Quinoa and Vegetables Teriyaki

Last night I made this quinoa dish which I got the idea from here. I cooked the whole contents of a frozen bag of asparagus and edamame but only used about half of each.

Ingredients:
1 cup red quinoa cooked to package directions.
1 package pre sliced shitake mushrooms
1/2 bag frozen asparagus
1/2 bag frozen edamame beans
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp olive oil
salt, pepper, cilantro to taste

Directions:
Cook the quinoa according to the instructions on the package. When it is simmering, heat the olive oil over medium heat and then sautee the mushrooms a few minutes until soft and turning brown. Then add about 2 tablespoons of teriyaki sauce and cook until that has been absorbed. Add the sesame oil and remove from the heat. Cook the frozen vegetables in the microwave and add them to the mushroom mixture. When the quinoa has absorbed all the water in the pan, stir in the veggie mixture. Add the rest of the teriyaki sauce, salt, pepper and cilantro and serve warm.

Tilapia with Lemon Butter Sauce and Tomato Tartes

Sunday I made this meal for Blake. I found the fish recipe on foodgawker on my phone as I was shopping at the grocery. The fish came out pretty well but fell apart a little when I tried to lift it out of the pan. I had to be really careful mixing the milk into warm sauce but it turned out fine. I also wanted to try a tomato recipe from the mini cocotte book but it really didn't come out that well. There was so much liquid from the tomatoes after cooking that Blake had to drain them before turning them out of the dishes. I used puff pastry because I didn't have frozen rolled pie crusts, and the puff pastry got soggy. Blake liked it that way but I did not.

For the fish
Ingredients:
2 filets of tilapia
1 lemon
3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup white wine
2 tbsp capers
2 tbsp milk or cream
salt, pepper

Directions:
Season fish filets with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a pan over medium heat and then add fish. Cook for about 3 minutes per side. Then remove to a plate and keep warm. Deglaze pan with wine and half of the lemon. Cook until reduced by about half. Add capers, milk, and remaining butter. Return fish to pan to warm through if necessary.

For the tomato tarte
Ingredients:
12 oz bag of vine tomatoes
1 garlic clove, sliced
pinch of sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
frozen rolled pie crust, defrosted and cut into circles the size of mini cocottes.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325. Heat oil over low heat. Add tomato, garlic, and sugar and cook for no more than 5 minutes so that tomatoes don't burst. Add tomatoes to mini cocotte and top with pastry. Bake for about 35 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes and then turn out onto a plate. Salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Pasta and Vegetables

Monday I was stranded at my house because my car was in the shop. I had to use pantry ingredients to make a lunch. I came up with this which was not bad. I just used some frozen vegetables I had on hand and made a quick agli olio sauce for it.

Ingredients:
1/2 box of whole wheat elbow pasta
1/2 bag of frozen peas and carrots
1/2 bag of frozen artichoke quarters
1/2 bag of frozen snow peas
3 garlic cloves, grated
red pepper flakes
olive oil
parmesan cheese

Directions:
Boil pasta according to package instructions. A couple minutes before done, add frozen veggies to water. Meanwhile, heat oil in a small pan and add red pepper flakes to infuse. Drain pasta and veggies and return to pan. Add crushed garlic to oil and stir for 1 minute. Then mix in with pasta. Top with parmesan cheese. Made about 2 servings.

Cake Balls

On Thursday I made cake balls for Blake for Valentine's Day. He recently heard about them from his friend in Atlanta and wanted to try them. I had them once when Stacy made them but I didn't like them because they were a strange texture. I tried not to add the whole can of frosting to mine so they wouldn't be so sticky and so that you could tell it was cake. They came out very pretty and were a big hit at school and with Blake.

