Another quick go-to meal. I made this Jan 2, after I had black eyed peas for good luck on Jan 1st! :)
Hoppin' John
1 can black eyed peas- drained and rinsed
1 red bell pepper diced
1 jalepeno diced(you can easily leave this out, but if you use it........take the seeds and ribs out! that is where ALL the heat is in a pepper)
1/2 cup rice(uncooked) I used white or brown depending on my mood. Brown takes a bit longer
1 Kielbasa sausage link-cut into quarters( I use Oscar Meyer turkey sausage)
EVOO
Bring 1 cup water to a boil. Add salt and 1/2 cup rice. Cover, reduce to simmer and cook 30 min. Meanwhile, heat skillet to medium heat and add 1-2Tbs EVOO. Add jalapeno and red pepper. Saute 2-3 minutes. Add sausage and cook until browned. Once sausage is browned, add black eyed peas. Cook another 5 minutes to heat peas through. Once rice is cooked, stir together with black eyed pea mixture. Serve!
Come on, how EASY is that?
Serves 1 with leftovers for the next night OR serves two!
Cooks Tips:
You can dice/chop your red bell pepper ahead of time and keep in the freezer. Same goes for fresh jalapeno.
You can also freeze kielbasa.
With these 2 tips, this recipe is even better because it is all ingredients you can keep on hand! :)
If you care to make your black eyed peas from scratch feel free. I am just trying to keep it simple.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Fried Rice
Wow I have been quite a slacker. It has been almost 4 months since my last post. As many of you may see, my blog name has changed. If you haven't already noticed, most if not all of my recipes are for 1-2 people. Being a single girl, it is my mission to cook less food and not be stuck with leftovers for days! Obviously you can tweak each recipe to make more or less.
In order to have great fried rice, one important ingredient is day old cooked rice. I usually make fried rice the night after I have another dinner with rice. Just double your rice recipe the night before so that you have leftovers.
Fried Rice:
1 cup cooked rice- I like Jasmine, but white is fine too. You are welcome to use brown, but it will most definitely change the taste and texture.
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbs honey
1 Tbs ginger
splash of chicken stock(this can be left out)
a handful of any veggies you like
I use:
-carrots
-snow peas
-corn
-onion
-baby bella mushrooms
-scallions
-broccoli
-1 garlic clove, smashed
EVOO
In small bowl or measuring cup: combine soy sauce, ginger, honey, and chicken stock. Set aside.
Heat skillet to medium heat and add about a tablespoon of EVOO. Pour in egg quickly, scramble, and remove from skillet. Add another 1-2 Tbs EVOO to skillet and add onion and garlic. (for this recipe I just add a whole garlic clove and pick it out at the end) Continue to add your veggies, if you use broccoli, add it last. After cooking your veggies, add your rice, egg, scallions and soy sauce mixture. Stir to combine. Enjoy!!
Cook's Notes:
Think of this recipe as a guideline. You don't have to follow it exactly as far as vegetables are concerned. Put what you like in it! If you wanted to up the protein you could use 2 eggs. Totally up to you.
I do not add any salt to this. The rice is already salted, and you are adding a 1/4 cup of soy sauce.
This recipe is a super quick and easy dinner for those long work days.
In order to have great fried rice, one important ingredient is day old cooked rice. I usually make fried rice the night after I have another dinner with rice. Just double your rice recipe the night before so that you have leftovers.
Fried Rice:
1 cup cooked rice- I like Jasmine, but white is fine too. You are welcome to use brown, but it will most definitely change the taste and texture.
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbs honey
1 Tbs ginger
splash of chicken stock(this can be left out)
a handful of any veggies you like
I use:
-carrots
-snow peas
-corn
-onion
-baby bella mushrooms
-scallions
-broccoli
-1 garlic clove, smashed
EVOO
In small bowl or measuring cup: combine soy sauce, ginger, honey, and chicken stock. Set aside.
Heat skillet to medium heat and add about a tablespoon of EVOO. Pour in egg quickly, scramble, and remove from skillet. Add another 1-2 Tbs EVOO to skillet and add onion and garlic. (for this recipe I just add a whole garlic clove and pick it out at the end) Continue to add your veggies, if you use broccoli, add it last. After cooking your veggies, add your rice, egg, scallions and soy sauce mixture. Stir to combine. Enjoy!!
Cook's Notes:
Think of this recipe as a guideline. You don't have to follow it exactly as far as vegetables are concerned. Put what you like in it! If you wanted to up the protein you could use 2 eggs. Totally up to you.
I do not add any salt to this. The rice is already salted, and you are adding a 1/4 cup of soy sauce.
