Ham, Asparagus, and Swiss Cheese Crepes

Crepes are so fun, why don't I make them more often?! The filling options are endless - these have a savory filling and are great for brunch or dinner and make use of fresh asparagus which is at it's peak right now.

I served these crepes with their recommended side - "fresh fruit with lime gastrique". Ignore the pretentious title of the recipe. Basically, it's chopped fruit that has been tossed with a lime juice and sugar slurry and allowed to soak for 15 minutes. I used bananas, mango, strawberries, and kiwi fruit. If you have about 4 cups of fruit total, you'll want to mix 2 tablespoons lime juice and 1 tablespoon sugar for your sauce. Or skip the sauce altogether and just eat plain fresh fruit with your crepes. Either way, it's more fun to serve it in a fancy glass.

Not related to crepes at all, but I discovered a great make-ahead lunch idea that I wanted to share. One Sunday, I bought a bunch of veggies: broccoli, red bell peppers, a head of red cabbage, and a bunch of carrots. I chopped them all up into bite sized pieces, stored them in the biggest tupperware container I could find, and they sat there in the fridge for two weeks, ready for lunches or whatever I wanted to use them for.

For weekday lunches, I packed a container with about two cups of these raw veggies to work with me, steamed them in the microwave, then either topped them with various things or stirred them into something else. Most days, I had a low carb lunch by topping them with edamame, sunflower seeds, a little shredded cheddar, and a heaping dollop of Yumm sauce. For variety, one day I topped them with leftover homemade nacho cheese sauce (blog post next week!). Another day, I brought a frozen meal (a rare occurrence), a four cheese penne with spinach, with a very creamy sauce. I knew it wouldn't make me feel full on its own (frozen meals never do), so I stirred in some of the steamed veggies to bulk it up. Besides lunches, I also used some of the broccoli and red bell pepper for a weekend omelet.

How else can I use steamed veggies in my lunches? I'd love to get your suggestions!

Basic Crepe Recipe
adapted from Cuisine at Home - April 2009
makes about 10 crepes

Notes: If you are planning on chilling the batter overnight, it's probably better to use the oil rather than the butter because it won't solidify. Remember, the first crepe of the batch is usually total crap, so just know that and don't get discouraged, the other ones will be much better. If nothing else, it's something to munch on while you make the rest.

2 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl using a hand mixer on low speed. Scrape sides of bowl, then mix on high for about 10 seconds, or until ingredients are thoroughly combined. It should be about the consistency of heavy cream. Cover and chill for at least one hour or up to 24 hours. This resting time helps relax the gluten in the flour, making the finished product more tender. This also means you don't have to worry as much about over-mixing in the first step like you do with pancakes and other baked goods.

Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. When hot, spray bottom and sides of pan with nonstick cooking spray. Measure out 1/4 cup of the batter, pour into one corner of the skillet, then immediately swirl the pan, tilting it so that the batter covers the bottom as much as possible. You can fill in any holes with more batter. Cook for about 1 minute, until the edges start to turn brown. You will know it's ready to be flipped when you can gently shake the skillet and the whole crepe shifts side-to-side in one piece. To flip, gently lift the crepe using a spatula and your fingers, and flip it. Cook on the other side for about 20-30 seconds. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Continue to cook the remaining crepes, coating the pan with nonstick spray between each one. It also helps to give the batter a quick stir with a whisk before measuring it out when making each crepe.

Ham, Asparagus, and Swiss Cheese Crepes
adapted from Cuisine at Home - April 2009
Makes about 10 crepes and 2 cups of sauce

Notes: These can be made ahead of time - just assemble the crepes but do not bake, cover them in plastic wrap and chill for 2-3 hours. When ready to serve, make the sauce while the crepes bake.

For the crepes:
8 ounce cooked ham, chopped (I bought some ham from the deli and asked them for thick slices, but thin sliced ham would be just fine too)
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
Ground black pepper to taste
1 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed, cut in half (thin spears are best for this recipe)
10 prepared crepes

For the sauce:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup milk
1/4 cup stone-ground mustard
Kosher salt and pepper
Chopped fresh chives

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Coat a baking sheet with nonstick spray.

