Veggie Quiche Cups To Go

I've been cooking from the South Beach Diet book by Arthur Agatston, M.D. for my father. I'm finding some really delicious recipes. These breakfast cups are good! Anything in bold and italic is how I've modified the recipe.

1 pkg (10 oz) frozen, chopped Spinach

1 cup Egg Whites

3/4 cup Extra sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup Bell Pepper

1/4 cup diced Onion

3 drops Hot Sauce (optional)

12 pieces Canadian Bacon

Pinch of salt and pepper

Microwave spinach for 2-3 minutes on high. Drain excess liquid.

Line a 12-cup muffin pan with foil baking cups. Spray the cups with cooking spray. Place 1 piece of Canadian bacon in each cup.

Combine egg, cheese, peppers, onions and spinach in a bowl. Mix well. Divide evenly among muffin cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, until knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

*Can be frozen and reheated in the microwave. Make a pan of them and then you have a delicious, nutritious, breakfast...even on the go!

Microwave Caramel Corn

1/2 cup Butter
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Karo Syrup
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda


Cook butter, brown sugar, and Karo syrup for 3-3 1/2 minutes in the microwave. When it bubbles, take it out of microwave and add vanilla & baking soda. Stir in about 8 cups of popped popcorn.

Mushroom and White Bean Quinoa

Mushroom lovers rejoice! This is awesome! Makes a great lunch, side dish served with chicken or beef, or main dish served with some bread with melted cheese!

1 cup Quinoa
3 cups Chicken or Beef Stock (or substitute water or veggie stock to make it vegetarian)
1 can White Beans, drained and rinsed
8 oz sliced Mushrooms, sliced (about 15 mushrooms of your favorite kind. I like white button.)
1 teaspoon fresh Rosemary, finely chopped
1 clove Garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter and extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

In small sauce pan cook 1 cup Quinoa in 3 cups of liquid (stock or water) according to package directions. In saute pan, saute sliced mushrooms in butter and olive oil for a few minutes on medium/high heat. Add garlic and rosemary and continue to cook mushrooms until slightly browned. Salt and pepper to taste. Add to a serving bowl with white beans and cooked quinoa. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Easy Spring Rolls

So simply, easy, light and delicious!

1 pkg Spring Roll Sheets (can be found at Asian Markets)

1 bunch Fresh Spinach

Cilantro

1 bag Broccoli Slaw (in the produce section of the grocery store)

Fill a shallow dish (that is large enough to put a spring roll sheet in) with about a cup of warm water. One at a time, place a spring roll sheet into the water until it becomes soft. Usually takes about a minute. Remove from the water, and put about 1/4 c broccoli slaw in the middle on top of a few leaves of spinach and cilantro. Fold up like a burrito. Continue until all the broccoli slaw is used up. You may need to add more warm water as you go along. Serve promptly.

Dipping Sauce:
1/4 c. Peanut Butter
A few dashed of Soy Sauce
1/4 c. Sweet Chili sauce (more or less depending on the consistency you like)

Party Food: Apple Mustard Glazed Kielbasa

This is an east-coast recipe from my cousin Tom!

This is an awesome party food that is a great crowd pleaser. Even better, it can stay in a crock-pot and be eaten all throughout the party or big game!

2 pkgs Kielbasa

1 jar Apple Jelly

3 tablespoons Dijon Mustard

Cut up Kielbasa and brown in a saute pan. Put kielbasa on paper towels to drain fat after it's been browned. Put in a crock pot with jelly and mustard. Cook on low for 1-2 hours. Serve warm.

Old Spaghetti Factory's Brown Butter and Myzithra Pasta

Only 3 ingredients! You'll never pay $9.99 for a plate of theirs again after you see how easy it is while serving 4 people for about $5!

1 pkg. Spaghetti Noodles (12-16 oz)
1/4 lb block of Myzithra Cheese--Usually found in the deli/specialty cheese section.
1/2 c. Cold Butter (one stick)

Boil pasta until desired tenderness. Strain. Meanwhile, cut the COLD butter into a few pieces. Place in a cool pan over medium-low heat. Let butter slowly melt. (Cold butter, into a cool pan in the key to make it right!) Once melted, stir every minute until you see it start to brown. The top with get foamy so you really have to watch it. Once it browns, turn the heat off. Add cooked pasta in to the pan. Grate about a 1/2 cup cheese and toss all together. Separate evenly between 4 plates. Grate more cheese on top. Enjoy!

Chicken Enchiladas- Made w/ leftovers!

A great way to use up leftover chicken and rice!

