Sunday, April 27, 2008

Egg Muffins

I made these today. Tasty!

15 oz. part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded cheese of your choice (I used cheddar)
1 pkg frozen chopped frozen spinach thawed and squeezed dry
4 eggs, beaten
1 small onion diced
salt/pepper to taste
a little Frank's hot sauce

(optional: diced peppers, ham, bacon, shredded zucchini, mushrooms, sausage etc).

Mix all the ingredients together.

Pour into greased muffin tin.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Baked Oatmeal

I made this for breakfast today:

3 c oats
1 c skim milk
2 eggs (or eggbeaters)
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
handful of raisins

Mix all ingredients together. Put into 9x13 pan sprayed with Pam. Bake at 350 20-25 min or until done.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

My Mother's Brisket


Serves 8 to 10.

ingredients
a 5- to 6-pound first-cut beef brisket
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 large yellow onions, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 5 cups
or 3 pounds)
2 or 3 large garlic cloves, or to taste, minced
1 teaspoon paprika, preferably Hungarian
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
preparation
Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a Dutch oven or other heavy baking pan large enough to hold brisket heat 1 tablespoon oil in oven 10 minutes.

Pat brisket dry and season with salt and pepper. Roast brisket in pan, uncovered, 30 minutes.

While brisket is roasting, in a large heavy skillet cook onions in remaining 2 tablespoons oil over moderately high heat, stirring, until softened and beginning to turn golden.

Reduce heat and cook onions, stirring occasionally and reducing heat if necessary, until deep golden, about 20 minutes more. Stir in garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper and cook 1 minute. Stir in 3 cups water and bring to a boil.

Spoon onion mixture over brisket and bake, covered, with lid 1/2 inch ajar, 3 1/2 hours, or until brisket is tender.

(Check pan every hour and if necessary add more water.) Remove brisket from oven and let cool in onion mixture 1 hour.

Remove brisket from pan, scraping onion mixture back into pan, and chill, wrapped in foil, overnight.

Spoon onion mixture into a 1-quart measure and chill, covered, overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Discard fat from onion mixture, add enough water to mixture to measure 3 cups total, and in a blender blend gravy until smooth.

Slice brisket against the grain (thick or thin, as you prefer). In a large ovenproof skillet heat gravy until hot, add brisket, and heat in oven 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Monday, April 21, 2008

HEALTHY & HEARTY SMOKY BLACK BEAN DIP


1 19-oz can black beans, drained & rinsed
2 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp.coarsely chopped onion
½ cup loosely packed fresh cilantro [leaves & stems]
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp. low- or nonfat sour cream or yogurt
1-2 chipotle chiles in adobo, coarsely chopped [amount depends on heat preference]
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. red chili powder
½ tsp. smoked paprika [pimentón de la vera]
salt and freshly ground pepper

in a food processor, combine all ingredients except salt & pepper. process until smooth. taste for seasoning, add salt & pepper to taste, and blend thoroughly. if you prefer a thinner dip continue processing and add water 1 Tbsp. at a time until desired consistency is reached.

transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with 2 Tbsp. of chopped cilantro if desired, and serve with homemade chips [see below], and/or crudités.

a couple of notes:

re: consistency...i like my dips VERY thick, so depending on your preference you'll probably want to add some water to loosen it up a bit

re: heat...i love it, so i always go heavy on the pepper & chiles...but if you're not into spicy, start off with just a little. you can always add more.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Quinoa Italiano

Ok, I'm cooking this right now so not sure how it's going to come out, but this is what I did:

Saute in olive oil:
1 small onion, chopped
1 red or green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Add 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, approx. 2 cups vegetable broth, and 1 c. rinsed quinoa. Simmer until quinoa is cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste.