Red lentils

This has become one of my new go to Sunday night dishes that I make to use in a bunch of different ways throughout the week.  I will post the recipe for the lentils and then post the adjoining recipes using the lentils next.  This is a great dish because you can make it ahead, refrigerate it, and eat it all week.  As a bonus it taste super yummy cold on wraps. I would also like to add a disclaimer that I don't really have a picture of the finished product in the pot.  It was really good while tasting, and I kept burning my mouth, plus I was starving, so when it was finished I just put it on a wrap and walked away.  You can kind of see the finished product once it's layered on a wrap, I'll post that below.

INGREDIENTS

1 Cup red lentils (checked for rocks and goodies, then rinsed)

3 Cups water / vegetable broth

1 Rounded tsp cumin

1 Tsp garlic powder

1/2 Tsp sea salt

Pepper to taste

1/8 Cup chopped white onion 

*Optional crushed red pepper flakes

STOVE TOP DIRECTIONS

In a medium dutch oven (or sauce pan) bring water and lentils to a boil.  Once boiling add in cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Stir to get all of the lentils off the bottom of the pan and combine seasoning.  Reduce heat to low and cover for five minutes allowing it to simmer.  Add in chopped onions, stir, once again getting all the bits off the bottom of the pan. Cover and allow to continue simmering for 15-20 minutes until lentils are tender and soft.  Remove from heat and stir one final time checking consistency.  If your lentils seem soft with no bite, they are done.  If not, add a little more water and keep simmering.  Your lentils should have very little left over liquid when done.

INSTAPOT DIRECTIONS
 Reduce amount of vegetable broth by 1/2 cup.  Combine all ingredients in pot.  Set to manual 9 minutes.  Instant release pressure and serve.

If you are more adventurous then me this is when you would add in a pinch or two of crushed red pepper flakes.  I am not adventurous.  

You can serve the lentils warm as is, or refrigerate them for about three hours and use them as the base for a few types of wraps which I will link to after I post them up.

This recipe has so far made enough for three wraps, plus a good amount just spooned right into my mouth, and it looks like I have enough left for two wraps. If you wanted to feed a family on this I would double the recipe.  This is something I made to have on for lunch and dinner for myself since I am the only vegetarian in the house.

This is how they look the next day after being chilled over night.  Kind of a spreadable wrap filling.  Reheated it will be a nice hearty spoonable texture.

Mushroom and green lentil ragu (vegan)

I've been discovering lentils this week.  Last night I made the family a wonderful Italian sausage pasta.  I wanted Italian also so I went to work making this filling, delicious, spicy, vegan dish. It came out rustic and tasting better then the pasta and cheese dish I had made my family.

INGREDIENTS

1.5 Cups green lentils (wash them and check for invaders)

8 Oz diced button mushrooms

8 Oz diced portobello mushrooms

1/2 Yellow onion rough chopped

5 Cloves garlic minced

2-3 Tbsp fresh basil - chiffonade

1- Cup baby spinach chopped

1/2 Tsp onion powder

1 Tsp garlic powder

1 Jar of organic tomato sauce

2.5 Cups organic veggie broth

3 Tbsp balsamic vinigar

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

1 Tsp salt

1-2 Tsp pepper

Olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Heat large dutch oven or pot over medium heat.  Toss in your mushrooms and sauté for about five minutes.  Add in onions and garlic and sauté until onions become clear.  Add in garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and red peppers.  Wilt in the spinach and basil, mixing until combined. While this is all cooking down rinse and sort through your lentils.  Add lentils to pot and combine.  Add in tomato sauce, vinegar, and stock.  Cover and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer for 35-40 minutes until most of liquid is gone and lentils are soft. 

I topped mine with some garbanzo beans for dinner.  I added more fresh basil for color but forgot to take a photo before I hoovered it all.