In a medium bowl, add the ham, cheese, and pepper and toss to combine. Place 1/4 cup of this mixture plus 4 asparagus halves down the center of each crepe. Roll them up and place them seam side down on the prepared baking sheet (at this point you can cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake). Bake crepes for about 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk in the broth and milk, bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Whisk in the mustard, salt, and pepper and simmer until heated through.

Serve crepes with the sauce, garnish with chives.

Broccoli Bacon Quiche

Apparently I've been eating quiche the Weight Watcher's way my whole life, thanks to my mom. I had no idea this was a "light" version of a quiche until I asked my mom for her recipe last week. Normal quiche recipes call for heavy cream and lots of eggs, but this recipe only uses 4 eggs total and 1 cup of evaporated milk.

We've been eating variations of this quiche for brunches and holiday breakfasts as long as I can remember. Sometimes we use chopped leftover ham instead of bacon, and you could use different vegetables like red pepper or spinach instead of broccoli. I don't know what the Points+ value is for this recipe; the original cookbook is from 1981 which used an entirely different method of tracking. You could easily enter the ingredients into a recipe builder yourself if you wanted to figure it out. What is nice about a quiche is that you get to decide how many servings you want it to be, based on how you slice it, so you can raise or lower the Points+ as you'd like.

Broccoli Bacon Quiche
adapted from Weight Watchers 365-Day Menu Cookbook
Makes 1 quiche

Notes: My mom has made many tweaks to this recipe over the years. For example, it originally calls for imitation bacon bits, but we use either real bacon bits or chopped cooked bacon. You'll notice that it calls for 1 cup of evaporated milk, yet most cans are 12 ounces. I don't know what to do with extra 4 ounces of evaporated milk. If you have a deep pie pan, you could probably use the whole can. Sometimes my mom would just buy two cans and just make three quiches (8oz x 3 = 24oz). We usually made at least two if it was for a family gathering anyway, and it makes great leftovers so having an extra one was nice.

1 standard prepared pie crust (I used a frozen one, placed in the fridge to thaw that morning), or make your own from scratch
1 cup steamed broccoli (from fresh or frozen), chopped into small pieces
2-3 heaping tablespoons cooked bacon, chopped into small pieces, or bacon bits
2 green onions, sliced
8 ounces shredded Swiss cheese
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup (8 ounces) evaporated milk, regular or low-fat
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Preheat the oven to 325 F.

Prepare the pie crust in a pie baking dish according to package directions, if applicable (mine came in an aluminum pie plate so I just baked it in that).

In a medium bowl, combine the broccoli, bacon, and green onions.

Sprinkle half of the cheese over the bottom of the pie crust. Top with the broccoli-bacon mixture.

In another medium bowl, mix together the eggs, evaporated milk, salt, and pepper. Pour over mixture in pie crust.

Top with the remaining cheese.

Place the pie baking dish on a baking sheet (in case there are any spills) and bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. 

Cooking with Trader Joe's - Energy Bars

I love homemade granola bars! I wanted something that could be a quick snack during the day and these chewy little bars seemed like the perfect fit. I used what I had on hand so I ended up swapping some ingredients: dried cranberries instead of raisins, almond butter instead of sunflower seed butter, and sunflower seeds instead of pepitas. I also used half the amount of agave it called for, and it was sweet enough for me.

I found this recipe in a new cookbook I got for my birthday: Cooking with Trader Joe's. This version is all about "skinny" recipes using Trader Joe's products.

All the recipes seem nice and easy and heavy on the veggies. There are lots of recipes using tofu and tempeh. We loved 4 out of the 5 recipes we've made from it so far:

1) Mexican potato hash: this dish gets it's kick from soy chorizo, which I'd never had before but really liked. Potatoes and shredded carrots make up the bulk of the dish, which help make it really filling.

2) Tofurella sticks - yep, exactly like it sounds - these are lightly breaded and pan-fried, dipped in marinara. Just for fun, I made a couple of mozzarella sticks using string cheese as well.

