Lactose Free Asparagus and Mushroom Crustless Quiche

Meatless Monday 

I didn't quite get this published in time for it to go out Monday since the little one was being quite rambunctious today.  I am fairly sure she managed to take out every block of which she has 3 kinds, car, animal, doll, musical instrument, etc and cover the floor with them no less than 4 separate times today.  And, we did manage to have a break from the rain for a few key hours this afternoon allowing me to take some time to work on my container garden which was a must with another week of rain impending after last week having rain every day.  So we'll be celebrating Meatless Monday a day late which is fine with me since I make every day meatless. 

I must admit that we had gotten into a bit of a breakfast rut.  Our usual breakfast has become scrambled eggs, fruit often a banana and a clementine, and bread either toast or a bagel with peanut butter.  I think it is now not just because it is routine but also such a quick meal to make in the mornings when I am often functioning at less than 100%.  While I am successful in working in lots of veggies into most meals, they've been distinctly lacking from our breakfast routine.   

After hitting a sale week that included eggs, asparagus, and mushrooms, I decided this crustless quiche would be a great way change our routine just a bit and work some veggies into breakfast.  

By the way, the top isn't burnt at all as a friend asked.  All the veggies rose to the top.  This yeilded 6-8 portions which we split over a few days.  

6 eggs

4 oz lactose free cheese crumbled or grated depending on the cheese

1 cup soy milk or plant based milk of your choice

4 oz portabello mushrooms

1/2 lb of asparagus

1 tsp baking powder

1 tablespoon flour

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp ground sage

olive oil

1. Julienne your mushrooms and saute them.

2. Cut your asparagus into pieces between 1-2 inches long.

3. Beat your eggs together.

4. Add in the remaining ingredients.

5. Grease your baking dish with olive oil.

6. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

7. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until your knife comes out of the center clean.

Quick "Pickles"

Meatless Monday

I cannot take credit for this recipe.  This is my take on a summer side my mom would make when we were kids.  If we were eating it that night for dinner, she would take cucumbers straight from the garden and cool the cucumbers with ice.  If any last to the next day, it's even better the second day.  Due to the vinegar, these hold up for several day.  My little one loves these, and I find them to be a great side to faux sweet potato bbq sandwiches and slaw.  

2 cucumbers

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup of water or water and ice

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp minced garlic(optional)

1. Peel and slice the cucumbers.

2. Mix the vinegar, water, and spices.

3. Let the cucumbers to soak in the liquid for at least a couple of hours before serving.

Due to the high vinegar content, these will keep in the fridge for a few weeks.

the deviled egg debate

note: originally, i was going to post this for easter. due to time constraints, i put it off. but with picnic season upon us(90 degree weather the last few days makes it feel like bbq time.), i thought it would be right on target.

certain foods are essential parts of easter dinner for me. even though i am a vegetarian, i have never had any holiday meals with all vegetarians. so, i always expect ham, asparagus, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole(one of my second mom's traditions that i happen to love made with canned yams.), and since its easter there must be eggs in the form of deviled eggs. the last few years, i have celebrated easter at my best friend's house. this year, due to time constraints with both my boyfriend and i working on easter, we decided to have easter dinner together at home.

and, thus began the great deviled egg debate. in general in my life, i am a tad addicted to change. in order to handle the constant reinvention in my life, i like to keep some things the same as exactly how i remember them from my childhood for instance egg salad, potato salad, and especially deviled eggs. now, i am sure many of you are used to simple deviled eggs with just mayo, mustard, and topped with a bit of paprika. yawn. not the way my mom made them, so i am sorry they bore me terribly. my mother put relish in hers, and i still to this day feel it is key to awesome deviled eggs. in researching my argument with my darling boyfriend, i found these listed as picnic eggs in listings for deviled eggs. but to me, no matter what you call them, they are awesome and how i want my deviled eggs. i have once before made the mistake of allowing the bf to make deviled eggs. he too is loyal to the way his mom made deviled eggs. she made them the "boring way", but instead of paprika topped them with a slice of olive. while this may be lovely, it is not what i wanted. and, for once, i was unwilling to waver on how i wanted my deviled eggs. amazingly, my bf who considers himself king of the kitchen allowed my the shall we say honor of making deviled eggs for easter.


