Quinoa Bake

I wouldn't necessarily call it healthy, but it is delicious!  The hardest part is cooking the quinoa before hand, but it can be done in the microwave quickly.

Ingredients

2 cups COOKED quinoa
1 cup of your favorite pasta sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/3 cup heavy cream (we use skim milk)
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup mozzarella, divided
1/2-1 cup grape tomatoes, halved (we use cherry tomatoes cut in thirds)
1 large bunch fresh basil, cut into ribbons
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.Heat tomato sauce and tomato paste over low heat in a large saucepan. Once warm, stir in heavy cream, parmesan, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and stir in the quinoa. Fold in half of the mozzarella and half of the tomatoes, then chop 6 fresh basil leaves and add them in too. Once combined, spray an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish with non-stick spray and pour the entire quinoa mixture into the dish. Top with fresh mozzarella rounds or shredded mozzarella and the remaining tomatoes.Bake for 10 to 15 minutes and then turn the broiler on and broil for 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.Remove from the oven and top with fresh basil ribbons. Allow to sit five minutes and then serve.

Black Bean Brownies

We make these and then freeze them.  If you feel like a midnight snack, you can just pop one in the microwave for 13 seconds.


INGREDIENTS
1 15 oz. can (~ 1 3/4 cups) black beans, well rinsed and drained
2 large flax eggs (fear not!  It is just flax and water)
3 T olive oil
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
heaping 1/2 cup raw sugar or brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Optional toppings: crush walnuts, pecans or semisweet chocolate chips (I like the tiny semi-sweet chocolate chips)

INSTRUCTIONS
Make sure you've rinsed and thoroughly drained your black beans.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly grease a 12-slot standard size muffin pan (not mini).

Prepare flax egg by combining flax and water in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse a couple times and then let rest for a few minutes.

Add remaining ingredients (besides walnuts or other toppings) and puree - about 3 minutes - scraping down sides as needed. You want it pretty smooth.
If the batter appears too thick, add a Tbsp or two of water and pulse again. It should be slightly less thick than chocolate frosting but nowhere close to runny.

Evenly distribute the batter into the muffin tin and smooth the tops with a spoon or your finger.

Optional: Sprinkle with crushed walnuts, pecans or chocolate chips.

Bake for 20-26 minutes or until the tops are dry and the edges start to pull away from the sides. I found mine took about 25.

Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes before removing from pan. They will be tender, so remove gently with a fork. The insides are meant to be very fudgy, so don't be concerned if they seem too moist - that's the point. Plus, they're vegan so it doesn't really matter.

Store in an airtight container for up to a few days. Refrigerate to keep longer.

Cheesy Ham and Potato Chowder

This is what you should do with your leftover Easter ham (I dice it and freeze it in quart baggies so that it's ready when I need it).  Or you should buy some ham just to make this soup, because it's that good.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked ham, diced
5 1/2 T butter, divided
1 med. yellow onion, diced
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 red pepper, diced
3.5 cups (2 cans) chicken broth
1.5 - 2 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup flour
3 cups milk
1 1/2 c grated cheddar
1/2 cup sour cream

Optional: crumbled bacon, chives, or shredded cheddar cheese for topping

In a large pot, melt 1 1/2 T butter over medium heat.  Add onion, carrot, celery, and red pepper and saute until tender, about 5 min.

Add chicken broth, potatoes, oregano, thyme, and bay leaf.  Season with salt and pepper to taste, but remember the ham will add more saltiness.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 min.   Stir in ham.

In a medium saucepan, melt 4 T butter over medium heat.  Add flour and cook mixture, stirring constantly for 1 - 2 minutes.  While whisking, slowly add in milk.  Whisk vigorously to smooth lumps.  Continue stirring until mixture thickens.  Reduce heat to low and stir in cheese until melted.  Remove from heat and add sour cream.

Remove bay leaf.  Add cheese sauce to soup and stir.  Add optional topics as desired, and enjoy.

Italian Barley Salad

This salad is one of those awesome little concoctions that tastes just as good warm as it does chilled – though I prefer warm.  The barley can be a bit hard to find, but Trader Joes does have quick cook 10 minute barley.  The quick cook stuff works just as well.  For the first time, I recommend halving the recipe.

2 cups of uncooked barley

5 cups of veggie stock

16 oz of fresh mozzarella

2 pints of grape or cherry tomatoes

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

6 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

8 – 10 basil leaves

Fresh cracked black pepper

Start by cooking the barley, using veggie stock instead of water to prepare. Veggie stock adds boatloads of flavor so I definitely prefer it, but if you’re without you can substitute water in a pinch.

If you are using the slow cook barley, then add the veggie stock and barley to a pot, bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 – 40 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. When it’s mostly absorbed, turn off the heat and cover, allowing the barley to sit for another ten minutes or so before removing the lid.

While the barley is cooking, cut your mozzarella into bite-size chunks and cut your tomatoes in half. When the barley is all set to go, combine everything in a large mixing bowl, adding the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and stirring just until combined. Add more vinegar if you’d like as some will absorb into the barley as it cools. Add fresh cracked black pepper to taste and chop up your basil to add right at the end. And that’s it! 

Rosemary Lemon Tofu

Ingredients:

16 ounces firm tofu, pressed for 30 minutes

1 teaspoon lemon zest, minced

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

1 Preheat oven to 375.

2 Cut the tofu to the bottom into 6 slices.

3 Use a baking dish that will hold your tofu slices in one single layer.

4 In the dish, wisk together the ingredients for the marinade.

5 Add tofu slices and turn to coat on both sides.

6 Bake for 45-60 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking time. The longer it baked, the chewier it will become.

7 Remove from oven and let cool about 10 minutes.

8 Store leftovers in a container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Carrot Cookies with Orange Glaze

Ingredients
3/4 C. shortening
1 C sugar
1 egg
1 C cooked carrots, mashed and cooled
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 C flour


Directions
You know the drill
Cook on 375 for 8-10 minutes. Let cool before icing.


Icing
Zest from one orange
2 Tbs orange juice
1 C powdered sugar - or more for desired consistency
pinch of salt

Health Chili

Makes 6-8 servings

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
1 pound extra lean hamburger I leave this out
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 small zucchini, diced
1 (15 oz) can corn kernels, drained
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained
1 (28 oz) plus 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes with juices I put the tomatoes in a blender for just a second because Steve doesn't like tomato chunks
1/2 cup water*
1/4 cup dark brown sugar I usually only add 1 tsp. sugar
2 heaping teaspoons fajita spice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne - or to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a large pot over medium-high heat, warm canola oil. Add onions and sauté until translucent and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add ground hamburger and sauté until lightly browned, about 8-10 minutes. Add red bell pepper and zucchini and cook for 5 minutes. Add corn, beans, tomatoes, water, and brown sugar; stir well. Add fajita spice, cumin, cayenne, and cinnamon; stir well. Reduce heat to low; partially cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until thick and soupy. Cook longer if you like your vegetables softer. If desired, sprinkle with a little cheddar cheese and fresh cilantro before serving.

*Use 1/2 cup water for a thicker chili, but use as much or as little as you wish to achieve desired level of soupiness.

Original recipe found here: http://foodblogga.blogspot.com/2008/11/healthy-chili-your-kids-will-love.html