 

Spicy lentil wrap with tahini sauce (A copycat of the expensive wrap you can buy at Trader Joes)

I used to go to Trader Joes on a Monday and buy six of their pre-made wraps to get me through this lunch week.  This is expensive.  While playing around online the other day looking for vegan banana bread (coming soon) I found another persons version of this wrap.  Theirs was just a little too high cal/carb for me so I updated it.  Mine is more simple but seriously, so so so good. You can make these wraps ahead of time and take them with you for lunch, the Lavash bread does not get soggy. I recommend keeping the tahini in a separate container for lunch traveling, the wrap will get messy if you add that before wrapping and traveling.  For a weeks worth of lunches I took a tupperware of lentils, a bag of cabbage, 5 half pieces of Lavash bread, and a container of sauce to my office and then built each wrap on my break. 

 INGREDIENTS
1/2 Slice of Lavash bread (or a whole if you are hungry)
1/8 Cup Spicy red lentils
1/2 Cup shredded cabbage
Red pepper flakes to taste

Lay wrap flat on plate. Spoon lentils onto one half of wrap.  This is where Trader Joes uses a chili paste.  I am a sissy so I skipped that and just put a few red pepper flakes. If you want the chili paste Trader Joes sells an excellent pre-made one with minimal ingredients.  Add cabbage on top of lentils.  Starting from the side of the wrap with the lentils roll towards the empty side.  This should give you a nice clean wrap.  I prefer to drizzle with tahini sauce before each bite.  You may dip, or pour, or put it in before rolling it up. I enjoy the drizzling. 

To make Tahini sauce
2 Tbsp tahini*
1-2 Tbsp unsweetened coconut milk
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1 Tsp chopped parsley
Pinch of red pepper flakes (more if you aren't a sissy like me

Combine all of the sauce ingredients and mix with a fork until smooth and able to drizzle off fork. If using raw tahini you will want to add a little more coconut milk to make it pourable.

*I've used raw Tahini or the Trader Joes Tahini sauce found near their hummus
Spicy red lentil recipe found here

Teriyaki baked turkey meatballs (teriyaki glaze recipe included)

I made these delicious teriyaki turkey meatballs for dinner last night with an exceptional Teriyaki glaze to go with it.  I doubled the recipe below so I could make teriyaki burgers for dinner tonight and then used the glaze to coat some roasted mushrooms.  The family approved both meals.  The single recipe makes about 30 1.5-2" meatballs.

INGREDIENTS FOR MEATBALLS

1.5 lbs ground turkey

1 egg

1/4 cup low fat milk

1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 Tbsp chopped garlic

2 Tsp micro-planed fresh ginger

2 Tbsp finely chopped green onions

3 Tbsp soy sauce

1/4 cup crushed pineapple (drained, reserve juice for sauce)

Salt & Pepper to taste

FOR THE SAUCE

1/2 Cup soy sauce

1 Cup water

1/4 cup pineapple juice

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp fresh chopped garlic

1 Tsp micro-planed fresh ginger plus an extra knob tossed in to boil

1 Tsp fresh lime juice

1.5-2 tsp cornstarch

3 Tbsp water

TO TOP

4 Tbsp thin sliced green onions

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Line a deep baking dish with foil and spray with cooking spray. (I needed two pans because I made larger meatballs).

In a large bowl combine the panko and milk and set aside to allow the panko to soften as you dice veggies.

Combine remaining ingredients in the bowl with the panko excluding turkey and mix it until all ingredients are combined well.  A habit I picked up as a professional caterer was to always use gloves when mixing the meat.  Once the ingredients are combined using nitrile plastic gloves add in the ground turkey.  Mix until combined.  The mixture will be wet.  Form into 1.5 - 2" balls and place in the lined pan.  You can line them up fairly close to each other, they will separate after they are cooked.  They don't hold the circular shape super well because they are very moist.  Bake for 12 minutes, then flip each meatball and bake for an additional 3 minutes.

While the meatballs are baking add all of the ingredients reserving the cornstarch and water.  Whisk and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 15 minutes while meatballs cook.  At the very end combine cornstarch and water and bring sauce up to boil.  Quickly whisk the cornstarch mixture into the sauce.  Reduce heat and allow to simmer and thicken.  I tasted mine a few times during this and found I wanted to add a little more water. I also found I wanted my glaze a little thicker so I did a second round of cornstarch.