This recipe is a super quick and easy dinner for those long work days.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Food for comfort: Vegetable Lasagna
Food for comfort: Vegetable Lasagna: At it again in the kitchen. Last week my friend and I had a craving for pasta....and white sauce. After much googling/blog stalking I decide...
Vegetable Lasagna
At it again in the kitchen. Last week my friend and I had a craving for pasta....and white sauce. After much googling/blog stalking I decided we should make a veggie lasagna. As always I ended up making my own creation using many other recipes as guides. This lasagna is stocked full of veggies, and I don't think you will miss the meat! Feel free to use/substitute any vegetables of your choice. :) Note: This is NOT a quick meal to make, so prepare to spend at least an hour prepping.
Ingredients:
1 yellow squash, diced
1 zuccini, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 container of baby bella mushrooms
1 medium onion, diced
1 large can whole tomatoes
1 head of garlic: 4 cloves minced, 4 cloves smashed
1 box frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
1 container of ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan(not the powdered nonsense....the real thing!)
1 cup white wine of your choice
1 box no cook lasagna noodles(my box had 12 noodles in it)
2 eggs
4 tbs butter
4 tbs flour
2 cups milk
2 tbs EVOO
13 x 9 glass pan
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Spray 13x9 pan with Pam.
In large skillet over medium heat saute squash, zucchini, onion, pepper,and 4 minced garlic cloves in 2 tbs EVOO. Add mushrooms last. DO NOT add salt until mushrooms have sauteed. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour in 1/2 cup white wine. Using your hands, crush whole tomatoes into veggie mixture. Careful! This is messy! Cook for another 5 minutes then turn off heat.
In sauce pan add 4 tbs butter and heat on low heat with 4 smashes garlic cloves. Low heat is important since you do not want to burn your garlic. This process will allow the garlic flavor to infuse throughout the butter. YUM! Once butter is melted, sprinkle in 4 tbs flour and stir. Increase heat to medium and add 2 cups milk. Whisk constantly until mixture becomes thick. Add 1/2 cup white wine,1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to simmer. (you have just made a beschamel sauce!)
In small mixing bowl combine drained spinach with container of ricotta and 2 eggs.
In bottom of 13x9 pan spread 1/4 of your veggie mixture. Place 3 noddles on top. Spread 1/3 ricotta mixture over noodles, 1/4 veggie mixture, 1/4 beschamel sauce. 2 layers noodles, ricotta, veggies, sauce. Last layer is noodles, beschamel, and your mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. You should have 4 layers of noodles, 3 noodles per layer. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375 for 30 minutes. After 30 min, uncover and cook for 10 more minutes. If the cheese doesn't brown like you would like, turn the broiler on for 5 minutes. Let sit for about 10 minutes after removing from the oven.
This is so decadent it is worth taking the time to make!
Ingredients:
1 yellow squash, diced
1 zuccini, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 container of baby bella mushrooms
1 medium onion, diced
1 large can whole tomatoes
1 head of garlic: 4 cloves minced, 4 cloves smashed
1 box frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
1 container of ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan(not the powdered nonsense....the real thing!)
1 cup white wine of your choice
1 box no cook lasagna noodles(my box had 12 noodles in it)
2 eggs
4 tbs butter
4 tbs flour
2 cups milk
2 tbs EVOO
13 x 9 glass pan
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Spray 13x9 pan with Pam.
In large skillet over medium heat saute squash, zucchini, onion, pepper,and 4 minced garlic cloves in 2 tbs EVOO. Add mushrooms last. DO NOT add salt until mushrooms have sauteed. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour in 1/2 cup white wine. Using your hands, crush whole tomatoes into veggie mixture. Careful! This is messy! Cook for another 5 minutes then turn off heat.
In sauce pan add 4 tbs butter and heat on low heat with 4 smashes garlic cloves. Low heat is important since you do not want to burn your garlic. This process will allow the garlic flavor to infuse throughout the butter. YUM! Once butter is melted, sprinkle in 4 tbs flour and stir. Increase heat to medium and add 2 cups milk. Whisk constantly until mixture becomes thick. Add 1/2 cup white wine,1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to simmer. (you have just made a beschamel sauce!)
In small mixing bowl combine drained spinach with container of ricotta and 2 eggs.
In bottom of 13x9 pan spread 1/4 of your veggie mixture. Place 3 noddles on top. Spread 1/3 ricotta mixture over noodles, 1/4 veggie mixture, 1/4 beschamel sauce. 2 layers noodles, ricotta, veggies, sauce. Last layer is noodles, beschamel, and your mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. You should have 4 layers of noodles, 3 noodles per layer. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375 for 30 minutes. After 30 min, uncover and cook for 10 more minutes. If the cheese doesn't brown like you would like, turn the broiler on for 5 minutes. Let sit for about 10 minutes after removing from the oven.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
It's Pumpkin time!