so, here's my recipe which is pretty similar to how mom made it(with one new addition):


yeilds a dozen deviled eggs


7 eggs (trust me)


1 tbs mayo


1 tbs relish


1 1/2 tbs your favorite mustard


1 tsp horseradish(this is the new addition i decided to try and liked so much it will be part of my regular recipe.)


salt and pepper to taste


1 tsp of celery seed
1/4 of an onion minced


paprika if desired for color



i should note that in my house much like the way my mom made staples like deviled eggs all these measurements are approxiamate. she never measured with things like this. we just "eyeball" it or add "to taste" until you get it to taste the way you want. baking on the other hand by its nature was much more about exact measurement. so, you may want to make some adjustments to get to the exact consistency and taste desired.

1. want pretty deviled eggs, then the night before you plan on making your deviled eggs by placing you eggs the longways in the egg carrier in the fridge instead of the normal way they sit in the carton. the carton will not close now, so be sure not to set anything on top of the carton. i find if you do this the yolk will center in the deviled egg better not only making for pretty deviled eggs but also ones that are easier to fill. sounds like i've had too much time to think about this, but what can i say i really like deviled eggs and often they are my main source of protein at friend's picnics. this time i didn't have time to do this since i made them the same day i bought the eggs.


2. hard boil your eggs. now, it seems everyone i know has their own tips and tricks for hardboiling your eggs; so i wouldn't get into this.


3. after they are thoroughly cooled(yes, this is necessary since you are adding mayo.), peel the eggs. i find it is easier to peel the eggs if you crack them, then place them back in water. let them sit in the water for a few minutes so that the water gets in between the shell and the egg. this makes it easier to peel and prevents the shell and membrane from sticking to the egg.
   
   as you can see in the picture, the egg on the left is cracked.


4. cut each egg in half lengthwise with a nonserated knife and scoop out the yolk.


5. reserve the yolks in a separate bowl along with any egg whites(usually 2 halves in the process, but hopefully no more) that tear or do not have a fairly centered yolk.
   see how that one egg white tore completely in half as i was cutting it.


6. now, i find that some of the yolk may not come out cleanly leaving behind trace amounts of yolk.
   
   but, if i take a clean, wet finger i can rub it out leaving them pretty like these.
7. then, you want to throroughly mash up the yolks until they reach a fine texture.
8. add all the remaining ingredients except the paprika to the yolks.
9. pipe or spoon the yolk mixture into the egg whites
10. top with a dash of paprika if desired.

a tasty experiment

i've been having a couple of rough days with my tummy. so, i wanted something sweet, bready, and easy on my tum-tum. so, i got a little experimental in my microwave of all places. its a bit of twist on the chocolate cake in a mug recipe. the ingredients may sound random, but i was working with what i happened to have in my kitchen. i couldn't finish it all in one sitting. it is a lot, but i think it turned out well. so, i'm sharing it. i took a spoonful out to taste and so, you could see it has a cakelike not pudding consistency.

cake
4 tbs powdered sugar
4 tbs oil
3 tbs half and half
3 tbs flour
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp baking powder

topping
2 drops of vanilla extract
2 tbs half and half
1 tbs powdered sugar

mix all the cake ingredients in a bowl or large coffee mug. cook on high in the microwave 2 minutes then continue cooking in 15 second increments til done thoroughly. poke several times with a toothpick so that the topping can soak into the cake. mix the topping ingredients and microwave on high for 1 minute. pour the topping over the cake and allow to soak in for about 10-15 minutes. enjoy.