Ingredients:
1 box cake mix, cooked according to directions on box
1 16 oz can of frosting
1 pckg. chocolate bark
decorations

Directions:
Bake the cake and let cool. Crumble cake in a large bowl or in cake pan.
Mix in frosting, starting with less than the whole container. Let chill completely. Roll quarter sized balls and place on wax paper. Chill again. Melt chocolate bark in small batches in the microwave and roll chilled cake balls in the choclate. Drop onto wax paper. Decorate quickly with sprinkles or wait until cooled and hardened to drizzle more melted chocolate on top or decorate with icing.

Goat Cheese Enchiladas

Last Sunday I made these enchiladas from a Bobby Flay recipe I found here. I followed the instructions pretty much exactly except for that I didn't use the exact cheese measurements. I couldn't find cotija so I used queso fresco and I had to buy monterey jack slices and shred them. This recipe made way more than it said it would, so it was a good thing I had a 30 pack of tortillas. Otherwise I would have wasted the sauce and cheese mixture. I ended up making a second small pyrex full of enchiladas which I have in the freezer now. Next time I would cut the recipe in half and not stuff the enchiladas with so much cheese. I served this with low fat refried beans out of a can and a salad of grape tomatoes, avocado, corn, cilantro, lime juice, and honey.

Ingredients:
12 blue corn tortillas
Red Chile-Tomato Sauce, recipe follows
Goat Cheese Filling, recipe follows
8 ounces Monterey jack, grated
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Chopped green onions, for garnish

Red Chile-Tomato Sauce:
3 ancho chiles (These are dried)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large red onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
1 cup dry white wine
2 (16-ounce) cans plum tomatoes, pureed
3 cups homemade chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/8 black pepper
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add chiles, remove from heat and let sit for 30 minutes. Remove stems and seeds, then place in food processor with 1/4 cup of the soaking liquid and puree until smooth.
Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add cumin and oregano and cook for 1 minute. Add ancho puree and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine, pureed tomatoes, and stock and cook for 25 to 30 minutes or until slightly thickened. Season with honey, salt, and pepper, to taste. For a chunkier sauce, leave as is. For a smoother sauce, puree with an immersion blender, or puree in batches in a blender or food processor. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Filling:
1 1/2 lb. goat cheese
3 cloves garlic-roughly chopped
1/4 cup freshly grated cotija cheese
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves
Place goat cheese, garlic, cotija, and lime juice in a food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and fold in the cilantro.

Assembly:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Dip tortillas in chile sauce to lightly coat both sides. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the goat cheese filling on each tortilla and roll up. Spread 1/2 cup of the tomato-chile sauce into a medium, deep casserole dish. Arrange rolled tortillas in the casserole so they fit snugly. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Pour 1 1/2 cups of the sauce over the enchiladas and top with the grated cheese. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the enchiladas are heated through. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Garnish with sour cream and green onions.

Broccoli cheddar potato casserole and turkey tenderloins

Tonight I made potato broccoli casseroles in the mini cocottes. I made turkey tenderloins with this but I forgot to take a picture.

Broccoli potato cheese casserole
Ingredients:
2 cups small white potatoes (about half a bag)
1 head of broccoli
1 can broccoli cheddar soup
1 cup grated cheddar
salt, pepper

Directions:
Quarter potatoes. Blanch broccoli, cut up and add to potatoes. Mix in soup. Season with salt and pepper. Top with cheddar. Bake at 350 for about 40 minute so potatoes cook through. Serves 4. (I put 2 in the fridge for another day)

Turkey tenderloins
Ingredients:
1 1/4 pounds turkey tenderloins, pounded flat
1 cup flour
1 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
salt, pepper

Directions:
preheat oven to 375. Grease a baking dish. Pound tenderloins between sheets of Saran wrap with a heavy saucepan. Season with salt and pepper. Put flour in one dish, mix breadcrumbs, thyme, and cheese together in another dish. Beat eggs in third dish. Dip pieces in egg and then drop into bread crumb mixture. Coat evenly with mixture and add to greased baking dish.
Bake for about 35 minutes. Serves 4. (I packed the leftovers for 2 lunches the next 2 days)

Poulet d'artichoke

I made another dinner in mini cocottes last night. So cute. I served it with some salad and the leftover mashed potato that I had made for the shepherd's pie.

