Cherry Pie Oatmeal

Lately I've been in love with preventionRD.com and her recipes. She does not disappoint. I'd been wanting to make my own steel cut oatmeal after getting addicted two winters ago to the frozen ready-to-eat version at Costco (I even blogged about it here) but hadn't had the motivation until I saw her recipe for Crock Pot Cherry Pie Steel Cut Oats. They are easy and delicious!

Author: Nicole Morrissey

Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 8 hours
Total time: 8 hours 5 mins
Serves: 4

A little something sweet and simple to start your morning off right. Kid-approved, no doubt!

Ingredients:
4 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk (I found this at Trader Joe's)
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
¼ cup sucanat or other granular sugar (I used sugar in the raw)
1 cup dry steel cut oats
1 (20 oz) can no sugar added cherry pie filling (couldn't find this so used a pouch of Tap'n Apple all natural cherry pie filling from Whole Foods)
1 cup pitted bing cherries, fresh or frozen (Publix makes a nice bag of frozen sweet dark cherries)

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a crock pot and stir. Place the lid on the crock pot and cook on low for 8-9 hours. Stir before serving hot. (Our crock pot runs pretty hot so I set it to low for an hour then turned it down to warm for overnight. Stirred it about an hour before serving and turned it up to low to help it finish cooking and thicken up.

Note:
Recipe adapted from Crock Pot Steel Cut Oats with Blueberries from Prevention RD’s Everyday Healthy Cooking

Egg "Muffins"

Tried a new experiment to make breakfast quicker and easier for hubs: Egg Muffins

12 eggs
8 ounces button mushrooms
1/2 cup yellow bell pepper
a couple sprigs of thyme
1 teaspoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Step 1
Roast the mushrooms
- Preheat the oven to 450* F.
- Clean and cut up the mushrooms. We quartered the small and medium ones and cut the larger ones into sixths.
- Toss the mushrooms with 1 teaspoon olive oil and the leaves of a couple sprigs of thyme and then season with salt and pepper.
- Spread the mushroom mixture on a baking sheet. Roast 10 minutes, stir and then roast another 10-15 minutes or until the mushrooms are browned. Set aside to cool (and try not to eat them all!).

Step 2
Prep the rest of the ingredients
- Preheat the oven to 375* F.
- Butter the sides and bottoms of 6 6-8 ounce ramekins (to keep the muffins from sticking).
- Roughly chop the yellow bell pepper, discarding the seeds and internal membrane. It took about a quarter of ours to make the half cup we wanted, but it was a big thick-walled pepper.
- Break the eggs into a large bowl, season with salt and pepper, then beat well.

Step 3
Assemble and bake
- Arrange the ramekins on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Pour the eggs from the large bowl into a large pitcher (to make it easy to pour)
- Pour about 4 ounces each of the eggs into each of the ramekins, dividing the liquid evenly between them.
- Sprinkle one-sixth of the mushrooms and peppers onto the eggs.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until fully set.

Makes 6.

Mushroom White Bean Soup

We tried this warm and toasty soup last week and loved it! Definitely check out the original recipe because her photos are much better than mine. Visit it here.

Ingredients
16 oz. mushrooms, quartered (I used 8 oz. button mushrooms and 8 oz. baby bella)
2 large sweet onions, quartered
3 garlic cloves, slightly crushed
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided
8-10 fresh sage leaves
8-10 stems + 1 tablespoon leaves fresh thyme, divided
48 oz. chicken broth (I use the vegetarian "no chicken" chicken broth)
3 - 15 oz. cans cannellini beans, including liquid

Directions
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Toss mushrooms, garlic and onion in olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. (You may want to keep mushrooms separate on baking sheet for roasting, because you'll have to separate later. So, separate now, or later.) Spread on baking sheet. Add sage leaves and stems of thyme. Roast in 450° F oven for 10 minutes, toss and roast for additional 15 minutes. [Right now you'll want to eat all the mushrooms because they look and smell delicious, but you'll have to resist!]
While vegetables are roasting, add broth, beans, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves to a large stock pot over medium heat and simmer.
When vegetables are done roasting, let cool slightly. Separate mushrooms from other roasted vegetables.
Retrieve 2 cups of the white beans, and 1 cup of broth from the stock pot, add to a blender along with the roasted onions, garlic and herbs. Cover and blend until smooth.
Add pureed bean mixture back to stock pot, whisking in until smooth. Add roasted mushrooms to soup. Salt and pepper to taste.
Warm over low heat until ready to serve.