Another pumpkin recipe! Just made this one tonight and it is quite tasty! It is a recipe for mini chocolate pumpkin brownies. Once again I married pumpkin and chocolate together. :) If you think you aren't a pumpkin lover, try either of my new recipes. I might be able to change your mind. The following recipe makes 15 mini brownies.
Pumpkin Brownies:
Pumpkin Brownies:
Ingredients
2 Tbs unsalted butter
4 squares bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
sprinkle of cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 c plus 2 Tbs sugar
1 large egg
1/2 Tbs pure vanilla extract
1/4 c plus 2 Tbs pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 c chopped pecans
1/4 c mini semisweet chocolate chips
4 squares bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
sprinkle of cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 c plus 2 Tbs sugar
1 large egg
1/2 Tbs pure vanilla extract
1/4 c plus 2 Tbs pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 c chopped pecans
1/4 c mini semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350. Spray mini muffin tin with cooking spray. In microwave safe bowl melt chocolate and butter. (about 1 min) In small bowl combine flour, baking powder, cayenne pepper, and salt. In another bowl combine egg, vanilla, and sugar. Beat with mixer for a couple of minutes. Add flour mixture and stir to combine. Divide the batter adding half to the melted chocolate and the other half add pumpkin and cinnamon. (you should have 2 bowls now. 1 with chocolate batter, and 1 with pumpkin batter.) Fill the muffin pans with brownie mixture first and top with pumpkin batter. Sprinkle with pecans/mini chocolate chips. Bake for 20 minutes.
Pictures to come later! :)
Monday, August 22, 2011
Eggplant Burger!!!
Ok here is the recipe for the long awaited eggplant burger. For you non eggplant lovers, give this a try! I promise you will love it! For anyone with kids, this is a great way to get a veggie in them:) What truly makes this dish is the "remoulade" I made to go along side it! I served mine with homemade baked potato chips and fresh greens.
Eggplant Burger(for 1 with leftovers or for 2)
1 eggplant, chopped
2 scallions diced
1/2 cup mild cheddar cheese, shredded- take the time to shred your own, it makes a difference
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1 tsp diced garlic
salt/pepper to taste
EVOO
Preheat large skillet to medium heat and add 2-3 tbsp EVOO. Add diced eggplant and saute for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low/medium and cook for 15min or until eggplant is completely soft. Remove eggplant from heat and add 5 other ingredients and mix to combine. Form 2 equal size patties, and place in fridge for about 15 minutes. Reheat skillet to medium and add 2 tbsp EVOO. Place patties in skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side. Serve alone or on bun along side yummy remoulade. If you serve on a bun, make sure you toast it. :)
Caramalized Onion Remoulade
1/2 onion sliced
1 tbsp butter
1-2 tbsp EVOO
2 tbsp mayo
2 tbsp sour cream
In small skillet heat butter and EVOO on medium heat. Add onions and saute til translucent. Once they are, turn down to simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes or until caramelized(brown). Mix onions with mayo and sour cream. This is so freakin' good....it tastes just like the french onion dip you buy in the grocery! For you health nuts, you can just caramelize the onions and serve them on top of your burger alone.
Home Made Potato Chips
1 baking potato
EVOO
salt/pepper
Thinly slice potato. Toss with evoo and salt/pepper. Place slices on cooling rack on top of cookie sheet. Bake at 425 for about 20 minutes or until brown and crispy.
Greens:
yummy fresh greens from the grocery
grape tomatoes
scallions
cheese of your choice
Want a healthy sweet treat to end your evening?
1 frozen banana
2 tbsp cocoa powder
In blender combine 2 ingredients and you will have a quick "sorbet" for dessert!
Eggplant Burger(for 1 with leftovers or for 2)
1 eggplant, chopped
2 scallions diced
1/2 cup mild cheddar cheese, shredded- take the time to shred your own, it makes a difference
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1 tsp diced garlic
salt/pepper to taste
EVOO
Preheat large skillet to medium heat and add 2-3 tbsp EVOO. Add diced eggplant and saute for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low/medium and cook for 15min or until eggplant is completely soft. Remove eggplant from heat and add 5 other ingredients and mix to combine. Form 2 equal size patties, and place in fridge for about 15 minutes. Reheat skillet to medium and add 2 tbsp EVOO. Place patties in skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side. Serve alone or on bun along side yummy remoulade. If you serve on a bun, make sure you toast it. :)
Caramalized Onion Remoulade
1/2 onion sliced
1 tbsp butter
1-2 tbsp EVOO
2 tbsp mayo
2 tbsp sour cream
In small skillet heat butter and EVOO on medium heat. Add onions and saute til translucent. Once they are, turn down to simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes or until caramelized(brown). Mix onions with mayo and sour cream. This is so freakin' good....it tastes just like the french onion dip you buy in the grocery! For you health nuts, you can just caramelize the onions and serve them on top of your burger alone.
