Broccoli Bake

Having trouble getting your kiddos to eat their veggies?  I have the solution!  Lol.  This is an old family recipe of ours, which I suppose I could say is a secret recipe....but I honestly can't imagine that there aren't millions of people all over the country making the same or a very similar dish.  It's very, very easy, but also quite unhealthy and deadly (you'll see), so we reserve it for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  It really wouldn't be good (on your waistline, I mean) to eat this more than a couple times a year.  But it's uber-delicious.

Gather your ingredients:

• Frozen broccoli (you could use fresh, but you'd have to peel the stalks and then cook it before even starting this recipe; frozen is already prepped and pre-cooked and therefore ready to go)
• Town House crackers
• Cheese (we just grab cheese ends from the deli, it really doesn't matter what kind)
• Butter
• Non-stick spray

That's it.  Easy peasy.

Chop up the cheese and layer it in your baking dishe(s) with the broccoli....broccoli first, then cheese, then broccoli, then cheese and so forth until the pan(s) are full, but always finishing with cheese on top.

Crush up some crackers in a plastic bag (for this iteration of the recipe, I ended up using one sleeve of crackers per pan).

Cover each pan with a flat layer crushed crackers.

Melt some butter (I simply put it in a measuring cup in the microwave), and pour it over the top.  As if the all the cheese already in there wasn't unhealthy enough, I used 2 full sticks of butter for each pan.  I tried to do a pan with only 1 stick, but the crackers just didn't soak up enough to bake properly.  Trust me.  ;)

Pop it into a 350-degree oven and bake it uncovered until it's bubbly and GB&D (that's golden brown and delicious).  It took about an hour.

Allow it to cool for a few minutes before serving (it needs time for the cheese and butter to firm back up slightly, otherwise you will have a lot of liquid going on in the bottom of the pan).

Eat it and enjoy the hell out of it, but don't dare ask about nutritional content.  We can't count that high.  :)

Applesauce!

What does one do when the U-Pick apples that you got back in October are about to be past their prime, and you also have some apple cider that expires tomorrow?  Why, I’ll tell you – you grab your handy dandy new stand mixer, a pot, a peeler, and make applesauce!

I just kind of made this up on the fly, but it turned out well.

First, I peeled all the apples.  We had 12 left of various sizes and varieties (I know we had picked Cortland, Golden Delicious, Macoun, Empire, Cameo, and possibly a couple others that I cannot remember).  I only roughly peeled them -- not worrying about bits of skin left on the apples -- I wanted the final product to be somewhat rustic.

Then, I poured what was left of the apple cider into the pot.  I am guessing there was about a cup and a half worth at the most.  I added some water (this turned out to be unnecessary – more on that later), and put it on the stove to cook.

I brought it to a boil and let it simmer (covered) for about 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes it looked like this:

Next, it was time to whizz it up using the stick blender.

At this point, I decided that it was too thin and runny, but luckily I had cheesecloth on had.  So, I lined a colander with the cheesecloth and poured the applesauce in to drain out some of the liquid.

After draining (at least a half hour later), it looked like this:

The last thing I did was add a pinch of sugar and a pinch of cinnamon, which changed the color slightly, as seen in the very first picture above.

Yummy!  The applesauce was very smooth, definitely much smoother than you'd be used to with store-bought stuff.  If you want that store-bought texture, perhaps a simple potato masher would be better suited than a blender of any type.  :)

Three-Meat Beans

Today, in the spirit of love and giving thanks, I am going to share another family recipe.  This is a side dish that we learned from Jason's uncle Mark, and we make it every year for pre-Thanksgiving (Wednesday night) dinner at Jason's father's house.  Just like the 4 Layer Delight I posted recently, it's is a Southern thing....and so mouth watering.

INGREDIENTS

• 5 slices of bacon
• 1/2-pound of Kielbasa, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1/2-pound of ground beef
• 3 Tablespoons of chopped onions
• 32-ounces of canned Pork & Beans (depending on where you live and what size cans of beans are sold in your store, this might be two cans, or it might be three cans -- just make sure you end up with somewhere near 32-ounces total)
• 1/3-cup of ketchup
• 1/4-cup of brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons of molasses
• 1-1/2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce
• 1-1/2 teaspoons of mustard

DIRECTIONS

1.  Pre-heat your oven to 350-degrees.

2.  Cook the bacon in a skillet; chop it up and set it aside in a large bowl (you will use this bowl later to mix everything together, so make sure it's a really big one).