Makes 8 servings.

Bean and Barley Soup

The finished product.

We really enjoyed this super healthy soup which I found on daily meal via pinterest. I doubled it and didn't regret it - yummm!

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 white or yellow onion, chopped2 stalks celery, with leaves, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup barley
1/3 cup lentils
2 red or white creamer potatoes, cut into chunks
One 15-ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Soup in process

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a medium to large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots. Sauté until the vegetables begin to soften and become fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Season with the dried marjoram, thyme, salt, and pepper. Sauté for 3-5 minutes, stirring so the flavors meld and the spices are evenly distributed.

Add the barley, lentils, potatoes, and kidney beans and stir to combine. Pour in enough water to cover the soup contents by about 2 inches. Stir to combine, cover partially, and simmer for about 1 hour. Remove the soup from the heat and let sit a few minutes before serving.

4 servings (Calories: 121; Total fat: 3.7 g; Saturated fat: 0.5 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 1,265 mg; Total carbohydrate: 18 g; Dietary fiber: 6.9g; Sugars: 4.2 g; Protein: 5.2 g.)

Polenta Eggplant Stacks

We love this recipe, which is adapted from Weight Watchers magazine.

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
28 oz can Italian style diced tomatoes (we like Hunt's with basil and xx)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup basil, chopped
1 1/2 pound(s) uncooked eggplant(s), cut into 24 (1/4-inch thick) slices
16-18 oz polenta, from a refrigerated tube, cut into 12 (1/2-inch) slices
3/4 cup(s) part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup(s) (shredded) part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions
Heat the oil in a large skillet, then add the garlic. Sauté until golden, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, salt, and sugar; bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil.

Line a large baking tray with aluminum foil. Spray with olive oil non-stick spray. Place the eggplant on the tray and broil 4 inches from the heat until lightly browned, about 2-3 minutes on each side. There is usually enough eggplant that it takes 2 batches to cook them all. Let cool. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Spoon about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a nonstick 11 x 14-inch baking pan. Place 12 of the eggplant slices in the pan, then top each with a polenta slice, a tablespoon of ricotta cheese, and the remaining eggplant. Spoon the remaining sauce over all.

Bake, covered loosely with foil, until heated through and the sauce is bubbly, about 25-30 minutes. Top each stack with about 2 teaspoons mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, until the cheese melts, about 10 minutes.  Serve hot or at room temperature. Yields 1 polenta and eggplant stack per serving (~6 WW points each).

African Pineapple Peanut Stew

stew in process, mixing in the peanut butter.

This is a favorite at our house, especially when we have kale. Saturday we substituted fresh pineapple for canned and it turned out great - we just chopped the pineapple up really small and added a little water when the stew got dry.

1 cup chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 bunch kale or Swiss chard (4 cups sliced)
2 cups undrained canned crushed pineapple (20-ounce can)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 Tablespoon Tabasco or other hot sauce
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
salt to taste

crushed skinless peanuts
chopped scallions

In a covered saucepan, saute the onions and garlic in the oil for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are lightly browned. While the onions saute, wash the kale or Swiss chard. Remove and discard the large stems and any blemished leaves. Stack the leaves on a cutting surface and slice crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices.

Add the pineapple and its juice to the onions and bring to a simmer. Stir in the kale or chard, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring a couple of times, until just tender. Mix in the peanut butter, Tabasco, and cilantro and simmer for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste and serve.

Serve on rice, millet or couscous, topped with crushed peanuts and chopped scallions.

[I omit the hot sauce for my son... and serve on couscous]

From Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home: Fast and Easy Recipes for Any Day
by The Moosewood Collective

Sundried Tomato Parmesan Broth with Chickpeas and Collards

We tried this quick and easy recipe Saturday night as a way to get a big dose of greens and use the big bunch of Collard greens that came in our veggies this week.

I have to admit I was a little skeptical about this one - it seemed a little too easy - but it's delicious. We served it with toasted sliced of 5-grain bagette.

Ingredients
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus one 2-inch Parmigiano-Reggiano rind
Two 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained
1 bunch Collard greens (3/4 pound), stems discarded and leaves cut into 1-inch ribbons
1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons store-bought sun-dried-tomato pesto*

Directions
In a medium soup pot, bring the broth to a simmer with the cheese rind and the chickpeas. Cook over low heat until the broth is flavorful, about 10 minutes; discard the rind. Add the greens and simmer until wilted, about 10 minutes. (Other greens like chard and kale will cook much faster.)
Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 cup of the sun-dried-tomato pesto. Season the soup with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with the grated cheese. Garnish each bowl with a dollop of the remaining pesto and serve.

*I found the pesto in the spaghetti sauce section at Publix, our local grocery store, after looking in the produce and ethnic food aisle first. 

This could easily be made vegetarian by using a meat-free broth. It would be a great meatless Monday dinner!

Greek Greens Pie and Roasted Beets

Monday we tried a new recipe for Greek Greens Pie alongside roasted Chiggogia beets (both were delicious!!). Here's the play-by-play. First, in batches, blanch about 2 pounds of greens. We used beet greens, baby beet greens, kale and spinach.

I blanched so many beet greens the water turned red!

After blanching the greens and cooling in ice water, drain and squeeze out all the excess water. Then chop them up, medium-fine.

In a pan, cook a finely diced medium onion in a Tablespoon of olive oil until softened. After five minutes add one bunch of scallions, finely diced, then the greens and a 1/4 cup each of chopped dill, mint and parsley. Stir together, remove from heat and mix in 5 ounces of feta cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups milk and 1/2 cup water to a simmer, then slowly stream in one cup of corn flour, whisking constantly. Keep simmering and stirring until the mixture is the consistency of polenta. Put half the mixture in an oiled 10-inch round cake pan (or the nearest equivalent - this pan is 10x5) and spread into an even thin layer (wetting your fingers helps). Then spread the greens mixture on the bottom crust, then add 3 Tablespoons olive oil to the remaining crust dough (and enough water to make it resemble wet sand (I missed this step)) and spoon it over the greens to make the top crust.

Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the top is browned. Let stand for 20-30 minutes to allow the crust to set up. Then enjoy.

While we were baking the pie, we roasted the beets by wrapping them all (together) in an aluminum foil packet with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. When they were soft all the way through, I took them out of the oven, peeled and sliced them. Aren't they interesting? Not solid red all the way through! They were sweet and delicious.

Chiggogia beets

Meatless Monday

Meatless Monday

One of my 101 in 1001 items is to have 8 Meatless Mondays at our house (on days when we're all 3 home for dinner). I'm happy to report that we're off to a good start. To be honest I had no idea it was such a big deal. I have seen the hashtag on Twitter [ #meatlessmondays ] and thought "that sounds like a smart idea," but the official website http://www.meatlessmonday.com is really in-depth and full of tons of information - news items, celebrities, recipes, starter kits, and even cute graphics:

Our first meatless Monday was February 7; we had Nutrient-Rich Potato-Bean Soup.

And here's a video that explains the whys of Meatless Monday: 

Taco Soup

This is a quick easy delicious recipe that we really enjoy at our house. My friend (and former co-worker) Wanda shared it with me. (With a shout out to Mandy who might enjoy it!)

Taco Soup

2 pounds ground beef, browned and drained
1 large onion, chopped
2 packages taco seasoning mix
2 large cans (15 ounces each) hominy
2 small cans Rotel chopped tomatoes
4 regular cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans
1 15 ounce can tomato sauce

Dump everything in a big pot. Bring to a boil and simmer 30-60 minutes.
Serve with tortilla chips and garnish with shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese.

Any even easier variation: omit meat and onion. Also works well to substitute ground turkey. Generally, we use 1 pound of meat instead of 2. Also you can easily halve the recipe if it makes too much, though we like it for leftovers and it freezes well.

Enjoy!

Update 11/8/11: I made this for meatless Monday yesterday by substituting one pack of Lightlife Smart Ground for the ground beef. Tasted great!