Quinoa and Brown Rice Nachos

One of our many go-to dinners around here is nachos. We usually have everything on hand, and lately we've had some microwave pouches of brown rice and quinoa from Costco that I'm putting in to all kinds of things.

I've started substituting greek style plain yogurt for sour cream in dishes as well, so this recipe is not too terrible for you!

I've listed how we made them tonight, but you can add your favorite toppings or take away whatever you don't like!

Quinoa and Brown Rice Nachos

• Tostitos multi-grain scoops
• 1 can Black Beans 
• Seeds of Change Brown Rice and Quinoa
• Shredded Mexican-blend cheese
• Greek-style plain yogurt
• Guacamole (ours had fresh cilantro, tomatoes, and onions in it, so I didn't add those things separately on top)
• Black olives, chopped

Place a layer of parchment paper in the bottom of a small/medium cookie sheet. Spread chips out in a layer without a lot of overlap (the more you overlap your chips, the more likely you are to find "bald" nachos later!).  I used about three handfuls of chips for two people.

Spoon black beans over the chips, try to get a few beans on each chip.  

Squeeze the package of brown rice and quinoa to break up any lumps, partially tear open and cook in microwave (in package) for 90 seconds. Spoon brown rice and quinoa over chips and beans evenly.

Sprinkle shredded cheese over chips, beans, etc. and place in oven on broil just until the cheese is melted (the brown rice and quinoa will be hot still, so it won't take long for the cheese to melt).

Once cheese is melted, remove pan from oven and add remainder of toppings as you like.  

Tasty!

Ginger Stir Fry with Brown Rice and Quinoa

This recipe can barely be called a recipe, it's so easy.

I like to send reasonably healthy food with my husband to work, many times it is easiest to make it the day/night before and send it as leftovers.

Tonight I wanted to use up some veggies that would probably be considered "expired" within a couple of days, so I pulled out what I had in the veggie drawer.

Ginger Stir Fry with Brown Rice and Quinoa

• 1-3 tbs olive oil (depending on your pan - a really nice pan shouldn't need much at all!)
• 3 cloves garlic, diced as small as you have patience for
• 1 1/2 cups (approx) chopped white mushrooms
• 3-4 red/yellow/orange mini sweet peppers (I get mine in a big bag at Costco), chopped
• 2 medium zucchini, ends trimmed, sliced lengthwise down the middle, then into 2-3 inch pieces
• 1 medium yellow crookneck squash, chopped into 1-2 inch pieces
• pinch sea salt (I used to say kosher salt but apparently they are selling it under the name "sea salt" now)
• pinch red pepper flakes
• 1-3 tbs Tonton Ginger Japanese Dressing/Marinade (I got a 34oz bottle at Costco for $5!)
• 1 pouch Seeds of Change organic brown rice & quinoa

In a medium sauce/frying pan over medium/low heat (about 3-4 on our stove), heat olive oil and garlic. Once oil is hot, add mushrooms and toss gently to combine mushrooms with garlic and oil.  Cook for 1-2 minutes.


Add peppers and toss gently to combine, cover and cook until mushrooms and peppers are starting to soften, stirring periodically.


Add salt, red pepper flakes, zucchini and squash. Cover and cook until vegetables reach desired tenderness. 


While veggies are cooking, follow directions on brown rice and quinoa pouch (squeeze packet to break up contents, open top partially, microwave for 90 seconds).


Add ginger dressing/marinade to vegetable mixture, cook just long enough to heat through if your sauce came straight out of the fridge.


Remove pan from heat, dump in the rice/quinoa and toss to combine. My husband added a sliced up grilled chicken breast on his and we both called it delicious!

No-Crab Rangoon

I love cream cheese in most forms.

I AM a vegetarian, but I've been known to eat imitation crab in a Crab Puff aka Crab Rangoon.

Tonight I made up a batch since we have a house-guest and were eating dinner somewhat tapas style.

These were super easy and SO tasty.

No-Crab Rangoon
Oil for frying (I used vegetable oil, you have to adjust the temperature pretty much the whole time to keep it from overheating, but it's a good flavor)
Won ton wrappers
1 pkg Cream cheese (I use neufchatel cheese)
1 tbs Homeward Bound SnapDragon hot sauce
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tbs chopped fresh chives
warm water in a small bowl or dish

Place a small to medium sized pot on medium heat and add oil. Cover, but check the temperature every few minutes by dropping a small piece of wonton into the pot. If it just sinks to the bottom, the oil is not hot enough yet. The oil is the right temperature when the piece of wonton bubbles and starts to float.

While the oil is heating, place cream cheese or neufchatel cheese into a microwave-safe bowl, microwave just until soft (35 to 45 seconds should do it).  Stir in hot sauce, garlic salt, and chives.

Lay individual won ton wrappers out on a clean, flat surface and place about a tablespoon of cream cheese mixture in the center.  Wet your finger with the warm water and wet two edges of the wrapper, folding it into a triangle and press sides together to seal.

