Staple ingredient for non-cow eaters and sensitive bellies

So you may have noticed my absent for the past few weeks. What happened? Well, a few things: work- which you all know about, has slowly chipped away at my soul and energy, for one. Also, I have been using the recipes I have discovered over and over again- because they are so easy, and so good.  Therefore I will take this time to link some fabulous little ingredients that have become staples in my house, and are just gosh darn fun.

1:  Better than cream cheese by Tofutti It's true! This stuff is purely awesome.  I buy it two tubs at a time now because my husband slathers it on his bagels like peanut butter.  I recommend bagels with tomato slices topping the Tofutti.  

2: Sour Supreme by Tofutti

This is the same concept, but for sour cream. I tried it for the first time the other day on tacos, and it was very much like the real thing. I have never been a fan of sour cream, basically because of the fat content and the reaction my tummy has with it, but this stuff is great!  

3.  Speaking of tacos, no taco would be complete without Morning Star Farms' crumbles.  What I have been doing is cooking the "meat" in a frying pan with a bit of oil, then adding water with some taco seasonings.  Once the water has evaporated, you have delicious tasting crumbles.  I layer the shell with crumbles, mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, avocado and lemon juice. I am turning into quite the fan of the lemon. Good stuff.

4. And lastly, my favorite. Soy ice cream by Turtle Mountain.  Just wow.  The fudge and coffee flavor was so good I ate half the pint in one sitting (it had been a while since I could eat ice cream) and the vanilla is perfect for smoothies.  If it's been a while since you have had soy ice cream, give it another chance, as it is very good now.

Quinoa Broccoli Bake

Quinoa is cool!! Everyone should eat this. Quinoa, is apparently a seed that grows in mountainous regions, particularly in the Andes of South America. Now it is being grown in Colorado, and is catching on as a healthy alternative to pasta. It's even considered a "superfood"! Ya! If you try this, make sure you rinse the quinoa in a sieve throughly, as the outside of the seeds have a bitter saponin coating that is not yummy to eat.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup quinoa, throughly rinsed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion
2 chopped broccoli crowns
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Boil 3 cups of water, then add the quinoa and simmer. Quinoa is done with the water has evaporated- about 15 minutes.

Heat oil in a skillet and saute the onion. Add the broccoli, and 1/4 cup water, cover, and steam for 5-7 minutes.

In a bowl mix the cooked quinoa and broccoli mixture with half of the cheese. Season to taste, and spread in a casserole dish. I made a little extra, so I used the big one, but if you are following the recipe exactly, you probably only need the little one (9x9?). Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top, and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Taste rating: 8 from both
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Dishes: A good amount.

Spinach Riocotta Pasta

Another awesome 5 ingredient pasta. This dish came out incredibly cheesy, so I think for next time we will modify.

Ingredients:
Spinach Fettuccine
1/4 cup ricotta per person
Big ol' bunch of fresh spinach
Parmesan cheese
Margarine tbsp or so

The original recipe says to mix 1/2 cup of pasta water with a full cup of ricotta. This made a crazy cheese sauce of types, that was a bit too much for me. So for next time, I think we will simply cook the pasta, mix in the tbsp of margarine, then top with about 1/4 ricotta , steamed spinach, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

What I really like about the 5 ingredient book, is that she has all these quick tips, that save you time and dishes. For this recipe, she writes to steam the spinach in the same pot you just used for the pasta, with only the water from the freshly rinsed spinach. This worked perfectly, and saved me (err my dishwasher) from washing another pot.

Taste rating: 7 this time- too cheesy
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Dishes used: one big pot, and some bowls.

Fruit Tart!

So the master, the REAL Rachael of cooking, is in town.  We (okay I handed items to her) made a delicious tart! 

Crust:

One package graham cracker

1/4 cup sugar

7 tbps melted butter (or more if it doesn't stick)

First she made a crust of graham crackers.  Crush the crackers in a food processor.  If you don't have one, put them in a plastic bag, and crush with a rolling pin. Mix the sugar in with the crackers in a medium bowl.

Slowly add the melted butter while you stir the crumbles.  Press the mixture into a pie pan.

Custard: 

3 egg yolks 

1 1/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup sugar

2 tbsp flour

3 tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp liquor (optional)

Mix egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl.  Sift in the flour and cornstarch while stirring consistently until incorporated.  In a medium saucepan heat milk and vanilla.  Bring to a boil then remove from heat when it starts with the rising rolling boil. Pour slowly and steadily into the egg yolk mixture until mixed.  Make sure you pour slowly as not to over cook the egg yolks. If this happens, pour the whole mixture through the sieve. 

Heat mixture in the saucepan over low-medium heat stirring continuously until it thickens, making it difficult to stir. Pour in a shallow bowl or dish.  Lay plastic wrap over the surface to prevent crusting.  Let cool to room temperature or cooler- about an hour.  

Glaze:

2/3 cup seedless jam 

1 tbsp liquid (she used cranberry juice but you can use water)

Heat jam in small saute pan on low heat.  Mix in the liquid until it's thin.

Putting it together:

Brush the glaze on top of the crust.  Then use a spatula to spread the custard over the glazed crust.  Decorate with your favorite fruit (we just bought a pre-cut mix from the store), then brush the fruit with the leftover glaze.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar, and put in the fridge to cool. 

* We used vegan butter and soy milk, so ours was a little different tasting.  I liked it, but you can experiment on your own.

** Make sure you have things like, a sieve, a basting brush, and a pie dish. Those were helpful.

Taste rating: 8

Preparation time: 2 hours plus cooling

Dishes: A good amount

Asparagus Pasta

This was most excellent! Very simple, quick, and satisfying for the starved working person.

Pasta, asparagus, garlic, and a mix of goat, feta, and mozzarella are the ingredients.

Saute some garlic in a bit of olive oil, then add the asparagus. Add a few tablespoons of water, and over to steam.

You are so hungry right now, aren't you?

When the pasta is done, throw in the asparagus, then sprinkle the cheeses on top. Mix it all up and let it melt in to the mix.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Taste rating: 9 from both
Dishes: one big ol' pot and a saute pan
Prep time: 15 min- no joke.

Spinach and Mushroom Wrap

Wow, this was super delicioso. If you like spinach, make this. This is an adaption from the 5 or Less book.

All you need is some mushrooms, a bunch of spinach, your choice of cheese and some tortillas.

Saute the mushrooms with a bit of olive oil and some minced garlic. Throw in the raw spinach, and let it reduce. Salt and pepper to taste.

Spread the mix in your tortilla, and sprinkle with cheese. We used mozzarella this time. Fold up, and bake in the oven at 400 degrees for no more than 10 minutes.

I liked the baking part, the tortilla got all nice and crispy, which was super exciting.

Prep Time: 10 min Cook time: 10 min Taste: 9 Dishes: min.

This was difficult to photograph, as all the good stuff is on the inside. Ignore the corn, he's a photo hog.

Black Bean and Avocado Salad

This is a perfect summer salad- no cooking required, just some mixing and chopping.

2 cans drained black beans
3 diced tomatoes
3 Tablespoons cilantro
1/2 cup vinaigrette
pepper
slice of lemon
1-2 Avocados

Mix the beans, tomatoes, cilantro, vinaigrette and pepper. Before serving, top with avocado then sprinkle lemon and salt on top.

We made our own vinaigrette which was more of a balsamic vinaigrette, you can really use whatever. Next time, we may do some onion with it, and perhaps some toasted tortillas.