cupcakes and lemonade

at work, we decided to have a food day where everyone brings in goodies to munch on while we work for easter. i, of course, volunteered to bring in cupcakes. i swear i am still trying to use up those boxes of cake mix. i had a couple of boxes of lemon cake mix and figured they sounded relatively springy for the occasion. while i was doing the last minute easter meal shopping, i came across these easter cupcake liners

at shopper's already marked down to 50% off and knew i was set to make my cupcakes. really, aren't those adorable liners? when i baked the cupcakes, i was a little underwhelmed though by the lemony flavor of the cake mix. so, i decided to spice things up by using two different frostings for the cupcakes. the first frosting i used was a basic vanilla frosting i tinted pink with a couple of drops of red food coloring much like i did for valentine's day. i used less food coloring this time though as a i wanted them to be a lighter pink to match the yellow of the cake. the second frosting is where the lemonade part of the title comes in. i wanted to do something to compliment the lemon cupcakes. so, i got the idea to use lemonade drink mix like the kind from kool aid. you know the kind you have to add sugar to, but i didn't to add since frosting already has so much sugar in it. so, here's my super simple recipe for lemonade frosting which i am now totally addicted to.

lemonade frosting:

• enough of your basic frosting recipe vanilla or merely sugar flavored to frost an entire cake or 24 cupcakes
• one pack of lemonade drink mix

mix thoroughly. this works best if you have time to allow it to set overnight so that the the color can fully bloom giving it a subtly yellow color.

i used pastel chips for added spring flair.

i alternated them just for effect.

making popcorn in a paper bag

i need snacks in my house. and, i mean need. what can i say i am a snack girl. for me, this means pretzels, fruit, peanut butter, and popcorn. don't think i'm a good girl all the time when it comes to snacking, but these are my go tos. recently, as part of our weekly shopping at the dollar store which includes such essentials as imitation bacon bits, laundry detergent(ok, so the making of my own laundry detergent never gained traction as i was unable to find some of the necessary ingredients.), and pretzels, we have often added microwave popcorn. but, even at $1 for several packs, i have become convinced there was a cheaper way that maintained the convenience of microwave bagged popcorn. you see i am the kind of slob that eats right out of the bag when i have no guests to avoid having any dishes to clean up. and even though it has been a few years since the microwave popcorn scandal of popcorn lung being caused by diacetyl, the idea of being able to avoid that can't be a bad thing.
so, i when to instructables.com which always seems to have great hacks for just about everything from food to decorating. and, of course, they had multiple simple tutorials for making microwave popcorn with a brown paper bag. here is the original tute i used from instructables. as always, i made my own modifications.

you will need:

• 1/4 cup popcorn kernels-the instructions said you can get about 50 uses out of a 1 lb bag. i didn't believe this was possible until i saw what a little dent the 1/4 cup made out of the bag. and, in terms of cost, i purchased a 2lb bag of generic brand popping kernels at my local grocery for $1.59.
• 1 tsp of oil-the instructions say olive oil, but i come from the make it work school of thought. so, i used whatever we happened to have.
• salt-the instructions insisted on popcorn salt, but i did not see any in my store. so, i used kosher salt which is what we keep in our kitchen. old bay(i grew i virginia on the water, and we put old bay on any and everything. don't believe me, then try utz's crab chips. they rock my world.)or seasoned salt should also work just fine.
• a brown paper bag-my dollar store carries a 50 pack for $1, but i managed to forget them on my last trip. i just used a carryout bag from a local restaurant. it may have been a little big as you may notice in the pictures, but it was better than nothing.
• something to fasten the bag-here is where i parted way with the instructions. i know it says stapling the bag will not cause sparks. i,however, decided to err on the side of being cautious. i happened to have a chip clip which is completely made of plastic even the spring mechanism. if you don't have such a chip clip, you could always use a bit of scotch tape.
• seasonings such as butter, parmasen cheese(and, i mean the stuff in the green can for this as it really is yummy on popcorn), sugar(approxiamately 2 tbps will make your popcorn into kettle corn but you need to omit the salt), jello(may sound a bit odd at first, but fruit flavored popcorn was something we had as kids and loved especially since it made the popcorn really cool colors), cinnamon, or butter buds.

place your 1/4 cup of popcorn kernels and oil into your brown bag. shake up to coat the kernels with oil. fasten the bag. place in microwave, and set for the same time as you would in your microwave as you would for normal microwave popcorn. mine takes about 3 and 1/2 minutes. listen for the popping to slow down so you can count to about 3 seconds between pops. remove popcorn and season with your choice of seasonings and enjoy.