1/2 Rotisserie Chicken-Shredded

1 cup Rice

1 cup Cheese (or more if you like it really cheesy)

1/2 cup Sour Cream

1 (10 oz) can Green Enchilada Sauce

1 (4 oz) can Diced Green Chilies

12 small Corn Tortillas

Combine shredded chicken, rice, sour cream and green chilies in a bowl with 1/4 can of enchilada sauce and 1/2 cup of cheese. Evenly distribute mixture into the 12 tortillas, roll up, and place in a casserole dish. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce on top, and sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the whole thing. Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is melty, and the enchiladas are warmed through. About 15-20 minutes.

Serve with Sour Cream, Salsa, Avocado, Olives, and/or Lettuce on top.

Not Your Average Pumpin Seeds!

Sweet & Salty Cinnamon Seeds

2 cup raw Pumpkin Seeds

1-2 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

Combine all ingredients well in a bowl. Pour onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for 45-60 minutes flipping/stirring seeds once or twice.

Savory Pumpkin Seeds

2 cups raw Pumpkin Seeds

1 tablespoon melted Butter

1/2 teaspoon Garlic Salt

3 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce

1/4 teaspoon Salt

Sprinkle of fresh ground Pepper

Combine all ingredients well in a bowl. Pour onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for 45-60 minutes, flipping/stirring once or twice.

Red Lobster Biscuits

I've read dozens of recipes for Red Lobster Biscuits. They all claim to be the authentic recipe... Here is a mixture of those recipes that I like the best:

2 cups Bisquick

2/3 cups Milk

1/2 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder

Water

*1/4 cup Butter, melted

*Old Bay Seasoning

Mix Bisquick, milk, cheese and garlic powder. Add up to 1/2 cup water if mixture is too dry. Drop by large spoon fulls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 8-12 minutes. Remove from oven, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with Old Bay Seasoning.

Crock-Pot Chicken with Peanut Sauce

6-8 Chicken Breast Tenders
1 can Coconut Milk (14.5-16 oz)
1 cup Chicken Stock
1 cup Peanut Butter
1 Thai Chile or Jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

Throw it all in a crock pot. Cook on high for 4-6 hours. Whisk sauce together before serving because the oil separates a little while cooking. Add extra chicken sauce to thin out the sauce to desired consistency.

Stir in 1 bunch of fresh spinach
Salt and Pepper to taste

Serve over rice.Not necessarily authentic but quick, easy, and delicious!

Even my 3 year old loves it, served with spring rolls! (Spring rolls: fresh spinach, broccoli slaw, and a little cilantro rolled up in rice wrappers. Wrappers can be found at any Asian Market. They are usually dried. Just soak in warm water for about a minute, until pliable, before using.)

Tish's Microwave Fudge

1 1/2 cups Milk Chocolate Chips
1 1/2 cups Peanut Butter Chips
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/4 cup Butter
*1/2 cup Nuts (optional)

Put in bowl. Microwave on half power for 3-5 minutes-stopping to stir every minute until melted. Put in pan and cut into squares when cooled.

Creole Fish Marinade

Creole Style Tilapia with multi-colored Carrots and Wild Rice! Quick, Easy, Healthy, & Delicious!

Start with this:
Emeril's "Essence" Creole Seasoning
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Then do this:
With each Tilapia fillet, put one tablespoon of Essence and one tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a plastic bag . Marinade for at least 1 hour. Saute with a little butter and olive oil in a non-stick pan until fish is just cooked through. (about 3-5 minutes on each side) It's just that easy!

Grilled Peaches with Honey & Goat Cheese

This is so delicious, and fairly healthy dessert!

You can make as little or as much of this recipe because it's just simple ratio's: 1 peach per person with equal parts honey and Goat Cheese.

For 4 people:

4 Peaches, cut in half and pit removed
4 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons Goat Cheese

Grill peaches flesh side down 5-7 minutes on medium heat. Mix honey and goat cheese. (This recipe makes a thick syrup like consistency but you can do more or less of either ingredient to your own taste.) Remove fruit from grill and top with 1/2 tablespoon honey, goat cheese mixture on each half of a peach. Serve warm.

So, yummy and you get a peach cobbler taste without all the fat!

The Best Wheat Pizza Crust

My Grandma's recipe uses all white flour, which is delicious. Brian was the one who thought to try it with wheat flour, and it is awesome! Quick and Easy Pizza Crust!

1 tsp. Active Dry Yeast

3/4 cup Warm Water
pinch of sugar
1 tsp. Salt
1/3 cup Oil
1 cup Wheat Flour
1 cup White Flour


Combine yeast, water and sugar. Stir until yeast "melts". Let sit for a minute to activate. Add in oil, flour and salt. Mix until combined. Bake at 350 degrees with desired toppings until crust is golden brown.