3) Crave-worthy Brussel's Sprouts - delicious, and very simple. Lightly sauteed with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.

4) Lentil Pate - this was just so-so for me. It's basically a dip with lentils, olives, capers, lemon juice, and garlic. I really liked it when it was freshly made and still warm, but later on in the week I was reluctant to eat it.

5) These energy bars. A big hit with me, obviously.

Energy Bars
adapted from Cooking with Trader Joe's Cookbook - Skinny Dish
makes 12 bars

Notes: If you don't have ground flaxseed, you can substitute an equal amount of cornstarch, but only use 2 tablespoons of water instead of 3. You'll just be missing out on some omega-3s. Depending on what nuts and seeds you use, these bars will be about 5-6 WW Points+ each.

1 tablespoon flaxseed meal (ground flaxseed)
3 tablespoons warm filtered water
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (optional)
1 cup roasted and salted pepitas, or roasted sunflower seeds, or just about any other seeds or crushed nuts
1/4 cup packed raisins or dried cranberries
1 ripe banana
1/2 cup sunflower seed butter, almond butter, or other seed or nut butter
2-4 tablespoons agave nectar, depending on how sweet you want it
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F.

Stir together the flaxseed meal the the water in a small bowl and let soak for 10 minutes until it forms a gel.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, coconut (if using), pepitas, and raisins.

In a separate medium microwave-safe bowl, microwave the sunflower seed butter, agave, and vanilla for 30 seconds. Stir together until well mixed. Add the banana and mash with a fork to combine. Stir in the gelatinized flax mixture.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.

Press the mixture firmly into a lightly greased 9x9-inch baking dish and bake for 15 minutes. Let cool on the counter for 15-20 minutes, then chill in the fridge for about 45 minutes before slicing into 12 pieces.

Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days, or individually wrap and freeze for up to 2 months.

Pro-tip: Try crumbling one of these bars over Greek yogurt lightly drizzled with maple syrup for a fabulous dessert!

Julia Child's Provencal Tomato Quiche

This is a different sort of quiche than I've made before. It doesn't use any milk or cream, and there aren't even very many eggs in it. The surprising ingredient is anchovy fillets. I still had some left in the jar from when I made the amazing anchovy butter so it was a good excuse to use them up. If you are hesitant about the anchovies, don't be. They just add a really nice salty flavor - not fishy at all.

You start with a pre-baked pie shell (I used a whole wheat store-bought one to keep things simple), then you layer it with mashed anchovies, a filling of sauteed onions and tomatoes mixed with egg, a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, then finally, sliced tomatoes. I thought the colorful heirloom tomatoes from our CSA would be great for this. This quiche was delicious - I wanted to devour the whole thing myself, and probably would have, if no one was looking.

CSA Week 19:

In the box: 1/2 pound spinach, 1.5 pounds heirloom tomatoes, 1 1/4 pounds broccoli, 2 pounds White Rose potatoes, 1 Acorn squash, 3 red bell peppers, 1 head garlic, 1 watermelon, 1 basket French Petite plums, 2 pounds Rome apples

Winter squash are here! We are so excited. Besides sweet potatoes, squash are one of our favorite winter vegetables. I'm sure there will be many times this winter where we will simply roast the squash and top it with nothing but butter and maybe a little brown sugar, but for our very first squash of the season I chose to make a soup. I used a recipe from one of my many Mark Bittman cookbooks: The Best Recipes in the World. It's a Laotian-style squash soup made with squash, onion, tomato, chickpeas, stock, coconut milk, and fish sauce. Pureed and topped with cilantro (and scallions if I had had any).

Whenever I see broccoli and potatoes together I immediately want to make one of my favorite meals: oven-roasted potatoes and broccoli topped with homemade mornay sauce. That's cheese sauce, people. I've blogged about it before. This time I used 2% milk and sharp cheddar. I roasted the potato wedges first, then when they were close to being done, I added chopped broccoli (florets and stems - peel stems first), since they don't take quite as much time as potatoes. Roasted broccoli is just amazing, right? It's got such a different flavor than when it's stir-fried or steamed. Amazing. Joe also bought some sweet Italian sausage links to add to the meal, so we cooked those first, in a skillet, then sliced and tossed with the roasted veggies. We didn't cook all the potatoes, so there are still a couple in the fridge for another time.