Home Made Potato Chips
1 baking potato
EVOO
salt/pepper
Thinly slice potato. Toss with evoo and salt/pepper. Place slices on cooling rack on top of cookie sheet. Bake at 425 for about 20 minutes or until brown and crispy.
Greens:yummy fresh greens from the grocery
grape tomatoes
scallions
cheese of your choice
Want a healthy sweet treat to end your evening?
1 frozen banana
2 tbsp cocoa powder
In blender combine 2 ingredients and you will have a quick "sorbet" for dessert!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Stir Fry for 1!!
Hello friends! It has been quite a while since I have blogged.....I have been in Maine the past 10 weeks! Back to the grind this week and back in the kitchen. While in Maine I did not have access to my farm fresh veggies, so I loaded up the day I got back into town. The other night I made a stir fry that was super easy and better then take out. A great week night go to if you ask me! This recipe will be for one, but you can easily make it for 2, 3, 4, etc. I also stuck with just veggies but you can add chicken, pork, beef, or seafood. So so good, you must make it!
Ingredients:
1/2 red bell pepper
handful of broccoli
1/2 sliced onion
handful of mushrooms
handful of shredded carrots
1/2 cup uncooked jasmine rice
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp chopped garlic(or however much you like)
2 tbsp chicken stock
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
pinch of red pepper flakes
Bring 1 cup water to a boil, add rice and pinch of salt. Set to simmer and cook 30 minutes.Chop and prepare your veggies. ( you can do whatever veggies you want.....don't feel you have to stick to mine!) Mix together spices and liquids in separate bowl. Once there is 10 minutes left on your rice, preheat pan to medium heat and add about a tbsp of EVOO. Add veggies and saute for 5 minutes.(be sure to put lid on to help in cooking process!) After 5 minutes add your "sauce" and heat through for 5 minutes. Serve on top of rice. When cooking for 1, this recipe makes enough for dinner and leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day. This is better then take out, trust me!
Chefs Note: If you should want to add a protein here are my directions. Cut your meet into bite size pieces and toss with some cornstarch and soy sauce. Pre heat pan to medium and add some EVOO. Cook meat through about 10 minutes, depending on size. Remove meat from pan, then follow above directions to cook veggies. Add meat last after you have added the sauce. I recommend cutting pork and beef length wise into strips. If you have pork chops on hand, these are perfect and you can stretch a buck using 1-2 pork chops. If you use chicken, one chicken breast can feed 4 when cut into pieces. Fresh shrimp would be delicious as well!
Stay tuned for my eggplant burger recipe..........
Ingredients:
1/2 red bell pepper
handful of broccoli
1/2 sliced onion
handful of mushrooms
handful of shredded carrots
1/2 cup uncooked jasmine rice
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp chopped garlic(or however much you like)
2 tbsp chicken stock
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
pinch of red pepper flakes
Bring 1 cup water to a boil, add rice and pinch of salt. Set to simmer and cook 30 minutes.Chop and prepare your veggies. ( you can do whatever veggies you want.....don't feel you have to stick to mine!) Mix together spices and liquids in separate bowl. Once there is 10 minutes left on your rice, preheat pan to medium heat and add about a tbsp of EVOO. Add veggies and saute for 5 minutes.(be sure to put lid on to help in cooking process!) After 5 minutes add your "sauce" and heat through for 5 minutes. Serve on top of rice. When cooking for 1, this recipe makes enough for dinner and leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day. This is better then take out, trust me!
Chefs Note: If you should want to add a protein here are my directions. Cut your meet into bite size pieces and toss with some cornstarch and soy sauce. Pre heat pan to medium and add some EVOO. Cook meat through about 10 minutes, depending on size. Remove meat from pan, then follow above directions to cook veggies. Add meat last after you have added the sauce. I recommend cutting pork and beef length wise into strips. If you have pork chops on hand, these are perfect and you can stretch a buck using 1-2 pork chops. If you use chicken, one chicken breast can feed 4 when cut into pieces. Fresh shrimp would be delicious as well!
Stay tuned for my eggplant burger recipe..........
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