Ingredients:
1 can artichoke hearts in water
1 chicken breast
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 cup sharp cheddar, grated
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 tbsp butter
salt, pepper, olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper and cook in a pan over medium high heat until cooked through. Meanwhile, grease the mini cocottes and quarter the artichoke hearts. Lay them around the sides and bottom of the container. Mix soup, mayo, lemon, and curry powder together. Spoon a little over the artichoke hearts. When chicken is done, cut into cubes and pile on top of the artichokes. Pour another couple of spoonfuls of soup mixture over the top. Add grated cheese and then sprinkle bread crumbs. Dot with little cubes of the butter. Bake for about 25 minutes. Can be made ahead. Serves 2.

Mini Shepherd's Pie

Tonight I made shepherd's pie in my new mini cocottes. I can't get over how cute everything looks served in little containers. Since you can't buy less than a pound of beef, the recipe would have served at least 4 but I only made it for 2. I used the leftover meat mixture to make a pasta sauce and boiled some pasta in the pot before I boiled the potato. This made 2 servings of pasta and sauce for me to take to school for lunch the next couple of days. Also, I didn't need the 2 potatoes I bought because I had so much leftover. Next time I'll just use one for 2 servings.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1/2 bag frozen peas and carrots
about 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
about 2 tbsp ketchup
1 can beef broth
2 russet potatoes, cubed
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup milk
salt, pepper, paprika to taste.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Brown ground beef in a small amount of oil over medium heat. Drain fat. Add frozen peas and carrots, ketchup and worcestershire sauce. Add beef broth, salt and pepper, and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Spoon meat mixture 3/4 way up the mini cocottes. Meanwhile, bring potato cubes to boil in cool water for about 15 minutes. Drain, and mash with butter and milk, salt and pepper. Dollop a couple of spoonful of mashed potato onto the beef mixture in the mini cocottes. Use a fork and drag it around in circles to create a ridge design. Sprinkle with a little paprika. Bake at 375 for 5-10 minutes, just to heat through, and then broil for about 5 minutes to brown edges of mashed potato.

Add a small can of tomato sauce to leftover beef mixture to make a pasta bolognese sauce.

Fruit Crumble

Blake bought me these adorable Le Creuset mini cocottes for V-Day so I had to use them last night. He thinks these will change our lives because they will help with portion control. I'm just excited because it makes food so much cuter.

I made one peach crumble and one strawberry/rhubarb one. I put lemon and cinnamon in the peach one and a pinch each of nutmeg and clove in the strawberry one. I improvised the recipe from the one for peach crumble in the Le Creuset mini cocotte cookbook that came with the set. This is the final product, served with ice cream. Below are 2 pictures of it before it went in the oven. Next time I will use a little less sugar, use smaller walnut pieces and add oats to the topping.

Serves 2

Ingredients:
Frozen fruit, defrosted
1/4 cup sugar, divided
1 half lemon, zested and juiced
cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg to taste

For the topping:
3 tbsp butter, melted
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup walnuts (half a small bag)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Defrost fruit and cut into small chunks. Lightly butter mini cocottes.
For peach cobbler, mix peaches with a teaspoon of lemon zest, the juice of half a lemon, and about a teaspoon of cinnamon. Then mix in about 2 tablespoons of sugar.
For strawberry/rhubarb, mix in a tiny bit of the lemon juice and a pinch of zest. Add a pinch of nutmeg and ground cloves and the rest of the sugar (2 tablespoons).
Mix all ingredients for topping together.
Spoon fruit mixtures into buttered dishes and spoon topping over the top. Place mini cocottes on a foiled cookie sheet in case of spills and bake for about 20 minutes.