We made fajitas using the red bell peppers, along with a couple other colors of peppers and onions that we bought. They went into the grill basket in big pieces and then we thinly sliced them once they were done. We also grilled a huge piece of skirt steak that we marinated first in a mixture of garlic, Serrano chilis, oil, salt, and lots of lime juice.

We ate the watermelon and the plums for snacks. Garlic went into the stash.

For breakfast one morning, we had fried eggs over a mound of steamed spinach. It was healthy, but next time I think I would saute the spinach in a little oil or butter to add more flavor.

We still have a couple of potatoes, and we haven't done anything with the apples yet. Rome apples are good cooking apples.

Provencal Tomato Quiche
adapted from Julia Child - The Way to Cook
makes one 9-inch pie, serves 4-6

Note: Use fresh, in season tomatoes for this dish. Julia would have you peel the tomatoes, but I didn't bother and it was fine with us. For the seasonings, she doesn't give amounts, and I didn't measure, but I gave my best guess as to what I used, so at least it's a starting point. If you absolutely don't think you can stomach the anchovies, I think a good substitute would be kalamata olives, because they would provide a similar salty flavor.

2 cups sliced onions
about 1/4 cup olive oil
1 large clove garlic, pureed
5 medium fresh ripe tomatoes, peeled if you want, seeded, extra juice squeezed out, and chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional)
1 egg plus 3 yolks, lightly beaten
8 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained and then mashed with 1 tablespoon olive oil
One 9-inch frozen pie shell
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or other hard cheese
1 or 2 large tomatoes, sliced, for topping the quiche

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Unwrap frozen pie shell. Prick all over with a fork. Lay a piece of foil gently over the top, and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, add 2 tablespoons of the oil and heat medium. When hot, add the onions and saute for 8-10 minutes, until tender but not browned. Add the garlic, the chopped tomatoes, and bring to a simmer. Cook like that for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Mash the tomatoes with the back of the spoon a little bit if needed; the mixture should start to form a thick puree. Add the salt, pepper, oregano, cayenne, and tomato paste if needed, and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into a large glass bowl and let cool to tepid.

Once the mixture has cooled, stir in the eggs and parsley.

To assemble the quiche, start by spreading the mashed anchovies across the bottom of the pie shell. Next, pour the tomato/egg mixture into the shell, smoothing with a spatula. Sprinkle the cheese evenly across the surface, and then arrange the tomato slices on top. Salt lightly, and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

Bake for 30-35 minutes. When it's done, it will be lightly puffed, and the crust will be nice and brown. 

Homemade Granola

We have been on a granola kick for about 6 months now, and buying it at the store was getting really expensive! When we had the time to drive out to Costco we'd pick up a big box for a pretty decent price, but if we didn't have time to make the trip we'd have to buy it at the regular grocery store which, even from the bulk section, is not a good value at all, especially when I insist on buying a high quality kind without fillers or refined sugars.

So this was my first attempt at making it from scratch. Turns out, it's a piece of cake! Seriously, it takes about half an hour, and it makes enough to last us about two weeks. I used a recipe from America's Test Kitchen, making just a couple of changes based on my personal preferences. There is a lot of wiggle room with granola though. Basically you are just mixing together oats, nuts, seeds, and dried fruits to your liking, adding some sweeteners, and baking in the oven until toasty and crisp.

One thing I changed from the original recipe was to grind up some of the oats before mixing them in with the rest of the ingredients. My friend at work said this helps make the granola chunkier, so I tried it with the second batch I made. I did notice that it was a little chunkier, which I liked, so I'm going to continue to do that with future batches.

I've estimated that two tablespoons of this granola is about 2 WW Points+. It's helpful for me to think of it more as a condiment. I like to sprinkle it over my morning bowl of Cheerios or plain yogurt to add some flavor and healthy fats.

What ingredients do you like in your granola? What's your favorite way to eat it?

