Quinoa chili

I saw a picture of a delicious bowl of quinoa on my friend's facebook. His fiance (and my friend) found this recipe on pinterest! So I quickly went to her board and looked for myself. The beautiful looking bowl of chili called my name and that day it was on my menu for the following week :D .

If you've never had/heard of quinoa, here's a short lesson:

Pronounced "keen-wah", it is a grain-like seed from Central and South America. It is high in protein, folate, iron, magnesium, phosphorus (and more!). Its recognition as being a "super-food" is increasing its popularity and hopefully you'll see it popping up in all grocery stores if it's not already present! You can typically find it near rice. It's a little bit more expensive (I paid $4 for 14 oz dry, which can surprisingly go a long way), but totally worth it.
There are different types of quinoa, the most common being the traditional (brown) sort. On its own, it is pretty plain to taste; that's a great thing about it--you can flavor it in endless ways! People use quinoa in all kinds of dishes...mixed with yogurt, honey, almonds, and/or fruit for breakfast, in salads, in chili, as a side on its own (maybe with some spices), etc, etc. You can cook it, or just soak it for cold dishes. Its versatility is only one aspect of it that makes it one of my favorite foods!

Here is the recipe for the dinner we had this evening:

Ingredients

• 29 oz black beans, rinsed and drained (use a can or dried. I prefer dried but this takes some prep ahead of time). You could substitute for other beans, of course! There are a lot of good ones out there....
• 6 oz can of tomato paste
• 32 oz vegetable stock
• 1 onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic (of course fresh is best, but I never use all the cloves when I buy it so I just go for the pre-minced that you refrigerate)
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
• 1 cup dry quinoa
• salt and pepper to taste
• avocado and cilantro for garnish (optional)
  
  
  Directions
  
  1. Peel the potato then chop it, and the onions. 

2. Go ahead and open any cans (paste, beans) and drain the beans if need-be.

Isn't it cute??

3. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.

4. Add onions and sautee until they are soft and smelling delicious.

5. Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes.

6. Add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, and oregano for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

7. Add the beans, stock, potatoes, and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes.

8. Add the cup of quinoa, and continue cooking for about 30 minutes (simmer, med-low), until the potatoes are cooked and the chili has thickened. Make sure you are stirring it up every few minutes. I have found the rate limiting step is the potatoes. I had mine covered for a little bit, but it was not thickening at all so I took the lid off most of the time, until it was a nice consistency. If yours is too thick by the time it's done, you can add a little bit of water.

Immediately after I poured in my cup of quinoa.

9. While you wait, you can cut up the avocado and cilantro if you decided to include them in your meal. I love both, so of course I did :). As Sal (my husband) pointed out to me, the avocado serves as a creamy, fatty...almost cheese-substitute. I don't know about you, but our traditional chili dinners usually get cheese loaded on. So surprisingly, the avocado filled that void. Mmmm.

Ready to get in my belly.

10. Serve your bowl of chili and top with avocado and chopped cilantro. 

11. Enjoy, save and reheat left-overs for lunch or dinner! I hope this leaves you feeling like I did...full, but light, not that gross "stuffed" feeling. This has easily and quickly become one of my new favorite meals and it will be hard to go back to the previous chili recipe I usually swear by. If you're a chili fan, I highly suggest you try this. 

Feel good about the flavorful meal you just threw together and rest easy knowing it was healthy....and vegan. Did you notice? ;)

Bacon and Baked Potato Soup

So as stated yesterday, I decided to make a warm, filling-sounding soup since it has started to be consistently and pleasantly chilly outside :). I often peruse the kraft food recipe website for ideas, and that is where this recipe originates! They offer some basic and cool categories (chicken, budget, vegetarian, holiday/seasonal). There are a few downsides, in my opinion, such as: pushing certain brands (of course you can just ignore this), dishes that are quite bland, a lot of "pre-made" things (not always bad, but when it's on really easy stuff that just tastes infinitely better to make yourself, I turn my nose up a little). However, these obstacles can be overcome by reading the reviews--there are some really helpful suggestions! And of course, just using the site as a springboard for a "base" recipe. I find myself tweaking the recipe when/where I feel confident!

Anyway, here is the recipe I followed last night, very easy.