Remove meatballs from the pan and separate.  Place a small portion of your glaze in a bowl and toss meatballs in sauce allowing them to glaze.  Serve over rice or quinoa and drizzle with more sauce to your liking.  Top with sliced green onions.  

These meatballs should come out very juicy and moist.

I doubled the above recipe and reserved half of the unshaped meat for diner tonight.  I made burgers with the teriyaki turkey with a small sauce drizzle.  Then I roasted mushrooms and tossed them in a small amount of the sauce.  It really worked well.

My kids each ate 5 meatballs and then asked for seconds.  My husband also loved them.  This was a winner for sure.

Quick, clean and fun kids snack

Today was my day to bring snack for Brandon's little league game.  I wanted to do something besides a prepackaged whatever with no thought so I came up with this.  I bought mini corn dogs and then cooked them.  Once they were cooked I put each one on a skewer.  Then I set out each cup and filled the bottom corner with a squirt of ketchup.  I packed them in a bag stacked on top of each other with trays separating them so they didn't tip.  Then I put all of the warm corn dogs in foil and pu them in the bag (it was one of those lined bags that holds temperatures).  When it was snack time I put two corn dog skewers in each cup and handed them out.   The kids and parents love them because they were easy to carry, there was no mess, they didn't have to squirt ketchup and the kids thought they were super fun.  I think you could do this at birthday parties also...turn the skewers the other way and make little boquetes for people to snack on.  I also made chocolate dipped strawberries because it was a healthier sweet treat then fruit snacks full of red 40, and it was real fruit.  It didn't cost much and I found everything, even the short length skewers at my local grocery store. 

Hope you enjoy my little snack idea.

Broccoli chicken casseorle

This is the cheapest, easiest, most lazy meal ever, and somehow EVERYONE LOVED IT! It's one of those things where I was at the store, threw 6 things in the basket and prayed.

1 Store bought roasted chicken shredded
2 cups uncooked small shell pasta
2 cups mild shredded cheese shredded
1/2 cup frozen broccoli pieces
1 can cream of mushroom chicken
1 can cream of celery chicken

Preheat oven to 450. Boil pasta. While pasta is boiling mix everything else in a bowl reserving 1/2 cup of cheese. Combine pasta in with remaining ingredients and place in an oven safe baking dish. Cover with remaining cheese and bake for 20 minutes. Serve.

Literally that is it. I told you...cheap, easy LAZY. But really good.

Strawberry shortcake bites

After reading the comments from the Lemon Blossom website on Food Network I started getting ideas on what else I could do with this recipe. I remembered this cupcake I had from a local place in Reno, Batch Cupcakery and the wheels in my head couldn't stop turning. I ran to the store today for an iron and came home with the ingredients for cake. I went a little lighter on the icing the strawberries make it seem extra sweet. I also added chocolate chips to half the batch. They are still in the oven I will report later. (Update: such a very very very good idea.) I am thinking of trying a hint of lemon in the icing to tone down the sweetness on the next set that comes out.

Ingredients

• 18 1/2-ounce package strawberry cake mix
• 3 1/2-ounce package instant white chocolate pudding mix
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup water
• 4 strawberries cut very fine
  
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil

Glaze:

• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 6 strawberries
  
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray miniature muffin tins with vegetable oil cooking spray. Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, finely chopped strawberries, water, eggs and oil and blend well with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour a small amount of batter, filling each muffin tin half way. Bake for 12 minutes. Turn out onto a tea towel

To make the glaze, sift the sugar into a mixing bowl. In a blender add strawberries and water. Blend until smooth. Add the strawberry mix, zest, and oil to powdered sugar. Mix with a spoon until smooth. Add more water as needed.

With fingers, dip the cupcakes into the glaze while they're still warm, covering as much of the cake as possible, or spoon the glaze over the warm cupcakes, turning them to completely coat. Place on wire racks with waxed paper underneath to catch any drips. Let the glaze set thoroughly, about 1 hour, before storing in containers with tight-fitting lids.