Classic Granola
adapted from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
makes about 7 cups

Notes: Since this granola has a shorter shelf life than a store-bought product, it only lasts about a week stored in an airtight container at room temperature. It does freeze well, however, so I store half of my batch in the freezer in a sturdy ziplock bag and just take it out and let it thaw on the counter once we've finished the first half.

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
1 cup dried cranberries or raisins

Make sure you have an oven rack adjusted to the middle position and preheat the oven to 325 F.

Measure out 1/2 cup of the oats and grind them in a small coffee grinder or food processor. Add them to a large bowl along with the remaining rolled oats, walnuts, coconut, almonds, flax seeds, and sunflower seeds. Toss the ingredients together to combine.

To a small saucepan add the oil, maple syrup, and honey. Warm this mixture over low heat for a few minutes, then add to the large bowl of dry ingredients and toss to coat.

Spread the granola in an even layer over a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until the mixture has turned a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and stir in the cranberries or raisins. Let the granola cool to room temperature. It will continue to crisp up during this time. Loosen the granola with a spatula. Store in an airtight container for up to one week (see note above regarding freezing).

Rich and Sweet Blueberry Scones

I love our lazy weekend breakfasts. Most mornings, a simple fried egg and piece of toast will suffice, but other days we require a more decadent morning meal, so we will lie in bed and flip through a cookbook or two, searching for that perfect breakfast pastry item that uses only things we already have on hand (so we don't have to go to the store, obviously, although, seeing as we live in a college town, I would not look the least bit out of place if I decided to waltz into the grocery store in pajama pants and slippers).

On this particular morning, we had almost all of the ingredients to make these amazing scones from America's Test Kitchen. We even had sour cream (not expired! imagine that!). It called for whole milk, which we didn't have, but equal parts half-n-half and nonfat milk made for an adequate substitute. We didn't have a lemon like it wanted, but we did have an orange, which I think went perfectly with the blueberries we used.

I'm so glad my sister and I went blueberry picking this summer.  For only $10, we picked about eight pounds of fresh, local blueberries. Into the freezer they went, and I've been having them on my cereal most weekday mornings since. I froze them (unwashed) individually on cookie sheets, then I put them into freezer bags in 2-cup increments. This way, I don't have to pull out a huge bag every time I just want a small handful.

A perfect morning: coffee, scone, and Barbara Kingsolver.

Rich and Sweet Berry Scones
adapted from America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book
makes 8 scones

Notes: You can use fresh or frozen raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries (hull and cut into 1/2-inch pieces) in place of the blueberries. Also, since I knew that my blueberries had not been rinsed yet, I quickly rinsed and dried them, then put them back in the freezer while we made the dough so they would still be frozen.  The key to getting these scones just right is to work the dough as little as possible and use cold ingredients, even chilling the bowls and the flour mixture if it's particularly hot.

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (do not defrost)
1/2 cup whole milk (or use 1/4 cup half-n-half and 1/4 cup nonfat milk like we did)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon grated fresh orange or lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

If you happen to have butter in the freezer already, hooray! If not, you need to put 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of the butter in the freezer for a bit until firm; this will make it easier to grate it in a later step. The Test Kitchen suggests freezing two sticks and just grating half of each, I assume because your hand warms up the end of the stick of before you can grate it.  Ours was already thoroughly frozen so we didn't have that problem.

Move an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Rinse your blueberries if needed and put them back in the freezer.

When the stick of butter is frozen, grate the butter with the large holes of a box grater.  Put back in the freezer until needed. Whisk the milk and sour cream together in a medium bowl, place in the refrigerator until needed.

In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, 1/2 cup of the sugar, baking powder, orange zest, salt, and baking soda. Add the butter that you just grated and use your fingers to gently combine.  Get the chilled milk mixture out of the fridge and fold it into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined (do not overmix).

Sprinkle flour over a clean surface and turn the dough out onto it. This dough will be very sticky, so lightly flour your hands, and sprinkle some on the dough too while you're at it. Knead the dough gently six to eight times until it holds together in a ragged ball, adding additional flour as needed.