Once oil is hot, drop wontons in. The wontons will start to bubble and brown. After about a minute, use tongs to flip the wontons over so they brown evenly.

As they start to turn golden brown pull them out and place on paper towels to dry.

Massaman Curry

Our cupboards are close to bare, as it is the last few days before payday.

I was feeling creative and cruising around on Pinterest, when I came across this pin. It inspired me to want a curry-type noodle dish, but I don't have curry paste hanging around, so I looked up curry paste which then led me to a Massaman Curry recipe.  

I had most of the ingredients so I figured I'd give it a whirl and see how close I could get.  I had no potatoes, (I know, traditional Massaman pretty much always HAS potatoes) so I added some broccoli, carrots and green beans in addition to the noodles to make it go a little further.

Reese's Massaman-ish Curry with Tofu & Veggies

• 1 to 3 tbs vegetable oil
• 4 to 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp red chili paste
• 1 tsp cilantro paste 
• 1/2 cube Not Chik'n boullion dissolved in 1/2 cup water
• 3 bay leaves (from Ellie Bluebell)
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/3 chopped dry roasted cashews
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp fine ground black pepper
• 1 tbs lime juice
• 1 tbs brown sugar
• 1 block extra firm tofu, cut in 1" chunks
• 1 13.5oz can coconut milk
• 2 tsp Homeward Bound PunJab Hot Sauce
• 1 cup frozen "cross-cut" carrots
• 1 cup frozen green beans
• 3-4 large stalks broccoli, cut into whatever size you like
• 1/2 pkg Japanese Udon noodles
• 1 pkg Ramen noodles 
• 1/2 cup water

Heat a wok, large frying pan, or soup-type pot over medium-high heat. Drizzle in the oil and swirl around, then add the garlic, chili paste, and cilantro paste. Stir-fry 1-2 minutes to release the fragrance.

Add the boullion, bay leaves, turmeric, chopped cashews, cumin, black pepper, lime juice, and sugar. Stir and bring to a light boil.

Add the tofu, stirring to coat with the spicy liquid, then add the coconut milk and PunJab. Stir and bring back up to a boil. Reduce heat to low, or just until you get a good simmer.

Simmer 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, add Udon noodles, separate so they don't stick together, and cover.

Simmer another 8 minutes, add Ramen noodles, broken up into quarters. 

Simmer another 2 minutes, add carrots, broccoli and final 1/2 cup of water, stir, cover and simmer until veggies are tender.

Add a handful more cashews and fold in. Transfer to a serving bowl, or plate up on individual plates or bowls. 

(This picture's lighting/color is weird... but it tastes fantastic!)

Reese's Carrot Cake & Cream Cheese SnapDragon Frosting

Growing up, the idea of carrot cake seemed weird to me. Why would you put vegetables in a dessert!? Likewise the idea of zucchini bread, etc.

Then I HAD a good carrot cake, with a delicious cream-cheese frosting (really, what ISN'T good with cream cheese?).

Scott cooked for a Men's Retreat put on by our church last weekend, and part of his menu was our quickly-becoming-infamous Cumin Roasted Carrots. Apparently there were some miscalculations in the quantities and he came home with two 3lb bags of baby carrots and 5 1lb bags of whole large carrots.

I roasted all of the baby carrots over a couple of days, and decided to use a couple of bags of the large carrots in a carrot cake. I am not much of a baker, I can make some decent cookies and can whip up anything from a mix without screwing it up, but baking requires a lot more attention to detail than regular cooking.

I googled Carrot Cake recipes and read through a few, deciding that while I didn't have everything for any one of the recipes, I had various bits of several of them, and might be able to put something together.

I based it primarily on this recipe, although I consulted this one and this one as well. Buttermilk is not something we stock in our fridge, so I used a combination of sour cream and milk for that ingredient. I also didn't have any canola oil, so I substituted applesauce. I don't have anything against raisins in general, but I don't like them in my baked goods, so I got crazy and substituted white chocolate chips (thanks Jess!) for those.

True to my adventurous (in cooking) nature, I had to put a little hot sauce in somewhere. I chose not to put it into the cake, but I snuck a teeny tiny bit into the frosting.

Reese's Carrot Cake with SnapDragon Cream-Cheese Frosting

• 3 cups self-rising flour (I use Gold Medal brand)
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 6 eggs at room temperature
• 2 cups Splenda
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tbs vanilla
• 2/3 cup or about 7oz mandarin oranges, drained & whizzed in mini food-processor just until broken down
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2lbs carrots, washed, peeled & grated in food processor
• 1 cup pecans, chopped fine
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped fine
• 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
• Canola oil spray

In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves, whisk together gently and set aside.


In a very large mixing bowl, combine eggs, Splenda, brown sugar, sour cream, milk, vanilla, oranges and applesauce. Whisk together just until combined and the big chunks of sour cream are broken up small.


Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture two cups at a time, stirring in between until all combined.


Add carrots, nuts and white chocolate chips, stirring to combine well.

Spoon batter into three round cake tins that have been sprayed with canola oil, bake on the middle rack of oven for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick poked in the center of each cake comes out clean. If your oven does not cook evenly, you may have to let one cake cook longer than another.


Remove cakes from oven and set on a cooling rack in their tins to cool for at least 30 minutes, then invert tins and continue to cool cakes upside-down on racks. You may need to run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake a little.

Once cakes are COMPLETELY cooled, you can frost them. (This was always the hardest part for me growing up, I never wanted to wait! If you try to frost before the cake has cooled, your frosting starts to melt and it is a lot harder! Granted, that is less true with cream cheese frosting, but still true!)

Cream Cheese SnapDragon Frosting

• 24oz (3 pkgs) cream cheese, softened 
• 4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tbs vanilla extract
• 1 tsp orange extract
• 2 tsp Homeward Bound SnapDragon Hot Sauce*
• 3-4 cups confectioners’ sugar to taste

(Note: I left the cream cheese and butter in a bowl out on the counter overnight to soften - I covered it with plastic wrap and it was the PERFECT consistency the next morning)

Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth. 


Add extracts and hot sauce and beat just until incorporated. 


Beat in sugar, one cup at a time, until frosting has the flavor and consistency you want. You may not need to add all of the sugar.


*(The hot sauce in the frosting is something you only notice a little bit after you've eaten it. It just warms up the back and sides of your tongue enough to make you say "hey, what's in that?")

I don't own a cake plate, and the only lazy susan I have is two-tiered and holds our vitamins in a corner of the kitchen countertop.

I cleared the stuff off the top of the lazy susan, covered a large sturdy plastic lid (to a large mixing bowl) with tin foil and placed it on the top tier of the lazy susan. It was a perfect size.

I REALLY recommend using a lazy susan to frost your cake - being able to turn it with one hand and apply frosting with the other is made MUCH easier.

This is the first cake that I have made from scratch EVER, and I'm amazed at how it came out. The consistency is dense and a little chewy, which "traditional" carrot cake is supposed to be. I'm very happy with all of the flavors in the cake AND the frosting. I am obviously not too talented at the decorating part, I know it's a little lopsided and the frosting is uneven, I also didn't have any food coloring to create carrot shapes on top, so I wrote "I AM CARROT CAKE" on top instead. (Jess said when she saw it she heard "HEAR ME ROAR" after...

Extra thanks to Jess for loaning me her cake pans and suggesting the white chocolate chips!

Hot Tip #6

Probably not news to most, but hot sauce is GREAT on eggs! 

Scrambled, baked, fried, and even in deviled eggs!

Comfort Food: Spaghetti Squash!

There are few comfort foods I love more than a good boxed pasta dinner.  Since we are trying to eat at least moderately healthfully, I've been making a lot of spaghetti squash lately (you may have noticed!)

Tonight's rendition reminds me of a Hamburger Helper kind of thing, but it's vegetarian and there's WAY less carbs.  In true Hamburger Helper/Boxed Dinner style, it's not pretty, but it's good! I prettied up the plate with some roasted carrots, roasted broccoli, and tahini-yogurt dip.

Boxed Dinner Spaghetti Squash

• olive oil
• 1 spaghetti squash 
• 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 bag burger crumbles (I use Morningstar Farms "Griller" crumbles)
• 2 handfuls fresh basil
• a few stalks fresh flat-leaf parsley
• a few sprigs fresh thyme
• 4 cloves garlic
• kosher salt
• about 1 cup marinara sauce
• Homeward Bound SparkPlug Hot Sauce

Preheat oven to 400F. Cut Spaghetti Squash in half lengthwise, spray cut-side with olive oil, and place cut-side down on a cooking sheet (I use parchment). Bake for about 35-40 minutes depending on size of squash.  After 20 minutes of cooking, pierce each half a few times with a fork. Squash is done when it is fork tender - turn cut-side up and let cool until you can handle it with your hand or at least a hot-pad.





Spray a large frying pan with olive oil (or use a tablespoon of olive oil if you don't have a sprayer) and heat on medium. Once heated, add mushrooms and balsamic vinegar.


If the burger crumbles are thawed, add them to the pan when the mushrooms are almost done, cook long enough to brown the crumbles a little, turn off heat.


In a food processor, mini food processor, or blender, combine fresh herbs, garlic, and about a tablespoon of olive oil. Whiz/Blend to make a paste, add to mushroom/burger crumbles in pan and stir to combine.





Use a fork to scrape squash out of it's shell into the pan, stir to combine. If squash is cooled significantly, you can turn the heat back up to med/low. 


Add marinara and hot sauce, salt to taste and heat through if not hot.  (I added a little dried parsley and seasoning salt because the marinara I used was a generic store brand and pretty bland.)