles. Top with a layer of marinara sauce then the remainder of the mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

8. Cover with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and cook until top is browned, ~10 minutes. Remove, allow lasagna to cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

*If you prefer you can alternate the sauce béchamel/marinara/béchamel/marina instead of the above

Spicy Pickled Carrots

I bet no one will make this recipe unless you've had these carrots! I had this what I called mexican pickled carrots at Taco Milagro and I've heard of these famous carrots served at Ninfa's. After becoming addicted to these carrots I actually tried to google a recipe but was a little unsure about what I was finding. So imagine my excitement when The Homesick Texan posted this! I just got around to making them and they were yummy!! I basically ate 8 carrots in 24hours! haha. So if you've had these before or if you want to have some more exciting carrots try them! For a non-spicy version, omit the chiles and jalapeno but add a dash of cayenne pepper (trust me, won't be super spicy but the flavor will be right.) And they tasted better after cooling off so what they taste like in the pot isn't the end result.

Ingredients:
1 cup Water
¼ cup Vegetable Oil
2 cups White Vinegar
1 ounce Chiles De Arbol, stems removed
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Kosher Salt (Plus More To Taste)
1 pound Carrots, cut into thin rounds
¼ cup Slivered Onions
1 Garlic Clove
1 Jalapeño, seeds and stem removed, sliced

Directions:
In a medium-sized pot, add the water, vegetable oil, vinegar and chiles de arbol. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to medium. Cook for 5 minutes, uncovered.

Add to the pot the cumin, oregano, black pepper and salt. Continue to cook on medium for 5 more minutes. Add the sliced carrots, onions, garlic and jalapeño, and cook for 10 minutes, or until the carrots are your desired texture. Taste and add more salt if you prefer.

Cool and then refrigerate. Will keep for one month refrigerated.

Note: Chiles de arbol can be found at Mexican grocers and many regular supermarkets. And be aware that these carrots are very hot, so you might want to cut back on the chiles de arbol.

Roasted Balsamic Veggies

Super easy, super delish! And I love these cold too (actually even better!)

Yellow squash - sliced

Brussels sprouts - tough ends cut off then cut in half

Purple onion - sliced

Place in bowl or zip lock bag. Sprinkle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Mix well or shake bag so veggies are coated. Spread evenly on a foil lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt/pepper.

Bake at 425 degrees for ~20 minutes

*Feel free to try other veggies and combinations, adjust roasting time accordingly! Since using up my Brussels sprouts I've been addicted to this recipe just using yellow squash & onion.

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad

My sis sent me a recipe that she thought I might like. It sounded sort of like a recipe that was so weird that it sounded delicious, if that makes any sense. Well in true Heather fashion, I did my own thing based on what I had at home and personal preferences. I liked it and I personally really like raw Brussels sprouts so I will likely make this or a variation of it again.

Here's the original recipe: Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Pineapple Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

Here's what I made:

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad

adapted from www.joythebaker.com

4 cups raw Brussels Sprouts Ribbons
4 chopped green onions (white part)
1 cups fresh pineapple chunks, cut into bite size chunks
1 avocado, cut into chunks

3 tablespoons sliced almonds

Dressing
¼ cup agave nectar (or honey, I just don't like honey too much)
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt And Pepper To Taste

Prepare salad dressing: mix agave nectar/honey, rice wine vinegar, garlic, and dijon mustard. Whisk in oil and add salt and pepper to taste. Set dressing aside.

Lay Brussels sprouts on their sides and cut thin slices creating ribbons for salad. Toss together Brussels sprouts, scallions, pineapple, avocado, and almonds. Drizzle in dressing and toss well.

Lentil Walnut Burgers

Here is the recipe that inspired me, from Whole Foods (found here). Of course I couldn't follow it. I followed lots of it but I typically use recipes to guide me and do things I like or use ingredients I have. What I did & how I liked it will follow the recipe...

Lentil Walnut Burgers

Serves 6

Walnuts add a little crunch and brown rice takes the place of bread crumbs making these savory vegetarian burgers a great gluten-free meal. Serve with a green salad or cooked greens.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small carrot, finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped button mushrooms

1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne (optional)

2 cups cooked brown rice, divided

1 1/2 cups cooked lentils, or 1 (15-ounce) can lentils, rinsed and drained

1 egg, lightly beaten 2 tablespoons high heat sunflower oil or expeller-pressed canola oil, divided

Method

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, mushrooms, walnuts, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper and cayenne and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to a large bowl. In a food processor, purée 1 cup rice, lentils and egg until smooth. Transfer to bowl with vegetables, add remaining 1 cup rice and stir to combine. Form lentil mixture into 10 to 12 patties, using about 1/4 cup of the mixture to make each one. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Arrange half of the patties in skillet and cook, flipping once, until golden and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes total. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and repeat process with remaining sunflower oil and patties. Serve hot.

