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Mac and Cheese Muffins. Yes… MUFFINS!
Bite size, delicious, and perfect for brunch, dinner or a yummy midnight snack. Plus, instead of bread crumbs, we topped these little darlings with pretzels, Corn Flakes, Sun Chips, and Chex. Yum!
Tempura banana with vanilla and green tea ice cream. The sweet combined with the tempura was one mind/palate boggling combination!
Swiss Chard and Veggie Enchiladas
Yum! I love Mexican food! This is a good way to use up all those garden greens. The Swiss chard and celery in this dish were from our edible front garden.
Here’s how to make this delicious vegetarian dinner:
Cook your favorite rice in some veggie or chicken broth. I used long grain white rice.
Chop 1 large onion, 2 carrots, the stems of the swiss chard, and 1 celery stalk. Saute in a skillet with a little olive oil. Reserve a little for the filling.
Add 2 smashed garlic cloves, salt and pepper, 1 or 2 chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, (optional) 1 large can tomato sauce, a sprinkle of cinnamon, a dash of smoked paprika, 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tblsp ancho chili powder. (or just buy enchilada sauce with already added seasonings) Simmer until bubbly.
Chop some swiss chard greens or any greens you have on hand. Mix with grated queso fresco and cheddar cheeses and some of the sautéed veggies from step 1.
Heat each tortilla in a dry skillet, fill with some of the chopped chard and grated cheeses and roll them up arranging in a buttered casserole dish, being careful not to burn your fingers. Cover with the rest of the sauce & shredded queso fresco and cheddar cheese and bake at 350 until hot and bubbly. Serve with a side of rice and beans.
Meanwhile open a can of fat free refried beans, put them in a small casserole with some of the cooked rice and a little chicken stock, cover with cheese and bake alongside the enchiladas.
Yum!
Another busy day of packing. Had a simple dinner of panko mozarella balls and tomato sauce from scratch. I realized that I haven’t used ready-made tomato sauce for a long time, I usually just chop fresh tomatoes up and mix it with other stuff. No need to buy those processed tomato sauces (who knows what other chemicals they have there)!
This recipe is especially for Jennifer, though I really just randomly put stuff together to make the sauce:
Panko Mozarella Balls and Tomato Sauce
Original Recipe Source for the Mozarella Balls: Martha Stewart
Ingredients for the Panko Mozarella Balls
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (Tip: use only 1/4 cup at a time because there is usually a lot of flour left over)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup Panko (flaky Japanese breadcrumbs)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Salt and pepper
- 1 pound bite-size fresh mozzarella balls
- 2 cups vegetable oil
Ingredients for the Tomato Sauce
- 2 large fresh tomatoes, chopped
- 12 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons of paprika
- 1 tablespoon of dried basil flakes
- 1 chicken cube or vegetable cube (good for 1 cup of liquid), for flavor
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Procedure
- Make the tomato sauce: Sautee garlic for 2-3 minutes in a medium saucepan on medium heat (avoid burning them!). Add the tomatoes, paprika, basil, salt and pepper, and mix, then let the mixture boil until the tomatoes become soft. Turn off the heat and leave the saucepan for 5 minutes. Pour everything into a blender and pulse until it becomes a smooth paste.
- Make the panko mozarella balls: Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Take out 3 bowls: in the first bowl, whisk the flour with some salt and pepper; in the second bowl, beat eggs; in the third bowl, combine panko with thyme. Dredge the mozarella in flour, shaking off excess, coat in egg (using a fork here is helpful!), and roll in breadcrumbs.
- In a small saucepan, heat vegetable oil over medium-high until pinch of breadcrumbs sizzles and floats to the top when added. Fry mozarella, 4 at a time, until golden brown, turning occasionally, 2 minutes per batch. With a slotted spoon, transfer balls to paper towels to drain and season with salt. Keep warm in oven and repeat with remaining bocconcini.
- Serve with tomato sauce and enjoy!
Avocado Mango Smoothie, aka The Joann Special
Avocado, Mango, Goat Cheese and Coconut Smoothie, with a hint of vanilla, balsamic vinegar, and… fresh basil! It might sound like a strange combination, but it works so utterly beautifully, I can’t even find the words to express it. You HAVE to try that one for yourself.
687. Waldorf Salad
Having spent the past few months unemployed (which is about to come to an end :) ), I’ve been trying to at least use my time productively by making myself slightly more interesting lunches than just the standard soup or sandwich. The other day I decided to make myself a Waldorf salad, and topped it off with some grilled chicken. I’ve seen Waldorf salads with a few different bits and pieces added to them, but I kept mine to the basics - apples, celery, walnuts and a light mayonnaise dressing.
687 down, 1109 to go
Every time Jason comes home, I love fattening him up. He’s completely deprived of quality, homemade food when he’s up north so I make it a mission to have his favorite foods all lined up. These potato skins was one of the many fattening, artery-clogging food items that I made for him when he…
Garlicky Chicken Sandwich with Swiss Cheese, Avocado and Sun Dried Tomatoes
This was our lunch today and features Romaine lettuce from the edible front yard garden. Yumm! This is easy, I bought all the other ingredients from TJ’s this morning, including the ciabatta rolls.
Heat a skillet to med high, add a little grape seed oil. Season boneless skinless chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Add the chicken pieces to the hot pan and don’t move them until they get a golden crust on the bottom. Crush 2 cloves garlic with a garlic press, spread the raw garlic on the uncooked side, flip and cover, leaving the lid off at the side to let some steam escape. Keep cooking until cooked through and the juices have reduced a little. About 10-15 minutes. Add chopped Swiss cheese and partially cover again until melted. Remove to a plate and let rest for a minute.
Cut ciabatta rolls in half and toast under the broiler or in a toaster oven being careful not to burn the tops of them like I did.
Slice avocados, shred lettuce. Spread a little mayo on the top bun, add some sun dried tomatoes, julienned or sliced if they aren’t already. Place the chicken on the bottom, add shredded lettuce and avocado. Season with salt and pepper. Yum!