Flour a rolling pin, and roll the dough out into a 12-inch square. Fold the top and bottom of the dough over the center (just like when you fold a business letter in thirds to go in an envelope).  Next, fold the sides of the dough over the center to form a 4-inch square. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured plate and place in the freezer for 5 minutes (do not overchill).

Transfer the dough back to the lightly floured surface and re-roll into a 12-inch square. Sprinkle the berries evenly over the surface, pressing them down lightly into the dough. Using a bench scraper or a thin metal spatula, loosen the dough from the work surface and roll into a tight log, pinching the seam closed. Lay the log seam side down and gently press into a 4-inch rectangle. Flour a chefs knife or other sharp knife and slice the dough in half crosswise, then slice each of those rectangles in half crosswise so you have four equal rectangles (4 in. x 3 in., if you want to get really precise). Slice each rectangle on the diagonal to create two triangles.  You should have eight triangles total.

Use the bench scraper again to gently place the scones onto the prepared baking sheet.  Melt the remaining two tablespoons of butter and brush it over the scones.  Sprinkle them lightly with sugar.  Bake for 18-25 minutes, until the scones are lightly golden brown on top, rotating the pan halfway through.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Make ahead instructions:
Cut, unbaked scones can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before baking as directed.  You could also freeze them unbaked, on a cookie sheet, covered, for about 6 hours, then transfer to plastic freezer bags and store for up to one month.  Bake the frozen scones at 375 F for 25-30 minutes.

(Leftover) Roast Beef Hash

Following up on my last post, this was my favorite leftover meal that we made.  What is your favorite way to use leftover roast beef?

Roast Beef Hash

adapted from Mark Bittman - How to Cook Everything

serves 4

Note: Instead of roast beef, you can also use leftover corned beef.  You can also swap out 1 cup of the boiled potatoes with peeled cooked beets to make what's called Red Flannel Hash.  

3 tablespoons oil or butter

2 cups chopped leftover roast beef (small cubes)

2 cups chopped cold boiled potatoes (small cubes)

1 cup chopped onion (I like it finely chopped in this dish)

1/2 cup liquid, such as stock, tomato sauce, milk, cream, or gravy

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a large bowl, toss together the beef, potatoes, and onion.  Add about 1/2 cup of the liquid, just enough to moisten the mixture but not so much that it becomes soupy.  Season with a little salt and pepper.  

Put the oil or butter into a large oven-proof, preferably nonstick, skillet and turn the heat to medium-low.  When hot, add the hash, pressing it out into a nice flat layer with a spatula.  Cook, undisturbed, for about 10 minutes.  Preheat the broiler.

At this point, Bittman suggests you can flip the hash over and brown the other side.  Mine did not seem that sturdy, so I opted for his other suggestion of browning the top under the broiler.

Serve with a fried egg on top, if desired.    

Tofu Scramble

I'm always looking for new ways to enjoy tofu, so I was very excited when I was served a tofu scramble at the Corvallis "Buy Local First" breakfast I went to back in June.  It was so delicious!  There was a table with stacks of recipe cards you could pick up for all the food they made for the breakfast, so of course I took this recipe home with me.  I was surprised that there were no eggs in it; I guess I just assumed there would be since the word "scramble" was in the title.  Crumbled tofu just looks a lot like scrambled eggs I guess.

This was the perfect easy, relaxing meal to make after a long, busy day.  Just breaking up the tofu with my hands was soothing for some reason.  I just found out today I am anemic, which explains why I've been so tired lately (on a scale of 10-100, I was 4.2 - not sure of the units, but that's pretty low).  The tofu and spinach I ate tonight are a good start, and iron supplements will follow as soon as I get around to going to the store.  

Buy Local First Tofu Scramble
adapted from the First Alternative Natural Co-Op
serves 4-6

Note: The original recipe calls for a specific brand of salt: Earth & Sea Salt.  It's a Corvallis-based company and they produce different sea salt blends for cooking.  The Southwestern blend was used on the scramble I tried at the breakfast, and it was really good!  It's a blend of sea salt, garlic, cumin, cilantro, oregano, and lime juice.  I haven't bought it myself yet, so I added a clove of garlic and a little more oregano and cumin to make up for it.

