Breakfast Quinoa
I saw a recipe for savory oatmeal somewhere, and I thought, “That would be much better with quinoa, which I happen to have gallons of from my Costco trip“. So I did it, cause I’m cool like that. You will need:
1 cup quinoa (I used red quinoa this time)
2 cups broth or water
1/2-1 cup shredded cheese
2 green onions, chopped
3-4 eggs
optional: leftover cooked veggies
Cook the quinoa according to the instructions, using broth or water. While that’s cooking, either fry or poach your eggs. You could scramble them also, I guess. I won’t judge. I will judge if you hard boil them though, and harshly. When the quinoa is done, mix in the shredded cheese and chopped green onions. I also happened to have some cooked zucchini in the fridge, so I heated it up, and threw it on top, then dropped the egg on top of that. The whole process takes ~20 minutes or so, and yields 3-4 servings. This is a great hearty breakfast, perfect for those days when you have a lot to get done. It will stick with you for hours.
Also, keep in mind, I’m not a food photographer. I make my food, take a picture, then eat it. I don’t sit around, posing it for hours, analyzing lighting, etc. I’m usually starving, and barely remembered to take a picture in the first place. I still think this one came out pretty good, though:
Vegetarian Moussaka
My friend Sara-of-the-long-red-hair made this recipe for us once, and it TOTALLY changed my view of eggplant. I had never been much of a fan before, but in this dish I can’t get enough. In fact, I have some of this as leftovers for lunch today! This dish is tomato-y, a little sweet, and creamy, and has great flavor complexity.
This recipe is the one I used, but that one is vegan and mine is vegetarian. Basically, I used regular cream cheese and milk instead of the soy versions. Sara makes it vegan, and I honestly can’t tell a difference, flavor-wise, so it’s your choice. If you’re trying to introduce someone to either eggplant or vegan foods, this is a good recipe to use. Sara also throws in some pre-cooked lentils to thicken the sauce and add protein.
I’m going to be incredibly lazy and just let you use the link above for the details of the recipe. I want to share some blog hits with someone whose website I find very useful! So I’m really being lazy out of the goodness of my heart.
True to form, I did not follow the recipe exactly. For some reason, I seem incapable of that. So use the above recipe for reference, and here are my changes:
I didn’t actually broil the eggplant. I know my oven has a broiler, but I have no idea how it works. I just put the slices in the oven at 400 until they looked like this:
I believe I left out the red wine, because I didn’t have any in the house. I have also used fresh tomatoes when I had too many in the fridge.
Sara serves this over pasta, but I just eat it straight. It can be a little saucy, so some rice, lentils, or textured vegetable protein would work in it. If you wanted to add extra of the creamy topping it would taste amazing, but of course make it much less healthy. This recipe also freezes well. I’m going to eat my leftovers right now!
Fresh Veggies with Quinoa
Back when I was still pregnant, I wanted some really fresh, flavorful veggies. Well I certainly wasn’t going to deny that craving, so here’s what I made:
I used the mandolin slicer attachment for my cheese grater, and damned if it didn’t slice up that zucchini real nice. I also cut up (the boring, old-fashioned way) about 1/2 a cauliflower and one broccoli crown. I sauteed all of this in olive oil, and used a ton of dried basil and a little garlic salt to flavor it. I cooked everything very lightly so that the veggies were still crisp.
I cut some grape tomatoes in half and threw them in just long enough to warm up. If you cook them too long they turn to mush, and you basically made a tomato sauce on accident.
I put this over some quinoa, but you could also use any kind of rice or pasta. You could also add some Parmesan or feta cheese if you like.
This was so healthy and satisfying, I wish I had a big bowlful right now!
Herb Biscuits
I wanted some biscuits the other day, but had no eggs or milk in the house. I googled “No milk, no eggs biscuits” and found this recipe from cooks.com. Since they use actual measurements in their recipes, unlike my half-assed “I think I used about a cup” type recipes, you should probably check them out. I mixed in some olive oil, dried basil, and garlic salt as a variation. The comments on the cooks.com site also mentioned using cheese and jalapeños as a topper and mix-in, which I might try next time.
Here’s my pinterest-quality before shot:
They don’t really puff up, but I liked them. They are great with soup or a little butter inside. The recipe was really easy, and lots of variations are possible.
Also, today is my due date, so this post is dedicated to the little bun in my oven! I’m pre-writing a bunch of posts, so I’m really hoping I had him by now. This has been a long, uncomfortable process that better be worth it in the end. (It probably will be, otherwise people would quit breeding after one kid). At least I’ll be able to drink again soon!
White Bean Enchiladas
Hubby and I both love cheese enchiladas, but the mountains of cheese they are stuffed with isn’t really that healthy or cheap. I decided to try something new. I made white beans the way I normally make my refried beans, and use that as the base for my filling. White beans are really high in potassium, which is another reason I wanted to use them. I chopped half an onion and 2-3 jalapeños and sautéed them in a little olive oil for a few minutes. I added about 4 cups of refried white beans to the pan, and about 1 cup of shredded cheese. I heated it all on low until the cheese melted into the beans, and added garlic salt to taste. The white beans are so bland, they just pick up the flavor of what you mix in. You could make the same filling with a higher proportion of veggies to beans if you’d like.
To make this into enchiladas, get your 13×9 baking pan, and spray it with cooking spray. Open your can of enchilada sauce, and pour a small amount in the bottom of the pan. Pour about half into a broad-mouthed bowl, like so:
Dip your tortillas into the sauce in the bowl and coat both sides. You can use either flour or corn tortillas. I think the flour ones stick together better, but that’s just my preference.
Put some stuffing in your tortillas, then roll them up so the seam is on the bottom.
Hubby likes his extra spicy, so I chopped up more raw jalapeños to stuff into his. I then marked them so I wouldn’t accidentally eat his and wish for death.
You can make this as a sort of casserole instead if you don’t want to roll all the tortillas. Just line the bottom of the pan with them, spread your filling, add another layer of tortillas dipped in sauce, then either add another layer of filling, or throw cheese on top. I topped mine with 1-2 cups shredded cheese, either cheddar or Colby jack, whatever you prefer, and this pan made 8 REALLY fat enchiladas. I like the filling, what can I say? If you have leftover sauce you can pour it over the top, or just save it to throw into a pot of soup or something later.
Bake this bad boy at 350 for at least 30 minutes, or until it gets all bubbly and melty and you can barely restrain yourself from shoving your face directly into the pan.
Let’s all keep in mind I am not a tiny hispanic grandma, so these are not going to be authentic enchiladas. Although I am from Texas, so they’re pretty close. Enjoy!
Classic Post: The Laziest Thanksgiving Ever
Since I’m on the verge of giving birth to a turkey rather than eating any, I thought I would let you enjoy this “classic” Clever Chick post. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving, and everyone place your bets on when this baby will be born. Don’t forget I get a cut of the winnings! Happy Thanksgiving!
I’m sure most of you have Thanksgiving plans in place by now, and if you’re the one in your family saddled with creating a feast, do I have a treat for you!! I made Christmas dinner for my family last year (albeit just 6 of us), and I would gladly do it again, it was so simple. My trick? Forget the turkey. That’s right!! They take forever to cook, never get even halfway eaten, and are (from what I hear), a pain to make. Why do I need to get up at five a.m. and baste the thing all day, when not much of it will get eaten, and I’ll be stuck with tons of leftovers I’d rather not eat?
Do we have a vegetarian Thanksgiving? Not by any means, but that’s not a bad idea. I just buy a fully cooked ham and heat it up instead. Ham stays moist, and is super popular in my family, plus the leftovers can be used in thousands of ways. Why be chained to tradition? If your family prefers brisket, or tofu, or deer meat, make that. There is no point to wasting a bunch of time and effort to cook something everyone feels obligated to eat, but would prefer not to. Of course, if your family likes turkey, buy a fully cooked turkey, and then follow the rest of my lazy-feast instructions.