3.  In the same skillet, brown the Kielbasa; remove from skillet into the large bowl, and discard the drippings.

4.  Add the beans, to the large bowl.

5.  In the same skillet, combine the onions and ground beef; cook, stirring, until the beef crumbles and is no longer pink. Dump the beef/onion mixture into the same large bowl.

6.  Add all the other ingredients to the bowl, and mix to combine.

7.  Pour it all into an oven-safe bean pot or baking dish, and bake (uncovered) for 30 minutes.

8.  Enjoy!

Magic Stuffing

*** this recipe is NOT gluten-free ***

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, today I will share my formerly super-secret but completely, totally, and utterly delicious "magic stuffing" recipe.  This is one that I made up all on my own, just winging it one evening a year or two ago.  It plays on the tastes of the season, utilizing apples and apple cider.  And it's soooooo good! -- I really think I hit one out of the park here.   :)

A nice alternative to the usual meaty, buttery, fatty ones that we oftentimes see around this time of year -- this quick, easy, fresh, and healthy stuffing will go wonderfully with (or in) your turkey.  It's also great rolled into pounded out chicken breasts and then baked off.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons olive oil (you could probably get away with even less by using a non-stick pan)
• 10 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 large stalks of celery, chopped
• ½ of a large yellow onion, chopped
• 6 “baby bella” mushrooms, chopped
• 1 medium apple (I use Gala), chopped
• 1 tablespoon of savory leaves (not ground)
• 12 slices of Arnold 12-Grain Bread, stale and cubed
• 2 cups apple cider           

PROCESS

1. If the bread isn’t already stale, pop the slices into the oven on low heat to dry them out.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the garlic, celery and onion, along with ½ of the savory, until soft and fragrant.
3. Then add the mushrooms, apple, and the remainder of the savory, and sauté further.
4. Finally, add the cubed bread and the apple cider, and mix until everything is moist and well incorporated.

You will get about 12 one-half-cup servings, each with a pleasing:

• 166 calories
• 6 grams protein
• 30 grams carbs
• 4 grams fat
• 4 grams fiber
• 185 mg sodium

Thai Forbidden Rice Salad

Have you ever heard of Forbidden Rice, or Purple/Black Rice?  It’s awesome, and it smells like popcorn while it’s cooking….seriously.  Like brown rice, it takes a little longer to cook (30 minutes or more), but that’s no big deal for something that’s so much better for you than plain old white rice.

Today's dish utilizes this uncommon ingredient, and I love it (the rice alone and the dish as a whole)!  In keeping with my household’s current gluten-free mission, this recipe just happens to be so.  It’s also vegan for those that may be interested.  If you need an awesome side dish, or even something to take the main stage, this is it.

I have to admit it’s not my recipe (must give credit where credit is due).  I found it here:  Barefoot Kitchen Witch.

The nitty gritty (including minute changes that I made)….

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Thai black rice (also called forbidden rice)
• Kosher salt (I probably used about a ¼ teaspoon – a “pinch") and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp GF soy sauce or Tamari
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 Tbsp (at least) of Tuong Ot Sriracha - Hot Chili Sauce (“rooster sauce") – I like it hot.
• 1 cup roasted, unsalted cashews
• 1  red bell pepper, chopped
• 1  yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 6 green onions (scallions), sliced

Procedure:

1. Put the rice, 2 cups water, and a pinch of salt in a pan.  Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat, and simmer gently until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, whisk the tamari, sesame oil, lime juice, and Sriracha together in a big salad bowl.  Add the cashews, red and yellow bell peppers, and green onions.
3. When the rice is done, rinse it in a strainer under cold water until the liquid running off shows no more black residue.  You want to see clean water.
4. Add the cooked, rinsed rice to the bowl where you have the dressing, veggies and cashews.
5. Add salt, pepper, and additional Sriracha or lime juice to taste.
6. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutritionals:  The recipe makes at least 10 (side-dish sized) servings, maybe more.  For each of 10 servings, it’s:

• 169 calories
• 5 grams protein
• 22 grams carbs
• 8 grams fat
• 2 grams fiber
• 271 mg sodium

Go.  Make this dish now.  It's incredible.  :)

Aloo Dum (Indian Spiced Potatoes)

Recipe # 2 today is my variation of something I found online for a very tasty Indian-style side dish.  This recipe makes 10 side-dish-sized servings.

