Wild Mushroom & Lentil Cottage Pie

Wow. I don’t think I have ever used as many pots and pans and dishes with a recipe before as I did with this one! I’ve run the dishwasher twice and my sink is still full of dirty dishes. So, to just cut to the chase: this recipe is a whole lot of work and not a lot of taste. It was bland. I read the online reviews of it beforehand and saw that most people recommended NOT putting in the whole 2 cups of broth near the end, so I I put in less than 1 cup. It didn’t help with the taste, but at least it didn’t spill over in my oven! This was disappointing- I am usually very happy with recipes from Cooking Light.

rating: 3

Wild Mushroom & Lentil Cottage Pie
(Cooking Light, Dec. 2009)
serves 8

Topping:
1 1/2 pounds cubed peeled Yukon gold potato
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
2/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash of ground red pepper

Filling:
1 cup dried petite green lentils
4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 cups organic vegetable broth, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped carrot
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
4 (4-ounce) packages presliced exotic mushroom blend (such as shiitake, cremini, and oyster)
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon white truffle oil
Chopped chives (optional)

Preparation

1. To prepare topping, place potato and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Cook 20 minutes or until very tender; drain. Return potato to pan. Add buttermilk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, black pepper, nutmeg, and red pepper to potato; mash with a potato masher until smooth. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 375°.
3. To prepare filling, combine lentils, 4 cups water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and bay leaf in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 25 minutes or until lentils are tender. Drain, and set aside.
4. Combine 1/2 cup vegetable broth and flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Set flour mixture aside.
5. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, and mushrooms; cook for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining 2 cups broth. Add sherry, soy sauce, tomato paste, thyme, and lentils to mushroom mixture. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir in flour mixture, and cook until mixture thickens (about 2 minutes), stirring constantly with a whisk.
6. Spoon lentil mixture into a 2-quart casserole; top with potato mixture, spreading evenly. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until potatoes are golden. Drizzle truffle oil over potatoes. Garnish with chopped chives, if desired.

per serving: 235 calories

 

Tofu Tomato Soup with Parmesan Toast

Channelling my inner Chandler Bing here: Could this soup BE any more bland?? This soup was watery and bland and tasteless, and the tofu didn’t add anything to it. Granted, I used regular diced tomatoes instead of the  fire-roasted, but I doubt those would have launched this soup into awesomeness. Good thing there was some Parmesan Toast to dip into the soup, or else there would have been zero flavor. Sorry about the unfocused pic. I could have sworn it was in focus. I might need to start wearing my glasses when I take pictures! :-0

rating: 3

Tofu Tomato Soup with Parmesan Toast
(Slim & Scrumptious, Joy Bauer)

serves 4
1 medium onion, diced
8 ounces silken tofu, drained and cut into large cubes
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
Kosher salt & black pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Black pepper
3 tablespoons no-salt added tomato paste
4 slices whole grain bread, for Parmesan toast
1 (28-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes (I used plain diced tomatoes)
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, for Parmesan toast
To prepare the soup, liberally coat a large pot or Dutch oven with oil spray, and preheat it over medium heat.

Add the onion, carrots, and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes, adding a tablespoon of water at a time as necessary to prevent scorching.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

Add the canned tomatoes and 28 ounces (1 filled tomato can) of water. Bring the soup to a boil, cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°F for the Parmesan toasts.

Stir in the tofu and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

While the soup is simmering, prepare the Parmesan toasts: Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and lightly mist them with oil spray. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Flip the bread over, sprinkle the top of each slice with 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan cheese, and season with black pepper to taste. Bake for another 3 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted. Cut each slice into 4 equal triangles. Set aside.

Puree the soup, in small batches, in a blender until completely smooth. (Alternatively, use an immersion blender to puree the soup directly in the pot.) Season it with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with the Parmesan toasts.
per serving: 231 calories

 

Beth’s Squash Casserole

I love just about any kind of squash. My husband doesn’t. He will eat the Faux Crab Cakes I make with zucchini, and that’s about it. It’s all about the texture with him (or so he says). But he really likes my aunt’s squash casserole. I’ve tried to copy it, and I’ve even asked her for the recipe (but haven’t received it yet). I tried this recipe last night, and….jackpot! He liked it, he really liked it! He even had second helpings! I do have to say, this was some good stuff. I believe that Beth is Trisha Yearwood’s sister. Thank you, Beth! We can now have squash casserole in our household!

