Corn Tortilla Quiche

So this is basically a breakfast taco...or at least thats what it tastes like to me :) I used a ground sausage substitute and i SWEAR you wouldnt have known the difference and there was no fat in it so even better! This is great for breakfast lunch or dinner! 

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound bulk pork sausage or sausage substitute
• 5-8 (6 inch) corn tortillas
• 1/2-1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2-1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup canned chopped green chiles
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup milk (fat free)
• 1/2 cup sour cream (fat free)
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro or parsley

Directions

1. In a skillet, cook the sausage until no longer pink; drain. Place four tortillas in a greased 9-in. pie plate, overlapping and extending 1/2 in. beyond rim. Place remaining tortilla in the center. Layer with sausage, Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses and chilies. Combine eggs, sour cream, milk and chili powder; slowly pour over chilies. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until the center is set and puffed. Sprinkle with cilantro. Cut into wedges.

Veggie Chili Mac

I fell IN LOVE with this dish! 

It is a lil spicy but you can control that with the peppers and cheese 

But I like it Spicy! :)

Ingredients

• 2 poblano peppers
• 2 tablespoons EVOO 
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained (can use kidney or black)
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon cumin,
• 1 tablespoon  paprika
• 1 tablespoon  chili powder
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 pound whole wheat  macaroni or egg noodles
• A handful of cilantro, finely chopped, optional
• 1 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded (or cheddar or monterrey jack)
• 3 scallions, finely chopped

Preparation

Preheat broiler.

Place peppers on a broiler pan and blacken the skins of the 
poblanos all over (leave oven door slightly ajar to allow steam 
to escape). Place blackened peppers in a bowl and cover tightly 
with plastic wrap. Cool to handle. Peel and seed peppers, 
and chop them.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for pasta.

Heat a heavy pot over medium-high heat with EVOO, a 
couple turns of the pan. Add onions and garlic, and soften 
5 minutes. Add chopped poblanos and beans to the pot, 
season with salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, chili powder and 
stir to combine. Add tomato paste, stir to incorporate then 
add stock and tomatoes. Reduce heat to simmer.

Cook pasta to al dente, drain and toss with veggie chili and
 cilantro, if using. Place in a casserole dish and top with any 
combination of cheese you like. Place under broiler to melt 
and brown cheese

Garnish with scallions and serve.

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TVP Sloppy Joes with Oven Fries

SO hot and fresh you can see the steam!

Aaron got a craving for some sloppy joes, but with our diet and exercise we didnt want to splurge our one meat a week on a sloppy joe! SO I made it with TVP and it turned out WONDERFUL!

I also made oven fries with it which have turned into our preferred fry anyways and served them on whole wheat buns.

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large green pepper, diced
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1-2 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 pinch pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 1 1/2 cups dry textured vegetable protein

Directions

1. 
   
   Saute onion and green pepper in oil.
2. Add remaining ingredients and simmer together for 20 minutes.
   
   
   
   
   
   

Handprint Flower with Shmams and Bugsy!

Although today was a BEAUTIFUL day outside the morning was still pretty chilly...so while we waited for it to warm up I pulled out the paints and we got to work! Now shmams LOVES painting! And I love to watch him..so its a win win! Today we made a flower for spring! We used his hand as the bud of the flower, his feet are the GIGANTIC leaves! And we couldn't leaf (get it! lol) bugsy out of it so his hands are the sun and his foot is the cloud passing by! Ive got to say Im no expert but this painting is priceless! All in all a fun day inside waiting for it to warm up outside!

"Meatballs"

Here we go again! I've fallen in love with TVP! Tonight I made spaghetti and meatballs along with homemade wheat french bread ( but that'll be another post!) 

Before you make your mind up about TVP...have you ever had Bac-O's? Thats right my friend...bacon flavored TVP! They are so easy to make and couldn't be better for you nutritionally! 

In a small bowl, mix:

1 cup hot water with two beef bouillon cubes dissolved in it
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 ½ Tbsp ketchup
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 small onion minced
1tsp garlic powder
½ tsp black pepper
¾ tsp paprika
½ tsp thyme

Then Stir In:
¾ cup TVP crumbles
Allow to sit until cool.

Mix 1 Tbsp ground flax with 3 Tbsp water. Beat with a fork, then lit sit until it begins to gel. Set aside.

