Sweet But Healthy...Is it Really So?

Is it possible that one recipe can be a breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, snack, AND dessert food?  Just ask Luana who provided just such a dish for our Spring Fling BBQ Potluck.  It was the perfect accompaniment to the heavy brisket and beans main dish and the few leftovers were devoured by my teen daughter, who never eats breakfast, for breakfast.  What is this miracle dish?  Luana calls it Grape Salad, but we call it Sweet, Tart and Crunchy.

Here's Luana's version:

4 pounds of seedless grapes, washed, cut in halves, quarters or whole and dried in a colander.  (I shopped for small sized grapes and left them whole.)

Dressing:
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz sour cream ( I substituted vanilla yogurt)
1/2 c white sugar (with the yogurt I only added the sugar to taste at the end-about 1/8 c)
1 tsp vanilla (I omitted this since I used the vanilla yogurt)

Topping:
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c pecans (or walnuts)

In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Add grapes and mix until evenly incorporated. Sprinkle with brown sugar and pecans, mix again and refrigerate until serving.  Made the day before, the brown sugar makes the sauce taste like caramel. You can use less brown sugar, if you wish.

L'il Lemon, L'il Love, Lotsa Healthy

Okay, I know you didn't ask for healthy but if you want to splurge with an occasional pat of butter and ice cream and pastries, ya gotta take a few preventative measures.  This new super food is making headlines so I experimented with some recipes and combined some ideas from online recipes and Voila!   Quinoa Cakes with  a l'il Lemon, l'il Olive, and l'il Parsley

These particular l'il parcels pack a potent punch. Salty olive, tart lemon, bright parsley. And quinoa, pronounced "Keen Wah," which, if you haven’t tried it yet, is all kinds of awesome. It’s a super grain, protein packed and slightly crunchy, with a delightfully nutty flavor. And did I mention healthy? But Yum!

Most people think of us Texans as "meat and potato" types, (which we are) but lately we've been eating a few meals a week like this. Part grain or egg, part flavorful mix-in, and probably meant to be served as an appetizer but we eat it as our main dish anyway. At least if I cook.  When Mark does the honors, as he's doing more and more these days, meat and potatoes are the meal of choice.

Yield: about 1 dozen cakes                                                                                             Ingredients:

Raw Quinoa

1 1/2 cups raw quinoa
2 1/4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, beaten
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup coarsely chopped green or kalamata olives (can substitute capers)
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 cup panko bread crumbs (the panko's make a great crunch-look for them in the oriental section of your grocery store)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Place dry quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cool water for a few minutes.

Place quinoa, water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat and bring to a gentle boil. Cover, decrease the heat, and simmer for about 25 t0 30 minutes, or until the quinoa is tender but still has a bit of crunch left. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. You’ll need 3 cups of cooked quinoa for the recipe.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together onion, garlic, cheese, olives, parsley, lemon zest, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and cooled quinoa. Add eggs and stir until quinoa is evenly moistened. Add water to thoroughly moisten mixture. Quinoa should be slightly wet so it doesn’t dry out during cooking.

Scoop out mixture by the 2 tablespoonful. Use wet hands to form into a patty. I also experimented with balls but they don't hold their shape as well.  Even with my patties they ended up shaped like the state of Texas.

In a large skillet over medium low heat, heat olive oil. Add as many patties as you can fit without overloading. You’ll need a bit of room to flip them over.

Cook on each side until beautifully browned, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Medium-low heat helps insides cook at an even pace. Remove browned cakes to a paper towel lined plate and repeat with remaining quinoa mixture.

Quinoa mixture will keep, uncooked and covered in the refrigerator for a few days. Just prior to serving, cook as directed and serve hot.



These are great on a bed of spinach salad or with a side of marinara sauce for dipping.

Fast Favorite Filled Frittatas

Tasted a similar frittata at a San Antonio B & B and this is as close as I can come to replicating it. I hesitate to give it a specific title because you can add as many different fillings as you can think up and each one is different. In this version, I used some sautéed spinach and mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese. You can serve these mini quiche or frittata at breakfast or as a lunch 'go with' along side a bowl of soup or as a dinner appetizer. They are easy to assemble, quick to bake, and very tasty too! Wrapped in plastic, these mini frittata will keep well for three days in the refrigerator, or one month in the freezer.