rating: 9.4

Beth’s Squash Casserole
(Country Living, April 2010)

serves 8
working time: 15 min.
total time: 1 hour

butter, for greasing dish
1 pounds yellow summer squash, trimmed and sliced 1/4″ thick
1/2 small sweet onion, such as Vidalia, peeled and diced
1 cup water
1 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup grated Cheddar
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup crushed butter crackers (about 12), such as Ritz

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 2-qt. casserole dish.
2. Place squash and onion in a medium saucepan with water and 1/2 tsp salt. Cover and cook over medium heat until squash is tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool.
3. Put squash into a bowl and beat with an electric mixer; the mixture should remain somewhat chunky. Add egg, mayo, Cheddar, remaining 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper and mix until combined. Pour squash mixture into prepared dish, top with cracker crumbs, and bake for 30 minutes.

per serving: 195 calories

 

Black-eyed Pea Cakes with Beer-Braised Turnip Greens

I think this was my first time cooking with quinoa and I know it was my first time cooking turnip greens. This recipe seemed like a lot of work. The cakes turned out really well. The quinoa gave them a nice texture, and the panko made them nice and crunchy. The greens turned out well, too. Liam didn’t like them (but he loved the cakes), and even though they had beer in them, Toby didn’t love them. I thought they were great, and saved the leftovers to eat for lunch the next day. I left out the pine nuts because they were EIGHT DOLLARS at Wegmans. I don’t remember them being that expensive in the past. I felt like the cakes needed a little sauce, so I mixed some sour cream and adobe seasoning together. This recipe was good, but I was just worn out by the end, so I probably won’t make it again. No one absolutely loved it.

rating: 7

Black-eyed Pea Cakes with Beer-Braised Turnip Greens
(Cooking Light, Jan./Feb. 2012)

YIELD: Serves 4 (serving size: 1 cup greens, 2 cakes, and 1 1/2 teaspoons nuts)
HANDS-ON:35 Minutes
TOTAL:1 Hour, 25 Minutes

Cakes:
1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1/2 cup organic vegetable broth
2 cups canned black-eyed peas, rinsed, drained, and divided
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided

Greens:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds turnip greens, coarsely chopped
6 ounces light beer
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted (I omitted)

Preparation:

1. To prepare cakes, place quinoa in a fine sieve; place sieve in a large bowl. Cover quinoa with water. Using your hands, rub grains together for 30 seconds; rinse and drain well. Combine broth and quinoa in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, and fluff with a fork.

2. Combine 1 cup peas and 2 garlic cloves in a food processor; process until peas make a thick paste. Combine pea mixture, remaining 1 cup peas, panko, and the next 6 ingredients (through eggs) in a large bowl. Stir in quinoa. Divide mixture into 8 portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty.

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil; swirl to coat. Add 4 patties; cook 4 minutes on each side or until golden. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and patties. Keep warm.

4. To prepare greens, heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 2 teaspoons oil; swirl to coat. Add greens, beer, and next 4 ingredients (through 4 garlic cloves); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in vinegar. Serve with pea cakes; sprinkle with nuts.

 

Tomato-Cheddar Strata with Broccoli

Well, I can add stratas to the list of foods I shall never attempt again. I have never had luck with these bread dishes. They get all brown and crunchy on top and you think they are done, but in the middle, they are a soggy Salmonella mess. Ugh. Same with this recipe. It looked good, and it was good around the edges, but in the middle it was undercooked and gross. I am not sure what I am doing wrong here. So I made cookies to make up for dinner.

rating: 3

Tomato-Cheddar Strata with Broccoli
(Country Living magazine)
serves 8
working time: 15 min.
total time: 2 hours, 15 min.
Ingredients:

4 1/2 cup(s) (about three-quarters of a French loaf) 1-Inch Bread Cubes
Butter, for greasing dish
6 ounce(s) Shredded Cheddar (About 1 1/2 Cups)
1 cup Halved Grape Tomatoes
1 cup Frozen Broccoli Florets
1 1/2 tbsp Chopped Fresh Italian Parsley
8 large Eggs
3 cups Milk
1 1/4 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Freshly Ground Pepper
4 ounces (1/2 cup) Ricotta Cheese
1 tsp Herbes De Provence
Directions:

Place bread in a buttered 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Top bread with 1 cup Cheddar, tomatoes, broccoli, and 1 tablespoon parsley.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Pour egg mixture over bread and gently press to soak every cube. Add dollops of ricotta over top. Sprinkle strata with herbes de Provence and remaining Cheddar. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or up to overnight.
Remove strata from refrigerator and bring to room temperature, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake until strata is puffed and lightly golden brown, about 1 hour. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Garnish with remaining parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature.
per serving: 299 calories

 

Lentil Sweet Potato Apple Soup

I thought this soup was pretty good. I think Toby liked it, until I told him that two of his least favorite foods were in there (carrots and sweet potatoes). This soup took me about an hour or so to make. You just have to taste along the way, and make sure everything is cooking (especially the lentils!). I did add another 2 cups of veggie broth near the end. This soup is vegan and seems really healthy. I can’t wait to eat it for lunch!

rating: 9

Lentil Sweet Potato Apple Soup
(www.thesoupergirl.com)

Serves eight
time needed: about an hour

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. canola oil
1 onion, diced
½ tsp. minced fresh ginger
½ tsp. cumin
½ tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. paprika
2 lg. sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
3 lg. carrots, peeled and chopped
1 apple (Gala or similar), peeled and chopped
½ c. lentils, rinsed
4 c. vegetable broth or water (I used veggie broth)
Plain yogurt
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Heat the oil and add the onions. Cook for several minutes until soft.

2. Add the spices as well as the vegetables, apples, and lentils.

3. Stir thoroughly.

4. Add the broth and stir again.

5. Bring to a boil and then a steady simmer.

6. Cook, covered, until the vegetables and lentils are soft.

7. Puree with an immersion blender.

8. Season to taste.

9. Garnish with a dollop of yogurt.

 

 

Provolone Ziti Bake

I wasn’t sure how this recipe would turn out. Something about uncooked pasta frightens me. I never have good luck with cooking pasta any other way but the normal way, so I was anxious to see how this turned out. And…it was really good! The pasta was cooked perfectly, and the sauce actually had flavor! I was afraid it would be bland, but it wasn’t. Next time I might add another couple of slices of cheese, because if you got a little bit of cheese on your fork, then it was really good!

rating: 8.9

Provolone Ziti Bake
(www.tasteofhome.com)

makes 8 servings
prep: 20 min.
bake: 65 min.
Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (28 ounces each) Italian crushed tomatoes
1-1/2 cups water
1/2 cup dry red wine or reduced-sodium chicken broth (I used red wine)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 package (16 ounces) ziti or small tube pasta
8 slices provolone cheese
Directions:
In a Dutch oven, saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the tomatoes, water, wine, sugar and basil. Bring to a boil; remove from the heat. Stir in ziti.
Transfer to a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover and bake at 350° for 1 hour. Top with cheese. Bake, uncovered, 4-6 minutes longer or until ziti is tender and cheese is melted.

1-1/2 cups equals 381 calories

 

Moroccan “Beef” Stew

I think I may have found my new favorite soup. And of course, it’s all thanks to Oprah! This recipe was in the latest issue of O Magazine, and the picture looked so good, I knew I had to try it. Instead of the beef I used two bags of Gardein’s Beefless Tips. I treated them just as they treated the meat. I even let everything cook for 45 minutes. I figured that was to help the carrots get soft, so I went with it. I didn’t add quite as much salt as this calls for (I left out about a teaspoon), because I figured the Gardein was already a little seasoned. First of all, this soup smells wonderful! We all really liked this soup, and Toby had THREE bowls of it! He said he knew he shouldn’t go for bowl #3, but he couldn’t help it! I am glad he didn’t go for bowl #4, because I get to have some for lunch now!

rating: 9.8

Moroccan “Beef” Stew
(O magazine, Jan. 2012)

Active time: 25 minutes
Total time: 1½ hours

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1¼ pounds beef chuck, trimmed and cut into ¾ cubes (I used 2 bags of Gardein’s Beefless Tips)
2 tsp. salt, divided, plus more to taste
½ tsp. ground black pepper, divided, plus more to taste
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. sweet paprika
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
6 cups beef or chicken broth (I used vegetarian beef broth)
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
½ cup dried spaghetti, broken into 1-inch pieces
6 Tbsp. chopped cilantro, for garnish (optional)- I omitted
1 large lemon, cut into 6 wedges- I omitted

Directions:

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add beef, 1 tsp. salt, and ¼ tsp. pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until no juices remain and meat is browned, about 10 minutes.