here is my finished popcorn in the overly large bag.

and, a closeup of the popcorn.

rock candy finally

i know i have been promising a post on making rock candy for some time. the problem is that it really takes time, and by time i mean 5-7 days to finish. i modified the recipe from the science of cooking.

i had to make some changes to the recipe for several reasons. first, this recipe has no flavoring or coloring. that seems way too boring for me like just eating plain sugar. personally, i used lemon extract since that was the only fruit flavored extract i had on hand; but you can use any fruit flavored extract. now, with lemon, the natural choice is yellow food coloring. i didn't have any yellow on hand. so, i went with pink and am calling my rock candy pink lemonade.

the second reason i had to modify the recipe is that it just didn't work for me the first time. to make rock candy, you need the solution to be super saturated to the point that it will no longer absorb any more sugar. when i tried to follow the recipe, i was nowhere near a super saturated solution. i tried once with the recipe recommendations and no crystals had formed. the second time, i added more sugar until i got a super saturated solution.

my rock candy recipe

ingredients:

5 1/2-6 cups of sugar

2 cups of water

a few drops of food coloring

3/4 tsp of fruit flavored extract

additional supplies you will need:

a cotton string or wooden dowel(i used a chopstick.)

small saucepan

a small glasses or jars (2-4)

spoon

if you are using a string, you will need a stick to suspend the string and a weight.

step 1: add the extract and food coloring to your water, and bring it to a boil. remember the color will be 3-4xs darker than the final product.

step 2: begin adding the sugar a cup to 1/2 cup at a time until the solution can no longer dissolve sugar. the solution may become opaque. keep stirring until it is transparent again.

step 3: allow the solution to cool down for 10-15 minutes so that you can pour it into the jars. while it is cooling, you need to wet the string or dowel and dip it in sugar so that the portion that will be in the jar is thoroughly coated in sugar. the dowel or string needs to have the sugar coating so that the crystals have a base to stick to. this is very important. if you forget to do this, you will not end up with rock candy.

step 4: pour the solution into a jar and lower the dowel or string into the solution. you will want to leave the solution in a cool dark place and cover the top with aluminum foil or saran wrap.

step 5: after a few hours, you should be able to see crystals form. if no crystals form, take the solution reheat and add more sugar. also use a new string or dowel. this pic was taken after about 3 hours.

step 6: after 5-7 days, you will have candy. you will need to take it out and allow it to dry off. then, enjoy.

meat out day

tomorrow, friday, march 20th is meat out day. being a friday during lent, i am hoping this gives some of my catholic friends an incentive to participate. i have been a vegetarian since new years of 1998. i have just recently started blogging. so, i don't have lots of pics for vegetarian recipes that i cook. as much as i am a fan of recipes with photos(seriously, i consider this if buying cookbooks), i will make an exception this time and give you some of my super easy meatless recipes. i'll focus on the proteins since i am sure that is what people worry about when cutting out meat even if for only a day. just remember us govt standards recommend .37 grams protein per lb you weigh or if moderately active .50 grams. that means only about 65-100 grams for a people weighing between 130-210 lbs. that's not a lot though to gain thru non meat sources if you consider a serving of beans gives you between 20-30 grams of protein depending on the bean.
here are 2 super easy vegetarian recipes:

roasted red pepper hummus

1/2 jar roasted red peppers or approxiamately 2 roasted red peppers
1 16 oz can of chick peas drained
salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic crushed or 1 1/2 tbsp minced
1 freshly squeezed lemon
1/8 cup olive oil
1/3 cup tahini
1 tsp cumin

this recipe can be made with or without tahini(really i promise especially since it has the red peppers you will still enjoy it even without the tahini). now, if you aren't familiar with tahini, it is made from seasame seeds and can usually be found with the middle eastern food. even walmart carries tahini paste.
all you do is mix all the ingredients in a food processor then serve as a dip with either pita bread which is best toasted or veggies.
you can make plain hummus by eliminating the roasted red peppers.