There are tons of side dishes that are fantastic for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any pot-luck event, that are simple to make and super popular. If you’re having a vegetarian feast, most of these should still be right up your alley.
1) Green bean casserole: This simplest, yet most iconic Thanksgiving recipe. Go to the store. Buy 2 cans of green beans, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, and one large can of those french fried onions (which will usually have the recipe on the side of the can). Drain the green beans, mix in a bowl with the cream of mushroom, and about 2/3 of the fried onions. Hide remaining fried onions from spouse, as he regards them as a snack food. Buy more fried onions, after spouse has discovered can with blood hound-like accuracy. You can mix in a half cup of shredded cheese also, if spouse has not eaten all cheese in existence. Pour into a baking dish and smooth out with a spatula, then bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Pull the casserole out and scatter about 1/3 of the fried onions on top, and put it back in for 5-10 minutes, so the onions on top get golden. Retain any remaining fried onions to bribe spouse into doing manual labor, such as taking out the trash, or rearranging furniture. (After I read this aloud to Hubby, he laughed and said “Now I want fried onions”).
2) Stuffing – Yes, I use the box stuffing. I make it more realistic by sauteing celery and onions in butter and mixing them in, and using real chicken broth in the recipe. If you’re making it vegetarian, you can buy vegetable broth in the soup section of the grocery store, which will work well instead of chicken broth. If you have one of those family members who is picky about stuffing, ask if they would like to contribute theirs to the meal. These type of family get-togethers are often pot-luck, so it’s not unreasonable to ask someone to bring something. If you’re like me, you probably dread hearing complaints from That Person, so this can be a way to bypass any difficulties.
3) Sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes – to me, these things are kind of redundant, but some people get all antsy about having both. I almost never partake in sweet potato casserole, and I don’t get the point. Why take something as delicious and naturally sweet as sweet potatoes and add marshmallows and brown sugar and all that crap? I mean, sweet is in the name. But, whatever people want. You’re going to have to google that one. Last year, boxed mashed potatoes were requested, so that’s what I made. I love that my family is as accommodating of laziness as I am! You can use real potatoes, heavy cream, and loads of butter, or you can use this healthier alternative I got from the South Beach book. You take a whole head of cauliflower, clean, chop, and boil it until it’s mushy. Drain it well, then blend it smooth in your food processor. Use Land ‘o Lakes fat free creamer, and the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spray, salt and pepper to flavor it. It comes out super creamy, and buttery tasting, but is much healthier for you. Hubby even likes this, and he doesn’t like cauliflower. It does not taste exactly like mashed potatoes, but it’s really good, and substitutes just fine for me.
4) Cranberry Sauce – canned is the preferred style in my family, but you can buy the bag of raw cranberries in the produce section at your grocery store, and it has the directions on the bag. This is a very cheap recipe, since it’s mostly just the cranberries, and some sugar, and it can be impressive to see homemade cranberry sauce on the table. Maybe it will distract from the box stuffing? The problem is it makes a LOT of this stuff, and honestly, it’s not all that popular, at least with anyone I know. Be prepared to have cranberry banana smoothies for a week or so after the holiday. The plus side is that cranberries are really good for you.
5) Gravy – If you aren’t making any meat, you probably don’t want gravy anyway. I’m assuming that most of the packet kinds have some meat products in them as well. The way we make gravy here in the south, is with some kind of meat dripping usually, so a ham is the perfect way to start gravy. For southern cream gravy, take the pan you made your ham in, and pour any drippings into a small frying pan. You can also add some pieces of fat from the ham to this, and saute it a little. If you’re making a turkey, I think this is where you use the bag of organs from inside the bird, like the kidneys and stuff. You may have to call an official grandma for that one. Once your drippings are boiling somewhat, scatter some flour into it. You want to scatter it as finely as possible to avoid clumps. I usually dust flour across the pan with my left hand, and stir the pan constantly with a whisk in my right hand. Remember to make the gravy thinner than you’ll want the final product to be, because it will thicken once it cools a bit. Add milk slowly, and continue stirring, letting it boil and thicken again. I usually end up tasting my gravy dozens of times, and adding garlic salt and pepper for flavor. If you don’t have any drippings or fat, you can use beef broth to start off. It’s easiest if you use bullion rather than canned broth, and make it at least double strength, so the flavor will be stronger. I haven’t tried this with vegetable broth yet, but they do make vegetable bullion, so it could be feasible. I’ll have to try it sometime.
