Once again, in case you are partaking in Lent and need some meat free dishes

I have a few friends participating in Lent, which means on Friday's they can't eat meat. Apparantly they can eat fish (I call bullshit, fish is meat) so I figured I would pull out a few of my favorite fish recipes from the archives.

Asian glazed sea bass

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Grilled citrus halibut

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Shrimp pasta alfredo

This is one of my favorites. I made it with and with out shrimp and it was fucking unbelievable either way. It's not a cheap meal, but it's a great special occasion meal, or romantic meal, or "I can't have red meat so make me something good woman," kinda meal.

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Finally the best meal my husband makes

Shrimp fried rice

Old fashioned fried chicken for beginners

I had a craving for some good ole fried chicken the other night. By craving I mean that as a vegetarian I was really wanting to make it for my husband so someone else could enjoy what was on my mind. I make fried chicken a lot, with skin and bones but these last two times I wanted something faster that cooked a little more even so I used boneless skinless chicken. This is also an excellent beginner recipe. Fried chicken with bones and skin can be tricky. It can burn since it takes long to cook it, or you have to learn to poach it. Many things can go wrong. But this chicken IS IDIOT PROOF. My four year old helped me make it tonight. Here is the recipe.

6-8 Boneless skinless chicken thighs*

1.5 Cups flour

1/2 Sleeve saltine crackers smashed finely

1 Tsp salt

1 Tsp pepper

2 Tbsp garlic powder

1 Tsp powdered ranch dressing mix (if you don't have leave out but your missing out)

1/2 cup milk

3 eggs

About 2 cups vegetable oil

Cayenne pepper to taste. I use a tsp in the flour and a tsp in the egg wash for my husbands chicken, and none for my kids

Fill a large skillet with about a half inch vegetable oil. Heat over medium low. In a bowl combine milk, eggs and half of each seasoning. On a plate combine smashed crackers, flour and remaining seasoning. To see if the oil is ready take a teeny pinch of flour and sprinkle it in oil, if it sizzles it's ready. If it POPS it's too hot, if it smokes or rolls it's too hot. Take your piece of chicken and lay it flat on each side in the flour. Then dip it in the egg mixture. Roll it in the flour again until evenly coated and then place in oil. I prefer to only cook 3 pieces at a time. This way the oil stays at temperature. Adding too much too fast will cool your oil. Preheat your oven to warm. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a cooling rack on it. Cook each piece of chicken about five minutes and then flip. Even if it isn't golden brown go ahead and flip. You want to cook it evenly. Cook for five minutes on the following side and then flip again. Use a knife and poke a small hole halfway into the biggest part of the chicken. If the juices run clear you are good. Put it on the cooling rack. If it needs longer continue turning it every 1-2 minutes. Once cooked through remove the chicken and place it on the rack and then put it in the oven on warm while you cook the rest of your chicken. If you keep the heat low and slow your chicken should cook evenly and none of it should burn.

You might notice little clumps of flour on your chicken after dipping it in the egg wash. This is good. That part gets tasty and crispy. It might look a little messy right before you put it in the pan but when it's done, KFC won't have nothin on you!

*(if you use breasts pound them out a little so they cook even, or butterfly them in half so they are a little bit thinner)

Bacon & Egg breakfast bites

Ingredients

Eggs

Bread

Shredded cheese

Precooked bacon

Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400. Spray muffin tin with pan. Using a glass or 3" ring cutter cut a circle out of your bread. Take one piece of bacon and form it around the inside top of muffin tin. Take piece of bread and smoosh it into the muffin tin so that the bacon is between the bread and the pan. Put a small amount of shredded cheese on top of the bread and crack on egg on top of the cheese. (Note, if you use Large eggs, you might want to keep some of the white out or it will overflow). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 15 minutes until whites are set. Use a knife to loosen the edges and remove. Allow to cool for a few minutes before eating.

*Note: I saw this floating around on pinterest and I had been dying to try it. The recipes I read didn't tell me that I might need more then one piece of bacon to fit around the tin. I used the precooked bacon and just put it straight in the pan. If you want to use real bacon you have to cook it without letting it get crispy because it will continue to cook in the oven, and if it is crispy it will break when you try and form it into the pan.

Cheesy chive potatoes

5 Large yukon gold potatoes diced into 1" pieces

1/2 medium white onion chopped

3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

2 tbsp minced chives

1 tsp seasoned salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3 tbsp butter

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

crumbled bacon to taste

Preheat oven to 450. Coat a baking medium to small size baking dish with non stick cooking spray. Combine the first 6 ingredients and then top with butter. Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Remove lid and top with Mozzarella & cheddar cheese. Put back in oven under the broiler on low until cheese bubbles. Crumble bacon on top & serve. For extra flavor combine ranch dressing seasoning with sour cream.

Pasilla Pepper Quesidillas (vegetarian)

4 medium flour tortillas
2 pounds monteray jack cheese shredded
2 medium tomatoes diced
3 Pasilla peppers sliced into 1/2 strips
1/3 white onion halved & sliced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 can mild diced green chilis
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1 tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil

In large pan heat oil over medium heat. Add in onions, peppers & tomatoes. Mix and cook for about 3 minutes. Add in stock, diced chilis & garlic. Increase heat to medium high and boil until most of the liquid is gone & peppers are soft.

Heat a non stick pan over medium low heat. I prefer to spray the outside of my tortilla with a little bit of vegetable spray it crisps up better. Add cheese to one half, place 1/4 of the mixture on the cheese, top with more cheese and then fold. Cook until brown and flip. Make sure the liquid is mostly cooked out so you don't get soggy quesidillas.

Chicken would be a nice addition to this for meat eaters. We ate it just like that, no sour cream or anything needed. I prefer Monteray Jack cheese to mozzarella for quesidillas it adds another layer of flavor. Also if you are using chicken you could sub in chicken stock.

Portobello mushroom burgers

2 large portabello mushrooms
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
salt & pepper
1/2 cup mayo
1.5 garlic cloves shredded with microplane or VERY finely chopped
favorite burger toppings
Generous amounts of olive oil
2 buns

Turn oven onto broil on low. Scoop inside brown ribbing out of mushroom. Coat both sides very generous with olive oil and seasonings (if you have ranch powder BONUS). Place under broiler for about 15 minutes per side. Combine garlic into mayo and allow to sit until burgers cook. It adds a bit of kick, and an amazing flavor (think baseball park garlic fries). Place buns under broiler inside facing up (this allows for a softer outside that won't hurt your mouth). Generously slather buns with mayo. If you are my husband you ruin it with ketchup. Preferred toppings are lettuce, tomato, onion and avocado if it is in season. Swiss cheese would make a great addition! Add mushroom put on top cut and die from garlicy goodness.

Crispy cheddar lays baked chicken

4 cups Lays cheddar sour cream potato chips crushed up
5 pieces of chicken bone in skin on
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 450. Also heat a large oven safe skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil to pan. Beat eggs and mix in buttermilk garlic powder, pepper & salt. Roll chicken in egg mixture then roll into crushed up chips. Place skin side down in pan. Cook only for about 2 minutes just to crisp it all up. Transfer to oven and cook uncovered about 20 minutes or until chicken juice runs clear when poked.