You will need:

• 2 pounds potatoes, chopped
• water for boiling
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 small-to-medium onions, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1/3 cup cashew pieces
• 1 cup peas
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. In a large pot, cover the potatoes with water and boil just until barely tender.
2. In a large skillet, lightly toast all of the spices over low heat for just a minute or two, then add the oil and onions, and cook for another five to seven minutes over medium-low heat.
3. While it’s cooking, chop up the garlic and ginger, using the salt in the chopping pile as an abrasive chopping aid.
4. Add to the pan the tomato sauce and the salt/ginger/garlic mixture, and cook on low for another five to seven minutes.
5. Gently stir in the cashews pieces, the potatoes and the peas.
6. Pour in the vegetable stock.  Bring it all to a simmer, and allow to cook for at least ten minutes, until the liquids are all absorbed and the potatoes are cooked through.
7. Top with fresh cilantro and serve.

Each serving has:

• 156 calories
• 3 grams protein
• 22 grams carbs
• 6 grams fat
• 3 grams fiber
• 165 mg sodium

A close-up picture just for fun:

Spiced Chickpeas (Indian Chana Masala)

Today I will offer up two Indian-style dishes.  This first one is borrowed from my friend, Valerie.  It's a recipe that I got from her a long time ago, but for some silly reason I waited until recently to actually, finally make it.  It's wonderful, and all I can say is that I am so sorry that I waited this long to try it.

I really love this recipe – thank you, Valerie!!

Ingredients:

• 1 can of chickpeas
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1-2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 2 Tbsp tomato sauce (I used Newman's Own organic marinara)
• 4 cloves chopped garlic
• spices of choice (I used salt-1/4 teaspoon, pepper, cumin, cayenne pepper, coriander, parsley, paprika, cilantro, and oregano)

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in shallow pot (I use a small saucier). Add shallot and cook until it starts to become translucent, then add garlic. Continue to cook until garlic is cooked and shallots are translucent and a little brown.
2. Add chickpeas. Next add enough stock so that it is level with the chickpeas.
3. Once the stock begins to simmer, add tomato sauce and spices. Stir occasionally and allow the broth to reduce. Basically, all you are doing now is cooking things down so that the chickpeas and onions get soft and cooked. If you find that things get too dry and the chickpeas are soft enough to your liking, simply add more stock and continue to cook down. This is also a good time to adjust the seasoning and make this dish really your own.
4. It's all done when chickpeas are relatively dry and start to come out of their skins a bit.

The recipe makes about 4 side-dish-sized servings, each with:

• 160 calories
• 6 grams protein
• 17 grams carbs
• 9 grams fat (we could easily reduce the fat by cutting out some of the oil)
• 4 grams fiber
• 308 mg sodium

Kielbasa Fried Rice

I decided to go pseudo-Asian for dinner tonight, using up a half of a kielbasa that we had in the freezer.  Here is what I came up with:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup medium-grain brown rice (measured dry/pre-cooked)
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons of sesame oil
• 1/2 of a medium onion, diced
• 1/2 cup of whole raw cashews
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 1/2 of your favorite storebought kielbasa -- diced.
• 2 large eggs. scrambled
• 1/2 cup frozen shelled edamame
• 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Soy Sauce or Tamari
• sesame seeds

Procedure:

1. Cook the rice in the 2 1/2 cups of water.
2. While the rice is cooking, chop the carrots and the onions.
3. Heat the sesame oil in a wok over high heat, then toss in the onions and start them sautéing.
4. Add the cashews and continue sautéing.
5. Add the carrots and the kielbasa, and continue sautéing.
6. Spread the contents of the wok around the edges, creating a well in the center where there is no food.
7. Pour the eggs into the center well and cook them and break them up into pieces.
8. Add the edamame, rice, vineger and soy sauce -- and sauté until desired doneness is achieved.
9. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve.

Nutrition (for each of 4 entrée-sized servings):

• 526 calories
• 14 grams protein
• 49 grams carbs
• 29 grams fat
• 5 grams fiber
• 764 mg sodium