walmart chili (so named cause everything can be purchased at walmart with their generic brands)
1 16 oz can lt red kidney beans drained and rinsed
1 16 oz can dark red kidney beans drained and rinsed
1 16 oz can chili beans drained and rinsed
1 16 oz can southern ranch beans
1 16 oz can of pinto beans drained and rinsed
1 16 oz can of black beans drained and rinsed
1 small can of tomato sauce
1 can of diced green chilis
1 16 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 packet of mild chili seasoning
1 packet of hot chili seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
water

drain and rinse all the beans except the southern ranch beans which you will use the liquid they come in. add all of these to a crockpot. keep the can that the southern ranch beans come in as you will use water to rinse out the remaining seasoning in the can and add that water to the crockpot. add all other cans but repeat the water rinse with the can of tomato sauce. add the chili seasoning packets. stir thoroughly. simmer on low for several hours til the chili has thickened to your liking. i like mine super thick so i generally simmer mine overnight or all day at work. surprisingly, i actually won a chili cook off both in the spiciest and best vegetarian chili with this recipe with just a few dashes of the pampered chef southwestern spice added in. you can also add in veggie crumbles, sliced mushrooms, peppers, or peanuts if you like, and i sometimes do.

also check out these previous posts with vegetarian soup recipes:
red lentil soup
broccoli and brussel sprout soup

check out meatout.org for more info on meatout day and events in your area and even send a meatout e-card to friends and family

here some great vegan and vegetarian blogs i've come across:
groovy vegetarian
11th heaven's homemaking blog
veggie chic

awesome vegetarian sites:
go veg
vegetarian times which is an awesome magazine
vegetarian resource group
veg news magazine

and finally, if you have some great meatless recipes you want to share. please post them in the comments as i would love to try them out.

my confetti pasta salad

for the baby shower, i was asked to make my confetti pasta salad. as usual, it was a huge hit. so, i thought i'd share the recipe here.

my confetti pasta salad

1 lb pasta whatever shape suits your fancy i use rotini most frequently esp tricolor(garden)
zesty italian dressing either a bottle of store bought or homemade but must be zesty not regular italian
extra packet of zesty italian dressing with no liquids added
1-16 oz cubed cheddar cheese preferrably sharp
2 cans sliced black olives
1 green pepper diced
1 red pepper diced
1 yellow pepper diced
2-3 broccoli florets cute into bite sized pieces
1 package grape or cherry tomatoes halvedor quartered depending on their size
1 cucumber with peel left on for color sliced then quartered

other add-ins
1 can of sweet corn
1can of black beans drained and rinsed
peperoni slices halved or quartered(obviously, i never use this but one of my friends does.)
bacon bits
artichoke hearts quartered
feta cheese

cook pasta, drain, and cool. add all other ingredients and toss. i recommend allowing to set in the refridgerator overnight to allow the dressing to thoroughly flavor all the ingredients.

peanut butter cookies

i got this recipe from allrecipes.com for peanut butter cookies since i was in the mood for a classic food from my childhood. I did make some changes from the recipe. here's the original recipe:

INGREDIENTS
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

DIRECTIONS
Cream together butter, peanut butter and sugars. Beat in eggs.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir into batter. Put batter in refrigerator for 1 hour.
Roll into 1 inch balls and put on baking sheets. Flatten each ball with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F oven for about 10 minutes or until cookies begin to brown. Do not over-bake.

and, here's how i made mine:

i didn't have unsalted butter, so i used salted butter and just a pinch of salt instead of 1/2 tsp of salt. there is an additional problem in that when my dear boyfriend did our grocery shopping and i said i needed butter, he came back with this
. that's right, a whole 1 lb block of butter. i was a bit befuddled with how to measure this. i ended up literally shaving off small bits of it into a measuring cup and packing it down til it looked like almost a cup. i truly think other than the process of baking all the cookies in batches, this may have been the most time intensive part of the process. he may have saved a bit of money, but in the end it really truly was not worth it.

so to the poorly measured butter, i added my peanut butter. however, i hate and i cannot stress this enough hate crunchy peanut butter. i am a creamy peanut butter girl all the way. so, i used the last bit of crunchy peanut butter maybe 1/3 a cup of crunchy to 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter. that way there were still a few bits of peanuts in the cookies.