6) Rolls – I LOOOOVE homemade bread, but I sadly have no idea how to make anything decent. I do have a recipe for beer bread which is pretty good, but not exactly Thanksgiving-y. I’ll probably write a post for that later. Since that’s the case, you can either rely on your own abilities, pawn it off on a family member, or buy some at the store. I usually get that Mother-o-Mine to make her yeast rolls, but otherwise I get some from the actual bakery at the store. I’m not really a fan of the frozen ones, and the pop cans ones don’t fit in with Thanksgiving, at least in my mind. Most of the people I was feeding last year are fairly carb-conscious, so not providing rolls was the perfect solution. I didn’t have to do extra work, they didn’t have to struggle with the temptation of my fantastic cooking, and I didn’t have tons of leftover bread products that would have led to my pants hating me.
7) Desserts – I know desserts are pretty iconic for this time of year, especially pumpkin pie, and pecan pie in the south. Unfortunately, I am dessert disabled at this time of year. I don’t like either of those things. I know! ME!! Turning down desserts! No, the world is not ending, hell has not frozen over, and pigs are not flying. Pumpkin pie has never tasted like anything but dirt to me, and I don’t like pecans, or really any nuts at all (that’s what she said), so I generally ignore the dessert table at family gatherings. I do like apple pie, which is appropriately traditional, and you can follow my recipe here, substituting apples for peaches. Just make sure to peel your apples, cut them into bite sized pieces, and coat them in cinnamon and sugar, vanilla extract, and maybe a little nutmeg.
Any type of assembly of family can lead to stress, unless your family is super-fantastically-sweet, in which case you are either lying, or too dumb to notice all the drama going on around you (just kidding! You were probably raised by a family of elves). Cooking for any number of people can be stressful by itself, and more so if you’re worried about complaints, or dissatisfied family members. Avoid as much drama as possible by sticking to what you know, and getting other people to contribute. There’s no reason why you should be the only one to shoulder all the cost and stress of the event, plus having to clean and organize your home. Maybe ask people if they want to bring something, without pressuring them, and many people will even offer without prompting. If there’s someone who can’t cook at ALL, maybe they can bring salad, wine, or a veggie tray, or anything your were going to buy at a store anyway. If Grandma always makes her super-delicious stuffing, ask if she’d like to bring it over. One less thing for you to plan and purchase will make a big difference to your stress level, and also prevent any “Where’s Grandma’s stuffing?” type issues. The less stress you have now, the more you can tolerate at Christmas. Or just start drinking now. Don’t forget that if you are going to someone else’s home for Thanksgiving, they would probably appreciate the reduced stress of you bringing something as well. I usually bring lots of alcohol, or just do several shots before arriving. Trust me, it makes life easier. Happy Holidays!
Scones
I have a very dear friend I trade books with as often as possible. She is responsible for me having read some truly awful books, that we then mock together. However, she also gives me awesome books, to make up for the terrible ones. The best thing she’s ever given me is The Complete Tightwad Gazette. It’s a resource I have read through a few times, and refer back to frequently. Some of the information is a little dated, since it’s from the 90’s, but the overall concepts and the majority of the ideas are extremely useful. I would recommend it to anyone trying to save money, whether you’re just getting started, or consider yourself a veteran penny pincher. Obviously, it’s right up my alley.