Serves 6
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:
8 Large Eggs
1 Cup Milk
Salt & Pepper
1 Cup Chopped Sautéed Spinach or use frozen, well squeezed of moisture
3/4 Cup Chopped Sautéed Mushrooms
3 Tablespoons Chopped Sun-Dried Tomatoes (although you can substitute here, these give the quiche a burst of flavor no matter what other fillings you choose.)
3 Ounces Soft Goat Cheese (can substitute other cheese, feta, etc. but the goat has a nice tang)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 and lightly grease a non-stick muffin tin.  I use pam spray oil.
Whisk together the eggs and milk and pour into the muffin cup, diving evenly between each of the cups.
Drop a spoonful of spinach and mushrooms into each cup.
Sprinkle the top of the cups with the sun-dried tomatoes and crumbled goat cheese.
Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the eggs are set and beginning to brown.
Cool for five minutes, then turn over onto a platter.
Cool completely before serving.

These are also lunch box favorites and taste good at room temperature.

Chili Rellenos for the Busy Cook

Chile Rellenos Casserole

The chile relleno, literally "stuffed chile," is a dish of Mexican cuisine that originated in the city of Puebla. It consists of a roasted fresh poblano pepper (a mild chili pepper named after the city of Puebla), sometimes substituted with non-traditional Hatch green chile, Anaheim, pasilla or even jalapeño chili pepper. It is stuffed with melted cheese, such as queso Chihuahua or queso Oaxaca (traditionally), or picadillo meat made of diced pork, raisins and nuts, seasoned with canella; covered in an egg batter or simply corn masa flour and fried. Although it is often served in a tomato sauce, the sauces can vary. There are versions in Mexico using re-hydrated dry chiles such as anchos or pasillas. Although the traditional rellenos aren’t difficult, it is time consuming stuffing the chilies…sooo, a lazy busy cook I know developed THIS version…very easy to prepare and loaded with flavor.  A San Antonio favorite, Chile rellenos recipes vary greatly depending on the restaurant or homemaker.  This one is a hit no matter what the occasion and is great for leftovers and breakfast.  It was an instant hit at our RV Park's Vegetarian Potluck Feast.

               Prep Time:  15 Min                                                                             Recipe Yield 6 servings

             Cook Time:  50 Min

               Ready In:     about 1 Hr.

                                                        

Ingredients

• 2 (7 ounce) cans whole green chile peppers, drained OR more traditionally, 8 New Mexico, poblanos  OR Anaheim chiles roasted, seeded and peeled. (don't put your fingers near your eyes after handling these hot mamas.)
• Approx. 16 ounces  mixture of cheeses, shredded
• 3 or 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 10 oz. (approx.) can evaporated milk (can mix half with regular milk)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 can enchilada sauce.   I like green enchilada sauce best.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 8 X 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Lay half of the chiles evenly in bottom of baking dish. Sprinkle with HALF of the cheeses, and cover with remaining chilies. In a bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, and flour, and pour over the top of the chilies.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. Remove from oven, pour enchilada sauce evenly over the top, and continue baking another 15 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses, and serve.   You can top with black olive or scallion slices.

Note:  If you want more servings you can use a 9 X 13 baking dish and using double the ingredients.  The cheese and enchilada sauce doesn't need doubling.  I never make it exactly the same but it's always delish.

Not Just for Breakfast

Found this recipe for an "Anytime Casserole" in a newspaper years ago in an article about River Run Bed and Breakfast.  It was one of their guests favorites and has become, with many variations, a favorite of my family and the many who we've shared the recipe with.  It works real well when you have a large group to feed or when you want to do the preparation the night before and just stick it in the oven at breakfast time.

Serves 6
Prep time 30 minutes, best if it can be refrigerated for an hour or overnight before cooking.
Bake time 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 lb of sausage or small ham cubes
6 eggs
1 teaspoon salt (less if you use ham)
1 teaspoon dried mustard (can be omitted)
2 cups milk
6 slices crumbled bread (try different varieties, rye, pumpernickel, etc.)
1 cup cheese (cheddar, swiss, jack, etc.)
Parsley flakes , optional

DIRECTIONS
Cook and crumble the sausage, drain.
Mix eggs, salt mustard & milk in large bowl.
Cover 8 X 11.5" casserole with cooking spray.
Put crumbled bread pies on bottom of casserole dish.
Layer sausage then cheese over the bread.
Pour the egg mixture over the top.
Cover with foil and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.
Sprinkle with parsley flakes for color.
Preheat over to 350 degrees.
Bake for 45 minutes.

Cuts into neat squares.  Can be served with picante sauce or country gravy.
If you're tent camping, you can mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and pour into an iron dutch oven and cook over coals 30-40 minutes till golden or till knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
Nice presentation for a crowd:  follow same directions but using a muffin tin, filling each cup with the bread, meat, cheese then egg mixture.  My favorite- substitute mushrooms for the meat with added leaf spinach and Swiss cheese.