next, i added the eggs and mixed it all together thoroughly.

then, i added all the dry ingredients but the flour.

despite what the recipe calls for, i still sifted the flour as i added it to the mix. i always sift my flour. then, after stirring it all together, i let the batter set in the fridge for an hour or so(i finished an episode of survivor up waiting and began hell's kitchen.)

i made them into 1 inch balls as the recipe indicated.

and then, my favorite part, made the criss cross pattern with a fork on them.

however, this makes gianormous cookies as they spread out significantly while baking. so, with the next batch i reduced the size a bit so they wouldn't smush together like this. and, i found that even though cooking times seem to need to be longer normally in my oven for this recipe, i had to shorten the cooking time down to 6-7 minutes per batch. i did end up with 7 dozen cookies instead of 4 like the recipe states. but, they were yummy and soft unlike a lot of peanut butter cookies.

ice cream in a bag

i am super miserable with my first round of allergies this season. my darling decided with it being so warm wednesday and thursday to open windows in our house. flowers have just bloomed though and i could feel the beginnings of my agony welling up. so, now i have a bit of a sore throat from not being able to breath through my nose. what would feel better than some cold ice cream. but, i have none in my freezer. i remember making ice cream in coffee cans camping as a kid and figured there had to be a way to make some myself without an ice cream maker. enter my laptop and the handy dandy internet. how did i ever survive without out the internet and better yet what did my mom do without it. i looked up ice cream with a coffee can, and found this recipe for making ice cream in plastic bags. if you want a recipe for making it in a coffee can, which we called kick the can, try here. i made a few changes, and it worked out fine.
i combined 1 % milk, imitation vanilla extract(as a recovering alcoholic i try to avoid using real extracts as they tend to be high in alcohol whereas the fake stuff often isn't.) and less than the called for sugar hoping to cut back some by using a lower fat milk and less sugar. i used a sandwhich bag instead of a pint bag. here's my mixed baggie.
i used a pint size instead of gallon bag because it was all i had. i also substituted kosher salt for the rock salt and used half a tray of ice. ready to shake, shake, shake.
and the result


so maybe, i took it out before it was completely done; but it was yummy. not as creamy as it would have been with half and half or cream but also not as fattening.
i made it as the recipe stated, so it really was only about a scoop full. i wanted more so i decided to change the flavor. this time i tried peppermint by switching the vanilla extract with peppermint extract and adding a bit of red food color to give it a pink color. i also doubled the recipe to make more ice cream.

even doubling the recipe, it really only took about 5 minutes.

super refreshing. its also nice since it seems the only time you can find peppermint ice cream is at the holidays. peppermint is one of my favorite flavors if you haven't figured that out from some of my earlier posts. this time i also took the bags and put them in a plastic container to shake it. i found the bags get cold too quickly and literally hurt my hands not from being heavy but from the coldness. i also placed the extra ice cream in the fridge to eat tomorrow. now, i want to try chocolate which i bet would work well with chocolate milk. also, the pics look soupier than the ice cream really was. its just because i had my camera in another room and had to get it to take the pics. by the time everything was set up, the ice cream melted a bit.

cake mix cookies

as i have mentioned in earlier posts, i have been looking for ways to use up all the boxes of cake mix i have. i looked online and found a ton of recipes for cake mix cookies. i decided to use this as my basic recipe. i used . i decided to separate the dough into 1/3 to make 3 different kinds of cookies. the first would be basic sugar cookies. i started making really small cookies as i was afraid they might spread too much when baking. i also found that in my oven i needed to bake them for about 15 mins instead of 9-12 as the recipe calls for. here's how the basic cookies turned out. they are super soft and moist with a wonderful vanilla flavor. the second part of dough i added cinnamon and red hots. the third part i made into raisin oatmeal cookies by adding brown sugar, raisins, and oatmeal. i had gotten a tip from a coworker on monday that to make for softer raisins when cooking presoak the raisins in hot water. i let them soak til they plumped up for about 15 minutes or so. i was anxious to see how these 2 varieties would turn out, so i baked them simulataneously. and fully baked the red hots melt when baking and these cookies are best eaten warm. be careful though cause sometimes the candy will stick to the pan if not well greased.