Bacon and Baked Potato Soup! (original recipe found here) 

Ingredients (for two):

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup chopped onions--for the veggies, just use as much as you want. I love them so I definitely used more than the original recipe called for.
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
• 1-1/4 cups milk
• 2 potatoes (I just used Russet). Cut into cubes. You can pre-bake/boil if you want. I didn't.
• pinch of pepper
• 10 slices bacon, cooked (bake it!). I suppose it only takes 5 slices, since I always cut mine in half. 
• 1 cup of cheese (whatever you like! we used a blend of cheddars)
• 3-4 green onions
• 1/4 cup sour cream

Directions:

1. I started by getting my bacon in the oven. (see link in ingredient list) As it was cooking, I continued on with the following steps.

2. Dice up your veggies! Onions, celery, potatoes (remember, I didn't pre-cook mine. Feel free to do so if you want!).

3. Melt the butter in a pot, and sautee your onions and celery (not the green onions) on medium-high heat.. Make sure they are still a little crisp, since they will continue to cook the entire time.

4. Add the chicken broth, milk, potatoes, and pepper to your pot.

5. Bring to a light boil, and constantly stir. If you don't pre-cook the potatoes, you will have to stir for about 25 minutes, working on mushing them up as they soften.

6. Somewhere during this time, your bacon should be finishing up (if you did it my way). I'd take about half of the strips and crumble them into your pot. I also suggest taking a tablespoon of the grease and add it, as well. It will help flavor everything! Yummmm. Fatttttt.

7. After your potatoes are all mashed up, you should have a pretty thick soup from all the starch. Add 3/4 cup of cheese and stir around until melted! ... and you're done!

8. Spoon out the soup into bowls, topping with a dollop of sour cream, some green onions, some cheese, and the rest of the bacon, crumbled up! SOOO GOOD.

And there you have it! My husband and I really enjoyed this meal. It was enough in itself and felt very "hearty". It was very filling. I think the toppings at the end are really important because each component adds a lot of flavor to the dish. I could see how people might find the soup alone kind of bland without more spices added to it. Afterall, it is mostly plain ol' potatoes!

So there you have it. It really didn't take long and although I didn't exactly calculate it out, it is quite a cheap meal. Everything in this meal was something I already had in my refrigerator except for the green onions. Even if that isn't the case for you, the most expensive part is probably a bag of cheese or bacon ($2 and $3 respectively when found on sale!) which are both items you will have left-overs and can be used in lots of other dishes for other meals that week. We'll definitely be making this again when the nights are cool and our week is jam-packed (oh wait, that's every evening for the fall/winter season ;) ).

Mexican Stuffed Peppers (for two)

Here is a recipe I found from Kraft Foods! It is very delicious and very easy. It's an entire meal in one thing...meat, rice, and veggies! For those extra hungry men out there, you might want to consider two peppers or eating the left-over filling. Sometimes one pepper just doesn't seem like enough. But for Sal and I, two are great! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/2 pack (about 3 tbsp) of your favorite taco seasoning packet

  

  Meijer does just fine!

• ~1 cup water (divided)
• 1 small tomato, chopped
• 1/2 cup instant white rice, uncooked

  

  Why is it called "minute" if it takes five?

• 2 large red peppers
• 3/4 cup shredded cheese (we use sharp cheddar)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400 *F.
2. Brown meat with onions in skillet on medium heat. 

   

   I love me some onions!

3. Stir in taco seasoning and 1/3 cup water. Bring to a boil; simmer on low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

   

   Smells like tacos!

4. Stir in 1/2 cup of the remaining water in skillet. 
5. Add tomatoes; mix well. Bring to a boil. 
6. Stir in rice; cover. Remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.

   

   Everything but the cheese!

7. Cut tops off of peppers, discarding the tops and inner seeds. I usually rinse mine out with water.
   

   

   Gutted peppers!

8. Add half cup cheese to meat mixture; stir. 
9. Spoon mixture of meat, cheese, rice, tomato, onion...into peppers; top with remaining cheese.  (You'll probably have some left over, add it to your plate when the peppers are done. It's great on its own.)

   

   Stuffed, pre-cheese topping.
   

   

   ...there we go!

10. Cover with foil and bake 35 to 40 minutes or until peppers are tender.
1. I have foil underneath as well because it makes for easier clean-up.
2. I also recommend using a deeper baking dish (like a loaf pan) so they are easy to cover.

YUM!!!! (a spoon of salsa on top for an added touch!)

Brownie bites

Call me crazy, but I am NOT a brownie person. I have only met one other person in my life who isn't a brownie fanatic, haha! Just because I don't enjoy consuming brownies doesn't mean I don't love making them for others, though. :) That being said, Sal is a brownie man and I feel bad that I don't think to make them often since I don't prefer them. I am always seeing cool and cute twists on brownies on pinterest and plan on pursuing some recipes in the future. My first goal is to figure out a basic brownie recipe (from scratch). I want to do this because it will allow more freedom to tweak the recipe since I know exactly what is put in and what interacts well and nearly most importantly--portion control! Since Sal is the only one eating brownies in our house and I don't want him to get diabetes (lol) I like being able to make half-batches or less at my choosing.