This scone recipe came from the Tightwad Gazette. I’m not generally much of a baker. Hubby and I don’t eat a lot of carbs in general, and for some reason I’m not very good at it. I think baking requires a little more science than I’m capable of, but I keep trying, periodically. I have muffins in the oven right now, and they are nothing to brag about. They taste ok, but never really plumped up. Whatever, I’ll eat them. Here’s an actual recipe to follow:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup uncooked oatmeal
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup softened margarine
1/2 cup raisins (I used dried cranberries)
3/4 cup sour milk (or milk with 2 tsp of vinegar added)
1 egg, beaten
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix dry ingredients; cut in margarine and raisins. Stir in enough sour milk just to moisten. Divide the dough in half. Flour hands and pat dough into two circles on a greased cookie sheet about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into quarters. Bake for 10 minutes. Brush on egg and then bake until golden brown. Serve with honey, margarine, or jam.
I was making these for a vegan friend, so I simply left off the egg. I don’t know what purpose it serves, other than to make them pretty? I also checked to make sure I was using vegan margarine. Overall they came out fine. Scones are rather plain, and you can see there’s no sugar in the recipe. I guess that’s why British people cover them in jam and clotted cream. When Mi Madre makes hers, she sprinkles cinnamon and sugar over the top, and I should have probably done the same.
I know these look kind of weird, but that’s because I added chocolate to the dough for the one on the right. I didn’t add enough for the flavor to be evident, just enough to make it looked burned. This kind of thing is why I don’t bake often! But if you want a simple recipe to bring to a brunch, these are easy to make (follow the actual recipe, unlike me). Bring some jam also, and you’re golden.
Bacon Lentil Soup
I know soup is not something you usually think of as a summer time food, especially in Texas, but I didn’t want to make a mountain of dirty dishes, and a casserole would heat up the kitchen even worse, so soup it was. I accidentally made what appeared to be an enormous amount of soup last night, but once it got into bowls it vanished quickly. I had a little bit of bacon lying around that I wanted to finish off, so I conceived of this recipe. (Vegan alteration below) You will need:
1 16 oz. package of lentils
1/2 onion, diced
3 strips of bacon (more if you want)
5 cups kale, chopped roughly (remember, kale is bulky, so with other greens you won’t need nearly this much. If you’re using finely chopped or frozen greens about 2 cups should be plenty)
1 tsp liquid smoke
6 cups chicken or veggie broth
Seasoning salt or garlic salt to taste
Cut the bacon into small pieces and throw it in the pot. Get it started on low to medium heat while you dice the onions. Once there’s a little fat in the pan, add the onions. If you want to make this recipe vegan, leave out the bacon (shocker! I know!), and use a little olive oil to saute your veggies instead, and obviously use veggie broth later on.
Chop up and throw in your greens and let them wilt a bit. I only used 4 leaves of kale, but they were GINORMOUS MUTANT LEAVES, so I can’t really judge how much you should use. I also love greens, and they’re so healthy, I just toss in as much as will fit in the pan most of the time. Once the greens are a little wilted and easier to stir, add the broth and dried lentils. If you are using already cooked lentils, add your broth 1 or 2 cups at a time and judge how brothy you want it to be. Hubby likes thicker, more stew-like soups, so that’s what I tend to make.
Bring the pot to a mild boil (not like a vigorous, knocking-the-lid-off boil) and let it cook until the lentils are done, probably about 45 minutes. Stir it periodically. Once it gets close to done, I always eat some of the lentils to make sure they’re actually done, and not faking it. Then add the liquid smoke, and other seasonings. I also threw in a bunch of dried parsley, both to make it look pretty, and because herbs have lots of nutrients, but this is optional.
Hubby and I both enjoyed the finished product, and I’m glad there are leftovers. This recipe probably makes 8-10 normal people servings, but about 6 for me (eating for two, remember!) and Hubby. There was really minimal veggie chopping and clean up, and it was easy, even though it has a medium-long cooking time. The ingredients were also super cheap! I probably spent no more than $3 for the whole pot! Can’t beat cheap eats!