Lemon Blossoms

I can't even describe the lemony goodness of these little cakes. If you can't tell they are mini. So small that one fits perfectly right in your mouth as a bite. Personally I think these would be PERFECT for a baby shower, along with the strawberry version I am posting next. I had to edit Paula Deans recipe after my first failure after that, well, pure genius. Paula's recipe doesn't call for the water. YOU NEED THE WATER. Trust me. After reading comment after comment on the recipe on Food Networks website YOU NEED THE WATER. Also, 11 minutes works better then 12 if you want them crunchy. 9 minutes is perfect if you want them soft and delectable.

Ingredients

• 18 1/2-ounce package yellow cake mix
• 3 1/2-ounce package instant lemon pudding mix
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup water
  
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil

Glaze:

• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 lemon, zested
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray miniature muffin tins with vegetable oil cooking spray. Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water and oil and blend well with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour a small amount of batter, filling each muffin tin half way. Bake for 12 minutes. Turn out onto a tea towel

To make the glaze, sift the sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, zest, oil, and 3 tablespoons water. Mix with a spoon until smooth.

With fingers, dip the cupcakes into the glaze while they're still warm, covering as much of the cake as possible, or spoon the glaze over the warm cupcakes, turning them to completely coat. Place on wire racks with waxed paper underneath to catch any drips. Let the glaze set thoroughly, about 1 hour, before storing in containers with tight-fitting lids.

Chicken Tortilla Casserole

I get these emails all the time from Eat Better America. This last one had a dish that looked so good I e-mailed it right to my mom. Tonight I decided to make it, oddly so did my mom. Here is the recipe as it was intended to be made. I'll tell you my variations at the bottom. Brandon really liked this which says a lot for a four year old, he called it "cheese chicken." The husband had seconds too. The recipe is called "Healthified" Chicken Tortilla Casserole.

1 can (10 3/4 oz) 98% fat free 45% less sodium condensed cream of chicken soup 1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chile's 1 container (8 oz) fat-free sour cream ½ cup fat-free (skim) milk 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder ½ teaspoon ground cumin 2 ½ cups shredded cooked chicken breast 8 yellow corn tortillas (6 or 7 inch), torn into bite-size pieces 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped (1 cup) 1 large tomato, chopped (1 cup) 1 ½ cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese or Mexican cheese blend (6 oz) 1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix soup, chilies, sour cream, milk, chili powder and cumin until blended. Stir in chicken, tortillas and bell pepper. Stir in tomato and 1 cup of the cheese. Spoon and spread mixture in baking dish. 2. Cover with foil. Bake 40 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake uncovered 5 to 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and mixture is bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes.

This recipe is really as easy as it sounds. I didn't have any shredded chicken just laying around and I didn't plan ahead and have it ready so I will share with you my full proof method of cooking chicken fast. In a baking dish add 1 cup chicken broth and 2 cups of water. Place boneless skinless chicken in and bake it at 550 for about 15 minutes. It should be pretty close to done. This is basically poaching and keeps skinless boneless chicken very moist. I kept mine just under done so it wouldn't dry out during the final bake.

Next. I did not use anything light. I live in a family of underfat men, shit Codi just finally made it to 10% on the weight chart and we celebrated that. I might have also used a tad bit of extra cheese.

I omitted the bell peppers because none of my boys like them.

I combined half regular corn tortillas and half hard ones (they are called tostada shells in the store.) My husband really likes crunchy stuff so I put a few of those closer to the top of the casserole to keep them crisp. I used these tostada shells (the yellow corn ones on the top.)

I think beans would be a nice addition to this. Possibly pinto or red, I don't think black beans would be the right flavor. I also think if I wasn't making it for a kid I would mix in a tiny bit of cayenne pepper or a couple splashes of Tapatio.

Finally, yes I know it looks a little weird when you are first mixing it but it taste so good in the end. SO GOOD!

For a printable version of their recipe click here.