Breakfast Casserole

You can throw out all your other breakfast casserole recipes right now, because this is the only one you'll ever want to make again.

At least that's how it worked at my house.

Ingredients:
24 oz. frozen hash browns
1/2 cup melted butter
1 lb. deli ham, cubed (you can use other meats, but the consensus so far has been that ham is definitely best)
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups grated cheddar cheese


1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread frozen hash browns evenly in the pan. Pour the melted butter over the top and bake for 35 minutes.

2. Remove hash browns from oven and turn temperature down to 350 degrees. Top hash browns evenly with ham

3. Mix eggs,milk, and salt until completely combined. Pour over hash browns and meat in prepared pan.


4. Return to oven and bake for 30 - 40 minutes, or until set and eggs are completely cooked.


5. Top evenly with cheese and return to oven for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is completely melted.

Mexican Hot Sauce

Spice Mix:

     3/4 cup chili powder

     3/4 cup cumin

     1/4 cup oregano

     2 Tbsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (more or less to taste)

     3/8 cup salt

     3/4 tsp garlic salt

Mix ingredients together to blend well.  I store mine in a plastic baggie.

Hot Sauce:

     2 tsp Spice Mix

     8 oz. can tomato sauce

     1-2 Tbsp white vinegar

Mix well until blended.  I store mine in a squeeze bottle in the fridge.  Should keep for a couple of weeks (if it lasts that long).

Tofu Scramble

We particularly like it with some red pepper sauteed in as well. 

Ingredients

For the Spice Blend:

    2 tsp ground cumin

    1 tsp dried thyme, crushed with your fingers

    1/4 tsp ground tumeric

    1/2 tsp salt

    3 Tbsp water

For the Tofu:

    2 Tbsp olive oil

    3 garlic cloves, minced (or more, to taste)

    1 lb firm or extra firm tofu, crumbled

    Fresh black pepper to taste

Directions

First blend the spices and salt together in a small cup. Add the water and mix. Set aside.

     

Preheat a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat

     

Sauté the garlic in olive oil for about a minute

     

Break the tofu apart into bite-size pieces and sauté for about 10 minutes, stirring often

     

Get under the tofu when you are stirring, scrape the bottom, and don’t let it stick to the pan; that is where the good crispy stuff is

Use a thin metal spatula to get the job done; a wooden or plastic one won’t really cut it

The tofu should brown on at least one side, but you don’t need to be too precise about it

     

The water should cook out of it and not collect too much at the bottom of the pan. If that is happening, turn the heat up and let the water evaporate. Conversely, if the scramble seems dry add splashes of water until it’s nice and moist

     

Add the spice blend and mix to incorporate. Add the  pepper. Cook for about 5 more minutes. Serve warm

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos

Ingredients

• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed small (about 3-4 cups)
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
• 1 red pepper, diced small
• 1 small red onion, diced small (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drain
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (depending on your taste)
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice (from about 1 lime)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 6-8 burrito-size tortillas (whole wheat, white or other favorite variety)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss together the sweet potatoes, jalapeno, red pepper and red onion with the olive oil, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Dump the coated veggies onto a large rimmed baking sheet and roast for 18-20 minutes, tossing halfway through. The vegetables should be tender but not mushy at the end of cooking time.
2. Let the vegetable mixture cool. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl and toss with the black beans, cilantro and lime juice. Taste the mixture and add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Refrigerate the mixture until ready to assemble the burritos or use immediately.
3. Place 3-4 tortillas on a microwave-safe plat and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave for 15-20 seconds until the tortillas are pliable. Place 1/4 cup or so of the vegetable mixture in the center of the tortilla and top with a sprinkle with shredded cheese, a little of each kind.. Fold in the sides of the tortilla and roll up. Place seam-side down on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining tortillas until you have all the burritos you need (the filling can be refrigerated and used for 3-4 days).
4. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for about 10-15 minutes, until heated through and the top of the tortilla is golden brown. Adjust the baking time as needed depending on if the filling has been refrigerated or not. For a softer tortilla, wrap each burrito in tin foil and heat through. Serve immediately.

Tofu Dippers

For the Crispy Tofu:
2 packages extra-firm tofu, preferably organic
3 tablespoons canola oil

For the Asian Dipping Sauce:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon honey, agave nectar, or brown sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 clove garlic
Fresh chives, to taste
Chile oil, an optional addition to the sauce

1. Prepare the Crispy Tofu: Open and drain the pacakages of tofu and cut tofu into slices approximately 1/3-inch thick. Cut the slices diagonally into triangles.

2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a clean dish towel. Place the tofu triangles onto the towel in a single layer. Place another towel over the top of the tofu slices and then top with another baking sheet. Put something heavy on the top baking sheet, so that it presses down evenly on the tofu slices inside (like a tofu sandwich in between baking-sheet pieces of “bread”!). Allow the tofu to rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour. This will press the extra liquid out of the tofu and allow it to get crispy in the pan when cooked.

3. Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat and add 3 tablespoons of canola oil. When the oil starts to shimmer, carefully place the tofu triangles into the pan. Cook the tofu approximately 2 1/2 — 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and crisp. Remove from the skillet and drain on a plate lined with a clean dish towel, a brown paper bag, or paper towels. Pat the tops of the tofu slices to absorb the oil as well.

4. Prepare the Asian Dipping Sauce: Measure the soy sauce, sesame oil, honey (or agave nectar/brown sugar), and rice vinegar, and pour into a small bowl. Stir to mix all of the ingredients together. Peel the paper skin off the garlic, Use a garlic press to mash the garlic, and add it to the sauce. Use clean scissors to snip chives into the sauce, for color and a wonderful mild onion flavor.

Brownie Marshmallow Cookies

I made these beauties this week and they were amazing. They do take a little longer to make than your average cookie. Start to finish (minus dishes and with Maddison's "help") I think they took me about an hour and a half. I have altered the original recipe because the cookie /mallow/frosting ratio was way WAY off. I had more mallow than I could use in a life time! Even with the changes, you will still have plenty of mallow to work with. They are very rich so have some milk near by when you dive in. 

Original Recipe Found Here : A Bountiful Kitchen

Brownie Cookies (makes about 28)

1 cup butter

1 2/3 cups white sugar

2 eggs

1 ¼ teaspoon vanilla

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder

2 1/3 cups cake flour (I used regular)

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until blended well. Add dry ingredients and mix.  Cookies can be rolled, formed into drop cookies, or pressed into a 9 x 13 pan (double recipes and bake time).  Roll and form cookies and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.  Cookies are done when top is slightly cracked and no longer looks wet.  I smooshed them down a little when I pulled them out of the oven so they would have a nice flat surface for the toppings. 

Marshmallow Creme

1 egg white

2/3 cups light corn syrup

1/8 teaspoon salt

3/4 cups powdered sugar

1/3 tablespoon vanilla

Combine egg whites, corn syrup, and salt.  Beat on high speed for 10 minutes (maybe less with this smaller batch) or until thick.  Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until blended.  Add vanilla and blend.  May be frozen for later use.

Chocolate Frosting

1/4 cup butter

1 cups powdered sugar

milk

1/8 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Beat soft butter, cocoa, and powdered sugar together until smooth. Add a splash of milk and vanilla, blend well.

Assembly:

Spread cooled cookies with about 1 tablespoon of marshmallow creme. I probably put less than a tablespoon but regret it so don't be shy. Top the creme with frosting. I ended up putting the frosting in a zip lock, cutting a hole in the corner, and piping it onto the cookie. Spreading it onto the sticky mallow sounded too hard.