Add remaining 1 Tbsp. oil, garlic, carrot, onion, and ½ tsp. salt and cook until vegetables are softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in cumin, paprika, cinnamon, and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add broth and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until beef is just tender, about 45 minutes; skim off and discard any foam on surface while cooking, if needed.

Add chickpeas, spaghetti, ½ tsp. salt, and ¼ tsp. pepper and continue to cook, covered, until spaghetti is al dente, 10 to 15 minutes more.

To serve: Season to taste with salt and pepper, then ladle soup into bowls and garnish with cilantro (if using) and lemon wedges on the side.

Freeze up to 8 weeks.

 

Denver Omelet Cups

Sigh. So I thought that I had jumbo muffin cups, but apparently I do not. I had to use regular size muffin cups, and apparently those don’t work for this recipe. I had extra hash browns left over. It was really hard to make a little “cup” with the hash browns, therefore, there wasn’t really a whole lot of room left over for the veggies, cheese, and especially the eggs. I had to put the muffin tin on top of a baking sheet, because I knew the eggs were going to spill over. Then, to top things off, these suckers were really hard to get out of the muffin pan! I practically had to chisel them out! But, they actually tasted OK. Toby said that although they didn’t look like much, it was a “neat concept”.

rating: 6

Denver Omelet Cups
(Everyday Food, Jan./Feb. 2012)

serves 6
time needed: about 40 min.

Ingredients:

5 teaspoons unsalted butter
4 cups frozen hash browns (1 pound), thawed
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 small red onion, diced small
1 small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced small
4 ounces ham steak, diced small (I omitted, although you could use veggie sausage if you like)
3 ounces cheddar, grated (3/4 cup)
8 large eggs
Directions:

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Coat 6 nonstick jumbo muffin cups with 1/2 teaspoon butter. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt 4 teaspoons butter. Add hash browns and 2 egg whites; season with salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Place 1/2 cup mixture into each muffin cup, firmly pressing into bottom and up side of each cup. Bake 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small nonstick skillet, melt 1/2 teaspoon butter over medium. Add red onion, bell pepper, and ham steak. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Divide vegetable mixture evenly among cups and top with cheddar. Bake 2 minutes. Remove from oven and crack 1 egg into each cup. Season with salt and pepper and bake until whites are set but yolks are still runny, 8 to 10 minutes. With a small offset spatula, remove cups from pan and serve immediately.

 

Raspberry Honey Tapioca

Are any of you on www.pinterest.com? I love it. It’s very addictive, however! It’s a virtual bulletin board, where you can “pin” ideas for whatever, like a new baby’s nursery, food, or hairstyles. I saw a picture of this dessert and I pinned it for future reference. I made this the other night. Have you ever had tapioca? Do you know what tapioca is?? It’s got such a weird texture, I had to read the ingredients to make sure it wasn’t gelatin! Tapicoa is a starch extracted from the cassava plant. Huh. Anywho, I didn’t love this dish, I am sad to say. And to be fair, I did use Silk Plain Lite soy milk in place of the milk. Maybe that had something to do with the taste? I also left out the rosewater, but so did the original poster, and she said hers was good. But…it was very pretty! It just left kind of a bitter aftertaste in my mouth, the more I ate it. PS: If any of you want to be on Pinterest, let me know and I can send you an invite! I just need your email address.

rating: 6

Raspberry Honey Tapioca
(http://17andbaking.com)

Serves 4-6
time needed: about 1.5 hours
3 cups milk
1/3 cup small pearl tapioca
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/4 tsp fine-grain sea salt
1/3 cup mild honey
Grated zest of 1 small lemon
1/4 to 1 tsp rose water (I omitted)
Chopped toasted pistachios or sliced raspberries to garnish
Soak the tapioca in 1 cup of the milk in a medium, heavy saucepan for 30 – 60 minutes. Whisk in the yolks, salt, honey, and remaining milk.
Bring the mixture barely to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring. This will take about 15 minutes. Decrease the heat so the mixture gently simmers, stirring constantly, for another 20 minutes or until the tapioca is fully cooked (this depends on how large your tapioca pearls are.) The tapioca is fully cooked when the pearls swell up and are nearly translucent – tasting is the best way to tell. The pudding itself will also thicken into a custard. Continue to taste and stir, preventing the tapioca from scorching.
Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the lemon zest, then let the pudding cool (it will thicken a bit.) Stir in the rose water, if using, and wait another few minutes. Heidi likes to eat it warm, topped with pistachios, but I liked it cold, with fresh raspberries