Meanwhile, In a Large Bowl, Mix:
2 Tbsp cornmeal
1/2 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp flour
3 Tbsp vital wheat germ

When TVP mixture is cool, stir it into the dry ingredients.
Also add:
Flax and water mixture

Mix well.
Knead dough into a solid ball.

Shape into  “meatballs” and fry in oil until brown. Alternately, you can bake on an oiled pan at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

After fryin or baking them allow them to soak in the spaghetti sauce for a minute just to heat through and have the saucy flavor. Do not leave in the sauce for a lon period of time or they will break apart.

Serve on spaghetti and sauce with a nice side salad and french bread then..

DEVOUR!! 

Gnocchi Skillet

So in our venture to be healthier and try to cut out as much meat as possible...I made gnocchi. If you dont know what gnocchi is, the best way I can describe it is a potato dumpling. Delish. We paired it with fire roasted tomatoes, white beans, and swiss chard which turned out pretty good!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 16-ounce package gnocchi
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups chopped chard leaves, (about 1 small bunch) or spinach
• 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings or fire roasted
• 1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

PREPARATION

1. Boil gnocchi in large pot of water, when they float to the top of a rolling boil then they are done. 
2. Add 1 teaspoon oil and onion to the pan and cook, stirring, over medium heat, for 2 minutes. Stir in garlic. Cook until the onion is soft.  Add chard (or spinach) and cook, stirring, until starting to wilt, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, beans and pepper and bring to a simmer. Stir in the gnocchi and sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and cook until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling, about 3 minutes. 

Santa Fe Chicken Salad

One of my all time favorite salads was one at Applebee's...the Santa Fe Chicken Salad. But in an effort to pad our wallets and trim our waistline I decided to make my own. 

Its a a really simple salad to make...

All you need is lettuce, I used an arugula spring mix

Any veggies you want to throw on there, this time I had tomatoes, onions, and carrots.

Shredded cheese if you please :)

Grilled chicken, mine is seasoned with montreal seasoning

And for the dressing just use guacamole, salsa and fat free sour cream!

Or ranch if you prefer.

Its a wonderful wonderful salad and I hope you really enjoy! 

Especially great on a busy week night!

UH-mazing TVP Tacos!

Ok. Before you run away, here me out! This is TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein)

Its a WONDERFUL ground beef substitute with SO much good stuff in it for you and NO fat!

Its a blank canvas for taste, it will taste like whatever you want it to taste like (for me tonight that was taco meat) and has the same texture as ground beef. It is meant to be used as a substitute for anything groundbeef. This is what it looks like reconstituted in beef stock and taco seasoning.

Ok, now that thats over, if youre still here then let me tell you that these were some of the best tacos weve ever had. No grease, No heart burn afterwards and youd never never know it wasnt meat unless you cooked it! 

Use your favorite taco recipe and just sub TVP for the ground beef...1 cup for a pound. Then top with whatever toppings you like! We used lettuce, tomatoe, onions, cheese, cilantro, guacamole and salsa!

I really really enjoyed these and I hope you try these soon too!!!!

Wheat Bread

Ingredients

• 3 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup honey
• 5 cups bread flour
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup honey. Add 5 cups white bread flour, and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.
2. Mix in 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, and salt. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour. Flour a flat surface and knead with whole wheat flour until not real sticky - just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch. This may take an additional 2 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.
3. Punch down, and divide into 3 loaves. Place in greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans, and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes; do not overbake. Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine when done to prevent crust from getting hard. Cool completely

For added nutrition I added 4 tablespoons each of wheat germ and ground flax seeds and topped the bread with oats!

Rice & Corn Cakes with Spicy Black Beans

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup instant brown rice
• 6 scallions, trimmed and sliced
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs, 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed
• 1 cup tomato salsa, mild, medium or hot

PREPARATION

1. Cook rice with the amount of water called for in the package directions, adding scallions, garlic and thyme to the water. Remove from heat and stir in corn, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Let stand for about 5 minutes to cool slightly.
2. Whisk eggs in a large bowl until frothy. Add the rice mixture and mash with a potato masher until the mixture holds together (it will be fairly soft), about 1 minute. Shape the mixture into patties.
3. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Carefully transfer patties to the pan with a spatula and cook until browned and crispy, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; cover to keep warm. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and repeat with the remaining patties.
4. Meanwhile, combine beans and salsa in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until hot, about 5 minutes. 

(For added nutrients I subbed 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs for wheat germ)

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