Also, as I was typing this up I noticed that the recipe calls for cumin seed.  I used ground cumin.  Oops, but still good!

2 blocks firm tofu (approximately 14-16 ounces each)
1 heaping tablespoon dried oregano
1 heaping teaspoon cumin seed
1 small/medium onion (spring, walla walla, whatever you have)
1 bunch spinach (about 3-4 cups once it's chopped, more or less)
1 bunch basil (about 1 cup chopped, more or less)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I had to use quite a bit, since tofu is a pretty blank canvas as far as flavor goes, so just keep salting and tasting until you like it)

Drain the tofu, then crumble it into a large bowl.  Toss with the oregano and cumin.  Chop the onion into medium/small pieces (I like my onions small in scrambles).  

Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  When hot, add the onion and seasoned tofu.  Saute for about 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, chop the spinach and basil.  

Add the spinach, basil, and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet.  Continue cooking until the onion looks transparent stirring occasionally, (for me, that was about 10 more minutes).

Taste and season with salt and pepper until it has the flavor you want.  

Cranberry Flax Muffins

This is one of my favorite muffin recipes.  I make these every chance I get, not only because they are yummy and healthy, but because last year in our CSA we got a TON of flaxseed, so I'm always looking for ways to use it.  This time I made them for my friend Shelly for her birthday.  She enjoys eating healthy, organic food as much as I do.  Her husband even refers to me as her "organic food twin".

Don't judge the recipe by the look of these muffins - I forgot to add baking soda so they didn't rise very much.  It didn't seem to effect the flavor, they just look kind of squatty.

This recipe mostly uses ingredients you could theoretically have on hand in your pantry at all times, except, in my case, for the buttermilk.  I never have buttermilk, and I hate buying a whole carton of it for one recipe.  That's why I always keep a tub of dehydrated cultured buttermilk in the fridge.  It seems to keep forever, and it's a great substitute for baking and cooking when the recipe calls for liquid buttermilk (it won't work for dressings though).  You can find it in the baking aisle.

There are also a ton of ways to modify this recipe.  I've linked to the original recipe below, and if you go there you'll see a bunch of comments from people describing the different things they have done to change the recipe.  Some add shredded carrots, some use blueberries instead of dried cranberries, some use applesauce instead of the oil, etc.  One of these days maybe I'll try a variation, but the original is just so good!
         

Cranberry Flax Muffins
adapted from AllRecipes.com
makes about 18 muffins

1 1/2 cups bran flakes cereal
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 cup 1% buttermilk
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
2 tablespoons whole flax seed

Preheat oven to 375.  Prepare your muffin pan by either spraying the cups with nonstick spray or setting a paper liner into each cup.

Combine the first nine ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl.

In another large bowl, whisk together the egg, egg whites, buttermilk, honey, and oil, then stir into the dry ingredients until just moistened.  Stir in the cranberries.

Fill the muffin cups 2/3 full with batter.  Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing the muffins to a wire rack.

Kiwi-Strawberry Mandala

Sometimes I can be convinced to eat fruit for dessert, if it's something as tasty as this!

We've been making our own yogurt for about a month now, and having it around all the time (especially knowing that each batch only lasts about a week) means that I am now enjoying yogurt almost daily.  Usually, I mix in a small spoonful of strawberry preserves and top with a little granola or grape nuts.  Yum!

I don't know what a mandala is, nor am I going to bother to look it up for this post, but basically this recipe just involves dressing up plain yogurt and adding some fresh fruit.  Simple and delicious!