I discovered this recipe and decided to make bite-sized because I don't have a small enough pan yet to make a little tray. Either way, they turned out great and are just the right size to satiate your sweet tooth.

So anyway, onto super easy brownie bites!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
• 1/2 cup white, granulated sugar
• I will probably be trying to work out a new recipe at some point, there are other, healthier, less-processed sweeteners out there. I just have to learn how to bake with them.
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder (NOT soda)
• Optional:
• chocolate chips

I used a non-stick mini-muffin pan, so my baking directions are written with that in mind. You can bake brownies in a small (4 inch square, or 8 inch square (standard) if you double the recipe) pan for double the cooking time. You could also try a normal-sized muffin pan, although I'm not sure the time you would use. If you try it, let me know! Seems like they would be similar to the size of a normal brownie.

Directions:

NOTE: do not use an electric mixer for this recipe.

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F.
2. Crack open your egg into a bowl. Using a fork or whisk, mix it up well.
3. Add the sugar and vanilla to the egg, mixing as best as you can. (You pre-mix all of this so when adding to the whole you aren't spending too much time stirring up the egg. The more you mix in the egg, air can get in the mix and this will cause your brownies to turn out more cake-like/less dense.)

   

   Eggs, sugar, vanilla.

4. In a different bowl, mix the cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder.
   

   

   Dry ingredients.

5. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter.

   

   
   

6. Remove from heat and stir in the egg/sugar/vanilla mix.
7. Finally, mix in the dry ingredients, stirring well. 

   

   Batter before spooning into the pan!

8. I added in about a half-cup of mini milk chocolate chips just to make it more rich, you don't have to do this to get great brownies, though.
9. Add about a tbsp of batter to the mini-muffin pan spaces. Remember to use muffin cups or prep the spaces with shortening and flour (ask if you need help with how to do that :) ). If you have a dark, non-stick pan you don't need to do any extra work.
10. Cook the brownies for approx 10-13 minutes. To check if they're done, stick a toothpick in the center of one to make sure it comes out clean (without wet batter on it).
11. Remove from oven and allow to sit/cool for about 5 minutes. 
12. Take a spoon and they should neatly pop out of the pan! 

Recipe makes about 12 mini-brownie bites :)

Had to taste-test one...

By the way, my brownie connoisseur (Sal) LOVED them! He had some fresh out of the oven with some chocolate moosetracks frozen yogurt on top!

"Cheesecake" stuffed strawberries

If you have a pinterest and look up any foods (specifically sweets) I am sure you've probably run into the following picture...

(Courtesy of The Sweets Life)

I don't know about you, but I find these extremely cute. They even taste better than they look! So...ever wonder what it's like to have people super excited to try a unique dessert...that took you pretty much no work at all? This finger-food will disappear very quickly from its platter.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds (two of those containers you see at the grocery store) strawberries
• 8 oz (one block) of cream cheese--leave it out for 30-60 minutes before making this so it's soft (don't melt or microwave)
• 4 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• graham cracker crumbs probably 1/2 to 1 cup
• Optional: 
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips 
• 1 tbsp vegetable or canola oil

Directions:

1. Rinse strawberries.
2. Remove the leaves (I just rip off the greens to clearly see the top).
3. CAREFULLY, using a paring knife (if you have one, it's the easiest to use here), cut out the center of the strawberry from the top. I just cut a little circle and then pop it out. This is usually the whiter, least ripe part of the strawberry, so you can just pitch it.
4. In a mixing bowl, mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until creamy.
5. Fill the hole in the top of the strawberry with the filling. I just use a spoon and plop some in. It can overflow over the top a bit, as long as it doesn't fall out.
6. Take some graham cracker crumbs and pour them into a shallow bowl.
7. Dip the top of the strawberry into the bowl of crumbs! They should just stick immediately to the filling.
8. Eat a strawberry to test taste ;)
9. Refrigerate unless eating immediately or soon.
10. The rest of the instructions are optional...if you want a chocolate topping on them!
1. Place your chocolate chips and oil in a microwavable bowl.
2. Microwave on medium for 30 seconds intervals, stirring in between, until melted.
3. Take your spoon and drizzle the chocolate on the strawberries however you like!
4. Refrigerate unless eating immediately or soon.

Our tray of goodies :)

My helper, taste testing :)