Nutrition

Per serving (about 5oz/156g-wt.): 240 calories (100 from fat), 11g total fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 35mg cholesterol, 220mg sodium, 27g total carbohydrate (6g dietary fiber, 2g sugar), 9g protein

-I also used diced onion, didn't have walnuts or parsley, and used some other seasonings. The ENTIRE flavor of this dish came from the veggies that go in the burgers so make sure your veggie mix is flavorful! I cooked mine longer than 5 min too so all the veggies were soft.

-I used ground flaxseed in place of egg (mix 2 1/2 tbsp with 3 tbsp water)

-Instead of pureeing, I did a good smash. So there were still some whole lentils too.

-At first the burgers were much too soft because the ingredients were still pretty warm, so I ended up coating the burgers in panko bread crumbs. I used less than 1 tbsp of oil but the breadcrumbs soaked it all up and the oil taste was too strong. The second time around was after the mix was refrigerated so they held together better. I still coated with breadcrumbs and only used enough oil so they wouldn't burn. Success! I liked them a lot the 2nd time around. I also think with a little less mash this would be good on its own, it wouldn't need to be in burger form.

Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup

When I visited my family in December we ate at Zupas. I ordered the Wisconsin Cauliflower soup and fell in love! So much in love that when I got to pick were we went for a girls lunch with all the aunts & GMa (just a couple days later) I knew I had to have more soup! I also made others fall in love with this soup. So when my sister sent me the "knock-off recipe" I was excited to try it! I was also excited because this is a creamy soup so I was expecting it to be made with cream. It does have a lot of cheese in it but I used skim milk and no butter. So my soup wasn't quite the amazingness as Zupas, mostly because of the texture. I think I was too anxious to eat this soup that I didn't let my cauliflower cook long enough so my soup wasn't perfectly smooth. But if I don't compare it to Zupas it was still super delicious. Watch your portions due to the cheese but the rest is pretty great - don't use butter, cauliflower, onions, & skim milk for some healthy moves! I also used vegetable broth...that's what I had and I only eat small amounts of meat now. And vegetarians can make this soup as well.

Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Margarine Or Butter (¼ Stick)
1 medium Onion, chopped
¼ cup All-Purpose Flour
½ tsp Salt
2 cups Milk
1 can (13 ¾ to 14 ½ ounces) Chicken Broth
1 head (2 ½ pounds) Cauliflower, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 cup Pepper Jack Cheese

Directions:
In 4-quart saucepan, melt margarine or butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour and salt; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Gradually stir in milk, chicken broth, and 1 ½ cups water; add cauliflower and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes. In blender (with center part of blender cover removed to allow steam to escape), blend cauliflower mixture at low speed in small batches until very smooth. Return cauliflower mixture to saucepan; heat over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in mustard and 1 ½ cups cheese until melted and smooth. Garnish soup with remaining cheese to serve.

Artichoke and Broccoli Pasta Salad

Another recipe I got from Whole Foods. Yum! Variation - I added some fresh squeezed juice from some mandarins I had. I also used black olives and goat cheese instead because that's what I had! You can also add more veggies & do less pasta if you want.

Artichoke and Broccoli Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
Salt And Pepper To Taste
¾ pound Penne Pasta
2 tablespoon(s) Champagne Vinegar Or White Wine Vinegar
2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 (12-ounce) Jar Marinated Artichoke Hearts,drained and chopped
1 small Red Bell Pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 small Green Bell Pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
2 cups Small Broccoli Florets
½ cup Sliced Pitted Kalamata Olives
½ cup Sliced Basil
½ cup Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Or 1 Cup Crumbled Feta Cheese

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain well and set aside to let cool.

In a medium bowl, whisk together vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle in oil while continuing to whisk constantly to make a dressing. Add pasta, artichoke hearts, bell peppers, broccoli, olives, basil, cheese, salt and pepper, toss gently to combine and serve.

Notes: Per serving: 300 calories, 12g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 5mg cholesterol, 460mg sodium, 40g total carbohydrate (4g dietary fiber, 3g sugar), 10g protein

"Do one thing a day that scares you. You'll either step forward in growth or you'll step back in safety" - Abraham Maslow