red lentil soup

i know i am a bit behind in getting this up. i made red lentil soup in my crockpot last friday evening. i say red lentil not just lentil soup, because i think the red lentils make the soup look so much prettier. red lentils generally cost the same or maybe ten cents more than regular lentils which tend to be a greyish brown color. i am a huge fan of lentils and lentil soup, but i must admit it looks, well, a bit ugly. so, when i was shopping for dried beans last week, i saw red lentils and thought why not use them instead to make lentil soup. red lentils aren't truly red as i noticed many foods with colors in their name tend not to match the color like white sweet potato which is really yellow. by the way, if you haven't had white sweet potato, i highly recommend them especially for a sweet potato pie with lemon extract like my grandma makes. i digress and will have to discuss my favorite pie around thanksgiving when it is more seasonal. i also wanted to get creative and see if i could make this all in my crockpot. my hands have been suffering from dryness, so i'm a fan of avoiding washing more dishes. i normally, saute my veggies(better known as mirepoix) before making the soup. if this works in the crockpot, i would be good. so, here's the recipe and how it worked out.

red lentil soup

1 1lb bag of dried red lentils

2 cups diced onions

1/2 cup grated carrot

1 cup chopped celery

water or vegetable broth just enough to cover the beans and veggies

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tbs minced garlic

1 tbs oregano

(this recipe omits spinach which i normally use more to keep uniformity in the color scape.)

i start off by soaking the lentils overnight. now i understand that lentils and split peas do not need to soak in order to cook. however, not only does it get some of the dirt off, but it also helps reduce some of the gassiness associated with beans. then, i thoroughly rinse them. i took the marjarine, onions, garlic, and seasonings and allowed them to sweat in the crockpot on high for 1/2 hour. once the onions were almost translucent, i added the celery and carrots and cooked them down for an additional 15 minutes til the onions were completely translucent. then, i added the red lentils and water or broth. here is a picture of the soup cooking. i moved the crockpot setting down to low allowing the soup to cook for 3-5 hours til the lentils were thoroughly cooked. then, after the soup cooled some, i portioned the soup into individual containers to freeze. sadly, that's flour spilled in my freezer.

my version of the knorr spinach dip

after the horrible incident with tgi friday's frozen dip, i got to thinking about my favorite homemade spinach dip. i never had knorr spinach dip as a kid, but as an adult it was a regular office favorite. my first thanksgiving away from my family, i went to a friend's family thanksgiving. as a tradition, they have the dip as an appetizer while cooking the actual meal. i started making it after i too got hooked. its always a hit especially for a last minute i forget i need to bring something to a gathering go to. i can't tell you how many times i have picked up the ingredients on the way to work.



my version of knorr spinach dip


one loaf of hawaiian bread
one package of knorr vegetable recipe mix or generic brand substitute(i often use giant's version.)
1 16 oz container of light or fat free sour cream
1 10oz package of frozen spinach thawed a squeezed dry to remove as much liquid as possible


i always omit the mayo to try and cut out some calories and water chesnuts to save money (and because they didn't have it the store one time and i found it still tasted fine). if you're in a hurry like i often was, you can thaw the spinach in a microwave. mix the knorr mix into the sour cream in the sour cream container. you cut out a bowl in the hawaiian loaf. this is where you will serve the dip from. the part you cut out gets cut into cubes to be used to dip into the dip. scoop the sour cream mix into the bowl made from the hawaiian bread which so conveniently comes in an aluminum plate just fine for serving. then, mix the spinach into the sour cream mix. this also makes it perfect for a last minute food since you don't need any extra dishes for mixing the dip. i must admit though, the dip does taste even better when it sits overnight.


here's the original version listed on most knorr vegetable recipe mix package(aren't you proud of me i finally figured out how to do hyperlinks)

lemon chess pie

i know i talked about making chess pie for president's day, but as i figured i still was reeling from my cupcake buzz from valentine's day. i thought that i would make it for george washington's birthday on the 22nd. after talking about chess pie at work, one of my managers absolutely was dying for me to make some lemon chess pie. unfortunately, he leaves for vacation by then. so, i realized i would have to make it tonight for him to have some. i was still a little trepidatious about making the pie since pie crusts scare me. i've made them but i try to avoid them. they are the bane of my baking life. i have an inability to make the edging of my crust pretty which saddens me terribly. so, i started making soup in my crockpot and dyeing my hair in an attempt to put off the inevitable.