Quinoa Casserole
I straight up love quinoa, and I don’t care who knows it! I could eat it every day, and here’s an easy way to accomplish that. Cook 2 cups of quinoa, and about half a bunch of kale (I used a whole bunch (literally) and it was a bit too much).
Mix the cooked quinoa with the kale, and some diced onion, if you want. I used about 1/2 and onion cut in big chunks, because I like to live dangerously. I mixed in a half cup of plain yogurt, but you could go as high as 3/4 to make everything nice and moist. I also use a metric ton of cheese in casseroles, so it’s really hard for me to tell you how much I used. I probably mixed 1 – 1 1/2 cups into the casserole, then scattered at least another 1/2 – 1 cup on top. I know! But it tastes so good!!!!
I mean, look how delicious that is. Can you really fault the amount of cheese I put in there?
A couple things I learned while making this that I should have known already: stir it all THOROUGHLY. Nothing ruins a casserole like a dry spot. Also, if you add a little salt you can use less cheese, but would you really want to?? You can also substitute broccoli for kale if you want, and it would still be fantastic. Hell, with as much cheese as I used you can probably substitute old kitchen sponges and it would still taste great!
Crock Pot Split Pea Soup
I accidentally made the greatest split pea soup EVER. Be warned, I used a TON of herbs because I get them super cheap in bulk. Basically I was sick with zombiedeathplague, so I threw a bunch of stuff in the crock pot, then went to sleep for a few hours. Because I was in a Nyquil-induced fog, I didn’t really make good measurements, but this is pretty close. You need:
1 16 oz. bag of split peas
2 tbspn dried basil
5 bay leaves
2 tbspn dried parsley
1 tbspn chopped garlic
10 cups of water and 4 bullion cubes, or 6 cups water, 4 of broth
1 cup textured vegetable protein
To make it vegan use veggie broth, and add a tablespoon or two of olive oil.
To make it meaty, add a cup of chopped ham or sausage.
Throw everything in the crock pot, and set it to cook for 4 hours. Mine ended up being too brothy, so I added a cup of textured vegetable protein. If you don’t want to do that, reduce the water by at least 2 cups. When it’s done cooking, add salt and pepper to taste.
This stuff was so thick, hearty and nutritious, I couldn’t get enough. It’s great for this cold, rainy weather, and it’s VERY filling, with a ton of fiber and protein. You could throw in even more of the spices I used, or even add cumin, or chipotle. My favorite part of this recipe is how easy it is. You can also keep all the ingredients in the pantry to make in an illness emergency. I just finished the last of it today, and I might make more tomorrow. IT’S THAT GOOD.
Crock Pot Lentil Soup
I’m posting this recipe mostly because I did it on accident, and I don’t want to forget what I did. I chopped up a whole onion, 2 carrots, and one small potato, and tossed them in the crock pot. I added a giant spoonful of jarred, chopped garlic, 3/4 of a bag of lentils, 2 handfuls of barley, 2 bay leaves, 4 tablespoons of tomato bullion powder, and water to cover, maybe 8 cups. I set it to cook for 4 hours, then went upstairs and took a nap. The food smelled so good I was dreaming about eating. I woke up because the dogs decided to wrestle on top of me, so I went downstairs to feed them and check the soup. It needed some more water, so I added a bit, and let it do its thing. Ya’ll. It’s FANTASTIC. This is for serious.
I don’t know if it’s the bay leaves or what, but I am DAMN proud of this one. It was insanely easy, and took a total of 10 minutes to throw together. The bullion I used isn’t vegetarian, but you can easily substitute a can of tomato paste, or some tomato glut sauce, since it’s the season to make it. Then it actually would be vegan. This recipe is very cheap, and healthy. I had all the ingredients on hand though, so I can’t calculate exactly how much, or the nutrition info or anything. Meh, do it yourself. I got soup to eat!!
My Attempts at Cleverness 