It calls for vanilla yogurt, and I planned on just starting with my plain yogurt and adding a little vanilla extract, but I completely forgot.  Oh well.  It also calls for something called cream honey, which is another name for whipped honey.  I didn't have that, and after briefly floating the idea of trying to whip regular honey with my hand mixer, I just stirred regular honey into the yogurt.  Didn't seem to cause a problem. :-)

Kiwi-Strawberry Mandala
adapted from World's Healthiest Foods website
Serves 2

8 ounces low-fat vanilla or soy yogurt (if you have plain yogurt, just add a tiny bit of vanilla extract)
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon cream honey (or regular honey)
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest*
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest*
1 kiwifruit
4 strawberries
Optional: 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts or pecans, and/or orange zest for topping

In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, orange juice, honey, and the zests, until throughly combined.  Divide the yogurt mixture into two soup bowls.

Peel the kiwifruit and thinly slice into rounds.  Take the stems off the strawberries and slice into quarters lengthwise.

Arrange the fruit on top of the yogurt and garnish with nuts or orange zest, if using.

Refrigerate for about 30 minutes or so until the yogurt is chilled (i.e., put these together before you eat dinner and they will be ready for dessert!)

*use organic if possible, to avoid wax coating.
  

Brunch for Dinner

Tonights meal used up some odds and ends I had in the fridge and in the pantry.

I made a frittata, but with pasta, which I've never done before. The pasta made it more filling, and I'm going to remember this recipe when I have random leftover veggies or pasta lying around, because it was super easy.

To go with the frittata and going along with what turned out to be a brunch theme, I made a quick Waldorf Salad using Mark Bittman's recipe.

The dessert came about unexpectedly. Since the frittata was a Cooking Light recipe, it called for 3 eggs and 4 egg whites, but in my constant challenge to not waste anything, I was determined to find a use for those four egg yolks! So I made creme brulee. I realize this might cancel out the whole point of making a light frittata, but Joe and I split one, so I don't feel like I did too badly in the end.

I didn't get a picture of the finished product, we ate it too fast!

Frittata with Mushrooms, Linguine, and Basil

adapted from Cooking Light

serves 4

Cooking Spray

3 cups sliced cremini or button mushrooms

1 1/4 cups thinly sliced leek (I used a leek and some green onions, because that's what I had)

1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk (I had non-fat, so I added a splash of half and half)

2 teaspoons butter, melted

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 large egg whites

3 large eggs

2 cups hot cooked linguine (about 4 ounces uncooked pasta). Or use whatever long strand pasta you have, I used angel hair

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 450 (I forgot to do this, so I had to let my mixture sit while the oven heated up!)

Heat a large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Coat with cooking spray, and add the mushrooms and leeks. Cook for about 6 minutes, until the leeks are tender. Stir frequently and take in the earthy smell of the mushrooms.

Whisk together the milk, butter, salt, pepper, and all the eggs. Add leek mixture, cooked pasta, and basil. Mix together. I needed to break up my pasta a little, so I decided to mix with my hands and it was fun :-)

Using the same pan, heat over medium-low heat. Add more cooking spray, and add the egg mixture. Cook about 4 minutes, letting the edges start to set. Gently lift the edges with a spatula and tilt the pan to let some of the uncooked eggs flow to the bottom of the pan. Cook about 5 minutes more, or until set. Sprinkle your cheese over the top, and put the whole pan into the oven. Bake for 7-12 minutes, until the top turns golden brown. Cut into 8 wedges and serve.

Waldorf Salad

adapted by Mark Bittman - How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Serves 4

3 large or 4 medium Granny Smith or other tart apples ( I used Liberty apples)

3 celery stalks

1/4 to 1/2 cup Mayonnaise (I used half mayo, half plain nonfat yogurt, which adds tartness)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped (optional)

1/3 to 1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste

Bittman says to peel the apples, but since I was using a thinner skinned apple, I didn't bother with that. But if you are using Granny Smiths, the skin might be too thick, so you might be better off peeling them. Regardless, dice them into 1/2 inch pieces. He also suggests you string the celery, but I was trying to be quick so again, I didn't bother, and I didn't think it needed it.

Toss the apples and celery together and add just enough mayo (and yogurt, if using) to make the mixture slightly creamy.

Add salt, lots of pepper, walnuts, and raisins, if using. Mix together. Add some lemon juice. Taste, and add more salt, pepper, or lemon juice, as needed. I had to add a little salt and pepper a few times before it tasted right to me.