after reading through several recipes online, i decided on this recipe http://southernfood.about.com/od/lemonpierecipes/r/bl00510e.htm since it appeared to be the simplest i could find. i left out the lemon rind and used a homemade pie crust. i found in my oven that it needed more time a good 20 minutes more to bake in my oven though. the top of the pie appears candy like with its hard crunchy texture not entirely surprising considering how much sugar is in the filling. i am in love with the pastel yellow color though. i apologize for the crushed top where my boyfriend in an attempt to be helpful full force shoved a knife in there to check for doneness since he wanted to use the oven. it does surprise me that the this recipe was written with the experience baker in mind in some ways. if anyone decides to try this recipe, remember to temper in the melted butter meaning to slowly add a bit of the rest of the filling to the melted butter til the temperature is down some and you can add it to the filling. otherwise, you may end up with scrambled eggs.

as for the crust, i tried this recipe for the crust http://www.cooksrecipes.com/pie/basic-pie-crust-101-recipe.html. i pulled off a bit from the side of the pie, and it is light and flaky as promised. still, i stink at making a pretty egding without tearing my crust.

here's my finished product:

a closeup of the pale yellow color

finally, all packed up and ready to take to work tomorrow. yes, i have a plethora of specialized carrying cases.

edited after serving the pie. this pie is super rich, so i ended up cutting it into twelths for serving. it was such a hit that one of my friends has requested it instead of cake for his birthday.

leftover broccoli and brussel sprout soup

we love frozen broccoli and brussel sprouts during the winter as add ins to mac and cheese or just sauteed with some olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper as a side. these days produce is so ridiculously high that as much as i'd like to use fresh veggies, frozen veggies save us some money. unfortunately, for some reason, my boyfriend tends to leave just a few in the bag and then open a whole new bag whenever we need more. this has left us with quite a few almost empty bags of brussel sprouts and broccoli in our freezer.

with the lowering temperatures, i've been craving soup. so, i decided to scavenge through our freezer and pantry to see what i had to create soup. i had some cheddar soup base perfect since i love broccoli cheddar soup. what i made was so easy and a good way to use up some leftovers that i thought i'd share it.

my leftover broccoli and brussel sprout soup

leftover frozen broccoli and brussel sprouts

salt

pepper

red pepper flakes

bacon bits(they are made with soy, so they are vegetarian.)
cream cheese soup base

water or vegetable soup broth

butter or marjarine

minced garlic

i took the leftover frozen veggies and placed them still frozen into the bottom of my crock pot.

next, i added a pinch or two of red pepper flakes.

my attempt at a picture of me adding a few pinches of salt, and when i discovered how difficult it is to take a picture with one hand while adding ingredients with the other.

now, you can see i ground in some black pepper.

i added several pats of butter approxiamately 2 tablespoons and a spoonful of minced garlic.i added enough water to cover the vegetables, but you could also use some vegetable stock(or chicken stock if you eat meat.) i allowed this mixture to cook in my crockpot on high for 30-45 minutes until the vegetables were fully cooked. i let this base cool enough to blend. its important not to blend a hot soup as some may possibly come out and scald you. i took out about 2/3 of the mixture and blended it with some of the cheddar soup base. i only use 2/3, because i want some vegetables to still be intact to make the soup chunkier.

the blended mix should look like this when pureed thoroughly.

i added this back into the crockpot with the rest of the cheddar cheese base and some bacon bits for flavor and let it simmer on low til completely cooked. do not set the crock pot to high once the cheese base has been added as this may cause the cream base to scald and curdle. even on low, keep a check on the soup regularly, stirring frequently to avoid curdling. i checked mine every 20 minutes or so.

the final product. not the prettiest color, but man is it yummy and cheap since it was made only by raiding my freezer and pantry.